#the hiss it makes when i put water in it (which i know i shouldn’t do) is insane

[stellewriites]

keep forgetting about and then burning my pans,,, i think i need simon to move in with me and cook f’me at this point

[froggiewrites]

Did I Say That Out Loud?

Pairing: Ace x Reader

SFW

Summary: You and Ace get lost in a snowstorm. While Ace is fine in the cold, you need warming up, and he's willing to help. Warnings: Fluff, Huddling for Warmth, Accidental Confession Word Count: 1.2k Notes: This is a short thing I wrote to break myself out of a funk I got into with a different, longer piece. I just had to write about Ace huddling for warmth, he's perfect for it! Crossposted from Ao3

There are few things you can rely on in the Grand Line. There’s danger around every corner, both from the environment and the pirates filling every inch of it. There’s few people you trust, and fewer who deserve it. But up until now, you would have said you trusted Portgas D. Ace with every fiber of your being.

And then he got you lost.

“I could have sworn it was around here.” You have no idea where here even is, your vision filled with nothing but white as the snow continues to fall. You’d always trusted his directions, knowing his survival skills were finely honed from his childhood, but you’re suddenly reminded he grew up in a jungle nothing at all like the snow capped peaks of the mountain you’re currently stuck on. He’s scratching his head, checking a map that looks absolutely nothing like the terrain around you.

“Ace.” You try to keep the anger out of your voice, but with the way his shoulders tense you can see you failed. “Do you have any idea where we are right now?”

“Um.” He looks back at you, puppy dog eyes wide and asking for forgiveness. “We’re on the mountain?”

“Oh my god.” You put your head in your hands, which are rapidly losing feeling from the cold. Your gloves are not thick enough for the temperature right now, the gentle snow from when you docked slowly growing closer and closer to a blizzard. “We’re gonna die.”

“We’re not gonna die.” You feel a warm hand on your head, grounding you and pulling you from the panicking bubbling in your chest. “We brought food and water, we’re gonna find shelter, and we’ll wait out the storm. It shouldn’t last long.”

“How do you know that?” You peek up at him through your lashes, and see nothing but his smile, soft and reassuring.

“A storm like this shouldn’t last longer than a day at most.” He sees the panic on your face again, and he continues. “I know a day sounds like a long time, but we have enough supplies for at least a few, if we ration, and we passed a cave on the way here that seemed pretty protected from the elements. We’ll really be fine, I promise.” He gives you that boyish smile that makes his face light up like the sun, the one that always makes your heart race.

You nod at him tiredly. The hand on your head shifts to fall around your shoulders easily and effortlessly, and he pulls you under his arm for a quick side hug. You expect him to pull back, but you see his brows furrow as he pulls you closer. “You’re freezing.” His free hand grabs one of yours and he hisses slightly at the feeling of your ice cold fingers. “Oh god, you’re really freezing. Let’s hurry.” His hands warm further, the heat seeping through your thin gloves and inadequate coat, and he begins to pull you forward in the snow.

You find the cave relatively quickly, thankfully, and Ace quickly makes a small fire for you two. He looks especially beautiful in firelight, like he was born for it. You don’t often get to admire him like that, usually only seeing him bathed in flame in battle, but in this peaceful moment you finally get to take your time memorizing his face in the gentle orange light. His freckles look particularly charming like this, and you suddenly have the urge to kiss them.

The cold must be getting to you. Another shiver racks your body, and you realize that it really is, your lips feeling numb and the cold floor beneath you doing nothing to help the situation. You wonder how long it would take for someone to die of exposure. 

“You alright over there?” He gives an easy smile, but you can see the tension behind it. He’s genuinely concerned.

“I’ve been better.” You struggle to speak over the chattering of your teeth. He seems entirely unbothered by the cold, of course, with his powers, though he’s still wearing a thick black coat just for the sake of it. His face is painted with concern as he approaches you, nose scrunched adorably in thought, but you see his eyes light up with an idea. He reaches you, settling close, before he begins unbuttoning his coat and revealing his bare torso.

“Ah–um–Ace?” He slips his coat off, and you’re torn between admiring his physique and worrying about him catching a cold, no matter how impossible you know that is. He doesn’t acknowledge your confusion and concern, instead wrapping his coat tightly around you, engulfing you in his scent.

“Are you still cold?” He leans closer, and you can barely focus on his words over the smoky scent of his coat.

“Um, a little?” It comes out as a question.

“Hm.” He puffs out his cheeks a little in displeasure. “Well. I have one more idea.” Without any warning, he abruptly pulls you into his lap, his strong arms wrapping around you as your frantically adjust to keep your head from pressing directly between his pecs. You end up with your thighs on either side of his hips, your hands on his chest, your noses brushing together.

“Is that any better?” He’s staring intently into your eyes as he asks. You can feel his breath on your face, feel his heartbeat beneath your hands, see every freckle painted across his face.

God, what I wouldn’t give for you to kiss me right now.

“What?”

Oh.

Oh no.

“I–” You try to push away in panic, but his arms keep you in place.

“Do you mean that?” His breath is against your lips, so hot compared to the chill around you.

You want to tell him no, to insist he misheard you, salvage some of your dignity, but then you register the intensity of his eyes as something you weren’t expecting: hope.

“Yes.”

His lips crash against yours as he pulls you impossibly closer, the heat radiating off of him seeping into you down to your very bones. His strong hands come to rest on your hips, and your hands wander up to tangle in his raven hair. You can hardly feel the icy cold anymore, can hardly feel anything but Ace pressed against you and his soft lips on yours. He nips lightly at your bottom lip, and you easily part to allow his tongue to explore.

His hands begin to wander up your back, under your shirt, and you feel your skin heat beneath his touch. You can’t tell if he’s using his devil fruit or if it’s simply the chemistry between you, but either way you feel warm and safe. You’d stay like this forever if you could.

Eventually you’re forced to part for air, panting, and he gives you a cheeky smile. “Are you warmer now?”

“Hmm…” You trace your fingers down his chest, trying not to grin too widely when he shivers. “I think I’m still a bit chilly, actually.”

“Want some help with that?” He’s smiling so wide the edges of his eyes are crinking with joy.

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

His lips meet yours once again, and you completely forget about the storm raging outside.

[luvyeni]

❛MY DOG ROOMMATE❜ ( l.jeno )

p. hybrid!jeno x fem!reader w. 1.9k

warnings? unprotected sex, breeding kink, squirting, big cock jeno

— 𖦹 ( jeno can’t spend another heat with his mate ) !

freaktober masterlist

jeno first figured out you were his mate the day you moved in – it wasn’t common for hybrids and humans to roommate , but you both were strapped for cash and needed help paying bills. the day you came through the doors , boxes in his hand he felt it , his need for you.

not wanting to scare you off , he decided to push it aside , but as time went on and you got closer , it was so hard for the hybrid to deny it , especially with his heats becoming stronger , you knew about his heats , but he’d often just lock himself in his room for a week , you weren’t aware that he’d be in there , wrapped up in pool of clothes he’d stolen from you , fucking his fist , wishing it was you , cumming over all your clothes with a whimper , his cock still hard and twitching against his stomach.

even though you didn’t know about the mate thing , you didn’t really help either – your constant touching , the scratches behind his ear randomly which sent him into overdrive , you were also extremely caring , buying him things , making his food , packing him lunch for work , make sure he had his protein shakes after working out – you were practically his acting as his mate already.

