#so they’re both pale w the same shade of blue eyes

[daylighteclipsed]

HELP THAT JUST REMINDED ME OF THE ESTROGEN TESTOSTERONE (there's two) GIF FROM THE MOM GAME also

I know exactly what gifs you’re talking about 💀 I like this one cause it shows the Kairi —> Sora transition slower.

It’s incheresting of the team to purposely draw attention to how similar Sora and Kairi are, in looks and stature, like this. Also reminds me of how in the KH Pilot, I thought this sequence was meant to hint at how Kairi’s heart is inside of Sora’s heart, feeling what he does and giving him strength:

Like I thought the second frame was supposed to be Kairi 💀 So it’d transition from Sora to Kairi to Sora… Maybe it is and that’s why Sora’s hair looks wet/his hair’s flat in these frames even though it’s not in the rest of the scene? But if so, that also draws attention to how similar they look??

Anyway. I just wanna put Sora with his hair straightened next to Kairi for a sec, to really compare this.

Kairi’s KH1 hairstyle is fr Sora’s hair straightened. I’m really losing it.

[is-nini]

King! Zhongli x Queen! Reader

A/n: spoiled by the geo kingggg!! King Zhongli usually hit me in the spot for some reason.. none of this were.. 100% accurate.. but enjoy

Brushing your hair with one of your hair brush, you hum while enjoying the feeling of your hair being tugged by the hair brush. Making sure your hair is set and smooth you pin your hair piece that your king gave you yesterday. It was a hair pin, embroidered with swirls of real gold and being top of by jadeite and being sprinkled with blue diamond.

Seeing as you think that wearing your crown was a fuss, you decide to skip it for today feeling the need to just let your head weight free for today, since there is no event that you need to be around with.

A small sound of knocking is echoed throughout your room.

"come in".

You say, and they went inside, head hung low as they helped you with your dress. You sigh, the maids here are always so tight.. it's like as if you can kill them anytime- well that is true but you just wanted to have a little talk.

Zhongli is the king, he is the one who give orders and as a good citizen they only follow his order, trusting his judgement completely. This is no different with the maid, he ordered to treat you the same way they treated him, with care and caution. And because the maid look up to the king so much, they are showing they're respect towards you too, which is great but.. the quiet is making a uncomfortable aura around the room at least for you.

After they did your dress, you bow 90° towards them like you always do, which makes the flustered every time, rather the finding it annoying you find it very funny as a couple of "your highness-!" "Oh gosh please don't bow to us" "oh my queen please-!" Alongside gasp, causing you to giggle as you straight yourself back on. The maids flusteredly excuse themselves and now you're back with a silent room.

You looks around the room with your dress moving along with you, you look at the castle's garden from your clear glass window with a sigh.

"why is my queen sighing all by herself?"

You head snapped back to look at your king and soul mate, Zhongli. You giggle and take your dress on your hand and run towards him, hugging him tightly.

"Hello my king".

Feeling his hand embrace you back, you sigh in content. Gosh this so relaxing, being away from your husband even for a second is suffocating for you.

"how was the event of the judgement goes? Is the person found guilty or not?"

This morning your husband needs to go early to set some judgement towards some people, Zhongli sigh and rubs his temple.

"it was fine... They are proven guilty... Very unfortunate".

You nod solemnly, feeling bad for them but they have taken too many people's life.. that's something taht cannot be unseen. You rub your hand in circle around Zhongli's broad shoulder and kiss his lips.

"it's okay.. you did great.. it might be sad but at the very least.. they're somewhere where they doesn't need to kill to survive.."

You say, trying to comfort your husband, Zhongli laugh and start peppering your faces with kisses, making sure you're giggling. Well you were giggling until you felt your body being picked up by none other than your beloved husband.

"yes yes dear, now i have some stuff to do later... I Just wanted to spend time with my lovely little wife."

He puts you gently on the bed, you tried to get up but Zhongli went on top of you, trapping you so that you cannot wake up.

"i love you dear but- i just finished dressing".

You stated, Zhongli just laugh and started to pull some of the strings on your dress, he kiss your neck to your covered breast and look back up at your shivering form.

"well.. we have to fix that shall we?"

He smirked, just as he was about to pull one of your layers of clothing away, a knock on the door was heard. Zhongli let's out a groan and move away from you, making room for you to sit up.

"who's there".

His voice echoed through out the room, whoever behind the door did not dare to open the door, disturbing the king while he is spending his time with you is one of the most scary thing but- sadly it's unavoidable. You put your hand on Zhongli's shoulder and smile softly at him.

"come in".

The person heard your command and slowly opened the door, he bow his head and with the presence of the kind, he shake a little bit.

"a-a another kingdom's king is here to see you my king and queen".

Hearing his shaky voice you giggle and give him your thanks, Zhongli nod his head and ordered him to announce that he will be at the dinning table soon, the man bow down again and goes out if the room and closing the door clumsily making you giggle. You're fixing the tie of your dress and look at your hair piece one more time. Feeling that everything is already in place you're checking on Zhongli to see if he's ready. But as you were just about to look back, Zhongli's figure hugs you from behind and snuggle his head on your shoulder.

"Zhongli, is there anything wrong?".

You whisper, Zhongli shake his head no and started kissing your neck. You gasp and try to push his hand away but it was already too late.

"zhongli?! I cannot cover this mark-".

Zhongli just grunt a yes and keeps peppering your neck until you pushes his face away with a pout. Zhongli giggle and kisses you lips.

"don't be mad dear... It's a mark yo prove that you're mine".

He fixes himself up and stare at you, seeing you trying to cover up the mark with your clothes but Zhongli is having none of that. He pulled you and pick you up, you squeal and hugs his neck tightly while glaring at him with a Pout on your face, again Zhongli just giggle, muttering about how cute his queen are.

zhongli finally puts you down in front of door to the dining room, the guards in front of the room quietly smiling at how sweet the king and queen is, feeling proud that their king, their ruler is happy and finding love for himself, rather than being forced to like the other kingdom royals.

the guards opened the door for you both, Zhongli stepped inside, holding your hands softly and smiling at you.

“greetings, my dearest king and queen”.

the king of mondstat, Venti greets cheerfully and sarcastically.

“hello venti!!!”.

you squeal, Zhongli narrows his eyes, looking at the man suspiciously.

“only i can call my queen dearest”.

is all Zhongli state, making you and venti laugh, Zhongli looks at you weirdly and sighs, rubbing his temple. Of course you both are best friends, your humor is very.. unique.

“dont worry dear, i am yours”.

you kiss Zhongli, making Venti make a barfing noise. you giggle and mock Venti back, as a friendly banter happens between the both of you.

"okay, okay jokes aside, what happened?".

You asked Venti, Venti sigh and shake his head.

"nothing really, I'm just bored.. don't know what to do back at my castle". Venti state with a sigh as if it's his biggest problem on the world.

"so i decided to come... But it looks like you to are having fun before i come and crash your party".

Venti state with a flirty tone, pointing at the mark on your neck that Zhongli made. You face erupts in shades of red and hug your husband as you try to hide your face, scolding-whisper to him about it being embarrassing and bla bla bla. But Zhongli didn't care, he stare blankly at Venti and twirl his and yours body to go to the exit door.

"w-wait-! I'm just kidding!!!".

And with that the door slam shut.

Despite Zhongli leaving Venti alone a couple of second later a guard came in and said that his majesty Zhongli has allowed his majesty Venti to have a night at the castle. Laughter was heard from the dining room as Zhongli sigh, what a annoying man..

"Z-zhongli..."

You whine, a small 'hum' was heard from Zhongli, you saw the slight smirk on his face, your face paled.

"your whine are cute my queen, let's show our friend Venti that his presence will not bother our fun".

Is all he say before the torture for the whole evening started. Venti always takes the bedroom closest to your and Zhongli's bedroom because sometimes you and Venti likes to talk with eachother so travelling won't be hard but this night... He regrets it. Moans, whine, whimper, groan- everything you name it is inside his "pure" brain... Welp- 'at least he won't disturb us anymore'

Is what Zhongli thought as your trembling and tired form is breathing hard below him. Zhongli smirk and another play time has started.

[yelenasdog]

heavy is the head that wears the crown (mob!arvin russell x fem! pastor’s daughter! reader)

genre: angst+fluff

summary: arvin had always heard the saying “heavy is the head that wears the crown” but never truly understood what it meant. not until now

words: 4.06k

warnings: since this is based off of a tdatt, family death, mentions of death, mentions of mobs, kissing, marriage, murder, smoking, suicide, cancer and i think that’s it. it’s also kinda melodramatic, and i haven’t watched tdalt in a while so a lot could be plot inaccurate also idk anything abt the mob or mafia so like dont k*ll me thx i just like joe pesci

a/n: first, i owe the amazing concept of mob!arv to @kelieah ! so go follow her for more mob!arvin goodness!! basically i’m obsessed w 90s mob movies and watched goodfellas and casino and few too many times lately and oops here we r! i tried to write this from the narrator in tdatt’s view, so if u wanna read it like that then cool! btw the pic w the dress is just an idea of the dress reader is wearing not what she looks like! ok enjoy i’ll stop rambling

·。·。·。

“So, Arvin. I was told you paint houses? That true?”

Arvin hesitated, opening his mouth and closing it again. He wasn’t a painter, no, he killed people. For a price, that is.

But rather than saying no, the jab in his side from his uncle told him to answer otherwise.

“Yes, sir. It is.”

The Pastor nodded, taking a drag from his cigar, imported all the way from Cuba. He then placed what was left of the long stick in the crystal tray in front of him, the tapping of it on the reflective surface seeming almost deafening.

“Can all your family be traced down to one place, son?”

Arvin gulped, avoiding his eyes, darting his own around the heavily decorated room. Another jab to his side. He winced, meeting the older man’s eyes. He may not know much about the life he was about to enter, but he knew enough about what that meant.

“Yes, sir. They can be, minus my father and my mother. They’re gone.”

Not even a full beat of silence later, the Pastor spoke.

“How’d he die?”

Arvin was taken aback, though he knew that question was coming. His jaw clenched, as did his fist by his side. If the Pastor noticed, he didn’t speak on it, barely lifting his eyes from the document resting on his desk.

“Suicide, after the war.”

“And your mother?”

He took his lip in between his teeth, feeling the skin break, the tears well in his eyes for reasons he would excuse as the pain he was inflicting.

“Cancer. It happened when I was young, I didn’t barely even know her.”

The pastor looked up, slimming his eyes. This time he did notice the glimmering droplets, welling up in his chestnut colored eyes, threatening to fall. He appreciated the boy’s attempt to keep his emotions in check in front of his would be superior, leaning back into his chair.

“It’s alright, boy. You’re allowed to cry, it was your mother.” His southern accent was thick like molasses, his words drawing out. Arvin still felt that it wasn’t acceptable, though, so he only sniffled and directed his chin further up towards the ceiling. He stood there for a while, nerves running through his every cell. It was electric, like white lighting making its way through his veins at a painstakingly slow pace.

“Right then.”

The pastor stood, walking towards Arvin and his uncle. His expensive loafers tapped along the cold floor as he went, the sound pestering to the ears of Arvin, taunting him. He reached a soft hand out, which the boy standing opposite to him gladly took. He observed how the Pastor’s hand was without scars, calluses. Anything that would point to evidence of him being a killer, doing his own dirty work (or “the Lord’s work” as he liked to put it).

“Welcome to the family, son.”

And as Arvin smiled widely and shook his hand with an iron grip, he began to wonder what his new life would entail doing the “Lord’s work”.

He thought he had a pretty good idea, but boy, was he wrong.

“So, how’d it go?”

It was later, and Arvin was sitting with one his most favorite people, Y/n. The pair were resting in an open field, the wildflowers around her just almost competing with the beauty she held. He bashfully looked to the dirt under his shoes, noticing how only inches away, her hands picked at the damp grass.

“Went well, I think. He told me I’m ‘part of the family now’.”

She smiled at him, and in that moment with her hair so widely astray, and wearing that pale blue dress he adored so much, Arvin’s heart felt a certain emotion he hadn’t necessarily felt for someone at this multitude before. He had felt it for Lenora, his mother, his aunt and uncle. But it was different, then. Because now as he sat with her by his side, his love for her was realized at its full potential.

She began to ramble on, congratulating him on becoming a member of her father’s so called “family”, telling him how proud she was. He couldn’t keep focused on the sweet words that were falling from her lips like honey, though, as he was too caught up in his own head, his own thoughts.

“Arv?” She asked, voice laced with slight concern, but mostly with curiosity.

“Sorry, darlin’. Just thinking.”

She blushes, it’s the first time he’s called her that before. She tries to carry on conversation, though with her heart beating through that pretty dress of her’s, it was a bit difficult.

“About what?” She questioned, doing her very best not to pry too far, to be invasive in the very reserved Arvin’s mind.

Truthfully? He was promising himself that he would marry her one day, make her his wife. But telling her that he was only thinking “‘bout the future” would have to do. I mean, truthfully, he really was!

So he answered her, and she was content with said answer, abandoning the subject and returning to many praises for Arv. The standards for the “family” were high, and though she believed in him fiercely, she knew that at his core Arvin was the sweetest soul she’d ever met, and she was skeptical he could put that aside to do whatever the job would require.

“Arvin?”

He looked up, and she nearly lost her breath. It was Arvin’s sunkissed skin, tanned from working under the hot sun, the beams beating down on him. Or perhaps it was the freckles that lightly dusted his crooked nose, like a constellation from the cosmos above. Maybe even it was the mop that sat on his head, the color all the same of those sweet brown eyes of his. Whatever it was, she felt it could only mean one thing.

Y/n Y/l/n was confident she loved Arvin Russell.

“Hmm?” He asked, tilting his head like a confused canine. Adorably endearing, she thought.

And though she had much to say, she was afraid that if he were the dog in question, then the puppy had got her tongue, so to say.

“Y/n/n?” The boy said, nudging her with his elbow, making a melodious giggle erupt from her chest. “What, cat got your tongue?” Arvin teased, and she only shook her head and smiled, as he had no idea how correct he really was.

“You could say that.”

The two shared laughs over the exchange, and at some point (neither of them are quite sure when, how, or who leaned in first), their lips connected in a short and sweet kiss. It seemed that it only lasted for a moment, and as soon as they pulled apart, Arvin and Y/n both were dying for more.

But they resisted, Arvin reaching out a cautious hand to entangle with hers. She bashfully grinned, as did he (though he did his best to resist).

“Y/n, I really like you.” He had said, his thumb running small circles upon her skin. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you like me too.”  He laughed, nervous notes to the sound.

“And well, I was wondering if you’d like to be my girlfr-”

And with a light groan, Y/n had wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing both of them to the ground. She connected their lips, the kiss so oddly blunt, an attack on his lips that he had no plan of fighting off. His hands found her hair, and her’s moved to the sides of his face, holding him so tightly, as if she was afraid he would let go.

“Yes.” She pulled away panting, her lips swollen, his flushed. “Yes, I’d love to be your girlfriend, Arvin.”

They smiled as bright as the setting sun above them, and Arvin pulled her close as she buried her face in the warm crook of his neck. They stayed like that ‘till the sun went down and the stars came out of hiding, the cool summer breeze blowing around them. They both still felt it, then, the love they had only just began to realize was there. And they would continue to feel it for years to come.

Like when Arvin would get back from a job, sometimes with blood splattered on his crisp white shirts, his dirty work getting, well, dirty. She would slowly peel it from his body, taking care to make sure he wasn’t hurt. She would do her best to wash the crimson stains from the fabric, sighing if it was seeming to be of no use. Arvin would come up behind her where she was working at the sink, wrapping his strong arms around her middle and resting his head on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Arv,” she would start, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face, “damn thing won’t budge.” Arvin would just chuckle, reaching up a gentle hand, gentle only for her, to tuck the hair behind her ear, quietly speaking.

“Well I think it looks pretty good, darlin’. It’ll do just fine.” He would spin her around to face him, and pepper small kisses on her skin, smiling at her reaction. And if he was hurt, she would take care to use a warm washcloth, wiping the scarlet splatters from his creamy complexion. 

The juxtaposition of the shades was always bewildering for her, oddly beautiful in a way. She never said so, though, only muttering praises of how proud she was, how strong he is, things like that. And Arvin would watch her, honey colored eyes following her as she moved about to fix him right up. No pain would have any real effect on him, not when she was there to reassure him, make him whole again.

As Arvin moved up in their small town world, in the “family”, he remained just as kind, just as gentle. Nothing really changed, no, only the lines on his forehead deepening and the crows feet becoming darker when he smiled; And Y/n’s role, as well. She stopped cleaning him up, stopped trying to rid his shirts of bloody reminders of his living. Arvin seemed to no longer be “painting walls’, but rather making sure jobs were done, everyone was staying in their places.

And things led to another, and all of a sudden Y/n and Arvin were moving into a big house, bigger than Arvin had ever even been in before. Deals and arrangements were made, settlements too.

