#realized I did two blossoms XD

[daevilpanda71]

First week of artfight down~! Few pieces I've done so far!

Blossom (humanoid): @strawbee-milk

2. Doopie: @lunasquidd

3. Blossom (anthro): @haysprite

4. Princess+Leo: @for3stboy Remember to take breaks, stretch and have fun~!!🍄

[beestriker015]

Yandere Akiza x male s/o

(There is a serious lack of yugioh girls x male reader stuff here on Tumblr, imma fix that.)

During her time at New Domino City’s Duel Academy, Akiza was a social outcast due to her psychic abilities and no one made an attempt to become friends with her….except for s/o, a relatively new student at the academy.

“Hello, my name’s s/o! What are you doing sitting here by yourself?”

“…..My name’s Akiza Izinski. Now go away please.”

“Nice to meet you Akiza! Mind if I sit here?”

“Did you not hear what I just said? Just go away and leave me alone!”

No matter how much she tried pushing him away, s/o continued trying to befriend Akiza and get to know her.

Despite her unusual psychic powers, s/o wasn’t afraid of Akiza and became the only person at the academy to continually be nice to her, much to the girl’s confusion.

“Why are you always so nice to me s/o?!You should be afraid of me like all the others! I can bring duel monsters to life! I’m dangerous!”

She exclaims at s/o as he takes a seat next to her as he has for a few weeks now.

“I don’t think you’re dangerous Akiza, and I’m not afraid of you. I just want to be your friend because everyone deserves to have a friend. Besides, I think your powers are really cool!”

S/o says to her with a kind smile, shocking the girl greatly.

“He’s really not like the others is he? Maybe….just maybe I might’ve found someone who accepts me for who I am.”

A small smile tugs at Akiza’s lips as she questions whether s/o could be the one person she can call her friend.

Due to s/o’s perseverance, he eventually manages to become friends with Akiza and breaks her out of her shell a little bit, unknowingly sparking something from deep inside her heart.

As their friendship continued to blossom, Akiza began developing feelings for s/o that are completely foreign to her.

“Is this what love feels like? No! I cannot be falling in love with s/o! He may be my friend, but s/o couldn’t possibly love a monster like me!”

She tells herself, even though s/o has made it crystal clear that he doesn’t view her as a monster and doesn’t think she should think of herself as one.

Things began to change between the two after Akiza joined the Arcadia Movement, s/o noticing a personality change in his friend.

“She’s becoming a lot more distant and cold, even more than when we meet at Duel Academy.”

Eventually, s/o confronts her about this, which only upsets Akiza.

“Nothing’s going on with me s/o! I’m perfectly fine! Just leave me alone!”

S/o doesn’t listen and decides to challenge her to a duel, which was a big mistake as he is easily defeated and ends up getting hurt by Akiza’s psychic powers.

Realizing what she’s done, Akiza rushes over to s/o and begins sobbing.

“I’m so sorry s/o! I didn’t mean to hurt you, I don’t know what came over me! Please forgive me!”

S/o looks up to his friend and flashes her a weak smile as he gently wipes her tears away with his thumb.

“Please don’t cry, of course I’ll forgive you Aki. I always will.”

With her emotions having risen to a fever pitch (that’s a Pokémon XD reference), she backs away from s/o and shouts at him with tears streaming down her face.

“Why?! I could’ve seriously hurt you! How can you so easily forgive a monster like me?!”

S/o manages to get up and takes a few steps towards toward her.

“You are not a monster Akiza. To answer your question though, it’s because….I love you.”

His words bring a pleasant warmth to Akiza’s heart as she looks at him in surprise and with a deep blush on her face.

“Y-you love me s/o?”

When he answers with a nod, Akiza can’t help but rush over and hug him tightly.

“I love you too s/o! I promise to never let anything or anyone hurt you again!”

They then share a loving and passionate kiss, thus kicking off their relationship and causing another change in Akiza…for better and for worse.

From being with s/o, Akiza has now become a much kinder person…except to other girls.

Whenever a girl would talk to s/o or god forbid flirt with him, Akiza would cling to her boyfriend tightly and shoot a scary glare at the girl to make her leave.

S/o is either completely oblivious to his girlfriend’s growing possessiveness or just doesn’t care, and Akiza isn’t sure which (nor does she care all that much.)

If anyone were to say anything bad about s/o, Akiza will gladly stick up for her boyfriend….and even use her powers if she feels it’s necessary.

“Hey hotstuff! Why not ditch that loser and get with a real man like me!”

A tough guy calls out as Akiza and s/o were on a date.

“Ignore him Akiza, you can take care of him later. For now, just enjoy the time you’re spending with s/o.”

She tells herself under her breath so that her boyfriend doesn’t hear.

Needless to say….the tough guy was declared missing the next day and was found a week later in an old alleyway having been strangled to death and covered in small lacerations.

Akiza, despite her yandere tendencies, is actually a very good girlfriend to s/o and enjoys being affectionate with him, happy that despite her abnormal powers, she gets to experience what being normal is like through their relationship.

When she meets Yusei and becomes aware of the threat the Dark Signers pose, Akiza becomes even more protective of her boyfriend.

S/o is not allowed to leave her sight or go anywhere without her, as she knows the Dark Signers could target him due to his relationship with her.

“Is this really necessary Aki? All I’m doing is going to the store for some supplies.”

She grips his hand tightly and looks at him with a stern expression.

“Yes it is. I made a promise when we got together that nothing will ever bring you harm s/o, and I’d do anything necessary to keep that promise!”

“…..alright then, whatever you say my beautiful rose. I love you Akiza.”

Her expression softens as she blushes and kisses him softly on the lips.

“I love you too s/o.”

Keeping a tight grip on her boyfriend, Akiza smiles and walks with him while on the lookout for any threats to her s/o.

“You are my world s/o. You are the only thing I care about. If anyone tries to take you from me or do anything to make you upset, they will learn that this rose has some very sharp thorns.”

She thinks to herself before spotting a group of girls chatting and making not very subtle flirty glances at s/o, causing Aliza’s smile to slow change into a slight scowl that goes completely unnoticed by her boyfriend.

Whether it be girls, bullies, Dark Signers, or anything else, one thing is clear…

No one messes with Akiza’s s/o and gets away with it….

[moonlight-sonata99]

The Batch Batch: The Sith

Headcanons

The Bad batch comes across a unique individual, they find themselves strangely attracted to them and relationship's blossom, however there comes a point where their past is questioned...

A/N:Thank you to @ihatepeez I'm sorry it took so long to come out;( but really hope you enjoy it . I changed it a little, as I felt the batch with a sith that's in their prime..they would not go well with them XD

Hunter

One of the more hesitant people to approach you

He must admit- he did suspect something about you,but it passed 

But like also that were kinda attractive

he didnttell anyone..

but that didn't mean anyone could tell (Omega)

But as time passed, you…you stayed and center yourself apart of the group. 

With that being said. From the start hunter would have sensed something was off,

Upon being revealed you were a sith…

He felt…conflicted for a bit. 

Scratch that, very conflicted.

First where you being followed?

What kind of dangers did sith bring? 

What if…those dangers hurt omega

But you reassured him that it was your past. You trying to change now.

Though a bit weary, he believes in you. 

As time passes hunter finds that…you have changed. For the better.

And the feelings he had holding back finally came back Into play. 

Although he's a bit confused on what he should do in general

In general, hunters very hard on himself in terms on letting himself feel, 

But…he learns that it's alright. You two can have a new life together…

Echo

Honestly this man doesn't like you on sight for some reason

Idk but I think…that since echo worked so closely to the jedi, he would naturally dislike the Sith. 

But he does wonder to himself why he doesn't like you sometimes…

As time passes he realizes you are a force user, since you saved omega once from falling with the force. But…he didn't see a lightsaber.

Still even as time passes he isn't as hostile, you two can sit together in the same room, but not talk.

It isn't until, one day omega found your lightsaber hidden and she turned it off

Igniting the bright red color…

The innocent girl only gazed at the thing with wonder and echo…felt his heart drop.

This event lead to you being interrogated by the guys

To which you admitted to being sith, however. It was who you were before.

But now, you didn't know what you wanted.

After this, echo full on ignores you

He felt so... 

So…

He didn't know how to explain it…but the other part that knew you wanted to change…it made him…happy..?

After a while, you notice he's around you more often, and when you offer to drive the ship he's the only one who stays with you.

Was it because he was still weary of you..?

Tech

I think.. That tech out of everyone would know the quickest.

He would be intrigued.

He knows immediately that you are force user, 

How? Even he doesn't know himself.

 I imagine he has many questions for you, like a interviewer asking a celebrity

Whether you were a sith , it never crossed his mind.

However the questions stay in head, 

And he spends the days in the marauder glancing at you

You can feel it.

there glaces of curiosity,you think

Though you wield a lightsaber(albeit hidden) 

You've never used it.

Overall, I think tech would use his curiosity as an excuse to learn more about you, a sith.

Something even his brothers realize XD

"I see it y’know" You say once when everyone is sleeping and tech remained in the pilot seat as you sat behind him.

 "Pardon?" He replied looking up from his data pad,

 "I feel it too, the staring." He only remains quiet,"You…have questions?" You ask closing your eyes and leaning back on the chair

"Your…a jedi?" Tech questions and he hears you chuckle under your breath"Not really," 

"Then..?"  He trails off he only looks back once again and his heart stops for a moment as he met your piercing gaze, within your locked eyes there's a…silent understanding.

 "I see" he only says and looks back at his data.

 You only looked at him for a brief moment, and examined his figure were his ears red…?

Wrecker

I'm excited for this man onfggsysgs

Okay so, although at first he has a rough exterior, with time he sees you're just someone who's confused on where to go,who to rely on. He doesn't realize it but unknowingly he drops that persona early on.

He approaches you slowly, closer and closer each day.

Until when you've integrated yourself into the group,

That's when he's comfortable with being more…cuddly.

He knows that at night you stay awake, sitting on one of the pilot chairs looking at the stars outside

He wants to ask why

But he never does.

Wrecker eventually gathers up the courage to one day sit down next to you and ask why your always awake.

He's usually not one to do so

And honestly 

On the spot you reveal your past, why? You didn't even know why. But he was comforting. 

He's shocked, yea, but to Wreckers credit..he knows you're not your past.

And then on Wrecker sticks closely to you as if he's a small puppy,

It's because your close friends right?

…right?

Crosshair

Man's hated you from the get-go,

And you returned that energy 

He does notice that your force sensitive but is the least to actually do anything

He pretty much ignores it lmao

He still hates you either way💀💀

Enemies to lovers fr

Like his brothers he's under the assumption your a jedi on the run.

That's until…

You two were separated on a mission and you pulled out your lightsaber 

Which…was red.

After that crosshair pretended he didn't really see anything, treating you normally.

But he did piece together you were trying to live a new life, like them.

He eases off after that, and he finds you trying a put a blaster one day when you guys were fueling up. 

Chuckling he grabs the blaster from you and just says 

"Watch."

Slowly but surely...with every lesson, everytime he seems to be getting closer and closer...

And his always seem to wander

Not that you noticed...👀👀

[blackjackkent]

Blossoming romance ask :)

Hector/Karlach - hello/goodbye hugs that linger

Jaheira/Rasaad - finding comfort in their scent

Wyll/Rakha - clumsy attempts at flirting

(Blossoming Romance Writing Prompts)

Eyyyyy finally getting to my backlog of your requests! (Well, two, but it feels like a backlog to me - I have been off my writing game since vacation. But getting back in the groove! XD ) The other one I owe you is turning out longer but will come Soon(tm).

Went with the Jaheira/Rasaad one; filing the others away for potential future drabbles. :D

Jaheira/Rasaad - "finding comfort in their scent"

-----

Jaheira snaps awake with a cry, sitting suddenly upright in her bedroll. She realizes that one of her fists is clenched in a death grip into her thin blanket, so tightly that her knuckles are white.

A nightmare, she tells herself firmly, gulping down breaths of cold night air. It was a bad dream.

Usually she sleeps lightly, dreamlessly, but when the bad dreams come, they come like the stabs of a knife out of the darkness, sharp and brutal. When she was a child, and for many years after, they were by and large indistinct and formless things. She would wake with only a vague sense of dread and the memory of chaotic flight through a burning city. 

But the dreams became her constant companion after Khalid died. For months after, during all their struggles through Amn, she was haunted by the loss of the man she had loved so deeply. Sometimes the dreams were cold memory - the clinically antiseptic scent of the laboratory table where they found his desecrated body, and her husband cut open to the bone, his eyes wide and blank and staring. Sometimes she watched him die, her brain conjuring images of the blade that had inflicted those wounds and the laughing, mocking face of Irenicus holding it. Other times still, he was alive, with that bright smile and warm gaze, but he stood out of her reach, and drifted further with every attempt she made to reach him. 

It has been many years now, and these days the dark dreams come more rarely. But their bite is sharper, more varied. The theme rarely changes - those she has lost, and those she fears to lose - but the faces are often different. Sometimes Caden, sometimes Minsc, sometimes Aerie or Imoen. Sometimes old Harper friends long gone from her. 

More and more often, though, she dreams of Rasaad. It is the cost of learning to love again.

She feels him roll over next to her, and his hand rests gently at the small of her back. “Are you all right, Jaheira?” he asks softly.

She shrugs. “I did not mean to wake you,” she mutters.

She hears him chuckle softly. “I sleep just as lightly as you do. We make a poor partnership for hiding such things.” 

She smiles a little at that. It is true; she has watched him sleep from time to time and seen it for herself. He is always halfway to waking, his breathing quick and shallow and deeply rhythmic - as if more in meditation than sleep no matter how exhausted he might be.

“Tell me,” he murmurs.

“More foolishness of an idle brain too used to loss,” she says with a slight shake of her head. A pause. “That man, Gahan-- the same fight, but he caught you by the neck and twisted…” She hisses out a breath between her teeth. “The snap was loud enough to drive me awake…”

“Ahhh…” His fingertips dig gently into her back in a reassuring half-squeeze, and he uses the pressure to lever himself into a sitting position. 

She feels his breath against her ear, and turns her head so her lips brush his. His warmth is comforting; the scent of his skin is familiar and steady. He smells of the sweat and leather of the day’s ride, and the sharp clean scent of the lotion he uses after shaving his head. She feels her heart start to settle in her chest. 

“He did not kill me,” Rasaad says softly. There is a hint of bitter regret in his tone. “And for that I have you to thank, more than myself.” A pause. “That you were hurt protecting me from my own foolishness is a burden I will carry with the others.”

She smiles slightly. “Consider this your penance, then, Rasaad yn Bashir - to be woken in the middle of the night without cause, while my mind replays for me the ways in which it might have all gone wrong...”

He presses a kiss at the hinge of her jaw. “A penance I would gladly pay every night of my life.”

[daintyduck99]

Ao3 wrapped! 10, 11, 16, 29, 30

10. What work was the quickest to write?

I wrote a few fairly short and simple stories this year, but the quickest to write was easily Butterfly Kisses and Glitter On Our Lips. I wrote most of it during lulls in other activity over the course of Thanksgiving Day, and I actually spent way more time making the moodboard (although I think it helped that I had a very solid idea of what I wanted to write ever since I wrote the prompt fill it's based on)

11. What work took you the longest to write?

nothing is forever so let's do this again took almost a year, somewhat due to waning interest on both of our parts and somewhat because the main things left to write were the party scene and the smut scene, both of which required a lot of creativity and mental energy and coordinating. We finally finished it because I had a burst of motivation once it became seasonally appropriate again (and bless @nuandia for swooping in and finishing the last part I was stuck on and tying the ending together)

16. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

I checked and I was correct--it's fluff XD When I don't use fluff, I typically use fluff and humor or fluff and angst. Flirting wasn't too far behind any of them, though, which actually did surprise me (I didn't realize that it's apparently so prevalent in my works)

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

I am going to cheat and give two XD

From Our Luxury (A Love Like Stars), I still really love this description I came up with for Julie's rings:

Luke was right—the ring is perfect for Julie. 

It takes him a moment to realize that there are two rings, so interwoven that they fit snugly together. They’re a set, a golden engagement ring and the matching wedding ring, one a delicate crown of stars and the other a simple, sturdy sunburst of diamonds. 

But also, this line from I'll Be Your Tangerine has stuck with me:

She’s more than a walking wound, a phantom knife to the adolescent ribs.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

I have to say that the sunflower series (all of the parts written and not) completely crept up on me. The whole thing blossomed out of a stray thought and now it's an entire universe (that I hope to eventually get the rest of out of my head--which is another thing, the main story came out so quickly for me, I wrote it in about a week!)

[mobolanz]

kyoko honda! have to she's your icon ^^

1, 2 , 3, 7, 20, 27

My butterfly idol <3 also thanks for the MANY questions

1. First impression on them:

Tohru's dead mom ig. Okay (Context: has only began the 2001 anime in spring 2018)

2. When I think I started truly to like them:

I'd say actually about the time I did a full reread to the manga when I got someone I used to know into fb, when she got to her backstory chapters.

