#that i start to see him with a normal appearence

[angelfic]

theodore nott x reader

warnings — kissing, kinda pg-13, mentions of drinking/smoking the usual stuff blah blah etc etc

a/n; truly thought another theo fic written by me would never see the light of day but here we are <3 this was meant to be a tiny drabble btw I hate myself!!!! NOT PROOFREAD!

THEODORE NOTT is shy.

he doesn’t understand why people find him intimidating. well, actually, that’s not completely true. he knows that people avoid him when he’s with his friends because they’re doing stupid shit like when enzo and draco are hexing each other for fun. or when mattheo starts scrapping out in the corridor because someone looked at him wrong and blaise is egging him on.

and, okay, maybe theo will jump in at some point too. in his defence, it’s only when the other guy’s friend starts in on him first.

but his friends aside, theo doesn’t understand why people think he’s intimidating when he’s by himself. it’s not his fault his resting face is daunting.

he wishes he could change it sometimes. girls will still come up to him at parties in the common room once he’s had a couple of drinks, but at the risk of becoming an alcoholic, he can’t be that loose all of the time.

theo wishes more than ever that he could cast some sort of spell on himself when you talk to him. you share a few classes, much to theo’s delight, but it’s not like he’s taking advantage of the fact.

every time you speak to him, his brain short circuits and he feels like a piece of muggle technology being fried by the wards of hogwarts. sometimes it’ll be something small like when you ask him to pass over the pot of lacewing flies in potions and he just stares at you.

“uhm, we’ve run out of them on our table,” you explain after a few seconds of silence, giving him a little smile. you point to the ingredients and raise your brows. “so…?”

he knows for a fact that his face is set in a blank expression that probably looks pissed off, especially when he catches sight of your friend at the table next door who practically looks concerned for your safety.

but his ears are burning and he feels like someone’s electrocuted him when he finally hands over the pot without looking at you and your finger brushes against his for a nanosecond.

“thanks,” you say, sincerely, a smile still gracing your lips as he offers you a stiff nod. you act as though you just had a completely normal interaction and it has theo stressing out because what if you see right through him?

another time, you’re late to history of magic and there are two seats left. one near the front and the other next to theo. you rush over and take out your things, barely registering who you’re sitting with, but theo is hyper-aware. no one ever willingly sits next to him aside from his friends.

once you’re settled, it appears that the rush of being late has left you quickly due to the monotone voice of professor bins and instead you’re fighting to stay awake. theo would know, since he keeps throwing glances your way.

at one point professor binns drones on about known cases of dragon pox and when he starts to list the symptoms, including a green and purple rash, theo mutters under his breath to mattheo, “much rather that than having to sit here for another bloody hour.”

his eyes flick over to you, surprised when you let out an unexpected snort of laughter. mattheo, having fallen asleep on his desk unbeknownst to theo, is oblivious to theo’s comment. instead, you’re the one covering your mouth with your hand to stop yourself from laughing too hard and theo physically can’t stop his lips from quirking up. he made you laugh.

later that day, he overhears your friend apologising for not saving you a seat in class. “i can’t believe you went and sat next to nott. i’m surprised he didn’t tell you to piss off.”

you immediately shush her, and your next words make him feel like he just ran a marathon. “i still don’t know what you mean. he’s nice… and funny,” you say simply, shrugging.

he repeats the words in his head over and over until the next time you talk to him, which happens to be at a party in the slytherin common room.

outside the party, actually. theo goes to sit right outside the common room entrance with his cup and a cigarette, partly to smoke and partly to get away from some of the girls who were flocking to him and his friends after they had all had a few drinks.

he’s exhaling a puff of smoke right as you’re quietly exiting the party to take a seat next to him and as soon as he spots you, he accidentally inhales the smoke the wrong way and coughs.

“sorry,” he mutters, waving the smoke away before it can go near you. he feels stupid and decides to just dump the thing into his cup before setting it aside. alcohol makes him looser, but it doesn’t make him completely immune to you.

“it’s fine,” you smile, crossing your legs as you settle on the ground next to him. “how come you’re out here every time there’s a party?”

“too loud,” he explains, letting his head rest against the wall as he starts to feel the buzz kicking in. “that, and to get away from all my adoring fans of course.”

this makes you laugh and theo, in his tipsy state, adorns a lazy grin at the sound, not bothering to hide that he’s looking at you.

“i don’t think there was a single girl who didn’t try chatting you or your friends up in there,” you shake your head, amused.

theo swallows, noticing the way you’re fiddling with the hem of your dress and he wonders if it bothers you. he blames the vodka for making him so bold when he says, “you and your friends didn’t.”

“my friends are scared of you,” you reply, raising your eyebrows as if to ask him if he’s surprised. “they think you’re always glaring at me.”

“nah,” he mumbles, looking at you through slightly hooded eyes. the dimly lit corridor makes your skin glow in a way that has him feeling a bit in awe, and he finds himself blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. “have they considered i’m staring at you because i think you’re fit?”

he promptly wants to punch himself in the face.

weirdly enough, you don’t look taken aback. you tilt your head as if pleasantly surprised, and your lips quirk up into the ghost of a smirk. “i have to say that explains a lot.”

“how so?” he asks, hesitant to know your answer. his heart stutters when you move closer to him and get up slightly to crouch beside him. your fingers reach out to tuck some of his hair behind his ear and he freezes, utterly still.

“well,” you say softly, a teasing glimmer in your eyes. “every time you speak to me the tips of your ears turn pink.”

and then you get up and leave and theo thinks his face has gone numb. he doesn’t remember much else from that evening, but the next morning his friends are asking him why he looks like he wants to kill someone.

he doesn’t know how to tell them that the someone he’s wanting to kill is himself for telling you he thinks you’re fit.

channeling the embarrassment into something useful, he tries to focus all his energy on the quidditch match he’s in against ravenclaw.

it goes by in a blur and somehow they’ve won, and theo thanks his lucky stars that they have because draco would surely have killed him for throwing the match due to being distracted.

the others run off quickly to the common room to celebrate, and theo tells them he’ll be right there, allowing himself to linger in the changing rooms for some peace and quiet before the inevitable celebrations.

“hey.”

he spins around, still in uniform with sweat dampening his hair and his green eyes fall on you in surprise. “uh. hi. what are you doing here?” he asks, uncertainly after the events of the night before. he hopes to Godric his ears are covered right now.

“just came to congratulate you,” you say with a playful smile.

theo’s brows furrow and his shoulders involuntarily slump slightly. he isn’t sure what he expected you to say, but it wasn’t that. “oh.”

you push yourself off the doorframe and enter the room, slowly walking closer to him. he’s never been more grateful for deodorant in his life.

“and one more thing,” you add, inching closer still.

“mhm?” theo is practically holding his breath in anticipation, and when you reach out to gently touch his arm, he stiffens for a second.

“i think you’re fit too.”

a startled laugh leaves him at your whispered words and instead of saying thank you, he finds himself stepping forward to clear the air and say what he’s been thinking since the party.

“i don’t think you’re fit,” he starts, face dropping when your smile falters. “shit, no, i mean you are. fuck,” he breathes out, dragging a hand down his face.

you take in the faint blush creeping up his neck that definitely wasn’t there right after he finished the match and allow him a second to gather himself.

“you’re beautiful,” he stammers, closing the gap between the two of you in earnest. he faintly registers the fact that he’s practically towering over you and leans down in an attempt to be less intimidating. “like, crazy beautiful. i meant to say that yesterday instead of sounding like an absolute twat, but i mean, what else is new when i’m around you-“

you cut him off by grabbing him by the collar of his quidditch jersey and pulling him down to press your lips against his in a firm, unyielding kiss. he stiffens, hands hovering uncertainly at his sides for a moment as though he’s frozen, but it isn’t long before he’s reacting, as though he’s suddenly woken up.

his hands find your waist immediately, pulling you into him and straightening up slightly to deepen the kiss, pulling you up slightly to stand on your tiptoes as your lips slot against his.

theo breaks the kiss to meet your eyes with his own wide ones, rushing out words between kisses. “i don’t think you understand just how long…” he exhales into your mouth, kissing you firmly. “i’ve been wanting to do…” he nips at your bottom lip, making you gasp. “this,” he finishes, grinning into the kiss when you melt against him.

theo takes the opportunity to reach his hands down to your thighs, lifting you up and carrying you over to the wall where he’s suddenly kissing you with a new confidence, moving to pepper kisses down your jaw and onto your neck.

you tuck a finger under his chin to lift his face up to yours where you match his grin, your lips swollen and eyes glazed over. he’s never seen a more beautiful sight.

“took you long enough.”

a/n cont.; I hate this soooo bad it was meant to be a silly little drabble and now it’s a block of uncapitalised mess but I’d put too much time into it (less than a day) so here u are I GUESS. take a shot every time I write a kiss that starts exactly that way

[scented-morker]

Skz when their overworked idol!gf faints

thank you to the anon that requested this!! it is LONG and idk why I gave so much backstory for all of them, but yolo! 2.3k words, fainting and overworking, a couple mentions of weight loss, worried and stressed skz. I fear this qualifies as angst

Chan

He's plenty familiar with the signs of being overworked

He's been trying to support you in any way possible, sending you meals to the company building and convincing you to get rest

You feel bad about giving the food away to your members and texting him goodnight while still working, but you're just too much of a perfectionist

He's excited to be on music bank at the same time as you because he's been having girlfriend withdrawals bc of how busy you were

So so happy watching you and your group rehearse, fawning over your oversized hoodie and little dance moves

But right as the dance break ends he sees you go down

Is nervous that you tripped, but he's sure you'll get back up fine and he'll just kiss your boo boos later

But then you don't get up, and he sees your members start yelling for help

When he realizes you passed out 🙃

Screw being secretive, he's jumping up onto the stage, taking his hoodie off and using it to prop your head up, interrogating all of your members about the last time you ate and your sleep schedule

He tells your manager that under no circumstances are you performing anytime soon

You're stuck laying in the green room with doctors surrounding you until the show is over and then instead of being sent home, Chan is taking you himself

You WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF, and that is a threat

Spends the next week fawning over you, cooking you meals and cuddling you half to death

"You scared me, angel. Let me take care of you now."

Minho

When I tell you he's pissed

He was so excited when you told him about your multiple stages for the golden disk awards

Until you're at three rehearsals a day along with fittings, photo shoots, and appearances

He loves that you're booked and busy, but not THAT BOOKED

He wakes up to your goodnight and good morning texts only hours apart and he cant think of the last time you were home for dinner

He's sent multiple paragraphs to your manager and emailed your company, to no response

He keeps telling himself he just has to make it through the award show and then everything will calm down

However, the lights going down at the end of your stage aren't dark enough to hide you fainting half way off the stage, and he doesn't even notice when he jumps to his feet

He gets yelled at to sit back down, and he only does so in order to grab his phone and call your manager ten times until they pick up

"Oh my gosh she's fine, stop calling."

"She just fainted on stage. She's not fine. Where are you?"

They don't want to tell him, but he pries the information out of them and soon he's tearing off backstage to find you

He kicks everyone out, and he looks so scary that they actually listen

"I'm sorry," your voice sounds so small, still weak from fainting and worried that he's mad at you

But he just shushes you, sitting down on the couch you're stretched out on and pulling you into him

"It's ok baby. You did so good. My strong girl. Just rest."

You sigh into the crook of his neck and he holds you backstage for the rest of the show, idol image be damned

Changbin

HIS BABY IS MAKING HER SOLO DEBUT

He could not be happier or prouder if he tried

He knows it's a lot of work, especially since you're producing and writing all of the songs yourself

He tells himself that he's overreacting, it's normal to see less of you when you're working on such a big project

But you always feed him with updates and stories about your day

So when he hasn't heard from you in three whole days, he's showing up at your stage rehearsal

He doesn't care what anyone says, he needs to physically see you or he's going to have a heart attack

He's relieved when you walk on stage, because at least you're alive

But it doesn't take very long for him to notice the dark bags under your eyes or the way your hand is shaking around your microphone

The second you hit the ground he's running

A background dancer carries you off stage, and they barely hit the curtain before he's snatching you out of their grasp

He walks with you so gently, sitting down on a couch and cradling you while the nurse takes your vitals

He's the first thing you see when you open your eyes and it squashes all of the fear that had filled your gut about what just happened

"Hi doll." He coos, and you give him a tiny smile

"I missed you"

Once you're cleared he's ordering takeout to his dorm and taking you home

Your performance is postponed because Changbin still hasn't put you down a week later

Hyunjin

He knows how excited you were to be going on tour for the first time, and that reminder has been the only thing getting him through

Every time you're meant to come home your company adds another night or a new leg, and Hyunjin is SICK OF IT

Poor guy has not seen his girlfriend in OVER A MONTH

He loves you so much that he watches clips of every show and performance

And he knows you so well that he notices the hollowness of your cheeks and the way you've started to struggle to keep up your energy on stage

Buys a ticket right then and there to your next show, not trusting anyone else to take care of you

He's standing in the wings as you and your group finish your first set of songs, rushing off stage to change outfits

He legit screams when you go down, and if the fans didn't notice before they definitely did after that

One of your members picks you up and soon there's a flurry of people running around trying to make sure you're ok

The other girls are shooed away to go change, with a manager insisting "the show must go on"

Hyunjin sends the man what is quite possibly the dirtiest look to ever exist

When you come to, your boyfriend is holding onto you for dear life, fighting away any staff member that tries to talk to you or coax you back onto the stage

He takes you back to your changing room and locks the door, feeding you small bites like a child and stroking a hand through your hair

"Don't worry about them, be here now. I got you."

Jisung

He's shocked when you casually mention news of your comeback at lunch together one day

"Aren't you not even done with this promotion yet? How are you already having another comeback?"

You shrug, saying something about your brother group not doing very well revenue wise and your boss wanting to take advantage of your groups current success

Jisung frowns at that, but decides to keep it to himself, surely as your companies main money maker you'll be well taken care of

But then you don't come home after your music bank performance because you have to run to a dance rehearsal

And then you have to cancel date night to re-record an entire song

Jisung shows up at the first sound check for your new comeback, and you happily give him a kiss before heading onto stage with your group

He frowns, worried about how small you felt in his arms and how weak your hold on his hand was

He sees you teeter once, accidentally bumping into another member before fully crashing onto the stage

He feels like he can't breathe watching the girls try to get you up and responsive

Your fans are screaming and there's a paramedic running over

He's holding onto your hand the entire time your vitals are being taken, tears streaming down his face

Once you're cleared he's wrapping you in a blanket and holding onto you like you're made of glass

When you wake up he's promising to never ever let you out of his sight again

"We're becoming a duo. You're never allowed to scare me like that again."

Felix

He is worlds proudest boyfriend

He gets to watch HIS GIRL perform onstage AT COACHELLA

He'd spent the day with you, taking pictures of your festival outfit and reapplying your sunscreen to try and keep you safe while in the middle of the literal desert

You'd kissed him goodbye three hours before your stage was scheduled for, needing time to get ready and have some extra rehearsal time

He isn't sure why considering you'd had rehearsal every day this week while also making interview appearances and flying to different locations in between instead of sleeping

He's trying his best not to worry, but your eyes are looking hollowed and he isn't sure the last time you slept in an actual bed instead of a plan seat

It makes him sad to see you unable to give your best energy during the performance, though you even at 50% was still the most exciting performance of the day

He plans on being backstage when you exit after at least two more encores, but you apologize for no encore tonight and are only halfway off the stage when you go down

Let's out the worlds biggest gasp

He follows right behind the paramedic that carries you off the stage and into the back, refusing to be more than a foot away from you at all times

He calls and cancels the rest of your appearances himself, insisting that you need to be resting

You do not escape his hold or your bed for the next two days

"Just let me take care of you! You deserve some princess treatment right now."

Seungmin

He's so so excited that you're also at lalapalooza bc that means you guys can spend time together even tho you're working!!

You're even an mc, so he gets to stare at you on the screen backstage, which just so happens to be his favorite hobby

He wasn't expecting your group to actually perform considering you'd just finished the Japanese leg of your tour and had been performing every night for the last few weeks

But he sees your stage listed on that days performance list, and he frowns thinking about it

He'd made you tea last night after you'd showed up to his hotel room on the verge of losing your voice, and you were so tense when you laid down that he'd rubbed your back for almost an hour with no difference

"Are you sure you should be performing?" He asks as soon as he enters your changing room

"No, but it's just one more stage and then I get to rot in bed for a while. So I'll be okay."