One regular Tuesday, Arvin came home from what Y/n could tell had been a long, long, day. He was exhausted, but had this unmistakable look of excitement and joy plastered to his face. He had come in bursting through the door, not even taking off his hat or overcoat before making his way over to Y/n and kissing her silly.

“Well hello to you, too, Arv.” She laughed, amusement and curiosity both equally swirling around in her brain, wondering what could possibly have inspired this behavior.

“Things are happening, sweetheart, good, good things.” He took her hands in his, briefly shaking them before planting a kiss to them and walking away, a big smile on his face. And truth be told, not that she would admit it, it scared the Hell outta her. She wasn’t quite sure as to why, but something was itching at her brain, warning her that whatever was brewing wasn't a good thing. But nevertheless, she maintained her grin, painted lips never faltering.

The next day, when the “good things” were supposed to be happening, Arvin was seriously wondering why on God’s green Earth he had expected this to be easy.

“Come again, son?”

Arvin swallowed, shifting on his feet. He mentally scolded himself for ending up in this position again, standing in front of the Pastor’s desk, all kinds of confused. But it had to be this way, it was for the best, he knew. The sun shone through the window above the desk in front of him, right into his eyes, nearly blinding him. The Pastor didn’t really care, though.

“I’m asking for your blessing to ask Y/n’s hand in marriage, sir.”

The older man slowly nodded in understanding, taking a long drag from the expensive cigar between his fat fingers, the gold ring on his pinky also shining brightly under the harsh sun’s light.

“I just thought that after our arrangement-”

“Arvin, I don’t regret making you an heir, I don’t.” He stated, blowing out a long stream of smoke. “Hell, I can feel something big and bad coming, boy, you understand? I know God’s will is holding out on us, on this family. But it’s running thin.”

The young man clenched his jaw, internally cringing on what that might mean to the family, for the family, what it meant for Y/n. He bit his tongue, feeling the iron seep onto his taste buds.

“And I know those damn Teagardins are plotting, they’re plotting for our downfall. Making you next in line is something they won’t see coming, and I trust it’ll stay that way. But I don’t quite understand

“Well I love your daughter, I love her so much that it hurts. And if worst comes to worst…” he stopped, his bottom lip wavering for a moment, trying to carefully dance around the different outcomes of this conversation. “I feel I’ll be better able to protect her if we’re married, if she’s truly mine.” That part might have been a lie. Y/n has never been his, never would be. She was her own person, outside Arvin, outside the family. It was what he loved about her above all else.

The Pastor was quiet for a moment contemplating his response, calculating it.

“Would you die for her?”

“Yes.” The answer came without thought, it was automatic for Arvin.

The Pastor smiled widely, lifting his arms.

“So, when’s the wedding, Arv?

Turns out, it was exactly a year, a month, and 6 days until Y/n and Arvin would tie the knot. Arvin had spent time, waiting to find the perfect moment to ask her the big question. He had decided on a night where the moon was bright and the sky was clear. They sat together in what they had donned “their” field, the greenery around them rustling in the wind. Though he was nervous, he had delivered a stunning speech that had taken poor Y/n’s heart by force. It ended up with both of them crying like babies and a shiny ring on Y/n’s finger.

The wedding itself had taken place on a beautiful summer’s day, and Y/n had worn a pretty white dress that had made Arvin almost faint when he saw her, standing there on her father’s arm. She was all decked out in the most expensive diamonds and pearls, courtesy of her father, making her shine like a crystal of sorts.

It was the best night of her life, Arv’s too. But the joy they had felt must have an inevitable end, as the worst night (Arvin’s too) was soon to follow.

It had been an ambush, the death of the Y/l/n family. The death toll had managed to wrack up every member immediate member of the esteemed mob family, including the Pastor, his wife, and their two sons. A bomb planted in the trunk of their Cadillac that had gone off, placed there by who knows. 

When Arvin had heard, his immediate reaction was to thank God that Y/n had decided to stay with him that day, to go lay in the fields just the two of them. Immediately after she had been told, she had fallen into Arvin, her entire body weight being put into his arms. Sobs wracked through her frame, her tears dampening Arvin’s yellow button up.

Once she had “come to”, Y/n had grown to be furious rather than sad. As when you look at the lineage of her family, look at the ranks of the mob and who’s to rise to power when the one in front of them dies, well Arvin was right after Y/n’s big brother, Jamie.

And Y/n had loved her big brother, she had loved him very much and would like to believe that Arvin, her sweet, sweet Arvin, would never do anything of that multitude just to satiate his hunger and appetite for power. The hunger for power she wasn’t even aware he possessed. But how in the Hell was she even supposed to be sure?

“I want to believe you, Arv, I do. But I can’t! It don’t make any damn sense, Arvin!”

“You really think that low of me, Y/n/n?”

Y/n had been shouting, trying to confront him for a crime he hadn’t committed. But Arvin was calm as he spoke, his eyes only watering and his voice only bordering on wavering. Y/n reached a trembling hand to her scalp, pulling lightly on her roots. The tears slipping down her face were hot and salty and she hated it so much.

“What else am I supposed to think?” She lifted an arm, sniffling before putting her other one on her waist, the blue of her dress, the same dress Arvin adored so much, just barely matching what was to become of her mood. She was started to regress, the red hot anger from before transforming to a stormy blue of unsure waters.

“My whole family is dead, and it just so happened that you asked me to stay with you the day they died! My whole family is dead!” She screamed, her voice a crescendo of sorts. “And everyone is clean, Arv, except you. You got the motive, you got the alibi, I’ll give you that much.” She paused, briefly wiping her nose and looking to the blank wall to the left of her father’s office. “It’s funny;” she dryly chuckled, and Arvin looked up.

“You went from doing my daddy’s dirty work to gettin’ some poor bastard to do your own. Ironic isn’t it?”  

Arvin stepped towards her, pain twisting his insides up to see his best girl afraid of him, cowering away from his touch.

“You still have me, Y/n. I’m your family.”

She looked to her feet and back to him, shaking her head.

“No, Arv. You’re not. And you will be sorry for what you did to him, to all of them. You will be.” She said, walking away with her heels clicking heavily on the wooden floors. Arvin stood still for a while, not quite sure where to go next. But it dawned on him as the stained glass shone down on his feet in the most poetic manner, that he was already there.

So he dragged his feet along with him, breaths ragged and short, his head slowly tilting up towards the glorious light. He only had to go a few feet, before he sat down in the old leather chair, the only emotions he felt being those of an imposter. He thought back to all the nervous conversations he’d had with the pastor while he was sitting in that chair, a trembling Arvin usually standing opposite, awaiting instruction.

He darted his eyes across the mahogany surface in front of him, looking at all the various things that he only could associate with Y/n’s father. His valued cigar box, the crystalline tray that rested next to it. (He swore he could still smell the fresh smoke, wafting from the little dish.) He opened it, the latch clinking before his hand reached in and his fingers clasped around one of the thick rolls of tobacco. Before he could light it, he felt overwhelmed all of a sudden, and dropped it back into the box, slamming the lid.

He laid back, resting his weary head. Arvin took a deep breath through his nose, exhaling through his mouth, before falling into a not so peaceful slumber.

He was only woken minutes later, Joseph, Y/n’s uncle, wanting to know if Arvin had seen her lately. He shook his head, muttering an annoyed “No”. Joseph got the idea relatively quickly, exiting the room. He heard the chapel’s doors close, taking that as his queue to leave once he saw the time. So he grabbed his hat and his coat, leaving the office and making his way through the dimly lit space. His attention was caught, though, by the cross by the front pews, so beautifully shining. Arvin put down his things, and walked over to the pew, sitting down on the uncomfortable hardwood. He bowed his head, putting his interlocked fingers utop the surface in front of him.

He hadn’t done this in awhile, this whole praying thing. It seemed naive in his way of life, with the things that happened around him, the people lost. But nonetheless, if ever, now was a good time to try.

“Heavenly Father, I, I, uh, I need to talk to you. To, uh, set the record straight.” His hands were sweaty, tears welling in his eyes.

“Y/n, she’s- well she’s the love of my life, God, and I don’t think she loves me anymore. Hell, she wants me dead. But I don’t blame her, I couldn’t ever. Not after...” he paused, his bottom lip shaking, “Not if she thinks I killed her family. But I didn’t, Father, I didn’t and I could never. But she don’t see that. I need her to see that.” He raised his voice, the bitter droplets rolling down his reddened cheeks, hitting his shoes.

“I can’t live without her, I won’t. So I guess I’m askin’ you a favor, Lord. Just… let her know I didn’t do it, that I would never hurt her.” His voice cracked, his words barely audible, not that whoever was listening cared.

“That I love her so much.”

Arvin muttered something of an “Amen”, and then just sat there for he wasn’t sure how long. His silence was interrupted by a mellow and raw voice, cutting through the silence like the sharpest dagger.

“It was the Teagardin family. I just found out.”

Arvin stood and turned so fast he dizzied himself, having to hold onto the back of the pew for stability. His bottom lip quivered, his flushed features gaining a confused look.

“Y/n/n? How long you been there?” He questioned, not bothering to wipe his eyes. She shifted from one foot to the other, fumbling with her hands.

“Long enough.”

There was a mutual understanding at her few words from the two of them, and an apology within them all the same. Her eyes were bloodshot, her nose runny and her overall appearance disheveled. Despite that, just the fact that she was there, to him, made her the most beautiful girl in the world. 

Arvin could tell she was holding herself back, her emotions, too, as she started to speak, barely able to get through a sentence as she rambled about how she shouldn’t have assumed things, and that it wasn’t right of her to accuse her beloved of something so dire. But none of it mattered to Arvin as he strode towards her, her words only ceasing when he finally wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m so sorry, Arv.” She sobbed, gripping onto him for dear life. That was all she said, repeating it over and over again with the exception of “I love you” also being reiterated. 

Her husband spoke over her hushed tone, saying “It’s alright, doll, I know. You were right to think that, it’s not your fault. It was never your fault.” They continued that way for some time until they both regained their bearings, Arvin wrapping an arm around her shoulders and walking down the front stairs of the chapel. 

“Let’s go home, sweet girl.” He had said, so they did. Arvin kissed the side of her head, regarding once more how he loved her, before starting the ride home, his hand on her thigh the whole time, not wanting to let her go for even a second.

His mind was plagued with thoughts of the past, and he remembered an old saying he had heard long ago. What was it? Ah, you know what they say.

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

·。·。·。

how we feeling folks did we like? gimme feedback if u wanna! mwah love u, take care of urself

 xx hj

[cinnamonrusts]

together, we can make it out alive - 2

parts: 1

-- mentions of alcohol 

your issues with leon flare up at the worst of times, and you have a trip down memory lane -f!reader

(gif not mine) tags: @ayamenimthiriel​

                                                                      ⋆｡˚ ⋆｡˚ ⋆｡˚ ⋆｡˚

"Lieutenant!" you cried out and hobbled to your superior's aid as he backed into a wall. His hand was pressed against his wound and he threw his head back in pain but shooed you away when you tried to support him as he slid down to the floor. "I'll be fine! I'll be fine!" he huffed out in his typical annoyed manner, despite nearing death. "Y-You two need to get out of here... alive," Branagh added. "What about you?" Leon asked. The injured man raised a bloody hand and pointed his index finger toward the male rookie, "You save yourself," he coughed several times, "That's an order!" He dropped his finger and dug into his shirt pocked, then fished out a small notebook with a brown cover. Branagh leaned forward to hand the notebook to Leon, "E-Elliot, an officer here believed that there was a secret way out of here."

Leon flipped through the blood soaked pages and he examined the drawings that this presumably deceased officer drafted as Branagh explained. "I'd come with you two, but I would just slow you down." the RPD Lieutenant had accepted his fate that he wouldn't be going anywhere. "[Y/N]", he called your name and looked into your eyes when they met. "You take care of yourself, officer. You're a good kid. It was a pleasure being your Lieutenant." his pale lips turned upward into a weak smile.

His attention then turned to Leon, "Kennedy. Despite this being my last moments as your superior, I have one request of you." his eyes stared into Leon's, "If you see one of those things -- uniform or not. You do not hesitate. Do not make my mistake, you hear me?" The male rookie accepted this request and promised to do everything he could to keep himself and you safe. Branagh gave each of you one last handshake before he barked at you to go.

You hesitated because you felt that there might be more that could be done, but Leon pulled you along with him. Getting to safety was now the priority.

Your cheeks grew warm and your cheeks felt sore from the smile that grew wider as Leon explained. "You're too nice to me, Leon. Even after I picked on you all the time during school."  Earlier in the day the two of you had graduated from the police academy which was in a city far from both of your hometowns. Everyone in the graduating class decided to go to a local bar to celebrate the accomplishment you all achieved. Each of you had a story to tell and a lot of them were similar to yours. 

"Kennedy! You sly son of a bitch," you curse as Leon handed you a white, rectangular cardboard box. Leon smiled with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Open it," he whispered in your ear under the roar of the busy bar the two of you were seated in. When the lid was removed, the contents caused your eyes to sparkle in awe. Inside of the package was a silver bracelet with blue gemstones nestled in the center of each link. "I told you no gifts!" you yell at him and delivered a swift punch to his shoulder. Leon shrugged again, "I saw it at the mall, and it kinda just --- jumped out at me." he leaned over and his finger touched the jewelry, "I had to get it."

You were a girl from a midwestern city with big dreams of living it up in a city that was far-far away from Raccoon City's limits. The first few weeks of the police academy were rough, and you were skeptical if you wanted to continue on with it. You did not get along well with most of the other female recruits and struggled fitting in. That is until you met a swoopy haired male named Leon, who was paired with you one day and bonded.

 Leon was still leaned in close and you could feel your heartbeat in your throat. Unsure if it was your emotions, the alcohol, or a mixture of both but you felt like your entire body was a bright shade of red. "Say cheese!" a female voice yelled out which drew both of your attention front and center. A classmate pointed a Polaroid in your direction and was ready to snap a picture. You set your gift down on the bar counter and threw your arms around Leon's neck, then pulled him in close. Leon slinked his arm around your waist and held his pint of beer in the air. After the bright flash of the camera, the classmate handed you the photo and went off to snap more pictures. You took the square paper and shook it several times in the air. As the photo started to develop, you noticed how happy the two of you looked. "Aw! Look how cute you are!" you point out Leon's cheeky smile and giggled several times. Your giggles grew louder and louder, then turned into several snorts.

 Leon took you to his car and struggled with the lack of support for your weight. "You sure do handle your liquor better than me!" you giggled and poked his cheek several times. "Well, you also managed to get six shots of tequila into you before I drank my first beer." Leon leaned against the hood of his car and supported you with his knees. Your eyes first focused on his handsome face as you admired the way that he looked, and he did the same. You could feel your face grow red again, so you decided to change your attention to the darkened sky above. Leon's fingers grazed the skin of your arms which drew your attention back to him. His eyelids were half mast and he had a smile on his lips. "Leon, you're drunk, aren't you?" you ask, despite being heavily intoxicated yourself. "Maybe," he answers. He pulled you close to his body and you could feel his breath against your face. He kissed you and you kissed back. But when you pulled away from each other, you could see his moonstone eyes glow with the moonlight from above.

"I think you've had enough," Leon chuckled as he rested his hand on your shoulder but watched you guzzle down another shot of tequila. "Wait! Wait! I need the lime," you hurried a sucked on the sour citrus fruit and felt your face contort at the taste of the bitterness. "C'mon, missy," Leon took your arm and threw it around his shoulder to support your weight. But didn't expect it to be dead weight, because when you both stood, your body dropped like a stone to the floor with a thud. "Oh shit!" Leon cursed as he reached for your hand that flailed around in the air. "Are you okay?" he asked as he pulled you up, but you laughed uncontrollably. "I'll take that as a yes," he smiled and led you out of the building.

Leon's fingers continued to tickle your skin as they danced up your biceps to your collarbone, and his teeth pricked at your body simultaneously. His digits glided across your bone before they dropped to your exposed cleavage, you pulled away from him for a moment to get a breath of fresh air.

Leon was surprised when you did it. Your hand cupped his cheek and your eyebrows furrowed, "They're sending me back to Raccoon City," your happiness faded to a more somber mood. Leon took your hand in his and placed small kisses on each knuckle, "I'll come with you." Your instincts made you smile but your gut gave you a feeling that it was the alcohol talking and not the genuine Leon, which made you frown. "You always said you'd never want to live there," you finally spoke. "Yeah, but I didn't realize how I felt about you then." he continued to kiss your hand between words. You were almost certain now that it was the alcohol. "W-what?" your words stuttered.

You dribbled some hydrogen peroxide onto a cotton swap and attempted to get at Leon's wound from his open collar, but couldn't. "You're gonna have to take off your shirt." He nodded and slipped off his vest before he unbuttoned his shirt to slide it off. You could feel your hands tremble as you recalled the last time you saw him shirtless, but you snapped yourself out of it. This was no place to walk down memory lane. "This is going to suck, I'm sorry." you said as you placed the soaked cotton onto what looked like a bite wound. He jumped and cursed which caused a chuckle to bellow from your throat, "Okay Mr. Tough Cop Man, can't take a little peroxide. huh?" you joked. He didn't say anything beside a gruff under his breath. As you continued to clean his wound, you could feel your eyes take peeks at his chiseled torso, but mentally cursed yourself anytime you did. This seriously was not the place.

