#she sleeps like a whole boulder

[lazy-plankton89]

that one girl that apparently just slept throughout the movie's plot???? HOW

[backinmyphase]

Not the whole truth

Synopsis: You didn't know why, but Satoru Gojo was acting different than usual and not in a good way. Well, your husband was sure that you were lying to him.

Or: Satoru Gojo doesn't even know how attached he will grow to his wife yet.

Pairing: Gojo x reader, 3100 words

Series masterlist

Contains: arranged marriage, generational trauma, jujutsu clans and higher ups, much Angst, trowing up, mention of curses

I'm sorry that this chapter is a bit later than usual, I was feeling a bit sick and fitting with the chapter I threw up :') But I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment, I love to read your thoughts!

"Were you expecting a letter?"

Your husband Satoru Gojo doesn't even look at you as he speaks. Instead his face is expressionless, like a mask he was wearing. Almost like your mother.

He was acting so different from yesterday, it was scary. Did you cross a line?

"No, why? Did a letter come?"

His voice isn't heared a couple of seconds, until he spoke again. "Yeah, from your mother."

Your eyes couldn't help but widen as his words sunk in. She knew. She knew where you were. The house wasn't yours anymore, she knew. How? Since when? HOW?

Satoru's head rose and his eyes suddenly seemed so far away. Like an ocean you will never cross. Cold, like the icebergs in the Antarctica. Not like anytime you saw them before.

"Oh really?"

You kept your voice steady as you took a grape from the offered lunch of the hotel.

"Yeah, here." he slided the piece of paper across the small table to you. Your name written in the handwriting you knew so well. "Does she write you regularly?"

Your mind froze as you thought back. Yeah, she did. But not because of the reason he thought she did. Not because she was worried about her precious daughter. No, more like she worried about her hopefully grandson.

You just nodded and wanted to open the letter as his warm hand grabbed yours.

For a moment he seemed approachable. His eyes bigger than before he looked at you with almost desperation in those deep eyes.

"Are you really close with her?"

The piece of paper sank deep into your skin as you looked at him. What should you do? You couldn't let him know, your mother would kill you! But...

It was so hard when he looked at you like that.

Your hands fiddled with the piece of the paper and drew your whole attention. They were twitching. You wanted to rip them out.

"Yes, I am." the lie left your mouth like a rock falling down a mountain. Fast but not safe. "Didn't I tell you that already?"

His eyes and mind closed from you eight in front of your eyes. You could see his emotions being pushed down and his body sitting up straight.

"Well, then." he stood up to go to the bathroom. "Could you tell me later what was written inside?"

You just nodded as he left. What happened since yesterday? What did you do? How did you get in this situation?

+:★:+*━━━ A bit ago ━━━*+:★:+*

The bed was cold. So so cold. Your consciousness slowly grew as you shivered at the unexpected coldness under the covers of the big bed.

He wasn't here.

Did you wake up early than usual? Normally he would wake you by accidentally being a bit louder when he came back from his round around the town. But Satoru didn't seem in sight.

Your body had the usual heaviness it was yesterday freed from. It wasn't easy to leave the bed but you wanted to get up.

You felt terrible.

The tiredness became unreal. Why couldn't you just be well rested after that much sleep? It felt like a boulder pressed your body down and chained you to the bed. Your body seemed so lazy.

Legs heavy, you slowly made your way to the bathroom. The clock surprising you.

10:24?

That couldn't be right. No, Satoru should have showed up by that already! And you surely haven't slept that much! Right?

As you looked at your things you needed to get ready, you sighed. There it was like every morning. The hairpin of your mother, your wedding present.

Why did you even take it with you? Yes, it was pretty but the guilt that came with it was far more influence. And you didn't even use it!

It almost seemed to look at you disappointed.

Your exhaustion was really getting out of hand! Maybe you should talk to Hina's grandmother for advice against sleeping problems...

As you began to brush your teeth, you this feeling of uneasiness began to creep up your back. Slowly, like a someone was watching you. Like something will happen...

The sound of the door opening made you cough up your toothpaste.

"Er, phew! Satoru?" you called over your shoulder while washing your face.

"Yeah?"

"Did you have trouble?" you dried your face trying to get your eyes to open properly. "You're later than usual."

He kept quiet for a couple of seconds. Then he sighed. "Yeah, you could say that."

The silence after that wasn't like the silence yesterday. It was awkward, you didn't know what to say. You couldn't explain it, but he sounded different. He didn't sound like smiling.

"I'm going down to eat lunch." his voice got a bit more quiet and moved away. "I didn't get anything."

"Okay." you didn't know what was happening, but something was wrong. The comfort of yesterday wasn't seen in any corner, didn't matter how much you searched for it.

Oh, god you did something wrong, didn't you?

+:★:+*━━━ Now ━━━*+:★:+*

Your letter weighed heavy in your hand. And as you opened it, the weight only seemed to grow.

Dear daughter,

I hope this letter finds you enjoying yourself. Well, after all that's what you so desperately seem to want. You can count yourself lucky, your slip up is being forgiven. The higher ups seem to be of the opinion that you acted for the greater good and just didn't think. That you wanted to take action in the matter heir.

They expect that you will expect a child when you come back.

The luck really is on your side. They wouldn't be half as kind if they weren't aware of where you were. Your vacation isn't frowned upon, as long you don't forget why you took it.

Enjoy your days, Sincerely, your mother.

On the back was the date of your next meeting engraved. She didn't write you anything else. You felt like throwing up.

Taking action in the matter heir? Expecting a child? You weren't close to anything like that!

What would they do to you, if they find out? No, when they find out? What will your mother say?

The table full of things to eat was suddenly all grey. You didn't feel hungry anymore, even though you didn't eat much.

Tears began to form in your eyes. You couldn't help it. The reality of what you were supposed to do came crushing down on you, making no room for the lightness of yesterday.

You desperately rubbed your eyes, trying to stop the tears but it was no use.

You couldn't show yourself like this to Satoru.

Your room didn't have the thickest walls, he would hear you in the bathroom. So you moved to the bathroom for the guests that weren't staying over the night and tried to calm down.

What were you supposed to tell Satoru?

+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*

Satoru knew that he should have given you both letters. But there was this uneasiness in the room with all these questions.

Why did these old hags even write you?

He couldn't explain it to himself. And he wanted to open the letter so bad to find the answer. But...

He didn't want to open letters that were for you. That felt so wrong. Like he was using your trust and god he didn't want you to be mad at him again.

But did you even trust him?

If you did, why were you lying to him? You seemed to have anything but a good relationship with your mother. But when he asked you, you insisted that you did. Two times.

Your face as you looked at the letter wasn't screaming happiness. No, it was confusion and even something like fear.

Did you think you could fool him?

The mirror was fogged as he left the shower. He felt uneasy. Like he wasn't seeing something he should.

Sighing, he started to get ready. Maybe he was over thinking. Maybe you did have a good relationship with your mother. You did have meetings with her a couple of times.

Which were really long...

The meetings?

+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*

"You don't look well. Are you okay?"

In fact you looked like you had cried. But you didn't seem to show that to him, meaning you smiled at him like that would be a prove.

"Yeah, don't worry."

He couldn't stand this charade that you played now. But he decided to play along. "What did she write to you?"

"Oh, the usual. I should greet you from my mother. She wished us a good honeymoon and that we would enjoy our time." the laugh that followed was more than forced.

He felt his patience slipping away. "I thought she didn't like me?"

You looked at him like he was speaking another language. "I mean yeah-, but your still my husband which she respects." the fastness with wich you spoke gave you away.

You were nervous. Why were you this nervous in his presence?

"Ah."

"Are you okay?" you looked at him with a frown. "You seem on edge."

Oh and how he was on edge. Who wasn't, when they knew they were being lied to?

"Yeah, just a bit stressed." he couldn't help but look at the letter in your hands. "Have the feeling there is a curse nearby."

"A curse?" your eyes were grewing big. "Here?"

"I will look for it later." he was sure he needed some time alone after this. "We can go to the restaurant some other time, right?"

You nodded, a terrified look in your eyes. "Of course!" you stood up. "I should go to our room, I don't want to hinder your work."

"Wait."

Now or never.

"I wanted to ask you something."

You stopped. Your tense back to him. "What is it?"

"Did the higher-ups bother you with something? Regarding our marriage?" he cleared his throat. "Just curious."

You didn't look at him, just muttered a small 'No' and 'Is there anything else?'

He let you go upstairs. Now he was sure of it. You kept something from him. And this something was in those letters.

+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*

Satoru was out for hours.

You were worried about him. He seemed so out of it this morning. And then these questions...

Was he onto something?

You couldn't afford his mistrust. Not when your whole purpose is making an heir!

That sounded so wrong.

You looked at the books on your night table he bought for you. They were all a bit different. Some a different genre. Like he wanted to make sure you had at least on book that you would like.

You hated yourself for lying to this man.

You sighed as the usual tiredness overcame you again. Grabbing a book you read. Just wanting to forget this morning.

+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*

It was late. The moon was already up and as he went up the stairs he knew that you would already be in bed.

He canceled your reservation.

He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want to ho there anymore. Not after he read what these douchbags were writing you.

Not after he knew what you kept from him.

He opened the door slowly and careful trying not to wake you. You were curled up on the bed, you seemed to shiver.

On the table next to you the second letter.

"Satoru, is that you?" your teeth were chattering.

"Yeah, it's just me."

He felt so dumb as he looked at you. So dumb for thinking you could just have a normal honeymoon, when you weren't even in love.

"Need your warmth." you sniffled. "Please?"

He was fighting with himself. He didn't want to invade your personal space, not after reading all of that. Not when you thought of it like it was your duty to-

He shivered just thinking about it.

But at the same time he didn't want you to be cold. And how could he deny his darling wife?

"I'm coming." very carefully he laid himself next to you, trying to avoid touching you, just carefully hugging you. "Is that better?"

You seemed to sleep already.

+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*

It was so cold.

Your body felt like being pushed around, everything seemed to spin. Your hands felt frozen, like they didn't were under the covers.

Your throat was dry and something sticky seemed to make itself home in it. The force that held your eyes closed was so strong.

The spinning didn't seem to end.

Wait, a second... It didn't just feel like your body moved, it did!

With much willpower you forced your eyes to open and slowly turned around. And your blood seemed to freeze with your body.

There was Satoru sleeping but had a frown on his face. And a distance between you. But not because he moved, you were pushed back. By something you couldn't see. By infinity.

...

You forced yourself up, away from the bed. Everything started to make sense. He wasn't comfortable in your presence. After yesterday he searched for distance, even in his subconsciousness.

You were to pushy, god, why were you so pushy?!

Slowly you took steps back, trying to get away from the invisible wall that so clearly pushed you away. Almost stumbling you went into the bathroom.

01:24

Kinda ironic.

As you looked in the mirror you gasped. You looked like a corpse. Your fingers in the light even a bit blue. Panic started to rise and pushed you onte the ground.

Spit began to collect in your mouth and your stomach twisted. Your head was so heavy as you slided over to the toilet.

And then it just fell all out.

Your stomach twisting and turning, the pain slowly leaving but your eyes were burning even more.

It seemed to go for hours as you sat there. Defeated, so so powerless.

You felt disgusting.

+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*

You didn't know how, but somehow you collected all your pieces and cleaned everything before falling onto the couch.

It was harder then the bed, but that didn't bother you anymore. The distance between you was far more important now.

He seemed to sleep so peaceful now.

He had moved since you stood up. God, now you were the one watching him sleep, you should get your act together.

But even though you were so so tired, you couldn't sleep.

Your surrounding seemed to watch you and the uneasy feeling from the morning came doubled back.

The luck really is on your side. They wouldn't be half as kind if they weren't aware of where you were.

They knew where you were. They could just come. Maybe even tomorrow. And even though you knew that would be unreasonable, the fear didn't leave.

You wanted to cry. But it was so cold.

+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*

It was early than usual. Satoru was still sleeping as your eyes opened. Your body was heavy but the feeling of disgust with yourself made you move.

Normally you wouldn't go downstairs, you would hjust read. But you didn't want to be there when he woke up. No that would be unbearable.

So you went into the bathroom again, the crime scene of the night nowhere in sight. The hairpin waiting for you on the counter like it was ready to stab you.

A laugh escaped your lips.

Your mother really couldn't leave you alone, even now she stole herself into your thoughts.

Why were you even here?

Trying to get away from all of these curses in this hotel room, you hurried as you stepped the staircase down. You really needed a light chat with Hina's grandmother.

And some tips against bad sleeping.

+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*

Satoru hadn't slept so bad in a long time. He turned and turned but couldn't get any good position. And he was sure that that couldn't be normal.

Normally he had a rhythm in his sleep. Get the minimum that you need and get up. He normally had to work after all.

But now his thoughts just couldn't shut up.

He woke up much later than usual. And he knew something was wrong when his six eyes were tired.

You weren't in the room.

The room was so coldly empty, his thoughts almost were silent. But only for a short time, they began to circle around the thing that was bugging him, even in his dreams.

Your lying.

And he knew he shouldn't, he knew that what he was doing was maybe much much worse than just lying but the letter from your mother was right next to him on the night table.

"Didn't I tell you that already?"

Fuck it. Maybe this was unreasonable, but he had to live with you for the rest of his life. And he hated secrets.

+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*━━━*+:★:+*

"Oh, Mrs. Gojo you look like you didn't sleep well, is everything alright?" the sweet elderly woman looked concerned as you sat down in front of her.

"Just trouble with sleeping. Do you have any tips?"

Her concern only grew in her eyes. "Well I drink warm milk before sleeping, I can bring you a cup every evening, if you want?"

You smiled at her. "That would be lovely, thank you."

She just nodded, hesitant smiling back. "It's naturally."

She brought you a hot chocolate, while she handled the organization of the guests. Turning the pages in the guestlist she spoke again.

"Were you happy to receive the letters?"

"Oh yeah, my mother is always a surprise." you began to chuckle a bit, but it died down in your sticky throat as you realized what she has just said.

"Oh I can relate! I write Hina always a couple of letters at the same time!" the woman chuckled a bit. "But I thought the two letters were from different people?"

"Oh they were." you tried to keep your composure even though the panic mixed with lots of anger made it really hard for you.

Really Satoru?

Two letters?

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[space-matt]

Could I request a Matt x reader.They have been dating for a while but the reader has never left that honey moon stage.One day Matt is not having a good day and the readers presence make him on edge.He ends up blowing up on her calling her overbearing and clingy.Things shift and she becomes more distant,for a while he feels ok but he starts to miss the relationship they way it was before.when he tries to talk to the reader she cries to him about the whole situation.He is really sorry and does his best to make it up to her.

I’ll make it up to you 

matt.sturniolo x fem.reader

summary: It's really true that you understand the value of things when you lose them.. Matt figured it out too late, but will he be able to make up for it?

request: yes 

author’s note: thank u so much for the request!! I hope you’ll enjoy it ♡ I added the song that helped me to write it. For everything I’m here!

