#sasha over here like ''???? be afraid???''

[iunctura-arch]

"...Are they supposed to be threatening or something?" Zamasu and... Goku Black, were they? Sasha didn't really know if she should feel threatened by them.

[sonotpattismith]

i'm still your girl (satoru gojo x reader)

word count: 7.5k inspired by: dancing with your ghost by sasha alex sloan & my immortal by evanescence warnings: angst, mentions of death, mourning, depression, smut, 18+ a/n: AHHH I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH! I really wanted to do something a little spooky for Halloween, even if it wasn't officially halloween themed :( I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts! ILY!

You tried to ignore him at first. He would stare back at you through your reflection in the mirror, just as he once did when the two of you would get ready for bed. He used to smile at you over his foamed toothbrush when he’d catch you staring at him, mumbling unintelligibly with his mouth full of suds. It made you laugh nonetheless, and he would lean over to spit into the sink before repeating himself with a teasing glint in his sparkling eyes. 

Why stare at my reflection when you’ve got the real thing here, sweetcheeks?

But Satoru had been dead for two months, and he no longer had anything to say about the way you stared blankly back at his reflection. 

You cried the first time you had seen him. It was just in your peripheral as you climbed into what was once his side of the bed. His dominating presence loomed in the doorframe, as if awaiting an invitation to come join you. In the haze of your mourning, having only been back at you and Satoru’s shared home for three days since he’d been gone, you thought perhaps your mind was playing tricks on you. Still, there was no mistaking those glowing eyes and their tendency to follow you across whatever room you were in. 

That night, you could only pull the covers over your head, too afraid of the fragility of your own sanity to dare take another look. His presence lingered though, the waves of his energy enough to leave you trembling underneath the comforter, tears spilling onto the plush pillow that still held his scent. You never peaked out, but a part of you knew he never left that night, lingering in the doorway and haunting you once you’d successfully cried yourself to sleep. 

It went on like that for a while. You believing your sanity was simply waning in his absence, him believing you simply didn’t see him. So, he watched as you trudged through life— if that’s what you could call your melancholy existence holed up in what once was a shared space— trapped behind the perceived veil of life and death that his abrupt departure had left the two of you in. 

There wasn’t a definitive moment when he determined that you could in fact see his silent figure observing you and feel his energy weighing down the air around the house. It came in waves; Satoru would notice how your sidelong glances toward the corner of the room lingered too long to be considered just a sweep around the room. He took note of the way you’d avoid facing the door at night when you’d pretend to be sleeping. 

One night, as you laid on the sofa, dark-rimmed eyes mindlessly fluttering across the television screen, perhaps your grief had simply outweighed the logical part of your mind that said giving into delusions— no—hallucinations, was not a good call for your already declining mental state. Your feeling conscious enough to turn on the television was a new development, one that Satoru was grateful for. He wasn’t sure how long he could watch you stare stiffly up at the ceiling, only an occasional sigh or sniffle that told him you were still breathing. 

Your thumb ticked over title after title, not even bothering to read descriptions or watch trailers before you passed them up. The gentle clicking noise was beginning to scratch at his ears, and, if he could still bleed, he was sure it’d be covering his jaw and neck by now. But then it stopped. Glancing up from his unwavering gaze on your slumped figure, his cerulean eyes landed on the sight of what once was your favorite Halloween movie to watch together. It had become a tradition, every year around this time, the two of you would pull out the matching pajama pants he’d bought for you on your first fall together just for the viewing occasion. 

You would always pretend to be irritated with him as he leaned into your ear and dramatically recited every line as they were being acted out. Delicate hands would push at his face as you repressed an amused smile. He’d only turn his theatrics up a notch, letting out a blood-curdling scream in tandem with the main actresses— so loud it made you glad you two had moved out of your apartment and into a house just two years into your relationship. Your boisterous laughter would fill the room as he tackled you into his lap, shaking your shoulders dramatically. 

The memory hung in the space between you. On the screen before you, the title lingered, taunting the both of you with broken promises of what would have been your fifth year watching it together. The man’s gaze was pulled from the screen when he saw your head tilt out of the corner of his eye. Your cheek was still smushed against the cushion, but you had angled it just so, and he could swear you were staring at him from your peripheral— waiting, inviting. 

Satoru stepped forward, eyes never leaving your face as he sank down into the spot by your feet. It was the first time the both of you had acknowledged the arrangement fate had thrust upon you. Your eyes, now brimmed with tears, returned to the screen as you pressed play on the movie. 

You didn’t understand what he was. The first thought was a hallucination, but as his energy lingered, and you felt the warmth of his thighs against your feet as the film shot bursts of color and sound throughout the morose living room, you began to think that perhaps he was more real than you were giving your psyche credit for. 

The second theory was a curse, conjured up from the macabre sense of loss and void that had tunneled within your chest since his death. How fitting, you thought, to have your love haunt you in the very form of what brought him to his end. As you pretended to watch the movie, keeping a watchful peripheral eye on the man at the end of the couch, you decided you didn’t care enough to find out. If you did, you weren’t sure you’d be strong enough to exorcize him should your theory be correct. It felt nice to have him here with you, soulbound or not. 

Your subtle acknowledgement of him did nothing to shift the silent stares and subtle invitations into something more— both of you too fearful of what it would mean if you did. So, he still stalked behind you as you brushed your teeth every night, and he awaited your subtle nod as you picked out your nightly cinematic reminder of what you two once were. 

It began eating away at him. He’d watch your phone light up with messages, ring with calls, all from your friends begging to know how you were doing, if there was anything they could do for you. Each time though, you’d barely glance at the device before sighing softly. It felt as though the phone weighed a ton, and it would surely take all your energy to simply acknowledge them. You would get back to them tomorrow, you thought to yourself yesterday, as well as the day before that. 

It was becoming too much— watching the shell of the woman he loved— loves— wither away at the hands of his own demise. Satoru wondered if it would have been easier on you had you been given a proper goodbye, but at the time, he was too cowardly to face you with the notion of it. Although the sorcerer had been prepared to go toe to toe with the king of curses, he couldn’t find it in him to prepare you for the possibility of his own death. 

He wanted to grab you by the shoulders and shake you out of your trance— to tell him it wasn’t all because of him. You couldn’t have tossed away your soul because of him. 

The credits of the movie you’d been idly watching rolled to completion, and your eyes remained glued to the screen as though reading each name as it slowly dragged down. The television screen faded to black before the film restarted from the beginning. Satoru watched, waiting for you to grab the remote, change it, move, blink, cry— anything. Lights flashed across your blank face as the familiar title card played, and he couldn’t take it anymore. 

Although he wanted to shout, scream at you to snap out of it, nothing would come out. As he attempted to push the breaths up his chest and out his throat with some semblance of a plea, it was as if an imaginary force had its fingers wrapped around his neck, halting any wish he had to get through to you. 

His chest rose and fell dramatically, snowy brows furrowing in frustration, and he kicked at the coffee table, sending it rumbling across the living room to hit the entertainment center with a deafening crack. The television shook but steadied after just a moment. Those gleaming eyes remained transfixed on you though— you hadn’t even flinched. Blinking slowly once, and then a second time, and your head slowly turned to meet his eyes straight on for the first time since his death. 

It caught him off guard. Of course, there were countless moments when your sidelong glances and hitched breaths let him know that you sensed something was amiss. Still, you had never dared look into his eyes— never made him feel as though he was really still with you. 

“Stop it, Satoru.” 

It was a flat demand— a test. Would he listen to you? Could he hear you? Did he care? 

Straightening his back against the couch, he stared unblinkingly at you for a moment before slowly standing up from his spot. His eyes didn’t leave yours once as he crouched down to grab the leg of the table and pull it back to its respective spot. He stood still facing you for what felt like hours. With each second that passed, your lip would slowly twitch, and your eyes would soften— because fuck, was he really there?

And then he held his hand out to you with a barely noticeable hesitance, and you didn’t seem to care any longer if he was just in your mind, or if he was a curse, or a ghost, because your fingers were trembling as they traced across his palm— and he was warm, and he was your Satoru. For that moment, his body hadn’t been torn to pieces because it was pulling yours off the couch. His lips weren’t cold and blue, because they were pressing against your forehead as your tears began to fall in salty, stinging waves down your cheeks. Satoru wasn’t dead, because he was right here, and your arms were twisted around the very torso that had been sliced clean off of him. 

Trembling sobs racked your frame as you pulled yourself up with desperate hands on his shoulders, wanting nothing more than to crawl inside of him and hide from the heinous idea that your lover was dead. His hands grasped at your thighs to pull you up, and you cried into his collarbone, tears and snot mixing grotesquely against him so much so that you didn’t notice the pulse you used to press kisses to was no longer there. 

“You said goodbye to everyone!” You cried pounding at his back as he carried you silently toward your bedroom. “I didn’t get anything. You knew— you knew, Satoru!”

Despite his not being able to speak, he still bit his tongue at your accusations. Slowly, he settled down on his side of the bed, clutching you close to his chest as you fought to pull away in order to glare down at him, venom and grief mixing arbitrarily in your veins. You weren’t sure it was him, if he could speak or even understand what you were saying anymore, but you had so much anger in you for how he left things. 

“Why didn’t you tell me? Warn me?” Your words were being muffled behind your gritted teeth as he finally released the firm grip he had on the back of your head. Balled up fists beat weakly against his chest, though they never hurt him when he was breathing, so they certainly couldn’t hurt him now. “Why didn’t you say goodbye to me?”

He couldn’t speak to explain to you his cowardice and talk you through that crack in your voice. So, he sat up and pulled you into him, pressing his lips against yours as your salty tears seeped into the crevices of his mouth and coated his tongue with your grief. Those familiar fingers creeped up your neck to grasp at your jaw, prying your mouth open as though he could breathe into you every regret he’d left behind. 

Your cries slowly died out against his open mouthed kisses, and you found yourself messily reciprocating, desperate for any distraction from the reality you’d been living in for weeks. His thumbs wiped roughly at each tear that slipped down your cheek, having had his fill of being the cause of them for so long. 

“I love you.” You cried against his tongue, raking your nails through his feathery hair and inhaling deeply through your nose. He didn’t smell like himself anymore— he didn’t smell like anything. Any supplement of him would do though, and your hands dipped down to pull his tshirt off. Those enrapturing eyes stared back at you longingly once the fabric was yanked over his head, and he wanted nothing more than to say it back to you. For now though, you were okay to fill that void in his unwilling silence. “I still love you, Toru. Please— stay.”

Satoru wasn’t sure the morality of his decision, but he knew it had been weeks of aching to reach out to you, and now you were here in his arms, arching against his wandering hands and forgetting that his body was being eaten away at by worms and vermin. Perhaps, he thought as he slid his old shirt over your head and buried his face into your chest, this is exactly why he had been barred from whatever afterlife had been awaiting him. He’d always heard that old expression, the superstition that no one soul can pass on with unfinished business to attend to. Had he barricaded his own soul to the land of the living when he failed to prepare you for his death? Was your grief keeping him here?

If so, he selfishly hoped you’d never recover, because the man who was once the strongest wasn’t sure he was strong enough to leave you— not with how your soul seemed to mesh with his as he settled you over his aching length, hoping to fill the void your mourning for him had created. If Satoru was bound for Heaven, he wasn’t sure that whatever was promised would come close to the holiness of your sweet moans against his ears and your nails’ stinging purchase of his shoulders. 

He’d never leave again, the phantom thought as he watched you sleep that night, curled around his arm as though he might ascend before you woke. There was a serenity in your soft features that had been noticeably missing in his absence, but it was there in your parted lips and gently settled brows as his fingers continued to rake through your hair. You hummed quietly in the midst of your slumber and tucked your face into the crook of his neck, and Satoru vowed he’d haunt you to your grave if it meant you’d never be apart again. 

You woke with a start the next morning, a gasp of your lover’s name tumbling from your lips as you shot up in bed. Tears were already threatening to pierce your eyes at the thought that what you had experienced last night was simply a dream— placed torturously into your psyche to feed the black hole of your grief. Whipping your head to the side, you were met with Satoru’s awaiting gaze as he sat against the headboard. Despite your startled state, his lips still curled up at the sight of your barely conscious appearance.

Your hair clung to your cheeks and swayed into your bleary eyes as you attempted to blink away the sleep. It almost gave an energy of a bear that had just risen from a week long hibernation, but he couldn’t blame you as he’d lain witness to the sleepless nights that had plagued you the past few weeks. The comforter slipped from your shoulders, bearing your silken skin and plush chest to him. Acting on a carnal instinct the sight of you seemed so expert at pulling from him, he grasped at the small of your back to pull you into him. 

Your contented hum drifted into his ears as you settled against him once again, your skin still warm with sleep as it pressed against his own. Satoru didn’t realize how much he had been missing when he was still alive and had the weight of the world on his shoulders— rarely ever having gotten the privilege of lazing beside you as you awoke in the mornings. Most of the time, he was still working when you laid your head down to sleep, and he was already gone by the time you woke up. He’d only steal gentle kisses against your temple and wanton brushes of his palms up your thighs and waist as you slept before he’d slip into bed beside you. Now, he was quickly realizing as you pressed lazy kisses against his chest, trailing up his neck and jaw, that those stolen intimacies and rushed affections were never enough. He’d haunt you forever, the ghost vowed once again. 

Your since somber days were filled with something comforting, and, despite the five years you two had spent together prior to his death, this connection was new and warm— exciting. At one point you had even joked with him that you never saw him this much when he was alive, and he could only smile teasingly at you as he watched you devour your breakfast. You ate with an urgency he hadn’t seen in you the last few weeks, and it settled the guilt in his stomach. No, Satoru wasn’t being selfish in holding onto you, this was for you. 

The two of you welcomed the days that followed with open arms. No matter how morbid the circumstances, it was a relief compared to the atrocities you’d faced when he was still the strongest. You watched the list of movies the two of you had always put off, stayed in bed until the late hours of the morning just to make love to each other, lounged pressed up against the other in the steaming bathtub until your fingers wrinkled and the water was as cold as his corpse. 

Satoru’s lips curled into an easy smile as you shivered against him. His large hands created a soft splash as he lifted them from the water to run them down your trembling shoulders. You tilted your head back against his chest to look up at him with pleading eyes. 

“C’mon, Toru, I need to get under the covers asap.” You laughed eagerly, moving to push yourself up. His brows furrowed, and he pulled you back against him. It was another little moment that he wished he could say he missed from his time of living, but it was an intimacy he rarely had the time to share with you. He curled his fingers around the plush flesh of your arms and pressed a soft kiss against the nape of your neck as if to coax you to stay just like this for a moment longer. You sighed softly, tilting your head forward to allow him more access to the delicate skin you prayed he’d continue to explore. “You’re not cold?”

This gave his ministrations pause. Attempting to erase the distraction of your scent from his senses, he tried to concentrate on how the water felt against his skin. Upon feeling his hesitation, you glanced back at him. His incandescent eyes peered down at you, and he could only meekly shake his head at your question. It was a stark reminder of what he was and what he wasn’t— one you’d gladly forgotten about in place of his presence. 

It was after this instance that you began to notice all the little changes, the parts of Satoru that were no longer there. His typical, overwhelming sweet tooth was eradicated, and it felt almost unnatural the way he watched you eat the chocolate chip pancakes that were once his favorite of your dishes, not once trying to steal an extra bite from your plate as was his norm, much less grabbing any for himself. You chewed uncomfortably, switching the mush of pancake from one cheek to another as he leaned his chin on his fist and watched you with a contented smile. Still, it was better than forcing food down your throat in his absence, so you swallowed your breakfast with a soft smile and accepted the kiss he pressed against the knuckle of your free hand. 

You tried to not think about what all these things meant. The way he didn’t eat, how his usually racing mouth was now always shut, how you’d awake in the middle of the night to find him simply staring down at you; it made your blood run cold. It was better than being alone, you told yourself. It was better than being without him. 

His looming gaze burned holes in your back as you searched through your cabinets for the ingredients to make the festive cookies you typically prepared each year when Halloween was approaching. Usually, Satoru would be hovering over your shoulder, dipping his fingers into the batter as you swatted him away. He’d hang his long frame over the kitchen island as if it were a hammock, head dangling over the side as he shouted random numbers at you in an attempt to throw off your measurements. Those glistening lips would curl up into a mischievous smile each time you’d turn around to glare half-heartedly at him— pleased that he’d stolen your attention back just as he wanted. 

It was silent now though as you turned around to meet his gaze. You puffed out some air, blowing your bangs from your face as you closed the cabinet. 

“I guess stepping out of this place for a little bit wouldn’t hurt.” You commented with a soft sigh. 

It had been months since you’ve seen another human being— much less left the house. Since Satoru’s sudden reemergence, and, truthfully, you didn’t feel you had a reason to ever leave again. There was only so long you could live with what you had at the house though. Looking down at your pajama-clad figure, you stood up to begin your trek to the room to change into something more presentable. Behind you, hurried footsteps followed after you. Just as you were about to shed your tank top, a quick hand caught your wrist. 

The frantic look in Satoru’s blue eyes unsettled you for the smallest fraction of a second— the way his snowy brows furrowed, nose scrunched up as if you’d just told him a joke of the poorest taste. A small gulp forced its way down your throat, but you managed a forced smile. 

“I’ve gotta get some groceries, Toru.” You laughed meekly, tugging your arm from his grasp. He blinked a few times at you as you fished out an old sweater of his to pull on. “Some of us around here still eat, you know.” 

He didn’t like the way you reminded him of his own mortality status. For the first time since his dominating haunting of you, he felt disconnected from you. It was the first time he thought about the fact that there was an entire world outside this house awaiting your return. The people and stories lying behind these four walls were vibrant, loud, alive. Satoru suddenly wondered if your days turned weeks of quiet, domestic tranquility would be enough. 

His feet seemed to move on their own accord as he followed you to the front door, wishing with everything in him that he could yell at you to stop, to not leave him behind. Reaching out in a haze, he slammed the front door that you had opened back shut. You flinched back with a start, turning to blink up at him in astonishment. There was barely a hint of anger or hostility left in his expression though. In its place was fear, desperation, and an eagerness to keep you anchored to the very place he himself was doomed to. There was only one thing that the world outside you and Satoru’s home didn’t have, and it was the only thing his spirit could offer you in exchange for your blind loyalty— himself. 

Easily pushing you back against the door, Satoru kissed you as he kept his own tears and doubts hidden— doubts about what his selfishness made him and what it would do to you, what it was already doing to you. He could feel it as his hands roamed down your waist and hips in their desperate pursuit to your thighs, that you were smaller than he last remembered you being. There was a hesitation in your reciprocating, but it was as if you could still hear him now, whispering to you through the wet smacks of your lips and the clashing of your teeth— 

Don’t leave me. He longed to beg of you as he sank down onto his knees before you. As his white lashes fluttered up and his glittering eyes peered up at you from his place, dragging anguished kisses up the exposed skin of your thighs, Satoru could only smile against your clothed heat. 

It was always his favorite thing to do— something he was so skilled at— drawing your attention right back to him. It was so clear in your wanton gaze down at him, with your brows drawn softly together as your chest rose and fell in tandem with his teasing kisses, that he had drawn you in once again, even if just for a moment longer. 

Your head bumped against the front door you were trying to leave through just moments ago as Satoru peeled the layers from your hips. Despite your angled head, your eyes strained to meet his gaze that had not once left yours since his descent down your body. There was a certain betrayal in them and a daringness that asked you how could you think to leave me behind? 

In the midst of your pleasured gasp as his fingers circled your entrance lovingly before plunging in with gusto, you didn’t notice the way his free hand crept up to lock the door once again before trailing down your arm and locking his fingers between yours. 

“I’m sorry, Satoru.” The apology spilled from your lips with a shaking gasp, eyes finally falling shut as his lips circled your clit in tandem with his digits’ massages against your walls. You weren’t sure why you had felt the need to apologize— it was your right, after all, wasn’t it? To continue living? To not die along with him? Still, the hungered whines that were pulled from him and fell against you told a different story, one that ended in a happily ever after even if that meant opening his casket to lay beside him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry—”

They continued to fall from your lips as your high crept over you and molded you against the offending door. Just as you were about to slip past the final layer of sanity that grasped at you by the thinnest of threads, a sharp rap at the door had the waves of your release crashing unceremoniously to a halt in the depths of your stomach. With a startled, choked gasp, you fell forward, hands steadying you atop Satoru’s broad shoulders.

 His lips pried off you with a wet smack, and he tilted his head back to look at you— eyes wide and startled as if just reminded that it wasn’t just you two left in the world. Your chest heaved as you two stared at one another silently, and he shook his head— that familiar feeling of doubt creeping up in his chest. Your attention was drawn from him for the second time that day though as another knock sounded against the wood door, this one more urgent than the last.

Fighting against the guilt in your stomach at Satoru’s betrayed expression, you pushed off of him and quickly adjusted your clothes back over you. Wiping at your face as if it would give away your most recent escapades, you took an anxious breath in as you cracked the door open. 

