#so now they also share so much and know each other so well

[felinefractious]

[Image Source]

Gene Behind Orange Fur in Cats Found at Last

Shared from Science.org.

It would be pretty easy to guess that Garfield was a tomcat even if you didn’t know his name—or didn’t want to peek under his tail. Most orange cats are boys, a quirk of feline genetics that also explains why almost all calicos and tortoiseshells are girls.

Scientists curious about those sex differences—or perhaps just cat lovers—have spent more than 60 years unsuccessfully seeking the gene that causes orange fur and the striking patchwork of colors in calicos and tortoiseshells. Now, two teams have independently found the long-awaited mutation and discovered a protein that influences hair color in a way never seen before in any animal.

“I am fully convinced this is the gene and am happy,” says Carolyn Brown, a University of British Columbia geneticist who was not involved in either study. “It’s a question I’ve always wanted the answer to.”

Scientists have long been fascinated by tortoiseshell and calico cats: the offspring of a black cat and an orange cat. Multicolored cats from such a cross are almost always female, suggesting the gene variant that makes fur orange or black is located on the X chromosome. The male offspring of such a cross are typically unicolor because they inherit just one parent’s X chromosome: We can guess, for instance, that Garfield’s mother is orange because he inherited his only X chromosome from her.**

But female cats inherit an X chromosome from each parent. Cells don’t generally need both, so during embryonic development each cell randomly chooses one X to express genes from. The other chromosome rolls up into a mostly inert ball—a phenomenon called X inactivation. As a result, tortoiseshell cats end up with separate patches of black and orange fur depending on which chromosome was inactivated in that part of their skin. Calico cats add white fur into the mix because they have a second, unrelated genetic mechanism that shuts down pigment production in some cells.

In most mammals, including humans, red hair is caused by mutations in one cell surface protein, Mc1r, that determines whether skin cells called melanocytes produce a dark pigment or a lighter red-yellow pigment in skin or hair. Mutations that make Mc1r less active cause melanocytes to get “stuck” producing the light pigment.

But the gene encoding Mc1r didn’t seem explain where cats’ orange fur came from. It isn’t located on the X chromosome in cats or any other species—and most orange cats don’t have Mc1r mutations. “It’s been a genetic mystery, a conundrum,” says Greg Barsh, a geneticist at Stanford University.

To solve it, Barsh’s team collected skin samples from four orange and four nonorange fetuses from cats at spay-neuter clinics. As a proxy to determine how individual skin cells express genes, the researchers measured the amount of RNA that each melanocyte was producing and determined the gene it encoded. Melanocytes from orange cats, they found, made 13 times as much RNA from a gene called Arhgap36. The gene is located on the X chromosome, which led the team to think they had the key to orange color.

But when the researchers looked at Arhgap36’s genetic sequence in orange cats, they didn’t find any mutations in the DNA that encodes the Arhgap36 protein. Instead, they found the orange cats were missing a nearby stretch of DNA that didn’t affect the protein’s amino acid components but might be involved in regulating how much of it the cell produced. Scanning a database of 188 cat genomes, Barsh’s team found every single orange, calico, and tortoiseshell cat had the exact same mutation. The group reports the discovery this month on the preprint server bioRxiv.

A separate study, also posted to bioRxiv this month, confirms these findings. Similar experiments run by developmental biologist Hiroyuki Sasaki at Kyushu University and his colleagues revealed the same genetic deletion in 24 feral and pet cats from Japan, as well as among 258 cat genomes collected from around the world. They also found that skin from calico cats had more Arghap36 RNA in orange regions than in brown or black regions. Moreover Arhgap36 genes in mice, cats, and humans acquire chemical modifications that silence them on one of the two X chromosomes in females, Sasaki’s team documented, suggesting the gene is subject to X inactivation.

When Barsh and Sasaki learned their respective teams had discovered the same mutation, they decided to post their preprints at the same time. (Because they are preprints, neither study has been peer reviewed.) Both groups further found that increasing the amount of Arhgap36 in melanocytes activates a molecular pathway that switches the cells to producing light red pigment regardless of whether MC1r is active.

No one previously knew Arhgap36 could affect skin or hair coloration—it is involved in many aspects of embryonic development, and major mutations that affect its function throughout the body would probably kill the animal, Barsh says. But because the deletion mutation appears to only affect Arhgap36 function in melanocytes, cats with the mutation are not only healthy, but also cute.

Arhgap36’s inactivation pattern in calicos and tortoiseshells is typical of a gene on the X chromosome, Brown says, but it’s unusual that a deletion mutation would make a gene more active, not less. “There is probably something special about cats.”

Experts are thrilled by the two studies. “It’s a long-awaited gene,” says Leslie Lyons, a feline geneticist at the University of Missouri. The discovery of a new molecular pathway for hair color was unexpected, she says, but she’s not surprised how complex the interactions seem to be. “No gene ever stands by itself.”

Lyons would like to know where and when the mutation first appeared: There is some evidence, she says, that certain mummified Egyptian cats were orange. Research into cat color has revealed all kinds of phenomena, she says, including how the environment influences gene expression. “Everything you need to know about genetics you can learn from your cat.”

A Deletion at the X-linked Arhgap36 Gene Locus is Associated With the Orange Coloration of Tortoiseshell and Calico Cats

Molecular and Genetic Characterization of Sex-linked Orange Coat Color in the Domestic Cat

**Minor correction: Garfield’s mother could also have been a tortoiseshell.

[dmitriene]

cw: pregnancy, rushed plot writing.

being simon's riley high school sweetheart, you just stuck to each other, somehow, there was something in him that pulled you easily, as if a treat shown in front of the grabby child, the way he kept himself aside from all the commotions and class gangs, his stoic, brooding facade, his eyes, usually so heavy and dark, gleaming tawny under the morning sun, never looking at you with hatred, something addictive.

a silly, simple crush, but it's transcended years, always close to each other, a brief exchange of greetings, sharing a book, helping with homework, sitting together because it's more comfortable this way, quieter, and then exchanging clumsy kisses on the back of the school building, where nowhere can see, find out about your little secret, a weakness of simon.

when you both graduate, simon suddenly dissappears, not a single word uttered, as if you never knew each other, as if you didn't mattered, and perhaps, that was it in the reality, just a childish mess of love, a complex thing you lose interest in, making you move on forward, looking over small, cheap polaroids where you two are hugging, making faces to each other through laughter and little kisses, something now forgotten.

years later, you meet an attractive, sweet man in the towns pub, when deciding to travel in scotland, clean your head a little bit, look at mesmerizing, incredible landscapes and get close to other's people culture, that's how a first taste of whisky suddenly ends in a bed of an cheesy, charismatic scott, johnny, not just a stranger with deep ceruleans that stole your breath, but your husband, the father of your baby.

johnny is military, you know well, deciding to step away of all this business as much as you can, and also because of him, he wants to shield you, not burden your and the baby with fear of wars, terrorism and endless missions, when he comes home, there's never soap, it's just johnny, always back to you with wide, lopsided grins and arms spread wide, scooping your precious baby in his beary hold, while peppering your scrunching from giggles face with kisses.

your new, perfect life that's snaps so easily, when your calendar starts missing days of johnny's comeback, the red circled date is far away from the current day by now, and there's not a single message from him, planting a gnawing, chilling feel that makes you walk back and forth all over the house, bouncing the baby in your hands, cooing worried, but suppressed to soothing lullabies, until you hear a knock to the door.

but instead of your husband, there's a masked, beefy man, an envelope in his gloved hand, a situation too forbidden, and a voice too familiar to you, apologizing for the death of his friend, simon riley, a man you remember by his eyes alone, even through painted with sorrow.

main masterlist. quidelines.

[retiredteabag]

learning together

• Parental Gojo with ill-attached Megumi

〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰

Megumi is a secretive boy. It seemed to Satoru that he hid everything. If Satoru wanted to know anything he would have to go through Tsumiki, the boys sister, to learn even the smallest of details. And even then, she rarely had anything but a smile to share.

For example, Satoru had been looking after the two little kids for months before he learned that the two of them only had one worn pair of shoes each, that and only a few articles of clothes.

"Well, why didn't you say anything?" He had asked after seeing the blisters on Tsumiki's feet one night while watching blues clues.

He had realized that he would have to become all the more observant to see if there was a need in this household because he knew hell would have to freeze over for those two little kids to admit they could use help. Especially the young boy, Megumi.

It took three incidents before Satoru needed to have an intervention with the boy.

And oddly enough, they always occurred when it was just the two of them.

Megumi always insisted on walking home from school. His sister was all to happy to take part in after school activities but, the little introvert he was, he just wanted alone time.

This day had been no different from the others, he had been walking home, considering what he would have for dinner, when he saw it.

He would never admit, too ashamed of being called a liar, but he often saw things. Strange, dark things. Things nobody else saw.

There was something there, watching him in the bushes, it was one of them, he knew.

Tsumiki always told him to be careful walking home. The woods of this area housed many of the homeless, and it tended to be no place for a child.

But here he was. Frozen still, the shadowy monster seemed to come his way, unspeaking, but threatening non the less.

Megumi threw his backpack to the front of his body, maintaining eye contact while frantically searching for something to defend himself.

There was nothing the boy hated more than being helpless.

His heart pounded in his ears, his fingertips burned with something he didn't recognize. But stronger than anything else, he was afraid. He wanted his dad. He wanted to hide.

He pulled out a pair of scissors, his arms trembled. He couldn't bring himself to make the first move so he was forced to wait until the curse came at him. He wanted to cry.

It did not take long.

He didn't even feel the ache in his bloody knees until the burning in his throat superseded all else.

He had rushed back to that apartment the white-haired man had arranged for them without a break in his step. And when the realization occurred to him of what had just happened, be felt the tearful nausea again.

There was no blood on his hands, but they shook with the fury it took to bring that monster to its knees. He had fallen to the ground with the beast, but the plunge of his scissors had gotten rid of it. Even if he was safe, however, he would never believe it.

It took awhile to find the key he kept in his backpack. Fumbling fingers kept the key escaping his grasp. He was so encompassed by the afternoons events that he did not even notice the tall man (boy) in the living area.

"Oh! Megs! I've been waiting for you all day, you know, you're never home so late, don't tell me you've made a frien-" Satoru spun around so fast, he seemed to make a noise with the motion. "What have you been doing?"

Put on the defense, Megumi shrunk back, "None of your business." Even after saying it, he worried he would get in trouble, worried he would be punished for talking back, despite Gojo's response to his snark always having been a chuckle.

The taller boy did not laugh now, "Oh, it's not? Megs you make me sad, what's going on? You seem tense."

The man was coming around through the common room and Megumi shuffled his bag to hide his bloodied knees. He didn't understand much of the man but he knew his eyes could also see things others could not.

"What's happened there?" Satoru pointed at the boys backpack.

"Nothing." He murmured, trotting past Satoru and attempting to hide in his room. (His very own, though he often slept with his sister when he felt afraid)

"Ah, ah, ah, you shouldn't go fumbling around when you're hurt, Megumi. Come here."

No, no, no, Megumi continued on, just about making it to his room when Satoru appeared before him. He was smiling, bent in a funny angle to look at the boy.

Megumi would never understand how Gojo moved so quickly.

"Oh my, that looks bad." He made a bleh face, "How did you make it home on those knees, Megs? Hmm... I should give you a pager, shouldn't I, I don't want you running into trouble again without me. That must have been scary. Ugh, no fun at all.” All in one motion, Satoru grabbed Megumi and swung him around his hip.

"Stop! No!-" The boy flushed in embarrassment, but unbeknownst to him, Satoru could see the cursed energy around the boy.

And even if he didn’t say anything, he knew that something would have to change so this wouldn’t happen again.

After that day, Megumi did not walk home alone.

---

Satoru had been busy as of late, what felt like mission after mission, he was embarrassed to say, with how busy he was, he sometimes forgot he had two kids in his care.

He felt guilty, but the kids never asked for anything anyway. If they wanted something, he would get it for them. No questions asked.

It had been late one night, coming back after a mission that he saw his calendar and noticed with a grunt what week it was.

The middle schoolers were at camp according to his scribbles. Tsumiki was at camp and Megumi was all alone.

Why had he written this down? Was it because he had insisted that Tsumiki go, promising to look after her little brother?

Satoru sighs. Did Megumi need anything? He was just a boy... but self-reliant.

Satoru almost went to bed that night before he decided he needed to check on the boy. God knows he wouldn't call - even if it was an emergency.

The sight he saw when he opened the door would stick with him for years. Mainly because he found it amusing.

Little Megumi, face flushed, wobbling on his feet, a blanket around his shoulders, and a kitchen knife in his hand.

"What are you doing!" Satoru yelled from the front door.

"Wha-" cough "-at are YOU doing!" cough "You're not here tonight!"

"Yes, I am! Put the knife down, I'm not an intruder." Satoru folded at his hips, and leaned in close to the boy. It was strange, Megumi never let him get so close. "What's going on, were you scared because your sister wasn't here?"

Satoru reached out and pulled the knife out of the boys grasp. His little hands were hot, and when Megumi sniffled, he sounded congested.

"'M not scared..." It takes a staggering moment for the boys' hands to drop. Noticing he had nothing to hold.

"You sick?" And for the first time, the boy doesn't flinch when Satoru reaches a hand to his forehead.

He is, however, quickly swatted away. "No. Why are you-" cough "-here."

Satoru felt bad now, Tsumiki had probably left three days ago, how long had Megumi been sick? And why did he never just ask for help.

Prefacing his care he began, "I'm here because I want to be." Satoru finally lets out. Once again, he scoops the boy up, blanket and all, and is careful to set the knife back in the kitchen before using his now free hand to swaddle the boy. "Have you been sleeping on the couch?"

"Mhmm."

"Alright. No more of that. I'll be here so you just go to sleep."

Megumi didn't have anything to say. He missed his sister. He wanted to sleep in her bed. He wanted to feel safe. He wanted to feel better.