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

English is not my first language, if you see grammar and typing mistakes, I apologize in advance! I just ask you not to be rude to me ♡

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

revised

Still lying in bed you feel the heat coming from the window left half open in Matt’s room, with your eyes closed you stretch by turning to the other side meeting a boulder of a blanket, you reach out your hand in search of your favorite person but to your surprise, your hand leans on the mattress, so you open your eyes trying to focus and notice that half of the bed is empty.

You've been together for seven months and thirteen days now, and you have to say that they are the best months of your life; Having never had previous relationships, it can be said that Matt is your first true and actual relationship in your 20 years of life. 

Everything had started as a pure joke between you two to make fun of Chris and his girlfriend Maddy, but the more time passed, the more you began to feel real feelings towards the boy who unlike you had liked you for a long time, but for fear of being considered only and solely a friend, he wanted to avoid putting his heart in the foreground and listening to the rational part of his brain. 

But fate wanted that one evening while you were saying goodbye to go to your own house, the moment you were about to press a kiss against his cheek, Matt turned earlier than expected causing your lips to collide, making you immediately move away but when you stopped to look into his eyes you saw in both of them a spark to burst a breathless kiss.

It must be said, from that moment you have been together, indeed perhaps precisely because it is your first relationship that you try to always make everything go for the best unlike Matt who still had his first relationships during his adolescence that, however, according to him, ''they can't compete with you''. Of course, it scares you that sooner or later it may get bored or otherwise lose interest in you, but you still try to eliminate this thought and be the best girlfriend in the world. 

So you get out of bed by completely opening the window so that the room can change air, leaving the bed undone; Take your change in the drawer that Matt has free so that you can put some of your things when you stay at his house to sleep, and you head to the next bathroom without noticing who is in the open space connected by a small corridor to his room.

Meanwhile Matt was lying on the sofa, the TV turned on in the background, with the phone in his hand looking at the various social networks but his mind was elsewhere, indeed the day had started in the wrong direction.

All night you did nothing but stay attached to him not making him move, which didn't make him sleep a wink and that's why he was quite nervous.

His brothers were still in their respective rooms changing, as they would then be out all day under your precise instructions, as you wanted to spend a day entirely with Matt before leaving for spring break in two weeks. 

When Nick and Chris find themselves in the living room ready to go out, Matt pulls up his head ''Do we have any meetings today?'' He asks confused getting up and putting the phone in his pocket ''The two of us yes, you have the day off today.. enjoy it'' Chris replies with a grin on his face which vanishes when he hears a puff from him ''Wow I didn't expect all this enthusiasm '' exclaims ironic Nick going to the door of the house ''Please let me come with you, I need to disconnect, I need air'' Matt responds whispering so as not to be heard by you ''Sorry MattyB but no'' says Chris taking a can of Pepsi from the fridge and then he goes out too.

Another puff comes out of his lips knowing he has to stay with you all day, and resignedly throws himself back on the couch closing his eyes.

When he feels your steps approaching a sense of annoyance and nervousness pervades his body, he can't even understand the reason for all this but it's already been a couple of days that he just wants to have a moment for him, but with you in the middle it's almost completely impossible.

On the other hand, you do not notice anything different, perhaps because taken by too much love even the most obvious things go unnoticed by your eyes in the shape of a little heart. 

All happy you go to the kitchen take water pouring it into a glass, you notice Matt on the sofa, you leave the glass on the counter and go in his direction lowering yourself to his height ''Babe, let's go out for breakfast?'' you ask trying to caress his hair but at your touch, he moves by sitting down looking at you ''I can't, I have to go out'' he responds annoyed without even looking at you, leaving you a little surprised but doesn't give up trying with a ''Then when you come back we can go for a ride at Lake Hollywood Park, right?'' hopeful in one of his answers but the only thing he pronounces is a ''See you later'' without greeting you and leaving the house, leaving you standing in the middle of the living room. 

The hours go by and so does your enthusiasm, you start thinking about the worst situations in your mind, which do nothing but increase your paranoia;

Okay maybe you recognize that in the last period, you have always been with them but although it has been almost a year since you moved to Los Angeles, you have not been able to make many friends due to your armor that you tend to raise when it comes to new people. But with Nick, Chris, and Matt it's different, you've known them since you were little, and with them, there was never a need to create a wall to protect you, because they are your guardian angels.

You've always gotten along, except for a few quarrels which is normal, but you've never noticed before behaviors so distant from Matt, as if your presence wasn't welcome.

When you hear the door open you hope that your boyfriend's figure will come out of the stairs but you recognize the voices of Chris and Nick, you resign yourself completely on the couch with your pajamas and the tray of ice cream on your legs.

''Ookay... why are you at home? Didn't you have to go out?'' Nick asks looking at you confused ''By the way where is Matt?'' Keep looking around ''I have no idea'' you answer him in a subtle voice while you eat a spoonful of vanilla ice cream, you feel the tears stop at the corners of your eyes, so you don't see you turn your head on the other side putting the teaspoon in the tray ''He came out this morning and never came back, I tried to text him and call him a couple of times but I didn't receive an answer'' you keep whispering closing your eyes making the tears fall.

You feel the package of ice cream being removed from your legs and two arms that surround you, from the essence that envelops you, you recognize that is Chris and with your eyes still closed you abandon yourself in a liberating cry after holding it all day ''Shh, it's okay'' he whispers massaging your back ''You know that now and then he has its relapses and behaves like this'' he keeps trying to reassure you.

You pull up with your nose and detach yourself from his arms ''But with me, he had never behaved this way.. at all he always came to me'' you explain looking in his direction receiving almost an expression of pity on his face ''What do you say if we order something and watch a movie here all together? We will make you choose'' announces trying to cheer you up But on your part, he only receives a nod with your head.

Even though he had spent the whole day outside walking around the crowded streets of Santa Monica, his mind did nothing but think about the time to get home, the only thought of having you always stuck made him take his breath away, of course he cared you but this so much physical contact, at that time, was leading him to detach himself from everything, but especially from you.

That's why he had waited for a late time to come back, so as not to have to face you trying to postpone everything to the day of your departure. But you know how his thought works more than yourself, in this way after finishing watching your comfort movie together with the two boys, you decide not to go to sleep right away but to stay on the couch not being able to stay alone in bed without Matt by your side, with the knowledge of having done something wrong. 

The fact that there was no communication between the two of you was new, you have always been the anchor of each other, and not being it in a short time has completely upset you, especially not understanding how to act, and consequently how to find a solution. 

The silence that reigns in the house is broken by the noise of the keys that are inserted into the door patch, your heart begins to beat quickly but you remain motionless sitting with your gaze turned in his direction, while he tries to slowly climb the entrance stairs but when it reaches the last one, he stops seeing you pulling his eyes up ''you shouldn’t have waited up for me, there was no need'' he says changing towards the fridge taking a bottle of water but no longer being able to hold back your thoughts for you ''What have I done? It's all day that you avoid me indeed it's days that you behave strangely'' you blurt out getting up to get closer to him, and given your height difference you are forced to pull up your head to look him better in the eyes.

As you stand in front of Matt, you can feel the bitterness in his words cutting deep into your heart. "What did you do to me?" he asks, his voice laced with anger and frustration. "There's that you've become overbearing and clingy. I can't take it anymore. You're always sticky, I never have a free moment, and if I have it, you're always there" he exclaims with clenched teeth and a hard look.

His words strike you like a bolt of lightning, and you take a step back, not believing what you're hearing. "We weren't like that before, and now I understand why no one has ever wanted you" he adds with wickedness, making you feel small and insignificant.

You try to speak, but your voice catches in your throat. You know what you've been through, and you've always hoped that Matt would understand. But instead, he holds it against you, making you feel like an outcast.

"You're an asshole" you finally manage to say, raising your voice as tears slide down your face. It's not like you to use such harsh words, but you're hurt and angry, and you can't help it.

At that moment, Matt opens his eyes, and you can see the surprise and shock on his face. He had never heard you say such a thing to him. Among all people, it was always you who used a calm tone, even in the most difficult situations.

Seeing you rush into his room, he follows you around, but when he sees that you start to take your bags, he realizes that he has exaggerated. "What do you do?" he asks, trying to take your arm. But with all the anger that you had in your body, in very little, you wriggle from his grip. "Let go of me" you say in a dry tone.

"I'm not going to stay in the room with you anymore. I'll go to Nick's, and I'll bring all my stuff" you finish, closing the zip and dragging the bag on the ground. As you come out of his room, you find yourself facing the two guys who, from the screams, immediately catapulted to see what had happened.

As you ask Nick for help, you feel exhausted and drained from the situation at home. Without even turning to see him, his hand takes the bag from yours and you head up to the room with the older brother. In the distance, you hear Chris saying, "Dude you have already done too much damage, let her be."

Days pass by, but the situation at home remains the same.

After receiving some harsh words, you decide to build a wall between you and Matt and try to avoid being alone with him.

You attempt to behave like a mature person, spending more time with the two brothers and going out on your own when they can't accompany you.

Matt, on the other hand, feels good when you're not around. However, as time passes, guilt starts to creep in, and he realizes that he doesn't want to push away the one person who means the world to him.

He understands this even more when you don't even look at him at the airport and leave without a single glance. "Why did I do wrong to her?" he says to himself as he watches you go through security checks. "Because you're a jerk, that's why" answers Nick, watching him with a serious expression.

Although he regrets his actions, Matt is determined to make things right between you two. Without telling anyone, he packs his backpack with only the bare minimum and heads off to the other side of the country.

Spring break is coming to an end, and leaving your family and friends in Boston again feels like a stab in the heart. This time, it hurts even more because you know that once you get back, you'll have to fend for yourself completely, starting with finding an apartment.

You and your family were having a pleasant evening playing board games when you heard the doorbell ring. "Were you expecting someone?" you asked, moving your pawns on the board. "No, we weren't. Why don't you go and answer it?" your mother replied, gazing at you with a gentle expression. You got up from your spot, a little confused.

As you reached the door, you saw Matt standing outside with a bouquet of your favorite tulips and a puppet with the words <I'm stupid> written on it. The sight of the flowers made you smile, but you didn't let your guard down completely.

''Please, I have to talk to you''

"You have five minutes" you told him as you closed the door behind you and sat on the porch, keeping a distance. He handed you the flowers and the puppet, and you accepted them, putting the flowers next to you and holding the puppet in your hands.

"I'm sorry" he began, fiddling with your fingers. "I know I'm not good with words, but I realize now that I was wrong to say what I said.

I shouldn't have blamed you like that. I just wanted to talk to you and explain my side of things."

He paused, looking down, and when he looked up again, his eyes were watery. You felt your own eyes fill up with tears, too.

"I don't want to lose you" he said, touching your cheek. You closed your eyes and put your hand on his. "I was an asshole, but I understand that now that you're gone."

You spoke up, your voice barely above a whisper. "It was a low blow. You've never made me feel so small and helpless before. But I have to admit, I've been clingier than usual lately. That's just my way of showing you love, and if you don't like it, we can end it here."

"No way" he said, taking a step closer. "I flew over 2,500 miles to see you and tell you I love you more than anything. We just need to communicate better and make sure we're both happy. I'm here because I want to be and make it up to you." concludes by looking into your eyes '' I love you too... but please let's not hurt ourself anymore'' you leaned your forehead against his and felt his lips on yours in a gentle kiss.

When you pulled away, you grinned and grabbed the puppet. "Would you be him?" you asked, laughing together.

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

Taglist:  @sturniolosreads @mayhem-72 @dracoflaco @lyzsaphrodite @ifilwtmfc @xoxo4chrisss @soimightlikeoldmen69 @inlovewithmattstur @sturniolobendystrawsposts @tillies33ssss @junnniiieee07

[author-morgan]

Title: A Dove and a Hound Rating: T Pairing: Sandor Clegane x fem!Reader Summary: A little dove with broken wings must save her wounded Hound. Or in which Sandor Clegane finds something sweeter than killing. Word count: ~3.7k Warnings: Injury/blood and typical Westerosi shenanigans.

ARYA STARK LOOKS at the bleak landscape around where they had made camp for the night in the northern Riverlands—almost in the Vale. It’s all craggy with sharp boulders and high patches of land, and hardly any trees. The names roll off her tongue as they do every night. The Mountain, The Hound, Cersei, Illyn Payne, Meryn Trant...she doesn’t make it to the next name after hearing the scraping of boots on rock nearby. Quiet as a shadow. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Syrio Forel’s words are burnt into her memory. 

"What’re you going on about now, girl?" The rasp of the Hound's voice makes her jump, and she curses him, looking up at the night sky, watching for shadows when she hears the soft noise again.

“We’re being watched,” she tells him, turning on her bedroll to face the Hound, her hand resting on the hilt of Needle.

His laugh cuts through the air—a rough sound that hurts her ears in a strange way. A man like the Hound should never laugh. "Here, in the middle of fucking nowhere?" His scarred face looks all the more hideous with the light of the fire licking at his skin. "Finish your little list, girl, then go the fuck to sleep." Arya frowns and looks around again at the land but sees nothing but boulders and empty plains, but she knows someone is out there. 

Sandor Clegane won’t admit it, but the Stark girl’s warning is the reason he stays up for over half the night. Then, when he’s certain Arya is asleep, he rises from his bedroll and unsheathes his sword, setting off to search between boulders and in the shadows cast by their dwindling campfire. But there’s nothing there. The Hound moves to return to his bedroll, but that’s when he hears quiet cursing and soft crying. And then he finds a woman huddled between two rocks, trying to nurse an injured leg. 

You see the hulking shadow approach too late to muffle your grunts and groans of pain. “Come any closer and I’ll put a fucking arrow through your eye!” You shout. But Sandor Clegane can see the bow in your hand is broken, even if you try to hold the two wooden pieces together to make it seem whole. Then he sees the broken arrow shaft sticking out of your swollen calf, too—the reason for your caterwauling. 

“With a broken bow and the only arrow you got stuck in your leg?” The Hound asks, laughing. “Pay a couple of hundred silver stags to see that done.” Sandor drives his sword into the dirt and awkwardly kneels near you, looking over the wound. He can feel your eyes on him, gaze nigh burning. But the soft white light of the moon softens the sight of his half-burned face. He looks familiar. Like you’ve seen him in passing somewhere—or maybe on the parchments nailed outside taverns noting bounties and the enemies of the Crown. 

You swallow the knot in your throat and look up at him—you might not be able to place who he is, but you know he’s dangerous, a killer. “Well, go on,” you snap, tears stinging in your eyes. “Kill me and get it over with.”

The Hound recoils as though stung by the words—he knows he’s put a lot of people in the ground, but for some damn reason, he can’t stomach the thought of landing the mercy blow now. You close your eyes and wait—no longer fearing death or pain. But the cold bite of steel never comes. Instead, Sandor Clegane lifts you into his burly arms and heads back toward the dying campfire.

Arya’s surprised when the Hound returns and lets you down to rest against the boulder nearest the fire. The girl’s quick on her feet, bringing a half-filled skin of water, and you greedily drink. "Think I'll end up losing it?" You ask the girl—wiping your mouth with a torn sleeve—a glint of humor shining through as you pat your thigh, ignoring the sharp jolt of pain that shoots down to your calf and makes your toes curl. 