The familiar sight of a tall, raven haired boy crashed against your anxiety with waves of relief— and it was slowly taken over by guilt with the reminder of the hundreds of texts and calls you’d avoided for so long. His fist was raised as if prepared to knock again, but it fell slowly upon seeing you through the crack of the door. The tension in his shoulders seemed to fall in tandem with the breath he released, his scarred face melting in relief before hardening once again. 

“Megumi—” Your meek greeting was cut off when he abruptly opened the door of your house fully and stepped in without another word. 

Unbridled fear gripped you as, for the first time since the start of your morbid affair, someone else stepped into the sacred space you and Satoru had carved out for yourselves in the past weeks. There were so many reasons you had left your loved ones in the dark— no answers about your wellbeing or needs in your time of grieving, but the most notable was the fact that you still didn’t know just what Satoru was now. Bringing someone else in posed the threat of losing him once again should your least desirable hypothesis be proven true— that he was merely a curse manifested in the wake of your grief. 

Watching with bated breath, Megumi closed the door behind him, and he was only inches from your lover. The phantom loomed over his shoulder with furrowed brows, but the boy made no indication that he had seen his dearly departed mentor standing a mere inches away from him, but, just for a moment, you thought you saw his lanky frame shake with the tiniest of shivers. If he suspected anything of the sudden intrusion, he didn’t mention it, instead casting his dark eyes around the house before settling on you once again. You released a quiet breath of relief. 

“You haven’t—” It was clear in his harsh tone that he was prepared to lecture you on your radio silence, but he stopped himself, forcing his hard features to soften a bit before looking back up at you. “I just— are you okay? Everyone’s been worried about you.”

You remained silent, watching the concern pool in his eyes as he assessed you up and down. Since the last time he’d seen you, you certainly appeared smaller, your cheeks sunken in and your collarbones more pronounced. Your eyes, the ones that once gazed at him with such fierce doting and concern for his own wellbeing were rimmed with dark circles that were more apparent against the way your skin had paled over the past weeks. In your silence, he shifted from one foot to the other.

“I’m worried about you.” Megumi finally admitted gruffly. “When was the last time you left the house? Talked to someone?” 

Your mouth opened and closed, eyes drifted over his shoulder to meet Satoru’s awaiting gaze. The boy in front of him followed your gaze, snapping back to you when he was met by nothing but air. 

“I-I’m fine, Megs.” You reassured with an unconvincing smile, reaching out to ruffle his hair affectionately. 

“Don’t give me that bullshit.” He spat as his expression hardened once again. His lashes fluttered angrily across his cheekbones as he blinked away the traitorous tears that threatened to burn at his eyes. 

It was his every intent to come here and be the strong one for you in Gojo’s absence. At the end of the day though, it wasn’t just you that had lost him. Megumi had lost his mentor, the only father figure he ever had. He figured the two of you would be grieving together— as doting on and endlessly embarrassing the boy had quickly become a team effort when you and Satoru got together. You filled the spaces that the six eyes couldn’t, lending an ear to problems your boyfriend never had the tact or grace to help out with himself. 

When Gojo died, Megumi never expected to lose you too. 

“You can’t expect me to go back to normal.” You explained, wanting nothing more than for him to leave. The reminder of how sickly you’d been coping with your loss was eating away at you, and you couldn’t bring yourself to be confronted by it any longer. “I lost my—”

“I lost him too, okay? Now don’t make me have to grieve you too— because I can’t.” Megumi was no longer looking you in the eyes, instead pretending that the various magnets on the fridge were far more interesting than your conversation. Slipping quickly down the side of his cheek though, you caught a glimpse of a rare tear before he furiously swiped it away. 

Suddenly, the guilt you were feeling was not for Satoru, or the pathetic means by which you’ve been holding onto him, but instead you felt an overwhelming contrition for the life you left behind in the midst of your coping, the people you left behind. You pushed past Satoru, paying no mind to the constricted expression on his face and pulled Megumi into a tight embrace. In his typical, nonchalant fashion though, his arms remained stiffly at his sides. Still, he buried his face into your shoulder for a brief second, allowing the grief to wash over the both of you, reminding each other that neither were ever alone in these uncharted waters. 

With a quick sniff, he pulled away from you in an attempt to collect himself. 

“Come on, let’s get lunch or something.” Megumi’s tone bordered on begging, but the man keeping you tied to this house had you biting your lip in contemplation. The boy sighed lowly at your apprehension. “Please, Gojo would have killed me if he knew I was letting you waste away like this. Come with me.” 

This revelation sliced through Satoru’s chest deeper than his fatal blow ever could have reached. For the first time since his mysterious return in your life, he looked past his need to be someone in your life, past the desire to keep you well past the time fate had allotted for the two of you, and he saw only a shell of the woman he loved. Now, you were shackled with one leg in his grave and the other tethered to your home— never able to stray too far. 

Without a care of how bizarre you appeared you peered right into Satoru’s awaiting eyes to find the stinging acceptance that you had been searching for. As if he could speak, the ghost gulped down any venomous words that threatened to spill out, as he turned on his heel and left you to make your decision. You watched the back of his head as he disappeared into the hallway, your bottom lip trembling in fear. If you walked out those doors, would he still be here when you got back? 

“Hey,” Megumi’s voice sounded distant, but the subtle desperation laced in it snapped you from your contemplative state. A tear raced down your cheek as you looked back at the boy. In his wide eyes, you saw the young boy who was blindly following Gojo into the world of jujutsu— the one who was too proud and scared of growing attached to admit that he was so grateful that above all else, you never pushed him to prove himself. There was never a conversation about how strong he had become, in its place were soft questions of if Gojo had given him a break that day, or if he had eaten. You were a rock to him for so long, and he recognized that look in your eye— the one that said you weren’t sure what was worth fighting for anymore. “Come on, I haven’t eaten today.”

Through the blur of your tears, you smiled wobbly at him, laughing tearfully as you reached up to smooth his hair down. This— you decided as you followed Megumi out the door for the first time in two months with your bag slung over your shoulder— was worth accepting grief for. 

Despite your coming to terms with the fact that reintroducing yourself into the life you’d built for yourself might mean truly letting go of Satoru in the process— fear gripped every nerve in your body as you returned home that night. You bid Megumi goodbye with a tight embrace once he’d helped you put your groceries away, and, with a promise that you’d answer your phone every once and a while, he left you alone in the house still haunted by your lover. 

Sweeping your gaze across the living room and kitchen— Satoru was nowhere to be found. A deep dread settled into the pits of your stomach, and you had to remind yourself that you weren’t at fault for choosing to continue living. No matter how many pep talks you gave yourself though, and how fulfilling it felt to have a purpose once again, even if just for a few hours, there was an undeniable feeling of loss that accompanied the fact that you and Satoru were left with no closure. 

“Toru?” You called out, your careful footsteps being the only, subtle noise echoing through the eerily silent house. The door of your bedroom creeked open under your palm’s hesitant push, but it too was barren. A familiar feeling of helplessness began to rise within your chest. It was the sensation that the very essence of what seemed to hold your world together was slipping past your fingers as though grains of sand in perilous tides. No matter how hard or desperately you squeezed your fists together— it was leaving you to be washed away by a greater power. “Satoru, this isn’t funny!”

The stinging tears that flowed down your cheeks were angry— offended that he’d leave you behind once again like this. Just like the first time, he’d left no warning, no explanation or preparation for his abrupt departure. It was a betrayal like no other, and you kicked open the door of the bathroom with all the anger it burned within you. The knob slammed against the wall, undoubtedly leaving an ugly hole in its wake, but the sight of the empty restroom was a far more grueling vision to behold. 

“Please, I’m sorry I left.” You cried into the empty space as you walked in further to rip the curtain of the shower back as if he would pop out from his hiding spot at any moment. Your knees buckled underneath you, and you curled into yourself against the cold tile flooring. There was a persistent pounding in your skull as your sobs shook your body, and, for a moment, you considered calling Megumi back to take you Jujutsu High— fearing what your mind may whisper to you in the midst of your breakdown. Your nails dug crescent shaped marks into your arms as you tried to grasp onto any sense of reality. “Come back. Please come back.”

There was a pregnant silence behind your shaking sobs that blanketed over the frigid bathroom for just a moment longer before the shattering of glass let you know you weren’t alone. You jolted up with a strangled scream at the sound, your arms coming up to shield you from the shards of broken glass the richocheted from the wall. Once it had finally settled, you slowly lowered your arms, eyes focusing on the larger shard that had fallen in front of you. From its reflection, Satoru’s piercing eyes stared back at you— a certain peace in them that wasn’t there when you’d last seen them. 

You quickly lifted your head, mouth agape at the sight of the phantom, still there, still with you. With your legs moving on their own accord, shards of glass pierced through your knees as you moved to pull yourself up, the unmistakable sensation of blood seeping onto your skin. Satoru squatted down, silently halting your movements. His eyes never left yours as he picked up a small envelope from the pile of glass. You hadn’t noticed it before— too transfixed on his still being there. 

Any words you wished to spew out to him died in your throat as he handed the envelope to you, and after a moment, you finally broke the intense eye contact you had been maintaining with him to look down at it. It had your name scribbled across the front. Without a doubt, you instantly recognized it as Satoru’s familiar penmanship. Your brows furrowed as your trembling fingers grasped onto the paper in confusion. The man before you could only watch, his stillness inviting you to rip open the damned paper, so you did.

You can’t tell anyone that I was too scared to say goodbye to you in person— I’m still supposed to be the strongest, you know (even if I went out like a total LOSER). I’m sorry to have left like this, but I think if you had asked me not to go, I might have actually listened. Quite the accomplishment, sweetcheeks, being the one person Gojo Satoru ever truly feared.

I’ll always love you and the life we were working to build, even if I won’t be around to see how you make it your own.

Please don’t waste the rest of your life looking at my reflection. 

(Seriously, don’t make me haunt you)

Your Toru.

The black ink before you smudged as your tears fell onto the page. You read it over and over again, unsure if the feeling crashing into you was still grief, or if the hint of relief washing over your system was real. Had your closure been here all along— hidden behind the damned mirror you stared mindlessly into for weeks?

“I didn’t want you to let me go.” 

You were sure you had begun hallucinating as Satoru’s melodic voice swam into your ears, filling you with a comfort you had been missing for far too long. Finally tearing your gaze from the letter, you looked up at him, mouth agape. As he stared back at you, there was a certain lightness that seemed to fill the air around him, and he knew his time with you was limited. 

“I figured you’d find it eventually. I just… I wanted you to hold onto me for a little longer.” He admitted before staring up at the now barren wall that once held that damned mirror. With a humorless laugh, he rolled his eyes at his own selfishness. “So much for the strongest, am I right?”

“Toru,” You whispered, fiercely blinking back the tears that dared blur your vision of him. He caught you as you threw your arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. “I never needed you to be the strongest. I just wanted to know you were there— that what you left behind meant something to you.”

“It meant everything. You meant everything to me.” Satoru reassured, and as he opened his eyes, he could no longer see the sink, or the tub, the tiles; he only saw your trembling figure crouched beside him. Closure—  he knew what it would mean, but he was now willing to be left behind if it meant you got to move forward. 

“Are you leaving?” You asked, though you already knew the answer. 

“Afraid so—  but do me a favor, yeah?” He pulled back to smile fondly down at you, wiping at the tears under your eyes. You nodded dumbly at him as he brushed your hair behind your ears. “Get a new mirror, and stop looking for me in it, okay?”

Despite the heaviness in your chest, you laughed breathlessly at his words.

“Okay.” You choked out in agreement, closing your eyes as he leaned forward to press a kiss to your forehead. A sly smile spread across his lips as he looked down at you one last time. 

“It was never as good as the real thing anyway.”

masterlist | requests | talk to me ❤︎

I love hearing everyone's thoughts! ◝⠀(ᵔᵕᵔ)⠀◜

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

💌🎀

Bitchy popular reader x Eddie, enemies who fuck and idiots in love, jealousy, angst and fluff, 18+ blog so mdni.

❤️

Eddie is waiting for you in one of the disused classrooms in Hawkins High. He's perched on the desk, long limbs stretched out, an endearing goofy smile on his face as you walk over to him, quietly shutting the door. He gets up and tugs you to him.

"You're lucky I was able to sneak away Munson, I'm sure the girls are getting suspicious, not helping with that hickey you left on my neck" you chastise him.

Eddie looks smug as hell as you say this. "Well I could leave them on your breasts or between your thighs instead" he replies in a husky tone which makes arousal pool in your lower stomach. You tug him to you and kiss him.

He backs you up against the wall and you wrap your legs around his waist, moaning as his fingers dig into your backside and he sucked on a particular sweet spot of yours on your neck.

"If you keep moaning like that princess someone's going to catch us" Eddie murmurs as he kisses along your jaw, soft moans issue from the both of you.

"We wouldn't want that would we?" You reply sweetly and your nails dig into his back causing a groan of pleasure to leave his lips.

In public you and Eddie were enemies, the two of you couldn't stand one another so that was fine. Until the barbs, teasing and heavy tension exploded one night into the most mind-blowing sex.

Since then you couldn't get enough of one another and snuck around in private, away from the prying eyes of Hawkins High gossip chain.

Here the two of you could let your desires run wild, you couldn't stay away from Eddie and he couldn't stay away from you either.

"What the fuck?" the door bursts open and Sasha, a new member to Hellfire is staring at you both, her mouth falls open. She's gazing at the two of you stunned.

"You and you" she points to you and then Eddie and then appears momentarily speechless. You sigh and distentangle yourself from Eddie.

"Uh, Sasha hey" Eddie waves and you smirk amused as Sasha's face goes impossibly redder and redder. You fix your clothes and hair and apply your lipgloss, the one Eddie loves the taste of and wait for the kick off.

She's still spluttering and you grow impatient as you wait for her to say something. You give her a little wave and she swears under her breath.

Fuck could she just say something because you were cold and Eddie's lips were still looking very inviting, all kiss bitten and a little swollen. Involuntarily you shiver and Eddie notices, picks up his jacket and wraps it around you.

The gesture is so unexpected and gentle that it surprises you. Sasha makes a strangled sound in her throat and instead of blowing up at Eddie, she storms out and Eddie sighs.

"I'll handle it princess" he follows her out and you wait for him to come back, eventually you make your way to where they are as Sasha's voice raises.

Sasha frowns, "You know I had a bit of a crush on you, that's why I joined Hellfire. Not that it matters now. You're with her" she huffs. You feel a tiny bolt of jealousy and glare at her.

Ah shit Eddie sighs,. Hewas afraid of this. He knows he has to be as gentle as possible turning her down. "Look, I'm sorry Sasha but I only see you as a friend, that's it. I don't feel that way about you, sorry"

"I get that, I understand that Eddie but why are you even with her in the first place, you could have picked anyone else. She's from the dark side, popular and can be bitchy when she wants to be, like what the hell?" Sasha demands to him.

Eddie can't explain it, he can't explain why he's so drawn to you, how he can't stay away.

" It's just sex. It doesn't mean that much" you feel like you've been punched in the stomach when you hear Eddie say that.

Just sex. That's all you were? You will yourself not to cry and walk past Eddie and Sasha, toss his jacket to him and don't say a word. Eddie must be able to read your expression because his own face falls.

"Sweetheart" he calls after you but you ignore him and get in your car. It's only when you're back at home that the tears finally flow freely.

If you didn't mean anything to him then maybe you should just move on, stop this shit between you and Eddie goes on longer and longer.

The longer it goes on it will only increase your heartbreak when it ends. You can't risk that.

❤️

Sasha spends half the day glaring at you and Eddie, Eddie spends most of it trying to to talk to you.

Eventually you grow tired of his attempts and talk to him. "Alright Munson, if you want sex then just say or not" you snap and he looks taken aback.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He hisses, the tension rises between the two of you, it's so thick that you feel like you can't breathe. Stubbornly you hold his gaze and shrug.

"Nothing, what would be wrong? Of course you want to talk about sex or some shit like that. It's all I am to you and good for, right?" Your friends round the corner and you use this as an excuse to get away from Eddie and those stupidly pretty, big brown eyes.

❤️

There's a party at Jason's tonight you'd much rather be anywhere else right now. Jason is acting like his usual douchebag self, which darkens your mood even further.

Not helping matters is that Eddie's here, doing his usual dealings. Not that it bothers you that he makes money this way, it's to lessen the burden on his uncle which you think is sweet.

No, you're pissed at the fact that he's here at all, you've avoided him all day at school and now you have to avoid him here too. What could you say to him that didn't end with him either laughing at you or outright rejection. It wasn't appealing to you in the slightest.

Hurt by the fact that you're nothing but a fuck buddy to him you distract yourself and flirt with Jackson.

The flirting draws the attention of Eddie who stills and watches you and Jackson like a hawk. You ignore Eddie's silent fuming, even if it does give you a little thrill.

But you mean nothing to him so why does he care?

You sip your beer and nod your head to the music, catch up with your friends until a very irate Eddie catches your eye again and jerks his head to the door. He wants to talk.

Swallowing your nerves, you down your beer and walk past him, he follows you and you can see the jealousy written all over his face.

Once you're far away from the party Eddie rounds on you, "What the fuck was that? Jackson Reilly, are you fucking kidding me?" He sneers at you.

"He's nice to me" you shrug and his cheeks darken in anger. Brown eyes flashing dangerously.

"So I'm an asshole to you huh? You want a small dick fucker like him?" you shake your head and fold your arms across your chest, protecting yourself.

"No you dingus, I want you but you made it very obvious how you feel?" he looks to you confused and you move closer to him, frustrated that he's forgotten what he said.

You glare at Eddie and mimic what he said to Sasha "It's just sex, it doesn't mean that much. So you won't care if I'm with someone else then, no?" Eddie swallows and reaches out to you.

"I didn't mean that. I opened my big mouth to try and salvage the situation and I said dumb shit" you pout still feeling down about the whole thing.

"You still said it. So obviously you must think like that" he softens and he tugs you close to him, you smell the faintest hint of smoke and Eddie's cologne. You're favourite scent.

"No. No I really don't" he admits to you and the way he sounds, the affection for you is clear as day in his voice, it does things to your heart. You feel yourself soften slightly. Just slightly.

"How do I know you're not lying?" you murmur and try to hide the vulnerability in your voice. He shakes his head.

"I would never lie about things like this princess" he says sincerely and you believe him, rest your head on his chest.

"Shall we get out of here?" you nod at his suggestion, just wanting to lose yourself in him for a while.

...

Much later Eddie is fucking you on the hood of Jackson's car, his eyes meet yours and his hands tighten in yours as you both reach an explosive orgasm. It takes your breath away.

Eddie's lips shakily press to your forehead and his hand reaches up to stroke your cheek.

"This does mean something to me sweetheart, more than you know" he kisses you again and it sends your heart racing. As do his words, because you know that this means something to you too.

🫶

[picturejasper20]

Looking back the ending of Gravity Falls while thinking about endings of other series like Amphibia and The Ghost and Molly Mcgee, Weirdmageddon has a message that is underwhelming when it comes to Dipper and Mabel's relationship and Mabel's potrayal in the show.

This isn't about Mabel getting tricked by Bill. She is a 12-13 years old that in that context she was feeling really bad and not thinking well what she was doing. That isn't relevant to the topic at hand and honestly it isn't a problem she did that, it does makes sense in the episode it happened.

What i have an issue is how the narrative makes Dipper feel bad about considering staying studying with Stanford. This is something that Dipper was interested in and he was very fascinated by anything that was paranormal related. Stanford himself told Dipper he had a lot of potential and the kid was digging into it.

Mabel lashing out and not liking the idea of Dipper staying with Stanford is understandable in the episode Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future. She doesn't seem to have much friends back in her home and her parents are implied to not be the best. She gets scared of Dipper leaving, that's a reasonable fear for a kid to have.

However, as i mentioned before, Dipper is made feel bad about considering choosing something he wants to do. It isn't Mabel who has to learn that things change and sometimes this brings things we don't like. She doesn't exactly consider what Dipper wants for himself, she mainly cares about how ¨she is going to be alone¨ and making her brother feel selfish for choosing his own path or do something that could make him happy.

Yes, she learns that things can't stay the same forever and they are growing up, that itself is a pretty good development for her and overall a good message to teach.

Yet her being codependent on Dipper doesn't get brought up nor addressed, in fact the series seems to praise this behavior of hers. In how Dipper has to do what she wants if not he is a bad brother. Mabel's clinginess and controlling behaviour to an extent isn't called out, which that itself is a problem.

Small edit: I want to add an extra point here that Mabel does have a short scene near the end of the episode that she tells Dipper that she won't get in his way if he wants to stay with Stanford and she was ¨acting nuts¨ in the dream bubble. This is good for her but it does still feel in part that her issues weren't fully acknowledged and it doesn't help she didn't say this until after Dipper told her that he was going to stay with her and not be with Stanford, which is rather questionable in my opinion. It would have been more appropiate in the episode to have this brought up and getting adressed better than for her to wait for Dipper to do what she wanted.

In contrast in Amphibia, Marcy Wu has a similar arc about change. The series explores how she can take her escapism too far and how she can be very selfish in plenty of ways, something that is potrayed as an aspect she has to learn from and realize that it isn't healthy.

Her being too codependent on Anne and Sasha and their overall friendship is potrayed as toxic and the series explores this relationship a lot, having the girls grow over time and think about different aspects they have to work on.

