#that effort is what keeps you from being completely insufferable

[cigarette-room]

attachment styles of tiktok have started going into their pathetics once again

"anxious attachment can only be happy when they're loved by you :(" learn to not depend on others for slimmers of happiness dumbass

"avoidant ppl are human too :(" cool and they should stay away from me

[januaryembrs]

hot chocolate!

(last one i promise)

reader & spencer who aren’t exactly enemies but they’re def not friends but reader always double checks if spencer’s fbi vest is secured correctly which in return makes spencer check her over as well and they’re always like ‘stop checking up on me and worry about your own safety’ and it just happens every single time and they swear up and down that they dislike eachother deeply (they need to make out)

BANE OF MY EXISTENCE | Spencer Reid x reader

description: Spencer hates you, and you hate him, until it comes to protecting each other in the field

length: 0.7k

His fingers wound through the back of your vest as you made a move to dart past him, trailing after Hotch as you loaded your glock. 

You felt a yank at your neck, his obnoxiously long arms giving you a firm tug back with little to no effort, all but making you stumble backwards as he forced you to stop, and his fingers were at your hip, adjusting the strap before you could ask him just exactly what he was doing. 

“Wha- Reid, let go, my vest is fine,” You snapped, huffing when he ignored you, in the interest of fixing your belt, his brow turned down into a frown. 

“Don’t come crying to me when you get shot in abdomen and suddenly you’re bleeding out, and you lay there and thinking, dang if only the smart FBI would have told me to adjust my kevlar, and I’ll be right there to point and laugh and say I told you so,” He huffed, his fingers making light work of the fiddly strap, tightening it until he couldn’t see a single inch of your shirt to the point he heard your breathing constrict, but he thought he’d rather you be a little uncomfortable than shot. 

“I mean, if I’m laying bleeding out I won’t really have much to say other than, Reid, get medical, I think they hit something serious, please don’t come to my funeral, you were insufferable enough when I was living,” You said, allowing your body to be tugged back as he started on the other side, because there was no use fighting it when he got in those moods when he always needed to be right. 

He paused, his brain catching up to your words and he drew in a silent breath, wondering if the other side of your jacket needed tightening even more, or better yet, if there was any way Hotch would make you stay in the car as back up. 

Spencer yanked the strap with a vendetta, ignoring the way you whined it was too tight, and his lips pursed together. 

“Would you relax, I was clearly kidding,” You said, thinking his mood had come from your teasing, because you seemed to know exactly what to say to push every one of his buttons, “What I would probably be thinking however is if you’ll be able to flag down a medic with your shoelaces untied,”

His gaze snapped to his converse, and sure enough the double knot he relied on seemed to have failed him, and his strings were hazard material as they dragged along the pavement, already mucky where they’d probably been undone for hours. 

“Make sure you do them before we move in, I’m not carrying your bone head out of there if we start taking hits and you trip over your own feet,” You snipped, and he finally released you, immediately leaning down to fix his own issues, completely missing the way your eyes trailed down to make sure he did the loops tight enough because you were being serious when you said it would loathe you to be the one to carry him away from the danger, though probably not in the way he thought. 

He huffed, standing back to his full height and giving his feet a wiggle in their shoes to make sure they were comfortable, and he looked back at you where you were watching him carefully, catching the split second where something close to worry pooled in your eyes. 

It snapped back into your usual cold demeanour when you realised he was looking straight at you, and you whirled you keep your back to him, inspecting your loaded gun some more as a way to busy yourself. 

“Try not to miss, it doesn’t look good on the reports when I have to save your ass twice,” Spencer snarked, and he practically heard the scoff before you even gave it. 

“That was one time, Reid, and it was only cause I couldn’t see past your stupid fluffy hair. You’re a cop, Reid, not a poodle, you don't need that much volume,” You snapped back, the two of you squabbling the entire walk to the building, until Hotch separated you for the sake of his growing headache. 

He just wished you two would talk things out before he seriously considered Emily’s proposition of locking you in the broom closet together.

[auras-moonstone]

Hey babe! I’m sure you get lots of requests but I’ve been reading all your stuff lately(so good omg and so addicting) but I was wondering if you could do enemies to lovers. With either Jack or ethan. Whatever comes to mind. Love ya!

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain

ᡣ𐭩 word count: 1.2k

ᡣ𐭩 pairing: ethan landry x fem!reader

ᡣ𐭩 summary: ethan and y/n have a rivalry going on, until one day y/n explodes and ethan decides it’s time to change the core of their relationship.

ᡣ𐭩 contents/warnings: academic rivalry. enemies to lovers(ish). insecurities. fighting. screaming. making up (and out). a little bit of toxicity.

y/n left the classroom practically fuming, with a smug-faced ethan trailing behind her. they had just been given their marks on their econ exam, and while y/n had passed, ethan had beaten her once again. by far.

it was exhausting. the boy was so smart, he didn’t even need to study. paying attention to class sufficed, he memorised everything and understood easily. y/n, on the other hand, wasn’t a natural. she had to stay hours on a chair trying to get the contents in her mind. and while she made an immense amount of effort, ethan always managed to come out in top of her.

she was insanely jealous of ethan. yes, maybe the few times she achieved higher marks than him she’d gloat a little bit (a lot). and yes, maybe the nonsense rivalry between them had started because of her and her bitterness but she couldn’t help but put up a fight.

some days y/n would feel bad about being the detonator of the stupid enmity, but today was definitely not one of those days.

“hey, y/n/n, it’s okay. econ is a very hard subject, not everyone understands it quite like i do.” ethan said, cockiness trying to be disguised with a very poorly-done empathetic tone.

y/n kept stomping, not even the rain could stop her from trying to get away from him.

“i could tutor you, if you’d like.” he continued, ignoring the way the fabric from her polo shirt was starting to get soaked.

“what i’d really like is if you’d leave me alone.”

“nope, this is my favorite part of feedback day. i love rubbing my high marks all over your face.” the tall boy smiled.

it was a crime that the cutest smile she’d ever seen belonged to the most insufferable man on earth. it only made her more furious. “get lost, landry.”

“we live in the same dorm building.” he laughed.

“well, take another route.”

“my god, you’re such a sore loser. i don’t say a thing when you gloat. which doesn’t get to happen very often, but still.” he rolled his eyes.

was he right? of course. was she going to admit he had a great point? no. was she going to keep unleashing her fury and jealousy? hell yes.

“yeah, well, once you get to beat mr. perfect, it’s an inevitable thing to do.”

his jaw tensed. “why are you so frustrating?” he screamed over the rain and thunders.

“why won’t you leave me alone?!” she screamed back, stopping in her tracks. “if i’m so frustrating why don’t you just stay away?” he stayed silent because he didn’t have a reason why. at least, none that he could say aloud without her running away. “huh, ethan? why do you keep sitting next to me even though the classroom is always empty when we arrive?!”

truth was, he was addicted to the rollercoaster of a relationship they both had. y/n always challenged him, made him feel alive. it wasn’t sane, it was completely intoxicating and wild and crazy, but it was his serotonin and he was addicted to it.

but this? up until today, it has been silly bragging and comebacks. this y/n seemed deranged, absolutely insane. he didn’t want her to truly hate him, because there was not a bone in ethan’s body that held any hatred towards her.

ethan admired her. he admired her perseverance, her intelligence, her witty, her humor. and even though it had never been towards him, he witnessed how kind she was to others. he wondered when it’d be his turn to have that part of y/n—the one that smiled genuinely, the one that joked, the one that laughed warmly.

it was clear the end of the stupid rivalry was in his hands because it would be an endless battle if it were for y/n, she was never going to let her armour down. he was ready for their relationship to change.

so with determined steps, ethan made his way towards her until he was so close that her chest almost touched his. “because i’m so fucking attracted to you. never thought i could feel this much about someone that hates my guts, but here i am.”

y/n’s eyes widened and searched in his face for any sign that he was messing with her. but she only found pleading brown eyes and eyebrows furrowed in anguish.

“and i’m going to kiss you right now, in risks of getting kneed in the balls, which is something you’d one hundred percent do.”

y/n might’ve laughed at that, but before she could do anything, ethan’s big hands grabbed her waist and pushed her towards him, closing the distance.

they stayed kissing in the rain for a while, not caring about the clothes sticking to their skins or the amount of water that fell down their faces. maybe their fights had been the perfect foreplay, because the kiss was unlike anything they’d experienced before. the rush that ran through their veins was intense and heart-racing.

“wow.” y/n said when they had to pull away for air. her fingers were still threading through his wet hair.

“yeah.” he agreed, letting out a laugh. “now that my kiss sort of sedated the beast within you—”

“fuck you.” she muttered, but this time there was nothing but playfulness in her tone.

“—let’s talk about what is going on inside your head, because we can’t keep on going like this.”

the walk back to her dorm was silent but the tension that always seemed to surround them was gone. their fingers were intertwined, and y/n leaned on ethan’s arm with his jacket around her shoulders.

“i’m sorry, ethan. i’m the one that started this stupidity.” y/n said as they settled on the couch.

“i never put a stop to it.” he pointed out.

“you were just playing the game i started. you never had bad intentions, but i fought with you because i resented you.”

“resented me? why? why did i do?” he asked, taken aback.

“no. nothing, not really. it’s just… i envied that you were so good at every class. i hated that i spent hours trying to make sense of what was in front of me while you understood everything so effortlessly. and the marks always hit me in the ego and insecurities.”

“and everytime i paraded my mark… i was just fuelling your anger.”

“well, yeah, but it’s not on you. it’s all me, in my head. during high school, everyone practically patted me in the head and congratulated me for my marks… and now, in college, i’m struggling like i’ve never before. it’s so horrible, i feel like a failure.”

ethan pulled her into his arms as she broke down. “you’re not a failure, y/n. college is very different from high school, and everyone struggles in their own way. no, i don’t have any problem when it comes to clases but socialising? trying to make friends? that’s where i struggle. it terrifies me.”

and now she hated herself more because it was at that moment that she realized she had been mean to someone who did not deserve it at all. “i’m so fucking sorry, ethan. you’re amazing and i’m sorry that i ever made you feel bad.”

“i’m sorry, too. i never meant it, but i still hurt you with my mocking. so let just call it even and move on, please.”

“we’re not even close to being even, but i want to move on, too. i want to get to know you. start over.” she said, brushing away the wet strands of hair that sticked to his forehead.

“but can we, maybe, please, not obviate the kiss? cause that was really fucking good and i want more of that.”

y/n laughed and hugged his neck. “that sounds perfect.”

[vroom--vrooming]

Sihtric Kjartansson x Reader

Just Sihtric and Uthred's stubborn sister separated from the rest in a forest after an attack

The forest is dense and soon getting darker as you and Sihtric move quickly, the chaos of the enemy's attack scattering your group. Uhtred and the others are nowhere to be found, leaving just you and Sihtric to navigate the treacherous woods.

"Could you at least try to keep up?" Sihtric grumbles, glancing back at you with a mix of annoyance and concern.

"I'm keeping up just fine," you snap back, stepping over a fallen branch. "Maybe if you didn't stomp around like a wounded boar, we'd be harder to track."

"You're insufferable," he mutters, though there's a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"And you're a brute," you retort, picking up your pace to match his.

As the sun sets, the forest grows colder. You suppress a shiver, trying to hide your discomfort. Sihtric notices, his eyes narrowing. "Here," he says, shrugging off his warm cloak and holding it out to you. "Take this."

"I don't need it," you insist, crossing your arms.

"Stop being difficult," he replies, stepping closer to drape the cloak over your shoulders.

"I said no," you snap, pushing it away.

Sihtric sighs, clearly exasperated. "Fine. Freeze, then."

He starts gathering wood for a fire, his movements precise and efficient. You watch him out of the corner of your eye, grudgingly admiring his skill. Despite your constant bickering, there's no denying that he's good at what he does.

The fire crackles to life, casting a warm glow that pushes back the darkness. You sit close to the flames, the heat soothing your chilled skin. Sihtric settles across from you, his eyes scanning the perimeter.

"I'll stay awake," you declare, determined not to appear weak. "In case we're attacked."

Sihtric raises an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "You won't last the night."

"Watch me," you challenge, glaring at him.

Before he can respond, the forest erupts with the sounds of approaching enemies. Sihtric springs to his feet, pulling you behind him protectively. His sword flashes in the firelight as he parries an attack, his movements quick and precise.

"Stay back," he orders, his voice firm.

"No," you argue, drawing your own weapon. "I can fight."

An enemy charges at Sihtric from behind, and without hesitation, you step forward and plunge your sword into the attacker's chest. Sihtric glances at you in surprise as the enemy falls at your feet.

"Impressive," he admits grudgingly.

"Don't sound so shocked," you quip, panting slightly.

With the immediate threat neutralized, you and Sihtric exchange a glance that holds more than just respect. There's a shared understanding, a recognition of each other's strengths.

As night falls completely, the temperature continues to drop. Sihtric sits close to the fire, his eyes never straying far from you. "Get some rest," he says softly. "I'll keep watch."

You shake your head stubbornly. "I'll stay awake with you."

"You're exhausted," he argues. "You need sleep."

"So do you," you retort, glaring at him.

"Please, just rest," he insists, his tone softening. "I'll keep you safe."

Reluctantly, you nod and settle closer to the fire, your eyelids growing heavy. Despite your best efforts to stay awake, exhaustion soon claims you. As you drift off, you miss the soft, affectionate look Sihtric gives you.

He waits until your breathing evens out before moving. Quietly, he drapes his cloak over you, careful not to wake you. In your sleep, you instinctively pull it closer, a contented sigh escaping your lips. Sihtric settles by a nearby tree, his eyes never straying far from you.

The night is long and cold, but Sihtric remains vigilant, his thoughts never far from you. He watches over you with a mix of frustration and something deeper, something he isn't ready to name.

Morning breaks, and you wake up to find the cloak still wrapped around you. Sitting up, you see Sihtric, bleary-eyed but alert, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"You stayed up all night," you say, more of a statement than a question.

"I told you I would," he replies, meeting your gaze.

You pull the cloak tighter around you, feeling a mix of gratitude and something you can't quite place. "Thank you," you mumble, the words foreign on your tongue.

Sihtric stands, stretching. "Don't mention it. We need to find Uhtred and the others."

