#thanks for attending delusion hour

[cakebatteronabrickwall]

Horrible terrifying feeling roman is going to try and kill himself and the results will be left ambiguous. Kieran clearly had hopes for another season but at the same time I can’t think why they’d include those shots of him and pills, reference the seatbelt ‘strangling’ him, call himself John Lennon. One of the biggest reasons I suspect this ending is the finale for CEO is fully Kendall vs Shiv and I don’t see Roman fitting into that storyline. So how does he fit into the ‘miraculous’ ‘stunning’ finale? I’d hate to see his character just fizzle out and quit the industry while Sarah and Jeremy have the big battle for successor scenes

I'm not gonna dismiss any finale predictions, though I have talked a little bit about why I don't think suicide theory holds up regarding any of the characters. Those reference, idk, like I get connecting those dots but-- the John Lennon thing is very off hand, the pills are a Logan relict he carries (carried?) around (and they haven't come up again since episode 5, I didn't see them in the bathroom when he practiced his speech, I think?) and the seatbelt was anxiety related.

What I will say is that I agree that it is gonna be Shiv v Ken, the point being that Roman is trapped inbetween like in the season 1 vote. He'll definetly be at the vote, fucking things up (the scene where Kendall attacks him is still coming) and the whole seaside retreat or whatever is also happening.

I've been so successful at not posting any predictions because I hate being wrong, but anon, I'm gonna break my rule: There's a part of me that could actually see Roman on the outside of Waystar by the end of this in a very bittersweet way of getting out but being seperate from his siblings, which is especially devastating for this character.

About the actors thinking there could have been another season- first of all, if I were an actor on this show I would also not want to lose that job, lol. But more importantly, a scenario that essentially repositions Roman's character as on the outside is a really appealing set-up for another season, I think? It would be to me.

"Stunning" could refer to all kinds of things. All succession finales are stunning. My best guess is that it is a combination of season best acting and (my hopes) the siblings talking about certain things. That's actually my ideal ending- them talking, like, I'll fuck you over, I'll kill you tomorrow, but right now look at the sunset ot whatever. I don't know, it's the romantic in me, whoops.

[harvatat]

heaven help a fool who falls in love || alhaitham, kaveh, tartaglia, wanderer, zhongli

alhaitham falls for your kindness and bravery- he finds both equally foolish traits, for they are traits that do not help anyone in the end, since they are as volatile as an architect he refuses to name, but when he is the recipient of said kindness and bravery? he has no answer to give. he sees your bravery in completing the most arduous tasks the Adventurers Guild can offer with devastating ease and your kindness in the distance. he sees more kindness in the space you give him when a certain task rubs him the wrong way and in the food you cook for him and the massages you offer him. he has tried so many times to leave you behind in the dust- he is not fit to be a lover, love does not come to him easily, but oh, you leave him weak in the knees and with a heart stuffed to burst, and despite his fears, he finds it hard to let go. 

kaveh falls for your carefree nature- you do not let life hurt you, despite bleeding so many times. If it were him, he would have screamed and cried, and cursed the gods over and over and over and over again until he bled to death. but you are not like that, he surmises when he sees you at Puspa Café, chirping happily like a Dusk Bird with Aether and Paimon. however, your nonchalance does not extend to peers you care about deeply, and somehow, that includes him. you are overly concerned for him, kaveh thinks, and you will only stand to get hurt. everyone has only ever gotten hurt, there has never been anything good for him. but all of that is lost when he sees you in the market, chatting happily and cheering on friends and acquaintances alike, and wonders if you'd do the same for him. 

tartaglia falls in love with your self-worth, or as most people call it, your arrogance. he knows better than to call it that, of course- as a soldier, it is important to be acknowledged for your efforts and rewarded for the pain you go through, and you, despite not being a soldier, demand that from your kith and kin. you would never have to demand it from him, tartaglia thinks as he sees you bow in thanks when the alchemist in inazuma lets you use the booth. you give as much respect as you are given, and that is the trait of a harbinger, a mastermind, no, the tsaritsa herself. such blasphemous thoughts should never be entertained, the delusion on his waist and his blood-red mask remind him, for who can be compared to the god of Cryo herself? she who has advanced snezhnaya and given him a home? but you too, have given him a home, he argues back, his delusion glowing a faint purple, mocking him silently. he attempts to avoid you, running in the other direction when he sees the ends of your hair shine in the sun- until you make your way to him one day, and ask why he'd been avoiding you. maybe the goddess of love would forgive his blasphemy, tartaglia thinks as he cooks up an apology, satisfying you with his silver tongue.

wanderer falls in love with your honesty- you tell him, the scorned one of the Vahumana darshan, about his attitude and how it hurts people, about his apparent good looks, about his intelligence and wisdom, all compliments and insults to which he responds with a scoff. a mere child should not be able to affect him this way, so why does his lead heart stir so uncomfortably when he sees you with your friends, running across darshans to attend madam faruzan or tighnari's lectures? you wish him a good morning, treat him just as horribly as he treats you that day, and have an infuriatingly large amount of self-respect- and he loves you for that. you do not judge him for his past, just his present, and just the 24 hours that reset every day. after everything he had done, everything that had happened to him, he supposes he can let you in, but he could never lie to you, so wait for him until he is honest, please.

zhongli falls in love with your wisdom. no, you would not normally be considered wise, in the typical sense, for your hair is not yet grey, and you do not have wrinkles or crows feet that symbolise a long life well-lived. no, your wisdom shines in the way you treat the people around you, interacting with them with due respect and kindness, with an extra dose of patience for the children. and he fears this flutter in his heart and skip of the beat when he sees you smile. he was never meant to be at peace or be happy, after all. but you draw him in, gently and with open arms, calming like the ocean that draws the sand in and he cannot help but drown in you, your wisdom and inherent sense of understanding comforting him more than his allies who lived and died and fought for him through the archon war and the war against khaenri'ah. maybe one day, he would reveal to you who he truly is, and maybe, he hopes silently, you would love him even then.

another repost lolol (from my old account @.ameleii)

© leichor 2024.

[maplesyrupsainz]

Congratulations on 1K! I would love love the prompt idea #7 coming to life but with Lando x Assistant reader! That would be awesome! Thank youuu

pairing: lando norris x assistant!reader y/n (she/her)

genre: blurb, unrequited love

warnings: none, just a bit of angst

prompt: seven you're in love with [driver] and they get a girlfriend

a/n: tehehe i love lando angst 😆 the gf is nobody btw i just picked a random name lol

my masterlist | 1k celebration

is quitting your job because you're hopelessly in love with your boss acceptable? you wonder if it's a common occurrence. you wonder if you just confessed how you felt to him that he'd feel the same way.

that last one was funny even to you.

“y/n, i need you at the event tonight. please,” he had begged for your attendance at an event for mclaren that you had previously turned down. “i literally can't function without you, you know that. and i promise it'll be fun!”

and of course, here you were, staring at yourself in your dress in the mirror, a car about to arrive any second now to take you to the event he needed you at oh-so-badly. you could almost roll your eyes at how pathetic the situation was. one snap of his fingers, and you're there, ready to serve.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

to be honest, you were slightly relieved when you didn't even see lando for the first couple of hours. there actually was a lot to do, so your delusions of him needing you there for reasons other than work were already squashed. however, when you did see him, your heart was squashed too.

since you'd met him, lando had never had a girlfriend serious enough to introduce to anybody at work. this was possibly what fed your delusions for all this time; he didn't like anybody, not just you. but tonight, that changed.

“y/n! i finally found you,” you turned around at the sound of his voice addressing you, a big smile on your face and a dull ache in your chest.

“hi lando! sorry, i've been super busy–” you started to reply when you noticed a girl on his arm; blonde, tan, gorgeous. he notices you staring.

“oh, this is alice. alice, my assistant, y/n.” he introduced you both with a grin; you could tell he was excited about you both meeting.

“so nice to meet you! i've heard so much.” she smiled, extending a hand to you. ugh, you thought, why does she have to be so nice?

you shook her hand, of course, and exchanged niceties politely. but inside, your stomach was churning and your heart had sunk so far into your stomach you fear it had completely evaporated. your eyes stung and a lump stuck in your throat, the threat of tears much too close for comfort.

you managed to excuse yourself, muttering an excuse of not feeling well to a colleague before you bolted. you were not proud, but it felt urgent. it wasn't until you were in the back of a taxi before you let the tears fall, and here you really felt like you'd hit rock bottom.

how the hell were you meant to get over somebody you spent almost everyday with?

[poweringthroughthis]

fever dream | nakamoto yuta

nsfw, mdni

pair: yuta x male reader

desc: Being an avid NCTzen for a while now, you can't believe the events that transpire once you finally get to attend the NCT concert in your country, and meet your biggest bias.

warnings: dirty talk, oral, anal s*x

It was most definitely a fever dream. Korean fans are truly lucky with how often they get opportunities to see their favorite artists perform live. The rest of us, on the other hand, check whether the name of our country has been included in the artist's list for the latest world tour, while we happily cheer them on from the confines of our homes. But as they say, good things shall come to those who wait. You never thought such a day would actually come but it has, and here you are, standing at the entrance of the stadium that NCT was set to perform at today!

For obvious reasons, your nerves were all over the place. You couldn't get rid of the giddiness no matter how much you tried to normalize the day mentally. In fact, the idea of soothing your nerves was what brought you here, at the venue.....four hours in advance. The entry gates were closed and security had barely begun overseeing the arrangements. As you took in the surroundings, two or three vans came to a halt in front of the gate. It didn't take much of a genius to guess the Neos had arrived. Your heart started ringing in your eardrums. You were about to see them in the flesh.

They were surrounded by bodyguards from all directions but you could see a comparatively relaxed formation of their security since no fans were here yet. You were admiring the boys from a distance as they came out of the vans in sweats, not wishing to misuse this opportunity and get in their personal space. Then you saw him, and your heart stopped for a second. Your bias, Nakamoto Yuta. He was absolutely ethereal. You almost missed his brief glance at you, chalking it up to your delusions. But it was hard not to faint when he asked the security guard something, pointing discreetly in your direction before he went in, trailing the other members.

The guard gestured you over but you were still somewhat confused. "Hey, you! You're here for the concert, aren't you? Mr. Yuta said you can wait backstage if you want to." Your eyes widened comically. Did you hear that right? You were afraid you were going to need CPR, this was a little too surreal for a random Saturday.

"um, but can I ask why?" you managed to croak out.

"Kid, do I look like I know that? Get in if you want to, or keep standing in the heat. I have work to do." he replied gruffly and you quickly entered the premises.

Finding the green rooms wasn't much of a hassle, with the halls being void of anyone and a door reading 'NCT 127' in ginormous font. The rooms must be divided based on subunits, you figured. The door made a creaking noise as you you shakily opened it and peeked inside.

Only one person was present, you couldn't see their face since they had their back towards you but it was easy to confirm by their hair color. It was Yuta. He seemed to be busy, either doing vocal warm ups or texting, but you had to clear this misunderstanding. "Hi? Um, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting but-"

"No, it's fine. You can come in." he turned around, smiling at you. He had a smile so radiant, you wondered how many hearts he had already captured with that smile alone. "I told the security to let you in."

"Uh, thanks? I think there has been a huge misunderstanding, I don't know you personally but you're free to correct me if I'm wrong." you replied, slightly more nervous now. He raised his eyebrow at that and motioned you to go on. "But, you're like a celebrity and I'm a nobody. I just want to make sure you're not mistaking me for someone else and you aren't in trouble or anything. It's okay if you need me to leave."

"Well, I've never met a 'nobody' before." he grinned, "You are very attractive, if I'm being honest. And you're welcome to stay as long as you want."

"T-thank you"

He was sitting on the sofa, the one closest to the door and he patted the space beside him, motioning you to sit down. You were unsure if that was appropriate, considering you had met the guy not even five minutes ago but it didn't feel right to deny.

"What's your name, cutie?"

"Uh, it's y/n"

"That's cute. Do you have any social media?"

"Y-yes."

"Let me follow you then, I don't really post but I'd like seeing pictures of you."

"Um, okay. If you want to, I mean." you were a stuttering mess, you couldn't believe this was happening. He followed your instagram handle, liking a few posts before following and you had never felt more self conscious in your life. You wanted to hide, you knew the pictures he was liking were all your cringey photos and selfies from your rare confidence boosts.

"Hey, are you shy around me?"

"Y-yes...sorry, this is really overwhelming. I've just been such a big fan for the longest-"

"A fan, huh? Tell me, is it a big turn off if I kissed you right now?"

You stared at him incredulously. "Um, well...I'm not sure if you're asking for my opinion."

"Oh, but I am." he smirked, moving closer. He had a hand placed on your thigh and his face was mere inches away. "What's the verdict?"

"No, not a turn off. Not at all." you said, barely above a whisper.

"Great. You're a sweet little thing if I've ever seen one." he said before closing the gap and capturing your lips in a gentle kiss. It was slow and sensual. He tasted like strawberry, probably because of the lip balm you thought.

Your hands went up to caress his face, and he placed his hands on your waist, bringing you even closer. You couldn't tell how much time had passed, the two of you were completely engrossed in each other. His hand trailed down to your ass and gave it a squeeze, eliciting a surprised gasp. You didn't want to, but you broke the kiss and stared at him.

"I'm not going to push you if you don't want this, I'd like to have your consent."

"I want it."

"Are you sure? We're complete strangers, you have no reason to trust me."

"I know, but I've had a crush on you for a long time. You can do whatever you want, honestly"

"Fuck, that's hot. I don't know how I'm gonna control myself, but I'm willing to try."

With that, he went back to kissing you. He started getting a little more aggressive with his movements, sucking your lower lip. He slowly trailed his tongue on your bottom lip, asking for entrance and you opened your mouth slightly, letting his tongue in. He was so experienced, you could only melt in his arms. You tried your best to keep up but were mostly overwhelmed. It was..your first steamy encounter, after all.

You broke the kiss, a string of saliva still connecting your mouths. Yuta stared at you with lust filled eyes, a smirk plastered on his face. "You're doing so good for me, kitten."

"I am?"

"Yeah, I'm going to make you feel good, so good." He got up and locked the door, turning back towards you and you realized that this was happening. He went back to sit next to you, bringing his lips back onto yours, his hands going under your shirt. You moaned softly as his fingers grazed your nipple. "You're so sensitive."

You broke the kiss. "Yuta, I'm a virgin."

He groaned and kissed your neck. "I can't believe I get to pop your cherry." He continued trailing kisses down your neck, his hands squeezing your nipples. Your hands roamed his back and shoulders, enjoying the way his muscles rippled under your touch.

"Take your shirt off, baby." He removed his own shirt, exposing his well built upper body. You felt yourself grow wetter just by looking at him. His body was truly godlike, his toned muscles glistening. You couldn't help but stare.

"You're so beautiful" he whispered. "You're going to look even more beautiful once I'm done with you." He started unbuttoning your shirt, taking it off completely and throwing it away. Your breath hitched, your body was exposed and Yuta was staring at it like a starved animal. He bent his head down and captured a nipple between his lips, licking and sucking, his fingers teasing the other. You were a moaning mess, the feeling was too much.

"Does it feel good?"

"Yes, god yes"

"Good. Tell me, have you ever touched yourself, baby?"

"Y-yes"

"And what were you thinking about when you did it?"

"You"

He groaned at that and pulled down your pants, along with your underwear. He kissed his way down from your chest to your thighs. His mouth was hovering over your dick and he looked up at you with a devilish smirk, "I'm going to suck you off, is that alright?"