Leon stopped his kissing and now stared you in the eye, "I promise you that if I ever come to Raccoon City, I will tell you and we'll continue where we left off." He held out his pinky finger which linked with yours, "It's a pinky promise."

Leon pushed you behind him and took the lead down the hall. His gun and flashlight at the ready as the stillness of the night lingered in the abandoned station. As you followed him with your own weapon and light in hand, you noticed a wound on his trapezius and the fabric of his uniform still wet. "You should take care of that," you point it out. Leon hummed in confusion before he acknowledged the wound that you spoke of. He shook his head, "Don't worry about it." You ignored his words and pulled back on his shoulder, "Don't try to act like such a tough guy. We should do it before we carry on, there's some supplies in the locker room up ahead." You hobbled past him and lead him through the door. Leon closed the door behind you as you approached a locker and scrolled through the numbers to enter a code. "I always keep some supplies with my stuff, never know when you're going to need it." you ruffled through your bag and pulled out a first aid spray with some other supplies. "Should patch myself up too while we're at it." your finger pointed to a bench in front of you and told Leon to sit. "Shouldn't it be ladies first?" he asked as he sat and you responded with a, "Shut up."

 "[Y/N], about the last few months... I- I meant to reach out, but...-" he attempted to explain himself but you stopped him mid sentence. "Now is not the time, Leon." you turned to leave but he pulled back again. "What if this is the last time we are able to talk? We could die as soon as we walk out that door!" he yelled. Your eyes narrowed as you gave him a moment to express himself, "I-I met this girl back at home. I just got wrapped up in all of it and cut off a lot of important people," he ran a hand down the front of his face. "That's why I didn't show up on time! We-we broke up, I drank too much, then slept in... God, if only I came here..." he trailed off in his guilt. You felt some sympathy for your former partner, "It's probably a good thing you didn't come on time." you explained to him the weird things that had been going on lately. The weird cannibalistic killings, how shifty the police chief was acting, and how everything spiraled out of control. "This isn't how I expected my first day..." Leon sighed into a closed fist.

"One last thing," you picked up a can of first aid spray and sprayed the entire area with the green mist. "All done." you patted him on the shoulder and allowed him to re-dress himself. You lifted your injured leg onto the bench to assess the damage that shard of glass did, as you looked closer at it you could see the raw flesh that resided under your skin. Ouch. When you grabbed the peroxide, your hand met with Leon's, "Here, let me help you," he offered but you smacked his hand away. "I got it." your voice was harsh and you continued to treat your wound. Once you were patched up, you shoved the remaining supplies into your hip pack, "I'll still be pretty slow but we should be fine." you took a few steps toward the door but Leon pulled you back.

 You couldn't help but scoff, "How do you think I feel?! From what it seems like, my entire crew is dead! Then, "Mr. Rookie of the Year" strolls in from the shadows to save the day! I haven't seen you in years, Leon, years! You completely disappeared and then when I do finally see you, the fucking town is on fire!" you run a hand through your deranged hair, "I don't think I can do this." you lifted your pistol and pulled the hammer back to make sure it is loaded. "I should've just called in. Then, I could be miles away from this fucking place!" your anger came to a boil, "Then, you! How can you act so-so laid back! Ever since I met you! Always Mr. Cool Guy! This city is fucked!" Leon tried to hush your yelling before you attracted any unwanted visitors.

Your raised voice dropped to a louder whisper, "You promised me, Leon! You promised me that you would come back and when you did, you would tell me! You said we would continue what we started but no, I find out you're coming here by a fucking banner on the ceiling!" your finger pointed in the air. You closed your eyes as you decided on your next move, "I think you'll be better on your own." your hand turned the knob and you took a step out in the hall, "You think you can just come back here and act like everything is the same. Touch me like you did before -- I-," you don't turn around to face him, "I'll see you on the outside of this place." and left him with those words with a door slammed in his face.

[hawkthewintersoldier]

When the Numb3rs Add Up to = (U+m3) Part 1: Friendly Meetings

“What’ve we got?”

The scene was bright and vibrant… including the blood on the ground, which was a brilliant ruby shade. Don Eppes, one of the lead agents at the FBI in Los Angeles, was kneeling and inspecting a female corpse, who was staring blankly up at the sky.

“Female, mid-to-late 20s, blond hair with deep brown roots… brown eyes.” Megan said, kneeling with Don and pointing. “…Same M.O…. He wrote ‘Trick or Treat’ across her forehead after stabbing her to death… sexually assaulted…”

Don groaned, his eyes going up as he stood. “…Damn.”

“Don.” David called out, gesturing them to look over at the body. “…Look. No splatters… nothing to suggest that this happened here.”

“No. She’s like the others… he’s taking them somewhere else and killing them.” David said, sighing. “…By some miracle of God, are there any prints? Cameras around here?”

“…Uh, sorry Don. No.” Colby said carefully as Don rubbed his temples. “…Is Charlie coming out?”

“Yeah, he’s on the way…”

At that moment, a vehicle pulled up… and Charlie, Don’s brother, stepped out of the passenger side, a notebook in his hands. Don whipped his head up, then shook his head, pointing at the body and gesturing for it to be covered as he walked.

“Charlie!”

“Hey, Don…” Charlie said, his eyes focused on the clues from the last two victims. “…What can you tell me?”

“…She’s in the same age-range… has naturally brown hair that was bleached blond… brown eyes… same build…”

Charlie stared at him, then glanced around at the body that was being zipped into a bag. She was young enough to be a student of his… a fact that made him cringe. “You realize that this practically guarantees that these women were targeted… and this person could be after them for any number of reasons regarding their looks, ages, even some other detail we don’t know about yet. We know their ideal target, but not the WHY…”

“I know, Charlie… it’s why the FBI’s got another person on this with you… how HAS your conversations with J. been?” Don asked, curiosity on his face as Charlie smiled slightly.

“He’s very clever… helped me a bit on figuring out a formula for all of these variables that simplified things a bit more. They have to be more than a mathematician…” Charlie said as a woman off to the side nodded and came over, having overheard.

“��They are.” She said, then offered her hand as Charlie took it. “Special Agent Cameron Dodge.” She said as Charlie shook her hand, nodding. “…Myers is a criminology student as well as a mathematics major over at CalSci. We’re looking forward to trying to hire them once they’re out of school.” She said as Charlie tilted his head to the side.

“A criminology student?”

“And mathematics, yes. They studied YOUR work, actually, Professor Eppes…” Cameron smiled, watching the surprised look go across his face. “Made them want to combine the two. I think their thesis paper is going to be on the proposed benefits of mathematics on the crime scene.”

“Oh, wow.” Charlie said, his eyes widening as Cameron nodded.

“Mmhmm…”

“I was actually thinking that it might be time to bring this guy in to see everything we have face to face and work directly with you, Charlie…” Don said as Charlie nodded.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Charlie said, his eyes on Cameron as she nodded.

“Fantastic… They’re usually working on equations in CalSci’s math wing… room 16A.” Cameron said as Don stared at her. “…I used to go to them to get my questions answered when your brother was unavailable.” Cameron explained as Charlie and Don both nodded. “…You may as well go ahead and find them.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. I have to head back to CalSci anyhow…” Charlie said, smiling over at Don. “…See you.”

“Sure thing, Charlie.”

~*~

Charlie sighed as he headed through the halls of CalSci, a hand going through his curls tiredly as he glanced at the little piece of paper. He didn’t know much about this mystery mathematician he’d been working with the last few days, just that the FBI worked with them here and there, mostly by e-mail… but Agent Dodge said that she had worked with them personally before sending him to CalSci to get them… and they’re eccentric…

Don had just laughed, because he thought Charlie himself was eccentric… but Charlie never saw it as eccentric. He just… didn’t think like them. And that was ok. He saw the world more in numbers and equations than most did. Everything is numbers, after all…

“…Room 16A…” he muttered, glancing at each door as he walked. He knew every professor, minus a few new ones… but the students… some slid past him without him having met them… and the one he was meeting today was in that group. He never paid attention to memorizing names of students, just faces, but he had asked flat out if this J. Myers was a student of his… they’d said no, but they’d attended his lectures here and there. Apparently, face to face human interaction wasn’t a big thing for them, something Charlie understood. Big crowds weren’t his thing either.

“…J. Myers.” Charlie frowned, glancing at the door as he nodded. “…There. 16A.”

Walking in, he was expecting to find a mathematician at work…

What he FOUND… was a young woman with headphones on her head, her backside moving from side to side as her head bopped. Her hand reached out and grabbed a rice krispy treat off the table, her eyes not glancing over at all… An oversized plaid shirt hung loosely on her, unbuttoned in the front, with a black tank top beneath it, and pale blue jeans hugged her hips. He tilted his head to the side… glancing back at the paper, and he blinked.

“…Hello?”

She didn’t pay him a lick of attention, and that alone caused him to huff a bit and wave a hand.

“…Excuse me??”

Her mouth began mouthing lyrics, too quietly for him to hear… but he made out a few of them… and recognized the song as R. Kelly’s Ignition Remix… not a terrible song… but he wasn’t there to listen to music… or watch anyone dance to them.

Though… he had to admit… as she rolled her hips… she wasn’t terrible to look at… Her hands came up, fingers lacing through her hair before fluffing it as she moved, and he bit back a flush as he cleared his throat loudly.

Her head whipped around and she let out a shout of surprise, jumping from the shock of him seeming to appear out of nowhere. “OH MY GOD!” she yelped, then tugged her headphones off as he gave her a slightly bemused look. “W-WHAT’RE YOU DOING HERE?! WHO ARE YOU!?”

“Sorry… Professor Charlie Eppes… um, the FBI sent me, Agent Cameron Dodge told me that someone might be working on their formulas in here… but I guess they’re out.” Charlie sighed, his hands going into his pocket. “…Can you tell… um… J. Myers that I’m looking for them and that I’ll be in my office?” he asked as she nodded, her eyes wide. “Sorry to bother you in your… dance… session…” he snorted as she stared, then watched him turn.

He was quickly out the door… snorting under his breath… and he heard the sounds of chalk on a chalkboard. His sneakers squeaked as he stopped, a frown on his face as he made an about face and quickly walked back in.

There was the girl… headphones back on, her head bopping and that treat she’d picked up before now in her mouth… but she was working at the board. She was quickly writing out a formula, her eyes focused on the board as she nodded, glancing up in thought before continuing her writing… Her shoulders and hips swayed lightly as she quietly sang, her song having changed…

“Say my name, say my name… if no one is around you, say baby I love you, if you ain’t running games…”

He leaned against the frame of the door, his eyes on the formulas on the board… and he watched as she added more to them, her head bopping…

“…YOU.” He said loudly as she jumped again, her eyes wide as she whipped around.

“DO YOU HAVE A THING FOR SCARING GIRLS?!” she yelped, her eyes on his as he shook his head.

“No… I NEED to speak to J. Myers… Do you know where they are?” he asked as she stared. “…Look, we need them for an FBI case…”

She sighed… then moved her headphones to rest at her neck and setting the chalk down, moving towards him and extending her hand. “…Jennifer.” She said quietly as he took her hand. “…Jen. Jen Myers… senior.” Jen said as he nodded, grinning a bit.

“You COULD have said that.”

“You never gave me a chance.”

Charlie simply chuckled, nodding. “…I guess I really didn’t.” he admitted, then glanced at her equations. They weren’t from the current case… these were more delicate and had been nearly perfected. “…For your thesis?” he asked curiously as she nodded. “…Master’s degree?” he asked as she blinked at him, then simply pointed at the formulas.

“…My thesis is on the application of mathematics in the criminology field, specifically the use of mathematics in the solving of crimes.” Jen said carefully, watching as he nodded. “…Some of it comes from your research and formulas, actually… credited in my paper of course.” she said quickly as he grinned, pointing at the formula.

“I recognize parts of this… this part here, for example… and the bit after it… but you’ve refined some of it. Where’d you get some of this?” Charlie asked curiously as she shifted, then glanced at him.

“…FBI databases.”

“Did you hack it?” he asked with amusement as she shook her head fast.

“No, of course not! I was gathering data for a case… and found it. I found it fascinating, so I… acquired it.”

Charlie simply nodded, his eyes lit up. “…Well you’ve done a great job with it… I like the substitution you used here… it simplifies the equation.”

“I know… part of my thesis is making a computer program that can utilize the mathematical aspects that people like you come up with and come up with likely variables and hypotheses for the investigators to use… the world isn’t filled with Professor Eppes’, after all.” Jen said with a grin, watching as he laughed a bit.

“It’s clever. Might put me out of a job at the FBI, but…” he snorted with amusement as she blinked, her eyes widening.

“Oh, NO! Not at all!” Jen said, grabbing her papers to rifle through them. “There would still need to be someone making new, up-to-date equations for the program to run…”

“I was kidding… Do you prefer Jennifer or Jen?” Charlie asked as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“…Jen.”

“Ok… well I was kidding, Jen.” Charlie grinned, then stared at the board, his eyes going over her equations, then glancing at her as she moved beside him again, her eyes focused. “…You know, these really are good.”

“Thanks… I was going to ask you for your professional opinion once this case was solved…” Jen said, bringing her chalk back up as Charlie nodded, then peered at her.

“Why DID you never tell me your NAME…?” he asked as she blinked, then shrugged. “…You knew who I was.”

“Who here on campus doesn’t?” Jen said pointedly, a smile tugging at her lips as he ran a hand through his hair. “…I’m just a nobody.” She shrugged, her eyes going to another line of the equation. “…my name doesn’t matter.”

“I’d have wanted to get to know who I was working with.” Charlie said pointedly as she nodded, glancing at him before continuing.

“…Sorry about that, then.” She said, frowning up at her equation. “…I’m not really a people-person. I’ve been told my social skills are lacking.” Jen said as he laughed.

“I understand THAT.” He said, then tilted his head to the side… then grabbed an eraser, removing a portion of the formula before editing what had been there a bit, her head whipping to him as he smiled. “…There. That should eliminate a few steps in the formula.”

She leaned forward… then nodded, her eyes widening. “…Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.” Charlie said, glancing at the door. “…so… there was a reason I came.” He said, holding out a folder as she frowned, then took it and opened it… and paled a bit. “…Another one. This morning.” Charlie said quietly as she nodded, her eyes wide.

“…Damn.”

“Yeah. We have more information, but it also adds variables… we have to pick through them… plug them into a chart to see what aspects align with each victim.” Charlie said, pointing at the paper to show her a few details as Jen nodded.

“Agreed… I’d also suggest some data mining… analyze the victims based on their characteristics… maybe it’ll give you more of an idea as to who the next victim might be.”

“Right, right… I’d thought of that, but we didn’t have enough to go on… but this makes victim four.” Charlie nodded, glancing at the photo and some of the information that he’d jotted down. “…I can work with this… WE can, if you’re interested in helping…”

“I absolutely am.” Jen nodded, her eyes on the photo. “…We’ll figure this out.”

“I hope so…”

[mielinaki]

that one day in the library -

When I met one of my closest friends, I did not think much of her. Sure, I knew that she was well-known around the school, numerous people wanted to be her friend, but she did not give me a reason to be her friend. She was in my science group project and rarely acknowledged me, only talking when she needed to. There were not many interactions between us, which means we did not hang out much until the next school year. I had talked to her enough to know that she was someone who was not afraid to stand up for herself. In March of our last year in Elementary, we had become “best friends.” Her name was Ann.

Today was a bit hotter than usual. The heat was rolling off the cement, rising to the sky. The bell had just rung, announcing the end of another class and the start of lunch. A group of three students stood outside under the shade of the hallway. They were little girls, all around the same height; The only thing distinguishing them was the size of their backpacks and the color of their hair.

Ann was the tallest, as well as the only one with bright blonde hair. It was always down, a tangled mess of the sun’s rays adorning her pale face. She was known for being bold and loud, never caring what others thought about her. Once, I remember her telling me that each morning, she would go and color the blue streak in her hair again so that it never faded. It was just hair chalk.

Jeanette was the quietest. I saw her as my best friend. After Ann of course. She had long, chocolate-colored hair that she wore as a ponytail every day, without fail. She always had her blue and grey watch on, that of which I could never read, and every five minutes before class ended, it would ring. Her backpack was always stuffed to the brim with books and homework assignments. She, at the time, was the most organized person I knew.

I, on the other hand, was both the opposite and the mix of the two of them. I was known for being loud, but quiet. Put together, yet a mess all at once. I only truly cared about the grades I had and when I would get another chance to read.

At that time, we were going to the library to get some books. We spent most of our time there, not just because of the books, but because of the air conditioner.

While we waited for Jeanette to get ready, Ann leaned her head to the side and whispered into my ear, “I’m gonna head to the library now. I’ll see you there?” As she finished talking, her eyes seemed to bore into my temple as she waited for my answer. I knew that she wanted me to tell her that I would go with her and that we could leave Jeanette behind. But I also knew that she would make it seem like I was the one who had decided to leave her. That was something I did not want.