As you prepare to move out, you can't help but notice the way Sihtric looks at you, a softness in his eyes that you hadn't seen before. It makes your heart race in a way you don't quite understand.

"Next time, try listening to me," Sihtric says with a smirk.

"Only if you admit I'm not just some stubborn fool," you retort, a smile tugging at your lips.

He laughs, a genuine, warm sound that surprises you. "Deal."

[shadowdaddies]

Court Dismissed

Rhysand x Reader

Your first time in court as High Lady proves to be a bore, so you find a way to entertain yourself with Rhys.

A/N: this can be read as a part 2 to Claim Your Throne or as a standalone

Warnings: SMUT dirty smut, nsfw below the cut, exhibitionism, cockwarming, p in v sex, oral m!receiving, throne sex, minors dni

Rhys had somehow undersold how grating conversation with Keir would be. Once you got past the initial irritation of dealing with the insufferable male, you tuned out of his conversation with Rhys in favor of relaxing into your seat on your mate’s lap. You lazily stroked his arm which he had propped on the armrest of the throne as you mindlessly watched over your subjects, reveling in their mixed expressions of lust and disgust at the low-cut strip of fabric you had draped over you, leaving your sides open and little to the imagination.

Rhys could sense your impatience, sending reassurance down the bond as he pressed a light kiss to your neck. What he didn’t realize is the effect that move would have on you. You feigned a stretch, arching your back and rear against Rhys, leading him to tense and harden beneath you. You smirked, finally having some fun for the first time this evening. 

Rhys let out a low exhale as you felt a talon drag softly along your mental shields. You lowered them for him, and his voice purred in your mind, you are playing a dangerous game, darling. You subtly adjusted your hips against him, watching his knuckles turn white against the armrests as he struggled to maintain his composure. Well I’m in the mood to play, High Lord, you answered, following up with a mental image of you kneeling in front of the throne, sucking his cock completely naked except for your crown. 

Rhys’s eyes shuttered as he moved his hands to hold your hips in a bruising grip. You were wearing a vague smile in your efforts to appear disinterested and aloof in front of the court, but you couldn’t help the surge of pride you felt from making your High Lord melt under your touch in front of the court. Rhys leaned forward, harshly biting your earlobe before soothing over the mark with his tongue. Your body tried to squirm under his demanding touch, but his solid grip held you in place. You want to play, darling? Let’s play.

Rhys assumed his previous position on the throne of bored condescension, resting one hand under his chin while he dragged the other up and down your side, before slipping it behind you and dragging the side of your dress over just enough to expose you to him without it being obvious to anyone else. You brought down your mental shields in an effort to tease Rhys further, but he kept his up as he pulled out his hard cock from his pants and wrapped one arm around your waist, pulling you up to align himself at your entrance. 

Rhys leaned forward again, whispering in your ear, “still want this, darling?” You put on your best arrogant smirk despite the fact that he could probably feel your heart pounding in your chest, giving him a single nod as you cocked your brow in a silent challenge. Rhys wasted no time pushing into you, taking advantage of your mental shields being down to keep your body still, silencing the load moan that would have escaped you. Rhys pulled you tight against him so his cock was resting deep inside you and you let out a shaky breath. He showed you a mental image of you bent over the seat of the throne while he took you roughly from behind, and you clenched around him. Rhys let out a quiet hiss at the feeling, and you reciprocated his play by clenching and rocking on him slightly as you showed him your own image of yourself in your current position on his lap, with your legs tucked under you to ride him hard on display in front of the court. 

You heard Rhys swallow hard behind you, taking a moment to compose himself before slipping on his mask of nonchalance and dismissing the court. He wasted no time winnowing the two of you to the room you were staying in, roughly pushing you back on the bed and ripping off his shirt. He gave you a wicked smile as he strode toward the bed with predatory grace, leaning over and caging you in between his arms. “You almost had me losing control in front of our court, darling. I suppose we’ll need a lesson in proper court etiquette in the future. In the meantime, why don’t we act out that little scenario you envisioned for me just now?” He stood up, slipping off your dress and removed his pants so you were both completely naked save your crowns.

Rhys made his way over to lie down on the bed for you to ride him, but you preferred to reenact one of your other visions first. Before Rhys could slide up the bed, you grabbed the back of his legs and kept him sitting on the edge. You smiled up at him as you scraped your nails up his thighs while kissing down his stomach. “Don’t tease me right now, love,” he ground out through gritted teeth. You happily obliged your mate, grabbing his cock with one hand and swirling your tongue around the tip. Moving your head down, you licked up the sensitive vein on the underside of his shaft, eliciting a moan from him. You lightly stroked his balls at the same time you took him fully in your mouth, causing him to jerk his hips against you, “fuck darling, just like that.” You bobbed your head at a ruthless pace, but it didn’t last long before Rhys pulled you up by your hair. “I’m not going to last long like that darling, and I still need to fuck that beautiful pussy tonight.” 

He placed a sweet kiss to your mouth before tossing you on the bed on your hands and knees. “You know what to do, love. Elbows down, back arched, legs spread for me.” You felt tight and breathless with anticipation as you followed Rhys’s orders. Positioning himself behind you, Rhys bent over your back and pressed kisses all the way down your spine. He brought his hand up to your entrance, swiping a finger through your soaked folds. “Fuck, you’re so wet for me, my love,” he murmured as he brought that finger into his mouth and sucked, groaning at your taste. Rhys grabbed your hips, kissing his way back up your body while you panted beneath him. “Please, fuck me Rhys,” you pleaded impatiently.

“As you wish, my High Lady,” Rhys said as he pushed into you. Your head dropped forward as you released a loud moan at the feel of him stretching you. Rhys began moving at a slow but hard pace, hitting the perfect spot every time that had you mewling and clawing at the sheets. “Fuck, Rhys, faster please,” you pleaded. Rhys was quick to oblige, pounding into you at a punishing pace that had you quickly approaching your high. 

Rhys’s thrusts were getting sloppy behind you, and you knew he was close too. He brought one hand around to your clit and breathed, “come with me, darling,” as he began rubbing in tight circles. You quickly came, Rhys following shortly after. You both laid down on the bed and you nestled into his side as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. 

You began to drift off to sleep with Rhys rubbing soothing motions along your back as he whispered, “don’t think I’ve forgotten about fucking you on our throne, High Lady.”

[munsons-mutiny]

Headcanon that next season it’s Steve not Jonathan who catches Will staring at Mike with patented Wheeler Longing. He knows that look, hell he invented that look.

And is very first thought is God Damn I’m just collecting Gays at this point.

He makes an effort to spend more time with Will when he realizes. While they’re all volunteering and just doing their best in the weeks after losing Eddie, he always tries to make sure Will knows he sees him.

As they get closer he starts taking wise cracks at El and Mike whenever they’re around, stupid sassy comments that never fail to make Will smile or even laugh. Eventually he even starts roping Will into teasing Robin for being hopeless with girls. (Robin is of course in on it and has approved being outed in this scenario, Steve would never have revealed it otherwise)

The first time it had happened Will had frozen up completely looking around to see who was listening, he looked terrified. But Steve just kept his reaction natural and Robin just rolled her eyes talking about all of his strike outs last summer. Their usual banter filling the space until Will could breathe again, could join back in to give Robin shit.

His smiles are even brighter after that, even more open, and sometimes when the three of them are alone he comments on a cute boy he saw, or really rants about Mike. Steve and him bond over Wheeler rants, even though Steve really is over Nancy now.

When shit inevitably kicks off again, Steve keeps an even closer eye on Will. He’s one of the people that he’s overprotective of now, and it’s the first time one of those people have been the focus of the enemies. Have had a target painted on their back. It has him so stressed already, that he hits his breaking point the day they encounter Kaz.

Not Eddie. Cause he’s not Eddie, not anymore. He nearly took a bite out of Dustin, and Johnathon had to restrain Mike to stop him from running to him. Only stopped fighting when Kaz grinned at him blood covered fangs and dead eyes.

It was a bad day.

They somehow all make it back to the cabin unscathed, and Steve has to keep it together. Has to make himself strong while Dustin falls apart in his arms, and Mike is pacing and shouting at anyone who will listen. Tears streaming down his face. He keeps it together for hours, til Dustin falls asleep against him, and Will finally got Mike to sit down and pass out. Only when he’s sure he can escape unnoticed, does he stand and let himself outside to the back of the cabin.

The second he’s there he collapses into sobs. Falls to the ground and puts his face in his hands to muffle them. Shakes with the effort of it all.

It doesn’t take long for an arm to wrap around him as he’s tugged into and awkward side hug. When he looks up it’s to see Will comfortingly just there as much as he can be. They sit silently for what feels like hours before Steve finally speaks,

“I’m sorry”

“Why on earth are you apologizing?”

“I can usually keep it together better than this, they need me to be strong right now.”

“Nothing about this makes you weak. This is such a fucked up situation, this is worse than just losing him. And I know how important he was to the party. Im sorry I didn’t realize how important he was to you” Steve just shakes his head at him,

“He wasn’t not really, I only knew him after everything started going down. Only really spoke to him a handful of times. And honestly I didn’t even like him!” Steve’s voice picks up hear going higher and almost frantic, “He was annoying! And touchy! He gave me so much shit, and was always all over me! He flirted constantly, and was totally insufferable, and honestly I’m pretty sure Dustin liked him more than me! And! And….” His voice deflates on the last and, the fight and anxiety going out of him, “I couldn’t get him out of my fucking head man.” Will almost cant believe what he’s hearing.

“Steve are you?- Did you?” He almost cant ask the question, figured Steve would’ve told him by now if he was. What with their little group of queers that Steve tends to watch over. Heck Robin had even called him the unicorn collector! Like he was separate from them!

Steve just shakes his head frantically, “No! Or yes? More like maybe” He just sights putting his head back in his hands, “ I don’t even know anymore, there had always been fleeting attraction to guys but never anything- real, never anything like this! And then- well, he was gone before I ever got a chance to figure it out. Before we ever got a chance.” And he looks small, defeated like he doesn’t know what to do with himself, and Will can’t stand it.

“Well then we save him, we get him back, and you figure it out”

[sturnsluv]

meddle about pt. 1

pairing: matt sturniolo x fem!reader

summary: when Y/N finds herself falling for her big brothers life-long enemy, will she choose love or family?

warnings: mentions of blood

⭒˚.⋆

3:43 pm

I watched Matt storm off, blood dripping from his nose, and chest heaving like some sort of MMA fighter after a match. My head whipped back towards my brother, who stood there like he was some sort of god, shoulders broad, face solemn, and that same bloody nose leaking wine-looking stains all over his white shirt.

“What the hell Jack!” I shouted. This is all they ever do: fight, fight, and fight. My brother Jack and Matthew Sturniolo have hated each other for as long as I can remember, which I completely understand. Matt’s an insufferable dickhead with an ego the size of the Titanic. Despite my best efforts to avoid him, I always manage to find myself around him, caught in the crossfire of their endless feud.

Matt’s brother Nick has been my best friend since 2nd grade when he punched a boy who made fun of the tiara I wore to school that day. Since then, I have been forced into a house that always consists of Matt. Although my hatred partly came from my loyalty to my big brother, Matt’s attitude had a way of making me hate him all by myself. Like all the times he’s made snide comments about Jack’s ability on the hockey team. Or the way he looks at me like his eyes are bullets piercing into my skin with every remark he makes. 

“What? he was being a dick!” Jack hollered back, his face contorting with a mix of confusion and anger. His short, permed, brunette hair fell messily in front of his eyes, and the back stuck up all which ways. He stood tall like Dad, but his green eyes came from our Mother. 

“Mom is going to kill you Jackson,” I say through gritted teeth, my frustration with their constant fighting boiling over. Mom had explicitly warned Jack that the next fight with Matt would result in him being done with hockey, but it seemed like these two senseless men couldn't keep their hands off each other, no matter the consequences.

Jack only had the energy to roll his eyes at me and stumble away, most likely to go clean up his battered face. I sighed in frustration, feeling the weight of our recurring “Sturniolo” drama settling in once again. Ignoring the turmoil brewing inside me, I reached down to my back pocket and pulled out my phone, immediately clicking on Nick’s contact.

Y/N:

our stupid brothers fought again 🥱

nick😛:

you HAVE to be fucking kidding me.

Y/N:

I wish I were bro

Nick😛: 

at this point I think they’re secretly in love and this is all a cover up

I giggle to myself cause honestly, he’s probably right. Nick always has the perfect way of making me laugh, and he’s one of the only people in my life I never feel judged around. Nick has held me as I cried and laughed with me hours later over the stupid boys who’ve broken my heart. He’s even forced Matt to pick me up after I had been stranded at parties or events. Overall, he’s always been there for me. I have other friends of course, but those friendships have never felt real to me, always one-sided on my part. 

 Looking up I slide my phone back into my pocket and begin the most dreadful trek across the football field. Okay, that was dramatic but looking for Jack isn’t exactly something I'm up for right now. Tonight is going to be restless from the amount of bickering I'm about to hear from him and Mom. The house was already loud enough with Mom and Dad fighting. Ever since I was eight years old, Mom and Dad haven’t gotten along. They’ve tried almost everything to mend their marriage. Even couples counseling, but nothing ever worked, so me and Jack just have to deal with it.

 I sigh to myself as my mind races, and the gentle trudge across the field continues toward the locker room, where I assume I’ll find my brother. But the fighting won't even be the worst part of it all. The worst part will be tomorrow when I'm over at Nick’s house, hearing Matt bitch and moan about Jack. I swear every time I’m around him I have to fight the urge to strangle him. All he talks about is the stupid cheerleaders he’s hooking up with, or lacrosse this, hockey that. His voice is unbearable and it’s genuinely the reason I question if I want to go over every time Nick asks. 

Suddenly I'm broken out of my thoughts when I hear my name called from behind me. I turn around and see the one and only center of my anger. Matt. His voice cuts through the tension-filled air like a knife. His expression is unreadable, but his body language exudes a mix of exhaustion and hesitation.

“What do you want?” I yell back at him. He’s standing about twenty feet away from me with the same bloody face he had about thirty minutes ago. My face drops when he starts to jog towards me and I’m filled with a feeling of ‘please leave me alone.’ 