"I have a doctor friend, okay? You'll feel spick and span in no time." Satoru ruffled the boys hair.

"No, I don't wanna see them..."

Satoru furrowed his brows, "Ya know kid, you're not very convincing, I can tell you're definitely running a fever. All sweaty… like a big ball of sweat.

"Jus' go away." Megumi said, nuzzling his face deeper into Satorus shirt, "I don't wanna see them."

"Sorry Megs, I'm perfect in may ways, but healing is not one of my many talents. She's really good, you'll feel better."

"I don't need help. I don't want you-"

"Alright, Megs. Go to bed." Satoru manhandles the boy like a doll, tucking him in so aggressively tight, he would have to put in real work to come free.

The next morning, Megumi had never felt so indebted to someone, and it made him sick, despite having just been healed

---

It was only a year later that Megumi called on his cursed technique.

Deep down, he had always known there was something different about him, something pulling at the surface of his being, but now, looking into the dog manifestation before him, he could finally feel purpose.

"Nice job Megs, that little dog is one of your Shikigami." Satoru grinned down at the boy sitting on the carpet of the family room.

The puppy rolled around on the floor before Megumi, the boys heart raced.

"She's mine?" He reached out and the puppy, sure it was a dream, she toppled over herself to nose at his hand.

"Sure is!" Satoru smiled. "And there's many more. Haven't you listened to me at all, Megumi, you're gonna be super strong."

But the boy wasn't listening. Blood was whooshing in his ears, saliva was pooling in his mouth, his heart was beginning to thump, but before him was a little friend. He wouldn't let her go.

"Alright. You'll probably start to feel light-headed so let go of that energy. You'll be able to call her back again soon.”

Megumi was feeling woozy, that’s for sure, but there was no way he would leave her.

The puppy flickered like a mirage. Blinking slightly, she sat up, wobbling toward Megumi.

He wanted to hold her in his arms but a rush of bile was forming in his throat. His head pounded.

The puppy licked at his hand.

"Stop that Megumi." Satoru placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let go. She's taking too much."

Megumi's throat clenched and he swallowed thickly. Holding onto his new friend tightly.

"Stop, Megumi! Enough!" Satoru grabbed the boy by the shoulder.

The puppy faded. Megumi lurched forward. And puked all over the carpet.

Satoru's hand faltered, but just a moment thereafter, he began to pat the boy comfortingly. "It's okay. That’s alright."

The boy's shoulders shook, not with tears, but with the adrenaline rush that comes with the throwing up/fight-or-flight response. He was mumbling, a hand covered his mouth.

"'m sorry. Sorry." He trembled.

Satoru sighed, unsure of how to console the boy. “Hey, 's alright. She was siphoning off your energy too quickly. You'll learn to manage it." Satoru patted the boys back but he was stumbling to his feet now.

"Carpet...sorry about the carpet." He was saying.

Satoru jumped to stand, "What? No, I don't care, its okay Megumi. You go sit down, I can clean up."

"No. I'm fine." He always said that.

"Seriously, I don't care about the carpet, just go take a second to calm down, that was probably a lot."

"I don't want a second!” Megumi spun, elbow covering his mouth. "I don't need help. Just go! I can do it on my own."

There was a surge of annoyance and anger in Satoru before he realized the boy was probably just embarrassed.

Shoko had long since told him about attachment issues and the lack of trust to expect from the boy. He just wished he could get Megumi to let his guard down.

"Megumi." He called firmly. "Stop that. I'm not upset with you, and I don't want anything in return. What I do want is for you to take some deep breaths and drink some water. You're over-exerting yourself."

"Ergh!" Megumi grunted angrily, tears in his eyes, and fled from the room.

When Satoru found the boy again. He was hiding in the coat closet. His face in his hands.

Satoru had to remind himself that the boy was hardly six, and clearly had trouble regulating his emotions. He wanted to have a real discussion with the boy, but he couldn’t do that if he wasn’t comfortable.

Gojo leaned down, slid between the coats in the closet and closed the door.

“W-what are you doing.” Megumi scooted back on the narrow floor.

Satoru sighed, “I want you to talk to me, Megs, can you do that?”

In the dark, it was hard for Megumi to see, but his benefactor could make the boy out perfectly. “What…”

Satoru sighed, considered how to say it, “I know there’s a lot of pressure on you, and I know that doesn’t feel good. But don’t go forcing yourself, okay? Take things with stride, accept help, I don’t want anything from you, Megs, and you don’t owe me anything either.”

Megumi rolled his feet around, tapping his shoes together, “I know you don’t believe me yet, but I’m not gonna leave. Your stuck with me for awhile, so let’s try to get along.”

The closet was silent. Satoru felt stupid, his words too plain, his mind scattered.

“Gojo…” the boy stretched his ankles out. “Tsumiki is lactose intolerant…”

It took all but a second for Satoru to grab hold of the metaphorical raft Megumi was giving him. “What? All this time?!! That’s unacceptable! That’s why you should tell me these things, I could’ve been getting coconut milk ice cream.” Satoru pouted, stood and stretched.

He bent down once more after cracking the door open, the bright light shining into the little boys eyes.

“Okay, what else should I know?” Satoru reached out to pull the boy to his feet,

And for the first time, Megumi took it.

〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰

This is just a little drabble, sorry for the editing mistakes and poor writing… sadly I have several more ideas about Satoru parenting Megumi

[mapiforpresident]

No 23 prompt please with jana and reader both playing from u19 together to Barcelona and Falling in love for first time . R is a huge dork . Thanks.

