#she looks so cute. i know. but you must not for even a second underestimate her. her capacity for evil is growing by the day

[daughterofsarenrae]

This is my pet circle, Sparrow

[atlabeth]

congratulations on 3k!!! could I get a cute lil 🧸 hurt/comfort with nikolai where reader is grisha (maybe heartrender or inferni) and she gets jurda parem in her system and nikolai stays with her while she waits it out (like nina and matthias??) also drink water <333

by your side

pairing: nikolai lantsov x fem inferni!reader

summary: you end up as collateral in a plot against nikolai. he helps you through the aftermath.

a/n: so sorry this took so long but that’s going to be the case for all of these lol !!! oops. but i love this man and i hope you enjoy it

wc: 1.2k

warning(s): reader goes through parem withdrawal and is kinda mean to nikolai for a bit. mentions of kidnapping and drugging. hurt/comfort, nikolai is the sweetest

“Nikolai—”

“I know.”

“It hurts, Nikolai,” you breathed.

“I know, milaya.” He brushed loose strands of hair out of your eyes, matted to your forehead by sweat and blood, his heart breaking more with every passing second. “I know.”

Nikolai couldn’t stand to see you like this. You didn’t even want him to—you asked him to leave so you could go through it on your own, but he would sooner die than leave you alone. You had an iron grip on his hand, but he hardly felt it. After what had been done to you in the name of getting to him, Nikolai owed you this much.

“Everything burns,” you moaned. “My— my bones—”

You were cut off by a sharp gasp of pain and your grip on Nikolai’s hand tightened. The action made you grimace as your eyes screwed shut, but you didn’t lessen your hold.

He didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to ease this pain for you. He understood little of jurda parem, if a cure even existed, but he did know that you were strong enough to weather what was meant to be an insurmountable storm.

“You can end it,” you said, your voice shaking. Bloodshot eyes met his own, wide and dilated and full of unimaginable pain. “You’ve got to still have some here.”

“You know I can’t do that, my love,” he murmured.

“Please, Nikolai,” you begged.

“It will only make it worse,” he said. “There is nothing we can do but wait. You are strong enough to get through it, milaya.”

“Then what are you good for?” you snarled, your voice rising with the sudden flash of anger. “You’re a damned king, but you can’t even stop this?”

You tried to rip your hand away but Nikolai wouldn’t let you. He laid his other hand on top of yours.

“Look at me, Nikolai,” you hissed. “You say you love me and you leave me like this.”

“It is because I love you that I cannot give anything to you,” he said. “I can’t imagine how this feels, but I will be here for you every second of the way.”

You shook your head as another pained gasp escaped you, and somehow your grip tightened even more.

“I just want it to stop,” you begged. “Please, please make it stop.”

You were drenched in sweat, the bedsheets and the undergarments you’d stripped down to soaked through, and yet you hadn’t been granted any reprieve.

You’d always found comfort in the blazes you could create—able to fight with unbelievable ferocity one moment and make a harmless, beautiful show out of it that summoned all the stars in Nikolai’s eyes the next—but now it threatened to consume you.

Nikolai couldn’t help but feel like it was his fault.

You should have never been involved in the first place. He should’ve done a better job at protecting you, should have kept your name hidden, should have never let anyone have the chance to do something like this in the first place.

It was his fault. Nikolai knew he had enemies, more than he could ever imagine after ascending to the throne. Some stupid, naive part of him hoped that you wouldn’t become a part of that, but that was all it was—naivety.

You were kidnapped to get to him. Drugged to get to him. The bastards must have hoped you would go up in flames once you were done, but they underestimated you. Your foes always did.

You didn’t deserve any of this. Those criminals knew one thing, at least, because Nikolai would have taken all your pain as his burden for the rest of his life if it meant one second of reprieve for you.

But he couldn’t. His enemies wanted him to suffer, and the best way to do that was to make you suffer.

“I know,” he whispered, and he raised your intertwined hands to press a kiss to the back of your palm. “I know.”

Your skin had all but ignited from the inside out, more intense than anything an Inferni could muster on their own. You could have plunged to the depths of the Isenvee and still burn the whole way down.

And it continued on.

You hurled every curse at him in your native Zemeni, and when you ran out you turned to what you knew in Ravkan. You tried to throw him off or get him to leave a hundred times, tried anything to make him hate you. He could never hate you.

You sobbed through your pain, begging Nikolai to make it end. You gripped his hand so tightly he thought it might break. You asked him to kiss you to distract you for even a moment.

You endured every hellish, torturous second, and Nikolai stayed by your side through it all.

“Nikolai.” The sudden whisper was so soft he had to lean closer to hear you.

“Yes, my love?”

“I’m so tired.”

“You can sleep,” he assured. “I will be right here with you.”

“Hold me.” Your voice cracked, and his heart twisted. “Please.”

“Are you sure?” Every part of you had been so sensitive, practically ablaze, and he didn’t want to worsen your already sensitive condition.

“I… I feel so empty.” You blinked a few times, but he saw the tears shimmering in your eyes. “Like— like I lost a part of myself, and I need to feel something.”

Nikolai’s throat bobbed, and he nodded. “Of course, lapushka.”

He climbed into bed next to you and laid down, gathering you up in his arms as gently as possible.

“Is this alright?” he asked softly as he pulled you close.

You nodded. He could feel each beat of your heart with your back pressed against his chest, and he’d never been more grateful for the sound. Your skin still burned, but he welcomed the blaze.

“It’s perfect.”

“Good.”

For a moment, the two of you laid there in silence. Only your heartbeat and your breathing interrupted it, yours still slightly harried.

“I’m not hurting you,” he asked, “am I?”

“…No.”

You paused before you answered, and Nikolai frowned as he said your name.

“It doesn’t matter,” you interrupted. “Everything hurts right now—I’m not going to let that keep you away from me.”

He let out a wry laugh, and he pulled you even closer. “There she is.”

He could almost feel your smile in the shift of energy, but another moment passed before you spoke.

“I’m so sorry about everything I said.” Your whisper came out as a rasp, your throat scratchy from your ordeal. “I love you, Nikolai. More than anything. You know that, right?”

“I could never forget,” he said. “Not with all the love I hold for you.”

“…Good.” He felt you swallow hard. “I’m so sorry.”

“I should be the one apologizing,” Nikolai said. “It was my fault all of this happened.”

“It was their fault,” you insisted. “You saved me, Nikolai. I owe you my life.”

“And I owe you mine,” he said. “So shall we call it even? No apologies necessary?”

You let out a soft laugh, followed by a grimace. “Even.”

Nikolai smiled and nodded. “Good.”

“…I’m tired,” you repeated, even softer this time.

“Rest, milaya,” Nikolai said. “I won’t leave your side.”

“You swear?”

“On every saint, new and old,” he said. “And every vlachka in the Lantsov coffers.”

He waited for your response, but there was nothing apart from your gentle, even breathing. He allowed a soft smile before he pressed a kiss to the crown of your head.

Nikolai would never let anyone hurt you again.

[allisonbaelfire]

Amethyst. - PART 14

The moment I stepped into the arena with Fuyumi, my breath caught. The stadium had been mostly repaired, but the cracks and shards of ice from my Ice Dragon still clung stubbornly to the walls and floor, melting slowly under the afternoon sun. Burn marks marred the ground where my flames had erupted, scarring the place permanently.

For the first time since Toya… I really saw it—the destruction. The uncontrollable force that surged through me. The same power that…

A cold shiver ran down my spine. My hands twitched as if the flames might roar to life again at any second. My heartbeat quickened, pounding in my chest like a warning.

Fuyumi must have noticed my silence. She placed a warm hand on my shoulder. “I know it looks bad,” she said, her voice gentle. “But you had control, Y/N. You kept the ice where you wanted it. And your flames? They didn’t harm anyone. They just went into the sky. You did well.”

I shook my head, my gaze locked on the frozen remnants of my power. “But… what if I hadn’t?”

Fuyumi sighed softly, squeezing my shoulder. “What ifs won’t help you. You’ve got more control than you think.”

Her words settled over me like a blanket, but the knot in my stomach didn’t ease. Control? I wasn’t so sure. I could still feel it—the heat burning in my chest, the rush of power, the danger of letting it spill over again. But I pushed those thoughts down. Shoto’s match was about to start.

We took our seats as the crowd roared, anticipation thick in the air. Shoto and Bakugo stepped into the ring, and despite the noise around me, everything felt distant, like I was watching through a fog. My mind was still tangled up in the Ice Dragon.

But then I looked at Bakugo. His usual scowl was locked in place, but there was something sharper in his eyes—focused, deadly. When my gaze shifted to Shoto, I saw it too: calm, but colder than usual. This wasn’t just about the match.

This was personal.

__________

“Begin!” Present Mic’s voice boomed through the stadium, and the crowd roared as Shoto immediately sent a massive wall of ice toward Bakugo.

Bakugo scoffed, launching himself into the air with a burst from his hands. “You think that weak-ass ice is gonna stop me, Icy-Hot?!”

He shot down like a missile, explosions cracking through the air, aiming for Shoto’s head. But Shoto was faster. He raised another ice barrier just in time, the force of Bakugo’s blast cracking the surface but not shattering it.

Bakugo snarled, jumping back to the ground, frustration flashing in his eyes. “Damn it… you’re faster than her.”

It hit me then. He thought Shoto’s ice would be like mine. He’d trained with me, fought alongside me—he was underestimating Shoto. And that was a dangerous mistake.

The fight escalated, both of them moving so fast I could barely keep up. Bakugo’s relentless explosions echoed through the stadium, while Shoto remained cool and calculated, blocking and dodging with precision.

But then Shoto’s voice cut through the noise. “You think you understand my sister because you trained with her for a few days?”

Bakugo’s eyes narrowed. For a split second, surprise flashed across his face. No one else would’ve noticed, but I did. He hadn’t expected Shoto to know. I hadn’t told anyone about our training, and I knew Bakugo hadn’t either.

But he recovered quickly, his smirk returning. “Oh,so you do care, huh, Icy-Hot? If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have followed us. Kinda cute, actually.”

Shoto’s expression didn’t change, but I saw the tension in his jaw. Bakugo was pushing his buttons, and it was working.

“You really should’ve listened to her,” Bakugo sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. “If you weren’t such a terrible brother, she wouldn’t have felt so damaged and she wouldn’t have lost control.”

That hit Shoto hard. His icy demeanor cracked for just a moment, anger flickering in his eyes. He clenched his fists, and the temperature around the arena seemed to drop even further.

In the stands, I shifted uncomfortably. Bakugo’s words were harsh, but there was truth in them. Still, hearing them out loud, seeing Shoto’s reaction—it made everything worse.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the fight. Shoto was my brother. No matter how much distance had grown between us, my loyalty to him ran deep. But Bakugo… he understand me. He trained with me, fought alongside me, and saw me—not just my power.

As I wrestled with my thoughts, I felt a familiar presence beside me. Denki, Mina, and Kirishima had come over, concern written all over their faces.

“Y/N, you okay?” Denki asked, his usual carefree tone softened with worry.

I blinked, surprised by their concern. After the Ice Dragon, I had expected them to be… afraid. Distant. But instead, Mina grinned at me, her eyes sparkling.

“That dragon move was awesome, Y/N. Seriously, you were amazing.”

I managed a small laugh, though it didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Thanks… but…”

Kirishima gave me a hearty pat on the back, nearly knocking me forward in my seat. “No ‘but’s! You were awesome! Sure, some people might be freaked out, but they don’t matter. We’ve got your back.”

Their words were a relief, but I couldn’t shake the eyes I felt on me from the rest of the stadium. The whispers. The doubt.

Down in the arena, the battle was reaching its peak. Bakugo had stopped underestimating Shoto, and Shoto was done holding back. Their blows were faster, fiercer. But then, I saw it—a flash of something in Shoto’s eyes. A memory, maybe. Midoriya’s words from their last fight Fuyumi told me about, echoed in my mind: It’s your quirk, not your father’s.

Shoto was hesitating. He wouldn’t win unless he used both sides of his quirk. He couldn’t keep denying the fire. He now understood why I had to use my Dragon against Bakugo.

And I wasn’t sure what scared me more—that he might lose, or that he might actually let the fire loose.

_________

Shoto’s hesitation was barely noticeable to the crowd, but I saw it. That split second where he realized his ice wasn’t enough. I could see it in the way his breath quickened, the strain starting to show in the movements of his body.

Then I felt it—a familiar heat.

He’s going to use it.

A surge of emotions hit me all at once—pride, fear, worry. Shoto’s fire side… I knew he hadn’t trained with it. But here, with Bakugo pushing him to his absolute limits, Shoto had no choice.

The flames erupted from his left side, consuming half the arena in an instant. The crowd gasped, and Present Mic’s voice blared through the speakers, but I couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the flames.

Bakugo paused, his eyes narrowing as he adjusted to the sudden heatwave flooding the battlefield.

“So you’re finally using it, huh?” Bakugo grinned, his voice almost lost in the crackling flames. “About damn time.”

Shoto didn’t respond. His focus was sharper than I’d ever seen. The fire surged around him, colliding with the ice that still coated the ground. Steam billowed up in thick clouds as the temperatures clashed, the sight both breathtaking and terrifying.

For a moment, I thought Bakugo might hesitate—but he didn’t. He charged forward, using the rising heat to launch himself even faster. His explosions were sharper now, more precise. He was using the fire to his advantage, but I could tell it was taking everything he had.

They met in the center of the arena—ice and fire against explosions—each trying to force the other back. Shoto’s flames were wild, barely controlled, but strong enough to keep Bakugo on the defensive. Bakugo, though, didn’t back down. He was relentless, dodging ice spikes and meeting Shoto’s flames with perfectly timed blasts.

I sat frozen in the stands, my eyes glued to the fight. They were both giving it everything, and I knew—this could only end one way. One of them was going to fall.

“Hey, Y/N,” Denki leaned over, his voice unusually serious. “Who do you think’s gonna win?”

I shook my head. “I… I don’t know.”

Kirishima’s eyes were locked on the arena, his expression intense. “Bakugo’s strong, but Shoto’s throwing everything into this. That fire quirk of his is dangerous.”

“Yeah, but Bakugo doesn’t know how to quit,” Mina added, arms crossed. “No matter how strong Shoto is, Bakugo’s too stubborn to give up.”

They were both right.

But my mind kept circling back to Hawks’ words: Find someone you can trust. And right now, that person was Bakugo.

But Shoto… Shoto was my brother. My blood.

I clenched my fists, torn between them. I didn’t want either of them to lose, but that’s not how this works. One of them would have to fall.

Down in the arena, Shoto was slowing down. His fire, though powerful, had drained him. He wasn’t used to using it like this. His flames flickered, and the ice beneath him cracked and broke under the heat.

Bakugo saw the opening.

With a deafening explosion, he launched himself into the air, his target clear—Shoto’s weakened side. The blast hit, sending Shoto skidding across the ground. He tried to stand, his body shaking with the effort, but his strength was gone. He dropped to his knees, flames extinguishing as he struggled for breath.

Bakugo landed in front of him, chest heaving, but still standing. His usual cocky grin was gone, replaced by something quieter. Anger, maybe.

Shoto didn’t move. His head hung low, and the arena fell into a heavy silence.

“Shoto Todoroki is unable to continue! The winner is Katsuki Bakugo!” Present Mic’s voice rang out, but it felt distant, like the real fight hadn’t ended.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Shoto had pushed himself to his limits, but it wasn’t enough. Bakugo had won.

But the victory felt hollow. I glanced down at Bakugo. He wasn’t celebrating. He wasn’t gloating. He just stood there, fists clenched, staring at Shoto like he didn’t know what to do next.

For the first time, I saw something in him—something I hadn’t noticed before. This wasn’t just about winning. This fight had been about something more for Bakugo, something even he might not fully understand yet.

“Y/N?” Fuyumi’s voice broke through my thoughts. I looked up at her, and she gave me a small, sad smile. “Shoto will be okay. He’ll learn from this.”

I nodded, but my mind wasn’t on Shoto. It was on Bakugo. And on the choice, I knew I’d have to make soon. My brother, or the person I could trust.

__________

After a while, Shoto was back on his feet, thanks to Recovery Girl. The damage from the fight was evident on him, but the exhaustion in his eyes spoke louder than any bruise or burn. He wasn’t just physically drained; there was something deeper. But at least he was okay.

Ms. Midnight’s voice rang out, introducing the winners of the Sports Festival. “In third place… Tokoyami Fumikage!”

The crowd cheered, but Tokoyami kept his usual stoic expression, though I could see a glimmer of pride in his eyes as he stepped forward.

“Second place, Todoroki Shoto!”

Shoto didn’t react much. His eyes were distant, clearly still reflecting on the fight. He glanced up at the stands briefly, and I could feel the weight of everything unsaid between us.

“And in first place… Bakugo Katsuki!”

The crowd’s cheers became mixed with gasps and murmurs when they saw Bakugo. Strapped to a pole with chains, a muzzle over his mouth, he thrashed against the restraints, cursing and shouting about how this wasn’t a “real win.” His rage was explosive, even without his quirk.

Bakugo’s growls echoed across the arena, and even though I could barely make out his words, I knew exactly what he was saying. He wanted a rematch—desperately. To him, winning like this didn’t count because Shoto hadn’t given it his all. It wasn’t enough for Bakugo to win if his opponent wasn’t fully fighting back.

The teachers did their best to ignore his outburst, but it was hard to miss the spectacle. All Might stepped forward with his trademark smile, holding the gold medal. Despite Bakugo’s fury, All Might looped the medal around his neck with a quiet word of encouragement.

Bakugo struggled against the chains, still growling, but even he couldn’t break free. The muzzle muffled his angry tirade, though his eyes burned with the need to prove himself.

Even though I hadn’t won, I felt a swell of pride watching him up there. He had given it his all, and deep down, I knew how much this meant to him—how much it had cost him to stand there, restrained like that. And Shoto… even though he didn’t push himself fully, I was proud of him too. Proud that he was finally finding his way.

But more than anything, I was glad it was over. I had proven what I needed to. No one would underestimate me again. Hopefully.

My father, of course, was less than pleased. His sharp gaze flicked between Shoto and me as if silently assessing how we had failed to meet his expectations. But I wasn’t thinking about him. Not anymore. Fuyumi and Natsuo smiled at me from the stands, their quiet support all I needed.

As the ceremony ended, I started to make my way toward the exit, ready to leave the chaos behind me. But then, I felt it. A presence. Something… familiar. Warm, almost comforting, but not entirely.

I stopped in my tracks, every instinct on alert. My heart thudded in my chest. I knew that presence. I’d felt it before, but something about it was different this time. It was as though, a warning was blaring inside me, telling me to be more cautious than ever.

I glanced around, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from, but there was nothing obvious. No one stood out in the crowd. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

My senses sharpened, and I took a slow breath, trying to shake off the tension. Whatever—or whoever—it was, I couldn’t let my guard down. Not now. Not ever again.

I quickened my pace, slipping through the thinning crowd, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling that someone—or something—was watching me.

[sapphirothcrescent]

Misunderstood

SephirothxOC

Sephiroth befriends the most unlikely of beasts and find they have some things in common. Part one.

While Sephiroth woke early everyday, he did not enjoy mornings. Waking up was only just one of many routines of his life. Most mornings he did not even speak for an hour. Yet when Sapphire asked him to accompany her this morning, he could not find it in him to refuse her. Instead of his typical breakfast consisting of coffee and occasionally an energy bar, she cooked up a huge spread of eggs, bacon and toast.

He barely finished it before she grabbed her satchel and declared they needed to go. The top of her head did not even reach his shoulders yet she was tenacious and pulled him out of the apartment.

Morning in Midgar meant very little traffic on the top of the plate where the more affluent lived. Sapphire pulled Sephiroth along as if he were a child. When he tried to interrogate her on where they were going, she managed to expertly deflect like a Shinra manager.