“Sure, I’ll wait for Jeanette then,” I replied cautiously. She only seemed to move closer, edging me to change my answer. When I refused to open my mouth again, in hopes that she would give up, her glare pierced me even deeper. It would not have hurt my feelings if she made a little tch sound and walked away with her hands in her pockets, I was used to it by now.

To my surprise, Jeanette stood up before Ann could get away. With a small jump, she quickly tightened her backpack straps and looked up at us. Her confused reaction was to be expected; Ann seemed to be leaning over me as if she were a predator who had just caught its prey. Jeanette coughed and asked, “Are we good to go?” Her gentle voice was the only comfort I felt at that moment.

Ann’s shadow ran off me like water as she took a step back and let me breathe. She did not start walking away.

“Yep,” I answered. I began to walk quickly toward the library. I had decided to ignore Ann’s strange actions while I moved and instead thought of what new books I could get. Every few moments, I would slow down for a second or two, only to let them catch up, but kept walking quickly. The sooner I got out of the heat, the sooner I could look at the vast variety of books available. It was too quiet, so I started talking about my dog. Sometimes Ann made snarky comments but I only heard interest and kept talking. Jeanette smiled when I looked at her.

The school campus itself was pretty big, or so it seemed to short kids like us. There were grass-topped miniature hills that barely grew from the ground and endless rows of buildings. Thanks to the nearly non-existent mounds, the library, which was across campus, was visible and easy to get to.

I ran and stopped abruptly in front of the building. “We’re here,” I called back at Jeanette and Ann who were still walking. Waiting by the door with my arms spread out wide and my backpack pulling me closer to the ground, I peered into the dark doors. I could see the librarian and some of the student computers through the tinted glass.

I was close to stumbling but Ann grabbed my backpack and pushed me forward. Many times this had happened so I had expected this and I moved my hands forward quickly. The chain reaction made some clicking sound as the long push was sucked into the door. Before the door could swing back, I walked in and bowed with my palm facing up, pretending that my friends were queens and I was their maid-in-waiting. It might have seemed like a joke to them, but in my head, it was the most real reality I had lived.

Ann walked to the big mat in the center of the library and pulled her backpack in front of her. She opened it and took out a notebook. Though this time, instead of sitting down, she ripped a piece of paper out, dropped her backpack without looking where it fell, and walked off. Long strides led her to the first row of shelves while Jeanette and I put our bags down.

Jeanette leaned down to drop her backpack carefully, letting go only when she saw there was nearly no space for the fall. After she took a book out and sat down on a bean bag, I started to move then backpacks against the wall. I felt eyes on me and I expected it to be Jeanette but when I looked back, she was still stuck in her book.

The first backpack was Ann’s. The bold dark blue color stood out against Jeanette’s soft violet one. Mine was last and had owls on it. I remember thinking that it would have been nice to fly away.

I turned and made eye contact with Ann. Her cold blue eyes motioned me over; Without a second thought, I obliged. As I neared her, Ann busied herself with more writing. My lips turned into a small frown for the closer I got, the larger the paper grew. Sloppy and rushed words were almost visible. Her hand covered the second half but I could read this much:

i don’t wanna to be w/ jeanette anymore. she’s annoying & i don’t like her

I shifted my gaze from the blinding paper and my eyes met the sea. Any wrong move could lead to a tsunami

Ann moved the paper around and handed me the pencil. I took it and with her free hand, she pointed at where I could write. The second half remained covered.

y?

Why did she feel that way? How could she feel that way about a friend? Jeanette was not annoying. She barely even talked. How could Jeanette be annoying? She was not ugly either. I knew that was a reason that Ann didn’t like some people. She had called my hair pretty once, so I was sure she was okay with me. But could it have been my fault?

cause she’s always taking my friends away

My eyes widened. Looking down, I let the words invade my mind. After a second, I sighed and lifted my head and the plastic blue pencil. It was a lie; She just wanted to make me cry. With a small exhale, I wrote:

i don't remember that. what friend did she take away?

It was just a lie because Jeanette was too quiet to even attract attention. It was a lie because Jeanette was always with us. It was a lie because I trusted Jeanette. It was a lie because Ann was mean. It was a lie because-

her name starts with an ‘a’. it has 9 letters

I only knew one girl with a name that long. She did not even talk to me, let alone Jeanette. I searched my brain for answers. When could I have missed Jeanette talking to her? We practically shared all our classes; Could it have been one that I wasn’t in? No, it couldn’t have. The only time I was away from Jeanette was when she went to the restroom; Even then I would wait outside of the worndown bathrooms washing my hands. What was happening?

do i know h

The paper was roughly pulled from the shelf and I threw my hand up. The room froze. The room was as tense as one that lacked oxygen. I stared at the shelf top. Jeanette stared at Ann. Blue eyes glared at me. There was a mark of the led on the plastic top; Small dust puddles from when I pressed the pencil down to write my question. Ann’s pale hands crumpled the white paper. I could almost hear my thoughts scream out for an answer as the paper was suffocated by her tight grip.

“What were you two doing?” her voice was so soft. “Was it important?” Jeanette’s question was able to drown out the yelling in my mind and the silence coming from Ann.

I swallowed and whipped up a wide smile before glancing at Jeanette. I mustered the happiest voice I had and replied, “We were talking about baking.” I liked Jeanette because she knew more about me than I did. She knew how I felt about something and I knew that she could see how fake I sounded at that moment.

“Oh, okay,” she looked at Ann, who had gotten up and refused to look back at her. “Nevermind I guess. Uh, would you like to go look at a series with me?” I simply smiled as a response.

As much as I hate to admit, I had no clue what she was thinking. But I’m sure I went along the lines of, “They’re hiding something from me.”

In the minute that I talked to Jeanette, Ann had managed to stand up, shove the crumpled ball in my backpack, and walk back. Now she stood across from us and would not look up. When she would get frustrated, she would tense her hands, her eyes would get red, and her back would shake. Many times I thought she was about to cry. I usually reached out to her; Today was no different.

Grabbing them both by their elbows, I pulled them toward the series area of the library. The walk was unnecessary. The weight of our feelings made the room tense and at any time, either of them could have ripped themselves from my light grasp. They decided not to.

Ann’s anger was immense, something that would soon make her passionate about despising Jeanette. If I had known how much that could grow in a week, I would have never gone back to school. I would have rather stayed home than witness Ann lose herself in emotions.

Jeanette was good at hiding her feelings. Though it seemed like today was she tired of holding them in. She did not cry, but I could see her face shifting from pain to happiness steadily. She would frown for a second, and smile in the next.

In the days that followed, Ann continued to try to turn me against Jeanette. It did not take long.

Many times during lunch or class, Ann would slide notes about the stolen friend. The notes told me about how I was once friends with ‘A’. The reason that we were not anymore, was because of Jeanette. Ann’s whispers grew louder and louder until they invaded my mind and took control of what I felt.

And seeing as Ann was using the power she knew she had over me, I believed her. I started to realize that it was true. In the pits of my heart, I knew something was off. But something else inside me would say Ann does not lie to you. You are her best friend.

Once I was fully convinced that the things Ann told me were true, I started to run without question. Jeanette would lean down, Ann would nudge me, and we would disappear. I remember the one time I looked back, Jeanette was crying. I never wanted to see that again, so I ran faster.

Jeanette started to make excuses up to avoid us, and we played along. Ann told me that we had to do anything to get her away. If not she could have taken me too. We couldn’t have that.

Eventually, Ann had successfully removed Jeanette from my life, with help from me. It did not feel the same as before.

Less than a year later, Ann moved to a different state. I was finally able to understand that everything was my fault. I was able to understand why it felt wrong and why it hurt me so much. I understood why I was alone. I saw someone who was still young and untamed as powerful and so I raised them above me. I let them take control of me and that ruined some of my closest relationships.

Jeanette was not alone. She made new friends who were nothing like Ann and I. She seemed to climb the mountain out of my life faster than anyone I knew. And I was stuck in the place where Ann disappeared.

[raedear]

Please tell me your headcanons about Nicky and nail polish, if you can come up with any

god i wrote all of this out and then tumblr REFRESHED AND LOST IT 

A N Y W A Y 

I didn’t realise I had thoughts on this until I started to write those thoughts down and then I had lots of thoughts about this. 

SO I think, after years of living firstly within the priesthood and secondly within medieval Genoa (do not @ me about incorrect terminology I am like 4 glasses of bourbon down and I do not give a fuck) Nicky would not have been the most stand-out example of personal hygiene, let alone little bits of vanity like painted nails BUT I also think that exposure to Yusuf would’ve set him straight (lol.) 

I also think that the way Yusuf would have done this would be by bodily booting him into whatever body of water they happened to be passing when he got a bit too rank or cheeky or whatever, but that’s not the question you asked. 

SO Nicky’s growing out his tonsure (christ’s sake son) and shaving his face regularly and, you know, bathing, and he’s getting the hang of it and yeah he’s noticing that even though they’re both walking the same endless desert and dusty roads, Yusuf is just somehow... nicer than him? He just seems that bit more put together; less stinky; shiny and nice in the sun (other realisations follow on heels of this one). 