But that truly blossomed months before prelude aired and I developed an addiction to media analysis and parallels. Ask whoever looked at my IG page because that's a longggg matter xD it goes deeper than basically reducing her to female kyo (because tbf I hate when people do that. First rin now her?? )

3. A song that reminds me of them

This AMV is my inspiration fuel thankyouverymuch<3

7. A qoute of them that you remember

Everyone has desires from the moment they’re born, so that’s easy to understand. But kindness is something that each person has to craft for themselves. It’s easily misinterpreted or taken for hypocrisy. But you, Tohru…I want you to believe. Anyone can doubt. That’s easy. Become the kind of girl who can believe in other people. And I’m sure you will give someone strength.

This becomes ten times more powerful when you pull volume 8 collectors edition and reread chapters 90-93 for the 1948391930102nd time as I do and realize it applies to how she herself had this be the very thing that helped her and she wasn't always like that. Automatically million times more compelling and human than perfect dead wise unapproachable and flawless motherly character. Tbqfh. "I'm sure you'll give someone strength" - because it helped her, when everyone saw her as a lost case and stray cat no one wants or needs. And it's not because he's some Saint entity who can read and magically provide what she needed, but because he was in her shoes once. And also the desire to improve and become better and fight well to become the best version of herself. And she did . And in fact, that straigh up leaves me with a bitter taste remembering her actual role in the present and how things ACTUALLY ended for her.

I'm not sure on the last two questions cuz you found someone around not all that creative wjen it comes to these tbh 😅😅

Still, thanks for sending that!:D

[primofate]

Hello!

Can I get coffee cream waffle for Thoma or Scaramouche? Thank you

If you guys missed it. Here’s the menu to my 2k followers event:

https://primofate.tumblr.com/post/660337440627785728/2k-follower-event-pancake-waffle-cafe

Coffee Cream Waffle (Catching feelings and avoiding them)

My dear, I shall only do one though, otherwise I won’t be able to catch up to the other requests XD

Tohma

You had nothing against Lady Ayaka. She was nothing but sweet and kind. You had nothing against Tohma either. It was his job as retainer to help and serve her.

It was his job, but sometimes you thought that he might really have an eye on the lady. How could he not?

"Hey Y/N!!!" He came running down the slope of the cobbled steps of Inazuma. You wince a little at his excitement, but turn around and give him a smile. "Where've you been? I haven't seen you in a while," he raises a hand to scratch the back of his head. Smiling and laughing sheepishly.

He had no idea.

"We haven't taken a walk down Cherry Blossom lane in a while, wanna go?"

It was a name he came up with. The cliffside of Inazuma city, where several cherry blossom trees bloomed, and the view of the sea was immaculate.

"Sorry, Tohma, I've got a lot more errands to run today,"

You fix your gaze at the basket in your arms, full of apples. Tohma hesitates for a moment, a split second of a frown starting to form on his face, until he brightens up again. “Oh! I’ve got some time today, need help?” He moves forward in an attempt to take the basket from you. But you step and turn away slightly to move it from his reach. “I--I, no. I can handle it.” You move backwards a few steps and put on a smile that was not so convincing. “I’ll see you another time, Tohma!” and you finally turn and scamper away. Frown forming as soon as your face is concealed from him.

Tohma’s shoulders slump as he watches your form hurry away from him. His lips twitch to the side sadly and he lets out a long sigh. There’s an ache in his heart. It’d been festering for days now. At first he thought that you were just really busy. But day after day of not being able to find you, or you rejecting his help. He could see the distance between him and you, and he hadn’t known what the cause was. 

He doesn’t recall doing anything wrong. It made him antsy, not being able to spend time with you all of a sudden. Not being able to hear you laugh at his stories and not being able to admire the sea with you. 

So, the next day, he tries again.

“Hey, Y/N, you got some time?”

“Tohma, sorry, no, I--”

“Have some errands to run?”

You pick your head up at his tone of voice. It was almost accusatory. The two of you stare at each other for a few seconds before you break the gaze. “...Yeah,”

“Are you avoiding me?”

You continue to pretend to work on your basket. Transferring apples from the crate. You’ve practiced the scenario many times already. “No, I’m just bu--”

“Y/N,” but you aren’t prepared for the hurt you hear in his voice. How lost your name sounded on his lips. “I just...wanna talk? Just 5 minutes? We don’t have to go anywhere,” 

You stop what you’re doing and straighten up to look him in the eye. The fear of getting rejected is back. The fear of ruining this friendship is back. Your tactic was to run away, and you realized that it was most probably the worst tactic ever.

It didn’t solve anything and it put a rift between the two of you.

“Tohma...” you put your hands together and start to fumble with them. “The truth is, I...” you bite your lip. “I can’t...be friends with you anymore,”

His eyes widen and the terror that hits him is new. “Why? If I did something wrong you can just tell me!” You shake your head “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just...” you chicken out “I can’t tell you,” your head was pounding. You had no idea what you were doing right now. The words were just pouring from your mouth. Your hands were getting sweaty.

“...No. You can’t just say that without an explanation,” ever the calm negotiator, he knows what he wants and he probably would not leave you until he got an answer. A moment of silence passes. 

“...I like you,” Tohma thought that he was hearing things. It was so soft that he had the illusion it was the wind whispering to him, but you continue. “I like you but I didn’t know what to do and it hurt to pretend that I’m happy to just be friends so I...” Your lips start to tremble.

The wind passes by the two of you, ruffling your hair and causing you to lift your eyes, taking a chance to peek up at him. He... was smiling.

“That’s what it was?” He laughs heartily and before you could even react he has scooped you into his arms, his head rested on top of yours. “You should have said so earlier, Y/N,”

“I-It’s not easy, you know...” You’re not sure what kind of situation this was and you’re confused as to his reaction.

“I understand. I’m sorry.” His arms seems to tighten around you. “But rest assured Y/N, it’ll be easy from now on.” He laughs again, like he had just won something expensive or gotten a great gift. “I’ll be happy to take care of you!”

Taglist: @larkspyrr @rim0na @sweeti-pie @l3mon-mxshroom @hai-q-haikyuu @tkshoki @kyquu @kimbapsana @leefletter @hentaje @tempehlust @rinnesy @hallohun @softlybeloved @volleybloop @ssalamanderr @ben6ett @rytszk @guilixi @reiluvbot @mondstadts-favourite-traveler @xxcrowfeatherxx @b-trld @mkazuyuh @shittyeditsofwhatiwant @ayra2452008 @simpingover @soft-like-sunshine @lnrchii @scheophi @multifandomgeeks @sacredmouche @risasblog01 @mai-m4i @foxxtrot-116 @maple-leaaf @lucy-roo @bluepinkpink @myday6-studies @thraiaiscrying @missbuwan @the-one-that-lurks @adeptitao @xibrokensunriseix @ilovemyleftboob @marblesphere @allinduetimethefirst @nortdreww @jjsjjsjsjsjjsjjs @how-simpy @loltartaglia @minyoustar @sesetiger @Ghost1y-demon @lqvl3y @cysperia @candyqueen10 @ichigo-no-tsumi @omoriq @saving-for-xiao @trashykawasmilkbread @jjkclub @pearstear @seiiblue @midnightangelfox @korinkuu @heesocks @softlybeloved @bobaducky @normalisthenewnorm @how-simpy @atasi-luna @callariri @milkypompon @fadinganchornight @coldstonecrematorium @probablybethere @qingxinteaa @hanachan_2481 @atasi-luna @plumpkie @Ghost1yd3mon @idk-imjusthere @amigenshin @spirlimpo @hadesaedes @tsim-tsim @dilucragnvindrsgf @gahisb @yunaholics @that-one-air-collecter @allinduetime @albe4ove @berryqueue @give-xiao-almond-tofu @leafcaller @ninqat @mintyayu @luvmedaily @kiyokoshii @softlybeloved @jendytub

[batwritings]

Request Time!! Let's go! I was thinking about some fluff with XD. As he is the god of dreams, I was thinking about what he would do if his partner couldn't sleep. So, probably some stuff where he tries to slowly pulls them to sleep using some of his power, among other things.

Ooh, very good choices! Enjoy!~

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

DreamXD tried not to intervene with those who suffered from insomnia. There was a natural order and balance to things when it came to the realm of sleep that he did his best to keep up with. Yet when he saw you struggling to find sleep that evening, he knew that his bias wouldn't let him stand idly by.

"Can't sleep tonight little star?" the god asked as he materialized in your room. You jumped a little, sleep deprivation starting to catch up with you. But when you realized who was in your room, you eased quickly.

"Hey XD," you greeted, exhaustion in your words. "Yeah, it's gonna be another no sleep night tonight it seems. Damn insomnia." You laughed a little, trying not to take your situation too seriously. You'd been dealing with your insomnia for years now, this was nothing new. The only new thing was the literal god as your partner now.

"Another?" said god boomed slightly, incredulously. "How many night have you not slept?" He hovered around you, neon green eyes watching you, waiting for an answer.

"A-about two now?" you answered, slightly nervous by the watchful eyes on you. "It's nothing I'm not used to dealing with. I've had insomnia for years now XD."

"Unacceptable," said the god plainly, a slight twinge of anger in his tone. Over the time you've spent with him you knew it was nothing personal, more directed at the situation than you.

A clawed hand pulled you off the ground, dragging you over to your bed. He leaned back, allowing you to rest across his torso as he pulled the blankets up over your shoulders. Despite how lovely the shared body warmth was and how safe and comfortable you felt, you knew sleep wasn't going to find you.

"XD," you tried, only to be shushed lightly. Gentle fingers carded through your hair, claws gingerly scratching at your scalp. A soft warmth was there, something you somewhat didn't expect.

"Let me help you little star," DreamXD hummed as a low green glow blossomed from his free hand. "You deserve rest, just as every other creature."

Your eyes were immediately drawn to the soft green light in the palm of XD's hand. You could feel the exhaustion in your body creeping over you, nearly encompassing you. Your eyes were struggling to stay open as every fiber was trying to fight the god of sleep's influence.

A quiet hum filled the void of your room, a soft melody that was easing your body away from consciousness. Coupled with the gentle light and warm hand in your hair and along your back, your insomnia was absolutely no match. Your eyes finally fell shut, your breathing evening out not long after as you drifted into XD's realm of being. Softly, so as not to wake you again, did the god press a kiss to the top of your head.

"I'll see you soon little one."

[lookbluesoup]

2. How did they get together?

12. Who has the most nightmares and how do they deal with them?

--for the ship of your choice!

Thank you for the ask! :D I'll answer for Nahte and G'raha (don't think I've answered any for these two yet :0), and a bit of A'mahl too, since he's important in how G'raha came to be with them!

2. How did they get together?

A'mahl, Nahte, and G'raha really hit things off during the Crystal Tower arc. But while there was a fair amount of flirting, it never progressed past a fond 'almost.'

During their journey to the First, Nahte and Mahl were extremely suspicious of the Exarch initially (Mahl actually punched him when they met. Sorry G'raha...) And when the truth came out about who he was, there were a lot of other slightly more dire concerns to worry about.

After saving the shard and the Source, Nahte needed time to reacquaint himself with G'raha. A few years for one had been centuries for the other. Both had changed since the excavation of the Tower. And the lengthy deception, attempted self-sacrifice, and his obvious very strong feelings for Mahl and Nahte were... a lot to absorb. On top of having no certainty G'raha could even return to the Source with them. Nahte was hesitant to commit to a romance that might be doomed to only the briefest of moments together.

A'mahl disagreed. As things settled between the three, and time was allowed for affection to blossom, Mahl argued that if they wanted this, they ought to pursue it. Tomorrow was never promised. At his urging, Nahte agreed to confide their reciprocated feelings to G'raha, and, of course, has not regret that a moment since.

12. Who has the most nightmares and how do they deal with them?

Nahte is extremely prone to nightmares, and while these tend to be reduced with the comfort of loved ones close at hand, none of his partners go very long without finding out about them.

By the time he and Graha get together, Nahte's pretty good at opening up about negative feelings (he was very bad at this in ARR and most of Heavensward, but yay, character growth!) And as the Exarch, 'sleep' isn't something G'raha has any excessive need of, so there's no reason to fear keeping him up to deal with the aftermath of a particularly vicious terror.

Strong though Nahte is... some things aren't meant to be faced alone. G'raha might still be learning to open up about his own struggles, but he will drop everything in an instant at the first sign Nahte is hurting, and needs help. It is comfort offered without judgement or shame, precisely because underneath the hood, G'raha understands what it's like, all too well.

Nightmares slept through are never remembered come morning. So, if Nahte's fitfulness in bed wakes G'raha first, he will also often cast Deep Sleep to soothe it away and give his lover peaceful rest.

(This is actually a WIP but I realized it fit and I'm working on it SO slow this progress piece can be the featured Doodle for this ask xD Based on the historic Korean War photo by Al Chung)

OTP Questions

[ruki--mukami]

I hope you don't mind me sending in another interaction- but uh, here it is xD we can keep it light if you like @_@ and She's singing this song!

“Ruki! Ruki! Look! How do I look in this? Kou-kun bought this for me!”, she swirls herself in the little pink dress. Her hair up in two pigtails. Posing herself finally with a peace sign right by her blue eyes.

“Did you know, I'm a big fan of Kou! I actuay thought about performing with him on a stage.... He isn't here but would you like to listen to a song? Actually! I'm gonna sing it to you! Can you please please be my audience?”, she did not just break in while he's reading and forced him to listen to her singing a song in a cute outfit. Maybe if her heart wasn't fragile, she would become an idol.

"Sure, interrupt my reading, why don't you," venom laced his voice, followed by a loud thump of his book closing. "Mia, I don't have time for your silly dress-up games. All I see is the average body of a girl who thinks she's an idol, but in reality, has no idea of the industry's unforgiving double standards and paradigms. The way you speak of my brother is beginning to anger me."

Sitting up in his seat on the armchair, Ruki crossed his arms in front of him, a glaring frown darkening his features as he watched the young woman's flaxen strands sway and the ruffles of her clothing dance as she struck a pose. With a heavy sigh, he resolved to shut down her suggestion as soon as she mentioned it, only to be interrupted by her song anyways.

"Your audience? Don't be ridi—"

Before he knew it, the lyrics of a girl priding herself on how cute she is and how she doesn't care about what others think of her style graced his ears. The longer Mia sang, the more he found her peaceful voice cuter than the very outfit she had on. However, some particular lines hit him with a wall of realization. This song, perhaps not intentional in the slightest from a human as naïve and gullible as her, practically screamed the state of their current bond. While it didn't apple to cuteness, Mia's attitude defied the very foundation of what Ruki deemed a typical Master-Livestock relationship. He wanted to tell her off about how she did indeed 'piss him off' as the lyrics suggested, but he waited for her song to finish. Impressed and irritated all at the same time, he gave a slow, almost sarcastic, clap.

"Well done, Mia. Well done... You've officially veered me off the tracks of mere irritation and ventured into livid territory. This song just proves to me you don't know anything about how the world really works. Idols compose these lyrics to appeal to a fanbase of insecure people who wouldn't know confidence if it stared them in the eye. You must think you are so brave, putting up a strong front every day... I'm appalled."

Standing up and confiscating the microphone from her hands, Ruki gave Mia a disapproving glower.

"Who do you think you are, apologizing for being cute...? It's faulty of Livestock to grow conceited. There are other things you should be apologizing for. Such as... Such as—"

Despite what he just told her, he really couldn't fault her for anything. Rather than directing his fury towards Mia herself, the bud of regret began to blossom deep in his chest. He knew her time on this earth was limited compared to most. He knew that, and yet dread suffused him.

"—No. Never mind. Even now, I still don't understand you, Mia... Just forget it. Do you have any other songs that you enjoy singing? I need to check for myself just how poor your taste in music is."

🧩 Ah, no worries!! If anything I feel so blessed Mia has graced my inbox again, so thank you for that, Admin Tea!! I absolutely LOVE Honeyworks, so thanks for introducing me to one of their new songs as well!! It's incredibly cute and fits Mia to a T, I feel. Also I know you said we could take it easy but I guess listening to it inspired me so much that I made Ruki ramble for this long, hahaha. Don't feel inclined to meet the word count or anything but I think these two are really growing on me. T_T 🧩

[blue-pastel-cat]

Xiaobedo Fanfic Recommendation

Welcome to my personal “if you are new to xiaobedo peeps please read these” list. As said before this is my personal list so please feel free to reblog/comment/hit me for not including any gem here. I might miss a lot of them because I am drunk or blind. (mostly have them on my to read and then forgot as I am being assault by real life shit).

I would like to say first that so far there are 150+ Xiaobedo fics on Ao3. I can’t review all of them but I can say that I have read a majority of them. Most of them are just pure love and I would like nothing more than a thousands thank you for all the fic writers who spent their free time writting these gems for us to read for free. But these...these takes the cake as it finds a special landing spot in my heart that I would just thrust them into someone’s hand if they say “I am new to this ship can you recommend me?”

1. Orange dust by bobamilkteas (Wes)

In which Xiao learns to open himself up to the world a little more after the collapse of Rex lapis's contracts but it was not always easy for a soul doomed to eternal damnation. Meanwhile, Albedo liked to tempt fate where the extraordinary are concerned.

If only the traveler's comrades are made of saner bunch.