As Matt gets closer the sound of his sneakers hitting the wet, sloshy turf rises, and so does my frustration. “You have a ride home?” He breathes out, panting lightly. Matt places a hand on his knee to steady himself, while the other scratches the back of his neck. His face is flushed and red. The fight obviously damaged him, and he looked nervous to be standing in front of me.

“That’s seriously all you wanted?” My face gains a snarky scowl and I look him up and down, noticing the way his hand is running through the hairs at the back of his neck and the way he lightly taps his foot on the ground. It's apparent he’s on edge, which I assume is because of the fact he just beat my brother's ass, but I couldn’t care less about either of them right now. I mean I do love my big brother, but not when he’s acting so prideful after doing something so wrong. Even if he wasn’t the one to initiate it. Matt’s loud but unsteady voice cuts off my thoughts.

“Well I just assumed Jack left, and Nick's order is to always look after you, even if I want to kick your face in,” He exclaims as he smiles sarcastically at me. I scoff and look away mumbling a quick ‘I’m good’ under my breath. I hear him start to speak, but I cut him off by turning around and continuing my path toward the locker room. I assume at that moment he turns as well, going off in search of his car.

As I walk away my feet drag against the turf, little beads coming up beneath me and I’m overwhelmed with strange, alluring thoughts of Matt’s bloody face. 

⭒˚.⋆

11:47 pm

God, will they ever shut up? I listen to Mom’s and Jack’s muffled voices from the kitchen. Tossing and turning in my bed, I put my fluffy, pink pillow around my ears to attempt to surround myself in silence. That doesn’t work as the pillow is too thin, and the yelling continues pounding into my eardrums. 

When the school called earlier and told our parents what happened, Mom was pissed immediately. Even though the fight was after school hours, it still took place on “school property” so both Jack and Matt ended up suspended. On any normal occasion, I’d be delighted to hear about Matt’s suspension (as it happens quite frequently), but now that Jack’s involved I think I might go insane. His presence in the chaos only amplifies the tension in our home.

But I keep thinking about Matt, and what he said to me. He’s usually not the type of guy to walk over offering any type of help. He’s one of those mysterious types of guys who always get into trouble, even though you barely see them talk. I think it’s all an egotistical act he does to seem tough. Whenever I’m at Nick’s he’s hidden away in his room playing video games made for children. It’s so out of character of him to even think of me and the more I contemplate, I can’t help but grin. Sitting up on my mattress I slap my face. What the fuck am I thinking? Nothing about Matt Sturniolo should be making me smile. Not the way his hair flops in front of his eyes, or the way his mouth lifts to the side when he smiles. Even the way his arms flex when he wraps his hands around a lacrosse stick. Ew! What am I doing? 

I lay my head back on my pillow, letting the thoughts of Matt drift out of my mind. My brain starts to calm and just as I’m about to fall asleep- Ding! 

“Ugh,” I verbally groan at the sound of my phone snapping me back awake. I reach my hand out and turn it over, and the bright screen practically blinds me. As my eyes start to adjust I’m finally able to see what the message is.

Matt Sturniolo: 

hey I gotta ask you something

⭒˚.⋆

a/n: first chapter lmk what you guys think! 😊 comment to be on my taglist!

[thekinkyleopard]

The Sneeze Room

A Sven and Elex Rqst SnzFic

FT: Sick Remi

⚠️Content Warning⚠️

Fluff, Sick Fic, Contagion, cursing, bullying

Description: Sven finds a reason to compete against his brother, Draeko. Rightfully so, he tags his boyfriend Elex in, who is extremely apprehensive when he finds out a sick Remi is going to be there…

Author’s Notes: I really wanted to torture Elex in this one and what better way to do that than poke at his germaphobia with a disgusting contagious Remi! :^D I hope you like this one Nonny! Art, Remi, Sven and Draeko all by @aller-geez

Sven came racing into the living room, Elex was putting together some sort of lego project when the cat stumbled upon him, paying no mind to the fact his boyfriend was already busy, he began to buzz. “Babe! Babe! So, I was out at the park, right? And I ran into my insufferable brother, Draeko,” rolling his orange slitted eyes to emphasize his annoyance. “And cause he can’t help but torment me, he and his little friend Levi came to tell me that they’re entering a competition tonight,” Elex was paying little to no attention to the story his boyfriend was prattling on about, simply just trying to make sure he had the right bricks for the right parts.

“Yeah, and?” the badger scoffed at the idea of the leopard and the hybrid being able to accomplish any sort of competition between the two of them.

“It’s 25k and it’s an escape room! I told him I bet half that chunk, me and you could finish before them two,” snickering a bit at the idea but then crossed his arms. “However, they’re bringing Remi as an advantage because they said it was entirely unfair if it was me AND you, seeing as you can escape even a prison cell,”

“Heh, yeah I can,” Elex smirked, still tinkering with the colored blocks as his head grew a size too big.

“Okay, sweet, so you’re in then right?” the other lit up, almost completely ready to start bouncing off the walls he was full of so much adrenaline.

“Wait hold on, you said Remi is going?” Elex suddenly looked up from his project and over at his boyfriend, his face full of skepticism and caution.

“Yeah, why?” The cat suddenly paused, curious to his partner’s reserve.

“I’m not going anywhere near that fleabag,” the badger officially met his boyfriend’s gaze, his own clearly written in distaste now. “He’s been ranting and raving all over Barkbook about how he’s sick again, no, nuh uh, keep that sack of illness the hell away from me,” the germaphobe shuddered, just the thought alone of being next to that mongrel with his open maw expelling hundreds of bacteria at him….he shuddered.

Sven's voice was laced with annoyance, yet tinged with a hint of pleading as he tried to persuade his partner to take on the daunting quest. "Babe, please. We need you to take one for the team," he urged, knowing that their success depended on their joint effort and determination.

“N.O. No. Not doing it, he’s gross, he’s unsanitary, he’s also extremely fucking pigheaded and wont cover his god damn MOUTH, NO!” Elex now sat back, crossing his own arms over his chest, and turning his back to the other. Sven raised a thin brow and cocked his head to the side. It seemed he was going to have to pull out the big guns. Time for operation “Question his manhood.”

“So just like that then? Just gonna let that behemoth be the reason you don’t win this for us? Shit well, I guess I’m dating a pussy instead of a man,” the cat shrugged his shoulders loosely starting to turn on his heels when he could almost physically hear Elex’s last strand of patience, snap in half.

“Excuse me? What the fuck did you just say? That I’m a PUSSY?” the man slowly turned his head to glare daggers in the direction of his audacity filled boyfriend. “A PUSSY?”

“What? It is what it is, you’re scared of a little germy wolf, and that’ll be the reason I never truly out due Draeko, so long as he has that damn wolf,” shaking his head back and forth, clicking his tongue with disappointment. “It’s a shame, you know?” Elex’s mint green eye twitched in response, his fingers pulsating until they closed in to quick, tight fists.

His words were tinged with frustration and a hint of fear, as he vehemently denied being scared. "I'm not afraid…" he insisted, "just…CAUTIOUS... I don't want to risk getting SICK," He emphasized his words through clenched teeth. Despite his efforts to remain calm, the tension in his body was evident as his face flushed with a deep red color. Every muscle in his body seemed to be on high alert, ready to flee at any sign of danger. He was determined to stay level-headed, but the emotions were slowly creeping in.

“No, yeah, right, scared, cautious, pussy, same thing,” Sven clicked his tongue and shrugged yet again, and that was seemingly pissing the badger off even more than his words. How he was so careless and casual about denying his manhood, and his strengths?

“Fine! Fuck! I’ll go! But at the end of the day, if I catch whatever freak virus that asshole has, you’re gonna be the one nursing me back to health, you hear me?” He narrowed his dual colored eyes before aggressively, and less than politely, started packing up his lego project, mumbling to himself with disdain. “Stupid fucking Draeko…always having to trigger Sven into some dumb shit that I get dragged into….why cant that idiot have a….idk..donut eating contest or something? Why is it always so absolutely irritating…” the green haired man was fuming as he went back and forth between cleaning up his mess and keeping what he already had built, safe.

Sven couldn't contain a small chuckle, careful not to let the grumpy badger hear his quiet victory. He was determined to prove himself as smarter, stronger, and more resilient than that damn hybrid, by blowing him out of the water of this competition. With Elex’s innate ability to escape more situations verbally or physically, they had it in the bag.

~LATER THAT NIGHT~

They arrived at the venue, Elex feeling less and less inclined to be there as they parked and started to get out of the vehicle. “Are you sure I have to come? Like…I can’t just stay in the car?”

“No El, you can’t just stay in the car,” the Cheshire rolled his orange eyes impatiently, shutting the door and locking the vehicle behind them with the fob. “Am I really going to have to go into round two of the conversion stage?” the badger sighed deeply at his boyfriend’s response and grumbled back.

“No…please don’t bring my manhood back into this,” sighing with exasperation and an avoidant…distant look in his eyes. As they entered the building, the stench of sweat and stale air filled Elex's nostrils. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, grumbling under his breath about the lack of cleanliness of the venue alone. He followed Sven, who was already strutting towards the entrance, trying to present himself as much more confident than he was.

The two made their way through the sea of random people, avoiding the pungent smells and germs as best they could. They reached the registration desk and handed over their entry forms. "Welcome! You're just in time we start in 5 minutes," the speaker behind the desk said with a grin, handing them a map to their starting location.

Elex could feel the eyes of the other competitors on him, anytime he’d make eye contact with some unsuspecting visitor, he’d lift the left side of his upper lip and scowl. Effectively turning away lingering eyes with his threatening gazes. He then ignored their stares as he and Sven followed the map to their starting point. As they approached, they saw Levi, Draeko and Remi all standing outside a door marked “11” the same number given to them on their map sheet.

“Draeko,” Sven glared at his brother, the two sets of competing eyes glaring down at each other. The first thing Elex noticed however, was Remi, dry heaving and coughing into the crook of his elbow with sunken, swollen and pale glowing green orbs.

“Oh…dear god,” Elex whispered with a terrified expression written across his face. Levi looked up, and noticed the apprehension, and in usual fashion tried to soothe the badger’s worries.

“Hey, El, sorry, I know…but I swear, he’s on the mend! It doesn’t look like it but…I’ve managed to not catch it!” The cat nervously scratched at the back of his neck, voice slightly muffled as he was the only one adorning a mask. The badger narrowed his multi colored gaze.

“Okay well, do you have an extra mask?” crossing his arms over his chest in an impatient, but waiting stance.

“Shit, no sorry just this one…I mean you could have it if you wa-…” the cat embarrassingly shuffling through his pockets and jacket to see if he might have a second but coming up short. He knew he would, but he had to play it off like this wasn’t part of Drae’s plan to keep Elex at his lowest.

“No, no thanks,” shaking his head quickly in response, there was no way in fuck Elex was sharing a mask. YIKES. Especially not with someone he barely even knew. “I’ll just…try to…stay away,” Looking the sickly wolf up and down who could only smirk in response before jolting forward with his hands out to scare the apprehensive man.

“Boo!” Remi chuckled as Elex stepped back significantly to avoid the other’s sudden threatening touch.

“Remi! Knock it off!” Levi nudged the large man with his elbow, trying to hide a snicker of his own. ‘Fake ass bitch,’ the badger thought inwardly catching the leopard’s response. Despite the ongoing fued between Sven and Drae, and Elex at the rest of them, things were seemingly pretty calm at this moment, no insane bragging quite yet just narrowed eyes and stale, uncomfortable vibes.

Sven ignored the bickering three, his focus on the task at hand, scoping out the map and trying to see if he could already spot the first answer but it was really a whole lot of nothing. "Alright El, let's focus on the competition," he spoke without looking up, trying to bring their heads together on this, but Elex couldn't avoid the ill-fated wolf's stern emerald gaze, and the sight of him churned his stomach. He could practically envision the germs seeping from the wolf's every pore, a reminder of the bacteria that could infect him if he didn't keep a reasonable distance. He noticed the way the large man suddenly froze, and hitched…his mouth opening slowly. Elex now stepping back 3 notches when the wolf lurched forward and let out a loud, obnoxious sneeze that sprayed within the few feet radius in front of him.

“Hi”DTSCHIEW!!…SndDff…my bad..” he snarfed loudly, rubbing his wet, red, chuffed nostrils against the sleeve of his button up, Elex almost gagged.

"I think..." Elex began, but hesitated. "I think I made a terrible mistake coming here, Sven, seriously, this guy looks terrible, I want to go home…” he whispered to the side so only his boyfriend could hear his anxious worries.

Sven raised an eyebrow. "We just got here and you already want to tap out? No, don’t make me go into the pussy lecture again..” they both made eye contact now, each one’s gaze stern but neither of them broke.

“Fine,” the badger folded, knowing there really was no telling his boyfriend, no, when he wanted to do something. So instead, he pouted, and tried his best to avoid Remi’s consistent, slightly distant, but cold stare.

“Alright folks! We are getting ready to open the room doors, are you all ready to get going?” one of the hosts announced through a megaphone at the different teams all awaiting their entrances.

Sven, Draeko, and Levi nodded in unison, readying themselves for the challenge ahead. Elex, however, hesitated. He could feel the tension rising in the room, a palpable sense of anticipation that made his stomach flutter. He looked around the room, taking in the different faces of his friends and competitors, each with their own unique qualities and motivations. He swallowed hard and turned his face back to the door. He could do this.

As the host's voice boomed through the speakers, the doors buzzed open, and the group stepped forward. Sven and Draeko pushing and shoving at each other to get through the door first, fighting to take charge. He looked at the map in his hands, studying the intricate layout and trying to envision the path to victory but everything they could see ahead of them was on the paper as well. “Elex check out that right side of the room,” Looking over to make eye contact with the badger who was very apprehensive to move anywhere in that direction seeing as Remi was leaned up against the wall of that side, hanging on for dear life and certainly no help to the challenge itself. Sniffling loudly, his eyes rolled back, he wasn’t even sure why he was there at this point himself. He just did whatever Levi begged of him.

“Fffffuuu…—h’DttTISHh!” Remi sprayed violently in front of himself and Elex groaned loudly, looking back over to Sven who was now back to shoveling and fighting Drae to get a better look under the dressers and furniture. Taking a deep breath in, the germaphobe took a few steps closer to the wolf, that was directly blocking his way.