“good morning jeno.” he was met with your beautiful smile. “good morning.” he sat down , immediately being bombarded with your sent , it was much stronger – way stronger than ever before. “did you go to the gym today?” he questioned , your eyes widened , it always shocked you when he would guess. “i just got back , i heard you moving around in your room , so i got your breakfast and protein shake ready before my shower , i know you normally eat all this after the gym , but i’ll be out with a friend when you get back so i wanted to make sure you’d have it.” you said.

there it is again , the pulling at his heart – it was even more painful than before , he hissed grabbing his chest. “you okay jen?” you questioned. “just some chest pains , i’m okay.” you ignored his answer , walking over to him , your scent even stronger. “fuck.” he whispered , something was definitely wrong , this was a different type of pain. “jeno , hey.” you snapped him out of his thoughts. “huh?”

you put your hand up to his head , his body immediately calming down due to your touch. “you’re a bit warm , maybe you shouldn’t go to the gym , i’ll call my friends and tell them i can’t make it.” he stopped you , grabbing your hand. “no , it’s fine.” he said. “told you just a bit of chest pain , i’m fine now , go have fun with your friend.” you nodded. “well take it easy at the gym , don’t over do it.” you warned. “okay mom.” you chuckled. “good boy , i’ll go shower now.” you reached up , scratching behind his ears , before walking back to your room , he bit his fist to cover up the painful moan that left his lips

he couldn’t focus on his workout , the pain in his chest getting worse and worse – to the point where he’d almost dropped a weight on his foot. he ended up coming back to a empty house , you must’ve left out already , the food sitting covered on the stove , his protein shake sitting in the fridge with a cute little note that made him smile.

he decided to shower , not having anything else planned , he made his way to his bathroom , opening the door , your soap still lingering in the air – it wasn’t uncommon for you to use his shower , your hot water never working. the pain coming back in his chest , he groaned , leaning over the sink. “fuck.” he picked up his phone , dialing jaemin , his friend who was another hybrids number. “yo wassup jeno.” the boy shouted into the phone , jeno hissed in pain , his scenes heightening , the boys voice ringing through his head. “bro , you okay?”

“no , i’m in so much fucking pain right now.” he growled. “what kind of pain?” jaemin asked. “a pain in my -fuck- in my chest.” he said. “it hurts so fucking bad , it feels like i’m dying.” he slammed his hands on the sink. “bro , you’re going into a early rut.” jaemin said. “what , that can’t happen.” he said , jeno was growing frustrated. “it can when you have a mate , but it’s not a good thing.”

“why?” he said , jaemin explained to him , “because combined with the chest pains , that means you mating bond is being rejected , if you don’t do something , you’re slowly gonna descend into madness , and that won’t be safe for you or your roommate.” he hung up on jaemin , making his way back to his bed , throwing his body on to the bed , his thumb hovering over your number.

you could barely focus on the guy in front of you , your mind was stuck on jeno , he did not look so well before you left , you should’ve made him some soup before you left. “everyone okay?” soobin , the sweet boy in front of you asked. “yeah i’m-.” you were cut off my your phone ringing. “just a second , i’m sorry.” you read the number , it was jeno , he never called when you were out. “you have to answer that?”

you smiled apologetic , before answering the call. “jen?” it was silent. “are you okay , what’s wrong?” you heard a groan , a painful one at that. “i-i c-can’t.” you stood up worried. “hey , i’m coming home now.” you turned to soobin. “something is wrong , i have to go.” he nodded , understandingly, you grabbed your things , giving the boy a quick hug and another apology before almost running out the restaurant. “i’m coming now , just holding on.”

the ride home was torturous , worry filling your body as you asked the taxi driver to speed up – getting on the elevator , making your way to your floor. you opened the door , making your way to jeno’s room. “jeno.” you knocked on his door , his groans made you push the door open , where he laid against his headboard shirtless. “oh my god.” you ran over to his bed , sitting down.

he was sickly pain , skin all sweaty like he had just been working out. “my god jeno.” your hand came up to feel his forehead. “you’re burning up.” you gasped , he wrapped his hand around your wrist , pulling you close to his body , sniffing. “j-jeno.” you stuttered. “why do you smell like that?” his voice deep. “why do you smell like a guy?” you furrowed your eye brows. “jeno that’s not import- why do you smell like a fucking guy (y/n)?”

“i told you i was going out with a friend.” you said , holding yourself back hand on his chest. “that’s why it’s rejecting , you were out with another guy.” you were confused. “rejecting? jeno what are you talking about , you aren’t well.” you said. “because of you , i’m not well because of you , i’m at home in pain while my mate it out with another guy.” he scoffed.

mate? you’d done research on hybrids and mates and stuff when jeno moved in , just to be prepared , but you only thought hybrids mate with other hybrids. “jeno , how was i supposed to know , you didn’t tell me anything.” your hand came up to scratch behind his ear , he grabbed your wrist , pulling you down , flipping your body over , hovering over you. “mine.”

he pressed his lips against yours , grinding his hard cock against yours. “his scent is all over you.” he groaned against your neck. “he touched what was mine.” his sharp teeth scrapping against your neck. “je-jeno.” you moaned. “gonna mark your pretty skin , let everyone know you’re fucking mine.” you yelped as he sunk his teeth into you. “fu-fuck!”

he sat back on his knees , yanking the front of your dress down , your tits spilling out , jeno was salivating , taking one of your boobs into his mouth sucking while squeezing the other one , rocking his cock against your heat. “sh-shit jeno.” you moaned. “jeno i’m gonna cum.” he bucked his hips against you , the fabric of his gym shorts rubbing against his cock , his tail wagging side to side in excitement as dry humped you. “jeno!”

you came , your panties sticking to you. “fuck i’m gonna cum , gonna fucking cum in my shorts , ngh fuck!” he groaned , his cock twitching as he came , messing up his underwear. this didn’t nothing his cock was still hard , he needed more. “need to fuck you , stuff your cunt full of my cock.”

you moaned at his lewd words , whining. “pl-please fuck me.” he practically ripped your panties off , pulling his cock out from his shorts , he was above average , and really thick – his tip red , cum still dripping from his hole. “y-you’re so big.” your eyes widened. “might not fit.” he spread your cunt , rubbing his cock against your clenching hole. “fuck , then i’ll make it fit.”he pushed it thick tip in. “sh-shit.” he pushed his cock in. “tiny fucking pussy , my cock can barely fit.”

you screamed in pain and pleasure as he slowly bullied his cock into you. “w-wait jeno.” you moaned , your legs shaking as you came for a second time. “f-fuck.” he finally pushed himself fully inside you. “you came just from taking my cock.” he groaned , thrusting.