You're such a dork

Jana x reader

~~~

You were sitting at your desk studying when you heard a slight knock on your office door and you turned your head to see your girlfriend stepping through the doorway with a plate of snacks in her hand. Jana gently set the plate down next to your computer before wrapping her arms around you from behind.

"Hola amor, what are you working on?" Jana asked as you turned your head to give her a kiss.

You smiled as Jana wrapped her arms around you, her warmth soothing the stress that had been building throughout your study session. The way she always seemed to show up at just the right moment made you feel like the luckiest person in the world.

“Hola, mi amor,” you replied softly, turning your head to press another quick kiss to her lips. “I’m just studying for this big history test. I feel like I’m drowning in flash cards.”

Jana chuckled, her fingers gently combing through your hair. “You always say that, but I know you’ll ace it. You’re the biggest dork I know, and I mean that in the best way possible.”

You let out a small laugh, feeling the warmth of her words. “I don’t know about that. I’m pretty sure I’m just making this harder than it has to be. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you, so I’m glad you came by.”

“Of course, I couldn’t leave you alone to study forever,” Jana said, her voice teasing. “And besides, you deserve a little break.”

She picked up the plate of snacks and held it up in front of you, her eyes twinkling with a playful spark. “I brought you some fuel. You can’t keep working without food. That’s rule number one, right?”

You laughed and took a few of the snacks from the plate, grateful for the small gesture of care. “Thanks, babe. You always know how to make things better.”

Jana leaned down, resting her chin on your shoulder as she watched you nibble on the food. “Well, you’ve been working really hard lately. I wanted to make sure you take care of yourself. But also, I think it’s cute when you’re all stressed out, trying to figure things out like a dork.”

You rolled your eyes, though you were secretly thrilled by the way she teased you. “I’m serious! You don’t get it. I’m juggling so much right now, and I just want everything to go well.”

Jana pulled back slightly, her face turning soft with understanding. “I get it. But hey, you don’t need to do everything by yourself, okay? I’m here for you.”

Your heart swelled at the sincerity in her voice. She was calm, steady, and always made you feel like you weren’t alone in anything.

“I know. I guess I just sometimes feel like I need to be perfect,” you admitted, feeling vulnerable for a moment.

Jana smiled, her fingers gently brushing against your cheek. “Amor, you don’t need to be perfect. I fell in love with the biggest dork I’ve ever met, and I wouldn’t change a thing. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

A smile tugged at your lips as you turned to face her, your heart beating a little faster. “I love you, Jana. You know that?”

She laughed softly, brushing a strand of hair from your face. “I know. I love you too, dork.”

The two of you sat together for a while, sharing the plate of snacks and talking about everything and nothing, the way only you two could. It felt like time slowed down whenever you were with her, the world outside disappearing in a blur. In that moment, there was no test, no pressure, just the two of you.

It hadn’t always been like this, of course. You and Jana had known each other for years, since your U19 days at Barcelona. Back then, you were just two teammates on the same field, awkwardly laughing about misplaced passes or a bad goal attempt. You had bonded over your shared love of the game, your goofy personalities, and the way you both always managed to mess up in the most charming ways.

There had been a time when you hadn’t even realized what was growing between you and Jana. At first, it was just easy friendship and a mutual respect for each other’s skills and personalities. But somewhere along the way, that friendship had evolved into something deeper, something more.

The first time you’d caught yourself thinking about Jana outside of the context of football was probably one of the most embarrassing moments of your life. You had been sitting in the locker room after a particularly grueling training session, distracted by the way Jana’s laugh sounded when she talked about the ridiculous prank she and Bruna had pulled on Pina. You had tried to focus on the game analysis in front of you, but all you could hear was Jana’s voice, light and carefree. Mapi had to elbow you before you realized she had asked you a question.

It hadn’t taken long after that for you to realize what was happening. You were falling for one of your best friends.

And that’s when the nervousness set in. You weren’t the kind of person who made the first move. You were awkward, fumbling over your words, and way too much of a dork to figure out the complicated world of relationships. But Jana had picked up on it, and in a way that only she could, she made the first step.

That night, after an intense match, she had pulled you aside in the locker room, her eyes soft but intense. “Y/N,” she had said, her voice low, “I think I like you.”

Your heart had nearly stopped at those words. You had stammered out something about being confused, but she had simply kissed you, gently, without hesitation. It was everything you’d imagined and more, and suddenly, the awkwardness of it all melted away.

After that, things had shifted. You weren’t just teammates anymore, you were partners, both on and off the field. There was a comfort in being with Jana that you couldn’t explain. She made you feel seen, loved, and appreciated for every quirky, dorky thing you did.

And now, sitting in your room, studying for a test that you didn’t feel prepared for, Jana was right there beside you, proving once again that you didn’t have to be perfect.

“Promise me you’ll take a break after this?” Jana asked, her voice soft but serious.

You nodded, a smile tugging at your lips. “I promise.”

Jana kissed you on the forehead, the sweet gesture making your heart swell with affection. “Good, my favorite dork."

You let out a laugh, resting your head on her shoulder. “And you’re my favorite person.”

[eatmyheartoutjpg]

𓇻 𝗢𝗡𝗘-𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗗 ᶜᵃⁱᵗˡʸⁿ ᵏⁱʳᵃᵐᵃⁿ ˣ ᵍⁿ ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 ;; Shortfic. Romantic Comedy. Established relationship, kinda. You and Caitlyn have been dating for months and have an amazing, steady relationship. Apparently, she did not know this. 𝘼/𝙉 ;; I thought this would be simple and cute concept. I also need to stop writing so much about Ambessa, she's literally a BIG portion of my masterlist..

11.28.24 Masterlist

It was the middle of a quiet afternoon at your favorite café. Caitlyn sat across from you, her usual order of tea steaming gently in the delicate porcelain cup. She was talking about an ongoing case, her words precise and thoughtful, her elegant fingers occasionally gesturing to emphasize a point. You nodded along, only half-listening as you admired the way the sunlight caught in her dark hair and lit her sharp blue eyes.

This was yet another simple and personal date. One of many you've been on together, you couldn't have been any happier when she first invited you.

In your mind, this was just another moment in your relationship. You and Caitlyn had been spending time like this for months now—frequent dinners, shared moments and memories in her office, long walks through Piltover’s streets. The way she always held doors open for you, the small gifts she brought back from trips, the soft smiles meant only for you—all of it felt unmistakably romantic.

So when she suddenly stopped speaking, her gaze flickering nervously to her cup, you leaned forward, concern blooming in your chest.

“Caitlyn?” you prompted gently, concerned. You suppose all the talk about the growing cases may be stressing her out more than you realize.

You were quick to think about activities to help destress, maybe a romantic eventing on a—

You stopped as you realized she moved, ever so slightly.

She hesitated, her fingers tightening slightly around the cup’s handle. her lips pursed tightly as she averted your eyes fora moment. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” she said, her voice quieter than usual.

Her gaze slowly trailed up the table, her eyes slowly meeting yours. A small, determined look on her face appeared.

You smiled, trying to ease her nerves. “You know you can tell me anything, Caitlyn.”

Her lips curved in a faint smile, though it quickly faded. She took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her words tumbled out in a rush.

“I like you. More than a friend should. I—well, I think I’m in love with you.”

The words hung in the air between you, and you blinked, your mind racing to catch up. It took a moment for the meaning to settle, and when it did, a startled laugh escaped you.

“Wait, you think?” you teased lightly, trying to mask the confusion swirling in your chest.

You thought this was one of Caitlyn's shy— and sometimes awkward— moments, a cute quirk you've come to indulge in.

Caitlyn frowned, her cheeks flushing a faint pink. “I’m serious,” she said, her tone earnest and a little defensive. “I’ve been trying to work up the courage to tell you for weeks. I know this might come as a surprise, but—”

“Caitlyn,” you interrupted, your brow furrowing. “What do you mean, a surprise? We’ve been dating for months.”

The silence that followed was almost comical.

You both stared at each other, both taking turns slowly blinking. You could swear you heard the gears turning in her head.

Caitlyn froze, her eyes widening as she processed your words. “We’ve been… what?”

Your confusion deepened.

“Dating,” you repeated slowly, as if the word itself might clear up the misunderstanding. “Haven’t we?”

She stared at you, her expression a mixture of shock and dawning realization. “I—no, I didn’t realize. I thought we were just…” She trailed off, her voice faltering.

“Just what?” you asked, your voice tinged with disbelief.

“Friends,” she admitted, looking thoroughly flustered. “Close friends.”

You blinked at her, your mouth opening and closing as you tried to form a coherent response. The past few months flashed through your mind: the quiet dinners where she insisted on paying, the lingering touches, the way she always made you feel like you were the only person in the room.

“How could you think we were just friends?” you asked, your tone incredulous. “We kissed— We had dinner with your parents—”

Caitlyn’s blush deepened, and she looked down at her tea. “Well, yes, but I thought—”

“You’ve held— been— holding my hand.”

“I thought you were being… supportive,” she said weakly.

“Supportive?” you echoed, your voice rising slightly.

“Look,” she said, holding up her hands in a placating gesture, “I didn’t want to assume. You’re important to me, and I didn’t want to risk ruining things if I misread—”

“You didn’t misread anything.” You interrupted quickly, not a beat missed, your tone exasperated.

Caitlyn bit her lip, her expression sheepish. “I suppose, in hindsight, it seems rather obvious.”

You leaned back in your chair, shaking your head in disbelief. “You really didn’t know?”

She met your gaze, her own filled with a mixture of embarrassment and amusement. “I didn’t,” she admitted, her lips quirking into a small smile. “But if it makes you feel any better, I’m thrilled to know we’ve been on the same page… even if I didn’t realize it.”

Despite yourself, you laughed, the tension draining from your shoulders. “Caitlyn, you’re unbelievable.”

She reached across the table, her fingers brushing against yours in a gesture that felt both familiar and new. “Does this mean you’ll forgive me for being utterly oblivious?”

You smiled, lacing your fingers with hers. “Only if you promise to stop calling me your ‘friend.’”

Her laugh was soft, her thumb tracing gentle circles against your skin. “Deal,” she said, her voice warm. “Though, for the record, I prefer ‘partner.’”

You realized, you could never see yourself with anyone but Caitlyn Kiraman.

ˢᵉᵛᵉⁿ

[stingraygun]

Doubt comes in.

I made this comic based off a WW lives au I made with my friend! I'll put a little more context and explanation below in the read more

OKAY, so this is part of the WW lives/family au, and I thought of this comic after thinking about my writing choice of Vash forcing Wolfwood to leave with the orphanage rather than seeing his last moments with him. I was also thinking of the song "Doubt Comes In" from Hadestown (which is where the caption is from) and the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Course, the main point of Vash making Wolfwood leave like that is so that he'd live, but I do enjoy thinking about how that changes the tone and beliefs they might hold about each other in their parting. Natural disclaimer this is mainly personal interpretations and stuff I've discussed with my best friend lmao.

But as I see it, Vol 10 was when Vash and Wolfwood truly realized how much they meant to each other. Wolfwood was the first to realize how much he began to care for Vash, even considering them friends, but still felt that he was less important than Knives being dealt with and left without asking for help. I also imagine he left without a word. Not realizing that Vash would choose to chase after him over preparing to face Knives despite the risk. And I don't think Vash quite realized how much Wolfwood meant to him until that moment. And that in his entire life of leaving, he wanted to ask someone to stay. Only to realize at the same moment that he was going to lose Wolfwood.

There's a bit where Vash initially tries to convince Wolfwood to leave on the ship with the orphanage, and I see this as Vash telling Wolfwood to spend his last moments with them instead. While I do think Wolfwood was scared of their reaction, he wanted to spend what time he had with Vash. Vash, who runs, leaves, and sacrifices so much so he doesn't have to watch others die, stays, shares a drink, and watches Wolfwood die. And they both know that their love is reciprocated.

Now, considering that all, what happens if Vash chooses to make Wolfwood leave instead? He'd instead choose to live with the uncertainty of Wolfwood's fate so he can keep him alive in his heart despite his doubt about Wolfwood's survival. To refuse to look back. Regardless of whether Wolfwood lives, It'd feel like rejection rather than reciprocation. In my mind, it's a selfish choice for Vash to make, but he doesn't want to lose Wolfwood and would instead choose to doubt and live apart from him rather than look back and know he's gone forever.

The comic is set sometime after Wolfwood finds Vash and works things out (as well as they can, considering who they are). They're traveling together at this point and spending their tomorrows by each other's side, exactly like Vash wanted. But he's never really learned how to stop grieving, and I think there'd be moments where he begins to doubt what's right in front of him or fears that when he wakes the next day, it's been taken from him again.

Okay comic breakdown time and thoughts:

Page 1: Tried to make the room kind of skewed kind of unsettling. All the bg elements (window, door, side table) are on Vash's side while Wolfwood's side is empty. Vash stares forward blankly (I referenced his expression in Vol 10 when Livio asks where Wolfwood is). He's meant to look exhausted like he's been awake this entire time. He's afraid to go to sleep, thinking that if he falls asleep, then Wolfwood will vanish. Wolfwood is almost entirely obstructed and shadowed because even then, Vash doesn't entirely trust or believe he's here. His hand grasps the darkness of where Wolfwood's chest should be.

Page 2: It's almost complete darkness, and Wolfwood's arm, even slides to grasp Vash's, is a scratchy shadow. Vash is still doubting what he's feeling, but as his hand is pressed against Wolfwood's heart, he feels life in there.

Page 3: Wolfwood starts to come into more detail, though he is still obstructed. Vash's doubt starts to ease somewhat, but the anxiety of Wolfwood leaving remains. He still refuses to look directly until Wolfwood turns over in bed, forcing him to look at his face.

Page 4: Vash is still struggling to entirely believe what's in front of him, and being said asks tomorrow like the answer might change then. Finally Wolfwood's face comes into view as he kisses Vash's ring finger, a promise and a vow that he's that the rest of his days are Vash's. I chose the phrase "And all my days after." on purpose rather than something like "and every day after" because Wolfwood knows his time is significantly shorter than Vash's. He can't promise eternity, to be there for the rest of Vash's life, or to grow old together. But what time he does have left, he gives to Vash. Vash believes him.

[bunnys-kisses]

https://www.tumblr.com/bunnys-kisses/768349619894861824/im-holding-your-hand-when-im-saying-this-as-a?source=share

people started asking crane (Max’s friend) on stream if Lestappen (Charles and max) is real. I think he was like “I shouldn’t be furthering/entertaining this” (I forgot what he said word for word). People took it as something to be excited about, that the drivers are aware of the ships and all, but idk. I think fandoms are getting too bold for my liking. I have no problem with shipping, but this parasocial behaviour is out of hand. I saw this when 1D was still a group (with Harry x Louis shippers harassing Louis to the point where he got so upset when the ship was referenced in the popular show Euphoria), I’ve seen it with Kpop in which idols have stopped hanging out publicly because fandoms get out of hand (a girl in the group Aespa had a boyfriend earlier this year and fans got very upset because they shipped her and another member and they broke up. A few years ago, 2 members of two different kpop groups (SNSD and EXO) dated and the girl got harassed at the airport even). And now this.

Fandoms get so parasocial so quickly, it’s insane. It’s not new behaviour, but it’s strange.