“If you’ve gone this long” —Sandor crouches down and looks closer at your injury— “it’ll take more than an arrow to kill you,” he says. It earns him a dry and humorless laugh with a surprising grimness. Given enough time, he thinks he could come to enjoy the company, but right now, he and Arya Stark are already pressed for time, luck, and coin. Neither of them needs the liability of an injured woman—another mouth to feed—on the path to the Eyrie. Be best to leave her come the morning, he thinks, but now that he’s brought you back here, he knows the Stark girl won’t let that happen.

“May I have your name, good ser?” You finally ask—it only seemed proper to know the name of your white knight.  

Sandor Clegane looks at you, and the firelight paints the tangled and twisted mass of scars on his face red—pocking the flesh with craters and cracks. “Not a fucking knight,” he bites back.

And then you can piece everything together—his brute size, the burned half of his face, the posters scattered around the Riverlands. The rumors people whispered are true then, you think. Joffrey’s dog tucked tail and ran while the Blackwater burned. “You’re The Hound.” He grunts. You glance at the girl staring down at you with wide ice-grey eyes. If he’s the Hound then... “You’re Arya Stark.” The girl nods.

The silence that grows between the three of you is heavy and tense. You shift and grimace again. Then your gaze flits back over to the Hound. “Well, are you going to help me get this arrow out my fucking leg or not?” You ask, not understanding why he hauled you back here if he didn’t mean to do something about your current state. “'Cause if you aren’t, I’d sooner you cut the damn thing off or put me out of my misery.”

Sandor moves to you after that and cuts away the fabric of your britches from the arrow, then calls Arya over to set his dagger in the flames—unwilling to go closer. She does as he says, pushing the blade into the hot coals, but then Arya Stark leaps to her feet when she sees Sandor’s hand grip the shaft of the arrow—like he means to tear it from flesh. She knocks his hand away then pushes back on his shoulder, almost hard enough to knock him off balance from where he sits on his haunches. 

“We can’t just pull it out!” She tells the Hound like it should be obvious. But he’s not the one who grew up with a maester in Winterfell or spent time reading any books.  

“Then how you gone get it out, girl?” He asks, gruff and impatient. You glance between the odd pair, wondering how they haven’t killed one another by now. Arya crouches down and prods the swollen and bloody flesh, then without warning, she grips the arrow shaft and breaks off the fletching. Seven hells, you think, biting down on the inside of your cheek to keep a wail of pain at bay, I am going to lose my leg. 

“Push it through,” Arya says, remembering the time she watched Maester Luwin remove an arrow from a hunter's shoulder. The Hound grunts and draws a second, smaller dagger, starting to whittle away at the splintered end of the broken arrow shaft. 

Arya goes to fetch more water and brings back a cloth with her before settling down to watch with wide, curious eyes. Blood starts to seep down your calf around the entry and exit of the arrow shaft from being handled so roughly. Satisfied with his woodwork, the Hound steadies your leg against his trunk and starts to pull on the iron-forged arrowhead. 

You grit your teeth together, fingers digging into the soft earth below, as he begins to ease the wooden shaft through gently and quickly as he can. Arya watches your face twist in pain, but somehow, you don’t cry out. It feels like an eternity. Sandor sets the arrow aside and takes the waterskin from the Stark girl, dumping the cool water over your leg to wash away the blood—there’s a cool but welcome sting.

Sandor tosses the empty skin back to Arya. "More water, girl,” he rasps. 

“Bring wine too,” you insist, and the Hound howls with laughter.

“Seven hells,” Arya remarks. You’re just like him. The girl heads off, then comes back with more water and looks at the open wound on your leg with a scrunched-up nose. 

“Needs to be sealed with fire,” Sandor says, sitting back on his haunches, that’s why he already had Arya put a dagger into the flames. They don’t have salves and ointments and teas and brews to keep infection at bay, and despite his fear and hatred of the fire, he knows it’s the best way to clean and seal a wound like this.

“I’ll do it,” Arya offers. Her hands are steady, and the fire and heat don’t bother her like it does the Hound. He nods, and the girl goes to fetch the hot knife. They give you a strip of leather to bite down on, and then the Hound looks away when the girl presses the flat of the blade against your flesh—you do scream then. He knows that pain—that scream—and the putrid scent of burning flesh that jumps into the air. Black dots and white stars dance around in your vision. It hurts worse the second time. But you fight through it. 

Your gaze settles on Arya after a while, struggling to stay awake. “Where are you taking her?” You ask, eyes flitting to Sandor Clegane. The two are an odd traveling party that much is certain—a Hound and a wolf—made even stranger by your sudden arrival. 

“The Vale,” he tells you, “she has an aunt there.” You hadn’t expected a man with his reputation to do something so kind, not even if heavy coin purses were offered as rewards. A hush falls over you, but then the Hound rises and picks up a threadbare blanket from his bedroll. He drapes it over your shoulders, not ungently. “Best get some rest,” he says. “It’ll hurt worse tomorrow.”

THE DAYS ARE both quick and slow to pass, and soon, you’ve lost track of the time since meeting Arya Stark and the Hound—it could have been a few weeks or maybe months. But since that fateful night, your wounds have healed cleanly, and the only reminders of them are a fading scar and the limp in your stride after long days or over strenuous terrain. You remember the first time you insisted on walking instead of riding Stranger—a great black, unruly destrier. When you slowed, Sandor Clegane slung you over his shoulder like a sack of flour before depositing you back on the horse and complaining about the slow pace. Arya Stark was particularly amused by it all. 

Disappointment is all that awaits you all at the Bloody Gate of the Vale. Lysa Arryn is dead, and her young son and named protector, Petyr Baelish, will not accept visitors—not even one of Lysa’s own kin. So at the point of arrowheads and tips of steel blades, the Hound turns back, and you and Arya follow, trekking through the Vale and back to the Riverlands, unsure of what to do and where to go. Arya says they should go north, to the Wall—she has a brother in the Night’s Watch—or across the Narrow Sea.

There’s a small village not far, and you take a handful of silver stags and copper stars in hopes of replenishing your stock of ointments and bandages—especially with the now festering wound on Sandor’s neck, a nasty bite from a rogue—and maybe a decent bottle of wine or ale too. But by the time the sun is beginning to set and you return to Sandor and Arya, they’re not to be found. 

The campsite is empty. The fire still burning. The bedrolls laid out for the coming evening. You look around the craggy landscape, feeling panic seize your heart and stomach—mind racing. “Arya!” You shout, but there is no response from the girl. “Sandor!” And again, there is nothing but silence.

If not for the fading evening sun glinting off tarnished pieces of silver armor, you think you might not have found him. You stumble over to him, kneeling at his side, fearing the worst. But his chest still rises and falls, and he starts when you touch his cheek, hand wrapping around your wrist, leaving a thick smearing of blood. 

There’s something in your eyes, not pity, but he’s not seen that look before —almost doesn’t want to think of what it could be, could mean. Sandor’s grip goes slack, and he grimaces, each breath a ragged rasp. You look over his mangled shoulder, the bruises and scrapes on his face, the muscle-deep cuts on his palm, and his lame leg. These wounds are beyond your skills, and there are not like to be any travelers on this path for days.

The Hound tugs free a dagger from his belt and places it in your hand. "Go on,” he rasps, nodding toward the knife, resigned to his new fate. “Get on with it." The Stark girl wouldn’t put him out of his misery for the hatred she still bore toward him, but maybe you would. 

Your fingers curl around the hilt of the blade, grip tightening, but frozen in place—unwilling and unable to move. "I can't," you breathe, fervidly shaking your head. I won’t. He curses you when you drive the blade into the hard earth and not his heart. Sandor Clegane saved you from certain death, and now you’ve a chance to return the favor.

You wet a strip of cloth and dab it over his bloodied face until he turns his head to look at you. "If you think I'm some wounded pup you can redeem, you're stupider than I thought, woman,” he snarls like an aggrieved dog. 

But you don’t pay any mind to his hateful words. “Be still,” you chide, gently, going to collect the pack of supplies from Stranger’s saddle. The Dornish strongwine eases the pain, and he lets you clean the rest of the cuts and bruises to the best of your abilities —his broken leg, though. You aren’t sure what to do, but you know if something isn’t done soon, Sandor Clegane won’t be using that leg again in this lifetime. You lose track of how many times you have to wander down to the nearby stream. All you know is the limp in your step has come back. By nightfall, the wine and pain claim him, and you’ve said your prayers to the Seven, asking them to spare your poor wounded Hound.

There’s a dim lantern on the dark horizon, steadily drawing nearer and brighter, and then you can hear the rattling of a cart and the braying of a mule. You rise from your post and go to intercept the rickety cart thumping along the winding trail. The mule comes to a halt—the path forward blocked. 

The driver has a kind face, rounded from smiles and wrinkled with wisdom, and eyes that are deep and thoughtful but speak of the horrors of the world. “A lady and her knight,” he muses, sparing a glance at the makeshift medicinal supplies illuminated by faint firelight and the state of the brutish man sleeping—half-dead more like.

“Can you help us?” You ask. “Please.” And the broken plea strikes something deep down in the man’s heart.  

He thinks on it for a moment. “Aye,” the man says, “I can try.” If he couldn’t, the others on the Quiet Isle could—especially the Elder Brother. His dusty brown robes dust across the rocky ground as he goes to the Hound’s side. It takes all your strength combined to lift Sandor Clegane into the cart—even with the weight of his armor gone. Then you clamber to the front of the cart next to Sandor, letting his head rest in your lap, and with a snap of the reins, the mule walks on again, heading south along the bumpy road—it would be a long night.

Weary and exhausted, you look between the Hound and the driver. “Who are you?” 

“You can call me Ray,” the kindly man says. “I’ll take you both to the Quiet Isle. The Elder Brother can help.” You’ve heard tales of the isle—where men go to atone for their sins and take vows of silence. Some even say those who reside in the Bay of Crabs live in a world unlike the one ravished by war and pain. Brother Ray can see the growing trepidation on your expression. It’s nigh common knowledge women are not allowed to dwell on the Quiet Isle. “Won’t force you and your knight to be parted,” he tells you. 

“He’s not a knight,” you murmur, eyes trailing from the road ahead to Sandor, knowing he doesn’t like being called a knight—and for good reason. 

“No, but it seems he’s your knight,” Ray says with a chuckle, sparing a wayward glance back at you and the Hound. You flush at the thought and turn your gaze to Sandor, his head resting on your thigh.

A FEW MONTHS pass and Sandor is as well as he’ll ever be. The damage done to his leg makes him limp after long distances or strenuous tasks, but no one would be able to say such injuries made the Hound a feeble man. Even now, you’ve never seen a man split firewood with so much power and anger. Sometimes, you wonder if he hates you for not ending it when he pleaded for the blade’s mercy. But on the day when the brothers let you see him again, he wore a fleeting smile, soft and weak—the first time you’d seen such a sight. 

Storms roll in for the night, and lightning flashes through the window—thunder rattling your featherbed. You pull the covers tighter, squeezing your eyes shut, praying for sleep to come. It feels childish to be afeared of a storm, but it’s a reminder of the night the Lannister men destroyed your home and family and put an arrow in your leg. Rousing from the uneasy rest, you pull on your dressing robe and wrap the wool and linen blanket around your shoulders before setting off in search of company. 

His bed is empty, and you frown. Disheartened, you turn back only to bump into a solid wall of flesh and muscle. No man his size had a right to move around so quietly. “What are you doing awake, little dove?” Sandor asks, and you’re unable to meet his gaze with your flushed cheeks as you search for a valid answer. “Can’t sleep?” He surmises, and grateful he spake first, you nod sheepishly. The hand that wraps around your wrist is warm and calloused, yet his touch is light—as though you’re some bird with a broken wing. But wordless, you climb onto the bed next to Sandor, still huddled under your blanket, but not alone, and even with the storm raging outside, within these walls with him, you’re safe. 

The morning light breaks through the small window—only glowing embers remain in the hearth, not enough to chase away the chill in the air. You wake to find yourself alone, and it sends a strange pang of sadness through your heart. Making your way back to your chambers, you change into a plane shift and stride from the cottage to find him—the wet grass tickling the soles of your feet as you head down a winding path toward the water’s edge.

Sandor is sitting down on the rocky shore of the island, his dusty brown cloak fluttering in the wind. You go to him and sit on the weathered rock next to him. The morning is cool, and the spray of waves breaking against rocks in the bay kisses your cheeks. Wordlessly, the Hound pulls his cloak free and drapes it around your shoulders. In comfortable silence, you pull the coarse material tight and rest your head against his arm, looking out over the water and the clear blue sky—as though the Old Gods had not unleashed their wrath upon the land last night.

After a long while, Sandor rises, knowing it’ll be time to head to the Sept and see what tasks the Brothers need help with today. You’re quick to follow after him, but before he can start up the rocky path again, you brush your hand against his with all the timidness of a mouse, daring to have a lingering touch as you gather the nerve to ask something that’s been festering in the pit of your stomach, in the darkest parts of your mind and the deepest parts of your heart. You take both his hands—rough and twice the size of your own—and look up at the Hound. "Sandor,” you breathe, his name like a birdsong in your voice, “will you kiss me?"

He laughs—thinking you are playing him for a fool. No sane woman would ever wish to have his touch or his kiss. “With this ruined mouth?” He mocks. But the next jape dies on the tip of his tongue when you fist your hand into his woolen tunic, hauling him down with all your strength to just the right height where if you stand on the tips of your toes, you can kiss him. And you do. Sandor is surprised at first, but his hard exterior fades, and then a strong arm curls around your middle, hoisting you up and then off the ground entirely. You pull back for only a quick second and smile for him.

“Little dove,” he rasps when you move your hands to hold his face, thumbs stroking over his cheeks—one marred by the flame—and down into his thick, wiry beard. He half expects to find a shred of fear or disgust in your eyes, but there isn’t any. There never had been. You kiss him again, softer and sweeter this time, and he returns it in full. 

Reluctant to part, he places you back on the ground but is quick to pull you into his side and hold you close in the golden hour of the morning. And for the first time since he can remember, Sandor Clegane has a handful of happy memories, and perhaps, in the end, he's found something even sweeter than killing.

[Game of Thrones taglist: @certifiedlittleshit / @erzsebetrosztoczy / @hereforreadandwrite / @hc-geralt-23 / @holysmokesblog / @Idkjj04 / @lady-stark-winter-rose / @mikariell95 / @misskatiewrites / @mrsragnarlodbrok / @nyotamalfoy / @rigshak / @savagemickey03 / @xinyourdreamsx ] if your name is italicized, tumblr would not let me tag you. if you’d like to be added to my Game of Thrones taglist, or any other taglist, just let me know with this Google Form!

[cloudedmoonofficial]

Shrewbelly purred with satisfaction as he wrapped up his story about Captain Hawkshell saving a kitten from the hawk that earned her name and reputation as the Soaring Protector. Stark, Red, and Boulder nestled into their soft bedding. Red was barely old enough to understand the story as it was, so he had nodded off early. Stark had fallen asleep halfway through the tale, it was one of her favorite stories and Shrewbelly was sure she had asked for it a dozen times by now, but Boulder managed to make it through to the end of the tale this time. The little fluffy kitten usually got bored after the exciting hawk fight in the middle, but he seemed determined to stay awake through it this time. Mostly because Stark had teased him from not knowing the end. But almost as soon as Shrewbelly finished, Boulder’s eyes dropped closed. The last of his energy had been spent.