Comment: Long ago when I like both Albedo and Xiao as a character, I was wondering hmmm....will anyone actually even write about them lmao they never met each other. I am surprise to see this one as the 3rd fic in the whole 3 Xiaobedo fic on Ao3 (yeah back when there’s literally only 3 fic for this couple). I was like I’ll read it for the curiosity, I’ll probably won’t ship them. And that people is how I put my clown make up on my face upon finishing reading it. This ONE fic alone convert me into a devotee of Xiaobedo. Please consider joining me in this circus if you want to know what is Xiaobedo. I would put this as the first of my “Big 3″

Orange Dust also come with its compliation of short stories over the course of the game and a big sequel to it. Please also consider reading ALL OF THEM.

2. Solar Wind by birdpriestess (Sparrow)

For the yaksha, his duty was his life, and his life was his duty. No human could ever hope to understand the eternal war he fought out of sight and in silence.

So why, then, did he feel that Albedo would understand?

---

Finding himself at death's door once more, Xiao is saved by a surprising person, setting off the unlikeliest of adventures.

Comment: Do you like crying? Do you like the feeling of getting your heart ripped into pieces as the author destroy your emotions over the end of each chapter as the story picked up the climax? Yeah, this one is for you masochists. The action, the characterisation, the drama THE EMOTIONS OH WOW. I kid you not that it was so good I read this while workinng when I am not suppose to me. Also, this fic has my favourite characterisation of Gold ever. I love that dramatic queen Mad Alchemist. AND DAIN. I LOVE DAIN IN THIS FIC. Our dearest Sparrow manage to toy with our feelings like how I bully ruin guard for big numbers lmao. This is the secound of “Big 3″ of my Xiaobedo list.

Again, just like Orange Dust, Solar Wind comes with its own compliation of short stories of what came after that. Please also consider reading ALL OF THEM.

3. Castle of Glass by AlchemicalStardust (Morgie) 

A black shadow rises over Huaguang Stone Forest. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Albedo flees the shaking ground and the crash of boulders tumbling form the sky. As the dust settles, Albedo finds a young man – an Adeptus – amidst the carnage. Despite the karmic agony ripping his body from the inside, Xiao’s only question is “How?” How did a human survive after witnessing his battle?

Comment: The last of the “Big 3″ of my Xiaobedo list. And it is still on going! Castle of Glass? More like I AM IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTIONS! Have you read a fic about 2 people yearning, longing, reaching out for each other so damn well that you just want to throw your phone in the air as they both had their impending doom coming down upon them? Yeah this is one of them. You will like want to be stuck in the moment they express how much they just yearn for each other’s love and care that you want to shake the author for what comes next. Like...everytime Morgie update I am expressing my gratitude at the end of the chapter by writing on Xiaobedo discord “MORGIE COME HERE AND LET ME BONK YOU WHY ARE YOU ENDING IT THERE”

trust me when you read you will def feel the same. With just Big 3 and their compliation alone that would give you like a LONG list of reading already LMAOOOOOOO

4. Find a place to call it home  by yamajiroo 

Our room, he said. Xiao’s brow twitches. Zhongli never said anything about this. But then again, perhaps he should anticipate this from the beginning...

Xiao looks over at Albedo, who is now tilting his head, his look as innocent as ever.

“Are you not okay with sharing a room?”

Comment: College AU for Xiaobedo! One thing that I love this is the slow burn and what made me LOVE LOVE LOVE this fic more is how cute Klee is in this fic. Their relationship in this one is very simple, but that simplicity highlight why their chemistry work. Xiao is someone who was just very gentle, who was largely misunderstood by his lonesome nature. Albedo was someone who like peace and quite in his introvert bubble. And how they respect that bubble that each other has actually made their relationship work. I love it when fic highlight this and this one captures it.

5. I Can't See Your Face From the Other Side of the Classroom by MissWeaver  

When Albedo and Xiao unexpectedly start eating lunch together, they begin to find that they have more in common than anyone would have realized. They both struggle in their own ways with blossoming feelings, too many assignments, and annoying classmates as they navigate a relationship for the first time.

Comment: I’ll be honest, I usually hate high school au just because its so cliche. I don’t even watch and drama/anime surrounds high school student anymore LMAOOO (unless it’s very good). So if there’s an high school AU that I actually keep come back and read after a couple of chapters, it means that the cliche that I hate wasn’t there or barely was there at all. The pinning in this fic makes me want to bang their head together sometimes LMAOOO The tag wasn’t kidding when they said both Xiao and Albedo are bad at feelings. Also that’s a lot of heart broken caused by these two idiots XD

6. new world, same me, same bullshit  by  bobamilkteas (Wes)

At the belly of Dragonspine, Albedo lost control to the festering corruption that permeated his senses and watched, from the recesses of his mind, as his devoured body turned his allies into enemies. Before his rampage reached its climax, he is sealed in a crystalized confinement by the last hand of Reindottir, where he then reawakens centuries after, in a rebooted Teyvat.

Comment: Yeah I know it was list in Orange Dust but here me out. This sets out in an entirely different universe. And if you like Polyamory, this one has Zhongli joining the duo and I love it because I also love ZhongXiao with my life. Time Travel is my biggest kink. Especially when I am the person who love it when people explore Archon War era/ Alatus!Xiao. So this one hits double of my kink. Of course it is still on going and I will bully Wes whenever I can to see that new chapter. Albedo is a total fucking badass in this story and I completely agree from using him in Abyss so often. Everyone should write badass Albedo.

7. misplaced heart of mine by  inkburn           

“If you are ill, then you should be resting at home. In Mondstadt.” He emphasized Mondstadt with a pointed look in his direction.

“I assure you I won’t be troublesome, Adeptus Xiao,” Albedo said, “You’ll find I’m a rather low-maintenance traveler.”

“Travel,” Xiao scoffed, “without airstep?”

Albedo looked him up and down. “Are your legs just for decoration?”

(albedo is sent to liyue on mandatory vacation. xiao is his unfortunate bodyguard.)

Comment: Most of the time you will see Albedo and Xiao starting their relationship with one of them taking interest in another. But this one took another approach, they starting off by make them hating each other’s guts LMAOOOO and I live for every second of it. There’s only 1 chapter so far but wow it was SOOO GOOD. I am really really excited for next chapter and is waiting patiently ;w;

8.  Blossom of Grace  by birdpriestess  

One day in Liyue Harbor, Albedo watches a street performance by an enigmatic dancer named Xiao. And he becomes completely obsessed.

Comment: Have you ever look at Xiao fight and thinking that he’s one of the most beautiful deadly thing ever? How it was like he was dancing around the battlefield? How about actual dancer Xiao being so absolutely beautiful and perfect and that slow burn of Albedo falling in love with that beauty with a touch of Modern AU and cute Ganyu as the Wing woman. Yes, Sparrow delivers yet again another beautiful slow burn and while it’s still ongoing it is worth the read.

9. i think we could make this work (could get used to this) by outspaced               

“Xiao? What are you doing out here?”

“I—”

“It’s raining,” Albedo says, as if it isn’t obvious. “You could get struck by lightning.”

“What are you doing out here then?” Xiao does the only thing he knows how to do, he challenges Albedo. “It’s raining.”

Albedo just hums. “If I get struck by lightning, it’s for science.”

Comment: A short one-shot where I read the summary and went “This is it... this is their relationship.” I am sold immediately. Oh god Albedo why are you like this.

10. Ephemeral by criedprinz        

“It’s not for your investigation, is it?” Aether asked mildly.

Albedo traced a finger around the sketchbook, considering the question. “No,” he admitted finally. “I... I just want to see them again.”

He opened the sketchbook to reveal the drawing he’d just finished. Aether nodded, clearly recognizing the sharp golden eyes.

“Xiao,” he said. “You were rescued by an adeptus.”

When a visit to Dragonspine goes horribly wrong, Albedo is rescued by an unknown stranger, wielding powers he's never heard of. Led on a search to find out who it is, he finds himself in the middle of an unforgettable encounter..

Comment: A really really well written one-shot that I love. The yearning oh godddd the yearning from Albedo side is just so so much that I have to put it here. (I think you can see the trend here lmao. I am a sucker for yearning). And the moment they get to meet each other again is just chef kiss. MWHAA

11. Idle Yaksha, Brilliant Yaksha by Pit0fTheEarth

Alatus didn’t have a lot of responsibilities to keep. He spent most of his days dancing across the sky and eating away all nightmares that plagued a person’s sleep.

But one fortunate encounter led to too many unfortunate ones, taking his carefree existence and plunging it in darkness. His wings, stripped from him. His gentle touch, replaced by an unforgiving grip of destruction.

There was a lot of blood on his hands. With each passing moment, it became harder for Alatus to recall the last time someone gently held him.

Comment: This is one of the ongoing fic where I am very very much excited on the take of Naberius. And the way the author portray Xiao when he’s still the innocent Alatus is just *clench fist*. Baby ;w; Baby why do you have to lose all that innocence. Also the fic has long LONG flashback to Xiao past and his relationship with Naberius. We are unwielding more what happened to both of them and why perhaps does this have to do with Albedo.

That’s it for now, might add more later! Thank you <3

[shadowdianne]

SWAN QUEEN: Daniel died, her mother died, Henry died, Emma died, so why the fuck can't she? Brr.

I don’t do this. Not anymore Xd Yet, you very well know that you are one of the very short list of people who can make me write SQ still Xd

And well, It’s angst so, hey, that’s a bonus

“Save him.”

She had gritted her teeth as Emma had looked at her, pleading eyes breaking through the black and white façade of the Dark One; she had been about to pass from exhaustion, fingers tightening around invisible ropes, her magic being called forth with all of her might as hex after hex pulsed through the air, linking both her body and Emma’s as they both tried to stop the other; concrete and electricity filling the air alongside with the heady scent of ozone.

She hadn’t answered, not vocally at least. She had grabbed the air and asked for the dagger to appear on her extended hand, purple tendrils coiling around her, lighting her skin with sparks that bit into her as Emma lost control over her body once more; her pain being mitigated by anger and repulsion.

They had known everything could eventually lead to where they were; in the middle of a destroyed Storybrooke with nothing but magic that kept being called, being syphoned, by feelings that felt untamed and trembling against their ribcages. Regina had tried, she truly had, back at Camelot, the last bits of her memories diluting like dew under the early sun. She, however, despite everything, despite her being the one who had grabbed the dagger when Emma, a tired, gray-lined Emma, had asked her to hold onto it, despite having promised to be the one who was able to do the unthinkable, had failed.

Maybe it had been her own emotions, her own feelings, the damned bit of hope that had blossomed inside her chest when she had seen Emma walk into the diner, hard edges and pain escaping her sides, like fog spilling over the sea’s surface. Maybe if she had seen the divided mind, the way Emma kept changing back and forth from someone she knew to someone she didn’t, maybe if she hadn’t been so keen on wishing, on wanting. Maybe.

There weren’t any seconds left for that though, the thought hitting her, bolts jumping from her body as she was raised from the air, Emma’s hands pale and stark in front of her, the darkness of her magic twisting the pure dirty white that had been hers and only hers prior to the vortex, prior to her screams, prior to her one and only single request: spare Henry, spare them, please.

The magic had laughed and wrecked everything on its wake, coming forth from every pore of Emma’s body, squashing her mind on the intervals the blonde didn’t fight to get the control of her own body back. For a second, a moment, Regina had thought that she would be able to, would be strong enough.

And then the dam had broken, the restraint Emma had managed to get, the little pieces of herself that had been floating inside her mind had scattered further and further still and the dark magic, the one that fed off chaos and despair, had stepped forward: all claws and fangs and death.

Regina had managed to get others to safety, but she hadn’t accounted for Henry, noble, precious Henry, who had thought the impossible could always be achieved if one fought enough for it. Maybe that had been her fault as well; maybe it was only the byproduct of true love kisses and magic that reeked of a world that wasn’t the reality of the town they were marooned into. Nevertheless, as she had fought and called for Emma, wishing that some of her words hit with enough strength to create a ripple between the two merged consciousness, Henry had appeared, running down what was left of the main street, holding his book atop everything else, asking for powers that were too fickle to listen properly.

She had tried, she had. But the magic had been too strong, too unpredictable. A stray tendril had curled around the boy’s legs, causing him to fall, fall, fall. She had been able to smell the scent of blood before seeing the droplets that grew into a river, the paleness of his cheeks obvious enough amidst the rubble, amidst the screams.

“Save him.” Emma’s words came out hoarse, her voice formed out of a myriad of echoes from moments shared that now ebbed away from them both. It was short lived, glimmering with nothing but the realization she couldn’t keep on fighting.

Regina called the dagger once more, asking for that stubborn part of herself, the one who would never apologize to Pan or any other villain before or after him, the one that was rooted on her own anger and loss, the one that had created and built the Queen persona, the one that had been the base of the reason why the darkness had come for her all those months ago, thinking of her a worthy host. The one that kept the world dark and hungry, the one capable of cursing and hexing if only for the whole purpose of seeing her enemies burn. She fed the black pearl that sat at the very center of her heart, the tendrils of magic that kept her heart from being red. And pulled.

“Regina!”

She struggled to breathe; she could listen to Emma now, pained, and raw and more like herself. When she focused her eyes onto her the dark one was flickering, the vortex she had once seen now above them both, twirling. It was working, in a way. She would only get a chance, one. Feeling her body freed from the tendrils, she jumped towards Henry, opening the book with one hand, chocking on a sob as she felt the lack of breathing on his chest. She had lost too much of herself to know hubris wouldn’t save him. Nor her. She poured the magic onto the pages, his blood marring them, feeding them as they growled into existence.

There was a second, a moment, in where she thought it would fail, in where she thought of the stupid reasons why she had thought herself strong enough to do what she was about to do. Yet she didn’t dare to give reason for the magic to taint her as well, to destroy the opening between the blinking force and Emma’s own body keeping the incarnation with a physical body. She struck the book with her magic, with Henry’s hope, with Emma’s despair. There was a flash, a caress made out of quickly disembodied fingers.

And then, nothing

-.-

They buried them one close to the other, in tombstones that were quickly covered by moss due to the magic present and reinvigorated by the blood of the one who had been called savior by so many it felt ludicrous now. They didn’t rest on the mausoleum, the dark corners of the building far too weighted by other stories that bled ink so thick it felt like tar.

She was told that it hadn’t been her fault. She was told that her magic had reached the book too late. She was told that, by some reason her idea had worked. “Of course” She would answer with vocal cords so fried she felt as if muting herself to the world would be best. “I knew what I was doing.”

She was told that she had saved Storybrooke, the repairs being done under the gloomy knowledge that two more laid at the city’s graveyard. She was called a savior.

She hated it.

Daniel had died, her mother had died, her father had died.

Henry, Emma, had both died: so why the fuck wasn’t she herself resting next to them now? Why the magical blast hadn’t killed her as well, turning her to shreds, to specks of dust unable to feel pain and anguish, why did she keep on walking while they didn’t?

For a second, a stupid, cruel second, once the book had closed on its own volition, the blast so strong it had pierced her eardrums, she had seen Emma stumble and fall but still breathe, eyes as green as ever, hair back to blonde. She had smiled then, her other hand, devoid now of the dagger, the blade bare, not holding a name no more, reaching for Henry’s collar. She had thought then and there that they might survive, that she would see Emma kneel and approach them, with the stubbornness she pretended she hated, with hands warm from magic devoid of the madness from before. She had thought, she had hoped, that she would be able to hug her, to maybe admit that what she had wished to say back at Camelot, at the well, when everything was closing around them, was a simple admission that felt ridiculous now if only for the obviousness of it all.

She had been wrong.

Emma had mouthed words at her from where she had rested, words too close to those same words she had thought she might be able to admit. Her eyes had focused on Henry, blood dripping from her lips and tongue, teeth colored red and black. She had mouthed the same words to him, eyes fluttering, closing.

Regina had screamed then, cursing everything, everyone, cursing her legs as they failed her, as she was unable to reach out the woman who she had vowed to destroy and yet had made her fail and fail again.

She hugged herself while she eyed the tombstones, eyes dark and face covered in still healing scars. She would wave them goodbye, healing the rest of what had been Emma’s magic cursing through her. Yet she refused to. A sick, ill way of keeping a part of her within her reach.

“Bring them back.” She wished, anger, wrath, loss. Asking for the trees to listen to her, for the soil to spit them back, for their souls to return. She had been weak when Daniel had died. She wasn’t weak now; she wasn’t supposed to be.

“Bring them back.”

Because if they were gone and she couldn’t follow them, wasn’t supposed to, she would do her damnest, would curse her soul beyond repair, only to have them back. She would give her everything, every drop of her blood. She would destroy and maim and stood atop a skeleton-made mountain, only so she was able to cheat death.

She was done with honorable causes that did only led to nothingness. She didn’t want to have Snow’s vacant stare, David’s inability to say two words without stammering. She wasn’t weak.

She wasn’t.

She couldn’t.

“BRING THEM BACK.”

[thenamesseven]

Plot: Rainy nights were your favorite, you loved to spend them at home with your roommate Han Seungwoo watching movies. However, you might start to dislike them when he shows up at your apartment drenched, with his ruined bouquet of flowers and a broken heart.

Word count: 6.4k....THIS DEFINITELY GOT LONGER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO.

Warnings: Han Seungwoo with a broken heart, swearing and smut, yup, smutty things are going to happen.

A/N: So! I FINALLY FINISHED THIS. Poor @key201303​ has been waiting for this since she requested it in August. I’M SO SORRY, I’m such a bad friend xD Anyways bro, I hope you really like this and that it was more or less what you expected! 