He still doesn't like it, and he shakes his head but gives you a hug anyways, rubbing a soothing hand down your arm

"You better."

He's so stressed he can't stay in the boys waiting room and he stands under the stage as he watches the lift take you and your group up

He catches a glimpse of your performance from the monitor to his left, and he barely breathes until you're taking your last bows

It isn't until the stage starts moving to bring you back down that he sees you wobble uncertainly before falling onto the ground

All of your members jump in surprise, but they don't even have time to react before he's jumping up with them, the lift not even fully on the ground yet

He picks you up and lays you down on one of the spare blankets backstage, propping your head up against his torso while the rest of your body lays between his legs

His thumb rubs your cheek while the medical team checks you out, clearing you when you become responsive

You blink up at him slowly, eyes shiny from unshed tears

"I guess I was wrong."

He sighs, letting you bury yourself into his chest

"That's okay, I've got you now."

Jeongin

End of the year award shows were no joke, and Jeongin knew you were working hard for your performances

Your group had just finished promoting your last album when the never ending flood of award shows started, and he'd found you knocked out asleep in the most random places the past couple weeks

He hated that your group had such loud antis, because he knew how much pressure you were under to prove yourself

You'd told him about the strenuous dancing you were doing, learning borderline acrobatic tricks while conditioning like you were trainees all over again

He'd done his best to remind you to rest and slip protein bars into every bag you owned, but he knew you were past exhausted

He momentarily forgot his worrying when you were performing, and he let out cheers and danced with the rest of his group while you and your members put on an incredibly challenging performance

But all of the fun was drained out of the air when he saw you go down on stage as soon as the camera zoomed in on your maknae's ending fairy

The lights drop, and Jeongin whips his head around in every direction, trying to think of anything he can do to help

Hyunjin asks him to “go to the bathroom” with him as soon as you’re offstage, and that’s all the clearance Jeongin needs to go running backstage

You’re already awake when he finds you, small tears slipping down your face while you nurse on a water bottle

You can’t even say hi before he’s practically tackling you, pulling you so close that you can feel his own heartbeat in your chest

“Are you okay? Oh my gosh you scared me. Don’t ever do that again.”

Your members leave the two of you be while Jeongin clings to you, refusing to let you go for hours, constantly brushing his hands against your heartbeat

[jellxzy]

I was wondering if you could do a hyunju x fem!reader where the reader is pregnant and reader sees that Hyunju is alone in the second game so reader approaches her and they start a friendship and as time goes by they both fall in love ^^

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐁𝐮𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧! -𝐇𝐜

|| 𝐂𝐡𝐨 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧-𝐣𝐮 𝐱 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭!𝐟!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

|| 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬!: 𝐂𝐡𝐨 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧-𝐣𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝.

|| 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧-𝐣𝐮 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝

|| 𝐀/𝐧: 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬! 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐬𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐢 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲! Thank 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐪! 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲!

Here you were, competing in deadly children games for the sake of your own child. You never excepted your life to go down this path, you were a heir to a wealthy company. Going to collage abroad, studying medicine.

And yet, you're stuck here. Fearing your life every second of the day. Luckily, you were only two months pregnant unlike Junhee, so you didn't show like she did. So, you acted just like another normal girl competing at the games.

Though you were eating for two, so the food definitely didn't keep you calm and the one thing you waited for the whole day. Instead you laid in the uncomfortable bed, staring up. You laid there with a hand on your stomach, thinking of what to do with the money you received.

You'll get a little house in the provinces, probably build a farm, and take care of your baby. Even if it's only you taking care of her/him. Then a soft yet deep voice snapped you out of your thoughts. "Hi, uhm. We were teammates during the game earlier, remember?"

She was your teammate during the game, and you remember it so vividly, she was brave and strong, had good leadership skills, moving back to the 'strong' she is very strong, you had accidentally slipped on blood whilst moving, but with ease she lifted you up to continue on walking forward.

"Yeah." You nod your head with a smile as you sat up. "Well, we're all gathering there if you'd like to be with us. Just so nobody's alone. " She smiled while explaining. "Oh, yeah sure." You reluctantly agree standing up and walking with her towards the group.

You couldn't help but notice her lingering hand on your shoulder, a small smile on her lips as her eyes glance at you. A soft pink hue appearing on your cheeks as you notice that.

Upon reaching the group, the hand on your shoulder gets removed while she goes up the stairs. The group welcomes you in, the atmosphere easy and has no awkwardness whatsoever. But when the topic changes to you, the topic asking on why they entered the games.

"I-uhm." You shudder before saying in a quiet and soft tone; "I'm pregnant." The weight on your shoulder finally gets lifted as the secret finally comes out. "How many months are you in?" Geum-ja asks, her eyes filled with worry.

"I'm only two months in, so me being pregnant won't bring us down." You tell them with a smile. "Hopefully." You mutter under your breath. During the whole conversation, you could feel Hyun-ju's eyes watching your every move.

So, when the a voice announced that it was gonna be lights out in thirty minutes, the conversations was forced to stop. "Hey." Hyun-ju's voice called out to you from behind. "I think it's best if you sleep in my bed tonight. Don't worry I don't sleep."

She left no other options as her hand gripped your wrist in a firm yet soft grip, stopping you from moving. "Okay." You accepted nonetheless, walking with her towards her bed. "You don't have to do this, y'know."

"I know. But I have too. No one knows what they could do. Especially to you." You turn around in your bed, now facing her while she sits on the floor next to the bed. "You can lay down here..." You trail off, feeling a bit shy.

"With me." Her eyes slightly widen at that before glancing at your blushing state. "Are you sure?" She asks turning to look at you. "Mhm." You hum with a soft nod, moving your body so she can have space, patting the space in front of you.

She slowly moved to lay down next to you, carefully as to not accidentally hurt you or cause you discomfort. "Am I hurting you? Are you okay?" She asked with a worried tone, which only caused you to laugh.

"You're only laying you're head on my arm, I'll be fine." You lightly chuckle to ease the atmosphere between you. Instead of sleeping you could only admire how beautiful she looked underneath the dim lights, and how she still had a protective hold over you by her arm draped over your waist. Even if it's a small thing, you somehow still felt more protected than you did on the outside world.

And when you were already sleeping that's when she woke up, due to her military training she's gotten used to waking up very early in the morning. She didn't notice at first, how your hand lightly gripped her bicep, scared that she'll leave you. And that how her arm was still draped on your waist that you didn't bother to move or brush off. She only continued to look at you, not wanting to move at all, brushing a hair off your face to pulling up the blanket to cover you.

And that's how she fell for you, as for you? You knew the moment you first saw her. You knew she was the one, the one who will help you raise your child. And that's what the both of you are doing right know, you carried your baby in your arms while she prepared her milk.

Yes, it's a girl.

The both of you won, alongside with your close friends. And luckily Junhee gave birth successfully, it scared you a little that you're gonna be next to go through that but, after was amazing. Spending months miserable to birth something so beautiful, it was poetic.

three months in, and a little baby bump was finally showing. Though, you couldn't be more confused, is it because you just ate or is it because of the baby.

and that's the month she demanded you to stop working. Now, she was the one working outside your shared apartment. Yet, she was still the same sweet and gentle person you know. Four months in, your baby bump got a little bigger. So, now she holds it in her hands every chance she gets. Hugging you from behind whilst you cook, cuddling with you in bed, and sitting on the sofa, all of those moments, she had her hand on your baby bump, that's also the month you told everyone else that you were pregnant, so now you get free kimchi every week from Geum-ja.

Five months in, and that's when your baby starts to kick. And every time, she does, you call Hyun-ju. And yes, it's a baby girl. And when the first time she feels her kicking, she sobbed into you shoulder for a straight hour, like she's the pregnant one. Geum-ja and Junhee decoded it was best to spend their mornings and evenings with you, so they'll be there if you need anything. Considering they've gone through it already, Junhee more recently.

Six months in, the baby's kicks become more frequent, and you start to crave more weirder foods. You suggested for Hyun-ju to just stay with you all day and quit her job, but she said she's saving up for her collage. That's when you sobbed into her shoulder, whispering-yelling thank you's and words of praise to her.

Seven months in, that's when your emotions took a sharp turn, your hormones kicking in every minute. She gets tired of it sure, but she loves you more than anything. And that includes waking up in the midnight just to go out and buy your craving. Only to return to you, already fast asleep.

Eight months passed by like a breeze, your baby bump was definitely showing more than ever, and you looked so cute, despite your hair and clothes being disheveled most of the time. She starts talking to the baby bump, while your fast asleep, talking about how beautiful her mother is, and how great she is.

Nine months in, and that's the month you waited for, the whole time. It was near your due-date, and she's already got everything packed, baby blanket, yours and her clothes, baby clothes that were sent by Junhee, and most importantly her strength.

the due-date day, was the hardest fight Hyun-ju ever fought, hands were gripped tightly, curses spilled from your mouth, and a birth was witnessed. So, when it was your turn to give birth, everyone who survived came to support you and Hyun-ju, so, now you're living in Thailand, peacefully with your soon-to-be wife. And a four-year old daughter. You're life was complete.

[always-azriels-princess]

The Wrong Thing part two

Guysss i did it :) im so proud

Summary: the mate bond snaps, and you say the wrong thing

Part 1

Word Count: 1.4K

Azriel was avoiding you. You knew it, he knew it, the entire Inner Circle knew it. Feyre had tried to approach you a couple times to figure out what had happened, but you never answered the knocks on your door.

It was embarassing, and yet you completely understood why your mate didn't want you. The haunted look in his eyes that night appeared in your nightmares each night, and each one ended with you waking up, slicked with sweat and panting as if just finishing a marathon.

Bags had started to form under your eyes from the lack of sleep, and Azriel wasn't looking much better. You had overheard Rhys talking to Feyre on multiple occasions about how Azriel was getting unfocused during missions, sloppy during training, and quick to anger in simple conversations.

You knew you had to fix your mistake, but it was hard to think of how your mate would look at you, like he never wanted to see you again. And you didn't even blame him, you wouldn't want to see yourself either after what you had done.

"No."

The words hung around your neck, suffocating you every second of every day like a noose growing tighter and tighter. Rhys had also noticed your work as a diplomat for the Night Court was diminishing in its thoroughness.

Nuala knocked on your door, as you were deep in some paperwork updating the new peace treaty with Winter. "Come in," you called.

"Good afternoon miss," Nuala said as she walked in. "The High Lord would like to see you in his office."

You sighed, expecting something like this after on your and Azriel's actions in the past week. "Thank you Nuala, I'll be right there."

The chair scraped back after you stood up, shuffling the papers and stuffing them in a drawer.

Dread coiled in your gut as you made your way to the High Lord's office, worried he would make you confront what you had been trying so hard to hide from.

You knocked thrice quietly, hoping Rhys had maybe left to go get a snack and you could sneak back into your room. To no avail, you heard a faint "come in," and you took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

The breath you had previously took escaped you as you gazed over every inch of the shadowsinger, completely ignoring the High Lord sitting at his desk, smirking with his "I'm so amazing" face.

As you drank in the image of your mate, his shadows clung to him, wrapping around his body like a second skin, while others writhed around his feet, swarming and twisting in chaotic patterns. The tension in the room increased ten-fold and the air around Azriel began to darken, his very presence sucking in the light around him. His adam's apple bobbed as he traced your every curve, as if committing the image to memory.

You just stood in the doorway, both you and your mate frozen, staring at each other, before Rhys cleared his throat and you snapped out of your trance, breaking your eye contact with your mate. As you sat down on the opposite side of the couch Azriel was on,

"Now, you probably know why I called you in," Rhys explained. "This," he gestured wildly, waving his hands between you two, "needs to stop. Azriel, you've almost completely dropped your training schedule, and I have reports from your informants that you're missing their check-ins." He turned to you, "And you are three days behind on the paperwork for the Winter Court peace treaty renewal."

Rhys sighed and stood up, walking towards the door. Before exiting the room, he turned back and said, "I don't know what's going on with you two, and I'm not going to snoop through your heads to figure it out, but something clearly happened, so you can leave this room when you are back to normal." With a wave of his hand, the door closed behind him as he walked away, and you could hear the soft click of the lock turning, keeping you stuck in a room with male who wanted nothing to do with you.

The air in the room was thick, suffocating. The silence between you and Azriel seemed to stretch endlessly, like the tension before a storm. He sat on the couch across from you, his posture rigid, every muscle in his body taut, like he was ready to shadow away at any second.

You couldn’t even bring yourself to look at him at first. The guilt gnawed at your insides, raw and jagged, but you forced yourself to breathe, slow and steady, to calm the racing in your chest. The room was too quiet, and yet every sound felt amplified. The way his shadows whispered, curling and slithering at his feet, the way his eyes seemed to burn into you from across the room.

He was avoiding you, but you were avoiding him too.

You opened your mouth to speak, but the words caught in your throat, suffocating you before they even had a chance to leave your lips.

Azriel spoke first, his voice low and strained. "You don’t have to do this." It was almost a whisper, his words laced with pain and, not anger...no, something more vunerable. Insecurity.

"Do what?" you finally managed, your voice sounding foreign to your own ears. "Talk about it?"

His voice was low and strained. "You have already made your feelings very clear, and I would never try to force you into anything you don't want."

You sat up, confused. "Az, I never said I didn't want the bond. I was overjoyed when it snapped, but I....I panicked because I know that you deserve someone better than me."

His beautiful hazel eyes softened. "But...you said no. The bond snapped and you said no." His voice was getting louder and faster as he spoke. "You were right, you shouldn't want this bond, I'm broken and scarred, and you're so....so perfect."

An ache spread through your chest, as though all the fragile pieces of your heart had shattered at once, leaving sharp fragments to tear at your insides.

"Azriel," your voice cracked as tears filled your eyes. You shifted closer on the couch, until your legs were brushing against his. "I told you this that night, and I will tell you again. You. Are. Not. Weak. You are not broken, you are not scarred, you do not have a single flaw unless it is loving your family too much. I can never take back what I said that night, and I will replay that moment in my head for the rest of my life, praying to be able to go back in the past and change it. You have a such a pure heart, so do not think for one moment that you are not deserving of me. I am the one who doesn't deserve you." You finished your speech, a soft, uneven breath escaping you.

Azriel stared into your soul, his eyes softening with wonder and adoration. He smiled softly as he drew closer. When you felt his warm breath on your face, he murmured, "Why don't we just agree that we both deserve each other," and closed the distance between you. His lips met yours, and it was like the world fell away and the only thing that mattered was the male in front of you. His hand slid from your face to the back of your neck, pulling you closer. It was slow, unhurried, like you both had all the time in the world. You smiled against his lips, fingers threading through the dark strands of his hair as you leaned into him, deepening the kiss.

The taste of him, the feel of him, was overwhelming in the best way. It was like coming home, like a storm finally releasing the tension it had held for so long. You regretfully pulled away, resting your forehead against his. You were finally home.

The peace of the moment was shattered as the door was thrown in, what seemed to be the entire court of Velaris pushing themselves through. Cassian laughed deeply, sweeping Az off the couch and hugging him "Finally!" he exclaimed. Mor, who was bawling her eyes out, flung herself at you, knocking yourself back against the couch. "THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL!" You paused for a second, then laughed and hugged her back.

Rhys came in with Feyre on his arm, looking all too smug. "I told you Feyre darling, I'm a genius."

Feyre smacked him upside the head.

@lilah-asteria >3 ilsym you are my first tag ever and i'm so grateful for the support so thank youuuu

[adumbratrapedme]

dating you for a bet | oikawa x reader

happy ending with oikawa | cute ending with matsukawa (w.i.p's)

Synopsis. Oikawa Tooru, the charming and ever-popular volleyball captain, surprises everyone—including himself—when he asks the quiet first-year, Y/N, to be his girlfriend. What begins as an unlikely romance blossoms into something beautiful, filled with stolen moments and heartfelt confessions. But behind Oikawa’s practiced smiles lies a secret that could shatter everything.

wc. 600 aprox. | genre. angst |cw/tags. oikawa being a bitch |pair. oikawa x reader

It was late afternoon when Oikawa leaned against the railing of the rooftop, the sun casting a golden glow over his sharp features. Y/N stood across from him, clutching her bag tightly, unsure why the third-year volleyball captain had called her here. “Y/N-chan,” he began, his voice unusually gentle, “I’ve been watching you for a while now.”

