#should he still speak about it? of course

[evie-sturns]

first date - Matt Sturniolo

summary: after a perfect first date with matt, the last thing you expected is for him to make such a big move after he drives you home, you definitely aren't complaining after though,

contains: fluff, an intense makeout session, shy!matt (to an extent) swearing.

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

tonight had just been perfect,

i met matt at a party last week, and i couldn’t say no to his somewhat amusingly awkward self as he asked for my number.

he was just my type, his loose brown waves draped over his forehead, his earrings catching the light from the party and sparkling, and his shy demeanour.

he messaged me a day ago, asking if i wanted to go out for dinner with him, which i obviously agreed to.

10:21pm

i shivered in the cool air of the night, smiling up at matt as he ordered you both an ice-cream cone,

“you cold?” matt asks softly, i nod as i sink my top teeth into my bottom lip as a weak attempt to stop the chattering of my teeth.

“a little bit,” i laugh,

matt instantly takes off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders,

“why didn’t you bring a coat? it’s like the middle of december.” he scoffs, nudging my elbow slightly.

“shuuush, i didn’t know you’d take me out for icecream at like- midnight!” i throw my hands up defensively,

“righhttt.” he grins down at me.

-

the night was coming to a close as you jumped into the passenger seat of matt’s car, clutching an icecream cone in your hand as you fiddled with the seatbelt.

“you okay?” he asks, starting up the car.

“yeah- i’m still cold though.” i roll my eyes playfully, matt instantly reaches out and fiddles with the heating, cranking it up.

“wait what the fuck- since when did i have the option to have heated seats!” he exclaims, his jaw slack as he pushes the button.

“ew matt! my butts warm now.” i groan, instantly turning off the button.

matt laughs loudly as he pulls out of the parking lot, staring the drive home.

i look over at him a couple times, his ringed fingers gripping the steering wheel catching my eye.

i’m definitely staring now.

his hands were perfect, he was perfect. i genuinely did not catch one wrong thing about him from the date.

he was shy, but the right amount of shy, i could tell he was starting to get more comfortable around me, which i liked.

matt pulls onto the highway, the car roaring as he accelerates.

i continue to work at my icecream cone, trying to stop the massive staring problem i’ve picked up.

matt’s playlist plays through the car, his knee bobbing up and down as he listens to it.

“you live down here right?” matt asks, pulling off the highway into a small neighbourhood.

“you remembered!” i grin,

“of course i did.” he speaks back, his tone light hearted.

“i’m just down here.” i say, pointing to a street sign.

he pulls into the street, his car slowing down as he scans the row of houses.

he parks the car in front of my house. swallowing lightly as he turns off the car.

“thank you- so much for tonight matt.” i say, my tongue darting out to lick my lips,

“yeah- yeah no problem..” he whispers,

“we should do it again soon.” i speak, matt nods.

“i’ll text you, okay?” he says, a nervous smile on his face.

“okay- yeah.” i grin, a undeniable tension building in the car…

i grab my purse and reach for the door, but matt clears his throat.

i look over my shoulder at him, he looks nervous as shit.

he reaches up and cups my jaw, the cold metal of his rings pressing against my flushed cheek.

he leans over the centre console and presses a kiss to my lips.

he pulls away pretty quickly, knowing this is the first date and we shouldn’t do any more… right?

but for some reason, the feeling of his lips on mine linger.

i stare at his lips, not moving.

i need more.

i know i’m going to have to initiate something, knowing he’s to shy to make a lot of moves.

“can- can we do that again?” i speak, my voice hoarse as i break the silence.

he nods instantly, his hands clenching by his sides.

i lean back over the centre console, grabbing his chin as i press my lips to his again.

my face heats up instantly, pure ecstasy flooding through my body.

he deepens the kiss, his head tilting to the side as our noses brush.

goosebumps cover my arms as his tongue slides over my lip, practically begging for entry.

i don’t know what comes over me, but in a matter of seconds i’m climbing over the seats,

i sit down on matt’s lap, straddling him as i break the kiss.

he stares up at me, his eyes wide and full of need.

he grabs the back of my head, instantly reconnecting our lips.

“fuck..” he whimpers against my lips,

i feel a familiar heat growing between my thighs, my skirt riding up my legs as i practically devour him with my lips.

he just tastes so, so good.

his hands paw at my waist, grabbing the fabric of my thin shirt as he holds me.

i subconsciously rock my hips against his thigh.

he gasps against my lips as i grind against his clothed thigh.

“oh my god..” i whisper against his lips as i pathetically rub myself against his leg.

i feel myself getting too into it, not wanting to rush him on the first date.

i break the kiss, the windows now foggy.

he looks up at me with pure desperation.

god he looks hot.

his lips are smeared with my red lipstick, the pigment messily coating his chin. his eyes are narrow and hungry, and his hands are gripping my waist, tight.

i reach up and wipe his lips, trying to remove the lipstick stains.

“i’ll- i’ll uh- okay- um-“ matt stammers,

“i’ll- i’ll text you.” he croaks out, his hands sinking into my waist.

“okay- okay.” i breathe,

i quickly crawl back over the centre console and grab my purse.

i look back at matt over my shoulder, his lips are puffy and red.

his hair is dishevelled, and as my eyes travel down his body.

he is most definitely hard.

i grin at him before swinging open the car door,

“b-bye- bye!” he calls out shakily,

“bye matt-!” i smile as i step out onto the footpath, shutting the car door behind me.

i jog up to my house, my heels clicking on the driveway.

i swing open my front door and suck in a well needed deep breath.

i walk over to my couch, and before i even have the time to sit down my phone vibrates frantically in my pocket.

5 new messages from - Matt

my eyes scan over the messages, which read.

“come back to the car”

“i seriously need you right now this isn’t funny”

“please”

“i’m still parked outside please”

“i’ll literally do anything.”

and before i know it, i’m rushing for my front door and running down the driveway towards matt’s car.

——-

@sturnsdoll @obvisturns @stupid4sturniolo @meerkatzthings @witchofthehour @rosalierenee43 @gabrielle-brun1 @ilovemymannnnnnnn @sturnioloxlver @buckys-goodgirl @sturniol0s @ilovemymannnnnnn n @chr1sgirl4life @luanetaluenta @sturnsssbow w @mattfangirl girl @luvr4miya @luvtay111 @lolasturniolo @freshloveforthefit @ruedowney @lovingchrissposts @333michelle e @h3arts4harry @jamiesturniolo o @chrisstopherfilmed @ @daddyslilchickenfingers2 @ev3rgreenxtrees @certifiednatelover er @solarsturniolo larsturniolo lo @mattsenthusiast t @yomamaslays4lyfe @peachmels @alinaa131 @pepsiluvr0209 @creamoncreamoncream2 @szobofc @mattscoquette e @blahbell668 @sturniolo04 @bitchydragonparadise @sturni0l0tripletzz @ratatioulle @sturnsfav @mattsonlybitch @justalittle47 @sunsetsturniolos @sturniolo04 @similartokayyz @sturnsintrouble @ilovemattsturn @raysmayhem-72 @75sturn @sturniol0s @secret-sturniolo @hfkeclnendmwodne @sturniolosass @gxldenlush @stonermattsgf @101saroona a @beccaluvschris @oliviasturniolo21 1 @imwetforyourmom @tylerstacobell @sunsetsturniolos @aliceloveschris @jayz4dayz 4 @sassysturniolo2008 @nyktoxs-lover r @nathandoesgf @starsturns234 @chrissturnsss s @joemamaaa42069 @sturnthepot @zayyluvz @realuvrrr @livialifesblog @sturnioloblogs @riowritesitall john @raysmayhem-72

[exocaliii]

❦︎ And You Look Half Dead Half The Time

(pt. 1) (pt. 2)

| Kang No-eul / Guard 011 x fem!reader |

side! | Se-mi / Played 380 x fem!reader |

Summary: For six years, you've watched your best friend and only companion mourn a child she barely got to know. Now, you're given a chance that might finally rid her of this lifelong guilt.

Word Count: 6.2k

Warnings: death, violence, angst, hurt/comfort, smut, making-out, fingering + cunnilingus (r! receiving), bathroom sex, one use of Y/N even though I tried my best to avoid it lol, extreme jealousy/possessiveness, no-eul is not playing about her girl in this one LOL

A/N: finally reached the romance stuff in this one but there's still some build-up of course, hope you all enjoy and as always, i appreciate any type of feedback or comments, they make the writing worth it!! :D this is so self indulgent omg

—

When the platform begins to spin, you feel a firm grip on your hand, looking up to find Se-mi already staring at you with a calm expression on her face.

“Stick with me.” 

You nod, and before you’re able to check on Min-su, you’re nearly thrown off your feet by the sudden stop of the surface you’re on. 

“10 players.” 

The boom of the announcer clears your senses, and as Thanos and Nam-gyu laugh and spin, you see another group of five waving their hands for more people. You shout at the loudest volume you’ve used since arriving here for them to come over, and with a tight grip on Se-mi’s hand, you drag her to the open room right across the arena. Thanos, Nam-gyu, and Min-su (who you can now see was hiding behind Se-mi) follow right along, and, thank goodness, the other team of 5 do the same. 

“Are you okay?” You don’t respond to Se-mi's question because the answer should be obvious with the way you’re trembling, but she only nods in understanding. “Just stay calm, it’ll be fine.” You want to believe her, you truly do, but you see Min-su’s fear, and in that moment, you accept that this may be the game that kills you. 

The lock clicks open.

Your group of ten steps out, stepping over the blood of those who lost the last round.

You want to retch, but you stay focused and get back on the platform. 

With your hand in Se-mi’s, you block out the happy singing of Thanos and Nam-gyu, opting instead to pat Min-su’s back when you see him basically shaking like a leaf. He jumps, but turns to you with a grateful look in his eye. You pray that he lives, because someone like him should not die in a cold place like this.

“4 players.”

Your heart drops. Thanos glances back and forth between the three of you as Nam-gyu stands at his side. Your heart feels heavy in your chest, and your legs are stiff, ready to run. His eyes stop on Min-su, and you know what’s about to happen.

“You-”

“I’ll go.” 

Se-mi barely has a chance to react before you rip your hand from hers and run to find another group. Somewhere in the bustle of the crowd, you swear you hear her call your name, but you’re too locked onto three men in the distance. They’re already in the room, but they’re calling for a fourth person. Fear threatens to strangle you as you run over, the countdown playing loud in the overhead speaker. Their eyes are desperate, arms open to beckon you over to save both your life and theirs.

 

At the last second, you basically ram into one of the men as you barrel into the room, one of them slamming it shut behind you not even a second before the lock clicks. No one speaks as shots ring out from outside the room, and you begin to come to terms with your act of sacrifice for someone you had just met yesterday. 

Fuck, what were you thinking? Are you in this to win or not?

The lock clicks open, and you all step outside. There’s even more fresh blood on the ground, blood that you ignore as your eyes search the arena for your old group. 

“Y/N!”

You spin fast enough to snap your neck at the sound of her voice, and Se-mi runs over to you followed by the rest of the group. You think she’s about to hug you but she stops just short of it, arms lowering back to her side awkwardly before she resigns to grabbing you by the shoulders instead. For a second, you stare at each other in silence, neither knowing what to say.

“Oh shit, that was too cool girl.” Thano’s voice ruins the moment, but before you all begin heading back to the platform, you hear a soft voice from behind Se-mi.

“Thank you.” 

Min-su meekly looks at you with obvious guilt, and Se-mi drops her hands from your shoulders to take your hand as you all walk back towards the center. It’s comforting to have her hand in yours again (especially after you almost died letting go of it).

“It’s fine, I already saw the other group before leaving.” Obvious lie, but he didn’t need to know that. 

As you all begin to spin again, Se-mi gives your hand a short squeeze before looking down at you with a gentle smile that, as always, almost looks like a smirk.

“I was right about you.” You chuckle at this and turn away to hide your reddened face, but of course, the moment doesn’t last very long. 

“3 players.”

The three of you barely spare a glance at Thanos and Nam-gyu before you grab each other’s hands and run off, hearing the rapper scream a curse at your betrayal. You almost want to laugh, but you’re too focused on holding onto Se-mi and Min-su’s hands for dear life as you run towards one of the few open rooms still available. 

They’re filling up too quickly, and out of the corner of your eye, you see two other groups scrambling towards the one room you have your sights set on. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you come to the horrifying realization that groups of three might be too small to fit everyone that was still alive, even if they were all paired up. The thought makes your legs move that much faster, but just as you’re about to reach your safe haven, a body collides with yours and sends you flying towards the floor. 

10 seconds left.

“Min-su?!” He was on your left, but where is he?

7 seconds left.

“Get up, get inside the room!” Se-mi. You’re pretty sure it’s her rough hands that grab your sweater and pull you up.

5 seconds left.

“Where is he?! Min-su!” You stumble over your feet, your mind reeling as you’re bouncing back and forth between trying to find him and trying to follow Se-mi into the room.

3 seconds left.

“Wait! Wait, please help me!” He’s half on the ground, half fighting against a man trying to get up in front of him to enter a room to your right. You’re already in yours, and an arm wrapped tight around your waist prevents you from running out to save his life once again. 

1 second left.

“Let go! Min-su!” 

The buzzer sounds right as the door slams shut in your face.

The lock clicks shut.

Somewhere outside, you hear gunfire and the desperate cries of men and women who failed. 

For a second, you think you can hear him begging for his life, but then a single shot rings out and his fate is sealed.

—

Somewhere in the haze of emotions, you continue to grasp onto her arm like a lifeline. Your head rings, and you don’t even hear the announcer’s call for each of the next two rounds. It’s Se-mi who makes sure you’re right next to her the entire time, no matter which group you join or which room you scramble into. She doesn’t bother to ask if you’re okay (because it is extremely obvious this time, with tear tracks on your cheeks and shallow eyes staring into the distance), but her firm hold on you still shows her underlying care. That, and the slight shake of her body reminds you that despite her previous bravado and confidence, she’s still human just like you. 

When the game ends, you step over the blood of the losers to make it back to the main room (you wonder if you had stepped on Min-su’s as well - the thought of it makes you sick to your stomach). 

Thanos greets the two of you with excitement even after you left him and Nam-gyu in the dust, but you don’t even have it in you to entertain his antics now. Your head was pounding, and the only thing keeping you from curling up into a ball on the spot was Se-mi’s arm around your shoulders; she was holding onto you like you would curl up and die if she let go, which you might. 

When you both settle into her bed, you really begin to feel the weight of his absence. 

“I’m sorry for grabbing you like that,” she says, her voice quiet as if you were a deer about to sprint away. “...You wouldn’t have made it in time-”

“I know.” You’re curt, almost rude, and you feel bad immediately for your outburst. It wasn’t her fault, you reminded yourself. It wasn’t her fault that your first selfless moment in this hellhole means nothing now. “I… I’m sorry. You saved my life. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that.” Her hand caresses yours, soothing you into finally allowing your tense body to relax.

Something about her gentle demeanor coaxes out a more peaceful side in you, and you lean your head on her shoulder. You’re pleasantly surprised at her lack of resistance, and something in your gut burns when she leans her head right back on yours. 

For a second, you think about No-eul and feel a strange amount of guilt creeping up on you, but Se-mi changes her grip on your hand slightly to interlace your fingers and it all goes away. You owe nothing to her. Companionship isn’t something she should bar you from looking for when you face death at her hands everyday now. 

What’s so wrong with finding your own comfort in the beautiful, kind, and unexpectedly soft woman sitting next to you? 

—

350 million won. 

It’s enough for those smugglers, enough for her, and so, it’s enough for you to change your vote. 

When red LEDs light up your face and you begin exchanging your blue patch for a red one, you feel the weight of the entire situation crashing down on you. 

You chose life this time. From now on, if you die, it won’t be of your own volition anymore. This fact disturbs you greatly, so you’re quick in pushing through the crowd to get right back to Se-mi’s side. You’re glad she chose to live too. If you made it out of here, you wouldn’t want to lose contact with her. Trauma bonds are pretty strong apparently. 

—

When two groups of men start walking out of the bathrooms covered in blood and money begins to fill the pig again, you shuffle a bit closer to Se-mi, and her grip on your hand tightens. 

Supposedly it was a brawl, and from the frantic head counts of both sides, the O’s had lost one extra man. The sight of a bloody Nam-gyu shuffling onto Thano’s bed, shaking from the drugs with a frantic, bloodthirsty look in his eyes made your stomach drop. Now, there was no idiotic rapper to take hold of his leash, and you were sure he would want to kill you two after you turned your backs on him twice. 

The cold steel of the fork you took from dinner provided a comforting weight inside your pocket. 

“Se-mi.” She turns towards you.

“Yeah?”

“Sleep on this side tonight, okay?” Your grip on her arm is tight and you know you must look completely shaken by now, but she still gives her signature confident smirk.

“Sure, but you better make it worth my while.”

Your face goes red and you scoff, making her chuckle. God, you’re glad you have someone like this by your side.

—

When the screams begin, you immediately dig into your pocket and pull out your makeshift weapon. You want to call out for her, but you’re terrified that if you make a single noise, you and her will be swarmed by the wolves tearing apart the people all around you. 

Where the fuck are the guards?! No, who are you kidding, of course they would sit by and let you kill each other. Probably the highlight of their night. Under the fear, you feel so much anger and pain at the situation that you can barely focus.  

No-eul’s face flashes in your mind once again but now, you’re beginning to struggle to differentiate her from the other murderers all around you. 

No, no, no. You can’t think that way. She’s not like any of them.

“You traitor bitch!” You turn your head down to look for the familiar voice, and to your utter horror, Nam-gyu is standing right below you. Across from him (and cornered against the wall) is Se-mi. Even with the strobing lights, you can see the intense fear under her angry expression. “I’m gonna fucking gut you!”

When he charges at her, you make one of the easiest choices of your entire life and roll off the side of the bunk. 

You nearly miss your landing, but your fork doesn’t and his scream of pain reveals that instantly. You take both him and yourself to the ground, but your heart is racing and you can still feel him bucking from beneath you, so you don’t get a chance to breathe before yanking the fork out of his shoulder and slamming it back down into the side of his neck. The feeling of it sinking it and spraying your hand with hot blood is sickening beyond belief, but you block out everything except the feeling of his squirming beneath you and raise the metal above your head again. 

You aren’t sure how many times you bring it down on him, but a body colliding into yours knocks you out of your spiral.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Se-mi’s voice barely comprehends in your ears, but you can feel her arms around you clearly. “He’s dead, it’s okay, we’re okay.” Her hand rubs your back soothingly, and only then do you realize there are tears pouring down your cheeks.

Your chest heaves as you openly sob, clinging to her like a lifeline and unintentionally smearing the back of her sweater with Nam-gyu’s blood. You shut out everything but her voice, and even when the guards enter and fire into the air, you don’t find yourself flinching once, simply dropping to the floor still in her arms.

—

When some of the players gun down all the guards in the room, you hide in the corner with Se-mi (who was still whispering comforting words into your ears). You watch as players 120 and 456 take center stage in the room, shutting down the last bits of the riot and forcing the one square-mask guard onto his knees. They call for others to join them, others with military experience or even those with the faintest idea of how to use a gun. 

Of course, you had military experience right alongside No-eul, but the ache in your body and the tight grip Se-mi has on you keeps you from getting up. Your head pounds and spins as your eyes begin trailing around the slaughterhouse of a room. 

Dead people in green, dead people in pink. Your eyes linger on the guards and their triangle-masks, immediately recalling the shape No-eul had on hers. 

