#regert message

[scarletgemstone]

crossover idea

disclaimer I own nothing everything belongs to the rightful owners please go and support them and be nice

unicorn wars x story of evil

[splickedylit]

excerpting

Domestic Diplomacy II is turning out to be even more "splickedy gratuitously gets caught in the weeds of xenosociology and alien language barriers, the fic sequel" and tbh I'm not mad about it

--

“Oh, your moirail!” says Jade, and bounces upright, ignoring John’s wary little soft human cautionary hiss.  To your vague surprise, she’s apparently learned enough not to do the human holding-out-a-hand gesture they usually do when they’re introduced; she clasps her hands in front of her, nonexistent claws politely folded in, and ducks her head briefly forward and to one side, careful not to jab at him with her nonexistent horns. 

It's a pretty passable greeting—for a social equal, which is its own bizarre issue, considering he’s a highblood.  But relatively non-offensive, for a human, and fortunately for her she’s picked a highblood who isn’t likely to give a shit.  Gamzee laughs out loud and gives his own lazy-ass version of a greeting back, a vague twist of his wrists and dip of his head, condescending to use an equal’s greeting back at her.   When he says “Gamzee Makara,” there’s a hint of a threatening buzz to it, a testing you should know to respect me warning—you could have told him she’d show absolutely no sign of hearing it, which is exactly what happens.

“I’m Jade Harley!  I meet you,” Jade says, a carefully neutral statement-of-fact greeting—not fawning or hostile.  You don’t know if humans are out here just learning neutral address no matter what, or if this human particularly just doesn’t give a shit that your moirail’s a fuck-off mutant-huge highblood with horns that scrape the ceiling of the block—by the expectant way she looks up at Gamzee afterward, she wouldn’t give much of a shit either way.  Out of all of the humans, Jade Harley might actually win the prize for giving the least shits, no matter what Rose and Dave like to pretend.

“Yeah, I meet you too, motherfucker,” says Gamzee, looking incredibly amused, and glances down at you.  “She’s a rude-ass little motherfuckin’ toothful, huh?  I like her.”

“Of course you do,” you say, pained.  “Don’t take it personally, alright?  You’re not a highblood here, they don’t get highbloods.”

“Oh, best friend,” says Gamzee, and kisses your nugbone again, embarrassingly.  “I’m a highblood wherever the fuck I go.  It’s cool though.  Squishy-ass little motherfuckers won’t get any grief from me.”

“<Motherfucker>,” Jade repeats behind you, and switches back to English, in the bright, wide verbal tone you’re starting to learn means ‘smiling and happy’, weird interstitial ‘vowel’ breath-sounds further back in the throat through pulled-back mouth-corners.  “Hmm, <motherfucker>…  Oh, neat!  Is that dialect?  It sounds like, ahh, what’s that other word.  Kk—kkkht—  Uh, dammit.  You guys need to learn how to use vowels—  It sounds like <;brother>.”

“It is like,” you say, surprised despite yourself.  “&lt;Brother> is a troll, and <motherfucker> you put it all spots you want.  It’s a thing, it’s a troll, it’s a, tss, a doing-things word, it’s a name.  It’s bad, it’s good.  Any spot you want.  And he does want, for all those, all the time.”

[asterisk-666666]

Man I get disappointed when the vibes and concept are great but the deeper meaning is garbage

I think the final boss of this is Gene Simmons’ stage persona because there is painful amounts of potential to be interesting on a lot of levels and it’s a crass boomer dad at best (and cringey “hur hur fuck me i love capitalism” at worst). Blatant knockoffs of it are usually great because you can go in almost any direction and be more fun than the original.

[fanfic-scribbles]

Dinner Date Chapter 35

Masterlist

<<Previous Chapter Next Chapter>>

Overall Story Facts:

Fandom: MCU Captain America/Avengers

Story Summary: Steve Rogers has a girlfriend. A prickly, generally asocial girlfriend, but they make it work. They have more in common than some people might think.

Quick Facts: Romance – Steve Rogers/Reader – Female Reader

Story Warnings: Reader-insert that verges on OFC, written in 1st person past tense

Chapter 35: The Mission Part 2

Chapter Summary: In the wake of the Winter Soldier's attack and reveal, an important conversation is had, and Steve and his partner decide what they want going forward.

Chapter Word Count: 7214

A/N: Two chapters in one month! It barely counts, I think, because these are basically two halves of a whole, but I’m probably going to be mad at myself next month when I’m struggling to get out the next part. For now though: no regerts <3 Enjoy.

~

I managed to drag myself through work. Not especially well, if I was going to judge by the way everyone else gave me a wide berth that grew even wider as the day went on. But I did my job and I didn’t bite anyone’s head off, so I didn’t really care. Walking towards the subway after work, I was flipping through my messages; I had texted Steve a few times through the day, just checking in, but there was still nothing from him, so I sent another one.

Me: Text me when you’re out of medical

I didn’t want him to go home and be alone, and I doubted he would go be with anyone else right now. It wasn’t really about ego, just about practicality– Sam would want to talk about things, Natasha was super awkward, I could only imagine how awkward Clint might be, there was no way he had the patience for Tony…and so on. By process of elimination, I was the only one who might let him get away with pretending like he was fine. I didn’t actually intend to– but he didn’t have to know that.

There was still no response when I walked the last leg home, nor was there anything a half hour after that. I kept pacing around, checking my phone every few minutes, until my unease was too much to bear.

Me: Hey Me: You can tell me you don’t want to talk to me Me: But at least tell me you’re all right Me: Or else I’m going to get Natasha

A few knocks came just seconds later and I tripped over myself, accidentally running into the wall next to the door on my way to check the peephole. I breathed a giant sigh of relief at the hulking mass of blond man hunched outside, and I practically ripped open the door.

He was distracted by something down the hall so he didn’t look at me right away, but when he did, he blinked. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” I rubbed my sore shoulder a bit and tried for a smile. “Nice of you to call.”

The way his face fell when he didn’t even look that happy to start with was heartbreakingly impressive. “I’m sorry, it’s just– I’m off duty right now and I don’t want to be alone,” he said and hunched in on himself– and winced as he did so.

“Hey, hey, it’s all good and I’m glad you’re here.” I pulled him inside (gently) and as soon as the door was shut, I kissed him. “But if you rip open a stitch or otherwise hurt yourself, I’m going to be pissed.”

His smile was wry, like a punch of sarcasm all on its own. “Pissed enough to rip out all of my stitches?”

“If you’re going back to the hospital we might as well make it worth the trip, and quell some of my rage while we’re at it.” But it didn’t feel very funny, considering how Steve was right now, and how he got that way. “I– I didn’t mean– I wouldn’t–”

“I know you wouldn’t,” he said gently.

I sighed. “Can you handle me being super neurotic?” I asked, only partly joking.

“Can you?” he asked, even less joking. He pushed his hair back with one hand. “I’m pretty sure I’m worse company right now.”

“You’re not bad company. I’m glad you’re here.” I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my head to his chest. “Saves me a trip to your apartment. And you know how cranky I get after the subway.”

“Well, I’m pretty cranky right now too.” But he wrapped one arm around me and breathed deeply. “I really should have called, huh?”

“It was mostly a joke. You’ll get it when you check your phone messages.” I stayed there for a few more moments, and when I pulled back, I took one of his hands. The other had a backpack in it, but I didn’t comment on it. “Have you eaten?”

“I’m not hungry,” he said and let me lead him over to the couch.

“Something light?” I asked hopefully. “You need to eat to heal up.”

He looked askance, but I continued to stare at him, so when he finally did look at me, he couldn’t pretend he didn’t see me. He hesitated, so I took a chance and tried to look as sincere as possible. Surprisingly, that got him. “Something light and small,” he said firmly.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I said and squeezed his hand before leaving him to get comfy while I tried to figure out something we could both stomach.

Dinner was…fine. Awkward, with both of us trying to find something to talk about that wasn’t…well, unappetizing. Afterwards we did cuddle for a bit, carefully, and he started to relax a little. I could feel it, with how he let his head drift into my shoulder, the way his body started to curl into mine…

And I, trying to get more comfortable, lifted my foot to set it on the table only to shove it into our half-empty dinner containers, knocking them down to the other side of the table where they cracked open, making an immediate mess and ruining everything.

“Fuck,” I said as Steve sat up and away. I almost told him to ignore it and come back, but he was already bracing himself to get up, so instead I tried damage control. “I’m sorry; stay here and I’ll take care of it.”

“It’s fine, I can help,” he said and, stubborn jerk he was, went to the kitchen. That was better than the alternative, though, so I went to pick up the trash and waited on my knees for him to get back with the paper towels. He wouldn’t be doing any bending or crouching if I could help it; he was still moving stiff and careful, and I really didn’t want him to have to go back to the hospital. I wanted him here; safe and warm and not bleeding.

“Thanks,” I said as he put the trash containers in the bag they came in and tied it firmly shut. I did one last wipe around the floors to make sure I got all the splatter. Once I was certain I wouldn’t have any weird smells in the aftermath, I went to add them to the trash can.

Only to see Steve, with the lid propped open and the food bag still in his hand, staring at it like he was trying to solve an equation. Admittedly, the trash was very full. He even looked at me, at it, and back at me again. He gestured at the used paper towels in my hand. “I don’t think even those are going to fit.”

“Very funny,” I said, but it was nice to hear him joke. Even if it was stupid.

I dumped the paper towels, and then, since he was pinning the can already, took the trash bag out and helped him shove the smaller bag down in there before tying the whole thing off. “See? No problem.”

“Your ability to put chores off to the last possible second continues to inspire,” he said dryly.

“Yeah, I’m amazing,” I said and flexed. He motioned his hand for the bag. I shook my head. “I’ve got it. Go sit down; I’ll be right back.”

Something changed in his expression. It was more like a flash, like there was something in his eyes, or the way his lips moved, but I wasn’t fast enough to really take note, let alone name it.

However, he then shook his head, swallowed, and tried for lightness that was very obviously fake when he said, “Why don’t you let me take it?” He even moved to do just that, but he stopped just before I could poke him right in the stomach.

“Get back on the couch, Stitches,” I said. “I’d have thought you’d be glad not to have to deal with the trash.”

“Better me than you, considering the amount you manage to accumulate,” he said, eyeing the bag.

“Watch it, mister, or I will beat you with it.” I slipped on my flip-flops. “Hang tight; I promise I’ll be right back.”

“Let me come with,” he said quickly. “I won't touch the bag. Promise.”

“Steve,” I said, trying to be gentle because he had every right to be as paranoid as he wanted to be, but it wasn’t good for him. “I’ll be fine. Two minutes.”

He stepped close and gave me…the puppy eyes. Damn him. “Humor me?” he asked and there was nothing light or joking in his tone. So I caved, and let him do what he needed to do. Admittedly, it was nice to have someone open the door for me, but when he winced at lifting the chute cover, I glared him down until he backed off and stood watch. Once the garbage was done with, I opened my arm to him, and he forced a brief smile, linked his arm with mine, and we walked back home together and flopped onto the couch.

“See?” he said with a little too much ‘told you so’ for a man who basically supervised one of the easiest (if most annoying) household chores.