In ¨True Colors¨ it is revealed that Marcy Wu learned about the Calamity Box the same day she got told by her parents that they were moving away. Very afraid of having to leave her friends behind and having to be alone in a new city, she found the Calamity Box and told Sasha and Anne about it. Worth of mentioning she didn't know if it would work but it was a desperate act of her just to not having to move away from her friends yet.

When Sasha and Anne find out about this they are, not surprisingly, very pissed and push from Marcy away for a moment, making Marcy realize her mistake and eventually apologizes for what she did.

In ¨All In¨ Marcy finally comes to terms with how she can't force Anne and Sasha to be the way she wants them to be and that her codependency on them isn't a good thing. She realizes that has to move away to her new home at some point, that things change but that doesn't mean the three of them have to stop being friends.

As you can see, there is a clear difference between how Mabel Pines and Marcy Wu’s characters and flaws are potrayed in the narrative. While Gravity Falls makes Mabel’s codependency and controlling behaviour to be something acceptable and that Dipper should conform to, Amphibia does the complete opposite and presents Marcy Wu’s actions as flaws she has and that can hurt other people, including her friends. She is the one that has to make a change and understand she has to work on herself if she wants to have new friends and keep these relationships as times moves on.

Since we are on topic, one thing that really bothered me is how Mabel created a version of Dipper that is ¨cool¨ and says yes and goes along with everything she wants to do. (Weirdmageddon Part 2)

This has… interesting implications of how Mabel believes that relationships should work, or at least with her brother twin Dipper. A lot has to do with how she and Dipper have very different personalities and she maybe wishes that he was more like her, but expecting someone else to say ¨yes¨ to everything you want is a toxic mentality to have. And the episode itself doesn’t address this enough, it doesn’t bring up to Mabel she can’t expect people to work like this and she should try thinking more about what others wants.

Lets talk about The Ghost and Molly Mcgee. In this series Molly Mcgee often has episodes where she has to learn certain lessons. One of them she learns over time is that often she has to give up control and let what others want to do instead.

A good example of this is ¨Ready, Set, Snow!¨ in which she is constanly trying to make Libby and Scratch to go and play outside in the snow with her without considering they would rather stay inside and sit near the fire for the moment. She spends most of the episode trying to find ways to make them go outside until she gets angry and goes out on her own. She has… quite of a mental breakdown in a sequence song. Scratch goes to check on her but he tells to her that she can’t do always what she wants and what it is important is for her to be spending time with her friends. Molly realizes she was wrong, goes back to the house and she apologizes for how she acted.

Molly has quite a lot of episodes like this, and all this becomes important in the series finale ¨The End¨ when she sees that Scratch has to go back to be Todd even if that means forgetting the memories he got as a ghost, her included. She tells Scratch that she is going to miss him a lot but she knows that forcing Scratch to stay wouldn’t be right. She encourages Scratch to go and ¨live his life¨ because she cares about Scratch being happy.

Similar to Marcy Wu, Molly learns that she can’t force people to do what she wants and she has to let them choose for themselves. She knows that encouraging Scratch to do what he always wanted to do as human is the right thing to do, even if it means saying goodbye to him.

I do understand the idea that Gravity Falls was doing at with something among the lines of ¨Dipper and Mabel not repeating the same mistakes that their uncles did¨ but that doesn’t mean Dipper has to give up his dreams at expense of what Mabel wants. As Dipper said in VS The Future episode: he can still visit and they can still talk to each other. They don’t have to fall apart the same way Standford and Stan did. Just like in Amphibia, if Marcy still was able to remain friends with Anne and Sasha over the years, the same can be applied to Dipper and Mabel as siblings.

If not, it could be rewritten in a way that makes Dipper reconsider that he would like to wait a few years before joining Stanford in his adventures. That he is still a kid and wants to spend a while longer figuring himself out and be with Mabel before making a decision. That way it feels more like a decision he wants to do for himself and goes along with his character arc that he doesn’t have to rush to grow up.

As for Mabel, she has a lot of growing up to do. She has to learn overtime that Dipper is his own person and he can take is own path. That if she wants to have friends or have in general healthy relationships with others, she can’t make it always about herself and people have their own needs as well. She would have to work on her codependency and clinginess she has on others, specially her own brother. This would help her with being a more mature capable individual when she grows up.

This post on itself isn’t me hating on Mabel’s character since she has moments she can be good and i feel a lot of her behaviour comes from not being taught properly and being a teenager. The problem is that the series doesn’t address this behaviour enough and, as result, it comes off as the series giving an unintentional underwhelming message of potraying Mabel’s issues as something that should be acceptable and not her having a dynamic with Dipper that comes off as toxic. It is important to understand to learn to support others and not always make things about ourselves. That sometimes relationships change and we can’t force people to be in a specific way.

[syoish-aot]

Been thinking about a Ten Seconds sequel lately, and I feel like the fic would open up with something a little like this....

[established Eren x asexual!Reader, modern verse, they're in their mid 20s]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

“Eren,” you say, “look at me.”

“Don’t look at her Eren!”

“Eren,” you repeat as you gently hold his face in your hands, forcing his gaze towards you. His eyes are the last thing to move. They stay locked on Armin before slowly, because he can’t stop himself from doing it, they move over to meet yours. “Eren you-...” you start, “you’re the love of my life.”

“OH MY GOD!!” Jean groans. “This seriously has to be against the rules! She can’t just-”

You flip Jean off, still staring intently at Eren from your place in his lap.

“Eren,” you start over, “you’re the love of my life and I would never ever lie to you.”

“She’s totally lying to you!!”

You ignore Jean as Eren squirms uncomfortably underneath you, currently caught between a rock and a hard place, especially with the way you’re looking at him.

His heart is thundering in his chest at the feeling of your soft hands on his cheeks. Your thighs against his. The way your breath ghosts softly over his face as you look at him, your boyfriend of three years, with nothing but pure love and adoration. He feels like he might melt.

“I’m not the werewolf,” you say, “it’s Jean.”

“I TOLD YOU IT IS NOT ME!!!”

“You’re the last villager left, right?” Eren nods along with your words. “So if you do the right thing and say that Jean is the werewolf, then you and I can be the last two survivors. We can win together.”

“Holy shit seriously!?” Jean turns to Armin, who’s holding back laughter at his boyfriend’s competitive outburst. “Armin, c’mon you have to tell her to stop! This is so unfair!”

“Sorry Jean,” Armin giggles, “I’m dead already, I can’t do anything about this.”

Jean groans and turns to Connie. “Back me up here, dude!”

“Nah this is hilarious.” Connie laughs as he leans back against the couch, taking another sip from his drink as he watches the end of their game of Ultimate Werewolf unfold.

Jean just groans again as he runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Eren don’t be a fucking idiot! She’s obviously the werewolf!! She took Sasha out last round because she was onto her!”

“Eren, he's jumping to conclusions,” you defend. “I’m your girlfriend, I love you so much and I wouldn’t lie to you like that.”

“You promise?” Eren asks, finally speaking for the first time since you crawled into his lap after Jean started throwing accusations at you.

“Of course I promise.” You lean forwards to give him a chaste kiss. “Besides,” you say as you pull away from his lips, “are you really going to pick Jean over me?”

And perhaps that’s what finally does it.

“Jean’s the werewolf,” Eren proclaims, “she’s a villager.”

“Is that your final vote?” Armin asks, mildly muffled by Jean’s yells of protest.

Eren locks eyes with yours and he nods.

“Alright,” Armin says, “what were you guys?”

Jean pulls up his card to show the group, loudly shouting: “I’M THE FUCKING DOCTOR YOU IDIOT!!!”

The card he was showing was, in fact, the doctor. Which meant….

“I won!!!” You proudly announce as you hop off Eren’s lap and flash everyone your own card:

werewolf

“I FUCKING TOLD YOU SHE WAS LYING!!!” Jean throws his card onto the table as you leap across the room to add a green tally behind your name on the whiteboard, marking another satisfying victory.

“You…. You lied to me?” Eren asks, still getting over the shock of your betrayal.

“Sorry babe,” you tell him as you turn around, snapping the lid onto the whiteboard marker as you do, “that’s just how the game’s played, I’m afraid.”

“You play this game the way I imagine a war criminal would play this game.” Mikasa says.

“Aww…” You place your hand on your heart. “Thank you.”

[allthelovenina]

can u write smth about levi and seven minutes in heaven?🤭🤭

Hi bestie! Here's your request. I hope y'all enjoy it.

Modern AU! College! Levi x reader

Slightly not sfw I guess?

Excuse my broken English in advance :")

Levi had been done with college parties after the freshman year, yet he found himself in Hange's stupid party.

Hange was a close friend of Levi, the party was supposed to be a "small birthday party" which he assumed there would only be the sophomores. The thing is, Hange already knew Levi had a crush on you for a year and half now and of course, Levi never confessed this but he didn't have to do so for someone as sharp as Hange to understand. Plus, teasing Levi has always been Hange's favorite hobby, so they invited you and your group of friends as well.

There sat on the floor Levi, Hange, Mike, Erwin, Nanaba and Moblit, the Juniors and You, Jean, Mikasa (Levi's gloomy cousin), Eren, Sasha and Connie, the sophomores, playing seven minutes in heaven.

If Levi was doubtful that Hange had it all planned out, the fact that they made him sit infront of y/n during playing game left no place for any doubt. Before he knew it, he was in a dark room with you. Levi was a simple man, he was left in a room alone with you his heartbeat would fasten. Of course, you had no idea how nervous he was so you broke the silence by a question that had always been stuck to your mind.

"Do you hate me, Levi?" You asked.

Levi felt his heart dropped by your question "Huh? Why are you asking such a dumb question?"

You let out a sign "You always look away when I look at you. I remember you would talk to me a lot more at the beggining of my freshman year, but after a while you...cut me off. What happened?"

'Idiot piece of shit, look what you've done'

Levi cursed himself in his mind. In reality he never meant to ghost you or ignore you, he was just scared of his feelings. Afraid that his non platonic, totally romantic affection for you would ruin your friendship. So he ignored his feelings at first and still talked to you for a week after his realisation but then, he saw some dude trying to hit on you which you had no idea of this guy's intentions but that was when Levi decided to go out of touch with you. You clearly had no feelings for him and it hurt him more to see you with another guy when he was just a friend. So he left, he didn't think it would be this long though. He assumed it would take him a few weeks to move on and then he could come back to you again with no romance involved as a friend.

But his anticipation was far from reality. The distance only lead him to crave you more and fall deeper, so he never came back.

But...you sounded so hurt and he hated it. He never thought his avoidance would hurt you.

"That's completely the opposite."

'Quit being a coward, Ackerman.'

"Huh?" You asked in confusion.

"The reason why I cut you off was that I was trying to process my feelings for you and...shut them down I guess."

The little light that entered the room through the small space beneath the door was enough for Levi to see your eyes, wide shut in surprise.

"Are...you saying that you ignored me cause you had a crush on me?"

Thank heavens the room was dark enough for you to see Levi blushing, playing in favor of Levi with the little light exposing your expression to him while as the same time the darkness prevented you from seeing his. "Yeah...I'm sorry never meant to hurt your feelings"

'This idiot.' echoed in your mind.

You grabbed his collar and pulled him close, giving him a kiss on his lips. Oh no one knows how badly you wanted to taste them all this time.

Levi was shocked, but after a second or two, he just let the flow take him wherever. He kissed you back, closed his eyes as his hands found their way to your waist, pulling you even closer. He felt his cheeks burning, the heat was taking his body. It felt like he was a teenager once again. He placed one of his hands on your nape, he ran his hands all over it. Gently massaging your nape.

You pulled back to catch breath. "W...what was...that?" Levi asked.

"You're a fucking idiot...you know that?" You replied as you were still panting.

"I had a crush on you too."

This time, Levi's eyes were wide shut. There were so much he wanted to say right now. He just couldn't find the words. He wanted to tell you more about his feelings, like how he was slightly sad all the time ever since he had cut you off and how badly he wanted to punch anyone who talked shit about you, how many nights he got drunk alone only to find himself starring at your pictures on social media or your contact number, debating whether to call you or not

He didn't say a word, instead pulled you back in his arms and leaned his head to your neck, kissing it passionatly like a thirsty man who just found water. You placed one hand on his shoulder and another through his undercut, then through his sculp, tugging his hair playfully as he found the sensitive spot on your neck which made you moan quietly. "Levi..."

Maybe it was the alchohol in his system or maybe the dopamine in his body that made him so brave and courageous. "You still like me don't you?"

You rolled your eyes as you were trying calm down from his earlier touch. "No shit Scherlock."

"Be mine then, I'll make you happy, I promise."

So blunt, no poetic line. Typical Levi, you didn't expect him to be anything different anyways. What you didn't expect was what he'd just said.

You remained silent, trying to process the whole thing. Never thought the night would turn out like this, in fact you did dream this situation a few times in sleep.

Before you could say anything, the door was opened, the sudden exposure of light hurt your eyes that had already got used to the darkness. Hange let out a loud laughter as they found you two clinging to eachother.

"My, my! Look at you guys!"

You blushed, felt embarrassed as you were cought in 4k. Levi let out an annoyed groan and frowned. "Shut up four eyes!"

#

[kasagia]

Devoted

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova/General Kirigan/The Darkling x fem! shadow summoner! reader Summary: Aleksander and Baghra have been your family since you left the house of your father, who blamed you for your mother's death in childbirth. You and Sasha became more; he was your epic love interest and mentor. You wanted to be just like him... until one event radically changed your beliefs and led you to doubt your great purpose. Nonsense from me: This is a request from @justmasblack I hope that you like it! 💙🖤 P.S. I'm so sorry it took me so long. 😅 (Inspired by Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo) Warning(s): angst, mentions of death, blood, violence, the reader and Aleksander are lost, the reader can't go on like this any longer Word count: 6,7k Taglist: @aoi-targaryen @morrigan-crowmwell

Hate to give the satisfaction, asking how you're doing now How's the castle built off people you pretend to care about? Just what you wanted Look at you, cool guy, you got it

"How do you feel?" you ask, standing in the doorway to his chamber.

It's the first time since you've seen him after… the fold. He has his face down on the ground and looks at his hands. In one of them, he holds a handkerchief… soaked in his black blood.

He doesn't even look up at you.

"Good. How was your mission?" you sigh at his question and move deeper into the room, glancing briefly at the nichevo'yas present in the room.

"They have to be here even when you're talking to me?" you ask mockingly, but instead of immediately responding to your irritable provocation, he tenses up. Something is wrong. He tries to mask it with a fake, mocking smile.

"Are you afraid of them?" he asks, challenging you, looking at the remains of Morozova's stag in his hand.

"I fear nothing but myself." you respond to him with one of the rules you learned from living by his side. He nods his head in appreciation.

"Properly. Do you have what I wanted?" he asks and gets up from his chair, still with his back to you, and walks over to his desk, where his unfinished glass of whisky and bottle are.

"Have I ever let you down?" you ask and walk over to him, putting down all the important and needed notes and books he left in the Little Palace.

"Never. Not you." he replies thoughtfully, swirling the glass and drinking the rest of the alcohol in one gulp. "That's why I have another mission for you."

"You won't even ask about the freed Grishas? About how I managed to steal them from the palace and bring them here?"

"Since you're here, I'm guessing it went smoothly. Besides, I heard horses pounding in the courtyard. Everyone made it, didn't they?" he asks confidently, sorting through the things you brought him. You smile involuntarily. Always confident.

"Good to know the volcra didn't yank your arrogance out of you, but if you're going to mock me, at least look at my face, Aleksander." you challenge him, staring at his back defiantly, knowing full well that he feels your gaze.

"Only you can make fun of a volcra attack with such cruelty. Now I see why people hated you for that." he says, finally turning to face you.

You think he looks at you with more intensity than you do. Always judging, anticipating, and analysing his next move. Oddly enough, his behaviour interests you more than the black scars on his face.

You take a few steps towards him and stop, leaving a meagre, short distance between you two. One small step forward, and you could kiss him.

You hold back, though, and put your hand over his cheek. His rough beard gently tickles you as you run your thumb over the scar on his cheek. He is watching you intently, closing his eyes for a moment as he feels your fingertips on one of his black scars.

"Do you want me to kiss it better?" you ask him, leaning closer to him.

"150 years by my side and I still don't know when you're joking and when you're serious." he says in wonder, staring at you expectantly.

You are smiling. You stand on tiptoe and plant a soft, tender kiss on his cheek, feeling the furrow from his scar on your lips.

He shivers, his eyes closed, as his arms slowly slide around you and wrap around your waist. He holds you close to him, as if afraid that you will run away from him at any moment.

"Aren't you disgusted? Are you not afraid?" he asks, opening his eyes and drilling into yours. His shadows and dark creatures circle you both as he lets his guard down for a moment.

"Your darkness is mine." you whisper before you pull him into a passionate, needing kiss. You let your power flow with his. The room is completely dark as your shadows move to play with his when both of you lose yourself in each other again.

I see the parties and the diamonds sometimes when I close my eyes Six months of torture you sold as some forbidden paradise

"Are you enjoying yourself, General?" you ask teasingly as you approach him at another winter fest.

"Quite. How about you, Colonel?" he asks, the annoyed look on his face after talking to the king softening as he looks at you.

You've been by his side for almost a hundred years. And he always admired the way you looked in black kefta. Something only you and he could wear. Your colours. A clear sign of your belonging to him.

"You look lovely, by the way." he adds casually after looking carefully around to see if anyone is interested in your conversation.

" Lovely enough to catch the eye of some worthy suitor? What do you think about it, brother?" you ask teasingly, making sure the last word comes out as sweetly and mockingly as possible from your lips. You smile at his irritated look.

"This is the last time I let you invent new identities for us." He sighs in annoyance. You laugh genuinely.

"You said yourself that last time I distracted you too much as your wife." you remind him, sipping champagne from a nearby table.

"And now you're doing it as my pseudo-sister when I can't kiss and hold you the way I want. That's why you will be my mistress next time." you sigh, feigning shock, and place your hand on your chest.

"Mistress? You want to make a poor, innocent girl your bed warmer? Aren't you ashamed to pervert me like this?"

"You are already perverted, my little shadow. Maybe you need a reminder? About who do you really belong to?"

"I belong to myself." he licks his lips, giving you a hungry, dark look that would make anyone flinch… anyone except you. You wanted nothing more than to succumb to his aura.

You lean in gently. Enough that anyone who happened to be watching you would assume that you were leaning over to the table for something. But you do all of this only to leave a hickey on his neck. He sighs, not expecting you to be this brave (or stupid) to do such a thing right here and now.

"You're lucky we're in public, my little shadow."

"Oh, come on. You love it when I torture you like this." you tease him, watching him carefully. You envied his ability to hide the emotions on his face, but his eyes... his eyes betrayed his every emotion to you. At least that's what you wanted to think.

"And I like reminding you even more of who's really in charge here."

"Be careful with that… your mother says I'm getting more powerful every day… maybe even more than you."

He laughs, mocking the thought that you could ever be his match, let alone be stronger than him.

"Baghra would say anything to put me down. I wouldn't trust her words so blindly if I were you. No matter how flattering they are."

"Yes? Then why don't you want to prove yourself right and take on me?" you say, pointing out to him your insistent requests to have a real duel with him. Not just the training sessions he personally walked you through when you and Baghra argued so much that neither wanted to see the other.

"For one simple reason, my beautiful, naive, defiant little shadow… I have completely different plans for you than to consume you in my darkness."

"Who said you wouldn't be the one consumed by my darkness?" you ask, staring into his dark brown eyes.

He laughs, not believing that you - the girl he took in less than a hundred years ago - could beat him. "Keep on dreaming, my little shadow. Now, won't you dance with me?"

You took his hand and let him lead you.

Continuing to be his amusement and plaything.

I loved you truly Gotta laugh at the stupidity

"Did you mourn over me?" he asked you, stroking your hair as you two were lying in his bed, taking deep breaths after what you were doing.

"Where did you get that question from?" you ask, lifting your head from his chest to look at him. The hand that was combing through your hair lands on your back, stroking your bare skin with his fingertips. You shiver at his familiar, soft touch.

"Answer... Did you cry for me? You cursed my name? Maybe you were tempted to create an altar for me?" you've never felt more watched than under the gaze of his dark brown eyes.

"I was so scared... when you didn't come back from the fold... I felt like part of me died there with you. I can't live without you, Aleksander. Please... don't do such a thing ever again. You are my only shelter and the only thing I care about in this bloody world. There is no me without you." you think, but you know better to say it out loud. To admit how much power he has over you, how much you've become addicted to him.

"I've been waiting for you to come haunt me as a ghost to tell you that I told you so, and that is all your fault. Maybe I would use your cult and the people who trusted you to take over Ravka and rule by myself." you say and he laughs, turning on his side to look at you.

"My cruel little shadow didn't shed a single drop of a tear for me? What a pity." he says teasingly with a smirk as he wraps a strand of your hair around his finger.

"I was planning a bloody revenge and include a mention of you in my first speech as Ravka's Queen of Kings when I'm done. You should be happy or at least show some appreciation."

"No king by your side?" he asks curiously, raising an eyebrow at you.