"Please, I've never felt anyone's mouth down there"

"Good." He started by giving a tentative lick and you whimpered. He smirked and licked the underside, swirling his tongue around the tip. He slowly took the whole thing in his mouth and you threw your head back, moaning.

"F-fuck, feels so good"

He was bobbing his head, his tongue swirling around your dick, his cheeks hollowed. The feeling was incredible, you had never felt anything like it. You were bucking your hips and gripping his hair, trying not to cum.

"Cum in my mouth, baby"

And you were a goner. This was the craziest day ever. Yuta just said that to you. You wished you could replay the sound of that a hundred times over.

You came in his mouth, and he swallowed it all, moaning. He stood up and licked his lips. You were a panting mess, coming down from your high.

"You're such a good boy for me"

"M-more"

"Don't worry, we're not done yet"

He started undoing his belt, taking his pants off and throwing them aside. He was wearing a pair of black boxers, and his erection was evident. He pulled them down, his dick springing free and you were in awe. It was big, and thick, and you couldn't help but stare. He chuckled, "Like what you see?"

"Yes, it's so big"

"And it's all yours, baby." He stroked himself a few times, his precum leaking. "Are you ready, kitten?"

"Yes"

"Get on your knees." You obediently got down on your knees, facing away from him. He lined his dick with your entrance, rubbing it against your hole. You nodded. He slowly pushed the tip in, and it felt like your whole body was on fire.

"Fuck, you're so tight"

He grabbed your hips, and started thrusting, slowly. You were moaning and whimpering, the feeling was so intense. You had never felt anything like it. You were being stretched open, your hole being filled to the brim.

"Y-Yuta, faster"

"You like that, huh? You like my cock?"

"Y-yes, I love it"

He picked up the pace, his thrusts becoming faster. "Thought you were innocent, baby. Who would have guessed you'd turn out to be such a slut."

"Fuck, Yuta!"

"That's right, say my name."

You were being pounded into the floor, and you were loving every second of it. He was fucking you so good, his cock hitting your sweet spot. You were moaning and whimpering, unable to hold back.

"Fuck, you're so sexy. I'm close."

He chuckled. "My sweet little angel, you can't get enough of me."

You were close to climaxing, the pleasure was so intense, you could barely think straight. You were a moaning mess, Yuta was grunting and breathing heavily. He was pounding into you, his thrusts becoming more erratic.

"After today, I'll make sure you keep coming back for more. Make you feel good, just like this. Gonna ruin you for anyone else. You'll be begging for my cock, and only my cock."

"Fuck, Yuta!" You cried out, nearing your orgasm, his dirty talk sending you over the edge. You could tell you wouldn't last much longer.

"I'll turn you into a dumb cock slut. I'll train you to take my dick in your ass every day. I'll fuck you so hard, you won't be able to walk."

"Please, fuck me harder. Make me yours."

"You'll be walking to the concert ground funny. You'll be so fucked out, you won't be able to function. I'll make sure of that."

"F-fuck, Yuta!"

With that, you were both pushed over the edge, and you came, hard. Your vision went white, and your body was wracked with pleasure. You could feel him filling you up, his warm seed filling your ass as he pulled your head back towards him, neck straining as he sloppily kissed you.

You were both panting and spent. You had just had sex with the man of your dreams. He was still inside of you, and he was still kissing you. It was a passionate kiss, and you could feel his adoration for you. You were so lucky.

"You did so good for me, baby." He whispered. "Such a good boy for me."

You were too blissed out to reply. Your brain was not cooperating with the rest of your body, still in a state of euphoria.

"Let's get you cleaned up."

Yuta picked you up bridal style, taking you to the bathroom, your head resting on his chest. You had never felt so loved.

"Give me your number? I promise we can sneak off to a date whenever I'm off schedules. It won't be that easy, I know."

"I'd like that."

"It's a date then. I hope I didn't disappoint" he smirked.

"I should be asking that. I was a virgin."

"Baby, I'm happy you chose me. And if I may add, you were amazing. If not for the security standing outside, I'd have kept fucking you throughout the night."

"Oh god, please don't make me blush"

"I'll make it up to you."

And he did. The next concert stop, you found yourself on his bed, naked, being ravaged by him. And the day after that, and the day after that. Soon the two of you were something more, and neither person could have asked for more.

Maybe reaching the concert venue too early wasn't as stupid as you'd thought.

[kenposting]

New Guy

Summary: Short & sweet; Ken is the new guy at your work - somewhere he keeps calling the ‘real world’. You don’t get that, but what’s new, he never really makes any sense. 

WC: 2.2k

AN: (Insert crying emoji) thank you for all the kind comments on the last Ken brainrot story I wrote omg!!! I just like him... did nawt expect all that. A small part of this was very loosely inspired after reading a blurb by @ideas-live-forever where Ken doesn’t like a latte. Its very cute and you can read it here!

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀⋆˚✿˖°⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

You wished you had words to describe him, really. I mean, how many times could you redirect the conversation away from the two of you? Your friends, roomates, classmates, even your family – they all picked up on your recent busy schedule. You were seeing someone, and that someone came off as incredibly alluring and mysterious to them after your hesitance in explaining. 

Ken was not alluring, let alone mysterious. Bless his heart, he was a bit dense actually. You didn’t want to tell people about him - not out of embarrassment, but out of protection for him. This world was a lot different from the one he claimed to be from… another piece of him you didn’t quite understand. You chalked it up to at best a joke or some weird pick up line (him saying he was from “out of this world”) and at worst an actual delusion, but you didn’t mind it. You found it kind of charming. 

You still remember when you first heard about him. There was a new guy at work and your coworkers were laughing about some of the answers he gave on his job interview. You felt a little bad, knowing his answers should’ve been kept confidential, but you couldn’t help but laugh when you overheard them. 

“No, yeah he literally said his last job was ‘beach’. Not lifeguard, not pool attendant, not national park ranger, not even the beach, just beach.” 

You laughed a little to yourself, finishing wiping down one of the tables. You had a morning shift today, like most days, but you wouldn't be open for a little while. You had time to listen. 

“I don’t know, man. At least he can wash a mean dish.” 

They weren’t laughing with him, but rather at him. It did make you a bit sad. He sounded hilarious, honestly. It was probably just a bit that he took too seriously. After all, a job interview isn’t always the best place to joke around like that. 

A metallic ding rang through the restaurant as the door swung open. You looked up to be met with quite the character. He was tall, probably around 6’3” or 6’4”, and tan. Must've been all that time at beach. His stature was broad and his shoulders barely fit through the doorframe. He was dressed in the same uniform you were, except his yellow diner ringer tee was tucked in to a pair of light blue cuffed jeans, paired with white tennis sneakers and white crew socks. He was blonde, clearly by choice, not birth, and he stood with a clean dishtowel draped over his left shoulder. He looked like he just stepped out of an 80’s back-to-school Target ad. 

“Morning, Ken.” 

“Morning! Thank you for the opportunity to work here! So cool…” 

You smiled to yourself, grabbing menus to set out on each table. He looked just as odd as he everyone made him out to be. 

Prep duty was your given task for this morning. Since you typically worked an opening shift before school, you only had to wait tables until 2pm. Doors didn’t open until 9am, so that left you three hours to cut vegetables and fruit while you supervised the new guy. 

“Hey, my office please.” 

Your boss beckoned you, explaining what Ken’s tasks were so you could keep an eye on him. 

“He’ll probably keep to himself, honestly. He seems nervous, but he’s glad to work here. I don’t really… get him.” 

“What do you mean, sir?” 

You boss sighed and shook his head, searching for a way to explain everything. 

“When I asked him about previous employment he just said he worked at ‘beach’ and that he was 'very good at it'. His references were all listed under the name name… his name. Ken. I kept asking if he was, like, a lifeguard or something and why everyone he’s worked for was also named Ken. He just kept repeating, ‘no, sir, just beach,’ and ‘I’m not sure I understand, sir, is your name not Ken too?’ like that made any sense.” 

Air quotes punctuated the absurdity of the whole thing. 

You bit the inside of your lip, stifling a laugh. This guy was wither a genius or actually insane. 

“Anyways…” he trailed off. “He didn’t have much more to say about work, but he said he was in town to study – of course, without any documentation. I guess you don’t need a diploma to wash dishes.” 

Ken did keep to himself mostly, but you could tell he took his job incredibly seriously. His brows furrowed while washing the plates from last night’s dinner rush. He wanted to be good at this, you could tell. You wondered if he took beach the same way, like his life depended on it. 

The day went by quickly. All the girls – and Ken – got off at the same time, switching aprons as the evening crew trickled in. 

“Wanna come to the bar with us tonight? It’s half-price on Tuesdays!” 

You smiled at the offer, but respectfully declined. 

“I’ve got homework, but maybe next time!” 

They sighed, saying you were no fun, waving to you as they all left together. You stayed behind to count and divide the tips. So did Ken, for some reason. 

“You can go home whenever you’re ready, Ken. Good job today.” 

You pretended not to notice his ears perk at your compliment. He was blushing, like… actually blushing. 

“Oh, thank you.” 

He sounded surprised, like he hadn’t ever been told he did well before. 

“What are you doing now?” 

You looked up at him. He was actually quite handsome up close. You both had your backs turned to each other most of the day so you didn’t get a chance to notice. 

His eagerness to learn was also attractive. He wasn’t handsy or gross or trying to hit on you like some of the previous employees you’ve worked with. He was kind and appeared genuine. 

“I’m counting the tip jar from this morning so I can divide the tips between all the morning waitresses. Each of them get their own tips on the bills or in cash, but the ones in the jar are kind of random, so we split all of those. We count morning separately so whatever the evening crew makes can be divided amongst themselves, in case they were busier or slower than us. Its fair that way. You get some too.” 

He looked like you just told him his childhood home caught fire. He was just bewildered at the concept. 

“I get some? But I already got paid for today, they said I’d get it on my 'check' in two weeks.” 

He did not know what a check was. You smiled to yourself, still deciding on wether he was being smart with you or if he was just inexperienced in the world. 

“Yeah, see? 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 in 20s, then 110, 120, 130, 140 in 10s. I already counted the fives – 145, 150, 155, 160, 165, 170, 175, 180, 185 there – and ones, so 186, 7, 8 ,9, 90, 91, 2, 3, 4 ,5, 6, 7, so that’s 197, divided by the staff is $32.83 each.” 

He did not get it at all. He nodded hesitantly, hoping to convince you he understood you just fine. You were explaining it like he should know this, afterall, and he felt kind of insecure that he didn’t get it. You didn’t mean to hurt his feelings and he knew that, but he was just more sensitive than most. 

“So I take it you didn’t make any tips at ‘beach’?” 

He shook his head, answering with complete seriousness. 

“No. We didn’t have money at all, actually.” 

He was always like that. It had been a couple of months now since he started with you. Every day he said something weirder than the day before. Just like today, when he asked if you were doing anything after work. You said homework, as per usual, and watched him panic, replying with, “Oh yeah... me too actually…”

“Yeah? You’re in school?” 

He nodded, another serious look on his face. He had forgotten about homework for a while now. They didn’t have homework in Barbieland. 

The thought alone of this man in a classroom was enough to have you laughing. Sure, he was smart and charming and handsome and good at his job and personable and kind and… lots of other things you didn’t want to admit, but he didn’t strike you as someone that would thrive in an academic environment. 

You took him out for drinks that afternoon. It was a small cafe that also served daydrinks, like mimosas or sangrias. It was a comfortable and safe environment, which was welcome, as today’s assignment was complicated even for you. Who knows why you took organic chemistry as your major. You hated chemistry. Everyone hated chemistry. 

You felt him watching you attentively, like he was checking if you might’ve needed anything. 

“What’s your homework on?” 

He was gentle in his approach. He liked you. 

You looked at him. He truly wanted to know, it wasn’t just small talk. 

You explained it as best at you could, truly, but he looked like he was about to cry, like it physically hurt his brain. Changing the subject, you asked what he was studying. 

“I’m majoring in Patriarchy and minoring in Horses and Beach.” 

You didn’t ask more. He was dead serious, too. He really was highlighitng and placing index notes on a book about horses. Stacked in his (pale yellow) backpack (with tiny embroidered flowers) were heavy textbooks, though, so he must've been studying something. Maybe this was part of the joke. After looking over his course catalogue to help him figure out assignment priority based on credit weights, you saw he was majoring in Gender Studies and minoring in Equine Science and Marine Biology. So yes, patriarchy, horses, and beach. 

The waitress stopped by your table and he panicked again, ordering the same thing as you. A little while later, two Espresso Martinis arrived. You sipped the drink casually, focused on your assignment. 

He didn’t mind it when you weren’t focused on him. He enjoyed your company, even in the quiet. He never felt like you were laughing at him. It was more like you found him funny, but in a nice way. He liked that about you. He liked all of you, actually. 

“Oh, wow!”

He had a sort of outburst that startled you from whatever it was you were reading. You couldn’t remember actually, the look on his face made you forget what you had just read. 

“Oh my gosh, that is terrible!!” 

He spoke in an elevated whisper, careful to not offend the workers. 

“Why does it hurt, is something wrong with it??” 

You covered your mouth to keep from laughing at him. He looked truly horrified. 

“Have you never had anything with alcohol in it before? I thought you were, like, what, 24? 25? Aren’t you in college?” 

“I don’t even have an age – wow, I’m so sorry, that is so bad.” 

He was so weird. So so weird. But you really liked that about him actually. He was sweet about everything and very kind and thoughtful, too. 

He clearly hated his drink but finished it anyway, probably out of courtesy. His face crumpled a bit every time he had to wash a dish that had a lot of food leftover. It was like he felt great sorrow for the chef – that their work wasn’t good enough for the customer, and they tried really hard, so that made him sad. 

Oddly enough, he put a $20 in the tip jar on the way out, shrugging when you asked him about it. He said sure, he didn’t like it, but that wasn’t anyone’s fault. He was grateful they ‘took good care of him’. He was just repeating what he’d heard other diner guests say when they tipped. He was so cute. 

You walked him home. He insisted on the other way around, but he was tipsy and didn’t really know what to do about it, hiccupping and catching his balance. He wasn’t frightened or anything, reassuring you he’d ‘seen this in the movies before’. You assumed he was referring to knowing what it’s like to be inebriated. Still, all this after only one drink, and a stereotypically girly one at that. 

“Thank you for walking me home and helping me with homework and letting me hang out with you today!” 

You smiled, nodding your head. 

“Sure, Ken. Do you work tomorrow?” 

He nodded excitedly, standing in a salute-like pose. 

“Sure do! I’m gonna wash the hell out of some dishes.” 

Cursing, although incredibly light for him, was something he told you he was learning to do since he was now ‘in the real world’. You didn't understand that, like most things about him, but you were excited to see him tomorrow nonetheless. 

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀⋆˚✿˖°⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

For more Kenpostings I’ve written, click here.

For part two, click here!

[lollystocks]

Casper High is Very Normal, Thanks

Ectoberhaunt 2023 Day 5: Haunt

Summary: Casper High has a new pupil, who is decidedly Not Okay with Whatever This Place Has Going On.

A short Outsider POV on Creepy!Amity

Words: 482

CW: mild horror

---

Casper Blair High School is so completely, totally, absolutely fucking haunted.

I’ve been attending this school for two (2) goddamned days and until yesterday I didn’t even believe in the supernatural. If someone told me my new school would be haunted I’d roll my eyes and chalk them up to being some new age hippy who thinks that too much iron in your diet misaligns your chakras and that chemtrails are spying on you.