There were multiple reasons that would explain why you loved rainy nights so much. 

The main explanation, the one that you would highlight and consider the most important was the fact that it gave you an easy excuse to avoid going out at night with your friends when you didn't felt like partying

Tonight was a clear example, you were supposed to be downtown drinking vodka shots as if you were drinking water with some classmates in the new club that opened a week ago, but instead, since you weren’t in the mood for dressing up and getting yourself covered with makeup, you decided to stay at home binging shitty shows in Netflix while you ate all kinds of snacks you had stored in your cupboards. You hadn’t hesitated to use the bad weather as an excuse to not show up and even though your friends had complained about it, trying to convince you to join them until last minute, none of them got mad about it since they also kind of understood why you wouldn’t want to go out when the weather was that bad.

None particular reason came up to your mind when thinking about this but, somehow, rain always made movie nights better. Maybe it was the cozy feeling of laying on the couch with a bunch of pillows surrounding you and some blankets covering your body from head to toe, that warmth your house had to protect you from the cold wind that blew outside or the gentle pitty patter that the rain drops made everytime they crashed against your windows' glass. Whatever the explanation was, it made everything so much better and relaxing that staying at home when the weather was bad had become some kind of ritual between you and your roommate Han Seungwoo.

At first, things between the two of you had been a little awkward. He definitely wasn’t used to sharing his living space with a girl and you also weren’t the most experienced one when it came to living with guys so you had never really blamed him for being so quiet and dodgy the first days. Little by little, the two of you started getting closer, starting with random and simple small talk during meals and finishing with late night gossips and confessions, your friendship had grown and grown without the two of you realizing what was happening.

Although it wasn’t until you found out the two of you were huge fans of movie marathons during rainy nights that a real friendship finally blossomed. Staying at home away from the rain to watch movies with the other was some kind of unsaid rule that had formed throughout the couple of years the two of you had been living together and at some point, when you least expected it, you had found yourself hoping, wishing that it would rain more often to spend more time with him.

Not that you had a crush on him or something though, he had a girlfriend unfortunately.

The girl he was in a relationship with hadn’t been too happy at first when she found out her boyfriend’s roommate was another girl, she had never tried to be on friendly terms with you despite you and Seungwoo’s attempts to get her to like you. He had shown her multiple times that there was nothing related with romance between the two of you and even though your little yet enormously hopeful heart had been hurt every single time he laughed when someone asked if there was feelings between you and him, you couldn’t help but feel slightly frustrated when his girlfriend refused to believe him and kept insisting that you would try to seduce him in order to break their relationship.

There was something wrong in their relationship, it had been obvious since the beginning of it but, apparently, your roommate Seungwoo was too much in love with her to realize it. The thing that got on your nerves the most was how she kept complaining about him not giving her enough attention when he was always working his ass off to keep her happy. The money he earned working was always saved up for presents, for dates, for whatever she wanted and most of his free time was also dedicated to her. Seungwoo lived for this girl and it was extremely frustrating that she didn’t seem to appreciate this enough. Maybe it was that you really didn’t like her, you simply weren’t a big fan of that kind of person, especially when they hurt somebody as genuinely sweet and gentle as Seungwoo was, he obviously cared about her but you had the feeling it wasn’t too reciprocated. More than once you’ve thought she was just using him as arm candy, dating Seungwoo just because he was attractive and sweet in order to make the rest of the girls jealous and that was truly a shame, people like him didn’t deserve to be played that way, not when he was putting 100% of his heart on a relationship that wouldn’t blossom well. 

Trying to warn Seungwoo without any proof other than your words had always been a big no for you, it would definitely look as an attempt of you trying to get in between them and that would ruin the beautiful relationship the two of you had worked so hard to create, turning it into awkward and cold like it had been at the beginning. You didn’t want to risk what you had with him, you just could pray that she wouldn’t hurt him too bad, that if she was playing around she would be considerate enough to not hurt his feelings.

However, it seemed as if you had been expecting a bit too much from somebody like her though and your prayers hadn’t been heard by any merciful God that would want to help you out.

There has only been one time you’ve disliked rainy nights and that was the exact same moment Seungwoo entered your apartment when he was supposed to be on a date, the sight of him had been so depressing, so sad that no words came out of your lips when you dragged your eyes away from the Netflix show you’ve been watching to check on him.

The expensive suit he had been wearing tonight was absolutely drenched, the kind of drench when your underwear also gets wet and the cold sensation of the freezing rain seeps into your bones making you feel like you’re about to die of hypothermia. Some strands of his wet hair were glued to his forehead, dark and dripping, hiding his eyes from your curious gaze. His lips were a straight line, there was no trace of his bright and wonderful smile, any signs of happiness had vanished from his face and if his drenching outfit hadn’t been alarming enough, the sight of him being so quiet, so serious definitely was.

“Seungwoo?” You asked quietly, kneeling on your couch to look over the back, trying to get a better view of your roommate. Your eyes widened when you saw that the bouquet of flowers he had bought for his girlfriend was still in his hands, flowers already messed thanks to the amount of water that had probably fallen onto them on his way to the apartment. Some wet petals fell down besides his shiny shoes but he remained still, refusing to move or acknowledge you. “Did your car break down? Why didn’t you call for help?” You knew this wasn’t about his car, deep in your mind, you knew that face was the one people had when their hearts had been broken.

He finally looked up when he heard your questions, his eyes searching around the room for something until they landed on you. In all the years you’ve been living with him, you had never seen Seungwoo so sad, so hurt, you simply were used to always seeing him being so lively and cheerful, so playful and loud no matter what, that your heart broke into a thousand tiny pieces when his eyes met yours. No words came out of his lips, only a small quiet sigh that you wouldn’t have heard if you hadn’t turned off the television when he walked in.

“Seungwoo?” You didn’t want to be annoying, you knew you were walking on really thin glass when he was in this state, but the worry you felt for him was stronger than any possible fear of being snapped at. You wanted to be there for him, you needed him to say something, anything even if the words that would exit his lips weren’t going to be nice.

Seungwoo was better than that though, the frustration and pain he was feeling right now were reaching worryingly high levels but he knew you weren’t the one to blame here, he couldn’t lay it out on you when you had done nothing wrong, in fact, you were one of the few good things that was keeping his mind sane at the moment.

When he finally spoke his voice sounded small and weak, broken, even though he had tried his hardest to hide it from you “Can I have a hug?” His arms opened slowly, the bouquet of flowers falling down onto the floor as he stood there, looking ridiculously sad and hurt, like a five year old who was awaiting for their mother’s comfort, like a friend who needed you the most. “Please?” He added, sounding even smaller, tugging at the strings he had in your heart.

“Since when do we ask for hugs in this household? I thought you knew me better Seungwoo” Bringing his smile back was probably impossible right now, you knew it would take time to bring your friend back, to heal his wounds but if you could at least ease some of the tension he felt then you would do the impossible for it, without any hesitation.

Standing up from the couch, you smiled brightly when you saw the way the corners of his lips tilted up a little, in what you assumed to be an attempt of a smile. As soon as you were close to him, Seungwoo reached out and grabbed your wrist in order to pull you into him, placing your cheek against his chest, instantly allowing you to hear his accelerated heart beat. As if his pain was slowly seeping out of his body and into yours, you held onto him tightly, keeping him as close to you as you could while one of your hands started moving up and down on his back unconsciously, bringing him the physical comfort he had been seeking for.

He didn’t need to explain what had happened, the way his body shook in a quiet sob against you was enough to confirm your fears, his heart had been broken, Seungwoo had been used. “You deserve so much better Seungwoo” You whispered when he quietly hid his face against the crook of your neck, like if he was embarrassed of showing you this weak side of him “She’s not worth your tears, she’s not worth your pain” You added rubbing his back slightly harder, hoping the physical contact between the two of you would somehow make his sorrow lighter, easier to deal with.

“Why would she cheat? Didn’t I love her enough? Did I do something wrong?” When he showed up like this you assumed she must have broken up with him, probably having found someone who she thought looked better and was a more appealing arm candy than Seungwoo was. However, to hear that she had actually cheated on your lovingly roommate was even more devastating, it was something he really didn’t deserve, not when he hadn’t left no stone unturned in an effort to make her feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Your grip around him only tightened protectively, not wanting to let him go.

“Of course you didn’t!” You said, maybe a little louder than you both had been expecting it, leaning back enough to look into his eyes alarmed. Seungwoo’s self-esteem shouldn’t be damaged because of some bullshit this girl had decided to tell him, someone so amazing shouldn’t be ruined by someone so insignificant “Seungwoo” You called him out, making his eyes land onto yours once again. He looked like he was on the edge of tears but was somehow managing to keep them back, too shy to cry in front of you “Believe me when I say you did nothing wrong, okay?” He closed his eyes when your hands moved up to cup his wet cheeks, unconsciously leaning against your touch as you ran one of your hands through his wet hair, getting rid of the strands that almost covered his beautiful eyes. “You are the most loving and sweet guy I’ve ever met, any girl in this world would love to date someone like you”

His lips formed a small smile again when he heard your words, one of his eyes opened to peek down at you slightly amused. There was still sadness in his gaze but it wasn’t as worrying as it had been before, right when he walked through the door of your apartment “Even you? I thought I heard you say I was annoying as fuck this morning?”

“That was because you were singing pretty loudly and I was trying to sleep” You said smiling even more, shaking your head while you gently moved your hands away from his face, letting them fall down to your sides.

“But my voice is nice, isn’t it? You like it when I sing while we cook” The pout that scrunched up his lips was stupidly adorable, your hands twitched as you used all of your self restraint to keep them away from his cheeks, feeling the sudden urge to squeeze them until it was painful.

“Exactly, you said it, when we’re cooking not when I’m sleeping” He chuckled at your words, his own hands reaching out to rub his eyes, probably getting rid of the tears before they managed to fall. You glanced at him softly, feeling incredibly sad even though you hadn’t been the one heartbroken, it wasn’t fair someone as good as Seungwoo was going through this, you hated it and you wanted to do as much as you could to help him get through it. “Come on, get inside and take a warm shower before you get sick, I refuse to stand your whiny ass like I did last time when you caught the flu” Seungwoo nodded obediently, bending down to grab the bouquet but you stopped him before he could reach it “Get in the shower, I’ll clean this mess”

“I’m sorry abo-”

“Get in the shower before I force you into it Seungwoo!” You exclaimed playfully, placing your hands on his chest and gently pushing him back, a quiet, small laugh escaping his lips as he looked at you 

“You want to shower with me?” He asked teasingly, wiggling his eyebrows up and down

“Han Seungwoo! I’m not kidding anymore! Get in that shower before I stop being nice!”

By the time Seungwoo was done with his shower, you had already cleaned the small water puddle that was in the living room thanks to his drenched clothes and the bouquet of flowers he had dropped before. You currently were sitting on his bed, all cuddled up in your comfortable clothes as you scrolled through your social media, waiting for him to walk back into his room ready for a movie marathon with lots of snacks, you had move your entire pillow fort to his bed in an effort to make him feel slightly better, it would surely not erase all his pain but it would hopefully distract him from it, even if it was for a couple of minutes.

“I can’t believe I wasn’t invited to a sleepover in my own bedroom” 

In a white shirt and black pants Seungwoo looked as domestic as he could, smiling softly with a towel still wrapped around his neck to stop his wet hair from drenching his new dry clothes. He was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed on his chest as his eyes watched you carefully, body relieved to the sight of you being so comfortable and relaxed in his room. He was used to this, he had never minded when you laid down onto his bed, it was a sight he was rather fond of actually, something his girlfriend had never been comfortable with.

“I didn’t think you needed an invitation” You replied smiling back at him, grabbing one of his pillows to hug it as you sat up "Big or small spoon? I'll let you choose today"

Seungwoo, surprised by the sudden question, couldn't help but laugh softly at your proposition. The two of you had cuddled on rare occasions, way before he started dating his ex girlfriend and the moment had soon ended because the two of you were too shy to do it for too long. However, he somehow felt like he kind of needed it, being close to somebody, to your warmth and scent, it would definitely help him to not feel lonely and that was exactly what he needed tonight. 

Seungwoo didn’t want to be alone. 

"I think I'll be the big spoon" He said smiling, tossing the towel away from his neck as he approached the bed, standing in front of you as he awaited for you to move and leave some space for him to lay down behind you. 

"You know what? Nevermind" You said with a mischievous smile "You'll be the small spoon tonight"

"What? No way" Seungwoo scoffed, a hint of pink appearing on his cheeks when he saw you weren't messing around. 

"Yes way, come on, lay down here" You enthusiastically patted the empty space beside you, eyes still up on him as you awaited for him to occupy it. Seungwoo seemed a little hesitant at first but knowing how stubborn you were, he laid down, muttering a string of quiet complaints while he made himself comfortable next to you. “See?” You asked, draping one of your arms around him, keeping yourself close to his wide back “It’s not that bad to be the small spoon, isn’t it?” 

“It sounds so ridiculous when you say it like that though” Seungwoo muttered quietly, making the two of you laugh softly “Fuck don’t make me laugh, my head hurts a lot” He groaned quietly, obviously trying not to laugh as he buried his face against the pillow.

“Want a head massage?” You asked, blurting out the words and for some reason, everything sounded even funnier causing you and him to laugh even more. “What? I read on the internet that they are good for headaches!” Pouting you gently slapped his arm, trying to act frustrated about him laughing at everything you said. You were glad though, happy that he was bringing his mood up.

“It’s scalp massage you idiot, not head massage, that sounded so wrong” Seungwoo replied laughing more, not caring about his headache at this point.

“YAH! HAN SEUNGWOO YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!” You shouted, moving away from him as you sat up on his bed, staring down at your roommate with eyes opened as wide as plates.

“It was you who said it first, not me!” He exclaimed back, turning around on the bed to look at you “Beside-”

You cut him off by grabbing one of his pillows and hitting him straight onto his face with it. You realize how big your mistake had been as soon as the room turned quiet and Seungwoo literally stopped moving, you didn’t even know if he was breathing. Unfortunately for him, you jumped off the bed and started running down the hall before he could trap you, although the two of you were simply playing around, having someone like Seungwoo following you right after you hit him was scary as hell. You didn’t want to find out what his revenge would be.

“Come here, you brat!”

Laughing loud, you managed to dodge his attempt of grabbing you by jumping over the couch, squeaking when he got closer to you. If the neighbors didn’t call the cops believing you two were murdering each other it would surely be a miracle.

“Seungwoo, wait! I’m sorry!” You shouted, rounding the couch once again, laughing like a maniac when you managed to dodge him once again. Seungwoo groaned rustrated behind you, not giving up though and running at full speed around the apartment. One mistake and he would be able to grab you.

“You’re sorry my ass! You didn’t even hesitate to hit me back there!” He shouted back, amusement obvious in his voice. The two of you probably looked like you had gone nuts running around the apartment, behaving like kids but if this was what would make him forget momentarily about his break up then you would be running all night long.

“It was just-OOF” Like you had done back in his room, Seungwoo used a pillow to stop you, throwing it with his entire strength and hitting you straight on the back of your head, making you stumble on your own feet and falling down in the middle of the hall. Thank God you placed your hands before your face because some teeth could have broken there if you hadn’t.

Just when you thought everything was over, you felt two big hands grabbing your ankle and before you could ask for mercy, Seungwoo pulled you down the hall, laughing when he saw you desperately trying to hold onto something. “You’re not escaping now!” He chuckled, turning you around as you were back in the living room and kneeling down on you, placing his knees on each side of your body so you wouldn’t be able to run away. “Come here”

“Please tell my mom I love her” Seungwoo started tickling you as hard as he could as soon as you said those words, he knew you weren’t a huge fan of being tickled, the sensation of running out of breath but being unable to stop laughing was merely overwhelming for you. Your hands flew up, attempting to shove his away from your sides but he was stronger than you and your efforts were wasted “Seungwoo” You whispered, wiggling your entire body underneath him, trying to break free “Please...I can’t breathe” He didn’t stop there though, your stomach started hurting but you couldn’t just stop laughing. The cocky smile on his lips made you frustrated but since his fingers kept poking random spots on your sides you were unable to express it “SEUNGWOO PLEASE, I’M ABOUT TO DIE”

Seungwoo stopped, looking down at you with an amused smile “Alright, alright...But just because I’m exhausted from all that running” He laid down onto you, placing his entire weight onto your body, his face finding its way once again and his arms, that had been tickling you seconds ago, wrapped themselves around your body gently “Drama queen” He teased, hiding his smirk against your skin.

“Oh shut up, we both know I’m not the drama queen here” You scoffed patting his back, resting your head against the floor.

“It’s me and my broken heart, huh?” He muttered trying to hold back the chuckle that threatened to escape his throat. However, there was a soft tension in his voice again, your words had probably triggered some of his bad memories of tonight and even though he was trying to hide it, you had noticed the way his muscles tensed up against yours.

“Hey” Gently, you pulled your head away from him, hands holding his head up so he could look down at you “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay” He leaned back to look down into your eyes, something had shifted in his expression when your eyes met but you couldn’t place your finger in what it was exactly “I’m okay” Seungwoo’s voice got lower, sudden realization hitting you when you remembered the position you were in. Your cheeks turned red and his lips turned up amused, seeing you get embarrassed was definitely a delightful sight for him, especially since he was the reason for it.