"No. You are my only equal. If you were dead, I wouldn't need anyone by my side."

"So you need me after all, cruel queen of vengeance?" he asks, amused, raising an eyebrow at you with a smirk on his face.

"Amazingly, you're a good thing to scare people. The mere mention of your name makes everyone tremble."

He laughs and leans in to kiss you passionately. He holds you tightly in his arms, as if making sure you won't run away from him, that you'll stay with him even when his shadows and nichevo'ya watch over the two of you. Making sure you're as drunk on power as he is.

"I will always be here. Together, we will destroy others with our sahdows. Everyone will bow to us, moya tsaritsa." he whisper in your lips, between the kisses.

"Moi tsar." you mumble as you feel your shadows release, forming a ball around you that completely obscures both of you.

"I have a task for you." he says, stroking your sides teasingly as he smiles and watches you squirm under his touch.

"Good. But I want one thing in return."

"Name it."

He agrees, his dark eyes completely engrossed in the sight of your beautiful face, desperate for him. He chuckles darkly as you straddle him impatiently. He keeps his hands on your hips as you lean in and whisper in his ear.

"You will show me how you create your nichevo'yas." you kiss him passionately, bringing him closer and stroking his black scars on his back.

He moans into the kiss, knowing full well that he will do as you wish. He will enjoy watching you try to create what he did, how you try to match him in his darkness.

'Cause I've made some real big mistakes But you make the worst one look fine I should've known it was strange You only come out at night

It was supposed to be an ordinary mission.

Track down the deserters, kill them, and teach the others a lesson so they don't even think about escaping or leaving the Second Army.

And everything went on as usual… at least up to a point.

Of course you tracked them down with Ivan by your side. Thanks to him, you knew which direction to go, and when you both managed to stop in their place, your favourite part was about to begin.

Screams and pleas for mercy, mournful cries, last prayers, and their words before dying gave you a sense of power. Every drop of blood shed through your cut was like a drug to you. It proved that you were in charge of life and death and that you were too powerful to be stopped by anyone.

"Where is your saintly little sun summoner now?" you ask mockingly, and as your shadows cover them all, the sunlight disappears. All they'll see before they die are you and your shadows.

Everyone is too scared to say anything. They know you. The deputy general. His lover, his little shadow. Shadow Summoner. More cruel and bloodthirsty than the Darkling himself. They'd be lucky if you ended their lives with just a cut.

"You betrayed the Second Army. Your General, a future tsar and all the Grishas. And now you will pay for it."

You form a cut by being merciful enough to quickly end their lives. And then you see it…

Little child in the crowd. Girl. Maybe she was 8 years old. You reluctantly remember yourself at her age. A girl abandoned by her father who wandered around the world until she found other shadow summoners like her. The terror in the baby's eyes, the tears streaming down her cheeks, and the way she trembles in fear stir something in you.

You've never hurt a child before. That was your only moral boundary. And now you were about to cross it against yourself. For the Second Army. For Aleksander…

You close your eyes and make a cut in the crowd.

After a while, it's quiet again. No screaming and crying. Just you, your shadows, and Ivan faithfully waiting by the horses. You take one last look at the girl's body before returning to your companion and horses.

Deep down, you know this sight will haunt you longer than you think. And you can't quite understand what caused such a change...

Or you pretend, shaking your head as you remember the scared look in her eyes… exactly the same as you had when you were an abandoned child who had to survive on her own.

I used to think I was smart But you made me look so naive The way you sold me for parts As you sunk your teeth into me, oh Bloodsucker, famefucker Bleedin' me dry, like a goddamn vampire

"So you're still here." these are Baghra's first words to you. She doesn't even look in your direction.

She stares out the window as if the view beyond him will change at any moment. Aleksander made sure you settled down with the Grishas, who were loyal to him, in a remote place. Nobody could find you here... at least not yet.

"So he finally locked you in a cage. To be honest, I felt you were going to cross the line soon, but to betray him? Your own son? I've never felt more disgusted by you." the woman just smiles mockingly. She shifts her gaze towards you for a moment.

"In a few days, maybe months, maybe years, even centuries, you will be in my place and do the same as me. As soon as you open your eyes and see that he's manipulating you."

"He loves me." you start, but you're not sure if what you're saying is entirely true. After all, he never said that.

"He loves your power. You'll see it one day." she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"It doesn't matter. We shall rule together, side by side."

"Once, you wanted to be a protector. A hero. To ensure Grishas' safe future without war or battles. You didn't chase your own people. Look how you have fallen so low. The girl I met would never let her be a plaything in anyone's hands."

"I'm nobody's toy! I am a shadow summoner, more powerful than you or Aleksander. I am his equal, the future queen of Ravka. And I will achieve all this so that no Grisha has to go through what we have. No Grisha will ever suffer again for who he is."

"Then why are you chasing your people? Why do you cut them in half in cold blood? Because they ran away? Because they feared for their lives? What's the difference between you and Otkazat'sya or Drüskelle?" you clench your fists. You don't give in to her. Baghra won't get on your nerves. You're over it.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. Neither you nor Alina can understand our actions." you say, taunting her as you look at her in disgust. She betrayed you and Aleksander the moment she decided to help that little saint-bitch.

"Actions of you both or HIS?" she says, raising an eyebrow at you, not caring about your appalling attitude. She knows you. Just as good as her son. "Haven't you become that? A faithful servant who obeys his orders? Who kills the innocent at his command? Who gets his hands dirty for him?"

You sneer, but deep down, you're considering her question. The eyes of that puppy you cut in half with your cut cross your mind again. And a look full of fear—pure fear and tears in her eyes does not bring you the same satisfaction and sense of power as before. You wanted to be a hero once. Now you were the darkness. The evil parents used to scare their children at bedtime... and strangely enough, you felt like the weakest person in the world.

"At least I'm not rotting in this cage." you say as you walk towards the exit. "Oh! I forgot to tell you the most important thing. We're getting married. He gave me an engagement ring made of your bones as an amplifier, great, right, mom? We will finally be a family."

You walk out of the room with a cruel smile, not feeling as powerful and confident as before you walked in. And that little kid's cursed eyes full of fear will haunt you for the rest of the day.

And every girl I ever talked to told me you were bad, bad news You called them crazy, God, I hate the way I called them crazy too

You enter Aleksander's tent, furious. Your shadows circle around you as you walk to the mirror and undo the intricate hairdo Genya did for you.

"What has bitten you?" he asks, keeping his eyes on the map as he considers his plan one last time. Morozova's stag bone in his hand only fuels your anger.

"Your precious Alinoshka." you snort furiously, trying to let your damn hair out of your bun.

Aleksander chuckles and approaches you from behind. He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you to him, his lips against your neck.

"She's definitely not mine... well, only her powers are. Unlike you, my little angry shadow." he says as he kisses your neck. For a second, you think he wants to give you a hickey, but he stops himself. He rests his chin on your shoulder and looks at you in the mirror. "You are all mine, and you look lovely in my coat."

"The idiots lost my clothes chest. I have to steal from you, you don't mind, do you?"

He purrs against your neck, shaking his head. With one hand, he unhooks his coat from you and lets it fall to the floor, leaving you standing in his black kefta that's only held on by a belt.

"How could I when it makes you look so gorgeously mine?" you snort with laughter as he wraps his arms around your waist and kisses your neck. "What has our sun summoner done to make my beautiful little shadow angry?"

"I went to her tent to convince her of our cause… she of course, started to argue. We shouted at each other a bit, like girl to girl. She called me a stupid, cruel bitch and said you manipulated me as much as you manipulated her."

"You threatened her with your shadows and almost killed her, didn't you?"

"Of course not… we need her, I was being completely careful. I didn't even get her close to agony."

"My good little doom." he praises you, stroking your cheek tenderly as he stares at you with a dark smile. "Once we've expanded the fold, you can do whatever you want with her. Even if you killed her, I wouldn't particularly care."

"Thank you." you say, turning to kiss him passionately. Your tongues intertwine, and your shadows merge, dancing in a familiar dance as you both feel the other's power and the empowering abilities that his touch brings. you are addicted. From him and his taste, the feeling of power that he gives you. You don't want to be anywhere else. Only by his side. "You know what… I think I know how you can help me forget about this crazy bitch."

"I will be more than happy." he says, pushing you onto the bed.

You're so convincing How do you lie without flinching? (How do you lie, how do you lie, how do you lie?)

"You lied to them without flinching. I'm impressed." you say when he returns from meeting the royal family. You took on a new identity. A Darkling's son and his wife (a distant relative) who both can summon shadows.

"A matter of habit. In a few centuries, you will be able to do it too." he assures you as he leads you to his chambers.

You snort when he puts his hand on your back. "I'm offended that you think I don't have that skill yet, husband." you say, teasing him. You didn't get married. However, that didn't stop the two of you from pretending otherwise. Maybe someday…

"I know when you're lying, wife." he says, also teasing you. Your black kefta billows behind you as you walk to the Little Palace.

"Because you know me well. If you lied to me, I'd know you did too." he laughs, incredulous at your ability to spot his lie.

He leads you through the familiar corridors of the Little Palace. You just hope they assigned him the same chambers. You loved going out on the balcony in the evening.

"Let's try." he stands in the middle of the corridor. "Baghra contacted me. She wants to meet. Am I lying or not?" he asks with a raised eyebrow, waiting for your answer.

"Partly. Baghra wrote to you, but not about the meeting. It was about something else."

The amused smirk disappears from his face. He looks at you with a twinkle in his eye, surprised and a little excited at the same time.

"How did you know?"

You take his hand and pull him to you. You kiss him, enjoying the feel of his lips on yours. "Your eyes tell me everything." you say, making sure he doesn't look at you.

Actually, it was completely the opposite. He was the one who could easily read from your eyes. That's why you're not going to tell him you know what he lied about just because you read the letter. You won't give him the satisfaction of not really knowing when he's lying.

Ooh, what a mesmerizing, paralyzing, fucked-up little thrill Can't figure out just how you do it, and God knows I never will

You loved the thrill of power when you used your shadow. Now all you could think of was those damn scared eyes every time you summoned your shadows.

That's why when you and Aleksander went to destroy Karemzin with his men, you "allowed him" to do the honours. Using your shadows has become traumatic for you.

You hoped it would pass. That Baghra's words, that fucking terrified look from the girl, and the growing doubts inside of you kept you awake in the night.

Fortunately, Aleksander didn't notice any change in you. Maybe he didn't want to, maybe he didn't care, or maybe his own problems were too big to notice yours.

Anyway, when you told him to destroy the town, he was at least... surprised. You always fought him to show off your powers, to show how powerful you are. Now you were standing back, watching him. His thoughts wandered towards you as he sent his shadows directly at unsuspecting people.

You, on the other hand, watched silently as the town collapsed under his shadows and listened to the screams of the people as they quickly came and disappeared. There was complete silence. And you trembled. Not the excitement or the wonderful thrill of seeing how terrifying and ruthless your Aleksander is. You trembled in fear. Aleksander blamed this on the exceptionally cold weather.

"We're setting up camp here." he announced to his men, and he walked over to you. Seeing this, you shifted your gaze from where Karemzin used to be to him and gave him a small smile.

"Nice show. I almost forgot you could still do that." you say, remembering the countless times you've destroyed villages for each other to save each other from discovering your little secret of immortality.

"Thank you, are you sure you're okay? You look pale."

"Maybe I need tea… and your arms around me in our tent." he giggles and immediately hugs you.

His coat and arms surround you, creating a safe bubble of warmth. However, all you can do is hear the screams of those people from a moment ago… and see behind your closed eyes blue, innocent irises looking at you in fear.

"Do you want me to show you how I create nichevo'ya?" he asks, pulling back to look at you intently. You pretend you're okay and smile back with a quick and excited nod of your head.

You hope this will bring back your power-hungry nature. That old Y/N would finally get out and play with her shadows again. That Aleksander will help you overcome this growing guilt within you and take away from you the burden of the sins you have committed in his name and out of fun.

However, when you manage to create your own nichevo'ya, to your and Aleksander's shock, you don't feel that relief and excitement. Guilt grows inside you, and your throat tightens as the nichevo'ya follows your every command.

Aleksander is speechless. Enough that he can only whisper: "My talented little darkness." before he pulls you in for a hungry kiss.

A little shadow turned into a little darkness. And instead of feeling overwhelmingly happy that he's finally seen your potential, you start to fear your power and about what he wants to do with it.

Went for me, and not her 'Cause girls your age know better

You used to mock Aleksander for how initially he was fascinated by Alina's light and what she could do as a sun summoner.

You also didn't know why he was so concerned about losing his connection to her through Morozova's stag bones. You knew how inconvenient this had become for your plans, but you couldn't understand why he was so easily engulfed by her light and worried about losing the ability to summon it.

You changed your mind when you faced her. As you watched her light scatter your shadows. For a moment, a small, fleeting moment, the sinner in you wanted to pray to Sankta Alina for forgiveness and help. For her to get you out of your darkness.

But then she attacked Aleksander. And you didn't hesitate for a moment to send a shadow barrier at him and create nichevo'ya to attack Alina.

And again, you saw the same terror in her eyes as in that little girl's eyes. And you came back to that clearing for a moment—to that moment when you sent a cut at them... when you closed your eyes in shame, not wanting to see what you had done.

You froze so much that Aleksander managed to save you from Alina's attack at the last moment. The roof above you collapsed, leaving you and Aleksander alone on one side of the corridor. You both ran outside.

"What were you thinking? What happened to you there?" he asks furiously, looking at you. This was your chance to grab her. You knew he would be furious with you. But instead of blaming you, he walks over and locks you in a tight, almost painful hug. "You are mine. I can't lose you, my little darkness."

And the worst part is, you don't know if he's holding you and clinging to you because he's hurt at the thought of losing the only person he cares about or if he just can't afford to lose your powers as well.

One thing is certain.

You can't go on like that anymore.

And in his arms, as you both cling to each other, you promise yourself that this will be the last time. You don't want power. You don't want the throne. You don't want everything you've wanted so badly... you don't want to be like Aleksander. You just want to finally feel at peace... just this once.

I've made some real big mistakes But you make the worst one look fine I should've known it was strange You only come out at night I used to think I was smart But you've made me look so naive The way you sold me for parts As you sunk your teeth into me, oh Bloodsucker, famefucker Bleedin' me dry, like a goddamn vampire

You remembered that day, like today. How you left your own house without looking back. When, after discovering that you were a shadow summoner, you decided that you could handle yourself. That you no longer have to live at home with a cruel father who blamed you for your mother's death in childbirth.

Luckily, you weren't alone for long. One day, you met them. Two people just like you, who welcomed you with open arms and welcomed you as one of their own (after a long time of both gaining each other's trust. Fate hurts both you and them.) But now you have your own little family.

You weren't Y/N Y/L/N, you were Y/N Morozova.

And that night, you were supposed to erase all traces of your past once and for all.

You told Aleksander and Baghra that you were going to visit your relatives. It was partly true. You think as you enter your father's house.

You don't tell him anything. You don't have to. From the determined, stern look in your eyes, a man knows why you're here. Aleksander taught you how to form the cut on objects. You decided a long time ago who would be your first living victim.

It's different than you imagined. When your shadows cut it in half... nothing happens. You don't feel regret, anger, or sadness. The blood on the wall and the blood that forms under it does not arouse any emotions in you. You just feel your shadows buzz inside you, wanting to get out, wanting to destroy everything around you, the last evidence of your old life and who you used to be.

But now you were Grisha. Shadow Summoner. Morozova's powerful ancestor.

And you had a goal. Destroy those who wish evil on you and your people. Anyone who dared hurt Grishas. And you started with your father.

You're leaving the house. You walk backward, watching your shadows crush the building to the ground. You feel a strange feeling of power rising in your veins.

And then you bump into someone's chest.

You don't scream. You don't attack.

You know this smell, especially the feeling of those strong arms around you. Only one person could just hold you to his chest in a situation like this.

"How are you feeling, little shadow?" he whispers in your ear. You don't know how he knew he'd find you here, how he tracked you down, or if he followed you from the beginning.

But it's good to feel his arms around you. They surround you almost like his shadows.

"Good. Free." Powerful. Invincible. Almighty.

You're not going to tell him. Not now. Not when you don't know how he'll react to it. But when he turns you around in his arms to look at him, you know you both share this thirst for power.

He tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear. His gaze penetrates your eyes deeply, making you shiver. You feel that he can reach into your deepest, most secret dreams. And that he finds there a reflection of his own desires.

So you stand on your tiptoes and lean forward to kiss him.

And when you feel his lips on yours, his hands wrapped around your waist to pull you as close as possible to him, and the way he amplifies the shadows inside of you that are already buzzing with excitement, you feel like you can do anything by his side. And you both know this is just the beginning.

You and he were going to change the world.

You said it was true love, but wouldn't that be hard? You can't love anyone, 'cause that would mean you had a heart I tried you help you out, now I know that I can't 'Cause how you think's the kind of thing I'll never understand

"Aleksander?" you ask him when you enter your chamber and see him engrossed in books and maps.

"Come here, Y/N! I need to show you something." He says excitedly, and the fact that he's called you by name only proves that how important it is.

You sit on his lap and study the maps he has spread out. There are red crosses in some places.

"The places of the amplifiers. We are so close to everything we have planned. I can't wait to see you in the crown by my side, my little darkness. They will worship us. The new saints and rulers of Ravka. Saviours of all Grishas." he continues excitedly as he holds you in his lap and looks at all the papers on the desk.

"What about Alina? Her tracker? The Grishas who followed her… your mother?" you ask. He stops stroking your hair and shifts his gaze towards you.

"You don't know? They will kneel before us. Traitors will be punished accordingly. I promise you, my little darkness. No one dares to oppose us. No one will be brave enough to fight our darkness." he places a tender kiss on your forehead. "We're both in it. We don't need anyone else, my little faithful, pretty darkness."

He glances back at his maps and plans. He doesn't notice your nervous look or swallow. And you realise more than before that you don't want it. You don't want to be queen through fear and violence… you don't want to see again, in dreams, behind closed eyes, and on the faces of others, that frightened look of the little girl you cut in half with your shadows.

You do not want to be like Aleksander.

You spent 150 years striving to be where you are now. By his side. His equal. Just like him. His matching darkness.

And now you would do anything to go back those 150 years… not to commit so many sins in the name of power and love for a man who can't love anyone because his heart died ages ago before he even met you.

"You and I will finally change this world, Y/N. We're so close, my little darkness." he says, pulling you closer to him.

You shudder at the nickname, which has become a sweet curse, uttered by him with tenderness. A curse that was another thing to remind you of your wickedness… that you had become a monster.

Aleksander frowns for the first time since you entered his tent, noticing that there is something wrong with you. That you don't have that excited twinkle in your eyes when he talks about his plans. That you don't have that dark smirk on your face that drove both of you to action.

"What is this? What's in your mind?" he asks, caressing your cheek tenderly.

You lean in and kiss him. Aleksander does not realise the importance of this kiss. He doesn't realise that this is your last attempt to get back at him. One last attempt to hold on to him with the last of his strength. Last try before you put your own plan into action. Before you make a final and irreversible decision about both of you.

You kiss him with everything you have. With all the passion, love and affection that he has instilled in you over the last 150 years.

Your mentor. Your saviour. Your great, epic love. Your sweet villain. Your worst doom and greatest happiness.

Your Aleksander.

You pull away from the kiss and rest your forehead against his. He notices your tears, but he thinks they are tears of joy, that you, just like him, are glad that your long journey is coming to an end.

"I love you, Aleksander." you whisper with tears in your eyes, silently begging him to say back those three words you've been missing for ages. To prove that he cares about you, that he's not completely consumed in his darkness.

But he smiles only and kisses you on the forehead again, stroking your hair as he whispers softly: "I know."

You kiss him again. You don't want to show him that you're broken. That with his answer, he sealed your fate… that you had completely lost all hope of saving yourself and him. Because there was no you without Aleksander. And you couldn't go on like that anymore.

I've made some real big mistakes But you make the worst one look fine I should've known it was strange You only come out at night I used to think I was smart But you made me look so naive The way you sold me for parts As you sunk your teeth into me, oh Bloodsucker, famefucker Bleedin' me dry, like a goddamn vampire

He was preparing for his… your quest for the amplifier. His men were assembling the camp; his tent was just your suitcases and a few key reports and plans he had yet to go through.

He planned everything perfectly. It's a shame you were about to ruin it all.

"Aleksander. We have to talk." you say, hiding the tremble in your voice.

"Now? We're about to leave, can't it wait a while? We'll talk on the way." he says without taking his eyes off the papers in his hands. Saints, if only he knew how hard it is for you to do what you have to do right now.

"I have a feeling that I wouldn't be by your side to witness your victory, Aleksander." you say to him, playing with the sleeve of your black kefta. A ring made of Baghra's bone has never weighed on you more as you let your shadows step out for a moment and roam the tent.

"Where would you be then?" he asks, finally interested in you as he looks up at you with a surprised and panicked look.

You just smile. Aleksander is trembling. It's not that smile that warms his dead heart, it's not that dark smile that makes him shiver, his shadows are eager to play with yours.