“I saw quite a bit,” I said and poked at his bicep. However I then started rubbing it, and when he actually let out a sigh that sounded like relief I started in earnest. “Are you sore?”

“In some places more than others,” he admitted. “I’m…mostly just tired, I think.”

“Okay. A little rub-down, and then we’ll hit the hay,” I said.

He actually took the bait. “What kind of rub-down?” he asked, but while his voice was light, it wasn’t as enthusiastic as he might have been normally, even if all he was going to do was make a stupid follow-up to my already stupid joke.

Still, I gave it some thought. “Would you like that kind of ‘rub-down?’” I asked, because sometimes an orgasm was a nice way to relax yourself for sleep, and if anybody needed to let out a little tension, Steve was it.

He actually took my suggestion for careful consideration. And I had my answer when his face fell. “Maybe I am worse off than I thought,” he said, almost mournfully.

I stood up, and held out my hands to him. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.”

He let me take one hand but used the other one to push himself off the couch. He-of-little-faith wasn’t wrong in assuming I couldn’t do much right now, given I was tired too, but it was still vaguely insulting. “I can’t even surprise you by picking you up,” he complained as we made the short trek.

“Oh noooo,” I said, mocking sadness. “Whatever will I d-o!”

Steve wrapped his arms around me from behind and yanked me back into him so he could bite the back of my neck. I let out a laugh and smacked at his hand. “Fucking vampire.”

“Mm hm,” he said and nuzzled that part of my skin. Getting ready for bed was extra challenging, because Steve was so reluctant to let go. And reluctant to acknowledge that in any way. I tried to give him a hint with a hip bump or two, but he came right back next to me, touching or holding whatever he could, and I did my best to work around it. No wonder he was still exhausted, if he was still this on edge and hypervigilant, but we got into bed without tripping over each other, and while Steve didn’t let me lay on top of him, he did pull me right up close to his body, and draped an arm and leg over me. Despite all that, though, he barely relaxed.

“SHIELD’s wasting time on a security detail for me,” I said softly, running my hand up and down his arm.

“I know,” he said. He swallowed. “And it’s not a waste of time.”

“So sleep,” I said, forestalling the argument that was going to come out of that last part. “If anything happens, you’ll know about it.”

He sighed. “I wish it was that easy.”

“I know,” I said. “But…try.”

He blinked a few times, but nodded a bit and shut his eyes, at least. I shut my eyes, and tried to stay awake with him, but exhaustion was too strong, and I could only hope it was the same for him.

~

I woke to the sound of my alarm and had an immediate reaction of ‘fuck no’ so strong that I flopped around for my phone and took it in hand. Steve was stirring, which made me a little mad, since he actually had fallen asleep at some point. I checked the time, but I knew my boss was up, since he was definitely an early riser, and when I called him to call out of work for the day, my voice was so naturally rough he let it go without a comment other than a generic wish to get well soon.

At the end I croaked out a “Thanks,” hung up, and snuggled back next to Steve.

He pulled me even closer and chuckled. “Liar, liar, pants on fire…”

I grabbed Moo Cow Milk Tea and thwapped Steve in the head with him. “Go back to sleep, or I will literally set your pants on fire.”

“But you’ll buy me a new pair,” he said and nuzzled me.

“Nope; I’ll let you do the walk of shame.”

“Or maybe you just want to keep me here. Pantsless.”

I smiled and tried to hold back my laughter. “Ah, you have discovered my nefarious plan to keep you all to myself forever,” I said as flatly as I could. “You may never leave now that you know my villainous secret, Captain America.”

“A villain has me in her bed and only wants to take my pants?” He kissed my neck. “You might be the worst wanna-be evil-doer I’ve ever faced.”

“Watch it, buddy; I think that Porcupine asshole is way less efficient than me. I mean, how are you going to fight other bad guys without pants? They’d never take you seriously.”

“But then they’d be too busy laughing and I’d beat them handily.”

“Because you’re shameless.”

He chuckled against my head. “Because I’m shameless.”

We went back to sleep together, but I woke up alone to the late morning sun. Moo Cow Milk Tea was on Steve’s pillow, positioned on his back with his arms (mostly) behind his head, like he was relaxing. I snorted at the sight.

“I tried to get his legs to cross, but they wouldn’t stay,” Steve said as he walked in with two cups of coffee.

“It’s so nice to see the two of you finally getting along,” I said, and made grabby hands for one of the mugs.

“It’s a stuffed animal,” Steve scoffed as he sat in his spot, but he gave me what I was nonverbally asking for. However as soon as that hand was free, he grabbed Moo Cow Milk Tea and tossed him flippantly behind himself, where the poor inanimate object hit the wall and fell to the floor.

I stifled laughter and focused on swallowing the drink I was trying to take in. Once it was safely down my gullet, I said, “A stuffed animal you gave me.”

“So I can take it back,” he said faux-snobbishly.

I gave him a serious look. “One: no,” I said flatly, even though I knew he didn’t mean it. “Two: it’s a stuffed animal you gave me and that’s why I like it, you doofus.” I blew on the hot liquid. “It’s nice to have around when you aren’t here.”

“Well…I guess that’s all right then,” he said, slightly mollified and dropping the act. He leaned in for a kiss, and I rolled my eyes but met him halfway.

“Morning,” I said as I sat back.

He bobbed his head, and smiled a little bitterly. “Yeah. It– it sure is a morning,” he said, looking down at his cup.

“Did you eat?”

He grimaced. “I’m not hungry,” he said. He barely had the words out before his stomach rumbled, and he ducked into his shoulders more as a light flush graced his face.

“Your stomach disagrees,” I said as sympathetically as I could. Needing to eat but not wanting to– been there; who hadn’t.

“I don’t know what it’s talking about,” he said sourly and took another drink.

“Hmm.” I sipped mine. “What about just trying some toast? It’s relatively easy to get down, but if you decide you really don’t want any, I can finish it up for you.”

He was quiet, and kept his mouth close to the lip of his mug. I didn’t think the coffee was helping much with whatever nausea he might have been feeling, but he didn’t need me nagging at him. He was a grown man; he could decide if and when he wanted to eat. For the moment I simply enjoyed his company, and the start of a day relatively sheltered from the ambient noise of the city in motion outside. After a few minutes, he capitulated. “Maybe just a couple of slices,” he said quietly.

When he got some food in him, though, his appetite opened up, though he was hesitant to indulge it. I tried to make suggestions, but when he started being more resistant, I backed off. Much of the day passed like that, in a weird, quiet haze, with me trying to take care of Steve with intermittent suggestions of food and shower and rest, and he allowed it at certain increments, and to certain points that didn’t make much sense to me. He relented to a shower, but refused the nice warm clothes I tried to give him; he ate a bowl of cereal, but shook his head on my offer to order a good lunch, even though he was obviously still hungry.

I didn’t know if he was in his head and doing this for reasons known only to him, or if this was a weird act of self-recrimination– take only the bare minimum I could give, or asked him to do, and allow himself no other comfort from it. I didn’t like the implications, but talking was also not something he was willing to do much of. Being at home on a random work weekday was surreal enough, and Steve being quiet and moody only added to it.

I was still happier to have him with me, though. The thought of him having to suffer alone at home was a miserable one. Maybe the day kind of sucked. But the whole situation sucked, and was going to suck no matter what. I leaned against him in relief, and after only a moment of tensing, he relaxed, and wrapped his arm around me.

In the evening, after coaxing him into finally having his first real, full meal of the day, he was sitting on the couch, fiddling with something while I cleaned up and got some drinks together. When I got back to the couch, Steve was flipping through a thin, battered-looking folder.

“What’s that?” I asked as I sat down next to him.

“The new file we found on the Wi- on Bucky,” Steve said and let it flop shut. He was quiet and I let him be as he sank back into the couch cushion, looking lost in thought.

I nudged his arm. “I got that fancy juice you like,” I said and held it to him.

“Thanks sweetheart,” he said, words without thought, but he did take the drink and sip at it. He held it down on his thigh and sighed. “I’m sorry I’m so…”

I made sure he wasn’t going to finish that sentence before I responded. “You get to be any which way you want right now,” I said. “There’s no right or wrong way to deal with this.”

“Sam’s got suggestions,” he said wryly.

“Because he’s your friend,” I said. “He knows therapist shit because it’s his wheelhouse and his interest. But you know anything he tells you now is because he cares about you.”

“I know,” he murmured. “I just…don’t know that I deserve it.”

I leaned against him and chewed on that. “Is it better to think that?” I asked quietly. “Does it make you feel better to think that–”

“There’s no feeling better right now,” he said, flat, fast. He shook a little and I sat up to see tears barely brimming at his eyes. He actually let them fall. Or maybe he just had so little control right now. I could wish for the former, but I feared it was the latter. He swallowed a couple of times, and confirmed said fear when the tears stopped and he abruptly rubbed his face dry. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“Okay,” I said. “No judgement, but is touch okay, or not okay?”

He gave it some thought. “Small touch,” he said, in a small voice. I was slow as I slid my hands over one of his, but when he didn’t flinch away, I held it, and pushed back the desire to grip it for dear life.

“I have to find him,” he said. He wrapped his fingers around mine and looked at me. “I have to help him.”

I nodded. Of course he was going to; this was Bucky, he was Steve’s everythi-

Oh.

A lump lodged in my throat. Logically I knew this might happen, and still I couldn’t help but be stupid and selfish about it. “Of course,” I said, shoving back all the ugly feelings I didn’t want to know the details of. I hated what had been done to him too, and while I didn’t know Bucky, I knew enough via Steve to want him safe and happy. By proxy if nothing else. “Are you…are you going to–…do you want to–…is this–…”

“Oh, God.” Steve inhaled sharply and gripped my hand tighter. “Sweetheart, no, I– I have no idea where his head’s at. I know he’s been back in the city at least twice. That he did everything in his power to make sure I didn’t notice him once.” He swallowed again. “I love him. I knew I always would. Like I love Peggy, and always will.” He turned and leaned his forehead in to touch mine, and I could hear– and feel– how ragged his breathing was. “And I love you. Right now. And nothing can change that. I’m not leaving you; this isn’t– unless you want–”

“I don’t, I don’t,” I said quickly. I swallowed back some of that emotion, now that imminent doom wasn’t hanging over my head. “I just know how much he means to you.”

“Do you know how much you mean to me?” he asked and gave me a small, slow kiss.

“I try,” I admitted, because thinking too much about that felt…egotistical in a way I still couldn’t quite grasp. Sometimes, maybe. Not now, though; not with Bucky back throwing everything for a loop. Well, for a definition of ‘back.’

“But…”

I looked up. His eyes were still down. “I will have to leave at some point. Physically, at least.” He looked right at me, forcing eye contact and squeezing my hand hard when I tried to look away. “I don’t know how long it will be, how long it will take, but I have to find him. I have to help him.”