She could have been leading him to an ambush and he would have not been any the wiser. Instead, she found one of the many parks of Midgar.

It was luxurious, filled with statues and architectural granduer. Fountains dotted it, sparkling with clear water that dazzled in the early sunlight. As with the rest of Midgar, plant life was not to be found anywhere. Instead, large swathes of artificial turf gave off the illusion of fertility.

Sapphire beamed a delightful smile at Sephiroth and pointed over to a bench.

"That's who we are after. Someone else must feed them," She said excitedly. Sephiroth gave her a skeptical look. There was no one at the bench, just a flock of birds milling around.

She rushed ahead without him and pulled out a bag of seeds. Sephiroth watched quietly as she got a handful and tossed the seed out on the walkway. The pigeons, for that is what they were, swarmed to the food. Sapphire turned as Sephiroth came over and held out her cupped hands filled with food. Birds fluttered all over her, landing on her arms, shoulders, and of course her hands, snatching up beakfuls of seed.

She giggled and looked back at him. "You want some seeds? They're so cute."

He studied her, perplexed and let out a dismissive laugh. "You woke up before me and made all this fuss over...pigeons. You know they are disease riddled pests right?"

Sapphire's joyfilled eyes darkened instantly. "They are not pests!"

The venom in her tone startled him. He'd never heard her voice sound like that.

"Did you know that humans abandoned these pigeons? If they are 'pests' its only because humanity decided they were no longer useful. They were domesticated once, as loved as much as dogs or cats! As for diseases, you're more likely to get sick from a child than all of these birds," She vented bitterly.

Less than a minute ago, Sephiroth had just dismissed the small prey animals. Now, he took a second look at them. They pecked at the seeds on the ground, letting out soft cooing noises. The ones covering Sapphire were all gentle and calm.

He reached out one of the pigeons on Sapphire's arm. It looked at him with small innocent eyes. It leaned forward, looking for food in his hand and obliviously turned its back to him and went to Sapphire's hands for the food it wanted.

Sephiroth's turned apologetic. "I am sorry. That is not a perspective I was aware of. Why did we just abandon them?"

Now she looked guilty for snapping at him. Her passion was one of the most admirable qualities about her. He constantly underestimated how she cared for the smallest things. For example, these literally small birds.

"Dogs and cats are cuter. People ate pigeons and other animals are just easier to raise for meat. Their usefulness in communication became obsolete. Would you rather use a pigeon to send a letter, or just call someone with your PHS?" Sapphire asked.

He did not answer her hypothetical question, just allowing himself to absorb all this new information. Pigeons were one of the few non human creatures in Midgar. It made sense that they were once closely connected to people and then discarded once deemedno longer of use.

Sapphire let out a small hesitant smile. Her hands were now empty so she held up the bag. Sephiroth cupped his hands like she had, letting her give him a huge helping of the mixed feed.

The pigeons were quick to catch up and loudly fluttered around him, finding spots on him to land. He forced himself to stay perfectly still. They devoured the seeds. Some of them had brilliant green feathers on their chests. He had never noticed.

Sapphire tossed more seeds to the rest of the flock. She was bursting with delight.

"They're so smart, and sweet. Trainable like any other domesticated animal. Very fast. Quite social and actually very affectionate. They mate for life and are very good parents."

Sephiroth smiled at one curious pigeon that pecked at his hair. "Good parents...I see. So better than most people."

She laughed. "They'll even fight off falcons if their mate or babies are threatened."

With such dull talons and small beaks, pigeons had no real defensive capabilities. Fighting a predator with such disadvantages was a sign of great bravery.

The seeds were nearly gone now, and one of the pigeons decided to settle into Sephiroth's hands as if it were a nest. Sapphire leaned in close to Sephiroth.

"Oh you love them now don't you?" She teased.

"I have more...respect for them now," Sephiroth admitted softly.

He had vastly underestimated the fragile creatures. They were...sympathetic.

Misunderstood and mistreated by humanity.

He and Sapphire emptied the bag of feed by tossing it into the artificial turf and watched the birds eat to their hearts content.

On the walk back, Sephiroth cleared his throat.

"Do you think we could do this again?" He asked.

Sapphire gently took his hand. "Of course. We can do it any time you want."

[goldengoddess]

hi! I don't know if your requests are open, but if they are, can i please request some Matthias fluff based on the injury trope?

stay alive for me - matthias helvar

pairing: matthias helvar x gender neutral reader

a/n: i was gonna make this short but it was low key kind of cute!!!!!! also i know in the books matthias has like a military buzz cut and i reject that so he actually has very fluffy curls :’)

warnings: angst at the start and then fluff, violence and bullet wound

out of all of the stupid things you’d done in your life, this was probably the most stupid.

everything the job had gone to shit very quickly. jesper had given his signal at the wrong time. wylan had detonated the bomb too early. they'd underestimated the number of stadwatch that would be on duty and nina had ran into some trouble.

and you and matthias, alone, had needed to run away from at least seven men raining bullets at the two of you.

so after everything was said and done and you’d all met at the meeting point, gloomy, defeated, and penniless, you really didn’t want to mention the bullet that had skimmed your side during the chase.

but about ten minutes into the walk back to the slat, it was apparent that the wound might have been a little more than just a nick.

your vision was black at the edges and the whole world felt like it was spinning. the group walked ahead of you, keeping with the quick pace that jesper alway set. matthias lagged behind, every now and then glancing in your direction.

you held your side as inconspicuously as possible and reassured a slightly worried matthias with a fake grin.  when he looked forward and everyone else was occupied in conversation, you slowly pulled your hand away from your side. the sight of the deep red blood on your hand made you lose your step. suddenly you were on your knees holding your side once again.

you must have let out a whine or cry of pain because matthias turned his body in your direction. you locked eyes with him, though you could barley see his horrified face through your tears and fading vision. you collapsed onto the floor as you heard the rest of the team running back to your direction.

you fought to keep your eyes open. but then matthias’ face hovered over yours. and even though you were bleeding out on the street of this filthy city, you couldn’t help but admire how beautiful he looked.

you winced as matthias pressed his hands to your side to apply pressure to the wound. you took your bloody free hand and placed it on his head of curls. after the ice court, you’d managed to convince him to grow it out enough that you could run your fingers through it. he leaned into your touch and let out a wet sob.

“you didn’t say anything” he angrily said to you.

you did your best to give him a reassuring smile, “didn’t want to worry your drüskelle. you’re high strung as it is.”

he shook his head in exasperation, “if you don’t die i’ll kill you for your stubbornness myself.”you registered matthias’ arms underneath your body, lifting you up. you could hear the rest of the crows shouting instructions, kaz sending inej off to find a healer, nina crying to jesper out of guilt that she couldn’t do anything anymore to save you.

but all that really mattered to you was the steady and soldier like walk of the boy holding you. you pressed your face into his chest, “my blood is going to ruin your clothes.”

he let out what sounded like a small laugh, “don’t worry about my clothes my love. just stay awake will you?”

you nodded your head but you could already feel the energy draining from your body. “ ’m sorry i didn’t tell you i was hurt” you mumbled softly.

“i should have noticed” he answered gruffly, speeding up his pace at the groggy sound of your voice.

“you always blame yourself for everything matthias. don’t blame yourself for this, not my death” you said. the words coming of your mouth were delusional, you didn’t have much control or awareness.

but matthias’ response came clear as day, like a tether to reality and life.

“you are not dying today.”

the rest of the night went by in a blur. the last thing you remember was nina’s shouting commands, the sound of a door being kicked open, and the fleeting thought that it wouldn’t be so bad to die in matthias’ arms.

and then, sunlight.

the kind of light that was golden and pink at the same time. the filled an entire room. it was your favorite time of day, and in ketterdam it was rarely as beautiful as today.

you looked around the room and found you were laying in your bed at the slat. bloody towels were laid out across the floor. when you tried to move, your side felt sore. but it was obviously healed as well as it possibly could be.

at your movement, you heard a soft groan of protest from next to you. you gasped when you turned your head and found a sleeping body next to you. only then did you realize you were laying on the chest of said body and their arm was placed protectively around you.

you relaxed when you saw the familiar profile of your favorite person in the world. you snuggled back into this chest and placed a soft kiss on it.

this stirred him awake and you felt him shift underneath you. “love?” he asked in the softest voice you’d ever heard him use.

you nodded your head against his chest, “yes, i’m awake.”

the sigh of absolute relief that left his mouth broke your heart in two. his grip on you tightened and he pulled you even closer, if that was possible. he didn’t say anything, just placed a gently kiss to your head.

you pushed away from him slightly so you could sit up and look at him. his blue eyes sent shock waves through your body, the way they always did. but you didn’t fail to notice how they were less vibrant than usual, how his bags were much darker than the last time you’d really looked at him.

“i am so sorry i made you worry, i’m sorry i didn’t tell you” you told him shakily, a lump forming in your throat.

he quickly grabbed your face with both of his hands and leaned his forehead against yours. “hey hey, my love. it is okay. you are okay. that is all that matters to me now.”

you closed your eyes and placed your hands on your shoulders for support.

“but next time,” he started, “maybe you could tell me when you’re bleeding out?”

you giggled and disconnected your head from him, you nodded and bur your lip in embarrassment. “trust me, i will not be making this mistake again.”

he smiled a little bit and traced your cheekbone with his thumb. “you’re not allowed to die on my just yet.”

“just yet?” you teased playfully, leaning into his touch the way he had leaned into yours only a few hours before.

he shook his head and grinned fondly, “no not yet. you still owe me a lot of close calls, i’ve saved your life a couple of times i think you have to live to pay that back.”

you let out a scoff but mirrored his silly grin, “oh shut it. you know i’ve saved your life just as many times drüskelle.”

he smiled but his face turned more serious. “you owe me a life time of happiness, my love. you do not get to die and leave me alone when we are supposed to grow old together. be buried in the snow together.”

you placed your hand on top of his and squeezed to let him know you were here. that you were listening, breathing.

he smiled, “so if you could stop making stupid mistakes and let me help you, i’d really appreciate it.”

you laughed and placed a quick kiss on his lips, “anything for you my life. anything for you.”

taglist;

@vintagebitc @obiwansjedi @thegirlwiththeimpala @hybrid-in-progress @mrs-brekker15 @mrsbrekkers @simplyluvzuko @ode-to-joy @gallysonegoodlung @sixofshadowandbone @castielcouldbeasecretdentist @meiitanoia @caaarstairs @itisroe @the-jess-life @xsamsharons

low key forgot i had a taglist for a second sorry friends!

[joyfulhopelox]

"I've never cried over a broken dryer before"-"And you better not start now"

Part 1 Part 2

Pairing: Jungkook x reader (College!AU/ University!AU)

Genre: smut with a saltbae of fluff

Warnings: alcohol use, oral sex (f receiving), fingering, dirty talk, swearing, bit of dom! JK, biting

Summary: Upon entering the club you come across a familiar face. Turns out your laundry adventures were not over. Who knew that clean laundry could lead to dirty talk?

Word count: 6.5k

rating : 18+

A/N: Massive thank you to @bangtanhome for not only being my beta but also my support and making this whole thing a polished princess. Thank you Moon so much for taking the time to edit and thank you for listening to me whilst I complained about this. And most importantly massive thank you for giving me pointers. This is my first piece of nsfw writing and I was extremely unsure about putting it out there but you’ve literally been an angel and were patient with my unsure self whilst also making sure you made this readable <3 -I also would like to thank my soulmate and best friend for putting up with me and dying in the process of reading a fic about her bias. I will warn that i massively sleep deprived at this point but i wanted to get this out with the occasion of the Muster 2021 so here she is!

Copyrights @joyfulhopelox for both the work and the banner

As always please leave feedback and/or talk to me as i love to hear from you! Enjoy <3

Fuck. You’d overslept. You weren’t panicking because you were going to be late; you were normally late anyway. But as soon as your eyes opened, you felt the grogginess that comes with sleeping a bit too much. Your body felt sluggish, joints throbbing and your mouth feeling like you've stuffed cotton balls in it. Feeling like you've been through a survival show, you know it'll take at least an hour for your body to wake up properly. However, you didn’t have time to let yourself slowly come to. You were already late. Any later than this and you may just as well stay home for the night- and go back to sleep. You reveled in the thought for a second, but no. Your friends were impatiently waiting for you to go out clubbing with them. And most importantly to lend them your car. You knew that only because they have called and messaged you incessantly for the past hour reminding you of it. You were thankful at least that you were not the designated driver for the night. Normally you’d draw straws and this time you had got lucky, you could drink as much as you wanted.

‘Good lord Y/N get your ass out of bed,’ you hyped yourself up and just like a bandaid, you ripped yourself from your covers and rolled out of bed. Landing with a thud you groaned upon impact. That was going to leave a bruise.

After a quick shower to get the cobwebs cleared off your mind, you put on a dress. You didn’t wear dresses normally, your wardrobe consisted mostly of pants and various tops. To be tightly encased in a dress that was a bit too short for comfort made you feel uncomfortable, but you knew that as soon as you had some alcohol into you, things would change. A loud knock at your door told you that your friends had finally arrived so you hurriedly grabbed your purse and keys and were out the door. You hesitated for a moment, the feeling of having forgotten something weighing on your mind. When you couldn’t figure out what it was, you decided that it must not be important. Plus, your friends were waiting; time to get the show on the road.

As soon as you entered the club, the heavy smell of smoke, sweat and alcohol hit your sensitive nose. The atmosphere was too loud and obnoxious for your sober brain. To remedy that, your friends decided to stop by the bar first and buy a round of shots to get the night started. With the burn of the alcohol running down your throat, your confidence levels increased. The dress didn’t make you feel uncomfortable anymore, instead you prowled around, your hips moving to the beat. You were aware of the lustful stares that you were receiving and you thrived off of it. Tonight you were on the hunt, ready to let loose after the stressful week full of exams.

“Hey, Y/N. Muscle at 12 o’clock has been giving you the look more than a couple of times,” your friend leaned in to make themselves heard over the loud music. “Try not to be obvious, but I'd say he’s a 10.” You nodded in acknowledgment running a finger over the rim of your glass.

“He’s looking away now, look look,” they nudged you, forcing you to turn around. In all honesty, you weren’t interested in going home with anyone. You were simply enjoying the admirative stares and the smouldering gazes that were thrown your way, but you had no intention to take any of them home with you. However, when you turned around, you were faced with the impossible task of reconsidering. The back of the man your friends' pointed out was indeed muscular, broad and strong, you could see the muscles popping underneath the black shirt he wore. The sleeves of the shirt were pushed up to his elbows, allowing a full display of tattoos on his right arm.

Normally you would have second thoughts about a person like that, but there was something about his demeanour that drew you in even without seeing his face.

The handsome man motioned to one of his friends and his whole body shook with laughter. Observing the way the shirt strained against his muscles you licked your lips involuntarily. For a second you thought he looked strangely familiar, and before you could convince yourself you were being paranoid, he turned his head to the side to entertain the person to his right.

The messy mop of hair, defined jawline and that bridge of the nose they all belonged to the laundry boy - Jungkook. You smirked, “I’d give it a 15 actually”. As soon as you said that, he threw you a glance, his smile wavered as he made eye contact. You felt satisfied at the recognition in his eyes.

You slowly turned back to your friends, certain he would come to you. It took him the entirety of the time you took to finish your drink to make his way towards you.

“Don’t look, he’s coming.”

“Oh, he will be,” you smirked, eyes twinkled with excitement as your friends laughed at your slurring words.

Jungkook had noticed your enticing figure entering the club from the very beginning. It was as if a magnet pulled him towards you. He recognised you as soon as he laid eyes on you. How could he not? The cute girl from the laundry room in the daylight turned into an alluring vixen during nighttime. His eyes were drawn to your hips, the curve of your back and the tempting strip of skin he could spy; they were enticing to him. He tried his best to focus on the way your eyes sparkled in delight when one of your friends would make a joke, but when you ran a finger over the rim of your glass tracing delicate patterns, he felt your siren pull.

You smelt him before you felt him, the subtle vanilla enveloping your senses overpowering the scent of sweat from around you. He stopped right behind you, with one hand on the stool next to you; not completely encasing your form, but close enough that you could see his jawline in your periphery. Leaning in under the guise of ordering a drink from the bartender he pulled the stool and sat down. He didn’t address you at first, patiently waiting for his drink, his long fingers tapping the counter in rhythm with the beat. You tried your hardest not to stare at his hands, the art on them fascinating to you: the doodle style art accentuating his knuckles and the veins running tracing all the way up to where his skin hid beneath his shirt. You tried to keep a poised front, talking to your friends as if he was not there, but you could feel the heat of his stares from time to time, goosebumps forming on your skin.

You knew your friends were getting drunker and drunker as time passed, but you’d underestimated them. Soon enough they each scattered around the surface of the club looking for a dance partner. Your friend left you in charge of the drinks they ordered, winking at you suggestively as they left. That meant you were alone. And judging by the way your skin prickled, Jungkook was still seated next to you.

“A gin and tonic, please,” he ordered another drink. You realised now would be the perfect time to not only talk to him, but also repay him for earlier. As the bartender presented him with the bill you turned around and smoothly presented your card to him. “Make it two on the same tab.” you smirk, winking at Jungkook when your eyes met his.

You heard Jungkook laugh at your brazen attitude and you had to admit to yourself, if not for the alcohol you’d had earlier, you would’ve probably walked away. You made direct eye contact with him and smiled.

“Nice to see you again, laundry boy,” you smirked. Jungkook looked taken aback for a second. The image of you in the laundry room is completely erased. What he saw in front of him now was an alluring woman, sure of herself and what she wanted. And she made it clear that she wanted him. Hiding a smirk behind his hand he leans closer to you, his breath fanning the hair stuck at the nape of your neck.

“It’s Jungkook, not 'laundry boy',” he yells over the music. Your shoulders shake with laughter.

“I know, but it is fun to tease you - Jungkook.” He smiled at you, his eyes crinkling in delight. He's caught onto what you were doing and he was ready for it, two could play at this game.

“What’s your name?” You were half expecting him to pull a bad pick up line, the earlier impression that you had of him still engraved into your mind. When he didn't, you smiled, hiding your satisfaction. Maybe he really was worth a 15 and not a 10.

“What, no ‘I didn’t catch it’? No ‘I bet it hurt’? I’m offended, do I not deserve a bad pick up line?” you grinned at him and he burst out laughing, the sound reverberating through you making a shiver run down your spine.

“You got the drinks, pretty girl, there’s no way I can use a pick up line now,” you started laughing earnestly. He was definitely not what you had expected. The muscly tattooed facade was clearly done just for the purpose of aesthetics, and not because he slotted right in with the rest of the douches.

“Fair play, but I did say I was going to pay you back earlier,” you gesture with your head as if to point out which earlier moment you meant.

“I see. This is how you intended to keep your word then” Jungkook said just as the bartender places the drinks in front of you both handing him something. “But as it happens, I am a step ahead of you” he waved a card in front of you. His satisfied smirk made you pause flustered. Realising he’s already given his card to the bartender earlier you blushed.

“That’s not fair, laundry boy” you pout. “Now I have to find another way to repay you” you fumbled with the card the bartender handed over to you struggling to place it back in your clutch.

“I am sure we can find other ways” you paused looking at him. Under normal circumstances you would have found that to be incredibly off putting, but noticing the way he scrutinised you so intensely, no hidden message behind his smoldering gaze you squeezed your thighs together a wave of heat enveloping you.

You took a sip of your drink to mask the deepening blush and cleared your throat. You knew that if you gave him your name you were in for the ride. “It’s Y/N” you took another sip, savouring the taste of the alcohol.

“What?” Jungkook wasn’t expecting you to hand him your name so freely.