What if…

No.

The moment the team of rebels leaves, you go to get up but a tight grip on your forearm drags you right back down. 

“Hey, hey, where are you going?” Her eyes are confused but her voice is just as gentle as it’s been the entire time she sat there combing her fingers through your hair and whispering about how brave you were and how thankful she was. “Talk to me please, what’s wrong?”

“I just need to check something, that’s all.” She doesn’t look satisfied, but Se-mi lets you get up after you give her a brisk hug and a strained smile. 

With a shaky breath, you begin to make your rounds. You can feel the eyes on you as you walk up the first guard and pull off their mask, letting out a quiet sigh of relief at the lack of familiarity in their dead eyes. 

With each one, you grow more and more tense, steeling yourself for the possibility of seeing No-eul’s empty, dead eyes staring back at you. 

It would be the thing that kills you. The loss of your reason to fight in the first place. 

Kneeling down next to the final guard, you can barely breathe as your fingers brush against the edge of their mask. Your hands are shaking so bad and you curse yourself for your sudden lack of strength. You would die if it was her. You would pull that fork out of Nam-gyu’s neck and jam it in your own if it was her. 

Shutting your eyes tightly, you tug it off and let it clatter to the side. Your breathing slows when you peek and immediately recognize the face as belonging to a younger man’s, not your No-eul. 

Please God, give me this one thing and let her live. Let us leave with my blood money and never come back.

—

You can’t even feel joy or disappointment when the rebellion inevitably ends in a whimper. 

456 is dragged in and from a quick glance around the room, you see that 001 and 390 are missing as well. 120 and 388 sit dejectedly not too far away from you, and you can’t help but feel for them; they were people, far stronger than you, that failed to be the heroes. You can’t judge them, you never even considered fighting alongside these brave people in the first place. 

Now that everything has calmed down again and lights-out happens like every other night and not the bloodbath that ensued earlier, you’re far more aware of the sticky feeling of blood on your skin. Your sweater even feels slightly heavier, the entire front of it stained with deep red fluid.

“I-I need to wash this off.” Se-mi, who was almost drifting off next to you, shoots awake and gets up right behind you.

“I’ll come with you.” It’s an unspoken fact that she definitely would, but you’re still happy at the confirmation. 

In the haze of everything that’s occurred, you completely forget that No-eul has been the only reason you’ve been able to get into the bathroom these days, and the only reason she lets you in is because you’re you. So, when you call out and the door opens as usual, you’re confused at her stiff posture. However, after a weird awkward silence, she steps aside to let both you and Se-mi in, almost slamming the door behind you two. 

—

No-eul’s eyes trail you two as you enter the bathroom together, and she can barely control herself from charging in there and kicking 380 out altogether; she had warned you about people like her, so what were you still doing clinging to her side like that? Moreover, seeing the blood practically covering your entire front was like a gut punch. 

She should’ve been there. She should’ve blown the heads off of whoever did that to you. She’s been careless, and she understands that now.

The worst she felt was during the Mingle game. Each time she had been sent in, her breath would hitch and she would hesitate for a few seconds at the entrance, eyes scanning the wide open area for any signs of you. Every single time she failed to spot the number 037 on the clothes of those she shot, a weight would be lifted off of her shoulders. 

After the final round, the room doors had opened just before she was able to leave through the soldier’s door. She takes the chance to search for your kind face, and instead is faced with the sight of you practically hanging off of 380, a lost, soulless look in your eyes. Pain for your sadness mixes with some other ugly emotion, and for a second, she lets herself imagine how your expression would change if she sent a bullet through 380’s heart. 

Would you cry out for that woman, or would you call No-eul’s name out of instinct, like a lost animal begging for comfort?

In the end, she simply leaves with her fellow soldiers, silently cursing herself for such a violent thought. 

—

As you scrub the blood off your face, neck, and hands, you do your best to not let your gaze drift back over to Se-mi. She finishes cleaning up long before you, and you can feel her eyes on you as you scrub away. But no matter how hard you seem to scratch at your hands, the faint red tint just won’t come out. Your breathing grows heavy, and you begin to rub at it harder with the soap. 

Your hands are still red.

The blood from his neck covers your hands, the sounds, the sounds-

“That’s good enough,” a soft voice sounds from beside you, gently taking your hands in hers as you shake.

“No, no, there’s still blood, I-, there’s still…” You turn your hands this way and that, examining them and the red tint you can’t seem to get rid of.

“It’s not blood, you’ve just been rubbing too hard…” She shushes you gently and her thumbs begin tracing circles on your raw palms. “I’m sorry you had to do that, I really am.”

You can only shake your head and press your face in the crook of her neck. It’s a familiar position, one you were in only last night but with a completely different woman. She’s just as soft as No-eul, but she doesn’t wrap her arms around your body and pull you close. Instead, her fingers find the zipper of your bloodied sweater and gently begin to pull it down. The motion makes you back away a little, and she lets your sweater fall to the ground after tugging it off you. 

It’s freeing without the weight of all that blood on you, and your heart swells when she takes off her own jacket to put it on you. This is the kind of care you rarely find yourself receiving, and whenever you did, it was usually by the hand of only one other person. You would have never expected the cocky, confident girl you met two days ago would become this important to you. 

You were right about her. Se-mi was the ever genuine, ever caring woman you hoped she was after your first real conversation together, and you wonder if the world finally decided to go easy on you for once by sending you a beacon of strength in the middle of this hellhole. 

“Thank you, Se-mi,” you breathe out, the feeling of her fingertips grazing the skin of your arms still present long after her hands have dropped back to her side.

She doesn’t respond. Her gaze is still heavy on you, but this time, you hold eye contact and let yourself drown in her eyes. For a split second, you’re sure you see them dart down to your lips, and you think she might just eat you alive with the way she’s examining you.

In an act that surprises even yourself, it’s you who leans forward and presses your lips against hers. Cliche fireworks don’t go off, but the second she reciprocates by grabbing the back of your neck to deepen the kiss, you feel the tension between you two finally reach a high point, and it’s euphoric.

You hold each other with pure, unadulterated desire as one of her hands travel down to your waist, pulling you in. The kiss deepens and somewhere in the back of your mind, you think of No-eul. She was right outside that door, what if you were caught?

What the hell are you thinking about right now?

“You’re beautiful, so perfect,” she whispers, and her words make your heart beat that much faster. “My brave girl.” Se-mi breaks the kiss to press her lips against your neck now instead, drawing a moan from deep in your throat. She’s still holding onto you like her life depends on it. 

Unfortunately, your mind is still whirling and you have to remind yourself once again that you owe No-eul absolutely nothing. She shouldn’t and wouldn’t be angry over you finding someone to love, who loved you in a place like this. Is it wrong to search for comfort when you’re so sure you might die tomorrow? Especially from someone like Se-mi, who has done nothing but protect you and care for you.

Your hands tangle in her hair as she slides a hand beneath your shirt-

“Player 380.”

You spin around as the door slams open, a gruff voice making you jump apart from Se-mi. You shouldn’t feel ashamed, but you do, especially when you can feel No-eul’s eyes trailing up and down your disheveled form, and you know she knows exactly what happened here.

“Get back to the room.” You look down to see her revolver gripped tightly in her hand, as if she’s fighting the urge to lift it.

“Just give us a couple more-”

“Now.” She practically growls out that last word, and you can hear a click in the silent bathroom as she loads her revolver at her side. 

Se-mi is brave, but she’s still smart enough to realize that she’s being threatened and would not win a fight against the taller woman with a loaded gun. WIth her head held high, she takes your hand and begins walking around the guard, but No-eul steps in her way and shakes her head.

“037 stays.” You all pause, and Se-mi grips your hand tighter.

“What? What the fuck are you on about? Just let us go back to the room-”

“She stays. Now get out before I make you.” No-eul takes a step forward, hand raising to point the barrel of the gun in Se-mi’s face. 

It’s difficult to hold herself back when she’s this close to doing what she wants with this random woman who’s begun impeaching on her world. The barrier holding you and No-eul together, apart from everyone else, has been disrupted, and she begins to wonder if you’ll actually hate her if she pulls the trigger now. She wants to, especially hearing you fucking moan for this woman.

Where else has she touched you? 

Her trigger finger twitches. 

“It’s okay, Se-mi,” you whisper, breaking your gaze from No-eul to look over at her. 

First name basis? You really want her to kill this woman.

“Just go, I’ll see you in a bit.”

Se-mi looks at you, confusion apparent in her features, but your face is perfectly calm and even though that disturbs her a little, she accepts it. She’ll trust you to stay alive with this psycho.

“Okay, just call out for me if you need anything.” No-eul scoffs at this, earning a glare from Se-mi before she walks out the bathroom. She spares you one final glance over her shoulder, and with a nod from you, she exits.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, huh?!” You’re practically burning with anger at her behavior, but No-eul ignores your outburst and walks over to the door, turning the latch to lock it before turning back around to look at you. “You think ‘cause you have that mask on you can just go around pointing your gun at everyone?!”

“And what the hell were you doing?” She pulls her mask off, throwing it to the floor before pulling down her face covering. Now, you can actually see the anger simmering beneath her eyes, an accusatory look on her face as she steps closer. “Were you planning on having sex with her or something? This stranger you just met?”

Your face begins to burn for a different reason now.

“That’s… that’s none of your business. I’m a grown woman, I can decide what I want to do or not do.” Your voice is far too unsure and she laughs sarcastically. Running a hand through her sweaty hair, she approaches to stand right in front of you. Your breathing slows as her eyes trail down your face, locking onto the number 380 right above your heart. Her lips curl into a frown and she grabs Se-mi’s sweater, looking like she wanted to burn a hole through the number on your chest. 

To her, it’s a reminder of her failure to protect you as she swore she always would, and now, in the wake of this failure, another person has come along and threatened to take her place - a place in your life she would kill anyone to keep. 

“Take this off,” she breathes out. The air is tense, and you almost want to deny her just to see what she would do, but fuck, she almost looks genuinely hurt and you can’t say no now. 

With your eyes still locked onto hers, you slowly pull the sweater off and let it drop to the ground at your feet. Her eyes are still pinned to your chest, but now you’re so close that you can feel her soft breathing on your face. You swallow harshly and press your face against her shoulder, bunching up her pink tracksuit in your hands as you pull her closer. The feeling of her so close again kills all the tension in your shoulders. This is the safest you’ve felt in 24 hours, and it’s in the arms of a woman who’s been killing people like you the entire time. 

You’re almost a bit ashamed, but what’s wrong with being a bit selfish for once?

You’re shaking in her arms when she pulls back slightly to cup your wet cheeks in her hands. You hadn’t even realized you had started crying again, but now, she’s looking down at your glassy eyes and swollen lips with so much intensity that you forget why you were crying in the first place. Her thumb swipes a tear off your cheek before she leans down, lips brushing against yours. 

“My beautiful girl.”

Finally, nine years after the day you met, she presses her lips against yours and claims you as hers. Faintly, you feel your back collide with the wall behind you as her tongue slips in your mouth. You’re holding onto her suit for dear life as she practically devours you, and you wonder how you were ever angry at this woman. It’s far more intense than the softness you experienced earlier with Se-mi, and you’re beginning to feel the effects of being pent up for so long. 

It’s not like you’ve never had sex with her before (to be fair, it’s only happened once), but this was far too emotional to be compared to the drunken haze you were both in when she fucked you over the seat of her van. There were no kisses shared then, no gentle caress of your face before she took you for herself. 

You’re dragged from your own thoughts when you feel a hand slide under your shirt and bra, gasping into her mouth as a cold hand cups your breast, roughly pinching your nipple between two fingers. You whimper right into her ear as her lips move down to your neck, sucking and biting as you openly pant. She’s practically surrounded you by now, but it’s not enough. 

With trembling hands, you grab the zipper of her pink suit and yank it down to reveal her slender body underneath. She practically tears the black turtleneck underneath the suit off as you stare. Your fingers scratch down her toned torso and you drink in the wonderful groan that leaves her mouth. As you’re preoccupied, she tugs on the hem of your sweatpants, pulling them down right along with your panties in one pull. 

Faintly, as her hands grip the plush of your thighs, you try to determine if you’ve ever felt such strong feelings of desire, of love, of anything with anybody. 

No, you’re sure you’ve felt this before. 

Your eyes shoot open as she calls your name. Somewhere in the haze, No-eul has dropped to her knees in front of you, and now, she’s looking at you like you hold the world in your hands.

“Do you still love me?” A pause, and her fingers press harder into your thigh, cold leather gloves long forgotten on the floor. “Can you still accept me?”

Every moment that you remember being so close to that overwhelming emotion, No-eul is right there next to you. 

“I’ve loved you since the day we met.”

A tear falls from her pained eyes, but you aren’t given the opportunity to wipe it away before she leans forward and presses her open mouth against your core. A gasp leaves your mouth and you immediately tangle your fingers in her short hair. It’s a bit too much to take in all at once - the woman you’ve loved for years is fucking you, and this time, you think she might actually love you back.

No, who are you kidding, you know she loves you. Maybe not as much as you love her, but she has to love you if she’s on her knees like this for you.

With the comfort of this knowledge, you lean your head back and lose yourself in the feeling of her tongue deep inside you, strong hands holding you still against the wall even if your legs feel like giving out. As your moans and pants fill the room, you beg internally that Se-mi isn’t waiting right outside the door to walk you back (or at least let the sound-proofing be decent). 

Unsurprisingly, after a couple years without any genuine intimacy with anyone (you couldn’t bear to let anyone fuck you after No-eul did), you reach your peak quickly. It doesn’t feel like some triumphant moment; your legs shake as the tight coil in your stomach unwinds and it’s satisfying to some extent, but you can’t stop the sudden rush of tears that follow. 

Why did your acceptance of your feelings for her have to come in a place like this - covered in the blood of someone you killed with your own two hands? 

Your legs finally give out in your grief, but she’s quick to catch you, leaning back to properly sit down on the floor as she carefully guides you onto her lap. For a moment, you just tuck your head in her neck and cry as a hand gently rubs your back. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” No-eul whispers, caught up in her own guilt for leading you down the same hateful path she accepted long ago. Why did you have to love her? Why did you have to follow her road towards self-destruction, the one she vowed to shield you from?

You want to tell her that she has nothing to be sorry about because you chose all of this on your own, but you can’t bring yourself to speak. You’re worried that if you open your mouth now, all you’ll do is start spouting nonsense about how much you love her and how much of your humanity you would forsake to protect her dream. 

Instead of further exposing yourself, you gently take the hand she’s kept on your waist and guide it down lower once again. To her credit, she understands right away and you’re given no time to prepare for the two long, slender fingers she pushes inside you. The sound of your sharp inhale right next to her ear must’ve been enough confirmation that you were okay, because she immediately starts moving them up and down inside you, rubbing gently against your still sensitive walls. 

Your hands wrap around her back and grip her shoulders as your hips begin to move in tandem with her hands, your heavy breathing a stark contrast against her soft one. The hand she had on your back is still there, soothing you until your tears turn from ones of sadness to ones of pleasure. 

As the high you’re chasing starts to get closer, you tear your nails down her back. Even though she’s still the same person as she was minutes ago, something feels different this time.

“Please don’t stop, please-”

“I won’t, I swear.” The hand on your back flies down to grip your hips to hold you steady as your movements grow more frantic. “I’ll never let you go, not for anything.”

You almost fall forward when she suddenly leans back, but you catch yourself on her shoulders once again. This time, she looks you square in the eyes as she pushes you over the edge, her gaze filled with an emotion you know too well.

“I love you,” she breathes out, and this is all you need to fall apart in her hands. “I’m in love with you, I can’t let you go, I won’t.”

In the afterglow of the moment, she wraps her arms around your waist and pulls you right up against her body.

“Even if you can’t love me anymore, I’ll continue holding onto you for the rest of my life.”

You smile at her words. You feel more content than you ever have before.

It wouldn’t be so bad to die in this place now.

—

A/N: my bad min-su fans and nam-guy fans, its for the plot y'all😭😭also if im being completely honest, I started writing writing this longass story just for smut with no-eul but it got so unexpectedly deep cuz I couldn't handle writing it with no build-up or emotional tension or ANYTHING

hope y'all enjoyed and LOL to the fellow FREAKS out there I hope the smut was alright cuz that was the most difficult part for me... LMK WHAT U THINK!! pt. 3 is coming in SEVEN MONTHS LMFAO😭😭😭SEASON 3 SAVE ME... SAVE ME SEASON 3

also if u request feel free to add details and stuff I might be able to build it into a longass story like this (but WOW this took too long) also I LOVE TO WRITE SAD SHT!!! SEND ME SAD SHT ILL LOVE IT!!

Taglist: @asvterias

[tinyproprodigy]

"Look at me..." Student!Gojo x Stoic Special Grade 1 Sorcerer reader (NB)

Geto’s ver - Shoko's ver - Nanami ver 𖤐 ִֶָ 𓂃 🧷

1. The First Meeting:

It starts when Gojo first sees you in a meeting with Masamichi Yaga in a secluded area of Jujutsu High. His curiosity piques when he sees a sorcerer of your caliber—one not affiliated with the school (though the age of most of the students, almost passing off as one)—exuding a quiet but undeniable power. You’re calm, reserved, and composed, completely different from Gojo's usual playful energy, which only intrigues him more. You barely acknowledge his presence, and that just makes him want to know more about you.

2. Subtle Beginnings:

At first, Gojo tries to play it off like it’s no big deal. But his friends, Geto and Shoko, start noticing him lingering around Yaga’s office, waiting for you to show up. Geto raises an eyebrow, smirking, while Shoko simply observes, knowing that Gojo’s “harmless” infatuation could lead to something more amusing than he realizes.

3. Uninvited Encounters:

Gojo doesn’t let the cold indifference you show him get to him. He begins “accidentally” crossing your path more frequently—usually in the hallways, by the cafeteria, or even outside near the gates. His usual cocky attitude doesn’t faze you, but Gojo can’t help but find it amusing that he’s the one trying to make you notice him, rather than the other way around.

4. The Playful Approach:

He gets more daring in his attempts to get your attention. Sometimes he’ll crack jokes or give you those dramatic, over-the-top greetings like “Oh! It’s you, the mysterious Special Grade 1 Sorcerer! I must be blessed by fate to see you again!” His friends often exchange glances, silently debating whether or not they should step in and save him. But they know Gojo’s persistence won’t back down, even if you don’t respond.

5. The Silent Challenge:

You remain indifferent, your cold demeanor not wavering. But Gojo’s efforts only grow. One day, he takes it a step further and challenges you to a friendly sparring match. He’s hoping that perhaps you’ll let down your guard a bit during the fight, but you're completely stoic, not even flinching when he pushes you to your limits. He gets an adrenaline rush from the fact that you won’t react to him, which makes him want to break through your walls even more.

6. Getting Noticed (Finally!!):

One day, after a particularly challenging mission, Gojo catches a glimpse of you talking to Yaga. There’s a moment where you give him a short, almost imperceptible soft glance, and for the first time, Gojo’s heart skips a beat. He can’t be sure if it’s just a casual look, but to him, it’s everything. He smirks to himself, knowing he’s finally started to get under your skin, even if it’s just a little.

7. Getting Closer:

There’s an unexpected warmth in the way Gojo treats you now. He might still joke around, but there’s an underlying tenderness in his words when he speaks to you. He’s no longer trying to force an interaction but rather seeks you out when he senses that you might need assistance. Whether it's with a cursed object, a piece of advice, or just an awkward silence between the two of you, Gojo gradually becomes more attuned to your needs.