He knew this was wrong, it was too soon to do something like this with somebody else since he had just broken up with his girlfriend but Seungwoo couldn’t help it. You had always been so sweet and nice since you moved into the apartment, always so attentive and looking all pretty around him but since you’ve never made a move on him Seungwoo assumed you didn’t see him as more than a friend. However, now that he was in extreme need of affection, of somebody who would give him what his girlfriend didn’t he wasn’t strong enough to keep his desire from you.

It was as if a switch had been flipped.

“Seungwoo” Your voice turned quiet when his face got closer to you, his forehead gently landing on yours as he lifted his body enough to not crush you onto the floor with his entire weight.

“You’re here, right? That’s what matters the most” He asked quietly, reaching out to cup one of your cheeks gently, tracing imaginary circles on your skin with his thumb “I’ll always have you, I should have been brave enough to choose you over her”

“W-What are you talking about?” 

However, instead of answering you with words like you had expected him to do, Seungwoo leaned down slowly, giving you enough time to stop him if you didn’t want this to happen, and pressed his plump lips against yours in one of the sweetest yet most gentle kiss you’ve ever had. It all soon escalated though because as soon as he noticed you weren’t pushing him away, he decided to go for it and moved his lips against yours, deepening the kiss and igniting the fireworks that had been lighted up in your stomach for too long.

The thought of you being a rebound crossed your mind at first but it all soon vanished as soon as you focused on the way he kissed you, on the way he held you. He was too gentle, his gestures felt too honest to be faked, there were other feelings than need and lost in his kisses, hints of love and affection teasing your tongue when he caressed it with his, letting you know what Heaven tasted like. All these years you’ve fought hard to keep your feelings for him on bay but know that it was finally happening, now that the two of you were kissing, you realized how much you’ve been needing this and how much he had needed this all this time.

It was as if the two of you were made for each other, your bodies fit in perfectly, moving in synchronisation as his hands explored your clothed body with gentle and shy caresses, always slow and careful in case you would tell him to stop at any time.

“I’ve been so blind” He whispered against your lips, giving it gentle pecks but also giving the two of you the chance to get your breath before continuing with your make out session “So stupid” Seungwoo added, biting your lower lip teasingly, smiling a bit more when your cheeks turned even redder. “You should have said something if you felt this way” 

“So cheesy” You teased smiling, happiness soon replaced with anticipation when he moved his lips away from yours to drag them down your neck, tasting your skin, biting down onto it, even feeling brave enough to leave a small mark on your pulse point. “You had a girlfriend” You inevitably whined when he bit down onto the same place again, your legs pressing together, trying to ease some of the tension that was building up on the lower zone of your body.

“I would have dropped her without any hesitation if I had known you wanted this” Seungwoo leaned back to look into your eyes, one of his hands trailing down your side until it reached the hem of your shirt. “That you wanted us” He slipped his hand inside, caressing your smooth skin with his rough hands. The friction made your breathing shaky and your heart started beating louder and harder against your ribcage.

“It wasn't right” You tried to explain to him, to defend yourself for not making a move any sooner but he wasn’t having it.

Seungwoo turned the two of you around, laying on his back in the middle of the living room and positioning your body on his. His hands instantly went up your bare, still underneath your shirt, turning your skin into goosebumps wherever he touched. He just had that effect on you, it was dangerous and powerful, something that incredibly turned you on.

“Shut up and kiss me already, you know how impatient I am”

You didn’t make him wait. With your hands on his chest, you leaned down enough to press your lips back against his, the kisses being the perfect distraction for him to move his hands to the front of your body, caressing your breast over your bra as he slid them down your stomach. He innocently pulled onto your shirt a couple of times, signaling you to lean back so he could get rid of it, the piece of clothing landing on the back of the couch as you two kept kissing, unable to get enough of each other’s lips and tongues.

Without breaking the kiss, Seungwoo sat up with you on his lap, groaning when this time, you used his own teasing technique against him and bit his lower lip, taking advantage of the position you were in to get rid of his shirt too. “Bedroom” You whispered breathlessly, letting him pull you back into his so he could devour your neck once again. The floor was slightly uncomfortable, too cold and hard and you knew the two of you would be more sore than necessary after this.

“Not going to make it to the bedroom” He quickly rejected your petition, lips trailing lower from your shoulder, caressing the edge of your bra with his tongue.

“The couch?” You asked gripping the hair on the back part of his head, holding back your moans, your body tensing with pleasure against his.

Seungwoo groaned against your skin, a sound that you assumed it was affirmative and he was willing to change your location. The two of you stood up from the floor but he didn’t allow you to walk away, instead, Seungwoo pushed you back against the wall behind you, slamming his lips back against yours. Things started escalating quickly from there, your kisses turned more desperate and wetter, his hands more brave as he got rid of your bra without asking for permission like he did with your shirt. 

“Fuck” He moaned when your hands travelled down his naked chest, fingers caressing the hem of his pants. You could feel how excited he was, the bulge that had appeared on his pants was pressing up against your lower stomach every time he attempted to get closer to you “Get rid of it, it’s on our way” Seungwoo pulled your pants down at the same time you pulled down his, as soon as they hit the floor, his hands gripped the back of your thighs and he pulled you up against the wall.

Acting on pure instinct, your legs automatically wrapped around his body, giving him access to places he didn’t have before. You moaned against his lips when the tent in his boxers pressed against the wet spot on your panties, Seungwoo grunted as he buried his face in between your breast, still leaving affectionate kisses all over your skin, willing to adore every single curve, mark or inch of your skin.

“The couch” He moaned when you started moving against him, looking for friction that would ease some of the sexual tension building up in your body. Seungwoo, holding you tightly against his body, pulled away from the wall and started walking to the couch, careful to not fall down with you in his arms. He placed you down onto it gently, running his fingers through your hair as he looked down at you, cupping your cheeks to caress them once again “Hey, you’re okay with this, right?” 

“Seungwoo, I wouldn’t be mostly naked if I wasn’t” You whined needily, pulling his hand down so he would join you on the couch.

“You’re not a rebound alright?” He asked in a determined tone, pulling his boxers down before he gently pushed you back against the couch. You gulped nervously, eyes stuck on his as he slowly laid on top of you “I promise you I’ll explain everything later, we’ll talk about our feelings later but believe me when I say you’re not a rebound, I don’t want you to think that”

“I believe you” You replied quietly, letting him pull down your panties without even moving his eyes away from yours.

“Good” His smile squeezed your heart, melting you on the couch. How he could be so sexy and sweet at the same time was a mystery. “I promise you that I’ll be slower and sweeter next time, that I’ll take my time with you when we get to bed but right now I really need to be inside of you baby or I’ll literally combust” His words made your face even redder, you would have never thought Seungwoo would speak to you like that. His smile widened noticing you had gotten shy and he slowed down a little, positioning himself between your legs but not entering you yet. “Having back out thoughts?” He asked teasingly.

“N-no, just...Trying to process this is all happening” You stuttered quietly, too embarrassed to even talk.

“Believe it babygirl” His lips lowered to your ear, caressing your skin with his warm breathing “This is not the only time that it’s going to happen though, once I make you mine there’s no way back”

Not leaving you the chance to reply or react to his words, Seungwoo moved his hips against yours, entering your wet entrance with his member. You bit your lower lip hard, feeling how he stretched you out and concentrating yourself on relaxing against him. Seungwoo started whispering sweet nothings into your ear, praising you to no end as he kept leaving sweet kisses on your skin. His pampering definitely helped and as soon as he felt your muscles relaxing underneath him, he started moving.

Your arms had made their way around his neck, nails gently digging into his shoulder as he gently started moving his hips back and forth, in and out of you over and over again. The quiet living room was being filled by the sounds of your heavy breathings and the quiet moans that exited each other’s lips whenever one of you moved, the pleasure was skyrocketing at this point and you knew that unfortunately, this wouldn’t last for as long as you wanted to, however, Seungwoo had already stated he had plans to repeat this so you weren’t complaining.

Like he had mentioned before, his gentleness was thrown away as soon as he realized you weren comfortable with him. His thrusts turned rougher, rocking your body upwards every single time his hips moved down and soon, despite your attempts to keep yourself quiet, your moans had gotten louder and louder, turning him on even more. 

“Just like that” He whispered when you started getting louder, sweat rolling down the side of his head as he gripped the arm of the couch, increasing his pace “Call my name baby, let them hear what’s going on” 

You didn’t know how you were going to face your neighbors after this but you obediently listened to Seungwoo’s order and started calling his name loud, almost at the edge of tears when he thrusted into you as fast and hard as he could. He knew he was in trouble when your inner walls started tightening around him with every thrust, Seungwoo had managed to found your g-spot and even though that had just increased the pleasure for the two of you, it also pulled him closer and closer to his orgasm whenever you sucked him deeper into you, moving your hips with his to get as much as you could.

“I can’t….Babe...I….F-Fuck (Y/N)” He stuttered, eyes closed and letting his body move by itself. His thrusts turned shaky and irregular, hands gripping the flesh of your hips so he could pull you harder into him whenever he thrusted.

“Seungwoo...I….I…”

There was nothing much you could do when you felt him twitching inside of you, it only took a couple of minutes for the two of you to surprisingly reach your climax together. He tensed up above you, moaning loudly as he shut his eyes closed, feeling how your body uncontrollably shook underneath his from the overstimulation the strong orgasm had created. He pulled you closer to his body, hugging you as he buried his face into your hair, pressing small kisses whenever he felt your skin against his lips as he kept whispering praises that made your heart flutter.

A couple of quiet minutes passed between the two of you, minutes were only your breathings were heard. He slowly slid himself out of you, biting his lips when you groaned feeling sensitive, eyes on him as you instantly closed your eyes. 

“I-I’m sorry about that” He apologized, realizing none of you had stopped to use protection “I...Let me get dress and I’ll get some of those pills for you”

“It’s okay” You said shaking your hand to stop him, pulling his body back down against yours so you could wrap your arms around him “I’m on the pill”

“Ugh, I was starting to panick already” He said laughing quietly, turning his head to press a kiss against your cheek “I’m not ready to start having beautiful babies with you yet” His sentence made you laugh too, shaking your head as your hands kept unconsciously moving up and down on his back, soothing his muscles. “But I’m definitely ready to take you out on wonderful dates”

“Oh, really?” You asked smiling looking at him

“Definitely” Seungwoo confirmed softly, brushing some hair away from your face so he could lean in closer to peck your lips “I want you to be my girlfriend” 

Forget about what you said in the beginning.

Rainy nights were still your favorite.

Even with Seungwoo and his broken heart.

[symphonicscans]

Interview with Hozumi for Sarasate Magazine, 2019

There are next to no interviews with Hozumi, so when I heard about this magazine having one I immediately bought it. Finally got around to translating it, and while it doesn't really talk about much, it's better than nothing! I formatted it to fit the original magazine, but there is also a text transcript as well.

Download the interview in PDF form (or read the transcript below) (I was also really pleased to get my headcannons confirmed XD)

WHO IS SOLLIMA?

Hozumi’s “My Giovanni” was inspired by the piece Violoncelles, Vibrez!

In the story, the main character Tetsuo Tezuka idolizes a cellist named Giovanni Bazzoni, who is modeled after Sollima, and the piece that inspires him is Call of the Cello, which is of course based on Violoncelles, Vibrez!

Giovanni Sollima * Composer, Cellist

Born in 1962 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, he studied cello with Giovanni Perriera and composition with his father Eliodoro Sollima at the Conservatorio di Musica di Palermo. After graduating with honors, he continued his studies on cello with Antonio Janigro and composition with Milko Kelemen at the University of Music in Stuttgart and the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 1997, he founded the Giovanni Sollima Band in New York City, a group made up of musicians who were already active as soloists and chamber musicians, with such luminaries as Claudio Abbado, Martha Argerich, and Philip Glass. His compositions are often said to be strongly influenced by minimalist music, but he has established his own style by freely incorporating a variety of genres, including classical, rock, jazz, bop, and ethnic music from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Africa.

His most widely recognized work is a ballad for two cellos and string orchestra, titled Violoncelles, Vibrez! (1993), which was dedicated to his close friend Mario Brunello, a fellow student of Janigro. It has been performed by many cello ensembles in Japan, including in an arrangement for eight cellos. His other solo cello piece, Lamantatio (1998), which requires the cellist to sing as well as play, is also frequently performed. He also has written a work for shamisen and orchestra, which was commissioned in Japan. He currently teaches at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and the instrument he performs on is a Francesco Ruggeri made in 1679. His first visit to Japan was in 2004 for the “Summer in Tokyo,” where he performed Violoncelles, Vibrez! amongst other pieces.

A Must-Read Comic for Cellists

“Boku no Giovanni”

Writer/Yumi Kogo

Characters

The cast of the comic

Tetsuo Tezuka

A boy who loves the cello. After looking for a fellow cellist to play with, he ends up having mixed feelings about Ikumi’s cello talent. He later goes to study with Yuriko Soga in Italy. After returning to Japan, he enters a competition.

Ikumi Tachibana

The other protagonist of the story. The only survivor of a marine accident, he is taken in by Tetsuo’s family and is introduced to the cello. He grows up to become a emerging cellist in the classical music world.

Tetsuro Tezuka

Tetsuo’s older brother and good friend. He used to play the cello, but became jealous of his brother’s ability and stopped playing. Later he becomes a ‘mental trainer’ for musicians.

Yuriko Soga

A cellist living in Italy, Tetsuo initially refers to her as the ‘witch.’ She has a carefree personality, but she is an internationally famous cellist. She later becomes Tetsuo’s teacher.

Yukari Narita

A student in the piano department in a Music High School. She becomes Tetsuo’s accompanist, introduced to him by Yuriko. She likes his free style of playing and they become fast friends. She brings out the best in Tetsuo.

-

“Boku no Giovanni” is a popular music-themed manga serialized in “Monthly Flowers,” a manga magazine for women published by Shogakukan. There have already been four tankoubon released. The manga depicts the lives of two boys who choose to dedicate their lives to the cello, and it’s become popular not only with women but men as well. The story is different from the usual type that follow music students living happily while competing with each other, instead delicately portraying the struggles of a boy who aspires to find his place in the world of music. It is in this setting that the character modeled after Giovanni Sollima appears, and they play an important role in the story.

The Beginning

Tetsuo Tezuka, an elementary school student who plays the cello in a small port town, feels lonely because his older brother Tetsuro, his only cello-playing friend, has stopped playing. Tetsuro had begun to feel inferior to Tetsuo’s rapid improvement, so decides to distance himself from the cello so he wouldn’t end up hating his younger brother. Unaware of his feelings, Tetsuo repeatedly asks him to play ‘Giovanni Bazzoni’s’ work for two cellos, Call of the Cello with him.

At the same time, a large passenger ship sinks on a stormy sea off the coast of their island; a faint voice in the distance is heard. Ikumi Tachibana, who followed to voice to the beach, loses his mother — his only living relative — in the accident, and is taken in by Tetsuo’s family. There, Ikumi learns that the voice he heard was actually Tetsuo’s cello playing.

World-renowned cellists Sollima and Yo-Yo Ma as models

Tetsuo starts playing the cello at age six. He always asks his older brother to play together with him.

It all started when he saw a video of Call of the Cello by Giovanni Bazzoni, which his father gave him. The character of Bazzoni — who has a great influence on Tetsuo — is modeled on Giovanni Sollima, the cellist and composer, and Call of the Cello is reminiscent of one of Sollima’s masterworks, Violoncelles, Vibrez! The other cellist in the panel, Lesser Curtis, is modeled after Yo-Yo Ma. Tetsuo was fascinated by the ‘shadow dancing’ between the two world-famous cellists and became enraptured with the cello.

***

Ikumi finds out that Tetsuo wants somebody to play cello with, so he can play Call of the Cello with them, so he asks Tetsuo to teach him how to play. Both boys start out lonely, but day by day they grow closer through their connection with the cello, and vow to remain lifelong friends.

The world-famous cello “Witch”

Another person who stands out in this story is the character of Yuriko Soga, a world-famous Japanese cellist living in Italy. Every summer she visits Tetsuo’s house to relax. She has a carefree personality, but her playing is of the highest level. Through Yuriko, Tetsuo realizes how difficult the life of a professional cellist is, but also thinks that he has no talent. As if to fight against this reality, he refers to Yuriko as a “witch” and rejects her as an outsider in his world.

One day, Tetsuo spends a week at his grandfather’s house, and when he returns home he finds that Ikumi has effortlessly learned how to play the Dvorak Cello Concerto, which he is unable to play yet. He becomes angry and jealous of Ikumi’s talent and his ability to play with the ideal sound that he wants for himself, and there are many scenes after this that make the reader turn the pages with a heavy heart; only in comics can you see the mood and atmosphere of a person’s feelings at a glance.

As if to escape from Ikumi, Tetsuo goes to study abroad in Sicily, Italy, where Yuriko lives. Five years later, he returns to Japan only to find that Ikumi’s talent has blossomed. Tetsuo pursues his own unique way of making music, but struggles to find a pianist to accompany him in a competition due to his strange way of playing. Through his connection with Yuriko, Tetsuo is introduced to Yukari Narita, a high school pianist who prefers a free style of playing, and this inspires Tetsuo to search for his own style in earnest. It will be interesting to see how his relationship with Ikumi and his future as a cellist develops in future chapters...