exactly, this isn't new behavior. but i feel like it's become more emboldened with how much more "online" both fans and companies/groups are.

more under the cut, because this is a long one....

i also think it ties into this notion that i've been seeing online about how fans have this feeling to be "right" both with rpf and fiction as well. that their theories, opinions and whatever else is "correct". i've seen this with like pieces of media like steven universe and even star wars. like fandom isn't fun anymore, it has become this weird one up over each other. i honestly don't know when this changed, my guess is around the pandemic when it seemed like people were more logged into the internet. but, i could be wildly off with that. (if you have an idea, i'd love to know). it just feels stupid in so many ways how fandoms are structured. even if you're not the "best" artist or writer, people can't have FUN in fandom - of course that doesn't mean it has to be absolved criticism. you can have fun and still call out hate within spaces. the issue with formula one (along with k-pop like you mentioned, anon), is that these aren't characters. this isn't arguing in the tags over is finnpoe or reylo is more valid or legitimate within the narrative. these are REAL people, with REAL friends, families and partners.

it's this weird push to have someone's theory - and while i have a soft spot for lestappen, it is at the end of the day nothing more than fan theory - be confirmed. also personally, if hattie (oscar's sister) or crane (max's friend) "outed" them, i would be horribly fucking offended on oscar/max's behalf. to have someone you TRUST just out you like that. it's sick. maybe it's because i worked in queer spaces from high school all the way through uni, and the number one rule no matter WHAT, is you never out someone. even if the question is harmless and the person asking has no ill intention. you never out another person, because it's not YOUR coming out. so the fact that fans are near begging these people to OUT their loved ones, is not only a level of delusion that i can't ever comprehend. but, also it could honestly, ruin that interpersonal relationship.

so like even if a driver is queer, whoever it may be. could be a driver from the 90s, could be a driver today, it could be a driver in five years, i don't want someone else in their life outing them. because that's THEIR story. and fans need to realize that. bothering crane or hattie or alexandra (i've seen that too) - isn't helping anyone and it makes you look unhinged and weirdly alienates not only the driver but their loved ones. YES, they knew it exists, it is EVERYWHERE. but shoving it in their faces doesn't help. and you're never going to get the confirmation because there is a high chance that their not even queer to begin with. and if they are, NOT OUR CONCERN

i don't have a problem writing or consuming rpf, it is not a crime nor do i think it should be stopped. like HAVE FUN. but you have to realize that it's not like debating star wars or marvel or whatever other piece of fictional media. formula one is REAL, they are not actors. they are athletes, and unless you want all rpf to be shut down some how. i suggest the likes of some of ya'll need to understand that there are different boundaries. and respect them.

i know they're all millionaires, but they still breathe and bleed as a friend of mine once said. it's fun to put them in little scenarios in fanworks, but just keep it out of their direct attention. there are unspoken boundaries, that some of ya'll need have said to you apparently.

asking oscar issac if he THINKS that finnpoe is real is VERY different than asking someone's sister if she thinks her REAL LIFE BROTHER is fucking his REAL LIFE TEAMMATE. - people's relationships have turned to ash over insistent rpf in their faces all the time.

my advice at the end of the day is: have fun, don't write or draw it because you want confirmation that it's a real relationship. write or draw it because you're having fun. fandom is about making friends and shipping in whatever context is about finding a slice of community on the vast internet, not cracking the code of if it is a real relationship. - bunny.

[wcnderlnds]

here for you | peter parker

・❥・ summary: after getting kicked out, peter comes to the rescue like always ・❥・word count: 1.1k ・❥・warnings: n/a ・❥・ authors note: this is my first time writing for my beloved peter parker!! its also the first time ive wrote anything in like a month. this was a request from this list. feel free to request any!

The rain was falling hard in New York City. It was one of those cold, rainy nights that had most people bustling through the streets with their umbrellas hurrying to get home. Unfortunately, you were one of those people. The heavy thud of the raindrops falling on your umbrella and the usual sound of the busy New York traffic were the only things keeping you grounded in that moment. The puddles on the pavement soaked your favourite pair of boots as you aimlessly wandered, suitcase full of belongings trailing along with you as you dragged it across the concrete. This wasn’t how your day was supposed to go. Your original plan had been to sit in front of the fire, cup of cocoa in your hand as you watched Love Actually. Too bad you had forgotten to pay your darn rent. 

Money had been tight lately. Balancing a part time job and university was no easy feat. So much so that you had ended up sacrificing your job for the sake of your mental health. You had thought your savings would be enough until you had a better grip on things to find another job but you were wrong. The well had run dry and after another missed rent payment, your landlord had kicked you out. 

When it rained, it definitely poured.

As you stepped into a particularly deep puddle, the familiar sound of a ‘thwip’ sounded above you. Craning your neck up, you spotted none other than the famous Spider-Man perched on a lamppost, head tilted as he looked at you almost like he was examining you. The corners of your lips almost tugged up into a smile as you imagined the concern in his eyes under that mask. Peter Parker had shared his secret with you almost the day he’d found out himself. You were his best friend after all – the two of you told each other everything. The eyes on his mask widened in questioning.

“Got kicked out,” you shrugged. Saying it out loud made it feel all the more real. Not that walking through the streets with everything you owned in a suitcase didn’t.

After checking to make sure nobody was around to hear, Peter spoke. “Meet me at my place. Gotta take care of something first.”

With that, he swung away no doubt on his way to tackle some crime. At least in a city like New York, Spider-Man was never short of something nefarious to keep him occupied. The whole city was like a hub for superheroes and criminals at this point. It was so much so that you were almost desensitised to it. Maybe that had something to do with the fact your best friend was one of those superheroes. Your feet carried you to Peter’s apartment, knocking on the door when you approached. No answer. He must still be out. A sigh passed your lips as you sat on the floor, back against the wall, legs stretched out in front of you as you waited for that nerdy, cute friend of yours to arrive. The raindrops from your jacket were dripping on the floor. Huh, you hadn’t realised it had been raining that hard. Probably too lost in your own thoughts. 

It was ten minutes later when the door to the apartment opened – Peter must have swung in through his window. The pros of being Spider-Man meant you didn’t have to deal with such meander things as walking. Sometimes you wished that spider had bit you so you could swing your way through the city without a care. His mask was in his hand as you stepped through the threshold, the door shutting behind you. His big, brown eyes looking at you with concern.

“I know you have questions and I’ll answer but I really need to get out of these wet clothes right now,” you cringed as you pulled your jacket off, your jeans sticking to your legs.

“Oh! Uh, yeah, sure, sure. You can… use the bathroom. You know where it is,” Peter nodded, his cheeks tinting pink at the mere thought of you getting changed in his apartment. He knew he shouldn’t have thoughts like that but he couldn’t help himself. Throughout the years Peter had somewhat started to develop feelings for you. It was something he beat himself up about every single day because there was no way you felt the same way for him. Why would you? You were incredible and he was… him. No, Peter would always keep this secret to himself. There was no way he was ever going to lose you so if it only meant friendship then he’d take it.

“You should have told me you were struggling to pay rent!” Peter exclaimed. Once both of you had gotten changed, you’d situated yourselves on Peter’s couch, a blanket thrown over the two of you as you filled him in on your situation.

“Peter, no offence but you can barely afford to pay your own rent let alone help me.”

“I would’ve found a way.”

A smile lit up your face, hand reaching out to give his a squeeze. “I know and I am so lucky to have someone like you looking out for me like that but I could never ask that of you.”

Peter’s eyes glanced down at your hand atop his, barely containing how sweaty his palm was starting to feel at your simple touch. He was down bad. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed down a gulp, shaking his head. “You know I’m always going to be there for you, right? Always. No matter what happens. I would do anything and everything in this world to help you and protect you. There’s nothing more precious to me than you.”

His words hit you straight in the feelings, your heart beating a mile a minute like it was about to burst out of your chest. The sincere look in his eyes, the way he always seemed to make you his number one priority – there was nobody who looked after you as fiercely as Peter did. Despite everything he’d been through with his family and losing Gwen, he had never let you down. The second your eyes met his it was like the whole world had stopped still. Your breath hitched, caught in your throat as Peter’s delicate fingers reached out to gently tuck a stray strand of your hair behind your ear. His thumb brushed your cheek, the gesture making your stomach do flips.

“Stay here with me…. for as long as you want,” his voice was barely above a whisper.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” you leaned into his touch. The moment lingering between you, neither wanting it to end. There would be many, many more moments just like this one – you just didn’t know it yet.

taglist: @strawb3rrystar @decaf-mother @ldydeath @mistysconcilium

[lightlycareless]

I was reading your scorned ex husband stories and they made me so sad(especially the second one) then I started thinking about the twin au and like what if the twins parent trap them in a different divorced au? Lol. Naoya is still a dick obviously for splitting up twins(seriously who would do that??) but maybe not completely irredeemable for Y/N to forgive him 🥺 Hehe this is just something silly I thought up and wanted to share

Hellooooooo

Heheh this got me watching the movie again, right in the nostalgia. It had been so long since I last saw it that I actually didn't remember most of it, but I do think however: how the hell did they think that was a good idea 🤣 gee, talk about parent of the year.

Anyways, some liberties were taken to make the story work, though the premise is essentially the same.

Also, these are the works anon is referring to :) Ex-husband 1 & Ex-husband 2. Now onto the warnings:

Warnings: none major. Naoya is an a_hole, as always. Naomi and Naori are adorable, but poor kids seriously :'(.

Happy reading!!

If Naoya does this, you effectively hate him from that point forward.

It is non-negotiable, you never want to see him ever again, especially after the cruel words he used to justify the separation of his children:

“I only ever cared about Naori anyways.”

You made it your life-long purpose to keep Naomi from someone as despicable as her father—though it hurt you to do so, for it also meant you’d be away from your beloved son; just 2 years into his life… you barely got to make any memories with him before he was stripped away from your arms.

But such was the divorce agreement: the two would keep one child, and out of their lives.

Naoya remains in Kyoto with his son at the Zen’in estate, while you move back to Tokyo, close to your family but distant enough to have your own apartment. Just the two of you, the little home you always wanted.

In an unexpected turn of events, Naomi and Naori would go on completely unaware of each other until enrolling in the same elementary school.

It was almost undetectable at the beginning since Naomi now had your last name—but once teachers and students alike began to realize their physical similarities, it became impossible to ignore.

“No… we don’t look alike.” Naori would quietly complain. Out of the two, he was the least enthusiastic about this advancement, doing his best to avoid the limelight due to his reserved nature.

However, that wouldn’t mean anything to Naomi: ever the bubble one, she was nothing but to have a new best friend that looked just like her!

“We’re almost like twins!” she gasped—same hair color, eyes, height… how could they not? “I’ve always wanted a baby brother too.”

“Well, I don’t! And I could be older too, you know? Besides, why would I want a sister that’s weak and ugly…?”

Intended to hurt her, Naomi only laughed at his words, for it would take much more than that to bring her down—one could even say that the two were reflections of their respective parents in that matter: the only contrast between the two, as a matter of fact.

“That’s not true!” she happily refuted, taking hold of his hand and heading to the playground. “Now, come on! I want to go on the swings, and I need someone to push me!”

Though Naori was greatly unwilling at first, he’d soon warm up to her, mainly because she was part of the few, if not the only, kid that didn’t bother him because of his shyness; always rushing to the rescue whenever bullies began to swarm him, as well as reassure him there was nothing wrong with being the way he was.

And if that wasn’t enough, the food Naomi began to share with him (courtesy of you, after much insistence from her part) effectively validated their friendship.

“When will you ever bring him over?” you tease, it’s the happiest you’d ever seen your daughter! And for that, you couldn’t help but feel glad and obligated to repay the favor.

“I don’t know, mama. Nori-kun tells me his papa can be quite strict.”

You chuckle.

“Well, I’m sure I can convince him next time the parents have a meeting at school.”

“His papa doesn’t go to school.” Naomi frowns, her words making you sad for the poor child. “Says he’s too busy.”

“Oh, that’s awful. Well, what about the mama?”

“He doesn’t have one.”

Your heart longs to comfort him.

If they only knew…

And as time went on and their friendship flourished even more, so did their interests for one another; beyond those of their favorite colors and toys, and more into… personal grounds.

Matters that had always quietly hurt Naori one way or the other since he could remember; more so since you had been nothing but sweet and kind to a figuratively unknown kid, which highlighted the fact he never had that one thing he always wished for.

What he might never have, since his father has long given up on it, considering the way he coldly changes the subject, or completely ignores it. Naori simply… doesn’t talk about it.

Until now.

“Why don’t you have a dad?” He dares to ask; it’s no secret that the one to pick him up at school is one of his father’s many subordinates, always changing, not enough to be interesting to the other parents outside of how rich (or a jerk) he must be to have employees pick up his child.

Compared to you, always spoken of fondly for the following reasons:

If it was Valentine’s Day, you’d send Naomi with a big box of candies so she could share with all the class.

Halloween was the same, even hosting small gatherings if the children wished to celebrate in a safe environment.

If it was a classmate’s birthday, you always made sure to send them a personal gift or attend their birthday party. Your gifts might’ve put some parents to shame from time to time, but it didn’t matter, you kind of grew to be some kind of celebrity thus a few always tried to be on your good side—or Naomi’s, so to speak.

Naomi’s birthday… well, some fought to be on the guest list.

In other words,you were an amazing for both kids and parents alike, enough to inspire Naori to daydream about what it would be to have a loving mother like you—to always be at the door once it was time to leave, patiently waiting for the moment your daughter would come into view and subsequently pick her up into a tight, warm hug, followed by a kiss and wide smile as you urged Naomi to tell you all about her day.

Or more importantly, wonder if you were open to adopting him.

“Oh… that—I�� don’t know!” Naomi responds truthfully. “Mama never talks about him.”

“Have you asked her?”

“Once or twice, but all she says is that I should focus on my studies!

…

But I can see how sad she gets whenever I mention him.” She continues. “Mama isn’t very good at hiding “adult talk” and neither is my auntie, so I always get to hear how lonely she is when they talk about him! … and how she should try dating other people, or whatever that means, so she wouldn’t feel like that anymore.”

“I think is when you marry someone.” Naori tries to explain, Naomi scowls out of disgust.

She doesn’t like the idea of sharing her mama with someone else, grows somewhat jealous too.

Well, maybe if it was Uncle Nanami, he’s always been nice to her and her mama. Not Geto because she plans on marrying him herself.

And she supposes her papa too… but how could someone you love make you sad?

“I don’t want her marrying anyone.” Naomi shakes her head. “She’s happy with me!”