“Hey can you just…move a little that way?” His voice was neutral, he didn’t want to add too much emotion behind it, because he knew that Remi didn’t do too well with overtly emotional people. Despite that he was physically shaking, his brain swarming with the endless possibilities of illness and death that were haunting him, he remained calm enough to meet the other’s sunken gaze.

“Yeah, no cad do bud, Lebi wands me do keeb you from helbing…maybe, don’d be sugg a baby…SNDDFfF” the wolf tried to tease and chuckle, knowing full well he and Levi were really here to offset the badger. Elex’s brows furrowed and he let out a deep, irritated sigh before he shook his head.

“Fine, dont wanna move? Then I’LL move you my fucking self,” The badger stepped closer, and Remi stood up straighter, crossing his strong arms over his chest and smirking downward before letting in a deep inhale. “Dont….Dont you fucking do it,” the wolf could only grin larger despite the obvious tired look written behind his eyes.

Draeko, Sven and Levi all deeply invested in their searches for clues that they could not even spare a second to notice the ‘man off’ going on behind their backs.

“H-Hah!…” the wolf started, Elex took one step back, he winced but then took a deep breath, prepared himself mentally and shoved at the wolf to move him aside. “Oh-…Hell no,” Remi stumbled loosely to the side, truthfully not suspecting that the badger would grow a pair enough to stand up to him. He reached over, trying to grab the badger by the shirt but he was entirely too fast as he bobbed to the side.

“No! Just mOVE! Dude!” he argued as they did a sort of two step around each other, the badger quickly grabbing a painting off the wall to use as a shield while Remi finally blew his lid unable to contain the sneezes he was using as leverage.

“HNkt’KNXTuhh!! tch’ISSH! iH’tSSH!” the large man sprayed a cloud of salivic mist across the painted frame that was being held a good 6 inches from Elex’s body initially.

“This is my NIGHTMARE! Sveeeeeen!” he finally called out to his boyfriend, who gasped loudly as he turned around, the badger thinking finally he was going to be rescued.

“You found the first clue El! Great fucking work ! “ the spot to which the painting had once hung, was bare, but a single note in the middle of the empty space. The Cheshire snatches the piece of paper and covers his viewage of it. The badger practically turned into the saddest puddle in the world when his boyfriend walked right past him to immerse himself within the escape.

“Hey! Let us see!” Drae reached over to grab at the note the feline snatched it off the wall, but to no avail, completely unable to see what the clue was.

“NO! I dont have to for at least 5 minutes, Elex found it, thats the rules!” the green haired badger looked over at his boyfriend with a raised brow. Did his man just…whine? Like a child? Over rules? He shuddered. Everything about this was not right.

Sven huddled around Elex, both of them curious about the clue he had accidentally found. The cat held the note up, his eyes flicking over the contents. "This is a tough one," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know if I can see anything useful here…” It was just a bunch of lines in a strange pattern. What were they looking at? The badger knew he’d seen this before, somewhere in a codes book, he squinted and scanned it, suddenly feeling a harrowing feeling hover him.

Remi had been stood off to the side, but was becoming curious as he watched Drae and Levi who were desperately trying to peak around the two men. The wolf, still recovering from his sneezing fit, his nose red and raw, slowly approached the group, his open breathing mouth casting over the two as he towered them to read the note. Elex felt the entire world suddenly rattling around him as he felt the man, hosting his hot breath over them. “YO, dude can you, BACK the fuck up?” The badger immediately got defensive, backing a few inches away while the wolf could only snicker again, wetly, the sound of an inhaled and swallowed knot echoed around them. Elex’s lips pulled back in disgust. “GOD, You’re so fucking gross when you’re sick dude,”

“Yeah? Do someding aboud id,” the wolf flexes his chest as he stands firmly in his position, crossing his arms over himself and smirking with a cocky resolve.

"I’m going to-…” Elex begins to wind up his fist and Remi gets ready to respond appropriately, but the two of them are suddenly snapped out of it when the sound of Sven’s irritated voice cuts through them.

“Guys! Knock it off….here Remi, take it…shits useless,” The wolf goes to reach for the note but not before the badger quickly intercepts and snatches it from between them.

“It’s not useless, before Caveboy wonder here walked up to muck up my fuckin’ air …I know what it is…” he stepped away to stand on top of a chair he looked down and pointed at the ground. “There, it’s a super rough, detail-less pattern of the rug…snDff…” he sniffled, unexpectedly, unconsciously, at the end of his grand announcement, something, wasn’t right.

However as proud of the moment it was, immediately Draeko started clawing up the rug to find the next clue. The Cheshire looked over at his boyfriend with a look that almost made the green haired man want to let Remi just eat him. "My bad…” he said sheepishly before avoiding eye contact with his boyfriend who was now just trying to get over to the rug before Drae.

“This damn thing wont pull up!” The hybrid grunted struggling to lift the rug off the floor from any of the four corners, Sven, watching carefully to see what the loophole might be. Elex now climbing down from the chair he shook his head back and forth moving to approach the two before Remi side stepped him and blocked his path.

“Dude, move,” the wolf shook his head. “MOVE,” the duo color eyed man squinted at the miserable wall that was Remington Connors.

“Loog, normally, I lige you, ok, no hard feenings bro,” He paused before shrugging with certainty. “Buuuuuud…whadeber Lebi wands he geds so…" The green haired badger rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me? You can’t just allow me to play the game? Isnt that cheating? Two V One?” shaking his head, he could feel a slight tingle in the back of his throat, unbeknownst to him, the same tickle that was building every second within Remi.

“Yea bud…Lebi lowkey blows ad puddles,” he admitted of his little leopard before he hitched, his mouth falling open and before Elex could even step back, spewed outwardly in a loud, quick, spritzy series of sneezes. “ITSCCCCHH’ah!.. iH’tSSH!.. Hh’IISHH!” each one left him and greeted Elex, who practically went pale, his soul leaving his body as he felt each little droplet invading his skin.

“AAAHHHHHHH!!!” He cried dramatically, loudly, the whole room turned to look at him. “I want OUT! Let me OUT! Oh my god… that was so foul….WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” The badger turned to scratch at the walls, tearing paintings down, knocking over objects wrecklessly in a fit of panic and slight rage. “OUT!! I’m DONE! I do NOT want to be in here with him anymore, nOPE!!”

“Elex! Elex! ELEX!” Sven tried to call his panicking partner who was probably only envisioning his skin burning alive from the amount of sickly contact he’d had.

“No! Sven! I quit, this sucks, I don’t wanna fucking do this anymore,” the cat sighed with disappointment and nodded.

“Fine…Fine…you can leave, it’s fine…” but the badger looked up and he could see the heart break written all over the other man’s face.

“No…nevermind…it’s fine…Um…” he walked over, and leaned into his boyfriend’s ear to whisper. “Try pulling at the middle of the rug…” trying to give his partner the assurance that he was still in this. Sven smiled, only pulled up half his face but regardless, it was a smile. The cheshire walked over, plucked at the middle of the rug and a small square of it came up and a little key was hanging from the bottom of it.

“Holy shit!” the teal and orange haired man was actually stunned to see his boyfriend’s street smarts were still keeping them ahead of the game.

“Fucking A…we were so close,” Draeko sighed with slight irritation, Levi patting his friend’s shoulder to comfort him on their second L of the night.

“Okay bud, where doed thad gey eben go? SndFf'…” the wolf interjected, sliding his sleeve across his running, reddened nostrils. Elex grimaced.

"Ugh, okay there can’t be too many keyholes in this room right?" Elex replied, still bothered by the germy, contagious raven haired man, feeling his own immune system losing the battle against him.

"Well, it's a key...to where? Do we have any idea?" Levi asked as he examined the small key hanging from afar as Sven held it up.

"I don't know," the other cat admitted, "but we should probably start looking around…" He gazed about the room and amongst the many scattered objects on the ground, Sven having to manually turn and check, taking in the chaos caused by Elex's fit.

"Alright...let's move on, then," Draeko agreed, trying to control his frustration.

As they began searching the room for more clues, it didnt take long before Remi was back at it with following the badger around, hovering his every movement. “Look dude, if you’re gonna be on my dick, fine, but at least cover your fucking mouth….I’m already starting to feel light headed” he started to palm at his forehead, testing his temp. “I swear if you get me sick…”

“Heh, probably already are pal,” the wolf stated with another cocky grin plastered across his stupid, red and tear stained face. Levi looks over to see the two of them back at it, bickering over the fact that his boyfriend was pretty disgusting when he was sick. All according to plan. The leopard looked high and low but all three of them were falling short of finding anything that resembled a key hole.

Elex trying to look around the stupid wolf, immediately noticed something off about the wallpaper that was exposed in a spot one of the paintings had been hung up in, but couldn’t get himself to focus with Remi constantly stepping in front of him. “Okay dude seriously! Stop! You’re pissing me off,”

Elex growled, attempting to shove his way past the wolf, but Remi simply laughed and stepped back further, crossing his arms as he sneered. Elex took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and focus on the task at hand.

Sven, noticing Remi's irritating behavior, quickly stepped between them. "Look, this is straight up blocking, which is cheating, stop," he said, placating him with a stern glance. Remi snickered putting his hands up defensively now.

“My bad, my bad…snDddFf..” stepping to the side he snarfles loudly, his glowing gaze never leaving Elex as the badger cautiously walked past him now.

“Jesus…” Elex shook and then finally stepped close to the wall he had been trying to get a better look at. There was an obvious bump, like the wallpaper had been poorly placed over it. “This is weird…” he ran his flattened palm over it and then began to slowly peel the paper away. Levi stood up, taking notice now and watching along side Sven, Draeko deeply invested in the search still, he hadn’t even noticed the rest of them found a hint.

The badger carefully peeled away the wallpaper, revealing a hidden door behind it. "Babe, I think I found something," he said, excitement creeping into his silently whispering voice trying not to draw too much attention despite the fact Remi and Levi were watching. Well Remi actually had stopped watching to check his phone, he was more than bored being there.

Elex, Sven, and Levi quickly gathered around, staring at the door in disbelief. It was small, but they could all easily squeeze through and nondescript, blending seamlessly into the wall. "Well, let's see where this leads," Sven said unoptimistically, inserting the key into the lock. It clicked as he turned it. The door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit hallway with a faint flickering light at the end. "Well I mean…" the badger said, crawling inside the medium sized entrance that wound him up into a tall but cramped hall. There were large body sized mirrors that followed down. Elex took a deep breath but felt his anxiety creep in when he realized they would all be stuffed in this hall together with Remi.

As they ventured deeper into the mysterious corridor, Remi's lingering coughs began to echo through the narrow space, causing Levi to place a hand over his mask to double shield him from his boyfriend’s germs. Draeko and Sven shared a worried glance themselves but it was quickly melted and masked into that of competition again.

The hall seemed to never end, and the flickering light grew dimmer with each step. The group was getting increasingly claustrophobic, and the smell of Remi's sickness filled the air. Elex’s head felt hot, his throat feeling tighter than it had been and he was starting to sweat at each side of his temples. This wasn’t good. He needed to get through this puzzle, and lock himself in his room away from Sven if he could. “H’H…Hih…HHH…” they heard it from behind them as they squeezed through the hall.

“Please no…” the badger whimpered but not before long the horrendous sound of germs being displaced around them, they echoed in their ear drums and the badger could see the mess of salivic clouds misting painted reflections in the mirrored walls.

“iit”shHIEW! ihh-ih’TSSHHH!!” The other three men shuddered in disgust, covering their mouths and noses as Remi continued to hack and sputter. "We need to get out of here," El said, his voice cracking with panic.

Sven nodded, his face pale as he took a deep breath. "Quick, let's hurry…we’re getting closer to the light we just gotta keep going…” the cheshire managed to motivate the weary crew that continued to push through, but to their dismay, the light was nothing more than a mirror at the very end of the hall reflecting off the light above it. “So what it’s just a long hall of mirrors?” he asked with confusion.

“I guess so…SNdDf…” Elex sniffled, this time realizing it, and quickly snapping his hand over his face to hide it from the cat. “mMmhh…” he hummed as if he was deep in thought. Sven noticed the peculiar behavior but decided to pay more attention to this, apparent puzzle they were locked into.

“Okay, so maybe…one of these mirrors are the door?” Draeko and Levi looked at each other and immediately started peeling mirrors off the walls to check behind them. Quickly, Sven followed suit. “Come on babe! “ El was starting to feel worse for wear as he tried his best to keep it all under wraps, and at bay. It was seriously insane how fast Remi’s super germs spread through one’s immune system and just disables it.

As the group frantically searched through the hall of mirrors, Remi continued to sneeze and cough relentlessly, his horrible and contagious sounds “Hh’IISHH! -hd’ISCHhh!” echoing through the cramped space. Elex could feel himself growing weaker with each passing moment. Disgusting, defeated and downright disappointed. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus, his eyes scanning the crowded reflections in search of a clue.

Suddenly, he spotted a slight distortion in one of the mirror surfaces. He pointed it out to his boyfriend silently by walking up to him and nudging the cheshire. They both approached the mirror quietly and they hesitantly began to pull, revealing a hidden door behind it. Sven immediately inserted the key into the lock and turned it, the door creaking open to reveal, the very large warehouse they had started in.

They reached the end. “Congratulations!” Sven threw a fist in the air and snickered throwing his index finger at his hybrid brother.

“In your face! We finished first!”

“Oh, actually, you guys are 4th place…but you made it out and thats always a reason to celebrate!” the crew cheered for them and both Sven and Draeko’s faces fell with defeat and disappointment. Elex shook his head and slapped a hand over his forehead.

“We were in competition with EVERYONE in the ware house??”

“Y-yes, that was explained in the sign up and rules section,” the man seemed confused as he looked at the frustrated green haired male. The badger could only shake his head back and forth.

Elex couldn't believe their luck - or lack thereof. Fourth place in a warehouse full of competitors was not the outcome they had hoped for. Deflated, he turned to the group of people he’d come with, who were also wearing expressions of disappointment. So he was basically going to spend the next few days in bed, deathly ill without 25k to smooth it over.

Sven let out a frustrated sigh and Draeko kicked at the ground, mumbling under his breath. "Well, at least we made it out," Levi said optimistically, trying to lift their spirits.