Your smile is empty, without hope, sad and as if… resigned. Tears form in your eyes. Aleksander takes a hesitant step towards you.

"Y/N..." he whispers, watching your emotions finally surface.

"I love you, Aleksander. I always did. You were my epic love. My shelter. My mentor. Everything I've ever known. The only constant in my life. I've always wanted to impress you, to match you. Stop being just your little shadow… I'm sorry I didn't love you properly. Not enough. Maybe it would be better if you ended up with Alina. She is… the light. And we are only darkness. Maybe it's my fault… that I went deeper into this darkness with you, that I pushed you into it myself and enjoyed it more than anything…" you say, no longer holding back tears. This is the first time Aleksander has seen you in such a… vulnerable state. And he's terrified.

"Y/N, what are you talking about?"

"I'm so sorry, Sasha... but I can't do this anymore." you whisper with tears in your eyes and start to form the cut.

"Stop. No, please stop! No! Stop!" he screams, terrified. He runs to you to stop you, but his nichevo'ya holds him in place. He can only watch, screaming in horror and great grief, as one of his shadow monsters crushes your neck before his eyes.

He screams louder than ever. And you close your eyes, unable to see the terror in his dark brown eyes.

When his nichevo'ya finally releases him, he runs over to you. He takes you in his arms, holding you close to him on his lap.

"I... I never meant for this... I-I swear." he cries, cradling you close to his chest in his arms. He knows there's nothing he can do anymore. He has a few moments left with you. And you realise that, unlike you, he can't control them. It's his shadows that control him.

"Sh... sh... I know... I love you, Sasha."

"Please… no… I love you, I love you so much, Y/N. Please..." he cries as he leans his forehead on yours. "I can't do it without you… I can't live without you. You are... my everything. Please... don't leave me..."

You taste his tears as he kisses you one last time, as if trying to keep you by his side. With the last of your strength, you take advantage of the connection between you and give him your power. So he will no longer be controlled by his shadows.

"I'm so sorry, Aleksander." you whisper into his lips, and you feel all your strength starting to leave you. Only loud screams and Aleksander's tight, aching embrace keep you in this world.

After a while, you feel nothing. It's just you and blissful emptiness.

You feel at peace.

And deep down, you feel that you and Aleksander will meet again on the other side… this time, maybe you'll both enjoy the light.

[dutifullyscreechingdragon]

Michael the Distortion X Reader

A/n: Hiiii, I should note from the start, that the characters belong to the Magnus Archives Podcast, which was written by Johnny Sims. So, yeah, I do NOT own the characters. That being out of the way, enjoy:)

You were an Archival assistant. You were also Helen's close friend. So it was natural that she went to you for comfort after being trapped in the weird halls dimension and terrorised by a series of weird doors. It was also natural for you to suggest she makes a statement for the Archives. There was a chance, however slim, that they might do some digging into the matter.

And naturally, you were there with her as emotional support. It would be cruel to make her face Jon's scrutiny on her own.

So here you were, listening to your friend rambling about her encounter, nodding along and giving her encouraging smiles. You glanced at Jon. He wasn't pleased, but he wasn't wearing his usual look of skepticism either.

"...Maybe you can make some sense of it" Helens words finally drew you out of your thoughts.

"We'll try our best" you gave Helen another smile and gave her a pat on the back. Your little moment was interrupted by Jon:

"You said you don't remember the man's name..."

"I... I think he told me, but I just, I..." Helen begins but is interrupted, by Jon:

"-it wasn't Michael, was it?"

"Yes! Michael..." Helen's face darkens "Do you know him?"

You furrow your eyebrows and turn to Jon:

"You don't think that-"

"Maybe. I don't know!" Jon sighs and turns to Helen "We'll make some enquiries and get back to you"

"Right, well... I'll just leave you to it" Helen says before leaving.

You watch her and turn to Jon, to start discussing Helen's statement. You brace yourself for his questions. Maybe he'd ask you to provide some more context. However, instead Jon opts for calling Sasha and you resignedly plop into the armchair once again.

You look over the maps Helen drew. They really don't make sense. At all. Weird lines crossing one another... They are oddly fascinating.

When Jon and Sasha finish talking you brace yourself for questioning once again, but freeze when you see a tall, lanky man.

He has golden locks that twist and turn into intricate patterns. His hands are abnormally long and his fingers curl around the doorframe he leans on. The suit he wears makes you dizzy. It looks woven out of caleidoscopic fabric. And his smile. It's unnaturally wide. His features... Are weird... As if shifted a bit, making his face a bit mismatched, misaligned.

He is not supposed to be in the archives. You are sure of that.

He speaks:

"Do you know they're lying to you?"

The words make your hair stand on end. Or maybe it's just the static that seems to rise in the background with every word he speaks.

"I'm sorry- This uh... May I help you somehow? This place is off limits" You hurriedly inform the impromptu visitor.

"I disagree" the man says leisurely.

"Who let you in here?" Jon cuts to the chase with his questions. This seems to amuse your stranger.

"Let?" He laughs. It's breathy and out of sync. It makes you shiver. "I'm afraid this isn't how it works..."

"You're him" Jon states, rather than asking.

"Yes"

"Michael"

The creature holds a pause before speaking:

"That is a real name"

"Wait. Pause. Break" you interrupt. This is... Well, you'd say weird, but anything concerning the archives is weird... It's more than your daily intake of "weird".

"You're... Michael" you restate.

"Ah... The little archival assistant's comprehension skills deserve the highest praise" Michael muses.

"No. I mean... You're the guy that Sasha met... Michael 'How would a melody describe itself if asked' the distortion ?"

"Mhm... Yes... The Deceitfully distorted being of non-reality" Michael grinned, visibly please you quoted him.

"Sure... That checks out... Weird, but poetic descriptions" you mutter "Should I uh... Take your statement?"

"You'd like one.... Wouldn't you?" Michael asks you, twirling his hair "I wonder... Is it the eye's mark... Or sheer human curiosity? A mix of both? Or perhaps... Something else entirely?"

"Are you here to make a statement? You haven't answered the question." You respond.

"I suppose I haven't..." Is all the response you get.

"Are you here to kill us?" Jon asks. Way to be optimistic, you think.

"No" he states decidedly.

That's a relief, you don't think fighting him would be pleasant.

"Oh... Why are you here then?" Jon seems to take the lead in asking questions.

"I am simply collecting what is mine, Archivist. the one who entered my domain"

"Helen?" You muttered, your heart rate picking up.

"Mrs. Rich-ard-son? You own those hallways?" Jon asked slowly.

The distortion grins

"What a fffascinating question" Michael drags out "Does your hand in any way own your stomach?"

"Ah-" is all you can manage to utter. Your stunned silence doesn't seem to throw Michael off as he continues:

"In any case, it doesn't matter, the wanderer had a brief respite, but it's over now" he shrugs.

You can't help but let out a triumphant laugh:

"Haha! You're too late! Helen's already left! You ain't getting her! Tough luck, mate" you shrug.

"Yes... Ah... Did you notice which door she left through?" Michael's smile grows wider and he can't help but let out a small chuckle.

"Well, yes it's... Wait... You trail off" you don't remember that door... Should there be a door?

"There has never been a door there, your mind plays tricks on you…" Michael responds to your silent question.

"Let her go! This instance! Open the bloody door and Let. Helen. Out!" You clench your fists, making a few steps forward.

"No?" He laughed. That made your blood boil. You couldn't contain yourself. You leaped over the desk, grabbing a dagger in the process and putting it to the creature's throat... Or at least where you thought it would be.

"Let Helen out!" You seethe.

This didn't have the effect you counted on. Michael stayed unphased.

"No can do" he slightly moved your dagger to the side and unperceptedly shifted behind you.

You turned still gripping your dagger.

"How did you- you were just standing here and-"

His Cheshire cat smile just widens at your confusion.

"I'd advise not to wave sharp objects" he drawls in a leisurely manner "you can never know when you can accidentally... Get cut" he lightly trails one sharp talon over your forearm. Tiny beads of blood litter your skin, in spiraling shapes. It stings. You wince. Michael.... Smirks. It almost makes you want to punch him in the face. But you know better. You do not want to be sliced into ribbons. At least, not before you have rescued Helen.

You take a few steps back, trying to put a bit of space between you and Michael. You barely contain the irritated groan, when he shifts a bit closer.

You try to move away, without turning your back to him and simultaneously avoiding tripping over the boxes scattered on the floor. Somehow, you still find him behind you, his long fingers resting on your shoulders and tapping a rhythm you can't quite guess. It's too irregular to be predictable, yet too regular to be completely random.

You turn and come face to face with the madness incarnate. Michael cocks his head to the side and you wonder whether he will continue twisting further and further, until any normal human neck would snap.

Jon's voice breaks you out of your staring contest. Michael directs his attention to the Archivist, leaving you standing there.

It gives you ample opportunity to catch your breath and notice, that you're mere meters away from the door Helen walked through. A quick glance reassured you that Michael and Jon are deep in conversation.

You inch slowly to the door, trying not to tip off the embodiment of losing your mind. You're almost there. You wonder if the door is unlocked and if you open it, will you be able to get to Helen instantly.

Your hand touches the door knob. It's warm almost welcoming.

You turn your head slightly, to check that Michael is still distracted.

He isn't. In fact, he's staring right at you, with his everpresent uncanny smirk

"Oooh, do go on... Don't you want to see what's behind the door?" His staticky voice encourages you, "Don't you want to rescue your friend? It is... Slim chance... But I am keen to see you try..."

You wonder briefly, whether this is some reverse psychology thing. Whether he actually doesn't want you to open the door. You look at Jon, noting his foreboding expression and slight shake of the head.

You start weighing your options, but then you remember her. Helen. Your friend. You can't leave her.

You put on your bravest face and push the door open. Caleidoscope colours flood your senses. And this laughter. This uncanny, hypnotising laughter, feels your ears, clouding your senses. You feel it reverberate in your bones and course through your veins.

The avatar of the Spiral and the Archivist watch you disappear behind the door. One wears an all too wide grin, the other the expression of utter shock and horror. It's easy to guess which is which.

"What a fascinating Archival Assistant you have" Michael drags out disrupting the silence, "Or perhaps I should say... 'had'?" He muses much to Jon's irritation.

"What did you do to them? Bring me backy assistant!"

Ignoring Jon's demands, Michael approaches the door. It swings open and the distortion's fingers curl around it's frame.

"If it wasn't for the Ceaseless Watcher's touch, they'd make a fine spiral avatar..." Michael's laughter echoes through the room "They still might..." He grins disappearing through the door

A/n: Whooo, this is done. I hope you liked it and have a great day!!

[melishade]

Attack on Prime Future Anthology: Strongarm and Sideswipe II

Main Story

Halloween

Dia de los Muertos

StrongArm and Sideswipe I

"Strongarm, we have to get out of here!" Sideswipe whispered to her.

Strongarm deadpanned. "No."

"But-!"

"I'm not listening to you!" Strongarm seethed in a hushed tone, "This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am not passing it up because you're scared!"

"So you're fine with the big bad just walking around like nothing's wrong!" Sideswipe pointed to Megatron, and the former warlord was holding up a wall to a building with ease while the humans continued to hammer away at it.

"...okay that is a little concerning," Strongarm agreed, "But I'm not leaving! I trust Bumblebee-!"

"And now we're stranded on another planet with those weird things!" Sideswipe squirmed at the sight of the humans. They looked equally apprehensive at the sight of him as well.

"Just!...don't run off!" Strongarm ordered as she stormed off.

"I can very easily do that!" Sideswipe shouted at her.

"You won't get far." Sideswipe looked downward to see a human with dark hair and bandaged servos holding some metal pipes over her shoulder.

"I'm fast." Sideswipe crossed his arms, "I can get far."

"Without Megatron going after you?" she challenged, "He doesn't kill anymore, but he'll still inflict fear."

Sideswipe stared in confusion. "Megatron doesn't kill?"

She nodded her head in response.

"I don't believe you," Sideswipe declared, "That guy's in our archives. Bots and Cons alike hate him. There's no way he just changed his mind."

"It took time," she vaguely replied as she walked forward, "If you want to know, you can just ask."

Sideswipe narrowed his optics as he followed her. "What's the catch? I have to do work and you tell me?"

"There's not really a place you can go without help from the Autobots." she set the metal pipes down before pointing behind Sideswipe, "If you go that way, you'll just be met with the destruction the Rumbling left behind." She pointed behind her. "Sure, there's civilization that way, but you'll just be met with fear and anger because you're a titan. The world is still afraid of the power of the titans, and titans like you already make them feel uncomfortable."

Sideswipe crossed his arms in response. His options were already limited. "I'll help, but I don't want anyone touching me."

"Fair enough. By the way, my name is Mikasa Ackerman," she introduced herself.

"That's a weird name," Sideswipe commented.

===

Strongarm was doing her best to help out in any way that she could, but even she was getting overwhelmed by the demands everyone was making. Some of them wanted her somewhere over here, or helping out with repairs, or stopping some humans from stealing supplies. This work was demanding, but it was still great experience.

But...she didn't like the stares and judgmental glances coming her way. The other Autobots have gotten used to it, but she wasn't. And she didn't do anything wrong. She was aware it was because of this world's history, but it still didn't sting any less. They didn't even know her at all.

"You doing okay?" Strongarm flinched and looked down to see a few of those humans that were friends with Optimus look up at her. They were Sasha, Armin, and Jean.

"I'm fine," Strongarm collected herself, "A little overwhelmed."

"At least you're not in the thick of it," Jean proclaimed, itching his leg. Strongarm noticed that the human had a prosthetic and was a little confused. It was a replacement, but one that didn't match his actual armor.

"What do you mean by that?" Strongarm figured it would have been rude to ask about his leg.

"The Bots came in when the Rumbling was happening," Sasha explained, "Optimus and Megatron came in when the titan shifters were attacking."

"I'm still trying to learn these terms," Strongarm said.

"Don't worry, you'll have time." Sasha waved off.

"It's still weird, seeing Optimus Prime alive," Strongarm proclaimed. Her attention fell to the Prime as he was talking to other humans.

"I'm curious. How does Cybertron see Optimus?" Armin asked, "Especially for someone like you."

"Yeah, now that I think about it, you're technically younger than us!" Sasha pointed at Strongarm.

"I'm a fully grown Cybertronian!" Strongarm retorted.

"Didn't you start existing like four years ago?!" Jean exclaimed, "Yeah, you are younger than us! You're four! Do you know what a four year old looks like?!" Jean pointed to a few children that were getting some candy from Levi. The captain was passing it from a box sitting on his lap.

"I didn't think you could get smaller," Strongarm remarked, "So small and so hateful."

"It's not you," Armin reassured, "People's minds aren't going to change over time. And they're just fearing what they don't understand."

"So the best course of action is to make them understand," Strongarm decided.

"Exactly." Armin nodded with a smile.

Strongarm felt motivated. "Alright, what are some of the rules we can use?"

"Rules are a little more fluid!" Strongarm yelped when Hanji jumped atop of their helm and bent down to look them in the optic. "There might be a few fights that break out, construction that goes wrong, demands!"

"Obviously, we still need to be respectful to these people," Jean reminded, "They've lost their homes and loved ones."

"Of course," Strongarm agreed.

"But you can always come up to us, or Optimus for help," Armin insisted.

Strongarm couldn't help but awkwardly stare at Optimus as he was talking to Bulkhead regarding a reconstruction project. "That's...so weird. Seeing him alive."

"In what context?" Hanji asked with curiosity as they jumped onto Strongarm's shoulder.

"Optimus is a hero. The one who revived Cybertron by becoming one with Primus," Strongarm explained, "He's a legend. Confident, powerful, the strongest leader out there. and now he's here."

Jean and Sasha snickered a little while Hanji started cackling.

"Hey!" Strongarm exclaimed, "You shouldn't be laughing!"

"Listen, Optimus is a mess!" Hanji declared, "Yes, he's reliable and loyal and faithful, but oh my god, he cannot take a hint. Total disaster!"

"What?!" Strongarm yelled.

"But if you want, you can ask him for help yourself!" Hanji grinned, "Hey, Optimus!"

"Wait, don't!" Strongarm pleaded as Optimus walked over to them.

"Is everything alright?" Optimus asked. Strongarm could feel her face heat up as she sagged her shoulders and stepped back.

"Strongarm here wanted to ask a few questions!" Hanji patted the cop's shoulder.

"If it's allowed!" Strongarm insisted.

"Of course," Optimus reassured, "What would you like to ask?"

==

"So...Megatron...respects you?!" Sideswipe asked Mikasa.

Mikasa hummed and nodded.

"And he apologized to you?!" Sideswipe screeched.

"Multiple times," Mikasa answered.

Sideswipe groaned in defeat. This is getting ridiculous. He looked for Strongarm, but couldn't help but sneer at the sight of her pestering Optimus Prime with questions as they all continued their cleanup. He looked down at Mikasa once again to see her doing some heavy lifting, carrying some crates in her hands. She was strong...for a fleshy thing. Sideswipe saw Mikasa set the crates down before she started scratching at some of the bandages wrapped around her arms. Sideswipe raised an brow in confusion. What was that for?

"Mikasa, take a break." Sideswipe froze when Megatron walked up to the two of them.

"I'm fine," Mikasa insisted.

"You're exacerbating your injuries," Megatron told her, "Take a break."

Mikasa sighed in defeat. "Fine."

Sideswipe gawked at the fact Mikasa had actually listened to Megatron and stopped her work and walked away. No ruthlessness. No anger. No fuss. There seemed to be mutual understanding between them.

"She...she listened to you," Sideswipe finally spoke up.

"Something you have trouble doing," Megatron jabbed, causing Sideswipe to recoil a little.

"Well!...I'm not exactly a fan of the rules and laws set in place," Sideswipe huffed as he crossed his arms.

"By Primus, you really are just that stupid," Megatron groaned.

"Hey, frag you!" Sideswipe quickly covered his mouth as he realized that he just cursed out the Decepticon warlord. The former warlord was stunned at his words, but that stunned expression turned into one of annoyance.

"Stupid and foolish," Megatron sighed in defeat, "I know many who would kill to be in a position like yours, and you're just squandering it because you feel slighted or rebellious."

"Pretty bold of you to lecture me considering what you've done," Sideswipe shot back.

"Which makes you even more of the fool," Megatron declared, "You are fully aware of my mistakes, yet you seem to be on track to repeating a good portion of them."

Sideswipe grew tense when Megatron approached him. Sideswipe shut his optics, worried that Megatron was going to hit him or something. But it never came.

"I'm going to show you something," Megatron stated, "Follow."

Sideswipe was smart enough to recognize that he didn't have an option when Megatron walked past him and headed north. Sideswipe didn't want to move, but...he forced himself to walk and follow the former warlord.

==

"Seems all of Strongarm's attention continues to be on Optimus," Erwin remarked as he saw Strongarm asking Optimus questions as they continued to assist with reconstruction.

"And I wanted to ask her questions," Hanji sighed in defeat.

"Maybe next time," Armin reassured, "It's probably better leave it alone and let Strongarm get accommodated."

"It does seem like she and Sideswipe are going to be staying for a while," Hanji mused, "I wonder what other kinds of trouble a four year old Cybertronian can get into!"

"We're older than some Cybertronians! That's hilarious!" Sasha cackled.

The conversation was halted when the spacebridge opened up, and Bumblebee and Ratchet walked through it. Ratchet was holding a datapad in his servo while Bumblebee was holding some small electronic devices. The two of them looked rather stoic, but even Strongarm could tell in Bumblebee's optics that he looked rather somber.

"What's going on?" Strongarm asked, but Optimus was clearly distracted as he approached the other two Autobots. Ratchet turned to his datapad, and Strongarm heard the medic listing off unfamiliar names. Names of some of the humans that lived here. Humans that looked at her in awe or disgust, were now looking to the others with concern and dread. Strongarm then saw Ratchet listing off other names that were on the datapad. When he did, the humans that had gathered around the Autobots broke down into tears one by one. They shrieked and wailed in despair and clung to each other for comfort. Bumblebee was the one who kneeled down and showed them the devices. He pressed a button, and holographic pictures of other humans appeared on display. The Lieutenant started passing them around to their respective loved ones.

"What's happening?" Strongarm repeated her question again.

"These humans lost loved ones during the Rumbling," Armin explained, "Ratchet and Bumblebee have been...examining their corpses and getting their DNA to identify who these people were."

"That's....horrible," Strongarm spoke in horror, "Those were so many names. Who....why would someone kill all of those people?"

Strongarm noticed the sorrow and anger in the eyes of the humans.

"Maybe if you decide to continue to help, we'll tell you about it," Hanji decided.

"But why can't you tell me-!"

"Just drop it," Sasha coldly snapped at her, causing Strongarm to stare in surprise.

"Sasha," Jean warned her. Sasha rubbed her eyes and sighed.

"I'm going to get something to eat," Sasha declared before walking off with Jean following close behind.

"Um...," Strongarm trailed off.

"It's not you," Erwin reassured, "But there was a lot of loss on all sides regarding this matter. And it's better to ease you into it."

"...I understand," Strongarm relented.

===

Sideswipe stared in horror at the sight of the massive footprints that had imprinted themselves into the ground. Sideswipe could see dried stains of blood and birds picking at the ground, trying to find any morsels of flesh to consume.