“He’s certainly a determined little fellow,” Shrewbelly whispered to Boulder’s mother, Mudtrail. He got a snore in response. It seems she had fallen asleep to his story as well. He couldn’t blame her, the midday sun was leaking into the den and made it the perfect weather to snooze in. Mudtrail shifted and wrapped her tail gently over the kittens. Even though Mudtrail wasn’t Red or Stark’s mother, she loved all the kittens just as much as Shrewbelly did.

His heart did a funny little leap when he thought about Mudtrail’s dedication to the kittens. Most cats in Marsh Colony were happy leaving most of the kitten raising to Shrewbelly, which, as much as he loved them, had been a monumental task as Marsh Colony’s only Keeper in quite some time. 

Stark would be leaving his care soon. She had learned to identify all the marsh dangers quickly and was a very astute learner. She had practiced her night stalking skills to be a real asset of hers. Even with Shrewbelly’s dark coat, Stark always managed to find him quickly. He would miss her, but she promised to visit him often, and Shrewbelly believed she would.

Boulder was a little slower to learn, but once Shrewbelly caught his interest, Boulder was single-minded in achieving his goals. That kind of drive could be dangerous in the Marshlands, but Shrewbelly prayed to the Spirits that the kitten would learn how to temper it.

I just wish I had another cat to help me. Shrewbelly sighed. In the past few years, a few cats had shown interest in taking up the Keeper Path, but none stuck with it. As much as he knew his colony needed him, Shrewbelly also knew that many Marsh Colony cats just weren’t interested in the job. Staying in camp most of the day. Teaching the kittens the history of their Colony. Doing basic drills with the kittens to prepare them for Field training. Any cats interested in training kittens tended to become Mentors instead. 

A part of Shrewbelly knew why. In Marsh Colony, kittens were in the most danger, and their history was littered with terrible stories of kittens getting lost, taken by predators, or drowning in the marsh. Try as they might, the land was dangerous. The Spirits to Come shine on Marsh Colony last, so the Spirits Beyond keep us company instead. It was a dark truth about Marsh Colony’s history that turned many cats away from becoming a Keeper.

Even Shrewbelly’s story for them today was of a kitten, just like them, nearly getting carried off and eaten. And who was there to save them? Not a heroic Keeper. When everything goes right, that’s just a Keeper doing their job. When things go wrong…

“Hey, Shrewbelly?” a small voice pulled Shrewbelly from his thoughts. He didn’t expect anyone else to be awake at this time. Typically the whole Colony was asleep until the dusk patrols began in the evening. 

Shrewbelly quietly pulled himself away from the sleeping cats and walked outside the nursery to see Frostshadow standing there. The white molly looked relieved to see him.

“I hope I didn’t wake you,” she started. Shrewbelly shook his head. 

“No, I’ve just put the kittens to sleep.” Shrewbelly winced as he saw Frostshadow look longingly into the nursery. He could guess why she was here.

“I know I should be getting rest, but…” Frostshadow’s voice trailed off and Shrewbelly’s heart ached for her. Frostshadow had recently been through a miscarriage of kittens. The young molly had been so excited to become a mother, and had even talked with Shrewbelly about becoming a Keeper once her kittens were born, but after the ordeal, she had spent a long time recovering in the Herbalists' den with Smallpebble. Shrewbelly had done everything he could to try to help Frostshadow before and after with her kittens, but they hadn’t talked about her training to become a Keeper since.

Frostshadow tore her gaze away from the Nursery and took a deep breath. “Mind walking with me for a bit?” She asked hopefully.

“Of course.” Shrewbelly bumped his head to hers softly. She would always have his support, even though he felt pretty sure he knew where this was going.

They walked in silence, it had been a while since Shrewbelly had left the base. The humidity of the marsh midday sun wasn’t pleasant, but he continued forward, patiently waiting for Frostshadow to find the right place to talk. She eventually sat on a log next to the water. Reeds and lily pads peppered the water’s surface but there was just enough space for them to look out into the still water. 

Frostshadow took a deep breath and began. “I want to thank you for everything, Shrewbelly. The Colony doesn’t thank you enough for everything you do.”

Shrewbelly wasn’t expecting that. He thought Frostshadow might hate him for not being able to save her kittens. He stammered. “Well. I uh...I...thank you, Frostshadow....I wish I could have done more.” A tear came to Frostshadow’s eye and she let out a small laugh that quickly turned into a sniffle and frown as she stared back out into the water. “I’m sorry about your kittens.” He finally added.

Frostshadow nodded. “Me too.” she said softly. “I’ve been thinking about where I go from here,” she continued. “About what path I want to take. I always wanted to be a mother, but…”

Shrewbelly waited on baited breath. She would say that she doesn’t want to become a Keeper, not if it meant dealing with hardships like this all the time. Or that she would instead start training to become a Mentor.

“I’ve decided that the Colony needs more cats like you. I still want to train to become a Keeper.” 

Shrewbelly’s jaw dropped. Frostshadow turned to face him and gave him a determined, if pained, smile. He could still see that passion, that fire in her eyes she had before. He smiled back at her and knew that this was truly what she wanted. 

“I just need a bit more time,” she finished. “But I still want to do this. I want to be there and help cats the way you helped me.”

Shrewbelly purred. He would wait however long Frostshadow needed, knowing that he still had her friendship and support, and still wanted to be a Keeper made his heart soar. “Of course! Take the time you need, Frostshadow. You’re going to make a wonderful Keeper!”

“Thank you, Shrewbelly. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

Art by Tennelle

[presidentofthelipglossclub]

GUESS WHO'S BIRTHDAY IT IS!!

in honor of my birthday here are some more rescue bots headcanons!!

they (as in constructed rescue bots) have extra color receptors which allows them to see more types of light than other bots, as well as advanced hearing (they’re also the only bots with noses so they have an extra sense)

all of them have outliers (its a requirement to be a rescue bot)

blurr changed his paint job (post s4, before he showed up in rid15) because heatwave and blades basically bullied him into it

the academy where they studied was on a moon of cybertron’s, and they actually spent very little time on cybertron itself. it was sorta like a field trip spot, and they went very infrequently

quickshadow was the academy's champion shot, and she won a bunch of competitions

the rescue bots all had specialties outside of what they actually did (heatwave was a history nerd, boulder studied xenobiology, blades took journalism, chase did psychology, quickshadow was a data analyst, hightide took astronomy)

hightide was actually friends with both orion pax and megatronus separately before they realized they all knew each other

in that same vein, servo and lazerbeak were longtime friends because they grew up together

optimus is so ridiculously tolerant towards whatever the rescue bots do that they actually have a running bet on how much they can get away with before optimus gets angry (he never once has)

blurr's reputation as most annoying bot ever has been intact since way before the war when he was a racer

blades got his name through an awkward mishap at an armory that heatwave never let him live down

related to that, all the rescue bots' "names" are really more of nicknames. their names are listed on documents but their primary identification is through serial numbers because they're cold constructs

boulder had a practically bullet proof reputation at the academy as the perfect student so whenever the others wanted to get away with something they always involved him

when salvage heard about DIY's he got super into them and started making tons of pointless stuff. he never even followed the good channels, only stuff like troom troom

chase succumbs to peer pressure ridiculously easy

heatwave gives really good advice but only on accident

quickshadow and hightide like to hang out and trash talk optimus whenever he does something they don't like

blades only has field medicine training, he's not cleared for any actual treatment outside of an emergency (he can do first aid and EMT stuff but can't, like, prescribe things or do surgery). this has not stopped him from trying things though.

salvage is actually from one of cybertron's colony worlds, but he grew up on cybertron

ok here's a fun little surprise in honor of my birthday: the humans are also included in headcanons!!

kade was actually very good at gymnastics, he just got bored of it

chief burns needs glasses but he prefers to wear contacts

dani had a very extreme scene core phase, and her hairstyle is a remnant of that

frankie has super high government security clearance as a super genius and daughter of one of the world's best scientists, so she knows all kinds of military secrets

doc greene and chief burns met in childhood, doc's family moved away, and then when he got older he moved back to griffin rock and reunited with the chief

graham is the biggest night owl because of college. sometimes, when he has trouble falling asleep, the bots invite him to movie night and they all watch reruns of old movies or shows

building off that, there are two kinds of movie night: the first is with the whole burns family, rescue team, and sometimes others such as optimus or the greenes. the second is less of a movie night and more of a "we need something to do while the humans are sleeping, let's watch trashy tv all night." this kind of movie night is really just the bots (minus whoever has night shift)

professor baranova actually used to be pretty upbeat, although she was a bit misunderstood because she's neurodivergent (i also headcanon that after the whole living underwater for 28 years thing she developed DID and multiple alters to cope with the loneliness, so she's now a system)

woodrow and optimus are in a qpr. optimus refers to him as his amica, and also privately thinks of him as his human partner

doc greene at some point developed a working synthetic energon formula completely independently. when ratchet first met him (post war, probably right before he was hired to work at the rescue academy) and learned about this he lost his shit

bumblebee and dani race together all the time when he visits

this is where i'm gonna stop this post, because it's pretty late for me lol. it was my birthday today, so happy birthday to me!!

also y'all PLEASE talk to me abt any of these headcanons i will be thrilled to elaborate!

[i-still-got-love-for-you]

hi!

could you please do a reader x jason grace fic were reader was severely injured and barely survives?

(feeling a bit angsty hehe)

Soon You'll Get Better

Jason Grace x gn!reader

910 words

cw: god i hope im doing the angst thing right, there IS fluff bc i would cry if there wasn't, i really hope its gender neutral tell me if it isnt, once again verb tense grammar that might only bother me

a/n: thank you for this request!!! i had so much fun writing it <333 hope you like this!

Rocks were raining down like deadly raindrops from the sky. It was getting harder and harder to dodge them, and your lungs were burning from the running. The Laestrygonians weren't letting up. Percy's story of the "Dodge Ball Game of Hell" came to you at that moment. You were sure this was worse.

You were cursing your godly parent, wishing you had Hermes' gift of speed at that moment. At the risk of slowing down, you looked back t see how close the giants were. They were slowly gaining on you, and a random burst of adrenaline made all your pain fade away.

Blood was pounding in your ears, feet hitting the ground in tune. Just beyond some trees, you could see Half Blood Hill. The force field around it wad your haven, the only way the endless storm of rocks would stop.

You were climbing the hill now, falling and scraping your knees in the rush. Your hands were shaking and covered in scratches and the rocks were getting closer and closer-

You felt a pounding on the back of your head just as you saw Peleus. You stopped in your tracks as you made eye contact with the dragon and promptly fell over. The last thing you remembered were a pair of black glasses.

─ ୨୧ ─

Jason was panicked. It was a feeling he was unfamiliar with, numb and lightheaded and unable to think about anything other than you. He had found you at the border, surrounded by boulders and bleeding from your head.

His brain immediately went into autopilot. Checking for a pulse, carrying you to the infirmary. He was promptly kicked out by Will Solace, who stated he was “hovering worse than a moth near a lamp.”

He could hear the shuffle of feet through the door, sometimes broken by the sound of voices too muffled to be of use. Then, he heard someone yell, “We’re losing her!”

His heart dropped. His whole body might have gone with it, had he not quickly moved to a chair. Losing you? How?

Thousands of thoughts flooded his brain, words he wanted to say, things he regretted, his future with out you. The latter were the scariest of them all, each one more depressing than the last.

Him slowly falling into madness, him isolating himself from the rest of the world. Dying alone, him doing something stupid in his grief that gets him killed.

His nose prickled, warning him of the tears pooling in his eyes. Oh god, what if these are your final moments?

The door opening snapped him out of his downward spiral. He shot up out of his chair and wiped away the tears about to fall. Will looked tired. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced, his hair rumpled, and he was swaying slightly.

“She’s stable, but we put her into a deep sleep so she could heal with minimal pain. We wrapped her head to stop the bleeding, but only the nectar we gave her is going to heal her,” he informed the son of Zeus.

Jason sighed with relief, “Thank you, Will. So much.” He went around the boy to enter the room, pausing as he saw you.

You laid lifeless, the bandages on your head almost obscured your face. Hundreds of tiny scratches littered your arms, sure to scar. Jason didn’t care, all that mattered to him was that you were alive and you wete going to wake up.

He took your hand as he sat beside you, and the scabs he felt made him sick. The nectar might have healed up the smaller things, but the marks you still had were remnants of worse cuts. You almost died. You had almost left him. Permanently.

─ ୨୧ ─

Right next to you was where Jason was for the next three days. Holding your hand and praying to any god he could think of were the only things he did. It took a lot of convincing (and a threat to kick him out) by Will (and Nico) to get him to eat something.

It was on the third day that you woke up. It was a particularly sunny day, but with it came midday heat. Not that Jason noticed. Because what point was looking at anything other than you? What was there to feel other than the black hole in his heart?

When your fingers squeezed his hand, he shot up in his chair and called Will over. The son of Apollo rushed over just as your eyes opened, immediately asking you how you felt and if there was any pain.

Over and over, you assured him you felt nothing. He leaned over and removed the now bloodstained wrap around your head. “I’ll leave you two alone,” he announced with a small smile on his face.

You turned to Jason and damn near fell out of the bed trying to hug him. He caught you and positioned you back on the mattress, half his body going over you. He chuckled, thankful you couldn’t see his teary eyes.

"Gods above, I missed you," he exhaled. Maybe his arms were a bit too tight, but you weren't complaining.

You laughed, "How long was I out?"

"Um..." He hesitated, not sure how to proceed. "Three days?"

Your brain stopped working for a second, processing the number. "Well then, superman, we have a lot to catch up on," you whispered as he caught your lips in kiss.

[pricegouge]

Fatted Rabbit, Part Fifteen on AO3

Content

Bearshifter!Price x reader | explicit

It's strange how different the drive north is from what the mad dash south had been. In John's anger, he'd felt stubborn and unyielding - a boulder in a stream, able to watch as little flickers of sensibility passed him by, yet unable to do anything to keep them. Even as the road had wound its way down the mountains, he had felt fixed. As if a rope had stretched straight and taut between him and his destination, and he'd had to work for every inch gained through sweat and blistered hands.

It's strange how different the drive north is from what the mad dash south had been. In John's anger, he'd felt stubborn and unyielding - a boulder in a stream, able to watch as little flickers of sensibility passed him by, yet unable to do anything to keep them. Even as the road had wound its way down the mountains, he had felt fixed. As if a rope had stretched straight and taut between him and his destination, and he'd had to work for every inch gained through sweat and blistered hands.

Despite the low anxiety that boils in his belly regarding the unknown quality that is Shepherd, the return trip breezes past in a slow crawl of rolling peaks, distance measurable in the changing of the range characteristics. They pull over to sleep somewhere in southern Montana and John finally gets to test the limits of the Jeep's suspension. It would be a pleasant little road trip, if his bear would stop grumbling in the back of his mind.