(Caption beneath image: Monthly Flowers March 2019 / featured cover illustration)

Interview with the Author of “My Giovanni”

- Hozumi-san - Discovering Sollima and the Fascination with the Cello

Hozumi-san, the creator of “My Giovanni,” debuted in 2010 with her work The Wedding-Eve, which won the Silver Flower Award at the Monthly Flowers comic audition. She made her published book debut with the same work, which is a collection of short stories of which the title is one. The book won the 4th Pukurog Grand Prix in the manga category, and also placed second in the “Staff Choice: This Manga is Amazing!” It also placed second In the ladies’ comics category. Subsequent works include Sayonara Sorcier, which depicts the life of Vincent Van Gough, and Usemono no Yado.

My Giovanni was inspired by a performance of Sollima’s Violoncelles, Vibrez! The series began in 2016 and is still ongoing. We asked Hozumi-san to talk about her encounter with the cello, its appeal, and how My Giovanni was born.

She first fell in love with the cello through 2CELLOS.

Q: I understand that you have always liked minimalist music. How exactly did you come to know about Sollima?

A: My first exposure to minimalist music was with Michael Nyman’s The Heart Asks Pleasure First, but one day I got hooked on 2CELLOS. I had a CD of cellist and composer Siegen Tokuzawa, but I had never watched a proper cello performance before. When I started listening to 2CELLOS, I became more and more fascinated with the sound of the cello and started listening to serious classical music. That’s when I came across Sollima’s Violoncelles, Vibrez! From that point on, I started buying Sollima’s recordings and playing them while working on manuscripts (laughs). After that, I listened to recordings of Joe Hisaishi, Ryuuchi Sakamoto, and others that had a bit of minimalist elements, but I still find it difficult to listen to completely minimalist music. I prefer works that mix minimalist elements with folk and other styles.

Q: I heard that your encounter with Sollima’s works is what led you to create My Giovanni. What was it about Sollima’s music that appealed to you?

A: More than anything, it’s the drama! Of course there’s a strong element of repetition since it’s minimalist, but after listening to a song I feel a sense of fulfillment, as if I’d watched an entire movie. When I heard it for the first time, I remember being impressed and thinking, “Wow, I’ve found such an amazing piece of music!” I was so impressed. It seemed like all of human life experience was depicted in it, and I racked my brain wondering if and how I could draw a manga like that. I started to draw it, but it still didn’t reach the ideal I have, and I’m still struggling with it (laughs).

Q: Do you have any specific cellists that you modeled the characters of Tetsuo, Ikumi, and Yuriko Soga after?

A: I don’t have anybody specific in mind, because I think the way they perform is related to their personalities, so I wouldn’t want to attach them to a specific cellist. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to use anybody in particular as a model because, for the sake of the story progression, I sometimes have to push through the performance scenes with a more comic-like style…

But I have a feeling that there is a bit of Sollima in all of them. Actually, learning to play the cello has made me realize that more.

Q: Hozumi—san, your drawings of cellists are natural and beautiful. Is there anything you pay attention to when you draw them, or anything you are very particular about?

A: I really appreciate you saying so. But I don’t think I’m quite there yet. I actually started cello classes and tried to play the cello myself, but it’s really difficult to draw not only the instrument itself but also the playing position — and not only for cellists. I will continue to work hard to draw the flow of the skeleton and muscles as realistically as I can.

Q: You said you’re learning to play the cello. What was your impression of the cello when you started playing it?

A: This might not be something to talk about in a classical magazine, but I was in a band for a while when I was in school, so I had a little bit of experience with the electric bass. So, when I started cello, I had the faint hope that I would be a little better than an amateur because it was a string instrument… but (of course) it was completely different. Unlike electric bass and guitar there are no frets, and even just holding the bow is very difficult. It was a struggle for me to make a single note sound good. Since then, when I hear cellists play — which I used to listen to without much thought — now I am in awe of them. When I draw the characters in my work I think, “It’s amazing, they can all play so well.” (Laughs)

Q: What is the appeal of the cello for you?

A: It has a wide range, with high notes that pull at your heartstrings but also deep bass notes. I think it’s great that they can play everything from melody to bass lines, and since I used to play the bass I think it’s really cool to be able to do that! As a manga artist, my motivation for drawing them is to find a way to express the sexiness that cellists exude when playing cello.

Q: What are your favorite songs, both to play and to listen to?

A: I haven’t gotten very far with my playing because I’m too busy with the manuscript, but I often listen to the song Rain by Ryuichi Sakamoto. It’s a trio for piano, violin and cello, and I imagined this song when I was drawing the live performance scene for the same ensemble in the comic. I also like Piazzolla in general, but in particular I often play Duo de Amor when I’m drawing.

I really like to hear the cello played by my teacher.

Q: How much time do you spend practicing the cello? What do you find most difficult when you practice?

A: Actually, I haven’t been able to attend classes since I had a health scare last year, and I’m not able to play as much as I used to. Really, all practicing is difficult, but if I had to pick one thing I’d say that even though my left hand fingering is good, I can’t keep up with the bowing… sorry for being such a beginner…

Q: Is there a moment that made you glad you started playing the cello?

A: I’m really only a novice, so just being able to play a single note with a tight, deep sound is a great feeling. “Amazing! I can make the cello sound like a cello!” That alone makes me very happy. Also, it was really helpful for me to understand how to hold the bow and use proper tilted posture as a reference for drawing, it was really great! I’m also happy just listening to the teacher play so skillfully in front of me.

Q: What color is your case?

A: I haven’t bought a case yet because I’m still at the stage where I’m renting my cello, but I like white ones and the deep red Bordeaux-like color, and in the comic Tetsuo’s case is white and Ikumi’s is Bordeaux.

Q: Like My Giovanni, many of your works feature gentlemen, siblings and their home environments. Are those things you consciously decide to focus on?

A: When I create my stories, I often adapt and build on my own experiences as a teenager, so that might have an influence on my work. However, I think the best part of a story is to leave things to the imagination of the reader rather than explaining everything about how the story came to be. Although there are fragments of my personal memories in some parts, it is undoubtedly the original story of the characters, and I hope you will enjoy reading it until the end.

[snidgetwidgeon]

My excitement rivalled Impa’s here when @jabberwockyface brought this scene from my story to life. It is a true delight and I adored the addition of the cuccos!

I have been working on my longfic for quite some time now and was only intending to publish when complete, but this art has me so pumped I thought I’d drop a ‘trailer’ XD

Please enjoy Chapter 1 of Insurrection, a ZeLink story set mainly after the fall of Calamity Ganon

The Horizon

Impa woke early and sighed as she looked up at the large wooden beams in the ceiling of her house. One of the small, lidded lanterns hanging there, usually alight with a soft, golden glow, had gone out during the night. No matter, she thought. An oil refill would just be one of the mundanities to be dealt with over the course of the day. She had always been an early riser, though for the past two decades or so, her aged bladder was demanding she be up at sparrow’s fart to cater to its whims.

She was nestled atop her three red pillows which were stacked like a pyramid. This was where she liked to stay these days, meditating and even sleeping. Her granddaughter, Paya, had long since had the upstairs bedroom to herself.

Rising to stand atop her pillow tower, with quite a few bodily creaks and vocal sound effects, Impa hopped down. She gently removed her large round hat and placed it in the vacated spot, then saw to her ablutions before a morning walk. She poodled around the ground floor of the spacious living quarters, which also doubled as the town hall. Having the largest house in the village was one of the perks of being the Elder. Her seating platform was centrally located toward the rear of the room and looked out across a spacious, open floor plan. Dark blue mats decorated with a diamond pattern sat neatly aligned in rows and served as a comfortable place to sit when village meetings or festive gatherings took place. Her pillow tower looked straight down an aisle, lined with a blue rug, toward large double doors that led outside to the veranda.

Set in a free standing wooden frame behind her perch was a canvas tapestry. Its earthy color palette and tribal art style depicted a very specific history of the Kingdom of Hyrule. There was a large monster embroidered in the center, and it was flanked by what seemed to be a divine person on the left, and a warrior on the right. There were hundreds of machines surrounding them and in each corner were strange animals ridden by pilots of varying races. Due to the nature of the design, it was unclear if they depicted any of the races residing in Hyrule today.

The platform was flanked by two staircases which rose to the back of the house and then turned on ninety degree angles to meet in the middle at the top. To the right and left of her platform on the outside of the stairs were four posts topped with frog guardian statuettes. They bore the red Sheikah symbol on their bellies, an open eye drawn in a minimalist style with a central tear. Various banners and lanterns hung from the rafters, and low shelves lined the walls. Like the other dwellings in Kakariko Village, furnishings and household items were sparse as most Sheikah lived a simple and humble life, free from clutter.

Impa regarded her wide and wrinkly face in the water basin that sat on one of the low shelves. The reflection reminded her of how much time had passed. She splashed the sleep out of her eyes and made her way upstairs to check on Paya, as she did every morning. She favored going up the right staircase, so she could come down the left in a satisfying circle.

Reaching the second floor, she went over to the bed against the back right corner to look upon her sleeping granddaughter. The young woman usually slumbered well into mid-morning as she tended to pray until very late at night. Impa pressed her forehead against Paya’s and their matching, but different colored Sheikah eye tattoos touched. Though she hadn’t meant to cause a stir, Paya yawned and whispered, “Grandmother?”

“Shhh, it’s still very early, dear,” Impa cooed. “Go back to sleep.” She wanted to tell Paya that she stays up much too late praying outside to the village guardians. But she knew the young woman was doing her best to help bring success to their courageous Hero. He needs all the help he can get, she thought earnestly.

Satisfied that all was well with Paya, she headed back down and paused to view the large painting which hung above the low shelves on that side of the house.

The verdant marsh it depicted was spotted with just a few trees and a grey range of hills in the backdrop, topped by fluffy clouds in a blue sky. Toward the rear of the landscape, to the left and right of the center of the canvas, were two weathered stone ruins indicating that this area had not always been a marsh. Spread out in the foreground were some strange looking, bell shaped machines. The one closest to the viewer on the left side of the frame had a single eye-like protrusion in the middle of its bucket-shaped head.

They were all partially sunken into the marsh, becoming overgrown by time. The furthest one had a single, tentacle-like limb sticking out from its wide base, as if it had once been going in that direction. Overall, they seemed oddly out of place- yet also part of the greater scenery. Impa sighed and wondered, like so many times she had sighed in this spot before, if that fateful marsh would ever again reclaim being just a beautiful field.

Time to get moving before breakfast, she decided as she headed for the front door. She had just started to open it before realizing she had forgotten her hat. She tut-tutted herself as she headed back to claim it. One had to look proper if going outside. Her large, straw hat had a very wide and circular red brim which swooped up into a tall metal ornament that brought it to a point. The Sheikah symbol was prominently featured in red on the front. It also had five chains hanging from the brim with axe blade-esque ornaments that swayed metronomically as she walked. Placing her beloved hat on her head, she headed outside.

She was greeted by a bright, blue summer sky and squinted as her eyes adjusted to the golden glow of sunlight spilling over the valley walls. She never tired of this tranquil vista. Tall, steep mountains with weathered, rounded peaks flanked her view to the right. These were aptly named the Pillars of Levia. She followed a flock of ducks with her gaze as they flew over the mountain vale in a perfect v-formation. They passed a lone peak on the left which towered above the forest on the hill behind the village. This small mount had a more flattened mesa at its peak rather than a weathered mound like the others. Another group of birds she couldn’t make out through the bright sunlight swirled around the top.

As she descended her long front steps, she felt content, taking in the sounds and smells of her home. The breeze which blew through the valley from the west carried with it the scent of the grassy slopes and the wooden chimes that were suspended from ropes between posts all around the village, were gently teased into their soft rattle by it. The cuccos added their crow to the morning chorus.

At the base of the steps was a wooden-framed, open gate. She tilted her head slightly to the side so that as she passed under, the ornament of her impressive hat could avoid catching on the three banners hanging there. On either side of the gate were some young plum trees. The lovely white blossoms they produced in spring were something she looked forward to seeing every year. These plum trees, as well as the others scattered around the village, acted as the residents’ protectors, just like the frog statuettes. They also symbolized endurance and prosperity, two values which Impa had instilled in her people for the better part of a century.

She nodded to the guard who kept the late night and early morning watch at her gate. He was adorned in standard Sheikah attire, a pair of beige trousers and a tunic with a high back collar and red trim. A dark blue undershirt could be seen that matched the blue diamond-shaped pattern on his straw hat. His hat was much different than Impa’s in that it appeared to be a woven disc of straw that he folded over his head and strapped under his chin. It also sat prominently forward to allow for his high, white bun to stick out at the back of his head. Some red chopsticks poked stylishly out of the side of his big bun.

Cado returned the nod with a short and respectful bow. “Lady Impa.” He waited for the Village Elder to take several paces before retrieving his quiver from against the gate and followed at a polite, but observant distance. Though her residence was always guarded, he felt he should be extra vigilant about her safety when she ventured out, especially since there had been an unexplained theft not too long ago.

He checked over his gear as he followed Impa through the canyon pass that led north out of the village. On his back he carried a darkwood Phrenic Bow, good for long distance accuracy. On his waist was sheathed an Eightfold Blade, the traditional, single-edged sword of the Sheikah people, and one of the remaining vestiges of their ancient technology. Etched at the blade’s base was the tell-tale eye symbol, believed to offer the user an extra layer of spiritual protection.

Impa walked along at a slow but comfortable pace, enjoying the sound of the breeze whistling through the canyon walls. As she approached a large open gate, one of three marking the entrances to the village, she paused at the sound of a rustle. She looked back at Cado who had drawn nearer, with one hand reaching for the handle of his blade, ready to react to the disturbance.. She merely smiled and shook her head. After taking another step, a lizard dashed out of a tuft of grass and made its escape up the canyon wall.

The north canyon did not lead out of the village as such. After about a ten minute walk, the narrow walls fanned open to a natural platform which offered a scenic, if slightly restricted, view of Hyrule due to the high cliffs on either side. The serenity of this place and the breathtaking view overlooking Hyrule had inspired the community to recognize it as a sacred site. Here they paid their respects at the graves of their loved ones. Unlike Hylian graves, which tended to spread out over an area, the Sheikah piled narrow, upright stones on the left side of the clearing. They were placed without any inclination to create neat rows, and their jumbledness added a certain charm. The only markings were caused by the passage of time, demonstrated by how weathered and overgrown with moss they were.

To the right was a single, large tree, its shade offering a welcome respite to those who visited during the hottest hours of a summer day. Just past the tree stood a simple wooden fence. A precaution for children, or perhaps for those foolish enough to get too close to the drop off overlooking Lake Telta.

At this time of the morning, the sun had yet to reach the clearing, so it was still in the shadow of the cliff walls. Impa slowly shuffled up near the fence, her head bowed in respect as she passed the graves. To offer Impa privacy with her morning prayers, Cado held back just before the canyon opened up.

Goddess Hylia, she prayed, keep Princess Zelda safe within your womb. Lend her your strength so that one day, with the aid of the chosen Hero, she may overcome and banish the Calamity. Even now, as over the course of a century, the Princess was trapped in the castle, bound in an endless battle of wills with the malice of Ganon. Impa would never forget the night the poor young woman had come to the village in ruins.

In those days, she had been assigned as an Adviser to the Royal Family of Hyrule. Her duties in this capacity focused mainly on heading the research into various ancient Sheikah technologies. Her older sister Purah and another scientist, Robbie, ran their own divisions under her guidance. Princess Zelda had eventually joined their ranks as well after she showed a great aptitude for scientific research. During her spare time outside of devotions, she possessed an unrivaled curiosity for a wide array of subjects, which was beneficial to the research teams. Having such a high connection within the Royal Family meant that their work was well funded continuously.

Their efforts were in answer to a prophecy that had been delivered to the Royal Family. It spoke of the revival of a legend known as The Calamity, a primal evil which had risen to plague the land ten thousand years ago. King Rhoam was hoping to use the same means their ancestors had to defend against the possible return of The Calamity. The more they uncovered, the more they realized the legends were true.

Relics, which came to be known as Divine Beasts, were unearthed in various locations across the land. Impa’s teams began an intense study of these artifacts, as well as the many Shrines that dotted all of Hyrule; though they were, as yet, unable to ascertain how to gain access to their inner sanctums. They also uncovered the smaller, autonomous Guardians. Robbie took a great interest in these contraptions and even brought some back to working order.