“It’s Y/N” you yelled louder and leaned into him thinking he hadn’t heard you because of the music. The waft of your perfume clouds his senses, the smell of cotton and lilac enveloping him. Needing to be closer to you he chanced it and asked you for a dance.

You finished your drink with a gulp and nodded your head. You grabbed his wrist and started making your way through the mob of people. Jungkook couldn’t help but stare at the way your hips swayed to the beat and when you threw him an alluring look over your shoulder he couldn’t help but be lost. He felt like a puppy following your sultry form through the crowd.

You finally stopped in the middle of the dancefloor, your moves more accentuated following the beat of the music. Jungkook stopped a few inches away from you, unsure whether or not he should place his arms around you yet.

You stepped closer to his body, your movement predatory. “Come on laundry boy, you can do better than that. Think of this as part of the payment” you winked at him. You could see the shift in his eyes, a flash of something heavy across his face, his demeanour changing in an instant from uncertain to commanding in a second. He gripped your waist tightly and pulled you flush against him moving along with the beat.

For a second all you could feel and smell was him. His domineering attitude instantly turned you on with the silent promise behind it. “Oh, this is just the beginning” he moved his hands so that his arms encased your waist intending to savour the feeling of you against him. Fully intending to see where this night ended you hooked your fingers into his belt, your bodies so close together they melded into one.

“Bring it on lover boy.”

The oppressive atmosphere of the club was enough to cloud all your senses. The alcohol running through your veins made you braver than you would have ever been. The smirk Jungkook threw at you was almost tantalising. Inviting you to commit sin. And the thought of tasting his lips and running your hands through his hair whilst his breath fanned over your throat was mouth watering. You’d been skirting around each other for the whole night, laughing, drinking, talking, but most importantly eyeing each other up. The last straw for you was when a rogue drink came flying out of nowhere and drenched the two of you. The liquid mixed with his sweat and snaked its way from his temple down to his jaw. You watched as the drops ran lower and lower as if directing your gaze towards his chest. Swallowing thickly you knew that you were a goner. If he’s ask to fuck you right there on the dance floor, you would surrender instantly.

Smirking at your lust filled expression, Jungkook knew he had you where he wanted. He had been staring at your lips for the whole night, entranced at the way the plumpness was enhanced by the sheen from when you’d run the tip of your tongue over them. He was mesmerised. He could also imagine that tongue running over his- he tried to stop himself there, aware that he’d get hard if he kept going in that direction. He could already feel the strain against his pants.

“Another drink?” he offered, and you shook your head at him. Another drink was definitely not what you wanted. What you wanted was him, to kiss you until your lips were raw and to pound into you senselessly until you could hardly remember your name. Were you drunk enough for this? Probably not, but you did not care for once. You wanted to remember this.

Leaning closer to you with the excuse of the loud music, his breath fanned the nape of your neck and the sensitive shell of your ear, making you shiver. “Then what would you like, love?”

There it was, the thousand dollar question. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath in you looked him straight in the eyes with determination. It made Jungkook shiver. You looked fierce and incredibly alluring. It took all the strength he had in him to not shove you on top of the bar and kiss your brains out. “Tell me?” he coaxed you.

He knew what you wanted. You had been obvious for the whole night. But so had he. Throughout your conversation you were undressing each other with your eyes. You noticed the way he couldn’t keep his eyes away from your ass when you would lean over the bar to ask for one more round of drinks.

Under normal circumstances, that thought would have made you nervous. This time it gave you the courage you needed to let yourself go. To switch from being the player to the one played. And if he was the one doing that, you didn’t mind one bit. “I want you” you bit your lip and looked at him from under your eyelashes. His eyes darkened with lust. Mind clouded with desire, he grabbed your wrist tightly and without a word started making his way through the crowd. The roar of the drunken crowd, the smell of sweat and alcohol, and the feel of sticky bodies bumping into you didn’t matter anymore. All your focus was on the way his back muscles moved with every turn of his body. Suddenly a flash of the same back muscles, naked, moving as he towered over you and thrust his hips into yours made your stomach clench and you could feel your panties getting damp. God you wanted him so badly.

Jungkook could see your wistful lust-filled eyes becoming hazier and he sped up the pace. He finally stopped when he reached an empty corridor near the back exit. He would have liked to have more privacy than that, but something about making you beg for him in a public place made his cock twitch in anticipation. He really needed to get a hold of himself otherwise he’d be done before you’d even started.

He tugged at your wrist and lightly pushed you into the wall, he would have taken things a lot slower but your gaze told him to hurry up and take you then and there. And who was he to deny you?

His eyes raked over your body, and a sigh escaped his lips. “Beautiful”. Even though he craved to taste you, he took a moment to appreciate the way your eyes glistened with passion, your chest heaving along with your breaths and your perfume clouding his senses. He wondered if you tasted as sweet as you smelt.

A fistful of your hair in his hands, he pulled you flush against him, until all you could feel were the hard planes of his chest and his hardened member poking at your abdomen causing you to moan, your panties getting wetter.

You whimpered at the sensation as his fingers gripped the sensitive hairs at the back of your skull, goosebumps forming on your skin in anticipation. Expecting him to attack your mouth with the same hunger that was displayed in his eyes you leaned more into him.

You silently begged him to release the coil that had formed in your stomach but he wanted you to beg. His breath fanned the pieces of hair that fell onto your face. The last rebellious piece of you that refused to fall into his clutches. In a desperate attempt to get him to kiss you, touch you - do something, you grabbed tightly onto his biceps relishing in the feel of the muscle tensing underneath your fingers.

“You’re not playing fair laundry boy,” you huff, feeling frustrated over the lack of contact. His laugh, dark, deep and lascivious sent a shiver down your spine.

“Baby girl, that’s not my name” his free hand clasped onto your waist squeezing hard enough to send a jolt through the pit of your stomach all the way down to your heated core. “Jungkook” you whimper and in a last attempt you hook your leg around his thin waist.

“That’s it baby” he lowered the hand on your waist towards your thigh, his fingers leaving an indentation in the skin. Seizing the opening you started grinding your core onto his thigh trying to relieve the ache. His lips ghost over your neck in a tantalizing way, his tongue sweeping over the nape briefly tasting your saltiness. The sensation of his warm tongue on the exposed area of your neck followed by the coldness from the air makes you moan. You could smell his perfume, combined with the musky scent of his sweat and alcohol made your head swim in delight.

“Jungkook, please” , you exposed your neck to him needing more. Rolling your hips into his thigh you could feel the blood pumping underneath your skin, the pleasure overshadowing any rational thought. The friction between your clit and his pants left you breathless, the coil in your stomach getting tighter and tighter ready to unfurl. All of a sudden Jungkook stepped a few inches away, and you lost contact with his leg. Robbed of your release, you instantly whine.

“Mmmm, I can't have you cum on my leg, as much as I would like to see you ride it out on your own. I need to taste you.” he demanded. The hand still supporting your leg inched closer and closer to your dripping cunt. Slipping a cold hand under the hem of your dress his fingers made contact with your heated core causing you to jerk. You yelped, your hips bucking into his hand. Your hands latched tightly onto his shoulders, your fingers digging into them in an attempt to steady yourself. He cupped you through your panties, the heel of his palm pressing into you. Muffling a moan into his shoulder you begged him to touch you more, but he retracted it away from your tender flesh.

“Nuh-uh not yet.” The hand pinched your thigh and you tried not to cry at the feelings bubbling up inside you. You were frustrated and horny, and his taunts were enough to make you crave for more.

“Laundry boy” you warn, staring him dead in the eye.

“Y/N, what did I say about my name” he pulled at the hair he still gripped tightly in his hand. Cradling you close to him he bucks his knee into your core, this time freely offering the friction that you had been yearning for. You whined, the lewd sound echoing in his ear. Your clit on fire, you pressed yourself more into his knee.

“That’s it, moan for me with those pretty lips” gaining a bit of self control you decided it was time for you to step up your game.

“Do you not want to see what else these pretty lips can do?” you licked your lips, your heart racing. Your hooded eyes suggested more than Jungkook would have expected from you.

“Dirty girl” biting his lip before he crashed them onto yours, the contact making your lips smack and your teeth clash. Neither of you care as your tongues intertwine, carrying the battle that your hips are craving. The friction between you caused your whole body to heat up, your senses heightened. You could feel every bit of him against you. The way one hand gripped your thigh and the other pulled at the sensitive hairs at the nape of your neck, the way his tongue roughly caressed yours. He was intoxicating. In the heat of the moment he roughly pushed you into the wall behind you, the force causing you to moan into his mouth.

Jungkook was at the end of his wits, he had to have you now. He needed to taste you, see you unfurl in front of him as he eats you out. Breaking the kiss, your mouth sore, he observed the way your pants made your chest rise up and down, pushing your breasts into him.

Without a word, he attacked your mouth once again for a brief second before he trailed down your jaw to your neck, nipping the sensitive skin in the process. The hand on your thigh reached once more underneath the hem of your dress, this time making its way fully and cupping your dripping core. At the touch of his hand on your sensitive clit your knees buckled and you let your weight onto him, your forehead dropping onto his shoulder for support. You tried to suppress a moan.

“Let it all out baby” his mouth at the shell of your ear, the tip of his tongue trailing the delicate flesh there. “You’re so wet” he moans, “I can't wait to taste you.” His finger dipped under the band of your panties trailing over your center. “So soft” - he sucked your earlobe into his mouth and gave it a small bite - "so wet for me”

This time you couldn’t hold back your moan. The feel of his finger pressed into your folds, parting them and exposing your clit to his ministrations had you squirming. The tip of his finger started drumming in a rhythmic steady fashion on your engorged button. The feel of his lips caressing the sore earlobe relieving the sting from the bite is too much for you. “Jungkook please, I need..” your moans getting louder and louder as the pad of his finger presses harder in an unrelenting tempo.

The hand holding your neck slowly inched towards the swell of your breasts, picking the flesh there until it turned sore. His fingers still attached to your sensitive bud he suddenly drops on his knees in front of you. With his support now gone you try to grip uselessly at the wall behind you. He slots himself between your legs, forcing them to spread open. As he raised the hem of your dress and pushed your panties to the side you couldn’t help but look down. The sight of him between your legs glancing up at you made your knees buckle. With one hand tracing your folds and the other gripping your hip tightly to hold you in place he gives you an uncertain look. “Is this ok Y/N?” his concern for your approval makes your heart melt, but you were too high strung to think about that. You wanted him, and you wanted him now.

“Please” you moan in approval.

With your approval he dived right in, too hungry for your taste. Parting your folds with his fingers he starts by giving you a tentative lick. Being sensitive from his fingers you writhe, your hands desperately clutching at the wall behind you. Savouring the first taste of you he thrums with his finger at your clit. You arched your back, your hands giving up on trying to hold onto the wall. Instead they found their way into his hair, fingers gripping tightly.

Diving back in Jungkook starts lapping earnestly at your folds, his finger still applying pressure onto your sensitive nub. Bucking into his face you suppress a moan. The sensation of his wet tongue prodding at your entrance is too much to take and your knees buckle. Jungkook sensed the shift in your weight and quickly grabbed a hold of your leg, hoisting it over his shoulder. The hand attached to your clit now tightly gripped your calf. The change in position offered the extra support you needed to not fall over.

With your entrance now completely opened to him his tongue started rapidly tracing your folds, only stopping to suck on your clit.

“Jungkook” the overstimulation from his tongue lapping up your wetness and his teeth nipping at the sensitive cluster of nerves is too much to handle, you can feel yourself take over, and Jungkook is more than happy to let you go at your own pace. Grinding over his face, your hands still gripping at his hair, you ride his tongue at your own pace desperate to reach your climax.

You can feel it, you are so close to release you could almost taste it.

Suddenly he entered a finger, knuckle deep into you pumping in and out quickly. Letting your calf go but making sure he is still supporting your weight with his body he leaves you sensitive nub alone and traces kisses along your inner thigh, up to your navel. The dress now obscuring other parts of you he gets up, his finger still deep in you, drawing pleasurable mewls out of your mouth.

“That’s it baby girl, tell me what you need” he is panting in your ear now. With the taste of you still lingering on his tongue and the sight of you coming undone from his ministrations makes him harder than he’s ever been. He felt uncomfortable under the constraints of his pants, the zip digging painfully.

“I need you to fuck me” you finally moan, your hips grinding against him chasing for that sweet release.

“I need you to come for me first baby, I need to see your pretty face when you cum all over my fingers” swiftly he changes fingers, his thumb now drumming at your sensitive clit. You gasp as a finger teases your entrance for a brief second before it penetrates your pussy.

The loud sounds coming from the club were not enough to drown out the lewd sounds that your wet pussy was making whilst Jungkook’s finger pistoned into you. The shot fire along with the shameless sounds you were making were enough to make the tight coil in your belly unfurl. With a deep loud moan you bit Jungkook’s shoulder in an attempt to muffle the yell that was threatening to spill out of your lips. Your muscles clenching in tandem with your core. Jungkook felt your cunt clamping his fingers tightly and a low grunt escaped past his lips. He could almost imagine how wet and tight you would be around him.

“That’s it beautiful, let go”

Your hips carried on buckling, chasing the high and wishing it would not stop. Jungkook took his time observing how your head fell down and your mouth opened slightly in a silent satisfied scream, how your eyes scrunched up as if you were trying to cut off all your senses apart from the feeling of his fingers in you. You were beautiful. When at last your muscles relaxed and your high subsided a low sigh fell out of your lips. It has been a long time since someone has made you cum like that with just their fingers. Jungkook’s finger still lazily traced your clit, the overstimulation too much for you to handle.

“Jungkook '' you whined trying to back away from him but the tight grip on your waist wasn’t allowing you to move more than a few inches away. Without a word Jungkook pulled his hand out of your panties and let go of you. Your knees still weak from your climax you struggle to stand up right and you end up having to lean into him slightly for support. The sight of him licking his fingers coated in your juices sets you on fire once more.

“You’re beautiful when you cum Y/N.” Somehow, his words made you blush. The lewd act that you both partook in had failed to make you blush, instead what made you self conscious was the way he gazed at you. It was softer and more intense and it made your stomach clench once more. If not for the obscene act in the deserted corridor of a club, you might’ve actually entertained the idea that he cared.

You smiled shyly at him and in that moment he was swept away by the warmth expanding from his chest. You were indeed beautiful. And witty, and smart, and you liked to do your laundry. What more could he want? Cupping your face, he kissed you once more, slowly and with purpose. You gasped, you were not used to this gentle Jungkook. Taking the opportunity to pull you closer once more, his tongue mapped every inch of your mouth.

“Fuck me now please” you whisper against his lips. Your hand on his belt moved slowly over the bulge in his pants. He bucked into your touch at the feel of your fingers wrapping around him as much as you could with his pants still on.

“Y/N” he warns. If you carried on that way he would definitely come in his pants. Rubbing him slowly, you could feel his member harden even more under your touch.

“Is it uncomfortable babe?” you whisper in his ear. “How about I return the favour?” you unzip his pants prepared to lower yourself to the floor but he grabs your shoulders keeping you in place.

As much as he would have liked to feel those soft lips around him, he knew that if anyone were to bump into you two, it would not be good. The club was full of students going to the same university as you. If they were to find you on your knees blowing him it would instantly kill your reputation. He did not want that to happen.

“Not here” he zips his pants back up and grabs your hand gently. After all that had transpired between you this soft almost domestic treatment is not what you were expecting. Once again the warm feeling in your heart returned, and this time you were a bit more sober. He was cute, and somehow you found his duality endearing. He returned to being laundry boy Jungkook instead of the dominant Jungkook you’ve just witnessed.

You walked through the club, his hand still gripping you tightly as if he was afraid he’ll lose you in the crowd. Once you reached the outside you took a deep breath in relishing in the way the fresh air soothed your heated skin. Glancing up at Jungkook you noticed he was on his phone texting someone.

“I am texting my friends to let them know I have left,” he explained, putting his phone back in his pocket, smiling at you. The contrast of his lust-filled gaze from before and his gleeful smile almost gave you a whiplash. He was such a contradiction that you couldn’t help but be intrigued by him.

“And I ordered an Uber” as soon as he’d said that a car pulled over right in front of you. The ride back to the campus was a quiet one. It wasn’t an uncomfortable quietness though, having chatted about anything and everything in the club you were content to just put your thoughts in order. You noticed that he had not let go of your hand once during that time but with his gaze out the window, his face thoughtful you could not bear to say anything. Plus, you were enjoying the feel of his smooth hands holding yours.

As the car pulled up in front of the dorm you both shared a glance, an understanding passing in between the two of you.

Once inside the fire inside you sparked up again. Grabbing at each other, your mouths hungrily clashing, you stumbled all the way to the elevator. It was late enough that no one would see you two messily making your way to your room. As soon as you entered the lift and separated to press the correct button you finally remembered what you’d forgotten. If you were a bit more sober you would have laughed at the hilarity of the situation.

Your face fell. “The laundry” you whined in distress. Jungkook’s mouth fell. He threw you a panicked look thinking that you’d changed your mind. One glance at you was enough to tell him that you were panicking in earnest.

“What happened to the laundry?” his hand hovering over the lift buttons unsure of what to do.

“I forgot to put the laundry in the dryer!” you looked at him with such drunken despair he had to hold his laughter in. He did not want to offend you by laughing in your face. You were sober enough to not slur your words, but clearly not sober enough to process your own feelings.

“Let's get that done then.” He decided that as much as he liked your witty self, as well as you in the throes of passion, he adored this side of you too; your guard down, emotions on display. It made his heart swell thinking that you were entrusting him with your vulnerabilities.

You rushed ahead of him entering the laundry room, not paying attention to anything but the lone machine still loaded with your clothes. You quickly opened it, the smell of clean cotton wafting around you.

“Let me help.” Jungkook grabbed the pile of clothes you were holding and moved them into the dryer next to him. As soon as everything was loaded in you turned to smile at him. The panic in your eyes now replaced by the same hunger that governed your mind earlier, you grab him forcefully, clashing your mouth against his. Your hips slammed together in an attempt to ride the pleasure from before. Jungkook, not having expected you to be so forceful, moaned into your mouth and instantly hardened against your hip bone. The quiet of the laundry room was filled with the sounds of your pants as you continued to kiss. In the heat of the moment, Jungkook places his hands on your ass, hoisting you up on the laundry machine behind you. The position allowed your hips to align perfectly, the pressure of his dick now directly onto your clit. Before you could go further Jungkook stopped and looked at you.

“You need to start the dryer,” with the last of his restraints he motioned to the still machine. You glare at him, this being the second time he cockblocks you and himself. But his gaze was unwavering. You sighed and leaned away from him, reaching for the top of the dryer as well as you could still atop of the laundry machine. “Whatever you say laundry boy.”

After pressing down on the start button, you’re quick to return to kissing him. But the quietness of the room seemed odd to you. The dryer had not started. Confused, you look at it again, certain that you pressed the right button. Pressing it once more you wait this time. The dryer stayed still.

The chaotic emotions from before enveloped you again and this time you could feel tears threatening to spill from your eyes. “Y/N, what’s wrong?” Jungkook is throwing you a worried look, not having expected the sight of your tears.

“It’s not started! It’s broken!” you exclaim tears pooling barely hanging onto your bottom lashes. You pushed him gently aside and hopped off the laundry machine. “Why has it not started?”

The desperate look you gave him paired with the knowledge that the machine was not doing what you wanted because you had not paid makes him crack and start laughing. You gape at his bunny smile and crinkly eyes offended until the silliness of the situation catches up to you and you can’t help but join.

“I have never cried over a broken dryer before. Or been cockblocked by one” you glance at him, mirth in both your eyes.

“And you better not start now” he warns you jokingly. You stare at each other for a second before you burst out laughing again.