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink. “W-Why?”

Oikawa chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Because you’re different. You’re not like the girls who scream my name in the hallways or obsess over my every move. You’re... real.”

Y/N blinked, caught off guard. She wasn’t used to such direct attention, especially from someone as popular as Oikawa.

“So, I was wondering,” he continued, taking a small step closer, “would you go out with me?”

Her heart raced, the sincerity in his tone making her doubt the stories she’d heard about his flirtatious nature. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.

“I-I’d like that,” she whispered.

Oikawa’s grin widened, and for the first time, she felt like it wasn’t one of his practiced smiles for the crowd—it was just for her.

The months that followed were like a dream. Oikawa made her feel like the only girl in the world, shielding her from jealous whispers in the hallways and holding her hand boldly in public. He’d surprise her with little notes in her locker, sneak her out for late-night stargazing, and even let her wear his team jacket on particularly chilly days.

“See, Y/N-chan?” he teased one afternoon as they shared crepes at a local café. “You fit perfectly into my world.”

She laughed, her eyes sparkling. “I think you’ve been spoiling me too much, Oikawa-san.”

“First of all, it’s Tooru,” he corrected, leaning closer. “And second... I can’t help it. You make me want to be better.”

Y/N’s chest swelled with warmth, and she couldn’t imagine a time when she’d been happier.

It was a text message that shattered her world.

Y/N had been rummaging through Oikawa’s bag for a pen while he was in the shower after practice. His phone buzzed, and the name “Iwa-chan” appeared on the screen. Normally, she wouldn’t have snooped, but the preview caught her attention.

Iwaizumi: So, did you win the bet yet or what? You’ve had plenty of time.

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as she unlocked his phone, scrolling through the chat history.

The texts unfolded like a nightmare:

Iwaizumi: 5,000 yen says you can’t even get her to hold your hand. Oikawa: Make it 10,000. I’ll have her wrapped around my finger in no time. Iwaizumi: Don’t get too cocky, Oikawa. This isn’t your usual fan club girl. Oikawa: Relax, Iwa-chan. I’ve got this. Watch me.

Her hands trembled as she read further, the pit in her stomach growing heavier. The texts started months ago, before they’d even begun dating. But what hurt the most was seeing how casual Oikawa had been about it at first, as though their relationship had been nothing more than a game to him.

By the time Oikawa emerged from the bathroom, towel draped over his shoulders, Y/N was already on her feet, holding his phone in her hand.

“Tooru,” she said, her voice quivering, “what is this?”

He froze, his wide eyes darting from her face to the screen.

“Y/N, I can explain—”

“Explain what?” she interrupted, tears streaming down her cheeks. “That I was just some bet? That you used me so you could win money from your friends?”

“Y/N, please,” he said, stepping closer, his voice desperate. “It started like that, but it’s not like that anymore! I—I care about you. I love you.”

Her heart clenched painfully. “You don’t get to say that, Tooru. You don’t get to turn this into something real when you started it as a lie.”

He reached for her, but she stepped back, shaking her head. “We’re done.”

“Y/N, wait—”

She didn’t. She grabbed her bag and bolted out of his room, leaving him standing there, drenched in regret.

Oikawa sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the phone in his hands. The texts that once seemed like harmless banter now felt like daggers. He hadn’t meant for it to go this far, but somewhere along the way, he’d fallen for her.

And now she was gone.

The room felt emptier without her laugh, her warmth, her everything. He buried his face in his hands, wondering if he’d ever get the chance to fix what he’d broken—or if he was destined to spend the rest of his life haunted by the memory of her tear-streaked face.

Can he ever earn back her trust, or will his mistake be the end of the best thing that’s ever happened to him?

tbh i do think oikawa would do something like this BUT i dont think iwa would be part of it, but i just added him for the plot.

[rekino2114]

Can you do something with fem!kaiser meeting male!reader's abusive ex before a match since she's in the team they're going against. The ex tells kaiser something about y/n that pisses her off, and that results in her and you going way harder than normal and completely destroying the team.

Also, since you said you liked childhood friends to lovers kaiser can you make that reader's parents abused him too, and that's how they bonded

Fem!kaiser meeting your abusive ex

A/n:so you know how I said I'd do blue lock post every week? Make that twice a week cause I got so many requests (I genuinely love you guys so much) and have so many ideas and I can't contain them. I chose this request cause I really liked the prompt and am in a kaiser mood this past few days

Kaiser took a deep breath as she heard all the cheers. It felt so nice to have all the people cheering for her and you, sure she stared a bit too much at the girls yelling about how hot you were and rolled her eyes at the few people who cheered for isagi. But the majority of the yells were for her and you, and she loved it. It felt so good to be loved and adored by all the fans. It felt so good to finally be someone, a sentiment she was sure you shared

As soon as your face appeared in her thoughts, kaiser started searching for you on the field, and she found you talking to isagi and Ness. Normally, she'd scoff and pull you away, scolding you for just talking with her enemy, but ever since noa announced who bastard would be playing against, you had been distant even to her. Whenever she tried to ask you what was wrong, you just dismissed it and told her it was nothing, so she didn't pry further, no matter how much she was worried about you.

She tried to go up to you but was stopped by someone tapping her back

"It's been quite a while, Michelle"

"What do you-"

The moment kaiser turned around and she saw who was talking to her, a look of pure hatred appeared on her blue eyes

"......what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to say hi to-"

"Answer me"

"So you really became as cruel as people say, I really don't see what he sees in you"

Kaiser, now fully turned towards the mysterious girl, glared at her with the deadliest glare she ever gave anyone

"I said....answer me"

"If you really have to know, I got into football too, I'm the captain of this team you know?"

"Ah, makes sense, a team of losers I've never heard the name of captained by you"

"You better watch your mouth blue rose empress, I'm here for one thing and one thing only"

"A mediocre career that will get you nowhere?"

"I think we both know what i'm talking about"

Kaiser's eyes widened as the girl's gaze started drifting away from her and going to you

"I'm here to make y/n mine aga-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, the collar of her jersey was grabbed by kaiser who now was fully killing her with her glare

"Listen here, you waste of dna. Don't you ever dare utter his name again. You don't deserve to walk the same ground he walks on. You don't deserve to breathe the same air he breathes, you just think you can walk back into his life and ruin him again? I'll admit you have guts, or more probably you're just a brainless idiot who only does what she wants without thinking of the consequences"

She let her collar go which caused her to back down a bit and look up at kaiser

"The only reason why I haven't kicked you in the ribs yet is because this is being broadcasted and I care about my reputation"

The new gen 11 member looked again at the girl like she was nothing more than a bug she could step on at any moment because that was exactly what she was to her

"Y/n is my emperor, and I am his empress. If you dare come close to him again, I will murder you. That's a promise"

The girl gulped a bit in fear, knowing that kaiser was 100% serious, but still kept her smug smile on her face

"I guess you're not so cruel with your boyfriend after all"

"Of course, I'm not you"

"Whatever"

"I'll make you a deal. If you go kneel to him right now, I'll go easy on your team, by which I mean I will only score twice"

The girl now started laughing as kaiser's annoyance grew

"Kneel? You were serious about that emperor stuff?"

"Of course"

"As if! I'm sure he'll be the one kneeling to me by the end"

Kaiser's rage was now at it's limit but instead of snapping she just smiled and turned her back on the girl

"Thank you"

"Huh, for what?"

"I really didn't wanna go easy on you, plus"

She turned her face towards the girl, grinning menacingly and with a blue light coming out of her eyes

"Seeing your crying face as all your hope is crushed during this match and you kneel to y/n will be so amazing"

The girl started sweating at kaiser's menacing words, but the empress didn't give her any more attention as she started walking towards you

"Oh michelle-"

"Listen ness. In this match I want you to pass to y/n as much as you can, even if I'm free pass to him"

"Hm ok"

"Hey wait a second, what are you trying to do shitty rose-"

"Shut up, yoichi. I have more important things to do now"

She told them to get into their positions (ness basically dragged isagi) and approached you, her expression softening as saw how worried you were

"I'm sorry for not telling you she was on the team"

"It's fine"

"I know how much you hate her, I'm still sorry for all the pain I must have caused you, choosing her over you at first"

"I already told you it's fine, I should have beaten that bitch's ass when I found out what she was doing to you. I'll just settle for doing it in football"

"No, I understand why you didn't, you had.....your own issues"

Kaiser went to grab the ball and put it in the center ready for kick off

"Hey Michelle, can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything for you schatz"

You raised your head and looked at your girlfriend with fire coming out of your eyes and an aura enveloping you

"Can you help me destroy her?"

Hearing those words, kaiser smirked and matched your energy her own blue aura coming out of her even making her tattoo glow

"Did you even have to ask?

The match was an absolute massacre. It ended 8-0, 4 goals made by you, and 4 made by kaiser.

Speaking of kaiser, she was an absolute menace during the 90 minutes. It was like her objective was not to win but to demolish everything in your name, you genuinely thought you saw the ball go on fire with how many kaiser impacts she threw.

She also kissed you every time you scored, which wasn't something new. She always does that. But this time,her kisses were much more intense and passionate than the ones she usually gave you during matches, it was like she was was trying to claim you and make your ex mad, which you 100% agreed with so you kissed her back with just as much passion, enjoying the anger on your ex's face.

While you weren't as flashy as the blue rose empress, you still dominated the match too. It was simple, you just put all the hatred you felt for your ex and all the years of pain she put you through in your plays and kicks, and most of them resulted in goals.

When the referee blew his whistle and the match ended, you were immediately hugged and kissed by kaiser again. When she stopped the kiss she looked at you and grinned

"We won schatz, isn’t it wonderful? Not that I ever doubted that"

"Yeah, I never thought beating one of the people who ruined your life would feel so cathartic"

"Oh we haven’t fully beaten her yet"

"Hm?"

Kaiser pulled away from you and told you to follow her as she went on to approach your ex, whose eyes widened once she saw you

"Y-y-y/n!?"

"........how does it feel?"

"E-eh?"

"How does it feel knowing you're so inferior to us now"

"S-shut up! You just-"

"That's no way to talk to your emperor. Remember what I said before"

"H-huh?"

"Kneel"

"You seriously think i'll-"

"I don't think you understand the situation you're in"

Kaiser grabbed the girl by the hair and dropped her to the ground at your feet

"That wasn't a request or a question, kneel!"

The girl now with tears in her eyes just stayed on the ground. Looking at her now, a crying sniveling scared mess, you felt nothing but pity

"I can't believe I actually dated you and let you do what you wanted with me, you're so pathetic now, no, you've always been pathetic, I just needed someone to open my eyes"

You looked back at kaiser, who just gave you her signature grin back......and then kicked the girl in the stomach as soon as you turned your back for good measure

You went over to a bench to calm down and think about everything, kaiser immediately followed you and sat near you, ordering ness to bring you two bottles of water, when he came back kaiser handed one to you as you thanked her. When you took the first sip, your eyes darted over to your ex, who was still crying on the ground

"That was pretty brutal of you"

"Are you feeling bad for her or something?"

"No, I was just thinking that this was broadcasted. What are the media gonna say?"

"That we put another bitch in her place"

"Or that you made another girl cry. I just think you should have went easier on her"

"Schatz, I was going easy on her, you have no idea what I would have done if I ran into her in the parking lot"

"Knowing what you did to those police officers I can hazard a guess"

Kaiser giggled and started drinking again. She opened her eyes when she felt your hand intertwine with hers. She put the bottle on the bench and looked at you.....you were smiling at her

"Thank you"

"It's nothing, really"

"No I mean......thank you for loving me"

Kaiser felt your hand wrap around even more around hers

"I think you're the first person in my life to actually love me"

The blond and blue haired girl held your hand even tighter and looked at you once again. Your smile was so beautiful. It made her wish you smiled more so she smiled back at you, an equally beautiful and genuine smile

"The same goes for me"

Kaiser always knew you were the same as her. That's a big part of why she loved you so much. You two could empathize so much with each other. You were just like her, a person whose life was nothing but abuse, who wanted nothing more than to escape that hell. A person who, after years of hate and abuse, deserved to stand at the top of the world and be the best, you deserved to rule everyone else alongside her. She wanted you to be her emperor and be the best with her, because you deserved it, because even after more abuse than her, you still loved her.

She knew how much you completed each other, how much you needed each other to live and be happy, and she would never let you go, you were her emperor and if anyone wanted to hurt you ever again they would have to deal with her.

She gently pushed you towards her and kissed your lips passionately again. You obviously kissed back while your hands were still intertwined and your other arm instinctively made its way to the back of her neck

Your hands on her neck had the opposite effect of her father's. They were gentle and soft. You weren't choking her, but caressing her. It was like every touch healed her of one of the scars that piece of shit gave her. She couldn't have known it but her hands and lips had the exact same effect on you

Your lips parted away, and you smiled at each other again. In that moment, you thought the exact same thing, and you didn't need any words to communicate it

'I'm so glad you're in my life'

Kaiser already knew, maybe subconsciously, that the wishes from her childhood came true, that right now everything she wanted was right here because of you, but looking at your smile reminded her of how lucky she was to have you, because now what she spent all her childhood asking for was right on front of her.

She was free, and she was loved, all thanks to you, just as you were free and loved, truly loved, all because of her

[asarigg]

About: Part 1

this section is meant to be for topics that I didn't include either because it didn't feel very organic with what was being talked about or... honestly I don't remember. Anyway, I hope these can also bring new ideas for you.

YEARS ALONE

Koujaku received his tattoo around the age of 15, and was at least 23 when he returned to the island, leaving a gap of around eight years that he spent completely alone, dealing with his trauma, without help. We don’t know anything about how he lived since then, what kind of contact he had with the rest of his family, because he says that he lost the contact he had with the rest of his family, when he traveled to Midorijima and the border was closed, not before. In those years he had to learn to cut hair, work on his own and gradually separate himself from his family. I always imagined that Koujaku would be homeschooled, instead of going to a normal school, since he was chosen as the heir. Maybe before that he would go to a regular school with other children. Without having a normal education he probably had to go back to studying as an adult to be able to get his degree. I mention some hcs about this later on too.

SCRAP

Observing the elements that appear in his mind, I’ve always wanted to have a bad ending that would involve the Scrap environment, it’s ideal for horror, can you blame me? When Aoba enters, he’s in a dark room, without furniture or decoration. When he goes to another room it turns out to be exactly the same as the previous one, and so on, countless more rooms until finally the appearance changes. For Koujaku being in that house felt like an endless labyrinth, all the rooms seemed equally oppressive, equally caging, hence why they all look the same. And all the doors have a dragon painted on them, wherever he looked, wherever he went, there was no escape, just another dark room, uninviting, cold, strange, disturbing, hostile, suffocating, all while some hairlike snakes chased him, demonstrating just how engraved the image of Ryuuhou is in his mind, torturing him and keeping him prisoner. The dragon painted on the doors has five claws, meaning it's an imperial dragon. The imperial dragon is supposed to represent the chinese emperor, so other dragons had four or three claws. Japanese dragons have a standard of three claws, and you can see three claws on the dragon that is on Ryuuhou's kimono. Maybe this is just meant to be Ryuuhou seeming like a regular, standard person (with a bunch of skulls around his neck uh), but in Koujaku's mind, he reveals his true form, almighty, powerful, someone way superior to him.

When the next room finally changes its appearance, Aoba finds a teenage Koujaku being tattooed, strands of hair enveloping him in a cocoon in a bed drenched with his own blood. And how ironic that the very tattoo that keeps him trapped and transforms him is made of hair.

Also, don’t you find it curious that Koujaku is reborn from a cocoon giving him a connection with butterflies and that Aoba’s dad told him about those big blue butterflies when he was a kid? Yeah… My butterfly kouao art was canon after all, they're not beating the allegations. The butterfly on the vip card of the club too…

DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. PATH TO HEALING: part 1

We talked already about Aoba and Koujaku’s relationship, symbolically, already starting long before you even get to their route. Obviously the route is a crisis in their friendship, but the feelings were already emerging long before, so it’s also a "breakup in their romantic relationship". The lack of communication and trust is what makes everything start to fall apart, and given the fact that he leaves with some women right at the beginning, it gives space to the infidelity and jealousy themes. I also have my opinions about this scene, but it’s nothing we haven’t mentioned already and they’re not things unique to them but in the entire game. I think it’s a terrible mistake that all this happens immediately after they walk through the door into PJ. They don’t give you any time to get used to the new environment, when we had Koujaku swearing his loyalty to Aoba and telling him that they would do everything they could to put an end to Toue’s cartoon villain evil plans.