I opened my mouth on instinct. “I–”

“Just– listen for a moment,” he said, and at that point he looked away again. I did as he said and waited, until he gathered himself together again. “I don’t want to break up. But I know this situation is…it’s fucked. It’s all fucked up and you don’t have to deal with it– no, I know you care, I know everyone cares, but this is so much more than anyone should have to deal with. I’m choosing it. Actively. Even if it means going against SHIELD.” He gave me a wry smile. “They don’t trust the Winter Soldier, and I understand why. But I trust Bucky. I know he’s been getting on all right, but after this last time…it’s obvious his luck won’t hold forever, and now that I know he’s alive, whether he wants anything to do with me or not, I still have to do this. No matter what, I have to help him, and to do that, I have to find him. I might be gone more frequently, and for longer. And asking you to wait for me while I chase after him is…”

He shook his head and sat up, backing away from me just slightly. “It’s a lot. I know it is, and while I’m ninety-nine percent sure I know what you’ll say right now, I am asking you, sincerely, to take time and really, really think about it. I would not think one bit less of you if you decide it’s too much, but I can’t stand the thought of you committing to me, committing to all of this mess, without really, truly, thinking it through.” He looked at me again. “And when I say that, I mean I want you to think about what you want too. Not just what you think is the right answer, or what you think I want. So please, can you take some time, and really think it over?”

I knew what I wanted to say, but he gave me a stern look. I stuck out my tongue, and he actually moved as if to nip at it. “Hey!” I said in mock-offense, but some of the tenson broke, and Steve came back to me, smiling, and nipped at my lips until I opened up and let him in.

I tried to hold back, but part of me wanted to devour him; take all this comfort for all it was worth, but I drank him in steady doses, until he slowed, and we rested our heads together in silence.

The rest of the night was pretty quiet. The TV felt too loud, and none of my music sounded right, so I let it be, and so did Steve. After a while he picked up the slim folder again and started flipping through it, on the side opposite me, and I tried to respect his wishes and keep my eyes away. I could have gone to get a book. Or pulled out my phone. Instead, I sat there, and stayed in the comforting knowledge that, right now, Steve was here, and Steve was safe.

He wouldn’t always be. I tried to do as he asked, but my answer was much the same– if Steve didn’t want to end things with me, I didn’t want to end things with him. I saw no point in dragging that out. I loved Steve, but he was already complicated as all hell. He was an active-duty hero, who didn’t know when to quit, who had a lot of PTSD and issues and…love. He and Peggy weren’t together anymore, but he still loved her. Bucky was– had been– gone, but Steve’s love for him was sometimes strong enough I could almost picture him on Steve’s other side when he was sitting beside me, the few times he felt good enough to indulge in those stories.

So I had to wonder– was I okay with that maybe being a reality? True, we didn’t know where Bucky’s head was at, and the guy had a hell of a lot going on these days; but given Steve had, apparently, broken intense and painful brainwashing not once but twice, it felt stupid to think there were no shared feelings there. Maybe Bucky wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with him again, for whatever reason. But they both still loved each other. Was I okay enough to deal with that?

“I’m not going anywhere,” I blurted out. Steve’s hand slowly stopped its absent sliding up and down the page, and he flipped the manila folder shut. I stared at my lap. Was it foolish? Maybe. Was it easy? It probably wouldn’t be. Did I still know the answer with a certainty I’d never had for anything else in my life? Unequivocally yes. Which just made me second-guess myself more, honestly. “I don’t know what else you want me to do to prove it, but…I know what I want. And I want to stay with you.” I swallowed any potential lingering fear and doubt, and shut my hands to tight fists. “I’m not going to overthink it– I’m just going to take you at your word, and trust that you want me. So…trust me too.”

I kept my head down, but he slid his hands over mine, curled his fingers to hold my fists, and squeezed. “Okay,” he said softly. “So…we’re in this together.”

I lifted my head to look at him. His eyes were a little misty, and he didn’t move to ‘fix’ them. “Yeah,” I said. I uncurled my fists and turned my hands so I could squeeze his in return. “We’re in it together. All of it.” I paused. “Except for any punchy bits. You can keep those.”

He let out a watery little laugh. “Really?”

“Yeah. Trust me, you don’t want me. I can’t even take out a fly at work that’s been making my life hell for like a fucking week now.”

He started laughing, though he also tried not to. “That sounds real tough, Sweetheart.”

I widened my eyes and gave him the saddest pout I could manage. “My life is the hardest, ever.”

He broke. Mostly into laughter, but the tear dam fell a bit too– not a lot, but some. He swallowed and blinked them back, or out, and I brushed my fingers over the escapees to dry his cheeks. He took my hand and almost smiled, but his expression straightened into something serious. “On a sort of related note, I want to ask you for just one more thing,” he said. He looked right at me. “Don’t refuse the SHIELD detail.”

I let out a tiny little sigh that I wanted to make a much, much bigger sigh, but also didn’t want to antagonize him into an actual fight. “Steve–”

“I mean it,” he said firmly. “I know– maybe it’s overbearing, but Bucky– he is the Winter Soldier. He almost killed Fury. He almost killed me. The mention of his code name terrified Natasha to the point where she couldn’t hide it. He is coming off brainwashing and drugs and training and while I know the man I love is still in there, I also know what can still happen if the wrong people get at him.” He put my hand over his bandaged shoulder. “And I won’t risk you for anything. Not even him.”

It still seemed silly– if Bucky was some big-time assassin, what could a couple of SHIELD agents do other than maybe get killed. If everyone really was as worried for me as they kept saying they were, then I doubted I would be allowed the free rein I (apparently) still had over my life and where I went and what I did.

But…I kept circling around that last part, and the implication it held. That if Steve had to, he’d go to the mat for me. For me. And while it was probably some (more than a little) for Bucky too, since the man Steve knew and loved wouldn’t have wanted to be a killer of random civilians, the sentiment still punched all the hot air right out of me. “Will it really make you feel better?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said without one iota of hesitation.

I sighed for real. “Fine.” It made me uneasy– because if Bucky did come around, I didn’t think SHIELD was going to be as lenient in their use of force as maybe Steve would, given Fury’s entire demeanor at that meeting and how even Phil had looked so tense, but even if Bucky knew about me, I truly believed he didn’t care one way or the other, and that was about the only thing that made this tolerable.

“Thank you.” Steve kissed me. “You won’t even notice them.”

“So everyone keeps telling me, but I don’t think that’s as reassuring as you all think it is,” I said dryly. It got a little chuckle out of him, and an understanding (perhaps commiserating) nod. I sighed. Well, that was that. However…

“I, uh…I do have one other thing about all this to bring up,” I said. I probably would have felt worse about it, but I was entirely drained. “Sharon drove me home after…after I visited you in the SHIELD medical…thing. She mentioned she was waiting to see Peggy in person to tell her, but I…I asked if she would let you give her the news instead.”

He didn’t look angry. He didn’t look anything but exhausted, and stared down at his lap. “I don’t…I don’t know how to even say it.”

“I know.” I took both his hands in both of mine and squeezed. “It’s going to suck, and it’s going to hurt, and you don’t have to, but…I think you should. I think she should hear it from you. I think you should be there for each other.” I swallowed hard. “I’m gonna be here for you for every bit of this, day or night, whatever, whenever you need, but…no one’s going to feel this the way the two of you are. And I think you should. Together.”

He squeezed back, and we just sat like that, for several minutes. Over that time, he slowly folded in on himself, and I leaned on him, and I let his tears flow over my hands like water draining from a cracked cup, until eventually they stopped, and he lifted himself up. Just slightly. “You’re right,” he said. “I want…I need to be the one to tell her.”

I was silent while Steve pulled himself back together. I did try to help dry some of the tears, and he leaned into my hand. “‘Whatever, whenever,’ huh?” He gave me an attempt at a smile. “What if I need company for a run at four a.m.?”

“You know I can’t run,” I said. But since his tone was only barely a joke, I added, “…But, we can walk. And I’ll limit myself to only three complaints.”

He actually perked up. “What if I get you a coffee?”

I tried not to show that I was biting down an internal scream. He was actually going to do this to me, I could already tell. But there was still seriousness even in his teasing, and it wasn’t like he slept great before all this bullshit happened, so, in the interest of making sure I would still be a safe place for my boyfriend to come to while the rest of his life fell down around him, I fucking sucked it up. “Coffee will bring me down to…two complaints.”

His smile grew a little more and he turned his head to give my hand a kiss before he sat back. “I won’t abuse that privilege,” he said, a little too seriously.

“You might have to come shake me awake,” I warned him. “But. You know where I sleep.”

“Mm.” He smiled weakly. “That actually sounds nice right now.”

“Yeah?” It really did, and if Steve thought he could sleep, then that was better than nothing. I stood, held out my hand, and this time he took it easily. “Let’s go to bed.”

~

I actually woke before my alarm. Given the fact we had gone to bed a lot earlier than I would have normally, that wasn’t surprising. That Steve was still asleep, though, was. I kept my victory fist-pump to myself, made sure to turn my alarm off for the day, then carefully considered my escape. Steve’s hand was on my side, and his face was right behind me, but I did some incremental sliding towards the edge of the bed and he didn’t seem to appear bothered, so I kept up my snail’s pace, until I was too far to take his hand any further, very carefully lifted it, and then set it on the bed. Again, he didn’t stir; just let out a little huff of air and snuggled into the pillow. I resisted the urge to give him a kiss, and went to the bathroom to start getting ready.

It was a slower process than usual, but there was only so much I could do to keep quiet. I kept the door shut for my shower, but had to come back out for my clothes. I kept the door halfway shut to block most of the light, and the way it opened kept direct light away from him, so for most of my morning routine I let it be, and just tried to keep it down while I got ready. I was almost done when I banged my hand against the counter hard enough to make me start a, “Fucking–!” before I remembered I was trying to be quiet. I looked over, and sure enough, he was watching me.

“Hey,” I said quietly, mindful that only one eye was open, and shook out my aching limb. “Sorry; I didn’t mean to wake you.” I was going to shut the door, but I stopped and leaned on it instead. “Do you want me to call out of work again?”

He shook his head. “I have some things to take care of today,” he mumbled sleepily, and he smiled. “I like watching you get ready.”

I snorted. “I can spit toothpaste like no other.”

“I was really impressed when you tripped into your pants,” he said. I almost wanted to call out just because he looked so stupid-cute, half-snuggled into the pillow, but if he was going out later anyways, then I might as well go to work.

I flicked off the bathroom light and went over to briefly sit on the bed, leaning down to give him a kiss. “Take your time,” I said.

“Mm hm,” he said, and pulled me in for one more kiss, before letting go. I pulled the blanket up to his shoulder, leaving his arm out the way he preferred, and watched him start to snooze again, before I grabbed my things, turned off the lights, and left him to a peaceful rest.

~

Later that morning, the fly landed on my cubicle wall, just off to the side, within arm’s reach, and stared at me. Or maybe it wasn’t staring at me. But it felt like it was. I scowled just in case and considered another attempt to swat the thing, but I was already testing my neighbor’s patience with how hard I had smacked the wall twice already today, and I knew from experience that all I was going to get for my trouble was a stinging hand and pointed glare from over the other side. So instead, I picked up my phone, took a picture, and sent it to Steve with a simple message.

Me: THIS MOTHERFUCKER

I put my phone down and tried to get back to work, only swatting at the thing when it got too close to my head. (That buzzing right near my ears made me want to chew through my own jaw.)

But then there was a different kind of buzzing. From a different person.

Sam: Hey, so, I try real hard not to snoop… Sam: But I walked in and saw Steve doubled over and I was worried he was crying so I peeked at his phone. Sam: And while now I’m pretty sure he’s laughing– Sam: Still. Continuously. Endlessly. Etc.– Sam: I wanted to ask: Sam: Are YOUokay?