8. Observing in Silence:

Geto and Shoko are the first to realize Gojo’s interest.

“He’s been unusually quiet,” Shoko says, watching as Gojo stares out the window, clearly lost in thought. “Bet he’s thinking about that Special Grade sorcerer.”

“Oh, you mean the one who looks like they’d rather fight a cursed spirit than talk to him?” Geto teases.

Gojo denies it, of course. “What? No! I’m just intrigued. They’re so mysterious, you know?"

Shoko and Geto begin to notice the subtle shifts in Gojo’s behavior. He's no longer his usual cocky self, especially when it comes to you. His attempts to make you laugh or get a reaction from you have become more genuine. Even though you stay cold and composed, Gojo begins to understand the weight behind your stoicism—perhaps a deep well of unspoken emotions or the weight of your responsibilities as a Special Grade 1 sorcerer. It doesn’t deter him; if anything, it draws him closer.

9. Quiet Moments:

The real breakthrough comes during a rare, quiet moment after a mission. The two of you are sitting side by side in an empty room, the silence comfortable for the first time. Gojo speaks gently, not in his usual teasing tone but with sincerity. “You know, you’re the only person who can actually make me shut up for five minutes,” he says, giving you a playful smirk. This time, though, you glance at him—just for a second—and he feels a flicker of something more between you.

10. Unspoken Understanding:

By now, Gojo has become almost hopelessly infatuated with you, in a way that’s different from his usual flirty nature. He doesn’t need you to fall for him right away, but he enjoys the challenge and the quiet moments he shares with you. He loves that you’re someone who doesn’t simply melt at his charms but rather makes him work for your attention. And maybe, just maybe, there’s a spark of something in your gaze every time he teases you—something he plans to explore, no matter how long it takes.

𖤐 ִֶָ 𓂃 🧷

Hope you enjoyed!!! I liked the idea of strictly focusing on Gojo’s pov like how crushes are in real life. It's difficult to gage people's minds and thoughts of you when u often think about the so much and the less you know, the more they draw you in and cooler they are! For all he knows the reader wasn't so indifferent from the start. That's power of POV for you. Like and repost!! My account is practically dead *sympathy wanting sobs intensify* also will be doing a Geto and Shoko ver tomorrow!!!

And now for the serious stuff (˶º⤙º˶)

© property of @tinyproprodigy . please don't claim, copynpaste or translate my work on this and / or any other platforms.

[tiredandoptimistic]

What I think works so well about Clary and Isabelle's friendship is that they're very similar people, but they present themselves just differently enough to appear alien to each other. Both of them were the only girls in a group of boys (Isabelle was raised more or less isolated with Alec and Jace, while Clary doesn't seem to have any friends other than Simon and to a lesser extent his band), and they responded to this in very different ways. Isabelle basically committed herself to her role of "the girl" and always performs extreme femininity, while Clary attempts to sink into the background as "one of the guys." Both of these behaviors can be seen as rebellions against their culture. Isabelle comes from the very misogynist world of Shadowhunters, where women are respected as warriors but expected to act in a masculine way in order to earn that respect. She rejects this, and proves her place as a brilliant fighter while maintaining her fun and glossy feminine traits (compare her with Jessamine Lovelace, who was seen as silly and frivolous for her feminine interests). Clary on the other hand is a child of the nineties growing up in NYC. As a teenage girl in the early 2000s, she would have been surrounded by "not like other girls" philosophy, and hyperfemininity would be both pushed on her and demonized in popular culture. Because of all the pressure placed on gender roles and her lack of connection with other girls her age, it's no surprise that Clary would develop a certain bitterness towards people who perform gender in a way she won't.

With all of that out of the way, we get two teenage girls who have no fucking clue how to handle each other. They're both jealous of how the other one fits in with the guys in a way they can't. Obviously any friend group is made up of friendships which fit together in unique ways, but Clary and Isabelle both see themselves as The Girl, and thus are worried that the other one will make them redundant (Clary gets along with Jace, so will he still need Isabelle? Isabelle and Simon are getting along, will this take away Clary's place as Simon's most important person?) Of course this isn't something that will actually ruin their friendships, but Clary and Isabelle don't know that. Instead they need to learn how to engage with each other, and I enjoy that TMI actually shows them having those conversations. They're trying, but it doesn't all happen at once. Clary still has bitter thoughts about Isabelle's femininity, and she also looks down on other girls like Maia.

Speaking of Maia, there's a really good moment in COA where Clary starts grumbling to herself about how unfair it is that a werewolf can be pretty, and that Maia should be gross and hairy. She then catches herself, and literally thinks "this is exactly why I don't have any female friends," showing that thanks to Isabelle she's learning to recognize her internalized misogyny. She can hang out with other pretty girls, and it doesn't decrease her value as a person.

It's just so nice seeing a character whose internalized misogyny is actively acknowledged by the narrative and treated as a flaw she must overcome. So many female protagonists in the early 2000s (and other decades) had the hyper-femme "best friend" who they hated, but even though that's how Clary sees Izzy at first, she's able to look past it and see the ways they click together. The two of them don't become besties immediately, but they're at least able to get past that first layer of hostility.

[sunnyie-eve]

52 | Tattoo

Series: Unexpected

Paring: Matt Sturniolo x OFC Brock!

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: Tara knows secret, fans being annoying

| MASTERLIST |

"Should we prank Dani?" Matt asks Nick and Chris while they were live on Twitch, "Like do something to her room?"

Chris looks down at his phone to see Dani texting him, who was at Tara's place watching them, "Oh Dani says... If any of us go into her room... She will..." Chris reads the texts.

"Of course she's watching us right now." Matt looks at Nick.

"But she said she will kill us if we pass through her doorway." Chris finishes reading the text, "Her room is off limits. If we don't listen to her, we're gonna regret it big big big time. So she says listen to her." He tells the two.

"Don't worry Dani." Nick smiles, "I'll listen to you. I stay out of your room when you're home. Unlike these two, mainly Matt."

Chris looks down at his phone and it was Dani telling him that the food he asked for was arriving, "I'll be right back." Chris leaves to go get his food.

As Matt tries to read chat he laughs saying he thinks he needs glasses while Nick reads so too, "Dani was in a Loony Tunes photoshoot."

"Lola Bunny." Matt says making Nick look at him, "What?"

"Stop."

"What? That's who she was in that shoot." Matt says then goes back to reading chat and they start talking about tattoos, "Matt, tattoo tour."

"Give them one." Nick tells him, "You only have this one arm tattooed right?"

"Yeah, there's two I've never shown people."

"Which ones?" Nick leans in to hear him.

"I can show them." Matt laughs.

"Matching set?"

"No, I'm not showing that one off and I have to take my shirt off to do so." Matt explains.

"So you're showing only this one?" Nick looks at the tattoo, "I think they've seen it."

"No, they've tried too. They've almost seen it. They've taken guesses."

"I think they've seen it." Nick sticks to it so Matt shakes his heads.

"Nope, never seen it." Matt turns to try to show it off.

"Dani wants one similar." Nick says, as Matt has trouble showing it off.

"It's a gargoyle." Matt finally shows it, "And then the back of my shoulder has the matching set."

"Same spot as Dani." Nick adds.

"I'm not showing it off because I just don't want to. It's super meaningful to me." Matt explains to chat as Chris comes back.

"Did you show them the matching set?" He asks him.

"What are you about to eat?" Nick looks at his food.

"Dani order what I wanted." Chris shrugs, "But did you show the matching set off?" Chris asks again.

"No, I told chat I wasn't going to."

"Why?" Chris asks curious because Dani doesn't try to hide hers from being seen.

"Because I personally don't want to show it off. As I said, it's super meaningful to me. I will say that mine is the moon while Dani has the sun but I'm still not showing it off."

"I kind of get it since some people like to get matching tattoos with people they're fans of and yours is meaningful to you." Nick speaks up and they see some of the chat saying why is it so meaningful if it's just with a friend.

"It's just with a friend..." Matt reads and can't help but roll his eyes, "Not just any friend, guys. It's with Dani and she's family now. Plus she designed our tattoos so they are personal to us." Matt explains.

"She did? I didn't even know that." Chris was surprised and Nick was too.

"Yeah, that's why it's my favorite tattoo."

"Wow, more than our matching set." Nick plays around.

"Way more. The tattoo is like my baby that I'm protective of." Matt laughs, and Dani, who was still watching them laughs as well with Tara.

"Someone said matching tattoos is something to be serious about." Nick reads and rolls his eyes a bit as well. Yeah, that was true with most people but not   Matt and Dani.

"It is, that's exactly why we got them. Thank you for worrying. I know exactly what I was doing. It was my idea and she designed it."

Tara can't help but laugh muting the live for a second to look at Dani, "Why did he want to get a tattoo with you?"

"At the time he said he wanted to make our bond stronger and permanent so he came up with the idea of a matching tattoo." Dani explains to her then unmutes the live.

At the moment the topic slightly changed but she was still the main focus of chat. "Dani's a pick me." Nick reads, "I'm gonna start banning people like you. If I or any decent person sees hate towards Dani will ban who said it."

"Do you even know the definition of pick me?" Chris asks, "She has never seeking our attention. It's actually the opposite. We seek her attention." Chris laughs making the girls laugh as well.

"As we've said in the past... Dani isn't going anywhere so love her as well or leave. Because she's really not going anywhere at the moment and I don't plan on it either." Matt tells chat and Tara screams startling Dani.

"YOU GUYS ARE SECRETLY DATING!" Tara jumps up and down screaming. "That was such a dead giveaway to me. At the moment! He doesn't plan on it either! AHHHHH!"

Dani watches Tara run around the room happily, "Are you done yet?" Dani laughs at her.

"AND YOU AREN'T DENYING IT! AHHH YES!!!!" Tara rushes over grabbing her by the shoulders shaking her, "I'M SO HAPPY!"

Dani just laughs at her, "I can tell."

"How long? Tell me everything!"

"Late March, I slipped up and he asked me out. I told him that if maybe he asked me instead of Chris, my answer would've be different." Dani tells her and Tara screams.

"THREE MONTHS! Who all knows?"

"Marylou, Justin, Madison, and you now. I think we're getting to the point where me might tell certain people like Nick, Chris, Sam, my family, Jimmy, and their friend Nate. I just really don't want to tell Colby, you know." Dani turns off the live.

"Well, he's gonna have to get over it. I know he likes Matt but only dislikes him when you're around. Out of anyone, Matt is someone he doesn't have to worry about dating you. Matt is so sweet and truly cares for you."

"Honestly, I haven't spoken to Colby since our fight we had. And no, I don't want to get into it right now." Dani leans back on the couch.

"I'm sure once he sees you two as a couple it will finally hit him that Matt makes you happy and feel loved." Tara smiles, "Anything else you wanna tell me?" Tara gives her a look.

"Hey, knock it off." Dani laughs, "You don't need to know all the details of my relationship with especially private stuff."

"I know, I know." Tara laughs then types in chat hoping the guys will see it and they don't but fans let them know Tara said hi.

"I don't trust you Tara." Matt looks right into the camera so Dani texts him she knows as well now.

"Dani!" He shouts then leans closer to the camera, "What the hell?" He asks so she calls him.

"Oh look, she's calling." He shows the camera his phone and her poster for when she calls was her giving Trevor a kiss as they sat on his bed back home and her name also had a heart after it.

Most people wouldn't care about the picture but some had pointed out she was in his room, wearing his shirt, and tiny boyshorts.

"What do you want?" He answers the phone.

"Why are you yelling at me through a livestream?" She asks him and he laughs before putting her in speaker.

"Hi Dani, Hi Tara." Nick waves.

"HIIII!" Tara yells then sees some of the comments, "Guys, Dani's name in my phone also has a heart after her name. It's not a big deal." She adds leaning closer to Dani's phone to be heard.

"Look." Nick grabs his phone to show he also had a heart next to Dani's name as well, "It's nothing."

"Chat, even in my phone each brother has their favorite color heart next to their name." Dani ;ets them know, "Okay, I'm turning y'all off so we can watch a movie. Love you guys." Dani says then hangs up then turns off the live.

"Some fans are so annoying." Tara rolls her eyes.

"I know and you deal with a lot with you still being close friends with Jake."

[skyward-floored]

IAU requests: Maybe Time and Malon's wedding?

Time and Malon’s wedding coming right up 👍 I’m glad I mostly wrote this a few days ago lol. Please enjoy!

(comes a bit after this scene)

————————————————————

Time knew his excuse for being so late was a pretty good one. Considering he’d saved an entire trains’ worth of people and stopped several other villains over the course of the evening, but...

He still felt pretty bad.

Time burst into the chapel, adjusting his tie and jacket as he went. He brushed some dust off his sleeve, and hoped he’d gotten all the blood off his lip as he smoothed down his hair and rolled his sore shoulder. Warriors and Sky noticed him the moment he burst in, and Sky sighed in relief, slipping through a door that led to the main area. Warriors quickly went to Time’s side, and his younger brother gave him a look.

“Is the night still young?” Time said with an apologetic smile, despite knowing it most certainly wasn’t.

“You’re late,” Warriors said flatly, confirming what he already knew. “Like, really late.”

Time winced.

He’d been counting down the minutes until this day, anxious and excited, nervous and replaying every moment that would lead up to now. And despite his immaculate sense of time, and careful planning to get here exactly when he was supposed to... he was late.

To his own wedding.

“I know. Trust me, I know,” he sighed. Malon was going to kill him. “How do I look? Good?”

Warriors hummed, looking him up and down before adjusting his collar and tie a bit.

“Yeah, you look great... Oh, your mask!” he realized, than stood on his tiptoes and grabbed it. “You still had the mask, there you go. Are you ready?”

Time took a deep breath, and smoothed his hair back again, ignoring the summersaults his stomach was currently doing. He could do this. He’d been waiting for this moment for years now, and though he was terrified, he knew this was what he wanted.

“Time?” Warriors asked again in a softer voice, and Time breathed out, and nodded.

“Yeah. I’m ready.”

“Good luck,” Warriors whispered, and squeezed his hand.

Time squeezed it back, then let go as he pushed open the door.

He hurried into the chapel, titters of amusement and relieved looks meeting him as he passed the small group of family and friends they’d invited. Blazing Fist was laughing loudly in one of the front rows about the irony of him being late, Saria giggling beside him, and a Zora woman elbowed him from the other side, several small children seated beside her.

Time set his mind off the audience when someone else whooped at his much-anticipated appearance, and looked ahead, heart thudding. Malanya—rather, Malon— stood at the end of the aisle, in a simple, but beautiful wedding dress that fit her perfectly. Time smiled at his fiancé, feeling overwhelmed at the sight of her, and she returned it, though he saw the question in her eyes as he hurried up to join her at the altar.

The priest in front of them gave Time a disapproving look as he settled himself beside Malon, then finally began to speak.

“We are gathered here today, under the watchful eyes of the goddesses and these witnesses to join together this couple in holy...”

“You’re very late,” Malon murmured out of the corner of her mouth as the priest continued the ceremony. Time flicked his eye over to her, and winced at her expression. “When you asked me if I was doing anything later, I didn’t realize you’d actually forgotten. I thought it was playful banter.”

Time held in a sigh. “It was playful banter.”

“Well you certainly aren’t living up to your name,” Malon muttered. “I’m marrying a complete liar.”

Time’s mouth twitched. “Well maybe you should consider someone more... stable.”

Malon twitched like she was either trying not to laugh or punch him, and Time gave her an apologetic smile when she raised an eyebrow at him.

He really did feel awful about being late. But he’d done all he could to get here on time, it truly wasn’t his fault nearly the entire city had decided to be in danger today. He maybe could have tried to pass some of it by, but... he’d never been able to turn his back on people in trouble.

The priest moved onto the vows, and Time tried to listen more carefully, though it was rather difficult with all of the thoughts scrambling around in his head.

“Link Forester, will you have this woman to be your lawful wedded wife? To have and to hold...”

Malon let out a quiet sigh as the priest spoke. “I love you Link, but if we’re gonna make this work, you’ve gotta be more than just a superhero. We both do. You can’t just be the Fierce Deity, and I can’t just be Malanya. You know that, don’t you?”

“...so long as you both shall live?” the priest said, finishing his speech.

Time gave Malon a gentle smile as he turned to her, giving the woman he loved a look that confirmed his commitment to her.

“I do.”

Malon met his eyes, and she returned his smile, her gaze full of love for him.

The priest looked between them, then smiled himself, raising his hand. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Time and Malon swept immediately into each other’s arms and kissed, the small audience clapping and cheering. Warmth rushed through Time, Malon’s lips soft against his, and he only barely took in Warriors letting out a loud whistle, and Sky elbowing him good-naturedly, a sappy look on his face. Malon’s father wiped a tear from his eyes beside them, his mustache upturned in a bright grin, and Impa was showing a rare smile as she clapped.

“As long as we both shall live,” Malon said softly as they finally pulled back, her cheeks flushed with happiness as she leaned her forehead against Time’s. “No matter what happens.”

Time grinned, and brushed his hand across her cheek.

“Hey, come on now. We’re superheroes,” he said as he smiled, and gave his wife’s hand a happy squeeze, love and warmth running through him from head to toe.

“What could happen?”

[snailsgoingdowntown]

Help, I Reincarnated as the Female Lead’s Sister-in-Law!

  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8

Chapter 9

‘Slight’ Yandere! Dion Agriche x Fem! Reader

Arranged marriage AU

Warnings: thoughts about self-harm (biting thumb again), accidental self-injury(? + biting inside of lip which causes it to bleed), thoughts about implied murder, near panic attack, implied depression, slight blood, small/slight themes of obsession and possessiveness, slight themes of misogyny/some toxic behavior from Reader's family, please tell me if I missed any.

Nsfw warnings: OKAY, I honestly think Maria, if she becomes fond of a daughter-in-law, would absolutely push for grandchildren and take things into her own hands unless someone (Sierra) tries really hard to convince her otherwise. I’m really sorry for writing her as a creep but this will be the last time (either completely or for a very long time) I’ll write her like this. Anyway: suggestive, throwback to their 1st night, gifting of lingerie and aphrodisiac by Maria (again will not write her like this either completely or a long time, I tried rewriting this chapter so fucking much but this is what I settled on because it felt the most natural to me.) pushing for grandchildren, Maria somehow got the Reader’s measurements, please tell me if I missed any.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CONDONE ANY OF THE HARMFUL AND/OR DANGEROUS/TOXIC ACTIONS AND/OR BEHAVIORS THAT TAKE PLACE IN THIS PIECE OF FICTION. THESE ACTIONS/BEHAVIORS SHOULD NOT BE NORMALIZED NOR ROMANTICIZED AS THEY ARE BOTH EXTREMELY TOXIC AND DANGEROUS.

MINORS/BLANK BLOGS/BLOGS THAT DO NOT INTERACT OR REBLOG ANYTHING FANDOM RELATED (FICS, ART, ETC.) DNI.

===

‘Dear father and mother, 

I am doing well so far. The food is nice and the clothes comfortable. I haven’t personally spoken to my father-in-law yet, but I’m going to meet him for dinner tomorrow at the time of writing this. My husband, Dion is different from what I expected. Too nice. He’s not as brutal as others described him. It was surprising. But he’s a pervert and I almost hit him out of frustration and rejected his sexual advances like any sane person would. I know that you’ll say I should have let it happen, mother, but it hurt so bad I don’t think he’ll ever fit. Speaking of those vulgar activities, you lied he wasn’t flustered in the slightest until I started crying. Can you believe that? He’s a creep! But hopefully he doesn’t kill or torture me he’ll continue to treat me nicely.