“But don’t you wonder about your dad?” he asks. “What did he look like? How did he meet your mom?”

Or how they fell in love?

Naturally. Because just as Naori, and even after you tried your hardest to distract her from it… she too longed to have a father. Someone to play with her after finishing all her homework, put her over his shoulders and let her see the world from his height, or protect her from the monsters that lived inside the closet…

There must be an answer to both of their mysteries—people don’t simply disappear.

And such, is how they assigned themselves a new mission; a task of the upmost importance, requiring all their attention and care if they wish to uncover why they only have one parent—and who was such peculiar character.

Anything that could hint such solution is a chance they’d take, however…

To Naomi, this endeavor proved quite fruitless, for any indication of your past relationship was effectively ripped from the evidence. Quite literally: thousands and thousands of pictures cut in half, neatly removing the person that accompanied her mother—whom she assumed to be her father. And that’s without mentioning your consistent disapproval of the matter. Naomi was right where she began.

This lack of advancement both frustrated her and placed more pressure onto Naori’s efforts, which shockingly, turned to be quite more than what they bargained for. Getting results neither could’ve imagined, not even in their wildest dreams…

“Naomi-chan… I’m not sure if you’re ready to see this.” Naori would caution as he placed down a large wooden box before her, filled with his findings.

“Why? Why not, Naori-kun?” she frets, surely it couldn’t be anything too outrageous.

…Could it?

Yes, it could. And it was.

Because beyond the astonishing realization that all the pictures Naori brought were in virtually perfect shape…

The fact they both recognize the people in the photo, Naomi’s mother, wearing that same bright eyed, wide smile look on her face whenever particularly excited. Happy—alongside Naori’s father, with his usual dyed hair, ear piercings, and striking eyes…

Holding two newborn babies—named Naomi and Naori such as the inscription in the back stated, alongside their birth time and date (Naomi is older, at last is known) …

Is what truly shocked them.

…

…

…

You. Naoya.

Naomi and Naori.

Mama and papa.

A family, for all intents and purposes.

What everyone around them proclaimed: siblings.

Naomi and Naori were siblings. Twins.

“Does that mean we—”

Naori nods. If it hadn’t been obvious enough by now.

Nonetheless, as thrilling as this discovery was, for it essentially made their respective dreams come true… another question arose. One that undoubtedly could not proceed unanswered.

“Why aren’t our parents together?”

Or most importantly:

“How can we get them back together?”

“But what if they don’t want to?” Naori frets.

“I told you already! Mama looks very happy wit him, and auntie says she’s very lonely too… besides, if they get back together that means we’ll finally be a happy family! And isn’t that what you wanted?”

Naori presses his lips together, nodding.

“I want a happy family too. I’ve always wanted a papa to play with!” Naomi continues.

“And a mom to hug…” Naori adds. “What do we do?”

First…

Get them together, face to face. In other words, talk. It’s how adults always preached problems got solved.

Since you had given Naomi the impression you’re not interested in anything pertaining to Naori’s dad, she had to get creative. Force you into a position where you wouldn’t be able to ignore her as you’ve done before—and one where Naoya would inevitably have to go to school too.

It had to be a convincing excuse, and since the two were children in need of dire solutions, their innocent minds led them to the most extreme resolution yet.

“I need you to punch me.” Naomi says, determined.

“Why?!” he gasps.

“Because I need to get hurt for mama to come, and if you’re the one in trouble they’ll have to call your papa, and then, the two will be here, just as we planned!”

“Can’t we do something less dangerous…?” Naori doesn’t like the idea of getting in trouble with his strict dad, as if he weren’t insufferable enough…

“No, Naori. It must be this!”

“But I don’t want to punch you…”

“Come on, we have to do it to have a family!!” she insists. “Or do you not want mama to make you food every day? To hug you too??”

He swallows.

“I do.”

“Then do it!”

And… he does. After taking a deep breath, clenching his fist and hitting Naomi in what she could only describe the weakest punch she could’ve ever anticipated. Surely, not enough to make this case convincing.

“Naori! You have to hit harder than that!”

“I—I tried!” he cries.

“No, you didn’t!” she cries back. “You didn’t even try!”

“Ye—yes I did!” Naori frowns. “It’s not my fault I’m not as strong as you!”

“Yeah, right! You’re a boy, you’re supposed to hit harder!” Naomi adds, smirking soon after an idea crosses her mind. “… Then I guess you don’t really want a mama.”

“I do want a mom…”

“No, it’s fine. I should’ve known not to trust you with something so important anyways—” she says, words that brush each and every one of Naori’s insecurities. “You’re just as weak as everyone else says…”

With a frown on his face, and a sour tightness in his chest, little Naori quickly clenched his fist and prepared himself to prove her wrong once and for all. Show that he wanted this just as much as she did—if not more.

Naomi was trying her best to get a rise out of Naori, everything necessary to motivate a genuine hit out of him and get their plan in motion—she never meant any of those words, intended to apologize after all was said and done, though she doubted it would matter once they got what they sought after.

But it was almost comical how it happened, how he miscalculated his steps, how far his hand had to travel to hit Naomi, and how he ended up doing far more than necessary: but convincingly so, in the end. Tripping over her and sending the two tumbling down, loudly hitting the ground in such a motion that had them scraping their skin, and of course, tears following suit.

“Maaaaaaa, I want my mamaaaaa.” Naomi intuitively cried, tightly holding onto the teacher as the two were sent to the infirmary.

Naori didn’t cry much for his father, he rarely did considering his prominent absence, but just one look at his teary face and trembling lip, and it was obvious whom he sought for comfort—the same one the school somehow convinced to come along and deal with this unfortunate incident.

As well as the supposed altercation that made way for all this to happen in the first place.

“No, what do you mean a fight??” You’re the first to arrive, demanding a believable explanation from the teacher. “That’s not—that doesn’t sound like my daughter!”

“I know, I thought the same… but that’s what the kids are saying.” She explains. “That Naomi-chan was inciting Naori-kun to punch her, and that she was even saying awful things to get him to do that. I don’t know what they were doing, if they were playing a game or… I don’t know; all of it is so weird—I’m sorry.”

You sigh.

“It’s fine. There’s no need to stress when it’s already happened.” You explain. “Is the parent of the child here already?”

“Should be soon, but I don’t know if he’s actually coming, Naori’s dad isn’t quite… present.”

You frown at the name.

“Naori? Wasn’t he Naomi’s best friend?”

She nods.

“It just makes everything even more unbelievable… really, what’s gotten to them?”

You hope to figure such when speaking to the poor child your daughter allegedly antagonized, after apologizing for such behavior of course. Which you’d have to deal with after returning home—Naomi… seriously, what could’ve possibly gone through her mind to incite such act? Was she being bullied? Did Naori suddenly decide he no longer wanted to be friends with her?

And why did his name appear to be so… familiar?

You’d figure it out soon enough when entering the infirmary, quickly scanning across the room for your daughter—only to freeze upon locking into Naoya’s; a much smaller, softer version of them, that is.

“Mamaaaaa!!” Naomi quickly cries when seeing you walk past the door, rushing to your side and hugging you tightly, the adrenaline of the whole succession still vivid in her mind. “Mama, it—it hurts a lot!”

Comforting her ought to be your utmost priority, but at the sight of your estranged child, the baby you were forcibly stripped away from… you couldn’t think of anything else but pinching yourself to see if this was a dream—if he was truly there, before you: flesh and bone. After so many years of distance…!

And naturally, hug him. Keep him so, so close to you and never let go; to make up for all the time you’ve spent apart and the things you never got to do because of his undeserving, cruel father…

Who stomped past the door soon after, equally freezing when seeing his estranged child, and ex-wife after 5 years of imposed silence. Startled, as if he hadn’t been the deciding factor behind it all.

Or perhaps, the reason why Naori enrolled in this school in the first place.

“Y/N.”

“Naoya.”

Looks like there’s much to catch up to.

Obviously, part 2 is needed. Essentially where Naoya will disclose more of what the hell was going on in his mind when pulling that stunt, as well as some angst. I have to. hahaha

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little thing I wrote; I do love it when we indulge into domestic au... but not at the expense of the kids 😭😭😭 think of the children!!! lol.

Well, 0nce again, thank you so much for sending in this ask!! Now take care, and hope to see you soon!!

[tyrantisterror]

Say TT, what would be your top 10 T-rexes from media?

Ooo, tough one. I don't know if I can even rank them - I think I'll just share ten I love.

We'll start with the queen, the goddess, my inspiration, the T.rex(es) from Jurassic Park (and its sequels). An elegant design with so many iconic features, from the angry eyebrows to the overbite and of course the iconic roar. The franchise itself stops treating the T.rex with respect from the third movie on, but that doesn't stop it from being its flagship creature.

As villainous rexes go, I don't think any have surpassed that bastard Sharp Tooth, who channels the raw horror of the most fearsome fighting animal in the fossil record.

Every single moment of the T.rexes in Prehistoric Planet filled me with delight and childlike wonder - yes, even when one got chased away my quetzalcoatluses. It was just nice to see a dino documentary where T.rex doesn't die for once, and seeing rexes be tender and social was also something I deeply crave but rarely get to see in dinosaur media.

For dino documentaries that break my heart, the Walking With Dinosaurs rex reigns supreme. I know it's not a particularly accurate reconstruction (and in fact kind of mind bogglingly weird if you look at the details closely - what is going on with the area where her skull meets her neck?), but the story they tell with the rexes here is so tragic that it's burned into my mind. There's the one scene of a rex howling alone in the forest in search of a mate, where the narration notes that it's unlikely anyone will answer the call, that's just lodged into my memory as the ultimate illustration of romance-based loneliness. I feel that rex, man. I feel that howl into the empty woods.

I know it's not a "good" movie, but fuck it, I love The Last Dinosaur. I love the suitamation, I love how the T.rex is presented as this borderline supernatural threat in the vein of Moby Dick, I love that it actually gives us a T.rex vs. Triceratops fight (an odd rarity in dinosaur media despite it being a matchup that 1. happened a LOT in reality and 2. pits two of the most popular and fearsome dinosaurs against each other - "T.rex vs. Triceratops" is, like, someone who's so hot that no one ever asks them out because they think they have no chance).

There's a Japanese kid's movie about a girl who's trying to reconnect with her estranged paleontologist mother and ends up adopting a baby T.rex, and it's very cute and deeply emotional and has scenes of a baby T.rex in a Christmas cape and Santa hat evading the Feds because that's just what you have to do when you're a weird animal companion to a child. It love it. It's called Rex: A Dinosaur Story and I watch it illegally every year because there's no US release of it.

You Are Umasou is another Japanese piece of paleomedia aimed at children with a deeply emotional story about strained parent-child relationships that involves a T.rex - several T.rexes, actual, one of which invents the art of kickboxing to style over his opponents - and l also used to watch it illegally, but luckily Discotek Media released a blu-ray collection of it and its sequels (called "The Heart and Yummie Collection" in an atttempt to translate the pun of the original title that only kinda works), so now I can just watch it whenever, to my delight.

Fang from Primal is one of the most well-rounded T.rex characters in media and I love her so much, even if I can't watch the first episode of that show ever again. It's a shame that show never got a second season, I would have loved to see more of Fang's adventures in a prehistoric world full of dinosaurs and monsters. A damn shame that they didn't continue it - they certainly wouldn't have made the show be about ancient human civilizations with almost no monsters and a weird scene where a woman sleeps with a caveman covered in third degree burns.

Speaking of tyrannosaurs who get a great deal of characterization and team up with cavemen to fight dinosaurs and monsters in a fantastical prehistoric world, none have ever done it better than the original Devil Dinosaur. He lost all of that characterization and, like, any agency at all really when Jack Kirby stopped writing him, sadly, but at least he had a fun team up with Godzilla before he was reduced to a mindless brute and/or glorified pet in subsequent Marvel stories.

Finally we end with Gon, the star of the manga of the same name, a tiny little T.rex (well, arguments could be made he's more of a generic theropod, but he's been called a T.rex enough for me to count him here) whose anthology series tells some of the most dramatic, emotional stories about animals surviving in the harshness of nature without a single line of dialogue. Gon's stories range from the humorous to the downright tragic, and you can always tell what this little dinosaurs is thinking and feeling without him saying a goddamn word. Also he personally beat the shit out of every single fighter in Tekken, which basically makes him as powerful as twenty Gokus.

[rei-ismyname]

Uncanny X-Men #6 From The Ashes

We're starting to see Raid on Graymalkin come together with each team having a member in custody, but first we get to know these kids a little better. Spoilers, naturally.

Yeah they're a mystery to us too.

Calico/Becca has been in pretty serious denial about being a mutant and is easily the least worldly of the four. Context clues told us she grew up wealthy, sheltered, and that her mother did a number on her. It's good to make that explicit but I think something is lost by doing it in third person flashback. This is information she doesn't know and considering what happens next it'd be more effective to have her tell her own story. The flashbacks feel jarring to me too, knocking me out of the present. Her having Ember kick Logan was pretty funny though.

And she's cured! 🙄

Calico has a breakthrough after a minute talking to Gambit, completely accepting her mutanthood. I think this would be the place to hear her speak - just a little back and forth instead of Gambit getting through instantly. She basically drops out of the story at this point, repeating that she's a mutant to anyone who'll listen. Yeah, she's been going on about goblins and her mother the entire time, and she was clearly in denial, but the sudden acceptance feels unearned.

We're not done with Harvey X, it seems. He's died at least once on page and said his powers would move on when he did. Does that mean he's not dead or was he just wrong? The thing with fakeouts is that the more you do it the less readers trust what you tell them. Logan brings up the old guy whose death bed he visited in issue #1 and shares the story behind the Tequila. He asks them to drink it with him and Rogue realises he's heartbroken. This feels unearned too, frankly. We'd never seen this army buddy before and while it's sad, there's so much trauma in all these people's very recent history. Krakoa, The School, Chuck, a genocidal war, Beast, hundreds of thousands of slaughtered mutants. The narrative doesn't really need new trauma when so much is already set up.

It sucks to lose an old friend, but the reader doesn't know the guy at all so it comes out of nowhere. A lot of page space was dedicated to the Sarah Gaunt/Chuck relationship and both aren't present in the story right now. Imagine if that space was spent on, say, Sarah/Logan instead. Very little needs to be changed and being blinded/nearly killed by his now monstrous ex would be a payoff that was setup.

I have complex PTSD myself and I would love to see it handled well in this book, but it's off to a weird start that centres Rogue more than Logan. He's in the middle of sharing his trauma and reaching out when she does this. It's really fucking odd, and I have an uncomfortable feeling it's not meant to be. I'll reserve judgement and see how this plays out.

Is the spit take because of what she said or because she's acting strange? You all have PTSD

Uhhm, what? Is this meant to be Harvey X's influence on Rogue? Her narration seems to suggest that, though she's still using her accent. I don't know, but it feels off. It's great to see the letters PTSD in an X-Men comic, because no shit Logan has PTSD. However, once you pathologise it instead of just referring to trauma, you need to pay that off. I'll believe that when I see it. Also, she just cut him off and told him. Logan says she's not qualified to diagnose that and he's right.