But Calamity Ganon had outsmarted them.

~~~

As the sun was setting, a young Impa and her team of scientists were concluding their experiments for the day and packing up under the stone pavilion in the castle courtyard. Suddenly, a large rumble echoed around the area, followed by a short earthquake. Everyone fled out from under the roof in case it collapsed but immediately froze in shock upon seeing the castle being engulfed in a swirling pink and black miasma. It circled around and took the shape of a boar-headed demon. A cloud continued erupting into the sky and started to spread, mirroring the overwhelming sense of dread everyone was now feeling. No, we’re not ready!

Before they had time to react, globs of malice erupted from the castle and began to rain down on the ground. The creature roared menacingly to the sky from the epicenter as if to announce its freedom and dominion over all. Impa watched a large glob soar over them like a meteor. She turned northwest to follow its trajectory. Is it possible it was headed for Rito Village?

Someone screamed and she snapped back around to see that the stationary Guardians they had been working with had become active on their own. They were glowing magenta with an evil energy, their heads spinning back and forth as if they were calibrating. Her instincts kicked in and she ordered everyone to grab the most important things. “Take the research! We must get it safely to Kakariko!” At once, people ran in all directions trying to gather their most important work.

Purah ran over to her younger sister and looked at her frantically. “Impa, the Guidance Stone!”

Impa closed her eyes and bowed her head. “We should only save what we can-”

Purah grabbed her arms and Impa looked back up at her in surprise. She was hardly ever so serious. “Anything we take from here will be useless junk unless we have the Guidance Stone to access it. This is not a discussion. It’s a necessity and you know it.”

“Fine. But just us. I’m not risking anyone else going in there.” She looked up towards the high pointed towers of the castle, some now covered in a dark ooze.

“Fine,” Purah acquiesced and started to walk away. “Just us, and Robbie.” Robbie, who had been stuffing schematics into a satchel whipped around at the sound of his name.

Impa grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her back. “What did I just say?!” Suddenly, one of the Guardians stopped spinning its head back and forth and now focused its single blue eye on the Sheikah women, who were too wrapped up in their stare-down to notice.

Robbie paled. “Oh... shit!” They had seconds. His eyes darted around for something, anything... There! A Royal Guard, easily identified by his red tunic under a gold embroidered dark blue tabard, was running their way carrying a large, half-bodied shield.

The Guardian began emitting an ominous beeping noise and a red laser targeted Impa. Robbie pounced on the guard and grabbed his shield away. “Sorry, my man!”

Purah gasped when she saw the red laser on Impa’s shoulder, and utterly terrified, yelled, “Jump back only when I say!”

Impa’s eyes widened in fear as the beeping got faster. Robbie scrambled over to them as the Guardian made a piercing noise, and blue energy shot out of its eye with the intent to destroy. There was a massive ricochet as Robbie parried the energy back at the Guardian with his pilfered shield. Its eerie pink glow fizzled out and it blew to pieces, cogs and gears flying everywhere.

“WOOOOO!” Robbie exclaimed. “Yeah!” He pumped his fists and stretched out a bit. “Man, I saw the Champion do that once and have been wanting to try it ever since.”

Impa, who had ended up huddled on the ground with Purah behind the thrill-seeker, now stood and pulled her sister up as well. “Right, so it’s just us, and Robbie.”

She watched as the rest of the Royal Guard’s unit arrived and set upon the other stationary Guardians before they also had the chance to start working. Robbie returned the shield to the guard he had ambushed and instructed him on the technique to parry the blasts. “The shield should withstand a number of hits this way,” he explained.  

Impa’s mind was a flurry of questions. Was the miasma poisonous? How did it take control of the Guardians? Could they make it to the Guidance Stone?

The Royal Guard unit had now taken out the other three legless Guardians, but she feared it was a small victory. The research team tried to settle now that the immediate danger in the vicinity was over, but every noise set them off, causing them to pause and look around like prey at a watering hole.

She then heard members of the Garrison yelling from the Western Gatehouse, “They’re coming out of the pillars! DOZENS!”, “Hylia above, they’re headed for the town!”

Her stomach flipped over as she thought of those monstrous contraptions overtaken by evil. The very machines that were supposed to protect them were instead destroying everything in their path. All those people...

They had to get out. Now.

Her researchers started to panic after also hearing the desperate cries. She had to focus again, lead them. She addressed them in her authoritative tone, “Everyone, stay calm. We’ll make for the docks. The south exit is... compromised.” Impa looked over to see the Royal Guard leaving to heed the cry from the Western Gatehouse.

“Sir Karane!” she called out. She ran over from under the pavilion to hail the Knight who had just led the assault on the stationary Guardians.

Karane held out an arm to stop her men. When the last one fell into line, she turned a pair of steely blue eyes toward Impa and crossed the same arm over her chest, tilting her head forward in respect. “Adviser.”

Impa regarded the soldiers, some of whom seemed itching to get to the battle. Luckily, she had a better fate in store for them. “The ancient tech research team requires an escort. It’s imperative we get this material safely out of the castle.” Karane spared a glance at the scientists stuffing papers and artifacts into any available containers they could find.

“We have a possible escape route via the docks,” Impa continued. Best case scenario is obtaining some horses and a cart for this gear,” Impa continued.

Sir Karane bowed curtly and then turned sharply to address her unit, her red braid whipping behind her. “You heard her men! We are now on special assignment for the Royal Adviser! Three of you with me,” she gestured to the men on her left. “We’re going to commandeer ourselves a ride. You four, make sure the way is clear to the docks. The rest of you escort our scientists!” She held an arm out to Impa and they clasped each other’s wrists.

“Thank you, Sir Karane.” Robbie and Purah came up beside Impa and she nodded their way to indicate to Karane that they would be working together. “We must retrieve the Guidance Stone. We’ll do our best to meet you there. If these things find you,” she looked towards the felled Guardians, “then leave without us!”

“I’ll give you an hour.”

Impa nodded. “If we don’t make it, there is another stone at the Royal Ancient Lab. I imagine they are doing the same and taking what they can.” She regarded the remaining regiment. “Can you spare your fastest guard from this lot and have them instruct the other team to rendezvous with us in Kakariko?”

“A solid plan, leave it to me.” Karane walked away and yelled, “Konba! I hope you’ve had your rushrooms.”

Impa then left her team in good hands as she went to fetch the Guidance Stone with her sister and Robbie; who was grinning, as he’d acquired himself another shield.

It was a rather large blessing that when they arrived at the docks, the research team was still there, unharmed. It seemed like they got ahead of the Calamity just enough to slip out the back, though the same couldn’t be said for the residents of Castle Town. Impa tried not to think about it as she helped shove the cart with the Stone and its activation pedestal onto the boat.

They made it across the river in the two boats which had been moored at the docks, and battled their way up the sloped bank. The ones who weren’t pushing stared blankly across the river at the scene of destruction unfolding before their eyes. The ones who didn’t want to see busied themselves with helping. Once they reached the grassy Irch Plain, they moved quickly without resting to scale the Elma Knolls. These would at least provide them some cover before heading east. It was unsettling to be so close to a pillar behind the castle, but it appeared that, at least for now, the invasion was focused on Hyrule Field.

After retreating to her village, which was currently safe in the mountains, Impa had sent out a search party for Zelda. She stood in the same spot near the graveyard under the tree, looking in horror at the castle across Hyrule Field. It was still engulfed in a swirling black and magenta miasma. The giant pillars, the existence of which she was aware but had never seen before they had risen out of the ground, were angled toward the castle. They had originally been meant for protection and housed the Guardians that, in the past, defended Hyrule. But all the Guardians had been turned against them, and the pillars were now menacing rather than a comfort. She thought they looked like the fingers of a demon come to enclose the castle in its grasp.

At the base and to the left of the ominous cloud was a wide, orange glow. Castle Town was destroyed; engulfed in flames.

~~~

When Zelda was later escorted into Kakariko, Impa discovered she was there on a mission, and had come bearing a request. She was a bit weak on her feet, but refused rest and clean clothes. Even though she was muddy and her white prayer dress was in tatters, she would not be deterred.

The worst had befallen the Kingdom and she just had one hope: that their Hero would return one day, as she saw when the Master Sword spoke to her. She sat in Impa’s old house at the time, bathed in a soft yellow light from the lanterns. She explained to Impa and the other scientists, her friends, Purah and Robbie, “Link must regain control of the Divine Beasts! Ganon has taken them from us. He controls them now and… and the Champions were… they’re gone.” Her hard stare and exhaustion made it look as if she was going to cry, but at this point she was out of tears, trying desperately to replace them with determination.

Impa felt a weight pool in her gut at the news. So the malice she had seen heading for Rito Village was meant for Vah Medoh, and spelled Champion Revali’s doom. She thought of each Champion, having returned to their Divine Beasts, only to find a deadly trap. She was silent for a moment, unsure; wondering if she should offer comfort or if that would merely be a distraction at this point. Her sister was fiddling with random items she could reach on the table, but rather than be annoyed, she knew it was Purah’s way of dealing with stress.

Zelda then gave a weary sigh and continued. “There’s a chance that Link may not retain some of his memories while in the shrine, so I have an idea of how to help him when he wakes.”

Impa nodded and silently agreed with Zelda’s sentiment. It was when he wakes, she thought, not if he wakes. It was best to be thinking positively in such dire circumstances.

“Purah,” Zelda looked at Impa’s sister, who stopped braiding the frayed threads of the tablecloth as if she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. “I sent the Slate with Link and the Sheikah who found us to the Shrine of Resurrection. He’s going to need it when he awakens.” She paused and then added, “For guidance and access.”

She thought back to her discovery of the towers underground, the existence of which she had not yet been able to discuss with anyone due to trying to keep her research a secret from her father. He would have her only praying to awaken her power, rather than try to help in any other way. So she had been biding her time, not knowing that it would soon run out.

Now, there was only time to act, so she focused on the most important things and didn’t bother to elaborate. Telling Purah and Robbie about the towers was pointless anyway since only Link, as the chosen Hero, would be able to access them.

“I need you to take the contents of the Compendium out of the Slate and keep them in your Guidance Stone. Hopefully the images, or visiting the places where I took the pictures, will help him remember things.”

Purah agreed and nodded, “The Guidance Stone will keep them safe.” She stood from her chair and looked over at Robbie. He seemed to be lost in the shadow of self-loathing, head down and fists clenched at his knees, all previous bravado gone. “Robbie, let’s go see to Link. He’s not going to heal himself.” Robbie looked at Zelda sadly as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to. Purah snapped his attention away. “Quick smart!”

They made to leave the house and prepare their things when Zelda called out, “Purah wait! The last picture in the Compendium. Can you delete it but keep a paper copy like the one you made of us before? When the Champions were alive and happy. He should remember that last. It was where he… where I…” She tried, but couldn’t bring herself to talk about what had just happened, “it was where we parted,” she finished, while lowering her eyes in emotional defeat. “I don’t want him to be overwhelmed right after he returns to us.”

Purah blinked her red eyes, suddenly feeling trapped into a sense of responsibility that felt heavier than putting Link into an untested machine. That’s going to be fascinating- Focus Purah!

“I… of course I can make a copy, Princess.” She looked furtively over to Impa. It was one thing for the Guidance Stone to hang onto something in its database, but she, personally? She thought of the state of her workspace at the Royal Ancient Lab, which probably didn’t look so different now that it had most likely been reduced to rubble.

Impa knew her sister well and fought off a massive eye-roll in the presence of the Princess. “Once you are finished in the Shrine, bring me the picture and I will keep it safe for Link,” she offered reassuringly.

Purah visibly relaxed. “Sure thing, Sis.” She prodded Robbie to open the door as he was nearest.

Robbie slid it open and before stepping out, softly spoke to Zelda. “Good luck.” He couldn’t manage much more than that.

Purah looked back at Zelda, looking so small and forlorn, and stuck her chin out with conviction. “Zelly,” she said, “You give that Ganon bastard what for. And don’t get dead!” She followed Robbie out and the room suddenly felt heavier in her absence.

Impa placed her hand on Zelda’s shoulder, and though the young woman was doing everything she could to remain brave and strong, she was shaking. Impa was certain that there was a good amount of fear behind that shaking, but if any part of it was due to lack of nourishment, she wasn’t having it. “Let’s get you something to eat and drink before you go.”

Zelda’s head snapped up. “No, I should leave right away. I’ve already stayed too long. The more time I take, the farther the Guardians can go. They’re laying waste to the Kingdom!”