There are some things his human form simply won't suffice for, evidently. And he needs to sniff her out properly, get her soft body under him and just keep her still for a whole night, pressed under the immense weight of himself. 

(He won't crush her. Not really. But he at least needs to see his big ol' mit splayed across her belly possessively.)

If she notices him driving straight past Columbia Falls and into Glacier, she doesn't say anything, keeps quiet until he parks far up a ranger path and goes to climb out.

"The one time I dared to presume I'd be invited over for the evening, and you leave me to sleep on my own on a cold fire trail in the dead of night." She's teasing when she shakes her head at him, but John is not amused.

"Not leaving you anywhere, bunny."

He gets her little mattress pad set up in a pre-existing bear bed under a canopy of maple boughs and tells her to settle in. She seems to know what he's got planned when she asks him to stay where she can see him while he changes. He shakes his head at her though and hides away behind a copse of pines, shakes the viscera off thoroughly before snuffling back to her. She may have seen a video of it already, but there was no need to keep subjecting her to it.

She grins like a fool when she spots him and John can't help the happy chuffing it incites. She giggles when he snuffles her hair, her neck. He dives into her belly with a series of frankly embarrassing grunts, but he can't bring himself to care when her giggles turn to outright laughter. He stops when she starts kicking, worried about her poor leg. It takes her a minute to catch her breath but when she does, she holds her arms out wide in clear invitation and John carefully lowers himself so he can duck his big head onto her chest. She sighs contentedly and threads her fingers into the fringe of his collar, which prompts a happy groan from him.

"You gonna stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about when I ask you to make that noise again?"

John chuffs, heavy breath displacing some of her hair. When he lowers this time, her returning smile is brighter than the stars overhead.

"That fuckin' moo. I think it's my favorite noise you make." He grumbles, indignant about being told he moos , but she ignores him. "You know you make that weird huffy noise when you're human sometimes too, right?"

He chuffs at her again illustratively and she wipes off some of the slobber it blows at her.

"Nasty," she gripes, but she wiggles underneath him until she's on her side and John shifts himself up so she can tuck in under his arm. She wastes no time trying to wrap her arms around his body (can't, of course, but it's cute that she tries) and buries her face in the shaggy fur of his chest. John returns the favor, sinking his nose into her scalp and breathing deeply, sorting through all the scents to be sure any trace of the other man is gone.

When he's appeased, he ducks down even further to headbutt at her and she kisses him on the snout, pressing her face against his own as she reaches up to scratch behind his ear.

"I probably shouldn't find you so cute, considering everything, huh?"

He'd laugh if he were human. Settles for a soft nod instead which sets her own head lolling. 

"Well, too bad 'cause I don't. Though maybe my danger radar's busted. Would explain the ex, I suppose," she trails off. He growls and she's quick to change the subject, leaning back enough to look at him in feigned seriousness. "And crocodiles. I think those are cute too, and that can't be wise."

This time when he chuffs at her, he wraps a heavy arm around her and pulls her to his chest. Her laughter gets caught in his pelt, warm against his skin. When she tells him she loves him, it's muffled there too.

He ducks down enough to sniff at her, hopes it communicates his returning affections. He throws a leg over her own for good measure, careful of her cast.

In the morning he's happy to sit with her for a while, ignoring all the responsibilities they're sure to return to once they head toward the bar. He sits on his rear, gets her propped up between his spread legs so he can paw at her thighs and sniff at her while she plays on her little game. She pauses occasionally to inspect his paws. He expects her to grow pale at the sight of his claws, but she just tells him he has cute little toe beans and kisses at them.

He's a little indignant that she'd call anything about him 'little,' but he's also well aware he's being ridiculous so he just huffs at her and mouths gently at her ear.

***

They don't make it to the apartment unaccosted because that would just be too much good luck all at once. He's not even sure where they come from, making no noise as they creep up behind him while he helps bunny out of the boot. She doesn't seem to have noticed them either, if the way she squeaks when he closes the hatch to reveal them is any indication. 

John jumps, nearly decks the closest one. Gaz side steps easily with a sly smirk while Soap practically rips the rabbit out of his arms. 

"Bonnie!" He crows, twirling her around like a buffoon and then apologizing profusely when her plaster knocks Gaz's knee and she winces in pain. 

"Watch it," John growls, setting bunny back up with her crutches and checking her over as if he's suddenly developed X-ray vision to assess her fracture. 

"Sorry hen, but ah'm so excited! Ye had us all worried." 

"Yeah, sorry." She looks endlessly embarrassed as the three of them just revel in her very presence for a moment. "Um, who are you?" 

"Oh, Kyle. Was the bartender here before this clown." 

"Oi!"

Kyle sticks his hand out to her but just holds hers between his once he gets it, smooth bastard.

"Right, good to put a name to a face." 

"Likewise," he winks, and bunny's ears practically twitch. 

"When'd you get in?" John interrupts, unable to completely ignore the growing ball of totally unearned jealousy in his stomach. Not his fault, it's been a rough few days. Soap uses the distraction as an opportunity to guide bunny inside. Through the bar door, not his own, he notes with annoyance.

"Last night. No one told me how the little mission went so I figured I'd come see for myself." 

"Bullshit, Simon was keeping you in the loop."

"Yeah. Still thought I'd stop in." He looks Price up and down pointedly, as if checking there's not still blood on him or something.

John grunts, brings him into a one armed hug. "It's good to see you, mate." 

"You too, cap. You've not gone off and signed your own arrest warrant though, I hope? From the look of things, Soap'll be only too happy to take care of your girl while you're away." 

"Have a feeling I don't need to worry about either thing, really." 

"Oh?" 

"You seen Simon around?" 

"Yeah, he's just inside, actually." 

"So not at the brewery, tinkering with his precious ale?"

Gaz pauses, hand on the door but not opening it. "Oh," he says quite simply, and then they shrug in unison and follow the sound of Soap's incessant brogue out to the bar.

It's blessedly empty out front. John never figured he'd be happy to hear his staff had unexpectedly closed for the day while he was out, but then he'd never been faced with the daunting task of sharing his mate with half the town after the week he's - they've - had. It's bad enough sharing her with this lot, although he does because she looks adorably flustered when Soap lifts her up onto a barstool ("Seriously, you too?") and because he supposes they owe Gaz some explanation for all the last minute favors he so discreetly handled. 

"No', wha ' happened tae yer gam, Bonnie? And would ye like ol' Soap ta kiss it better, hm?"

"Oh shucks. Thanks, but too late now. Locked away like a tomb, no kisses." She gives Soap a faux regretful smile, but he just grins all the harder, steps into her space. 

"Could always kiss a wee bit higher."

"Careful, Johnny. Anymore of that and cap might eat you alive," Simon threatens, completely deadpan. 

"That's right," so hands to yourself, Price doubles down. Soap sticks his hands up in dramatic surrender and scurries back behind the bar to get everyone comfortable, easy enough to distract; but Gaz is far too sly, watches bunny pale at their words with a shrewd eye that lets John know he won't be able to evade nearly as much as he'd hoped.

"Gaz, what'll it be?" Soap asks, setting up the standard orders for John and Simon. He gets a cider going for bunny which she thanks him prettily for.

"Just a water, mate, thanks."

Soap scoffs, affronted. "You dinnae wannae enjoy someone else doin' the work fer once?"

"Havin' too much fun watching someone else serve these picky bastards," he motions at his former bosses. "Don't wanna cloud the memory."

"Picky is it? They've no' complained abou' me yet." He places bunny's drink in front of her with a wink. "Mus' be ah'm better then, eh bonnie?"

"That's a good way to get that streak broken," John warns, motioning to Soap's lingering fingers on bunny's rim. He leans across the bar and grabs his own drink, claims the chair next to his girl and drags it pointedly closer to her.

"Ah, cap, ah'm jus' messin'. No harm."

But John was grumbling the second he heard the term of authority. "Christ, not you too?"

Soap cackles but bunny places a hand on his reassuringly. "Would it be better if I started calling you cap, too?"

"Hm, now there's a thought," John grins at her, leaning in for a kiss which is foiled when Soap turns the stream from the fountain hose on him. 

"See how ye like it," the Scot snarks, and John probably would've gone over the counter if not for Simon's rare, earnest laughter spilling through the room like thunder.

"Gotta say, cap. Wasn't expecting to like my replacement so much." Gaz has seated himself on the other side of bunny, while Simon stands at the very end of the bar, towering unapologetically. 

Soap tips his glass to the man, winks. "Had big shoes tae fill, I heard. Had tae step up."

John turns to catch the vanishingly scarce experience of watching Simon bite back a frown, finds the large man staring back at him already as if in challenge instead. John just huffs and goes back to smiling dopily at the back of bunny's head. 

"Well you certainly did that, bruv. Look at that brooding bastard. Never seen him go so long without swearing."

"Fuck off, Garrick." Simon deadpans.

"There it is. Anyway," Kyle turns to the soft girl beside him and smiles warmly. "You never did tell us what happened to your leg, luv."

"Oh yea!" Soap crows, a dog that's remembered it has a bone out in the yard. "You awrigh', bonnie?"

"Oh, uh. Yeah…" she flounders, looks to John for guidance, but for all their plotting, they had not expected Gaz, who knows far too much, to be in the same room with Soap, who knows the exact right amount - next to zero -, when they had to have this conversation.

John eyes Soap, eager and bright, and remembers how the man had been beside himself when Simon had said they were leaving to go retrieve her after being chased out of town by the nasty ex he himself had served. He doesn't trust the man with the whole truth, of course, but this bit…

"It's your leg, bunny. Up to you how much you wanna share," John shrugs.

She blinks, as if surprised to find that's an option, and then gives him a soft, private smile before turning back to Soap and rather bluntly sharing that her ex broke it.

If any of them were expecting a sober reaction, the speed at which Soap's complexion turns cherry red ruins any chance of a civil conversation. "Tha' fockin' cunt!" he hollers, waving his hands wildly enough he doesn't notice how bunny flinches a bit.

"Easy," John warns, but it's Simon holding his palm out to the Scot that gets his attention.

"Down, boy. Indoor voices." He cuts a subtle glance at the rabbit and Soap deflates just as quickly as he was set off.

"Ach, sorry las. I jus' don' deal well wi' tha' shite ," he hisses.

"That's okay," she shrugs, doesn't elaborate. John places a hand on her thigh and she threads her fingers through his, the contact hidden under the counter.

Gaz pats the rabbit's back soothingly, turns to Soap. "Don't worry, mate. From what I gather, cap here doesn't handle it too well, either."

Soap's eyes are bright as a Zippo's flame when he turns back to his boss. "Did ye take care o' him, cap?"

Four sets of eyes on him, John can't really lie like he thought he could. "Yes."

A beat. Soap frowns, wound up and put away wanting. "Well, how so? Bust his nose? Break his leg?"

John turns to Simon who stares back, apparently just as cowed by the notion of actually admitting what he'd taken part in. Kyle just keeps boring holes into the side of John's head. 

"A bear got him first."

To her credit, bunny doesn't flinch under the weight of everyone's gaze like John had. She takes a sip of her cider, casual as can be, smacks her lips.

"Huh?" Soap asks, eloquently.

"Bear. Got him first. Phil abducted me from my motel room four nights ago -."

"What?"

"John and Simon - or rather Kyle, I gather; thanks," the man nods, tilting his water at her. "- tracked me down to the cabin where he'd been stowing me. God knows what John had planned for Phil, but that doesn't matter because in the funniest possible twist of fate imaginable, Phil was already dead by the time they got there."

A beat of silence follows. Two. John resolutely does not look at Simon, or even Kyle, but he allows himself a glance at Soap when the Scot scrunches up his face in confusion. "You said a bear?"

"Yep. Big, aggressive black bear."

"Did you call it in?" Gaz asks and bunny shakes her head, curling her lip.

"Honestly? Wanted to let the crows pick him apart." It's just enough honesty - enough admission - that Gaz nods once and frowns down at the counter in thought.

"Well, cannae blame ya there, bonnie." Soap grabs her another cider and assesses John openly. "What were you plannin' for the little shite when ye go' there?"

John shrugs, leans into how hard it is to meet the eyes of the men around them and plays it off for shame. "Didn't have one. Guess it depended on how hard he would've fought back."

"So you would've killed him?" Gaz accuses and John sighs, leans forward so he can see around bunny. 

"That fucker unloaded two cans of mace in my face, threatened to kill me, schemed his way into bunny's quarters by giving an old man a black eye, broke her fucking leg, and abducted her. And that's just what I've known about, since I personally met him. That's not counting all the -," he waves vaguely and bunny stiffens, proving his point. "So yeah, I might've. And I don't feel bad about leaving him there, either."

Gaz continues to squint, but Simon nods once and it's strange how it's that - after everything the big man had already done to help him along the way - is what finally lets John breathe a little easier, secure in the knowledge he may not have done the right thing, but he at least did the effective thing. Simon has always been a pillar of efficiency.

"Ah'm honestly a bit flapped that bear go' him first," Soap scoffs and John can feel the tension in the room melt around the edges a bit. Gaz continues to frown in a way that lets John know he's not heard the last of Kyle's opinion, but he loosens up a bit when Soap carries on about the particulars of how he would've chosen to dispose of Graves. He's funny about it, gets bunny laughing with increasingly more outlandish deaths. By the time it escalates to Acme products, even Simon is hiding a chuckle behind his mask.

And even Gaz forgets to be stuffy when Soap notes Simon's laughter with a smile, leans up to kiss his cheek with an obnoxious smack of his lips. Simon grumbles, but doesn't break his glass over the smaller man's stupid mohawk and John chokes on a peel of vindication.

He exchanges a wide-eyed glance with Kyle, nearly throws himself over the bar to wrap the two in a congratulatory hug. Bunny's firm grip on his thigh stops him, however, when she pushes him back into his seat and not-so-subtly nods back at Simon. The big lad is flushed pink up to his ears, clearly embarrassed enough. Any other time, John would take that as carte blanche to make the stoic man squirm, but he supposes after all the help he's been, Riley might deserve a little bit of grace.

Besides, the smitten, shit eating grin on Soap's face tells him he'll have plenty of opportunities in the future.

"Oh!' Bunny suddenly proclaims, patting herself all over as if in search of something. She blinks, rolls her eyes at herself and then turns pleading eyes on John. "Could you check to see how the muppets are doing? I lost track with everything going on."

John doesn't even have time to respond before Soap is thumping the counter with a heavy fist. "Elimination game six tonight! Nearly forgo'."

"How'd you know?" John asks as the other man sets up the TV.

"Always remember what my regulars want to watch." The wink he sends bunny is not diminished in quality at all by the kiss he'd just laid on Simon's cheek.

John waits until the muppets have a decent lead before sneaking out for a smoke. Gaz follows, much as John had expected he would. John debates busying himself with unpacking the cars just to stay out of Kyle's way, but he knows it will only delay the inevitable.

He doesn't even wait for John to properly light his cigar.

"You would've made me an accessory."