The kids are off to school! I think this is an interesting way to keep the education element of X-Men books separate from the mutant part, and naturally the kids run into bullies straight away. We're shown the other kids listening to Jitter though her confidence is attacked by jerks making fun of her stutter. Ransom has her back but Deathdream is really committed to the bit. This scene shows us what class dynamics are at play too. Showing and not telling might seem like faint praise, but I appreciate it when it's done elegantly. It's something this title has struggled with and I'm happy to see Simone lifting her game with the kids. That said, the bullies are extremely generic. Total cutouts that could be from 1950 or 2024. That's probably intentional but high school drama is a trope that's been beaten to death. If you're going to do it you want to do it well.

More bullying happens and Deathdream seems to take Ransom's words to heart, scaring the bullies with Eldritch horrors. Deathdream really doesn't seem bothered he's about to catch hands, but Ransom rolls his sleeves up and lays them out. I think the Olympics business was overegging the pudding, we can tell from his stance and form that he's trained in boxing. Or maybe this could have come up when they fought the X-Men. Everyone would notice an Olympics hopeful boxer. It could have been in Rogue's narration and wouldn't need to be vocalised as the skill is being used. Chekhov's Skill - it's narratively satisfying.

Unfortunately, while this is going down five heavily armoured dudes corner Calico and tase TF out of her. They call it in to Graymalkin and the Raid is set up. I wonder how they got into the school or knew they were here at all. Cerebro explains the latter. Why are they so obsessed with these kids anyway? Dr Ellis was concerned for their lives 2 issues ago and now she's encouraging brutality. Whatever, big ding for the Uncanny team's record of caring for children.

Kurt and Jubilee head to the store to do shopping and Kurt BAMFs away to save a little girl from being hit by a bus. For once he gets some gratitude, though while he's doing this Jubes is being cornered by Siryn, Blob and maybe Wild Child in full Hound mode. She gets snatched up too and Kurt returns to blood and mess everywhere. He calls Rogue and she tells him to get back quickly. The ending leads straight into 2 issues of Raid on Graymalkin (with 2 over in X-Men) and both teams have their motivation. I'm not looking forward to the contrived conflict but maybe we'll get some answers. We saw Siryn and Blob being tortured in earlier issues, but I'm surprised they're here unsupervised. Perhaps those collars are responsible.

Pound for pound I'd say this is the best issue of Uncanny yet. It had some super odd moments but most of them were relics of the first arc. I do wish we got more time to know all the characters, especially the Outliers, before moving into a mini crossover but this is what we have. Still skippable but seems to be getting better. I'm interested to see how the PTSD thing plays out though my expectations are low. I know that sounds quite negative for what was an improvement, but the first arc left a bad taste in my mouth and trust is earned. Also there's NINE main characters which is really not especially sustainable in a book like this. There's just not enough space, and you end up in situations like heading into an event without a solid grasp of where most of the cast is at.

Don't stand behind a horse, Logan. Lucky you have a healing factor.

[supernova1885a]

I love angst, make my fav characters suffer is basically a tradition.

So I have all this lore that I made up myself while playing based on confusing events and dialogues, so I decided to illustrate a little bit of what the transition from happiness = tragedy would be like in the relationship of these two. I don't know what the hell I saw in that spider but I love them and that's precisely why I'm going to make them suffer, you're welcome.

I MUST CLARIFY that everything I say in this post is not canon or is partially based on the canon of the game. Don't take this as something official, I just want to share a little of my interpretation of both the story and characters. Also that Shamura is a she/her to me, but I will refer to her as they/them in this post.

After Shamura found the others, they moved together to Silk Cradle and worked out what their new life would be from now on. Shamura made very strong bonds with they new family, but especially with Leshy and Narinder, although due to his insistence they spent more time with the latter.

They used to take him with them to their temple and show him the spider webs that decorated the place, as well as teach him to weave and other things. Being the eldest, they had to impart the learning of their siblings as well as help them assume their places as divinities. All with enormous love and affection that grew with the passage of time.

Years later, the five of them grew up and left Silk Cradle to begin to reign in their respective kingdoms. Because Narinder's kingdom was not earthly, he was the last to leave.

Shamura was the one who made and gave their siblings their robes, it was a last gift from them before not seeing them again for a long time. They could not hide their happiness, although along with it there was a slight feeling of sadness, but they knew well that they could not keep them with them for life and had to let them follow their paths.

Of course, there are times when with bad guidance the paths can go awry. Shamura loved their siblings, perhaps too much and that made them very permissive regarding certain actions that they did. Narinder was fed up with his position and decided to go further, breaking the laws of nature, Shamura had a bad feeling but when they realized it was too late. Narinder felt betrayed when they reproached him, because it was thanks to their knowledge that he had done what he did and now they was angry with him.

Maybe it was the tension of the moment that increased with each reprimand from they that caused him to attack them, maybe it was anger or he just didn't know how to control himself. From one moment to the next Shamura fell to the ground, a warm liquid began to stain their face, the screams of their siblings could be heard in the distance and a sharp pain began to overwhelm them. Fear, anger, sadness, pain, they had never felt so many emotions at once, they didn't know whether to cry or scream, whether to get up or stay there, until suddenly everything went completely dark.

Shamura was cared for by their siblings until they was stable, but the pain from their wound was not the only thing that began to bother them. With it came severe headaches, vertigo, dizziness, and memory loss. Despite all that and the harm their beloved brother had caused them, deep down in their damaged heart, they still loved him.

════════════════════ ⋆★⋆ ════════════════════

I haven't worked on this beyond the main concept yet, but I wanted to share it with you guys instead of just leaving it to writing and my imagination! I'm thinking about making a few comics about it, I have a lot of ideas I want to put down here. Thanks for reading!

[lilmarshie]

A Chance Encounter | B. Barnes x Reader

Entangled Fates, Chapter One

A Victorian Era AU

Y/N - your name

Bucky, a young aristocrat, attends a prestigious ball, feeling out of place among the opulence and superficiality. The lace and opulence was far too much for his liking. He wanted to spend more time outdoors in his element rather than holed up inside attending a party.

Y/N, a brilliant but underprivileged scholar, manages to secure an invitation to the ball through a benefactor, hoping to make important connections for your future. This was going to be monumental for your future career and you were very fortunate to be able to attend such a prestigious gathering.

You arrived promptly at 7pm on the dot, dressed in a beautiful maroon and navy dress, that sparkled ever so slightly in the dim light of the building. The ball was being held in a sprawling home on a few acres. It had a tall, pitched roof featuring brickwork and decorative tiled hallways throughout the home. The home also boasted massive ornate fireplaces in every room, a beautiful front porch, and gorgeous stained glass windows. A butler, was there to greet you at the door, ushering you into the grand foyer and over to two massive doors that led into a lavish but cozy ballroom. There were sprawls of people standing in what seemed to be every corner of the room. Mingling amongst each other, while servants catered to the whims of the partygoers.

Amidst the crowd, you locked eyes with a man who had dark chocolate brown hair which was neatly slicked back. He was dressed in a meticulously pressed dark gray suit that accentuated his features. You locked eyes briefly with this man before turning away embarrassment visible on your face. You knew that you didn’t fit in here but you needed to do this for the sake of your future.

You went to go and grab a place of pastries and a cup of tea to keep your mind occupied. “I don’t need to get involved in whatever this man does. He may be strikingly good looking but I can’t get involved.” You think, as you wander off to a nearby table, the plate in your hands filled to the brim with the delicious treats. You noticed that this man kept his eyes on you the entire time. He began to make his way over to you. “Ahem.” The man says, as you swallow a bite of one of the pastries. “I wanted to introduce myself. I haven’t seen you around before. My name is James Buchanan Barnes. But you can call me Bucky.” He says, with a huge grin. His hand was extended to shake hands with yours. You reach over the table and shake his hand with a smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Bucky.” You say, as you shake his hand warmly.

“How are you enjoying everything?” Bucky asks, his hands now clasped in his lap as he watches you intently. “It’s been very nice to be invited here. I never thought I would ever be able to attend an event such as this.” You say, with a wistful sigh. “This is honestly a dream come true. I am but a simple scholar and I have dreamed of a moment such as this.” You say, as you drink a sip of tea that was swiftly brought to you by one of the many attentive servants. “I’m very glad to hear that, y/n.” Bucky says, as he takes a sip of tea as well. His brown eyes twinkling in the low light. He was contemplating whether or not to tell you why he was there before clearing his throat softly.

“How about we step outside to continue our conversation? I’m quite enjoying myself here with you. And I’d love to get to know you better.” Bucky smiled, as he finished his cup of tea before standing up and extending his arm out towards yours. Nodding, you link arms with Bucky’s and make your way outside, into the cold London air. Bucky leads you out into the porch and you sit next to him on one of the benches outside. The dim oil lamps faintly lighting up the space between you.

Over the next couple of hours, Bucky shares with you his thoughts about what’s going on with society, his dreams about the future, and business opportunities that he has awaiting him. You mention that your benefactor has secured the invitation for the ball tonight as well as helped you become the scholar that you are today. Without them, you confessed, you would be in a far worse situation.

As the evening draws to a close, Bucky makes a promise to meet again, with you, at a later date. He takes down your address and with a kiss to your hand, and once more to your cheek, promises to write to you soon. Before disappearing back inside to the swarms of partygoers.

You were eager to meetup with Bucky again however that meeting would occur. James Buchanan Barnes has captivated you in ways that you never imagined. And you were awaiting that moment with anticipation.

Little did you know, that Bucky went home that night happier and hopeful, than he’s ever been.

[fashionteahouse]

ONG I loved ur LSD I need more. Why were they in the room?why have Paul and reader sleeping together? How does the pack feel about this?….

I need answers 😩

omg thank youuu 🤭 ur questions will be answered hope you enjoy :)

L$D - reader x embry and paul x rachel

AN: for context, read: part 1 here this part is more or so the backstory that leads up to part 1. sorry if this story is too long :s

Rachel lounged comfortably as the afternoon sun was shining through the windows.

You lounged next to her. Rachel didn’t allow many people to be on her bed, but you both were very close.

One thing you liked about Rachel, was her openness. However, it was exclusive for those she handpicked to be in her life. Rachel enjoyed how you didn’t experience too much of life without her, she loved the curiosity and zest for life that you had. There have been instances where she had introduced you to things.

She was blunt. She didn’t care. That’s why your mouth was a bit open, not due to shock, but with what she said.

“We became open.”

“Huh?” you question her.

She makes a face that’s proving to you that she’s not lying.

“You could do that?” you ask her.

“Yeah.” she says as she laughs a little, “We agreed on conditions of course.”

“Do tell.” you say, itching for more information.

“I pick the girl. He picks the guy.”

“I guess…That’s fair.” you say.

You couldn’t imagine you and Embry being open. He’s all you’ve ever known. You felt the devotion from Embry to know that he would never go behind you. He told you everything. Sometimes, too much.

You also didn’t know, that imprints could do such a thing. Rachel must’ve seen the conflicted look on your face as she scarily answers the questions that was in your head.

“Paul is in the palm of my world. He just wants me happy. I’m the one who suggested it.”

You’re now in shock. Rachel being the one to give the green light was not what you expected.

“Guys usually are the ones I hear about suggesting open relationships.” you say, but then again, you were going off of the media you have consumed.

Rachel laughs at your statement.

“But, at least tell me why. I thought you and Paul were like…I don’t know, perfect.”

“I have needs as well. I like the feeling of not being tied down or feeling like I’m the reason the person who’s with me is tied down. I enjoy my bit of fun. Especially, since I’m still young.” she says.

“I hope it works out for you guys. You are my couple goals.” you say in a playful manner.

Rachel laughs again, “Who are you telling? You and Embry are already like a married couple.”

“Yeah right.” you quietly say as you wave her off.

“It’s true.” she says still chuckling.

You’re quiet and she notices.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I just think you and Embry are like the ideal imprint couple.”

You start thinking, “Hm…”

Paul came home. You couldn’t help but to watch them as they greeted each other. It was as if the talk that you and Rachel had was nothing.

“I’m gonna head back. Embry’s probably going to try to eat tv dinners so I have to make him something to eat.”

“Boooo.” Paul says in a teasing tone and Rachel laughs as she couldn’t help it.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you guys later.” you say and exit out of their shared home.

You hear Embry’s fork clatter down softly and you look up.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks.

“Nothing, really.” you say but he’s not convinced.

“If it’s nothing, then why are you thinking about it?” he asks. You softly sigh.

“It’s only girl talk with Rachel, really.” you say.

He leaves it at that.

Rachel sings along to the radio, as she stops at a red light.

You were in the passenger seat, waiting to go the restaurant she had plans on going to.

A car, pulls beside her to also wait for the red light to change green.

You watch as the two exchange looks, before putting down their windows, exchanging phone numbers.

“Him?” you ask as you both follow the waiter to the booth you were walking to.

As you sit down, tell the waiter the drinks you both want, Rachel tells you.

“If anything, he can just eat me out.”

“Wow.” you breathe out. The waiter comes back and you and Rachel take a sip of the freshly filled drinks. You tell the waiter what you both would like to eat.

“Why not just have Paul do it? Don’t you love him?” you ask.

“I love that he allows me to do what I want.” she says with a smile as she placed the straw in her lips.

You don’t notice her, but she stares at you for a moment before changing the topic.

Rachel’s fingers type back and forth as she messaged the person who seen her at the red light. He was a bit corny. She sighed to herself as she lessened her sentences to him, feeling totally uninterested.

“What’s wrong with you?” Paul asks as he placed a kiss on her temple.

“This guy is lame.”

“I thought I was picking the guy.”

“You haven’t picked anyone yet.” Rachel says, showing signs of impatience. Paul lays back on his pillow.

“You won’t like who I pick.” Paul states as he grins a bit.

“Who?”

“I haven’t figured it out yet.” he says, “In the meantime, stop giving lames the time of day.”

“How do I know you aren’t doing the same.” Rachel teases as she fluffed her pillow.

“You know me.” he simply says. She couldn’t argue with that.

You and Rachel sat on Emily’s porch swing. You whispered to each other. The wolves were in the home and you both wanted some type of privacy from their supernatural hearing.

“I didn’t talk to that guy again.” Rachel whispers.

“I’m just curious. If you’re picking the girl, would it be a random stranger you would think is cute or what?”

Rachel sits back about as the swing swung.

“Someone I would trust. I know Paul and girls will think they can fuck him good enough to take me out of the equation.” she whispers but rolls her eyes at such thought.

“Do you think he shares the same fear?”

“Maybe. But, he knows I wouldn’t like..Leave him.” Rachel whispers.

Paul bursts out onto the porch and you and Rachel jump a bit.

“Yeah, what were you two doing?” he says as he flops right in the middle of you two.

“Being interrupted. What do you want?” Rachel asks.

“To see what you two were whispering about.” he whispers in a dramatic way.

“Nothing.” you whisper back as if you were telling a scary story.

Paul chuckled at this.

Rachel looks at you.