But two days of classes is enough to make it painfully obvious that ghosts are real and they’re haunting my new school, and yet no one wants to acknowledge that fact.

Which is WILD to me, cos like, why is no one talking about it? Has the whole school decided to live under some delusion that “the building is just old” and “the people are quirky”?

Except that is definitely not the case because people won’t even provide excuses, it’s like everyone just goes deaf when I mention it.

“Hey New Guy, know where you’re going for physics?”

“Sure, the Northern temporary block coated with the inescapable feeling of deep unease? Or is it the block above the cafeteria where the black mold spells ‘RUN’?”

“Ahaha, it’s above the cafeteria. Don’t piss off Mr Schaffer!”

Or during English.

“Hey Mr Lancer, your dry erase marker seems to be floating ominously?”

“Ah yes, thank you young man, don’t want to lose another…” as the guy plucks it from the air like nothing’s wrong.

It’s mostly evasion, but one conversation today unsettled me more than the school itself, somehow.

There are these three kids, right, in my year. Your classic tight-friends-who-don’t-really-register-on-the-social-heriarchy-cos-they-keep-to-themselves kinda deal. Neither popular nor unpopular, they just are, right. They all give off major haunted mojo (but then again, half the kids here do.)

My locker is by theirs. And I’m a friendly guy, so as they’re talking about the upcoming Hallowe’en dance, I perk up with a “Hey, is it worth going to, or is it the kinda thing everyone ditches to go drink in the woods?”

The dark-skinned kid laughed and turned to me. “Yeah, that’s about it - people come to the dance for the first bit, but then everyone gets in their trucks and takes the booze to Craven Point.”

The girl chimed in, sharing a look with her friends, “Yeah, and believe me, you don’t want to stay beyond the first hour my guy.”

“Ah yes, because of The Horrors, right?” I asked, with a grin. It was mostly a joke. I think.

The pale guy’s face dropped, as did my left kidney by the feel of it. “Not a joke dude. Word to the wise, ‘cos you’re New - do not go around saying shit like that, kay?”

And with that, The Trio closed their lockers and left in lock-step.

The Presence in my locker left out a low, wet chuckle.

Lovely. Just great.

[marsssbarrrr]

hold you (k.bakugou x reader x i.midoriya polyamorous)

inspiration: Freaks by Surf Curse

oneshot where fem!reader in a secret poly relationship with our fav boys gets kidnapped by the league to be used as leverage or smthn idk

reader has no specified quirk, reader does NOT attend UA, reader and bakygou/midoriya are childhood friends. this is purely self-indulgent bc i cant find any story like this anywhere on the internet and i need to feed my delusions

WARNINGS: sewerslidal reader, SH(mentioned), abusive parents(mentioned), eating disorder(mentioned), reader is homeless (briefly). THIS IS SOME DARK SHIT BUT IT ENDS GOOD I PROMISE

the day started as usual for midoriya and bakugou. wake up, bicker, eat a quick breakfast, bicker, walk to class, bicker, iida yells at them to stop bickering, and they bicker some more.

nothing seemed off for the first few hours. sure, neither of them had gotten the usual good morning text from [name], but she had some crazy midterms coming up. it wasn't all that unusual for her to stay up late and sleep in, forgetting to text them in her rush to get to class on time.

but when lunch rolled around, and still neither had received a text, they started to worry. their classmates had noted the lack of bickering in the second half of the day, and the constant checking-of-phones. their anxiety wafted across the suddenly cramped classroom like midnight-sensei's quirk. slow and suffocating. everyone felt it.

neither noy had noticed the worrisome glances their respective friends shot back and forth. they were too wrapped up in their thoughts. they spent all of class texting back and forth.

b.k: what if her parents found out about us?

i.m: she would have found a way to message us if that were the case.

i.m: i'm more worried she did something to herself. i think one of us should drop by her place after classes.

b.k: you go. i'm better at shutting these morons up anyways. i'll tell them you're visiting aunt inko or smthn.

i.m: thanks kacchan.

b.k: fuck off.

it was no secret to the boys that [name] was suicidal. nor that her parents were homophobic, abusive pricks. throughout their childhood, her parents made that very clear. she'd mention to them sometimes how both boys were cute, and the result was more often than not purple and blue marks poorly covered by the sleeves of her elementary school uniform.

by the time they'd reached middle school, those poorly hidden bruises turned into thin lines.

[name]'s parents didn't believe in medication, nor in therapy. for a long time, her only comfort was in the homes of bakugou katsuki and midoriya izuku.

after izuku was deemed quirkless, her parents wouldn't let her be around him anymore. so the trio spent most days hiding out at the bakugou's place. it was there that she confided in the boys about her parents. it was there that the three of them became an offical polyamorous relationship. it was there they had their first kiss.

inko and the bakugou parents were more parent-like than [name]'s parents ever were to her. she trusted them with everything.

after classes, the boys sat in the dorm common room with the rest of their class.

neither boys' constant glances at their phones were lost on their classmates. every flip of the screen and refresh of the page was caught by the other students.

every notification prompted a glance. that included the shared ding of both boys' phones.

[fn].[ln]: i need you.

[fn].[ln]: please.

i.m: where are you

[fn].[ln]: (location sent)

b.k: we're on our way.

neither boy stopped to grab a jacket or umbrella before shoving their shoes on and bolting out the door of the alliance building. neither boy said a word to their classmates, or even spared them a glance after the last text was sent.

as soon as they were out of the building, the class went to alert aizawa, who followed suit in a similar fashion to the boys.

he followed them through the heavy downpour as they turned off the main road, midoriya yelling out directions while bakugou dragged him along, both moving faster on foot than aizawa had seen them move before.

after the fifth turn, they stopped.

katsuki was quick to crouch down in front of you, and izuku sat against the wall behind you. you lifted your head from your knees, tears standing apart obviously from the rain on your face.

katsuki pulled you into a hug, and you sobbed harder.

"they kicked me out," you muttered into his shoulder, "they found out about us."

katsuki's face fell, and izuku's hardened.

"i'm calling sensei-"

"no, please, god izu, please don't."

izuku dropped the hand holding his phone, sighing. "[name], the first thing they'll do is look for you at one of our places. they'll realize what they did and decide to deal with it on their own. we all know they will."

katsuki pulled back, cupping your face in his hands and rubbing his thumb along your cheek. "[name], please. let him call aizawa. you'll be safer at the school than you will be at any of our places."

you sniffed, looking up into katsuki's eyes.

the fight had been ugly. your parents searched your room while you were at school the day before, and found letters between the three of you. from before you had phones. from before you learned how to be discreet.

your father was quick to lay hands on you as soon as you got home, yelling about what a slut and a whore you were. your mother just leaned against the door frame, arms crossed and head shaking in disappointment.

they kicked you out with nothing but the phone in your pocket and uniform on your body.

you sniffed, leaning into katsuki's touch. "...okay."

izuku picked his phone back up, and katsuki held you close. before the phone could ring even once, aizawa dropped from the roof above. "just what in the hell is going on here."

you tensed, and katsuki held you closer, whispering sweet words and comforting phrases into your ear as you shook from fear and the icy coldness of the rain around you.

izuku stood, making his way over to the teacher in front of him. he explained the situation the best he could, staying as calm as possible.

but his girlfriend was falling apart in front of him damnit, and there was nothing he could do out here.

"sensei, please. just for the night."

aizawa sighed. "she can stay for the night. i can't promise anything more than that, it's ultimately the principal's call."

"thank you, sensei."

izuku moved back over to where you and katsuki sat, and croushed down.

"hey, we have to get up [name]."

"i can't..."

"c'mon, [name]. you're so much stronger than you think you are. we just have to get to the school, it's only a couple blocks. then you can rest, alright?" katsuki stroked his hand through your hair, forehead resting against yours.

"i can't..."

izuku sighed, making eye contact with katsuki. the blonde nodded, standing and picking you up with him. he held you close to his chest, your knees folded around one arm and back resting against the other. you held on tight around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder.

izuku stood, turning to face aizawa. and you started the trek back to the school.

-

you sat on the couch an hour later, blanket around your shoulders and head resting on katsuki's shoulder. you were sound asleep, thank god.

the situation had been hard to explain to the boys' classmates. they didn't know either boy was even in a relationship, let alone with each other and another person.

eventually everyone went back up to their dorms, except for you and your boys. izuku and katsuki sat whispering to each other while you spelt in the blonde's arms.

they'd keep you safe and keep you away from your parents.

no matter what that meant or what it would cost them in the long run.

[homo-rashi]

Roommates (Original Work) Ch 1.

The Start of Something (contains Omorashi)

Read it on my Ao3 here: Link

Augustine truly did not think this through. When the idea came to him a few nights after his parents sat him down and broke the news, He thought he was an geneious! It would solve everything. Having to see his mom and dad go though the whole process of selling the house and moving out. Not to mention, alternating weekends with his mom…Right now and for the foreseeable future, he would do anything to avoid that. August could only imagine it being unpleasant at the least and mildly suicide inducing at the worst, if he is feeling dramatic.

Which he was, feeling dramatic that is. Something about the cold, silent air of August’s bedroom at three in the morning, The feeling of time being liminal, like nothing else exists outside of the four poster-ridden walls, always makes his brain think he can do anything, like suddenly out of nowhere deciding to become a five-star Chef by binge watching every single episode of bon-appetit test kitchen. Or randomly gaining the motivation to transform his physic two weeks before break ends by following a single Chloe Ting workout video, but skipping all of the jumping because well, it's three in the morning and his parents are asleep downstairs. 

This time however, his three in the morning delusion led him to his current reality. He will admit, going to his mom with the cheesy powerpoint presentation he made about why boarding school would be the best thing for him after he refused to talk to her for a week, was probably teetering on the edge of being manipulative. But at the time, he found little shame in his well-devised plan.You can pretty much justify any morally-unjust action when your Mom recently admitted to her sixteen year-old son and her husband of 25 years that she had been unfaithful in their marriage with her boss of all people. 

It all went a lot faster than he had envisioned. They broke the news during summer, that way the move wouldn't have interfered with August’s school work and thanks to his somewhat good grades and rather impeccable attendance record (Just because his dad didn't know about the cheating didn't mean being at home was all that great…His mom didn't cheat for no reason, and school was always a great way to escape hell for a few hours) He was able to apply for a scholarship and get accepted to attend the one boarding school he found online that was still accepting new students this last into summer. St.Milton’s Academy for Boys.

Getting to St.Miltons was already too much for August.. The stress of getting on a plane without his Mom or Dad made him restless. Having never left the west coast before, Jumping on a plane with nothing but himself and his duffle bag from summer camp, trading coasts to live in Maine sounded fake. But here he was, duffle bag in tow, his childhood stuffed shark plush hanging out of the mesh outer pocket for everyone to see, boarding a charter bus to take him to his new life. Actually, being just stressed in an understatement, August is terrified. 

“Augustine Harrington?” The scary women with the crooked nose called his name seconds after him and twelve other boys, who were definitely younger than him, offloaded their things from the bus and lined up outside the large, intimidating brick building adorned with gold cross embellishments knockers on both of the large black front doors. 

“Yes?” August sheepishly puts up his hand, of course all eyes gravitate to him, 

“A simple ‘present’ would suffice.” The woman says with a slight twinge of annoyance in her voice that immediately steals August's ability to speak. He simply nods in response. The woman finishes taking the roll.  Everyone else gives her a firm ‘present’ in response to their names being called following August’s blunder. He has never wished someone named Aaron Anderson would have been by his side more then in this moment… 

“My name is Priscilla Constentine, But to all of you, I'm Mrs.Constentine or simply enough, Headmaster Constance.I make the rules here at St.Milton and enforce them, so see to it you follow them…” The headmaster looks down the row of students, Her beady black eyes stopping on August. “The lot of you, besides you, are all freshmen. The head of your floor and the person who you will come to with any questions you may have about your living situation is waiting for you just past those doors on the first floor, you are dismissed.”

Augusts watches as every single one of the other boys bealines for the two large black wooden doors, disappearing behind them without even looking back. The Headmasters eyes still laying rest on him. 

“Follow me. Since you're our only new sophomore, I'll just show you to your room myself, no use bothering your RA for one student.” August once again just nods and follows the women through the same black doors, but instead of going straight, She abruptly takes a left, leading to a large wooden staircase. “The sophomore dorms are on the fourth floor, don't ask me why, I make the rules not the floorplans, and yes, before you ask, there is no elevator, this building was constructed before such frivolous things were put to use.” 

The trek to the fourth floor is less than pleasant. Still carrying his duffle bag on one shoulder, combined with the lingering heat of summer and the humidity everyone back in California warmed him about, makes for his entire person to be coated in a thin layer of sweat by the time they reach a door marked 301. 

“What the fuck! Come on-no your left!---Your other fuckin left you cock-suckin piece of-” The headmaster opens the door with out announcing her presence, the loud screaming from beyond it stops abruptly. “I gotta go.” August follows in her footsteps, taking his first glance into the room, seeing a boy with start black hair taking off a gaming headset that's glowing red. 

“Mr.Wright. I do hope you atleast completed some of your summer reading and chores before you started playing…whatever that is?” She motions to the computer monitor tucked away on a dark oak corner desk. 

“Counterstrike.” The boy replied casually, rolling his desk chair away from his desk and towards one of the two lofted beds taking up most of the room. “This him?” He motions to August, before bending down and opening something under his bed, and pulling out a large green and black energy drink. 

“Augustine, meet Maxwell, Your roommate and the constant pain in my side. Be nice, and get along. He is in most of your classes besides swimming, so i'm sure you will be more than happy to help him out when classes start?” Maxwell offers a tilt of his drink to the Headmaster, who just shakes her head at the gesture before making her exist, leaving August awkwardly standing in the middle of the room. 

“You can call me-Aumax” The two boys words intersect into one jumble of words,

“August,” 

“Max,” They both say, this time being able to understand each other. “Okay look, This is my side, obviously. There should be uniforms and shit in your wardrobe, I had to clean my shit out with very little notice thanks to you so If it's a little sticky, it's just from spilled booze, confiscated now, of course. Didn't get the chance to clean it, not like I would have anyways… but yeah, If i'm not back before lights out, cover for me yeah?” August can barely move out of the way before Max is walking past him, quickly grabbing a gray and blue suit jacket off of the back of the door and throwing it over his shoulder. 

“Hold on! What time is light’s out?” August asks quickly, his voice feeling tense in his throat, 

“Whenever our lame ass RA decides he is done studying!” Max shouts, halfway down the hallway. The door slowly creaks shut, closing out any of the cold air that the breeze from the hallways opened windows was letting in. 

August lets out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. The air that left his lungs was probably what was left inside of him of california. The reality of where he is and what he is doing seems to settle into the quiet loneliness of the dorm room. 

“Maxwell Wright…Sounds like a rich-kid name but…” August says to himself, looking around the furnished side of the dorm. The computer is clearly the main focus of his roommate's side. The desk has multiple empty cans of energy drink placed randomly, not a care in the world for the faded circles the cars have clearly left all over the dark stained wood desktop. Nothing about him screams 'vaguely religious private school kid’ besides his name. 

Random posters line the walls above Max’s bed. The largest one being a spiderman:homecoming poster, with Tom Holland front and center. August takes a second to appreciate his roommate's taste in movies…or more his taste in men. At Least that's why August has seen any of the Spiderman movies from 2016-present. 