Impa tutted, “As if I’d let you face Ganon on an empty stomach. What would Sir Link say!?”

~~~

Since that day, Impa prayed for her Princess, overlooking a horizon that never changed. She eventually married, had a child, and then a grandchild. And though her life had known massive loss, and this sacred ground where she stood was for mourning, it was also a place of hope. Hope that one day the Hero would return, and things would change. As more time went by, she became uncertain if she would see Link again. She had started to seriously consider passing Zelda’s message on to Paya should he wake after her death.

But he had come, and with him, an ever-changing vista as he reclaimed the Divine Beasts from Ganon’s control one by one. His successes were revealed to her when she would come out here to pray. The Beasts aimed their divine light as red beams towards the castle from their respective perches across the land, ready to fire when the Hero finally faced his evil foe.

Now there was only one hurdle left, though it was certainly the highest. Before Link was awake, Impa had given most of her prayers to Zelda. But since his return, she prayed for his boundless courage to succeed in the fight against Calamity Ganon. For if he failed, she couldn’t imagine the dark world her granddaughter would inherit.

Impa finished her prayers and raised the brim of her hat to look at the castle on the horizon. She sucked in a breath as she took in a change to the scenery she’d been waiting to see for a hundred years. The cloud of malice had gone. “Eeeeee!” She gave a toothy grin and smacked her thigh.

At the sound of her shriek, Cado rushed over, his weapon drawn. “Lady Impa, what is it!?” She practically barreled past him at top old lady speed, leaving him confused as to where the danger was. He, too, then saw the castle and chin dropped silently agape.

“Cado!” She yelled, while hobbling back to the village. “Get everyone to make preparations. The Princess is coming!”

She rushed toward the house and almost ran over a cucco that unfortunately strutted in front of her gate. It squawked and flapped out of the way at the last second, allowing her to huff up the stairs. Cado, who was following just behind, picked up his panicked cucco and scratched under her wings until the cuddle calmed her down.

“You’re ok, my lovely. The mean old lady was rude, wasn’t she?” He whispered. He waited until Impa was safely inside before walking across the main path to the Inn to inform Ollie to prepare a suitable place for the Hero and the Princess. Lady Impa would want only the very best hospitality that Kakariko could offer.

Ollie blinked as he groggily woke up from sleeping at his desk, and stated, “Hey, no cuccos allowed in the- wait,” he squinted, “a princess is coming?”

Cado lifted an eyebrow and sighed in annoyance. “I’m holding her, she just had a scare.” He stroked the cucco’s tail feathers. “Did you not hear anything I just said?” The Innkeeper just blinked slowly again, so he raised his voice, “The Calamity is gone, Ollie. The Hero was successful, and now Lady Impa is sure that he is to arrive here with the Princess at any moment!”

Ollie now made an ‘O’ of realization with his mouth and gazed off into space. After a moment passed he looked back at Cado. “Well, I’ll be.”

“Yes. So make sure they have every comfort,” Cado repeated as he turned around to make his way back to his post. He paused at the open door and looked back at Ollie, his cucco now tucked under one arm clucking softly. His stern stare implied that he needed affirmation.

“Right, right.” Ollie waved with a dorky half-smile. Cado, now satisfied, slid the door closed behind him. Ollie immediately slouched again. I’ll get to it in a bit, he thought before swiftly falling back asleep. Claree, who ran the tailor shop in town, was convinced he was actually a cat who could shapeshift into a Sheikah because of how often he slept.

As Impa entered the house, she yelled for her granddaughter “Paya! Paya, wake up!”

Paya’s eyes flew open and she kicked her covers off, her feet thumping on the upper level as she rushed to her grandmother’s call. Impa had only made it halfway up the lower steps when she ran into a descending flurry. “Grandmother! What’s wrong?! Are you ok?” Her two red hair bun chopsticks, which she usually forgot to take out before bed, had come loose during sleep and fell out, clattering down the stairs. She paid them no mind as she dropped to her knees in front of the small woman to immediately begin looking for injuries.

Before she had a chance to become too frantic, Impa took Paya’s hands into her own and gave a toothy grin, wherein a gap on the top left added an endearing charm of age. “Be still, child. I’m fine. All of Hyrule will be fine. Our Hero has done it!” She squeezed Paya’s hands in excitement. “Sir Link and Princess Zelda have rid us of The Calamity!”

Paya gasped. She began thinking of so many things at once. Is Link ok? Is the Princess ok? Did her fervent devotion help them even in some small way? How can she help now? “But Grandma, does this mean-?”

“Yes, dear. I think they’re coming.”

“Eeeee,” Paya jumped up suddenly, “I have to clean my room!” She rushed back upstairs and then turned around and came back down to grab her chopsticks. Then she scurried up the stairs again. Impa chuckled as she heard furniture moving and things being tossed around. It was amusing because Paya’s room was already spotless; but yes, a place would need to be made for Zelda. And she would be welcome to stay as long as she’d like.

Impa made her way slowly down the stairs now and back to her pillows. At long last, she thought. Today was certainly no longer mundane. Ah, yes, the oil. “Paya!” She barked as she settled onto the top cushion, “When you’re done up there, one of the lamps needs a refill!” Can’t have the place looking anything but perfect for the Princess.

“Yes, Grandma!” Came the muffled reply.

Impa looked over at the painting on the wall again and thought back to a time when this future was still uncertain.

Link had just returned to her after visiting the place detailed in the frame. He seemed very unsettled and wasn’t his usual self. Or, at least, he was unlike his new self. He was actually emulating his old self quite a bit. Stoic, measured, and a bit guarded. Zelda was right. It would have been too hard for him to remember so much all at once. He now reminded her of how Zelda had been the night she left to face Ganon on her own, trying to be so brave.

“You’re troubled by what you’ve remembered.” She peered at him from her perch in a way that made him feel like she could tell what he was thinking. “You haven’t lost your courage though. So what’s weighing on your mind?”

Link sat on his knees before her on one of the blue mats, free of his gear which he had left leaning by the door. He carefully considered his answer. Looking down at his blue Champion’s tunic, he let out a soft, ironic sniff at how it was the very same he’d worn that terrible night. The night he almost died. It must have either been remade entirely, or so lovingly repaired, that it did not show any of the damage it had once sustained.

His eyes moved over the painting on the wall and he marveled at how a decoration, which before today was so unassuming and almost lost to the background, could now stir so many emotions from one glance. The Guardians in the frame, which were now still and decaying, had been there in the marsh, glowing magenta under Ganon’s control. Hunting them.

As he remembered, he was surprised at the sense of fear that it brought back. In the past few months he had become proficient in fighting all types of Guardians, especially with the ancient weapons that Robbie had since created. But experiencing that night again, hearing the sound of the gears turning, and the thumping of their spidery legs on the ground as they searched for anything and everything to destroy, that really unsettled him. Perhaps because he had failed.

The Chosen Hero had managed to defeat so many of the machines as he and Zelda fled south from the castle; a feat that no other warrior of Hyrule could accomplish. But they never stopped, never tired. They were relentless. And when he had nothing left to give but his very body as a shield, a golden light and a comforting warmth spread over him, and somehow he knew that he was finally free to relax, to let go. Zelda was holding him, and then there was darkness for a century, until her voice reached him, urging him to wake up.

He focused again on Impa, who, in her wisdom, was waiting patiently for his response. He thought the Princess now seemed familiar. But she also still felt like someone he did not know. “I’m just not sure what to do for her if I defeat Ganon.”

“When.” Impa corrected.

Link smirked, “Very well. When.” He couldn't seem to stop the smirk from turning into a genuine smile as he considered her faith in him. He appreciated the interjection of positive thought, even when it was delivered with a bit of sass.

There he is, Impa mused.

“As her sworn Knight Attendant,” she began, then squinted at him and added as an aside, “should you wish to still honor that oath?”

Link nodded his head forward slightly in agreement, so she continued, “Then it would be best to simply follow her wishes.” She paused a moment and, after considering other possible outcomes besides the ideal, mentioned, “Of course, should she be worse for wear, bring her to Kakariko and we will take care of her. At least here she will have someone who knows her if you have not regained your memories by then.”

Link stood and bowed respectfully before taking his leave. He knew that she had not meant the statement to be a slight, but it still stung. Not remembering his past made him feel like he was failing all over again.

[occasionally-writing]

Breakfast And So Much More

A/N: This idea for this fanfic came out of nowhere and omfg, I never write smut...like I do but not much but the thought of this just...wow XD Anyways, as you can read, this is a smut fanfic XD This is also the first time I am writing for these two but I couldn’t help but want to. I hope you guys like it nonetheless <3

Summary: A peaceful day turns into so much more after Bun makes breakfast and Tan takes it upon himself to thank the doctor in his own special way.

Word Count: 3072

Taking in a deep breath full of mountain air, Bun let it out in a gentle sigh, his attention drifting from the breakfast he was making for himself and Tan as he took in his surroundings. The skies were bright blue and cloudless, along with the sun, which was bright and warm, casting its rays of light onto the cabin like home. Moving his gaze back towards the eggs that were almost done cooking, Bun let a soft smile rise on his face as the thought of being able to relax for once reached his mind, the thought of Jane’s case and how corrupted the police system was far behind on the backburner for now. Flipping the eggs so the yolk was on the hot pan, Bun listened to the sizzling food until the sound of the hose turned on and Tan appeared below, watering the garden that the two of them had planted earlier in the week. 

“Breakfast is almost ready,” Bun called out, trying to ignore the way his cheeks lit up when Tan turned and grinned brightly, his whole face lighting up as he waved to Bun to announce that he had heard him. Clearing his throat, Bun swiftly glanced back towards their food, not seeing the way Tan’s grin had turned into something more fond as he finished up with watering the plants, turning the hose off and entering back into the house. Turning off the small stove, Bun placed the eggs onto two different plates and paused when the door opening behind him made him aware of Tan’s presence. Twitching briefly when arms wrapped around his waist and a face was buried into his neck, Bun let out a small cackle and rolled his eyes, offering the plate towards Tan. “It’s going to get cold if you don’t stop holding me and eat already.”

“You’re no fun,” Tan grumbled with a pout present on his lips, his arms disappearing from Bun’s waist so he could take the offered plate. Snickering at the pout on Tan’s face, Bun stayed quiet and chowed down, leaning against the counter in silence as they ate, the sound of birds chirping and the occasional scrape of their forks on their plates created a calming air for the both of them. Taking the last bite of his egg, Tan licked his lips and tried not to let Bun become aware that he noticed the way he was watching the movement of his tongue against his lips. “Let me take care of the dishes, okay? It’s the least I can do since you always cook for me.”

Shaking his head softly at what he had said, Bun swallowed the lump in his throat and leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to Tan’s cheek before he backed off, taking his place at the railing to continue looking at the forest covered property. Chuckling fondly, Tan stared at Bun’s back for a moment longer, letting himself bask in the moment until he knew it was time to bring the dishes inside. Gathering their plates and forks, Tan carried them inside and placed them in the sink, making a mental note to wash them later since he had something more important to tend to. Making his way back out to Bun, Tan stalked closer until his arms were wrapped back around Bun’s waist and Tan’s face was pressed into the other’s neck. Taking in a scent that was purely Bun, Tan sighed and nosed the side of his neck, tightening his hold on Bun when he heard the doctor’s breath hitch. 

“R-really? Out here? Aren’t you afraid someone will see us?” Bun asked softly, his voice trembling slightly with the pleasure he was feeling when Tan nipped at the skin, licking over it as if it would soothe the slight pain he felt from Tan’s action. Leaning back against Tan’s chest, Bun opened his neck up wider, laying his head on Tan’s shoulder so that he could have more access to the sensitive area. Smirking into his skin, Tan unwrapped his arms from Bun’s waist and teased them up Bun’s shirt, gentle fingers swiping against the skin of his stomach. “T-Tan…!”

“No one is out here but us...but if you want, let’s go to the bed,” Tan whispered, his lips pressed against Bun’s ear, his panting breaths tickling the doctor’s ear as he let out a whimper in response. Turning in Tan’s grasp, Bun stared up into Tan’s eyes and pressed their lips together, throwing his arms around Tan’s neck as he was hoisted up, their groins pressed together when Tan wrapped his arms around Bun’s thighs, holding his body snug against his own. Carrying Bun as if he weighed nothing, Tan pushed the door open with his foot, closing it behind him the same way, ignoring the way it slammed shut and making his way up the stairs. Making it to their shared bedroom, Tan dropped Bun onto the bed and crawled on top of him, pressing their lips together once more, his tongue swiping against Bun’s bottom lip. “Is this better, Doctor?”

Nipping Tan’s lips as a punishment for his teasing, Bun laid back against the bed and stared up at Tan, who swiped his thumb against his lips with a teasing smirk that made Bun feel even hotter than before. Crawling up until he was able to sit on Bun’s waist, Tan sat up and pulled his own shirt off, throwing it aside so that he could pull Bun’s shirt off as well. Raising his arms to make the slide easier, Bun flopped back against the mattress as his shirt was thrown in the same direction as Tan’s. Taking in the build of Tan’s body with a lust filled gaze, Bun reached out to touch, not getting far however when Tan grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head, his eyes dark as he leaned down, pressing their foreheads together as their breathed, taking in each other’s breaths.

“Keep them there,” Tan whispered, his tone of voice telling Bun that he was giving him a direct order. Arching his brow in a challenge, Bun decided to obey for now, his hands grabbing a hold of the frame above, the wood cool against the heated skin of his palms. Whispering something that sounded like, ‘good boy,’ Tan rubbed their noses together, moving down slowly to press little kisses against Bun’s lips, not staying there for long as he continued to trail down further. Nosing his neck, Tan pressed soft kisses against the skin, nipping once more and grinning when Bun let out a muffled groan, his neck being thrown back as if he was unwillingly giving Tan more space to work with. “Can I leave a mark, Bun?”

“U-uh...not too h-high up...need to cover it for w-work,” Bun gasped out, trying his hardest not to move his hands when he felt Tan’s teeth nip at his neck again. Nodding softly to show that he was heard, Tan pushed himself back up and pressed their lips together, sucking on Bun’s bottom lip before their tongues brushed together, not a sign of a fight from the doctor below him. Drifting back down Bun’s body, Tan nipped down Bun’s neck and nosed at the spot where his neck met his shoulder, making his mark as Bun’s hands formed fists at their position on the bed posts. Pulling away from the spot with a final kiss, Tan brushed his thumb against the blossoming spot before he got back to what he was doing, trailing down Bun’s body. Attaching his lips to one of Bun’s nipples, Tan bit back a snicker when Bun let out a breathy gasp that turned into a moan when Tan circled his tongue around it. “T-Tan..oh god…”

Letting go of the reddening nipple, Tan turned his attention to the neglected one, his fingers pinching the one he was just at as he bit and licked the right one. Arching his back completely off the bed as a moan left his mouth, Bun threw his arms down and pushed his fingers through Tan’s hair, pulling on the strands that made a growl escape the other when he realized what just happened. Pulling away from Bun’s chest, Tan grabbed at his wrists and shoved them above his head once more, arching a brow at the small grin Bun was directing towards him. 

“Are you challenging me?” Tan asked, his voice still holding a bit of amusement despite the way his eyes were getting darker with how much he was feeling. Letting out a hum as he thought about his answer, Bun smirked and arched up, pressing a kiss to Tan’s nose that had the other gaping in shock, his grip falling off Bun’s wrists completely as he tried to comprehend what just happened. Letting out a fond sigh, Tan couldn’t help the way his insides seemed to melt at the smile Bun was giving him before he leaned down, pressing soft kisses all around Bun’s face that had the doctor chuckling and whining. Brushing his fingers through Bun’s hair, Tan pressed a kiss to his nose before both of them let out a harsh breath when Bun arched up and rubbed their groins together. “Right...how do you want to do this?”

“I’m okay with either…” Bun whispered, a blush staining his cheeks at the grin Tan shot his way. Biting his lip in thought, Tan nodded to himself and got to work, drifting his hands down Bun’s chest once more, playfully pinching his nipples on their way down, a smirk on his lips at the sound Bun had let out before he finally reached Bun’s boxers, his fingers just teasing the skin underneath the waistband. Keeping his gaze locked on Tan’s, Bun lifted his hips as the other pulled his boxers off his legs, dropping them down the side of the bed as he finally got to take Bun in completely. “Don’t just leave me here...you get rid of those as well!”

Blinking when he felt Bun tugging at his pajama bottoms, Tan let out a cackle and did what he was told, untying the strings before he pushed himself off the bed to yank down his pants. Taking his place back in between Bun’s legs once both of them were bare, Tan drifted his hands up and down Bun’s thighs, his thumbs drawing slow circles on the soft skin of his inner thighs. Swallowing the urge to close his legs, Bun fisted the sheets and reached out, wanting Tan close despite his embarrassment. Smiling fondly at the act, Tan leaned into Bun’s arms and sighed when the doctor’s legs wrapped around his waist, their dicks rubbing against each other as Tan leaned into Bun’s hold. 

Burying his face in Tan’s neck to hide his whimpers, Bun squeezed and scratched at Tan’s back, letting out harsh pants and moans when Tan bit at his shoulder again, their hips moving in sync as they rubbed against each other, their sounds of pleasure mixing in the once quiet room. Gripping at Tan’s shoulders when he felt the heat in his abdomen growing hotter, Bun gently pushed Tan back and stared at him with a pleading gaze. 

“Tan...i-inside me, please. I need it, p-please,” Bun yelped out, his back arching when Tan rubbed against him once more, the pleasure he was feeling beginning to become too much too soon. Placing his hands on Bun’s hips, his thumbs rubbing comforting circles against the bones, Tan kept his eyes on Bun’s as he tried to make sure that this is what Bun truly wanted and not just a in the moment kind of thing. Realizing what Tan was doing, Bun took in a deep calming breath and reached out, cupping the side of Tan’s face with a smile. “I want this, for real. I promise, Tan.”

“Okay...do you need me to prepare you?” Tan asked softly, reaching for the bedside table and pulling open the drawer, a bottle of what looked like clear and vanilla scented lube catching Bun’s eyes. Arching his brow at the choice of lube, Bun tried not to chuckle before he nodded, knowing that it has been a while since he did anything like this. Flicking the cap open and squirting a good amount into his hand, Tan warmed it up the best he could before he gently tapped Bun’s waist, the doctor taking one of the pillows from his head and placing it under his hips so that he was slightly elevated. “Okay, I’m going to start now.”

Taking in a deep breath as he felt Tan’s fingers drawing circles around his entrance, Bun yelped when his finger entered, Tan pausing to give Bun some time before he started again, slowly and gently preparing him. Not too long, Tan already had three fingers buried inside Bun’s, scissoring and jabbing at the spot that made Bun want to scream and his dick leak, a puddle of precum already appearing on his abdomen. Jabbing at Bun’s prostate playfully one last time, Tan pulled his fingers out and poured more lube, rubbing it onto himself with a low moan, taking in the feeling of Bun watching him jerk off. Knowing both of them were ready, Tan held himself still as he pressed the head against Bun’s twitching entrance, their eyes never leaving each other when Tan pushed in. 

“Oh god...you’re so tight, Bun…” Tan gasped out, his voice shaking with how much he was trying to hold back from just thrusting into Bun’s warmth. Letting out whimpers when Tan finally bottomed out, Bun took in deep breaths while Tan pressed his face into Bun’s chest, staying still so that the doctor could adjust to the sudden feeling of fullness. Feeling like he had a hold of himself, Tan pushed himself back up and held Bun close, his fingers scratching gently at his scalp, the pure care he could feel from the act making his whole body relax. Pressing their lips together, Bun pulled back and nuzzled their noses together, giving a soft okay for Tan to begin to move. “If you need to stop, let me know...okay?”

“Of course,” Bun whispered, offering a soft smile before he gasped when Tan pulled out and pushed back in. Keeping his arms wrapped around Tan’s shoulders, Bun let out soft whimpers and moans, yelping when he was suddenly lifted and he was sitting in Tan’s lap, his legs still wrapped around the other’s waist. Thrusting up into Bun again, Tan held him close as their chests were flushed together, the sudden change in positions making Bun glad for the change since it felt like Tan was even deeper inside him. Burying his face in Tan’s neck as their pace began to quicken, Bun bit Tan’s shoulder when his hand wrapped around his dick, Tan’s thumb circling around the leaking head and drawing out a moan from Bun’s throat. “T-Tan, I’m close!”

Thrusting harder into Bun, Tan growled and tightened his hold on Bun’s dick, the jerking of his hand growing fast as he too grew closer to the edge. Digging his nails into Tan’s shoulders when he felt so close to completion, Bun opened his mouth in a silent scream when Tan hit his prostate over and over, the last thrust finally pushing over the edge as he came, coating Tan’s hand as his body tightened around Tan, causing him to reach his end as well. Slowing his thrusts as the high of their shared orgasms began to ebb away, Tan stayed inside of Bun until the doctor stopped panting and weakly pushed himself up, the scratches he left on Tan’s shoulder leaving bright red welts on the other’s skin.

“I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to do that. Does it hurt?” Bun asked sleepily, rubbing his thumbs softly across the mark before he noticed the bite mark he had also left on Tan’s shoulder. Chuckling softly, Tan shook his head and carefully dropped Bun back on the bed and pulled out, both of them wincing from the feeling. Leaving the drifting Bun for a moment, Tan fetched a wet rag as he washed the doctor’s cum off his hand. Feeling Tan’s presence beside him once more, Bun shivered when Tan carefully cleaned him up, obviously trying to avoid the still sensitive areas. Gently dabbing at his entrance, Tan knew that he got everything clean the best he could so he tossed the rag in the direction of the hamper, getting off the bed once more to look for their bottoms. “Tan...where’d you go?”

“I’m here. Can you lift your hips for a moment?” Tan asked, pulling up his own pajama bottoms before he reached for Bun’s boxers. Slipping them back onto his body, Tan pulled the pillow out from under Bun and pushed it off the bed, knowing he would have to wash the pillowcase for it later. Doubling up the pillows, Tan took his place on his back and gently pulled Bun into him, the doctor taking his place at his side with his face buried in Tan’s shoulder and his one arm lying across the other’s waist. Wrapping his one arm around the doctor to keep him close, Tan pressed a soft kiss to his forehead and sighed, nuzzling their head together when he noticed Bun trying hard to keep his eyes open. “Take a nap. It’s your day off and I have nothing planned for the rest of the day. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Seeming like he wanted to fight what Tan had said, Bun opened his mouth to protest yet only triggering a huge yawn as he did so. Pressing one more kiss to his forehead, Tan pulled the blanket up on the both of them and held Bun close, rubbing his fingers through the other’s hair while he tangled their legs together. Letting out a grumble like protest, Bun didn’t get a chance to say anymore since the warmth of the blanket and Tan’s body grew too much, the doctor falling fast asleep in the safe space of Tan’s hold. Chuckling softly, Tan continued to run his fingers through Bun’s hair and before long, Tan had joined Bun in taking a nap, similar soft smiles resting on their lips as they cuddled, basking in the safe feeling of having each other close.