I really think it would have been a good thing if they could wander the streets for a while, making you see that Koujaku is committed to this instead of making him fuck off as soon as he sees a woman, helping with the pace of the story and the feelings you should be having about them. He gives such a carefree image that it feels weird especially coming after the talk he gives to Aoba, it doesn’t feel true to himself.

And yes, it’s true that they leave crumbs, like describing his smile as forced, and that he has a strange expression when he sees the woman with the tattoo, but they are things that could be done later perfectly, and I even think it could work better, because it would leave you more disoriented, which is precisely what you should be thinking at this moment, better than a “okay man whatever”. You don’t even think about these details the first time you read it so the impression is more impactful. I don’t think Koujaku would walk away so soon, even if they ran into the girls as soon as they entered. Ryuuhou ruined his life, as well as his father, it’s not just any family problem, but a snowball of traumas that has been rolling around since his childhood. After years of working on forgetting him and stop seeking revenge, seeing a tattoo probably made by him must have felt like a kick in the balls, like seeing a ghost. He would be surprised and confused, of course, but I don’t know if he would go with them right away. His impulsiveness is important, but as an adult this is more nuanced. It’s not like one of the “provocations” he was responding to before, it’s no direct danger, it’s just a tattoo that might have been made by him, while he also has to keep appearances up next to Aoba. When faced with a personal dilemma he thinks about it a lot more, he hesitates. Maybe he needed time to process all this, to really think about what to do now that his memories are more vivid than ever.

Which btw after Koujaku sees Aoba sleeping in his bed you never see him with women (willingly lol). The ones in the beginning of his route don’t count because that’s for lore reasons :smug face:

Maybe as a result of this, Aoba would notice that his attitude after saying goodbye to those two women has changed, that he seems more quiet and serious, nervous, looking for excuses when Aoba asks him. Maybe later, when they decided to go to rest, instead of going to Glitter with Aoba, he would leave him alone and go see these women after exchanging numbers or something like that. That way, you can feel the role that Koujaku has as Aoba’s friend, and the tension and mystery are built step by step, not throwing it all at once.

Aoba not only gets angry with him when he chooses to go with those women, but rather he gets disappointed, he gets tired. Being in the critical situation they are in, in which they basically have to infiltrate “enemy territory” and overthrow the brainwashing empire of a millionaire bastard, you’d expect him to get angry way more forcefully. Of course we later learn why he does it, but at this moment the only thing that would cross his mind would be to hold it against him, grab his arm and stop him, but none of that happens.

But Aoba’s initial annoyance quickly fades, he seems rather disappointed, sad, especially when he sees them enter a nightclub. Because Koujaku has chosen to go with them instead of staying by his side, leaving him alone. Whenever he goes with these women, Aoba sees him from behind, from a distance. A cold and impersonal posture representative of the distance that is growing between them, as if he was something unattainable for him.

[dexastres]

sweet melody, part two

jude bellingham x black reader

summary : elena wants revenge on her ex-boyfriend, who cheated on her, and jude will help her.

wc : 1165

part one

Jude couldn’t shake off the strange feeling that overcame him ever since he laid eyes on Elena. His inner voice yelled at him to stand up and go find her in the bathroom, but his body refused to listen. So, he stayed at the bar, lost in his thoughts, wondering if she was fine and if she needed a shoulder to cry on. The young man closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The music faded gradually, along with Enrique’s voice. For a moment, Jude felt like he was in his own world, an island in the middle of the ocean, with nothing but Elena filling his thoughts. 

He couldn’t put it into words what he was feeling right now. It was unlike anything he ever felt before. Jude couldn’t explain why she attracted him so much, but he sensed a certain connection with her, a bond only they could understand. His heartbeat intensified every time he thought about the moment their eyes met. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Enrique noticed and couldn’t hold back his laughter.

The Englishman looked towards the bathroom door, hoping to see the young woman. He didn’t know how long it had been since she locked herself in there, but it felt like an eternity. Once again, the little voice in his head shouted at him to get up, but before he could, the door opened, revealing the person who made his heart beat. Elena walked into the club with a newfound energy, fuelled by a burning desire for revenge. A radiant smile lit up her face, and her confidence grew with every passing second. She attracted everyone’s attention, as if she was the star of the nightclub. Jude couldn’t take his eyes off her, and his heart skipped a beat when she stopped in front of him.

“Is this seat taken?” Elena asked, her voice sounded like music to Jude’s ears. He found her slight accent very cute, though it could go unnoticed unless you paid close attention.

“No. You can take it.” She nodded in response and sat next to the footballer. She felt the warmth Jude radiated, which surprisingly brought her some comfort. Normally, she’d go out of her way to avoid talking to strangers, but this time, it was different.

“Hey, what can I serve you, young lady?" Enrique’s sudden appearance startled Elena, who shyly turned towards the bartender.

"I’ll just have water, thank you." The middle-aged man nodded while writing her order, along with the others on his list. Jude noticed the subtle change in Elena’s attitude, and how she tried to keep the conversation short with the bartender.

"Can I have more water, please?” Jude said, holding out his glass towards the bartender. 

“I should start charging you for refills, Jude. This is your third time. Are you trying to put me out of business?” Enrique teased, raising an eyebrow, and the Englishman responded by rolling his eyes. Elena watched them arguing like cats and dogs over the most insignificant thing. While the two men bickered, she pulled her phone out of her tiny bag. Notifications from the group chat she had with her friends flooded her screen. The young woman looked around her, searching for a familiar face, but found none.

“Looking for someone?” Jude asked, and she nodded.

“I’m looking for my best friend, Sierra. The girls are blowing up our group chat, asking where she is. I checked her location, and it says she’s still here, but she’s probably somewhere with a guy." She shrugged.

"This happens every time we go out. She disappears, then suddenly reappears and tells us all the crazy details. But I get it, though. She’s the most beautiful, hilarious and intelligent person I know. You never get bored when she’s around. So yeah, I can’t blame any guy for falling for her." 

Elena’s eyes sparkled as she spoke about her best friend, a sign of the deep affection she felt for Sierra. Their friendship meant the world to her, and she couldn’t imagine what she’d do if it suddenly ended.

“Well, I should probably go because the girls are blowing up my phone again. It was nice to talk with you, Jude.” Elena got up from her seat and grabbed her glass of water.

"Wait..." Before Jude could even ask for her name, she had already disappeared into the crowd. “What an idiot.” He muttered under his breath.

"Why didn’t I ask for her name?” He sighed, placed his glass of water on the counter, then stood up. His feet moved before his mind could react. Moments later, he was near the dance floor, where Elena had just stopped. From where he stood, he saw her body trembling slightly. Confused, he moved closer to her, only to see her tearful face.

“What the fuck?” Elena said. She couldn’t look away from the scene unfolding before her, and felt her heart break, as if a blade had pierced her chest. For a second, everything around her disappeared, except for Alejandro and Sierra, who were kissing on the dance floor.

“How could you?” Her voice barely rose above a whisper, drowned by the music, but it was loud enough for Jude to hear.

“What have I done to deserve this?” The young woman couldn’t believe her best friend would stoop so low. However, she wasn’t surprised by Alejandro. After all, he had cheated on her and didn’t even try to deny it when Elena confronted him.

“My best friend and my ex…” Elena stopped mid-sentence when a soft, unexpected warmth seized her wrist. She looked up to see Jude gazing at her with a softened expression. He wiped away her tears, and without thinking, Elena buried her face in his chest and let them flow. Normally, she would have run away, but she felt oddly comfortable in his presence.

“Come with me,” he whispered in her ear. She nodded, too tired to fight back, and followed him towards the exit door while staring at the floor.

“Oh, Elena....” Sierra murmured as she watched her best friend leave the club with Jude. A knot formed in her stomach, and her pulse quickened when she locked eyes with Alejandro. She forced a slight smile to hide her sadness, knowing that this moment would mean nothing to him tomorrow.

Sierra stared at the exit door, her eyes filled with tears. She bit her lips, her heart heavy, as she reflected on all the moments they shared. However, a shadow hung over each of them, reflecting the jealousy she always felt towards her best friend.

“Did I ever tell you that I'm not doing well? You see, jealousy is incurable and I'm sick of you.” Elena’s presence served as a brutal reminder to Sierra that she would always finish second, that she would always remain the second choice, her understudy, and that she’d never step out of her shadow.

"I've always hated you."

[askagamedev]

Why is the Shadow Temple scary? Not "why did Nintendo make this scary for kids". What put the fear in us? Why'd it put us on edge so bad despite Ocarina of Time not having the usual limitations of a horror game? You're good at parsing psychology and I feel like it's not just the aesthetics of the temple. Maybe you have a definitive answer for what underrated, subtle design tricks were used to make that successful in that sort of game. I wanna hear it in detail from a senior developer.

It's the combination of small things that add up to make it feel creepy specifically. After looking back at the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time, there's several major elements that stick out to me that work together for the sense of disempowerment and fear.

First and foremost is the music. It's got this creepy chant going on in the background the entire time with low and high voices that sound like they are at odds with each other. The harpsichord part makes heavy use of half-steps, which sound naturally creepy. There's also a bunch of noises mixed in there which don't feel like part of the music. This can put the player on edge, because it can be difficult to parse the difference between noises generated by actual threats and ambient noises from the music.

Second, the gameplay itself feels unsettling because a huge percentage of it depends on the use of the Lens of Truth. The player's normal senses can't be trusted - the walls aren't always walls, the floor isn't always floor, and there are invisible threats like spikes. The use of the Lens of Truth also helps - it allows the player to fighting back against the invisible threats, but it also limits what the player can see (no peripheral vision), which reminds them that they aren't at full ability. Even the dungeon item - the hover boots require a leap of faith because Link can't control himself as well while using them (more on this theme of Link losing control of himself later). These gameplay elements add to the player hesitation and that sense of feeling unsure tickles the "creepy" sense.

Third, the art style is obviously creepy. The Shadow Temple lore says it is where the Sheikah tortured and put away their prisoners and dissidents. There are skulls, scythe blades, robed reapers, and other various death imagery everywhere. There are torture devices, spikes, and guillotines. There are rooms where the textures look like you're standing on the same kind of mass piled skulls like out of an enormous mass grave. There's even a creepy boat ride clearly meant to evoke the Charon/Underworld connection to Greek mythology.

Fourth, many of the enemies in the dungeon are disempowering - they take control away from the player which adds to the feeling of helplessness. The Gibdos (mummies) and ReDeads (zombies) can paralyze Link in place while they slowly move closer to hurt him. The Wallmasters (grabby hands) can drop from offscreen and grab Link and put him back at the start of the dungeon while the player has to watch while it all happens. Dead Hand, the miniboss, is a strong combination of both the creepy art (zombie-like appearance with bloodstains) and disempowering moveset (hidden via shadow and the bloody hands in the room will grab Link and hold him in place). The final boss, Bongo Bongo, also has giant hands that can grab and hold Link in place and hurt him while the player can only watch, and whose main body is also invisible without the Lens of Truth.

Each of these game elements individually usually isn't enough to make players feel a particular way. However, when taken in aggregate all of these different parts work together to form a cohesive experience. The death-themed architecture, the creepy music, the gameplay elements that require players not to trust their senses and to go beyond their comfort zone, and the enemies that disempower the player and force them to watch as Link is unable to act all form to make a very uneasy and creepy experience as designed. I'm sure there are other elements I missed in this analysis, but I'm also sure that any you spot will also fit nicely into these themes. Feel free to add any others you see in the comments!

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[ikkyfics]

Finite Incantatem

Remus Lupin x f!reader

Summary: The days that followed the Patronus were a silent battle. You tried, with all the strength you had, to go back to normal. But what was "normal" when the silver stag continued to haunt your thoughts, even in the absence of its light? You did your best to convince yourself you were fine. And when you couldn’t, Remus was there.

Warnings: angst with a happy ending, no use of y/n, during hogwarts

A/N: anon, I hope this meets your expectations <333!!

Masterlist | Expecto Patronum

The days that followed the Patronus were a silent battle. You tried, with all the strength you had, to go back to normal. But what was "normal" when the silver stag continued to haunt your thoughts, even in the absence of its light?

James didn’t bring it up again, but something had changed about him. He knew, of course. He had seen the Patronus. He understood what it meant, yet somehow, he remained the same James—or almost. He still ruffled his hair with that careless intensity, still made jokes during dinner, still cared in that genuinely selfless way. But now there were moments of silence between you, brief pauses where he seemed to carefully choose his words, as if anything he said could hurt you.

He knew how much it hurt. Maybe because he was dealing with something he didn’t know how to fix either. James loved you. But not in the way you wanted him to. He wanted to see you happy, whole. And that was the cruelest part: he loved you enough to wish you would stop loving him that way.

You did your best to convince yourself you were fine. And when you couldn’t, Remus was there.

You found comfort in his arms, even when you hated needing that comfort. Remus never asked questions. He just knew, as he always had. He didn’t need words to understand you were on the edge of the abyss. He would simply appear, with that calm gaze and a presence that wrapped around you like a blanket in the dead of winter.

That night, after an especially hard day—seeing James and Lily studying together in the library, leaning over the same book, had been enough to crush the fragile control you had managed to rebuild, and you hated yourself for it—you went to the one place you knew you’d find Remus. He was in the common room, near the fireplace, a book resting on his lap and a forgotten cup of tea beside him.

He looked up the moment he heard your footsteps, and the book was closed without hesitation.

“Are you okay?” he asked, but it was rhetorical. He knew you weren’t.

You just shook your head, your eyes brimming with tears. He stood up immediately, walking toward you with slow, deliberate steps, as if not to startle you. When he stopped in front of you, he didn’t say anything. He just opened his arms.

You walked into them as if pulled by some inevitable force. And when his arms wrapped around you, it was as if the world stopped spinning for a moment. There were no words, only the quiet sound of his breathing and the warmth radiating from his body.

“I can’t do this anymore,” you whispered against his chest, your voice weak and broken.

“I know,” he replied, and there was something in his voice—a weight you couldn’t quite identify at the time, but it felt as full of emotion as your own. “I know.”

He held you tightly, one hand moving up to your hair while the other stayed firm on your back, anchoring you. The tears started to fall, slow at first, then in a torrent you couldn’t control. And Remus stayed there, steady, letting you fall apart without saying a word.

There was something comforting in how he didn’t try to fix you. He didn’t say it would be okay because he knew that wouldn’t help. Instead, he just stayed, bearing the weight you couldn’t carry alone.

After a while, as the tears began to slow, you realized how safe it felt to be in his arms. There was a calmness there, something so different from the overwhelming passion you felt for James. Remus’s touch was gentle, almost reverent, as if he were afraid of breaking you.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” he said, his voice low and rough, as if every word carried deliberate care. “I’m here. Always.”

You felt the weight of those words settle in your chest, not in an oppressive way, but in a comforting one. Like a soft reminder that you didn’t have to be strong all the time.

His face was close enough that you could hear the slight unevenness in his breathing, but what stood out most was the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against your ear. A simple sound, but in that moment, it felt like the only thing keeping you grounded.

“Thank you,” you murmured, the words difficult to get out past the lump still tight in your throat.

Remus didn’t respond right away. He just stayed there, his calmness seeming infinite. His fingers traced slow, soothing circles on your back, as if he were trying to convey through that gesture everything he wasn’t saying aloud.

And you stayed there, unmoving, feeling as though the weight of the world had finally eased just a little. The pain wasn’t gone—it was still there, a constant presence—but it felt more bearable. Less suffocating. Maybe because he was sharing that burden with you, silently.

“The world feels… a little lighter now,” you whispered, almost without realizing you’d spoken aloud. It wasn’t entirely true, but it was the closest you could admit.

You didn’t see it, but Remus smiled softly. “Sometimes, you just need someone to remind you that you’re not alone.”