I have talked to a few in-laws, including my mother-in-law. I heard that you drank with her, mother. She's very  lively and has a sadistic unique personality. She’s very sweet to me. I have also met the fourth wife, Sierra. She’s lovely, I think you’ll also get along with her, mother. 

Of course, as his wife I’ll do my best to support him in fear of him or Lant killing me otherwise in every field to the best of my abilities. Just how you forced taught me.

I hope that the two of you are faring well. The same goes for Zac and Elena, of course. Speaking of them, how has Zac’s studies been? He’s not skipping them again, is he or planning something dangerous like that stupid but well-meant plan he informed you, father, about? Yes, I overheard everything?

Is Elena doing well in her pregnancy? I know she moved out before me, but I’m still concerned about her and the baby. And Albert, he’s taking care of her, right? 

I’m not sure what else to write, so I’ll just leave it here. Please take care of yourselves. The same goes for my brother and sister.

Your daughter, (Name)’

“... I ended up writing what I really think… I need to rewrite this… again.” You sigh, leaning back in your chair as you crumble the letter. This was your fifth try, and while each one became less hostile and more casual, you weren't satisfied with any of the rough drafts to turn into a final draft. 

If you weren’t married to Dion, into this family, would writing to them be easier? You shake your head. No point in having these useless thoughts. Especially as Hana comes in with a knock and your permission, rolling in your lunch. 

In the end, you ended up going with Hana’s suggestion - basically saying that your husband fucked you too hard and rough last night and you needed to recover. Thanks to that, you didn’t have to change into the scarlet dress she picked out either - it was decided to be saved for the dinner you’ll have with both your husband and father-in-law tomorrow. 

You already asked Hana for indigestion medicine for tomorrow. 

“Thank you, Hana,” you put your stationary away and picked up the crumbled balls of paper that were failed attempts. She eyes you curiously but doesn’t comment on it. Instead she readies your lunch, placing the plates onto the table. 

The thought of eating makes you sick. You could barely hold down breakfast - could you hold down lunch? Or would your body give up immediately and reject the food? 

Warily looking at it, you notice two prettily wrapped up boxes - one pink with light red polka dots, the bow purple in color. The second box, a flatter one, had red wrapping paper with a tiny black hearts pattern, with the bow also black. Your heart speeds up as your gut twists painfully. If they were meant for you, they contain nothing well meant nor innocent.

“Oh, right,” Hana starts before handing both ‘presents’ to your unwelcoming arms, “Lady Maria sent these to you. I don’t know what they are, unfortunately.” With a grave look on your face you shakily thank her, a pained and forced smile stretching your lips. 

Maria sent these… oh boy, I sure do wonder what they are… 

“Later today, please help me pick out a gift for her. It’s only right that I repay the favor, especially since she’s my mother-in-law.” Placing them down next to your feet, you ignore the urge to kick them far, far away from you. It’s hard to keep your eyes off of the boxes. It’s hard to focus on your food, picking up your fork and knife as you cut into the grilled fish. 

It’s hard to chew, accidentally biting your lip hard enough to taste blood. It’s hard to drink the water as it threatens to choke you. It’s hard to not wince at the sharp sounds of cutlery against the plate as you imagine your head being chopped off like nothing. 

It’s hard to breathe. 

How much longer until you go crazy?

By the time you finish your meal, you’re sweating buckets. You hate it here. You want to go home -

“My Lady, are you alright?” Hana’s voice drags you out from your thoughts, flicking your eyes to meet hers. She’s picking up the silverware and placing it back onto the tray, but quickly takes a clean napkin from it and hands it to you. You take it with shaky hands, doing your best not to drop it. Thankfully your brain didn’t lag for too long for you to realize it was for your sweat.

You pat down your temples with the white cloth.

“T-thank you… v-very much, Ha-Hana.” Why is your voice so shaky? Why are you stuttering? Hell, why are you sweating?

You already had one panic attack - you don’t need another one. Your right thumb throbs at the memory and your teeth want to clamp down on it. The bandages suddenly feel too tight around the digit and you want to rip it off so you could dig your teeth into it. You bite your lip, only worsening the newly formed wound. The taste of your own blood spreads throughout your mouth again. 

You need to stop. 

Your attention switches to Hana, the woman staring at you uncertainly. It wasn’t necessarily out of concern but rather confusion - just how was she supposed to comfort her master? …you’re probably putting her in a rough spot. 

…right. I just need to accept my new reality… but today is not going to be that day.

Taking in a deep breath, you force your nerves to settle down - positive thoughts, positive thoughts. The sun is warm, the birds are lively, the bed is comfortable, your husband is gone - 

This isn’t the first time, and clearly it won’t be the last. 

“...thank you for bringing the food, Hana.” You’re not fully composed, not fully right of mind, but as the saying goes: fake it until you make it. You did it once, you managed to do it throughout the duration of the engagement, during the wedding despite feeling horrible, you did it while consummating your marriage despite being ripped open by Dion, you did it while at the tea party with Maria and Sierra, you did it last night when you told him off.

You did it back then, too. 

Force yourself to smile now. Tilt your head innocently. Act happy. Act happy. 

“I enjoyed it. Please give my thanks to the chief.” Your smile isn’t bright as the sun and slightly wavers. Your eyes aren’t shining brightly like stars, instead seeing past her. Your mind isn’t calm as you recall the brutality of this family that was shown and described in the story. 

Fake it until you make it. 

Yes, you think. Maybe you will have a conversation with Roxana. 

- - -

Hana left an hour ago yet you haven’t moved from your spot. No, instead you’re staring intensely at the presents in front of you on the table. They’re pretty, a bit childish. But knowing Maria… 

“...is it a trap…?” Carefully, you pick up the stereo typical present box and lightly shake it; it rattles. “Sounds a bit heavy… like a box within a box.” Curiosity gets the better of you and you gingerly untie the purple bow before ripping the wrapping paper. Despite the damn thing nearly sending you into another panic episode, it was satisfying to unwrap. 

A slightly smaller box is what you see once you manage to open the outer one. It was black and had a fancy red bow. Still a good size not to be something small. Unless it was a perfume. Breathing in deeply, you undo the ribbon and take off the lid. 

You’re met with a glass container roughly the size of your hand. Your heart drops at the yellow liquid inside. 

It looks exactly like the aphrodisiac your mother-in-law gave Roxana in the manhwa. 

“...what in the actual fuck… she’s basically telling, no, begging me to fuck her son… haha!” Your head rolls back as laughter overtakes you and shoulders violently shake. “I knew she was crazy, but fuck, how morally corrupt is this woman?” 

Instead of throwing it across the room like you should, you place it down on the table. You would have slammed it down if there wasn’t a chance that just smelling it could cause your body to heat up and become needy for a thing - a person - you don’t even want. 

“I’m scared to open up the other ‘present’...” in spite of that you pull at the black bow and unwrap it. You shake it - sounds like something soft. Like clothes. 

Oh. 

Oh no, no, no, no, no no -

“She didn’t. No fucking way… maybe it’s a sweater. Or a shawl. Gloves?” 

Trembling fingers take the lid off, a pink ribbon undone easily. This time, you throw the box to the floor after seeing what it held. 

A sheer black babydoll lingerie set. 

“Maria Agriche… you fucking creep…,” without another thought you shut the lid on it and shoved it into one of your drawers on your side of the dresser. Away from sight, out of mind you chant in your head, slamming the drawer shut. Your cheeks feel warm as both embarrassment and disgust fill your head and chest. 

… even if you wanted to sleep with him… or if you were in a healthy marriage with someone you love…

“...I could never wear that… it’s too revealing, too embarrassing.” Even in your old world you never wore such things. Not because you viewed them as dirty or slutty, but because they don’t suit you. Besides, putting in so much effort just for it to be taken off…?

‘I’m only going to ask once - would you rather keep your clothes on or off?’ 

“MMMMFFFF!!” throwing yourself onto the bed at the memory, scream muffled by the pillow, you mentally curse both son and mother. The son because he made your first time so horrible you’re mentally scarred and the mother because she’s a creep. More so than her own fucking son. 

A few minutes later you manage to collect yourself somewhat. Dreadfully you go to the dresser to pull out the offending clothing. You don’t plan on putting it on or to hold it over your clothes to get a vague idea of it either. Just to get a better look at it. 

Opening it and picking up the article of clothing, you examine it; pretty lace details on the him and breast cups, a flower pattern. It was soft as silk - clearly made from expensive materials. The straps were thin but they didn't feel too rough or stiff. Probably comfortable on the shoulders. 

Not like you would know - you never tried anything like this on. 

Curiosity killing the cat, you decide to see where it ends by holding it over your clothes; it barely brushes past mid thigh. 

When you go to put it back you notice an envelope and panties in the box. First, you pick up the lacy underwear, frowning as you realize that somehow, someway Maria had gotten your fucking measurements. Did your mother also tell the crazed woman your three sizes… “No, she wouldn’t. Even if she was drunk, she wouldn’t tell anyone such private details.” 

Carelessly dropping it into the box you grab the letter, opening it after a moment of hesitation. It takes even longer to unfold the letter. And even longer to actually read it, only for horror to come across your face and enter your heart. 

‘Sierra told me it may come across as inappropriate to send such things to you… but I’m just so excited for grandchildren! Oh, but don’t feel pressured into wearing or drinking those things tonight. The aphrodisiac lasts a rather long time. Besides, considering it’s Dion, I thought you might need some help to get in the mood whenever you decide to lay with him.

- Maria’ 

“No. Never.” 

Shoving everything back in, you shut the drawer close, making sure to hide the items underneath some layers of your… underwear…

You give up. 

“Ahh, why and how did I stumbled into the scene…” You turn around only to notice the yellow liquid contained in the glass bottle. Right. You forgot about that. “Maybe I should just pour it out…”

Not once did you realize nor notice how all the fear and fright left your body and mind, instead leaving caution and annoyance in its wake. 

- - -

Your husband returned at midnight, small amounts of blood splattered on his left cheek. When you look up from your book to greet him you notice that in the candlelight his eye bags seem darker. Deeper. 

“...welcome…back.” Your body starts to quiver and your heart beats loud enough you could hear and feel it once you meet his eyes. Quickly scanning his person you notice he’s wearing the standard male servant uniform: 

black shirt with red rimmed shoulder pads that have the Agriche crest on top, the shirt long enough to reach below his knees and splits at the hips, tied together with a brown belt at the waist. If he were to turn around you would see the family crest proudly engraved into the fabric. Blank pants that disappear into nearly knee-height boots with long, tied laces. 

The last time you’ve seen him in that uniform was the first time you met him, bored expression plastered on his face as Lant introduced him with a smug smile on that disgusting face of his. All he did was shake your hand as you stood still with prayers to a God who held no love for you. With your father glancing your way every minute as you were left in some corner with your then fiance to hold a conversation that never happened. When he didn’t spare so much as a glance at you, instead staring off into space as you couldn’t take your eyes off your lap. 

Wait. 

No. 

Maybe back then, you were too deep in your thoughts to notice that unnerving stare. 

The same one he has now - looking at you as though you were his prey, scarlet eyes glowing in the candlelight, like you belonged to him and he would never change that fact. That he would never let you change it, either. 

“Wife.” 

The word mixed with his sleepy voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard - it makes your ears bleed and eye twitch as you hold back the grimace of how he addresses you. He only wants you because you’re a normal person.

The moment you become insane he’ll let you go. 

That’s the only explanation. It has to be. That’s the only explanation your brain could come up with and accept. 

You’re too scared to bring up the night before yesterday. Beads of sweat slowly roll down your temples and breathing shallow as Dion walks towards the bed, heavy boots echoing. Time stops as your heart drops once he reaches the bed, reaches you and without a single word, he grabs your right wrist and - 

“What happened here?”

Oh. You forgot about your bandaged thumb.  

[thievinghippo]

First line/page WIP meme

Tagged by @aldisobey and figured why not? This fic is called 'a tangled funeral pyre' and will focus on the consequences of Rook attempting the lichdom rites forty years after the events of the game. This first section is a flashback

Tagging anyone else who wants to join in! I would love to see the cool stuff you're all writing! :D

#

“She’s keeping something from me.”

“Emmrich…”

Emmrich can only drop his head at the disappointment he hears in Myrna’s voice. Which is the last thing he wants to hear during their monthly tea. For almost twenty years now, since the defeat of the elven gods, they’ve met for tea in Myrna’s apartments in the upper levels of the Necropolis.

“Rook is allowed secrets, of course,” Emmrich says, staring at his hands. It’s not as if he doesn’t have any secrets himself. They are not his, though, but those of the Necropolis. Things that only the liches are allowed to know. “But in almost twenty years, she’s never deliberately hid something from me.”

The last few days… Her aura is different, somehow. There’s a nervousness he hasn’t seen from her before, not even before Teardrop Island. Something is clearly worrying her and the fact that she hasn’t confided in him breaks the heart he no longer has. All he wants is to be a source of comfort to her for the mortal years she has left.

“Have you considered inquiring about the change?” Myrna asks. She takes a sip of tea then places it down carefully on the saucer. “I will admit, I did sense some sort of distraction within Rook when we went to the theatre the other night.”

“And it was such a good production of The Tyrant of Minrathous,” Emmrich muses, thinking about the one of the many plays, songs, and novels that have been created about their adventures defeating the elven gods all those years ago.

“Speaking of that night, did I notice correctly that you’ve aged your glamour slightly?”

Emmrich tightens his grip on his cup of tea. While he hasn’t drank anything since lichdom, if the cup is hot enough, he can actually feel the warmth in his bones. Somehow, that warmth is a small comfort that he’s treasured, considering he’s lost so many others.

“Only five or so years. Rook believes that I should just let her catch up to my glamour. Maybe someday.” A day he refuses to let himself think about. He never allows himself to dwell on the fact that each day is one less he has with her.

“Why not have your glamour match her age? Truly, I was surprised you did not when you first crafted one.”

“Oh I very much considered doing just that,” Emmrich says, thinking back to those nights when he debated on his glamour, even when so many other pressing duties awaited. “If I recall, I believe I decided on changing my age would be cheating.”

Myrna simply tilts her head and takes another sip of team. “Cheating?”

If Emmrich still had an eyebrow to raise, he would raise one now. “My dear Myrna, I know Vorgoth would have mentioned the conversations we had about my insecurity regarding my age and my relationship with Rook.”

To her credit, she nods instead of trying to deny it. Vorgoth really is the worst gossip in all of the Necropolis. “I might remember hearing a thing or two.”

It’s that moment Emmrich senses something deep within the Necropolis. A sudden tremor that only a lich would have the ability to sense. He places his teacup onto the table and focuses. He looks to the beating pulse of the Necropolis itself and feels a pull.

“Myrna, please accept my apologies, but I am being called to a pressing matter.” 

Emmrich stands and focuses his energy, trying to see exactly where he is meant to go. The uncreatively named Lich Hall, down in the deepest recesses of the Necropolis. Where only the four unliving lich lords have access.

Four lich lords and any member of the Mourn Watch who has discovered the first step of the journey to lichdom.

Suddenly he can look back at Rook’s aura with perfect clarity.

[divinebeautyrevealed2]

Top Five Models: Bio for Veronika Zemanova.

"I was born in a small city in the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic on the 14th of April, 1975. My childhood in The Czech Republic was a lot different than it would have been either in another time (for instance now, after the fall of Communism) or another place (like in the West). Although it was different, it was still wonderful, as all childhoods should be. My parents were great and I had a lot of good friends. At an early age I became very interested in biology and the visual arts. I dreamed then of becoming a biologist. In 1989, I entered my first year of gymnasium (or high school, as Americans call it). This happened to be the year that everything changed for everyone, not only in the Czech Republic, but in all of what used to be the Eastern Bloc. The first years of the new system were particularly difficult years for just about everyone. It was during this time that many beautiful Czech girls left for the West, looking for opportunities to make more money than they had a chance to earn in the Czech Republic. I was, of course, too young to leave, so I stayed and finished gymnasium."

"After gymnasium, I spent three years at a photography school. To make for money for school (which was expensive) and living expenses, I did a whole bunch of different things: I was a bartender, a saleswoman for such things as wallpaper and photographic equipment, and I started my own photo studio. The studio was just beginning to be successful when someone stole all of the very expensive equipment, some of which I had not even paid for yet. At this point I was forced to return to working for other people (I much prefer working for myself). I bought a large make-up kit and began working as an assistant to photographers and make-up artists. It was very difficult work and did not always pay that well, but I enjoyed myself and learned a lot that is useful to this day. One day, I had a big job scheduled for the next day and was preparing for it when I realized that someone had stolen my entire make-up kit! I went to the photographer in tears of frustration to tell him that I could not do the work. He suggested that I work the event as a model instead. Thus began the wonderful modeling career of Veronika Zemanova!"

"I was very surprised to find that after that first modeling job (which I hadn't believed I was pretty enough for) I was being offered all kinds of other modeling jobs all over the world. Initially all I wanted to do was to make enough money to pay off all of the equipment that had been stolen, but soon I had made enough to not only pay that back, but had enough to start an entirely new and better studio. I was working at the studio as a photographer, agent, and make-up artist while also doing modeling work for others. Soon however, the modeling became too time consuming for me to put in the necessary hours at the studio, and so I sold the studio. These first years of modeling were not easy! Remember, at first I did not speak any English at all! Being in new countries alone, finding myself in strange and even risky situations, and so forth. However, I don't want to sound as though it was only bad or difficult; I was able to travel extensively, it was exciting work, I learned English (finally!), and made many beautiful photos of which I am still proud. And good money!"

"After I had been modeling for a while, I decided to start a web-site with an Italian photographer. The idea to do this came about after seeing so many photos of myself on the web. Eventually however, I decided to disassociate myself from the site, and am no longer connected to it in any way."

"I created my own web-site and it was very successful. I believe this will be the best site of its kind and that I will really enjoy the chance to not only model, but photograph, act as an agent, and maybe even do make-up! I hope you enjoy it as much as I will enjoy creating it!"

"I always wanted keep my private life totally unknown to the public. That is what all the glamour models do. But I have decided to break the rule to reveal that I was married on November 12, 2003, in a ceremony performed on the beach of the island of Mauritius. I did it because I am in love. I have also decided to quit my glamour-modeling career. I had a choice between a career or a good relationship. I have chosen to make the man I love feeling happy and comfortable with me. This is why I have chosen to stop modeling. Do you think this is risky? But that's what love is about. You need to take risks. Please do not be sad for it and wish me luck."

Veronika's modeling career which began in ernest in 1997 would end after a 12 year run in 2009. Those years would furnish us with well over 30000 photographs and videos which will forever immortalize the beauty which was/is Veronika for this generation and those to come. Her very last professionally taken photo was shot by Scotty JX at her Ibiza property on Sept. 28, 2009.

Even the photographers who worked with Veronika were awe struck by her beauty as a few of them recount below:

Early on Veronika went to Italy and worked with such greats as Roberto Rocchi and Alberto Magliozzi. Roberto Rocchi even went on to quote in his book "Forme e Percorsi Del Corpo" that Veronika was "a wonder of nature".