So Nicky starts to maybe, pay a bit more attention to how he gets that way. Maybe he sees Yusuf barter for sweet oils for his hair and his beard in the market, maybe for a chunk of pumice stone for his sore feet, whatever. And then Nicky maybe starts to notice other people too, in similar situations. He sees women with painted faces; he sees people getting henna elegantly traced along their hands and arms; when they cross to the East, looking for the women in their dreams, they find people with bright colours on their nails and he’s just endlessly curious about it (i googled this shit, nail varnish is *so old* omg, and originated in China? fascinating) but that’s all it is, idle curiosity. 

~~~but not for Yusuffff~~~ Yusuf notices him noticing over a period of A WHILE (please don’t ask me details I haven’t decided on them yet) and tucks it away for a day with more time. Nicky will watch any kind of make up/word i’ve forgotten omg application he can but it’s the ones that leave long-lasting marks that truly hold his attention, and Yusuf likes that. That Nicky is drawn to the longevity, even if he isn’t aware of it himself. 

The first time Yusuf paints his nails, he does it with henna, and he does it in a tiny house tucked away just off a beach somewhere along the Mediterranean. They’ve long since met the women from their dreams; long enough to find a family with them, and long enough to need a break from them too. They go together, truly together, stronger and deeper every day, and it’s a sweetness to hold Nicky’s broad and strong hand in his own and coat his fingernails in the sweet thick henna; trace the patterns across his pale skin and watch them settle, there to stay longer than any other mark they can leave on each other. 

And maybe it becomes a Thing. When they truly have time to be alone, to be quiet and still together somewhere lovely, they take turns painting each other’s nails. They graduate from henna as nail varnish makes its way around the globe as a concept, and they indulge in the fancy new types they find; glitter, magnetic, colour changing, whatever. It’s just something they do, and they like it. It’s an excuse to hold their beloved’s hands for who knows how long while focusing 100% of their attention on them, what’s not to love? 

When they rejoin Andy and Nile after recuperating in Malta for two months, Nicky’s nails are roughly the same blue-grey-green shade of his eyes, and Nile is charmed by the sight of them, an unexpected softness in these people she’s still getting to know.  

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ @sasuhinabigflash2020​​ ​​​ || Day Twenty-Eight: Being Bold ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Orochimaru ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ AO3 Link ]

[ Previous ] [ Next ] [ This piece is a sequel to days Eleven and Twenty-Seven ]

Pulling up to the proper curb, Hinata pauses and takes a breath, hands still on her steering wheel. She really has no idea why she feels so nervous about this. During her career so far, she’s interviewed hundreds of people. From the mayor of the city to small business owners. So why does the prospect of talking to this guy seem so...daunting?

Sure, his little shop is...odd. And so is he, come to think of it. There’s just something so...mysterious about both. Like he’s hiding something, but...what could he be hiding? It’s just a little antique shop, right?

Though he mentioned something about some kind of specialty goods, and...a back room, with customers by appointment. Does he...dabble in collector items that are more valuable than random knick knacks? Or maybe something more...shady. But he acts like he doesn’t have anything to hide when it comes to his business, so what has her so convinced he’s keeping something to himself?

...either way, she doubts he’ll admit to it, or slip up just because she’s interviewing him. While Hinata is good at what she does, she’s not that kind of good. Not very skilled with “gotcha” kinds of questions and lead-ups. So while she’s unendingly curious about this man and his goings-on, she has a feeling she won’t wriggle much out of him that he doesn’t have intentions to admit.

But...sitting in her car isn’t going to get this done. Hopefully no one else has gotten here ahead of her - she’d prefer to do this without an audience. Hers is the only car along the curb, but foot traffic is indeed a thing. So, she gathers up her supplies (which amounts to her phone to record the audio of the interview, and a pen and pad of paper for notes) before slipping out of her car and locking it behind her.

Stepping up to the entrance, Hinata can’t help a small pause. Something feels...off. Like she walked through a cold spot, but she didn’t notice a change in temperature. But she’s come this far, there’s no going back now. A hand takes the handle, and twists it to open the door.

At a glance, the shop seems empty, and she can’t help a small sigh of relief. But that same glance also shows no Sasuke. Maybe he’s in the -?

WHUMP.

Colliding back against the door in shock at the sound, Hinata’s eyes go round and her heart nearly leaps through her chest. What the hell was that?! A rapid turn of her head shows no one in the same room as her, but...it sounded like it came from the wall behind the counter?

...the back room…?

More sounds reach her ears, muffled compared to the impact. Like things clattering to the floor. Is he being robbed?! For a moment she considers withdrawing her phone and calling the police.

But something stops her. Instead, she hurries across the room and pulls open the door in a sudden bid of boldness.

Normally she’d never dream of stepping into what is clearly a private space. But something is nagging at her, like a pull at an invisible collar around her neck, urging her forward. So as she sees into the rear room, it seems to threaten to choke her.

...it’s...on fire?

Staring in shock, Hinata flinches as something crashes against the wall just beside her, erupting into so many pieces she has no idea what it was. Then she catches sight of two figures. One, clearly Sasuke, is...is...throwing fire from his hands at the other. Long dark hair and a pale face give Hinata a creeping feeling along her spine, as though she shouldn’t be looking at them. They seem to twist and curl around Sasuke’s efforts like a ribbon in the wind.

...she should be in shock. This...this isn’t something normal. And yet Hinata simply realizes that Sasuke is in trouble. Sasuke might die. And while she can’t really call them friends, he did help her the other night. And now she has a chance to help him in return.

And with that realization, something in her seems to break, like a dam unable to hold back water any longer. She gasps, a feeling flooding her insides and washing over her like she’s been thrown into a bottomless lake. Flowing, tugging, drowning unless she retakes control.

So she reaches. Feels something she’s never felt before. And she pulls with every ounce of her strength until her head comes up above metaphorical water.

And with it, she finds what she grabbed hold of.

From an urn not far off, a torrent of water erupts like a geyser at her command, seemingly without end. It sprays and arcs like waves against a cliffside, putting out the fires threatening to consume the shop.

It draws the gazes of the other two occupants of the room - one in shock, the other in fury. Like a specter, the pale figure makes to strike, slinking forward like a bolt of lightning.

But like her hands are puppeteered by another, Hinata lifts them of their own accord. The torrent follows her guidance, beginning to wrap her foe in a twisting, ebbing sphere of liquid: the current battering them and rendering them unable to control their movement.

Sooner or later, they’ll drown.

Glowering at her with puffed cheeks of air, they then lift a hand, a dark hole opening at their command and letting them slip through, like some kind of...portal.

With the threat gone, Hinata’s grip releases...and the water drops to coat the floor before draining into a grate nearby.

...silence, save for the heaving of breath from the pair that remain.

Soaked, Sasuke stares at her in utter disbelief. No longer is she a rounded-eared el’tahl. Instead, they’re long and pointed like his own, glamour lost with his concentration elsewhere. And where her eyes had been a pale lavender before, they’re now a more blue shade, seeming to glow and dim as she lets her energy fade.

...is she…?

Turning to him, she seems to sway slightly, as though suddenly lost and simply watching as he approaches.

“...well...I guess that answers my question, at least in part,” Sasuke offers, mopping water from his face. “...I had a feeling there was el’ven buried in you somewhere, but...I haven’t seen someone like you in a long, long time.”

“...I…?”

“That was ven you just used. Magic, as people call it nowadays. Gives you control over an element. Yours seems to be water. Like mine is fire. Somewhere in your bloodline is a source for it. Seems you’ve woken it up.”

She just...stares. “...who...who was that?”

“An old enemy, here to steal from me,” Sasuke mutters. From the front of his garment he draws a kind of chainmail shirt. “I was repairing this for someone else when they heard I had it. Still not sure how. But...with your help, they were forced to retreat.”

“...s-sorry about the...the mess…”

“This place has seen worse, believe me,” he replies dryly. “Water isn’t about to hurt anything in here.” He lets his eyes flicker over her face, which are now an open and unhidden red. “...are you all right? I’d think you’d be pretty shook up.”

“...I’m...confused. But…?”

He sighs. “...maybe we best sit and have some tea. Then...I suppose I have a lot to tell you. Though, as I’m sure you can guess...it won’t be anything you can print.”

At his flat joke, she manages a wispy laugh. “...no. No, I...I guess not.”

     So I know I promised to do two drabbles today BUT it ended up being FAR busier than I planned :’D So tomorrow SHOULD be my last day: I actually have days 30 and 31 done, but I need to write 29, of course. So that’ll be that!      This is another followup piece, and sadly I’ll be leaving this one here. Getting a bit too far into lore-type stuffs. And I’m out of days xD Basically, Hinata has magic water powers, woo! Which is what Sasuke was sensing, and what was making Hinata “sensitive” to Sasuke as a fellow magicky person, lol      Anywho, I best be off for the night. I might, might do 29 tonight but I honestly doubt it, I’m sleepy =w= So I’ll see you guys tomorrow for what SHOULD be the last day. Apologies again for being so far behind, but Life just be like that sometimes, ahaha~ Thanks for reading!

[tenyacore]

May I have a bnha match up please? I’m 18, female, bisexual, an infp, and an Pisces/Aquarius cusp. I’m 5’2 and on the chubby side. I have medium length curly, dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes. I have a small tooth gap and pale skin too. I also a nose stud have 4 stick and pokes. 1 on each wrist and 1 on each ankle. At first I can come off as an asshole with my resting bitch face and I don’t talk much (deadass been asked if I was a mute before). In reality I’m just really awkward and kinda shy as hell. It takes me awhile to grow connections with people but once I do I go crazy go stupid. I love joking around with a dark or really stupid sense of humor and being dumb with my friends. However I’m also down to have deep conversations and just chill out. I also know when to be serious when it’s needed. I would say that I’m pretty protective over my friends too and I can get affectionate with them. I will admit though that I do have some anger issues and that I get be really moody, basically a hot head. I have a hard time expressing my emotions, so I usually mask things away by acting silly or shutting down. Sometimes I’m really do be drinking that dumb bitch juice too (I’m kinda dense most of the time). I enjoy napping, baking(I’ve got a huge sweet tooth), fashion (goth fashion is my jam), drawing, reading, skateboarding, playing video games, listening to music (rock, alternative, and sometimes k-pop), and watching true crime and horror related stuff(I absolutely love horror and occult stuff). I have a fear public speaking, heights, abandonment, and hospitals. What I look for in a partner is who is open and honest with me, knows when to be serious but knows when to be silly and fun too, and someone who is affectionate (like cuddling, hugs, kisses, etc) Thank you in advance!! <33

you seem like someone id be friends with 🥺🥺 also i vibe w da stick and pokes lol, i have tattoos of my own and i wish i could get more sigh also sorry if this sucks im running on. 30 minutes of seelp and 3 ultra blue monsters

MIRIO

✿ YOU GUYS WOULD BE SO CUTE TGT UGH MY BRAIN IS SO JUICY

✿ mirio being mirio wasnt deterred by what you 'seemed' like, and instead opted to try to get to know you and it really paid off :D

✿ is the best whenever you find yourself in a negative mood, cause he always does whatever you prefer. you want some space? he's outta here. you want to be cuddled and cheered up? who is he to deny you of happiness and attention????

✿ likes how you can go from serious to goofy, how meaningless chats can turn into deep conversations, because he's the same- you two match each other perfectly

✿ loves that you're affectionate!! he is too and he wants to give you all the cuddes!!!!! ALL OF THEM!!!!

✿ finds your tattoos and piercings so cool!! genuinely interested in them and finds himself kissing them, thinking that they must've hurt a lot

✿ your first kiss was a cozy night in with mirio kissing you nonstop

"i dunno if that was cute or felt odd" you laugh, mirio looking up at you "both, probably" he goes back to what he was doing in the first place- placing quick kisses on the tattoos on your ankles. "okay okay, enough" you shake your head, gently grabbing his face to move him closer to yours.

"why do you always kiss my tattoos?" you ask. "didn't they hurt?" "yeah, when i got them, they dont hurt anymore though" you say as mirio sighs, before continuing "no, i mean, they're technically scars. im kissing your scars, silly" oh. it (kinda) makes sense now, you thought to yourself. "you're so damn cute" you pout, staring at his face turning a light shade of pink

"yeah yeah, you're cuter though" he whispered as you shook your head at him "nope. you are" "we are n o t bickering about this, i know the truth and thats all that matters" he huffs. "yes, we ARE gonna bi-" a kiss from mirio quickly shutting you up, followed by an adamant "you're cuter"

[mythiica]

Sorry if this isn't the place to make requests. I really like your writing and I was wondering if you'd do a NSFW Kiro [MLQC] one-shot? The boy is too sweet for how own damn good.

Title: Sweeter Than Sweet

Fandom: Mr. Love Queen’s Choice

Character: Kiro

Genre: SMECCI with semi plot

Warnings: sex

Kinks: sexy dancing, public sex, food kink, blowjob/handjob, nipple play, biting, strip tease, grinding, riding

Intended Gender Audience: Female Audience 

Word Count: 2652 words

POV: second person

Other comments: okay you said “sweet” in your request, and I really could not resist doing some dessert/eating out kink so here u go. Yes the title is a reference to bts idol dont @ me ; also thank you thank you thank you to @breadcheese444​ for helping me with beta reading! First smut in a while and i was a bit rusty

You watch Kiro from the doorway of his fitting room as he completes the dance routine without making a single mistake. The music echoes throughout the studio, and you hum along softly, having memorized the song from the countless times you listened to it while he practiced. Really, you could recall every step by memory if you wanted to – that is how often Kiro practiced with your company. 

          He is completely in synch with the rhythm – hell, even his golden hair bounces to the one, two, three, four that you know is repeating in his mind. Kiro gives the camera his undivided attention paired with his irresistible smile. His motions are fluid and smooth, and it is easy to lose yourself in his dance. 

         Kiro strikes his final pose: his nose is tipped down and the hat obscures his face for a split second before he cranes his head upwards slightly. The lights overhead click off, leaving him under an intense spotlight. His bright blue eyes shine from under the brim of the hat, cutting through the empty space to the camera. To finish off, Kiro flashes a dangerous smirk just before the last light goes out. 

         There is a moment of complete silence when you can only hear Kiro’s heavy breathing. Then, the studio erupts into applause and the lights come back on. You hear the director yell cut and then that’s a wrap, signalling the end of today’s shooting. 

         With Kiro’s immaculate performance today, they have everything they need to finish editing the new music video. Everyone is cheering, and they end up swarming Kiro to congratulate him. He runs a hand through his damp hair and smiles joyfully, accepting their compliments politely before looking around the studio. 

         His eyes lock with yours and he gives you a bright sunshine smile – it’s not like the smirk he wore a few moments ago, but it still makes your heart melt. Kiro thanks the crew for helping out and making everything run smoothly before slipping past them and walking over to you. He clasps your hands and kisses your cheek. “You made it!” 

         “I arrived just in time to watch the end of your performance! You did very well. I got goosebumps–” 

         Kiro blushes slightly and presses his forehead to yous. “I’m so happy you’re here. I can change and then we can head out for dinner. Where would you like to go?” He takes his jacket off and reveals his toned muscles. The boy is a whole meal looking like this: the cotton shirt leaves little to the imagination (and the studio is usually kept cold to reduce sweating, hence his nipples poke through the black material with ease.) 

         You lick your lips. “Anywhere is good. I’m really hungry.” 

         Putting a hanger through the jacket, Kiro leaves it on a rack with other clothes he had worn during the music video. “Well, there is this really good restaurant about ten minutes away from here. We can go and then walk to the park for some ice cream!” 

         As Kiro speaks, he does not realize that you are pulling him into his changing room until the door clicks behind the two of you. Whipping around, you smile devilishly at him.“I was thinking about something else before we leave…” you whisper as you trill your fingers down Kiro’s chest. His breathing becomes labored, like he knows what you are getting at, but he does not want to jump to conclusions. 

         “W-What do you mean?” When you push him onto the plush chair in the middle of the room, Kiro yelps softly. 

         Your eyes narrow, and Kiro melts at the thought of having sex in a public place like his changing room. “Here?! We can’t do that here. What if we get caught?” 

         “I locked the door!” 

         Kiro squirms but only successfully makes his shirt lift. You invite yourself to trace his muscles and place a soft kiss to his bellybutton. He swallows hard and groans, informing you that you have indeed intrigued him with your proposal. “Alright, but we’ll have to hurry. My agent doesn’t like it when the door is locked from the inside–” 

         The moment his confirmation leaves his lips, you stand up and smile. “Brilliant.” Kiro watches you pad over to his dressing table and is expecting you to pull a condom out of your purse, but instead, you take the small cardboard box sitting on the edge. Confused, Kiro props himself up with his elbows against the arms of the chair. He follows you as you click back and take a seat in front of him. With the box on the ground next to you, you rest your chin on your arm and flutter your eyelashes at Kiro. “You were really good today, I have to tell you again!” 

         “T-Thank you!” 

         “And I don’t really know how you can change from ultra sexy to super cute in just a matter of moments. It’s like a secret ability of yours.” Your words are a mere distraction as you take your time pawing at his crotch. Kiro whimpers softly and leans forward to brush your hair back. “Kiro, I’ve got a surprise for you~” 

         You unbuckle his pants to pull them down slightly – just enough that they linger at his thighs while you have access to his underwear. It is obvious that your antics have already made Kiro hard, and it pleases you to see the seam of the undergarments fighting against his growing erection. As you free his member, you coo at Kiro, “I brought you some cake to celebrate the end of the filming. I think now would be a good time to have some, no?” 

         “I–I thought that we were–” 

         “Shh.. you’ll see,” you whisper with a smirk. Flicking the top of the box open, you pull a strawberry off of the chocolate icing and brush it over Kiro’s tip. The wet flesh of the fruit makes Kiro tense up – who would have guessed that you would use them for this? You cup your palm over his cock and keep the strawberry between your hand and him, using it to coax a harder erection. 

         As you expected, Kiro withers under your touch and begins to buck against you, seeking more friction and a faster release. Pink juice from the berry dribbles down his shaft, but you catch it with your tongue and lap up Kiro’s full length. “Hmm… so sweet, Kiro…” You giggle and look up to smile at him, precum and strawberry juice running down your chin. 

         His cheeks have flushed to the same shade of red as the fruit, but he cannot bring himself to meet your gaze, for he fears that he will come undone immediately. When Kiro swallows hard, you press a swift kiss to the base of his cock before focusing on his tip. “A-Ahh… Your mouth is really warm,” he praises, his hand snaking down to lace his fingers in your hair. Kiro tugs slightly, and you nuzzle against him momentarily before flicking your tongue out to catch a new bead of precum. 