Drae nodded, forcing a small smile. "Yeah, you're right, We did make it out in the end." He glanced over at Remi, who was still coughing and sneezing uncontrollably. "But I think it was probably a mistake bringing Remi…I have a bad feeling we’re all gonna be worse for wear tomorrow," he said, concern evident in his voice.

Remi waved him off weakly. "I'b fide, you guys will be fide too, id’s judt a liddle cold," he rasped trying to clear his throat after the fact.

“Yeah well…this was a bust,” the badger grumbled, his fever starting to burn hotter, his body weaker by the minute as he tried his best to stay focused on getting back home and maybe locking himself up in the shower.

Remi, on the other hand, wasn't doing much better as he continued to sneeze and cough, his entire body wracked with chills and a throbbing headache, the cold he had caught threatening to take him down. “Huh’GDTS’ue! hdt’ishhhh!” the sound of his fit causing Elex to jump out of his skin.

“Alright guys, I’m gonna get him home and in bed….this was fun!” The leopard took his mate by the arm and began to lead him to the exit of the warehouse leaving the three left to stand in awkward silence. Sven avoiding Drae, Drae avoiding Sven, And Elex just desperately trying to swallow his symptoms of illness. He was sweating at a much more profuse rate now.

"Let's get out of here," Sven finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. Elex nodded, staying quiet knowing that is boyfriend was probably feeling extremely defeated after all that effort they just put into trying to win. Draeko didn’t say a word to either of them, simply dialed up his phone and called his demon for a ride. Elex definitely wanted to make sure he was gone before that asshole showed up.

They made their way out of the warehouse, the door creaking behind them as they emerged into the cold night air. The three stood in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Elex clutched his chest, feeling the weight of Remi's germs bearing down on him with each crushing inhale.

Sven shook his head, a look of disappointment spreading across his face. "We should've never come here," he muttered to himself. "We should've known better than to trust that idiot to have given us all the information ahead of time,"

Draeko sighed, glancing over at his brother, shaking his head. “You know, Sven, I was almost actually starting to just enjoy spending time with you by the end of this…but you’re just so stuck on the past, it’s really a shame,” the hybrid furrowed his brows before ditching the two with their own thoughts. The badger dare not speak, knowing 7 was already feeling fragile enough.

As they walked away from the warehouse, the frosty air seemed to penetrate Elex's every pore, making him shiver involuntarily. His fever was raging now, and he could feel the cold settling deep within his bones, but he dare not pay it any mind as they made the trek to the car.

"I can't believe we actually went through with this and lost," The words escaped Sven's lips in a low, grumbling tone, barely above a whisper. His body posture slumped as he dragged his feet closer to the vehicle now.

Draeko's eyes clouded over, his thoughts drifting to the harsh words he'd spoken earlier. "Yeah, if they hadn’t been so focused on cheating we might have had a chance," he said after a moment, his voice low and tinged with annoyance.

For a moment, they fell into silence, each lost in their own thoughts about the night's events. Elex could feel his strength ebbing away, his body screaming out in protest as he struggled to keep his footing.

"Let's just go home," Sven said pressing the fob twice to unlock the car, they both slid inside, silently, they started the drive back home.

“Can I play some music?” Elex asked nervously, truthfully he couldnt stand the silence and he needed to drown out the possible noises of him struggling for his life on their way back.

Sven sighed heavily, glancing over at his boyfriend, who gave him a flushed, but innocent smile. He pressed a button on the stereo, and the familiar strains of their favorite band filled the car. For a moment, they let out a sigh of relief, lost in the music. But the awkwardness that haunted them was deafening, and Elex knew he couldn’t hold back his overbearing symptoms any longer. As the music played, and the cat white knuckled the wheel as they drove without a peep, the badger slunk in his seat and allowed his face to fall from the mask a bit. He felt like shit.

His head was on fire, his body felt cold, he was shivering and sweating at the same time, he very steathily, pulled a tissue from the side of the door. He then crumpled it into his sleeve and brought his hand up with the tissue hidden behind his sleeve, he sniffled gently into it. Softly rubbing, trying to relieve himself of the itch. Sven was lost in his own universe, unaware of his boyfriend’s suffering.

Meanwhile, the misery was slowly but surely getting the best of him, and yet he couldn't bear to disturb Sven, he knew that he would only feel worse on top of losing. He couldn’t also deal with the fact he’d forced his boyfriend into illness. The music filled the car with a melancholic melody that somehow seemed to comfort them in that moment.

As they drove through the empty streets, Elex's fever raged on, the cold that had settled deep within his system now spreading to his very core. The heat of the car seemed to only magnify the discomfort, and the pain in his head was becoming almost unbearable. He wriggled in his seat, desperately wanting to peel his shirt off or at the least blast the AC. He took a deep breath in before his nostrils flared, twitched and tickled. Immediately he shut his mouth, trying to hide any indications that he might just sneeze, his nostrils wet with anticipation.

With every mile that passed, Elex grew weaker, and the virus that threatened to consume him grew stronger. He clutched his chest, trying to hold himself together, his body wracked with chills that didn't seem to want to let up.

Fifteen minutes that felt like several days, finally they arrived home. The ill feeling badger pictured himself sprinting inside and locking himself in the bathroom and dying in the shower for a couple of hours until he felt well enough to emerge. Yet, he was unable to even move, it was starting to worry Sven as he saw Elex just laying there with his eyes closed, head slumped back and mouth gaping open. “Babe? You good? It’s time to go in….” asking cautiously.

Believe it or not, the green haired man was conscious he was just incredibly weakened by this point and his legs felt like jelly. He was also beyond drained from trying to pretend like he wasn’t knocking on death’s door. “Y-yeah..gimme a sec…I’ll meet you in there…just tired…” he cleared his throat trying to sound more convincing before he noticed his boyfriend nod, turn and give him his space.

“Holy fuck…finally..SNDFfdF..” he sniffled loudly, it filled the car with the wet sound as he brought a tissue to his persistently itching nose. He rubbed it so hard there was a rhythmic clicking sound that rang in his ears. “H-H…Hh’…” he struggled against the tissue. “H’uSSHHhhiew! h’USHhh’iew!” he suddenly burst from within, his tickling nostrils getting the better of him as he sprayed into the already pretty dampened mulch. “Gross…” he muttered weakly. It felt good at least to get that off his chest…it might have been just what he needed to get in the house, past Sven and into the bathroom.

He mustered up the last of his strength and pushed himself out of the car, stumbling slightly as he made his way towards the house. Each step felt like a monumental effort, but the thought of finally being able to rest in the warmth of their home drove him forward. The badger's pallor was ashen, his eyes heavy with fatigue. Without a word, he walked into the house, quickly, as much as he could, past his boyfriend that spun around to try and catch up, into the bathroom, locking the door shut and sliding down the door in agony. “Fuuuuuu…” he groaned stubbornly, he made it, but at what cost. His head was now spinning. “H-H…Ih…” he struggled against the quickly building sensations inside him.

“Els? You good in there?” He already knew the truth, it was obvious as night and day. Elex only ever rushed to the bathroom like this when he was ill, and trying to actively hide that from him. Idiot. Why did he ALWAYS go to the bathroom? He knocked gently. “Babe?”

“N-No I’m okay just go-gotta piss…” he lied through his teeth before the inevitable came barreling out through his mouth and into the quickly rising palms of his hands. “Heh’EhDTSHiEw! etUSCHOO!” it was like he had entered his own personal hell, he groaned weakly his hands wet of his sickness, and his nose starting to leak down his darkened skin.

Sven's heart clenched with worry as he heard his boyfriend struggle on the other side of the door. He knew Elex too well to believe the feeble excuse he had just given, and the sound of his sneezes only confirmed his suspicions. Without another word, Sven retrieved a spare key from its hiding place and swiftly unlocked the bathroom door. “h’UHtTSCHhiew! hh’ieXSSHH!” more distressing sounds of illness and ache echoed from behind the door, the green haired man falling further into his sickly resolve.

What Sven found inside once he ripped the door open, tore at his heart. Elex was hunched over in the corner closest to the door, pale and shivering, his face contorted in discomfort. The tissues in his hands were already soaked through, and his eyes reflected a mixture of pain and embarrassment.

Sven knelt beside him, placing a comforting hand on his back. "Elex, why didn't you tell me you were feeling this bad?" he asked softly, concern lacing his voice.

“I….didn’t want you to feel worse…after the loss,” he grumbled, avoiding eye contact like a small child that’d been caught in the cookie jar. The sick badger then managed a weak shrug in response, a fresh wave of static tingling over him. He felt utterly defeated, both by his illness and by his inability to hide it. Stupid. The cat's chest ached at the sight of Elex trying to bear the burden of his sickness alone, all for the sake of sparing him more grief. He gently took some tissues off the roll of paper and began to wipe at his hands and then handed him a warm washcloth, using it to dab away the sweat that dotted his feverish brow.

"You’re a pain in my ass you know that?" Sven chuckled jokingly, a mix of fondness and exasperation in his tone. "You don't have to go through this alone. We're a team, remember? I'm here for you, no matter what,” the man emphasized as he leaned closer to kiss the man on his clammy forehead.

Elex finally met Sven's gaze, seeing the genuine concern and love behind those serious orange orbs. A feeling of relief washed over him as he realized he didn't have to suffer in silence. With a shaky sigh, he leaned into Sven's touch, letting himself be comforted by the warmth of his presence.

As the Cheshire helped Elex to his feet and guided him to their bedroom, the badger felt an instant sense of relief, guilt and fondness wash over him. He couldn’t believe what a fuckin dick he was to this man sometimes, truly he didnt deserve him. "I can sleep on the couch if you prefer babe…I dont want you to have to be put ou-..H-Hh’uhSSCHHIHHww!” out shooting another one but the delinquent was quick enough to aim into the crook of his elbow.

Come on you, just get into bed don’t worry about me,” he shook his head at his ailing mate, all he could really think about was getting him rest. Elex sniffled loudly trying to wobble his way to their shared bed and slide inside but was stopped by the cheshire who let out a harmless chuckle. “Babe, you’re still wearing your clothes,”

“Oh…righd…sNdnfF..” he grumbled and groaned the whole way through trying to undress himself before 7 had to step in.

“I’ll do it babe, it’s fine,” taking over as he helped Elex out of his clothes and into a fresh pair of pajamas. The badger let out a soft sigh of relief as he finally settled under the warm covers, feeling a sense of comfort wash over him. Sven tucked him in gently, making sure he was comfortable before climbing into bed beside him.

As Elex lay there, his body still trembling with fever, he couldn't help but feel grateful for Sven's unwavering support. Despite his stubbornness and attempts to push him away, Sven had never wavered in his care and love for him in the last decade of being together. Though his reflections were short lived when he felt a down pour of trickling madness. His nose was on fire, his throat was demanding and it was going to come out again. That same, messy, loud, affliction. “Hh’UmfsHhhiew! h’UsHh’iew!” it was almost like he couldn’t catch a break but the cat handed him a tissue and he smiled weakly. "I love you…" Elex mumbled hoarsely, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sven's response was immediate, his hand reaching out to caress Elex's cheek tenderly after the man had taken the soft material. "I love you too, you stubborn fuck," he replied with a soft chuckle. The green and brown eyed man squinting with distrust now but still cracking a side smile.

“You’re not wro..h-.UShh’iew!” he released into the pit under his blanket, more so into the fabric than not, or else he put himself at the risk of getting his chest wet with sick. He shuddered and Sven leaned in closer to the other, wrapping his arms tightly around the slightly taller green haired grump.

“Bless you, my little earth pig,” immediately Elex rolled his eyes into the back of his skull.

“Stooooobbb I hade when you call me dhad,” Sven couldn't help but chuckle at Elex's grumpy response, finding solace in the fact that even when he was feeling at his worst, his partner still had enough spirit to protest endearingly.

"Alright, alright, no 'earth pig' then," he conceded with a smile, pressing a gentle kiss to Elex's forehead. The badger let out a tired huff of contentment at the affectionate gesture, his eyes fluttering shut as he leaned into Sven's embrace.

In the comfort of their shared bed, surrounded by warmth and love, Elex finally allowed himself to relax. The weight of his illness seemed a little lighter with Sven by his side, offering unwavering support and care. As sleep began to tug at his consciousness, he whispered softly, "Thank you for taking care of me."

Sven held him closer, feeling a surge of tenderness for the stubborn badger who had captured his heart so completely. "Always,” and the two found themselves closing their eyes, and drifting to sleep.

The End

Author’s Notes: I had so much fun with the dialogue in this!!!!! But I really truly hate myself for choosing escape room because A: I’ve never done one B: I put forth no energy to research them either and just hit a road block for two weeks instead 😭🥲 Which is another reason there’s no smut cause I just really wanted to be done 😂 I hope this was at least enjoyable!!! I’ll do better with the next Svelex rqst I promise 😂

[tinyzoologist]

Persistence

ofmd mini fic, Stizzy centric

cw: mild angst & gore, ofmd s2 trailer content

“I love you.”

Stede says it one moonlit night, all matter-of-fact. It’s as unpretentious as he gets but Izzy freezes all the same and then flees, heart pounding, to leave Stede up on the quarterdeck by himself.

Stede knows how Izzy feels. He must.

“Maybe you’re not a complete twat,” and “Footwork’s improving,” and “Stay the night if you want.”

Izzy has said all of these and more. But he can’t say that. Not yet - not ever. 

Stede is relentless, of course he is. “I love you,” over splitting a ripe peach for breakfast, “I love you,” while they each kiss one side of Edward’s neck, “I love you,” as he watches Izzy scrub the last raid’s gunk off his wooden leg. 

And still Izzy freezes, but he doesn’t run again, just clenches his jaw and endures the tension until it feels like he might snap.

“I’m not fucking saying it back, alright?” Izzy spits, blood-soaked rag flung to the planks in frustration. But Stede just looks at him, curious, waiting. Insufferable bastard. “You don’t want me to.”

In fact, nobody should want Izzy to love them. His love is like a maggot burrowing into flesh, like being swept out to sea, like chewing his own cartilage. His love hurts everyone who’s ever been its unfortunate target and most of all himself. But this feels different-

“I don’t?” asks Stede, eyes now mercifully back on the sword he’s been cleaning. Izzy sighs, picks up his rag again. 