“shit , such a warm fucking cunt.” he grunted. “had to spend all these ruts alone.” held your waist , fucking into you. “fucking my fist to your scent , while you were only feet away , could’ve filled this pussy with my pups a long time ago.” you couldn’t speak , your brain completely shut off , only thing on your mind was jeno. “pl-please.” you moaned.

“is that what you want?” he wrapped his hands around your throat. “fuck you full of my pups , fill your tiny pussy until your stomach is bulging from my cum.” he pressed down on your stomach , you screamed. “that’s my cock , gonna fill your womb with my cum , make you take my knot.” he grunted , his thrust becoming sloppy. “je-jeno i’m gonna cum again!”

he slapped your cunt , you yelped. “go ahead cum.” your back arched off the bed , cumming – coating his abdomen with your juices. “that’s it , squirt for me , gonna fuck you full of my kids.” he stilled himself inside you. “shit.” he groaned , his cock swelling as he empty his cum inside of you – you were shaking as his cum leaked out around his cock. “sh-shit , too much!” he kissed your lips. “just a bit more , just hold on.” he came a lot, his cock finally softening , but not fully. “sh-shit i’m still hard.”

“c-can’t take anymore.” you whimpered. “it’s okay baby.” he rubbed your waist. “i’ll let you rest now.” he slowly pulling out of your spent cunt.

“we still have all week for me to fuck you

©LUVYENI

[nefastidies]

Inspired by "Implicit Demand for Proof" by imperialhuxness

-1-

“I need you on the ground,” Ren says instead, measured, but tight-strung as a grappling cable. Apparently sensing the retort on the tip of Hux’s tongue, he continues, “But I’m not taking you into the thick of combat.”

Hux thins his lips, keeps up the patient tone. “That’s where this team and I will be most effective.”

“At too high a risk.”

Since when do you care about risks? Hux barely bites back, instead manages, level, “Nothing we do is without risk.”

Ren’s gaze flashes with an insistence that isn’t anger. His eyes are like coals, waiting for a spark. “I’m not taking you into that firefight.”

Really.

Fucking really.

“So you won’t take me into a firefight,” Hux lowers his voice to a hiss, but it still reverbs under the high ceiling, “yet you dragged me ten klicks below the surface of Coruscant.”

“Well, maybe I--” Ren hesitates, gnawing his lips. His gaze drops to the mosaic tile between their boots, then flickers back to Hux’s face. “I shouldn’t have.”

Hux is too pissed off to bask in the near-admission of wrong. “Well, you can compensate by bringing me this time, when it makes actual, tactical sense.”

“You’re not going into a combat zone.”

“I was born and raised in a--”

Ren’s voice drops to a whisper. “That’s an order,” he says, invoking it almost gently, below earshot of the men.

Hux purses his lips, aware of his surroundings again. Of the absolute indecorum of this argument.

Around himself and Ren, three officers stare at their feet, four tap too aggressively at their datapads. The two trooper commanders confer in whispers about a new blaster model. Mitaka seems interested in the mosaic on the floor.

“Yes, sir,” Hux forces out, Academy pert, and the gathered staff returns more or less to professional attention.

--- -2-

Hux whirls toward the sound as a massive shape bursts through the treeline, scattering leaves. Some sort of megafauna. Some sort of monster.

The creature’s smooth skin glistens livid green, its underbelly sickly pale. Its mouth opens wide, baring short, sharp teeth like a Rodian fly-trap’s. It has six legs, each ending in a crustacean pincer, which stab the ground with each step. It reeks of rot and salt, as if it just crawled out of brackish water.

Hux’s pulse skyrockets, and he jumps back on adrenaline. Why do you ever leave the ship, every time you leave the ship it’s some shit like this, every goddamn time—

He yells to Ren that they should run, even as the creature screeches again, lunges toward them.

But Ren stays put. “You should run.”

And Hux would. He would, but he’s already several meters back, and the soles of his boots weigh a kiloton. He’s rooted to the ground. The blood pounds in his ears, and he can’t move, can’t think.

The thing screeches. It’s high-pitched. It rends the air. Its movements ruffle the foliage around it. Its pincers break the damp earth.

Ren steps in front of Hux. Into its path.

--- -3-

But Yago’s lips still twist into something unbearably self-satisfied. “General Armitage Hux,” he says, “was executed six months ago on a charge of high treason. So even if Hux were alive, it would be my sworn duty to have him shot in the back of the head.”

It hits like a blow. Phantom pain lances through his leg, between his ribs. Yago’s right. There’s no defense when he’s--

Before Hux can formulate one, Ren’s gaze kindles. “I’m Supreme Leader,” he returns, typical thoughtless clapback. “I hereby pardon him.”

(Typical thoughtless clapback.)

Everyone knows traitors receive no mercy.

--- -4-

A humanoid figure emerges from the shadows like he’s been waiting there. In two strides, he closes the distance to Hux and Ren. It’s clear he’s part alien, skin teal-tinged and marked with pale striations. His voice is somewhat rough with drink, but his movements are smooth, purposeful, eyes trained on Hux.

“Thought you could just slip out with your date?” he spits.

There are far bigger concerns than correcting the assumption.

“What?” Hux returns, elegantly.

“The bartender told me you were coming this way,” the man says, ill-concealed rage contorting his mouth. “Got a lot more nerve than I’d give you credit for, showing your face like this.”

Shit. Hux’s pulse picks up, and for a second the alley takes on the sharp edges of panic. You knew this would happen eventually, you knew -- Stop.

“I’m sorry,” he says, tamping down the worst case scenario, “what are you--” 

But it’s like he doesn’t even hear it. 

“Kind of man that’ll pull a trigger from a thousand lightyears away. Not even the guts to look at what you’d done.” The man’s eyes flash with the sort of hatred Hux actually recognizes. “My wife was on Courtsilius, General Hux .”

The man takes a step closer, and Hux is about to spread his hands and explain with a baffled simper that he’s got the wrong person. That the Hosnian ‘Cataclysm’ was an unspeakable tragedy and a monstrous war crime.

But before he can speak, sulfurous green ignites in his periphery. The air hums, cracks with the sudden whiff of ozone. The blade of the antique saber impales the man’s chest.

--- -5-

Ren shakes his head. “But I still need you,” he says, eyes glittering, desperate, searching. “What about weapons dev? And you can actually conduct diplomacy--”

Hux cracks a smile. “That’s going a bit far.”

Ren huffs a laugh, but doesn’t indulge him. “You balance me,” he continues. “I don’t know what I’ll do. I love you.”

Hux’s pulse drops into his stomach. His spine stiffens, more from surprise than actual discomfort. It isn’t a concept with which he’s familiar. But it’s right, somehow. As Ren’s eyes search his face, curious but unshrinking, he can’t deny it.

[sparxwrites]

If you're still taking writing prompts uhhh "suffusive" or "epithet"

Scar wakes up slowly, luxuriously. It’s the kind of waking where his brain comes online in small, pleasant pieces. 

First the slide of nice sheets against bare skin when he shifts a leg, the pressure of a full bladder. Then the smell of fresh coffee, of drying woollen clothing, a faint undertone of fish that shouldn’t be pleasant but sort of is. One eye opens, a slit, like a cat. There’s light spilling into the room, the heavy, thick gold of late morning, pouring in through slatted blinds and pooling on the floor like its a physical thing.