There was something in the way he said it, in the gentle, understanding tone, that made your chest tighten. Not from pain, but from gratitude. Because no matter how messy and confusing life was, at least for now, you had a safe harbor.

Silence fell between you again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. On the contrary, there was something almost sacred in that moment. You let your eyes close and focused on the little details: the firmness of his embrace, the warmth radiating from his body, the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat, still steady, still grounding.

The dormitory's silence was comfortable, like a heavy blanket muffling any noise from the outside world. You had stayed longer than you should, delaying the inevitable moment of stepping out and facing the day. You hoped, perhaps, that the common room would already be empty, that everyone had already left for Hogsmeade, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

But when you descended the stairs, you found Sirius lounging casually on the arm of one of the chairs, spinning his wand between his fingers with an expression of pure patience. He looked up the moment you appeared, a mischievous smile spreading across his lips.

"Finally! I thought I’d have to find a way to break into your room," he teased, standing up with his usual carefree grace and crossing his arms. "I thought we might lose you to the castle walls. Are you grounded, or just hiding from me?"

You stopped in the middle of the room, surprised to see him there. "I didn’t think you’d still be here. I thought everyone had already gone."

"I decided to wait," Sirius replied, a playful glint in his eyes. "I told myself, 'Sirius, you're irresistible, but maybe she needs a little nudge today.' So here I am. And before you say no, let me save you the trouble. We're going to Hogsmeade, and you're coming with us."

He stepped closer, stopping in front of you and tilting his head slightly, his dark hair falling over his shoulders. "It’ll be fun. We’ll buy some sweets, maybe one of those terrible teas James insists on drinking, and you’ll remember how good it feels to be with your friends."

You took a deep breath, a familiar tightness in your chest. "Thank you, Sirius, but… I don’t think I want to go."

For a moment, his smile faltered, but it quickly returned, as determined as ever not to take no for an answer. "Oh, come on, don’t make me beg. I’m terrible at begging. My dignity can’t take it."

"Sirius…" you began, but he raised a hand, cutting you off.

"Alright, alright. But just because you’re stubborn doesn’t mean I’m giving up. I’ll give you some time. I’ll be back before you know it. Keep an eye out."

He stepped back, raising his hands as if surrendering. The smile was still there, but something deeper lingered in his eyes — a genuine concern he tried to mask with his usual charm. "You know where to find us if you change your mind."

You simply nodded, and Sirius hesitated for a moment before turning and leaving through the common room entrance, leaving behind a silence that felt almost tangible.

Later, you found solace in wandering the castle. The emptiness of the hallways was almost comforting, the familiar walls seeming to hold your deepest thoughts. You were so absorbed in your own musings that you almost didn’t notice the tall, lean figure at the bend of a corridor.

“Remus?” The surprise colored your voice, pulled from a place you couldn’t quite control. “I thought you went to Hogsmeade.”

He turned, his disheveled hair catching a timid ray of light streaming through a high window. His smile appeared with that characteristic softness, a gesture so subtle it seemed to contain all the warmth of a sunny day.

“I didn’t go,” he said, with the simplicity that made everything about him feel so natural. “I didn’t want to leave you alone.”

You blinked, your eyes fixed on him, and felt your chest tighten in a familiar yet unexpected way. The words were so sincere they hurt. You opened your mouth, struggling to respond, but all that came out was, “You… you didn’t have to do that.”

Remus tilted his head slightly, a trace of amusement in his eyes. “I know,” he replied, his tone calm as always. “But I wanted to.”

Just like that. No room for doubt, no room for misunderstandings. He wanted to stay. For you.

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable, but it carried something deeper, something that seemed to hum in the air between you. Before you could respond, Remus took a step closer and extended his hand.

“Shall we?” he suggested, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

You stared at his hand for a moment, taking in the long fingers, the slightly short nails as if he had a habit of biting them. Hesitant, you placed your hand in his, feeling the warm, surprisingly firm texture of his skin. When he closed his fingers around yours, the gesture was so natural and gentle that your heart stumbled over a beat.

As you walked together, the sound of your footsteps echoing through the empty halls, you couldn’t help but notice how his hand seemed to fit perfectly in yours. It wasn’t something you’d noticed before — the warmth radiating from him, the light but steady pressure of his fingers against yours. It was comforting, like a silent anchor amid the internal storm you’d been battling.

“Remus,” you began, but stopped, realizing you didn’t know exactly what you wanted to say. Maybe it was a thank-you, or maybe it was something you hadn’t yet found the words for.

“Hm?” He glanced at you sideways, his golden-brown eyes catching the soft light filtering through the windows.

You shook your head. “Nothing. Just… thank you.”

He smiled, and you felt something in your chest loosen, as if his presence made the air easier to breathe.

“You know you don’t have to thank me, right?” he said, his voice low, almost a murmur. “I’d do it anyway.”

Once again, you found yourself without a response. He was so simple in his kindness that it was disarming. And yet, you couldn’t ignore the warmth spreading through your chest with every small gesture of his.

His fingers tightened gently around yours, guiding you lightly as he turned into another hallway. You felt a faint shiver run up your arms, not from the cold, but from the strange realization of how natural his touch felt.

The castle felt different with him by your side. The weight you'd been carrying for weeks felt a little less crushing. And, even though you didn't know exactly what it meant, there was something about the way his steps stayed in sync with yours that gave you a new sense of comfort.

"Are you still reading that novel you borrowed from the library?" Remus asked, breaking the comfortable silence as you walked through a corridor bathed in pale morning light.

You smiled softly, thinking about the book that now rested beside your bed, the bookmark still stuck in the same spot where you'd left it days ago. "I'm trying, but I haven't been able to concentrate much lately. Maybe I should pick something lighter."

"Lighter?" Remus raised an eyebrow, that gentle teasing tone so natural to him. "Are you thinking about giving the Quidditch section a chance?"

You laughed, the sound softly echoing off the stone walls. "I said lighter, not guaranteed sleep."

He laughed too, and the sound was warm and inviting, like a mug of hot chocolate on a cold night. The kind of sound that made you want to keep talking, just to hear it again.

"But seriously," you continued, "I think I like novels because they have this… magical thing, you know? That feeling that anything is possible, even if only for a few pages."

"You mean happy endings?" Remus suggested, his playful tone softened by something more genuine.

"That too. But not just that." You hesitated, choosing your words. "I like how they describe… moments. Like a ball, for example. It always seems so… wonderful."

Remus glanced at you, his golden eyes shining in the light. "You've never been to a ball?"

"No." You shrugged, a slightly self-conscious smile escaping. "I wish I knew what it's like. I guess I've always wanted to experience it, but I never had the chance."

He stopped walking, gently pulling you to face him. "I think we can fix that right now."

"What?" You blinked, surprised.

Remus tilted his head as if considering something, then extended his hand to you with a nearly ceremonial gesture. "May I have the honor of this dance?"

The laughter escaped before you could stop it, but there was something in his expression—something sincere and kind—that made your heart skip a beat. "Here? In the middle of the hallway?"

"Why not?" he asked, his playful smile softened by a sparkle in his eyes that made you momentarily forget how to breathe.

Hesitant but unable to resist that look, you placed your hand in his. Remus's fingers wrapped around yours with an almost reverent gentleness, as if he held something as fragile as crystal but as precious as gold. He didn't rush the moment; instead, he let the silence between you speak more than any words could. Then, slowly, he lowered his head, keeping his eyes on yours until the last moment before bringing your fingers to his lips.

The touch was so soft it was almost a whisper, but it was enough to make your heart stumble, as if it had forgotten its rhythm for a brief second. It wasn't just the gesture itself—though there was something old-fashioned and almost poetic about it. It was the intention you felt behind it. As if, in that small act, Remus was trying to say everything he might not know how to put into words.

"Ready for the clumsiest dance of your life?" he asked, his voice low but laced with a touch of humor that brought an involuntary smile to your lips.

"As long as you don't step on my toes," you replied, the playful tone masking the wave of emotion the moment had stirred.

"I'll do my best," he promised, with a smile that made the world feel a little less complicated.

He placed his other hand on your waist, with a care that seemed almost hesitant, as if waiting for a signal from you to continue. When you gave a small nod, he took the first step. There was no music, only the sound of your steps softly echoing through the empty hallway, yet it felt perfect.

You moved slowly, almost as if testing the waters, until the awkward attempt at a waltz soon transformed into something simpler, more natural. Just the gentle sway of two bodies in perfect sync. He laughed when you missed a step, and the sound was so pure, so full of life, that you couldn't help but laugh too.

"I never said I could dance," he teased, lightly squeezing your hand as if to reaffirm the connection between you.

"But I said I trusted you," you replied, feeling your smile widen despite yourself. "Clearly, that was a mistake."

"This isn't so bad, is it?" he countered, feigning offense. "I think we're doing better than I expected."

You didn't answer but allowed yourself to be led. Before you knew it, your movements slowed, the laughter faded, and the dance became just the soft sway of two bodies in perfect harmony. And, at some point, without thinking too much, you rested your head on his shoulder.

It was a natural movement, as if it were the only place in the world you wanted to be. And when you did, you felt his chest rise and fall with his breathing, slow and steady, like an anchor bringing peace to your chaos. His heartbeat echoed against your ear, firm and rhythmic, and there was something incredibly comforting about it. As if, no matter how much the world seemed to be falling apart around you, there, in that moment, everything was exactly as it should be.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, absorbing his warmth, the familiar scent that always surrounded him—a mix of old books and something undeniably him. It was a place where you could simply exist, with no questions, no expectations, no pain.

And then, like a wave silently reaching the shore, the realization hit. You weren’t thinking about James. There wasn’t that heaviness in your chest, that constant ache that always seemed to be there, reminding you of everything that couldn't be. It was as if, for a brief moment, that pain had completely disappeared.

The realization was so sudden that your body tensed for a moment, a movement almost imperceptible, but Remus noticed. He slightly pulled back, just enough to look at you.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low, almost a whisper, but filled with concern.

"Yes," you replied quickly, not knowing exactly why you felt the need to deny it. "Just… just tired, I think."

He didn’t push. He just observed you for a moment longer, as if trying to decipher something he couldn’t fully understand, before nodding.

"Alright," he said finally, with a small smile that seemed to say he would accept whatever answer you chose to give. And then, with the same gentleness as before, he resumed the slow, soft steps, as if wanting this moment to last forever.

And, for a moment, you allowed yourself to believe that it could. That the world could wait, and that, as long as you were there, in his arms, everything would be okay.

The night was particularly quiet, the castle's dim lights casting soft shadows across the empty corridors. You walked slowly, lost in thoughts that, lately, seemed to have a specific name: Remus. It was almost embarrassing how your mind gravitated toward him effortlessly. The way he smiled, the tilt of his head when he heard something interesting, even the gentle tone of his voice when he spoke about books or simple things. It was disconcerting, like a revelation that had come far too late.

You shook your head, trying to push the thoughts away, but they always seemed to return. How could you have been so blind? Years by his side, and only now were you realizing everything he was? Everything he meant? The fear of ruining anything between you grew with each passing day, like a shadow you couldn't escape.

"Are you lost in the castle, or in your own thoughts?" The familiar voice made you stop abruptly, and you turned to find James, casually leaning against a nearby wall. He wore that mischievous grin as always, but there was something softer in his eyes tonight.

“James,” you responded, surprised. “What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I should be asking you that,” he said, straightening up and strolling toward you with relaxed steps. “I thought you’d disappeared off the face of the earth. We haven’t had a proper conversation in weeks.”

You offered a small, hesitant smile. “I... I’ve been busy.”

“You mean you’ve been avoiding everyone,” he corrected, raising an eyebrow. “But I get it.”

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable but rather heavy with mutual understanding.

“You seem... better, you know?” he commented, breaking the quiet as he crossed his arms, studying you like he was trying to read something in your expression. “Lighter, somehow.”

You laughed softly, the sound low and slightly nervous. “Do I?”

“Yeah,” he affirmed, a playful glint appearing in his eyes. “And I have a theory about that.”

“Oh? And what brilliant theory might that be?”

He took a step closer, a conspiratorial smile tugging at his lips. “I think it has something to do with a certain friend of ours. Quiet guy, likes chocolate, hides behind books.”

Your face immediately heated, and James laughed, clearly pleased with your reaction. “Ah, see? I knew I was right.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you said quickly, looking away, but that only made his grin widen.

“Sure, you do,” he countered, tilting his head slightly. “And it’s fine, you know? It’s kind of impossible not to notice. He looks at you like… like you’re the only thing that matters.”

Your heart skipped a beat, but for reasons that had changed over the past few months. The idea of Remus looking at you that way wasn’t something you knew how to process. And yet, it made something warm and unfamiliar stir within you.

James seemed to catch something in your expression because his smile softened. He stepped closer, placing his hands gently on your shoulders. “You deserve to be happy,” he said, his voice lower, more serious. “And if he’s the one who makes you happy, then... don’t hold back, you know? Don’t overthink it. Just... go for it.”

You stared at him, surprised by the weight of his words, and realized something. James was truly happy for you. There was no tension, no awkwardness. He was just your friend, rooting for you, and that was all that mattered.

Before you could respond, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to your forehead, a simple gesture but filled with affection and familiarity. “You deserve it,” he repeated, as if he wanted to make sure you never forgot.

And that’s when you realized. His touch didn’t make your heart race. There was no longer that nervous anticipation, that yearning. It was just James, your friend. And for the first time, you wanted nothing more than that.

When he pulled back, there was a soft light in his eyes, like he was genuinely content with the change he saw in you. You watched him for a moment, a shy smile forming on your lips as you decided to say something you’d been holding onto.

“James?” you called, your voice quiet but enough to make him pause and turn back to you.

“Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow, looking curious.

“You deserve to be happy too.” The words came out with more conviction than you expected, but it felt too important to let it go unsaid. “And... Lily’s amazing. You two just... make sense. I think she’s good for you.”

He blinked, surprised, before a slow, genuine smile spread across his face. “You really think so?”

“I do.” You nodded, feeling a strange lightness in saying it out loud. “You deserve someone who makes you smile that goofy smile you don’t even realize you’re doing. And she does, doesn’t she?”

James let out a short laugh, slightly embarrassed. “Yeah, maybe I’m a bit obvious.”

“A bit?” you teased, smiling softly. “James, you’ve always been obvious.”

“Hey!” He feigned indignation, but the laughter escaped him anyway. He looked relieved, almost as if he’d been waiting for your approval without realizing it.

There was a moment of silence between you, one of those moments that didn’t need filling. You knew each other so well that words were sometimes unnecessary. When he finally spoke, his voice was gentler.

“I don’t want us to lose this, you know? You and me. We’ve always been a team.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture betraying a hint of nervousness. “Lily’s... special. But you’re still my friend, and that’s not going to change.”

“Not for a second.” You smiled, feeling entirely sincere. “Always a team, right?”

“Right.” He stepped closer, his eyes warm in a way that felt reassuring. “Now, go get some sleep, or Remus will blame me for your dark circles tomorrow.”

You laughed, the sound light, lifting the remaining weight in your chest. “Good night, James.”

“Good night,” he replied, waving as he began to walk away. “And think about what I said, okay?”

You stood there for a moment, watching where he’d disappeared, before finally turning around. There was no more heaviness, no more ache. Just a quiet gratitude for the fact that he had been—and always would be—a vital part of your life. And with that, you knew he’d always be there, just as you would always be for him.

The sun seemed different that day, as if it knew something special was in the air. The golden light bathed the land far from the castle, where an old blanket was spread out beneath the welcoming shade of a tree. It was the place you and Remus always chose to hide from the world, surrounded by books and an almost untouchable peace.

But today wasn’t about books. Not for you.

Remus was lying on the blanket, his arms behind his head, eyes closed as the sun kissed his skin. There was something so carefree in the way he rested there, his brown hair slightly messy and a calmness that seemed rare for him. You watched him with a restless heart, almost embarrassed by the intensity of your own thoughts.

He had always been beautiful to you, but now... now there was something more. Something that made your chest tighten every time he was near, something you knew you couldn’t ignore anymore.

You took a deep breath, trying to push away the anxiety that was growing inside you, and focused on the sight in front of you. He looked so relaxed, so different from the composed and disciplined Remus he showed the world. Without even realizing it, you began to lean closer.