“Talk to Edward.” Because Ed should have warned him, should have told Stede to stay away from that parasitic disease, the raging wildfire that is the full extent of Izzy’s devotion. 

“I did,” Stede replies. Of course he did. Always fucking talking, those two.  

“So?” Izzy can’t hide his curiosity, feels his face grow red and warm. Stede smiles at him from the side, sly, like they’re sharing a secret.

“He says it’s a lot.”

Izzy scoffs, bitter and unsurprised, but Stede isn’t done.

“It’s a lot, and it takes effort not to get lost in it, not to let you get lost in it. And he hasn’t regretted it for a single day of his life.”

The deck tilts with a wave and Izzy is thankful for the crate under his ass or he might have fallen. He feels cracked open. Seen from the inside, all his guts on display. But both his captains are self-destructive lunatics so really, what was he expecting? He picks a shard of bone from the wood below his knee and idly wonders if it was all a huge mistake. Stede has always been stubborn as a fucking mule, and now that he’s been introduced to the value of hard work, Izzy knows he’s well and truly dug his own grave. 

“I’m still not saying it.” It’s all he can do to preserve his dignity. 

“That’s alright,” Stede says, beaming at him for some insane reason. “I’ll still keep telling you, if you don’t mind.”

And maybe it’s the residual rush of the fight or the way Stede’s hair looks ablaze in the evening sun but right then and there, Izzy can’t bring himself to deny his captain anything. 

-fin-

[natasha-in-space]

Picrew link

"A... cake?" Natasha's expression was the epitome of confusion as she blinked repeatedly at the shiny plate placed on her desk, with a slice of what seemed to be a fresh-prepared cake resting on top of it. When Saeran suddenly disappeared for hours on end, she was not expecting to see this once he came back. What kind of trick was this exactly...?

Though, her boss's proud and puffed up appearance indicated that he was more than pleased with himself. Who knows why. Either way, she could only guess that it was going to be at her expense. As it usually was.

Saeran snickered, moving the plate closer to his perplexed assistant. While he usually hated that dumb, doe-eyed look on her face, making her feel all stupid was exactly what he was hoping for right now. He marveled at the opportunity to rob her of any sense of control. At least, that's how he viewed this whole exchange. "Don't give me that look. I know you're probably desperate to take a bite. Trust me, it's just as delicious as it looks. Strawberries are your favorite, are they not?"

Natasha's nose scrunched up slightly as her thoughts raced to make sense of this entire predicament. What was happening? Did they even have time on their hands for... whatever this was? She's pretty sure they had a deadline approaching just hours away... Then again, Saeran's methods were far different from Ray's carefully organized work flow. And he probably wouldn't appreciate her criticizing his work ethic.

She opened her mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by an insufferable groan as Saeran grabbed the plate back into his hand and separated a rather generous piece of cake with a fork, quickly thrusting it to her mouth. When she didn't respond right away, he raised a brow and pushed the sweet treat against her lips, but not going any further than that. She could smell the sweet vanilla mixed in with the strawberry, definitely making her mouth water a little. It sure looked and smelled tasty.

"Go ahead, then. Open wide. You did such a good job with your studies yesterday, I would be a terrible boss not to praise my little pet for being good."

...Alright, now she's sure this is a trick. He wasn't being very subtle about it.

She was unsure if Saeran just didn't want to put in the effort needed for a believable performance or if he really believed this would work on her. Either way, it's not like she was about to call him out on that. As far as she could see, he was in a good mood for once, and she would rather keep it that way. Whatever it may have in store for her.

So, Natasha sighed and leaned in to take the fork into her mouth. Only to have it snatched away from her in an instant. She just watched as Saeran put the piece of cake into his own mouth and exploded in a fit of roaring laughter that bounced off the bare walls of the Intelligence room. He laughed so hard, he even put an arm over his stomach, an action that probably wasn't fully conscious as his body shook in response to the waves of amusement he seemed to find in this whole exchange. She's pretty sure she never saw him laugh this hard before, especially over something so... to be completely frank, rather stupid.

Throughout it all, Natasha remained silent, feeling both puzzled and intrigued. Saeran sure was a mystery. She's pretty sure that the laughter was genuine. Did he seriously find it this funny? It was almost kind of... cute. In a very peculiar way. She was starting to understand why he looked so proud and energized when he entered. Did he plan this whole thing in advance? Now if that isn't excessive, she doesn't know what is.

It appeared that Saeran would have a good time playing pranks. Though, he probably didn't know about that activity in the first place. And she wasn't about to tell him. Who knows what kind of things she would have to deal with if she does.

"Oh, you should've seen your face! God- You looked so dumb!" Saeran cackled and started to bang his hand against the table a little. Natasha found it hard to suppress her own laughter when she saw the unusual sight, having to bite her lip to prevent anything from slipping. Saeran looked so proud of himself, that she is sure he was blissfully unaware of just how silly this all looked from the outside perspective. If he did, he wouldn't be acting this way in the first place.

"You got me, boss... How could you do this?" She found herself playing along, even though she couldn't control the light smile on her face as her eyes kept following the hacker. There was some amusement to be found in this strange situation. One she wouldn't voice outloud, but would indulge in nonetheless.

Saeran seemed totally oblivious to the 'victim' of his prank having a good time. After a bout of laughter, he released a final loud 'Ha!' before settling down and crossing his arms over his chest cockily. He leaned his hip against the desk in a way that radiated arrogance.

"You must be a real airhead if you think I would ever bake a cake just for you! This should be a nice lesson for you, assistant. Be grateful I am willing to give you such a heads-on approach."

Natasha blinked. Stumped.

Wait-

Did he...

Did Saeran make this cake? To perform this 'prank' on her? Is that why he was gone for hours? Was he out there, baking a whole entire cake, just for a joke?

"...You are something else boss" She murmured after a brief pause, shaking her head slightly.

"I sure am."

He was unaware of what she meant by that, wasn't he? By the looks of his confident smirk, he thought she was impressed by him or something. And, in a way, she was.

Just not in the way he would be pleased with, probably.

Still, in spite of it all, it was... nice to see this more silly and lighthearted side of Saeran. Even if it was in such a bizarre manner. She didn't mind being the cause of his laughter occasionally. Maybe she'll put up with some silly pranks in the future.

...And, his smile appeared somewhat cute for a brief moment when he was consumed by his own enjoyment and didn't care about appearing intimidating. A small glimpse into the human side of him that he seemed so set on denying. She kind of wished to see that more often.

Turns out, Saeran is a very talented baker.

[misscrawfords]

Watched Bridgerton with a bit too much wine and a new cross-stitch. Immediate thoughts:

highly watchable. Four hours sped by. Whatever else it might be, it's a very addictive, winning formula. Liked it much more than I anticipated despite feeling that a) Penelope's unrequited friends-to-lovers fantasy is going to hit me very hard and b) Colin Bridgerton is not attractive and never will be.

Francesca Francesca Francesca!!! I don't remember much about her book and from the trailers/promo pics didn't think much of the new actress but I am now obsessed with Francesca. Adore her being autistic coded with a music special interest. Adore that for her. Adore the music. Absolutely everything. She's my girl!!!!!! Love her being silent with John. I'm so sad knowing what happens but I want this for her. I cant stop thinking about how he listened to her info dump about that violinist and then got the damn piece transcribed for her to play. I mean. Listen. My hear, you guys, my heart. I don't care about anything or anyone else!

Penelope's glow-up is awesome.

Love Alice and Will Mondrich. Again, did not see this coming but finding their storyline pretty cool.

Love that we get more Hyacinth. She's my favourite Bridgerton because when I read her book I related to her so hard I had some kind of life crisis, so the fact she has more to do and is growing up just fills me with joy.

Weirdly love the Featheringtons and the very bizarre inheritance/pregnancy plot. The girls don't know what sex is and neither do their loser husbands? The whole thing is so utterly off the wall, it's compelling! Their S02 plot was so dull but I'm finding this completely bonkers and compelling. Maybe it's the wine?

Cressida and Eloise??!!! Like, Cressida is ticking all my "mean rich bitch with unexpected trauma and hidden depths" box and I hate myself for it but there we go. Here for it. I hope she isn't completely villainised.

Eloise's development baffles me. I hate that she's all "I'm not like other girls" with the sewing and she seems to veer towards learning that maybe she can get on with girls and change and then she's dragged back into her insufferable superiority. And how is the character who is written like this supposed to end up as the stepmum to Marina Crane's children vegetating in the countryside? It does not make sense at all for show!Eloise. Actually the only thing that makes sense is to make her a lesbian, or at least bi, which would be in keeping with her "I don't fit in/I'm different" narrative. Otherwise... what? ngl I want Cressida/Eloise fanfic and I did not think that would be my takeaway from this show when I woke up today.

Colin is just not sexy. He's not sexy, he has an unsexy name (4th on my ranking of "how sexy are the Bridgerton boys' names" btw: 1 is Benedict obv - top tier sexy name; 2 is Anthony - mid-level but clearly worked for Cleopatra, has definite potential in the right circumstances; 3 is Gregory - not sexy especially if abbreviated but could work with a lot of effort in a particularly charming individual but Colin? Nope. Can you imagine screaming "COLIN!" in the heights of passion? No, didn't think so.) And I just don't buy him as a character. Why must maturity and new-found confidence equal having threesomes? He lacks coherency to me. Oh well. I don't hate him but I would take John Stirling's silence and top tier gift giving or Lord Debling's honesty, kindness, and dedicated to real interests over his... whatever it is is Colin has... any day.

Penelope's glow-up is great and she looks hot af and I'm here for it and her arc is certainly compelling but it's actually... not the most compelling part of the show for me. Whoops!

The dig about embroidery was very unnecessary.

Don't know what Benedict is doing in this plot but he's still very entertaining and has more character than Colin.

Yeah. I enjoyed it way more than expected and I only feel mildly heartbroken about the whole friends-to-lovers thing but that's probably the wine. Part 2 is released on my birthday so happy birthday to me, I guess!!

[shmowder]

Whoa, you did amazing on your first run of P2! I made it through but like half the town died so I definitely enjoyed getting all the dialogue I missed the first time around. And just being able to spend a little more time appreciating the environment was nice, too.

You definitely make the first game sound interesting! And I would finally find out what everyone sees in Daniil 🤔

I also wanted to ask, do you have a favorite kid character? Sticky is mine.

Daniil, in the first game is... absolutely something. I love him, but god, I'm just in the first day of his route, and I can't stand his dialogue choices. He just keeps talking! he never stops. He has so much to say about everything and everyone at all times. He will fluff up the sentences with filler words and pleasantries.

Interacting with him as Artemy was fun because he was that silly dramatic guy from the Capital and you're only subjected to his theatrics once every two to four business days, plus the occasional letter he loves sending at the stroke of midnight, making you wonder if this is the time he inevitably went mad and is sharing the news with you as you open it.

BUT BEING DANIIL DANKOVSKY IS AN INSUFFERABLE EXPERIENCE.

I keep mansplaining everything to anyone who shows the slightest interest in me. Eva is flirting with me, and all I can do is abruptly change the conversation topic to be about death, very smooth Danill, I'm sure imagining her invetiable demise reeled her in.

...Am I describing myself? Is this what I'm doing right now?

Anyway, my favourite kid! My favourite child! this is gonna be a very long essay because I adore all the little rascals in Pathologic.

We're starting with Sticky <3

When I was playing P2, it was definitely Sticky. You mentioned him being your favourite!

With sticky, he is the first kid to actually give you a chance as Artemy. Sometimes, it feels like he adopted himself into your life and not the other way around. He just shows up and is immediately ride or die with you for life.

He steals for us! Breaks the law just to help us because he knows we are short on money! He doesn't have any medical knowledge but he tries his best to learn from watching you and the occasional questions.

He is endlessly curious and thirsty for knowledge. You can witness it each time you mention a medical term he doesn't know like serum or panacea, and he tries his best to understand what you're saying. Even if it doesn't make sense, he takes your words with blind trust. He wants to be just like you and it's so endearing.

I also adore how they gave him a personality that isn't just a docile student who agrees with everything you say.

No, Sticky will argue with you at times, insult you at others even. Especially his idle spoken dialogue where he keeps saying "How can people protect themselves from the infection? You're a doctor, you should know!"

It's the "You should know!" part that always gets me. He is upset that you don't know something! That's how much he secretly looks up to you and puts you on a pedestal. That when faced with the reality that you're not all-knowing and struggling to invent a cure, he's hurt and angry. Like you betrayed him by not being his superhero.

STICKY I'M SORRY MY SON I WILL DO BETTER I WILL GET 1000 COLLEGE DEGREES THAT WILL PUT THE BACHELOR TO SHAME PLEASE COME BACK!

His other idle spoken dialogue lines are also priceless. They tell a complete story on their own.

"I'll learn how to cure this plague myself. I'm a master of many skills!"

"I know the Lines, too. How else could I find my way around all the attics, and the cellars, and those twisty yards?"

He's trying to copy Artemy, to copy you the player and your effort to cure the plague. He's so small in this big world and can only effect so little in the grand scheme of the universe but he refuses to acknowledge that! He refuses that fate of being a helpless kid for you to save, he wants to be more and goddammit he will be more.

But he can't. He won't. At the end of the day, he is just a kid not matter how many tantrums he throws. He wants you to take him seriously and treat him with the same familiarity as other adults which is why insults you and jokes with you.

He wants Artemy to joke insult him too like he does with Stakh, he wants Artemy to confide in him and share theories like he does with Daniil.

HE WANTS HIS DAD TO BE PROUD OF HIM MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT.

"You don't look so happy. Musta come from the hospital"

He notices your mood, he studied your reaction and knows your routine by heart. He can tell the difference between Artemy's upset face and his normal resting scary ripper face.

Sticky tries to sympathise. But he has never seen a hospital before in his life, all he knew about them was what he read in picture books as a toddler while learning the alphabet and someone put Hospital under the letter H.

The makeshift Theatre-turned-hosptial could never compare to a real one. I've spent time in hospital and my doctor brother told me about the absolute horrors of the emergency care and surgery sections. The many peoples of which will die in front of your own eyes and there is nothing you can do to save them.