He can’t help but be enamoured by you and your silliness. Even though the night had not gone as you’d both planned. You both crying in laughter over a dryer makes him think that maybe there was something more there than a one night stand. And he was more than ready to give it a try.

Main Masterlist

[marengogo]

CORONA BOREALIS: WonderBoy & The Wanderer [NamKook]

album on repeat - by Frank Ocean  [channel ORANGE]

[Music is a very big part of my life and I’m MOSTLY INCAPABLE of writing without music, so I just thought I'd share what I am listening to while writing this]

–🐺–🐺–🐺–

In order to write anything I write, as educatedly as possible, I need to ask myself questions and look for reliable answers, which is one of the many reasons why it usually takes me forever to post certain things (the other reason is that I’m just trying to “live life” and as I’m sure y’all know, sometimes: it’s exhausting). In the instances in which I don’t have a clear answer, I try to use the information that I know/have and try my darn best to make an educated guess, of  course, making you aware of it being such, and/or just try and speculate/imagine what could have happened and right about now, You must be thinking; “why is she telling us this?” …

Because this, Jungkook & Namoon’s, is a very rare, very memorable and very cute; What are the chances?! type of story. So as an empath might be easier for me, as I do the whole putting myself in people’s shoes a bit too much for my own mental health, but at times, like in this case, I don’t mind and I would like you all to take a big breath, clear your mind and start imagining with me.

Now, I’ve tried my best to find the correct timeline in which this series of events happened, but it all starts getting a bit confusing and lost in its own multiverse of madness as it would appear that JK auditioned for Superstar K3 in May 2011 and supposedly got into BTS April 2011 … so … I gave up trying to figure that out BUT what we know for sure is that at some point, within this “multiverse” a 14 year old Jeon Jungkook was so awestruck by a 17 year old Kim Namjoon and we know that he decided to sign with BigHit merely for a chance to maybe one day even just being able to talk to him as they would be part of the same label. That’s the mindset with which he entered BigHit, little did he know that eventually they would end up being together in the same team.

And this is where I need you to imagine, think about all 7 of them, or your bias, or any other singer, or person you admire in a field/profession you would like to pursue. Now, imagine not only getting to work in the company where this person is, but you getting to actually be assigned to work together. How do you think a young Jungkook felt? I apologise if I seem to be stressing this a lot but I strongly believe that most people do underestimate the impact that such a course of events might have had on JK. 

If you ask me, the reason why JK seems to be so happily ready to, for example, take pictures with fans, sign autographs and just be the exquisite person he is with ARMY and just fans in general, is exactly because he once was a fan himself and I he was (probably still is) lucky enough to get the most out of his “fanboying experience”. At some point, at the very beginning, JK might have had a bit of a puppy-crush for this amazing man (I mean I know I had at first getting into BTS, Namjoon was my initial bias …) but what Kim Namjoon ended up becoming to Jeon Jungkook is a role model, a brother, a friend and ultimately an alley.

At the same time, let’s imagine a 17 year old Kim Namjoon, having a 14 year old Jeon Jungkook, whom not only was supposedly going to be the one carrying their team vocally, as a lead vocalist, but also apparently had no qualms in letting him know that he looked up to him: NO PRESSURE. I can only imagine the thoughts that must have ran through his head from the moment they first met, which was strong to say the least (as Namjoon was in his underwear on the very first time they met, when Jungkook got into the dorm 😬) to the second he realised that his wasn’t just any ordinary kid. Namjoon realised pretty quickly that Jungkook literally put the extra in extraordinary and this was the kid that looked up to him. Once again: NO PRESSURE.

Let’s keep riding down this “what are the chances” Train and point out how they are both Virgos, 11 days apart at that. … There seems to be something about Virgos. Or maybe, there is something about these two particular Virgos. I have two of very important people in my life who are Virgo and where I would trust them with extremely hard and complicated decisions, I couldn’t for example trust them with easier and far less complex one, because Virgo are very practical in an almost annoying way; but I digress 😬. This particular pair of Virgos are such a perfect match emotionally and practically, it is almost unbelievable!

I know many may not see this at all but the truth is that Jeon Jungkook and Kim Namjoon are so freaking similar. “Similar?! How?!”, well, for one, they have a very firm and distinct concept of SELF. They may not think they are the people they wish they could be just yet (... will they ever? …), but they know exactly who they want to be and their ideal selves are plenty alike. For example, Namjoon is very known for his high intellect, JK on various occasions has expressed and tried to pursue being intellectually smarter. 

In the same way, to Jungkook’s dismay (LOL), he does being cute very effortlessly and successfully, Namjoon also is very cute, not sure maybe have clued in on this, but because of the person he has built for himself, it comes out as being contrasting and though he actually is naturally very soft he is not able to express as smoothly.  

In a very platonic and poetic way, they “complete” each other. They are both not so talkative but give them a topic they are fairly knowledgeable about (this is a huge territory for RM) or something they love and they will talk to no end. They are both very prone to tear up as well, I’m sure we all know about JK, but trust me when I tell you, Joon is also very easy to tear up. They are also both prone to share their musical discoveries amongst which are several queer songs and artists.

Honestly, JK couldn’t have wished for a better person to look up to and Joon couldn’t have asked for a better person to dote on. It’s funny because, even at their very core, they are also so similar. Even with One being this young man who can apparently do everything (hence WonderBoy) and the other being constantly on a search to better himself (hence Wanderer) they both have no idea when and how to stop, even though, as I mentioned, they know where they want to be; how complex is that?!

Ultimately, even though they might not hang out as much as the rest, they have a very deep understanding of each other and with each other and though there might have been a little period of healthy rivalry (from JK) and hovering concern (from RM) their thoughts and person are actually perfectly in sync.

https://twitter.com/cadburyggukie_/status/1417035162672525319

I really love these 2.

Always respectfully yours,

Marengo.

[fruitcoops]

hi would you consider writing a part 2 to the guessing replies fic?

Pt. 2: Remus’ vengeance. This is based on this tiktok by @/meghanandjack, who are beyond cute! Coops credit goes to @lumosinlove, but Hattie is my baby <3

I

Remus stared at something off-screen for a moment before turning back to the camera with the hint of a smile. “I think a great form of payback is seeing how many times I can annoy Sirius on a single walk. Let’s hope I’m forgiven. Baby!”

“Yeah?” Sirius called back. The camera panned over to where he was kicking around a snowball for Hattie as she tried to eat it.

Remus’ boots crunched in the fresh snow as he walked closer. “Your hat looks pretty warm.”

“It really is—hey!” The camera blurred for a second as Remus snatched the beanie off Sirius’ head and took off running in the opposite direction.

II

The hat was firmly on Sirius’ head again when the video returned; he gave Remus a suspicious look out of the corner of his eye while he balanced on the curb of the walking path as if he was on a tightrope. “Are you going to take it again?”

“Nope. Careful, babes, don’t slip.” Even as he spoke, Remus reached out and pushed Sirius off the short curb.

“Don’t sl—” Sirius gave him a look of utter disbelief as he regained his balance. “Oh, no, don’t slip, baby! I’m just gonna push you over, but don’t slip on the ledge!”

“What?”

“Careful, sweetheart, I think I see some black ice up ahead,” Sirius mimicked, grabbing Remus around the waist with a broad grin and tipping him into the nearest snowbank. The camera went white, then flickered with black as Hattie attempted to dig Remus out while he dissolved into laughter.

III

Remus propped his chin on the back of Sirius’ shoulder, keeping both their faces in view as he kissed his cold-reddened cheekbone. “What’re you doing?”

“Writing our initials,” Sirius said, sticking his tongue between his teeth in concentration. Remus flipped the camera around—a long stick scratched an ‘S’ next to an ‘R+’ on the snowy sidewalk.

“That’s so cute,” he cooed, inching one foot out to scrape snow back over the tail of the ‘R’. Sirius smacked Remus’ foot with the stick until he jumped away, laughing, then returned to his work without even a glance in his direction.

“You have no appreciation for romance!” he called, pulling a face at Remus around his smile. “None!”

IV

Twin puffs of air steamed in the cold as Remus jogged over to Sirius, linking their arms together while Hattie continued to run ahead with a happy bark. There was a soft noise as Sirius leaned down to kiss his temple. “Salut.”

“Hey, you.”

“Did you bring me something?”

“Yup.”

“I don’t think I can fit anymore rocks in my—” Sirius cut off abruptly as a handful of snow hit his face. He licked his lips and wiped it out of his eyes with a heavy sigh. “—pockets. What was that for?”

“I’m romancing you,” Remus explained. “It’s an ancient Wisconsin tradition—”

“You are so full of shit,” Sirius snorted, shaking his hat clean before whacking Remus’ upper arm with it.

V

The final clip began with Remus’ face as he watched something out of frame. “So, we decided to head back early because the wind picked up and my fiancé loves me and my terrible circulation, but it seems my payback worked a little too well.” With a final mischievous grin, he changed the camera view. “Hey, baby!”

“No,” Sirius said immediately, turning to face him. He and Hattie stayed well out of snowball range as they walked backward down the block.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You’re planning something.” He jabbed his pointer finger at Remus, still smiling. “I know you too well, sweetheart.”

“I am not planning.”

“Liar.”

“You’re, like, thirty feet away! What could I possibly do?”

“I know better than to underestimate you.” With a final scrunch of his nose, Sirius turned back around.

“Oh, honey, that was a mistake,” Remus muttered gleefully. He ran forward—Sirius must have heard his footsteps, because he started to run as soon as the distance between them started to close. “Get back here, I’m cold!”

“No!”

“Love me!”

“I do love you, now go away!” Sirius made it ten more feet before Remus jumped onto his back, nearly sending them both face-first into the snow-covered bushes. “Dammit.”

Remus’ ankles locked around his waist before the camera turned to show their faces, flushed from chilly wind and from exercise. He pressed a series of kisses to Sirius’ left cheek until a large palm shoved him away gently with a fond eye roll. “Hey!”

“I am never going on a walk with you again.”

“You’re gonna get lonely.”

“I have Hattie.”

“She likes me best.”

“Says who?”

As if on cue, Hattie put her front paws up on Sirius’ thigh and barked, snuffling loud enough that the phone picked it up. “Hello, babycakes! Do you like me best of all?”

“I feel like a coat rack.”

“Cutest coat rack south of Montreal!” Remus declared as Sirius hitched him higher and began walking again.

“What’s north of Montreal that’s cuter than me?”

“Right now, Loga—” Remus didn’t get to finish his sentence, seeing as he was unceremoniously dumped into the second snowdrift of the day. The video ended to the sound of both their laughter.

[kirishimaswife2819]

Kitty || Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Masterlist

Pairing: Shoto Todoroki x Fem!Reader

Summary: You get hit by a quirk that turns you into a cat, and Shoto finds you and takes you home

Word Count: 1.5k

A/n:  This is my first post, so don’t mind if it’s a little bad. Also if anybody’s interested, I am taking requests. On my page there’s a post about the rules for requesting, so check those out before you request. -Danielle <3

You sat beside a rather large bush, looking for somebody familiar, but nobody you knew was coming by. Earlier in the day, you had been at the park with your little cousin, who didn’t have her quirk yet, or at least, you thought she didn’t have a quirk yet.

The little blonde haired girl chased you around the park, since you were playing tag.

“I’m gonna get you!” She exclaimed, as you turned to see how far away she was. But you underestimated how fast she was and she was right in front of you. You stumbled back on a branch, and your cousin leaned forward, touching your shoulder, and suddenly you weren’t in the park anymore. You were on a rather busy sidewalk, trying to process the situation

You went to bring a hand up and rub your head, but found that you couldn’t. You looked down to be met with, paws? Your eyes widened, when you stood up on four legs and realized that you were an animal. Quickly, you scurried out of the way to avoid being stepped on, and sat beside a bush, waiting for somebody to help.

Throughout the day, a few people stopped to pet you, but none took you anywhere or attempted to. It was late and there was a slight breeze, causing you to shiver despite the cold. As you sat there, tired, cold and hungry, you spotted a familiar head of red and white hair walking down the sidewalk.

He almost walked right past you, but you meowed and he stopped to look at you.

“Hello there,” he spoke, looking at you. You were a kitten with h/c fur, and e/c eyes. He spoke again, “What’s a little thing like you doing out here all alone?” Shoto bent down, and scratched behind your ear, causing you to let out a purr and rub your head against his hand.

“You must be cold,” Shoto said, and you licked his hand as a way of saying yes, “Well, I can’t just let you freeze. Follow me.” With his words, he stood back up and began continuing to walk home. You happily followed behind, having to walk a bit fast to keep up with his big steps. Shoto looked back every few seconds to make sure that you were still following him. 

Finally, you made it to his home. He opened the door and allowed you inside, following behind and then closing the door. You took note of how nice Shoto’s house was, as he led you to his bedroom, and let you in. Immediately, you jumped up on the bed and curled up. But you were still hungry.

You let out a meow, and Shoto looked at you.

“What?” He questioned, and you looked around the room, and spotted a trash can. You went over and put your paws up on the edge to look in. Shoto grew even more confused, “What are you do-hey!” You knocked the trash can over and grabbed a food wrapper, setting it on the floor.

“Are you hungry?” Shoto asked, and you meowed, “Well you could of said that instead of knocking the trash can over.” You glared at him, as he exited the room. Soon he returned with a plastic container with something in it. He sat it down in front of you. He then spoke again, “We didn’t have any cat food, and all we had were soba noodles. Um, I don’t know if they’re poisonous to cats or not, so you probably shouldn’t eat too many.” He was speaking as if a cat could understand anything he was saying. But since it was you, you did understand and didn’t eat too many.

You watched as Shoto grabbed his bag, and pulled out a textbook, along with some papers. You abandoned your spot on the floor, and jumped up into his lap as he sat at his desk.

“What are you...” he trailed off, watching as you curled up on his lap, and purred, laying your head down and closed your eyes. Shoto let himself smile softly and he brought a hand down to rub your fur. You purred even louder at the action, and relaxed into his touch. After you had fallen asleep, Shoto took his hand away and went back to his homework. 

After he was done, he closed the text book and looked down at you, who was still sleeping on his lap. He didn’t have school tomorrow, so it was okay that he stayed up pretty late working on homework. He scooped you up, disturbing your sleep. You let out a protest meow, and he shushed you.

“Shh, I’m just going to bed,” he said, setting you down on the bed. You continued to lay down but lifted your head up and watched him as he got ready for bed. When he went to get changed though, you looked away, since he thought you were a cat, and didn’t know you were actually a human girl.

You would be lying if you tried saying that you didn’t have a crush on Todoroki. It was nothing major, but you definitely liked him and wouldn’t mind dating him. Of course, you never acted on these feelings, since Shoto didn’t seem like he was interested in dating anybody at the moment. He finished changing, and brushed his teeth, before shutting out the light and crawling into bed. He laid on his back and you curled up on his chest, your face facing him.

Shoto smiled at you and gave you one last goodnight scratch behind your ear, before taking his hand away and laying it beside him.

“Goodnight kitty,” he said, and you gave a meow in reply. Shoto gave you one last small smile, that you loved seeing, since he didn’t smile much, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. You knew that chances were that you would turn back at the same time you turned, so you kept an eye on the clock when you awoke various times in the night.

The next morning, you got up and made sure Shoto was still asleep, and you were correct, at around the same time you turned, you turned back. You made sure Shoto was asleep, before taking a pen and writing a note on a piece of paper.

Shoto,

This is awkward, but I was the cat that you let stay with you last night. I got hit with a cat quirk, and no, I will not be telling you who I am, I don’t want things to be awkward between us. Anyway thanks for the soba, and the bed to sleep in.

P.S. you should smile more, it’s cute

With that, you quietly slipped out of the room and luckily didn’t run into anybody as you made it back outside, and into the real world. The first thing you did was go back home, and see where your little cousin was and what happened.

It had been a few weeks since the cat stayed with Shoto and he got the note. He did have to admit, he felt a little awkward about the whole situation, since he cuddled with the cat and the cat was there when he got dressed, but he got over it.

And since then, he’d been trying to figure out who the cat was. He was having no luck until he caught a glimpse of your paper in class. You and Momo were discussing test scores, and you had sat the paper down on Momo’s desk. Shoto curiously looked over, and found that you had the same handwriting that whoever the cat was did. 

Then he looked at your appearance, you had the same color hair that the cat’s fur was, and the same color eyes. You also knew Shoto’s name, and went to school with him, so it would be awkward if you told him.

“It was you,” Shoto spoke, causing you and Momo to look at him.

“What?” You questioned.

“The cat, it was you,” Shoto said, causing your face to go red.

“What are you two talking about?” Momo asked, looking between you two.

“A few weeks ago, I found a cat and took it in. The next morning I woke up to  a note, saying that the cat was just a person hit with a cat quirk, I had no clue who it was, until I saw L/n’s handwriting,” Shoto explained the situation.

“Shoot, um, yeah, sorry about that, my little cousin got her quirk for the first time and it just sort of happened,” you explained, awkwardly rubbing the back of your neck.

“I see,” Shoto replied, as Momo went over to talk to someone else, leaving the two of you to yourself.

“Look, I-”

“Go on a date with me,” Shoto said, causing your face to get even redder.

“What?” You asked.

“Go on a date with me,” Shoto repeated, “Did you like the soba? We could go get soba together.”

“I mean, yeah the soba was good. But you wanna go on a date with me?” You questioned.

“Sure, I think we’ll get along pretty well,” Shoto said, giving you a small smile, “You can see more of my smiles that you think are, what word did you use? Cute?”

“Um, yeah,” you replied, “Sure, I’ll go on a date with you.”

“Excellent,” Shoto replied.

[charliedawn]

Imagine being an old classmate of Lucius and him stumbling upon your shop

As soon as the blond boy enters your shop, you know that trouble is not far behind. The boy is touching an item when another man comes in and warns the child by hitting his hand that was handling said item with his cane, sending him a stern look.

" Come on, Scorpius. Stop acting like a child. You shouldn't touch things that aren't yours. Your father would be ashamed.."

The voice, the look, the hair..Oh no..You would have recognized that condescending tone anywhere. You are about to back away slowly and hide in the back shop when the man coughs from behind you to get your attention.

" Shopkeeper, I am searching for a crystal ball for my grandson's class of Divination. Do you have any of those ?"

The hair at the back of your neck stand on edge at the pompous voice dripping with disdain, but you force yourself to smile and turn around to greet the client.

" For sure, sir. Please, follow me."

He doesn't seem to have recognized you yet and you thank Merlin for that miracle. You show him the different crystal balls and he inspects each one of them with the minutiae of a true expert, but you know that deep down, he is absolutely clueless. You almost let out a snort when he chooses the most useless of the crystal balls to buy, surely because it is the most expensive one and that the Malfoys ever had only one motto : Higher is the price Better quality it must be. You still cash it in and try to contain your laughter at the bad deal the man had just bestowed upon himself. However, you fail to see his brat outside, practicing the Alohomora spell on your front door and before you could truly comprehend what had happened, your door shuts close and traps you both inside. Lucius pales at his grandson's action and immediately withdraws his wand to open the door, but the spell doesn't work and he groans in annoyance.

" What is this ?! Why don't my spells work ?!"

You sigh before looking at your watch..6 o'clock. Of course.

" It won't work. Because of the many thieves roaming the street at night, I spelled this door to not succumb to any spell after 6 o'clock at night..It won't open until 6 o'clock tomorrow morning."

He turns towards you, obviously unnerved and is about to yell at your incompetence when a sudden glimmer of recognition lits up his eyes.

" Wait..I know you..You were in my house. Your name is Y/N, isn't it ?"

You scoff before mockingly clapping.

" Bravo ! Took you long enough.."

He growls at your mocking gesture before looking at the door with a scowl.

" Were you always that irresponsible ?"