Maybe light is a physical thing. What’s the definition of a physical thing? Scar lies there and ponders that with his half-online brain, full bladder, breathing in the weirdly-pleasant fish smell and watching dust motes dance in the liquid light. On the one hand, he can see the light, which is a point on the side of physical thing. On the other, he can’t hold the light, which is a point in favour of not a physical thing.

As he watches the light spill in from the window, though, he does wonder if he might be able to hold it. To catch it in his cupped hands. It’s never worked before, but there’s something about it on this morning that makes it think it might just work.

His musings interrupted, terribly rudely, by Grian. An entirely naked Grian, padding in from the hallway and the kitchen beyond, hair an unsalvageably bedhead mess, a cup of coffee in either hand.

Scar downgrades the interruption from terribly rude to oh thank god, coffee.

“Good morning, handsome,” he drawls, delighted, and makes no move to get up. Instead, he rolls onto his belly, ignores the increasingly pressing urge to piss, enjoys the soft slide of sheets over nude skin and the faint hiss they make as he moves. He cradles his head on his crossed arms, watches through sleep-gummy eyes as Grian approaches. 

It’s a nice thing to watch, a naked Grian approaching. Even nicer when he’s got cups of coffee.

“You’re only saying that because I’ve got coffee,” says Grian, with an accuracy that borders on telepathy. He sniffs, disapprovingly, as he sets Scar’s coffee down on on the beside table. Hesitates. Runs a hand through Scar’s hair, glancing, quick, like he’s afraid he’ll be told off. 

Then he steps back, stands so he’s silhouetted by the light through the blinds, puts all his weight onto one leg so he’s sitting into his hip. Wraps both hands around his coffee cup. Raises it to his mouth. He’s still naked. It’s a very lovely silhouette.

“It’s true. I’d have stayed the night sooner if I knew about the coffee maker and the excellent room service,” says Scar and then, because Grian’s suddenly tensed up all over like a threatened cat, he says, “Hey. G. Is sunlight real?”

“I. Uh. Puh. Um. What?”

“Is sunlight real?”

“Yes– Scar, of course it’s real, what are you–” Grian��s trying to look dignified having just spat half a mouthful of coffee back into his cup. It’s not working. It’s very cute. And also giving Scar something to stare at that’s above the belt, so to speak.

“Noooo, no, like– I mean. Is it a thing. You know, how water is a, a thing, but noise isn’t. Right?”

Grian’s doing that thing where he’s scrunching up his nose, trying not to laugh. He’s going to snort in a minute, if he keeps holding it, if Scar keeps winding him up. “You mean, is light a physical object? No, Scar. It’s not.”

The way it’s catching in his hair, lighting it a straw-gold, pooling around his shoulders and in his collarbones. It’s a little obscene.

“Scar. You’re staring.”

“I’m staring at the light,” says Scar, big-cat lazy, and grins a grin full of teeth. “To see if it’s real.”

Grian does, then, snort, and Scar considers that a win. He lifts his coffee cup to hide it, buries his face in it, and makes an undignified and entirely lovely little noise. The light slides over him like a downpour.

Scar says, “Come back to bed, Grian,” before he can help himself.

Grian inhales some of his coffee. Presumably he does, anyway, because he snorts again, but this time it sounds more like a spooked horse than amusement, and then he starts coughing.

“No, wait, oh, shoot,” says Scar, and then, somewhat miserably, “I need to pee. Wait. Why don’t you come back to bed– and then I’ll leave the bed? – to go pee, not to run away or anything– and then I can come back to bed– and then we’ve both come back to. Came back to? Commed back to bed. So it’s even.”

“Scar.” Grian’s wiping his nose with his bare forearm, which, gross, but Scar finds himself watching the streaky coffee-mucus smear with a dreamy sort of affection. It’s the lack of his own coffee, he decides. That’s what’s doing it. That, and the half-real light. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“I just,” says Scar. He takes a deep breath. Closes his eyes.”It-would-just-be-nice-if-I-didn’t-have-to-leave-right-after-this-time-is-all-and-I-thought-maybe-you-could-come-back-into-the-bed-and-you-know-we-could-cuddle-a-bit-actually?”

He means to say it very sensibly, like the mature adult he is. It comes out without punctuation, and with about the same gravitas as an unexpected fart. He winces, and keeps his eyes closed.

“…Oh,” says Grian, very quietly. When Scar cracks one tentative eye open, he’s blinking like he’s been hit by a truck, hand halfway through his hair. “I, uh. Didn’t realise– I. Um.. I thought you.” He pauses, too much punctuation, and Scar tentatively opens the other eye, too. That didn’t sound like a no. “I mean. Yeah. Sure. I can come back too– I mean. Was getting a bit chilly and all anyway, so.” He gestures, awkwardly, at himself. He’s still naked. Scar is still appreciative of the fact he’s still naked.

“You– you will? I mean– yeah! Cool! Okay! Wait, oh no, oh, shoot, I really, really need to go pee–” Scar lurches to his feet, abruptly, hands cupped miserably over his bladder. He’s just as naked as Grian is, but with substantially less coffee inside him and substantially more other liquid he wishes was not inside him right now. “I’m going to. Bathroom. One moment. Right back. Do not run away. Bed.” 

Grian, covered in light, laughs. The steam coils up from his coffee cup, and he lifts it to his lips. Takes a sip. When he lowers it, he’s still smiling, still naked, still soaked in that sunlight that Scar still isn’t sure is real. “Go pee, Scar,” he says, softly, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to run away.”

And he’s right. When Scar comes back from the bathroom, he’s still there – moved from the chair under the window, sprawled out instead in the warm spot Scar left behind, catlike and twice as smug.

“I drank your coffee,” he says, as Scar approaches, by way of hello.

“You don’t even like coffee with milk in!”

“I don’t. I still drank it.”

“Bastard,” says Scar, fondly, before he can help himself. He reaches out, touches Grian’s hair, gently, and his breath catches in his chest when Grian leans in to the motion. “I. Um. I guess I’ll just have to make another one?”

“I’ll drink that one, too.”

“No, you won’t. I’ll to put sugar in it, to make sure.”

Grian pulls a face, sticks his tongue out. “Blech. No. Bed, c’mon. You were the one that asked for this.”

And it was Scar that asked, it’s true. But it’s Grian that curls a hand around his wrist, pulls him back into bed. It’s Grian who curls around him like an octopus, half in the sheets and half out, luxuriantly nude and so carefully casual about the contact of skin against skin. It’s Grian whose breathing slows first– steadies– evens out, warm against Scar’s ear. 

Scar falls back to sleep with the steady rise and fall of Grian’s chest pressed against his upper arm. Across the room, the light through the blinds shifts, slowly. The morning passes unnoticed in a sweeping arc across the floor. And questions of reality are forgotten, entirely, in favour of luxuriating in what currently is.

[fictionalcharactersaremypassion]

That Time Franny's Uncles Made Her Birthday Better

This does contain Debbie bashing. Anyway, carry on!