Your eyes stopped on the scars that cut across his face, faint but impossible to ignore. They had always been there, but for some reason, today they seemed to scream for your attention. Before you could think better, your hand moved on its own, fingers gently brushing against his skin.

Remus startled at the touch, his eyes snapping open as he tried to pull away.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, his voice embarrassed and almost inaudible. “I... I…” Remus began, sitting up suddenly, his face already flushed with shame, as if he had made an unforgivable mistake by letting you get so close. “Sorry, I shouldn’t—”

“Remus.” Your voice was calm but firm, cutting through the whirlwind of apologies before he could continue. He stopped, hesitating, his eyes downcast as if he were trying to hide the vulnerability that kept slipping out.

“It’s okay,” you murmured, your voice as soft as the touch of your fingers still hovering in the air between you.

He hesitated again, the discomfort visible in the furrowing of his brows and the way his hand instinctively went to his face, trying to cover the scars he clearly thought were something to hide.

“I... I know they’re ugly,” he murmured, the words almost lost in the breeze. His voice was so quiet, so filled with silent pain that it squeezed your heart.

You shook your head slowly, feeling your throat tighten, and before you could stop yourself, your hand rose again. But this time, you didn’t stop. Your fingers touched his cheek more firmly, a deliberate caress that made him freeze.

“Remus,” you began, your voice steady but full of tenderness. “No scar of yours would make me love you less.”

He blinked, his eyes wide as his hand stayed where it was, the palm feeling the warmth of his skin. The confusion mixed with disbelief in Remus’s gaze made him look even younger, even more vulnerable than you already knew he was.

“I…” He tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come, as if they were stuck in his throat.

“You don’t have to hide,” you continued, your fingers tracing the line of one of his scars almost reverently. “These marks tell your story. And every part of it makes you who you are.”

Remus let out a tremulous sigh, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. He didn’t say anything, but you could see it in his eyes—a storm of emotions he couldn’t contain anymore.

“I…” you started, but the words died before they left your lips. Your heart felt like it was beating so loudly that he must have heard it. The silence that followed wasn’t empty; it was thick, laden with everything you had been feeling, with everything that was about to overflow.

Remus waited, his eyes fixed on yours, saying nothing, but you could see the concern in him. As if he was more worried about what you couldn’t say than about the silence itself.

“Sorry,” you murmured, averting your gaze for a moment, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. “I just… I don’t know how to say this.”

He tilted his head, his hands still firmly on the ground beside the blanket, but not intrusive. “It’s okay,” he said softly, his voice low, almost a whisper. “You can tell me whatever you want, in your time.”

That gentleness, that patience... it was exactly what had always been there, right in front of you, but it had taken you so long to see it.

“That’s it,” you finally said, your voice more rushed than you intended. “That’s it. You’ve always been this way, Remus. Always so…” You took a deep breath, summoning courage. “So kind, so patient, so... you.”

He blinked, as if he didn’t know where you were going, but the light blush that colored his cheeks showed that he was starting to understand.

“I…” You looked away again, your fingers instinctively tracing an imaginary line on the fabric of the blanket. “I feel so stupid. For so long, everything I needed was right here. And I was blind. Blind to you. To us.”

Remus opened his mouth to say something, but you raised your hand, stopping him. “Please, let me finish.”

He nodded, his gaze now so intense it felt like it was piercing you.

“I never understood why you were always so close,” you continued, your voice trembling slightly. “Even when you didn’t need to be. Even when I was so… stuck on something that was never going to take me anywhere.”

Remus lowered his eyes for a moment, as if he was protecting something he didn’t want you to see.

“But now I see,” you said, your voice softening. “I see it was you. It was always you. And I don’t know how I never realized it before, but... I see it now.”

He raised his eyes again, and the intensity in his gaze took your breath away. There was no rush, just a sea of emotions you could barely decipher.

“I’m in love with you, Remus,” you whispered finally, the words coming out like a secret you barely dared to reveal. “And I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that.”

The silence between you was absolute, but not uncomfortable. It was as if the whole world was waiting, holding its breath with you.

Then, slowly, he lifted a hand, hesitant but steady, and placed it gently against your cheek. The warmth of his touch made your heart stumble.

“I’ve waited,” he said, his voice hoarse but full of emotion. “I waited because you’re worth it. You’ve always been worth it.”

His eyes burned with tears you hadn’t known you were holding back, but you couldn’t speak, because at that moment, he leaned in, closing the distance between you.

When his lips met yours, it was as if all the pieces finally clicked into place. The kiss was slow, tender, filled with everything you both were feeling. There was no rush, just the certainty that this moment was exactly where you belonged.

The world seemed to stop in that instant. All that existed was the warmth of his fingers against your skin, the brown eyes looking at you with a tenderness so overwhelming it made your heart race. You had never felt so seen, so understood.

“I’m yours,” he repeated, almost in a whisper, as if those words carried a weight he was relieved to finally share.

A soft smile spread across your lips, and you tilted your face slightly against his hand, savoring the touch. “And I’m yours, Remus,” you replied, your voice almost breaking with emotion. “I always have been, even when I didn’t know.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if he needed to focus to process it all. When he opened them again, there was a different shine there—something that blended relief, happiness, and a calm yet intense joy.

You lifted your hand, your fingers hesitating as they traced the line of his jaw, outlining the small imperfections that seemed to tell stories you knew he rarely shared. “I want to take care of your heart,” you said softly, your voice filled with a promise that came from the depths of your soul. “The way you’ve taken care of mine.”

He laughed, a low, almost disbelieving sound, but not in mockery. It was the sound of someone who had finally received something they had longed for so long. “You already do,” he said, his voice thick. “You always have.”

You moved a little closer, until your foreheads were touching, and the world around you completely disappeared. “I want to do this forever,” you murmured. “With every part of me.”

His lips found yours again, this time with a softness that was almost reverent, as if he wanted to hold onto that moment forever. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was a meeting of souls, a silent exchange of everything you both felt.

When he pulled away, just enough to look at you again, there was a smile on his lips that seemed to light up his whole face. “I never thought I could be this happy,” he said, the sincerity in his voice almost taking your breath away.

You laughed softly, touching his cheek with affection. “Neither did I,” you confessed. “But now I know. I know it all makes sense because it’s with you.”

He pulled you closer, his arms wrapping around your waist, and this time, it was he who hid his face in the curve of your neck. “I won’t let you go,” he murmured against your skin. “Never.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere,” you replied, your fingers weaving through his hair.

You stayed there, in each other’s arms, as the soft wind played with the leaves around you, the warmth of the sun heating your bodies. It was so simple, yet so perfect.

Remus leaned back just enough to place a brief kiss on your forehead, then another on the tip of your nose, and another on your lips. Small gestures, full of affection that seemed to overflow from within him.

“I love you,” he said softly, looking into your eyes as if he wanted to imprint that moment in his memory forever.

Your heart tightened, but this time it was a good tightness, filled with emotion. You pulled him into a quick kiss, feeling his smile against your lips. “I love you too.”

You didn’t need any more words. It had all been said, it had all been felt. What mattered was what you both knew, right then, in that instant: that together, you were complete.

The cold breeze of the Forbidden Forest surrounded you as you stood alone in the same place where so many things had changed. Time seemed to have passed too quickly since that day with Remus, since the moment when everything in your life had transformed. Now, you were together, and you still wondered how it had taken you so long to see what had always been right in front of you.

But, in that moment, something different occupied your thoughts.

The wand was firm in your hand, although your fingers trembled slightly. You knew what you wanted to do, but the fear still hovered over you like a shadow. What if the stag appeared again?

You closed your eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, letting the gentle sound of the wind and the distant song of birds calm your nerves. Remus wasn't there now, but just thinking of him, something inside you filled with courage.

He was your home.

With your heart pounding, you opened your eyes, raised your wand, and, with firmness in your voice, you spoke:

“Expecto Patronum.”

The silvery light burst from the tip of the wand, strong and vibrant, illuminating the space around you with an almost ethereal beauty. You held your breath, your eyes wide as the shape began to materialize.

It was no longer a stag.

Before you, a delicate silver fox took form, its movements graceful like a dance as it walked around, its eyes shining like stars. The long, elegant tail swayed gently, and, for a moment, the fox stopped, looking directly at you as if it knew exactly who you were and what you represented.

Your heart leaped.

The fox was perfect. Strong, yet agile. Clever, yet full of charm. Delicate, but able to defend itself. And, somehow, you knew it was a reflection of who you had become, of who you had always been — someone who found strength in delicacy and courage in love.

Tears filled your eyes, but you smiled. It was as if that moment closed a cycle, as if everything had finally found its place.

[marinettesaltprompts]

Marinette Salt Prompts: In which Max saves Paris by being himself - Part 1

Prompt by yours truly :)

Warning: Long Post!

When Max first became Pegasus, he was initially excited to become a hero. Getting these cool awesome powers, being able to help the people of Paris and be seen more than just a computer geek had put a spring in his step.

And it still was! ... For a time at least.

But then one day following an akuma attack in which Max lost conciousness (from a wasp attack? did Chloe get akumatised again?) Ladybug came by with a new suit and a declaration that she was the "Guardian" (whatever that had meant). Nobody questioned the declaration, even Max.

This of course, meant that Pegasus became a hero more than not.

This didn't seem so bad at first ... but then the weariness began to set in. More and more akuma's appeared, resulting in Max having to be called more often, leaving him tired and exhausted as a result. While Max was lucky enough that he had not managed to to be hit by an akuma's power, seeing one of his hero allies just disappear sent shivers down the poor genius's spine. Especially when Roi Singe was hit (even though Max had no clue who he was, he seemed familliar).

It didn't help that Ladybug and Chat Noir, the main Heroes of Paris, had begun to fight a lot more. At first it was just simple disagreements, but then it became louder. Max noted that Chat kept trying to get close to Ladybug, but the latter kept trying to push him away. At first Max had assumed that it was due to Chat's well known crush on Ladybug, but now he was not so sure, especially when she began to get snappy with others even if Chat had said nothing the enitre fight (which in itself became more and more uncommon). Ladybug was obviously stressed, but whenever anyone commented on it, she would either deny it or get incredibly angry (especially if it was Chat Noir that made the statement)

It was only after a long and terrible akuma battle that Max began to see things differently. More than half the heroes had been "disappeared", only to be returned back to life with the Miraculous Ladybug. A lot of the heroes looked very uncomfortable, but had said nothing as Ladybug once again congratulated them on a won battle.

Max finally spoke up.

"Um... actually, I have a question?"

The way Ladybug seemed to snap her head to him almost made him jump back, but seeing as she had some sort of smile on her face, he continued.

"These akuma's have started to become more and more problematic recently ... more than half of us were... vanished, when normally that doesn't happen..."

Of course it happened more often, they just didn't say anything. But this is the worst one yet. Most of them vanished. ONLY vanished. We don't say kill because thats impossible to think about without feeling sick to the core

"... perhaps we should approch the problem with the akumas a bit more differently?"

Ladybug paused, the smile disappearing from her face as she contemplated what he said.

"...Well... sure. I suppose we don't spend enough time actually training. I mean, me and Noir have a lot of experience but all of you are much newer than we are ..." Ladybug snapped her fingers in excitement "Oh I know! How about we meet up for a training session? Perhaps we could all take the time to learn how to use our powers better!"

Despite the well intentions behind it, Max actually felt sick at the idea of having to spend more time in the costume. He actually had his own life to worry about thank you very much. (Unbeknwnst to him, several others felt the same way).

"N-No! I-I mean that was what I was going with, we are ok with using our abilities." Max said hurriedly, avoiding the subtle displeasure on Ladybug's face. "What I meant to say was... shouldn't we try and solve the issue directly."

"What, you mean the akumas?" Ladybug asked.

"No ... I meant Hawkmoth. Shouldn't we do something about finding him?"

The question caused everyone to perk up at the thought. Even the now-normally silent Chat Noir raised his ears at the suggestion.

However, Ladybug's face remained stone cold.

"That's ... not possible."

"What do you mean its not? I mean, we have these powers right? Couldn't we use them to find him?" Max said, even as the others visibly shrinked with anger.

"I'm saying its not as simple as you think. We don't have the time to find him. We already spent enough time dealing with the akumas. Don't you want to go back to your normal lives?"

(The irony that the akuma's had left them busy to begin with remained lost on Ladybug's mind, even as the others inwardly cringed at the statement)

Max however refused to back down on this however. "Ladybug, with all due respect, we have been fighting an akuma every few days now. Some weeks we even had to fight every single day! Shouldn't we try to stop the problem at its source?"

"The problem," Ladybug said through gritted teeth. "is that Hawkmoth is too well hidden. We need to focus on being ready for his next attack, not wasting time on impossible goals. We can stop him for good when he finally gets cocky and shows himself."

"B-But we can't rely on that! Ladybug, he has no reason to show himself because his powers don't require him to be close to be effective. Too many of us got ki- got vanished! If this happens again we could actually be in serious trouble!"

"Look, I'm trying my best here! My plan was still able to work! We succeeded in the end right? We saved the day! That's all that matters! That's all we can do for now!" Ladybug said, her voice getting louder.

"And what if it fails the next time?"

"My plans haven't failed yet! Can't you trust me Pegasus?"

"I do! B-But you haven't been performing optimally! Every time you call us you look extremely tired, and you've begun stuttering at times when you're making a plan in battle! You've been coming to every akuma fight all tense and stressed and-"

Max's voice died out in his throat as the rest of the team flinched. He didn't want to say that word, but it slipped out on accident. The whole teamed had learned that nobody should call Ladybug stressed. But he did.

The effect was near instant. Ladybug's eyes constricted and she began to visibly tense up and shake.

"OH GREAT, NOW ITS YOU TOO! CAN'T YOU SEE YOU'RE NOT THE ONE HAVING TO STRUGGLE HERE?! I'M THE GUARDIAN! I'VE GOT BETTER THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAN YOU WASTING MY TIME ON STUPID QUESTIONS!"

Pegasu- no, Max, flinched, but tried to stay strong. Emphasis on tried, even as his confidence began to falter/

"Ladybug look, i'm sorry, but if you could jus-"

"NO, YOU DON'T GET IT. I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN STOP HAWKMOTH. ALL I ASK IS FOR THE REST OF YOU TO JUST LISTEN TO MY PLAN SO THAT WE CAN BEAT THE AKUMA AND GO HOME. BUT NO, YOU HAVE TO QUESTION EVERYTHING I DO LIKE IM DOING EVERYTHING WRONG! I HAVE TO MAKE THE PLAN! WHO ELSE CAN PURIFY THE AKUMA? WHO ELSE CAN SAVE PARIS?" Ladybug yelled as she stormed up to Pegasus, furiously tense and visibly sweating.

"But how are we supposed to save Paris if Hawkmoth is still a threat?!" Max said suddenly, a wave of adrenaline overcoming him as he momentarily met Ladybug's eyes. "We can't keep doing this forever like we have no one that won't miss us, we have our own lives too! We can't keep running off to save Paris when our families don't even know where we are! My mom doesn't know where I am!"

Ladybug narrowed her eyes.

"So this is what this is about?" Ladybug asked questionly with hostility. "That you can't keep up with being ahero? Being a hero means that sometimes we have to do what is necassary for the greater good! Not everyone can run away when you're the only one who had the power to fix it. Its about sacrifice!"

"...but this isn't sacrifice. It's a slaughter." Max said, his voice suddenly going hoarse. He felt tired in that moment, a wave of exhaustion ovecoming him as he slumped forwards. He wanted to be back home, not on these rooftops, but with his best buddy Kim and his great robot friend Markov. His family.

As the rest of the heroes stared in shock at the genius hero looking so defeated, Ladybug stood silently as she appeared apathetic to Max's outburst, merely glancing at him as she looked at her (former?) ally.

"You know what? Fine? If all of this is such a problem for you, then I'll find someone else who can take over for you. The akuma's defeated anyways." Ladybug said seriously, ignoring the shock from some of the more empathetic heroes. "Go to your rendevouz spot and wait for me. I'll come and pick up the Horse Miraculous from you. You're off the team."

Despite having no desire to be Pegasus in that moment, the callousness in Ladybug's statement caused Max to feel angry, his hand curling into a grip as he took a deep breathe in and out.

"You know what? No, I don't think I will." Max said simply, ignoring the shock on Ladybug's face as he turned around. "I'm tired, im exhausted, and I just want to go home. You know where I live, you can come and grab my Miraculous from my house once your done with the rest of your team. I'll take the express route home."