I smiled and chewed on the question while I responded to an urgent email from my boss. And came to a conclusion.

Me: You know Me: I think I will be Me: We both will.

~

When I arrived home, there was no Steve, but the living area had been picked up, the kitchen counters were cleaned off, and there was a bundle of flowers by the sink with a note sticking out of them. And Moo Cow Milk Tea hugging the base of the colorful cellophane-wrapped pot. I picked up the note and read through it.

“Sweetheart–

I’ll be away for a couple of days. I have that thing to take care of. In D.C. I told Sam, and he’s going to stay close by in case I need him. So don’t worry– I’ll be okay. In my absence, I have instructed Moo Cow Milk Tea to take care of the house while I’m gone. He’ll take good care of you ;)

I love you and I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Love, Your boyfriend. AKA Not-a-stupid-stuffed-animal. AKA Steve.”

I laughed even as I rolled my eyes. I almost regretted bringing the damn thing up, but then I picked up Moo Cow Milk Tea and…smelled him. He smelled like Steve. Like Steve’s cologne, when he got stuck going to some stupid-ass fancy party.

I blinked away tears, and hugged the stupid stuffed animal before I grabbed my phone.

Me: Don’t worry Me: You are still number one Me: Moo Cow can’t order takeout when I don’t want to deal with the phone Steve: Ah yes, fingers: why I am the best Steve: Wait Steve: I didn’t mean it like that

I grinned.

Me: No, you’re right. On both counts.

I sent the kissy face. He sent a lot of blushing faces back. I stood there for a moment, mind blanking, until I realized I still didn’t really know what to say.

Me: Say hi to Peggy for me Steve: I will Steve: Take care sweetheart. I’ll be in some SHIELD meetings when I get back, but I meant it: I promise I’ll be back soon

‘Not leaving yet,’ I took that to mean.

Me: Well, call if you need anything Me: ‘In this together’ and all that

Together– in boyfriends-turned-assassins back from the dead, and potential four AM wake-up calls. One of those was decidedly less pleasant than the other, and, in my humble opinion, it wasn’t the one full of knives. Ugh.

For now, I heaved out a giant sigh, then picked up the stuffed animal and flowers all together and took them to the living room. I set the flowers in the middle of the coffee table, where they could look pretty for a few days, and held Moo Cow Milk Tea as I set up a favorite movie guaranteed to make me cry. I was still on edge, and I needed a release to get me back to semi-normal. Nothing about this was going to be easy, even if Bucky showed up randomly tomorrow, so I had to be strong and steady for whatever was coming next. Because I was here, with Steve, for all of it, and knew I would be, no matter what.

~

<<Previous Chapter Next Chapter>>

[kennyomegasweave]

Shipper Tag Game

I was tagged by @foralleternityidiot! Thank you!

1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care anymore? Christian/Sean from Nip/Tuck. Letting them go was the first step in me trying to free myself from the demon that is Ryan Murphy and his shows.

2. Which ship would you consider your first one? Eric/Jack from Boy Meets World. I shipped them before I even knew what shipping was. You couldn't tell me shit about them and you still can't. They were, are, and always will be in love. You will never change my mind.

3. Your first fanfic belonged to which couple? So I didn't get into fic until WAY late, like 2008. Which is weird cause I was on message boards and in so many LJ comms, but I just didn't read it. Keeping that in mind, it was Phlochte. I'm not proud but I'm not as embarrassed as I should be. If you knew anything about those two back then, you'd get it okay. lol

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw a fanart over? I don't actually. I still don't seek out fanart, so I'm not surprised I don't remember the first one I saw.

5. Did you ever get into ship discourse? I still have anti-delena and anti-stydia tags on old posts on this account sooo...lol. But I was never in the inbox, messages, comments, or posts of people who actually liked those ships! People just came to me to fight when I would post my hate posts on my own account.

6. Did you used to have any no-otp or have it currently? The previous answer answers that, lol. But I don't have any currently. I've hit the point where if I love a ship that's not happening and/or I hate the main pairing, I tend to just peace out. I only ever had NOTPs cause I wouldn't quit shows, but now I'll drop them. I keep up with my faves through gifsets with no need to actually watch the show.

7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read? WangXian. I finished the show in four days and read all five books in five days. I have been OBSESSED for like a month.

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs? I will never not have OTPs, lol. Current: CaptainKeen, CharlieBabe, NorthSonic, KhemThongthai, WangXian, Buddie All time favorites: Stelena, Scallison, Matt/Elektra, Amy/Rory, Ian/Mickey, Spashley, TeamWin, PalmNueng, PrapaiSky, Brittana, Pacey/Joey, DeanCas, Graham/Megan, Amy/Lucy Diamond, Webgott

9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together? Of course. I have more noncanon ships than canon since gay ships really just weren't happening back in the day. I also have several ships that got together but broke up, which I think also answers this question. The biggest will always be Shane/Carmen. It's been 18 years since Shane left Carmen at the altar and I'm still mad.

10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting? I'm watching Playboyy and I didn't give a shit about AobPuen and I didn't really care about PromNont but now I'm invested in them both. AobPuen got me in literally one episode. PromNont became intriguing when Prom gave Nont the gun and then it's just built from there.

11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, was considered normal but now you would be cancelled over? I watched and loved Love Syndrome III in 2023 so obviously I have hella ships from the past that would get me cancelled. I regret nothing.

12. What was your favorite crack ship? I honestly think I've only ever had one crack ship and that was ChanBig and it went from laughing online to "I am fully pretending this was actually happening and Chan and Big are fucking in the sky now, thank you, god bless" in record time.

13. Who is the couple you read more fanfics of? This isn't a fair question since a lot of my ships just don't have fic written about them. But I'm currently all up in WangXian fic.

14. What most of your ships usually have in common? I tend to like ships that are ~unhealthy~ ~toxic~ and ~problematic~. No regerts.

15. What do you absolutely hate in a ship? Just not talking to each other. I don't need them to agree, sometimes even on anything, but they have to talk. I don't care if they yell, fight, punch each other, whatever, as long as they talk. I don't like miscommunication because of that either. Because if you're actually talking, there's not miscommunication.

Tagging the last five people in my notifications: @theflagscene, @loudspeakeer, @beaucadeau, @bunnakit, @deepbutdazzlingdarkness Feel free to do it or not, no pressure! It's all for fun! <3

[tgammsideblog]

Tgamm S1 Ep 15-B ¨The Bad Boy Bobby Daniels¨ Episode analysis

Molly and Scratch learned about Patty’s old love, Bobby Daniels, who left her without leaving explanation when they were young. The duo decides to look for Bobby but they find themselves involved in more complicated story...

This episode is one of those cases the show takes a break from the main characters and decides to explore the lives of some of the Brighton’s citizens. In this story the duo gets to learn more about Patty, a support character previously introduced in Episode 3 (Getting the BandShell Back Together/ The Greatest Concert Ever). Worth of noting Patty’s backstory was hinted in the same episode when she briefly mentioned her past.

Patty explains to Molly how she lives by the idea of ¨Not regerts¨. She took every chance she got to try new things and lived her life at its fullest. She shared many of her adventures with her best friend, Linda, who she has known for more than 60 years. However, there is one thing that she regrets and that’s not ever being able to see her young love Bobby again since he left Brighton.

Based on this information, Molly and Scratch look for Bobby. They find him in a near city working in a library. Molly brings up Patty and Bobby expresses that he would like to see her again but he is afraid because he isn’t the ¨Bad Boy¨ he used to be. As much as the duo tries helping him, there aren’t able to bring ¨The Bad of Brighton¨ back. Nevertheless, Molly is able to come up with a plan that makes Patty and Bobby meet again and the two start hanging out just like they used when they were younger.

It’s nice to see this message of ¨it’s never too late to fall in love¨ explored with these two characters. After years of not seeing each other, Molly and Scratch encourage them to get back together and start over that relationship they lost years ago. It’s sweet that after all that time they still remembered the other, showing how certain people can leave an impact in our lives and that stay with us.

The musical sequences involving Patty and Bobby are adorable, showing well how they love each other. It has that cheesy old music vibes that fits well with the characters’ age and their relationship. The first sequence does a good job at telling the story of their love and how it ended so abruptly.

However, Patty is reminded of the moment Bobby left Brighton and asks him why he did this. Bobby shows her a note that she ¨wrote¨, telling him that they should end their relationship. Patty points out the letter wasn’t written by her since it says ¨regrets¨ when she uses the world ¨regerts¨ instead. Suddenly someone in scooter wearing a helmet takes Bobby and drives out the city. In a fun sequence Patty, Molly and Scratch chase after the mysterious person who turns out to be Linda, Patty’s best friend. Linda explains that she feared Bobby ¨stealing¨ her friend, that’s why she wrote the note to make Bobby leave Brighton and Patty. This has been her only big regret: Lying to her close friend and keeping it all a secret all these years, being too ashamed of telling her. Patty tells to Linda that she isn’t going to stop being her friend but they are going to talk about the situation later. Linda leaves the group and goes back to the nursery home.

This is another message that this episode has. Instead of living a life regretting something, it is better to take action to fix the mistake we made or talk to that friend with had a fight with. If either Patty or Bobby had reached out the other sooner, they would have found out it was all a huge misunderstanding and they could have been together. The same applies to Linda, who was afraid of telling Patty the mistake she made. That’s a good lesson. Take the opportunities you have instead of living a life full of regrets or what could have been.

On small observation, Scratch gets very invested in this ¨Bad Boy¨ persona Bobby used to have. He seems to be very inspired by it. He changes his form to look like the ¨Bad Boy¨ because he thinks that it was very cool. What it is more, he is seen crying near the end of the episode when he sees Bobby and Patty leaving together. There could be different reasons he does this: Because he got emotional or it reminded him of something from his human life. His crying isn’t exaggerated for the sake of comedy. It’s potrayed as a genuine moment (if short) for him.

In conclusion, ¨The Bad Boy Bobby Daniels¨ is able to tell a nice romantic story between two side characters without making it feel too dramatic or cheesy. The twist near the end it’s quite interesting and a bit unexpected. It’s a good example that the series can tell stories without having to be about the main characters.

[lackyghost]

Todoroki Shouto blinks slowly, gray and turquoise eyes blank and lips in a straight line. His hair, split down the middle in red and white, is lightly messed up, the strands mixing atop his head. He’s currently staring at his best friend, who just said something he’s fairly certain he can never unhear.

“Is there a name for that?” Shouto asks as he raises his phone, pressing the record button.

Piercing scarlet eyes glare at him, blonde spikes wild around a sharp face, pink lips twisting into a sneer that’s not nearly as threatening as usual with the amount of alcohol in the man’s system.

“I don’t fuckin’ know,” Bakugou Katsuki says, scoffing harshly, flicking his empty beer can on the coffee table, knocking it onto its side as he pouts. “I just wanna be fucking myself, and then have the door open unexpectedly because Touya came back early from work or some shit, and he catches me, and then gets all fuckin’ bossy n’ shit, takes over, and fucks me into oblivion.”

“Do you… have a plan to make this happen?” Shouto asks, tilting his head slightly.