         Retracting your hand, you let the crushed strawberry fall into the open lid of the box before picking two fresh ones up. 

         “Do you plan to make me numb with those?” There is a concerned lit in his voice, like he knows that he won’t last long at this rate. 

         A giggle tickles the back of your throat and you shake your head. Instead of resuming, you stand up again, fruit in hand, and sit comfortably on his lap, making sure to grind against Kiro so he can feel the inevitable wetness soaking your panties. “I want to play with you more; we’ve barely done anything!” You lean forward and play with the hem of his shirt. 

         “May I remind you that we could get caught at any second?” 

         Pouting, you opt to just unbutton his shirt rather than trailing kisses up his chest. You don’t hesitate to press the cold berries to his nipples, and the sudden change in temperature makes Kiro shiver and groan. They harden rapidly, and you marvel at the bright pink. “So cute!” you giggle, leaning forward to kiss Kiro deeply. 

         “Ah! Please! They’re really cold!” 

         “That’s the point,” you shush, passing both fruit into one hand. As you focus them on his right nipple, you tuck your hair back behind your ear and start suckling on his left one. Kiro arches against you and squirms gleefully. A quick bite on his skin makes him yelp and sit back down. With his nipple still between your lips, you look up and smile at Kiro. His face is even redder than before, and you see a sliver of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth reflecting in the artificial light from above. 

         With every motion, Kiro only successfully buries against the flesh of the fruit, causing fluids to run down his pale abdomen. You shift over him, sitting up slightly to trade treatments. Moans tumble from his lips as he subs for you. Lowering your free hand down, you take hold of Kiro’s cock once more and spread the precum over his tip, using it as lubricant to pump him with the same vigor of your tongue as it flicks against his nipple. 

         Kiro grips your arm and half whine-half moans your name before he throws his head back. Desperately, your beautiful idol begins bucking against your hand and arching his back, seeking out release from your merciful touch. 

         Looking over your shoulder, you beam when you see that even Kiro’s cock is blushing. “Kiro, you want to cum, don’t you?” 

         He bites his lip and nods yes, so you discard the berries on his stomach, opting to suck his tip to make him cum instead of simply pumping him with your hand. You sink back to your knees and take half of his length into your mouth, wrapping your tongue around him until you feel Kiro tense and inevitably cum. 

         It tastes half like strawberry, making it easier to swallow, but you let a few drops of white hang from your mouth to show Kiro. He shivers at the sight and covers his eyes in embarrassment. You take the chance to kiss up his body now, throwing the used strawberries behind you. When you pull Kiro’s hands away, you cup his face and kiss him repeatedly, praising him between every one. “I love you, Kiro, you did so well! So sweet…”

         He gives you a gentle smile and traces shapes on your thigh. “Let me treat you–” Kiro’s fingers tug at the elastic of your panties. “You got excited from playing with me, I can tell.” 

         “You did put on a private show for me,” you respond playfully as you lean back enough to remove your underwear. Kiro takes it from you and drops it on the ground, but his arm lingers over the edge as he contemplates something. You can see it splattered across his face: the quizzical expression that makes his eyebrows tip upwards and the corners of his mouth curls into a smirk. 

         “Do you have an idea, baby?” 

         Kiro keeps a steady hand on your waist, but then scoops up some icing off of the cake with his thumb. He turns his attention back to you and brushes some of the icing against your bottom lip. When you go to lick it away, Kiro catches your tongue with two fingers. “Ah! You had your fun, it’s my turn now.” With that, he closes the space between the two of you and kisses you deeply. His own tongue brushes over the icing, and he smiles widely upon leaning back. “Sweet indeed…” 

         You love how Kiro can switch from a sub to dom within moments – he takes another lick of icing and paints it across your tongue as his free hand pushes your shirt up before it winds up your thigh to pull your skirt up to your waist. While you are distracted, Kiro slips his fingers through your folds, making you squirm with anticipation. 

         Biting your lip, you sway your hips back and forth, just like Kiro did for the music video. You do not stop moving until his cock is penetrating your wetness, and even then, you sink down further onto his cock and release a satisfied groan upon sitting down completely on him. You take a moment to strip your shirt and bra, letting both of them fall to the ground. 

         “Which tastes better: the cake or me?” you ask innocently, raking your fingers through your hair to pull it over to the other side. It falls over your face and Kiro grasps your jaw to kiss you repeatedly. “You, always you. The cake is a bonus!” 

         You squirm around and Kiro groans and then bites your bottom lip to praise you. Kiro’s hand goes up your spine and he presses you against his chest so that your nipples grind together. His are still slick with juice, and the friction is delicious. As you preoccupy yourself grinding, Kiro guides you to bounce on his cock. 

         Both of you have forgotten about the small room and need to keep quiet, but it does not seem to be a concern anymore. You moan against Kiro’s ear and worship him, telling him how wonderful he feels inside of you. Kiro is still sensitive from cumming before, and you can feel him tensing hard. His muscles are tired from performing earlier, but he gives you his all. Gripping the back of your thighs, Kiro bucks into you and kisses up your chest. His breath is hot and heavy, the room smells like sex, and your pussy squelches with every thrust he delivers into you. 

         “K-Kiro! I’ll cum if you keep doing that!” 

         His blond hair is matted down with sweat, and he kisses across your collarbone to coax you further to your climax. It does not take long for you to unravel completely on his cock. “Kiro, my sweet, please cum with me!” Your tongue falls out of your mouth as you ride out the orgasm. 

         Kiro tenses, his fingernails digging into your skin, and follows you. It’s warm and wonderful: you sift around so that he fills you completely. The two of you are panting heavily for a few minutes as you regain your bearings. 

         You laugh and lean back. Your blouse is wrinkled and stained with strawberry juice and saliva. Kiro brushes his thumb against your hip before you sit up and pull your panties back on. The cake is a mess when you look at it – half broken and crumbling, chocolate icing all over it. The sight makes you laugh, but you pull down your skirt and offer Kiro a new shirt. 

         “To be fair, I didn’t think that the cake would end up like this. I really did think that we would share it…” 

         Kiro brushes his hair quickly before wrapping his arms around your waist to kiss your neck. “I am not complaining! But next time, I would… like to do this at home where we can have more fun.” 

         “Alright! Alright. Now, where was that restaurant you wanted to go to?” 

         The two of you sneak out of the changing room, but when you run into Kiro’s agent, he does not look happy. His foot is tapping against the ground, and he is wearing an angry expression. “If you are going to act like children and do that here, I suggest you at least try to be discreet about it. Kiro, you are known for having a good voice. That seems to carry, even when you are doing more.. Intimate things.” He huffs. “Now leave.” 

         Kiro grabs your hand and pulls you away, but the two of you break into a run before anyone can make a comment about your trouselled hair and wrinkled clothing. 

[stardustacefics]

What Was Left Unsaid

Pairing: Wei WuXian x Lan WangJi

Summary: Wei WuXian sees some flowers at the market and buys them as a gift for Lan WangJi.

W/c: 800

Lan WangJi smiled.

It wasn’t just a slight grin or a smile that was being held back, but rather a genuine and full smile. His eyes were lit up, glistening with joy as the moonlight shown in their reflection. He was absolutely beaming.

Wei WuXian’s heart melted at the thought that he had caused this.

~

Earlier that day, Wei WuXian had been out in the market.

He had been walking down the street, sipping his Emperor’s Smile. On his left, he saw a man selling flowers. This man was always selling flowers at this spot, but this time, something caught his eye. There was one set that had pale blue flowers that seemed to be the same shade as Lan WangJi’s headband. They were beautiful.

Would it… would it be to forward if I bought some for him?

He really wanted to.

After contemplating this for some time, he decided to go for it.

He will like them. I’m sure of it.

~

When he returned from the market, Wei WuXian saw Lan WangJi walking across the courtyard.

“Lan Zhan!” He yelled excitedly as he ran up to him. “Lan Zhan!”

Lan WangJi turned around as Wei WuXian running towards where he was standing by the stairs.

“Lan Zhan,” he said with a smile, “I have something for you”.

He didn’t say anything in return, not that it was a surprise. Lan WangJi was a quiet and proper person.

Wei WuXian carefully moved the bundle of flowers from behind his back and held them out towards him.

Lan WangJi’s eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly in surprise as he stared at the bouquet.

“I… uh… I saw them today at the market,” Wei WuXian said quietly, looking up at him hesitantly. “They reminded me of you”.

Lan WangJi took the flowers in his hands and peered at them closely. Suddenly, a smile began to grow on his face. He was glowing, like the moonlight against the dark night sky.

When Lan WangJi looked up at him, he was still smiling and began to blush softly. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Wei WuXian suddenly became shy, bursting into a fit of quiet giggles, looking down at the ground. He liked them.

He looked back up and saw that Lan WangJi’s gaze was still focused on him. He was looking at him so intently.

“…What?” Wei WuXian asked. Why is he looking at me like that?

“They’re beautiful”.

Wei WuXian smiled. “I thought so too”.

Lan WangJi looked down at the flowers again, smiling softly. “No one has ever given me flowers before”.

“Oh,” he said, his heart swelling, “well… I’m glad that I got to be the first”.

Lan WangJi delicately touched one of the flower petals, and Wei WuXian grinned at him, taking in the peaceful moment.

“Lan Zhan?”

He nodded, acknowledging the question.

“I’ve never seen you smile like this before. Actually,” he paused for a moment, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. Why… why don’t you smile?”

Lan WangJi sat down on one of the steps. “There are rules that have to be followed-”

“And following those rules mean that you can’t be happy?” he asked as he sat down next to him.

“Wei Ying,” he gave Wei WuXian a disapproving look. “It means there is a time and place for expressing things”.

Wei WuXian nodded in understanding. “You have always been strict when it comes to the rules”.

“And you have always been careless”.

“Hey! I am not careless. I’m… a free spirit”.

“That’s an understatement,” Lan WangJi said, which made Wei WuXian laugh.

“You have always been accepting of me,” Wei WuXian said quietly. “Even when you didn’t necessarily agree with what I was doing. There have not been many people in my life who were as kind to me as you are. You… you are important to me”.

“And you are important to me”. Lan WangJi looked over at Wei WuXian and smiled softly. “Wei Ying?”

“Hmm?”

“You said that the flowers reminded you… of me. Why?”

Wei WuXian took one of the flowers from the bouquet and twirled it between his fingers. “They have the same softness as you”.

Lan WangJi gave him a confused expression.

“You have a stern exterior, but on the inside,” he tucked the flower behind Lan WangJi’s ear, “you are soft and gentle”. He stared unashamedly into Lan WangJi’s eyes, as if he was staring straight into him. “You are ethereal”.

A shy smile appeared on Lan WangJi’s face, unable to say anything in return.

Wei WuXian placed his hand delicately on top of Lan WangJ’s. Slowly, Lan WangJi turned his hand over and threaded their fingers together. They both glanced at each other and smiled tenderly.

~

Going forward, every once in a while, Wei WuXian would bring Lan WangJi flowers, and Lan WangJi would do the same for him. This was the start of a new tradition between the two of them. After all, not all forms of love have to be spoken into existence in order to be genuine.

[givemestories-givemelife]

NaruHina One Shot -First Kiss-

NARUHINA FLUFFY ONE SHOT 

AN/ I wrote this seven years ago when I was 15, I just came across it again and decided to re-edit it. 

I would really like to get back into writing again. I would like to prepare myself for a multi-chapter fic. 

So if anyone has any writing prompts for me!! Please Babes let me know. I’m so down and up for a challenge. (Although I’d prefer for them to be romantic in some way and for them to be somewhat known characters so I can get a proper vibe for the personalities that way they’re not too ooc.)

Hinata stumbled slightly over a small rock as Naruto guided her with his hands covering her lavender eyes so she couldn’t see. Naruto steadied her with his left hand on her hip to keep her from falling, while keeping his other over her eyes. “Don’t peek.” He raised his voice a bit urgently not wanting her to see his surprise.

Hinata giggled a small blush staining her cheeks. “I can’t see anything with your hand c-covering my eyes Naruto.” She barely even stuttered, warmth lacing her every word. Ever since the young Kunoichi had become closer friends with the Uzumaki her stutter had been greatly improving, along with her confidence. She was delighted when Naruto interrupted her daily training routine at the Hyuga compound saying he had a surprise for her. Metaphorical butterflies nervously started fluttering in her stomach at the thought of Naruto taking the time to plan something special for her. Naruto smiled at the sound of her laughter. The tones as sweet as honey nectar. He laughed a bit sheepishly “Hehe, sorry I just really want this to be a surprise.” Hinata smiled. “I’m sure I will be very surprised.” She comforted while taking a few more steps forward before the blond behind her came to an abrupt stop forcing her to parrot his actions. “We’re here!” Naruto announced loudly removing his callused hand from her glowing pale orbs so she could finally see. Hinata’s smile widened when she was able to open her eyes, she looked around at her surroundings taking in the bright hues of sunlight saturating the familiar grounds. “The academy?” She inquired somewhat confused just as Naruto grabbed her by the shoulder’s spinning her around to face him. Hinata’s eyes widened at the movement and she started blushing madly at the sudden proximity of their faces.

He grinned and stepped out of her line of sight revealing the swing set he always sat on as a kid. With another swing set installed next to it with the words Hina-chan carved into the wooden seat. Hinata just stood there quietly looking at the new swing, and Naruto frowned taking it as a bad sign. “I know, its not really much and, well cheap so I under-” “I love it Naruto.” Hinata said quickly. She understood, she followed him around and would watch him when they were much younger. He spent most of his time sitting on this swing when they were in the academy. Hinata remembered how lonely he looked. Naruto was trying to share something from his past with her, and that made her heart flutter. Naruto grinned at the blushing girl. Scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “Hehe, I’m glad.” He said a bit awkwardly before reaching out his hand towards her, expectantly. Hinata managed to blush even harder looking down at the hand that Naruto was waiting for her to take. She shyly reached for it, when their hands touched she could feel the heat spreading from her face down her neck. This wouldn’t be the first time they’d be holding hands, in fact Naruto was always the hands on type never truly understanding the concept of boundaries and personal space. He would drag her all over Konoha, not that she minds, she would dream about walking next to him holding hands. But no matter how many times they touched she always felt like it was the first time, her face would get redder, she would feel faint and just float to wherever Naruto was leading her. The blond led the beautiful girl towards her seat, he sat down and waited for Hinata to do the same. But first the Hyuga patiently traced her name carved in the wood with her fingers, she was wearing a beautiful gentle smile that caused heat to rush to Naruto’s face when her gaze trailed towards him. He swallowed nervously. “Thank you so much Naruto, Its wonderful.” She whispered while taking her seat next to him. They sat there in a calm silence, the birds were chirping and the sun was out in the middle of the sky, there was a light breeze that added perfectly to the moment. “I wanted to share this with you…” Naruto spoke grabbing Hinata attention. He smiled at her. “…This past year, Hinata, you’ve become one of my closest friends. I want to share everything with you.” Hinata’s heart was starting to race with every word Naruto spoke, even though there was a tinge of sadness at the word ‘friends’. Hinata’s blush just kept changing shades darker and darker until she resembled something close to a tomato. Naruto suddenly got very serious “I remember I would sit here almost everyday during lunch, after the teacher’s would yell at me, or the other kids would make fun of me… Or worse, ignore me… I was so-” “Alone.” Hinata finished his sentence. Naruto gave her a slightly confused look. “I-I would w-watch you… And follow you.” Hinata trailed off embarrassed. Naruto blinked a few times. Before all seriousness left his face and he barked out some very loud laughter. Hinata could only stare at the man she loved.  What's so funny? Is he laughing at me?

“Hahahehahhh. I-I forgot that I had a stalker when I was y-younger.” Naruto joked not knowing that his statement was bringing tears to Hinata’s eyes. “I guess I wasn’t as lonely as I…” Naruto turned his head towards the Hyuga who had her head down staring at her lap in shame. “…Thought.” Naruto’s eyes widened in panic.

Did I just make my Hina-chan cry?

He moved his hand to hook his forefinger under her chin and gently stroked his thumb along her ivory jawline raising her head so she would look him in the eye. He used his thumb to wipe away some of her tears. “Hey don’t cry please don’t cry I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-” “I-I’m sorry N-N-Naruto I-I d-din’t m-mean to b-be a c-creepy Sta-stalk-” Hinata tried to speak between small sobs, but was interrupted when Naruto leaned forward and gently placed his lips on her own. Naruto did nothing to further the kiss, Its meant to be simple and gentle, light and soft. This kiss wasn’t meant to be deepened, it doesn’t need it. There’s already so much emotion behind it. So much passion.  Hinata should understand now. Naruto slowly pulled back, his eyes still closed. In contrast Hinata’s eyes were as wide as the sky above them looking at Naruto in pure shock. “N-N-Na-Na-ru-ru-Narut-to-kun?"  Naruto opened his eyes, revealing his indomitable azure orbs. He opened his mouth to speak. But was interrupted by a loud crack. Both Hinata and Naruto snapped their heads up to see that the branch holding their swings was about to snap. Suddenly both highly trained Ninja ungracefully fell to the ground. Reflexes unable to keep up with the emotions swirling around their insides. Naruto on instinct moved quickly above Hinata shielding her from the large branch that landed on his back. Naruto couldn’t help but chuckle sheepishly a little at the situation. "Hehe. I guess the branch couldn’t take the extra weight.” The amusement slipped off his face as he internally cringed for not thinking before speaking.

Did I just call the girl I just kissed fat? “Sorry Hinata, I didn’t mean-” “Naruto… Y-you just K-k-ki-kissed me… Why?” Hinata asked looking up into brilliant blue eyes, wide eyed and completely flushed. Naruto smiled softly down at his Hina-chan and gently kissed her forehead before lowering his head down towards her ear, and whispered. “Because I love you Hinata.”

AN#2/ 

Thank you so much for reading my friend <3

If you liked this story please let me know your thoughts or give me a follow. I always follow back. And my content aint bad... (kinda it’s been a few years since I created a naruto tumblr bit I used to spend hours on it yikes so im new but old) :33 

[bonnissance]

pippa owns a small secluded cottage in the forest/countryside and invites hecate over for the weekend

so fun story, I sat down and wrote two whole other sections of this theme before I decided to focus on she/they high femme nonbinary Pippa Pentangle and their home away from the castle (which they’ve secretly always wanted Hecate to be a part of), and idk if the parts mesh together into one fic, so y’all get this one on it’s own for the moment