All of his world view is extremely limited. Artemy is the lense in which he views the world with, in an attempt to decipher and understand it. You've became his teacher since the moment the first ever question slipped from his mouth and you answered it with sincerity.

"My path was called In Defiance. I almost tracked down that weird creature, but then I found a better goal. I'm going to become a real doctor. "

In the marble nest, when Artemy's dead, Sticky attempts to still follow his fate and seeks the Bachelor. He confesses his dream of still wanting to be a doctor but Daniil is dismissive and only directs him towards the academic path.

It's clearly not the same, it clearly eats up at Sticky to have his old mentor die in order, a second time, to invent a cure and now he can't mourn because he has to convince the only other doctor in town to take him under his wing.

Artemy allowed him a chance, took him seriously, looked past his lack of education and taught him the same way his own father used to teach him. Because Artemy genuinely relates and understands Sticky's situation, he grew up in this town.

Daniil who lives in the capital where every child is handed a bright future and guaranteed education could never relate to the kids of the town who grew up without a single school. He feels bad for them yes but he can't see Sticky as capable of anything besides staying out of trouble and letting the real doctors do their job.

Daniil lives in his concept of a utopia where children are always protected and never put in dangerous situations while capable adults handle everything. A world where he closes a grocery to not spread infection because that's what's right and necessary, without caring about how the families will feed themselves now.

Artemy lives in the grim reality of orphans trading bullets and razors just to get enough food to stay alive, of them risking getting infected just to acquire plague maps for him to purchase, in the world where he helped a kid steal from a store for his own sake because he knew he couldn't afford saying no in these dire circumstances.

Sticky does a lot of work behind the curtains. He keeps the lair clean and takes care of Murky. It's a shame we don't get to see him doing these things in-game, besides his model changing spots depending on the time of day.

This interaction happens on the third (or second?) day! The kid barely knows us, and he is already looking for our approval and doing chores around the house. I mentioned before how the Haruspex's lair floors are constantly wet-looking in a different post, and that detail is probably due to Sticky constantly moping the floors and keeping things tidy.

I wish Artemy was more gentle with him, I wish he spoke softer to him like he does with Murky. I know he treats her like that because she is younger and more gaurded but god Sticky deserves to be told good job too!

Sticky absolutely adores Murky. He makes her candy with melted sugar and tries to cheer her up. But he also tends to idolise Isidor a little too much. They end up in fights a lot because he always defends Isidor and his actions no matter what anyone says.

In p1, Sticky absolutely did not get along with any of the kids. Notkin invited him to join his gang, and Sticky refused, Khan wanted him to do a favour too, and Sticky declined. He doesn't play with other kids, he doesn't engage with them, and he is mostly alone.

It doesn't seem like that changed much in P2, sure the others don't mention him by name but also you don't ever see him wandering to the hubs the other kids are so fond of.

So for him to be kind and befriend Murky despite all the alienation he has suffered all his life from other kids, it really must have been a challenging step for him to take. He immediately accepts her as his sister and doesn't ask any questions.

In his free time, before becoming a student, he used to uncover mysteries and perform experiments detective conan style. Camping at the steppe at night to witness one of those clay vampire creatures despite no one believing him, attempting to get to the bottom of remours.

He's clearly very fascinated by the kin folktales and mystical creatures beyond just fantasy. What others dismissed as childish beliefs, he looked at with rationality and attempted to make sense of. The same burning curiosity reared its head when Artemy shared stories about the kin with him.

Even his idle dialogue shows his lingering fascination with the supernatural world, with the miracles of the kin. He doesn't fear them, he wants to witness them despite the consequences.

"The murderer is a steppe demon! A shabnak-adyg! I just know it!"

"A long neck and a fat body. And hooves for feet—so it's an Albino. And people say it wasn't the earth that made it!"

"Have you seen a pale, glimmering man walking around at night?"

Just imagine Artemy passing down all of the kin tales to Sticky, the ones his father used to tell him, the ones he learned from the herb brides, the ones Oyun used to whisper to him, the ones Aspity shared during their brief interactions.

Isidor's death greatly affected him. He never speaks about him or shows it, but the fear of abandonment has already taken root. It's apparent in the endgame dialogue when he's refusing any idea of you leaving, even ten years from now, when he is a full 20-something adult.

Just the mention of leaving has him terrfied and panicking, he doesn't want to experience the loss of another father so soon. He clings to you like gum throughout all of the game and doesn't leave your lair out of fear you won't be there when he comes back.

He sits in that broken chair and watches over Artemy as he sleeps, that kid needs a hug and reassurance so badly.

Suddenly, he has a sister to take care of, a father who loves him and is willing to teach him, a house with his own room, a future ahead as a Menkhu doctor. He has his dream coming true, and he won't survive having it taken from him.

The devs leave a lot of room for you to influence Artemy's choices and reactions throughout the game, even when it's just flavour plot texts and I love that. In my version of events, Artemy rejected all the proposals and job offers from Young Vlad, General Block, Yulia and the rest to be their assistants or travel with them.

Instead he remains home to be a Menkhu, watching over his town and helping whatever remains of the kin to survive. He accepts Lara's offer to help him take care of Sticky and Murky as co-parenting and friends. He raises both of them to be wonderful amazing adults who listen to their hearts and follow their own dreams.

Maybe add Aglaya survives and they have a long distance romance and the kids are intrigued by her terrifying aura-

ANYWAY.

Honourable mentions, Murky, Taya and Notkin.

Murky because of EVERYTHING SHE IS. I will surrender my own life to see her happy.

THIS MOMENT MADE ME CRY. ACTUALLY FUCKING FULL ON WEEP IRL.

Do you remember her words to us? to Artemy?

"What is there about you to love? Nothing. So I don't."

"I don't need you. Nuh-uh. Things were great without you. Great."

"Why did you come here? I don't need you. Nobody here needs you. We're not friends with her anymore, anyway."

"Why should I love you? I don't need to love you at all. I can stop loving you whenever I want."

She keeps repeating how she doesn't love us, how there is nothing to love, how she doesn't need you, she doesn't need anyone....She can stop loving us whenever she wants, she can stop if she wants to she is so sure of it...

And she knows she is lying the whole time.

She loved Artemy since the first moment she saw him.

Which was when he murdered those three people after getting off of the train. She saw a murderer, a ripper, and loved him as daughter loves her father.

Covered in blood in our worst, Murky looked at us and saw a gentle heart and a nurturing soul.

Sticky is scared of being abandoned again so he clings to us, Murky is scared of loving us so she clings to a lie. She wants a dad, she wants a brother, she only has her doll and a broken train car to call her own.

The only thing left from her parents, her lonely doll. And it was your father whom caused their death and orphaned her, what cruel fate to make her love you as a father.

The son of her parents killer.

Not a gradual love that we work for, No. She loved is since the single moment she saw us. How terrifying is that for a kid who has known no love or warmth in this life.

-

For Notkin, he always seemed like the most willing out of the bound kids to be your friend, not counting your own two adopted kids. By the end of the game, he asks to join the kin and says you're already one of his guys, you have a half soul too and it's massive and so cool.

He blatantly states how much he likes you, how much you've grown on him and stood by his gang's side through the game. He shares with you his dream of opening a warehouse in the future, describing something very similar to what Grief currently has minus the crime.

How poetic it is! Grief and Artemy being childhood friends only for Notkin aka mini-Grief version to end up liking grown Artemy too and wanting to be his friend.

Murky does remind of Lara now that we mention it. In one of the items descriptions, Artemy mentions how Lara knitted him the blue sweater that he's wearing ingame under the surgical grab and when he asked her why blue, she said because it's the colour of idiots and never knitted him anything again.

Murky and her are absolutely kind and selfless to a fault, both treating Artemy with apparent hostility and sharp words when in reality they care for him more than anything.

Notkin and Grief putting an air of being dangerous so Artemy wouldn't get any ideas, but eventually warming up to him and entrusting him with their sincere emotions in rare moments of vulnerability. Both are trying to be good leaders for people under their care, both appreciate his help in dire situations and give him back when they can. Grief is the first to hand you items to get you started ingame, and in Notkins warehouse, a kid gives you bread and milk, later they give you the first plague map for free.

In a way, it feels like Sticky adores Artemy in the same way Rubin must have idolised Isidor.

Jfwifjwkd Artemy straight up adopted the kids equivalent of his childhood friends that is so peotic.

-

Finally, there is Taya!

For her, I feel more of a personal connection rather than any bond she may have with Artemy. She reminds me of myself as a kid in a way. She looks spoiled but in reality she is very isolated and only have interacted with adults all her life who keep reminding her of her responsibility.

She wants to be a kid so desperately but she is forced to play the mother superior role. And despite all her lack of emotional development at that age, she does her best to sincerely play that role. To be wise and study the responsibility handed to her.

In P1, she mentions nonchalantly how her father, the previous leader of the kin, was killed by the kin in her place, he died to protect her from being killed. She mentions that if you choose to sacrifice big vlad in place of young vlad.

Saying how the father should always pay for the sins of his children.

Isidor died so Artemy may live

Her father died so she may be spared

Big Vlad died in place of his son getting killed.

Taya is very childish at times in a way that I wish she was allowed to express more. Just look at these scenes.

SHE JUST WANTS CHOCOLATE AND SWEETS, BUT HAS TO PLAY THE ROLE OF A HOLY LEADER TO A WHOLE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WITH CULTURE OLDER THAN THAN THE WORLD. SHE IS TRYING HER BEST OKAY.

God it's like she's holding the weight of the world on her shoulders but laughing and smiling despite of it as she dreams of strawberries.

STRAWBERRIES! THAT'S LITERALLY HER BIGGEST DREAM.

Ugh she is so tiny too! LOOK AT HER. You can put her in you pocket but she might get lost between the loose change!!

SHE IS 4 GRASS BLADES TALL!!! FOUR! SHE IS PROBABLY 5 APPLES TALL LIKE HELLO KITTY! SHE IS JUST A LITTLE GIRL AAAAAAAAA

LET ME ADOPT HER GAME!! LET ME HAVE HER LIVE IN ARTEMY'S HOUSE WITH STICKY AND MURKY AS HER OLDER SIBLINGS! PLEASE I NEED IT! BRING NOTKIN TOO!

The remaining kids, Capella, Khan, Grace and even Taya herself, don't seem that fond or attached to Artemy. Their fates cross a lot and some of them clearly saw Isidor as a father figure but it's never the same with Artemy.

Taya only cares for him as Menkhu, she is mother superior and he is one of her "children" like any other person from the kin.

Capella sees him as a business partner in a way, she asks for favours and promises to repay tenfolds when she becomes a mistress. Her goals and Artemy's allign so they are partners in planning.

Sometimes, I wonder if Artemy was supposed to be born much later. Because Capella describes a future where he is included with these kids when it comes to rebuilding the town. The fact his own mother died during childbirth makes me consider that theory a bit more, maybe his parents rushed into having a second kid when his older brother passed away which caused health problems to his mother.

So Artemy was supposed to be born much later alongside these kids and play his role in rebuilding the town. But it's just a theory.

A GAME THEOR-

-

Thank you so much for the praise about finishing the game! I want to lie and say it was effortless. But.It.Was.Not. 500 reloads. But I loved every minute, I would hate going to sleep because it meant I had to stop play and would open the game first thing after waking up. It was literally and addiction and I couldn't remember my own name and life event but I for sure had the list of items best to trade to which town npcs memorised.

I want to replay it after finishing it P1. It is fun but it can be boring at times which is why I'm moving at a slugs pace in Daniil's route. Part of me is also dreading finishing it since I will only have Clara's route to play by then....and its over like that.

Maybe by stalling, I'm hoping that P2 Bachelor's route will come out sooner.

I definitely enjoyed this conversation <3 I love talking and talking loves me, I have a million opinions on everything and so much to say about pathologic. If you ever get curious about a certain subject, character or concept, shoot me an ask since I will have so much fun writing out the essay.

I hope you had fun reading this! I try to sprinkle in jokes so it's not just a big dump of information but eh, I love mansplaining guilty as charged.

Take care anon! I hope your day is wonderful. Also wanna be called Sticky anon if you're going to be a frequent quest on here?

[nesrinslittleworld]

The Most Beautiful Thing In The World Is Love.

Book: Dracula A Love Story

Pairing: Mehmed x Lale / Mehmed x MC

Characters: Şehzade Mehmed, Lale Hatun, Shahi Hatun, Zağanos Paşa, Sultan Murad,..

Summary:

October 1448.

Lale Hatun remains in Edirne as all her loved ones head for war. But one man occupies her thoughts despite her greatest efforts.

Şehzade Mehmed is preparing for battle when he receives the most striking news..

Chapter 1:

Time seemed to hold still in the inner courtyard of the palace. All the servants had been sent away, and it seemed that even the birds had left some privacy to the two young people.

Lale had come here full of anger at him, but now she was the one clinging onto the Şehzade, their lips sealed in a bloody kiss. But despite his inner desire, the young man suddenly broke the kiss; a form of punishment for Lale’s action.

Do you taste the blood?” Mehmed whispered against her lips, almost out of breath. “Remember this taste. We are of the same kind, the same nature. And no matter how much you deny it, you can’t escape it.” He released Lale’s arm from his grip and took several steps back, eyeing her intensely.

“And now farewell, Lale Hatun. I need to prepare for the campaign.”

The young woman stood still as he departed, her fiery gaze fixed on his back, until he disappeared completely from her sight and that the only thing she could hear was her shallow breath.

In a harsh movement, she whipped the blood from her lips with her sleeve and clenched her fists before leaving the inner court with a decisive step.

The few maids that crossed paths with Lale, as she headed towards her chambers, barely had time to step out of her way, her fury making her oblivious to anything around her.

After closing the door of her bedroom with a little more strength than usual, she rested her back against its wooden surface and closed her eyes. But no matter how hard she tried to regain some composure, the feeling of betrayal still lingered inside her. She had trusted him ; believed him when he said he'd help to keep her friends safe, only to send them away in the middle of the night. And solely out of fear that she would choose them, instead of him.

Lale eventually turned her head towards her bed, where another embroidered shirt remained. The third shirt, the one that kept her awake for the rest of the night after the boys’ departure and Alexandra's return to her own chambers.

“I didn't want to put you in the position of choosing to spend this time with them or me…"

She closed the distance between the door and her bed in a few steps. Then, in a fit of anger, grabbed the shirt and threw it to the other side of the room.