August looks closely between both of their beds, noticing they share the same bedding. Clearly, it's been provided by the school. This brings his attention to his side of the room, and he decides its best to take advantage of having his room to himself for the afternoon. He wastes no time throwing his duffle down and stripping the bed. 

At first he thought he could get away with it. The color difference between his special white sheet and the default white that bed was made with aren't that different, but the texture is far too obvious. If he wasn't to make his bed completely one morning, someone would be able to tell the sheet he was sleeping on is more coated, rubbery and thicker. 

He begrudgingly puts the thin cotton sheet on top of his waterproof sheet, being only slightly annoyed that that means when the invendible happens, he will have more laundry to do then he would have liked. But he quickly accepts that hiding his nighttime problem is more important than reducing his trips to the laundry room.

He finished unpacking, giving his very sticky wardrobe a wipe down before placing his runners and shower shoes in the bottom of it. The only decoration he technically brought is his stuffed ikea shark. He decides it's not as embarrassing as a teddy bear and throws it up by his pillows, making a mental note to look for a magazine or two at the store (do they even get to go off campus to the store?) to get some posters to hang up. Feeling content with his side of the room for now, and feeling like his skin is going to ment off from the lack of air-conditioning, he decides he should have a look around and find out where a few other important rooms are. 

His floor seems to be all bedrooms. He looks around every corner of the large square building but finds nothing but wooden doors with gold number plates, the occasionally one having a funny/mildy crude doormat placed in front of it. There is a small common area at the top of the stairs with a microwave oven and fridge, but other than that, nothing.

He ventures down the next three floors and finds the same thing. The only difference he spots between the two is that floor three has different flooring then the rest, possibly due to a renovation that was done at some time, not what he was looking to find. 

When he gets to the first floor he spots his first sign of life. A guy with blonde hair similar to his is sprawled out across one of the large green sectionals in the common room. Immediately when stepping into said room he sees the sign for laundry. Not ideal, but better than it being in a whole different building. He would have to be sneaky, so as to not get caught running through four flights of stairs with soiled bedding, but it wasn't the end of the world.

“Hey! I thought everyone arrived earlier? Did you need help finding your room?” August is started by the high pitched voice seemingly addressing him. He turns around and sure enough, the lounging boy is now sitting up with a bright smile on his face. 

“Oh- No! I got here earlier, I'm on the fourth floor…” He awkwardly motions upwards, as if it's not obvious that's where the fourth floor would be. 

“My bad! I thought you were one of my freshmen, but still, Can I help you with anything or are you just exploring?” The boy laughs gently, standing up from the sofa and walking over with his hand outreached, “I’m Rowan.” August reaches out and introduces himself, the one question he has lingering in his throat. 

“Floor four you said? Were in the same year then! Sophomores are always freshman R.A’s, Juniors are Sophomore R.A’s, Seniors…well they are their own R.A’s but between you and me, they don't really do much besides routine candle checks.” 

“Candle checks?” August asks, not the questions he wanted to ask, but it's what slipped out in his curiosity. 

“Banned item. You know like Hair straighteners,” Check, August thinks to the red and blue mini flat-iron he uses for his bangs every morning sitting on his desk in his dorm currently., “Candle and incense,” He brought the lavender incense his aunt gave him as a parting gift to ‘help him sleep in the dorms’ when she found out he was coming here…”and like hotplates and other cooking things that heat up, Basically if it can make a fire, you aren't allowed to have it.” 

“Oh okay, yeah don't have anything like that.” August smiles awkwardly, Rowan doesn't skip a beat in keeping the conversation going. 

“Hey, if you do it's none of my business, remember, Freshman RA, not my floor…not my problem.” Rowan winks, August immediately feels less awkward and afraid, He seems normal unlike his seemingly rouge roommate. 

“Um speaking of floors, Where is the bathroom on our floor because I couldn't find it.” August finally asks, the words no longer stuck in this throat. 

“Oh! yeah…Apparently like ten years ago there was a bad flood on floor three that caused like thousands of dollars worth of damage to the building's old ass structure, so the only restroom is on this floor, down the hallway opposite the stairwell.” August looks back to make sure he heard that right and sure enough, he sees a small arrow pointing that direction with a small stick figure of a man on it. 

“One bathroom for…how many of us?” August asks, in disbelief. 

“It's really big! Don't worry! You only run into issues in the mornings for the first like two weeks and then everyone falls into a routine. You barely even notice you sharing a shower with seventy-five guys after a while.” 

“Seventy-five guys…okay I'm gonna go check it out.” August say turning around rather abruptly, 

“I'll come with you, don't want you getting lost!” August freezes in place. Red flags going off in his head. 

“No that's okay, I was just gonna take a shower, You dont wanna have to wait for me.” August lies, again. He figured he would be doing a lot of that considering his issues, but two times within the first hour is crazy.

“Dude… You’re sharing with seventy-five teenage boys. Trust me, you don’t want to do that without shower shoes and the school doesn't provide toiletries so you have to bring your own shampoo and shit.” August sighs, he knows that, hence why he has all of that and a shower catty he bought at Target shoved in his wardrobe. He would have brought them if he was actually planning to shower… But he isn't. He was planning on finding the laundry room and then having a quick piss, a quick piss he can only take if he is alone.

“Yeah, okay I'll be back then.” August says as friendly as possible, trying to distract from his obvious annoyance. He turns the other way, up the stairs deciding he will just wait. He isn't desperate, no. He knows better than to let himself get desperate in an unfamiliar setting, but he still just got off a long bus ride from the airport and indulged in a few in-air ginger ales to calm his nervous stomach. 

“Dinner is at six, Just follow everyone and you should be good!” The callout is faint from the bottom of the stairs, but echoes up the tall empty space. August doesnt say anything back, but instantly devises a plan. When he sees everyone leaving the dorms for dinner, He will get to pee in peace, without fear of locking up because everyone will be busy eating in presumably, a whole different building. 

The problem with that plan is, it's currently three. That means roughly three hours, give or take however long it takes for everyone to get out of here and go to lunch. August isn't desperate right now, but in three hours…The problem is that he doesn't have a problem. It's not like he is sick or has some sort of condition, well not one that would normally cause issues of his kind. It's just anxiety. From his pee-shyness to the bedwetting. It's all brought on by stress and anxiety. No matter what meds doctors have given him throughout the years, starting when he was 10 and was still consistently wetting the bed, none of them really worked. 

Sure, they took away the surface level feeling of anxiousness that he lived with constantly. That was nice, but he was still worrying, constantly, deep down. The bed wetting and various other bathroom issues never got better, if anything, the meds not fixing him like the doctors swore they would, only made him stress out more, in turn making everything worse. So he was stuck like this. 

It’s manageable. He has found ways around the bed wetting. At home he would often wake up just as it would start and could manage to get to the bathroom with only having to change his boxers. He wouldn't even consider that an accident at this point in his life. 

His pee-shyness is a little more tricky, but he has found solutions…ones that aren't so practical when you have a roommate. If his dad was cleaning outside the bathroom at his house and he needed to go he would simply go to his room a whole floor away and find the nearest empty fast-food cup or coffee mug he had ‘conveniently forgotten’ to take out of his room and make use of that. Nobody would ever think he was peeing in his bedroom so he could always, without a doubt, pee in there. It's only in bathrooms he has trouble actually going.

He instinctively looks around his dorm once he closes the door. The steps having jostled his bladder far more than he would have liked, making him realize he would like to not feel like this for longer then he has to. There aren't any cups he would pee in, mostly because they aren't his, He isn't really picky. There are plenty of energy drinks cans he figures if worst comes to worst he could use, it's not easy but he has done it before.

Knowing his roommate, Max, isn't going to be back until what he insinuated was going to be well into the night, August decides he will try to wait it out. If he starts to feel desperate at all, then he will use the can and throw it out on his way to dinner, disposing of any and all evidence. The perfect plan.

* * *

The perfect plan that depended on one thing. His damn roommate. The roommate who made such a big deal about not being back till ‘lights out’ who just so happened to walk through the door the second August decided he was past the point of desperateness. 

He admittedly waited too long. The want to wait till six was in the back of his mind, along with the anxieties about someone coming into his room, Mac, or an RA for a ‘candle check’ or whatever it was Rowan mentioned. Both sort of froze him with anxiety, instead of working through it, August chose to sit on his bed and scroll on tiktok for the last two hours, becoming increasingly aware of his legs becoming crossed, and then his hand slowly slipping between his legs. The moment he felt the first bit of wet tricking into his boxers, he jumped up and grabbed the energy drink can. 

“Hey- Did you get into my stash!?” Max, because of course he would, barged through the door, immediately making eye contact with August who had the empty can in his grasps, getting ready to figure out the best place in the room to pee in it would be.

“What? N-no! I was just cleaning up!” August quickly looked around the room, spotting a small metal trash bin under Max’s desk. He bends down and chucks the empty can inside it, trying not to squirm around as he does so. 

“Okay…In case you didn't get the memo, My side” He points to where August is currently standing, “ And your side. We don't ‘clean’ each other's sides, got it?” His tone was less than savory. August just nods in response, quickly going to his side of the room and sitting down in his desk chair at his empty desk. He watched Max bend down and plug his cell phone into a charge by the side of his bed, before plopping down at his own desk. 

“I-I thought you were gonna be out all night?” August asks, seeing Max grab to slide his headphone on and power up his gaming computer. 

“Phone died, would be bored as shit without it, plus, it's almost dinner and I slept through breakfast. Now if you don't mind.” Max slipped head headphones on, tuning his back from August, who immediately shoved both his hands between his legs. 

‘Okay this is bad, very bad! Can you make it down the stairs?’ August thought, Even if lunch wasn't for another forty-five minutes, He could just go outside. Find a nice secluded tree and water it. He decided to stand up- ‘no! Nope! Bad, Bad, Bad!’ immediately his brain and body decided that was the wrong idea because not a little, but a lot of warmth coats the palm of his hand upon standing. 

Panicked, He jumps forward less than gracefully, practically throwing himself onto the lofted bed and under the covers. 

“What the fuck was that?” August rolls over to look at Max who now has one headphone off and is staring at him with an annotated look. “Your fuckin weird, Are you taking a nap? You know you have to go get dinner when they say right? You can't just go to the cafeteria whenever you want.”

“jetlag…I'm not hungry, just gonna have extra breakfast tomorrow.” August feels very, very proud of that lie. His best one of the day. He is just glad he got under the covers before Max was turned around because his hands are the only thing keeping him from squirming around like an idiot. 

“Where are you even from anyways?” Max asks, August does not want to talk right now, He wants to pee, He needs to pee. 

“San Diego, it's a town in Califor-” 

“I know where San Diego fuckin is-Wait, doesnt that make it like what, 2:00pm there? Shouldn't you be the opposite of Jetlagged?” August curses under his breath, That is true, He searches for an answer and finds it staring right at him, behind Max, 

“I stayed up late gaming the last few weeks with my friends, my sleep schedule is all messed up.” August does not in fact play any videos games, if anything they make him anxious and a little nauseous. 

“Oh, well, Fix it because I'm not gonna wait for you if you sleep in next week when classes start.” Max turns his attention back to his game, slipping his headphones back on. 

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is bad. He isn't gonna leave until dinner? What should I do? I can't hold it that long and I can't walk all the way downstairs to the bathroom like this!’ August panicked, Internally freaking out while laying completely still under his covers in his bed…

‘Piss in the bed.’ His brain leapt at the idea, causing his body to force a long spurt out of him, this time no doubt showing on his clothes. Now he really can’t get up…But he couldn't just wet the bed while awake…He doesn't do that. Sure while he is asleep it happens, more than he would like to admit but doing it on purpose, that is a whole nother level of terrible. 

He rolls over so his back is facing away from Max after making sure he looked like he was really into whatever game he was playing. 

‘If I pee I have to do it slowly and make sure it doesn't get on the comforter, only the sheets.” August reasons with himself, because realistically, it's his only option. He spends another few minutes deciding if he should actually take himself out of his jeans and piss directly into the sheets, but decides he already has to wash his pants so he might as well use them to soak up some of the accident. 

With nothing but the sound of his roommates tapping away at his keyboard, August slowly removes his hands from between his legs. At first, when nothing happens he thinks either he misjudges how desperate he actually is or his pee-shyness that only exists inside the restroom extends to peeing while in a bed with someone in the room, something he has obviously never tried to do before. Both theories are thrown out the window when a thin stream starts to leave his slit. 

August bites down on his lip, trying to get control over the speed of his release. He can feel his pee soaking into his pants and then his leg and then the thin cotton sheet. Usually when he wets the bed like this, he is asleep and only wakes up to the smell of ammonia and the uncomfortable cold wet feeling that comes after, he has never felt himself actually fully wet the bed.

It's painful. It's actually painful to release his abused bladder as slowly as he is, but the waterproof sheet does not absorb much, that's kinda the whole point. So he has to wait for his accident to spread out and be absorbed by the sheets to avoid it pooling and getting on the comforter or worse, spilling off the side of the bed. 

After a few minor lapses in control causing him to release far more than he meant to, he finally started to feel relief. It feels amazing. It shouldn't because of the circumstance, but he really left it far too long this time. He is usually better about this, or well, back home it was easier to go if he let it get this bad…here he is realizing that it's not considering he is actively purposefully using his bed as a makeshift toilet, something he doesn't ever want to do again.

He finally feels his stream beginning to taper off. When he is finally done, he feels the familiar feeling of cold, itchiness up his legs. He can almost pinpoint the exact moment he usually wakes up from the discomfort. It's slightly disheartening how soon after his accidents he must be waking up. He always thought it must have been hours ago he had wet the bed and only noticed when his body started to wake up. Its annoying to know he was waking up less than a minute after pissing himself, meaning it could be avoidable if his dumb brain would just wake him up. 

“You awake?” August stifles a jump at the quiet of the room suddenly becoming not so quiet. He doesn't respond, immediately slamming his eyes shut. He hears a few sounds followed by a faint dial tone. “G, I’m on my way— No, it still needs to be charged. I’ll have to get it after dinner.---- No! fuckin lame ass you dont have to save me a seat, what are you a fuckin fag? wanna hold my hand too?---- yeah, no.----Shut the fuck up, i'll be down in a sec.” A few seconds later and August hears the door slam shut. 

‘Shit. He is homophobic??? He has the spiderman poster because he genuinely likes Marvel movies not because Tom Holland has a great ass… He didn't think he would have to deal with Homophobia as much here, considering it's an all boys school…He mentally notes that his sexuality is now on the long list of things he has to lie to people about at this school. 

His bout of self pitying is pushed aside when he realises just how gross he feels and he starts to actually smell the fact that he is covered in his own pee. His mind switches its train of thought instantly, when he looks over and see’s Max’s phone sitting on his desk on the charger but he remains Frozen in place wondering just how the hell he is gonna do all of this laundry and remake his bed before Max gets back from dinner…

[cosmical-flowers]

I feel like maybe I should post more about my self ship, so here we go! Just random thoughts I had about Sakura Nakamura & Shinobu Sengoku between their 1st - 2nd year. Most of the school ones im basing off my experience :D

1st Year:

Sakura and Shinobu are in a few of the same classes (History, Science and Math) so they usually hang out at each other’s house and complete their homework.

On the topic of classes, Sakura is in an AP class for English based on her previous scores. She helps out Shinobu when it comes to that class and he’s very thankful for it.