Embry comes out, smiling a bit when he sees you.

You rise and hug him.

“You ready to go?” he asks you. You nod and wave bye to both of them. Rachel watched as Paul watched you walk off with Embry.

Later that night, Embry snored softly beside you.

Your phone buzzed as you watched tv in the bedroom you two shared, you made sure the volume wasn’t distracting.

“I have a question”

“Oh god.” you thought in your head. It was from Rachel and you knew this would not be innocent question.

“I feel like I should be scared to know”

You type back.

Another buzz hits you as you read the message.

“Aren’t you at least curious to know how it feels to have experience to compare?”

You look to the sleeping Embry before typing back.

“It’s never really crossed my mind. I haven’t really thought of it too much.”

You wait for a reply but you don’t get one. You just continue watching your television.

That next morning, you and Embry ate before he had to leave for patrol.

“Can I ask you something?” you ask him.

“Sure. What’s up.” he answers and starts chewing.

“Would you…Hm…What would you do if I told you I wanted an open relationship?” you ask him.

He looks up from his food, “Is..That what you want?”

“No I- It’s just a thought.” you say.

You watch as he chews and thinks for a moment, “I mean..I would ask why you would want one of course. But, ultimately, I would want to know if…That’s what’s going to make you happy.”

You nod as you digest this.

As you and Rachel walked along the somewhat empty beach, you both fall into talk.

“I asked Embry what he would do if I asked for an open relationship.” you tell her.

“What did he say.” she says with a curious grin.

“He said he would want to know why and would want to know if that’s what would make me happy.” you tell her.

“But, would you?” she asks.

“Would I what?”

“Ask him for one?” she asks again.

You sigh softly, “I don’t know. Probably not. But, I am curious.”

“About what?”

You look to her before feeling a wave of shame, “You said something about that guy…Eating you out. Embry’s not into it.”

“Whaaat!” she says as she stops her steps to look at you.

“Rach, come on.” you groan.

“No, you come on. What do you mean Embry’s not into it.”

You shrug quickly, “I don’t know. Going down on each other is just…Something we just don’t do.”

Rachel scoffs, “So, what. You both do the same positions? All the time?”

“So what if we do. We’re both fine with it. It’s not like I’m missing out-”

“Okay, that’s enough. I’ve heard enough. Y/N, come on. The white light is what you’re missing out on.” she says with a hand held up and shakes her head.

You stuff your hands in your pockets and look into the distance.

“Look, don’t hate me after I say this.” she says.

You look at her.

“If I had to pick a girl for Paul, it would be you.”

Your eyes widen.

“Just hear me out.” she says.

“Rachel-“

“Just hear me out. I trust you more than anyone and..I feel like you should at least know what it feels like to have fun with sex.”

Your hands cover your face.

“Look, I’m not saying you’re going to sleep with Paul. It’s just how I feel at the moment.”

You waited at home for Embry to walk in, any moment.

Your mind kept thinking back to the conversation you and Rachel had earlier.

Your mind was uncomfortable but you did wonder if there was a way to spice up you and Embry’s intimacy.

You greet him with a hug and a sensual kiss.

“Hey.” he says softly as he looks at you. You lean back into another kiss.

He got the idea, kissing you back.

Before he did the usual of sleeking himself against your wetness before sinking in, you whisper to him, “Can you…?”

“Can I what?” he asks back, dripping in velvet.

You rub his arm to add onto the persuasion, “You know..Eat me out?”

He pauses and gives a look, “Where’s this coming from?”

“I thought it would be fun.” you say, “It’s fine. Just come here.”

You want him to lay on his back, which he does, but you move your body down on him.

He watched as you then try to put him close to your mouth but he catches you. “Y/N. What are you doing?” he says with a smile.

“I thought it would be fun.” you say, shrugging.

“Yeah, but…” he trails off, you picked up on his uncomfortable smile.

“Sorry. I’m sorry.” you say and kiss him on the face instead, trying to bring the mood back into the room.

He lets his hands caress your body, choosing to use his fingers, not his tongue.

He did the usual, but you didn’t come as hard as you usually did.

In Rachel and Paul’s home, Rachel talked to him as she brushed her teeth. He washed his body while she did so.

“I was on patrol with Embry. Apparently Y/N asked him what he would do if she asked to be open.” he says as the water runs down his body.

Rachel slows her brushing, “Really?” She already knew from you, but she had no idea that Embry would still think about it.

“Yeah.” he says laughing to himself a bit.

“How did he feel about it. Y/N told me she asked him and told me what he said to her.”

The water turns off and he grabs a towel.

“I feel fucked up but he didn’t know I was around, he kept picturing Y/N with someone else. How he felt? Horny as fuck.” he says snickering.

He left Rachel to have it sit on her brain.

Embry had a lot of things on his mind. He barely engaged in conversations at Emily’s.

He watched you and Rachel talk and laugh about. He then observed how Paul was also watching you two. Unwanted thoughts began to flow through his brain.

He wondered if something in you and Rachel’s conversation is what made you ask him to go down on you. He knew that type of talk to especially come from Paul.

As they all rise to move into the dining room to eat, Embry was snapped out his thoughts as Paul slapped him on the shoulder, “You coming?”

Embry shakes out his deep thoughts, “Yeah.”

Embry ate silently as everyone else around him was falling into the fundamentals of an enjoyable dinner.

You noticed his silence. You still made sure to snake your hand in his. Rachel noticed as well. You two would’ve bantered a bit about something if this was any other time. She didn’t say anything though as she continued her dinner.

You and Rachel were saying your final goodbyes to each other as Paul pulled Embry to the side. Paul tried to make conversation with him, but Embry was acting stand offish. Feeling like he didn’t do anything to him, Paul says, “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing, man.” Embry shrugs.

“I was just checking because you’re not acting like it’s nothing.” Paul says, clearly spending enough time with him to catch him in a lie.

Embry brings on a small grin, “Yeah, it’s nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow.” They both nod off to each other as each went their own direction.

You waited for Embry in bed. He climbed in and kissed you goodnight.

You rub his shoulder and press a light kiss on his neck. Saying it without hardness he lets you know, “I want to, just not tonight. I gotta get up early.”

You slump back and tell him, “Okay.”

You shake your head as you vent. You and Rachel were in a parking lot eating take out. You felt frustrated. It was in the spur of the moment. You couldn’t sleep because you knew that any other time, he would’ve stayed up anyways.

“Since when did he care that he had to get up early.” you say and remember the times where Sam chastised him about being late all because he would leave at the last minute.

“Paul did say he wasn’t like himself.” Rachel mused.

“Unbelievable. I don’t understand. Things were good but I don’t know anymore. With Embry, I knew everything.” you say.

“Well, just try to talk to him.” She says.

You closed the now empty container and had an epiphany.

“What?” Rachel asks as she’s watching you just rack your mind.

“I think it’s my fault.” you say and slump your shoulders.

“What? Why would on earth would you think that?” she asks.

“Things got a little..I don’t know, different since I asked him-“ you say and shake your head.

“Asked him what? What did you ask him?” Rachel asks.

You debrief Rachel about what happened when you asked Embry to go down on you.

“It’s okay. It’s nothing to beat yourself up over.” Rachel says.

“But, I’m the one who made things weird!” you exclaim.

“Did he say that?”

“No-“

“Then you didn’t.” she says deadpanning.

You go back to her home with her.

“Hey.” you both greet Paul as he sits in the living room watching sports. He mumbled a greeting back.

You follow Rachel up the stairs.

You lie your back on the mattress and stare at the ceiling.

“Stop thinking about it, Y/N.”

“How could I not.” you say.

Rachel rested her head on the hand of her bent elbow.

“I literally started bringing things up out of nowhere.” you say.

Rachel rolls her eyes, “Just ask him again.”

Paul comes in and shakes his head at Rachel. Rachel looks, “What?”

“Where’s my kiss?” he asks.

“Where’s my kiss?” she asks and mocks his greeting when you and her came in the door.

This makes Paul laugh and you look away and felt the bed dip and hear a smack from them.

You felt a brush on your leg and look and groan. You didn’t expect Paul to fully make out with Rachel. This makes both Paul and Rachel pull from each other’s lips as they laughed.

“Alright, Rachel I’ll see you later.” you say and move to stand.

“No. No. Okay, get out Paul.” she says. You chuckle a bit.

“How are you kicking me out of my own room?” he asks and gets even more comfortable.

“Me and Y/N are talking.” she says.

“Why can’t we all talk?”

“Don’t you have a game to watch?” you ask to him as you sit next to Rachel on the bed.

“They lost. Now, I’m bored.” he says.

“Not our problem.” Rachel says.

“You two passing secrets or something?” he teases.

“Yeah, it’s about how I can’t stand you.” Rachel says sarcastically.

“I caught you two whispering. I want in on the scoop.” he says.

You swallow and Paul immediately notices and mischievously chuckles, “Something’s up.”

“Nothing’s up. God, you’re so annoying.” Rachel sighs out.

“Alright. Ask who again?” he challenged, letting you both know it didn’t move past his ears as he came up the steps.

“None of your buisness.” you say but it wasn’t confident. Paul had fun with this.

“Who do you think I am?” he says shaking his head, still smirking.

You narrow your eyes at him.

“I can tell you something.” he says enticingly. Rachel playfully smack him on the arm.

“Don’t fall for it, Y/N.” Rachel says.

“Even you don’t even know what I’m about to say.” he says to Rachel and this makes her take a look a him. He wasn’t kidding around.

“What?” Rachel asks.

He chuckles as he looked at her and he then takes a look at you.

“I got back from patrol, right? But, with Embry.” he says.

“Okay, who cares.” you say and Rachel snickers.

“We talked.” he says.

“And?” Rachel says.

“And I want to know what you’re going to ask who again?”

You groan, “Just tell me. Quit fucking around.”

“No.”

“Just tell me.” Rachel says. Paul gives her a look and she rolls her eyes, “Just whisper it in my ear.”

Paul actually considers this but says, “This means you have to tell me.”

Rachel agrees and Paul sealed it with a pinkie promise and tells you, “Move, Y/N.”

You move to the near end of the bed, Paul places his lips close to Rachel’s ear. Rachel had a look on her face and you watch her face carefully. You were mad that Paul was a good whisperer because you couldn’t hear a thing he was telling her. She reacted subtly and this made you really want to know.

She looks at you as he sits back with a smirk.

“What?” you ask.

“Nope. Rachel, tell me.” he says.

“It matches up with what we talked about, Y/N.” Rachel tells you.

“I only asked Embry to… ya know…” you gesture in a down motion and say, “And Rachel only wants me to ask him again. Happy?”

“No, are you happy?” he says humorously.

You roll your eyes as Rachel covers her mouth, hiding her laugh.

“I would’ve never thought Embry didn’t like to get his dick sucked.” he says. You gasp as Rachel scolds him, “Paul!”

“How do you know that?” you question him. That was something that only you knew.

“I told you I was on patrol with him and I talked to him.” Paul says and dives into how Paul was coming back to him and Embry’s meetup spot. There was no signs of active threats in the part Paul was supposed to keep watch of.

Paul stopped moving once he caught a flash of what you two did the night before. He kept it hidden for the time being, but he felt bad when you looked excited but Embry didn’t want to go through with it. He then watched how Embry wouldn’t let you go further.

That’s when Embry thought about the discussion you both had over being open. That’s when the fantasies began.

Paul had to say something, “Just be open.”

“Dude, mind your buisness!” Embry says. He was caught off guard.

Paul then shows Embry how him and Rachel are open.

“You wouldn’t get jealous?” Embry questions as he walked through the woods with Paul. They been could’ve went back to Sam’s but, this was more entrapping.

“I’m made for Rachel, practically. She would choose me everytime.”

“Wow. I mean, I felt bad when I turned her down. I just can’t get into it. It feels too much like teasing…I don’t know.”

“Just think about it. It might I don’t know, create balance if you both want different things.” Paul says.

“So, what happens if Rachel picks a girl and you don’t want her?” Embry asks.

“Rachel is holding off, but I know her. She’s going to pick someone who she trusts the most.”

“Y/N would never.” Embry says with confidence.

“What if she agrees?” Paul asks.

“But, she wouldn’t.”

“But, you don’t know that. Why did she question you then?” Paul challenged.

Embry was stuck, “It doesn’t matter. Look, I’m glad that you and Rachel have your thing going on. But, me and Y/N are fine.”

Paul busts his lie, proving to Embry how he caught him secretly enjoying the thought of you having intercourse with someone else. While he watched.

“Fuck off Paul.” Embry says and continues walking.

“Just talk to her. Look, if she says yes, you could be there in there with us.” Paul says and leave him alone.

You just didn’t understand it.

“How come he’s never talked to me about this?” you wondered out loud.

“Just talk to him.” Paul says.

“Is it true?” you ask Rachel.

“I thought you would’ve figured it out when we talked at the restaurant.”

“Wait, you both talked about this, already?” Paul questions.

“Not like that. I told her it would be my pick of someone who I deem as the most trustworthy.” Rachel tells him.

You look at Paul. Paul looks at you.

“And then, you both are already familiar with each other so it wouldn’t be awkward.” Rachel says.

“I don’t know.” you say as you shake your head.

When you came home, Embry didn’t greet you at the door. You enter the room you both shared and he sat on the bed.

“What’s wrong?” you ask, “And don’t say ‘nothing’ ”

You sit next to him.

He actually looks at you.

“Would you do it?” Embry asks.

“Do what?”

He thinks of his words for a moment before asking, “What would you do if I asked us to be open.”

You sigh softly, “I would ask if that’s something you’re comfortable with doing.”

“Have you thought about it? You asked me about it that one day.” he says.

“I only brought it up because Rachel told me about what her and Paul had going on.” you admit.

“And then when you wanted to do oral.” he points out.

“I’m sorry, if I made things weird between us.” you say.

“You didn’t make things weird. I feel like I did.” he says.

“Why would you think that?” you ask.

“Because…I know you want me to go down on you and everything and you looked very willing and I feel like I ruined your mood by rejecting it.” he says.

“You didn’t ruin anything, Embry.” you say.

“But, would you want to?” he asks.

“Want to…? What?” you ask.

“Be open.” he asks.

Your breath hitched.

“I don’t know. What- What about you.”

“I would do it if you did it.” he says, “You like different things than me.”

“Oh.” you say.

“Would you do it…With Paul?” he asks.

You look at him. So Paul really wasn’t lying.

“Um..I don’t know. Maybe?” you say.

“It’s alright, Y/N. I would be there.”

You stand, “Like, in the room?”

He nods.

It kind of did kill the jitters of the idea of it. If Embry was there, nothing would go out of line.

Paul lay in bed as Rachel pulled the covers over herself.

“I picked someone.”

“Who?” Rachel says, barely paying attention.

“What about Embry?” he asks.

“Embry?” Rachel says and looks at Paul.

“Yeah.” Paul says and moved his eyes from the ceiling to Rachel’s eyes.

“Why him?” Rachel asks. She thought of Embry as innocent in a way. She felt like she would do more damage than good.

“Take the stick out of his ass.”

Rachel rolls her eyes, “Of course.” she continues, “Y/N would not let me touch Embry.”

“Just ask her.”

“Our friendship would literally go bye-bye if I asked her.”

“Fine. I’ll ask her.”

“No!” Rachel says.

“You won’t do it. What? How come you can pick someone but as soon as I do, you shoot it down.”

“I’m not shooting it down. I will ask, but if she hates me, I’m blaming you.” she says and lays her head on the pillow.

“She won’t hate you.” Paul says quietly.

“Why are you so quiet?” you ask Rachel as you sat in front her, eating a muffin that Emily had made.

“Yeah, is everything alright?” Emily asks.

Rachel looks at you, “I’m fine.”

You look at her. Oh, yeah. Something was not fine.

“We’ll be back Emily.” Rachel says to you as she tugs you out of the door.

You speed walk to catch up to her.

“What’s going on?” you ask.

“Remember that..Talk..That me, you and Paul had the other day?”

You nod.

“He picked Embry.”

You look to the side, “It makes sense.”

“Y/N.” she says in shock.

You look up, “What?”

“He said Embry.” Rachel says.

“I heard you the first time. Don’t you think it’s at least fair?” you say.

“I don’t want you to hate me for this.” she says.

“How do you think I feel right now? Embry told me he wants to be in the room when it happens.” you tell her.

“Really?” Rachel asks and you nod. Relief washes over her face and this makes you huff out a small chuckle.

“Yes.” you say.

“So, you don’t mind if..I’m there too?” she asks you.

“I wouldn’t expect you not to be in there. That’s your imprint.”

So it’s settled.

You sat next to Rachel on the couch. The boys came in from patrol.