---

Lately, Ian was trying out new recipes he'd found online, most of which his husband grumbled about. Mickey had simple taste, none of which wanted anything to do with the healthier dishes Ian was wanting to incorporate into their diet. 

Unfortunately, time might have gotten away from him while trying out this one. He stared down at the pan full of charred chicken and vegetables in dismay. 

“Guess we're ordering pizza, Chef Boyardee?” Mickey drawled. 

Ian scowled, shoving the pan into the sink and turning on the cold water. 

“This wouldn't have happened if you didn't distract me.” 

As expected, Mickey wasn't remorseful at all. If anything, he seemed proud, smirking as he came around the countertop to stand in front of Ian. 

“Didn't see you trying to stop me,” Mickey hooked his thumbs in between Ian's jeans. 

Already sensing where this was going, Ian placed his hands over his husband's. “We can’t,” he mumbled, eyes closing automatically when his lips were captured in a soft kiss. They shouldn’t, not when they’ll be heading to Debbie’s apartment for Franny’s twelfth birthday party. But he could feel his resistance crumbling with the way his husband’s hands traveled up his back, the kiss deepening until he wasn’t sure which one of them had moaned out loud. 

“Tell me to stop, Red,” Mickey said, a wicked undertone that was too damn sexy for his own good. 

All of Ian’s common sense, pointing out that they were short on time, flew out the window. He shoved Mickey against the counter, the kiss rougher than before. His husband was steadily unzipping his jeans, and started to pull them down when the doorbell echoed, effectively interrupting the moment. 

“Fucking hell,” Mickey hissed. Ian reluctantly pulled away, making himself look presentable again. “If it’s that on site manager bitch again, I’m gonna fucking explode.” 

He threw open the door, and from Ian could see, all his anger evaporated right away the second he realized who was there. 

“Franny?” Ian said in surprise, coming around to stand with Mickey. 

Their niece smiled weakly at them, using the end of one of her sleeves on her oversized hoodie to wipe away her tears. “Is it okay if I crash with you guys for a bit?” 

They don’t hesitate to let her in. 

“What’s up, Kid?” Mickey asked after he shut the door. He wasn’t showing it, but Ian could see for himself how concerned he was. “Thought you’d be at home.” 

“I was,” Franny shrugged, taking in a shaky deep breath. 

The two men glanced at each other, wondering what could have possibly sent her over here at this time of day. The sun had already started to set and Debs’ apartment was a little further out than they’d want her to be walking to get over here. Just wasn’t as safe as it used to be for them-if it’d ever really been that way. 

“Why don’t you go wash your face?” Ian suggested. Her eyes were swollen, bright red, standing out against her normally pale skin. 

She nodded without a word, closing the door to the bathroom behind her. 

“The fuck is wrong with her?” Mickey had lowered his voice so Franny wouldn’t hear. 

“I don’t know. I just hope it’s not what I think it is,” Ian said, causing Mickey’s eyebrows to furrow in confusion. 

His sister and Franny were getting more argumentative lately. Some of it, he suspected, was normal mother-daughter spats. Franny was on the cusp of becoming a teenager, seeking out independence and being her own person. 

Not that it could all be blamed on that. Debbie was his sister and as much as he loved her, Ian knew very well that she wasn’t always the greatest mother. Not with her tendency to force her own interests on her daughter, completely disregarding what Franny wanted, or putting her happiness before that of her daughter. 

Ian put on a small smile when Franny came back out, quiet and avoiding meeting their eyes. 

“I didn’t know you guys were about to have dinner,” she was referencing the oven which was still counting down. Ian had forgotten to turn it off after taking out the ruined meal. 

“We’re not,” Ian shook his head. 

“Your least favorite uncle burnt the fuck out of it,” Mickey said, trying to lighten the mood. Franny didn’t react to it like he’d hoped. “Come on, little Red, what’s up with you?” 

It seemed like a switch had been flipped; Franny was hesitant, chewing on her lip. “It’s not a big deal.” 

“It’s big enough that you came here,” Ian pointed out. When Franny’s lip trembled, her eyes going glossy again, he guided her to the couch so she could sit down. He was next to her with Mickey plopped down on the arm. “You can tell us anything, Franny. You know that.” 

Their little niece buried her face in her hoodie sleeves that covered her hands, shoulders shaking when she let out a quiet sob. “Mom forgot my birthday.” 

A surge of anger shot through Ian, but he kept himself under control. He knew Mickey was just as furious, and placed a hand on his thigh to remind him not to explode right now. “She did?” 

Franny nodded, sniffling. 

“Who’s she fucking now?” Mickey demanded. 

Ian pursed his lips. That was another one of Debs’ problems. She went from woman to woman in search of a lifelong partner. Unfortunately, she had a habit of choosing the wrong kind of woman; the irresponsible kind who yearned for fun and recklessness and wanted no part in being part of Debbie’s life for more than a couple months. Or, she drove them away like she had with Sandy. 

She laughed humorlessly. “You’d think that was the problem, right? No, she’s just working a lot. Had some client she was meeting almost an hour away. She said there’s hot pockets in the freezer for me to eat if I got hungry.” 

Mickey was openly scowling by now.

“Does she know she forgot?” Ian asked. “I thought you were having a party later?” 

“I thought so too,” Franny muttered. “Guess not. I said something and then she remembered but she was already on her way out so...” 

“So you came here,” Ian finished. 

“After we...got into it,” Franny ducked her head like she expected them to scold her for it. 

“Eh, she deserved it,” Mickey shrugged. 

“Mickey,” Ian muttered, although he didn’t really disagree. 

“Don’t Mickey me, Gallagher. You know it’s true.” 

Franny laughed wetly. It was soft, brief but it was a good sign nonetheless. 

“You know what the worst part is? I kind of expected it. She’s been constantly working. I barely even see her anymore, not that it’s such a bad thing...” 

Her voice drifted off towards the end, sounding unusually bitter. 

“What does that mean?” Ian asked softly. 

“Nothing,” Franny clammed up, shaking her head. 

Mickey wordlessly got off the arm of the couch to sit next to her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders, and she instinctively leaned into his side. Ian’s heart warmed to see this. He loved the close relationship those two had ever since Franny was really young. 

“Not gonna work, kid,” Mickey told her. “You’re gonna have to spill eventually.” 

Franny wiped away the remaining tears on her face, she’d been calmer these past few minutes. She glanced up at him, suddenly looking much younger than she was. “It’s just...” She struggled to get the words out, “Mom doesn’t like my style.” 

Franny was a tomboy through and through. Ian had thought after the princess party went wrong, Debbie would have backed off. Sandy even mentioned sometime after that she’d admitted the whole thing had been for herself anyway. 

That was just the tip of the iceberg, he’d soon learned. 

Debbie continued to pick out clothes her daughter despised, clothes she would have worn at her age. She was desperately hoping Franny might change her mind and join in on the girly activities she tried to introduce to her. Ian didn’t think that was going to happen anytime soon. 

Franny much preferred her oversized t-shirts and ripped jeans. 