After Tanabata festival, they spent an hour just stargazing and talking about whatever came to their minds. Sakura really loves that day, and keeps a photo of them after the performance in her room

They share a similar music taste. They discovered this one day when Sakura was humming a song and Shinobu decided to sing along. They now both send each other a bunch of songs the other would like. (And Sakura introduced NayutalieN to Shinobu! Its now one of his favorite vocaloid producers.)

They joke around a lot about just recording a song cover together one day. They have decided that if they were to do it they would cover either Therefore You and Me (Eve) or Common World Domination (PinocchioP).

2nd Year:

Same as last year, they share many of the same classes. Sakura also decides to buy snacks for them to share while they hang out.

One day as they hung out after practice, Shinobu accidentally left his jacket for his unit outfit at Sakura’s house. The next time they met, Sakura decided to wear it with her outfit and he thought she looked really pretty with it. He never really forgot that day.

That year for valentine’s day, Sakura and Shinobu hung out at a cafe and they were mistaken for a couple. They both were flustered by even the thought of them dating, so they both just shouted out “We’re not dating!” at the same time.

Sakura has helped Shinobu promote the Ninja club before and they always have a lot of fun when they do it.

Sakura and Shinobu are apart of the Broadcasting club together, so they both decide on the background music together. One time, they decided to play an instrumental track from their favorite show together to see if anyone would recognize it.

They decided to attend a convention in cosplay and they went as Yuuta and Rikka from Love, Chuunibyou and Other Delusions! Its their comfort show to watch together :) And they both spent a lot on merch that day.

Sakura and Shinobu text each other a lot late at night. Usually they would just send each other random videos they find funny. They do both convince each other to go to sleep a lot though.

[girltomboy]

Having a pretty sweet and relaxing time at my parents' house. Taking some time off to visit them was a good idea. Their new house looks and feels lovely, although the yard/fence/general exterior are not yet totally finished (obviously the interior was a priority so they can move in lol) which was a bit disappointing because I expected to spend a lot of time sitting outside in the sun 😭 but those are just my own selfish delusions, the weather is gloomy anyway so the best option is to sit inside and revel in the comfort and safety of the house. I thrifted a cute Sailor Moon hoodie (I've never watched Sailor Moon lmao) and a sweatshirt in the exact shade of blue I've been looking for. I also got a pretty & comfy wind jacket in a sky blue shade, a Minolta vintage film camera that only cost me 6 euros, and some modelling clay (been wanting to make a little hamster for my coworker 😁). I miss hanging out with my boyfriend for hours - lack of privacy is preventing me from doing that, but I'm having a nice time with my parents too.

I've been having these super weird dreams ever since I got here, literally every night. And not to sound weird, but hear me out: I think it's because of the mirror that's facing the bed in my parents' new extra bedroom. Like, I did read a lot about room arrangement and how the mirror placement will influence the mood of the room, but that didn't really apply to me much, because there was also a mirror hanging on the wall facing my bed in my childhood bedroom, AND one "behind" the bed, and that hasn't caused me any weird sleep experiences. Maybe the two mirrors facing each other and sandwiching the bed cancel out the bad feng shui? BUT I also have a mirror facing my bed at my apartment, and generally I'm fine, save for a few weird dreams every now and then. That's just me and my brain. But here my dreams have been wild and weird ever since I arrived lol. And a lot of them are related to the things I see and read during the day - unusual for me. Normally my dreams are super random.

Anyway, enough about sleep and dreams. Today in my waking hours I will be reading, maybe doodling a bit, rummaging through some boxes and bags for my old college stuff - books, notebooks, and other objects, and also going outside to chill. I realized I barely went outside ever since I got here (the absence of a fence will do that) and I briefly walked to the back of my parents' yard this morning while on a call with my bf, and it was pretty pleasant, especially thanks to the walnut tree that shed a lot of leaves and basically created this bed of leaves curtained by the bare branches hanging low. It was so cozy and fresh.

Btw my parents went to church and returned saying my aunt asked about me, so I told them she should come over (no one came to visit ever since they finished the house, which is bizarre; apparently my stepdad's brother and his wife - my aunt - were taken aback by how similar it looks to their own house, which is true to an extent, but it feels like such a petty reason to refuse a visit to your BROTHER'S NEW HOUSE, considering you are supposedly on good terms no beef? 💀) and my parents were like "No, you should come to church this afternoon". I reminded them that I don't have any "nice" (AKA acceptable by the church's unspoken & unwritten superficial standards 😛) clothes here, to which they (my mom) replied "then wear your jeans"??? Lmao I mean in any other context this would be reasonable, I've seen people come to church in casual clothing and it's a normal thing for someone who just wants to go to church, it should be common practice. But unfortunately the people in this church turn attendance into a fashion show & contest, gossip fuel, and ego stroking party. And I really don't want to gather like any attention whatsoever from anyone there tbh. And there's also this tiny detail called ummm I don't want to go 👁️👄👁️ so yeah terrible idea. I told them I don't feel comfortable with that suggestion, so they dropped it for now. So I'm just gonna go about my day.

[2baabbies]

TO BEGIN thank you to xian’s anon for submitting this ask, because I’m totally going to steal this prompt for my mooties 🤭

NEXT xian what the HELL, I keep rereading my blurb because… do I want to be interesting, and sexy, and mysterious in my day-to-day life? yes, but bold of you to assume I have any charisma. still, thank you for feeding my delusions of being the most enticing librarian lee felix could dream of. I think if he actually showed up at my work I would become the most pitiful slutty puddle of cringe he ever laid his eyes on, but it’s nice to imagine that he would be swayed by my (nonexistent) charm and fall in love with me on the spot. my ego has eaten good today 🤪

and felix crushing on a librarian has consumed my thoughts for the past 4 hours, so here are some of the things I think he would do (if he was in love with me 😌)

def hovers by the circulation desk and works up the courage to ask you a question just for an excuse to talk to you, even if he’s already asked that question before (“excuse me, do you have a moment to show me where the biographies are?” “again? didn’t I show you last week?” “haha, sorry, I forgot” and then you do it anyway because he’s a babe)

finds you while you’re shelving and grabs a random book off the shelf just so he can come over and ask you what you think of it/if you think he should check it out. backfires when he grabs one on prenatal care for expecting mothers and you’re like: ? congratulations ? because you’re already onto his trick, but he plays it off like “haha, that was just a joke 👀”

in the same vein, will often bring two options up to check out and ask you to pick one because he ‘values your opinion’. really, it just makes him happy because the next time he comes in you always go “hi felix! how was the book?” and then his heart explodes into fireworks because. you! spoke to him!!! anytime you initiate the conversation he’s super happy

if you host a book club, he is in it. maybe that’s how the crush started in the first place? he wandered into a book club meeting and heard you talking so passionately about the assigned book that he just sat down and fell in love on the spot. and of course he reads every book. you’re pleasantly surprised when he keeps coming with something to say during every meeting, but in reality he has to have something to say because he lives for every second you give him your undivided attention

a lot of libraries have staff book displays and I think he would read every book on yours. he doesn’t check them all out at once because he is trying to be inconspicuous, but he definitely snaps a photo of the display and makes it his goal to read a bit of each one. you, again, are onto him but you can’t shield your excitement when he brings them back and you get to talk about your top pics. and felix is all ears, ofc

as a librarian that does a lot of storytimes for daycares, I can’t help but imagine daycare attendant felix. he brings his group of littles and they’re always so curious and kind. and your heart melts at how gentle he is with them and how genuine he is in his interactions. on this topic, I once had one of the regulars from a daycare group tell me he admired how good I was with the kids; and I think if felix said that to me I would combust. so yeah, daycare teacher x children’s librarian is a match made in heaven in my books (esp when it’s felix and me uwu)

AND FINALLY XIAN did you think I wasn’t going make a scenario up for you? tbh, I sometimes forget that felix is your bias because I often remember all the beautiful ways you write hyunjin, and my brain just associates you with hyunjin. but your lix fics are so adorable so I chose an adorable trope to fit the theme!

@forlix and felix are so so so intertwined fates. maybe meeting each other randomly or having a mutual friend, and then you keep running into each other over and over? and it’s always so random, but it’s like destiny. you find each other at the weirdest times in the randomest places, but each time you get a little bit closer and it gets a little harder to say goodbye. it goes until you actually can’t take parting again. you are truly meant to be together, and whatever obstacles you face in your life will always be conquered. the universe simply wants you to be together, and when that happens it is happily ever after 💖

ty for tagging me in this and for giving me a list of more writers to check out as well 🫶🏻 byyye

MOOT GAME: " make up a trope for your moots and their biases. doesn’t need to be romantic. can be crackfic/funny/anything you want ^ㅇ(๑>◡<๑)ㅇ^ "

omg how fun, thank u for sending this in nonnie !!! let me see...

@astraystayyh and hyunjin would have to be some 800k ao3 slow burn about forbidden love between royal families ... the grandest and most poetic of period drama romances that persists through backstabbing and betrayal and trial after tribulation. nothing less for my artistic soulmates

the first tropes to come to mind for @rachalixie and minho are literally just. not even really tropes. established relationship. domestic fluff. slice of life. they're That Couple. nobody remembers when they weren't together. they invite me over for dinner when i've had a bad day. mom and dad

@like-a-diamondinthesky and seungmin are the EPITOME of (fake) enemies to lovers. they're the sweetest, silliest, most sinister people and i just know their dynamic would be a dream come true for each other and a nightmare for everyone else

sue is just her "eighteen" mc in my head so @soobnny and seungmin scream best friends to lovers + college au to me. seung being the best cheerleader for her while she's crazy busy :') also she flusters v easily and i think he'd get a kick out of that (ik i do)

@luvtak and felix are giving childhood friends to lovers! the sort of relationship where they know each other better than they've ever known anything; really just the safest, warmest, and kindest of affections for the safest, warmest, and kindest of people

i'm gonna cheat again and hc @sunboki and chan as a trope from august's mafia au "korea's most wanted"; augs is so creative and badass and SEXY and so is the main couple's dynamic in that fic. chan's a lucky man. DITCH HIM FOR ME 🗣️

@txtxlz and jeongin would be a multipart messy love triangle ft. jealousy and pining and so much chaos bc haz has more biases than i have fingers or toes and i love love the idea of her favorite idols going to war over her. it's what my baby deserves fr

for @2baabbies and felix, i imagine perhaps a barista au or a librarian au (hehehehe) where he finds stupid excuses to come back and pick bae's brain every day because he's utterly enraptured by her. she has that effect on people and lix would NOT be immune

@starsandrqindrops and seungmin are so fwb-coded. think suffocating chemistry every time they interact. could cut the tension with a dull machete. then inevitably complications like Feelings come into play and they dance around each other for ages before finally giving in ... mm yes all that good stuff

last but not least, @hyunnie04 and hyunjin would be so perfect for an art school!au. mira is an incredible artist so i'm picturing these two sketching each other instead of paying attention in class ,,, gallery/museum dates ,,,, maybe a sprinkle of healthy competition who knows ,,,,

[mooncherrv]

"Head Over Heels" - Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Character(s): Jake "Hangman" Seresin x FlightAttendant!Reader Genre: Fluff Summary: Basically Jake is head over heels for the pretty flight attendant Author's Note: might make jake x FA!reader a series especially since after uni i plan to try and become one teehee Masterlist

Weirdly enough, despite being a pilot himself, Jake despised the flights back home to Dallas. Possibly it was the fact he wasn't the one flying or it was the fact he was exhausted every time he flew but no matter what he always HATED flights. Everything that could have gone wrong had happened. He got flagged at TSA because of his dog tags, the airline messed up his tickets so he had to wait another 3 hours before boarding, and prior to even coming to the airport he was running late and couldn't find his house keys. This time he was lucky enough to have a first class seat due to the airline's mix-up which he was thankful for because it gave him more chances to speak the them. Jake didn't usually pay attention to the flight crews on flights, though he can admit he has seen some very attractive crew members, but the second he stepped onto the plane and they smiled and greeted him. The second he realized they were the one working in the first class area of the plane he convinced himself everything that had gone wrong prior to his flight was for a reason. He HAS to talk to them. He NEEDS to talk to them. Something in his heart told him the minute he saw them that they were the one he was meant to be with. Could it be his tired delusions speaking? Possibly. That wasn't going to stop Jake.

The flight itself was as usual, except this time he didn't have to hear people quietly bickering behind him or a panicked mother trying to quiet her screaming child like he did when he flew to San Francisco. The flight attendant and him exchanged a few glances and smiles throughout the flight and even had a short conversation when they stopped by his seat to offer him a drink. Every time they would smile at him his heart would melt. He felt like a giggly schoolgirl every time they walked past him. He found himself listening into their conversations with other passengers just to hear their soft voice and the occasional soft laugh to a comment someone made. As people began walking off the plane Jake found himself still sat in his seat as other people walked past him. He inevitably found himself being the last person off the plane. As he was about to walk past them he stopped right before the door. They turned their head towards him before speaking. "Was their something you needed before leaving Mr.Seresin?" they said. They remembered his name? That had to mean something right? Jake cleared his throat. "This...This might be a bit forward, but, could I maybe get your number?" The flight attendant looked a bit shocked for a second before smiling at him as the other flight attendant behind them poked them in the side, handing them a piece of paper and a pen. "Umm...I don't usually give out my number to the attractive passengers, but, I think I'll make an exception for you today. Jake?" they said as they wrote on the paper. "So you remember my name." He smiled. "Hard to forget the name of such a attractive person." they said as they handed him the paper. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Mr. Seresin. Safe travels." They said before he walked off the plane. Jake looked down at the paper one he reached baggage claim and waited for his bag to show up on the conveyer belt.

Maybe you can take me on a personal flight some time? 000-000-0000

Jake smiled to himself as he added their information to his phone. He knew he had to see them again. Hell he would sit through a flight full of screaming babies if it meant he could see them again.

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Digital Heart

Foul Legacy Childe x Reader Gender Neutral (no pronouns mentioned) Angst Warnings: Falling, fighting, minor injuries, nausea, breathlessness 

In which Genshin is an interactive RPG accessed through an immersive headset, and you find yourself pushed to play it by your friends.

~ * ~

It started with a game.

For thirty days and thirty nights, your friends have been pleading for you to play it. Genshin Impact it was called, an free immersive open-world RPG with hundreds of weapons, characters, and power ups. Accessible through a specialized headset that tracked movement, it had only been a month since the freely downloadable game’s release and it was already a success, garnering praise from the customizable main character and the interactive playstyle. Play it. Your friends beg. You’ll love it. We can play together. 

You refuse at first. The game might be free, but the headset isn’t, and you need to save that money to pay for food and clothes. Alongside your financial state was your schedule, a long list of work and chores that left little time to play games with constant updates like Genshin, so you told your friends- politely, as that’s how you were raised- that it’d have to wait. They agreed, quietly.

Then the next day, they ask again. You make an excuse- too much work. They agree, again.

The second day, asking. You’re too tired, you say. Of course, they respond.

Everyday, the same question. The same request, the same demand. It wears on you, amused exasperation drawing a sigh from you everytime you open your notifications.

Play it.

You can’t.

Play it.

You don’t have time.

Play it.

You need to focus!

Play it.

…

…Alright.

Finally, you cave. You create an account, a headset en route to your house. You clear an area in your house so you don’t accidentally hit anything. The headset arrives, and you insert the batteries, said to last up to an entire day playing nonstop, a stage you dearly hope you never reach. You pull it down over your head, cringing at the thought of your hair getting so mussed, and switch it on. A long and potentially worrying warning flashes before your eyes and you blink, not used to the in-depth cameras yet, as the screen goes white.