“Where’s Paul and Embry?” Rachel asks the boys as she doesn’t see them come in.

“Went home.” Jared says with a shrug and greets his imprint with a kiss.

You and Rachel looked at each other.

You both rise at the same time.

“You’re not staying?” Kim asks as Jared wrapped his arm around her.

You shake your head.

“How much you want to bet they’re at my place?” Rachel asks you.

You chuckle at this as you both see the home come into view.

You follow her into the door and sure enough, both Paul and Embry sat on the couch.

“Hey.” you and Rachel say at the same time. They greet back and by the looks of it, they were in the middle of talking.

Rachel moves to sit right on Paul’s lap and looks at Embry. You saw the blush on his face and hold his hand.

“Did you ask her?” Paul asks Rachel.

“Yes. She doesn’t mind.” Rachel says while still looking at Embry.

“Embry doesn’t mind either. Right, Embry?” Paul asks him. Embry nods and looks to you, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

You nod slightly.

“You’re acting like I’m going to kill her.” Paul says. Rachel chuckles.

“You might. Before Rachel, on patrol I would see how you used to pound those girls.” Embry defends.

“That’s different. I care about Y/N, I didn’t care about those other girls.” he says as he looks at you.

Rachel gets up excitedly, “Alright, what are we waiting for?”

She pulled Embry up by his hands. She tugged in the bedroom. Paul has his hand out as he waits for you.

You take it and he pulls you up off from the couch. You let out a surprised noise when he picks your body up. As he held you, your face was close to his and he walked to where Embry and Rachel were.

You weren’t used to someone else other than Embry to feel on your body. You look to see Rachel holding Embry into a kiss. She was leading him. He let her.

You felt your chin being snatched in other direction. His lips felt soft and moved with such precision, you forgot that it wasn’t Embry that you were kissing.

It was euphoric as he licked and sucked on your tongue as your hands snaked through his soft hair. He moaned a bit in your mouth before moving your body to feel how hard he was.

It felt like a rush. You were sure that if you took drugs, it would feel like this moment. You were only a bit tipsy.

You look up to the body that was towering over you. The hunger in his eyes made your stomach do backflips. It was intense.

“You don’t have to be shy.” Paul says to you with a grin.

You allow yourself to feel comfortable as you lay back on his bed. He never would forget the sight.

He would never forget your taste as you squirmed on his tongue. His tongue flicked up as he gathered your juices that you kept producing.

You were panting and breathing hard as you plead and beg him, “Please, just please.”

“Please what?” he says as he circled your sensitive nub, staring down at your flushed face. He was going to drag this out as long as he could.

You groan at his teasing.

“Repeat after me?” he asks you. You nod a little.

“Paul.” he says and you repeat him, “Paul.”

“Please.” he says and you repeat him, “Please.”

“Fuck me.” he says and you repeat him, “Fuck me.”

He held you close as he held your sides in a strong grip. The sound of skin slapping filled the room as you both belt out noises of pleasure. He let you know how wet you are and you let him know good he feels.

You head rolls to the side as the thrusts were great.

Embry sat in a chair that was in the bedroom. Rachel rocked his world by the look of his face, she thrusts on top of him as he clutched onto her.

Your chin was moved back to have your face, face Paul.

“Look at me. Look at what you’re doing to me.” he whispers to you and slowly pulls himself out. You looked as he glistened below. You groaned quietly as he slowly stuck it back in. You heard your own wetness as you heard his own groans.

Embry kissed you on the side of your lips.

“Are you alright?” he asks you as you buried yourself underneath the covers.

“Yes, I’m alright. What about you?” you ask. You were very tired.

He makes a satisfied look and nods, “I’m alright. It went better than I thought it would be.”

“Yeah. Do you think things will be weird?” you question.

“Nah. I don’t think so.” he answers back.

He then speaks again, “Me and Paul will keep it from the pack to make sure it doesn’t get too weird.”

You nod as you sink further into the bed. You yawned and before you knew it, you were fast asleep.

[mushroomcrepe]

In a single touch

Prompt : a jayvik 🔨⚙️ college!au in which Viktor only had to flirt once to fold his lab partner and big popular man Jayce.

Tags : friends to lovers or some shit, they know what's up but no one talks about it, nerds working on Hextech together as ✨quality time✨

Disclaimer : first fic ever wrote. Fasten your seatbelt because you're about to enjoy some cliché ass very badly-written oneshot. All thanks to @anendtopursuit who convinced me, love you muah, hope you had a good laugh

-----------

It's been years since Jayce and Viktor became lab partners. Years since they met on Jayce's college disciplinary board reunion - about whether or not the man deserved to be expelled after literally blowing up his dorm room. Their unpromptu meeting and their shared passion of science made them feel unstoppable together. The absolute genius of Viktor in the robotic field and the innovative mind of Jayce in new technologies and smithing were qualities they were proud of.

They became friends naturally, barely talking to other people and almost living together since their routine was either working in the lab or working at Viktor's dorm - just them and their coffee pot.

Jayce is quite the eloquent man, but he isn't as much of a social butterfly as his big muscular peers. Viktor was pleasantly surprised to learn his body is shaped by the hard work of smithing his own materials for experiments.

Viktor isn't isolated, and certainly not shy, but he is so invested in his work than no social event could bother him out of it. His honesty and sarcasm sure was new to Jayce. He let words roll so smoothly that the winner of their friendly bickering was almost always the same.

As their project went on, Viktor noticed how their -already close- friendship slowly became more affectionate, even intimate. It was mainly thanks to Jayce, who seems to greatly enjoy surrounding Viktor's mind and body with his warm presence.

It all started with his hands always finding their way to Viktor. Shoulders, arms, hands, face sometimes, waist once, hips sadly never (surely this isn't appropriate to think about it, thought Viktor). It wasn't the vulgar hands of the strangers trying to get him to bed, neither were they the friendly contact of encouragement from a colleague. His touch held confort, and care, and were never leaving the other's body for some reason. Not that he disliked it.

So much care and love radiats from Jayce actually. Viktor pretended to not notice the yearn in his eyes, the long stare making him feel like he was trying to scan his whole body, or the glances at his lips.

Viktor isn't physically expressive like his partner, but god knows he feels this way too. He knows his eyes also convey the love he has for him, in their own way. Despite his work centered words, he showed just the amount of care for Jayce to notice as well.

That's how their relationship evolved, and a few years after, here is two close friends, dancing around each other but too absorbed in Hextech project to actually consider making a move (ah, nerds).

Viktor often contemplates about deepening their relationship. He never doubted Jayce's eyes, what he sees in it is as clear as water. And he knows that now they have more time for themselves, Jayce is beggining to think about it too, considering how much more restless he is becoming around Viktor. But the man is too much of a gentleman, he always keeps himself in line, perhaps terrified of scaring his beautiful lab partner away.

Viktor likes to play with it sometimes. When they are working hard on a sleepless night again, he takes pleasure in watching the immediate switch of Jayce posture after he casually praises him. He likes to see him losing his ground after offering to sleep in his dorm room late at night. Oh and he definitely enjoys returning the burning stare he often gets.

He never cross the line either, never clearly shows his intentions. This back and forth hidden behind friendship is keeping on, a pleasant moment of fun fated to evolve greater one day.

However, a new problem is disrupting his little private peace. Jayce just became a member of the student council, and the rise of popularity didn't take long to follow. Right now, juniors are trying to get him in their good grace with friendly smiles and sweet eyes. They came up all the way to the two men's lab in the middle of an experiment of their latest Hextech work what ? Studies ?

It's been 40 minutes now, the experiment was definitely left aside by Jayce as he was standing in front of Viktor but far enough to not bother, politely answering their questions.

The smaller man was annoyed at first by the interruption, but quickly let it pass it as he finds his partner's confident senior-like posture and tone to be quite the sight.

Well, i guess it is amusing to hear him try to get away from the conversation.

He's close enough to hear Jayce's polite laugh. He's trying to show his best side despite the wrinkled pants from sleeping on the lab couch, the tired shirt rolled up on his sleeves, his tie neglected and loose.

He looks good like that.

Viktor hums at the thought, but gets back to assembling a robotic arm. The juniors empty questions aren't interesting enough to keep him distracted. He doesn't notice the appreciative glance of Jayce at his own tidy but tired appearance.

"Mister Talis, can you tutor us ?"

"Please, show us what's this Hextech the professor been praising about !"

Jayce looks embarassed "Ha... V. and I are too busy for the moment. And i can't show you the details of Hextech. i'm sorry." His sorry is surprisingly strict, a way of saying it's Viktor and I project, not yours. Jayce likes his personal peace with his partner more than he likes sharing his vivid passion of Hextech, it seems.

"Who ? Ah, your lab partner right ? We're sure he won't mind a few hours alone."

Lab partners. So this only is what people think we are ? Eh. Viktor laughs and continues to listen as he keeps his focus on the arm prototype.

"yeah come on, we can get coffee too !" Suddenly two juniors grabs Jayce's strong arms, getting insistantly closer. He turned his eyes to Viktor, imploring him to find a way out. "Save me, V...!" screamed his face, but Viktor didn't even look up from his task "Don't dare give me the puppy look, Jayce Talis. I'm assembling the motion sensor for the system stabiliser"

He could feel the pout on Jayce's face more than he saw it. Then suddenly eager voices loudly cheered "wow can we see ? Viktor can you show us-"

Jayce instantly interrupted "No. We both need to work right now, let's just talk another time, ok ?" He's frustrated, why couldn't they simply leave them alone ? Should he make them get the hell out ?

Viktor didn't miss a single second of this Jayce. He raised his eyes in time to watch his unusual upset and commanding face. Having him refusing to let the juniors get closer awoken a sleeping fire in Viktor. The Jayce he knows is a doomed people pleaser, always trying to make everyone satisfied. So that firm expression of refusal, standing high on his ground, it just called the feelings Viktor holds for so long.

However Jayce seems now to be in a conflict with himself. He doesn't dare to risk the council's reputation when he's just a fresh new member. He finally grits his teeth and forces a smile, not caring about the juniors holding his arms as he is too busy thinking of a new way to handle the situation. He doesn't notice Viktor slowly getting up from his chair.

Well, he couldn't let his poor partner in such a delicate situation, doesn't he ? It's definitely not because he wanted to see more, and certainly not because he wants to show Jayce he liked how he defended them right now.

As he grabs his cane, an idea appears through his brain. Maybe he'll take care of two issues in one hit.

"Jayce ?"

"Ah you solved the problem, V ?"

Jayce's attention turned immedialty to his partner, which send him another shot of this pleasant feeling. Viktor kept walking closer, close enough to make the juniors step back from Jayce arms in curiosity.

"Eh, i'd need my partner for that, Jayce." He shrugged. At the unexpected suggestive tone, Jayce didn't take long to blush and stutter.

He rarely calls me his partner.

"huh- oh-yeah sorry let..let me just finish to answer their questions and i'll come back-"

Viktor doesn't let him finish and grabs softly Jayce by his shirt, letting his finger slowly move along his torso in a fake attempt to tidy up the wrinkled shirt

"Jayce, will you be good and help me get back to our home ? I have a task only you can do". He almost breathed the last words, a glint of burning dare in his eyes. Then he decides to walk by his lab partner and the confused juniors, not looking back.

As he calculated, he only had to walk a few meters outside the lab before hearing Jayce successfuly make everyone to leave (he was struggling with that just a minute ago), locking up safely the matierials and lab door, and finally catch up to Viktor's side. In no less than 30 seconds. And now Jayce is restless and hovering him with attention. Yes, a puppy.

"Eh, acting so eager, are you a kid ?"

"oh come on, you know how happy i am to help you right now"

"well you don't even know yet about the task i'm giving you"

"whatever, i'll do anything you need me to" Jayce answers quick, ready.

"anything then" Viktor pauses, "Sadly i can only tell you once we will be home"

"what's with this secret task ?"

"I'll show you what i want" a burning stare in answer was enough to know Jayce was getting hopeful. The truth is, Viktor really does have a smithing task for him, but now an opportunity to get what he craves to claim is appearing, and it's Jayce's lips.

He smiles, his partner is too easy to read. He feels Jayce hand and arm casually sliding on his waist. Then his thumb start to sofly move in circles on his side, smoothing his bad leg's hip. Viktor quietly hums.

Oh Jayce, you actually didn't need much from me to act this sweet.

--------

The end (yes now)

[glisten-inthedark]

Stranger Things Music

I just saw this post and I won't be able to get too much into it now, but some general thoughts that might help.

First, as the OP pointed it out the song 8:15 used the same notes as other important songs such as The First I Love You, The First Lie, Presumptions and Being Different.

From a musical standpoint, this is what we generally call a leitmotif. For those who aren't aware, leitmotif - or motif - is a short musical idea that is repeated throughout a composition and has some kind of thematic significance.

A good example of it is the musical Les Misérables, if you're into musicals or if you have watched it, you'll probably have noticed that notes and cord progressions are used throughout the entire thing.

I'll use the motion picture of Les Mis as an example. If you listen to Look Down, and then listen to Paris that they named Look Down, they repeat the same notes and rythm that they used in Look Down.

And if you hear the 2:21 mark of Look Down and then hear the song Own My Own, you'll notice both share the same cords.

This is what a leitmotif is - and I'm mentioning the more obvious ones used in Les Misérables and not the really obscure ones just so those unaware can picture it better.

But the notes and chords or rythms are supposed to represent an idea, or a character.

Another good example of a leitmotif lies in Epic The Musical- couldn't miss the chance of using my beloved lmao -. Our first introduction to Odysseus as a character is a with guitar notes in The Horse and The Infant and that we later hear in Warrior of the Mind and a tiny bit of it in Monster.

Now, coming back to ST.

The fact that they created a motif and sprinkled into these songs is telling, because it needs to be there for a reason. Motifs are used exactly for that, they're meant to convey an idea or character or thought through music, they can't be repeated just because.

Andrew Lloyd Webber can definitely be guilty of that and it doesn't work. And the fact that they created one and used it multiple times is telling, because is not the type of soundtrack that necessarily needs motifs.

Thanks for the OP for adding when the songs were used, because it makes my life easier.

The first Lie (Nancy and Jonathan realise they are in love with each other)

In this case, we have both characters facing a truth and accepting it. However, there's also the title of the song that serves as a juxtaposition of what the scene means.

Presumptions (first used whe Max is invited to Halloween)

Someone new is brought into the group and I'm pretty Dustin is the one that invites her (?) either because he assumes he has a chance or because he genuinely wants to get her know better.

The first I love you (First used when El tells Mike she did hear him confess he loved her, also used when Robin comes out to Steve)

In the first case, it was in one way used to signify El's feelings and in the second as one character opening up to another about something deep and private about themselves.

Being Different (first played when Will confesses in the van)

Will talks about his own feelings but masks them as El's own feelings to reach Mike and then lies about the painting and either Mike is unaware or is hopeful that it means something else while he's not entirely sure.

Eight Fifteen was first played when it was revealed El lived with Hopper.

So in this case we are being made aware of something no one else knows other than El and Hopper themselves and are let in their secret.

So is there a thematic thread that connects these moments? Or is the thread in the titles of the songs?

And another important question is when are these songs reused and again in what contexts were they used?

Because that could tell us something as well.