Voyage

With a simple word, Max created a portal beneath his feet, leaving to quickly for anyone to stop him or see where he ended up.

Max crashed into his bed. Quickly detrasnforming, he looked up from his bed to see Markov flying towards him.

"Oh hello Max! You look very tired!"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that buddy." Max replied.

"Oh no! You look upset, did something happen?"

As Max sat up from his bed, he began to recount his story as he changed from his normal outfit into his pyjama's. As Max sat down at the computer, he finished recounting this story to Markov.

"...And that's where I am now. So many other heroes got hurt and I'm worried that we won't be able to take another attack like that, but now Ladybug is mad at me and now I'm off the team! Sure, I don't have to be part of the battle, but it won't help when the next monster of the day suddenly levels Paris's city flat!"

"That sounds like a problem!" Markov replied. Though his emotion program was a bit simple, he felt a bit sad for his friend (and a bit angry at Ladybug, though not enough to trigger an akuma attack).

"Yeah, tell me about it. Not to mention that Hawkmoth is still out there, wherever he's hiding."

As Markov began to ponder how he could help his friends mood, a thought came to him.

"Perhaps we could solve this Hawkmoth issue ourselves."

"W-What? Markov I don't think thats possible. I mean, I am about to lose the Horse Miraculous once Ladybug finds me, I don't think we can do much against a magical supervillain."

"True, but as you said to Ladybug, fighting isn't doing us much good at the moment either. In order to stop the akuma's we need to solve the problem at the source. By all accounts, there's a 99% probability that Hawkmoth is a normal human adult outside of his costume. All we need to do is find out who Hawkmoth is and then we can catch him off guard to defeat him! Simple is it not?"

Max contemplated the idea, slowly nodding as he agreed with Markov. "That does seem like a good idea... but where can we start? It's not like we can just track down where he lives. Paris is huge!"

"So we will just have to go for the next two best things. His akumas and his victims! If we can track where those butteflies come from and where they are headed, we can follow them back to his lair!"

"His lair Markov?"

The robot nodded. "I don't remember much when I was Robustus, but I was able to recover a still image of Hawkmoth from his perspective! Apparently he has a huge lair from which he hides!"

"Wait, you had this the whole time? Why not tell anyone?"

"... I didn't think it was useful" Markov said embarrassingly.

Max decided to let it go though as he began to formulate an idea. "So... he sends his akuma's from a lair. So in order to find the lair we need to find the where the akuma's are flying from..."

Slowly, Max looked through his room. Scattered about were serveral drones, some of which were dismantled in order to create the shell for Markov's AI. If he could create a program to speciifically track down these akuma's...

His thought process was interrupted by a knock on his window, Max turned to see the window opened by an unimpressed Ladybug.

"Max"

"... Ladybug"

"the Horse Miraculous. Where is it?"

Wordlessly, Max gave her the box. Ignoring the look on her face, Max opened his laptop as he began to write a code on his laptop.

Ladybug contined to stare at him.

"You know, I was really hoping that you would have reconsidered your actions when I asked you to go to the rendevous point. I'm disappointed to see that I was proven wrong. Especially with that stunt you pulled."

Max continued to ignore her as he kept typing.

Ladybug sniffed her nose as she turned to leave. "Don't expect me to call you again ever. If this is how you are going to act when you are freaking out, then you don't deserve to be on this team."

Max never took his eyes off the computer, even as Markov stared angrily at Ladybug, wanting to say something but feeling like he should not interrupt. His eyes smiling as his code and his plan started to form together.

"Go ahead. Find someone else. Superhero work wasn't cut for me anyways. I'm much better when i'm using my brain anyways. I know what I need to do now. Besides, if being on the team means being treated that way, I'll pass. Last thing I need is to follow another Chloe."

Ladybug flinched, before leaving Max's room, yoyo flying in the distance.

Max didn't notice though. He had a plan.

One that would surely deal with this akuma plan once and for all.

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

Hi everyone! Hope you like this new idea i've had for a while now! Sorry if it feels rushed, I wrote this while feeling quite tired. I'm making plans for a part 2 and 3, but please let me know what you guys think!

[littlekiara96]

BIG spoilers for 3.0 (despite it being a theory, just in case)

Me at the start of 3.0: Maybe Amphoreus isn't even real anymore... Just like we can still see dead stars in the sky...

Me in the middle of it: Oh. It's all a cycle of Gods creating the world, a world-ending threat making Heroes appear, and the Heroes becoming the next Gods after the end of the world. Ad aeternam. So "saving the world" actually means "resetting it all". Phainon might have a shock if he doesn't know that already.

Diogena: Everyone is dead, actually, except a handful of people.

Me: That... That's not possible, righ-

Me: *remembers the two philosophers discussing a destroyed city and the memory of it, wondering which version of the city is the truest one or something*

Me: Oh. Oh, shit. Amphoreus does only exist in memories. That's why we need someone from the Garden of Recollection to show it to us. It's Penacony all over again.

Me: *remembers she theorised March had done a crime or else and had been condemned just like Dan Heng, thus the Garden wiped her memories* Could March be the only person who can actually remember that Amphoreus doesn't exist anymore. Will something happen if she remembers it doesn't exist. What if she was the one to put Amphoreus in a state of eternal reoccuring cycles so it could still exist under the veil of Remembrance, but she had to erase the whole of her memories and self to do that.

... Could the Enigmata actually be the third Path?

Someone tell me I'm taking Diogena's words too literally, have mercy.

*A few minutes later*

Me: *finishes the philosophers' sidequest*

You must be kidding me.

*a few hours later*

I was talking to my Bro about this text and uh...

I told him the more I thought about this, the more I went "They [the devs] can't say that Amphoreus doesn't exist, because then, what would be the point of trailblazing and installing new teleportation beacons her-"

And the realisation hit me.

Our end goal might be to bring the Amphoreus of a point T in time back into reality and its "normal" flow of time. That would end the eternal cycle.

[the-box-of-mine]

Melinda and demetrius: splitting and dissociation (part 2)

I was talking in the first part here about Melinda and her splitting episodes. In this part I will talk about the oldest son demetrius.

There's no lie in the fact his appearance was surprising, but also everyone knew that he didn't seem right.

But also he's very mysterious and understanding him is quite a challenge with the very little context we have of him. So let's dive into his character a little.

The unfocused look, very intimidating look, and eyebags under his eyes. Hell yeah, he got freaking 6 stellas and didn't even seem happy about it. He just looked very tired and just wanted to go to rest.

Damian and the rest of the gang approached him, and damian went to congratulate him of his achievement. But it seems that Demetrius looked very intimidating to him so he started to stutter. Demetrius took the lead of the conversation and asked him about his Stella (which indicates that Demetrius is actually looking at the progress Damian does academically, which is the most important aspect of demetrius's life). Normally when asked this type of question, it's normal to say "yeah how did you know?" "Yeah what do you think?". But not damian (my little child seems to struggle)😭, he instantly jumped into "how do you think father would think?" ,which is wrong in different aspects, firstly demetrius is the one who asked about his academics, so it felt very disrespectful to do that. Secondly , knowing how Damian gets annoyed with the girls in his class asking constantly about his father (and he's the second son with less remarkable achievements), I'm sure that Demetrius himself has even worse share in this experience, he doesn't even seem to have friends because he feels in different league, and people either intimidated by him or try to use him to get to his father. Lastly, it's their second time talking to each other in school, and damian still asked him in the same matter (about their father) which really gives an impression that he has nothing to ask about but this. But of course Damian didn't mean that, he's a little child who is trying to reach his family, Demetrius himself seems to have also problems with reaching out to others.

But even then he didn't get mad, even in his mind, he didn't get annoyed at damian, he just swayed away keeping his boundaries without any addition, something that neither Melinda nor Donovan did (imo he still got judged wildly). With one struggling with her emotions and splitting episodes, and deadbeat neglectful dad. Which made me believe that he is the one who has higher chances with having a stable relationship with damian. I talked more about this here but to summarise, demetrius is quite surprisingly patient with damian at most times. Considering their parents and his age too.

Now into his interesting mind, in chapter 93, anya tried reading his mind but got nothing at first, and the things she got was he (I don't understand) questions.

This hit very different seeing chapter 110, when Melinda said Donovan can read mind and even demetrius had been saying that.

A lot of people drew to the conclusion that Demetrius has this habit of blocking his mind since he knew his father can read mind, he restricted himself to not have any thoughts at all, which is very painful to think about, making your child anxious to this point is really a new low truly, donovan.

There had been questions about how this is even achievable, a state of blanked mind of barely any thoughts, Mr green talked a little about it when he was with damian and his friends. But let me explain this more.

What is demetrius doing is very similar to something called "dissociation", it's a state of complete stillness of thoughts, flowing through the stress, you can say it's like putting your mind in an autopilot mode. It's a coping mechanism many people do in response to stress and trauma, and its severity changes from one person to another.

Now it seems very peaceful coping mechanism, but it's a hell itself, it's like getting into a deep hole with, the more you get deeper, the more difficult it's to get out of it. The more time you spend doing it, the more it's hard to keep up with your life and tasks.

I'm pretty sure that if Demetrius had been doing it from a very young age, it means he definitely is having difficulty in keeping his thoughts flowing, and that he is not voluntary and completely controls his mind.

Now, what could happen if someone is dissociating excessively? It leads to many mental disorders and problems. The most insightful of them are (dissociative disorders). The three main disorders are (ranked with severity from lower to higher)

1-Depersonalization/ derealization disorder.

2-dissociative amnesia.

3- dissociative identity disorder (aka called multiple personality disorder in the past but the medical term changed)

Now I'm very sure with the amount of excessive dissociation demetrius expressed (and even indicate he started doing it very early). I'm sure he has derealization disorder, he's very out of touch with himself and feels very separated from his reality ,which is a perfect description of this disorder. I wouldn't be surprised if he had dissociative amnesia, like I wouldn't be surprised if he said he doesn't really remember having dinner with his family in chapter 106 (he really was out of touch and just eating his food, not giving care to the tension felt in that time).

(until now he didn't show any signs of being a system or having DID)

I'm sure he also has different mental struggles other than dissociation, but this one is the clearest one. Him and Melinda showed very clear signs of mental health struggles, I tried to analyse that, I hope that they both heal and get the help they need.

[beom-s-author]

txt reactions- they are jealous

choi soobin

- You were sitting with Soobin in the practice room. While the guys were practicing their dance for the new album, Soobin and you were sitting next to each other and chatting. Your laughter could be heard from even the farthest corner. You were showing Soobin videos of your nephew on your phone. It was a video taken at your house. Your nephew was running around the house with one of your clothes on his head. While you were watching, a message came from upstairs. It was your best friend Jaesung. It was obvious that Soobin and he weren’t getting along very well, but of course you were still seeing Jaesung. After Jaesung sent you a message asking if you had any plans, Soobin stood up. “I didn’t know he was still texting you.” You slowly stood up as well. “He’s my friend, of course I text him and he texts me. I thought we were over that.” Soobin took a deep breath at what you said. “Let’s talk about this later. This isn’t the best timing right now.” He left you there alone and walked away.

choi yeonjun

It was a normal morning. After you and Yeonjun had done the shopping for the house, you were waiting at the cash register to pay. Of course, you and him had made yourselves unrecognizable with your masks, hats, and coats. Yeonjun was holding out his bags for you to put your purchases in. While Yeonjun was paying, you were dragging your belongings to the door and trying to take them away. At that moment, a man approached you and offered to take the bags. Just as you were about to decline his offer, Yeonjun quickly walked over to you and held your hand. “There’s someone who can help her. Please go now.” You could swear that this was the first time you’d ever seen Yeonjun this angry. You continued to walk home slowly. When you got home, Yeonjun was acting cold towards you. “Hey, are you okay?” When Yeonjun nodded, you went over to him. “You’re not thinking about what happened there, are you?” You looked at Yeonjun with those eyes that he could never resist and Yeonjun immediately softened. He shook your hand with his. “Of course. Now let’s put our purchases away.”

choi beomgyu

There were tons of things you could do together with Beomgyu. You could watch a movie or draw. Maybe he could play his guitar for you. But you decided to put on your jackets and go to a rink that was out of the way. You took the skates, put them on, and put on your helmets. You and Beomgyu started skating while smiling at each other. Beomgyu was a little talented at things like that compared to you. The slippery ground under your feet made you nervous. You kept holding on to the railings on the side with your hands. You were scared but you tried not to show it. As time passed, you got looser and started skating until you fell down with a thud. You grabbed the hand that was reaching to pick you up from the ground. Because you thought it was Beomgyu. When you saw a cute boy with blue hair in front of you, your eyebrows furrowed. Then Beomgyu ran to you. “Baby, are you okay?” You nodded at Beomgyu’s words and held his hand. Beomgyu felt different when he saw the boy. “Who was that?” “I don’t know, the thought just appeared next to me. I thought it was you and held your hand.” Beomgyu exhaled and looked at you. “I’m sorry.. It felt like you were alone, but please don’t do it again.. sometimes I can get jealous even if I don’t want to.”

kang taehyun

you were planning on having a typical Sunday, until you ran into your ex-boyfriend. You and Taehyun went to the cat cafe as you always did. You enjoyed petting the fluffy animals that came to the tables. Even though your drinks got hairy, you still enjoyed it. You picked up a cat and gave your phone to Taehyun to take a picture. When you took a few steps back, you bumped into your ex-boyfriend. The cat escaped from your lap, but Taehyun ran to him when you held his shoulder. Your ex-boyfriend turned to you and said, "Are you okay?" You confirmed it with Taehyun's arrival. You were left confused with Taehyun, who looked at your ex boyfriend and scared him, but Taehyun was still soft and calm as before when you got home. So you didn't mind it. But asked. "Why did you get jealous?" "Jealous,me? You are lying." You chuckled. "Okay, then. Maybe I understood wrong." Taehyun sighs. "A bit."

kamal hueningkai

It didn’t seem normal for your boyfriend to be jealous of you. You were living together at your house. You invited 3 of your friends from college to meet him. 2 of them were girls and 1 was a guy. You never thought Hueningkai would be jealous. You all sat together and played board games. You were divided into 2 teams. Suho always said he wanted to team up with you. You had good chemistry during group games. Hueningkai slowly backed away. He usually watched you. Hours had passed by the time you realized this. When your friends went home, you went with Hueningkai. “Baby, what’s wrong?” Hueningkai raised his head when he heard you call him. “Nothing, I guess I was just bored.” “I’m sorry. I guess I upset you.” He smiled as he hugged Hueningkai. “It’s okay. I’d be happier if you just played with me.”

[girlwhorizzed]

sometimes you thought jj liked to mess with you on purpose. with all the girls he'd have on his arm for the night being just to fuck with you, and all the ones he'd bring to the chateau, only whenever he knew you would be there.

it’s not that you guys were exclusive or anything— but god, he could at least be a decent guy and not rub it in your face, especially when deep down you know you’re the only girl he actually wants. you know how he is.

there was no denying it at this point — he was definitely getting a kick out of making you upset. he was no stranger to being an ass just for the sake of it and he was pretty used to having girls fawn and pine after his every move like he was a prize worth having. so for that reason, he’s extra amused when it comes to your attempts to rile him up, always amused with the thought of you seething on the inside, knowing he could make you act out so easily.

it was an unspoken game he liked to play with you, one where he made it his personal mission to rile you up as much as possible just to see how you’d react. whether it was being obnoxiously clingy with other girls in front of you, or being overly affectionate all of a sudden, you’re always so damn fun to mess with.

but today, you were in a funk — more agitated than normal, which was saying a lot because you could often be rather huffy. so jj had known, and yet he still decides to go and poke at your patience. your fuse was short as it was, so when you find him in the chateau with yet another girl from the cut he was entertaining, you were already angry and on the verge of tears. jj is sat on the couch, the pretty girl on his lap as he casually smokes a blunt, his mouth forming a grin when he sees you enter the room.