“You selfish, insufferable man!” her voice, neither a whisper, nor a cry, started to shake ; her eyes staring daggers in the shirt as if she could pierce Mehmed's chest through it.

After being deprived of sleep from embroidering the two shirts for her friends, Lale had felt a weight in her heart as she realised another person, dear to her, would be left without any protection. So she had summoned the rest of her strength to sew the remaining flowers into a third one.

Alas, they weren't enough for an extra talismanic shirt, but the young lady had remembered a rumour about Mehmed's birth, one whispered in some hallways of the palace.

It was said that, as Huma Hatun was giving birth to young Mehmed, her uncle had retreated in his chambers in prayers, reading the Holy Quran. And that Mehmed's first cry was heard as the Sultan was reading the Surah of Victory. The Al Fath Surat.

And so, Lale had embroidered the shirt with the same verses, with the firm conviction that these Holy words would indeed offer protection and Victory to the Şehzade. Her needlework ceased only with the last notes of the morning prayer call, and some drops of blood would have mixed here and there with the golden embroidery.

“Lale Hatun!” Her tutoress’ voice brought her to her senses. “What happened here?” The older lady gasped as she looked at her protégée. “Is that blood on your dress?!”

Lale looked from Shahi Hatun to her dress, where indeed, Mehmed's blood had left a stain from their embrace.

Her blood on his talismanic shirt, his on her dress, they were even. For now.

Yet, how was she to explain this to her tutoress? How could she tell her that she went to see the Şehzade, unchaperoned, and that the blood was Mehmed's, from a stab wound that she inflicted upon him as revenge for sending her friends away. And that he, in return, claimed her lips in a passionate and bloody embrace?

Luckily for the young woman, a knock on the door saved her from the elder woman's inquisitive gaze. One of the ağa entered, and after bowing respectfully to the Sultan's niece, informed Shahi Hatun that Daye called upon her urgently.

“Change yourself, before anyone else witnesses you in such a state.” she cried as she turned toward the door, before gazing at her sternly, with her index raised toward her. “But you will tell me what happened as soon as I return.”

Lale only replied with a smile and waited for her to leave the room.

“Idris Ağa?” she called the eunuch as he was taking his leave. “Has the rest of the army left the palace?” She asked innocently, while fidgeting with her sleeve.

“The Sultan and the Şehzade are about to depart with some of the pashas. They will be escorted by the Janissaries.” The eunuch bowed to Lale once more, then took a few steps back before leaving the room.

The young woman eyed the shirt still laying on the floor next to the mirror, then the window from where some agitation could be heard. With a sigh, she hurried to change into some more appropriate clothes, and quickly packed up the shirt before rushing out of her room.

The rest of Ali Bey's squad were already leaving the first courtyard as Lale made her way out of the Harem and Privy Quarters. Still hidden by the colonnades bordering the yard, she deftly walked around the inner corridor decorated with iznik tiles, readjusting the beige veil covering her from head to shoulders. She did not want to attract attention, especially not from the Bostanji that were guarding the palace. As a woman, even from the Sultan's entourage, her trips out of the palace had to be approved of by the Sultan or by the Grand Vizir, in the Sultan's absence.

She noticed her Uncle, saddled on the white mare that had been given to him by Mehmed. He was the only one allowed to ride within the palace walls, and as such, the rest of the troops were to march until they reached the Meriç bridge to cross the river with the same name and reach the mainland.

The Şehzade was nowhere to be seen. He probably wished to oversee the preparations of the remaining troops; another opportunity to prove his value to his father, most probably.

The other option was that his wound needed to be patched up before leaving and that he was still at Shervani’s, but that seemed unlikely to Lale. Mehmed was too proud to be late at such a gathering, especially for an injury as such.

However, she couldn't help but hope that his wound wouldn't prevent him from riding such a long distance. But this hope was toned down by the knowledge that, should such a discomfort happen, it would at least remind him of his fierce Cousin left in Edirne.

Lale smiled quietly at the thought, and her grip on the package grew firmer.

Eventually, she spotted one of Mehmed's trusted advisors, who was serving her uncle as a great military commander, walking toward the gate with the rest of the squad.

“Zağanos Pasha!” She spoke softly as he walked past her, which caused him to stop in his tracks, and to step to the side of the courtyard in order to hear her better, but without ever looking at her, as it was forbidden.

“Lale Hatun.” his gaze remained fixed on the marble floor as he respectfully addressed the Sultan's niece. “You should not be here, my Lady, especially unchaperoned.” He spoke in a low voice, without trying to chastise her, but with a certain amount of concern in his voice.

If the Sultan, or the Şehzade were to notice him interacting with the young Lady, they would probably not be happy about it. Especially Mehmed.

“I lacked time to greet my family before their departure, ” Lale whispered quickly as she surveyed their surroundings. “which is why I have a request for you. Please make sure to leave this in the Şehzade's tent, once you have settled.” She cautiously handed a silk package to him, then added in a firm tone “You may, of course, verify that nothing dangerous will come out of it. I would not expect anything less from my Cousin's trusted advisor. But there is no need for Mehmed to know about it now. Let him discover it on his own.” She eyed the pasha as he secured her gift in his hands, then bowed his head to her, without ever looking up.

“It will be done according to your wishes, Lale Hatun. Please be safe here. I'm sure your prayers for our Sultan and our Prince will bring us Victory. With your permission…” He kept his head bowed as he regained his previous position, then made haste to join the rest of the army, securing the package with his own belongings.

Still hidden in the shadows, Lale remained in the inner courtyard until the last soldier walked through the gate, Ottoman flags flapping through the wind as the army marched toward the enemies. The view was interrupted as the Bostanji finally closed the massive gates, locking them from inside.

[trickstarbrave]

"this is to say nothing of the grown adults on social media who make discoursing on the "opposite side" their full time hobby when really they are only making the situation worse in an effort to feel morally superior" Lol these are the people who are defending the ability to enjoy things in fiction without being policed. I can't believe you can have such an insight into the problem and then completely miss the point by acting insufferable to the people advocating for just letting people enjoy what they like. You're no better than the people who send death threats honestly since you want to ally with the people who want to police every online space and censor people. They'll come for you next, and none of us will be there to defend you from the antis when they decide your fiction is morally reprehensible

i debated not answering this because you are being rude and annoying and i dont like this kind of pointless arguing, but let me make this clear:

you are not helping address the problem. acting morally superior and righteous in the same brand of obnoxious is just about as much of "activism" as the "pro-shippers" who do it too. all you are doing is picking fights to get high off the rush of anger and dopamine. you are not "advocating" for anything. you are not addressing any of the problems. you are not fundamentally changing anyone's minds.

you are working on a bland, black and white mentality that ignores the complex reasons behind stuff. just by me saying that you have jumped to "so obviously you like sending people death threats and support it and are no better than the people do that" just like how the people who don't like your weird incest ships think you must obviously be an irl abuser.

"anti" means nothing. neither really does "pro-shipper". this us vs them mentality has to die before we see any progress. we cannot just keep using the internet for outrage. instead of arguing with people online and making stupid arguments about how actually your fiction IS moral and is actually better than other people's stuff and that everyone who doesn't think exactly like you do must love sending people death threats, you could try doing something actually fucking productive. push back against censorship online. disrupt algorithms. educate people that engaging with content they don't like on algorithm websites means they will see more of it. create a forum to freely share stuff with less harassment and vitrol. stay educated on what bills have lead to this censorship and push back against them or protest about new ones that keep being introduced.

all i can see from asks and posts like this is: you dont want things to change. you don't really care about the reasons behind it. you are right and other people are wrong because you don't like them. you like arguing online because you get a rush from it. you are doing this because you like fucking "winning". you dont care if you don't change a single person's mind because you enjoy the moral superiority you imagine you have. which are all the reasons the equally obnoxious people you hate and insist you are nothing like keep arguing with you. it is an endless cycle because you all enjoy the cheap thrill of arguing and bitching online that feeds into our worst impulses as human beings. i know im not one to fucking talk because i've also been known to jump into internet arguments, but i can at least recognize the problem and try to address it.

so long as you continue to act like this and act like your behavior is self righteous activism, this kind of shit will create a feedback loop. literally deactivate your fucking discourse blog, stop getting into pointless arguments online, and do literally anything else to address the problem. stop thinking that when i am addressing harmful mentalities online that feed into negativity and bullshit that you are immune to it because you're smarter or better than the people you disagree with. you're not. you're obnoxious.

if you send another anon i will be blocking you. knock it off. grow up.

[villain-in-love]

I've mentioned him a bunch of times before, but generally tried to stay away, to avoid falling into my old obsession. However, it seemed that I'm back at my bullshit again, regardless of my efforts.

Anyways, allow me introduce you properly.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the myth, the legend, the man himself, the one that caused me so much heartache!

Fucking Xerxes Break

I am so going to spoil you his entire character right now because you need to know this information because from now on I won't shut up about him.

So, Xerxes. In this story, that heavily references "Alice in Wonderland", he represents both the Mad Hatter and the White Knight. He's an extremely weird mix of a cunning bastard, cinnamon roll, and grouchy old man, all at once. Xerxes Break is known by many for his eccentric behaviour and unparalleled fighting skills, being simultaneously the best and the most insufferable swordsman in the entire Pandora organization. Other than that, he's a loyal servant of the Rainsworth dukedom, and an important mentor figure to the main characters.

Most of the time, he acts like a clown. When he's not acting like a clown, he acts like a moody bitch.

He made a bunch of terrible decisions in his youth and is still dealing with the consequences of his actions, even fifteen years later. Break's past is dark and bloody, and he's not proud of it.

At first you might think that he's an untrustworthy manipulator with a few screws loose, but then throughout the story you realize that he's easily the person with the most common sense in this entire freakshow, as well as one of the very few people you can actually rely on. Also Xerxes has always been a better fighter than a manipulator.

In any case, just don't listen to a single thing Break says about himself – his actions often contradict his words. He tries to portray himself as a far more horrible person than he actually is.

He doesn't know how to deal with children, but he keeps accidentally adopting every child he meets. Claims that he doesn't care about anyone but himself, yet actually cares about everyone except himself. And if you dare to hurt people that are dear to him, I hope you already have your place at the graveyard reserved, because he does not forgive that... and because he's a former serial killer (bad decisions, bad decisions).

All that comes in a complect with sugar addiction, creepy ventriloquist doll named Emily, pride that blinds (ha!) him to everything else, thinly veiled suicidal tendencies, trust issues, massive guilt complex, undying devotion, obnoxious tendency to poke his nose into everyone else's business, and completely nonsensical fashion sense!

.......

Also he is quite literally rotting on the inside (what did I say about the consequences of his own actions?), then he loses his eyesight closer to the middle of the manga, and dies by the end of the story, right after finally realizing that he's actually not ready to die.

In short, this man is a walking disaster and I adore him with my entire being.

[merchantarthurn]

it's funny that 2/3 of the companions i ship astarion (the 3 being halsin, wyll and karlach) with are people who are objectively just lovely, selfless people but in a way that's just... too far. both in their own ways don't acknowledge they give/have given too much away for the good of others and a big part of the healing they need is setting even a single limit on what's "too far".

(under the cut cos it got long but this is more a ramble about character dynamics than romantic stuff so please enjoy even if you don't care for the 'ship' aspect. ive also got a LOT to say about karlach but i don't here im sorry i love her so much pls--)

wyll's willing to give his immortal soul (TWICE) for the sake of a city and father that turned his back on him with barely a moment to reflect on the unfairness to himself (at least in a 'and that's why it shouldn't be expected of me' way, anyway). halsin's given a hundred years of devoted research to the shadowcursed lands and cut himself off from deeper connections in order to remain committed to lifting the curse, not the mention the way he skirts around really acknowledging his trauma from the Underdark as a trauma instead of just a Fun Halsin Fact!TM

now... like all relationships between companions this is a compelling area without any romantic undertones, this is more what's driving my interest in the ships at all, but i find the above level of self-sacrifice really interesting in contrast to astarion. similarly, setting boundaries doesn't initially come naturally to him - he's not in the practice of being able to say no, and getting through the 'disgust' is something he tries to handwave as worth it for the rewards. but when in control, he's very much got selfish goals in mind. personal safety, mostly, being considered useful enough to keep around under the protection of the artefact. and in addition his moral compass is very much not aligned with the above, but does seem to shift in that direction the more compassion he's shown. it's never all the way flipped but... still.

two things that are interesting about that - both the selfish and selfless goals are, in isolation, completely understandable? save a city? well that's a good thing! protect yourself? can't argue with that!! but "no matter the cost to my mental and physical health" ooh never mind. astarion is, out of the three, seemingly much better positioned to understand and admit that? which is what's particularly interesting about either wyll or halsin's relationship (romantic or not) with him. cos any efforts they make to help astarion out with his own boundary issues and healing creates a big ol' elephant in the room with their own deal that i think astarion would, like, push back on y'know? he's already incredulous about heroes and do-gooders for both understandable and dnd-evil reasons but once an established rapport comes into play, then you get that incredibly tasty dimension of "okay, so you spent all that energy encouraging me not to loan myself out to make us stronger but you're gonna sell your eternal soul to a demon for a bit of information? and you're going to keep neglecting any aspect of your life that isn't shadow-curse related, to the point where you rushed in to enemy territory without regard for your safety and would have died if we hadn't stepped in?"

it's just such a chewable way of a bond developing right? both sides changing each other with something they initially might have found deplorable/insufferable about the other? but it both ultimately resulting in healthier boundary setting and the valuing of their own bodies and hhrhghruguhgguh. which is the sort of thing i Need when it comes to ships. man. oog. the list of little scenes i need to write gets longer by the second i swear. we can add shadowheart to the "dynamics i need to explore with wyll" list too ahrghr oogrhg

it's also making bl**dweave conceptually more interesting as an antithesis to this although i honestly haven't stumbled on anything that actually fits this particular niche so [handwaves] but to me that's two men who are gonna make each other Worse actually (this is not inherently a bad thing for Drama but all im saying is im pretty sure if you put those two together for too long you'll end up with a god + ascended ending ok). censoring the ship name cos i see much more fluffy stuff and im not here to ruin fun with opposing headcanons in a search ahaha