John nods contemplatively, spins his cigar over the open flame until it smolders. The man's right, is the hardest part. John had been selfish and hasty. Beyond reason. He'd prided himself for many years about his ability to control his bear, but here he'd gone and handed the reins off to the beast after just one altercation with his mate's. Happily. Unthinkingly.

"You didn't have to help." The furrow of Gaz's brow is ominous as he huffs, dropping eye contact. "Look, should I -."

"Not going to the cops," Kyle spits, as if even the taste of the words is bitter on his tongue.

"You know I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"I'm not -." Gaz cuts himself off with a sigh, rolls his head back to study the dead spiders under the awning. "I know it's not up to me to decide if Graves deserved what he got. I just -. I didn't think you were capable of something like that."

John grunts, smoke spilling from his lips. "Neither did I."

It takes a moment but Gaz eventually sighs, nods exactly once and then meets John's eye with a concentrated frown. "So now what?"

Cigar between his teeth, John can't help the overwhelmed sort of smile that stretches his lips. "Couldn't fuckin' tell ya." At Kyle's continued silence, John sighs. "Simon's kept you up to date?"

"Yeah. Most I've heard from him in years, probably."

"Love suits him, doesn't it?" John laughs.

"Don't change the subject."

"Right. Well. It depends on Shepherd, mostly. It's hard to know what he knew, so it's hard to know what to expect. If he knew the girl was there, it's possible he'll have some questions about why Grave's wasn't reported. But if he knew she was there, it's also likely he knew why she would just run for the hills the first chance she got." He shrugs. "Suppose it depends on how much he cares to waste his time and resources."

"Slimy bastards tend to stick together."

"Slimy bastards tend to care only about themselves," John counters. "A man was mauled to death by a big fucking bear in the middle of a tourist town. On his property. It's entirely possible he'll just want to bury this whole thing."

"And Graves was mauled by a bear, was he?"

John scoffs. "Graves was certainly mauled by a bear. No doubt in my mind. But let's say he wasn't. You don't think Shepherd would follow the same logic for murder on his property?"

Gaz looks like he has plenty more to say, but he just sighs, nods again. "Okay. Cross that bridge when we get there, I guess?"

"You won't be part of that, Gaz. Promise. The only crime that was committed was a failure to report a death. And it would be hard to prove any of us actually saw him."

"Should've at least reported the bear," Gaz grumbles and John suppresses a laugh.

"Yeah. Hindsight. Think we were all pretty shaken, though."

"Yeah."

They sit in silence another moment while John studies the cherry of his cigar. "How's uni going?"

"Mm. Good. Learning a lot."

"Clearly," John chuckles, thinking of all the backdoor cyber gobbledegook nonsense the younger man must've pulled to help them out the way he had. "Sincerely can't thank you enough, Kyle."

"You can thank me by never asking me again."

"Fair. How long you in town?"

"Just the weekend. I'll be back for break, though."

"Gonna need a summer job, kid?"

"You offerin' one, old man?"

"Always got a spot for you."

Gaz laughs, sticks his hands in his pockets. "Suppose it depends if I'm still mad at you."

John laughs as he stubs out his cigar. "Fair again. Well I better head in. The woman says I must be a good luck charm for those muppets so she'll be mad they get behind in my absence. You coming in?"

"Whipped already?" Garrick teases and John just nods with a grin. "Nah, don't like fifth wheeling. I'm headed out for the night. Tell everyone I said goodnight. See you tomorrow?"

"'Fraid not. Busy all day."

"Gross," Kyle gripes, and John just laughs.

"Have a good night, Gaz," he says, clapping the man on the shoulder.

"I'd say the same to you but I'm scared you'll make an inappropriate joke about it."

"Reasonable fear."

Gaz turns back as he's climbing into his car. "She's cute, by the way. I'd say she's nice but, well."

"She is nice. Just don't break her leg. Or kidnap her."

"Right," Kyle grins. "'Night, cap."

***

The muppets end up winning by the skin of their teeth. Simon makes a comment about the next game and you huff something about one game at a time. 

It's late when you make your way up John's steps. Well, John does, rather. You just hold tight and marvel at his ability to climb stairs with you thrown over his shoulder.  He sets you up in bed while he putters about a little while longer, getting the place settled after being away so long. You think you see a touch of obsession in his meticulousness and you wonder if it has more to do with his human preferences, or his bear's need to keep a cozy den. You wonder how many other idiosyncrasies you've yet to discover.

You call him out on it when his fiddling brings him back to the bedroom but he just smiles and kisses your forehead, says he's nearly done.

"Keeping me awake!" you holler after him goodnaturedly when he heads back out the door. 

"Good, I need your opinion!"

When he returns, he's fussing with the fern he'd insisted on getting that day at the market, holding it out for inspection as he runs a finger over the coarse hairs of the aerial roots. "This look too dried out to you?"

You can't help but smile as your finger joins his, stroking over the knobby, dehydrated joints. The leaves look a little wilted, but they're still a good dark color. And John's nothing if not nurturing.

"Nothing you can't fix, I'm sure"

Aaaaand fin (?) Shoutout to @/400badrequest for the idea to cap this part off here. I rushed the last few chapters because I'm ready to move onto some other projects, and I didn't want to treat the last leg the same way. As of right now, the plan is to eventually add a second part to deal with Shepherd, but in case I don't, or if you don't return for the second half, just pretend that selfish asshole was just like, "Well that sucks. Feel better, Graves!" That being said, I still owe two anons a double date and a mating season scene which I didn't write up cause I thought I'd squeeze them in here somehow. So if you don't see them pop up in the drabbles, it's because I'm cooking with them for the next part >:) Please lmk what you think!

That's all but you can find some non-canonical drabbles of these two here

[oneatlatime]

Bitter Work

Life took me out at the knees for a couple of weeks but I'm back! I'm hoping this is a nice restful episode after the relentlessness of The Chase.

I have to say, Toph's nicknaming skills are on point. I never would have thought of Sugarqueen, but it fits perfectly.

This is me. Every morning.

Full nose plant from Appa.

And the beat up Sokka quota is fulfilled. Very funny Toph, but completely uncalled for. If someone had catapulted teenage me 50 feet into the air while I was trying to sleep, it would have been fully justifiable homicide.

Aang is always trying to run before he can walk. What was Iroh always saying to Zuko about basics? Aang needs that speech too.

I was really on the ball in my post about how airbenders aren't homicidal, actually. Rock is a stubborn element. Yay me!

Aang earthbends = Earth bends Aang.

Seriously, how did he mess up that badly?

Cozy.

Thank you Zuko for the incredibly obvious exposition that's somehow completely in character. Interesting to see that Iroh and his son had brown hair, but Zuko seems to have black hair. More hair variety in the Fire Nation than I thought.

Tangent time! I love the contrast in social intelligence (I guess that's the term?) in this scene. Zuko wakes Iroh up with an infodump, some bad tea, and then gets straight to discussing strategy. Iroh's first actions are to compliment the bad tea, then dispose of the refill in a way that won't hurt Zuko's feelings (probably not necessary, as Zuko seems to be the type that's oblivious to all things other than the task at hand when he's focused). Iroh, injured and awake for all of 15 seconds, jumps straight to actions that help look after his nephew. And Zuko is trying! That's why he made tea! But still, he doesn't even ask if his uncle's feeling ok. Zuko has such a massive gap in his education - he can probably reel off the specs of all Fire Nation battleships, but he doesn't know how to be a human person. Contrast that with Iroh, and especially Katara, who makes friends and connections with such aggressive forwardness that she's at times more steamroller than teenage girl. It's funny how privilege plays into this too - Zuko comes from probably the single most privileged (on paper) family in the world, yet it's the children of the impoverished water tribe who have the more well-rounded education/socialisation.

"She's crazy and she needs to go down" go a full belly laugh out of me.

"What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?" Jesus I was REALLY on point with my post about the airbenders. Credit where credit is due, this show has such good writing/worldbuilding that viewers have picked up what Toph is laying out in this episode already. Also a little bit of stealth character work in there - since Toph is putting into words what we've been thinking this whole time, she now reads as trustworthy. This show is so good. So thought out.

Maybe it's just VLC being weird, but methinks Katara is having some trouble with her eyeball.

Katara STOP BABYING HIM. This is why I don't like Aang having a crush on her.

Honestly it's refreshing to have Toph giving it to Aang straight, no softening the blows.

I really like this texture.

Sokka's club is a giant bottle opener. Or at least a multitool.

ROCK SUITS

wait

ELEMENTAL FASHION

oh this is going to be haybending all over again.

They are totally going to have to nerf this girl. She could defeat the Fire Lord right now.

Earth beats water tribe

Someome who knows more about tea than I do: Why are both pots necessary?

"requires peace of mind" well that's out. Sorry Zuko, we'll have to get you a taser instead.

"So we're drinking tea to calm down?" "not it's to get the nasty ass taste of the sludge you brewed out of my mouth. I mean yes." For what's looking like an extended training montage, this episode is far funnier than it needs to be.

I pretty much don't notice Zuko's scar anymore (it's just part of his character design) then every so often a certain frame of animation will come out of the blue and remind me that this kid's missing half his face. I don't know if it's intentional on the part of the animators, but his scar is prominent this episode.

So it sounds like bending lightning actually corresponds with how lightning in our world works. Neat.

In an absolutely Shocking turn of events (pun absolutely intended), Zuko fucks it up. Fucking shit up: the autobiography of a Fire Prince. Has a nice ring to it.

Toph I know you go hard, but maybe apply a sense of proportion to this?

It kind of looks like Aang's about to be run over by a giant scoop of caramel ice cream.

Toph is such an interesting mishmash of bluntness and emotional intelligence. I don't think I've seen a character like that before.

Zuko being self aware for once! Everything always does explode in his face. Except when he's being the Blue Spirit. Seems he's more capable then.

It's a tragedy that this boy wasn't around for the emo movement. He would have single-handedly sustained Hot Topic.

Zuko going "WHAT TURMOIL?!?!?" is like Katara going "I'M COMPLETELY CALM!!!!!" last episode. Also got a laugh out of me.

"I'm as proud as ever." OF WHAT?!?!? What could he possibly be proud of? He's a homeless fugitive with a stolen horse bird and a half-dead uncle that he can't even properly brew tea for. The self-delusion is strong.

Is pride the source of shame? Honest question, I don't know.

There's a surprising variety of trees in this part of the Earth Kingdom. Where Zuko and Iroh are there are fluffly hardwoods, probably deciduous; Toph's training ground is ringed by cartoon pines.

This whole bit is too cute for words.

"Now come back boomerang" This is a training episode, it's not supposed to be this funny!

Are there voice acting awards? Like voice acting oscars? Sokka's actor needs one. Or several.

I should have waited to answer the ask about airbenders and just copy pasted Iroh's speech here. Except for the water = change bit. That doesn't make sense.

What can I possibly say about Iroh's speech? It's the thesis for this show in a single paragraph.

Pretty.

Are characters' eyes a different shape this episode? Aang's eyes change colour all the time, but everyone's eyes seem more cat-like.

I do love me some constructive bullying.

Sokka is so refreshingly self-aware while still totally oblivious. He is meat and sarcasm, but he's so much more!

"Have you got any meat?" He said that in an Irish accent.

"You're gonna pull my fingers off and I don't think the rest of me is coming!" Do you ever come across a sentence that is so obviously an innuendo that your brain trips over itself trying to decipher it?

Sokka's hair must be so fluffy. It's got so much volume.

Why can't he go get Toph? I think being stuck in a hole outranks avoiding an awkward encounter.

FOO FOO CUDDLYPOOPS

"You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly." Foreshadowing?

Today in 'things Zuko thinks it's acceptable, nay, expected, for parental figures to do' - attempted murder as a teaching method! What went on in that palace?

Is this the closest Sokka's come to dying?

He's earthbending the air! Doing air but earthlike. You know what I mean.

I thought she was levitating.

Toph is so smart. She does the airbender thing and comes at the problem from a different angle. Telling Aang to stand up for himself doesn't work? Fine. Let's bully him into standing up for himself. And it works!

This episode's MVP is Sokka's patience.

"You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you?" uhhhhh sure!

Appa getting vengeance for Sokka. Nice.

Theatre kids.

I wish Zuko would just have the breakdown he's obviously hurtling towards so we can get started on the rebuilding arc. Every time I think he's a rock bottom, he keeps digging.

Luten is Katara. Let's not read too far into that one.

Final Thoughts

I defy any episode from this point on to fulfill the Beat Up Sokka Quota as thoroughly as this one did.

In a lesser show, the 'Aang learns earthbending episode' would have had Aang & Toph as the A-plot, and Sokka & Katara doing something completely unrelated as a b-plot, and probably no Zuko at all. Sokka does have his own thing going on this episode, but the fact that they managed to weave in both water tribe siblings so organically is so satisfying. Of course a team member struggling to learn a new skill would seek out his friends. Of course his friends are in the area, observing the lesson to varying degrees. It feels so much more real to have the characters who aren't 'useful' that episode still there, rather than conveniently absent.

Zuko was very Zuko this episode. He's correct that he needs more training for his inevitable next encounter with Zuko jr., but Iroh is also correct that Zuko is a bundle of issues held together by a different bundle of issues. Not to jinx it, but I thought I detected a hint of self-awareness from Zuko this episode, although it seems to have occurred despite his best efforts to suppress it.

Iroh's Zuko-wrangling skills were sharp this episode, despite being injured. And his wisdom was off the charts. Zuko was also not as annoying as I usually find him, and unlike in Zuko Alone where I found his quieter self to be out of character, it fit this episode. Maybe he's turned over a new, quieter, leaf? I loved "she's crazy and she needs to go down" both as a joke and as a statement. Shared blood doesn't trump someone's actions, and I'm glad to see a show meant for kids acknowledge that. Although, given that this show has no problem depicting objectively BAD parents and families, I can't say I'm surprised.

In a testament to Jack de Sena's skill, Sokka get a soliloquy this episode and pulls it off flawlessly. Kudos to the animation team for making Sokka's face fit the words so well. Double kudos for whoever had the balls to approve 'stick Sokka in a hole and put an apex predator on his head to force self-reflection' as a plotline.

There was a lot of exposition from a lot of different characters this episode, but it's mostly unnoticeable. It just makes sense that that's what they would be talking about at that point in time.

I think I said it above, but I'll say it again: the worldbuilding in this show is phenomenally well done. How do I know this? Because I was able to construct most of Iroh's monologue before watching this episode, just by paying attention. This show rewards focus and attentiveness. (Almost) nothing that Iroh said was not something the audience has already observed for themselves. Not heard, but observed. That 'show, don't tell' thing.

This episode was way funnier than it needed to be too. Not just the obvious stuff like *inhales*

FOO FOO CUDDLYPOOPS

but tiny one-liners buried mid-conversation and character interactions too. Momo turning into a reed didn't have to be there, but it was, and it was funny. It wasn't exactly restful, but it was a relief to have an episode that really didn't move around after The Chase.