“No,” Katsuki says, rolling his eyes. “He doesn’t like me like that, I accepted that a long fuckin’ time ago, that’s why it’s called a fuckin’ fantasy, you dumbfuck.”

Shouto stops recording, his expression more deadpan than ever. “Right.”

“He’s just so fuckin’ pretty,” Katsuki says, groaning as he leans back against the sofa, the plush leather comfortable. “I just wanna kiss him on his stupid pierced lips, and I wanna lick his shitty tattoos, and suffocate him with my thighs by riding his face, y’know?”

“Sure,” Shouto says as he goes to his text conversation with Touya, reading over the messages from the past several months as Katsuki continues to wax crass poetry about his eldest brother.

TOUYA:Fuck, he’s so goddamn gorgeous.

SHOUTO:You’ve mentioned that.

TOUYA:DOES HE NOT KNOW HOW THIN THE WALLS ARE!? I CAN HEAR HIM JERKING OFF!!!!!!!

SHOUTO:I’m going to get a new phone number.

TOUYA:Shoooouuuutttttoooooo Why did you let me move in with him So many regerts

SHOUTO: Just ask him on a date and stop complaining.

TOUYA: STFU, you KNOW HE DOESN’T LIKE ME LIKE THAT I’m way too old for him It’s not my fucking fault that he’s fucking PERFECT

“—and then shove me onto the bed and just take me, not even fuckin’ waiting, and then go hard until I can’t fuckin’ think,” Katsuki goes on, and then drops onto his side, letting out a long, exasperated groan. “Why doesn’t he love me, huh!? Is it ‘cause I’m blonde? I’ll—I’ll fuckin’ dye my hair. Ugh, no, I don’t wanna end up like fuckin’ Shitty Hair. But I could get a wig? Does he like brunettes?”

“Katsuki,” Shouto says, and the blonde grunts, tapering off to show he’s listening. “Touya has a night shift on Friday, right?”

“Yup,” Katsuki says, sighing heavily, a little drool dripping past his lips. “Sometimes I go in his room when he works thirds and fuck myself on his bed.”

Shouto really doesn’t know how to respond to that, so he goes for a topic change. “Why don’t you sleep here tonight? I’ll get you a blanket.”

“Fuckin’ better,” Katsuki snaps, scowling, though his lids are drooping. “M’ fuckin’ sleep… sleepy.”

Shouto hums his understanding as he gets up, walking to the hallway closet and pulling out a blanket. By the time he gets back to the couch, his friend is already snoring softly, and Shouto sighs as he drapes the soft fabric over him.

—

KATSUKI: Do not text or call me for the rest of the fucking night, or I will KILL YOU.

SHOUTO:I understand.

KATSUKI: Clearly you DON’T! FUCK OFF!

Shouto’s lips twitch, but he tucks his phone into his pocket and heads for the door, stepping out of his condo and taking the elevator down to the ground floor. He goes through the lobby and out the main doors of the building.

Shouto strolls down the dark sidewalk, earbuds in and playing some music he doesn’t bother giving his attention to, he’s too busy internally hoping that this plan works because he is sick and tired of hearing his best friend and brother pine for each other.

It takes about fifteen minutes to reach the konbini, and he steps inside, nodding to the cashier, Toga Himiko, on his way toward the back of the store, where his brother is restocking potato chips.

“Touya,” Shouto says, and the white-haired man looks over at him, arching a pierced brow.

His plain white t-shirt is tight over his muscles, gained from the five years he spent in prison for arson. That’s where the majority of his tattoos came from as well—all done in black and blue ink, dragons, scales, and flames lining nearly every inch of his body. The piercings had come afterward, in his lips, ears, brows, and nose.

“Yeah?” Touya questions, turquoise eyes curious, white hair spiky and wild around his head.

“I need to speak with you,” Shouto says, his eyes flicking behind his brother to the man beside him, another ex-con, Shimura Tenko, before locking back on Touya. “In private.”

Touya frowns, but nods and walks down to the end of the aisle, gesturing for Shouto to follow. Touya leads the way through the back doors along the far wall, which opens to the large storage room. Touya turns just inside and steps into the small manager’s office.

He turns to look back at his baby brother, concerned. “What’s up?”

“I need you to watch this, it’s important,” Shouto says as he withdraws his phone.

He takes his earbuds out and holds them out to Touya, who takes them, checking the little letter on the insides before placing them in the correct ears. Shouto turns off his music before going to his camera roll, pulling up the video and handing the phone to his brother.

Shouto waits, counting out the thirty seconds that make up the video. Touya’s face is blank, though his pupils are enlarged. Shouto frowns, and he’s about to ask if Touya has finished the short clip, but his eyes flick down and he sighs when he sees the prominent tent in the man’s pants, pushing his blue apron out. He rubs at his temples and gives his brother another moment to re-watch it and then swipes his phone back.

Touya stares dumbly at his empty hands and then looks at his brother. “Was that… edited?”

“No,” Shouto says, his jaw tight as he suppresses the desire to slap the man.

“Holy fuck,” Touya says, wheezing slightly.

“He also told me that he likes to masturbate on your bed when you work night shifts,” Shouto says, and Touya feels woozy with the amount of blood still rushing to his dick. “If you were to go home now, you could bring his fantasy to life.”

“Yes,” Touya says, his cock jerking harshly in his pants. “Fuck, I need to go.”

“I will take over your shift,” Shouto says.

Touya nods, not even caring about anything but Katsuki as he rips his apron off, throwing it at his brother. He darts to the doorway of the little office and turns to look at his brother, eyes wide.

“I owe you,” Touya says seriously.

“Just get the mutual pining to end so I don’t have to listen to either of you anymore,” Shouto says, shaking his head as he sighs, pulling the apron on.

Touya nods furiously and turns, rushing through the swinging staff only doors, awkwardly adjusting his cock as he moves, making him look like a psychopath. Himiko and Tenko both make confused sounds and look over when the storage room doors open again.

Shouto makes his way back to the chips, the silver ‘Touya’ on the nametag shining under the fluorescent lights as he begins restocking the snack items.

“Who are you?” A voice drawls from behind him and Shouto turns, looking up at a black-haired man with dark eyes lined in heavy bags, his nametag reading ‘Shouta’ with ‘Store Manager’ at the bottom.

“Touya’s stand-in for tonight, he had an emergency,” Shouto says.

The man sighs. “You don’t work here.”

“Don’t pay me then,” Shouto says, shrugging as he turns around, placing a bag of cheddar cheese chips in the correct spot.

—

When Touya reaches his apartment, he slows down outside the door to catch his breath. His mind is whirring rapidly, his heart thudding from more than the adrenaline, and his hands are shaky as he pulls his keys from his pocket.

He pushes the brass key into the lock as quietly as possible and holds his breath as he opens it. Even from over in the genkan, he can hear Katsuki’s soft moans and his cock twitches, more precum soaking through his underwear to his jeans.

Touya steps out of his shoes and into his slippers, barely even breathing as he makes his way down to the hall. Katsuki’s bedroom door is open and empty, and Touya’s eyes lock on the way his bedroom door is cracked as he approaches. He takes a shuddering breath before peering in through the small opening.

Katsuki is on Touya’s bed, wearing Touya’s favorite black shirt with a white skull on the front, and he is bouncing on a thick purple dildo. He’s on his knees, leaning back, one hand grasping an ankle while the other holds a small vibrator over his T-dick, the position giving Touya a perfect view of the toy as it slides in and out of him, shiny with creamy slick.

His eyes are closed, head tilted back, and he moans again, this time around a single word that fries Touya’s brain—his name.

Any hesitancy flies out the window as Touya silently pushes the door open, pulling off his t-shirt and dropping it to the floor. He reaches for his belt next, and the sound of the metal clasps on the buckle catches the blonde’s attention.

“Fuck!” Katsuki shouts, dropping down hard on the dildo and choking on a moan as he falls back on the bed, dropping the little vibrator and grabbing the blanket, whipping it over himself.

“Keep going, Katsuki,” Touya says, voice octaves lower than normal, and the blonde shudders heavily.

“I—I can—fuck,” Katsuki says, his face beet red with his mortification.

“I said,” Touya hisses out as he shoves his jeans and boxers down in one go, stepping out of them and kicking them off his ankles, “keep going.”

Katsuki grips the blanket tighter, his eyes flicking down to Touya’s cock for a moment, dragging along the six rung Jacob’s ladder on the underside and the Prince Albert at the tip before he looks away. “F-fuck you, asshole.”

“No, fuck you,” Touya growls out, stopping beside the bed and ripping the blanket away from the blonde. “You think you can just come into my room and fuck yourself without me?”

Katsuki’s eyes blow wide, and he opens his mouth to ask for clarification, but Touya grips the toy still lodged in his cunt and harshly shoves it into him, making him gasp. The white-haired man leans over the blonde, eyes narrowed into slits as he sets a harsh pace, fucking the man with his own dildo.

“Do you know how fucking hard it is, listening to you fuck yourself every night?” Touya says, jaw tight as he leans over the man, chest heaving. “Every time I hear it, I have to stop myself from storming over there and burning your toys so that the only way you can properly fill yourself up is with me.”

Katsuki moans, clenching around the toy, his toes curling as he nears the edge. “I—I—I didn’t think y-you wanted that.”

Touya tugs the toy out, leaving Katsuki’s cunt fluttering around nothing, and he whines, having been so close to cumming. Touya slaps his pussy, and Katsuki jerks at the stimulation.

“You really think you deserve to cum after masturbating on my bed?” Touya growls out.

He climbs up onto the bed, hovering over the blonde, whose eyes are wide, his body flushed and covered in a light sheen of sweat. Touya clicks his tongue disapprovingly and dips down to lick a stripe up along his collarbone.

“How long were you at it this time, huh?” Touya questions, lolling his tongue out to lick up the blonde’s throat.

“An hour,” Katsuki gasps out.

Touya bites onto his earlobe and tugs harshly. “How many times did you make yourself cum?”

“Three—ah—three times,” Katsuki says.

“Hope you’re ready for four more,” Touya says, finally crashing their lips together.

He reaches a hand down to grip his aching length, quickly lining himself up to Katsuki’s hole and thrusts inside, giving the man no time to adjust to his considerable size. The blonde screams into the kiss; unable to describe the feeling of the barbells on Touya’s cock sliding along his sensitive walls.

Touya uses his right hand to grip Katsuki’s thigh, pushing it up so he can get deeper, and he brings his left hand around to the man’s cock, rubbing it harshly. The combination of feelings; Touya’s hot tongue pressing into his mouth, the dick rearranging his guts, and the friction on his own T-dick in combination with his fantasy coming to life has Katsuki cumming harder than he ever has.

His cunt clenches around Touya’s cock, forcing him to slow down with the grip, but he never stops, continuing moving his hips and his fingers until Katsuki pulls away from the kiss to gasp for air.

“Too much,” Katsuki pants out.

Touya growls as he pulls out, grabbing Katsuki’s waist and tugging him up to his knees. He roughly shoves the blonde around, pushing his face against the wall as he lines himself back up to his dripping pussy.

“Not enough,” Touya says, and then shoves his cock back home.

Katsuki drops his forehead to the wall as Touya drills into him, pain and pleasure mingling, building his arousal up higher than he thought was possible. His body is trembling, his nipples hardening as they rub against the chilly wall, but he tilts his hips, and suddenly Touya is hitting the perfect spot.