Welcome to Genshin Impact! Please name your character… appears, and you subsequently slip down the rabbit hole.

It’s fun, you find. Your friends were right, you did like Genshin Impact, although you thank your lucky stars that you weren’t as attached as some players were, as you still had work and life to attend to. The combat and story were enjoyable, and the characters were funny and diverse in personality and playstyles. The main character, who was also your customizable avatar, was quite literally you, the story explained, a traveler from distant lands who fell face first into Teyvat by mistake and tragedy. Of course you still haven’t gotten entirely used to the whole immersion thing, and sometimes shuddered under the eerily real programming of the NPCs and characters, but that was nigh unnoticeable when focusing on fighting monsters. Your deep love for exploration and discovery surfaces, and you take as long as you want exploring every inch of the wonderfully modelled map as you follow the main story, or “Archon Quests”. You calm the great dragon Dvalin and bid your friends at Mondstadt- Kaeya, Amber, Lisa, Diluc, Jean, and Venti- goodbye, Liyue sprawling out before you in wooded forests and cloud-covered mountains. A mysterious man runs across you at the Inn, the immortal Adeptus Xiao, although you would’ve thought he was quite young due to his short stature, and you encounter Zhongli in the Harbor, along with Lady Ningguang and her subordinates, Keqing and Ganyu. A member of the malicious-seeming Fatui also greets you and introduces himself as Childe, a name you don’t trust for a second, yet find yourself getting strangely attached too. The story progresses with you at Zhongli and Ningguang’s sides, the suspicion being pointed more and more to the Fatui, and you find yourself staring up at the elegant pillars of the Golden House, the mora mint building.

You gulp. You know this is where Childe’s boss battle takes place, and you’re not sure if your team is prepared, even if you stocked up on food right before leaving the Harbor. Inhaling a deep breath, you shove the enormous front doors open, and a cutscene pulls your fear tight against your throat. Everyone’s suspicions were right- he was here to steal the Geo Archon’s gnosis, and you have to stop him. 

Easier said than done. The cutscene of your face shows a determined, fierce expression, instead of the nervous one you had in real life, and you almost laugh. You dearly hope your characters are strong enough, and step into the arena.

Phases One and Two are relatively short, as you quickly learn to avoid using Childe’s respective elements of his Vision and Delusion while his shield is up. The battle is fun and fast-paced, and you feel a thrill in your bones as you dodge another attack before swinging your sword in retaliation. Childe stumbles, and Phase Two ends with a cutscene. The corpse of Rex Lapis, something you considered a bit gruesome, is discovered to have no gnosis, and you can feel the raw anger in the Harbinger’s voice as the air crackles and hisses. A horrible, blinding light shines, and Childe is gone.

At least, human Childe is gone. In his place floats a monstrous version of himself, nearly 14 feet tall and complete with horns and armor, and your mouth drops open slightly as you gaze at him wide eyed. But your focus is violently shifted when the floor cracks and turns to dust, sending you tumbling down into the belly of the Golden House. You land with an unceremonial thump, thankful that the creators hadn’t been cruel enough to make you feel the damage you took in-game.

And Phase Three, the final phase of Harbinger Tartaglia, commences.

He has considerably more health, and his attacks can range from irritating to deadly, you just barely dodging the falling Hydro arrows that would’ve slaughtered your current character. Of course, it doesn’t help that you’re sneaking glances at your attacker every few minutes. Your mind wanders to the lore as you shield yourself from violet lightning. Does this transformation hurt? Where does it come from? Why does it look like a moth? Maybe one day you’ll get answers. 

Despite the raised difficulty, Phase Three also ends rather quickly. Your characters, it seems, were overleveled. The remainder of the Archon Quest passes, Childe reappearing once at the end, and it’s over. The screen blips off as you log out and place the headset on a table before laying on your bed and using the last few hours before bed to contemplate what you’ve just seen.

The next days quickly fall into routine. After completing all your work, you’d take an hour or two to play Genshin, leveling up your characters even more and going through various quests, Childe’s included. You see his transformation, dubbed the Foul Legacy form, again, and almost swoon before stopping and giving yourself a harsh scolding. You fulfill requests and tasks for various people around Teyvat, or at least the parts of Teyvat you can access, and improve your skills and stats. You have a talent for dodging, you find, and use it to your advantage while fighting.

And every Monday, when the clock resets, you re-enter Golden House to battle with Childe and claim your just rewards.

Of course you could do it everyday, but a squirming, guilty feeling in your gut stops you, making you feel like you’re hurting him, no matter how many times you try to tell yourself that he’s simply a video game character, a program in an electronic system.

This thought makes you a bit sad, you think.

The fights are getting easier, something you credit to your rising stars of characters, and you stand before the Ley Line Blossom quicker and quicker each time, something you expect to be no different today.

Phases One and Two are just the same as you take advantage of Vaporize and Overload, drowning out Childe’s pre-programmed sounds of pain with your own abilities. The battle pauses, and you’re transported to the same chamber underground, with its fiery walls and glittering arches, as the fight resumes. With the same attacks and characters, it’s becoming a tad dull, and you frown, wondering if you should try to get another character soon.

You’re lost in your thoughts when you slip and fall.

This you feel in the real world, having landed hard on your back and knocked the air out of your lungs. For a few moments you struggle to breathe, and Childe takes the opportunity to appear right over you, his spear flashing purple. You swear internally, bracing yourself as he readies his weapon.

But the strike never comes. You inhale desperately, oxygen finally flowing into your chest, and open your eyes. The graphics of your game are gray and fuzzy around the edges, framing Childe as he slowly puts his spear down and, to your amazement and slight terror, jerkily reaches towards you. Voice clips play overhead, pieced together to make not words, but a static-interspersed whining sound, much like a concerned beast. Your eyes widen, and Childe stops, withdrawing slightly almost as if he’s worried that you’re afraid, and you whisper his name once, as a tentative question.

Then with crackle and a ping, your game crashes and everything goes black.

You gasp and rip off the headset, chest heaving as you struggle to comprehend what just happened. You’re shaking, nervous and fearful, but curiosity runs strong through your veins. Your finger slides towards the On button, and you press it and slip the device back on.

You’re standing outside, the doors of the Golden House closed as if the battle never happened. The guards surrounding it look ordinary, occasionally repeating phrases you’ve heard and ignored countless times. Glancing around and trying to squash the nauseous bubbling feeling in your gut, you push the doors open again.

It’s different this time. Instead of being in the upper room, you fall a short distance into the Third Phase Chamber, your shoes clicking on the tiled floor. Childe floats in the center, his back to you, and you take a tentative step forward. He turns and looks you dead in the eyes, before flinging his spear to the side and rushing towards you on his feet, kneeling to your height. Instinctively, you jump away as he sits on the ground before you, letting out joyful chirps and trills, sounds you didn’t even know he could make. You approach him, sword held loosely in your hand as an extra precaution, and he tilts his head and coos as you cautiously sit with him. Your hands are trembling as you try to understand that this is real, he is real, all of this is happening.

And if it’s not, then it’s some damn good programming.

Questions start to fill your mind, one after another, and you ask him, responses coming as a nod or a headshake.

Is this real?

Yes.

Or programming?

No.

Could you always do this?

No.

Just today?

No.

Over a period of time. Yes.

How…?

The final question hangs in the air, and he shrugs slightly, then points at you. You did this. You woke him up, made him feel pain, sorrow, and happiness, all stemming from you, his love for you. From the minute the Archon Quests let you meet, he was vaguely curious, the most emotion he’s ever felt in his cold, empty programming since before. And when the code broke, he adored you, not like Childe viciously adored battle, but a soft adoration, one with all his digital heart could muster. You smile, and he purrs at what a wonderful smile it is.

Something flickers in the corner of your eye. Then another. And another. You turn and squint, then gasp as your surroundings begin to dissolve into colorful squares, the game taunting you as it glitches and lags. You and Childe leap to your feet, only to watch helplessly as the world crumbles away. You look down at your hands and see them beginning to break apart into pixels. Childe reaches out to hug you, to hold you close, but his hand passes right through you, a sickening reminder of how unreal he is. He wails in anguish as you both try to grasp each other, only to shatter more, the pixels covering your screen like rain on a windowpane.

Your game crashes for a second time, the only sound a desperate whimper that soon fades into an electronic squealing.

It takes a week to fix your device, the tech people saying that it was “overloaded”. Finally the repairs are finished, and you’re back at the Golden House, the doors already ajar. You slip into the room, expecting either a battle or, hopefully, someone to greet you.

But the room is empty. No one, human nor monster, stands in the center. Instead there is one lonely Ley Line Blossom, waiting, the final gift from an impossible love. 

[kpophubb]

❥Enhypen Imagine

Hʏᴜɴɢ ʟɪɴᴇ: ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ ғɪɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴄʀᴜsʜ ɪs ᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɪᴅᴏʟ

ᘜᗴᑎᖇᗴ: 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝, 𝚜𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 <|𝟹

“𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡?“

—————————-----꧁꧂————————————

☘︎︎ ℍ𝕖𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕦𝕟𝕘:~

Heeseung and you met unexpectedly in a picnic spot by the river, where he lost his AirPods and you found it and returned it to him.

“Excuse me. Are you looking for this?” you asked timidly as you held out a pair of AirPods to a man who was desperately looking for something.

“Yes ahh. Thank you so-“ heeseung began to speak before he was interrupted by your beauty. You were standing in front of him, sun kissed by the golden rays of the sunset, with a pair of the most dazzling eyes he had ever looked into.

You gave him a welcome smile and exited the scene to join your friends who were impatiently calling after you.

Heeseung was actually too stunned to speak and just stared at you as you left. You were such a gorgeous girl, and the way you unexpectedly popped up in front of him, he could swear you looked like his most beautiful dream wrapped up in divine beauty.

Time passes, but he remembers that encounter with you like the memories from a cherishing day. Clear like glass, the feelings he felt still intact and tender. But he’s mature when it comes to love. He doesn’t fancy over the idea of meeting you again like people see in movies, and doesn’t really hope much for it. To him, something like that is too good to be true.

But, much to his utter surprise, he’s dragged to the world of delusions, the world of loving, when he sees you again outside a cafe about a month later.

His feelings from that day still linger and take over him as he feels the knot inside his stomach tighten. Today, he was gonna thank you properly and atleast get your name. Cause the way he made you feel just at one single encounter, nobody has been able to make him feel that special feeling in his whole life.

However, before he can make it to you, he sees a man grab you by your waist, and pull the door open for you,giving you a sweet, heartwarming smile.

And much worse than worse, that man was someone he knew. Someone he looked upto and blindly admired as a senior and an artist. That man was no one but his co-artist, choi yeonjun.

With this one sight, heeseung feels his innards drop to the floor. He feels his heart hit the ground so hard, it almost felt like he was bleeding inside. But yeonjun was a deserving person, an amazing man who’d take care of your heart well ,maybe even in ways that heeseung could’ve never.

He withdraws his steps and moves away from the cafe with a saddened heart reminding himself that-

Maybe some people are better off as just memories.

☘︎︎ 𝕁𝕒𝕪:~

Jay being the man he is, is someone who doesn’t fall in love with anyone easily but when he finds his special someone, he falls and falls hard.

It was a given that he’d eventually fall in with you, your confident demeanour and the smart way you carried yourself won his heart since day 1. You were his college classmate who was in a different class, but being the executive club president you interacted a lot with everyone.

Jay didn’t attend classes a lot because of his busy schedule but he loved going to college whenever he could, just for you. He wanted to see you and get close to you. He loved the way you were so beautiful yet so empowering.

You guys did talk once or twice but it was only for club activity. Despite you being easy going and friendly and jay having a crush on you for months now, he never got the chance to approach you properly. Deep down, he was figuring out his real feelings and recently he just got the answer that he’s truly, deeply in love with you.

The next week after his big realisation,he got the opportunity to finally interact with you. After the college hours were over, you were sitting in a bench all by yourself and seeing the empty space beside you, he seated himself and waved a gentle hello in your direction.

“jay!! Hello!!” You replied excitedly, catching him off guard. He sat down and responded to you with a confused smile.

“The new comeback!! Wow, enhypen is so cool! *~*” you started fangirling, sth he wasn’t absolutely expecting.

“You know…us? I mean enhypen?…’’ jay asked genuinely surprised bc you never looked like the type to be a fangirl material.

“Ofcourse I do!! I have become an engene this era 😏 I wanted to talk to you a lot of times about it but trust me I was so occupied with my club work and you’re mostly absent. “ “gosh anyway, the title track? Wow the choreo” you went on talking nonstop with excitement filled eyes as he intently listened.

Honestly, he found you so cute. The way your eyes shined as you kept making different expressions while talking about enhypen, his band. He found you so adorable, he felt like he’d explode. His crush fangirling over his band, wow what an amazing coincidence.

“So you like kpop? Wow that was unexpected” he responded matching your energy level, giggling broadly.

But the giggle faded in the most horrible way when you replied- “OFCOURSE I do! You don’t know but my boyfriend is a kpop idol as well. Gosh, he’s such a cool dancer and singer. I’m so proud of him.”

Did you just say boyfriend? He couldn’t believe his ears. Ouch. That hurt so freaking bad. He loved you silently all this while only to get his heart broken by this bitter truth?

“…umm. Who is he?” He asked in a low tone, gulping hard to make sure his voice doesn’t crack. He didn’t want you to notice that he was breaking down.

“He should be here to get me today-“ “ah wait- I think he’s here” you smiled looking at your phone that was buzzing, alarming you of your boyfriend’s arrival.

A few feet away, there stood your beloved boyfriend wooyoung, with flowers in his hand and a big, happy smile. He flung his arms open, gesturing you to come right in.

Jay just watched you as you got flustered and ran to him, burying your head in his chest and losing yourself inside wooyoung’s warm, loving arms.

He looked at the sky to avoid seeing his heart broken for another time today, thinking that maybe-

Some people are meant to stay in your heart, and not in your life.

☘︎︎ 𝕁𝕒𝕜𝕖:~

The first time he sees you in the hybe building, he’s mesmerised by your beauty. Your pretty doll face, with subtle makeup highlighting your features, and long brown hair flowing below your waistline caught his attention almost immediately.

jake thought you were maybe an intern for a staff work, as your easy going outfit and foreign face didn’t suggest you being a trainee. You guys cross paths in the hallway, and you recognising jake as an enhypen member, bow and greet him with a warm smile.

Oh my god. That beautiful smile sets his heart on fire the very second and makes him feel butterflies inside his stomach. A typical love at first sight moment that he never imagined, but it happened when he saw you. He felt an instant connection with you and being speechless at your overwhelming presence and his fiery feelings, he doesn’t begin a conversation. Instead, he just lets you walk past him after returning your greeting gesture.

For a long time after that, he thinks about you. He just can’t get your face out of his mind and the way your sweet smell gave him a feeling of home. He tried to ask around and find who you were, but nobody seemed to recognise you. Heck, he didn’t even know your name.

Until finally he comes across a staff who understood your appearance by his description. “Ah y/n! Yeah I know her! She’s friends with txt you see and drops by to meet them at their studio.”

Jake’s eyes immediately light up from excitement. He finally found you after such hard work. “Will she be coming again anytime soon?” he asked with sparkling puppy eyes, with an eager voice. “Yes. As far as I know she will come again tomorrow :)”, the staff said casually smiling at jake, unaware of how this boy was actually searching for the girl he fell in love with.