What I like most about this episode was that it went farther than it had to. This was a training episode. It could have been just training. Anyone familiar with training episodes would expect just training, and be satisfied with just training. But Avatar said 'nope, we'll do better than that' and organically incorporated a heap of character stuff, worldbuilding from multiple perspectives, humour, multiple characters undergoing self-reflection, the next step in the domestication of Zuko, what I'm hoping wasn't a heap of foreshadowing, and pretty backgrounds as the cherry on top. They didn't have to go so hard, but Avatar always goes hard. I like that.

[dionysism]

Please. Tell us your thoughts on epic the musical if you will. Positive and negative

i think i have before but its spread out across multiple posts so i will just go ahead and put everything into one place lol

trigger warning again for light reference to s/a cause i'm referring to what happened in the odyssey

positive:

i think they have clever word play. i made a post before about how the "i've got you, don't worry, circe's got you now" has the neat dual meaning with "i've got you" in its positive reassuring meaning and "i've got you now" in it's sinister "you're trapped i've got you" meaning. same thing with zeus' "a foe who won't run, unlike anyone you have faced before" sounding like he means some big dangerous enemy when he's actually referring to an infant.

the songs are catchy, i must admit! the musical scores are impressive too. i also like how the use the instruments to tell the story. like how each character has an instrument thats associated with them, and how you can tell the penelope in suffering is not actually penelope because her signature instrument is missing. neat stuff. i also like how eurylochus' instrument is the crew themselves.

negative:

i think some of their creative liberties undermine the point of the story or just do it a disservice, something i've said before in other posts. to be specific, i feel they have made this into a story of a Good character who turns ruthless after everything he's had to endure, and while that is an interesting story to explore, it's not odysseus' story. odysseus is, for lack of a better word, morally gray from the start. i think morally gray is really too simplistic to describe him as he is a rather complex character but what i mean is he is not a Good guy but he's not entirely a Bad guy either, you know? the odyssey is not about a honorable hero who sacrifices his morals by the end, it's a guy who's already kinda questionable who continues to do questionable things at times. for example "lets lead from the heart, see what starts" is just not something he would really say 😭😭 also in monster when he says "what if ive been far too kind to foes" hes not really kind to his foes. yes, he is capable of mercy, but hes not always approaching things with a "lets be kind ❤️" attitude.

having him spare polyphemus out of mercy was stupid to me, personally. in the odyssey he doesn't kill polyphemus because he needs him to move the boulder blocking the cave exit, and also, given his size, odysseus isn't fully certain they can kill him. blinding him instead of killing him was not an act of mercy, it was a strategic choice. and also having them kill his sheep first was senseless to me. the whole thing in the odyssey is polyphemus is in the wrong, and odysseus is in the right. they don't kill his sheep immediately, and polyphemus violates xenia, because polyphemus doesn't care about xenia. this why odysseus feels comfortable to reveal his name at the end, because he knows he's in the right, and he assumes he has delivered a punishment in accordance with the gods for the violation polyphemus has committed. it's still unwise of him to do so, but at least you can see where he's coming from. in epic it kind of makes no sense because they came into his house, killed his sheep, and then he reveals his name and home address after that?!:?:?:? and then athena fucking off forever like okay?:$:?:?: what was that about.

circe saga really irked me, aside from the compliments i've already given. they removed the aspect of him having to sleep with circe by just having him say no. the situation is not this simple. he literally could not say no. one, because hermes already warned him on the way there not to say no to anything she asks of him and two because shes literally a goddess. like yes the moly protects him from her spells but she could still very much kill him if she wanted. and there's also the factor of her having his men captive as swine. in the odyssey this shows you how powerless he is before the gods, which, is a pretty important aspect of the odyssey! also it's just simply unlike circe, as a character, to be like "ah i'm so moved by your faithfulness and acts of kindness i think i will just let your men go and aid your journey for absolutely nothing in return ❤️" whole saga just came off very sanitized. curious as to how they intend to approach calypso.

underworld saga like i said before its the sudden switch of him being about "leading from the heart" and "kindess" to "then i'll become the monster" like woah... just felt like abrupt 180 to me. and again it just annoys me in general cause this character arc is simply not accurate for him 😭 i've also said this before somewhere but sometimes i feel like the odysseus in epic is more like an oc than an adaptation of homer's odysseus. hence why i see him as a completely separate character (and get annoyed when people conflate them as one)

thunder saga i had more minor gripes with like the fact that odysseus also had the beeswax in his ears unlike in the odyssey where he doesn't and has his men tie him to the mast while he listens. this is just simply because i thought a song from odysseus' perspective while he's deluded by the siren song and begging to be untied would have been really interesting. but oh well ☹️ i actually will admit i didn't complete hate the change with his mens death for the cattle. obviously, in the odyssey, he's not given a choice by zeus—they kill the cattle, they leave eventually, zeus strikes the ship and odysseus is the sole survivor. however i do think this is interesting to explore. odysseus obviously cares very deeply for his men, and would do near anything to bring them home. he's not the type to just sacrifice them willy nilly like they don't matter. (the bit in the circe saga where eurylochus wants to leave them behind and odysseus says no we need to at least try is biblically accurate, that does happen in the odyssey) but at the end of the day... getting back to penelope trumps all else. so would he, do you think? if he had been given the choice, would he let them all die to see her again? i think he would have. especially by that point. so that's one change i'm like, okay, that's kind of interesting. i don't hate this.

so overall, theres multiple things i do like about it! and i do appreciate the creativity and effort that's gone into the project and it always makes me happy to see people passionate about greek mythology. i just think they've lost the plot a little. i feel like it's become a story about a Good man who continuously gets punished for being good until he caves to ruthlessness which like i said, is an interesting concept, but just not the story of the odyssey.

[11queensupreme11]

Hi! So I don’t know if you’ve seen this trend on TikTok but basically it’s where in couples the girl or guy rank hugs that they would be okay with other guys or girls giving their partners from 1-10: 10 being the worst and 1 being the one they would be the most okay with.

When I saw this I couldn’t help but think what poseidon would rate the hugs guys would give to Percy with 1 being least likely to be killed and 10 being most likely to be killed if she did this trend with him.

Poseidon:

1: self hug (this is fine since she’s hugging herself although he would prefer himself doing all the hugging

2: Polite hug (he’s not happy about it, cause why are u touching my daughter) (he’ll kill them quickly to just be done with it)

3: the classic hug (okay now he’s getting annoyed cause don’t touch his daughter-wife) ( he would give a slight maiming before ending them quickly since it wasn’t intimate in nature)

4: one armed hug (ur crossing into dangerous territory now buddy) (more maiming than the last but still a quick death since it’s not as intimate as it could be and is more of a friendly hug)

5: the patting hug (at this point he’s cutting off limbs starting with the hand ur patting her with) (no more quick deaths w some minor maiming he’s prolonging that shit so hug her at ur own peril)

6: back hug (NO!) (RUN!) (No more maimings just straight limb cuttings (like that true crime audio “her legs were cut off, her arms were cut off, she was a human torso” but like with YOU buddy. (Cause why is ur 🍆 touching her butt)

7:slow dance hug (honestly w this one Poseidon spent a whole day torturing u) (ur missing fingers and nails and eyes and ears—the whole shebang) (and for some reason the only person I can see percy slow dance hugging would be Anthonius so R.I.P Anthonius 🥺 u will be missed)

8: the catcher hug (you prayed for days, weeks even to be free from the tyrant of the sea, to no avail) (Poseidon had literally flayed u alike while making u watch as he fed ur skin and intestines to his mermaids) ( u were awake and aware the ENTIRE time and felt EVERYTHING)

9: the hug at the waist (it’s been centuries and he still hasn’t let u go or just die) (everyday is a new punishment from 🍇 by viscous sea monsters to pushing boulders up mountains Dedalus style to slow roasting u over an open fire day in and day out that you can’t even remember what day it is, what the sky looked like, why ur even still being punished, or what it felt like not to be in endless pain 😭😭)

10: the cuddle (he did everything he did to u in nine except now it been multiple millennia and this time he made percy watch every second of it) (he’s just a guy disciplining his daughter-wife leave him alone🥺)

this is also pretty much on point for most of the yanderes too tbh 😭😭

percy's not afraid to be affectionate with her friends regardless of gender. she will hug and cuddle you if she wants to (with ur consent of course!!! because consent is VERY IMPORTANT *side eyes the yans*). she'll hold her friends hands and vice versa, she is very open to skinship with her buddies!!!!!!!

........which is every yans' nightmare LMAO

these are ancient guys (yes even cu chulainn, he's the youngest, but he's still 1000+ years old i think) and back then girl/boy friendships were seen as sus 😭😭😭 so they're all gonna be pissed at the thought of her having friends of the opposite gender.

they're like "you shouldn't be friends with boys, you're a GIRL >:(" (some will be less harsh with it tho)

but if she was openly AFFECTIONATE TO THEM or if THEY were openly affectionate to her???? oh it's SO over for that guy 💀💀💀

like, this girl has slumber parties in other cabins or they have it in hers, and i also briefly mentioned in older chapters that she even invites some to hang out in her place 😭😭😭, imagine them finding out that she's hanging out with guys and even sleeping in the same room as them 😭😭😭

that's just bizarre to them cuz they're just that old (and also possessive)

[the-mononoke-facade]

Random thought I had trying to go to sleep at four in the morning

I wonder if Genkei and Oyou are meant to bring to mind Izanagi and Izanami from the Shinto creation myth and then kind of flip the whole thing on its head? (here's a source on the story in question)

Izanagi and Izanami were siblings and spouses tasked with developing the earth beyond an endless ocean and gave birth to the islands of Japan, and Genkei and Oyou are siblings who supposedly want to be joined as husband and wife but can't be, and Genkei's holding onto this and his own guilt and regret gives rise to the Sea of Ayakashi instead

Izanami died giving birth to the kami of fire Kagutsuchi and was sent to what roughly equates to the underworld. Izanagi went to go rescue her only to change his mind and treat her as an evil entity once he found out she's already turned into a decaying corpse. Genkei was meant to be a human sacrifice to calm the tumultuous seas of the Dragon's Triangle, but his terror at the prospect and his unwillingness to give up his "bright future" for the sake of his village has Oyou taking on the role of sacrifice in his place, thus being consigned to the underworld. Genkei then has half a century to swear up and down to himself that her vengeful spirit is the root of the evil of the Sea of Ayakashi and not his own remorse and anxiety (Oyou wasn't actually consigned to the underworld or anything of the sort, she was at peace with her role and ready to face the Pure Lands, though in a way she's still dragged into that darker place posthumously because of Genkei and his truth being the only one remaining). He doesn't consider his sister's salvation until after he sold her out and gave up on her, only for her to not need it to begin with

Izanagi sealed Izanami in the underworld with a giant boulder, the hollow boat was sealed with an entry point that otherwise wouldn't budge, and it was expected that Oyou was going to be waiting there with a vengeance by the time they finally manage to get it open, just for it to be empty (and it was the vessel that would have supposedly sent her to the underworld)

Izanami is portrayed as the somewhat tragic villain of the myth, to the point that Izanagi has to go through a purification ritual after having encountered Izanami like that, even though it was Izanagi's not being able to accept Izanami's death that made this an issue in the first place. Genkei tries to cast Oyou in the same role to deflect having to face the reality of what he did, keeping himself caught in this trap between self-flagellation over his unresolved guilt and self-soothing that he's doing all this fretting to try to atone for it, also creating this situation because he can't accept his role in her death and can't just let her pass peacefully like she was prepared to do

I also wonder if it's relevant to contrast Genkei's role as a prominent Buddhist priest with this foundational Shinto myth, but then the discussion of the blurry divide of Buddhism and Shintoism isn't really one I'm equipped to handle with the nuance it deserves, so I'll just leave it as a mention for now

Anyway, just something that occurred to me as maybe having something to it

[genderfluid-insomniac]

I disdain all glittering gold // Siren!Kafka x reader

A/N:: This is late but I did write this in Mermay and I love mommy kafka ❤️

You were painting by the lake that led out to the ocean and switching between your muse and the canvas in front of you, adjusting your headphones so you could hear the music better. Something caught your eye splashing around in the deep water, you took off your headphones and put your brush down. “What was that-”

Another splash could be heard and you whipped your head around to try to catch what was making that noise, only to see a fin dipping into the water. “Is that a… no- no it couldn’t be.” It was probably just a big fish that came in from the ocean and your mind was pushing magical impossible reasons because it was tired from not getting enough sleep. You turned your back to the lake and headed up the your easel, not noticing the top of a head peaking out above the surface and the wet purple hair flowing on top of the water.

Before you knew it, you were back to outlining the lake and trees when a voice shook you out of your stupor, “You know, you must be pretty bold to turn your back to a siren.” You shot up and locked eyes with a women who was completely bare except for her long hair covering both her breasts and waist deep in the lake. “or stupid.” There was no one when you got here, you swore it. Even going so far as to call out in case you were intruding because you wanted to paint alone- wait.

“Did you just say siren?” Your brush already discarded on the rock you were sitting on and stepping closer to the shore, more curious than anything although the only rumors of sirens being deadly creatures. She chuckled in a deep suave voice and dove under the water, creating waves that rippled on the surface as you scoured the water for her.

A drop of water was flicked to your cheek and you glanced to your right to see her resting her head on her arms against a boulder that was taller than you with several outward perches. “Well, well it looks like you aren’t entirely clueless. But I have to say I’m hurt you only just noticed me, sweetheart.” Her pale pink and magenta eyes luring you in closer and closer, flicking some water on your face again with her fingers and laughing at your shocked expression.

Your mind was reeling for many reasons but the main one being how long had she been watching you. Who was she? Why show herself? What-”I can tell you have many questions, little human.” She smoothly said and lifted her tail out of the water, letting fall back into it with a slap. “Since I’m feeling nice today I’ll answer two questions and that’s all. I’m sure you know how we sirens are around those who we want?”

The woman’s lips smirked, revealing a sharper set of teeth than any normal person would have and pushing her arms together to make her chest more emphasized. You blushed and looked away, finding yourself more interested in her tail which resembled a tigerfish like design. “Alright. uh- What’s your name?” Pretty sure it didn’t hold any power over her like it did to fae but you wanted to know her name. “Well hm, fine but only if I get to know yours~” You nodded and carefully got closer, sitting down next to the rock.

She hummed thoughtfully and gave you a once over before laughing coyly. “Kafka, darling~” Kafka laid her cheek in her hand and flicked her tail around in anticipation for your name reveal. “Name. My name is Name.” The siren eyed your face and waved her finger towards her, silently asking you to come closer and humming a song you didn’t recognise. Her voice was beautiful. Ignoring her wasn’t possible and you didn’t want to in the first place.

“Come to me, Name. Come here.” You didn’t register your clothes getting wet or the cold temperature of the lake swallowing you whole. “That’s a good obedient human. Hm, you’re much too precious to let go so I think I’ll keep you.” Kafka softly chuckled at your dazed state and swept you into her arms, guiding you deeper and deeper into the lake. Why did you come here in the first place again?

[blackbloodteeth]

Something fell from the sky that night, shook the earth far from where it landed. He could feel it before he saw it, parted the curtain from the window to watch a flash light up above the storm, a star falling some distance from his quiet cabin. He felt it so closely in his chest that he just had to go out to find it, out into the billowing snow and freezing whirl of nature's untameable whims.