“Touya!” Katsuki keens as he’s sent into another orgasm.

Touya brings a hand around to Katsuki’s T-dick and slaps it, making the blonde yelp. He switches to rubbing it again, shoving the man harder against the wall as he pounds into him, not stopping when Katsuki chokes out a sob, tears streaming down his face.

The overstimulation has Katsuki squirting, and Touya shouts out a curse at the feeling. He moves both hands to the blonde’s hips, pinning him against the wall as he pounds into him. Katsuki gasps at the coolness against his cock, the cold temperature soothing the throbbing member.

Touya buries himself deep as he cums, groaning a low, throaty sound as he unloads his hot seed. He bites down into Katsuki’s shoulder to ground himself, his dick pulsing with each spurt, his ass clenching and hips shoving up of their own accord.

Katsuki pants heavily, greatly appreciating the break, though clarity seeps back into his head and his anxiety spikes. Touya pulls away from his bite and trails kisses up his neck, and Katsuki turns his face away from him.

“You shy now?” Touya taunts.

Katsuki scoffs, trying to pretend he isn’t panicking. “That was only two more, thought you said four.”

Touya blinks once in surprise and then barks out a laugh. “Oh, you have no idea what you’re in for.”

He pulls out of Katsuki and turns the man around again, shoving him onto his back on the bed. He smirks down at the blonde and pointedly strokes his cock, which is already swelling back up. Katsuki’s tear-filled eyes blow wide, but Touya just smirks smugly and plants himself between his legs.

He slaps his cock against Katsuki’s T-dick, making him gasp. “F-fuck, I was fuckin kidding!”

“Shame,” Touya hums, rubbing the head of his cock along Katsuki’s slit teasingly. “I wasn’t.”

Touya presses inside him again, slowly this time, and Katsuki groans at the feeling, and Touya bites his lower lip as he looks down at where their bodies meet. He slowly pulls back and then pushes forward again, moaning at how fucking hot it is to watch his cock sink into Katsuki’s tight heat.

“God, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to ruin you,” Touya says, thrusting faster, loving the wet squelch that accompanies the slapping of their sticky skin.

He reaches down to rub along Katsuki’s cock again, groaning at the way the blonde’s cunt spasms around his dick. Katsuki bites his lower lip to try to stop himself from cumming again, but Touya narrows his eyes and pivots his hips faster, merciless in his ministrations.

“Touya!” Katsuki screams as he’s tipped over the edge, the name mixed with a sob as more tears fill his eyes.

“Oh, fuck,” Touya groans, stilling his hips for a moment to soak in the blissful feeling of Katsuki’s hot insides.

He slowly pulls out and slides down the bed, gripping Katsuki’s thighs, pushing them open so he can lick between them. The blonde gasps, his hands flying down to tangle in his hair, tugging at the roots and making Touya moan as he laps at his cunt. Katsuki’s body twitches each time, the man whimpering as Touya slurps up their combined arousals.

He pushes Katsuki’s thighs further up, shaking his head to get his tongue deeper, nosing against the man’s T-dick. Touya growls as he drags his tongue along the man’s insides until he’s cleaned him out. Katsuki is panting, body taut and close to another orgasm, but Touya pulls away and Katsuki lets out another sob—not even sure whether it’s from relief or upset.

Touya rolls him onto his front and tugs Katsuki’s ass into the air and lines his cock up, pushing the head inside. He slowly rolls his hips, teasing the blonde, who tries to press back to get him deeper, but Touya tuts and slaps his ass, making the blonde gasp and clench around him.

“You want my cock, huh?” Touya taunts, gripping the man’s hips firmly so he can’t pull Touya in deeper. “Did you wear my clothes every time you came in here when I was gone, hmm? Did you cum on my bed and hope that I would come home and smell you?”

Katsuki whines again, tilting his hips. “Come on.”

Touya smacks his ass again. “Answer the questions, Katsuki.”

“Yes!” Katsuki shouts, still trying to rock back. “I didn’t always wear your shit, b-but I hoped you would smell me and get off to it. I hoped you heard me, wanted you to come into my room and fuck me yourself.”

“You’ve been depraved, poor thing,” Touya drawls, giving him a little more of his cock, which he eagerly clenches around. “Do you have a thing for bad boys?”

“No,” Katsuki pants out, feeling close to going mad from being edged and teased. “I love you, you asshole, now fuck me!”

Touya’s brain shuts down for a moment, but his body takes over, slamming deep inside of Katsuki. His heart swells as he processes the man’s words, and when he finally comes back into his body, he leans over the man to grab his wrists, pulling them back, forcing the blonde to arch his spine as he fucks into him harder.

“You’ll pay for that,” Touya snarls out. “Confessing to me first, huh? You insolent brat.”

Katsuki gasps, turning his head to lock gazes with Touya, chest heaving and eyes hazy. There’s some drool dripping down his chin, his face is blotchy and streaked in tears, but he still manages to look cocky. “I win.”

Touya growls, releasing his wrists and he slaps a hand between the blonde’s shoulder blades, shoving him down against the pillows as he pounds into him harder, his balls slapping up against the man’s T-dick every time he’s fully sheathed in his cunt. Katsuki begins to clench around him and Touya uses his other hand to reach for the abandoned vibrator.

He flips it on and slides the small device around Katsuki’s front, pushing it against the blonde’s cock, making the man shout in surprise. Katsuki clenches around him even tighter, and Touya moans at the feeling, his eyes nearly rolling back as Katsuki cums again, his insides flooding. His own orgasm hits him like a truck, and he slumps over the blonde as he fills him up.

“Four,” Touya pants out, and Katsuki huffs weakly.

“I’m not sleeping in this bed,” Katsuki grumbles out.

“Eh, I’ve slept in grosser places,” Touya says, pulling out of the blonde and sighing.

“There is no fuckin’ way I can walk right now,” Katsuki says, barely able to roll over to look up at Touya. Anxiety crosses his features as he looks over the older man, swallowing thickly. “Did you… never mind.”

“Meant every word,” Touya says, smirking as he leans down to kiss the man, sighing against his lips. “Especially the part about burning your toys.”

Katsuki pulls away to laugh. “You’d better not. That shit’s expensive.”

Touya just snickers and his phone dings from his pants pocket. He sighs and climbs down from the bed, legs wobbly as he makes his way over to his jeans. He lifts them up and pulls the device out, reading the one message from Shouto reminding him of the date and he blinks in surprise.

“Huh,” he mutters, dropping his pants and walking back over to the bed.

He purses his lips as he places his phone on his nightstand, looking at Katsuki for a moment before shoving his arms under the blonde’s knees and upper back, lifting him into a bridal carry. Katsuki’s face flushes darkly, but he wraps an arm around Touya’s shoulders and lets himself be carried to the bathroom.

Touya carefully steps down into the bathtub and sits down, shifting the blonde on his lap, holding Katsuki chest-to-chest. He turns the water on, wincing at the coldness that sprays over his feet. He waits until it’s hot before lifting the lever for the stopper and leaning back to let it fill up.

He grabs a washcloth and soaks it in the hot water, lifting it up to drag along Katsuki’s back, his cock swelling up beneath the blonde as the man rubs against him. Katsuki looks down and gawks at his dick before looking back up at him, incredulity all over his face.

“What the fuck?” Katsuki says, eyes wide.

“I have a refractory period that ranges from thirty seconds to ten minutes,” Touya says, shrugging. “Doctor had a fancy name for it that I didn’t fuckin’ care enough to remember.”

“For fucks’ sake,” Katsuki says, shaking his head.

Touya hums, bringing the cloth up to wipe over Katsuki’s face, his expression turning soft. He leans in to capture his lips in a soft kiss, humming a happy sound as they fall into a steady, sleepy rhythm. The kisses are chaste and warm, both of them feeling satiated and neither wanting to voice the desire to simply bask in the presence of the other.

Touya breaks the kiss when the tub is full, leaning over to turn the tap off. He settles back again, rubbing along Katsuki’s spine as he kisses his cheek. “It’s past midnight.”

Katsuki cocks a brow. “So?”

Touya’s eyes crinkle. “Happy birthday.”

[chaoticruinskryptonite]

You should get "no regerts" instead.

Same message, but more layered.

[storytimewithnova]

message to sho's exes

We are here to suffer in silence GC

Noya:come on sho everyone else has talked about their exe's your turn

Sho:fine 🎶I caught you cheating You had the nerve to say you're sleeping Just not with her🎶

Atsumu:who cheated on my sister we just want to talk 🔪

Osamu:^

Sho:🎶but tell your friends That I'll be lost without you And I'll admit it🎶

Tori:No Imōto you won't you be better off

Sho:🎶Sometimes I miss when we were in it So I made a list so I never forget All the things I hate about you🎶

Kenma:yes bestie let him know

Sho:@kageyama 🎶Ten, you're selfish🎶

Everyone was shocked

Sho: @Tsukishima🎶 nine, you're jaded🎶

Tsukishima:😒

Yams:Tsukishima you dated my best friend

Tsukishima:😒

Sho:@ lev 🎶Eight, the dumbest guy I dated🎶

Yaku:you dated my twin

Lev:I-I mean kinda

Sho:@iwa 🎶Seven, talk a big game 'til you're naked🎶

Tori:Iwa chan you dated my sister

Iwa: .....

Sho:@Terushima 🎶Only six seconds, and I had to fake it🎶

Kuroo:you dated him

Atsumu:i am disgusted  how dare you treat my sister this way

Osamu:it's not finished Moron

Sho:@Hoshimi 🎶Five, you're toxic🎶

Kenma:Really you dated the wannabe little giant

Sho:@Daishou 🎶four, can't trust you🎶

Konoha:you dated my  boyfriend

Kuroo:i told you he couldn't be trusted

Bokuto:bro simmer down

Sho:@komori 🎶Three, you still got mommy issues🎶

Omi:wait did i see that right my cousin

Sho:@Tanaka 🎶Two years of your bullshit I can't undo🎶

Ennoshita:you were in a two year relationship with my cousin

Tanaka: ....