J.Stephen Hicks went on to write in his Hall of Fame post about his experience with Veronika:

"Veronica Zemanova was (and is) truly one of a kind. And I was the first American photographer to shoot her. Someone from Prague (can you believe I don't remember who) sent me photos of her and I (we) immediately made it our mission to contact her, fly her to the U.S. and shoot her. We agreed by e-mail to do several days of work in our studio in L.A. and then fly her to Mexico for additional scenes. Upon arriving at LAX, Veronica was shy and honestly a bit untrusting. She'd just turned nineteen at the time and was green in every way. Veronica grew up in a little Czech town called Ceske Budejovice and her beginnings were poor and without stability. One thing was for sure, Veronica had no idea how truly beautiful she was."

"We spent the first days shooting her giving her complete direction. Seriously, dictating every move of her body from head to toe, including expressions. It was a bit like working with a perfect doll that we were animating. And honestly at that point in her evolution, not really trusting us and not really knowing her beauty and being such a newbie model, I think she wasn't having a great time. Despite knowing she was gonna get a bunch of money her modeling personality was kind of benign to be honest. She wasn't mean or bitchy, just kinda stuck in neutral. Funny thing was though, it didn't even matter. 'Cause Veronica was flat out GORGEOUS or would the word be SUBLIME or RAVISHING?"

"Lets just say she was simply STUNNING, BREATHTAKING, and MIND BLOWING"

“We shot her a ton on her first trip to the U.S. and we also took her to Mexico for some unforgettable images. She came back and shot with us several times after her first journey. The last time we shot her she was a few years older, had new boobs (crazy huh?) but best of all she'd met her husband, a man she said loved her more for who she was than what she looked like. And Veronica was beaming, warm and happy. And we were happy for her."

"There will never be another Veronica I'm certain. She was one of kind that will never be reproduced unless computer generated. I consider us oh so lucky to have experienced shooting her at the very best time in her career. Her images of beauty will live on forever".

[chenlezip]

spidey boy ♡

PAIRING : spidermark! x fem!reader

SUMMARY : you noticed marks been hiding things from you and after one fateful interaction with spiderman saving you.. you piece the dots together.

WARNINGS : creepy guy in the beginning, not proof read..

A/N : this is a little long.. >.< my love for spiderman and mark came out all together in this.. PLSS cast him !! (or dont.. i dont wanna share my man looking good in a spidey mask...) | also for me hitting over 200 followers, hope you enjoy ☺️

perm tag 🤍 : @injvns @polarisjisung

mark lee.. your best friend, roommate. he was hiding something from you. you noticed he came through the door, big backpack on his back with a few cuts scattered across his face. he just brushed it off as nothing but you could tell it wasn’t just nothing.

the next day while walking home, you were walking down the secluded alleyway that lead to your dorms. it soon started to pour down, you curse under your breath. you tried to shield your head before bumping into a strange man, he snickered as he looked down at you, “what's a pretty thing like you walking down here in the dark?”

you gulp as you look up.. of course this only has to happen to you. you try walking past but he reaches out and has a tight grip on your wrist, "aw baby, where you goin?" he smirked.

he pinned you against a nearby wall, the coldness of it making you shiver more. "l-let go!" you shout out before he covered your mouth with a scoff. "as if anyone is gonna hear you, huh?"

you both heard webs slinging around you, your eyes widening. the man’s face went from a smirk to a look of terror when he heard the familiar slinging of a web. he let go of your wrist and turned around, face to face with spider-man.

“well, well, well.” spider-man's voice rang out through the alley as he took a step closer. “looks like I caught myself a nasty little bug.”

before the man could run, the masked superhero quickly slung a web at him, pinning him down against to the wall. he turned to you, "you alright?" his voice sounded.. concerned.. almost as if he knew you? you just brushed it off and nodded, "um- yeah, i think so.."

“you think it’s a good idea to mess with random girls in an alleyway?” spider-man asked, his tone almost mocking, turning his attention to the male who is still struggling against his web. the man opened his mouth to speak but spider-man shot out a web, silencing him. “that was a rhetorical question. obviously, it wasn’t a good idea.”

the man eventually breaks free, running away screaming. the masked figure was about to go after him but he couldn't leave you alone especially with what just happened.. but he does decide to tease you, slinging a web up and pretending to leave. you look around, "spider-man?"

he ends up upside down behind you, tapping your shoulder, "forgot something i left here." you could see him grinning behind his mask. you smile, "how will i ever thank you, spidey?" you teased.

"well- i uh.." spider-man rubbed his nape sheepishly before you offered a kiss. "how about a kiss, hm?"

spider-man's eyes widened in feigned surprise, “a kiss? well..” he mused, his tone almost playful. “I suppose that would be a pretty good way to show your appreciation.”

you move your hands to the bottom of his mask, lifting it just above his lips. you widen your eyes, you know marks facial features from anywhere...

spider-man - mark - just looked back at you, his breathing hitching ever so slightly. you placed a soft kiss on his lips, pulling away after some time as you notice the rain getting heavier. "thank you again, spidey." he nodded towards the rain, “you should head back. don't want you getting wet out here, now, do we?”

he then shot out another web, about to swing away but stopped before he did. “and don’t go down this alleyway after dark again, alright? I might not be there next time.” you smile and nod, "fine.. i'll ask my roommate mark for a safer way."

his masked eyes widened slightly before he composed himself, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “your roommate mark, huh? lucky guy, having a pretty girl like you live with him.”

he then slung away as you walked back to your dorms, you smiled to yourself. you knew spider-man was mark, but you couldn't help yourself waiting to see what he would do when you get back.

you got back, entering through the door, running a hand through your soaked through hair. "mark?" you call out. there was a moment of silence before mark's voice answered from the living room, “yeah?” you walked over to where he was, seeing him in a white tshirt and grey sweatpants. he changed.. quickly? “you’re back,” he said, his eyes immediately landing on your soaked through hair.

"yeah- i uh, got home a bit later than usual because i had a problem in the alleyway and guess who saved me? spider-man.." you ramble a little, looking out the corner of your eye to see marks reaction.

you noticed his body tensing before he coughed, "oh- spidey huh? i'm glad he was there to save you." you continued, "he seemed really concerned.. as if he knew me?" mark's heart was thudding in his chest, but he tried to maintain a calm demeanour. “concerned, huh? well, that’s kind of his job, isn’t it? saving people and all.”

you nodded, "well- yeah, obviously mark, he's got to save people but it felt weird.. even when i kissed him, i recognised his lips.. you're not spiderman, right?"

mark's eyes widened, "huh- what? why would you ask me if i'm spidey?" "because your lips looked alike."

mark was caught completely off guard, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a believable response. he swallowed hard, his throat feeling dry. “that.. that’s just a coincidence, y/n. a crazy coincidence.”

you raised a brow, "uh huh.. and what about you coming back here to the dorms with various cuts and bruises - especially on your back."

mark cursed silently at himself. he had hoped you hadn’t noticed all the random cuts and bruises he’s been getting from his late night patrols. he quickly tried to come up with a plausible excuse.

“oh, uh, those? nothing to worry about, just some scrapes and bumps I’ve been getting. yknow, clumsy me.." he chuckled nervously. he didn’t want you to worry about his secret identity or the dangerous adventures he went through every night as spider-man.. you already were stressed from the amount of college work you had. he tried to change the subject, hoping to divert your attention away from everything. “so, uh, you had a good day apart from the alleyway incident, right?”

"it was okay, the usual.. but don't try and divert the conversation we were having, mark lee, you're making this more suspicious." you raise a brow, "let me have a look at your back."

"fine.." mark groaned as he lifted his tshirt up, showing you his muscular yet bruise and cut adorned back. you couldn't help your eyes drifting.. he had a really nice back. you shake your head. the male tried to steel himself for your reaction, mentally rehearsing a thousand different excuses if you were to find similarities between the injuries and what spider-man often sustained on patrol.

"you aren't just clumsy, apparently spider-man had an outing with black cat the other day.. you have a claw mark, right.. here." you whisper, placing a finger on it. mark swore under his breath as you pointed out the unmistakable claw mark on his shoulder. it was undeniable now that you’ve put the pieces together. he still tried to play dumb, however, and turned back to face you, feigning confusion. “claw mark? what claw mark?”

"don't play dumb with me, mark.." you huffed out as you sat down on the couch opposite him. mark knew he couldn’t keep up the act any longer. he let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the couch. “alright, fine.” he muttered. “you win. I’m not just ‘clumsy’, I’m also.. spider-man.”

"shouldn't have come save me and i wouldn't of known it was you, hm? especially when we kissed, i recognised your facial features from anywhere." you smile. mark couldn’t help but scoff as you jokingly teased him. he rolled his eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “oh yeah, because just letting you get mugged in an alleyway is such a great alternative, y/n.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “and as for the kiss.. i couldn't say no to a pretty girl, i'm not an idiot.. but also - it was probably the best kiss i've ever had - i mean, upside down?"

you smile, "well.. since i know you're spidey, can i at least clean you up after you're in a bad fight?" mark's heart softened at your offer. the idea of you tending to his injuries and caring for him after a tough fight as spider-man was undeniably pleasing. he nodded, a small smile on his lips. “yeah.. I’d like that. but you’ve gotta promise to keep this between us, alright? no one else can know.”

"secrets safe with me, spidey boy."

[lilacxquartz]

Those Late Summer Nights | Chapter 25

satoru gojo x f!reader x suguru geto

plot: moving to the city from a small town was no easy feat, especially to start teaching as a jujutsu sorcerer. — cw: this is a yandere story with upsetting themes throughout.

summary: satoru succumbs to a tough call, potentially ruining your life for good. shoko in the meantime spirals.

masterlist • ao3 • chapter directory • previous chapter • next chapter >

Chapter 25. Taking Risks

The next time you woke up, the air felt thick with an underlying mixture of both tension and regret. Satoru still held tightly around you, his arms slightly constricting ever so slightly from the moment he felt you stir into consciousness.

“Not yet,” he murmured into the crook of your neck, the hot sensation of his breath causing a shiver to run through your body. You still felt uncomfortable in his presence, but his sudden change of heart was starting to throw you off. Especially given that he practically begged for your forgiveness the night before.

Satoru did wake up later though. It didn’t take too long for him to follow suit. His silvery lashes fluttered open as his intense blue gaze fixed on you. He pushed himself up somewhat reluctantly, though quickly, not wanting to savour the prickle of the cold winter air. He did feel partial regret for sleeping in so late though, his eyes slightly widening at the time read on his nightstand table. The estate itself was empty today—at least for the most part—his plans aligned so well by accident what with the big three locked away in some sort of fundraiser—that an outsider could speculate that this was all planned.

(Although it wasn’t. Satoru simply just didn’t care for such things. So of course, it slipped right past him.)

“Do these fit?” he asked as he started throwing you some clothes from his wardrobe, packing the rest of whatever could fit into a suitcase he pulled out from under his bed. “It’s pretty cold out there, I’d hate for you to freeze.”

You stared down towards your lap at the cluster of clothing, somewhat reluctantly changing out of what you already wore while he was still distracted. The cold air kissed your skin, slightly stiffening your movements. The jumpers were fine, albeit itchy against your skin, while the trousers also did fit, but they ruched at the legs ever so slightly, with the tightness around your hips feeling strange. “Somewhat,” you muttered, “but why…?” you yawned, your mind slowly catching up. “Where are we going—”

With a start, Satoru interrupted you. His body grew taut too, but for different reasons. It was rare for him to snap, even under a lot of pressure. You heard about him throughout the better course of the summer, either through sharing a nightcap with Shoko or even Suguru passively speaking about the guy, that despite what he went through, the guy was almost eerily calm. The same could be said for right now, but maybe it was that he let such a facade down around you, or that you could read him better since you were within his company so often and in such a compromising position. Either way, though, even though his voice didn’t raise in the slightest and even though he, for the most part, reeled himself in—he snapped in his own way at you.

“—it was wrong for me to lock you up,” he spat, although tried to real himself in a moment later. He schooled his tone into something more measured, as though to convince you to go along, although, a part of this felt like a genuine confession, so you were left confused. “I should never have done that,” he added, bringing himself down to his knees in front of where you sat, taking hold of your hands and nestling it into his palms, the way he looked back up at you seeming almost desperate, “I don’t know how to fix things—not yet—what I can do though, is give us both enough some time to think, how about that?”

You blinked. Regardless of how he worded things, no matter what you felt for even a brief moment in time last night—something about this whole thing—still felt ridiculous. You started to feel it first with Suguru when he dictated who you could speak to and who you couldn’t, feeling not at all surprised deep down when he overwrote your life to better suit his own. Whatever Satoru was exhibiting right now wasn’t too different, claiming to offer you freedom or something close to it, yet all he was going to do really, was to change the scenery for your prison.

No, if he actually cared, then this wouldn’t be the way. The only reason he was bringing you along to bide time, was because he didn’t want to get caught. Not that he had much to worry about, being the influential guy that he was. You knew better than anyone, that any sort of scandal, as long as someone could be paid off, could be swept under the rug. In a way, you wanted them to do that. You were just so done. You wanted your silence to be settled in a generous sum, for you to be able to finally slink away from this insanity and just… disappear.

The audacity of others trying to sculpt your life to match whatever sort of convenience they were after, almost felt insulting to hear. Although you struggled with admitting it out loud to him and although you wanted to argue it, it was clear from when you looked into his eyes that Satoru had already made up his mind. He might want to fix things, but he wasn’t ready to let go of you just yet. Whatever mess you had gotten yourself into, couldn’t be fixed with something as simple as freedom. Without even thinking about it, after all, you managed to get yourself wedged within the company of two powerful, but also dangerous men, regardless of their status within jujutsu society.

You bit back a scoff. “Will you really fix it?” you asked, going along with it, but only because you had to.

“I’m not sure,” Satoru admitted, not holding back a scoff of his own. The way his eyes drifted down your legs didn’t feel objectifying, more so in the sense that he seemed to be avoiding eye contact for the time being. Something about it felt self-deprecating. “I know that I fucked up, that’s all,” he sighed, carefully choosing his words, “I never should have reacted the way that I did, I never should have… hurt you,” he paused, feeling his composure slip, but then continued anyway, “I feel like a terrible person. Am I? Although, please don’t answer that…” he dropped his head down to rest over your thighs, wrapping his arms right around your thighs next, “just… just… give me a second to figure things out.”

You didn’t reply as he rambled into the trousers he gave you, his breath slightly dampening the fabric as he sulked into you. After a couple of minutes had passed, he led you out into the dead of the winter and settled you into his car. If nobody else had seen you, then that was the best place for you to be, what with the windows being tinted. He rejoined you not too long after, making sure that everything vital that he needed was with him before buckling in and heading out.

He’d arrange for this place to be picked clean before anyone had the opportunity to notice. Megumi was safe elsewhere and he wouldn’t be returning, with him going immediately to the campus come next autumn. This was for the best because ultimately, he decided that getting you involved if even indirectly to his adopted son, wasn’t a good idea. Should you decide to stay in the end on your terms though, it would be a different story.

You on the other hand, just as he predicted, didn’t speak all that much. Your distracted, or otherwise, the facade of your own indifference was easier for him to work around, especially as he made the needed calls, instructing people on the receiving end of all sorts of measures and precautions to take when taking care of a name that hadn’t yet entered your circle. The way that he spoke with such care almost threw you off a little, seeing him be so soft-spoken in comparison to the sides of him you otherwise knew. The confident, joking side that he put on an extra long show of for the better part of the summer, or the eerily calm side that he pushed when you didn’t accept the initial circumstances of your new life.

It made you feel nauseated in a way to listen to him speak about someone with such genuine care, making you at the same time wonder just what on earth you did wrong for the attention you received from him to be so neglectful in comparison. He was capable of being tender, so why were you on the opposite spectrum for being on the receiving end of that, until now? You didn’t understand, that was all.

You sighed as your mind became preoccupied and even overwhelmed with such thoughts, although, your neutral expression didn’t betray a single thought. Instead, you kept on looking outside, watching the scenery pass you by. At the sky that you had dreamed of for so long and all of those other thoughts that had long occupied your mind. Guiltily, your mind couldn’t help but drift to Suguru as he drove, wondering exactly what it was that he had been up to right now. A part of you didn’t want to believe that he really murdered both your parents in addition to his own, your mind unable to grasp the possible connection between the two. Yui, you understood—that was revenge for your sake, or so he claimed—your family and his own, despite being so purposefully ignorant, didn’t hold onto that same resentment.

A part of you hoped otherwise, that Satoru lied to you when he disclosed such information. The venom in his tone though wasn’t something you could forget. It was as if he withheld it until he had to get you to break. The irony of him complaining for the longest time that you were being difficult when he was just as capable of being spiteful was insulting.

He almost broke you down too, but you couldn’t be too trusting just yet. Not even now and especially not when he was going to fix things. The fact that he withheld his thoughts from you and seemed adamant about moving you to an even more secluded prison, was evidence enough that this wasn’t going to solve a single thing.

Perhaps though, you supposed, he believed the words he spouted. It was just difficult for you to imagine that a man who inflicted pain on you in the most violating way possible, could just be ‘sorry’ for what he had done. For stealing you away and keeping you in some bleak hold, preventing you from living a life that you had tried so eagerly to reclaim for yourself. You bit back another scoff. He couldn’t be sorry, or at least, if he did feel sorry, then it wouldn’t be enough. No, he should be feeling despair, he should be feeling weak; fear should be coursing through his veins, striking him in the heart as he suffocated through the sheer piercing horror of what he had inflicted.

For him to only feel remorse per his own wrongdoings for the same reason that Suguru did when you admitted to the very same thing was insulting, because they both only seemed to excuse you when your trauma was great enough. For Suguru, it seemed to be the finalisation at least, you wondered just what it was for Satoru, next.

As you succumbed to such thoughts, silently stewing away in the passenger seat, Satoru was plagued by similar thoughts as he drove. The destination in mind was a quaint little house in a town not too dissimilar to yours. A simple property that he bought on a whim in cash when he took on both Megumi and Tsumiki. He did so just in case the two ever wanted to live a normal life, somewhere far away from sorcery. The parallels already invaded his mind the closer he got to it, though, wondering just what sort of life he could have had. Tsumiki from his knowledge, never had a cursed technique of her own. Megumi’s however, was awoken at the typical age. Had he followed his sister, who otherwise also stayed elsewhere into such a life, then maybe it wouldn’t have been too different from what you faced and he hated such a comparison.

Megumi was a gifted, almost eerily perceptive kid, after all. He saw things that the better part of the population couldn’t, exhibiting control of a power, that people couldn’t even begin to fathom. Had he ever attempted to live a normal life, just like his sister, or where Kento had gone off to, just like you before you had known—would it have been just as lonely? As ostracising?

Satoru couldn’t help but scoff at himself again, hating the way that he felt right then and now. It was constricting and painful to imagine such possibilities about the people he sought to bring peace to. He couldn’t bring himself to talk to you during the trip as a result, with the consequences of his actions catching up to him in a way that he couldn’t properly think about. All of the questions that haunted him in a way that he couldn’t answer properly aside from claiming he’ll be able to ‘fix things’ given enough time, not being surprised in the slightest, if you saw through his excuses.

He was thankful that you were dealing with this quietly, although, he was angry at the same time. It wasn’t that he wanted for you to just settle and accept all that he had inflicted, but he didn’t want to at the same time answer, straight to your face, why he would even think to assault you. Why he went from being a once good friend to your abductor? Or why, he was once again, doing something potentially horrible in your eyes, whisking you away from one place to another?

He supposed that this time you’d have more freedom, at least. As long as you didn’t wander outside and try to run your mouth, then he could think more about what he wanted to do. Blinking towards you for a brief moment, he knew that he could trust you on that front. You likely knew that telling on him was pointless given his stature, and although he hated that he could get away with such a cover, for the time being, it was surely beneficial.