"This...this is what happened?" Sideswipe addressed Megatron as the former warlord stood in the crater made by the footprint.

"This." Megatron gestured to the desolation before him, "Was the result of someone's own reckless decision."

"All of this because of one person?!" Sideswipe exclaimed.

"The story is much more complicated," Megatron added, "Just know that. But...he once had a noble dream. A naive one, but when the world got more complicated, more cruel, it was something he could not handle or accept. So he made the whole world his enemy in response."

"That doesn't mean that I'm going to turn out like that!" Sideswipe shouted, "I do!...harmless pranks! Go against the establishment! That kind of thing!"

"And when those actions are left unchecked, when you don't experience a proper consequence, you will get more bold," Megatron declared, "More sparkless, less empathetic."

"That's still not a guarantee!" Sideswipe yelled.

"Perhaps not," Megatron agree as he stepped out of the crater, "But it is still a possibility. Is that a possibility you wish to take?"

Sideswipe nervously looked away from the desolation, but Megatron grabbed his face and forced him to look at the barren wasteland.

"See it." Megatron ordered, "Sit in the silence, and then come when you've cleaned up your act."

Megatron realized Sideswipe before walking back to the town, leaving Sideswip alone.

==

Evening

"Well...today was..." Strongarm tried to find the words, "Productive."

"Strongarm, it is alright to admit that you were overwhelmed by today," Optimus reassured as he placed a servo on her shoulder.

"It...it was overwhelming." Strongarm was ashamed to admit it.

"Do you want to go back to Cybertron to readjust before coming back?" Bumblebee asked as he walked up to his cadet, "There's no shame in wanting to absorb and understand what happened."

"Thank you, sir," Strongarm said, "But...maybe....maybe this would be a good opportunity for me to stay and continue to help."

"You sure?" Bumblebee asked.

"Yes," Strongarm answered.

"Well, I'm proud of you for stepping up," Bumblebee smiled, "Now where is-!" Bumblebee saw Sideswipe dragging himself towards them all, looking shaken to his core.

"Sideswipe, are you okay?" Bumblebee asked, causing Sideswipe to snap out of his shock.

"Y-yeah, I!...um...saw!" Sideswipe pointed towards the edge of the Rumbling.

"What?" Strongarm asked in confusion.

"I made him see the damage the Rumbling caused," Megatron informed as he walked past, causing Sideswipe to flinch.

"Megatron, what the frag?! They're not ready for that!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

"He needed a dose of reality. That his actions can very well have consequences on the ones around him," Megatron declared, "I just showed it to him. I did nothing else."

"I can attest to that." Strongarm snapped her helm to the ground to see Mikasa with a hand raised, "I decided to go check on them both when I noticed them wandering off."

"Thank you, Mikasa," Megatron said, causing Strongarm to gawk in surprise.

"Well," Bumblebee sighed before walking up to Sideswipe, "You're going to be here for a while. And I'm not sending you back home until you've learned something truly valuable."

"...yeah," Sideswipe gulped, "I got it."

"We'll get the two of you some accommodations for your stay," Bumblebee addressed Strongarm and Sideswipe, "Get comfy. Recovery's going to be a while."

Strongarm and Sideswipe looked at each other, feeling a little apprehensive. This...was going to be interesting.

(So I'm going to deviate from Strongarm and Sideswipe for right now and pivot to other topics for the Future Anthology, but we will circle back to them later.)

[bonefall]

How do you feel about "character joins bloodclan" aus? Im curious about ur thoughts since youre really in tune with the themes of the series but personally i just hate them bc its ALWAYS aimed at 'unfortunate' characters and always ALWAYS ignores the fact that bloodclan is a horrible place in-canon and that they're just reflavoring the abuse and trauma the characters qent through to be more emo or goth themed.

Ravenpaw is ALWAYS a prime target for this and its like. Great. You took the character being abused by their mentor figure and is being harmed from the violent culture the clan has generated... and giving them an EMO mentor figure who will inevitably abuse them and harm them as a result of the violent culture the emo clan has generated. Sasha is another one I've noticed- you've put the woman who lost her kit and is struggling to survive with the others while being controlled and abused by someone who sees her as an outsider (aka alone and easy to isolate), and are gonna put her in a faction who specifically separates kin from one another to easily control them and who have canonically tried murdering those who stick with their family. What was gained here.

Like i know bloodclan is revamped in ur au (thank god for it) but in canon bloodclan is HORRIBLE. People ignore that in favor of putting their favs into bloodclan bc bloodclan is cool and killed tigerstar that one time bc of revenge. Ravenpaw becomes Scourge AUS are SO SO SO much worse bc of this too- sure you manage to point out how scourge and raven has roughly similar stories in their youth but you could also do something interesting and make an au where raven and scourge are FOILS and do a firestar/scourge thing, while pointing this comparison out!! Instead you just went "Ravenpaw emo now and is sad about beating up Firestar his friend" and basically kept everything the same.

Sorry im basically venting here but i just dont like how people forget that scourge in canon does NOT look out for the 'little guy', he's a murderer and abuser who wants to keep his subjects afraid and separated so that he alone has power over them. Bloodclan is not the cool strong goth group, its the group where two cats slaughter eachother over a piece of twoleg scraps, only for the survivor to die bc the food was poisonous to cats and no one knew bc theres no cohesive group that can pass that knowledge around. its a fucking horrible place to live. Im not saying that you cant do interesting "character in bloodclan" aus (a Rusty who lives in bloodclan who STILL wants to do good but is shaped by the horrid reality of bloodclan would be fun imo) but its so often used with already traumatized characters as a 'solution' or 'fix-it with some emotional issues involved' that i just foam at the mouth and howl like a rabid animal on principle at this point.

Hmm... I think for me, it doesn't tend to read that way for me when the fandom makes AUs for it. I'm coming at BloodClan from a point of really deep critique and frustration.

BloodClan's not a REAL place, and what that means is, every speck of how horrible it was is a choice the writers made to justify its treatment. It was something they actively decided, because, BloodClan was a tool to suddenly invalidate the previous 5 books of TPB so that the series could comfortably conclude there was no need to upset the status quo.

If you haven't read it before, I recommend this post I made on how Darkest Hour Is A Personal Disappointment, but anyway;

We spend a whole series on how Fireheart challenges a broken society, because he is different. Their xenophobia, how isolationism and glory get people killed, the way that Tigerstar's greatest asset is how respected he is... these are bad things. They're things that Fireheart fights for several books.

But then, in the LAST book, in the 11th inning, they introduce BloodClan. They're just evil. They have no nuance. The narrative bends over backwards to stress that this group of evil foreigners LOVES murder, hates friendship, and doesn't believe in our good god.

Suddenly, the Clan cats have to be EXTRA xenophobic and glorious to kill these filthy, murderous foreign hordes. Clan cat belief in their good god makes them stronger than the bloodthirsty barbarians. Firestar kills Scourge and we can feel happy and triumphant about it, when Tigerstar was killed a few chapters ago and given a tragic sendoff.

So, I encourage you to step back from an emotional response to how Filthy and Murderous this group was portrayed, and look at it as a writing choice.

When Tigerstar, known cat-racist and murderer of mixed-race people, is killed by Scourge in self-defense, he is grieved by Firestar and commended for his "good qualities". (and then they retconned in that it was actually secretly revenge all along, not just self defense, so this killing is extra evil)

When Scourge is killed, Firestar just thinks about how it's cool he's not going to heaven, and how all of the previously ferocious BloodClan warriors look so inferior to the forest Clans.

And so, with all that said,

I'm 100% in favor of how the fandom widely looks at this, says, "fuck that" and just makes them the Cool Goth Group. I'd argue pretty strongly that the least nuanced idea of that is still infinitely better than canon.

There was nothing there. It was literally just Xenophobia-Is-JustifiedClan. They literally hated love and friendship and banned families so that Clan cats would look good in comparison. Banned families. You don't get this level of stupid evil from anything else but an 80s cartoon.

Maybe I just don't see the AUs you tend to see (I curate my Tumblr experience very well and generally hang out in more adult-oriented spaces, I can imagine a place like Amino being mostly kids who tend to be immature. Edgelord Angstpiddle is just a normal part of growing up), but every project I see that gives me a glimpse of BloodClan Ravenpaws and Sashas come with such tweaks already assumed.

Like, these are examples I've seen,

They'll have Raven be involved with the formation of BloodClan

Scourge will actually be a character with some pity and mercy, like how he was in Rise of Scourge when his abusive siblings begged him for food, and he fed them before sending them away.

no ban on love and friendship. Lol. Lmao, even.

More of the social structure will be based around acquiring food for people in a 'harsh' environment, leading to that battle, instead of just Evil Foreign Greed (which canon!scourge only had after being almost killed by tigerstar, because he said "actually, in light of new information that you are a murderer, i need to reconsider our deal.")

BloodClan will be overhauled completely. I've seen this a few ways. Connecting them to SkyClan, or the Oakstar raids on Chelford, or even as a positive entity; a surprise ally. (VERY common with BloodClan Ravenpaw AUs I've seen).

Anyways... (Shrug), I dunno dude, it doesn't bother me that much.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in March 2024 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

[ Release dates may have changed. ]

❤️ Shift: A Memoir of Identity and Other Illusions - Penny Guisinger 🧡 Tempting Olivia - Clare Ashton 💛 Monilinia - Free Mints 💚 Guillaume - Aurora Dimitre 💙 The Marble Queen - Anna Kopp & Gabrielle Kari 💜 The Baker & the Bard - Fern Haught ❤️ Rainbow! - Sunny & Gloom 🧡 The Safe Zone - Amy Marsden 💛 The Weavers of Alamaxa - Hadeer Elsbai 💙 The No-Girlfriend Rule - Christen Randall 💜 A Different Kind of Brave by Lee Wind 🌈 Cirque du Slay - Rob Osler ❤️ Wizard’s Debt - Niranjan 🧡 One Last Breath - Ginny Myers Sain 💛 Nothing Special - Katie Cook 💚 I Feel Awful, Thanks - Lara Pickle 💙 The Tower - Flora Carr 💜 Be the Sea - Clara Ward ❤️ What Grows in the Dark - Jaq Evans 🧡 Heirs of Bone and Sea - Kay Adams 💛 The Haunting of Velkwood - Gwendolyn Kiste 💙 Thunder Song - Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe 💜 Mona of the Manor - Armistead Maupin 🌈 Like Happiness - Ursula Villarreal-Moura

❤️ Ellipses - Vanessa Lawrence 🧡 Saint, Sorrow, Sinner - Freydís Moon 💛 Blood & Brujas - Mikayla D. Hornedo 💚 Infinity Kings - Adam Silvera 💙 Really Cute People - Markus Harwood-Jones 💜 How You Were Born - Kate Cayley ❤️ These Bodies Between Us - Sarah Van Name 🧡 Icarus - K. Ancrum 💛 The Emperor and the Endless Palace - Justinian Huang 💙 How Not to Date an Angel - Lana Kole 💜 Enemy Colours - R.M. Olson 🌈 Broken Parts Included - Alyson Root

❤️ Who's Afraid of Gender? - Judith Butler 🧡 The Duke’s Cowboy - Andrew Grey 💛 The Secret Something - Emily Wright 💚 Colstead & Andie - Olivia Janae 💙 Play It Again, Ma’am - Sienna Waters 💜 Love Is…? - K.J. Wrights ❤️ Welcome to Forever - Nathan Tavares 🧡 Just Another Epic Love Poem - Parisa Akhbari 💛 The Phoenix Bride - Natasha Siegel 💙 These Letters End in Tears - Musih Tedji Xaviere 💜 Truly Home - J.J. Hale 🌈 Monster Mixer - Robin Jo Margaret

❤️ The House of Hidden Meanings - RuPaul 🧡 Promised to the Queen - Barbara Winkes 💛 A Conclave of Crimson - Nicole Eigener & Beverley Lee 💚 A Hunt of Blood and Iron - Cara Nox 💙 The Fealty of Monsters - Ladz 💜 Ariel Crashes a Train - Olivia A. Cole ❤️ Those Beyond the Wall - Micaiah Johnson 🧡 Dancing Toward Stardust - Julia Underwood 💛 Heir to Dreams & Darkness - Ben Alderson 💙 Comet Cruise - Niska Morrow 💜 Dead Girls Walking - Sami Ellis 🌈 Blackout - Carlos E. Rivera

❤️ Monster Crush - Erin Ellie Franey 🧡 Blessed Water - Margot Douaihy 💛 These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart - Izzy Wasserstein 💚 Kiss of Seduction - Rawnie Sabor 💙 Sunbringer - Hannah Kaner 💜 Evacuation to Love - C.A. Popovich ❤️ Sin - Brooke Matthews 🧡 Falls from Grace - Ruby Landers 💛 Lean in to Love - Catherine Lane 💙 A Small Apocalypse - Laura Chow Reeve 💜 Cascade Failure - L.M. Sagas 🌈 The Mars House - Natasha Pulley

❤️ All This Time - Sage Donnell 🧡 The Romance Lovers Book Club - MA Binfield 💛 View from the Top - Morgan Adams 💚 Number Call - Nagisa Furuya 💙 Crossing Bridges - Chelsey Lynford 💜 The Boyfriend Subscription - Steven Salvatore ❤️ Love the World or Get Killed Trying - Alvina Chamberland 🧡 Synthetic Sea - Franklyn S. Newton 💛 The Prince & His Stolen Groom - J.E. Ridge 💙 Chrysalis and Requiem - Quinton Li 💜 Where Sleeping Girls Lie - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé 🌈 A Botanical Daughter - Noah Medlock

❤️ Wednesday Nights - by Donna Jay 🧡 The Woods All Black - Lee Mandelo 💛 Song of the Huntress - Lucy Holland 💚 Rainbow Black - Maggie Thrash 💙 Spirits & Sunflowers - A.D. Armistead & Austin Daniel 💜 Floating Hotel - Grace Curtis ❤️ Far From Camelot - Rylee Hale 🧡 This Way to Change - Jezz Chung 💛 Mexican Bird - Luis Lopez-Maldonado 💙 Android Affection: Unveiling - Beau Van Dalen 💜 Welcome to the Damned - Astraea Long 🌈 She Came for Blood - Darva Green

❤️ Cover Story - Rachel Lacey 🧡 The Poisons We Drink - Bethany Baptiste 💛 The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist - Sophie Gonzales 💚 In Walked Trouble - Dana Hawkins 💙 Never Leave, Never Lie - Thea Verdone 💜 Guardian: Zhen Hun - Priest ❤️ All the World Beside - Garrard Conley 🧡 Rainbows, Unicorns, and Triangles - Jessica Kingsley Publishers 💛 The Feast Makers - H.A. Clarke 💙 Synthetic Sea - Franklyn S. Newton 💜 All the Painted Stars - Emma Denny 🌈 A Hard Sell - Jennifer Moffatt

[comma-tose]

Rhyiona fuels me so here's what I think the most compelling argument for it is.

For Rhys:

When something goes wrong, when he's afraid, when he sees the ship leaving him on Helios, the first person he thinks about is Fiona. Every time.

She's the one that he can choose to trust over Jack. Shes the one he can try to call out to for help when Jack begins taking over him, and she's the one that Jack threatens to strangle when he's taunting Rhys. When he thinks the group ditched him on Helios, what was the first thing that came out of his mouth? It was HER name. Because it was her that he couldn't believe left him.

For Fiona:

She refuses to leave him until she's forced to, she doesn't listen to Sasha telling her that they should leave, replying with "that is not an option okay? We're waiting for Rhys".

Even if he chooses to side with Jack she doesn't want to leave, outright refusing to believe he would do something like that. Even when the Gortys upgrade drops down from the trapdoor, she still doesn't want to leave because Rhys isn't with them. It's not until Helios goes into lockdown that she gives in, because she really has no other option at that point.

Then there's all that stuff when they break away from the group and rush towards the vault, with Rhys saying that it's "almost like it's meant to be" referring to them being the ones to go into the vault together.

I mean for crying out loud despite spending who knows how long thinking the other was dead or that they abandoned them, those two STILL hold onto one of the first major moments they had together. Saying the exact same line as if it had been replaying in their heads since the beginning. They didn't even have to TRY to remember, it just came naturally to them.

"it's the last one, it's only right that we both open it... It's the best part"

"...kinda hoping you'd say that"

They may not be canon but damn it I will not abandon this ship.

[karizard-ao3]

Read the deleted scenes from the one million words livestream!

Hello everyone! I received a request to post the deleted scenes I read during my one million words live stream on Tumblr, which is an excellent idea and so here they are! They are available below the break.

(Please note this is just the text of the deleted scenes. In the livestream I gave a quick little background explanation for each scene and also had fun facts about my fics and the writing process on a slideshow that ran while I read. You don't need that info to enjoy these scenes, but just to let you know that there is more in the video if it is of interest to you.)

Feel free to ask me questions about the deleted scenes as well! Keep in mind they are copy-pasted directly from my drafts and might have weird formatting or other errors because they were not edited.

Here we go!

Clueless Teens

Connie’s birthday party, Eren gives Armin romantic advice

Armin sat between Eren and Mikasa, wringing his hands as he watched Annie and Sandra chatting together, even going so far as to  share a plate of chips.

"I can't believe they know each other," Armin groaned.

"What's wrong with that?" asked Eren. 

Armin sighed. "I'm afraid I'm going to break up their friendship."

Eren cocked his head. "Why?"

"Because if they start fighting over me," said Armin fretfully.

"Oh," said Mikasa, rubbing his back. "I think you're giving yourself too much credit."

Armin gave her a wounded look. "Why is it so hard to believe two girls might fight over me?"

"Because Annie doesn't want a boyfriend and Sandra only just met you," said Mikasa, soothingly. "I'm sure you could have a very ugly love triangle under different circumstances."

"Thanks," said Armin.

"You should just tell Sandra you used to like Annie," said Mikasa. 

"But what would I say?" asked Armin.

"I don't know," said Mikasa.

"'Hey, Sandra. I just wanted to let you know that I used to be so in love with Annie that I almost broke my friend's nose at Outback Steakhouse just for a chance to get rejected by her," suggested Eren.

Armin glared at him. "Stop bringing that up."

Eren shrugged. "Okay, then just be like, 'I just wanted to let you know that I used to have a bit of a thing for Annie, but it's over now. I didn't want you to find out from someone else.'"

Armin gawped at him. 

"What?" said Eren, bristling. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," said Armin, sounding shocked. "That's actually really good."

"Don't look so surprised," grumbled Eren. "I'm not completely useless."

Mikasa makes a scene in history

Like, one time in History class a guy had said that women didn’t make it into the history books because they didn’t do anything worth remembering. Mikasa had stood up and chucked her textbook right at his head. 

“Ow, what the fuck, you crazy bitch?” he’d demanded, jumping out of his chair to face off against her. Eren had stood up also, ready to jump in if she needed backup. 

“Just forget about it,” Mikasa snapped. “After all, I’m only a woman. Just like Joan of Arc or Marie Curie or Mary Shelley or Cleopatra or Harriet Tubman. We’re all just a bunch of boring women who haven’t done anything worth remembering, right?”

“Shut up,” said the guy, rubbing his head. “They don’t count.”

“You don’t count,” Mikasa had hissed. “You fucking nobody.”

Mr. Smith put a hand on her arm. “I appreciate your passion but you are going to have to go see the dean now, Miss Ackerman.”

She’d flounced out of the room, and the only reason she didn’t get suspended or moved to a different class was because the principal, for some reason, had intervened.

Deleted Relationship Reveal Scene

“So are Eren and Mikasa going out now?” asked Connie, sitting next to Sasha and eating a croissant sandwich. 

“I’m not sure,” said Sasha, eyeing Connie’s breakfast lustfully. “She changed her relationship status, but he didn’t.”

“Maybe she got with Porco after all,” said Connie, taking a sip of chocolate milk.

“Who got with Porco?” asked Annie, striding up with a coffee in one hand and a bagel in the other. Sasha licked her lips, pointedly staring at the bagel, but Annie just scooted away and sat on the other side of Connie. 

“Mikasa,” said Connie. “She changed her relationship status but Eren didn’t.”

Annie frowned as she considered this. “Where is Mikasa? Isn’t she usually here already?”

“Yeah,” said Sasha. “Eren, too.”

“And Armin,” said Connie, helpfully.

Annie winced at the sound of his name and pulled her phone out of her pocket, dialing Mikasa’s number. “Hey,” she said, when Mikasa picked up. “Where are you?”

“I’m almost at school,” said Mikasa.

“Is Eren with her?” asked Connie.

“Is Eren with you?” asked Annie, rolling her eyes. 

“I’m with my boyfriend,” Mikasa said, cheerfully and unhelpfully. 

“That wasn’t what I asked,” said Annie.

“Oh, we’re at the gates. See you soon!” said Mikasa, hanging up.

“Well?” said Sasha.

“She said she’s with her boyfriend,” said Annie, dryly. 

“Ooooooooh!” said Connie. 

“If it’s not Eren he’s going to be pissed when he finds out,” said Sasha. 