Akaashi:oh this one i know about yeah he was in a 2 year relationship with blossom then he split with out an explanation and ran to you

Noya:bro that is messed up

Tanaka:I'm sorry i didn't want to break her heart i fell out of love with her so my best option at the time was run

Sho:@all my exes 🎶One, I hate the fact that you made me love you🎶

Daishou:sho please we are sorry we were lousy boyfriends to you

Sho:🎶Your friends must suck if they think you're cool A sloppy drunk obsessed with his Juul🎶

Kags:we swore to never mention that

Sho:🖕🏻🎶Keep buying bottles with your daddy's money And I don't know how I fell for your shit🎶

Teru: petal you said we would never talk about that

Sho:🎶You gross me out, now I've got the ick And I've got a list of why you don't get to fuck me🎶

The exes: we're sorry

Noya regretting asking about sho's exes now he just wanted tea but this is not what he expected

Sho:🎶Ten, Kageyama you're selfish, nine, Tsukishima you're jaded Eight, Lev the dumbest guy I dated Seven, Iwa talk a big game 'til you're naked Terushima Only six seconds and I had to fake it Five,Hoshimi  you're toxic, four, Daishou can't trust you Three, Komori  you still got mommy issues Tanaka Two years of your bullshit I can't undo One, I hate the fact that you made me love all of you🎶

She could see her bfs getting angry at

The exes:please sho give us another chance

Sho:🎶You made me love you You made me love you Ooh, ah How'd you make me love you? And I'll admit it Sometimes I miss when we were in it So I made a list, yeah Ten things I hate about you🎶

Atsumu:🎶Ten, you're selfish, nine, you're jaded Eight, the dumbest guy she dated🎶

Osamu:🎶Seven talk a big game 'til you're naked Only six seconds and I had to fake it🎶

Tori:🎶Five, you're toxic, four, can't trust you Three, you still got mommy issues🎶

Yaku:🎶Two years of your bullshit I can't undo🎶

The bfs:🎶One, I hate the fact that you made me love you

Sho:yeah no i am not giving you a second chance i moved on meet my new bfs kuroo,bokuto and Akaashi

The exes:we understand we sorry sho we messed up

The exes went offline

Kuroo:kitten lets go we have a date

Akaashi:come on blossom we got reservations at that restaurant you wanted

Bokuto:best seats near the fish

Sho:AAAHH BEST BFS EVER

Atsumu:home at a sensible time missy

The miya siblings:^

Sho:omg fine sayonara Onii chan bye everyone

4 servers have gone offline

Noya:i regert asking about her exes

Asahi:its fine noya we all went

Noya:i didn’t know my bro was one of them he did that,that was really shitty enno are you okay

Enno:fine why (no I'm not but i will be)

Ennoshita went offline

Kita: everyone offline

Everyone went offline

Ennoshita and tanaka broke up and Futakuchi was there to help his future captain they got close during a future captains hang out they got wasted and Futakuchi and Ennoshita started to make out they ended up confessing the next day they remembered what happened and they were slightly embarrassed but they were happyso in the end Ennoshita got his happy ending

[gertlushgaming]

Postal 4 No Regerts Review (PlayStation 5)

 For this Postal 4 No Regerts Review Where several years have passed since the events that devastated the once proud town remembered as Paradise. The only two to walk away from the cataclysm unscathed, the hapless everyman known as the POSTAL Dude and his loyal companion Champ, drive aimlessly through the scorching deserts of Arizona looking for a new place to call home. After a fortuitous gas station rest stop ends with their car, trailer home, and the rest of their worldly possessions stolen, all the Dude’s seemingly got left to his name is his canine cohort and his bathrobe, and neither of them smells all that great. However, on the horizon, the duo glimpses an unfamiliar and dazzling town that beckons to them. What untold prospects lie within? Fame? Fortune? Maybe a bidet or two? Edensin awaits.

Postal 4 No Regerts Review Pros:

- Decent graphics. - 14.17GB Download size. - Platinum trophy. - You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game. - FPS gameplay. - Open world setting. - Controller settings - Invert axis and sensitivity sliders, strafe, deadzone slider, crouch toggle, aim to assist, smoothing sliders, and test sticks option. - Saves - allow autosave, timed autosave, autosave interval, and sort saves by time. - Dismemberment option. - Four characters - Zack Ward, Jon St Jon, Corey Cruise, and Rick Hunter. - Nine difficulties. - Play how you want. - Main story and optional side missions. - Huge catalog of emotes, aggressive swearing, and devil horns. - Piss on anything at any time. - Impressive physics system and the ability to lay down oil/petrol and then set it on fire. - Hire mobility scooters including a more expensive nitro one. - Mobile phone is used for menus like maps, Missions, and music. - The radio can be tuned into a couple of radio stations. - Cop wanted level for when you break the law. - Pick up weapons, items, and health packs. - Radial menus for quick access. - Save when you want. - Jokes, one-liners, and an insane amount of swearing. - Familiar controls. - Many Smashable items like shop windows, doors, and car windows. - Collectible toys that you trade for Rewards. - Vending machines for items like health and ammo. Postal 4 No Regerts Review Cons: - Cannot rebind controls. - Trophies cannot be earned on very easy and easy difficulties. - The slowdown happens a lot. - So many needless difficult choices. - Aimless gameplay. - The opening is literally this is your playground go find something to do. - The menus are clunky and slow. - So many menus on top. - Ugly textures. - Robotic animations. - Just not a lot of fun to play. - The music is not great or it is but not on the third or fourth play-through because it has such a small playlist. - The tutorial-style messages are on your phone and are very infrequent. - Even for me, there is too much swearing and crappy hot takes on current affairs. - It's just dull and lifeless. - All the people in the world walk like zombies, hardly react to you and are literally all the same person. - The driving is twitchy and unresponsive. Related Post: Corpse Keeper Preview (Steam Early Access) Postal 4 No Regerts: Official website. Developer: Running With Scissors  Publisher: Running With Scissors  Store Links -  PlayStation Read the full article

[bugchuckles]

here she is....my rey of sunshine...my violent scavenger urchin...the loml

[untitledducklett]

Yeah I have regerts now [message deleted]

And your aura feels like a wildfire. Aura users may feel different where I'm from.

Hey, hope this isn't weird but I've got a question, why's your Aura weird?

-@aura-acolyte

Wait Aura is real? It's an actual thing actual humans have? I thought y'all were being poetic! [message deleted]

As a fellow aura user I'm pretty sure it's just because I'm a faller. From what I can tell you don't necessarily fall into the direct future or past of your own timeline.

@aura-acolyte

[chloe-writes]

Erwin loves shy reader but he plays dense to her advances because he enjoys seeing her flustered until reader finally decide to move on making Erwin regerts his actions and chase her down

Clueless

[ Erwin x Chef Reader ]

[ Fluff - Canonverse ]

Summary:  Of all people you could have chosen, you chose a man who seemingly didn’t have enough room in his heart to love someone as sweet as you.

Word Count: 2k

Content Warning: cat dad erwin

Two gentle knocks on the wooden door.

Erwin was a busy man, his thick eyebrows bumped together in a scowl at the thought of another interruption during his work. “State your name and business.”

 “Y/N. I am here to deliver your lunch, Sir.”

The irritation written on his face was washed away in an instant at the familiar voice. He tidied himself up for a few seconds before saying an enter, making sure not to sound as excited as he actually was.

Cruising into the man’s office, “Good afternoon Mr. Smith. You haven’t been showing up at the mess hall lately. So, I decided to bring you your lunch, again. Skipping meals isn’t healthy.” Setting down the tray on the side table, strands of hair fell to your face as you quickly tried to fix it.

 

Erwin didn’t miss the playful and seductive manner of how you tucked the hair behind your ear. He also didn’t miss the folded paper that came along with his meal on the tray, probably another pick-up line written on it. “Thank you for putting my well-being into consideration, Ms. Y/N.”

 

Giving him a wink, “Please, just call me Y/N.”

Confidence was attractive, sure, and you were quite the confident woman today. However, the commander also loved your shy side. A subtle, unnoticeable gleam of deviltry came to his eyes as he contemplated on his next words. “Is everything alright, why are you blinking like that?”

Heat rose to your cheeks, and the muscles in your face tightened. Mentally berating yourself, that was supposed to be a wink, Erwin.

Shifting your glance around the room to avoid eye contact, you decided to end the awkward interaction. “No, Sir. Everything is alright. I will… I will be taking my leave now. Enjoy your meal.”

-

Twenty-eight.

That was the number of times you tried making your advances. You didn’t know if he was dense, or was just playing dumb. But, in as much as you hated to admit it, you were quite convinced it was the latter.

Was it because he thought you were ugly? Was it because you always wore ragged and stained clothes? Or was it because you were just some cook working for the Scouts while he was a well-respected military commander? You didn’t know.

But did that matter anymore? No. Although there was a sense of fulfillment and pleasure in your desperate efforts to woo the man you loved, you were already growing tired.

 

Erwin is definitely someone worth waiting for—those deep sapphire eyes could make any woman in a 50-meter radius fall in love with him. Yet, it was time to finally acknowledge what his blatant disregard meant. If the man was indirectly telling you he wasn’t interested, then it meant he wasn't interested. End of story. You needed to chip away from his cold exterior.

 

“So… you giving up so soon? I thought you had more guts though. Seems like your god-awful attempts at wooing him didn’t pay off after all.” The raven-haired man sipped on the tea he ordered Eren to brew.

You frowned, “Levi, has anyone ever directly voiced how rude you are?”

“More than you can count.” Clicking his tongue, the captain was not enjoying the drink. He made a mental note to brew his own tea from then on as the beverage always tasted like shit when Eren did it.

Placing a hand on your hip, crooked like a tea cup handle, “Just to put it out there: I’ve done more than enough for him. Erwin is smart guy; If he doesn’t get the message—if he refuses to get the message, then I won’t force him to. A stitch in time saves nine! I don’t want to let these feelings grow if it only shatters me in the end.”

 

“He likes you, y’know?”

Raising your right eyebrow, the tone of your voice came out a little harsher than you had expected. “Didn’t you hear what I just sai-“

“Didn’t you hear what I said? I said he likes you, and of all people, I should know.” Levi gave another one of his infamous tongue clicks before he continued with his words. “Erwin, a man of intellect and grace. But it’s funny how I caught such a man fighting that little giggle escaping his lips when he read the stupid pick-up lines I told you to write.”

 

“What?”

The captain hit you lightly on the head. “Stupid brat, then why do you think he embroidered your name on the bottom hem of his green cloak instead of sewing it like a fucking normal person? He looked like a silly little school girl in love, amusing really.”

“What…?” Blinking twice, it was difficult for you to digest the short man’s words as you were already convinced you had ZERO chances with Erwin.

Hitting you on the head once more, “You are clueless as fuck.’’

-

The man had just finished a meeting with Nile, Pixis, and Zachary inside the premises of Wall Sina. It was just another meeting about fundings. Erwin had already anticipated the almost non-existent funding on his military regiment to be cut even more, especially knowing the royal capital’s negative sentiment towards the Scouting Legion. This would certainly pose a huge problem, but he didn’t argue against the decision of Zachary; he didn’t want to kick the hornet’s nest—not today at least.

Walking to his carriage, he felt something weird on his heel. Looking down, he noticed the sole of his shoe was flapping. Oh well, he’d have to get a new pair.

As his head was still looking down and inspecting the shoe flap, he noticed a little orange kitten curling itself up like a ball on the corner. His mind quickly went to the thought of you. Thanks to Levi, he learned that you had always loved cats, orange cats to be specific.

A lightbulb went over his head. The man walked towards the meowing kitten, “Come on little guy, hop on my arms, we’ve got a girl to make happy.”

No response, not that he was expecting the kitty to respond anyway. “I promise you, Y/N will make you as fat and lazy as you want. Come on then.”

 

The commander held the sentient bundle of orange fur in his hands as he entered the carriage. Petting the little cat, he began to reminisce on earlier today.

It was adorable to watch you and your little attempts to snatch his attention, only to turn into a deep red shade whenever he looked at you straight in the eye. Warmth found its way to his cheeks and heart at the memory of you getting easily flustered.

In as much as he wanted to reciprocate affection, a relationship within the military was often frowned upon.

That was when Erwin realized he was a fool. Who would the cadets report the issue of forbidden romance to? The commander?