Pippa Pentangle(/Hecate Hardbroom), 1.5k+, teen. CW: references to nonbinary exclusion, few references to transphobic rhetoric (hmu if i’ve messed anything, this is an area of writing i’m unfamiliar w), gay pining (when isn’t it?)

Pippa has a cottage, a few hours away from Pentangle’s, more hours away from Cackle’s, the furtherest away from Hecate, in the middle of both then off to the side, on the farthest edge of Darkwood and a few miles more: a strange sort of diamond that spans across the coast to encompass the woodland of the country side.

It’s in the middle of clearing in the heart of the forest, hidden far away from prying eyes and further away from the responsibilities they spend their days fulfilling, upholding, taking up themselves to push herself and the students to become the best magic casters they can be.

Pippa loves Pentangle’s dearly, but sometimes they just need to get away.

And she’s had it for years, decades—a home to come back to, while they worked their way up and down the country moving from teaching position to different school, never quite finding her feet on solid ground in any of them.

It was hard, in the earlier years of their career: the more traditionalist academies hated Pippa’s disregard for rigidity and blind obedience towards authority, while the schools that claimed modernity, that Pippa had hoped were more their style, still clung to assumptions Pippa had long since realised simply weren’t necessary.

Like keeping witches and wizards segregated to limit the possibilities of what magical children could grow up to be.

That’s what get her fired from her last position, before they took over Pentangle’s when their Aunt had passed away a year later and entailed the family school to Pippa.

‘Absurd,’ the headmistress had said. ’Of course you can’t teach wizards witchcraft, what utter nonsense.’

She’d practically laughed Pippa out of her office, in the wake of Pippa’s request to take on a new applicate from a nearby town: a young boy whose magic didn’t seem to sit right in the school where an old friend was the school nurse. An old friend who’d thought of Pippa when the wizard kept coming into the ward with depleted energy and almost not casting to show for their spent magic, and there was nothing she could do to help them.

Pippa had been desperate to help, positive they knew the root of the young caster’s problem, but no one was willing to listen, no matter how much they begged. The headmistress had demanded Pippa’s resignation not long after, citing a pile of complaints made during Pippa’s time at the school, from parents with problems with their teaching methods, the results, the way they introduced themselves during parent’s evening.

It was the last one that truly stung.

Pippa almost spat in the witch’s face before packing her bags and leaving the grounds: the staff had known what they were getting when they hire Pippa, they’d never hidden who they were, never shied away from curious, harmless questions about their dissertation—still making waves more than a decade on—and the witch who wrote it. And what drove Pippa’s research in the first place.  

But no matter how much the rest of the teachers listened, very few of them every really understood. And even fewer really cared.

So, Pippa left and never once looked back at a society that kept magic casters divided to make sure there was nowhere welcoming for the type of witch they’d become.

They made a quick detour to visit her friend on the way, to offer their services to the wizard in her care, before coming home to the cottage their great-grandmother entailed them a decade ago.

It had been a bit drab, when they’d first inherited it. Dusty like it hadn’t been used in half a century (67 years, to be more precise, since Great Aunt Petunia, the famous family hermit, had passed away and left it to Pippa’s grandmother), decorated like it was the 80’s—1880’s, that is—and Pippa always was more of a twentieth century sort of person.

The first thing they’d done was redecorate the whole house, inside and out: painted the exterior champagne and pale with blue trim on the window panes, the inside peach sweet and light and adorned with long velvet curtains in warmest purple (they’d considered a crushed pink, when they were deciding on decor, but there was something about the purple that caught her eye. They thought it blended well with the red of the armchairs by the fireplace, at first; it took almost a full year to realised it was the colour of Hecate’s sash when they were at school).

They’d installed bookshelves along every wall, bare and empty at first, but swiftly filled to the brim with tomes and textbooks and grimoires: ancient texts that ground their research, studies that reach all around the globe with broaden it, newer text to further it. A balance between the ideas that delight her, and as many that contradict: to be as thorough as possible, of course, by putting the skills she’d developed when she was young and determined to find a suitable, useful gift to give Hecate every year, so she could see her best friend smile.

Pippa knows why they’re drawn to the most archaic of texts and does her best to forget (they don’t need to anymore: the biggest gift of all).

Nonetheless, their collection grew. More so with her first pupil: in Pippa’s care for a year, where they watched the young caster bloom with promise, until her Aunt had died.

He’d been Pentangle’s first new enrolment, coming with Pippa as they took over as Head Teacher; their first graduate, too, and Pippa couldn’t be prouder of the caster they grew up to be, the youngest member of the magic council.

But as proud as Pippa of all the students in their school, that doesn’t mean they never needed time away. And when she does, Pippa comes here, to her home away from the castle, with only Artemis to keep her company, usually perched high on the extra armchair Pippa really doesn’t need, no matter how fond her familiar is of it, especially given he has a handcrafted tree of his own, (and if the trunk of Pippa’s creation also happens to be a scratching post, it’s simply to keep her birds claws in check, nothing at all to do with the needs of any other familiar. Certainly not).

She used to have chickens, once, in a coop along the far side of the house. But when Pippa took over Pentangle’s they soon realised the longer hours required she be on-site, that taking paperwork with them wherever they went really wasn’t an option, and it simply wasn’t feasible to keep the brood caged away with no one to care for them.

So Pippa brought them back to the school during the first summer holiday. Set up an area on the east side of the castle, the expanse of overgrown grass that no one ever seemed to be able to tame or replace, where Pippa added few trees for shade and a dash of magic to help things along and made them all the beginnings of an orchard.

The teachers hadn’t known what to make of it, yet one more new thing to accept now that Pippa ran the school, but the students had loved it, even more when new chicks hatched, and their collection of fowls had almost tripled in the space of one spring.

The goat had been their Deputy’s idea, and by the end of Pippa’s second year at Pentangle’s the school had the makings of an entire farm, a vegetable patch even bigger than the one Pippa has at home.  

They hadn’t realised why they needed such a huge patch, why she’d plotted but never planted. Why they just let it grow whatever it wanted. Not till that tried to tame it, stripping it back in time for the spring break and Hecate impending visit: the reason Pippa had made it in the first place.  

Because it’s always been Hecate, even when Pippa thought she hated her: the colour of her curtains and the extra chair by the fire, a quite wilderness just outside a kitchen stocked like a baker lives in the same cottage Pippa has spent half their life perfecting.

And it is, perfect: almost, that is. Almost perfect with it’s always burning fire and enough books to keep even the most particular of occupied on rainy days, and a calendar on the wall that that marks nothing besides the passing of the moon and their loves next visit.

A calendar with a pink circle marking this very day: a day practically perfect in every way.

Pippa looks out the window, see a silhouette on the horizon coming closer and closer: the missing piece, only just out of reach.

But not anymore, because Hecate lands other side of the hip-height picket fence, cloak flapping in the breeze while she strips off her gloves, before making her way to Pippa’s front door.

Pippa meets her there, welcomes her in before she can knock: holds her closes, kisses her cheek, draws her inside. Goes off make tea while Morgana begins to sniff around the house; brings the tray back to see Hecate making herself at home, here, in front of the fire, sitting in a red velvet armchair with a book already in her lap.

Comes back to find Hecate has made herself comfortable here, in Pippa’s home, just the way it should be.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day One Hundred Thirty-Nine: Cinnamon ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Mikoto ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

“So, uh...what’s your favorite thing to make?”

Back in Home Ec once again, Sasuke’s bored out of his mind. The day before was a mini school festival, and given all the rush and preparing leading up to it, their teacher has decided it appropriate to give the class a day off from all of their sewing, baking, and other activities they used to make some money for more supplies for class.

And given that all of the underclassmen girls still seem terrified of him for...whatever reason, Sasuke falls back to the usual company of his fellow senior, Hinata.

She’s taking the time to casually knit something she was unable to finish before the craft sale. Pale blue wool dances over her needles, done almost subconsciously. “Um...can you be more specific?”

“I guess out of all the things we do here.”

She considers that with a hum. “...well, I really like knitting,” is her first answer, given with a laugh given her current project. “It’s...soothing in how repetitive it is. I can just sit and get a little lost in it. Um…” Nibbling her lip in thought, she looks around as though trying to pick out things from their surroundings. “I like to bake, too...almost anything, r-really. But my favorite are cinnamon rolls.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm! They’re just so…!” Hinata beams to herself, cheeks going a light shade of pink at a happy memory. “When they’re warm, and the icing is still gooey, and the middle is all fluffy...it’s the best…!”

In spite of himself, Sasuke grins as she describes it. There’s something really...endearing about how into it she is. Clearly it makes her as happy as she looks. “Y’know, I’m not big on sweets...but I might have to try some sometime.”

“Oh, I could make you some! But...it’s quite the process...and you have to eat them warm. They’re so much better.”

“What about it takes so long?”

“Well, you have to put the dough together and knead it, and since it has yeast in it, it has to r-rise. That takes a while. Then you roll it out, and put the filling in...roll it up...and cut the rolls. Then it has to rise again -”

“Whoa, really?”

“Mhm! And then you finally bake it!” Hinata can’t help a soft giggle. “So all in all, in takes a few hours, start to finish. You have to be d-dedicated to it! So...it’s obviously a little, um...too long to do in class. And since exams are coming up, I...won’t have time to stay after school. I need to study.”

“Yeah, me too…” In spite of himself, Sasuke finds he’s rather disappointed. He has an idea, but...he’s not sure if it’s...appropriate. Sure, he talks to her every day in this class, but...he’s not sure if he constitutes as a friend. Trying to appear nonchalant, he offers, “Maybe on a weekend sometime?”

Looking up, Hinata blinks. “Well...the school is closed then...unless there’s an event on. But...I doubt the classroom would be open…”

...she didn't take the hint. Drat. “Uh…” How to say this without sounding too forward... “My mom’s got a pretty nice kitchen. I could...get the ingredients sometime, and we could...make them there…?”

...another blink. “...oh!” Embarrassed at not realizing what he meant, she laughs, going a bit pink. “I...s-sure! She wouldn’t mind…?”

“Nah. I bet she’d be psyched, actually.” His older brother cooks like a maniac whenever he’s home, but...well, besides a few things he’s tried since starting this silly class, Sasuke’s still not an avid cook or baker.

...and he can just imagine his mother’s face at him bringing a girl home. He’s never brought a girl over. Ever.

It’ll be amusing.

“I’ll tell her you’re giving me lessons. She’s been pretty jazzed about me taking this class. Bet she’ll be happy to see me in the kitchen.”

“Oh, good! And...I guess that would technically be true. Um...sure! Just let me know when you...want to try it?”

“Sure. Uh...got a list of what I’d need?”

“Yeah, I’ll dig out my favorite recipe when I get home. Um…” Still blushed, she asks, “Do you want me to...text it to you?”

“Good idea. Here…” They exchange numbers, Hinata promising to send him the list and a rundown of the recipe as the bell rings.

“I’ll let you know when I’m free.”

“Okay! Bye.”

Huh...he’s actually really excited about this…

A weekend passes without any word - Itachi makes a surprise visit home, so Sasuke deems it a bit more critical than baking. But when Friday arrives without any signs of anything else popping up, he decides to ask if she’s free.

“Yeah, I can make it! You’ve got everything we need?”

“Yup.” He’s only double checked like five times.

“Okay - any, um...particular time I should be there?”

“I tend to kinda sleep in...maybe early afternoon just to be safe?”

“You sleep that late?” she teases.

Sasuke can’t help a pout. “No. I just mean so no one feels rushed.”

Giggling into the cuff of her sweater, Hinata shakes her head. “I know, I know. That sounds good! I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

“Got it.”

Saturday morning, Sasuke’s in a tizzy. He volunteered to do dishes the night before after dinner, making sure the kitchen is spotless. Not that Mikoto runs a messy house. He just...wants to make a good impression. Whatever’s left from breakfast he fervently tidies up.

His mother notices, perking a brow. “What’s going on?”

“I’ve got a cooking lesson.”

That catches her attention. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Friend from Home Ec’s gonna teach me how to make cinnamon rolls.”

Mikoto perks up another hair. “Is that so...? Who’s the friend?”

“Her name’s Hinata.”

At the word ‘her’, his mother’s eyes go round, her mouth in a small matching ‘o’. After a blink, she calmly replies. “...I see. Well...I was going to work on my flowerbeds, but...if you need any help, let me know!”

“Will do.”

Once she’s out of sight, he breaks into quiet snickers.

Priceless.

His phone buzzes at about twelve-thirty, and she estimates a twenty minute bike ride. Setting up for her arrival, he’s just putting the finishing touches to his lineup of ingredients when the doorbell rings.

“Hey.”

“Hi! Um...w-where should I put my bike?”

“We can put it in the garage.” They might live in a nice enough neighborhood, but...well, better safe than sorry. Once her ride is tucked away, Sasuke leads the way in. “So, ready to see me fail miserably at baking?”

“Oh, you won’t! I’ll do most of the work, anyway. You can watch if you don’t want to do any steps.”

“I gotta give at least some of it a try.”

Hinata starts walking him through the steps (after complimenting his prep work), showing him how to activate the yeast. “See the foam?”

“Whoa, cool.”

Next they mix the rest of the dough, adding the yeast mixture and beating it until it goes smooth.

“Okay, now we need to knead it.”

Sprinkling flour on a marble slab Mikoto often uses in her baking, Hinata shows Sasuke her technique before letting him try. It takes a few turns, but eventually he gets the hang of it, Hinata occasionally dusting more flour when necessary and checking the consistency.

“That seems good! Now, it has to rise.”

“For how long?”

“An hour.”

Covering the bowl they set it in, they leave it in the warm kitchen before...turning to each other

“Um…” Hinata smiles sheepishly. “Anything you want to...do?”

“...we could, uh...watch a movie or something.”

“S-sure!”

He lets her pick, not knowing most of what his parents have bought and hoarded over the years. He could load up Netflix, but...he’s feeling lazy. Hinata, too, seems a bit unsure and picks one at random. Some newer James Bond movie he’s never seen before. They both settle on the couch and just...sit and watch, a timer set on Sasuke’s phone.

And of course it goes off during a tense fight scene, making them both jump. “Oh!”

Migrating back to the kitchen, they remove the cover and find the dough’s grown!

“Dang!”

“It’s supposed to do that!”

Mixing cinnamon and sugar, Hinata watches as Sasuke carefully rolls out the dough into a long rectangle, then brushes it with butter.

“Very good!”

They both sprinkle the mixture, and each help roll the whole thing up.

“...I think we might need two pans,” Hinata laughs. Carefully, she cuts the long roll into pieces, laying them in a thin layer of syrup along the bottom of the pans.

Then it’s back to rising.

Retreating to their movie, the pair watch in a far more comfortable silence than before. Neither notice as Mikoto wanders in for a drink of water, peeking at the two over the couch with a sly smile (and doing the same to their rising rolls).

Movie ending a bit before the timer, they find the dough big enough anyway. Once the oven heats, in go both pans, and then it’s time to wait one last time. Hinata sits on a stool, Sasuke leaned atop the counter opposite her.

“You were right - your mom does have an awesome kitchen,” Hinata admits sheepishly.

“Yeah...I need to use it more. Guess it’s a good thing I’m taking this class. Learning how, bit by bit.”

“Mhm!”

After a small pause, Sasuke decides to admit, “And I got to make a friend out of it, too.”

Jolting a hair, Hinata goes pink as the timer goes off. “I’ll...I-I’ll get them out!”

They look...amazing.

But they’re not quite finished yet. Hinata whips up the icing, and dribbles it over the buns while they’re still hot. “...okay. Time for the final step.”

“...which is?”

“Eating them!”

Sasuke fetches plates and forks, and Hinata dishes them up. She’s right: they look gooey and fluffy.

“Well...here goes.” Tearing off a hunk, Sasuke gives it one last glance before popping it in his mouth.

She watches, seemingly not aware of her intense expression.

To torture her, Sasuke chews slowly, exaggerating a thoughtful look. He will admit...these are pretty damn good. And he doesn’t ordinarily like sweet foods.

“...well?!”

He just gives a thumbs up, still chewing, almost choking as she gives a little cheer.

...that was cute.

They continue eating, sparing another roll as Mikoto joins them. Her own test goes just as well. “You must share your recipe with me!” she insists to Hinata, who sheepishly nods.

Together the pair clean up, doing the dishes and wiping down the counters. Sasuke refuses to let her leave without taking one of the pans.

“Trust me dear, we don’t need them all here!” Mikoto laughs.

“But then I’ll eat them all…” Hinata mumbles, going pink as her companions laugh.

With that...they reach an impasse.

“I’ll, um...I-I’ll bring the pan to school on Monday!”

“Yeah, sure. No rush.”

“I...I had a lot of fun.”

“Yeah...me too.”

...silence.

Nibbling her lip, Hinata carefully stores the pan into her bag, which she slings on her back before retrieving her bike. “I...guess I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

Looking a little torn, Hinata hesitates before taking off. A hand waves back over her shoulder.

He waves back.

And...can’t help but feel a little lonely.

...maybe he’ll go have another roll.

     More Home Ec AU! Ahhh I really like this one, it's so fluffy and pure xD      Hinata finally gets to make her cinnamon rolls. And Sasuke gets to help! And inch a little closer to realizing that Hinata is TOTALLY girlfriend material.      I think Mikoto approves x3      Buuut on that note, I'ma call it a night~ Thanks for reading!

[kingdomhearts-rewrittenarchive]

Pirate! Xigbar and Pirate! Luxord with their female mermaid lover

The water was always calm in this part of the sea. The first two or three times they sailed through, they had had three clear days of sailing before hitting that particular area, so they thought nothing of it.

The time after that, however, made them suspicious. For two full days it had been raining viciously, water filling the small wooden craft they called a boat and slipping over the sides in torrents. They had nearly capsized at one point, and all the two pirates had wanted was to get as far from the storm as possible.

Hunkering down in the cabin and dreading when they would have to go out next, they listened to the rain pound on the roof, until all of a sudden— it quit.

Both men ran outside and stumbled as harsh light filled their vision, blinding them momentarily. When it finally adjusted and they could look up, they almost decided to turn around to brave the storm again.

From the direction they had just come, there was a wall of water, which they knew to be normal. But it was the clouds that made them wary. For they were in a perfectly straight line as far as the eye could see, as though an invisible wall held them at bay.

“What kind of witchcraft is this?” Luxord mumbles to his companion.

Lexaeus shrugged, his eyes narrow as he scanned the horizon, in the direction they were headed. “You don’t think the rumors could be true, do you?”

“The sirens? I didn’t think so but…” Luxord glances at the clouds again. “I didn’t think sirens liked the sunlight. They use the rain to their advantage.”