“She was nagging me about that pink sweater she bought me two weeks ago. She knows I don’t wear pink or sweaters!” Franny said, frustrated. 

With the arm that had been around her, Mickey ruffled her hair. “Give it to us, Little Red, We’ll take care of it.” 

“Really?” Franny looked up at him with hope. 

Ian was giving him a look as well. Really? 

“Really,” Mickey confirmed. “It’ll give us something to give to the brat two doors down.” 

Ian rolled his eyes. He’d agreed on their behalf to attend the woman’s daughter’s birthday party. “We need to start being sociable, Mickey.” 

“Fuck that.” 

Franny scooted closer to Mickey, seeking more comfort. “I just don’t get why Mom hates what I wear.” 

“Peppermint Patty has issues,” Mickey said with a shrug. “Don’t let it get you down, Franny.” 

“Kinda hard not to when she’s telling me how much prettier I could be if I tried.” And fuck, Franny looked defeated, like her mother's words were really sinking in. 

“There’s nothing wrong with how you look,” Ian told her firmly.  “And there’s nothing wrong with your clothes either.” 

“Yeah,” Mickey nudged her, nodding at her Black Sabbath hoodie. “You got some good taste. Surprisingly.” 

Franny rolled her eyes, a smile peeking out. “Uncle Mickey, have you ever even listened to them?” 

“Kid, I was listening to metal before you were born,” Mickey smirked. 

Ian observed them for a moment or two. He didn’t want to have to send her back to the apartment, knowing she would be there all alone and on her birthday no less. “Franny,” he addressed her, “why don't we have a party for you now? Just the three of us.” 

He looked past her, right at Mickey. His husband was on board immediately. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” Ian nodded. “You pick what you want for dinner and Uncle Mickey can go get you a cake. We already have your gifts. No reason why we can’t do this tonight.” 

The bright smile he got from Franny made him smile too. 

“Okay,” she said happily. “Cool. Uh...can we have pizza?” 

“You got it,” Ian said with a grin. “Chocolate cake okay with you?” 

Franny agreed. That was her ultimate favorite. 

“You guys are the best,” she said when Mickey grabbed his keys, preparing to leave. 

Twenty minutes later, their stomachs were full. Mickey, being the softie he was, had also grabbed two kinds of ice cream for her. God, he loved that man. 

Franny was beaming the whole time, dunking her pizza into the ranch, listening intently to one of Mickey’s less traumatic childhood stories. She thought I spy, you shoot was hilarious, and he’d looked back at Ian with visible smugness. 

Finally, it was time for her to open her gifts. 

It wasn’t hard to tell who had given her what- Ian’s wrapping was much neater than Mickey’s. 

Franny was ecstatic to find four books from that horror series she liked to read. Her excitement continued when she opened Mickey’s- a new black hoodie. 

“This one’s from both of us,” Ian pointed at the last one, a semi long box. 

“Oh my God!” 

Franny pulled out a skateboard. She’d been wanting one for a while now, eager to learn how to ride it. 

“Thank you! Thank you!” She shrieked, lunging at them, hugging them both tightly. “This is the best gift ever! I love you guys so much!” 

Ian laughed, kissing her on the head. “We love you too, Franny.” 

“Just remember this was your favorite uncle’s idea,” Mickey interjected, holding her for a few seconds longer. 

“It was our idea,” Ian snorted. 

Franny couldn’t stop smiling. It was stretched across her face. “Can I go ride it now?” 

“Sure,” Mickey agreed, already slipping on his jacket again. 

“Can you get a picture of me doing it, Uncle Ian?” Franny asked on their way out the door. “I wanna show my friends.” 

He’d deal with the fallout and Debbie tomorrow. He knew she’d probably bitch about Franny being but Ian couldn’t care less about that right now. 

“Sure, thing, Franny.”  ---

Might make one more chapter where Ian and Mickey deal with Debbie's wrath (and they lay into her for how she's treating her daughter)

[cameronspecial]

Secrets In Tangled (Part 3)

Pairing: Anthony Lockwood x Reader

Warnings: Running Away.

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1.2K

Summary: An injured Lockwood with curious questions brings about an argument and a live announcement brings around a mother.

Masterlist

Y/N is perched on the sofa in the front room, reading one of Lockwood’s tabloids. The empty house means that it is dead silent all around her. The others are currently working on a last-minute call that was dire because children were in danger. She had been worrying about them all night and had finally gotten herself to settle down with a nice cup of tea. She feels sleep trying to invade her current state, but she fights it off. The sound of the door bursting open and the groans of Lockwood cause her to shoot off of the couch to help George and Lucy carry him. “What happened?” Y/N questions as she sees a gash in Lockwood’s side. Lucy hands Lockwood off to the inquisitive girl and goes to get the first aid kit. George leads them to the couch she was just sitting on, “It was an accident. I was fighting off one of the visitors with my rapier when the other visitor went after a kid. Lockwood dove in front of the child to protect her and caught the tip end of my rapier.” 

Y/N nods in understanding and gets to stripping Lockwood of his tops to access the wound. She thinks nothing of it as she leans towards his bare chest to examine the wound just below his rib cage. “It’s deep but not too deep. It hasn’t done any damage to any organs, so that’s good. I can stitch you up in no time.” Y/N guides Lockwood into a lying position and goes to wash her hands. She grabs some already-boiled water from the kettle and returns to Lockwood’s side. By that point, Lucy has returned with the first aid kit and Y/N instructs her on how to clean the equipment needed. Y/N uses water and soap to clean the wounds after putting on clean gloves. Once Lucy disinfects the tools, Y/N begins to suture Lockwood’s wound. He hisses quietly every so often, which causes her to feel bad. A few minutes later, everything is stitched up and tied, so she applies antibacterial ointment and a clean gauze. “You shouldn’t put a shirt back on just yet. It will be easier to monitor your bleeding with it off,” she advises. Truthfully, she wasn’t entirely sure if it was true, but she felt like being a little cheeky at the moment. “You guys can go to bed, I can make sure he’s okay for the rest of the night.” Lucy and George nod their head in appreciation and head upstairs for some much-needed sleep. 

Lockwood slowly sits up so he can look at her comfortably. He pats the seat beside him for her to sit and she does. He scoots closer to her and hesitantly places his hand on top of hers, fully committing when he sees she doesn’t retreat from his touch. “Thank you. You really are an enigma, Y/N Y/L/N. I don’t understand how you’ve learnt so many things and we don’t even know why. We know your favourite food and that stuff but not any childhood stories. Like how you know how to fence or so much about Marissa Fittes.” She shakes her head and moves away from his touch. She gets up from the couch and makes her towards the doorway. “It’s not important, Lockwood. So leave it alone,” she warns, quickly retreating from the room to be alone. 

She goes downstairs to the training machine to let off some steam. Why couldn’t everyone just let her have her secrets and leave her alone? It was hard to keep secrets if they always questioned her. Y/N wants to open up to them about her past, but she isn’t sure how they would react. Would they be mad at her for keeping it a secret for three months? Would they not trust her? Or worse, would they tell her secret to the world? She didn’t really think the last one was possible; however, she isn’t used to having friends. The steam starts to blow and her brain turns off as she uses her rapier to slash through it. The jet behind her goes off, she twirls around and slices it. Deciding to exercise a different type of muscle. She starts to get flashier. She learned a lot in the last eighteen years of solitude with only lessons being her only source of entertainment. 