“Maybe that’s why he’s not at school today,” said Connie. “Oh! Maybe her new boyfriend is Armin so Eren stayed home to cry about it.”

“That’s impossible,” snapped Annie, stopping herself just before she revealed that Armin was seeing a different girl. That wasn’t her business to spread around. “Armin and Mikasa are just friends.” Connie pouted at her, pretending to be wounded by her tone. She sighed. She’d been in a bad mood since talking to Armin the night before. “Sorry, Connie,” she said. 

“That’s alright,” said Connie, shrugging.

“Hi, guys!” said Mikasa, smugly. The three friends turned to see who the mysterious boyfriend was and were not at all surprised to see Eren standing next to her with his arm around her shoulder and a shit-eating grin on his face. Annie could already tell they were going to be insufferable together. 

“Eren!” said Sasha, devilishly. “We thought Mikasa got back together with Porco because she updated her relationship status and you didn’t.”

Eren grimaced. “Is there, like, a registry I’m supposed to call or something?” he asked.

“She just means on Myspace,” whispered Mikasa. Eren’s face cleared. 

“Oh, I’ll do that this afternoon,” he said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. 

I don’t remember what this was for

“Eren, are you alright in there?" Carla called through his door, her voice heavy with concern. "You sound like an injured pygmy goat."

"That's really specific, Mom," Eren said, opening the door to show her that he was physically fine.

"You were too little to remember, but one time I took you to the petting zoo and-"

"Is the goat okay now?" Eren sighed. He didn't want to know what he had done to it.

"It's probably dead," said Carla. "This was thirteen years ago."

Eren looked at her as though he was about to join the goat in death if she didn't answer his fucking question.

"He had to wear a little cast. It was so cute they put it in the news."

"Oh my god, Mom! I broke a pygmy goat’s leg?”

Carla looked at him like she had never seen him before in her life. "Of course not. We were just there when it happened. I think it tripped in a hole?"

"It wasn't me?" asked Eren. 

"No!" said Carla. 

"Oh thank god," Eren sighed.

"My question was, why are you bleating like that poor little goat in there?"

Bonfire

Up in the mountains, Annie, Sasha, and Mikasa were standing on the shore of the lake in their bathing suits, looking at the water. Icy slush floated on the gently lapping surface near their feet, larger chunks bobbing out in the middle of the water. Connie was sitting on the hood of Sasha's car, bundled against the chilly mountain breeze in a hoodie, jeans, and a beanie. He had his camcorder in hand.

"I'm still recording!" he called out. "Have been for, like, three minutes."

"On the count of three," said Annie, looking around at the other girls. "Winner gets bragging rights."

Sasha and Mikasa nodded, squaring their shoulders.

"One!" shouted Annie.

The girls got into position.

"Two!” shouted Annie, bracing herself. Mikasa gritted her teeth in determination. Sasha looked over her shoulder at Connie, grimacing briefly before turning back to the lake.

"Three!" Annie screamed. The girls ran into the water, splashing and squealing.

"Nope, fuck this!" said Sasha, turning around and running back out. She shivered as she grabbed her towel off of a rock and sped over to the car to change back into her clothes. 

When she joined Connie on the hood of the car, she saw that Annie and Mikasa had both waded out to shoulder depth. Mikasa had had to go farther out than their petite friend and was staring stonily at nothing. Annie was frowning, her brows knit. She snuck a glance at Mikasa, then frowned even harder.

"She looks like she's getting cold," said Sasha. "I think she's trembling."

"You're going to have to go in and get her if she passes out from hypothermia," said Connie. "Does hypothermia make you faint?"

"Why do I have to do it?" complained Sasha. 

"Because you are bigger than me," said Connie, pitifully. "The cold would cut right through my tiny bones."

Sasha snickered and patted him on the head. "You're right, my little potato. You are much too delicate," she cooed, facetiously.

Connie grinned, then looked back out at their friends. "Ah. Looks like Annie is giving up. You're off the hook." 

Sasha looked, too. Annie was scowling as she stalked out of the water, her fists clenched at her sides, her entire body shaking from the cold. Sasha hopped up and ran down to meet her, grabbing Annie's towel and wrapping it around her. Annie's teeth chattered as Sasha dried her off. 

"Are you okay?" asked Mikasa, coming up behind Annie with a look of concern. She was barely shivering and hadn't even bothered to grab her towel yet.

"Ha!" said Annie, her air of bravado somewhat demeaned by her purple lips and goose bumps. "Too cold for you in there?"

"No," said Mikasa, finally going and grabbing her towel but not using it. "Ackermans are very hardy. It just seemed pointless to stay out there when I'd already won."

"Bitch," muttered Annie with no malice whatsoever as Mikasa draped her in her towel.

While the two girls changed into their clothes, Connie and Sasha perched next to each other on a log, peacefully texting their significant others and eating Fritos. 

"What's Mina doing today?" asked Sasha. "Why didn't she come?" 

"Her family went to the aquarium for her cousin's birthday," said Connie. "She said she's going to bring me a souvenir."

"I like her," said Sasha with great feeling. 

"Me, too," said Connie, happily. “Did I tell you she had three cats? And she wants to get a kitten.”

“She collects cats like my parents collect foster kids,” said Sasha with a laugh. “Kaya’s going back home to her Mom, though. Did I tell you?”

“Is her Mom doing better then?” asked Connie. 

“She’s out of the hospital. She has to do some physical therapy for her legs but she can get around okay with her crutches,” said Sasha, smiling wistfully. “I’m going to miss that kid but I’m glad she gets to be with her Mom again.”

The car door slammed and Annie and Mikasa emerged, dressed more appropriately for the chilly mountain air. They came to perch on the log next to Connie and Sasha.

“So what now?” asked Annie. 

"We should have a bonfire," said Connie, tucking his phone in his pocket, gesturing to a fire pit a previous visitor had dug and ringed with stones. "You always have a lighter, right, Annie?"

She withdrew the item in question from her pocket and held it up. 

"Sweet," said Connie, hopping down from the hood and beginning to collect fallen twigs and branches. Mikasa moved to join him but was interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

She looked at the screen. "Oh, it's Eren," she said, blushing as she answered it.

"See if he wants to come for the bonfire," said Connie.

Mikasa nodded as she wandered a short distance away with the phone, twirling her hair around her finger as she talked.

“Hi, Eren,” she said. 

“Hi, Mikasa.”

“Are you and Armin lost?”

“Yeah,” said Eren sheepishly. 

The rest of the kids continued prepping for the bonfire, Annie and Connie collecting the wood while Sasha laid the sticks out, ready to be lit.

Mikasa was smiling dreamily when she hung up the phone and came over to help her friends try to roll a fallen log over to the fire pit. 

"So is your boyfriend coming?" asked Sasha, digging her heels into the soft mulch of the forest floor and managing to shift the log slightly.

"He's not my boyfriend!" said Mikasa, her recently vacated cheeks filling back up with blood. Then she paused and grinned impishly. "Yet, anyways.

Connie hooted.

"He's with Armin," Mikasa said, leaning into the log with her friends. "They're going to try to find a ride." 

"So how was your date?" Sasha asked. "I've been waiting for you to bring it up yourself but you're being too classy." 

"It was good!" said Mikasa, emphatically. 

Her friends waited expectantly but she didn't add anything. 

"Did you guys have your first kiss?" Sasha probed.

"No," said Mikasa, truthfully. 

“He’s such a wimp,” scoffed Sasha. 

“Come on Mikasa, what the hell?” said Annie. “After all that whining about how much you like him you didn’t even try to kiss him?”

"We did kiss though," said Mikasa, a shade too innocently.

Her friends stared at her blankly. Improbably, Connie was the first one to get it. He hooted again, jumping around with glee.

"I knew it! I knew it!" he screeched. "I knew you guys had already hooked up! I said it months ago and I was right! I said, ‘Eren has definitely touched Mikasa’s butt’ and nobody believed me but I was right, wasn’t I? Wasn’t I?"

"How could you tell?" asked Mikasa, her eyes wide. 

"What???" shrieked Sasha, her mouth falling open. 

“Mikasa, you fucking skank!” said Annie, grinning widely. 

Mikasa shrugged, looking smug as she put her shoulder back into the log. Now that she knew Eren liked her back, she didn’t mind staking her claim a little bit. 

Anamnesis

Yumihisu New year’s Eve deleted scene

Historia smacked her lips together, inspecting her lipstick in the mirror. 

“You look good,” said Ymir, sprawled out on Historia’s bed, lazily buttoning her shirt back up. 

“Thank you!” said Historia, flipping her hair and turning to smile dazzlingly at Ymir. “Thank you for coming to this dumb gala with me.”

“I don’t know. It sounds kind of fun,” said Ymir. “Hobnobbing with the governor and all his rich friends? Eating caviar? It’s going to be the glitziest New Year’s Eve I’ve ever had.”

“Yeah, I felt the same way when I went to my first Reiss event,” said Historia, perching on the edge of her bed. “But you find out pretty quick that money is nice, but the people who have it aren’t. You’ll see when you meet my ‘family’.” Historia rolled her eyes with a weary sigh. 

“That bad, huh?” said Ymir.

“Well, Frieda’s okay,” Historia conceded. “She’s just kind of out of touch because, you know, she’s never wondered if there were enough cans of baked beans in the cupboard to keep her full until payday. Not that I’ve had to do that in a while. It just… you know. Perspective.”

“Yeah,” said Ymir. “It’s like the more I learn about film and TV production, the more I notice the technical details when I watch something. Like, there’s all this background info in my head that the average television enjoyer doesn’t have. And, like, it changes the way you see things.”

Eren at the coffee shop, two versions

"I don't fucking care!" said Eren. "Caramel! Fancy! Those are the only two requirements."

The barista began tapping grimly on the register, bitterly composing the most expensive custom drink he possibly could. "Okay, fifteen dollars."

"And an Americano for me," said Eren, pulling out his wallet and handing the barista a twenty, then catching his eye and glaring at him intensely. "If my date doesn't cry tears of joy because I got her the best caramel coffee she's ever tasted, I will find out what time you're off and come back here every single day to order the most obnoxious, complicated drink I possibly can right before the end of your shift. And then when you bring it to me, I'm going to say you made it wrong. And then you're going to have to do it all over again. You will never be on time for class again."

The barista pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll put whipped cream on it."

"Thanks," said Eren, flouncing away.

The barista watched him go, his eyebrows set in a straight line across his forehead. He fucking hated his life, and, more importantly, he hated Eren. 

"I don't think the barista likes you," Mikasa commented as Eren sat back down across from her. The young man was bustling around, blending coffee and squirting caramel and looking over his shoulder to glare daggers at her date.

"Yeah, no. Somewhere along the line we became sworn enemies," said Eren, unbothered. "I fucking hate him, too."

"Why?" said Mikasa.

Eren shrugged. "I just do."

"An Americano and a caramel bitch drink for the dumbfuck in the green shirt," called the barista, looking bored.

Eren clenched his fists. 

"I'll go grab them and then let's go for a walk," said Mikasa, standing up. 

"Yeah, okay," said Eren. "Tell me what you think of your coffee. If you don't like it, I'll make him pay."

***

"The usual?" asked the barista, looking annoyed as Eren approached the counter. 

"No, I'm going to buy something today," said Eren, studying the menu. "What's your fanciest caramel drink?"

"Hot or iced?"

"What's sexier?" said Eren.

The barista looked at him. 

"Well?" said Eren. "It's iced coffee, right? Because the cups are see-through?"

"Uh, sure," said the barista. "I guess maybe an iced caramel latte?"

"No, no. I'm trying to impress someone," said Eren, tapping his foot. "It needs to be fancier."

"I don't know what you want me to do. This isn't that kind of coffee shop," said the barista. "We have three flavors of syrup and we don't even have oat milk."

"Fuck," said Eren. "Well, make a caramel latte and zazz it up, then, I guess. Fuck." He rubbed his eyes. "She's never going to fall for me now. I'm going to die alone."

The barista pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll put whipped cream on it."

Eren drooped with relief. "Thanks man. And an Americano for me." He pulled out his wallet and handed the barista a twenty, turning around to smile at Mikasa as he waited for his change.

Downton Abbey

"What show are we watching?"

"I want to try Downton Abbey. I heard it's good."

"Okay," said Eren, letting her steer the conversation towards less troubled waters. "I could go for some old timey etiquette and shit."

Mikasa extracted herself from him and set the timer for the enchiladas, then turned to smile at Eren. He crooked his elbow and offered it to her. "My lady? May I escort you to the viewing parlor or whatever you want to call it?"

Mikasa beamed, linking her arm through his. "You are most kind," she said, her assumed British accent melting in Eren's ears like pound cake on his tongue. 

"You do that really good," he said.

"Oh, well. I suppose one tends to hone the skill when they have a passion for the stage," she said, peering at him coyly from the corner of her eyes.

He plopped down on the couch, pulling her into his lap. "It's sexy," he said, with a crooked grin, brushing a kiss across her jaw.

"My lord!" she gasped, letting her hand flutter to her bosom. "We are unwed! What will the servants think?"

“Let them think whatever they want,” he said, gamely playing along.

“This is most improper,” said Mikasa, playing with the collar of Eren’s shirt,

Eren growled, nipping at her throat. 

Mikasa giggled. "Do you like accents?" she asked in her normal voice.

"I like when you do accents," Eren said, his tongue drawing little hearts and curlicues over her pulse. She drew in a shaky breath as his large hands encircled her waist, then crept beneath her top and unfurled across her back.

"Shall I continue then?" she asked, the posh London accent inflating her vowels and cushioning her consonants. 

"Please do," he said, his voice vibrating against her skin as he let his lips travel over her skin, leaving blossoms of heat in their wake. 

Single Parents AU

Adri clothes shopping

She bit her lip, debating for a moment before she asked, "If I ever see something Adri might like, can I buy it for her?"

Eren didn't know why the request delighted him so much. "Yeah, of course," he said. "I can pay you back if you keep the receipts."

"That won't be necessary," said Mikasa, smiling to herself and moving to another rack. Adri watched her with greedy anticipation. She hated Makaka but she loved clothes. She hoped she would buy her some today.

"C'mon, bug. Let's get you some new leggings while we're here," said Eren, steering the cart away from Mikasa. "You've got holes in most of yours."

Adri was released from the shopping cart to assist in the legging selection. "You can pick six," said Eren, holding up the corresponding number of fingers. "That's 1-2-3-4-5-6."

"Otay," said Adri, squatting in front of the display shelf and evaluating her options.

When Mikasa joined them, she was empty handed besides her cup of iced tea. "I need to grab Mason some socks," she murmured. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," said Eren, watching her go with a soft pang of loneliness. He shook his head to chase the feeling away. He was just being a little dramatic because of how long it had been since he'd seen her, he was sure. It was as if she'd taken part of him with her when she disappeared and, now that she'd brought it back, he felt more like himself than he had in years. He didn't have long to ponder on the reason for that. She was back almost right away with a package of socks and a couple t-shirts.

"Are dose for me?" asked Adri, standing up with her armful of leggings and peering at Mikasa's purchases. 

"These are for Mason," said Mikasa, patting the shirts she had draped over her arm. "I don't know what kind of clothes you like yet. I want to buy you something you'll wear."

Adri's nose twitched. 

"Maybe you can do a fashion show for me the next time I'm at your house," Mikasa offered, well aware that she was trying to suck up to a three-year-old while also putting out feelers to see if Eren would even want to see her again. 

"That sounds fun!" said Eren, jumping for the bait. "You can be a model, peanut."

Christmas shopping

“Do you want to get a picture with Santa?” Eren asked, bumping Mikasa with her shoulder. 

“Oh, god no,” she said, glancing at the long line snaking around the mall’s North Pole Village. “Even when I was a little kid I had no interest in waiting around to sit on some old guy’s lap.”

“You didn’t want to meet Santa?” asked Eren. 

“That’s not Santa,” said Mikasa, stopping in front of a candle store. “Should I get Porco Galliard a candle?” she wondered. 

“Why should you get him anything?” asked Eren, bristling. 

Mikasa looked over her shoulder at him. “Because I always get a gift for Mason’s teachers at Christmas.”

“Oh,” said Eren. “Then I guess you could.”

Mikasa pursed her lips, considering. “I don’t know,” she said. “It probably wouldn’t hurt to get a few just in case.”

“Just in case of what?” asked Eren, picturing a city-wide power outage, but confident that was not what she was planning for. 

“In case someone unexpectedly gives me a present, so I have something to give back,” said Mikasa, walking through the entryway. They were assaulted by a wall of fragrance. “God,” she said, picking up a candle and giving it a quick sniff. “Let’s move quick. Do they have any winter ones?”

“Uh…” said Eren, looking around. Christmas shopping hadn’t been what he would have picked for their second date, but Ryu had finals and was working extra shifts at the restaurant to take advantage of holiday generosity and get as many tips as possible. This was the only night he’d been free to watch Mason and she needed to use it to buy gifts, so they’d had to make do. “I think they have some over there,” he said, pointing at a table laden with wax-filled glass jars. 

Mikasa hurried over, read the sign advertising the shop’s current sale pricing, and grabbed five at random, carrying the armful over to the queue. Eren followed behind her, weaving between the crowds of shoppers until he came to a stop at her side. “You didn’t want a basket?” he said, taking three of the candles from her. 

“That would have been smart,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking about it. I’m more worried about getting out of here fast to avoid the smell.” She touched one of the remaining two candles to her temple. Oh, that’s right, thought Eren. Mikasa had actually worked here once as a teenager, for a single day. She’d come in for her first day of training and ended up quitting and leaving part way through because the overabundance of scents had triggered a migraine. She’d told him about it during their next tutoring session and he’d retaliated against the store by shoplifting a backpack full of votives, which he had then given to Historia because he didn’t give a shit about scented candles and he wanted to annoy her. 

His disdain for candles still intact, Eren plucked the last two from Mikasa’s hands. 

“Get out of here, you nut,” he said. 

“Huh?” she said. 

“You heard me,” he said. “I’ll get the candles, you go wait for me where it’s safe.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. 

Eren frowned at her. “Why the hell would I let you stand here and give yourself a headache when I’m right here and impervious to the fumes?” 

Mikasa took a half step towards the exit, doubtful. “It’s not too much trouble?” she asked.

“Of course not! Go!” he ordered, nudging her with his toe. 

They reconvened outside the candle shop about twenty minutes later, which wasn’t too bad given the Christmas crowds. Mikasa was waiting for Eren on a bench near the store entrance, rolling her neck absent-mindedly. Eren plopped down next to her, setting the bag of candles between his feet, spreading his legs so that his knee brushed against hers. "We got you out in time, right? Your head feels fine?" he asked. 

Mikasa nodded, lacing her fingers through his. He tensed for a flustered moment before he relaxed into her touch, settling their joined hands on his thigh and grinning down at her. "Thank you," she said, tossing her head to get her bangs out of her eyes. "I feel bad for making you do that."

Eren furrowed his brow at her, his lips twisting into an incredulous smile. "You didn't make me do anything. I offered."

"But you had to stand in line for me," persisted Mikasa.

"So?" said Eren. "Don't you think I'd rather do that than let you get a migraine?"

"Still, it could have been avoided. I didn't have to get candles," fretted Mikasa, tugging on her hair. "Or I could have ordered them online."

Eren grabbed her chin. "Mikasa, stop. Not only are we friends, we're dating." He paused. They were dating, right? Like, it was only their second date, but it was reasonable to assume they'd go on more, wasn't it? They’d been sneaking a lot of kisses when the kids weren’t looking. "Are we dating or did I get ahead of myself?" he said, holding his breath.

"We’re dating," said Mikasa. 

Eren exhaled. "Then we should be doing stuff for each other," he concluded.

Doubt sprouted across Mikasa’s face. "But…"

"Let me clarify," said Eren, leaning towards her so their noses were almost touching, her chin still caught between his fingers. "I want to do things for you. I'm looking for a partner, not a personal assistant."

He pressed a small, soft kiss to her lips, then released her with a grin, his point made and the matter resolved. 

Or, that’s what he thought until unexpected tears welled up in her eyes. 

Eren’s face went white. “Mikasa…” he said, but she was already standing up and dragging him, stumbling, behind her. He hooked the bag of candles, nearly abandoned, with his foot and sent it sliding up the glossy tile floor ahead of them, then swiped it up from the ground on his way past as he regained his footing and began trotting after her, pouring apologies and hoping she had noticed that pretty sweet bit of footwork he’d just pulled off. He hadn’t played soccer in years but he still had it. Maybe she would be so impressed by his prowess that she would forget about whatever he’d done to fuck up. 

“Mikasa, did I say something wrong?” he asked.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she yanked him into an alcove that once housed payphones and now gave shelter to nothing, then turned around to face him, her eyebrows drawn together in a firm line, her eyes wet, glimmering, and boiling hot. She grabbed his sweatshirt, clenching it in her fists. Oh, shit. He was in trouble.

“I’m so sorry if I – mmmmfff,” he said, his fiftieth apology abruptly aborted when she yanked him down to her and crushed her lips against his. 

It took Eren a second to switch gears from groveling to making out, but as soon as he did, he grabbed her hips and pushed her back against the wall, pinning her to it with his weight as their tongues tangled together. 