“oh hey. you’re just the girl i wanted to see.” he grins, not even having the decency to look sheepish. the girl on his lap gives you a quick glance over, taking in your dishevelled appearance with a judgemental eye before returning her attention to him. you cross your arms, shooting him a look as the girl on his lap scoots in closer, draping her arms around his neck lazily. and it was that stupid, smug little look on his face, along with the sound of her sweet giggles, that has you absolutely seething. he’s practically sitting there challenging you to snap, his shoulders relaxed back and arm resting over the back of the sofa as he watches you with an amused, expectant gaze.

usually you'd give into his games, let it get to you, let it cause you to end up with a runny nose and sad eyes in your bed. not today you've decided, a quick decision you really haven't acknowledged yet— just knew you were going to do. you play it carefully, like you remember doing in highschool, breath in and out— flash a sweet smile and walk off.

he’s momentarily shocked, not having expected you to react any other than your usual pouty self when he was blatantly messing with you. he thought for sure he was about to receive a good little whine, so when you instead just give him a little smile before heading to your spare room to get ready, he assumes. he had been waiting for you to start arguing, already prepared to rile you up even. more — but that’s not what you end up doing. his eyes narrow in confusion as he watches you go into your room and disappear behind the closed door. when he hears the lock click, he has to resist the urge to get up and bang on it immediately — deciding to wait just a little bit first. he huffs, trying to play it off cool with the pretty brunette in his lap who he’d forgotten about, giving her a gentle pat on the leg.

you focus all of your attention into the makeup you’re doing, taking your time and putting all of your focus into it. you have no idea where you’d go, but you didn’t care, you just needed to get away from him and his antics for a while. you take your time, really putting your heart and soul into getting yourself ready. by the time you’re done you look pretty so, so very pretty, and there’s no doubt about it, you’ll definitely turn heads tonight.

it’d been twenty minutes of silence in the living room when jj starts to get a little antsy; you were taking forever and a day. he was no stranger at all to you getting ready for a night out, always taking your time to perfect your makeup. only this time, he didn’t like it. he didn’t like not knowing what you were doing, or where you would be going, or what you would be wearing and who you’d end up around. the idea of you showing up somewhere, looking all prettied up and sexy for other guys to see you, really didn’t sit with him. he’s still sat with the girl, chatting a little mindlessly and occasionally casting a glance towards your door, a little confused why you hadn’t come back yet. he was expecting you to come out and try to talk him into not hanging out with the girl, not to just go MIA and get ready. he was getting a little bored and restless, deciding it was about time that he checked on you. “be back a second.” he murmurs to the girl, standing up and going to your door, frowning before knocking.

when you open the door, it finally clicks for him that your not moody, expected some red around the eyes and a slight pout to your pretty lips, but instead you’re in front of him, looking even more stunning than normal. he raises his eyebrows in surprise, slightly shocked at the level of effort you’ve gone through just to get changed. he’s stood in front of the now open door, watching as you look through dresses on the bed, all pretty things you’d only ever wear when he’d taken you for a nice night out. he takes your whole appearance in, all dolled up and obviously not wearing skimpy party clothes in front of him tonight. “where you going?” he asks, his voice a mixture of perplexed and irritated at the same time.

"somewhere." you say, cautiously aware to keep it vague— he'd go out of his way to ruin it for you— yet hearing the irritation visibly in his tone of voice caused the decision of a baby pink dress that complimented your body so majestically, you could be considered a goddess.

he’s leaning against the door frame, still in those grey baggy sweatpants and a white shirt that fit snuggly around his arms. he rolls his eyes at your blunt response, arms crossing over his chest. “somewhere? be more specific, baby.” he prompts again, watching you change into the pretty outfit with a slight frown, not even sure why he cares so much. after all— he's done this to you so many times before.

hearing him call you baby in that damn near desperate yet irritated tone causes your cheeks to flush, as they always do when he pulls that card, but you just can’t fold for him anymore. not this time. you try your hardest to seem nonchalant and unbothered, but jj can see right through your little facade, watching as you slip into the dress and turn back to face him. he does take a moment to look you over — admiring the way the dress clung to your every curve and the pretty colour that made you look like a little doll. he’d have to be a damn fool not to acknowledge how pretty you were looking, and he could only hope that no one else would be able to see you tonight and think the same. “answer me.” he mutters, still leaned up against the door.

you could practically see his mind ticking over as he thinks of the types of places you could be going to, he’d expected you to be going out to some house party or a club — somewhere he could go to and find you again so he could keep an eye on you. but you weren't attending any of the things that came listed in his head. you were going to the country club even though you were from the cut, you had the beauty of a kook and surely none of the men would make a fuss out of it, maybe the women.

"m'going to the country club. my cousin works there and i could get a free drink or two."

but his jaw tightens when you mention the country club— he doesn’t like the thought of those pretty boys in their polos seeing you dressed like a doll, who would no doubt be eager to have such a pretty thing on their arm. jj was certain with the dress you had on you'd fit right in— but he couldn't let you know that. “the country club is for kooks, not pogue chicks from the cut.” he muttered.

"good thing i look like a kook then." you said, adding the finishing touches to your look— you knew you were being petty and didn't have any shame for it. if jj could play this game so could you, and who knows maybe you'd become eye-candy for the men at the country club— partly to get back at jj and partly for the free shit you could earn out of it. no one would ever suspect that this cute little thing would ever scam anybody.

his eyebrows raised at your response, jaw clenching even more. it was probably the one answer he hated most, of course you were going somewhere that had kooks and alcohol — just what you needed to get a good little buzz on and forget him, leaving yourself open to be pounced on by some random guy. you push past him, giving him a subtle wave and an air kiss as you leave out the door, not putting anymore effort into the conversation because it was his fault that you were going out anyways.

he has half mind to stop you in your tracks, push you back into your room and remind you who you belong to. he doesn’t though, because he knows you’d never forgive him for it, and decides to swallow all his possessiveness watching you leave through the front door with a huff of defeat. having pissed you off enough for you to go and get attention from others at a place that will no doubt be crawling with kooks who have a fetish for pogue girls, it was eating at him.

it was only a few hours later you returned back to the chateau, expecting it to be empty and vacant because when you left it was— kiara was grounded at home, and john b was God knows where, and pope probably at home studying. the lights were all out, signalling that no one was home and the house was vacant — giving you the perfect time to get changed and wash the makeup off your face before crawling into the spare bedroom. you were exhausted, having been chatted up by some guys who looked rich enough to piss on their father’s rolexes, and despite it giving jj a taste of his own medicine, you just wish your night hadnt ended up having to talk to so many pompous men.

you were feeling good, high off the ego boost you’d received from the men at the country club that night who’d spent their evening complimenting you like crazy and asking for dances. you’d come back, a little buzzed from the champagne and cocktails, and expecting the chateau to be just as it was when you left — empty and quiet. how wrong you were, and it was evident when you were when you open the door and he’s lounging on the sofa, still in the same sweatpants and white shirt from earlier, clearly having just been sat there the whole time you were gone. his head turns and he locks eyes with you, and despite it being dark inside, you’re sure he’s watching you like a hawk, noting your appearance.

"hi jj." you say shyly, breaking the silence and embarrassment hitting when face-to-face. you were together but the constant back to back with other people made you feel ashamed. at least whenever you got back at him, and this was one of those times out of two.

he’s watching you, silent and somewhat tense as he runs his eyes over your figure for what feels like the hundredth time, jaw clenching again when he sees the way the dress hugs your body. he doesn’t know what’s pissed him off more — the fact you’d put yourself in that dress and the country club, or the fact you seem to be embarrassed to be back at what is your own house too. “have a nice time?” he asks, voice slightly gruff as he takes another drag of his cigarette.

you’re just about to pass him on the way to your room— not in any mood for an argument that could occur tomorrow morning when you were in a better headspace— but when his hand suddenly grabs your arm and has you pushed up against the nearest wall, your body almost completely squashed against his as he practically pins you down, his chest rising and falling with anger. “stop fuckin' cheating on me.” he asks in a low voice, eyes piercing down on your own.

he doesn’t really mean it, of course he doesn’t, he knows you would never give yourself up— but the jealousy was bubbling and bubbling, and it makes him want you all to himself and away from the other guys in that damn country club. he doesn’t trust any of them, and he sure as hell doesn’t trust you going there and not getting chatted to. he’d been sitting here for hours thinking of every damn scenario of you getting drunk and chatting it up with a rich boy. he’s got you there as his hand moves to capture your jaw in a firm grip, his thumb rubbing roughly across your cheek — his eyes darkened, staring into yours as he has you completely pressed against the wall with no where to run. you’d been wanting his attention all day, even more so when he’d started messing with you with some girl, and here he was, all the attention in the world on you with his body so close you could feel the rise and fall of his chest. “you gonna answer me or not, princess?"

"i didn't cheat on you. you cheat on me!" you say, the ego boost from the alcohol begining to take place as you stand up to him— it wasn't fair he got to pull the cheating card on you when the only times you'd ever act out like this was when he'd pushed you to your own limits. but of course it was only reasonable when he could have other people over him.

"the hell i do.” he scoffs, his temper rising at your response. he’s a little shocked at the courage you had to talk back to him, but at the same time he’s kinda into it. he can see the slight flush to your cheeks, so he assumes you’re probably at least a little tipsy right now, which has the ego boost he thought you were getting from the country club making even more sense to him. “what did you go to the country club for then, huh?”

you scoffed at that, eyes practically rolling back. he had the nerve to come for you when he'd done all this just for a reaction, and get upset when he got one. "what did you have that girl in your lap for then, huh?" you bark, he could be such a hypocrite.

he rolls his eyes, his irritation bubbling up even more as you use his own words against him — you were right, he couldn’t deny it, but he’d be damned if he’d admit that to you. he presses you back against the wall, his body completely against yours, leaving no gap between the two of you. “you’re not getting away with that, princess.” he mutters, his breath hitting your face.

the pet name seems to soften you, it always did have a way with making you feel special, making you fold completely. it's evident on your face, when your cheeks blush. his names for you always melted your defences, growing soft and all warm again with that. any other girl would brush it off and continue arguing and pushing the matter about the girl— you’re slowly giving up — giving up that tough, argumentative attitude you’d suddenly sprouted up with.

he had you right where he wanted you now, watching as once again, his use of that nickname makes you fold. the irritation in his expression melts away a little as he’d never been able to resist his own sweet little pet when she was soft, pink cheeks and looking all pretty in her pretty pink dress. “there you go, princess…” he murmurs, tilting your chin up with his thumb and rubbing his thumb over your bottom lip.

he’s staring down at you, his body still practically pinning you against the wall, your curves flush against his. he had you completely at his mercy right now, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to take advantage of that or try and act like a good boy and be soft with you. “how much did you drink?” he asks, voice a little gruff as he looks down at your lips — they were more red and shiny now then he remembered.

"just two. didn't wanna do to much." you say softly, even mad at him you respected him— he is your boyfriend after all and getting black out drunk with a bunch of other men would disrespect him. but for now, you always took pride in enjoying when moments like this occured. when both of you got soft with each other and all cuddly, staring up at him with your doe eyes.

he studies your face, not entirely sure if he believes you only had two — you looked a little more floaty and giggly than he remembered. but he couldn’t deny that he loved you like this, pretty and sweet and soft in front of him. he knew his resolve would probably crumble at some point anyway, especially if you kept looking at him with those big eyes. “you sure about that, baby?”

"uh-huh." you say, shaking your head obediently with a little bite to your lip. readjusting his hand from your jaw to your curves that were perfectly grabable in this little cute dress.

he’d almost forgotten you’d gone out and put the pretty dress on to piss him off — in fact, he kinda had until he noticed it again. he still didn’t like you wearing something that was gonna get attention from men at the country club, and he had half a mind to tell you to change immediately. he lets out a heavy sigh, running eyes hand over his face. “you had guys lookin’ at you?”

you rolled your eyes jokingly as you flashed him with a cheeky grin. "didn't pay no attention to them though. just took pictures for instagram." you giggled, knowing you of course you took pictures, but jj was an over thinker and would always assume the worst, even being soft as he is now, he's still bombing you with questions.

“instagram huh?” he asks, a hint of annoyance on his face — he was definitely gonna check that later. he doesn’t think you’d be stupid enough to use that as a coverup to show some random guy your cute pink dress, but he’s certain he’s not going to like the comments you’ve recieved about your appearance. “any comments on those pictures?” he mutters, already assuming he knows the answer.

"just kiara and sarah." you giggled, you start to move his hands, letting his eyes close momentarily as your adjusting his palms from cupping your breast to your ass.

he hates how the answer somewhat calms him down, although he’s not at all pleased about the fact some guys have more than likely seen the photos. he’s not liking it one bit, but it’s even more irritating for him how soft and sweet you’re being, and how god damn pretty you are in that dress. he watches as you move his hand, a slight scoff leaving him. “keep still, baby.”

he’s taking his time looking over your appearance, noting that you were definitely a little more giggly than usual and your eyes were slightly dilated — and he doesn’t think you’re putting that on, which means you’d probably actually had more of a buzz than you’d led him to believe. his hands slide from your jaw down your body, feeling the silk of the dress on his fingers as he moves them down your hips.

it's quiet for the most part, your head against his chest and a few meaningful kisses and muttering sweet but nothings— before he can’t take it anymore, having you in the hallway and against the wall isn’t enough for the boy, as he grabs your arm and practically drags you towards the bedroom as you both let out giggled.

[autism-autobot]

I want to see more of Wukong interacting with the general public of heaven and surprising them more and more with how wrong they were in their assumptions of his character. Like I can imagine the plumhill boys and/or peach madens wanting to hang out with him again and setting up a picnic in one of the public gardens just to run into some nasty noble or smth. I like to think that besides the Havoc itself, the peach madens were actually pretty cool with their little monkey boy, bonus points if they called him baby brother or considered him One Of The Girls(tm) since if I remember correctly the jade emperor had no sons therefore the peach madens had no brothers but then one day this funky, clever little monkey dude was given the same job as them with a fancy title and they're like "Aw this ones ours now🍑❤️🧡💛💚💙💜" wukong is just so "Please like and adopt me, idk what I'm doing" coded even if he is competent and self sustaining, he's just so cute, look at his little face!

- @fruit-fight 💜

"How can anyone hate him? He's just a little guy!" - A Peach Maden

"Well, you see, he *lore dumps about Wukong*" - Celestial Soldier

"AND???!!!" - Other Peach Maden

To them, he is very much one of the girls. Wukong is very happy they still feel that way about him.

~~~

Nezha brought Wukong to a café in the Celestial Realm one gentle morning. Sun Wukong had been slowly getting more used to using mobility devices in public. They were chatting while Wukong sat in the rollator anxious about his surroundings. He hadn't made many public appearances at this point and was concerned with how the other celestials who noticed him felt about his presence, especially in his current condition.

An elderly woman entered the café with who appeared to be a descendant of hers and just... stared at Wukong. Deer in the headlights kind of look. The young man only took a quick glance before turning to his elder.

"Grandmother, there's no line."

"Whatever is Nezha doing with that thing?"

"Grandmother, he's a monkey, not a thing. And I'm certain the Marshall has a good reason for the company."

"Hmm.... I'll go ask him."

"WAIT, GRANDMA NO!!!"

Wukong ducked his head and awaited the inevitable. Nezha noticed and scooted into a more protective position next to him.

'Grandma' bombarded Nezha with a million different questions about Wukong. Nezha answered her patiently, not wanting any trouble. Her grandson looked embarrassed.

Luckily, the grandmother seemed content with Nezha's answers and walked away when finished. The grandson apologized profusely for his grandmother's behavior.

Twentyish minutes later, the grandmother returned and placed a cookie in front of Wukong and pinched his cheek.

"Now, you keep being a good boy and get well soon. Alright, dear?"

"Yes, ma'am. I will."

~~~

Nezha had dropped Wukong off at the Demon Bull Family's place while he went to another boring meeting. As usual, he eavesdroped on the other celestials while he waited for things to get started.

The rumors were different than normal.

"Did you hear that The Monkey King is sick? The poor thing!"

"Wukong's living with Nezha now? How sick is that guy? Do you think he'll be okay?"

"You should have seen him in the market the other day, all cozy with his blanket holding onto Nezha! Oh, he's the cutest!"

"I was planning on dropping off some medicine at Nezha's place for Wukong if you wanna come with."

"Gods, I hope that The Monkey King feels better soon. Even my children have been praying for him."

Nezha smiled. These weren't the tones his dearest friend was usually spoken about with. It was a nice change. If only Wukong had heard it himself.

Masterpost