Y/N does an aerial cartwheel over to the next jet going off. She does a little flourish of her sword instead of just slashing through it. Suddenly, the machine stops working. She turns around trying to figure out what is going on. Lockwood is standing next to the switch with a serious look on his face. “I’m sorry I was so nosy,” he apologizes, walking over to her. “It’s just that if you are running from something in your past, I want to know about it so that I can protect you. I can’t do that if you keep some secrets.” She turns away from him. 

“I don’t need you to protect me.”  

“I know, but it’s how I care for the people that I love.” He slowly reaches his hand out to take hers into his own. 

She looks at him with wonder in her eyes, “You love me?”

Feeling flustered and embarrassed, Lockwood tries to backpedal the true meaning of his words. “Of course, I love you and George and Lucy all equally as my friends,” he lies, saving himself from the rejection that he thinks is about to happen. She nods in understanding. “I forgive you. I’m not running from anything or in any danger, it’s just that I don’t like to talk about how I grew up. But I promise that I am perfectly safe.” He nods his head, “How about we go make a cuppa and watch some late-night television?” Y/N’s grin turns massive as they go upstairs to do as he offers. 

———

Lockwood is never one to turn down publicity for his business; he has such a charismatic personality after all. So when the news wanted to do a story on his agency after they protected the family with the young children, he had no choice but to accept. “And my handsome self wouldn’t be standing before you in such good condition if it went for the medical assistance of our wonderful assistant, Y/N Y/L/N.” 

The mention of her daughter's name causes Penelope Fittes to look up from her paperwork. The TV once put on as background noise now capturing her full attention. So that’s where her daughter has run off to. She picks up the phone on her desk, “Yes, I need you to locate the address of Lockwood & Co. Immediately.”

———

The whole group decided that it would be fun to spend their day off at the cinema. “I’ve got the money for us, so come on let’s go before the previews start,” Y/N screams from beside the front door. She waits for everyone to come down and opens the door. She goes to pass through the doorway, but the blocking of Penelope Fittes stops the girl in her tracks. “Hello, my dear,” Penelope greets with a wicked smile on her face. The other members of Lockwood & Co look at each other in confusion. “What are you doing here?” George questions. Y/N and Penelope ignore his question, “Hi, Mother.” 

[snakegorl212006]

Exploration (pt2)

Savanaclaw

Personally I wasn't expecting much in Savanaclaw. Seeing that this was made and renovated in the 90’s there shouldn't be any ghosts. I expect at least 1. After shutting the door behind me I heard someone running behind me. I whipped my head around and saw nothing. I just got here. I sighed away the nerves while I looked down at grim who began to explore. Grim looks lax so maybe the ghost are chill as well. I walked around the Savanclaw’s first floor and the magic crystal detected nothing. Then I heard grim hissing. My necklace vibrated like crazy when i keep walking to the lounge. When i arrived, i see a guy picking grim up by the scuffle while glaring at him. What’s so weird is that he has lion ears and a tail other then that he just had some bell bottoms and a black tank top showing off his cool looking lion tattoo on his bicep. As i was gawking at this man i felt something slip out my pockets. When I turned around I saw a person who was mostly visible taking that cutter box I found on that gamboling table. He looks up at me and laughs as he waves the box before running off. I turned back to grim who dropped out of his clutches at this point. Seeing he’s ok I began chasing after the ghost. Everytime he turns a corner he ends up behind me.the necklace doesn't help as it vibrates every few seconds and by the time it vibrates he’s already gone. I followed him out back where the gardens were. I was out of energy and stamina when i enter the gardens so I just flopped. I really wasen’t expecting a workout just to find a few ghosts. I panted and wheezed so I went to a bench to rest for a little while. While I catch my breath the necklace vibrates. I looked next to me to see that ghost’s smirky face. He drops the box cutter on my stomach “you lasted longer than expected” he spoke which made my eyes widen. I shot up and looked at him as he laughed at me. Before I could even asked any questions ,or get a better description than his hyena-like features,he vanished with a blink of a eye. I put the cutter in my pocket. When I put the cutter away I spotted a lock pick kit on the floor. It looked old and worn down but there was still a legible name on the tag. Ruggie bucchi. Maybe that was that hyena fellow that took my box. I’m still a bit tired so I just jotted this down so I wouldn't forget. After that break I head back inside just to hear clanking. I returned to the lounge and grim was laying on the couch so I assumed he was just tired as well. The clanking continued as I walked up the stairs. The necklace vibrated but in much slower interables. It was coming from the gym area so I headed over there. The gym was empty aside from a few weights scattered around different spots. I didn't know ghost needed a workout routine. When I looked over by the benches I spotted a somewhat visible person. He had the ears and tail like a wolf but looked like the bar was trying to to pass through him. Dude looked like he does some sort of street fighting or was he a boxer or a runner. He vanished as soon as he put up the weighted bar which gave me an opportunity to look at his set up. Bro’s lifting more weights than me. He must've been pretty strong. As I walked around I kicked something. A water bottle. It was one of those bottles that already has your name on it by the looks of it. It just says Jack. Then the treadmill started running on it’s own. I assumed Jack was that wolf looking guy so I placed the bottle on the treadmill and left. I wrote down my findings and began to head downstairs. As I reached the bottom steps I spotted legs hiked up on the couch. I looped around the couch to see that same guy sleeping. He had a scar over his eyes which makes me wonder if he had a fight when he was alive. “You’ve got a camera. Take a picture it’ll last longer” He spoke which surprised me a little. He opened one of his eyes  “well what are you standing here for. Don’t you have any respect for privacy” he said “well I just want to ask for a name” i asked but he gets up and stairs me down “leona kingscholar. Happy now herbivore? Now you have something to write in that little journal of yours” he grumbles “now, scram. I’m not in the mood to be bothered by your living presents” leona said as he walked off towards the back gardens. When I looked around the corner he was gone. I huffed slightly. He was rude. Well atleast i got his name. I sighed and looked back at grim who was waking up. I guess we’ll just move on...

[bloody-bee-tea]

BeeTober 2023 Day 28 - Shower curtain

Suguru wakes up disgruntled on the couch. His neck hurts, his arm is asleep and he’s vaguely cold, because Satoru acts as if his room is a bigger fridge, and none of these things help to make him feel better. He just wanted to take a quick break as he waited for Satoru to come back but clearly his body had different plans.

And clearly Satoru doesn’t care for him at all, because Suguru hears the shower running which means Satoru must have walked right past him.

“Great,” Suguru mutters as he shakes his arm in hopes to bring feeling back to it. “Just great.”

He rolls his head around too, trying to soften his neck up again and his mood takes another hit when hair tumbles over his face.

“Fucking great,” he hisses, his hair wild and unbound and it’s just serving to annoy Suguru even more. He is very certain that he had it all tied up when he laid down, though, so the hair tie should still be around somewhere.