You rise an eyebrow before rebutting.

" And you, were you always that annoying ? On second thoughts, don't answer that..this is why nobody invited you to the Yule Ball !"

He blushes in embarrassment and mumbles angrily.

" Why you little..Because I had Narcissa !"

You roll your eyes before replying with a jeering tone.

" Thanks Merlin, you had her ! Or you would still be a virgin !"

You would have never thought to see such passionate hatred in Lucius' eyes, him who usually remained so calm and who always had the perfect comeback. But, as you are both trapped, you sigh before getting two chairs and placing them next to each other while he stands still. You sit down and cross your arms before sighing exasperatedly at him.

" Are you going to stay up all night ? Come on, I don't bite..often."

He humphs at that last part before looking at the chair, maybe trying to decipher if there are any traps under the cushion. But, he finally indulges. You both sit next to each other in silence until Lucius sighs and admits.

" You're wrong, you know ? Someone did invite me..I never knew who it was though ? However, what I do remember, is the effort they had put inside the letter..The silver lines moving like snakes around the paper and the green velvet envelope..They even used perfume: a rich fragrance of mint, leather and a hint of fresh nightingale. No name had been written though and this is why I thought it was Narcissa, since she had been trying to find a way to invite me for a while..But then, I asked her about it and she never dared to admit that it was her who wrote it, I found it cute at the time..But now that the divorce is in motion, I really doubt that it was her."

He sighs loudly before pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers, exhausted. You had noticed the heavy eyebags and could only imagine what a single grandfather Lucius could be like. No wonder his grandkid locked him inside. But, since he had been nice enough to share his worries with you, it's only normal that you do the same.

" My shop is on the verge of collapsing, nobody is interested in buying quills and papers now that they have those damn muggle phones..It must be me ? I live in the past and now, reality is hitting me hard in the face.."

He listens to you without interrupting and smiles nearly compassionately at you.

" Guess muggles aren't that great anymore, huh ? I knew that, at some point, our worlds would merge, I just didn't want the Wizarding World to be lost forever..It's sad really."

You can't help but laugh bitterly at his comment.

" A Malfoy will remain a Malfoy ! Always with your ideas of purity and against any kind of change ! If you had just been a little more open-minded, maybe you wouldn't be the most hated family in all the Wizarding World ?"

He only scoffs dismissively at your comment.

" What is the point of being liked when you have power ?"

You look at him and smirk.

" Power ? True power doesn't come from money, Lucius..If you had been paying a little bit more attention, you would have known that power comes in many different shapes and forms..Everybody could have power over anybody, if they only know how to play their assets.. "

He arks an eyebrow at you before smirking as well and asks almost daringly.

" Really ? And what power do you have over me then ?"

The both of you ferociously stare at each other for a while and then, you finally decide to jump on him and tackle him to the ground, to his greatest astonishment. Before he can do anything, you take his cane and throw it away. You then take some nearby rope and, in a few minutes, Lucius is defenseless. When he tries to speak, you put your hand around his throat and squeeze. He grits his teeths and you smile victoriously.

" What was that you were saying about true power ? See how easy it was for me to take the upper hand ? You Malfoy men, always playing the same dangerous game..Over and over again. Never learning that it takes a woman to truly feel powerful..Now that Narcissa is gone, it would be a shame if I were to bite your head off ? Who is going to save you ? Your son ? I doubt it..He hates you. Your wife was your best protection, people always underestimate the power of a mother..But, dear Lucius, you should have known better than treat everyone you come across as pathetic worthless worms..Now, you can either tell me that you were wrong, or I'll tell everyone that a mere half-blood has put the great Lucius Malfoy on his back.."

His eyes widen at the revelation before remembering that he had never seen your mother..Your father was a metamorphmagus and many respected him and that had always been enough..He should have definitely digged deeper. He groans, trying to free himself, but to no avail. He finally glares up at you with everything he feels: disgust being a very distinctive look on him.

" Let me go this instant, you filthy mud..!"

But before he could finish his sentence, you bit his shoulder so profoundly that he finds himself on the verge of screaming..He only hisses instead and you then whisper in his ear.

" Ask nicely..and I may consider it."

He sighs, how could he have been so stupid ? And now, he is pretty sure the memory of submitting to the halfblood would stay in his mind forever..

" Could you please let me go ?"

He finally asks politely but, he is surprised when you start kissing up the side of his neck.

" See ? You can be nice when you want to.."

He groans, still frustrated, but also strangely aroused by all this..But, of course that, he would never admit it to you. He only closes his eyes and hopes that you will stop when you notice that he isn't paying attention to you anymore. However, you aren't going to let him go so easily. You take him suddenly by the chin to force him to look back at your flashing yellow eyes and, to his surprise, you growl.

" Eyes on me, pretty boy..You wanted to see real power ? I'll show you what real power looks like.."

Again, you attack his neck and grind against him until he sees stars.

" You..You will never.."

He tries to speak, but his words get lost when you get him out of his coat and throw it to the ground carelessly.

" Hey ! That coat costs more than your whole damn muggle shop !"

You bite him again, a little less hard on his clavicle, only to shut him up again and roll your eyes playfully at him.

" Me who always thought that you were an ice king, you are just a snow princess.."

He opens his eyes wide at the nickname before glaring at you.

" What did you call me, parasite ?"

You dramatically put your hand at the level of your chest, as if the insult had hurt you before smirking down at him.

" What ? Is that the best you got ? Parasite ? Well, don't forget that said parasite is the one who is making you harder than rock right now..Must hurt, isn't it baby ?"

He clenches his jaw hard at your taunting tone before suddenly raising his pelvis to hit yours, making you moan loudly. When you open your eyes again, he is grinning up at you and asks mockingly.

" What was that ? I thought you said you were going to show me power, but all I hear are the purrs of a pitiful kitten who thinks she is a predator.."

You growl and put your hands around his throat. You aren't playing anymore and want to kill him..To kill him for everything he had done, everything he was..

" Die, you piece of trash !"

But, far from being affected by your sudden death sentence, Lucius only smiles weakly at you and takes your wrists that are shaking around his throat. He takes your moment of inattention to flip you under him, your wrists pinned to the floor.

" It isn't fair.."

You mumble almost in tears as he frowns in incomprehension at you. Why are you crying ? You are the one who had attacked him first, and now you are the one saying that it isn't fair ? As if you could read minds, you try to explain.

" I tried so hard to escape..To escape from you Malfoys and the misery that you seem to surround those who try to get close to you..But even years later, I still end up crossing your damned path !"

He tilts his head to the side, surprised by your sudden outburst and stares at you while you start sobbing and wiggle to set yourself free. When he is sure that you aren't going to attack him again, he slowly shifts his hands from around your wrists to gently wrap them around your waist. He then cradles you in his arms and puts his chin on the top of your head before closing his eyes, calmly stroking your back with his hand to soothe you. It takes a few moments for the both of you to calm down and get back to a normal regular breathing rhythm.

" Soon, I'll be out of your shop and you will never see me again.."

You know that he is trying to reassure you, but the realization makes your heart skip a beat in fear. You would not see him again..He would never know who wrote him that letter all those years ago..He would forget about you. Narcissa had been clear on what would happen to you if you ever dared tell him who was the true writer of the letter..But, would it really matter now ? Narcissa was gone and Lucius was there, his arms wrapped around you. Also, surprisingly, had not make a move to get his wand back to Avada Kedavra you yet. It was a good sign, right ? You look up at him and as soon as your eyes meet, you know that he isn't going to hurt you. You then look at the crystal bowl that he had bought, broken and splattered on the floor. You sigh before reluctantly standing up and getting your most precious crystal ball out of the shelf and giving it to him. He frowns in confusion at your gift.

" What are you doing ? I haven't paid for that one.."

You smile genuinely up at Lucius before silently picking his coat up and running your hand on the soft material before giving it back to him as well.

" I think it should be better if you would take a moment to rest, Mr Malfoy..My behavior was inappropriate and I shouldn't have acted the way I did. It was foolish of me and I humbly ask that you do not sue the shop for my mistake. It is already in a very bad condition and I do not have the money to pay you back for what I did to you.."

He opens his eyes wide in shock before looking at the items in his hands, and finally lays them on a nearby table.

" I do not care about all that now. I don't even understand you. At first, you say that you hate me and try to kill me, then you bite me and try to seduce me in a very odd and savage way, and now this ? What are you trying to tell me, Y/N ?"

You bawl your hands into fists and bite your inner cheek in order not to say anything and turn around to leave. He is to never know who you are or why you are angry at him..You thought he was smart, but you had to admit that he was not the one you thought he was.

" This is where we part ways, my ice prince. Tomorrow, you will come back to your kingdom of paper people and fake happiness and I'll be just another insignificant person that you will forget..Until then, I suggest we both sleep our separate ways. The sofa on your right will be just enough comfort for you and I'll be sleeping in the back with the best company one can have: books."

He stares at you for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before following you and locking the door behind him. You squint your eyes suspiciously as he flashes you a dark grin.

" After all this time, I finally found you.."

The dangerous vibe he is giving you makes you quiver in fear and you step back until you hit the wall. He chuckles at you poor attempt to escape and when he looks up at you again, you can see that his icy blue eyes are nearly glowing in the dark. He gets out his cane that you regret not having taken and slowly makes his way to you, running the tip of his wand on the many books kept on the shelves. You suddenly feel cold sweat running down your back, is he going to kill you ? You wonder as he stops just in front of you and his eyes brighten as he slowly makes a mental map of your body with his eyes that give away a certain appreciation..Is he planning on disposing of your body piece by piece ? Suddenly, he take you by the jaw and forces you to look directly in his eyes as he runs the tip of his wand on your cheek, neck and collarbone. He then leans forward and whispers in his low baritone voice.

" I hope you had fun teasing me..Because it will be the last time I'll ever allow you to make a fool out of me..What ? You thought I wouldn't recognize the perfume ? You stink of the same thing you sprayed that letter ages ago..And, if it wasn't for that, there is only one person that I've ever heard call me ice prince."

He knew. He knows. Oh no..You feel your eyes sprinkle with tears in front of the truth. When you think things couldn't get any worse, he summons said letter with his magic and smirks at your horrified expression.

" I kept it. Want me to refresh your memory ?"

He doesn't wait for an answer before starting reading out loud the subject of your embarrassment.

" My ice prince, I have been considering over the past few months to ask you humbly to accompany me to the Yule Ball. My dreams are filled with your scent and marvelous blue eyes that seem to light up a path to Heaven. When I close my eyes, my thoughts are filled with images of your delicate..Oh my !"

He stops abruptly and glances at you with a sinful smile.

" I had forgotten how detailed the letter was..I remember making Narcissa very happy the following day. To think that it could have been you..You must be feeling so disappointed.."

You blush vividly and try to get out of his grip by scratching his face, but he takes both of wrists and pins them above your head with one hand before continuing reading, not the least bothered.

"Oh no, my darling..You'll stay right there and listen to every word you wrote me..You'll listen and I'll make sure that you remember all of them by heart by the end of the night.. That way, you can shout all you want about how you've put the great Malfoy on his back, but I'll have the immense pleasure to tell everyone who I've succeeded in bringing to her knees."

Your heartbeat quickens at his words and you try to get back up, but Lucius doesn't let you. He pins you down to the table while motioning you to stay quiet.

" You..You're evil.."

You manage to gasp out and he chuckles, as if the insult in itself was some kind of hilarious joke.

" Coming from you ? It's a compliment, my dear..You bit me and tried to kill me. Now, where was I ? Ah, yes..Your delicate hands around my throat and your tongue against the crook of my neck.."

He leans in and slowly and sensually licks your neck from your collarbone to that place behind your ear. He then proceeds to whisper in the shell of your ear.

" I must admit, you are far more responsive than Narcissa at the time.."

His hand lowers itself agonizingly slow down your waist until he reaches your waist and suddenly uses it as leverage to drag you towards him brutally, as if to make you realize that it is happening, that he is here, that it isn't all just a dream..

" Your lips look irresistibly pleasing, my dear..Mind if I get a taste ?"

Before you can say anything, his lips are upon yours and his tongue is invading every crevice of your mouth. You roll your hips against him as a response and he slowly drags his other hand from your wrist to your throat. He squeezes lightly and with your free hands, you cradle his face for him to stay still.

"..I've never seen such beautiful sapphire eyes and only the thought of you makes me want to sing and dance.."

The letter falls from his hand as he understands that he doesn't have to remind you..as you've never truly forgotten. He kisses you again, but sweetly this time. Before you can continue however, he stands up and gets out of the room, leaving you hot and bothered.

" What are you doing ?!"

You yell, almost in despair and he only chuckles before closing the door behind him.

" I did what I said. You won't forget that letter any time soon..However, I can't allow myself to be seen with an half-blood..It would be improper."

" Im..Improper..?"

You repeat, as if dumbstruck by the fact that you may have been played with..You look at the door with a glare before getting up and walking determinedly towards the door. You try to open it, but find it locked.

" Lucius ! Open this door right now !"

But you are only met with a laugh from the other side.

" Good night."

You try to open it by force, but it doesn't work and you can't do anything but declare defeat. You get back to the table and sit on it before burying your face in your arms, trying to muffle your tears as Lucius had, once again, tricked you. But, to your surprise, you hear the door opening and see Lucius standing there, guilt written all over his features.

" I..I didn't think that you would actually cry.."

You don't know what angers you the most : his genuine shock or the fact that he is now staring at you, completely lost ? You try to get past him, but he doesn't let you and cages you in his arms.

" Come on..You know I was only playing. I was going to open it soon enough.."

You try to get out of his grip, but the man is not ready to let you go any time soon. He even tightens his hold on you and you finally lean back, inhaling his very expensive cologne.

" Am I just a game to you, Lucius ?"

You ask with a heavy heart and he decides to answer truthfully.

" At first..you were. But, now ? I don't think so. After the war, I understood that I may have acted wrong. I'm still trying to get better. I may have had very bad ideas over this concept of pure-blood supremacy and other..But, I know now thanks to my son and my grandson that I acted out and I wish to make amends. I truly do. This is why, I think I want to give it a try..Will you help me ? Please ?"

You are taken aback by such honesty in Lucius, but still nod in agreement.

" I have had many phases in my life, some when I hated you and some when I lov..liked you. I don't think that you are a bad man, Lucius. I just think that you are a very ambitious and very proud person. If you could just spend some time with people like me..You would see that we aren't so different..This is why I'm willing to make the first step."

He looks at your outstretched hand for a moment before finally taking it with a small smile.

" I'm looking forward to working with you, Miss Y/N."

The next day, Lucius is finally free from the shop and remains courteous. He even apologizes on behalf of his grandson and Draco seems surprised by his sudden change in behavior.

" Did you use magic on him or what ?"

He asks you in a whisper, but you only laugh heartily and shake your head.

" No. I just talked to him..and he listened."

Lucius smiles, his eyes creasing a bit and you glance at each other with a knowing look. Lucius would be back. He had still much to learn afterall..

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Nightwing #81 Review

i swear i actually thought no one was interested so i didn’t write one but a grand total of two (2) people said they wanted to read it, so here it is. honestly, my opinion’s been going a bit downhill, but the art is really cool and there are some decent parts so. holding out i guess? i really hope taylor has an end goal or at least a cohesive plan, otherwise i don’t see this series going anywhere i’ll particularly enjoy

the cover is very straightforward in its imagery, this villain has nightwing in the palm of his hand, easily manipulated, easily controlled no matter the action dick thinks he’ll take. 

what i find interesting is the colour: both previously and heavily in this issue, the colourist has chosen to make pink this villain’s main colour, with different shades of pink as accents. so why the red in the cover? possibly to just make it more eye-grabbing, though one could argue that pink is even more eye-catching than red. maybe to convey a sense of dread or fear that pink won’t fully get across. either way, it’s definitely a decision i’m curious about.

so melinda zucco is in a high enough political position within bludhaven that she is next in line to become the mayor after the previous mayor died and dick just,,,,didn’t have any idea she existed? dick didn’t know anything about her? forget dick’s own brilliant detective skills, forget his doggedness at anything zucco related, you’re telling me bruce never found her and told dick about her? maybe he wouldn’t have now, but back when dick was a young kid, he definitely would have at least made dick aware of her existence, to let dick know and ask if he wanted to interfere with her life or anything.

i have a thought about zucco’s facial expressions. she is very much stone-cold poker face throughout the entire issue. the only time i see her pull a different expression is near the end when dick corners her against a wall with an arm around her throat. 

this is most certainly intentional, what with the varied and intense expressions we see on other characters, dick most prominently. i’m wondering what exactly is the creative team’s reasoning behind this. in these panels, zucco is meeting with the most dangerous, powerful, near-bloodthirsty man in all of bludhaven and becoming the mayor of the city respectfully. in both of these panels, there is barely a hint of emotion in her face: no fear, no determination, no satisfaction. it’s just odd, considering the circumstances she’s in, regardless of any training recieved.

just spitballing here but. like. from what i’ve read so far, dick doesn’t really seem like bludhaven’s guardian angel. more like when peter parker first put on spandex and blindly stepped out into new york.

dick, how exactly can you underestimate someone from one move. so he caught your escrima. anyone with enhanced reflexes can do that. you still don’t know how he can actually fight, and this is shown in the next set of panels. 

i just don’t like the wording here. dick’s “underestimated” him, but beats him up easy in the next page. in addition, i don’t know much about combat, but i would assume it would take more than one move to determine exactly what an opponent’s skill level is, made even more complex when you add physical enhancements and metahumans and aliens into the mixture.

idk my first thought when i saw that he caught the stick was “ah ok he’s enhanced” because obviously he couldn’t have reacted fast enough if he wasn’t (as there are few people trained enough to catch it on human reflexes alone.) then the wording in the next panel, i’ve underestimated him, made me think “oh no ok so he’s not enhanced, he’s just a really good fighter and can give dick a run for his money in a fight.” then, it turns out my first assumption was proven correct in the next panel. it just comes across as misleading to me.