The warmth he felt suddenly became a chill. It must have been difficult on your side. Of all people your heart could have chosen, you chose a man—or a foolish boy rather—who seemingly didn’t have enough room in his heart to love someone as sweet as you. But that wasn’t true!

 

He had to prove that wasn’t true.

Erwin Smith’s mouth tasted like copper as he swallowed it down to get the taste of shame out. Rubbing the cat’s forehead, he silently wished this little guy would (at least) slightly make up for the wicked game he had played on you.

 

-

The load of dishes never seemed to lessen. After cooking three times a day for hundreds of people in the Scouting Regiment, you were also expected to scrub the ceramics for hours on end? Letting out a sigh, this job doesn’t pay very well.

 

A familiar, monotonous voice was then heard.

 

“Oi, I know you’re busy, but the delivery of the new ODM gears are coming in soon; can you wait for it outside? I have to watch over Hange and Eren’s experiment.”

 

“You only ever speak nicely to me when you’re asking for a favor. Other than that, you call me brat 24/7.” you teased the short man.

Levi let out one of those rare smirks. The captain decided to keep quiet and let things naturally unravel themselves instead.

Being interrupted while doing your job was something you hated—in fact, it was something everyone hated. But Levi was a friend. Though you never admitted it, he was a good friend, and you knew he would do the same for you—perhaps more even.

And little did you know, Levi was already doing you a favor by his request for you to ‘wait for the delivery’.

As soon as you walked outside, you noticed a certain someone. There it was again—those familiar eyes that could charm just about anyone.

You gave the man a simple greeting, then quickly walked away. This was the first time you actively avoided him, mainly because you still weren’t decided on what you were supposed to feel, especially after what the short captain had revealed to you earlier that day.

Erwin predicted you’d react that way. Not that he blamed you for suddenly being distant, but his heart ached as it felt guilty for playing with your feelings.

The blond man had a silver tongue, he had a way with words that could pick your brain apart. He knew how the human mind works, and he could easily persuade even hundreds of soldiers to sacrifice their earthly lives. He’s a military commander for God’s sake.

Yet, even in the most rudimentary sense, Erwin Smith did not know what to say to the girl he liked.

 

But he’d already been a fool for too long. Well, here goes nothing. Abandoning any reservations, he calls your name out.

“Y/N, may I have a minute?” your name escaping his lips ever so gently.

The man approached you, got down on his right knee, and pulled what seemed to be a small bouquet out of his jacket.

“Y/N, let me apologize.” The cadets who were nearby started to make gossip. You were sure these rumors would spread like wildfire. Erwin didn’t mind it though.

 

“What? It’s oka-“

 

“No, I have been giving you the cold shoulder. I’m sorry. You don’t deserve any of that; you’re an amazing, beautiful young woman, and I’d be honored to be with you—that is, if you still want me.”

This was too much to process at the moment. The words failed to form on your lips as you were left dumbfounded. It didn’t help that you felt a few pairs of eyes piercing a hole through you. Nosy cadets.

A few heartbeats passed. There was an awkward silence as the tension grew thicker.

But not until a small, wobbly whine was heard—the sound resembled to that of a kitten’s meows, but you weren’t too sure. You also weren’t sure where the sound came from.

Erwin seemed to grab something from the hood of his green cloak. You cocked your head to the left in an attempt to satisfy the curiosity of what he was grabbing.

As soon as you made out what the orange ball of fur was, your tense body relaxed as all awkwardness was thrown out the window, easily forgotten. The commander handed the whining kitten to you in a gentle manner, and you appreciated how his hold gave it proper support rather than just grabbing it from its scruff.

 

“I saw him a while ago at Wall Sina, and I thought you would like it.”

 

“He’s adorable. But aren’t pets prohibited in the-“

 

“It’s alright, bending the rules a little for the girl I like wouldn’t hurt.” Erwin Smith gave you a subtle wink.

There was no hint of hesitance found in your next words. With a confident grin, “Is everything alright? Why are you blinking like that, commander?”

 

Both of you laughed.

However, before the blond man could reply with a witty comeback, humanity’s strongest suddenly made his presence known. “I don’t want to rain on your parade, lovebirds, but I need to borrow Erwin. Hange’s experiment has gone wrong.”

A/N: wow first work in 2 months !! sorry it took so long depression is a bitch.

likes and reblogs are appreciated :DD

[ Masterlist ]

[killemwithkawaii]

2023 New Years Resolutions 🎉📈

Creative goals:

-Do commissions consistently (open small number of slots every month or so, stick more closely to deadlines)

-Get goretober 50% done before October starts

-Draw more self-indulgent stuff, selfship or otherwise

-Doodle more! Not everything has to be polished.

-GET WEIRD! GET KINKY!! BE FREE!!!

-Try making gifs, aimatics, collages, interactive pieces (picrews), etc. Generally keep braching out and trying new stuff.

-Do some redraws of favorite SF scenes

-Make character sheets of Meet The Fishers S/Is

-Make new 'Meet the Artist'

-Make new icon

-Work on cosplays

-Watch more horror game letsplays, horror movies, etc. for inspiration

-Read more of other people's work

Blog Goals:

-No more messaging ageless blogs who follow me to give them a chance to confirm they're not minors. It's been a big hassle. Instead, I'm just gonna softblock people until they learn to read 🤷🏻‍♂️

-Post more personal blog entries, possibly including vent posts/art (will be tagged appropriately)

-Reblog more stuff

-Be open and firm about boundaries and stances. No more sugarcoating. Having followers isn't worth censoring myself.

-Revamp layout, about page, etc for desktop

-Keep dumping stuff on Pillowfort

-Remember this is ultimately a hobby. Follow the dopamine, no regerts ✨️

[high-divinity]

I think that this is what Victorians did

Dating is easy af tbh. First, you make a great number of deranged and vividly insane personal posts on tumblr until someone dms you. Then you marry them.

[dropssofjupitter]

What Tattoos / Piercings I think the Harry Potter Characters Would Get - Except it gets progressively more in depth and then doesn’t

A/N: It’s 12:36 pm rn and I’m just trying to kill time until all of my college classes open on Canvas. Give me criticism if you dare 

Masterlist 

Draco Malfoy: 

A snake crawling through a bed of flowers up the side of his chest and settling near the bottom of his ear (so it can whisper secrets to him.) It’s enchanted to move around his neck and down his chest in a loop if he wants it to

He would either only get black studs or he’d get addicted to piercings and get doubles + an industrial 

Probably get the Malfoy family emblem on the inside of his wrist won’t lie (but only if he’s still proud of his family / wants to keep up appearances)

If he’s feeling really “fuck you” he might get an eyebrow piercing but I highly doubt that he will. He prefers piercings that he can take out if need be. Something conventional so his mother won’t get mad at him

Pansy Parkinson 

Would definitely get a dagger tattooed on her upper thigh don’t test me.

Would also probably get a constellation on the back of her neck or on her side boob area (idk whatever that’s called)

Would probably just get doubles but would also get a belly button piercings  

Might get an underboob tattoo but it would probably be smth small like a mouse (Don’t ask me why its a mouse. My brain just randomly correlated it okay) 

Blaise Zabini

Okay so Blaise would definitely get a sleeve

And maybe it’s like, random images that became a sleeve but I think that it’s highly likely he managed to craft something that told a story to him

So something to do with his family or with his friends that only they would be able to recognize

He also has a tattoo of his wand on his opposite forearm that faces down towards his palm

He claims it helps him with wandless magic (with the visualizing and all) but everyone is pretty sure it’s because he can’t stand being without his wand due to the war

He 100% get an orbital, a helix, and a standard lobe piercing (and if he was feeling frisky a tongue piercing but idk how likely that is) 

Theo Nott

Theo goes all out. 

Like this man is the king of making terrible split second decisions

He’s in a tattoo parlor at least once a month

At first he gets stupid little tattoos

He gets a lightning bolt (”to mock Potter” he says) on his thumb. And then he gets a green snake on his shoulder for Slytherin. At one point he even gets the ‘no regerts’ tattoo on his hip just because Pansy dared him to. 

But eventually he starts getting more meaningful tattoos. 

A cauldron on his wrist for Draco. A pair of eyes with eyeliner as sharp as a knife for Pansy. A three flower bouquet of Blaise’s favorite flowers. A skull in a desert with cacti growing out of it in honor of Crabbe. 

He says the cacti are because Crabbe had never had a solid thought in his head. But really it’s because they are the only plants able to survive in extreme heat. 

Anyways he also goes out for piercings to. Triples for sure, along with a helix and an industrial. He entertains the thought of getting a lip piercing, but after wearing a fake one for a few days he decides to put it off until after his next tattoo

Harry Potter

Bro okay so if you think that Harry would get anything except meaningful tattoos I literally have no clue what drarry fanfic you’re living in but get out of it

He has a firebolt on the back of his bicep, and the first snitch he caught (message and all) on the opposing shoulder. It’s charmed to fly around a small area on his arm whenever he plays quidditch

He has the elder wand tattooed on his forearm (facing away from his hand and yes that’s fucking symbolism) to honor Dumbledore but also decided to get another for the bitch (Yes a bitch join the we hate Dumbledore fanclub) and got half-moon spectacles on the inside of his wrist (opposite arm from the wand) 

He got the Wizard Wheezes tattoo in honor of Fred on his shoulder blade, and it’s charmed to burst off fireworks anytime a Weasley (or one of their products) walks by

Behind his ear is a full moon in honor of Remus, and below it pig nostrils for Tonks 

He also probably got smth to honor Snape (idk probably a potion bottle) but I’m in the ‘Snape didn’t deserve a redemption arc” club so I’m not getting into that

He would only get studs. He is very vanilla. Maybe if he’s drunk he’ll get a double helix. 

Hermione Granger

Lmao what tattoos??

Maybe if she’s piss drunk she’ll get a book (Hogwarts a history of course) on her wrist. But other than that the only thing I can see her getting is smth really really small for her parents

She has standard piercings and does not want to get anything more thank you very much

Ron Weasley

God of course this boy has a Chudley Cannons tattoo

And probably a Krum one if we’re being honest. He’s a mess

He got the same Wizard Wheezes tattoo as Harry and in the same place, but he also got one of the candy boxes on his wrist 

He has no piercings 

Please this man is afraid of spiders I don’t think he’s fond of putting holes in his skin

I don’t care how close he is with Bill and Charlie there are no piercings 

Luna Lovegood 

Okay so

She has a tattoo of her famous pair of glasses ofc

She also has a sideboob of the deathly hallows as well as a stomach tattoo of a Thestral 

She is all about unconventional placement for these baby’s 

That being said she has a septum piercing that changes colors depending on her mood as well as a belly button piercings 

Neville Longbottom 

Neville only has one tattoo and it’s on his favorite plant on his bicep. The plant is charmed to move like it’s real life counterpart (if it does move) and also changes colors like Lunas mood piercing

He does not have a piercing and will not get one no matter how dashing Luna say’s he’ll look

Taglist: 

Draco Malfoy: @theoriginalsuicidalprincess @sadgirlnumber92899 @dreams-in-blxck   

Harry Potter Overall: @hydrasbitches @tayyymeek​ 

(Strikethrough means that I could not tag you) 

Add yourself to my taglist!