So the much anticipated next day arrived. Jake dressed himself in a white tee and black jacket, did his hair with care and waited in the hallway of the main floor. To get towards txt’s studios, you needed to cross this hall first so he waited excitedly to see you again. He had a drink in his hand and busied himself on the phone so as to not seem suspicious and giggled shyly, imagining lovely scenes with you inside his head.

His wait was over in a short while as you made your entrance, dressed in a lacy white dress and perm hair and god you looked so beautiful.

But before he could take a step towards you, the scene was interrupted with an unexpected guest.

“Y/n! ~” taehyun called out, catching you in a quick embrace. From the smiles on both your faces, it was evident that you guys weren’t “friends” the way the staff addressed. But,Jake still tries to divert his mind and be hopeful about the situation, because unwillingly but surely, he had begun loving you a little more than anything else.

However, love doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. His hopes and heart are both crushed when taehyun pecks your lips.

“I missed you so much” he gasps afterwards in a loving tone and you reciprocate the kiss, making it obvious that you two were not friends, but actual lovers.

Heartbroken and dizzy, jake hides himself in a nearby room to not be in the frame anymore.

“I know you belong to him but I can’t help but wish you were mine. “ is what he kept thinking as a tear escaped his eyes.

He walks out the room after you guys leave, clutching the drink he bought for you in his grip, obviously wounded by the sad truth. But he still wished the best for you, because to him, your happiness meant the world to him, even if it was without him.

“It’s okay as long as I can see you smile, so I won’t wish to make you my own anymore.”

☘︎︎ 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕘𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕟:~

You were a regular audience at the music bank show, where sunghoon was obviously the mc.

You loved kpop since childhood and the show theatre being close to your house, you came almost every Friday to watch your favourite idols perform.

Being someone who was a mc, sunghoon had a good idea of the faces of the audience and the guests of the show. He saw you many times before, and thought you were just really cute.

Things didn’t really progress from his side, until that day came. Sunghoon had a cold and felt really nauseous but he still had to perform his duty. He was so nervous, and so tired and couldn’t bring himself to do the job. As you were making your way to your seat, you saw him being nervous and stiff, so you decided to go boost his confidence a little.

“Don’t worry sunghoon oppa. You’re the best mc of this show so far and I’m sure you will be amazing tonight as well.” You told him encouragingly and with your soft sweet voice that sounded as reassuring and calm like a song, he felt his heart melt and strength recover. He just nodded and uttered a polite thank you and moved into the stage.

Ever since then, sunghoon would always come to converse with you back stage. At first, it was just casual conversations and talking about the bands who were gonna perform but eventually you guys got really close and had fun conversations like friends.

And just like that, somewhere in the middle sunghoon fell in love with your soothing presence. The way you were so comforting and your voice diminished the silent storms in his heart. The way you smiled so whole heartedly and laughed with such a free spirit. He got to know you more and more and loved how mature your thoughts were and how thoughtful and kind your heart was.

So one day the day arrived where you showed up really late compared to your usual routine. It was the day enhypen was supposed to perform at mubank and sunghoon was secretly looking forward to you seeing him perform for the first time. He practiced really hard and wanted to show you what a determined performer he was, hoping to make you fall in love with him today just the way he was in love with you.

You showed up after almost half an hour, but the way you showed up was enough to make him forget how much he waited today. For the first time, you dressed yourself in a lavendar dress, the colour perfectly complementing your glowy skin tone. Your figure looked so beautiful and your gorgeous face stood out so well today with the neutral makeup, it almost drove him crazy.

“You look good today.” He told you hiding his heart eyes. “Yes cause today the man I love will be finally performing.” You shyly muttered.

Could it be him? He couldn’t help but wonder. Atleast he hoped it was him.

He gave his best in his performance after a while and right after that, he raced to you, confusing all enha members except for Jake who knew where his best friend was going. He rooted for sunghoon and prayed things went well.

“How did his performance go?” Sunghoon asked timidly, yet eagerly.

“Noo, what are you saying? He hasn’t performed yet.” You shrug looking in the right direction to the band who was about to perform next. You were looking at hyunjin, and stray kids was going up the stage then. Hyunjin looked at you and gave a flying kiss in your direction as you pretended to catch it and smiled back at your man.

This is the problem with love. You can love who you want to, but so can they.

Sunghoon just stood there still, his vision blacking out from excruciating pain, unable to absorb such a cruel truth. He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as he asked you inside his head-

Tell me, if we met in another world, would you have chosen me then?

The End

𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚝 ᴍɪᴀ’s ᴘʟᴀʏʟɪsᴛ ♡︎

This is my first time writing angst genre. This is for the readers to love angst and 4th gen crossovers! If you like my writings, please like and reblog to show your appreciation!🖤

[drwcn]

maybe after today’s acls training i can finally write that chengqing ER oneshot. 

— “Patient male, mid-twenties, motor vehicle collision, eta 3 mins” 

— “What no vitals? No GCS? ETA 3 mins? Who’s on the paramedic team?!” 

— “No one….Dr. Lu hit someone with her car on her way out of the hospital.” 

【A Midnight Conversation in Your Local ER】- Complete

[1] 

The night hunt had gone to shits.

That much was undeniable.

Jiang Cheng heard the panicked shout of his disciples just as he saw the array that he had stepped on.

Fuck.

The ghost of an once mediocre demonic cultivator wanna-be was going to bring Jiang Cheng, Jiang Wanyin - the Sandu Shengshou - to meet his maker. The irony of the situation would be laughable, if he wasn’t so irrevocably screwed.

That was his last thought before his entire body was engulfed by a blinding light and the world he knew disappeared.

The ground beneath his feet gave away, weightlessness paralyzing his body though he did not fall. He felt…launched, his body warping and squeezing and stretching, the air sucked from his lungs into the endless black vacuum.

But just like that it was over. Jiang Cheng barely had time to make peace with his death before his feet touch solid earth again.

Or at least….he thought it was earth, this black, tarry hard thing striped with yellow and white. He stared at it dumbly, breathless and disoriented, barely able to react when a loud blare assaulted his senses and his world went blindly bright yet again.

This time there was pain.

Jiang Cheng clutched Sandu, ready to fight, but then his head hit the ground and everything went dark. When he woke up again, an indeterminate amount of time later, he was in a small tube and had a distinct feeling he was not wearing pants, socks or shoes.

How the fuck do you ‘scan’ a cat???  

[2]

Method actor. The nurse, from the other side of the curtain, mouthed silently.

“Sir, can you tell me your name.”

“Jiang Cheng, Jiang Wangyin.”

The resident paused, awkwardly contemplating how to continue. “Uh…..which is it? Jiang Cheng or Jiang Wanyin?”

“Jiang Cheng, zi Wanyin.”

“Traditional parents?” The resident tried to crack a joke, but it fell flat. The strange man stared up at him with a blank look in his eyes and a frown that was rapidly deteriorating into a scowl. The resident cleared his throat and cast his eyes back onto his clipboard. “Uh, ahem, just the name on your ID please.”

“My what?" 

"Your personal ID….like a driver’s license?”

“Cultivators of the gentry fly on swords or ride horses. We do not rely on carriage valets.”

“Eh… right. Uhm, can you tell me how old you are and what year it is.”

“I’m 39, and the year is jiachen.”

Lu Qi frowned from where she stood by the door, arms crossed, watching her resident and medical student work. 39? He looks like a college student. But he also thinks he can fly, so I guess age is the least of our worries. 

“Jiachen.…?”

The M3 fished his phone out from his scrub pocket pocket and typed it in. “Sounds like the ganji system, like an old timey way to record year used in the past.” He whispers clandestinely to the resident.

“….Right. And uh, do you where you are?”

The man scowled at him. “Am I supposed to?” 

The resident scribbled something on the chart, and then looked up with a plastered awkward smile. “Well, thank you Mr. Jiang for your patience. Wang Fei here is the medical student on our team. He’s going to stay and ask you a couple more questions if you don’t mind. Afterwards we’ll confer with our attending and the team will be back to see you shortly.”

As he turned away, the R3 grimaced and shared a look with Lu Qi, who was the youngest attending physician in their ER, but was not technically working at the moment and so was not on the case. And technically, as the perpetrator who hit Jiang Cheng with her car, she had a severe conflict of interest.

At least this Jiang Cheng dude didn’t seem keen on pressing personal charges against her for MVA or suing the hospital in general… but that being said…

Yeah, they’re going to need a psych consult. 

Unless he’s on acid. 

Well… okay, psych consult either way. 

[3]

"It’s okay, you can relax.” Jiang Cheng said, waving dismissively at the woman standing by his bedside. “I’m not going to take you to the magistrate for hitting me with your carriage - car. You didn’t mean to, and I just came out of nowhere.” 

“....Thank you.” 

“You’re not Wen Qing. I know that now. Your name is Lu Qi. You can call off those psychia - psych - psychics - head healers - or whatever, I’m not crazy. It’s not my fault, you just… look so much like someone I used to know."

"Wen Qing.” Lu Qi echoed. 

“Yeah. Wen Qing. She was a healer - a doctor - like you, but different.” 

“I see. What happened to her?"

"She died. Almost twenty years ago."

"I'm sorry... that's awful.” Lu Qi’s response rolled off her tongue so well, because she had said those word a thousand times during her residency. So much so that it no longer had much meaning to her. Tonight however, she meant what she said. “Were you two close?"

"No, well…yes, maybe. No we weren’t exactly friends if that’s what you’re asking. She...operated on me. Without my consent or knowledge. Took my brother’s golden core and put it in me and then lied with my brother to my face about it. So no we weren’t “close”, but Wen Qing saved my life - well the purpose of it anyway. Saved me from a life of ordinariness.” 

Lu Qi did allow herself to dwell too much on what the fuck a “golden core” was, because her gut response was almost instantaneous. “That’s shitty of her.”

She clamped down on her tongue. 

God, why did I have to say that? To his face?! He was obviously in love with this Wen Qing person and they were encroaching on some dangerous emotional territories, but Lu Qi swallowed down her caution and plowed on nevertheless. There were things she felt she had to say, and since she’d already hit him with her car, how much worse could this shit get? “What I mean is she shouldn’t have. Not without telling you. Besides...there’s nothing wrong with ordinary.” 

Jiang Cheng chuckled bitterly. “Maybe you’re right. Still...she didn’t deserve to die. What her clan did was not her fault.” 

Now that threw Lu Qi off. Did this guy...kill her? 

Lu Qi half wondered if she stumbled upon a Yakuza-esque member whose psyche finally snapped after years of murder and violence. And yet, he seemed perfectly coherent, no flight of ideas, no tangential thought, no hallucations. Even his delusions seemed...logical. 

I must be the one losing, damnit.  

Jiang Cheng scratched a little at his chest, as if palpating for the “golden core” that he spoke of. "She saved my life, but when she needed help, I couldn't save her. But, if I were to go back… I can't say I'll choose differently. My clan needed me, my clan who was almost cleansed by hers. No, no I wouldn’t choose differently. I don’t regret my choices, but I am sorry. Sorry to her, sorry to my brother. I'll always be sorry that she died, and that I failed her when she needed me." 

Jiang Cheng had no idea why he was telling this stranger any of this, but maybe after twenty years, he was finally ready to address this guilt that he lived with. I mean who else was he supposed to tell? Jin Ling? It was nice, to have that face as an audience, receiving his words of confession. 

"She would forgive you." 

Lu Qi had no idea why she was offering absolution as if she had authority in this matter, but when she said it, the conviction she felt was so real, it was almost as though some external force was acting through her.

Which was ridiculous of course, but... 

"How do you know? You're not her." Jiang Cheng shook his head. “I wouldn’t forgive me.” 

"No, but you said she was a physician. So she should know, more than most, that sometimes there is no choosing who gets to live or die."

Jiang Cheng fell quiet at that, and his gaze grew distant. Lu Qi thought perhaps he was no longer seeing her as she was in front of him - white coat, scrubs, stethoscope -  but someone entirely different. The tension he held in his shoulders slowly eased, and he sighed. In the silence that stretched between them, Lu Qi hoped that this strange man with his strange past could find a sliver of peace. 

[4]

— Did you love her? 

— I thought so, foolishly, but maybe I didn’t. Even if I did, it was not well enough. 

— Do you love her still? 

— No... I don’t know. It’s been too long...but sometimes, late at night when Lotus Pier is quiet, I think I do. 

...

— Are you ashamed of it? 

...

— No. No I’m not. 

[5]

The patient known as Jiang Cheng left AMA, that is, against medical advice. It was the term they used sometimes for people who just up and leave without informing the team. 

Lu Qi had gone out to check on his labs, which came back with bonker numbers (I mean really, a hemoglobin of 455, sodium of 200, and a HCO3 of like...3?), but Jiang Cheng was gone from Bay 6 when she returned. The nurse made the overhead page, a code yellow was called, but four hours later, Lu Qi was ready to admit that she was never going to see this Jiang Cheng ever again. 

Somehow, she was okay with that. She had said what needed to be said.  

Her chief had given her a call on her cell and told her to go home and sleep. The guy didn’t look like he was gonna press charges, let’s count our blessings and move on. But the night had just been too damn strange that Lu Qi was all wired up from it and couldn’t possibly fall asleep. She had handover at 10 anyway. There was a change of clothes and toiletries in her bag. She could always take a shower in the anesthesia staff’s on call room and sleep until then. 

Dr. Sun was the anesthesia staff on-call tonight and was currently stuck in trauma OR. They were buddies since medschool; she’d understand.

Sighing, Lu Qi took a seat on the bench across from the bougie cafe in the lobby of the hospital. At this hour, it was the only one still open in the entire facility. The drinks they sold cost an arm and a leg, but Lu Qi needed the pick-me-up after the night she had. 

As she nursed the last bit of her matcha latte, two bickering voices pulled her attention to the front entrance. 

“Aiyo, A-Liang I already said I’m fine! I don’t need to be here!” 

“Fuck out of here with that bullshit, Chen Zhaoxi. You fell off the fucking roof! If Wu Kun hadn’t called me, you’d have gone on -”

It was him! Lu Qi shot up. It was Jiang Cheng! 

But no...no it wasn’t him. The well-dressed man dragging the second man (dressed in red pajamas) into the hospital was not Jiang Cheng. He had the same face - chiselled, handsome, scowling - but it wasn’t him. For one, his hair was trimmed short and neat, unlike Jiang Cheng who looked like he walked straight out of a BL xianxia tv drama. Secondly, his face was softer, eyes younger, and he couldn’t have been older than Lu Qi herself in her early thirties. 

“I was just trying to get to the litter of kittens trapped -”

“Yes, yes, and it was very heroic and I’m sure it would’ve made Wu Kun very horny, and you morons probably would’ve fucked once he got home had you not made a valiant attempt at breaking your neck -” 

“Excuse me,” the security guard manning the information desk chastised sharply. “It’s 4am. This is a hospital! Lower your voices, sirs.” 

“Sorry.” The men apologized sheepishly. 

Then, A-Liang, Jiang Cheng’s doubleganger asked, “Could you please direct us to the ER? This is my brother, he fell off a roof.” 

Lu Bin had no idea what possessed her to interject. “I can take you there.” 

All eyes fell on her. She walked towards them, heart pounding. 

This can’t be happening, this kind of thing just can’t happen... 

A-Liang’s face broke into a grateful smile. “Thank you, Miss -” Then his gaze trailed to her badge, and he corrected himself, “Dr. Lu. I’m Shen Liang. This is my brother Chen Zhaoxi. I think he fractured...well multiple things, please help him.” 