(also sidenote but his curls are cute.)

have i praised the art enough in this series? no, i have not.

i adore the way this is laid out and illustrated. without even having to read the text, the action sequence is visually engaging and intense, and easily followable from one panel to the next. dick’s physical expertise comes through quite efficiently, and i love the special attention shown to draw our attention to dick’s escrima in the bottom right corner.

also that move in the middle row leftmost panel that’s the mcu black widow move to get up off the ground it was the first thing i noticed and it made me laugh; thought it was worth noting

i’m really loving dick’s escrima sticks in this run. they’re just so multipurpose, it’s hilarious and exhilarating. kinda reminds me of bruce’s belt, the way the button in the middle does eevveeerrryyytthhiinngg. 

got a problem? don’t worry! dick’s installed a feature into his escrima that can fix that! (i like thinking dick helped make them it makes me happy and makes my engineer!dick side satisfied)

yawn. your big heart is your one true weakness yadda yadda the fact that you care will be used against you blah blah we get it. jesus can the villains please find a different weakness to exploit, this is getting old.

i need dick’s capacity to empathize and care and love to stop being a weakness that villains sneer about. bonus points if dick saves everyone anyway, either because of or despite his great big heart and the villain is surprised by the goodness of mankind or some shit like that.

i need it to be a strength, right from the get-go. the fact that he cares so incredibly much should be an asset that dick has and will use. he’s a very complex character with years of background, it can’t possibly be that hard to find another weakness of his. 

ooooh this is cool, gosh i absolutely love this.

because what exactly is the reader doing? we are seeing the fear in dick’s face, just as this villain intended. even better, we’re seeing the reflection of it from the villain’s glossy mask, telling us exactly what we’re seeing and exactly what he likes so much about it.

dick’s standing up straight, shoulders drawn back, looking up at this villain’s face with determination and resolve, but his suit is tattered. one eye looks to be swollen. his hair is falling limply around his eyes, as opposed to the curls from earlier. his escrima aren’t even part of the main focus, instead blending into the side of the mask in the outer corners of the mask’s eyes, which tells you exactly how big of a threat they are to this villain.

poor bitewing’s quite alarmed.

also on second thought why would you bring your puppy out like this, when you know you’re gonna end up fighting someone in the suit. a) how many grey three-legged adorable little puppies live in the bludhaven area dick? and how easy will it be to connect the doggo running around with nightwing with the doggo that dick grayson owns? and 2) is this puppers trained? does she have fighting experience? how exactly can you ensure she will survive this highly stressful situation?

dick take better care of your dog 

you know what? i was with tim on this one. why exactly is dick so optimistic and trusting about the people of bludhaven? bludhaven, which has been described as gotham’s smaller, smellier, more corrupt sister city once or twice. it’s not just the corrupt people in power, the entire system needs to change and people need to have faith and hope in order for them to come together, espcially if they’ve been living in conditions like how bludhaven has been described. from how clueless dick is about his own goddamn city, i can tell he hasn’t been here long.

it was a nice moment of hope, i’ll admit. but it was a tad unrealistic for me.

also it was in a weird place in the comic. this sort of confrontation and big get-together of the people to rejuvenate hope in each other feels like it should come near the end of a run, if not the end of an issue. certainly not in the first third of an issue. the pacing’s a bit off to me.

loyal little puppy patiently waiting for her human to wake up. i love her so much.

no it’s not. it’s bitewing.

living for this t-shirt honestly. do comics of dc characters exist in the dc universe? they must if the mug and the shirt are any indication

(now i’m imagining the first batman movie that came out in the dc universe and bruce just. being so offended at who they chose to play him.)

well, yes. but when a group of people are put through hellish conditions over and over again, they soon become desensitized to the pain and terror of their everyday lives in order to both stay sane and keep their life relatively stable, and part of that becomes ignoring or blocking out anything that isn’t directly important to you or your loved ones. having a bleeding heart will most likely get you killed in a city like bludhaven if you don’t have the same skills that vigilantes have.

and of course, people are more than capable of coming together and rallying under their city’s vigilante after seeing the good they’ve done and how they’ve helped the people, but that sort of trust takes time and effort to build. dick also had the whole ric arc and was gone for a while, which has been referenced several times in this particular issue in fact. that’s not going to make bludhaven’s citizens any more likely to trust him.

maybe i’m being a bit harsh but this comic is comic off as a bit too idealistic for the amount of change nightwing can do in a city given the present and past circumstances as well as nightwing’s own abilities. even dick grayson can’t pull off everything.

ok seriously this needs to stop this needs to stop.

right now, dick reminds me of oliver queen in the few episodes of the cw’s arrow i watched. he does the punchy-kicky-fighty and occasionally has smart insights due to the skills he gained from his past that he certainly definitely totally has but only ever exhibits once, while his team does all of the background research and information gathering and actual work.

this is dick’s city. if he has the same intelligence, worth ethic, and stubbornness in this run that he’s been shown to possess all his life, then he knows this city inside out. he’ll have meticulous notes organized in a ridiculously efficient system, he’ll have scouted out zucco long before this started, he’ll have known when anything big happened in the bludhaven political landscape in an instant.

i’m really not liking exactly how much dick’s relying on babs and tim in this series. sure, he loves them and cares for them and likes working cases with them. but he always pulls his own weight, has always been a mentor figure to tim instead of what’s weirdly becoming the other way around, and takes point on the cases in his own damn city.

what kind of weak-ass oracle is this?? redacted fbi files are child’s play. babs used to hack into the fbi for fun. this one particular picture is so out of character i want to laugh.

reading this series has unfortunately made me confront that, despite the tiny fluid acrobat dick that lives in my head 24/7, canon dick is impossibly 5′10 and muscular at that.

mmm. titties.

tim said hydrate or die-drate bitch

love how dick’s doing all this intense brooding and stuff meanwhile bitewing is curled up in a soft comfy post having the time of her life.

you don’t understand i would legitimately kill myself for her.

also the lighting in this one scene is cool. the blue tones come off so well.

they’re just. so multipurpose!! they can become a bo staff. they can cut glass. they can become a grapple hook/line. they can electrify someone. they’re a funky colour. i’m becoming really attached to these things. absolute solid choice in weaponry.

if you’re gonna write up every rookie mistake dick has made during this series to head trauma, then dick shouldn’t be out and about at all, much less in costume.

see this? this is just straight up wrong. dick most definitely should have spotted her, and would have immediately moved to take her down.

scratch that, dick would have done a full check of the building, because he knows not to break into places uninformed, especially if the owner of the apartment was raised by the maroni family. someone as highly trained, experienced, and competent as dick wouldn’t have done this.

and if you chalk it up to head injury, (which is probably true), than his ~love interest~ and his little brother should have done a much better job making sure he stays in his house.

zucco looks so awkward it’s fucking hilarious

are those shadows that mimic a domino mask, to both reflect and hide the fact that his mask is missing? are those bruises around his eyes, to show how, despite what good he’s doing, being nightwing is hurting dick right now? 

(isn’t his domino mask supposed to have an electrifying feature that keeps people from removing them?)

it’s a little odd how the three known villains of this series are all coloured in warm shades, more specifically pink. meanwhile, in earlier issues, dick’s fondest memories were in pink, memories of him and alfred in particular. why has the colour pink changed from signifying something benevolent to something malicious? idk i hope this gets explained later.

this i did like. either it’s just a display of brute force in anger, or dick slipped the ties and pulled them off once untied. both ways, it’s an unintentional display of power, and i think that’s kinda cool.

again. dick is,,,tall? sort of? weirdddd

i’m so glad most readers are unified in the notion that this was the absolute dumbest fucking thing.

i’m hoping this gets disproved or something soon. and i hope dick doesn’t fall for it, because he definitely knows better than to take something as important as this at face value.

what exactly is taylor trying to accomplish here? why is he trying to go back on what we all knew was a happy, loving childhood and throw strife and disharmony and (what i’m assuming will be) infidelity? this will not end well at all.

---

,,,,,this review got way longer than expected lol. and i realize most of it just became me ranting. i guess i didn’t realize how ticked off i was originally. fingers crossed it gets better.

tag list: @woahjaybird @birdy-bat-writes @anothertimdrakestan @subtleappreciation @screennamealreadyused @bikoncon @pricetagofficial @catxsnow @thatsthewhump @xatanna-troy @red-hood-redemption @capricorn-stark @batshit-birds​ @comics-observer

[hypfic]

After Facing the Wall

so.... that DH vs BB live huh... if you haven’t seen the live I don’t think this really spoils anything since it’s pretty ambiguous, but if you’re trying to avoid any mention of it, avert your eyes!

I wrote this as a completely self indulgent drabble at first, but then I kept going and the next thing I knew, I was four pages deep in Ichiro love... When I first got into hypmic I wasn’t a big fan of Buster Bros, but now?? Oh boy now they’re tied for first with Fling Posse.... and Ichiro... I love him so much and want to hold his hand....

(I was supposed to finish working on chapter 3 of IKOT109 yesterday but I did this instead... chapter 3 should be done soon! she’s a long one!)

☆♬○♩●♪✧♩　　♩✧♪●♩○♬☆

You’re laying in bed half awake after watching the broadcast of today’s DRB. Unfortunately, you were stuck at home with a cold as the brothers went off to battle. 

You were just dozing off when the front door to the apartment creaked open. Rubbing drowsiness from your eyes, you grabbed your glasses from the nightstand and shuffled out of the bedroom. You stood silently in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the framing as the three brothers briefly discussed the night’s events. Ichiro glanced up and caught your eyes, smiling weakly at you. He was hurting, the opponent he faced today, that the three of them faced today, was greater than any boss before. 

You walked over and gave the two younger bros a hug, holding them tight and expressing your pride. After ruffling Jiro and Saburo’s hair, you sat next to Ichiro. You reached down and took his hand in yours, leaning into his side and kissing his cheek. As he continued to talk with his brothers, you rested your head on his shoulder, tracing circles around his bruised knuckles. You didn’t say anything, you didn’t need to, just being there was enough. 

The brothers’ conversation gradually lagged and the two of you were soon alone. Ichiro sighed and kissed the top of your head, squeezing your hand for reassurance. You knew that this… this was all a lot for him. An old friend and teammate, and his father…. He had so much in his mind. You looked up at him and kissed his furrowed brow, reaching over to wipe the forming tears from his eyes. 

“Hey, let’s go upstairs, ok? Lay in bed and cuddle, alright? Hmm?”

Ichiro nodded, eyes still focused on the wall in front of him. You tugged him up by his sleeve and didn’t let go of his hand until the two of you were in his room. As soon as the door closed behind you, Ichiro pulled you into his arms in a tight embrace, burying his face in the top of your hair. You wrapped your arms around his waist as he held you tight, head resting over his heart. You swore you could hear it bleed and break. 

The two of you held each other close, simply basking in the safety and comfort of the other’s arms. You felt a few tears dampen your hair, you pulled Ichiro even closer. 

He pulled away after allowing the moment to linger. He looked tired, empty, uncertain. You stood on your toes and moved a hand to cup his cheek, sweetly kissing his lips. Ichiro smiled meekly at you, leaning down and pressing your foreheads together. He let out a weighted sigh as he reached for your hands again. You could feel his tremble. 

It was hard for Ichiro to uphold the strong, unbreakable front he presented. This was especially so when it came to his family… his brothers. You’d watched the three of them grow so much since their previous loss, yet this battle seemed to hurt even more. 

You couldn’t begin to imagine what your boyfriend was thinking. What he was feeling. Rei’s cutting words haunted your mind, but you only experienced them second hand. Ichiro… Ichiro was in the direct line of fire. To be spoken to like that by the man that’s caused him so much hurt… you couldn’t wrap your head around how Ichiro must feel. 

You pecked his lips again and tugged him towards the bed, pulling him into your lap as you sat down. Ichiro liked to be held, and you loved to hold him. Even though you were much smaller than the man in your arms, your presence and embrace was immensely comforting. 

Ichiro sat up for a moment and removed his jacket, tossing it to the floor before settling back in your arms. He laid his head on your chest, breathing in sync to the drumming of your heartbeat. 

You ran your fingers through his hair, humming a tune softly as his hand made their home around your waist. 

“Ichi,” you said softly. 

“Hmm?” 

“I’m really proud of you,” you swallowed back tears, halting your hand and bringing your face down into his hair. It smelled like sweat and smoke, with the lingering hint of his stupid, fruity shampoo. “You and the bros did so well. You especially, I guess I’m a bit biased but,” you moved your hand from Ichiro’s hair to wipe away tears. “You’ve grown so much, and I think everyone can see that. You’re so strong, and you held your ground the entire time. I think he underestimated you and you rose way above his expectations…”

Ichiro shuffled out of your arms to face you, smiling softly as he took your hands. He brought them up to his lips and kissed your knuckles, tracing the curves with his thumbs after placing your linked hands in his lap. You knew if you looked at him, both of you would burst into tears so you stared at your linked hands. 

He scooted closer to you and let go of your hands, reaching over and holding your face. You had no choice but to look up at him and wobbly smile, the flooding feeling of tears in the back of your throat. 

Ichiro’s eyes were misty when he looked at you, a few tears slipping down his cheek. “Thank you, y/n. For everything. For being here, for supporting me, for supporting Jiro and Saburo too. I don’t know if they express it enough but they love you just as much as I do, they see you as a part of our family,” he leaned down and kissed your lips. “I think I love you just a bit more though. But, I don’t think we’d be anywhere close to where we are today if it wasn’t for you.”

“Don’t say that…. I’m sure you would. All of the progress the three of you have made has nothing to do with me.”

Your boyfriend shook his head. “You might not think it, but you inspire us, inspire me to be better. After all my bros and I have been through together…. I’ve always wanted to be the best for them. To provide for them and protect them, especially after that incident years ago. But, every day they show me that maybe I’m the one who needs protecting. They always have my back and put so much faith in me, I don’t think they know how much faith I have in them.” Ichiro paused. “After you stumbled into my life and in turn into theirs, I think I relaxed more, allowed myself to rely on my family for advice and support. I know I say this a lot but I was terrified to ask you out,” he blushed, “But the two of them insisted that I try and I’m so glad they did. You brought in something we could think about that wasn’t work or division related, and that allowed us to relax and focus on ourselves… I’m forever grateful for that.”

You didn’t realise that tears started running down your cheeks. “I-Ichi….”

Ichiro smiled and kissed your forehead, brushing your tears away with his thumb. “I love you, baby, so damn much.”

���Yeah the ‘kyun’ really gave it away,” You teased with a giggle, cheeks flushed. 

“Ah… yeah, I…” he stammered. 

You laughed, leaning up and kissing him. “It was cute~ it made my heart jump.” 

“Oh my god, it’s really not that big of a deal babe I-“ Ichiro huffed, cheeks red. 

“But seriously, Ichiro. You guys did so well, I’m just sad I couldn’t have been there to cheer you on from the crowd…. stupid cold,” you pouted.

“Well, think of it this way, you cheer me on every day no matter where you are, just by being here with me.”

“Ichi that was disgustingly sappy and adorable I’m going to vomit.”

He laughed, “Says the one who was kissing me all over and expressing how proud they were of me,” Ichiro paused and looked at your shirt. “And wearing my Miku t-shirt.” Ichiro flicked your forehead. 

“Hey! It’s comfy ok? And I missed you and it smells like your cologne….” You blushed. 

“Oi, are you two done being gross and look decent?” Jiro knocked on the door. “.... Can Saburo and I come in?”

Ichiro looked at you and smiled before patting his lap in invitation. You climbed into his lap and sank into his embrace as he wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed your head. 

“Come on in, boys,” you called out with a smile. “You want in on this, Jiro-chan?” You smirked as Jiro fake gagged at the sight of you in his brother’s lap. 

The two younger brothers stood in the doorway timidly, Saburo holding onto the back of Jiro’s sleeve. They both had a look of physical and emotional exhaustion on their faces. 

“Alright, come on, in the hug you go,” you opened your arms wide with a smile. 

You could practically see their hearts swell with joy before they threw themselves on the bed. Tears fell on their lashes as you and Ichiro pulled them in tight. Your eyes looked back and met Ichiro’s. His gaze was filled with love and charity. You wouldn’t have it any other way.   

[moon-light-jukebox]

Morning Coffee - [Reid x Reader]

Request: hello, i was thinking if you could write the fluffiest fluff possible about spencer x reader (i’m a girl but it can of course be gender neutral), i’m okay with anything you desire. the only thing is i’d like the reader to be a little shy, just a little :) thank you so much!!!! 

Summary: Reader has just moved to their new neighborhood and finds more at their local coffee shop than they had expected. 

Pairing: Spencer Reid / Gender Neutral!Reader (no pronouns used)

Word Count: 1.6k

Genre: Fluff

Rating: G af. 

Content Warning: None that I can think of. 

A/n: I’m sorry this took me so long, anon. I wasn’t feeling very fluffy. This is truly the best I can do, I’m sorry. I’ve also never written a character that was more like me before. I hope y’all are okay with that. 

-- Morning Coffee -- 

My first order of business once I moved into my new neighborhood was to find a coffee shop that could become my coffee shop.

I didn’t stop to pick up coffee every day, but I liked having a set place to go. I liked to know the menu so I wasn’t nervous whenever I had to order. My friends didn’t understand why I felt that way, but the thought of ordering something during a crowded morning and then not knowing what I wanted and holding up people’s morning because I wasn’t prepared?

It made me never want to stop for coffee ever again.

I had always gotten anxiety about the strangest things. I was perfectly comfortable giving presentations at work, but I couldn’t approach one person in a coffee shop and introduce myself.

On my third morning in my new neighborhood, I found a smaller coffee shop about a block away from my apartment. I had walked by a few times, and I looked them up online. I felt relatively confident in my decision.

I always got up earlier than I technically needed to. I liked to allow time for something to go wrong. My mother had engrained punctuality into my very soul.

On that crisp morning in late September, at 7:37 am, I was walking towards the coffee shop from the east end of the street, and there was a man walking from the west. I could tell from our pace that we were going to arrive at the same time, and now I was trying to decide if I wanted to speed up and beat him, slow down and go in after him, or just let events unfold.

Like I said, anxiety about the silliest things.

I sped up, which turned out to be a mistake. I had underestimated how long the man's legs were. He was a head taller than me, wearing gray suit pants and a black coat. He had a scarf wrapped around his neck and it looked like he hadn't brushed his curly hair in at least a week.

He was slim with angular features. His cheekbones and jaw were both well defined. He was beautiful.

None of that is what really drew my attention.

He looked sad. Not outwardly sad. It was the sort of sad that seeped into your bones and promised to be your companion for much longer than you wanted.

The beautiful man got to the door a second before I did; he gave me a tight-lipped awkward smile when he opened the door, waving me inside.

I muttered my thanks and slipped through the door right before he did.

“You go ahead,” I said to the man. “I don’t know what I want yet.”

A complete lie. I knew that menu better than the baristas probably did.

He had brown eyes, but it was almost an insult to call them brown. They looked like caramel with little flecks of gold.

“Oh,” he mumbled. “Thanks.”

Another terrible thing about me is how I romanticize people in my mind. I recognized a sadness in this beautiful man and suddenly found myself fascinated by him.

Which is why I made getting coffee every morning around 7:37 am a part of my routine.

This went on for weeks; somedays I would see that man, and my days were always a bit darker when I didn’t. I couldn’t discern any sort of pattern about the days he came in, but I kept searching for one.

My best friend laughed at me every day but in a sweet, teasing way. I learned most of the baristas' names and they learned mine. I liked June the best; she was in her 20's and had curly black hair. She had a piercing in her left nostril and she always laughed politely at everyone's jokes.

I always tipped my baristas, but I tipped her best.  

It was the third week of October now. I was making my daily trip to the coffee shop, my headphones in my ears, my gaze sweeping over the changing fall leaves. I couldn’t even begin to describe how much I loved autumn.

I hadn’t expected to see him today; he hadn’t been there for the past two days, and he was usually gone for at least 4 days at a time. So, I wasn’t paying attention. I was watching the orange and gold leaves sway in the breeze, my hands shoved in my coat pockets.

When I looked up, he was holding the door open, waiting for me.

I felt my cheeks heat. “Oh my god,” I mumbled. “You didn’t have to hold this for me. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention!”

The man just chuckled, and smiled down at me, revealing his straight white teeth. “I haven’t been holding it long,” he offered, waving me through the door.

Once we were both inside, I waved him ahead of me.

He smiled at me again. “Is this a habit with you?” I raised my eyebrows at him, indicating my confusion. “Letting people who hold the door open for you get in line first?”

I gave an awkward laugh. “You remember that?”

We walked over to the line, standing side by side. “I sort of remember everything.”

“That must come in handy.”

That same sadness appeared in his eyes for a moment before it washed away. “Sometimes,” he mumbled.

When we both got up to the counter, June was working the counter. “Hey, y/n!” she called out, a huge smile on her face. “Usual?”

I nodded.

"You must come here a lot," the man said.

“More often than I should.”

"I've seen you every morning I've come in here since September 27th.”

My head snapped up to look at him. “What? You remember the day?”

“I have an eidetic memory,” he answered sheepishly. “I can also read 20,000 words per minute, and I have an IQ of 187.”

I couldn’t stop my eyes from going wide. “Wow.”

He just offered a slightly awkward chuckle.

June came back over with my drink, telling me my total. The man interrupted. “I’ve got it.”

June’s dark eyes went comically wide.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” I began.

“I know,” he said. “But I want to.”

I might have imagined it, but I could have sworn I heard June let out a squeak.

“Well…thank you.”

Nobody ever bought me coffee. Nobody ever really bought me anything, come to think of it.