A hand kept his scarves pressed firmly against his laboured breaths while the other held tight to his lantern. Snow, deeply burying the mountainside, slowed his steps but he trekked onward to where he remembers the heavens parting. If anything, he always had a good sense of direction.

Eventually the dim glow of the flame's light cast itself on a disturbance in the snow, sunken around a small boulder that he threw himself onto. His gloves tore into the storm trying to claim it, pulling apart chunks of meteorite that crumbled away like feathers, and soon enough the lantern reflected from a dull gold blanketing the inside: Deep within, a woman. Bare. Nothing, save for the sleeping face of an angel.

This is how he knew the above was cruel, abandoning her here all by herself.

He pauses for not even a moment before hastily setting the lantern aside, forcing off the outermost coat from himself and swaddling her in it, carefully, yet hurriedly, picking her up and taking the lantern again as he stands back up, trudging homeward with this fallen star in tow. It isn't before long that he pushes them past the door and brings her to a freshly renewed fire, gifting her all the deserved rest he can offer from its warmth as the storm rages onwards.

Thankfully, she awakens just in time for supper to finish being prepared. There's a curiosity beneath the layer of frost set in her face – yet her eyes were greener than you can ever imagine here, like gemstones that lure in the wicked and greedy while rewarding those who never deemed fit to take them in the first place. She didn't speak for a long while, not that he particularly expected her to, but he told her that he went by Soul as he offered her a piping hot bowl of stew.

Like many before her, she hesitated until she got a taste of his rich, hearty recipe of tender meats and perfectly cooked vegetables to eagerly devour her bowlful and second helping. It'd been a long time since he'd smiled like this.

"…Soul." Of course she finally did speak, less a voice of a bird of paradise and more a scholar of thought. "You brought me in from the cold?"

"I did," he replies before taking another bite.

"…Why?"

His spoon stirs the broth around gently as he ponders this, for only just a moment. "Just felt like the right thing to do. No use freezin' out there for no one."

"What you say and what you mean doesn't sound the same."

Soul doesn't have to face her to hear the way it furrows her eyebrows at him, and well, maybe there was some truth ringing into that little smile of his. "After you wear a mask for so long, it gets hard to remember what your own face looks like."

For the rest of the storm he kept her company. Told her all the tales he knew, like how there once was a shepherd who wore the skin of a wolf to find where all the other wolves gathered, and when he joined their plot to wear the skin of a sheep that night, his own family ate him for supper none the wiser. By the dawn of sunrise when the storm finally broke, he'd dozed off more than a couple times haunted by these visions.

The chill in the air was present as it was refreshing. Soul loaned her some spare garments to keep her warm, fully ready to see her off at the greeting of sunrise over the shimmer of snow before she turned to face him again, that stony layer of curiosity returned with a small lantern's flame.

"You seem lonely."

Breath from his sigh plumes up from the restless corners of his mouth. "Have been my whole life. One day I just decided to make it a choice."

"If you could choose again, would you decide that now," she asks.

He looks out at the windless sparkling of sunrise already starting to reach its way to his quiet cabin, not yet blinding but still a sight to behold as not even his trail nor the storm had been left behind in the calm of morning after. Another plume of breath slips away from him when he gazes upon the shining green still watching him. "I won't choose to stop you if you decide to stay here."

[understand-that-i-love-you-not]

"Cold? Dragon Young"

[Context, visiting Dan Heng's room to offer affection, though he seems...oddly busy]

"Come in"

Out of the blue you come in on the archives commonly where your boyfriend resides at the express. You come opening the door, not finding it necessary to knock, he would hear your footsteps ahead of your action.

You enter to see Dan Heng working on the data bank. He seems to just be standing, posture straight. arms tucked in front with one raising to support his chin, a habitual action when you're in deep thinking.

You felt rather silly, so you proceeded to hug him abruptly from behind

"Hello" was all you muttered while your face was planted on his clothed back, taking this opportunity to relish his scent, especially he's got his long-lengthen coat undressed, leaving him on his black long sleeves.

His body forces forward to your impact then immediately regaining posture. He seems unfazed

You then move your palms from his stomach, trailing them in a slow but very intimate motion, up and down. Still he stays at where and what he was.

You stopped your hands at the top of his shoulders, shaking his whole body a little as if telling him you were in the room. What was it he was busy with anyway? was it so important he has to put you aside at the moment??

You got a bored so you proceeded to leave him be for a moment, walking out. Maybe he is busy right now.

Before you could leave he grabbed your wrist.

"Come look at this"

He led you to the data bank that had his spotlight earlier. Happily you complied.

"I was just imprinting these on the data bank when we got back from Jarilo IV"

From the data bank it showed slide shows of photographs of your memories from when you were trailblazing the said planet.

"Ohh..." was all you could mutter in a descending, adored tone.

"Look! this was when March tripped and got ice cream on Stelle's face!! haha...and that's us in the background..."

"Oh this was...when we sneaked a small stroll out of boulder town when we were supposed to be on the hotel....hehe, luckily Stelle didn't see us when she went with Bronya and Seele. Honestly! it took a while for me to convince you to walk with me"

"It was too risky...we were luckily the lot didn't see us" Dan Heng added "I couldn't sleep you know~"

You stood silent...in awe of special moments you all shared at your adventure, and of you and your lover's

During your observation, you felt arms snake around your waist.

It was Dan Heng's turn to offer you the same attention you did for him just now. This action made heat crept to your cheeks, and sending fluttering butterflies to your stomach.

This...isn't fair...how come he can make you feel this way but when you did it to him he didnt budge at all?!

As a 'comeback' you jokingly and mischievously planned.

You proceeded to turn to face him.

You snake your arms to cling on his neck, forcing your head forward to place your soft lips on his sweet ones.

This shocked Dan Heng, his eyes remained on shock, his arms now levitating on your body, unable to move.

You pulled your lips away by a few centimeters, which you stared at before completely distancing you face to look at his.

Dan Heng was back from his brain circuit to stare at your eyes, still in a shock and his lips were slightly parted.

You keep staring at him, asking him if you can continue.

He softened his gaze, then stared to your lips "Why did you stop?"

You wasted no time and kissed him again, this time he reciprocated. It was very intimate, he seemed like he really needed you at this moment. Your body slowly leaning backwards due to Dan Heng's strong arms caging your waist, all the while he leans his upper body on you to feel your lips more. You understood what he wanted. You both slightly parted your lips, your hand reaching for his cheek while his supported your neck.

You pulled away, catching for breathe

Dan Heng didn't know what to say, he felt a little embarrassed after unintentionally heavying his body weight to yours.

You chuckled "I'm tired...we should go rest, we had quite the adventure no? mind if I stay for the night?"

Dan Heng looked down with red tinted cheeks "of course, my bed's not all the comfort you would look for though"

"That's alright, the bed is not that I mind, it's you that I want to be with in my sleep"

Dan Heng looks down, then faced you to place a kiss on your forehead...

[hyacinth-venom]

Whoops! I did a thing.

... I wrote a short fic based off this ask on @themostwantedphighter's blog

It's not great shhjkfdg but I did try my best :'D

Brushing Hands with the Other Side (Just Barely)

Canon-typical violence, non-graphic depictions of death, and a tiny bit of alcohol, but it's all pretty light :]

[Ao3 Link for your convenience], or you can keep reading it right here on Tumblr. :]

The sun sinking beneath the mountains brought a chill over the cold-blooded demon camped against the rocks catching the last of the daylight, who had been sunning herself up until a few minutes ago. The boulders and sand were still satisfyingly warm against her skin, and her tail subconsciously buried itself under the sand as she piled dry brush together, setting up a fire before the true cold set in.

The soft clinking of iron against flint filled air, and a pale orange flare soon started up, almost smoking itself out only a moment into life.

“Aw, c’mon, yah silly thing.” She muttered softly before she gently blew on it, fostering a small flame. 

A few moments passed before it slowly grew, and a few minutes more before it was a strong enough flame to put lumber on, creating a dry heat that seeped warmth back into the air around her. It took a shuddery sigh to relieve the tension that had slowly been building in her muscles, brought on by the growing chill that made everything feel stiff.

While the outdoors was beautiful, and every day she was outside seeing stars meant another day she had succeeded, she didn’t always enjoy the night sky when it meant she would be sleeping outside once again, especially with how cold the desert tended to be at night.

Cold air now warded off, she sat back against the warm rocks. Scythe could check out after the long day she’d spent backtracking across the desert, throwing the ever-pursuing Banhammer off her tail. She hated retreating, but this was a necessary action for the time being.

More times than she would admit to, fate bested her skillful management of her gear, and her defenses, and even her escapes in bitter desperation. There were a handful of times that she’d died- only once to Banhammer’s reckless handling of his hammer, a clumsy weapon that only a brute like him could manage so effectively.

Never did she stay down for long, however, since her loyal medic- as begrudging as he was about it- was at her side in those moments, there to sweep her away from death.

As Scythe settled in for the night, she let these thoughts that she usually repressed have free reign, pulling her flask of whiskey out and taking a swig to take the edge off. 

It was a vivid feeling, one that faded little with time. And although she’d died on more than one occasion, it was always the first time that came to the forefront of her mind, the jarringly prideful grin Banhammer wore that day as he finally won was an image engraved firmly in her mind that drove her forward through rough times- it was a jagged reminder that fate wasn’t unlike a rattlesnake and it’s tail- it would inevitably snap back at you, if you ignored the warnings of consequences enough. 

 —-

Well that’s no good.

Scythe reflected as she felt the absence of the familiar weight of her scythe in her hand, recognizing the painful clatter of metal as the motion of air just in front of her swept her back, dodging the follow-up swing Banhammer directed at her head with the thin space between her and the easily deadly weapon.

A quick glance to the side confirmed her situation, settling adrenaline in her veins as she saw the electric blade of her scythe buried in the trunk of a tree just nearby. 

 There wasn’t time for her to think about recovering it as she had to dive to the side, narrowly avoiding the hammer once again as she was forced to face her opponent on an uneven playing field- one where there wasn’t a whole ocean of opportunity for her to gain any ground like there once was. Banhammer was driven forward in a frenzy, erratically pressing her backwards up a hill with practiced steps meant to handle his momentum. 

All it took was a moment of hesitation, and he’d taken the upper hand.

“I’ve got you now, snake!” Came Banhammer’s triumphant cry as he grabbed her by the throat while she was unguarded, throwing her roughly into the grass with a hissed protest. She attempted to sink her fangs into his hand with little success, the metal skin of his armor there to protect him from such a fickle attack.

“Yer’ a damned clutz, Banny! Ya know that?” She hissed through her teeth, digging the spurs of her heels into the softened terrain as she fought to remain upright despite the advantage he had leering over her. She grabbed at the handle of his hammer, though it was ripped away before she could get a firm grip on it, being slammed against her chest and knocking the wind out of her.

With the world spinning, dizzyingly quick and sickening, the only pressure she felt was the weight against her stomach- that of Banhammer’s boot- and the grassy green hill that she’d found herself pinned to. This seemed an unfittingly sunny scene for such an experience.

As a serial killer, she knew she’d be damned to an awful fate for her actions if she got caught by the wrong hands- She’d killed remorselessly, and would do so again time and time again to serve her family’s purposes.

However, knowing the bitter consequences of her actions beforehand didn’t take the edge off the scathing frustration that rattled in her chest as she stared up at Banhammer, prosthetic arm instinctively extended to shield herself from the coming pain.

She’d never imagined what it’d be like to die, but in their frenzy, both Banhammer and Scythe knew they both slip up at times. It was at this moment she was grateful that Banhammer was getting ahead of himself, since if he’d had the thought to use his Phinisher, her death would have been far more excruciating.

Instead, she took reprieve in a nearly painless blow to the head, sentencing her to death as quickly as falling through thin ice into a deep, dark lake.

—

…

“Let’s not do that again.” 

The voice of her savior was tired, pulling her out of the dark just as quickly as it fell over her. Green lights flashing around her brought a certain lightness to her body, rejuvenated though still pained.

Inpherno, her head hurt.

Dizziness followed as she sat up too quickly, still laying on the hill that they had both been fighting on. Medkit’s hooved hand gently pushed her back down, which she met with a rough groan. 

“Don’t sit up so quickly, you’ve been revived, but I haven’t finished healing you yet.” He instructed firmly. 

“Yah don’t have ta’ tell me twice, doc.” She chuckled humorlessly, eliciting a deepened scowl from Medkit as he turned away, loading the healing bullets into his gun with a practiced ease before cocking it, bringing it to be aimed directly at her sternum before firing it off. She felt the impact of the bullet, but the properties it was charged with brought a relieving sense of warmth to her limbs rather than further ache. 

“Don’t call me that. I’m not a doctor.” He told her flatly, tucking his gun away into his medkit and rising to his feet. “Take it easy, I’m not catching you if you fall over.”

Scythe nodded, only acknowledging the latter statement, and sat up again, this time her head didn’t cry out in protest, so she took the risk of standing, brushing dirt and grass off the sleek white fabric of her suit, correcting her visor to sit comfortably over her eye, and fixing her hat so that it sat against her horns the way it was supposed to. 

“Did yah see where Banny went off ta’, Medkit?” Scythe inquired, already set on leveling the scores. He killed her once, now it was her turn to return the favor- though he wouldn’t have the convenience of a healer on his side to raise him from the dead when he finally got his turn.

“You’re off to fight him again? Already?” He asked in an exasperated tone. “No, I didn’t see where he went, but give it a rest. He’s probably back at Banland by now, and he doesn’t know that you’re alive yet, so maybe stay off his radar for the time being?” He implored, giving her a precursory glance as she stalked down the hill, grabbing the handle of her scythe firmly and ripping it out of the tree with a rain of splintering bark.

“No can do, Medkit. I’ve got ta’ make sure he don’t let that little victory get ta’ his head, last thing he needs is more ego ta’ trip over.” She responded smoothly, tossing the weapon between her hands, acclimating to the reassuring weight as she settled it back into her prosthetic hand, the grip with which she’d grasped it tighter than usual.

She just needed to make sure she didn’t lose it again.

—

From that day forward, Scythe was a little more mindful, and with her sureness in her ability to handle both her scythe and rifle easily, changing from one to another with little effort in battle, her losses had been few.

The following times she died had been caused by interferences from the SFOTH, discrepancies among her family- a right traitor who soon after found his horns hung up on her wall back home- a lovely little scrap he was, shame he had to go and blow it for himself, she was willing to stretch her patience thin for her family, but poisoning was pushing it too far.  

Dying was no fun, but having a way to cheat out death sure was comforting when she was up to risky business so often, all for the sake of the church.

Maybe she’d give Medkit a raise, just to make sure he’d stay loyal, though she doubted that he’d have a reason to be leaving her, seeing as there wasn’t much of a better place to be than on her side.

Scythe tipped her head back as she emptied the remains of her whiskey flask down her throat, letting the invigorating sting in her chest and the warmth settling in her stomach remind her of just how grateful she was to still be here, even if it was camped under the stars, where the cold could bite her skin.