As for what he wanted to do? Fuck. He didn’t even know. Satoru sucked at his teeth in thought. Something deeper kept gnawing at the back of his mind, though. Something darker. Satoru was beginning to understand a certain point that he talked Suguru out of committing to back when they were both teens. A consequence of humanity, indeed, but it couldn’t have been your fault. Maybe your experience and existence alone simply just served as a reminder, that the majority of the non-sorcerers that they were brought up to protect, weren’t that much better than the problem they sought to eradicate. The negativity had to come from somewhere, after all, and god, the modern world was swimming in it.

Maybe, for that reason, Suguru had a point after all. Satoru sighed and tried to shake away the thoughts as he pulled you both into the driveway either way, leading you inside, telling you to get comfortable as he absentmindedly started to unload the car.

Satoru took another deep breath. Maybe it was time to get back into touch with Suguru then, he thought. At least lately, and after such a fresh admission on your end, his decision in life started to make more sense than ever before.

Maybe everything did happen for a reason, he supposed, because what were the chances that someone as devastating as you would ever fall in between someone so volatile and someone so torn at the same time? Whatever it was, Satoru was starting to finally understand it, despite the way he was otherwise raised.

Perhaps the next course of action would have to be the more drastic one, because he was damned if this sort of life caught up to those he cared about, too.

~~~

Shoko continued to pace around the ward of the Kyoto Jujutsu College, barely wrangled in by Utahime who hovered around her with twitching hands, held up in a strained placating gesture. Shoko clawed at her hair, tugging at the roots in frustration. What did that mean for you, indeed? Satoru Gojo couldn’t have been missing—surely not! Did he know somehow about the plan, or was this some sort of twisted turn of fate, that just so happened to misalign with her plans?

In a fit of madness, she suddenly paused in the middle of it all, finding some sort of revelation, or perhaps comfort as she dipped her hands into her pockets, flipping the cigarette carton open, only for the pack to be empty.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Shoko…” Utahime tried to soothe her, trying to reign her in as irrationality threatened to take her over.

“I-I can’t do this, Utahime,” Shoko whined, almost, her voice coming out as a string of muttered drawls, leaning her back up against the wall as she pushed her palms over her eyes, “I’m so fucking tired.”

“Yuki is still willing to help,” Utahime softly spoke, trying to be the voice of reason, “I think if we try to do what we initially had in mind, then he could slip up at some point, maybe even reveal himself to us by accident and give us an opening.”

“An opening?” Shoko repeated, a hint of madness seeping into her tone. “To where?” her hands dropped and her eyes widened. “Baby, I love you, but to where? We have no idea where the fuck he’s gone off to this time.”

“We could stage something and get his location that way,” Utahime brainstormed, “maybe a hospital, or somewhere secluded.”

“All the while she’s somewhere we have no fucking clue of?” Shoko spat, feeling the exhaustion creep back in.

Utahime too, was beginning to feel tired—of everything. “We’ll follow him back then, or Yuki will.”

“You really think that his six eyes wouldn’t notice a curse user on his tail?” Shoko replied with a deadpan tone, although she didn’t mean it. In reality, this was her way of showing defeat, the hope gone from her voice.

Utahime tilted her head to the side, her pointer finger perched at her lip. “Non-sorcerers do exist, so perhaps we could hire a private investigator or someone similar to tag him. Somebody perfectly ordinary without even a hint of cursed energy.”

Shoko’s voice softened. “Would that even work?”

“I believe that if we figure out a general idea of where he’s staying, then yes,” Utahime assured, “we’ll make it work, at least somehow… we have to, right?”

Shoko nodded, already settling on a plan in mind. She wouldn’t do anything to harm Megumi, god no, but she could take him out for the day and drop an anonymous tip to Satoru that he was missing, possibly injured, or close to getting to such a state. Guilt flooded within her, but she had to do what she could, finally ending this once and for all. Another thought did enter her mind though. “What about… Suguru?”

Utahime paused. “A definite problem, but not impossible to deal with. Have you heard anything from him lately?”

Shoko shook her head. “I haven’t…”

“In that case,” Utahime considered, forming a plan of her own, “fill him in, but only briefly. He’s a good ally to have given that he’s likely the only one, despite everything else that has happened, that Satoru is likely to let get close.”

Shoko hummed. “Got it. Maybe he could cooperate and let me take hold of the girls for the day too, if I word it differently. He knows that I wouldn’t do anything to them, but at the same time I do need leverage…” she muttered off to herself, feeling once again nauseated at indirectly involving the kids, but for neither Satoru nor Suguru to screw them over in the plan they had so delicately crafted, there had to be a middle ground.

A few seconds passed, a new message on her phone emerged. The flirty undertone of the text told her that this was Yuki.

[Let’s meet~]

~~~

In the meanwhile, Suguru stared at his phone as it rang. His eyes were wide and almost manic, his lip twitching at the very thought. Satoru had a specifically assigned ringtone for his phone, so there was no denying it. He grabbed the phone within an instant, caving in after just a couple of seconds had passed, not sure what to expect.

“It’s me,” Satoru began the call, ready to disclose all that needed to, to bring himself over to his side and with some luck, to join forces if need be.

He was tired of running too, after all.

[fantasylandloser]

Cry For Help pt.2

Pairing: rafe cameron x reader

pt.1

Four Months Later

“Your hair is all gone.” It’s the first thing you say and you regret it immediately. It’s the first time you’d seen, or spoken to him since he left and that was the first thing you said. But Rafe grins amused by your disbelief. He looks happier, more like the Rafe from childhood than the last couple of years and you’re relieved.

“Yeah I was sick of it getting in my face.” He explains. You can’t help but continuously run your eyes over his face. He’s tanned and relaxed somewhat. He’s smiled more in the last two minutes than the last year and he seems so much more like himself. So much stronger. 

“Hmm” You acknowledge. You weren't really sure what you should be saying. You didn’t want to trigger him, so all the things you had been thinking about saying to him got lodged in your throat. 

When he texted you to come over you nearly broke every traffic law to get there. You knew he’d been home for two weeks, after hearing about his return all over the island but he had never contacted you before today. 

He looked almost content as the two of you walked in the front yard. He lets the silence trickle over the two of you for a minute before speaking again.

“You’re either really mad that I cut my hair, or you must have taken a vow of silence while I was gone.” He jokes. You laugh a little still not really knowing what you were allowed to say.

“You know you can just ask? I know you have a thousand questions.” He said in that tone that said he knew you better than you knew yourself. 

You tilt your head trying to get a better look at him. “How are you?” You ask gently and the words feel foreign because you used to always know how he was. Not anymore obviously. 

“I’m better than I’ve been in a long time.” He said thoughtfully. You’re rushed with relief at hearing this, grateful to whoever had a hand in that.

“That’s good.” You nod. “What was rehab like?” You both had completely stopped walking just looking at each other.

“It was bad at first. Withdrawals you know, but then it was better. And..” He paused for a second looking away from you like there was something he wasn’t sure if he should bring up. “And I got the help I needed for um.. the voices and stuff so that’s good.” He looked a little embarrassed to share that with you. Pink tinging his cheeks, but you were elated, and beyond proud of him.

“You did? I’m so proud of you.” The words come out of your mouth with such ease you didn’t even realize the way that affected Rafe. His family was pleased to have him back but nobody really talked about his time away. Or how different he was now. Nobody praised him and he didn’t really think he deserved it for something he did to himself, but for some reason you didn’t look at it like that. You thought this was something special. He saw that in your eyes as soon as you saw him.

Rafe let your words wash away not knowing how to respond, continuing to walk again and you picking up beside him. “I wanted to say thank you too.” You look at him in confusion, confused on what he was thanking you for.

“For telling my dad.” He elaborates. “I know that wasn’t easy for you. Probably the last thing you wanted since you hate him but uhh it means a lot that you know me well enough to know how to help me.” You’re flabbergasted at this. You love Rafe but never once in your friendship has he expressed gratitude toward you and you know whatever therapist he was talking to deserved a raise.

“Oh..” You’re hesitant before you respond, because you weren’t planning on bringing it up of course.

“I thought you hated me for that.” Rafe shakes his head at the thought. 

“Could never hate you, bug.” He tells you. Your face heats up slightly but you ignore it the best you can. 

“You ignored all my calls, and denied me visitation.” You pointed out. To which Rafe sighs.

“I was angry at you. For a while. But over time I stopped being angry at you and more angry at myself, angry at my dad, at the situation and I realized I do have a lot I could be mad at, and even hate but never you. So thank you for saving me.” 

You’re hugging him before you even realize it. “That’s what best friends are for.”

[firequeenofficial]

I miss the Ranchers. That is all I have to say.

-

When they finally managed to put out the mansion, Jimmy slipped away from the others, finding a quiet spot to hide away. He just needed a moment to breathe. He'd been struggling ever since he'd first seen Tango with Etho, Skizz and Impulse.

He'd never felt anything like this before, like a part of him was missing, broken off, stolen. He saw Tango laughing with his friends, and his heart ached. He had once made Tango laugh like that. He had once been the person Tango relied on. Now, he watched his soulmate, his Rancher, with the others, and it was like he didn't even care, or didn't remember. He hadn't even reacted when Jimmy had called him, "Rancher".

He wondered whether Joel felt the same way watching Etho. He didn't think so - Joel had barely stopped laughing since he'd found him, except to rage about the mansion being set on fire, of course. Besides, Joel wouldn't even remember Double Life.

He sat at the top of a hill in the south-east corner of the world, watching the sun rise beyond the border. He was grateful everyone seemed to want to base close together this season; it left plenty of free space to hide away.

He hated this. He hated being one of only three people who ever remembered each season. He hated Grian for forcing this on him. He hated the Watchers for forcing it on Grian. More than anything, he hated himself for not being able to do anything but whine about it. Grian was his brother, he should have been able to help him, but there was nothing he could do.

He wondered if Pearl felt anything, watching Scott with Martyn. Was there any part of her that missed him, even though they'd done nothing but fight the whole time they were soulbound? She couldn't remember Last Life, he knew, but did some part of her long for it anyhow? He wished he could speak with her about it, but she would probably just call him silly. No one else pined after their alliances from previous seasons, after all. It was just him that was so pathetic that he longed for the first person to be genuinely gentle with him.

That didn't make it any easier, after all. It didn't make him long any less. It didn't make Tango suddenly mean nothing to him.

He missed him.

That was the plain and simple truth of it. He missed Tango. Void, he missed him so damn much it hurt.

He sighed and dropped his face into his hands, fighting back tears. He was completely alone, but he still couldn't bring himself to feel it all, not so strongly, not all the way.

He just had to move on. It was that easy. He just had to let the Bad Boys be his new people, and he had to let Team TIES be Tango's new people, and he had to leave it at that.

He could do that.

Jimmy took a deep breath and leaned back slightly, turning his attention back to the brightening horizon. A breeze ruffled his hair.

The pain lessened, just slightly.

"Jimmy?"

The pain came back full force, and he froze.

No. No, he couldn't be here. Not now, not when he'd committed to letting him go.

Jimmy didn't turn. He didn't say anything.

After a moment's hesitation, Tango sat down beside him. Jimmy didn't move. He didn't look at him.

"Wow, what a view." Tango's heart clearly wasn't in the observation, though.

Silence was Jimmy's only response.

Tango apparently decided that beating about the bush was overrated. "Are you upset with me?"

Jimmy closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at him. "No." That was true, at least. He was upset about Tango, not with him.

The blazeborn let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I would hate for you to be mad at me. I don't know how I'd do this without my Rancher."

Jimmy was so surprised that he snapped his eyes open and his head around to face him. "What?"

He was met with a smirk that he'd learnt to adore. "What, you didn't think I'd forgotten, had you?"

He remembered. He remembered! Jimmy could have cried with joy! Tango remembered him!

But Jimmy didn't cry. Instead, he let out a loud, jubilant laugh and launched himself at his Rancher, throwing his arms around Tango's neck. The pair fell to the ground, both laughing, clinging to each other. Jimmy buried his face in Tango's neck, holding on like Tango might disappear the moment he let go.

"You really did think I forgot, didn't you," Tango realised, and held him closer.

"I thought I lost you." Jimmy's voice was muffled by Tango's shirt collar.

Tango huffed a small laugh, running his hands through Jimmy's hair. "We're in this together, buddy. Even if we're on different teams, you'll always be my Rancher."

This was what Jimmy had been missing. Two whole seasons, he'd searched for this. For something who cared for him no matter what, in thick or thin, even across lifetimes. Tango was... exactly what he needed. Exactly what he wanted.

Jimmy sighed, his breath shaky. He was going to be okay.

Whatever happened this season, he was going to be okay. He could face whatever with his Rancher by his side.

They were going to be okay.

[aeb-art]

Memory of Face

Loop & Siffrin

Rating: T Summary: Loop has a bit more of a visceral reaction while watching Siffrin and the King attempt to say the name of the forgotten country and they fail to reign in their emotions before Siffrin returns to the Favor Tree. CW: past injury, self-harm, mutilation, self-mutilation, body horror

(ao3 link)

Act 3 - Loops 56 and 57

You were watching when it happened. Of course you were watching!

Stardust was just getting so fixated with talking to the King… Sure, you were learning new information, but in your opinion, none of it sounded useful in actually breaking the loops themselves. You couldn’t talk them out of trying so you just had to watch instead.

You just daydreamed and watched the birds and clouds for the majority of the loop. There was nothing new to see and you couldn’t feel as though stardust was very distressed, so you waited for the end, for when it mattered.

Admittedly, you weren’t actually listening as hard as you should have after you started watching in the King’s chamber. If you had to listen to everything that vile waste of oxygen had to say every single time, you’d go more insane than you already felt.

But then…

There was blood.

You jolted upright, almost falling out of the tree as you snapped to attention.

Blood splattered from stardust’s throat. They hacked it up violently with tears forming in the corner of their eye. His dagger clattered to the floor as his one hand gripped tight on his shirt over his heart and the other came up to his throat. Stardust’s family were surrounding them the next second, crying out for them to stop and trying to protect them, thinking it was the King himself doing this, as if the King wasn’t coughing up that same shade.

Wait- the shade- how did you not realize it… Was that a… color? The others had read a book or two in the House about it, you think. It hurt to look at. It made you physically recoil after you focused on it for a moment too long.

Stardust’s fingers gripped their throat tighter. They couldn’t dig into it with their gloves still on. They couldn’t claw the name out.

But you... You felt… pain.

Your body mimicked stardust’s own body without you realizing it. The tips of your fingers sharpened like claws and, as you gripped your neck tighter and tighter, you sank in. As he coughed and struggled to speak, you felt like you were burning. Just as stardust could not get the name of your country out, you could not…

GET IT OUT GET IT OUT GET IT OUT

Your claws dug and dug and dug into your neck and down. They would not find what they were looking for of course. You couldn’t stop what already happened, what was already done to you, what your selfish mistake had done to you.

The lightless grains of sugary craft making up your body flew and flew as you tried in vain to tear yourself apart.

You just made a wish for an escape, for an end, for help, for anyone’s help, but then… You only wanted their help and THEY… THEY-!

IT burned! The star meant to grant your wish boiled your insides! You wanted to take it back, to throw IT up, to pull IT back out! But it burned!

IT BURNED IT BURNED IT BURNED

THEY mutilated you! THEY took your mouth, the only escape for that stupid cursed star! Then IT blinding exploded! IT destroyed you, everything about you. IT made you unrecognizable and THEY just had to put you back together in THEIR image!

You were going to be sick.

Stardust tried to speak again and his throat tore open. It painted their cloak in that awful awful shade…

Your hand tore into your chest, grabbed that star you were forced to use now as a heart, and ripped!

And you’d screamed. You’d both screamed and screamed and screamed.

Although the loop reset, the phantom sensations from your “Change” [Ew.] never left. The feeling of your body being broken and forced back together was unbearable, even as a memory. Your chest expanded, your limbs stretched out, your bones were flung out of their sockets, and then it was all just sucked back together. THEY vacuum-sealed your “skin” tight around your mangled shattered skeleton just as your insides were completely consumed by sickening sweetness.

You grabbed your head tight as your entire body vibrated violently.

Calm down! You had to calm down! You couldn’t be seen like this! You couldn’t break character, right? C’mon, Siffrin, what if your friends saw you? You needed to get back to… to…

No, no, you’re not him anymore. You gave that up! You were literally reexperiencing the excruciating pain associated with leaving your own narrative, with damning yourself as you so expertfully had, right at this very moment!

You were Loop! helpful Loop! and that’s all you would be, ever again! That was all you were allowed to be right now!

So you needed to calm down, be normal, or at least good enough that… that he wouldn’t see… you… like this…

…

Stardust was looking at you. Right. Now. He was already at the tree.

You lost track of time. It normally took him an hour to get to you. Had he run here…? Or did you really lie here with your claws embedded in your neck [for the second time now] for all that time?

“L-Loop…?” Stardust sounded… scared? What? Why would he be…?

!!!

Your light was out! You normally lit yourself up when stardust got close, but you hid in the dark otherwise so nobody [especially a certain party member that was usually nearby] would see you.

You didn’t know what you looked like. Stardust drew you a couple loops back and it… Well, you didn’t want to think about it! You specifically forced away all thoughts about your altered appearance. You didn’t need to know! It didn’t matter! Why would it?

But why was stardust staring at you like that? What did your head look like? What awful visage did your glow normally keep hidden away?

Did your face look anything like it used to?

You wiped the stinging tears from your eyes and sat back upright on your usual tree root. As you started to glow at your usual brightness level, you forced cheer into your voice. “Oh! Why, welcome back, stardust!~” You tried smiling too, even if he couldn’t see that. You didn’t really have a jaw or lips anymore, or at least you didn’t feel them. “How can I help you on this wonderful new loop?”

They blinked at you. They did not sit on the ground in their usual spot. “Loop, you’re… You’re bleeding…” His voice wavered. One of his hands reached up just a little, but they did not come any closer to you. Hypocrite.

You brought a hand back up to your neck. It came back wet. The lightless fluid sparkled and you had to restrain yourself from glaring at the little stars in it. It mocked you. “Huh… So I am!”

“Can I…? I could heal you?” He cringed and took a step forward finally. His leg trembled. You realized his throat sounded raw and you wondered if he’d woken up still screaming. “I’m not on Mira’s level with healing craft, but-”

“No.” You said a bit too fast and with too much bite. He flinched and you tried not to feel bad about it. “I can do it myself, thank you.”

You still weren’t calm after you healed yourself, but you did feel a little better. The cool wave of healing craft filled you with an energy that almost made you nostalgic. You hadn’t been injured nor healed in a long time now.

You moved your still bloody hand away and waved at him with it. “See? All better! Tee-hee!”

“I’d offer you something to wipe that off with, but…” They trailed off, their face scrunching up as they cringed a bit, and finally went to sit down across from you. Their hands gripped the grass tight and they leaned back against a big tree root. They didn’t look at you.

Or they couldn’t look at you, not after that. What did he see? Was he really that scared of you? of a monster like you who gave up their humanity because they were so blinding selfish!?

“But all you have are your clothes and you can’t let your family members see them with weird blood on them, yes, yes.” You closed your eyes and crossed your legs, your sticky [Ew.] hands clasped in your lap. “It’s the thought that counts, I suppose…”

You could not breathe so you could not soothe yourself as you did in another life. You rubbed your buzzing arms and hoped that was enough… It wasn’t.