“Did I make you uncomfortable?”

I shook my head. “No, not really. I’m just…not used to people doing that.”

He looked confused. “You’re not used to people buying you coffee?”

I felt my cheeks heat again. “No, not really.”

June rushed back over with his drink before taking his money. "Keep the change," he said, turning and walking away from the counter with me. He looked down at his watch…which he was wearing over top of his shirt sleeve. Odd. “I have to go,” he muttered, almost sounding sad.

“Oh, okay.” I went over to the door, holding it open for him. “Well, it was nice to meet you.”

The man smiled at me again, a real smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle. “It was nice to meet you too, y/n.”

With a wave, we turned and walked in opposite directions.

I was halfway to the train station when I realized I hadn’t asked him his name.

--

He wasn’t at the coffee shop the following morning.

But June was.

“So, what was that?!” She had whisper hissed the second she saw me.

“I don’t know,” I mumbled.

“What do you mean?”

I just shrugged, grateful for the lack of customers. “I had never talked to him before. I didn’t even ask his name.”

She pressed her fingers against her forehead. “A cute guy buys you coffee and you don’t get his name? Or number?”

I nodded, my teeth digging into my bottom lip. “I got nervous,” I defended.

June huffed out a sigh. “I know he’s told me his name before.” She pondered for a moment before she turned and called out over her shoulder. “Steven! Who was that guy who bought y/n’s coffee yesterday?”

Steven just blinked at her. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

Her hands went to her hips. “Yes, you do! He’s skinny, he has curly brown hair, dresses like a professor but he isn’t old enough? Cute, got a jawbone that could cut glass?”

“Spencer,” a voice supplied from behind me.

I froze, my eyes fixed on June's face. She turned back to look at me and gave a bright smile to whoever was behind me. "His name is Spencer….?" She trailed off.

“Dr. Spencer Reid,” the man in question supplied.

My eyes just shut tight. Maybe if he couldn’t see me this wouldn’t happen.

Of course, my luck was never that good. He stepped up to the counter beside me. "About 2 minutes after I walked away yesterday, I realized I hadn't told you my name."

I pulled my lips between my teeth, letting out a deep sigh before I turned my head to look up at him. He had the same coat on today, his hair was in similar disarray, but his eyes didn't seem quite so sad. They were sparkling today, and the tips of his ears were red like maybe he was embarrassed too.

“It took 2 minutes?” I asked at last.

Dr. Spencer Reid just nodded. “It probably would have taken less, but I was busy mentally kicking myself for not asking for your number.”

I dug my teeth into my bottom lip, but even that couldn’t suppress my smile at his words.

“We can probably fix that,” I teased.

"That's a relief," he confessed. "Then I just have to ask you out. That shouldn't be too hard." He let out a self-deprecating laugh like that wasn't the sweetest thing I had ever heard.

I knew for certain I heard June let out an excited squeak that time.

--

Permeant Taglist : @rachelxwayne @pinkdiamond1016 @sickeninglyshoujo @justagirllookingforherplace @nanocoool @andiebeaword @imjusthereformggcontent @rainsong01 @violentvulgarvolatile @mys2425 @al3xmnd @imfalling-inlove @cielo1984 @shadyladyperfection @kissingvalentino​

@spncersreid​

[futurebicon]

Carolina

Marine Biologist AU that no one asked for but I wrote because I miss my second home. Probably two parts.

Very brief mention of a family members death

"Hi welcome to-" Leo stopped his normal speech when he was met with the two most gorgeous men he had ever laid eyes on. "Welcome to the Fort Fisher aquarium. I'm your tour guide Leo and this is Regulus." He somehow managed to snap out of his shock even though the greeting was all muscle memory.

“Two guides. Must be special." The red haired one laughed a laugh that made doves fly. "I'm Finn." He shook their hands.

"That and both of us wanted a break from sticky children trying to swim with the sharks and gators." Reg smiled.

"Sharks? Like ocean sharks? And ocean alligators?" The shorter one asked in shock and a lot more than a sprinkle of fear.

'Fuck he's adorable' Leo swore internally. "Alligators are typically fresh water reptiles but if you are asking if they are real sharks and alligators, than no. They're they’re hyperealalistic mechanical sculptures." He kept a straight face.

"Cute and funny." Finn flashed him a smile after another angelic laugh.

Leo had to remind himself to not die right then and there.

“Don't worry, Logan" Finn told the other one. "I'll protect you from the scary teeth, baby."

Now Leo was sad.

“Oh yeah, right after you stop ogling over our hot tour guide."

Now Leo was slightly less sad and confused.

“Actually." Regulus pulled out his phone. "Our manager just texted and said he needs someone in the gift shop. Have fun." He left with a pat on Leos back.

Leo glared as he walked away, they didn't get texts from anyone for any assignment. Hence the walkie talkies on their belt loops.

“So, follow me and we can start the tour." +++

“This is our 235,000 gallon tank." Leo stood over top of the two story tall tank. In here we have our eagle rays, round stingrays, whiptail stingrays, hammerhead sharks, sandbar sharks, sand tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks. We also have two moray eels and an abundance of fish including shanks and groupers. And a personal favorite, Sheldon the green sea turtle.” Leo stood on the rusted grate with ease as if he didn’t care about the hammerhead only a few feet away from his toes.

“Um, this is great and all but can we not stand on the edge without a railing?” Logan stayed as far away as he could an the 2 feet wide walkway.

“You’re completely safe don’t worry.” Leo flashed a reassuring smile.

“Okay yeah but-”

“Stop being a baby, Lo.” Finn poked his side.

“I’m sorry I’m scared of falling into a 23 foot deep death cylinder filled with sharks.” Logan defended himself.

“Alright we can go officially start the tour.” Leo laughed. “But we do have to walk across the tank.”

“We what?” Logan asked.

“It’s okay. Just don’t look down.” He decided to risk a wink.

“Listen to the hot guide, babe.” Finn kissed Logan’s cheek. “I’ll hold your hand.”

“I love you, Harzy. But I do not trust you enough to not try and scare me.”

“I promi- no I don’t. Fine.” Finn whined when his plans were spoiled.

“Alright, let’s go.” Leo laughed.

They got across the walkway with only a few exaggerated wobbles to scare Logan. And a very grumpy Logan when Leo told him there was another way around the tank.

+++

“So here we have our bald eagle Maverick.” Leo walked up to the opened enclosure. “He’s five years old and has been here since he was two. He was found on the side of the road nearly starved after being hit by a car. If you look at his left wing you can see it juts out a little. That is due to the bones fusing together incorrectly and it makes him unable to ever fly again.” He recited the well known script.

“Poor baby” Finn stuck his bottom lip out.

Leo blinked away the urge to kiss the sad look off his face.

“If we walk up here you can see the aquariums prized possession.” Leo smiled. “Luna the albino Alligator.”

“Oh my god.” Finn hurried over to the glass.

“She looks like you, lover. Pale as fuck.” Logan teased.

“Luna is one of just 100 recorded albino alligators world wide.”

“World wide?” Logan asked in shock.

“Yeah. It’s an extremely rare genetic mutation and due to the inability to hide from predators they’re numbers are next to zero. Very soon they’ll be no more albino gators.”

“What happened to that alligators toes?” Logan pointed at the dark green alligator.

“That’s Gantur. He still hasn’t learn that Luna’s the leader.”

“She bit them off?” Logan’s eyes went wide.

“Don’t underestimate her. Ready to continue?”

+++

“This is my favorite exhibit.” Leo’s face lit up as they walked up to the touch pool.

“Touch anything as long as you use two fingers and don’t pick anything up.”

“Are those stingrays?” Finn pointed towards the end of the touch pool.

“Yeah. They’re still babies and their stingers have been trimmed. Their barbs are like thumbnails and can be clipped monthly without any harm.”

“What are those?”

Leo’s face lit up impossibly more.

“These are horseshoe crabs.” He held onto one of the dark greenish brown banjo shaped creature.

“They are also called living fossils due to the fact that they haven’t evolved at all since the dinosaurs, around 450 million years. It’s mostly due to the fact that they didn’t need anything added or taken away for survival. They were made perfectly. Now their tails.” He pointed to the long stick like end as it moved around with the help of what looked like scaley gills. “Most people look at it and think it will hurt. But it won’t hurt at all. They are extremely, extremely clumsy and use the long tail to flip themselves back over.”

“Sounds like you.” Finn kissed Logan.

“Rude.” Logan scoffed.

“Horseshoe crabs aren’t actually crabs at all. They’re actually more closely related to scorpions and spiders. Watch.” Leo smirked and flipped it over.

There were five pairs of claws moving around as the gills moved up and down like abs, causing the tail to move with it.

“Here-” Leo grabbed Logan’s hand, he tried hard to ignore the way his skin burned. “Touch it.”

“Oh no I’m okay to just look.”

“Come on, just touch it.” Leo begged. “Please just touch it.” He pouted.

“Oh my fuck you’re adorable.” Logan voiced Leo’s exact same thoughts from before.

“Here” he blushed and bit his lib to contain the smile. “Touch it.” He guided Logan’s hand down to the center of the legs, desperately trying to not think about how close they were. Logan’s t-shirt touching his blue polo shirt with his name stitched in the side. The way he could feel Logan’s breathing against his side, the way his leg was pressed between Logans le- stop it.

“Eww that feels weird” Logan’s laughed raised goosebumps on his arm.

“You’re touch his mouth.”

“Ew ew ew ew” Logan pulled his hand away quickly as Finn cackled.

“You asshole” Logan laughed as he pushed Leo lightly.

“Sorry, but it’s funny.” Leo laughed.

“You are now my second favorite person on earth.” Finn put a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Oh my god I’m crying.” He wiped his eyes.

“Wouldn’t mind if he stayed our favorite.” Logan smiled.

Leo blushed and moved onto the regular view of the huge tank.

+++

“So how’d you get a job here?” Logan asked Leo as they walked around.

“I’ve lived on the island my whole life and started volunteering here when I was 13.” He explained. “I’m going to UNCW for marine biology. Are you two just here for vacation? Even though it’s April.”

“No. We’re actually moving down here. My grandparents owned the arcade on the boardwalk and left it to me once they passed.” Finn told him.

“Oh. I’m sorry about their passing.”

“It’s okay. Didn’t really know them at all.”

“Well I’ll hopefully see you around.”

“Maybe you don’t have to hope.”

Leo tilted his head in confusion.

“We were just wondering if you would want to show us around the island.” Logan told him. “We’ve only been here for a few days and this is the first place we’ve been to. Not even the beach.”

“Oh that’s nearly a sin.” Leo teased. “I’d love to show you guys around. I get off in an hour.”

“Perfect.” Finn said happily. “Do you want to drive over to our house and then switch cars or do you need to change?”

“That’ll work. There’s a locker room and since there’s next to no one here considering the time of year Evan will probably let me leave early.” Leo couldn’t hide his smile as they walked into the brightly lit gift shop.

Logan let out a loud gasp and ran over to the 6 foot long jellyfish stuffie. “I want it.”

“It’s tentacles are going to strangle you, love.” Finn shook his head.

“Kinky” Logan wiggled his eyebrows.

Finn scoffed as three other people in the quiet store laughed.

“Oh hi again Regulus.” Logan smiled at the black haired man who was sitting on the countertop beside the register tossing a brightly colored foam ball with turtles on it between his hands.

“Hey” He smiled back.

“What’d they need help with down here?” Finn looked around the empty room cluelessly.

“He didn’t help me?” The girl beside him raised an eyebrow. “Hi, Rue by the way.” She waved before going back to glaring at Regulus. “Did Evan tell you to help me?”

“No.” Reg smirked. “Just wanted to leave Leo alone with his crushes.”

“Reg” Leo pushed him.

“It’s mutual.” Finn said and Logan nodded.

“Okay. I’m gonna go ask Evan if I can get off early so I can show you a tour of the island and then get changed and I’ll be back down.” Leo changed the subject quickly.

“They’ll show you a tour of their bedroom and then get you off early.” Rue said quietly but not quiet enough. Leo shoved her hard as Logan, Finn, and Reg cackled.

+++

“So are we ready?” Leo walked back down in shorts and a UNCW t-shirt.

A cropped UNCW t-shirt.

“Uh- yeah. Yeah. Um, yeah.” Finn stuttered failing to make it look like he wasn’t staring at Leo’s tan abs.

Finn on the other hand had no shame. His eyes raked his entire body as his mouth went dry.

“Alright. I’ll follow you guys?”

“Huh? Oh yeah.” Logan nodded.

“Get it Knut.” Reg cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted as they left the gift shop and headed outside to the 100 degree weather.

@lumosinlove

[baffling-bisexual-quack]

Trouble in Paradise

HI, anyone who might see this! I wrote another oneshot (thorbruce). Hope you all enjoy!

Summary: Thor + Bruce are in relationships (Jane, Nat), but they aren’t completely happy.

Warnings: Cheating

Word count: 1668

“Banner!” Thor called out, catching the small scientist just before he went back into the lab, or as Tony called it, the Lair From Which Bruce Shall Not Return. Thor hadn’t seen Bruce in weeks. It wasn’t a matter of choice; there had been lots of missions in the past while, and Thor and Bruce were both now busy with their significant others. Bruce and Nat were officially together, and Thor and Jane were an obvious thing. Plus, Bruce had been on the edge of a ‘scientific breakthrough’, which were code words for ‘Bruce is having feelings he doesn’t like and is trying to hide’. Or it really was a scientific breakthrough and a robber had come in and stolen all of their ice cream.

“Hey, Thor.” Bruce mumbled before slipping back in to the lab and started to shut the door. He would’ve succeeded if Thor hadn’t shoved himself into the crack between the door and the wall, trying to have a decent conversation with the man.

“Owww.” Thor groaned as Bruce tried to shut the door, not realizing the norse god was in the way. Thor was wearing his armour, as usual, so some of the pain was taken away.

“Oh, jeez, sorry Thor. By any chance, did you want to talk?” Bruce said, a small smile on his lips.

“Yes, I did want to talk! How did you know?” Thor asked.

“Just a hunch. Come on in.” Bruce said, turning away to go towards the lab table. He went right back to his research, forgetting about his visitor.

“So, Banner! What are you working on?” Thor asked, going to the table and resting his hands on Bruce’s papers, making a couple of them slide out of the pile and onto the floor.

“I’m, uh, working on some stuff with radiation, you know, thermal, uh, diffusional restitutions- THOR!” Bruce said, getting slightly angry at Thor. The giant had knocked over some tubes with his hands, making bruce jog over to make sure nothing spilled on the floor.

“Many apologies, Banner, I-“

“Maybe just go stand in the middle of the room.” Bruce said, a little agitated.

“Alright then. I am sorry I meddled with your papers and tubes.” Thor said apologetically.

“No, it’s not your fault, I’m a scatterbrain right now and I’m kind of stressed, so the littlest things are pissing me off.” Bruce said, double checking his papers were in order. He then made his way back to the beakers to fix that problem.

“Ah. You should come out for a change! I believe Tony has a team bonding game going on.” Thor suggested.

“Um, not really in the mood.”

“I understand.”

There was an awkward silence after this remark, neither Thor nor Bruce thinking of a subject that wouldn’t offend anybody. Bruce finally broke it.

“So, how’s Jane? Haven’t seen her around in awhile.”

“Oh, Jane is good.” Thor said, sighing a little and looking towards the ceiling.

“Oh? Trouble in paradise?” Bruce asked cheekily.

“Tony used that exact expression! What does it mean? What paradise? I am not in paradise. What troubles? Did I do something wrong that affected a paradise?”

“Tony used it? Agh, he must be rubbing off on me.” Bruce chuckled. “To answer your questions, trouble in paradise is basically a shorter way of saying ‘oh, everything’s not perfect? I had no idea!’ Like, sarcastically.”

“Oh, so you’re saying my relationship with Jane is doubted by everybody, and they are using their midgardian terms to get around saying it to my face.” Thor answered.

“Uhm…” Bruce stuttered, looking around like he was trying to find a way out of this situation. “Guess you’ve got me there.”

“Well, they’re not completely wrong…” Thor said, a little quieter. Bruce gave him a look of empathy and confusion. “I just feel Jane is getting less enthusiastic to see me, and more like she thinks it is a chore I have to complete.” Thor finished, looking at the ground now.

“Oh, god, I’m sorry.” Bruce said sympathetically.

“It’s not important. How is Natasha?” Thor asked, avoiding the subject.

“Oh, um. Yeah. She’s… good. As good as an assassin can be, I guess.” Bruce said, turning back to his work.

“No, don’t do that.” Thor said, gesturing to Bruce.

“What?” Bruce asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Turn back towards your work. It means you are avoiding the subject.” Thor objected.

“Ok then.” Bruce said, facing towards Thor. “But this doesn’t mean I’m going to talk.

This remark was followed by a few minutes of awkward silence. Bruce knew in his head that Thor was just waiting for him to burst. Finally, he did.

“I just don’t know if I like Nat.” Bruce sighed.

“Wait, you do not like her? Not even as a friend?” Thor asked, looking quizzically at Bruce.

“No, I just don’t know if I want to, you know, go out with her.” Bruce said, looking at the ground. “Dammit it’s hard to avoid the subject when you’re facing the person!”

“Wait, what is wrong with Nat?”

“It’s not Nat, I just might… like someone else.” Bruce whispered, starting to turn back to his work.

“Who?” Thor asked. Bruce mumbled out an incoherent answer and looked away, not making eye contact with Thor.

“Pardon?” Thor said.

“No… one. That I could ever tell, at least.” Bruce responded, looking at Thor’s armour a little more than what would be considered friend-like.

“Are you sure?” Thor asked, walking back up to Bruce until he was so close Bruce could touch him if he extended his arm almost fully. Thor had his held tilted just a little, so he looked so innocent, so cute.

“Not… really.” Bruce breathed, biting his lip as he looked at Thor’s hair. Thor raised one eyebrow a little. “I mean, what if he... doesn’t like me back?”

“If you’re talking about who I think you might be, I do not think you have any problems.” Thor said, stepping a little closer.

“Thor…” Bruce started.

“Yes, Banner?” Thor asked calmly. He had moved so close to him that Bruce could feel Thor’s breath on his face as he looked up.

“I- you’re really- please-“

“Shall I put you out of your misery?” Thor joked, smiling a little.

“Yes, please, Thor.” Bruce responded. That was all it took for Thor to move the rest of the way so he was right up against Bruce. He took Bruce’s face in his hands and bent down, bringing Bruce up just enough for their mouths to meet. It took less than a second for Bruce to start kissing Thor back, hands making their way up to wrap around Thor’s neck as Thor’s hands slid down to hold Bruce’s sides. Thor pulled Bruce impossibly close to his body. The kiss only deepened when Thor felt Bruce’s tongue swipe against his lips. He let it in without a fight, eager for whatever Bruce had to offer. They stayed like this for a minute or two, until they had to pull away. Bruce was staring at Thor like a deer in the headlights, arms still around his neck.

“T-Thor, I don’t think… I mean I really want…” Bruce exhaled. “What about Jane and Nat?”

“I don’t know, Bruce.” Thor said, putting his forehead against Bruce’s. Bruce closed his eyes, enjoying one last moment before they had to face reality. “What do you want to do?”

“How do you mean?” Bruce asked, opening his eyes to look into Thor’s. Those big, blue eyes, as bright as the sky on a cloudless day.

“I mean, do we tell Jane and Nat? Do we pretend it never happened? Do we stay together and not tell Jane and Nat? Do we break up with them?” Thor began. Bruce wanted so bad just to go on with life, pretend he hadn’t finally gotten the man he always wanted, keep settling for Nat. But there was this literal god in front of him who had kissed him. It made Bruce want to reach for the stars, in a way.