“Of course, come with me. Let’s get him a wheelchair. If he fractured is leg, he probably shouldn’t be walking.” 

“I didn’t fracture -” 

“You, you shut up.” Shen Liang rolled his eyes. “Don’t listen to him. He can lose three out of four limbs and say ‘ t’s but a flesh wound’.” 

Lu Qi couldn’t help but chuckle as she put an arm under the complaining Chen Zhaoxi and helped him towards the wheelchair. 

Shen Liang’s smile widened. 

[Extra]

“Holy shit, took you long enough!” 

When Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui finally dragged Jiang Cheng to their portal site, Jiang Cheng realized that the transportation talisman had created a channel through realities between what looked like two metal garbage dumpsters in a back alley behind a food establishment marked by giant yellow bunny ears.

Standing guard there, Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen were each munching on a strange layered bread and holding tall drinks contained in...what was it called again? Right. Styrofoam. 

“What is that?” Jin Ling wrinkled is nose at it. Brat. 

“It’s a Big Mac.” Replied Lan Jingyi as if Jin Ling was stupid. “And this is a milk shake.” 

Jin Ling scowled. “I said the bag of gold I gave you was for emergencies.” 

“Yeah but we were hungry.” Ouyang Zizhen defended. He neglected to tell them that the cashier had refused to accept the gold and instead asked for “cash” or “card”, neither of which they had, so Zizhen used a liiiiil confounding talisman he learned from Wei Wuxian. They did leave more than enough gold though...and that ought to cover the restaurant’s cost for their “burger”lary . Reaching into the brown paper bag he held under one arm, Zizhen pulled out a little box that opened to show pieces of... something. “These are chicken nuggets. They’re delicious! Try one! They’re really good with this sauce....hold on...” 

Lan Sizhui sighed. “We don’t have time for this. The portal will close soon. Let’s get Jiang-zongzhu home and we can sample these exotic food later.” 

The boys agreed. 

Jiang Cheng shook his head and huffed. 

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Eye of the Storm 3

Warnings: nonconsensual sexual acts (tags to be added throughout series), implied sexual acts, hints of voyeurism, Thor just generally being a skeev.

This is dark!Thor and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You are a new servant at the palace of Asgard but the job isn’t so easy as you thought.

Note: @lokislastlove​ has kindly asked me to stop mentioning her so I will oblige her and not blame her for this chapter. It was entirely me.

Thank you. Love you guys!

As always, if you can, please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

You were dismissed that night, well, the next morning, along with the noblewoman in her mussed dress. You were thankful for the long awaited respite but knew it would not be long. A few hours before you were to report back and spend a second day as the king's tormented chambermaid. 

Many servants would long to be in your position, those who tended the higher nobility were often the best off. You wondered if that was merely a fantastical assumption. After only a few weeks in the palace and you'd seen behaviour frowned upon by even the peasants and fishermen. 

Well, Thor had no one to tell him no.

You rose as you did every morning and readied. You were groggier than usual but cleared your sleepy eyes and drank a hot tea as you awaited the king's breakfast. You carried the tray carefully up the flights of stone stairs which wound covertly behind the pillars of the palace.

You stopped at the extravagant doors and the outstretched branches on their face. You knocked once, twice, three times. No answer came. You gathered your courage and pushed through. Loud snores rumbled from the bed chamber as you set down your wares.

You were uncertain if you should wake Thor or wait for him to rise. Inaction was always your strong suit. It wasn't long before he rose and you heard him moving around. You traced the stone along the floor with your eyes as he emerged.

He sat with a yawn and you stepped forward to remove the cover from the tray. You set it down and he nudged a goblet towards you. You filled it and he drank deeply before he slammed it back down.

"And how did you sleep, sweet maid?" He asked as you resumed your place against the wall.

"Well, yo-- my king," You lied.

"And did you have pleasant dreams?" He stabbed a flank of bacon with his fork. 

"I did not dream," That time you gave the truth though you might have just forgotten your dreams.

"A pity. I did have the most entertaining dream," He said through a mouthful and swallowed. You felt him looking at you, as he did too often for your liking. The sensation was growing irritatingly familiar. "I only hope my waking day is as delectable."

You nodded and kept still. He gave a soft laugh and continued to eat. You fidgeted only as the heat of his gaze grew suffocating. You glanced up and he grinned at you as he emptied his cup. He licked his lips exaggeratedly and held out the goblet in expectation.

"I'll have another before I face the day," He said. "Before I must leave you again to act king and only think of those eyes, rather than see their true beauty."

You stepped forward and poured. He watched as you did and purred. His other hand moved along his lap and you quickly retreated. You looked to the ceiling as his hand did not stop and you hoped it was all a delusion of your naivety.

🌩️

Your day went much the same but the royal chambers were not so in need of tidying as before. You found yourself searching for little tasks to keep you busy. You rearranged the cushions on the sofa in the receiving chambers then went to the mantle in the bed chamber and checked the ornaments for any sign of disturbance.

The king returned in a similar state as before though he said less. He sent you for his dinner and seemed to mull over troubles unspoken. You didn't press, thankful that his lechery was reserved to fleeting looks. As you cleared up after him, you felt a brush along your apron but it only had you working faster.

As you departed to dump the dirtied dishes, another noblewoman arrived. The third since your placement began and you wondered how many resided in the kingdom as Thor's hunger seemed endless.

When you returned, the receiving chamber was empty. You heard hushed voices from the bedchamber and thought to leave. Before you could, Thor's voice grew clearer and he peeked through the door in only his trousers.

"Bring us more wine and await me here," He commanded. "You leave upon my say only."

You obliged and fetched more wine. He appeared again to take the cups and bottle and the voices grew more raucous and soon lurid as you suspected the alcohol had done its work. When the flirty quips turned to moans and groans, you hovered by the door, pacing in your discomfort.

You were frightened by a knock at the door. You froze and it came again. You opened the door slowly and peered out through the slender crack.

Prince Loki looked back at you dully from the corridor. His hand rested on the door and his green eyes sparked.

"I did hope to see my brother before--" He was interrupted by the noises rising from behind you. "Ah, I see I am already too late." 

"Your highness," You cringes. "He is… uh--"

"You might spare us both saying it aloud," Loki sneered. "And I might excuse myself before I hear any more."

He snickered and strolled off down the corridor. You watched him grimly and reluctantly shut the door, closing on yourself in again. You crumpled your apron in your fist, irritated and embarrassed. You gritted your teeth and did your best to tune out the noise. 

It would end. Eventually.

🌩️

Days passed in kind. Three more days. Your nights got ever shorter and those times when it was just you and Thor grew ever more tense. It became harder and harder to believe it was all in your head. That his insistence on your after hours presence and close attention to his care were anything but unsavory.

Just under a week in your new post and your routine broke. The king greeted you expectantly, ready in his riding gear. You hadn't heard of a hunt or some expedition but then again, you knew little of the business of nobles.

“My king,” You stutter stepped inside the door.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” He warned as he secured his cape. “We must be on our way.”

“We?” You asked.

“Yes, sweet maid, we,” He smiled and neared you. You stepped back until you were in the corridor once more. He didn’t stop until you were against the opposite wall. “Don’t linger.”

He turned and swept down the corridor. You watched him with rounded eyes before shaking yourself and closing his chamber door before rushing to catch up. He didn’t walk fast but his strides were long enough to keep you on your toes. 

He led you to the spiral stairwell and down to the main floor which opened onto the green. He carried around the rear to the stables where two snorting horses awaited you.

You stopped and stared at the beast as he approached the one with a pure white coat, his sigil hug from beneath it’s saddle. You shied away as the other, a chestnut creature, sniffed at the dirt and huffed. It wasn’t as if you’d never seen a horse before, but you rarely got very close to them. You walked most places in the city.

“What is it, sweet maid, do you require aid in mounting?” Thor paused before he could take the reins of his own steed from the attendant.

You gulped and stepped forward. You shook your head. “No, my king, I should be able to--”

Your voice caught as he came around and before you knew it his big hands were on your waist. They slid down and he gripped your hips and boosted you up in a single motion. You let out a surprised noise and swung your leg over the saddle and latched on. Thor’s hand grazed your ass as he drew away and you settled into the leather seat as the beast kicked below you.

The king went to his own horse and had himself mounted without difficulty. He looked more suited to the saddle than yourself. You were handed the reins and kept them bunched in your hands as you clung to the pommel. You squeezed the saddle with your thighs and the horse jolted forward. 

Thor reached out and grabbed the reins from you before it could go far. He righted you as he came up beside you and cooed at the horse. Then you.

“Sweet maid, you keep from encouraging the beast,” He said. “Hold the reins, pull back to slow and allow some slack for speed. Yes?”

“Yes, my king,” You accepted the reins nervously. “I… never rode one before. I am unlearned.”

“You will learn in due time.” He assured you. “Thus far, I’ve found you to be a rather quick learner.”

He nodded and pulled ahead of you. You urged the horse forward and followed him around the path and to the gates. He passed below the archway and onto the city streets. He wound away from the heart of the urban sprawl and instead headed for the lush forests. He took the beaten path as you trailed behind him and he hummed a tune in his deep baritone as he plodded along.

The land slowly began to incline and you prayed you did not slip from the saddle as it got steeper and steeper, weaving between bunches of trees and brambles. You’d never been far beyond the borders of the city and you knew these hinterlands were reserved for the nobles.

When again you were on even land, the trees thing and open to the tallest of the clifftops. Even from the thin treeline, you could see the stretch of the city below and Thor did not shy away from the edge. He circled back to you and slid off his horse. He left it by a proud oak and neared you. He reached up and his hand spread over yours. Slowly, he wrestled the reins from your fist and you touched the horse’s neck. You weren’t sure how to get off.

“Ah, you should practice,” His hand settled on your thigh. “Keep your back straight.” He pulled his hand away. “Keep your thighs firm but not tight, head up.”

You blinked but followed his advice. He nodded with a pleased smile and tugged on the reins. He led the horse around the clearing in circles. He turned as the horse fell into step and his eyes flicked up and down your body. You noticed how they settled on your hips and you felt the cool air on your legs as your skirt had ridden up to your knees.

You were suddenly very aware of every part of you and how he seemed to see it all. You held onto the pommel tightly and he slowed the horse at last. He directed it next to his and halted it. He came around the side of the horse and reached up to you, on hand on your hip.

“Allow me, sweet maid,” He coaxed. “I cannot have you injuring yourself.”

You carefully lifted your leg over the horse and turned. He grabbed you as he had before and lowered you from atop the horse. As he did, your body brushed against his and he watched you closely. His lips curled and his touch lingered before he finally parted.

“Come,” He waved you along as he turned away. 

He went to the cliff’s edge and looked down onto the rooftops of Asgard. You could see the palace, the market, the docks, the rainbow bridge and the nether of the universe beyond. It was beautiful if not dizzying. 

“Sit,” He said. “Look. Relax. Sweet maid, you do work so hard and it has not slipped my notice. I… did bring you here hoping you would have a respite from your toil.”

“Me? Y-- My king, haven’t you duties more important to--”

“I am king, I tend to my duties as they arise. And often I can bid when they do.” He caressed your shoulder and pulled away. “I do long to clear my own head. I shall leave you to the view as I walk. You may call should you need me. I will not be far.”

“I don’t… understand. Your majesty, I-- my king, I should be--”

“You are where I have told you to be and that is all you need be.” He said. “I will be back shortly, I only long for solitude.”

You lowered your eyes and nodded. “Yes, my king.”

He was quiet and left you after a moment. You turned back to the city below and found yourself shaking at the height of the cliff. You got down to the dirt and sat as the king’s footsteps faded away. You sat, staring at the bricks below and wondered what the meaning of it all was. 

What could the king want from you? You’d watch him have nearly half a dozen women in as many nights, surely if he had any desire for you, he’d not tiptoe around. If he was toying for you upon his own amusement, surely he’d already gotten a big enough reaction out of you already. Yet, what else could he gain from a lowly servant? You could only assume he relished in the torment of others regardless of station.

You picked at your sleeve and fixed your skirts over your bent legs. How could you ever escape him? By his own admission, his last maid had not left in her entirety and you suspected that voicing your dissatisfaction would do you any favours. Perhaps, that was the trick. If you could hide your distress, he might lose interest, and he might just toss you away as he did those noblewomen.

You flinched as you heard Thor return though not until he was almost upon you. You were startled when he lowered himself to the dirt beside you. He had a bunch of wildflowers in hand and you tried not to recoil as his arm almost touched yours. He offered you the stems and you took them with a sense of foreboding.

“They made me think of you,” He said. “But I do not know how to weave a crown so I merely grabbed as many as I could.”

“They’re… pretty,” You hesitated. “But I haven’t any use for anything pretty. I’vr nowhere to keep them.”

He eyed the flowers and then you. His tongue slipped out between his lips and he scratched his beard. He turned to peer down on his kingdom and he sighed.

“I suppose you are right so you must enjoy them now,” He said. 

“I do appreciate them, my king.” You offered. “Thank you. They are very pretty.”

He was silent for a minute. He traced the line of his hand with his thumb and lifted his chin.

“I must marry. At last. My brother insists upon it and the other lords have joined his pleas,” Thor said. 

You stayed silent. Unsure why he should you or how you should respond.

“You would thus be beholden to my wife in kind,” He continued. “Naturally, my will would supersede hers but…” He stretched his legs out and leaned back on his hands. “You must understand that you belong to me now. You are my chambermaid; my closest servant. Even if I should take a queen, you will see to me before her.”

“Of course, my king, I--” You played with the flowers and kept from looking at him. “It is my duty.”

Another silence. You struggled not to squirm. You recalled yourself and mustered your resolve. Stay calm, don’t let him shake you. Neutrality was a better defense than panic.

“Duty?” He echoed. “Is that all I am to you?”

“You are my king,” You looked to him, struggling to keep your expression placid. “And too kind a king.” You held the flowers out to him. “You should not prize servants with gifts or they should grow wanting and you should not trouble yourself with our thoughts or we will think ourselves as more than.” He stared at the bunch and slowly took it. “Now, my king, we’ve wasted much time here and I must scrub your floors and strip your bed before noon.”

You stood and marched away to the horses. You stopped by the darker one and took the reins, still unsure if you might receive a hoof to the jaw. You heard Thor as he followed and you hooked your foot in the saddle and drew yourself up. You nearly tossed yourself over the other side but managed to steady yourself on the leather.

“I don’t understand,” He said as he came up next to your horse.

“You are a king, I am your servant.” You said staunchly. “It is my duty to follow your command. I must polish your boots and deliver your meals. I must be diligent and keep to task and, my king, you do insert yourself in the way of that.”

“I--” He winced and his brow arched. “Do you mock your king?”

“Have I been anything but tireless in your service?” You challenged, the blood pumping through your veins wildly. He might anger if you should push too far. “Have I not brought you your meals, tidied your chambers, drawn your baths, and spent my nights sleepless to see to your comforts? That is my duty and when your queen arrives, it will be my duty to do the same for her.”

“You are angry--”

“I am impatient to be back to work. Forgive me interrupting, my king,” You countered. “I am a servant and cannot be angry with you. I can only serve you as you see fit.”

He narrowed his eyes and looked away. His cheek twitched before he turned back to you.

“As I see fit,” He said. “Yes, you are right, sweet maid.”

He drew away and went to his own horse. He mounted swiftly and squared his shoulders before he kicked the horse into motion. He turned back to the path without a word and you followed. He swayed with his steed and the noise of the hooves echoed all around you.

Suddenly his silence was worse than any word he’d ever said to you.