“But thank you anyway.” You waited for them to look at you. “Let’s talk about something else.”

They gave a sympathetic nod. Your shoulders relaxed, just a little.

Even if talking about the King or stardust’s family made you feel like you were being stabbed, it wasn’t about you! Can’t have stardust seeing behind the curtains too much after all. You actually managed to not flub too much for the rest of the interaction and had genuine cheer in your voice by the time stardust finally got up to leave.

…

[Stardust.]

He stopped walking and looked back at you over his shoulder. You closed your eyes.

[You got Memory of Face. When equipped, +5 Luck for every loop you’ve visited your dearest companion- which is me, Loop, obviously- buuut -25 Defense.]

[It did catch you off guard- you certainly looked startled- so naturally there’d be a negative side effect.]

You opened your eyes to look at him. He had fully turned back toward you.

[Maybe learn to knock next time? Tee-hee!~] You winked.

Stardust shook his head with a soft laugh before waving goodbye and finally leaving. You almost forgot to wave back.

Once you were alone, you felt… cold.

The wind hit you through the tree branches and a shiver ran through you. It felt like your skin was sticking together like glue… You cringed. It was a disgusting, vile, and overwhelming sensation.

You stood up and put your light out to be safe once again before you headed into the dark woods. You needed to clean this blood off of you before you started panicking for different reasons from before. The sensation of the grains being wet and drying together all crusty was going to make you vibrate until your body tore itself apart.

Still, this wasn’t going to go well, was it?

Your only ideas for your appearance were from stardust’s little drawing and what you could see when you looked down. You had no idea what your face looked like, but you already knew you weren’t going to like it.

You were walking toward the river, but downstream as it ran through the thicker parts of the forest. You’d never wandered this far from town before, so you just had to hold on hope that there wouldn’t be any people foraging or hunting back here. This area wasn’t frozen by the curse yet, there was still food to be found, and the people of Dormont, from their perspective, would be getting desperate for food sooner rather than later.

For old time’s sake, you piou piou’d back at the birds you passed.

The ground was dry and hard beneath your feet, you could see the earth cracking in a spot without grass. Because the curse messed with the weather, you couldn’t recall it having rained much in Dormont for a couple weeks before your party arrived. The ecological damage the King was going to cause Vaugarde by the time these loops ended and he was finally truly dead was going to be devastating. It would likely take years to recover.

There were no fish in the water when you got to the river. The person fishing in town mentioned all the fish were frozen far up and down stream, you think. The water level was very low and the flow was unnaturally slow. You couldn’t understand how it flowed at all; where was the water coming from if the source was frozen in time? You shook those thoughts away as you kneeled at the river’s edge. Hm. It was more like a stream now, wasn’t it? or a creek? Ah, but that wasn’t very important.

Okay, moment of truth. This was the first time seeing your reflection in… Stars, probably since the morning before the loops began. You hadn’t looked at yourself in five years. That was… a lot.

You steeled yourself, best as you could, and closed your eyes. You leaned forward over the water and gave yourself a mental countdown. Normally you’d do three, you picked threes for everything, but the pit in your gut said to make it longer, so seven felt right this time. Slowly, you opened your eyes and…

Ah.

You understood stardust’s reaction now. If you had a mouth it would be gaping.

You thought your head looked vaguely like a skull, but it was the same sparkling lightless sugar as the rest of your body. You were missing a jaw and lips like you’d first thought. What would be the top of your mouth, where teeth would be, was just smoothed out, which was probably a blessing, it would look weirder with them there and not the rest, you thought… How could you speak?

The softness of your old face was mostly gone now. You ran your fingers along your sharper cheekbones with a grimace. There was hardly any give at all. Your ears were different too. It looked like the cartilage had burned so hot they melted and were flattened against the sides of your head, leaving only bumps that vaguely hinted at what used to be there. There were still holes though, so you didn’t have to question how you could still hear. You pressed your palms against the bumps to block the sound and yep! The muffling of the babbling brook in front of you confirmed that you still heard through them! That was some consolation, you supposed, some thread of normalcy.

You still had your nose surprisingly. That made no sense considering you could no longer breathe. It looked out of place without the rest of your face. The bridge looked like it’d been broken at some point, curving a little toward your left side. You booped it and it seemed to be the only part of you that was still just as squishy as you vaguely remembered it used to be… Not that you were regularly booping your own nose or anything, but you thought your whole head was squishy back then, your baby fat had never fallen off. That was always a little weird to you considering the fact that you were struggling to find food for about a decade, right up until you met your friends, especially after Bonnie joined and started making you all gourmet meals. The rest of your body was pretty gangly and you were always happy your cloak hid it… It was embarrassing.

Your gaze came to your eyes now. They were different shades, just like stardust said. Your left eye’s shade lightened, as if your blindness was some prolonged natural cause and not from sacrifice. The grains shifted around your eyes like skin might so you could still make expressions, but it certainly looked wrong, and the uncanniness only worsened the longer you stared at yourself.

Okay, you’d seen yourself now. That was enough for at least another five years. You’d gotten a teeny tiny bit of closure on exactly one thing. That had to count for something, right?

You washed the blood from your hands, face, neck, and chest after that without much fanfare. You didn’t have access to soap or a sponge, but it was good enough. It would just reset anyway.

The grains of craft still clumped together, but somehow you knew it would all dry without having that awful feeling you had before. You’d just have to lie in the sun before it set… Then you looked up through the canopy to see it had actually already set and you groaned. It seemed you lost track of time yet again, not that it mattered very much now. You didn’t have anything else to do until the next day and that was really only if stardust called you.

Hm?

Stardust was calling you right now actually. Huh? Shouldn’t they be at dinner? Or on their little stargazing date? Hah… The thought of them calling you instead of silently looking at Isa with heart eyes alone together in that field… The “skin” over your stomach frizzled uncomfortably.

[I’m surprised to hear from you again so soon, stardust!~ Are you really that lonely without me? You’ll make me blush!]

(Where are you? You aren’t at the tree.)

Huh???

[Shouldn’t you be at the clocktower?] You shook the excess water off of you and stood up. You might as well head back to see what he needed of you. [Don’t tell me you’re willingly ditching them to hang out with little old me again? and so soon after the last time!]

(No, that’s…) You heard them gulp, even though this wasn’t really a verbal conversation.

(Dinner’s over already. I told them I wanted to go on a walk.)

[Too antsy to be stuck in bed just yet?]

(... Something like that.)

[Well, I’m almost back. I just had to freshen up a bit.]

The call ended just like that and only a few minutes later, you were back at the tree. You lit yourself up once more, but kept yourself a bit dim. It was dark out now, you didn’t want to have bugs completely swarming you.

Stardust was standing up, leaning their back against the Favor Tree and looking up into the pitch canopy. You purposefully walked with louder steps so they’d hear you approach.

“So, what do you need from me, stardust?” You asked when he’d looked over at you. As you got closer, you were forced to realize that… he was shorter than you. You knew your body was strange now, wrong, but the height difference was wholly unexpected. You kind of liked that change actually. You were a full head taller… Were you still shorter than Odile? You pushed that thought aside for now.

They smiled warmly and pushed themself off the tree. Then from under their cloak, they pulled out… “Flower for you.”

You blinked at it. What? Seriously?

“Seriously, stardust? You came back out here just for that?” You huffed and crossed your arms over your chest. “How many times do I have to say no?”

You’re supposed to give flowers to people that are important. You didn’t fit that description.

“Not even as an apology?” Their face fell into the most pitiful, disappointed pout you’d ever seen. If it was an act, you must admit that it was a very good one.

“No.” You grimaced down at them. “And…” You groaned and looked away. You tried not to glow any brighter, but from how your light hit the leaves around you, you knew you were failing. “You don’t have to apologize for… That. There was no way you could’ve known about that.”

Their hand holding the flower fell back to their side after a beat of silence, at least you assumed from seeing vague movement in your periphery. “Is there anything I could do…?”

“Just don’t…” Your hands gripped onto your upper arms, perhaps too tight. “Don’t bring it up again.”

“Okay…” You could hear the defeat in their voice. Good.

“You could probably still give the flower to one of your family members I’m sure,” You sighed and looked at them once again. “Or you could, I don’t know, maybe pin it to your cloak or something?”

Their eyes widened just a fraction before they fumbled with one of the pins on the collar and the flower. Then they held them up to you, eye sparkling. “Can you do it?”

Well… He wasn’t making you take the stupid flower for yourself, so you considered this a win. You took the items and ignored how giddy he looked as you reached up to pin it. It wasn’t a difficult process by any means, though you worried about the pin stabbing them. You didn’t exactly have the gentlest touch. You took a step back afterwards and… Oh, huh. That looked cute actually. Why hadn’t you ever done that before?

“Awww, stardust, that looks sooo cuuuuuute!~” You cooed and pinched their cheek, tugging on it until they were slapping your hand away. You giggled and backed off.

He was blushing darkly as he rubbed his cheek. “Thanks…” They dipped their head into the collar of their cloak before you could see any more and tilted their head down so their hat’s brim would hide the rest.

That certainly wasn’t a reaction you got out of them very often, so you decided to push it. “Aw, can my dearest stardust not take being told how adorable he is?”

“You know I can’t!” They whined and pulled the brim of their hat down further with their hands.

“But you admit you are cute?~” You bent forward, trying to move so you could see his face again. This was too much fun, you couldn’t help yourself.

“Ugh, good night, Loop!” They hurriedly backed away.

“Good night, cutie!~” You just kept laughing as you watched them skitter off into the night.

Oh.

You actually felt better now.

Ehehe… Hahahahaha!

You were… You were glad you had stardust around for company. You didn’t really get to appreciate that in earnest yet. Finally you had someone to talk to, someone who, to an extent, understood what you went through [even though they didn’t know you went through it].

Not only that, but… You got to genuinely joke around again. You’d been stuck repeating the same lines so long that every joke was hollow and meaningless. You used to annoy your friends with bad puns at every opportunity, playing the comedian was basically the core personality trait you adopted, but you lost that. For so long, you’d lost that part of yourself. You didn’t know if you’d be able to make puns anytime soon, if ever again, but at least with stardust you could have a little fun. You could tease him like it was second nature to you. It made the weight on you a little more bearable.

And if that also made his own load lighter? Well, that was simply an added bonus.

If you had someone to talk to from the start, you- you…

Hm. Well, you immediately soured your good mood with that one. Great job, Loop.

You shook away your thoughts and looked for a comfy patch of grass in the dark brush. You might as well try and sleep. You didn’t have much else to do anyway. You supposed you were back to your regular schedule now. There was supposed to be a script to follow and a play to watch. You were nothing if not a stickler for following the order of things, even when you no longer wanted to.

It was a big day tomorrow, you could feel it. Despite living that day thousands of times, you felt… an inexplicable dread.

You didn’t sleep that night.

[usoppshoneydew]

"9 to 5" Tasm!Peter Parker x reader🕸️🕸️🕸️

S: After a bad day at work, you get a lucky ride home from your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Pairing: Andrew Garfield! Spider-man x F! Black reader

Tw: Heights??/ Fluff

Word count: 5.3k

Notes: Reader is described as shorter than Peter; reader has a sister; parted hair is mentioned; This is proofread but there may still be mistakes🕸️🕸️🕸️

It's a normal, bustling night in New York as people walk through the streets of Queens. The sun set a while ago but through a window, a person could still hear civilians revving engines, honking horns, or cursing out someone who almost hit them in the crosswalk. A typical night in the city you live in. It's on a relatively basic night like this, that you meet spiderman for the first time.

“Yeah, I'll be right there. Yeah, I missed my bus so I'm taking the street.” You softly speak into your phone, explaining to your sister the reason you're not home from work yet. You glance around while she lists off all the ways she wants you to watch yourself. You knew this way home like the back of your hand, and it's pretty much the safest one, surrounded by families and the elderly, but that didn't mean you didn't keep your head on a swivel like usual.

“Yeah, okay. Yeah, I've got my mace. Ok, see you in a minute. Ok. Love you too. Bye.” You end the conversation and hang up, before putting your phone in your pocket. You sigh deeply and continue your walk, no earbuds in for safety reasons, just the sounds of traffic and the puddles underneath your feet keeping you company on your way back. With nothing else to keep you busy, you do the exact thing you didn't want to do, and run over the course of your day in your head.

You'd had a pretty awful shift at work. It must've been “be a jerk to customer service employees” day and you hadn't gotten the memo or something, because the amount of pissy customers there were today caught you off guard. So of course you were more than ready to go home when it was time to clock off, right before it's time to clean up and close the store, as planned. You scheduled your hours this way on purpose because you hate cleaning with other people, and because your BUS doesn't run that late. This is what you told your manager, when she gave you some bullshit reason for having to leave early and why you had to stay and close up instead of her. You should have set her straight right then, manager or not, but as per usual, you just stewed angrily and cussed her out in your head for the next two hours while wiping counters. You're caught up in your thoughts when someone suddenly shoves past you with their shoulder,forcing you to stumble out of their way.

“Watch where you're going!” the guy practically spits at you and walks off without even giving you a second glance. He doesn't even give you a chance to respond, but it's not like you would have anyway. Instead you just suck your teeth loudly and toss an irritated glare at him over your shoulder. After all, you're not all bark and no bite. You've got enough in you to give someone a nasty look, maybe even venomous depending on what they did, but for some reason any comebacks you can think of only come to you long after the person is gone.You shake your head and are about to continue on your way when you hear a loud “thwip”, and a surprised shriek. Just when you're about to glance back to see what happened, there's the sound of feet roughly landing on the pavement in front of you.

“Yo! It's not nice to push people, man!” You turn back towards the voice, and right in front of you is spiderman, looking over your head while continuing to berate the guy behind you. You stand there stunned for a moment while the two men argue, your mouth slightly parted.

“What the hell man!? Let me out of this!” The stranger shouts while struggling, and you turn around to see that he's now uncomfortably strapped to the wall beside the street, with a large spider web. His arms are up in an awkward position and the tips of his feet are just barely grazing the ground. It looked embarrassing, and there was no way there wouldn't be a group of teenagers taking pictures of him soon, but hey, the guy deserved it.

“Actually, I think I'll let you stay there for a while! Maybe give you a chance to learn some manners!” Spiderman calls back casually before finally directing his reflective eyes down at you. You just glance back up at him for a short moment in disbelief. In the few years since you first saw Spiderman on TV, you've never once seen the hero in person. Maybe you're always looking down at your phone whenever he swings by or something, because you've never seen any of his amazing feats. There could be news about him stopping crime on the exact street you take to school, at the exact time you get out of your last class, and you'll still only find out about it after you step inside your front door. Now he was standing in front of you, tonight of all nights, and he's taller than he looks in the videos.

“Are you okay?” He huffs breathlessly after his little back and forth with the guy from earlier, the wide eyes of his mask staring down at you expectantly. You blink a few times before stuttering a bit and dusting your jacket off.

“Oh uh- yeah I'm fine. He didn't knock me over or anything.” You mumble absentmindedly while looking down at and straightening your already straight clothes. You don't know why you're acting so skittish. Spiderman isn't a celebrity or anything but he is extremely well known at this point. Maybe that's why it feels kind of surreal that he's speaking to you so casually. That, and you're a bit of a fan of Spiderman despite never seeing him in person, always finding yourself keeping up with his latest acts of heroism.

“Well no- I meant-.” Spiderman says before pausing and tapping at his eyes. You just pause for a moment before finally noticing your stiff cheeks and the tears drying on them.

“What the hell? How did I not realize I'd been crying?” You frown, genuinely confused. It must've been when you were thinking about how you let your manager get away with treating you like a shag carpet. You don't have anything to clean your face with, except for a few small packs of wet wipes in your purse, and you don't want to imagine what that would do to your skin.

“Yeah! I uh- was swinging by and noticed you. You looked pretty lost in thought, so I wasn't gonna say anything but. Y'know, spiderman makes time for all civilians, even- crying ones.” He rambles on, and how awkward it comes out makes you smile a little. You never would've thought that spiderman could kind of, well,word vomit. He always looks so put together in his videos, aside from the compilation of times he's fallen or swung into something.

“No, I'm fine really! Thank you. And for dealing with that guy too! If you hadn't done anything I probably would've just complained about him with my sister later.” You joke after glancing back at the man again. Spider man just nods with his arms crossed.

“I get it, not the confrontational type. Me neither.” He sighs, and you tilt your eyebrows slightly, because his actions just now and a few of the videos you've watched definitely contradict that statement. After a moment you begin to fidget a little, not entirely sure of what else to say to Spider-Man, but not wanting to end your conversation with him either. Who knows when you'll get a chance like this again. The next time would probably have to be when there's some sort of danger, and you're not necessarily looking forward to that, especially not after that horrifying lizard incident when you were in highschool. That had been the first time you saw him, watching your TV in awe while clinging to your mom. He notices your discomfort and jumps to make conversation, not necessarily ready to leave you on your own either.

“So um- are you on your way home? I don't think I've seen you in this neighborhood before.” He asks you before coolly leaning on the wall beside him. He really hopes you actually wanted him to continue the conversation, and that he's not just awkwardly holding you hostage now. You brighten up when you look back up at him though, so you can bet he's inwardly patting himself on the back for making the right choice.

“Yeah,that's probably because I usually take the bus through here. I don't normally walk down this street.” You respond while looking around,noticing the sudden absence of families and the elderly. This is the safest route you know, but it's also significantly later than when you'd usually walk through here, around 11 at night now. Spiderman must've noticed the lack of people too because the thing he says next catches you off guard.

“Do you want a ride?” He asks you casually and you look back over at him.

“A ride?” You ask, confused. From what you've seen, no one's ever posted about a spider mobile or anything of that sort. How would he give you a ride home? Spiderman just nods easily before looking up at the buildings around you.

“Yeah! Y'know, you wrap your arms around me, I wrap my arm around you, and fwip fwip!” He makes a small swishing sound and mimics the way he shoots his webs. You look at him with a dumb face, before finally processing what he was offering.

“You're saying you're going to swing me home?!” You gasp, your voice echoing in the empty neighborhood. Spiderman nods casually, this being something he does pretty often. Well, not that often but he's done it with a girlfriend or two, or one. He doesn't swing people around that often.

“Are you sure that's okay? Don't you have to uh- patrol or something like that?” You ask wearily. Swinging while in the arms of New York’s own Spider-Man is something you daydream about an embarrassing amount, but that didn't mean you wanted to take up his time.

“Well I'd offer to walk you home. But swinging’s faster. And! That high in the air, I can patrol at the same time. It's a win win.” He quickly says while rubbing the back of his neck, trying to appear cool about it. You just falter, at a loss for words. What was happening? You've not only run into and spoken to spiderman, a person you've only ever seen on camera,but now he's asking you if you want him to swing you through the city? All in the same night? How had this day turned around so drastically? You're still lost in thought when spider man speaks up again.

“Besides, I can't let a civilian walk around an empty neighborhood by herself can I? Not at this time of night.” He adds softly and reaches his hand out. After a moment more of contemplating, you sigh. You'd had a horrible day and your favorite hero was offering to take you home. Your friends would only clown you if you missed this chance by acting timid again, overly considerate, and you'd beat yourself up over it too. Besides, you glance around at the dark neighborhood. What could be safer than a personal escort home from the webbed hero himself?