“Maybe. We’d best be on our guard, and get out of here quickly.”

So saying, they unhitched the sail from it post and a gentle breeze carried them along, so far that they were unable to see the clouds they had left behind.

“Luxord, have you seen any fish since we’ve been here?”

The blond shook his head. “No. I’ve been thinking the same thing. Strange isn’t it? The water is so clear we ought to be able to see clear down to the bottom.”

He gazed over the side of the boat, down into the glittering green water, hoping for some sign of life to lift the foreboding feeling in his chest. All of a sudden, he yelped and leaped back, landing on his butt in surprise.

“What?” Lexaeus called, turning to look at his friend. His eyes were wide and his face pale, but also covered in drips of sea water.

“I saw…no. Must be the sun. We’ve been out on the water too long.”

Lexaeus peered over the side, where Luxord had been looking. “I don’t see— what?!”

He jumped back as well, staring wide eyed at the railing, as a slim hand gripped the wood beneath long fingers. Following this, a head rose, just barely peeking into the thin space between the siding and the rail.

It was hard to tell, but Lexaeus thought they may have been smiling.

“Are you boys lost?” The voice was melodic, not quite hypnotizing, but it kept the two pirates from looking anywhere else.

A second voice, as amused and lilting and the first, rose from the waters surface, and then there was a second set of eyes peeking through the space provided by the rail.

“I think they may be. They’re just sitting there.”

Giggles filled the air and then the eyes disappeared.

“W-Wait,” Lexaeus called, and this seemed to bring Luxord around, as he jumped to his feet and followed Lexaeus to the railing. Expecting the pair to be gone, they were given a shock when they saw that they were still very much there, floating gently in the water with massive glittery tails.

“S-Sirens,” Luxord whispered, his face pale once again.

“No, no, silly man. You missed them. They’re back that way,” the first one said, pointing in the direction from which the pirates had come. They had a beautiful blue tail, the iridescent scales changing to shades of green when they flipped their tail in the water.

“We’re not like those silly creatures. They draw too much attention to themselves, what with eating seamen. Besides,” the second creature, who seemed oblivious to the idea that she too was a creature, grinned broadly, showing off perfectly white teeth, “men don’t taste good.”

This set the pair off in a fit of giggles again, and they seemed on the verge of taking off, when Luxord called out.

“So you’re…mermaids? Is that right?”

The second one nodded, and flipped their shimmery red tail in the boat’s direction, splashing warm water lightly across their front.

“How come we’ve never seen you before now? We’ve come through here many times before.” Luxord was determined to keep them here, for the pair were too pretty to let escape so soon. He had no intentions of capturing them, as so many of his fellow pirates claimed they had done and would do. He felt no need to prove he’d met them.

“Strangers are strangers and generally unfriendly,” the red tailed one said, and their friend nodded.

“They’re always trying to capture us. It was funny at first, but it’s become boring. But you two,” they propelled themselves forward until they were almost within arms reach of the two pirates, “were too cute to resist showing ourselves to.”

Both men flushed a little at their words, setting the mermaids to giggling again. This time they turned and waved, as if to say goodbye.

“Wait! If we come through again—“

“Oh please do,” one of them called, although it was impossible to tell which one it was now. “We’ll be waiting!”

They disappeared beneath the water, leaving only a ripple to show they’d been there at all.

“We can’t tell anyone about them. If they even believed us, they’d be filling this place up trying to catch a glimpse of those two,” Luxord said, still staring out at the water.

Lexaeus nodded his agreement, skin still flushed from his nerves.

Suddenly both men grinned. Sirens indeed.

———Completely unedited. I didn’t even read it back over again so idek. It seemed good to me, and I feel rather proud of it. It was hard af to make sure who was who without putting gendered pronouns in so be proud of me for that. “They” and all its forms are prevalent. I may edit it later. Probably not. Oh well. I don’t know if this is what you wanted but I was already in the middle when I realized how I was writing it. I actually am tempted to write a second piece to this, but it all depends on how well liked this one is.Edit: it’s staying as Lex cuz idgaf. Odd thing is I think if I switched Lux for lex and then changed lex to Xig it’d work. Can you say mouthful

[yuki-d-raizel-blog]

Believe Me

Chapter 5/??

Relationship: Rin x Reader (Your/Name) , (Full/Name)

Summit: Inside the class there was the same confusion of always, Rin and Bon were fighting over something stupid, Shima and Konekomaru were trying to stop them while Shiemi and Izumo were laughing for the scene. Everything was as always. Until the bell rang. The Exwires notice that the professor was late, but nobody knew why. When the door opened… A new student arrived to the True Cross Academy. She’s smart and strong, still a quiet and solitary person. Moved by a strange feeling, Rin would like to know her, help her if he can but nobody would think that that student was someone so… special.

--- 

The whole class is staring at you. You’re next to your partner, pointing at the wall with your sword. The blue fire is all over your body, but seems it doesn’t bother you at all. What are you? Why you are not afraid of that guy and his powers? He could go in berserk again and hurt everyone…

<<Wow Rin, your flames are so powerful!>> you say looking your swords, <<So cool, they’re so warm… See? You’re not hurting me! You did a great job!>> you praise him ruffling his hair.

<<Hehe, it wasn’t hard like I thought.>> he blushes and looks into that purple eye, <<I-it’s you… You kept encourage me and trusted me… It helped me a lot. Thanks.>> “Her hands are so gentle and little… How can she holds those swords with these tiny hands? Aren’t they heavy for her?”

<<Isn’t over yet!>> you hit him lightly on the arm, <<Let’s bring that down! First, I move a bit forward, when you’re ready, swing with all your might towards me, ok?>>

<<W-wait, explain me the plan. I don’t wanna do anything that might hurt you!>>

<<I’m good in handling the Elements. I’ll be a conductor for your attack and by controlling how many more flames I can, we break the obstacle.>>

<<I trust you. I can’t control my powers very well, so if you see that my attack is too powerful for you, don’t even think to take it. Promise me (Y/N)!>>

<<I promise! I’ll accept everything from you.>> you stand in front the wall and face Rin, <<Bring it on!>>

Concentrating, the demon holds his weapon with firm hands and takes position. Moving instinctively, he cuts the air with Kurikara and stays still, worried for the partner. A huge mass of fire is moving at high speed towards you. Get in position one sword horizontally and the other one with the blade downwards, you’re ready to suffer the blow. Moving like a sophisticated machine, you hit the flames with the downwards blade, and changing your balance, you’re dragging all the attack along.

“Fuck! It’s so hard to control!” grasping your weapons firmly, you can guide all those flames against the wall, shattering it with a loud sound.

<<Amazing…>> a whisper flies in the room.

<<Aha.. ha… aah….>> you fall on your knees for excessive strain, “Damn it, I used too much power…”

<<(Y/N)!!>> Rin rushes to your side and checks if your injured, <<Are you ok?>>

<<Y-yeah…>> you hold your hand on his shoulder fearing to faint from any moment.

<<You’re so pale…>> the son of Satan notices that your shaking and your eyes are tired, <<Let me help you.>> he’s taking you up and support you, while everyone is coming.

<<(Y/N)-san you’re amazing!>> Shiemi takes your hand in hers and smiles happily, <<You were so cool and so strong!>>

<<T-thank you…>> you’re not used to the compliments you receive yet, so a shy and forced smile is your best reaction, for now.

<<Not bad girl.>> Shura picks up your swords and approaches you, <<Your skills are excellent. You know how to hold a weapon, how to use it for defend and how to use it for attack.>> she gives them back to the student and for sheathe them, she breaks away from the demon.

<<It wasn’t nothing special, Kirigakure-sensei.>> you lose your balance again, but Rin catches you in time by the waist, <<S-sorry…>>

<<Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?>> he pulls you to his body for being sure to support you and avoiding that you’ll fall again.

<<It’s all for today!>> Yukio reads the results, <<The best match was Rin and (Y/N). They were the fastest, they could overcome the obstacles with wisdom, agility, balance and see where was their teammate during a battle. (Y/N) was smart enough to take the big part of the plan and leave Rin behind, aware that he could break the wall. She was a great leader, and Rin was excellent to fully trust her and do everything his teammate was saying. Today, you both have a full score; well done.>>

<<……>> it takes times for you two to process, <<Full score… REALLY?!>> Rin hugs you and make you spin with a bright smile, <<We did it (Y/N)!!>>

<<Hahaha yeah! Great job partner!>> you touch his hair and make him stop, you got the nausea, <<P-put me d-down please…>>

<<Oh sorry, sorry!>>

<<Both of you can go back. The lesson is over.>>

 While the others stay in the arena, you and Rin walk in the corridor, leading to the classroom and get the bags. The demon wants to bring yours, you’re tired already, he wants to help you with everything. He continues to apologize, you got injured at your hand and he can’t forgive himself.

<<Rin, I told you.>> you’re thinking of knocking him down to shut his mouth, <<It’s not your fault. It’s just a scratch, don’t worry, ok?>>

<<But… How can I make you forgive me?>>

<<What about stop apologizing for just a little scratch? It’s really nothing.>>

<<No! Tell me, I’ll do anything, except for that one!>>

<<Stubborn, aren’t we?>> you think seriously for something simple for him, <<…What about you cook for me tonight? I’m starving.>>

<<Cook?>> again, his eyes are sparkling like Christmas lights, <<Yeah, I’ll make everything you want! Do you have preference?>>

<<I’ll leave that to you, you’re the chef.>> you say with a playful smile, <<While I take a bath, you prepare the dinner. After that, I’ll help you with your homework. Deal?>>

<<Yup!>> his tail moved quickly to a side from another, <<Let’s go!>> he takes your hand and starts to run to reach the dorm as soon as possible.

 Once arrived, Rin takes a quick shower while you’re talking with Ukobach, thanking him for the tea. The blue demon walks in and apologizes for the wait.

<<If you apologize another time, I’ll break your teeth.>> you say standing up, <<Ukobach, could you please make another cup of tea for later? It was so delicious!>>

You leave leading for the bathroom and in that moment, arrive Yukio and Kuro. They’re staring at Rin, he’s so focus on cooking. All the ingredients are used in his recipes, and shortly thereafter, a whole table is filled with any kind of food he could make.

<<For who is all this stuff…?>> Yukio looks like is gonna be tortured by all those dishes, <<I can’t eat all of it… Are you crazy, nii-san?>>

<<No, it’s for (Y/N). She’s taking a bath and->>

<<Rin sorry, I have a problem.>> you showed up with a towel around your naked body, <<Okumura-sensei, welcome back.>>

<<…..(Y/N)-san… What are you doing exactly?>> asks Yukio adjusting his glasses, <<Nii-san, stop staring at her, it’s rude.>>

<<S-sorry!>> “Crap she’s gorgeous!! Oh my god, my heart is racing so fast!”

<<Ehm…. While I was bathing, I remembered that I don’t have any clean clothes…>> you’re so embarrassed right now, since when you’re so stupid? <<C-could you give me s-some… kindly? Tomorrow I’ll return them!>>

<<I’ll give you mine.>> Yukio walks towards his room, <<Do you feel uncomfortable with a t-shirt and shorts? It’s summer, so I don’t want give you heavy clothes.>>

<<It’ll be fine! I apologize for the trouble!>> “Fuck me, why I forgotten my clothes! Why! Great, and now?”

There is an awkward silence. Rin keeps staring at you without notice it, but you feel his gaze on you.

“Why it doesn’t bother me that he keeps looking? What’s happening to me?” <<Ehm… I h-have something in my hair?>> you manage to ask that; your face is painted with a bright shade of red for the embarrassment.

<<I was thinking…>> Rin approaches you but maintains the distance, <<Your hair are so long, it will be difficult to brush them by yourself... I c-can do it for you, i-if you d-don’t mind that.>>

<<T-then… W-where I am supposed to sit?>> you’re waiting for his instructions, <<…R-Rin?>> he’s staring at you again, but this time he looks right into your purple eye.

“She’s so cute with the blush. Her eye is like a gem, and even she was bathing, her smell didn’t disappear. This smell of cherry blossom is so good…” <<Y-yeah! You can sit here!>> he guides you towards a chair.

<<T-thanks.>> slowly, he lays his hands on your bare shoulders and pushes you down in the seat. You pass him your Japanese comb, and wait for him to start.

“Focus man! You can do it! Brush them little by little, don’t hurt her you dumbass, got it?” paying attention to his own hands, the Exwire divides your hair and takes a little haircut. Then, carefully and gently, brush it. To break the silence, he asks you: <<So… Where are you from (Y/N)?>>

<<I don’t remember.>> she replied sincerely, <<I have confused memories of my childhood.>>

<<Oh, I see. Then what you remember?>>

<<Mh…>> you close your eyes focusing on your memories, <<My father abandoned me in a horrible place. Destroyed by the war and… Each place I went, everyone looked at me so badly, they beated me saying I was a monster.>>

<<Why? You were little, certainly you didn’t something wrong.>>

<<Due to my hair and my eyes…>> you say with a sad voice, <<The color of my eyes and my hair is so strange that people think I’m the daughter of a demon or something like that. I’ve learned how to fight for survive; I never killed anyone, but I beated very badly up someone. I’m not proud of it, but they attacked me first, I was only protecting myself.>>

<<And… How did you come here?>>

<<I was poor, so I worked hard to save money. I know a lot of languages, so I wanted to learn about demons and exorcisms too.>>

<<You…. Didn’t do that job, right?>>

<<That job? What are you talking about?>>

<<You know… like selling your body….>>

<<What?! No!>> you pinch him on the leg and he apologizes immediately, <<I did the exorcist more or less; I used my odd look to make money. Once I arrived here, I worked for a while to learn the language and then I came to the academy. I’ve always worked, so I don’t know anything about this country->>

<<Wait, are you saying that you’ve never played a videogame? Watched an anime or read a manga?>>

<<..... M-manga…?>>

<<You’re kiddi->>

<<Sorry (Y/N)-san. It took me a while to find some clothes that would suit you.>> Yukio gives them to you, <<Here. Please go and change yourself before you’ll catch a cold.>>

<<Thank you very much, Okumura-sensei!>> you stand up quickly but careful not to hurt Rin, take the clothes and go to find an empty room.

<<Nii-san? What are you fantasizing about?>> Yukio know his brother well, <<Don’t tell me is about->>

<<Smooth skin and soft hair…>> he wakes up from is dream, <<I must show her all about anime, games and manga!>>

<<Yeah, yeah. Do it after your grades will be more stables.>> the young teacher sits at the table and waits for his student to join.

<<Sorry for the waiting!>> you come back with a long t-shirt and black shorts. Shyly, you sit and stare at the food, <<Rin, did you make all of these? Wow, you’re very skillful with your hands!>>

<<Haha, don’t make compliments, enjoy your dinner (Y/N)!>>

<<Thanks.>>

While you’re eating, Kuro keeps touching your swords. You don’t mind that, but that gaze hit Yukio’s curiosity.

<<(Y/N)-san, may I ask you something?>>

<<Yes, of course.>>

<<Where did you get those katanas?>>

<<…..>> you pose the fork and look at your plate, <<I… stole them to a corpse…>>

<<W-what?!>> the brothers spit the food they had in their mouths, <<To a corpse?!>>

<<I needed something for protecting myself, and walk around the town I found them… Since then, I’ve never fought without my swords…>>

<<Sorry, my question was rude.>> Yukio is trying to cheer you up, but that sad expression won’t disappear.

<<You stupid four-eyes….>> Rin glares at him and pats your head, <<Don’t worry (Y/N)! Oh right, I made some sweets too, wanna try them?>>

<<Yeah, I really like sweet things!>> you say with a forced smile, “Why my past is always after me? I’m tired of these kind of questions… Why your hair is white? Why your eyes are so creepy? Where did you get those? Ah, I’m really sick of it…”

 After dinner, you helped Rin washing the dishes while Ukobach did a cup of tea for both. During that time, the young tried his best to make you forget the conversation about your past, and seems that he had success. Now you’re explaining a pharmacology exercise, but Rin doesn’t understand it at all, so you decide to take a little break.

<<Ah (Y/N), can you teach me that move?>> the boy asks waving his tail like an happy dog, <<Pretty please!>>

<<What move?>> you repeat drinking your beverage.

<<The one you used against Bon in the classroom.>>

<<Ah, that one. Come here.>> Rin approaches you and stops in front of you ready to learn some cool shit, <<It’s simple. Look.>> you take his wrist and in a second, he’s on the ground, <<Like that.>>

<<Woah, what the fuck?! What happened? Haha so cool! Again!>> he stands up and looks at your hand. Explaining how to use the hands, you move slowly, so he can understand everything and avoid to get hurt.

<<Try.>> you offer a hand to him and smile, <<Take your time to->>

[SBAM!]

In a second, the table is under your body in thousand pieces. You blink twice for understand what happened.

<<Jesus Christ!>> Rin’s face pops out into your vision field, <<Are you ok?! Oh my god, I’m so so sorry!>>

<<………>> you staring at him, <<Did you just->>

<<I know I’m a freackin' dumbass idiot! Jesus, are you ok? Did I hurt you? Please say something!>>

<<Pff… Hahahahaha!!>>

<<Eh…?>> he doesn’t understand why you’re laughing so honestly and happily, <<Did you hit your head?>>

<<Haha, my bad!>> you sit up crossing your legs, <<You’re the first one who could take me down.>>

<<What? Really?!>>

<<Until now everybody failed even to touch me. I was too fast or too strong for them. Hahah, you got me!>>

<<Yeah cool, but did I hurt you?>>

<<Nah.>> you grab his hand and stand on your feet, <<But you killed an innocent table. Shame on you Rin.>>

<<C’mon, it’s just a table!>>

<<Who cleans this mess before Yukio comes? I’m helping you with your homework, so…>>

<<I get it, I’ll do it!>>

While he cleans, you’re sitting on another chair and Kuro jumps on your lap. That cat is so cute, it's impossible resist to pet it, so you’re running your finger in its fur and Kuro melts under your touch.

“Kuro, you bastard! I want to cuddle with her too! You little fur ball, you gonna pay for this!”

<<Now, let’s finish the homework. It’s late.>> you leave a sleeping cat on the table and walk toward Rin.

The argument isn’t easy, so you’re trying different learning methods for him, but nothing is working like you thought.

<<Mmh, how can I explain this to make it easy for you?>>

<<Sorry (Y/N).>>

<<And now what are you apologizing for?>> you say without looking away from the book and your notes.

<<I’m not smart, and… I’m a demon and->>

<<Stop it right now Rin. It pisses me off when you talk about yourself like that.>> your tone is serious.

<<But it’s true->>

<<It’s not!>> hitting the table with your fist, you scared him, <<Do you know the difference between a demon and a human?>>

<<N-no…>>

<<Then listen carefully because I won’t repeat it again, am I clear?>> wow, you’re scary when you’re angry, <<A demon is someone cruel, heartless, he does everything he wants and doesn’t give a shit about the people or things around him. A demon is coward, he kills, rapes and tortures just for fun. It’s disgusting.>>

<<……>> “Why her eyes are so furious? Maybe I did something bad…”

<<A human is different.>> your voice goes back to a calm tone, <<A human is kind, strong, funny. A human is caring about everything, people’s feeling, animals; he has a heart and he can be brave. He feels pain and joy, he cries and laughs, he can feel the body warm, he can feel what’s around him like the wind, the rain… Don’t listen those idiots who say the opposite.>>

You notice that his eyes are red, so you get up from the chair and trap him in your arms. He hides his face in your chest and stays still, trying to calm himself down using your heartbeat, <<(Y/N)….>>

<<You’re human Rin. You’re a brave, kind, caring and funny person.>> you add stroking his hair, <<Don’t say that ever again. Understand? If someone talks about you in a bad way, I’m gonna kick her/his ass!>>

<<Thank you (Y/N)… Really…>> Rin moves his arm and rests them on your waist.

<<Don’t worry, I get your back.>> you kiss his head and rest yours in those fluffy blue hair, <<You’re not alone Rin. Not anymore.>>

<<It make me feel at ease when you smooth down my hair…>> his voice is so calm, <<...Don’t leave me…>>

You felt like a weight on your chest, and then realize what happened.

<<He’s asleep…?>> you move a little, <<Haha, so cute. Sweet dreams Rin.>

---Continue...

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18