“I think for now, we just…” Bruce started, moving his hands up to play with Thor’s hair. “Just… stay like this. For the immediate future, at least.”

Thor grinned a little, eyes gleaming with hope. “So can I kiss you again?” He asked, bending down so their noses touched gently.

“God yes.” Within half a second they were back at it, tongues sliding through their mouths, handing moving around, trying to claim the other body as their own. After a little bit of this bliss, Thor pulled back, picking Bruce up and setting him on the table. Bruce was surprised, but he rather enjoyed this turn of events. It was so much more than the empty kisses Nat gave him. Those felt robotic, unwanted. These felt passionate and full.  He cupped Thor’s head again, hands running though his hair, begging for more. Thor responded by going downwards to suck on Bruce’s neck. Bruce moaned a little, spurring Thor on. Eventually, Bruce pulled Thor’s head back up, demanding attention from his lips. He brought Thor into another kiss, wishing the moment would never end. Eventually, he needed a breath, so he pulled away, settling for capturing Thor’s bottom lip in his teeth. Thor gave him a cheeky smile and returned to his work on Bruce’s neck.

“Are you enjoying this as much as I am?” Bruce asked, making Thor look up at him.

“You underestimate yourself, Bruce. If Nat hasn’t gotten that habit out of you, then I guess I will just have to.” Thor said, smiling devilishly. He leaned back into Bruce, kissing him soundly, not aware about the presence in the doorway.

Clint’s eyebrows went up in shock as Bruce curled his legs around Thor’s waist. “Ohhh boy.” He whispered, because he probably couldn’t say anything above a whisper right now. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and his arms rested frozen at his side. “I’d like to seem them explain this.”

[recurring-polynya]

Tokusatsu Au where Rukia plays the lead actress in a superhero action show. Renji plays one of the villains and they are The most popular ship in the fandom. Bonus points if Orihime plays the main villain and loves every second of it.

This was the very first prompt I got, and I fell in love. Unfortunately, aside from a brief period of being grotesquely fascinated with Power Rangers as teen, I know almost nothing about tokusatsu. I did as much research as I could and I attempted to watch an episode of Kamen Rider, but my eyes glazed over halfway through. Anyway, please forgive my inaccuracies, I wrote this with my heart.

ao3 | ff.net

🏍    ⚡   🎬

“Uh, looks like we’re almost out of time,” the panel moderator for “High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe!: A Sneak Peak at Season 5” declared, “but would you be willing to take just a few audience questions?”

Head Screenwriter Kurosaki Ichigo glanced at Leading Actress Kuchiki Rukia out of the corner of his eye, and she gave a tiny nod.

“Yeah, sure!” he replied.

There was already a young woman waiting at the microphone, practically vibrating with anxiety. She was wearing a t-shirt that had ZabiTo4Ever!! handwritten in marker on it. Rukia knew, deep down in her bones, what the question was going to be.

“Hi, yes, hello, big fan of your work! My question is: are Tomoe and Zabimaru going to kiss this season?”

“No,” Rukia started to say.

“As you probably know,” Ichigo said loudly on top of her, “the show holds close to the core plot points of Kuna-sensei’s manga, although, because of her minimalist style, we do expand a lot of the dialogue and filler scenes. She has said in several interviews that High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe! is not a romance manga, so the odds of Tomoe and Zabimaru ever kissing on screen are very, very low.”

The young woman stared at Ichigo grumpily. “Does this also count Zabimaru’s secret college student identity, Satonako Takeru?”

Ichigo stared back at her. “Yes. It does.”

The next question came from a person wearing a full suit of HellKnight’s plasma armor made out of overlapping plates of cardboard. Rukia was kind of impressed by it. She wondered if he could sit down.

“Hi, Kurosaki-sensei, I am a huge fan of your work,” a voice emanated from deep within the cardboard. “I was wondering if you are influenced at all by fanworks, and if Episode 73: Pride is on the Line!: The Bake Sale Must Go On! was based in any way on the classic fanfiction, ‘Tell Me All Your Best Lies’? It’s the top story by kudos in the ZabiTo tag, which I might point out is the most popular shipping category on AO3.”

Ichigo cleared his throat gently. “I am contractually not allowed to read fanfiction, although I do enjoy fanart! There are some incredibly talented artists in the fandom, although for some reason, no one ever wants to draw pictures of Lead Screenwriters.”

“I’ll draw you, sleeping on the set like you always do,” Rukia offered, and that got a pretty big laugh. Rukia’s Tumblr of behind-the-scenes doodle comics was beloved among the fandom.

The next question was from a nonbinary person wearing a big poufy skirt and a hairstyle that would make their make-up and hair guru, Yumichika, sit up and take notice. “Hi, this is a question for Kuchiki-san! If the show is going to roughly keep pace with the manga, as it has done up until now, you should be shooting the storyline where Tomoe and Queen Bloodbuzz switch bodies later this year. I was wondering if you could comment on how you feel about filming that storyline?”

Finally! A good one! “Yes!” Rukia nodded eagerly. “I don’t usually like to speak for my fellow cast members, but Orihime and I are beyond excited about playing each other. We’ve been studying each other’s mannerisms and practicing already! Does anyone want to hear my Queen Bloodbuzz cackle?” She wagged her eyebrows as the audience cheered. “Here goes-- bwaHaHaHaHAHAHAHAAHAAAHAAAAAAAA!”

“Bonechilling,” Ichigo commented dryly as the audience erupted.

“Amazing, Kuchiki-san!” the moderator exclaimed. “I think there is time for one more, but this will be the last question!”

A tall girl in a full set of High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe motorcycle leathers stepped to the microphone. She was holding a notebook. “Hello!” she warbled. “In a 2020 interview with the Psychics and Sidekicks podcast, Abarai Renji was asked about his opinion on ZabiTo as a ship, and he replied,” she consulted her notebook, “‘Tomoe is such a cool lady and talented Battle Clairvoyant, and she always follows her heart and stays true to herself. I think that Zabimaru can’t help but be impressed with her, even though they’re enemies, and I always try to roll that into our on-screen interactions.’ I know that in the past you’ve refused to comment on the ship, but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on, y’know, his thoughts?”

“Well, he’s correct, of course, Tomoe is very cool and admirable,” Rukia replied, which drew a few laughs, although it seemed like the audience was leaning forward in anticipation of her answer. “Like I said, I don’t like to speak for other cast members. I’ll be doing a big cast panel with Abarai and Inoue and Matsumoto and Ukitake tomorrow afternoon, and I hope you all can make it! See you then!”

The moderator thanked them enthusiastically, and then Ichigo and Rukia slipped out the back guest entrance.

“Evasive as always, Kuchiki,” Ichigo teased.

“Whatever,” Rukia sniffed. “The higher ups say we’re not supposed to comment on stuff like that, and I was not commenting. By the way, how many secret fanfic accounts are you up to? Four?”

“It’s only three!” Ichigo paused. “I wrote that fanfic the guy brought up.”

“Of course you did,” Rukia sighed. “I do blame you personally for the popularity of the damn ship.”

“Me? Blame Kuna for making up two such sexy, emotionally constipated dumbasses!” Ichigo defended.

“Also, it’s not Ichigo’s fault that you and Abarai have insane chemistry.”

Rukia spun around, grinning. “Orihime!”

Rukia’s two co-stars, Inoue Orihime and Abarai Renji, the portrayers of Tomoe’s demonic archnemeses, stood in the hallway behind them.

“We sat in on your panel!” Orihime beamed. “You two were brilliant!”

“Don’t worry,” Renji added. “We were incognito.”

“Incognito” was relative, Rukia supposed, when you were at Tokyo’s biggest tokusatsu

convention.

Orihime was wearing a Zabimaru outfit so detailed that she probably could have won a prize down at the cosplay hall. She had the gravity-defying ponytail, the eyeliner, the insane widow's peak (complete with forehead tatts), the fangs, the motorcycle boots. The paper mache snake skull helmet was a little lopsided, but it was charming. She had her top zipped a little higher than canon, but that was forgivable, too.

Renji had taken the opposite tack of looking as much like a normal person-- or at least a normal Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe superfan-- as possible. Relaxed fit jeans and an oversized hoodie de-emphasized his ultra-fit physique. He was wearing a t-shirt with a very dramatic rendering of Orihime that said “Queen Bloodbuzz can step on me!” and a ball cap with the logo of Seireitei University, the fictional college Tomoe and Takeru attended.

“You think you’re in disguise,” Rukia pointed out, “but there are thousands of teen girls in this place with entire Tumblrs dedicated to your stupid face when you’re out of costume.”

Renji cocked an eyebrow at her. “You underestimate me, Rukia. I have bought… new sunglasses.” With a flourish, he whipped out a pair of the dorkiest wayfarers she’d ever seen, and flipped them onto his face. “I’ve disappeared! Who am I? Where am I?”

“You look really great, Orihime,” Ichigo said, his cheeks coloring a little bit. “Did you get Uryuu or Yumichika to help you with that costume?” In his continuing theme of doing things he wasn’t supposed to, Ichigo had finally started dating Orihime on the downlow around the time they finished up filming last season. It had done absolutely nothing for how shy he still got around her. They were, in Rukia’s opinion, cute as hell.

“Oh, no, that would be cheating!” Orihime replied, wagging a finger at him. “Well…maybe I did cheat, just a tiny bit. Renji helped me make the helmet and he held up references for me while I was painting on the tattoos.”

“Only the forehead ones,” Renji quickly added.

“He wouldn’t even offer feedback on my booby tattoos!” Orihime frowned. She leaned forward. “Rukia, how do they look?”

Ichigo turned even redder.

“Perfect, as in all you do!” Rukia replied loftily.

“What’s everyone got coming up next?” Renji asked. “I was thinking of slipping out and trying to pick up some real coffee.”

“I’m judging a villainess-themed cosplay competition,” Orihime chirped. “But I’m dying for a blueberry caramel iced latte. Renji, my henchman, pleeeeease!”

“Of course, my liege,” Renji replied in his Zabimaru voice.

It’s not like it had been a hard decision to accept the role of the motorcycle-riding, badass heroine of one of the most popular manga of the last decade, but it had turned out to be one of the best decisions of Rukia’s life. not just her career. Aside from a few of the money-obsessed executives, she liked nearly everyone in the cast and crew, but the fact that the fact that the ruthless, homicidal, literally Hell-spawned villains of the show were played by the two sweetest marshmallow people she had ever met just took the cake. Renji and Orihime had already known each other from some voicework they had done previously, and their excitement at working together on a live-action project had infected the entire cast from the start. Rukia wasn’t sure, but she strongly suspected that Renji was the one who had hyped Orihime up to ask Ichigo out.

“I have a writers’ workshop I’m moderating this afternoon, and I wanted to review the writing samples people sent in,” Ichigo said, scratching the back of his head. “I’d love to stop by that cosplay contest, though, at least for a few minutes.”

“You’ll be needing caffeine, too, then, eh?” Renji offered. “Hot, black, and in the largest cup they make, as usual?”

“Ugh, you’re the best,” Ichigo groaned. “You wanna power-up this season? Costume update? You know what? Maybe I’ll just have you defeat Tomoe once and for all, no one likes her anyway.”

“C’mon, you know I’m the world’s number one Tomoe simp, don’t do that!” Renji laughed.

Rukia rolled her eyes. “I’m free and I could use some fresh air. Besides, it’s going to take all your dumb muscles just to carry Kurosaki’s vat of coffee back here.”

“Cool!” Renji proclaimed. “We’ll be back soon!”

“Thanks, Renjiiiii!” Orihime waved.

“You need to stop off and put on a disguise?” Renji asked.

“No point in it, I always get recognized,” Rukia sighed, pulling her sunglasses out of her purse anyway.

“Here,” Renji said, plunking his hat on her head. “Maybe this will help.”

“Thanks,” Rukia replied, and then did a double take. “Whaaaaaat is on your head?”

“Shut up!” Renji laughed. He usually shaved his head when they were filming, because it made it easier to deal with the make-up and wigs, but since they were between seasons, he’d grown his hair out into a short, tousled mop of reddish-brown waves. He looked, for the lack of a better word, dreamy. “I shot a movie over the summer, and they wanted me to look softer.”

Rukia looked at him over the top of her sunglasses. “You didn’t tell me you were doing a movie!”

“Oh, it was just a little indy romcom thing. I wasn’t sure it was gonna pan out, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

“You were in a romcom? You’re kidding me!” They ducked out of a side door of the convention center into the bright sunshine.

“Yeah, it’s about a guy who goes to the gym to try to get ripped to impress a girl, and makes friends with me, this nice, already ripped dude who gives him lifting tips and encourages him a bunch. By the end of the movie, it turns out we have crushes on each other.”

“Oh, no, that sounds really cute, actually!”

“It was written by a woman who graduated from one of Ichigo’s writing workshops. The script was really snappy and Ichigo thought having someone like me as the gym guy would give it just a bit of campy cachet. You know what a good sense he’s got for stuff like that.”

“That was cool of you to go out on a limb a little,” Rukia replied.

Renji rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d been wanting to try something like that for a while, actually.”

Rukia blinked. “You aren’t… you aren’t thinking of leaving the show, are you?”

“Huh? No. No! No, the show means the world to me, I would never. But… it’s not gonna run forever, y’know?”

“I would have guessed you’d want to be a big action star or something!” Rukia said, throwing a few air punches. “That’s my dream!”

Renji stuffed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “Yeah, that’s what I thought I wanted when I first got into acting. I’d read the Tomoe manga, and I thought playing Zabimaru would be a good jumping-off point, besides just being a cool character overall.”

“Is that… not true?” Rukia frowned.

“Oh, I mean, I guess so! I didn’t really know about the fandom, though and… to be honest, I’m kinda into the idea that there are all these fans who think I’m complex and redeemable?”

Rukia regarded him out of the corner of her eye. “They just want to fix you.”

“Maybe! Ichigo made me read this one fanfic that was eight thousand words of the reader getting sick and Zabimaru making them soup? And feeding them the soup? I still haven’t decided how I feel about it.”

“How does he have time to find these things? Does he even sleep?”

“Anyway, it doesn’t hurt to be well-rounded and it was fun. I’m still mostly an action guy, but I wouldn’t mind doin’ something with a romantic subplot. A period drama or something like that. I look pretty good in hakama, you know.”

“I bet you do,” Rukia laughed. She squinted at him, but his expression was unreadable behind the shades. Renji didn’t have the classic leading man looks, not like her ridiculously famous older brother, but she could definitely see him as the best friend, the B-plot romance, with his cute, messy hair and that big doofy grin.

“By the way, I’m sorry you had to field that question about me spilling my romantic sensibilities on that podcast.”

Rukia laughed. “You didn’t even answer the question, either! These people are relentless!”

Renji stopped at a street corner and peered down the various possible directions they could go. “Which way feels like it might have a coffee shop?”

“You didn’t have one in mind before we left? I thought you knew where we were going!”

“Nah, I just like to go out and see what there is.”

“I can look up a map,” Rukia said, reaching in her bag for her phone.

“Let’s just go this way,” Renji said, stepping out into the street in the direction that had the WALK light. Rukia sighed and had to scramble to catch up with him.

“So, what do you think about it?”

“Huh?” Rukia asked. “Think about what?”

“Our ship. ZabiTo.”

“I can’t believe you just said that word out loud. And you know we’re not supposed to give our opinion on it!”

“Aw, c’mon, we’re not supposed to give public statements on our opinions. I don’t think there’s any harm in talking between ourselves. We’re in disguise, even.”

“‘Disguise’,” Rukia sniffed.

“You don’t like it, I can tell.”

“He’s a bad guy! Everyone always talks about chemistry, and that may be true, but I just don’t think that Tomoe could ever get over his acts of violence and cruelty.”

“Queen Bloodbuzz is cruel. Zabimaru is not cruel.”

“Okay, that’s fair, but still. He’s kidnapped just about all of Tomoe’s friends and or turned them into monsters at one time or another. He’s always setting Karakura Town on fire or flooding it with magic lizard goo. He ruined the sports festival.”

“Maybe the sports festival deserved to be ruined,” Renji muttered under his breath.

“Okay, you’ve got a point on that one,” Rukia admitted.

“It’s really clear though, that he’s got some agenda beyond just simping for Queen Bloodbuzz--”

“The simping for Queen Bloodbuzz is the most relatable thing about him, to be honest.”

“Granted. But, what if he’s got a good reason for everything he does, actually? What if he’s doing all of this against his own moral code as a means of infiltrating Hell itself and getting himself into a position of trust so that he can bring down the Lords of Hell from the inside?”

Rukia slipped her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose. “Does Kuna give you Zabimaru spoilers?” The reclusive creator High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe! was only barely involved with the television show, but she did privately meet with each of the cast members about once a year. Most of Rukia’s meetings consisted of Kuna giving her constructive criticism on her battle poses.

“No, mostly we practice sneering,” Renji replied. “But I gotta play the guy, so I gotta think about this, you know, what motivates him? I mean, you’re probably right, it would never work out. But unlike Tomoe, whose principles would call for her to ignore any attraction she has to him, Zabimaru has the freedom to pine for her, perhaps because his love is futile and he doesn’t think he deserves it anyway.”

“That’s kinda dark, dude,” Rukia frowned.

“Yes, well, that is the kind of character acting that netted me the 2019 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Best Villain Award, Foreign Language Category.”

“That’s literally what’s going through your head when you’re shouting that if I can’t make some sick motorcycle jump, you’ll turn all my friends into stuffed animal versions of themselves?”

“No, of course not! At those times I’m thinking about how much I love my job. OH! and what is that I see!” Renji struck an extremely Zabimaru pose. “A MISTER DONUT!”

“My hero!” Rukia exclaimed, unable to resist an opportunity to shout dramatically. “I’m sorry I doubted you!”

“I think we should get some donuts, too. Orihime loves donuts,” Renji declared.

“Oh, for sure,” Rukia agreed. She was thoughtful for a moment. It would be easy to move on to a different subject, the subject being donuts, but she wasn’t happy with leaving the last conversation hanging. “Look, Renji, just because I don’t like the dumb ship, you know that’s not a reflection on you, right?”

“Huh?” Renji replied. “You mean you don’t mind if I like it?”

“Well… I mean, I don’t, I guess, but what I really meant was, er… we joke a lot, but Tomoe and Zabimaru are just parts, y’know? Just because I don’t think Zabimaru isn’t good boyfriend material doesn’t mean I…” Rukia trailed off, suddenly realizing what she was saying. “Um. What I mean is. You’re very nice and probably one of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with and if someone I knew wanted to ask you out, I would definitely encourage them to, A+ guy, I’d say, probably would make a great boyfriend.”

Renji pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead and regarded her for a long moment. “For the record, Kuchiki, I think that both you and Tomoe would make excellent girlfriend material.” While Rukia stood there and gaped like a fish, he turned and pushed open the door to the coffee shop. “Ichigo likes crullers and Orihime always wants the most colorful thing they’ve got. Do you know what you want?”

“I need to think about it,” Rukia squeaked. She wasn’t talking about donuts.

🏍    ⚡   🎬 

Bonus: Here are my notes from when I was making up the show. I hope this wasn’t too confusing!

High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe!

based on a manga by reclusive mangaka Kuna Mashiro

Head Screenwriter: Kurosaki Ichigo

🌟 Starring: 🌟

Kuchiki Rukia as Yukimura Tomoe, a spunky college student who can see ghosts and fights demons from Hell! She rides a motorcycle!

Inoue Orihime as Queen Bloodbuzz, a Lady of Hell, who seeks to gather energy from the Living Realm so that she can become the Supreme Ruler of Hell. Very aesthetic. Much bees.

Abarai Renji as Zabimaru, Queen Bloodbuzz’s ruthless henchman. He leads a double life as fierce-looking, but gentle-hearted college student Satonaka Takeru! What is his long game??