“ I guess you can't. Thank you.” You say and accept the hand he has stretched towards you. Spiderman takes your hand before gently leading it to wrap around his shoulders, and you're surprised by how warm his hands are even through his gloves. You wrap your other arm around him, and nervously start to wonder how this was going to work. The masked hero was taller than he looked in the videos, and you had to reach a little just to get a half decent grip around his shoulders. There's no way you're not flying into a late night hot dog stand like this. As if he read your mind, spiderman suddenly starts to shuffle a bit.

“One second, let's just get a better grip here.” He mutters quietly, and you make a startled sound when he suddenly squats a little lower than you, his chin grazing your chest, before wrapping an arm around your waist and lifting you slightly higher. With the sudden movement and the new height difference, you reflexively wrap your arms tighter around him.

“Oh lord, this is really happening.” You practically cry in your head, your heart starting to beat faster in your chest when it sinks in that you're going to be hundreds of feet in the air in a short moment. After a quick little bounce, just to secure you a little higher, spider man finally looks at you.

“Alright. You ready?” He huffs and watches you nervously glance around at the ground, as if you're already flying through the air. You sigh before meeting the reflective eyes of his masks, pausing when you find reassurance in them somehow, and finally nod.

“Yeah, I'm ready.” You exhale and finally find the courage to look up at the buildings and night sky above you. Spiderman takes a breath too, the quick pounding of your heart against his collarbone making him slightly nervous, even if he's confident that he won't drop you.

“Alright. Here we go!” He huffs, and you hold your breath as he takes a running start, before shooting a web. He latches it to a building and with a leap and a yank of his arm, you both spring into the air. You had built the courage to look up but the moment you feel that drop in your stomach from the rise in altitude, you yelp and hide your face between spider man's neck and shoulder, squeezing your arms even tighter around him. You must be strangling the poor man at this point, but if he feels any discomfort, the masked hero doesn't say anything. For at least four more lifts and swings, you're crouched tightly against spider man's side, hoping that this Roller Coaster drop simulator would end quickly. There's nothing but the wind in your ears and the small noises you make whenever you both drop before catching another web, until he suddenly clears his throat.

“ I uh- probably should have asked this sooner but-! Where am I taking you exactly!?” He calls out above all the noise, grunting in between words whenever he has to yank your combined weight back into the air. That's right, you'd been too busy trying to keep your guts out of your throat to tell him where your apartment is. You're about to pull away from his shoulder the smallest bit to answer him, when your home training suddenly reminds you that you're about to tell a random man, even if he is a hero,your address. Still, if there's ever an emergency, it wouldn't hurt for spiderman to know what window to hop through.

“uuh- itS- ugh. That one apartment complex by the sandwich- shop on 5th Ave!” You utter miserably, trying to hold it together while also avoiding looking at the buildings sweeping by.

“Oh ok yeah! I know where you're talking about!” He calls back and you're ready to tuck back into your hiding spot against his neck when he speaks up again.

“You know! It's alright! I won't drop you! You can open your eyes!” He shouts and you squint your eyes open a little.

“I'm sorry?!” You yell back, trying to talk more towards his collarbone rather than screaming directly into his ear. You still keep your eyes open as lightly as possible, not sure if you can stomach watching the buildings swing by. Spider man holds you just a little tighter when he swings from a higher building than the ones you've taken so far, and you try to stifle another borderline inappropriate sound the best you can. What can you do when it feels like you're on the pirate ship ride at six flags,though? It's either restrained, yet slightly weird sounding yelps, or downright screeching in the man's ear, as if you really are on a roller coaster ride. Spiderman glances over at you before swinging again.

“Open your eyes! I promise the view is worth it! You'll love it!” he tries to convince you and you suck your teeth, thinking about it.

“Uh!” your voice wavering as you try to dredge up some courage. You're still contemplating when you feel spider man turn his head. You look up at him and find that his wide, reflective eyes are on you.

“I've got you. Trust me.” Spiderman reassures you again, and you pause. You search his eyes for a moment, and again even though they shouldn't, they almost have a comforting look to them. You both gaze at one another until you take a deep breath. After one more, you close your eyes tight and turn your head towards the front of you both.

“Ok!” you call out, with your eyes still closed. The wind is cold against your ears, and you can even feel it blowing through your hair you messily parted before work this afternoon. You can't see it but you can tell spiderman brightens up.

“Ok?! Yeah! Alright let's go!” he yells excitedly before latching onto another building and preparing to lift you both to an extremely tall one, one that'll give you the best view. He holds you close as you both drop for a moment, building momentum for the swing.

“You ready?!” He pants with excitement while giving your side an encouraging squeeze. After a deep breath, you nod and wrap your arms tighter around spider man's shoulders, squishing the side of your face against his jaw, something you wouldn't normally do to a stranger. This isn't a normal situation though.

“Ok! Here we go!” He cheers before whooping loudly and yanking you both into the air, the force making you groan. You squeeze your eyes shut, until you feel everything coming to halt. When you open them, you and spiderman are both suspended in the air above the buildings. A gasp leaves you and it feels like time stands still, with your jacket rising around you, as well as your bag. You're only able to take in the stretch of lights around you for a short moment before you feel your bodies start to drop. The view is quickly overtaken by buildings again, and you're still out of breath when spiderman sticks to the side of a nearby building. He makes a makeshift perch out of his knee for you to sit on, and despite that being something you'd usually be embarrassed about, you're too stunned to care right now.

“Are you alright? I'm sorry that was too much wasn't it?” Spiderman apologizes breathlessly as he straightens your jacket a little, your silence making him anxious. Maybe he had gone too high? You finally blink yourself out of your daze, bracing yourself against his shoulder.

“No- I-! That was incredible!” You huff, still not entirely over the sight you just saw. It was like looking out an airplane window, but without any, well, security or walls. Spider-Man just looks at your bright eyes and wild appearance, and bursts out laughing. You aren't aware of how wind blown you look so you just continue.

“No really! It was like-! And I couldn't-! You know?” You flounder illiterately as your extensive vocabulary flies out the window. You look at him to see if he was grasping what you're saying and Spiderman laughs again, finding it cute how quickly your opinion about this whole thing had changed. It was also nice that you seemed to be in a way better mood than before.

“Yeah! No, I get exactly what you're saying! The feeling is surreal. I felt it when I went swinging for the first time too.” He agrees with you, your excitement rubbing off on him. You finally feel your heart beat start to decelerate. It was for such a short time but in that brief moment in the air, you felt completely weightless, your day at work completely forgotten. You look over at him again and Spider-Man’s holographic eyes widen when they meet your gaze.

“I've thought this ever since that night in high school but, you really are so incredible.” you sigh and unconsciously search for eyes that you can't see. But spiderman can see yours perfectly, and the awe you're looking at him with, makes his heart speed up unexpectedly. You both gaze at each other for a moment longer before spiderman remembers to catch his breath and clears his throat.

“So um-. Are you ready to go again? I've uh- still got to deliver you home safely.” He jokes while laughing a little towards the end. You blink before situating your arms back around his shoulders. He wraps his arm back around your waist and you squeeze him a little more securely before bracing yourself.

“Yeah, I'm ready.” You huff and Spiderman springs off of the building and you both descend towards the ground before he shoots a web, swinging away with you in his arms. He whoops and you scream the entire way.

***

If someone listened hard enough, they'd hear laughing and talking from the top of a certain building.

“No but really that was such an underrated movie, and all because the animation was different.” You say around the last bite of the hotdog from the stand that's always parked on your street. Spiderman scoffs and shakes his head before impressively tossing his crumpled foil into a trash can on the street 90 feet below you. You'd whistle if you knew how to do it properly.

“Some people can't appreciate anything beyond aesthetics.” He sighs profoundly, and how dramatic it is makes you laugh, causing him to join in too. After gazing out at the city for a short while longer, you ball up your hot dog wrapper and stand up, making spiderman look up before standing too. You stuff the trash in your pocket to throw away later and sigh wistfully.

“Welp, I should probably head inside now. My sister has been blowing up my phone for the last 10 minutes.” You exhale while rocking on your heels and glancing over at the door that leads to the stairs of your building, not entirely ready to end this incredible night.You really should've gone inside the moment you both arrived, but when the masked hero offered to buy you something to eat, you couldn't say no. It was rare enough that you'd actually met him in person today after never being able to catch a glimpse of him before, so you know it's not likely you'll get this chance again. It only makes it worse that he turned out to be much nicer than you ever imagined through his videos. Spiderman just nods his head and swings his arms a bit.

“Yeah of course! And just tell her that spiderman held you up, if you need a way out of a lecture or something.” He responds, making you both laugh for the nth time tonight. You hum and nod your head.

“Will do. So uh- thank you for taking me home tonight, I appreciate it. Honestly, I've wanted to meet you since I first saw you in high school.” You chuckle quietly and sigh.

“I guess people aren't always right when they say never meet your heroes huh?” You say softly and glance at him one more time, making his reflective eyes widen again, before finally turning on your heel and making your way towards the door. Spiderman just stands still until you call out one more time.

“ Goodnight Spider-Man! Thanks again!” You call from the door and it snaps him out of his little daze.

“No problem! And watch yourself on the way to your door too! People are crazy!” He adds quickly and you shout back a distant ‘Yes sir!’, that makes him grin. Even after the door has closed Peter continues to smile to himself, replaying your conversations in his head as he walks off the building with a jig in his step. He never would've expected that he'd run into you tonight. Despite sharing a class with you and noticing you on your way home sometimes, Peter has never spoken to you, as himself or as Spider-Man. He's had a small crush on you for a little while now, nothing huge, just enough that he notices if you've got on a new outfit or if you missed class, but after the way things ended with Gwen before she moved, he doesn't plan on acting on it. That was never a good idea. He swings for a while longer before pausing for a second once he notices he's passing the street you both were on what felt like hours ago.

“She might need a swing home again though, who knows?” He thinks to himself as he walks over to the unruly civilian he webbed up earlier, still stuck to the wall. Maybe that manager you told him about will flake on you again, making you miss your bus and walk down this street. No, that wasn't likely. He's never seen you walk down this street before now so why would it happen again? It wasn't right to look forward to seeing you like that anyway. After scolding the guy one more time after letting him go, Peter swings back up to the building he was patrolling from. Sure, he was drawing in his sketchbook too but he was mostly watching and listening. He doodles with the noise of New York as his ambiance, and soon there's a tiny, no effort doodle of you in the corner of his page. He scribbles mindlessly on already sketched lines as he thinks of you.

“I can at least say hello in the hallway or something.” He ponders quietly as he adds little coils to your simplified hair, to stand as the curls that had escaped your parts when you both were swinging.

An intense yawn leaves you as the last few minutes of class tick by, with your instructor( who insisted on being called professor despite running a poorly taught class at a small community college) talking about a topic you couldn't bring yourself to care about. You couldn't get much sleep after your amazing encounter with spiderman last night. All you could do is run over the entire ordeal in your head over and over. Which you think you would've been tired of doing after relaying the story to your sister and all your friends about a hundred times, enough for them to get sick of it anyway. You're in the middle of skipping through the songs on your phone when you finally notice other students getting up to leave. Technically you didn't have to stay for your instructor's rambling but it always felt too rude to just get up and leave in the middle of them talking. While stuffing your binder back into your backpack, two classmates you'd consider friends walk up to you while chatting.

“Y/n are you going to the student store? Let's go together, I want some of those fruit snacks!” one of them says while leaning a hand on your desk. The other sits at the desk beside you, a desk belonging to a guy named Peter. Now that you think about it, he'd rushed out of class a while ago and hasn't come back. Maybe he had an emergency. You contemplate grabbing his backpack for him, noticing he'd left it behind, but decide not to. How would you even give it back to him? What if he comes back for it after you left?

“Y/n?” Your classmate calls your name again since you hadn't answered them, making you snap out of your thoughts. You quickly stuff the rest of your things in your bag.

“Oh yeah. I don't know you guys. They haven't changed what they stock in a while now. ‘M getting kind of tired of that stuff.” You hum while grabbing your purse and phone.

“Then just walk with us over there.” Your other classmate suggests and the three of you make your way out into the hall.

Peter weaves through the crowd of people leaving their classes for the day. He had spent way too much time dealing with that bank robbery. If he had just left after webbing them up instead of taking the time to bother them, he would've gotten back in time. Now he's going to miss the chance to talk to you-.

You run into a solid chest the moment you step out of the door, hard, because the person in front of you was rushing.

“Oh man! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry are you alright!?” Peter gasps after almost bulldozing over you. You're busy holding your nose and Peter is trying to catch a glimpse of your face to make sure you're not bleeding, when you both notice that you're talking to the person you were just thinking of.

“Oh Peter. I was wondering if you were coming back to class. Your backpack is still over at your desk.” you report once you realize who you're talking to. Peter just pauses and looks at you for a second. It's crazy that he's seen you plenty of times before today but just because of your half an hour long interaction yesterday, things felt different. He almost felt a little naked without his suit on, like you'd recognize him right away.

“Peter?” You ask him again and he finally remembers to human. He blinks a few times before nodding his head.

“Oh. Yeah. Yeah I had to go take care of something, but thanks. For looking out I mean.” He says hurriedly before letting out a sheepish laugh. He looks up at you with a cute smile that unexpectedly makes your heart stutter a little. This being the first time you've looked at him longer than the time it takes for him to answer a question, or slide past your desk. You blink and shrug casually.

“ Oh nah, it's no problem. I guess we'll see you tomorrow?” You say goodbye as your friends start to walk off ahead of you, seeing one of their other classmates.

“Yeah of course, see you later.” He responds and you give him a small smile before walking to meet up with your friends. Peter watches you for another second before turning to walk into the classroom. The two of you had so many conversations yesterday and now it was odd to exchange more than a few words. He can't do it though. Can't attempt to interact with you more outside of his suit. It would only lead to unavoidable problems that he'd rather not deal with again. Peter stops in the doorway to the classroom and taps at the frame with his finger.

“Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it.” He chants in his head as his feet stay planted to the spot in front of the door.

“Hey y/n!” You hear Peter call you right as you're about to step out into the quad. You peer back and see him jog up to you. When you look at him with big, questioning eyes he sighs and brushes his fingers through his hair.

“Sorry, but could you tell me the assignments for tonight? I missed them earlier.” He asks you with an adorable smile, and just like that, things are on the course to change, for better or for worse.

🕸️A/n: I can't believe I finally finished this, I started it in June last year. I told myself I'm gonna finish all the fics I want to read this year, no matter how long and complicated, and I'm already off to a great start. Super proud of myself. This is my first post on this blog so, thanks for reading!🕸️🕸️🕸️

🕸️Taggies: @cookieswithay, @bokutosbiceps

[burnwater13]

Din Djarin holding Grogu, while brandishing his pistol. Image of 1/6 scale Hot Toys Din Djarin Mandalorian, showing Pedro Pascal's face, with box and other images in the background. Photo by me.

Grogu had been splitting his time between his dad, who was spending the majority of his time swapping stories with his friend Lacc Straso, and Dagon and Peli, who were working diligently on fixing the N-1. Grogu’s official job was to keep the other droids and mechs out from underfoot, except for Thirty, who was a real expert at starship maintenance. Everything was going pretty well, until Grogu heard a thump, a crash, and a ‘for cryin’ out loud’ from Peli. That last bit got everyone’s attention. 

Grogu rushed in to see what had happened. He’d designated himself as the lead first responder for any injuries, fires, spills, or arguments between the two lead technicians. He hadn’t had to take care of any of those things yet and was glad to have a chance to leap into action. When he entered the repair space he couldn’t tell what the problem was. Peli wasn’t jumping up and down as she so often did when she dropped a tool on her foot and Dagon wasn’t doing anything other than trying like heck not to laugh. 

“Any one care to explain what happened? That didn’t sound like a good sort of crash.”

Trust his dad to get right down to the nub of the problem.

“Actually, it was a good sort of crash. Peli and I had been discussing how the lower housing of the thruster control tunnel was assembled because we have to take it apart to replace the part that created the failure mode you noticed, and it just required a tap from a mallet. You’re very lucky that hasn’t fallen off during your use of the ship. Apparently none of the fasteners were in place and that’s what we’d been talking about.”

Dagon was smiling and seemed pretty happy with himself. Grogu could understand that. They had been trying to fix one problem, located another, and would be able to fix them both. A sort of win-win-win. But just one glance at his dad told him that Din Djarin was not happy with that answer. They’d traveled all over the galaxy with that what ever it was housing not being properly attached and Grogu knew that his dad was imagining everything that could have gone wrong anytime they had used the N-1. That was a lot for a Mandalorian to take in, especially one like his dad, who was so proud of that ship and the paces he had put it through. 

It was like riding a fathier in a race and discovering, after you cleared the seventeen jumps and run that five klick track to post the fastest time ever, that your saddle had never been clipped properly and any wrong move would have had you eating dirt and being trampled. Which was strange, because Grogu was pretty sure that Mandalorian training included all actions to take when something went wrong. If anyone was going to be prepared for that, it had to be Din Djarin. 

“Lacc? Do you mind keeping an eye on these two? I think Grogu and I should go fishing.”

“Right now?”

Lacc was shocked at his friend’s request and so was Grogu. Grogu wasn’t sad about it, but he was pretty surprised. He wondered why his dad thought right now was a good time to go fishing.

“Yup. This whole thing started because Grogu wanted just spend the day with me fishing. We were going to go to the Pika Oasis. Then I got that armor that once belonged to Pre Vizsla and it became apparent that I needed to go to Mandalore and sort that out. But that’s when the N-1 had the malfunction and I found out you were still here so I thought we’d just hitch a ride and go to Naboo. Now, I realize I just should have taken Grogu fishing. He’s been a real trooper about all this and I don’t want to take that for granted.”

Wow. Grogu had never heard his dad speak for such a long period of time when no one was threatening either one of them. He felt so special right then he didn’t know what to do. 

“Ah. Spoken like a father. Good for you Djarin. Of course I’ll watch over these two. When you and Grogu return from the Oasis, the ship will be working, you’ll have had some time to relax, and I can tell you who to talk to about that armor. That should save you some time.”

Grogu could hear the pride in Lacc’s voice, as well as something else. Maybe it was happiness? Joy? Humor? He couldn’t tell. It was another good example of why Mandalorians should be able to take their helmets off whenever they wanted to. Then Grogu would know if the older man was just happy for his dad or if was teasing him about something.

“Thanks. Okay, Grogu, come on. We still have a few hours of light left. We can catch some gorgs, or some scalefish. Didn’t Diggle and Daggle say that the Oasis was home to scalefish?”

The Mandalorian had scooped Grogu up in the most undignified way, but considering how sentimental his dad was being about the whole, could have faced a catastrophic in-flight failure at any moment in the N-1, Grogu decided not to make a big deal out of it. Instead, he tapped his head against hid dad’s helmet and chirped that everything would be all right. The worst thing that could happen at the Oasis was getting sand in his armor or even falling in the water. But Grogu was prepared to help with one of those because he found the Mandalorian’s choice of words when he sand in his boots of the crevices of his cuirass more than a little fascinating. 

“What? You two are leaving just when this is gettin’ good? Hope you have a good time. It you’re lucky you’ll only bring back a good appetite. Ha!”

Grogu just smiled at Peli. He understood that she liked having an audience, but sometimes you just had to spend time with the person who meant the most to you, even if they weren’t very good at fishing, didn’t actually eat fish, and hadn’t remembered to bring the fishing gear with them. But that was fine. He just hoped that they had some fun doing something that other dads did with their children. You know, spending time talking about how everything was better, worse, more fun, more dangerous, and not nearly as nice as it could have been, until you joined their lives. Then they just lived with their heart’s outside of their bodies and worked to get used to it. So a good time, all around. Yippee!