“I thought you were mad at me,” he said, breathless. 

“God, no,” she said, kissing him again. “That was so hot.”

Eren grabbed her face, brushing his thumbs over the ridge of her cheekbones. They came away wet and he pulled back just enough to look at her, showing her the liquid glistening on the pads of his thumbs, raising his eyebrows. “And yet..” he said. 

Mikasa shook her head in disagreement, her eyes welling up again. 

“Mikasa!” he said. 

“Sorry,” she muttered, wiping away her tears. “You just don’t know how nice that was to hear.” 

“Which part?” said Eren. 

“All of it,” said Mikasa, tugging on his sweatshirt and lifting her chin. 

“Works for me,” said Eren, ducking his head and meeting her lips, planting his hands on the wall on either side of her. She slid her hands around his ribs and up his back, clutching him closer as they kissed in the dim alcove, which maintenance no longer bothered furnishing with light bulbs. The holiday shoppers washed past in tides, the burble of their voices drowning out the Christmas carols being piped from the mall’s speakers and eroding the illusion of privacy Eren and Mikasa had wrapped themselves in.

“We should keep shopping,” Eren said, taking a regretful step back.

Mikasa glanced around to make sure no one had seen them. “You’re right,” she said, resting her hand on his chest for a moment, then straightening her sweater and securing her purse over her shoulder. “Oh, good. You remembered the candles,” she said, reaching for the bag. Eren snatched it up before she could take it. So she hadn’t noticed his sweet soccer-remnant move, which sucked, but it had been because she was so horny for his mouth, so… Yeah. Overall, he was going to class that one as a win, he decided.

Mother’s Day Deleted Scenes

Eren and Isabella

Eren was fed up with Isabella’s shit and also terrified that he was looking at his future. Was Adri going to grow up and judge him this hard? Would she also make fun of his hair and mock him for saying thanks when she told him his shoes were “fucking mint”? He was 32 years old with a job and a girlfriend and kids. He had better things to do than keep on top of youthful vernacular. 

He was in a foul mood by the time they finally settled on what to get for Yelena (a gift card), paid for it, and got in the minivan. 

“It looks like your Mom and Adri are already back at my house, Mase,” Eren said, checking his phone. “We missed out on our guy time. Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay!” chirped Mason. “I liked playing with all the testers.” He held up his arms, which were covered in blotches of lipstick and eyeshadow and scented with every single perfume in the store. “Do you think my mom will think I look like a rainbow dragon?” He pointed at the clusters of multicolored swatches. “See? Because they look like scales?”

Eren chuckled. “Maybe! But, Mason. We’re going to need to put you in the bath right after you show her. You smell like a million bucks but Adri doesn’t do good with perfume. It can trigger her asthma and then she’ll need an extra breathing treatment.”

“Oh!” said Mason. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay, buddy. Although, I’m thinking maybe we should stop by your house on the way home and get you a change of clothes,” Eren mused. 

“Ha! Who’s going to let you in if Mikasa is at your house?” Isabella sneered.

“I have a key,” said Eren, rolling his eyes.

Isabella began to sputter. Eren turned on the radio to drown her out, singing along with a pop song he had disdained when he was seventeen but that tickled his nostalgia today. Behind him, Mason had also started singing along. Eren grinned over his shoulder at him, then looked back at the road, dancing his shoulders along to the beat. 

“You are such a dweeb, Uncle Eren!” Isabella burst out. “I can’t believe Mikasa would go out with an old guy like you, who has, like, negative rizz!”

“I don’t know what that means,” said Eren. “But I’m younger than she is, so ha.” 

‘You don’t know what rizz is?” Isabella scoffed.

“No,” said Eren. “And I also don’t care.”

Isabella started sputtering again.

Eren started singing along with the radio again, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Wait, this isn’t the way to your house,” said Isabella.

Eren’s brow furrowed. “I know. I’m bringing you home.”

“What?” said Isabella.

“Where else would I take you?” said Eren.

Everyone at home after

“I thought Armin and Annie were here,” said Eren.

“They went in the backyard. Alexander isn’t allowed to watch TV,” said Mikasa.

“Oh,” said Eren. “That’s, um… Yeah, okay.”

“I think babies should be allowed to watch TV!” Mason piped up, scooting towards the door into the garage. Now that they were in the house, it occurred to Eren that they could have gone through the garage directly to spare themselves any unnecessary subterfuge. “If I ever have a baby, I'm going to let him watch whatever he wants unless it's too scary.”

“Good plan,” said Mikasa, fiddling with the remote control and glancing at the television. 

“Okay, Eren! I'm ready!” Mason said, hovering in the doorway to the garage. “Can you help me?”

“Yeah, one second, Mase,” said Eren, leaning over to kiss Mikasa on the forehead. “How was Adri?”

“She was so cute at the salon. She was trying to act very mature and glamorous the whole time but at the end the UV lamp scared her because she thought it was an oven.” 

“Aw,” Eren chuckled. 

“She also fell down but I think she wants to tell you about it herself, so I'm just letting you know she has some scrapes but she's fine,” Mikasa added. “How was Mason?”

“An absolute saint compared to Isabella,” said Eren. “He had a great time with all the makeup testers. Mase, show your mom your arm.”

Mason hid the lip balms behind his back and came forward so Mikasa could see the kaleidoscope of color swatches painted on his skin. 

Mikasa chuckled. “You remind me of a Gustav Klimt painting, for some reason.”

“Eren said I could wash it off at home,” he said. 

“Let me take a picture first,” said Mikasa, getting out her phone and repositioning so she could better angle, motioning for Mason to do a couple different poses. “There! Go ahead and wash it off whenever.”

“I have to do something in the garage first…” said Mason, all shifty-eyed.

“That’s fine,” said Mikasa, carefully not looking at the lip balms that had crept out from their hiding place. “I’m going to finish my show.”

“Where’s my mom, by the way?” Eren asked, going with Mason to the garage.

“She filled up on snacks and went to her room. I think she might be having a nap, too,” said Mikasa.

“I’m going to get the ribs started after I help Mason,” said Eren. “If you feel like keeping me company.”

Mikasa’s eyes lit up. “You’re making ribs?”

“Eren! It was supposed to be a surprise!” Mason complained.

“Ah, shoot!” said Eren. “Sorry!”

“That’s okay!” said Mason, his lips stretching into a smug smile. “I kept it a secret longer, so that means I win!”

“That’s true! Good job!” said Eren. 

“Do I get a cash prize?” Mason asked, bouncing on his toes.

Eren was reaching for his wallet to see if he had any small bills when Mikasa cut in and said, “No. Just bragging rights.”

“Aw, man,” said Mason.

Adri’s bedroom door cracked open. “Daddy?” she croaked, rubbing her eyes.

“Hi, peanut!” said Eren. “Let me see your nails.”

Adri dragged herself over and put out her hands and one foot, tottering in place as Eren inspected her mani-pedi. 

“Very pretty!” he said. 

“Look,” said Adri, showing him the scabs on her knees and the heels of her little hands, her face drooping with sorrow.

“Ouch!” said Eren. “Do you need a kiss to fix you up?”

“Missy did it,” Adri said, her lips pursing together into a serious line. “So I’m already all better.”

Eren’s eyebrows popped up then drifted back down as a slow, pleased smile spread over his face. “Then how about just a kiss because I’m happy you’re home?” he said.

“Otay!” said Adri, lifting her face so he could give her a smooch on the cheek. 

Lady’s Liaison

They must have been thirteen at the time, and Jean fourteen. Eren was in the awkward beginning stages of manhood. His upper lip now required shaving every morning and his voice cracked when he spoke with too much passion. Mikasa had been sent to the dressmaker to have her bodices altered to accommodate her own adolescent changes, and Eren had been sent along to help the footman carry the piles of gowns. 

Lady Kirschtein had indulgently allowed him to ride in the coach with them, and, as they always did during lessons, Eren and Mikasa had spent the ride with their heads together, whispering and snickering. Eren had been too preoccupied to notice the frown burgeoning across Lady Kirschtein’s face as she watched them together. 

When they had arrived in town and stopped the coach to disembark, Eren had leapt out and joined the footman on the walkway, his hands behind his back and his spine straight. Lady Kirschtein had exited first, taking the footman’s proffered hand delicately as she stepped down. Mikasa had come next. 

“Eren!” she had called, haughtily, reaching for him. He had grinned and raised his hand to her. Their difference in status had become a joke between them. It had seemed too ridiculous when they felt so alike. They’d made a game of it and she often played the snob, ordering him to do the most inane things, while he dramatically acquiesced, nearly falling over himself in his servitude. Now he raised his hand to her. “My Lady,” he said, gripping her fingers tightly when she rested them in his palm and helping her as she flounced down from the coach. He did not let go when she was safely on the ground, instead bowing obsequiously over her hand. “Are you able to walk on your own?” he had asked, his voice drawling and impassioned. “Or must I carry you?”

A sharp intake of breath drew his attention and he looked up to see Lady Kirschtein, her face twisted with shock at his impertinence. He had flinched back, releasing Mikasa’s hand. 

“I apologize,” he said, quickly. “I forgot myself.”

“Indeed,” said Lady Kirschtein, coldly, taking Mikasa by the arm and sweeping away with her. Eren’s stomach lurched and he glanced at the footman, who raised an eyebrow at him and shook his head. 

“You may take lessons together but you would do well to remember that Lady Ackerman is not your friend,” the footman whispered as they trailed the ladies, the dresses to be altered piled in their arms.

Eren swallowed and nodded. 

It was after that incident that Mikasa was withdrawn from tutoring and given over to a governess. In truth, she was far more classically educated than a woman should be, but Lord Kirschtein had been loathe to hire a governess when the tutor was perfectly capable of teaching all the children he had collected.

Neighbors AU

After Eren gives her the tree

 "So it's kind of like our trees will be a little family," he said. 

"Ooooh, yes," said Mikasa. "And we'll be baking their babies into pies."

Eren looked at her, horrified. "I didn't think of it that way!" he said. 

"Life is cruel," said Mikasa with a bright smile. "But if we don't eat them, the birds and squirrels will."

"Jesus, Mikasa," said Eren, putting his forehead in his hand with an admiring huff. "Every time I think I've got you figured out…"

"Sorry," said Mikasa, wincing. 

"That wasn't a complaint," said Eren, offering her his elbow. She took it and he escorted her to her car. 

Her eyes were sparkling when she got behind the wheel. 

When I thought they might ditch the party to go bowling

They decided to go bowling, so Mikasa headed back into town, grumbling about the waste of gas and Historia's obvious disregard for the environment, while Eren listened and admired her ability to twist a small, personal matter into a much greater issue on the global scale. By the time they arrived at the bowling alley, Mikasa had effectively pinned responsibility for all of global warming on Historia Reiss, because she drove an SUV and didn't turn off her lights when she went out and didn't drink fair trade coffee. 

"She should be in jail," Eren said, with great feeling, even though he had no idea where his coffee came from. He was going to start paying attention from now on, so he was within his rights to pass judgment. 

Mikasa sighed, parking her car. "We'll be friends again tomorrow," she said. 

"I guess that's good," said Eren, who was confident he had made an enemy for life. 

They got out of the car and went into the bowling alley which was, improbably, packed. "Is bowling cool again?" said Mikasa.

"Was there a point when it stopped being cool?" said Eren, heading towards the counter.

"There's a waiting list if you don't have a reservation," said the harried teenager. He pulled a clipboard from beneath the desk. "It's at least an hour wait, but probably more like two," he said. 

"Well, shoot," said Mikasa. "What would we do until then?" 

"There's a bar," offered the kid. He lowered his voice. "I'm allowed to walk through it after closing." He blinked at them both, waiting to see if they were impressed by his maturity.

They didn't even notice. "Would you like a drink, Eren?" Mikasa asked. 

"We're already here," he shrugged. "Might as well." 

"Can we put our names on the list then?" Mikasa asked the teenager, pointing at the clipboard. The kid handed it to her and she filled it out while Eren wandered over to peek through the door into the bar. 

"What happens if I don't hear my phone ring?" Mikasa asked as she jotted down her phone number on the sheet. "Should I note that we'll still be on the premises?" 

"We'll make an announcement on the overhead, too," the kid said. "Do you always get dressed up to go bowling?"

Mikasa looked down at her brand new cocktail dress. "Sometimes," she said.

"Oh," said the kid, taking back the clipboard just as Eren returned from his reconnaissance mission, a disgruntled expression on his face. 

"They don't have a pool table," he grumbled. 

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" said Mikasa.

"No, no," said Eren, grabbing her arm and looping it through his. "Here is fine."

"Thank you!" Mikasa called to the kid as Eren escorted her to the bar.

It was dim inside and smelled faintly of sweat and feet. "Do they serve food?" said Mikasa, thinking with regret of the top notch hors d'oeuvres Historia had no doubt catered for her party. There'd been this spinach and cheese puff pastry concoction Mikasa had tried last time and she'd been hoping she'd get to taste it again. And then there was the country club' signature gelato. She'd really wanted Eren to try the gelato. Perhaps she had been too hasty in storming out of there. She just didn't like Historia talking all that shit about Eren. He was a good guy and didn't deserve to have Historia drunkenly ragging on him all night. She sighed, looking around for a menu.

"Here," said Eren, coming right up behind her and reaching around her shoulder to tap on a sheet of paper taped to the bar top. It was covered in clip art and a list of deep fried foods. 

Mikasa scanned it, digging around in her purse for her wallet. "Do you want some mozzarella sticks?" she asked. "My treat."

"Huh?" he said, blinking. 

"Do you want to split some mozzarella sticks? Oh! And they have tater tots!" Mikasa did an excited wiggle as she located her wallet and withdrew it from her bag. Eren frowned, grabbing her wrist to stop her as she tried to take out her credit card. 

"Tonight's on me," he said. 

"But, Eren…" said Mikasa. 

“But what?” he said, locking gazes with her. Some of his long, dark hair had escaped from his bun and hung in strands around his face, framing his eyes as they bored into her. She nearly swooned. "I said I'd be your date tonight, didn't I?" he said.

"Well, yes," said Mikasa. "But that was for the party and now we're not at the party. So I wasn't sure if…"

"This is still a date," said Eren.

“Okay,” she squeaked, trying to tuck her hair behind her ear. It fell across her eyes. 

Eren plucked her wallet from her hand and tucked it back into her purse. "I'm paying," he said. 

“Okay,” said Mikasa, patting her cheeks, stomach fluttering. 

“Okay,” said Eren, pulling out his own wallet. “So don’t go running off with any other guys.”

“I won’t,” said Mikasa, her eyes wide. “I promise.”

Eren sucked in a breath and looked up at the ceiling. It had taken every ounce of self esteem he had to fuel that little interaction. He was so relieved it had worked. “Good,” he said. “What do you want to drink?”

“Just a diet Coke,” she said. “I’m driving.”

“Two Cokes and whatever else it was you said,” said Eren. He cleared his throat. “What did you want again?”

“Mozzarella sticks,” said Mikasa. 

“Wasn’t there another thing?” said Eren. 

“Tater tots,” said Mikasa, pressing her fingers to her lips and blushing. 

[jeankirsteinsgrlfrnd]

How would the aot girls react to their S/O proposing

mikasa ackerman is in quite disbelief. she’d go nonverbal and just blink at you, processing everything. she whispers a quick yes and waits til you two are home to really celebrate.

sasha braus bursts out into tears near immediately. she doesn’t even wait to hear your speech or anything. as soon as she sees you on the ground, the floodgates open. and she basically tackles you to the ground.

annie leonhardt is so embarrassed when you ask her. her cheeks turn bright red and she rubs her arm sheepishly. she really loves you and of course she says yes, but she can’t wait for the attention to be off of her.

ymir doesn’t like the fact that you proposed to her. it doesn’t feel right in her opinion. she basically rips you up off the ground and takes the ring from you so she can ask you herself.

historia reiss totally tears up and later claims that she did in fact, not cry. she puts her hands over her heart afraid it might beat of her chest. she says yes and goes in for the biggest hug in the world.

pieck finger just gets this shit-eating grin on her face. she’s so happy and totally had a hunch it was coming. she’s sure to tease you later about whatever way you chose to ask her. despite that, she thought it was perfect and replays it in her mind.

hange zoe bounces up and down in place. then, they totally milk the entire situation. i’m talking she’s showing off her ring, calling all her family members and getting free desserts at restaurants.

if anyone’s interested in my jean x reader fic, here’s the link. it’s pretty ymir heavy in the beginning but i’m exploring a lot of friendships/relationships :)

[edgessunflower]

hiya! I was wondering if you could write some becky lynch x female autistic reader ? I feel like becky, especially as The Man, would be protective of reader. Maybe the reader struggles with social cues or is sometimes nonverbal?

Thanks have a great day/night!

Friend of the man

Pairing: Becky Lynch x Fem autistic reader

Description: Becky always stands up for you when you're always misjudged by others and is a true friend

Becky turned the corner only to see you against the wall while Nia towered over you which made you afraid as she walked up to her and got between the two of you with a pissed off expression across her face. "You're not gonna mistreat her because she's different, she can't control it and it's not her fault for being who she is" nia walks off before becky handed you a granola bar as the two of you watched a tag match between Sasha and Bayley against Liv and Rhea, you stood in the ring challenging Charlotte Flair for her WWE championship only for charlotte to insult you as it was part of the promo as she accepted your challenge not expecting a familiar theme to blare throughout the arena as becky climbed in the ring and yanked charlotte's hand of your arm that made you go completely silent since you didn't let many people touch you and you weren't expecting the tight grip to your arm, "Listen here you can do a lot to the rest of us but whatever you have in mind don't even think about doing it to her" you climbed out of the ring leading becky to find you in the corner of your locker room swaying back and forth as she calmed you down from being overstimulated by what charlotte did a long with the noise from the crowd along with her insults. A few of the girls were talking while having lunch which you joined in with bayley mistaking a comment that Alexa said to rhea thinking she was talking to you only to earn a scowl and a rude remark in response making you go quiet while fixing your jacket, "Hey, don't glare at her because she misunderstood what you said which you should have made clear to her" you look up at becky before she walked out of the room leaving everyone quiet before you leave with a cup of coffee only to see becky with one of your favorite snacks from catering leading to the two of you in her locker room watching Rey and Edge's match smiling when she hands you a charm of Remy from Ratatouille which was one of your favorite movies only smiling as she watched you lightly shimmy side to side drinking an energy drink while talking with edge who was like a dad to you and Dom who became your first friend other than becky, rhea, the Uso's, Rey, and their cousin Roman who made up a small group of friends who weren't just friends but family who accepted and supported you more than any of the people who had been in and out of your life for the past few years and you could never thank them enough by them understanding you and never judging you at all.

[horatio-fig]

is it bad I want to read more about kallus brother? I can't imagine Zeb's reaction to it

Is it bad I love writing awful characters like that 😅

“There's a Twi-lek over there, that one’s for me. Sasha, I know you prefer human women.” Nick said as he looked around the tap-cafe at the poor women who were just trying to enjoy a drink after work. Kallus felt Zeb turn to look at him, and there was an unsaid question on whether Kallus was going to correct his brother. Kallus did nothing, just grew hotter and sweatier as he watched his brother leer at women. “Umm, I can’t see any lasat here? You good with a Wookie instead?” 

“No thanks. I’m into humans.” Zeb said casually and he leaned back in his chair. Kallus felt his mouth go dry at the sight. Zeb was not a very subtle man, even if you didn't work in intelligence. The lasat had many tells and giveaways and it was no surprise he lost at Sabacc as much as he did. One of his tells was leaning back in his chair with a smug grin, a sign he thought he had a winning hand.  

Nick turned his head slowly back to Zeb, his eyebrow raised in surprise and his lips twisted into something that wasn't quite a sneer but could easily become one.

“If you think you can find a human who wants to do that with you, then knock yourself out.” Nick said, a hint of a cruel laugh bubbling beneath the surface and Kallus hoped no one looked at him. If Nick looked at him right now, he was sure he would burst into flames.  

“I already found one thanks.” Zeb grinned and he turned his head to catch Kallus’s eye and for one awful moment Kallus was afraid he was going to wink or put an arm around him or something.  

“Well then she’s into some interesting stuff, that’s all I can say.” Nick said, taking a desperate swig of his drink and looking a little shaken. Kallus was sure there was plenty more Nick would like to say on the matter, but his brother was being uncharacteristically quiet right now.  

“Yeah.” Zeb said, leaning in as he spoke and looking like a predator about the make the final strike. “He is.” 

Nick froze on the spot, some of his drink trickled out of the corner of his mouth as he did, and his eyes went as wide as dinnerplates as Zeb's words sunk in. A small laugh slipped out, likely from the shock and Kallus could see him searching Zeb's face for some sign his was joking.  

“Kal, you’ll be back me up right.” Zeb said, turning to face Kallus and giving him those big loth cat eyes Kallus could never say no too. Kallus sighed in defeat and nodded back, finally accepting his fate.  

He sat up straight in his chair and cleared his throat as though it was some great speech he was about to give. In a way it was, he’d been preparing this speech in his head for a while now. He’d thought of every possible outcome and won all sorts of pretend arguments in the shower.  He could do this.  

So why wasn't he saying anything...