He fishes around the couch cushions and lets out a triumphant grunt when he finds it, quickly putting his hair back into its usual bun. He immediately feels better, but then a new problem rears its head.

Suguru really has to pee. The shower is still running, though and Suguru knows Satoru well enough that this could take forever, though he has no chance to gauge the time. 

He’s not going to wait for Satoru to finish his luxury spa day, though, so he’ll just have to be quick about it; it’s not even as if he’s going to see anything since Satoru will be safely behind the shower curtain and he probably won’t even notice him.

Suguru ignores the thoughts that a stark naked Satoru will be right there and instead slips into the bathroom. He’ll be in and out, no problem at all. Suguru doesn’t even make it to the toilet before Satoru turns off the water though and just a second later the shower curtain is being pulled to the side, meaning Suguru comes face to face with Satoru.

Who immediately screams as if he is being murdered before he yanks the shower curtain back, effectively hiding behind it.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Satoru screeches but Suguru is too dumbstruck to reply.

Satoru is all lanky limbs and smooth, white skin, that much Suguru knows. What he doesn’t know is what that black spot on his chest is.

“What’s that on your chest?” he eventually gets out, his mind still racing.

“What’s what–Suguru! That really doesn’t matter right now, what the hell are you doing in here?”

“I need to pee.”

“Then go to your own fucking room, oh my god,” Satoru groans out but Suguru is still stuck on that dark spot he saw.

“Satoru, what is that on your chest?” he asks again and he has half a mind to reach out and tear the shower curtain away, so he can inspect it for himself.

“It’s a tattoo, what else would it be,” Satoru snaps out and Suguru’s hand instinctively moves to his own hip bone.

Satoru having a tattoo shouldn’t be quite so surprising and Suguru isn’t sure why he’s having such difficulties wrapping his head around it.

“Could you please just leave already?”

“What’s the motive?” Suguru finds himself asking, the mere second of the ink flashing on Satoru’s chest replaying in his mind over and over again.

“That’s none of your goddamn business, Suguru, get the hell out of here!”

“I–alright, alright, I’ll be in my room then, I guess,” he mutters and turns around on his heels to practically flee back to his own room. 

He had been looking forward to spending the evening together with Satoru but now he’s no longer sure if he even wants that; he needs to know that kind of motive Satoru deems important enough to permanently ink on his skin.

Satoru’s attention easily gets snatched up by all kinds of things and it’s hard to imagine that something piqued his interest enough for something like this. Suguru would have thought that Satoru would hate anything permanent on himself but clearly he has been wrong about that. Suguru isn’t one too judge, not with his own tattoo, and it’s not even like he is in any position to judge Satoru anyway, because it’s not as if Suguru had told him about his own tattoo either.

It’s just–

The need to know what’s marking Satoru permanently now burns in his mind.

“Fuck,” Suguru whispers as he finally uses the bathroom and his feelings only get more complex when he spots his own tattoo again.

It’s nothing fancy, just the outline of a lollipop, but it means so much to him that it almost feels as if he’s going to choke every time he sees it.

Satoru would probably laugh at him for it, if he even remembers at all and Suguru really is in no rush to have him make fun of this, not when meeting Satoru for the first time is still such an important memory for Suguru.

To this day Suguru still remembers the painfully surprised look on Satoru’s face when he’d offered him that lollipop, the careful way he reached out for it as if Suguru would snatch it away right before he could take it and then the absolutely delighted smile when Satoru got to taste it for the first time.

Suguru no longer remembers what kind of flavour it was and sometimes he chides himself for not paying better attention back then but they had been nine and they weren’t formally introduced either so it’s not really a surprise that he doesn’t remember.

He does—of course—remember the fluffy white hair and the piercing blue eyes; those are hard to forget and it had been quite the shock to meet Satoru again, here at the school.

Satoru doesn’t seem to remember him at all—and again, why would he—and so Suguru has never said anything. 

He still thinks often about how lonely Satoru had seemed, standing at the edge of the playground, simply watching the kids as if joining them to play wasn’t even an option for him. And with what Suguru knows about his childhood and his family now, that might as well be the case.

Suguru lets his head drop onto the backrest of the couch, covering his face with his hands.

It had felt like the most natural thing in the world, getting a tattoo of the lollipop, if only to remember that precious first smile he had ever gotten from Satoru.

Suguru is so incredibly fucked, it’s not even funny anymore, because just the memory has his heart beating fast in his chest. Satoru smiles a lot at him these days, so he should be used to it by now, but it steals his breath away every time, just like it did that very first time.

Suguru is still caught up in that memory when the door to his room flies open and Satoru barges in.

He takes one look at Suguru on the couch, before he comes over and kicks his legs. 

“Scoot over, asshole, letting me lay down is the least you can do right now.”

Suguru bites his tongue, swallowing the urge to apologise down but he does scoot over, just like Satoru demanded. Satoru doesn’t waste any time and flops himself down, his head neatly placed in Suguru’s lap and Suguru can’t help but to immediately sink his fingers into Satoru’s wispy hair.

“You do not simply barge into my bathroom unannounced,” Satoru says, staring up at Suguru, who playfully tugs at a strand.

“Didn’t know you were suddenly big on personal space,” Suguru teases, because if anyone, it’s Satoru who regularly disregards any kind of personal bubble when it comes to Suguru.

“I’m not,” Satoru huffs out and when he worries his lower lip with his teeth before he goes on, Suguru knows that this really bothers him. “I just–”

“You can just say that you don’t want me to see your tattoo, I’m not going to be mad about that,” Suguru interrupts him when it seems as if Satoru has problems finishing his thought.

“No, you’re just going to be disappointed and that’s so much worse,” he whines out and Suguru chuckles.

“I’m not going to be disappointed either, dummy. I can’t deny I’m curious, but it’s not as if you have to tell me.” He hesitates briefly before he goes on. “It’s not as if I told you about mine, either, so I really can’t judge you.”

“Yours?” Satoru yells out, shooting up and twisting around to stare at Suguru in betrayal. “You got a tattoo and didn’t tell me?”

“Yes? Same as you, it seems like,” he teases Satoru and immediately he feels better about this whole situation because he just knows that Satoru is going to be so much more bothered by this.

“That’s so mean, Suguru, how could you?” Satoru whines and flops back down again, burying his face in Suguru’s thigh. “Are you going to tell me?”

He sounds completely dejected and Suguru’s heart aches just at his tone but he will not be swayed.

“Are you going to tell me?” he shoots back and knows he has his answer when Satoru sighs.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier,” Satoru says after a moment of silence. “I was just startled.”

“It’s fine,” Suguru replies, getting back to carding his fingers through Satoru’s hair. “I’m not mad.”

“Good,” Satoru breathes out and goes completely lax.

Suguru enjoys their proximity for a while, letting Satoru rest and doing exactly what he wanted to do all evening: spending time with Satoru.

At least until he remembers something.

“Wait, I’ve got something for you,” Suguru says, scratching Satoru’s scalp and then leaning over the side of the couch to get his bag.

“Stop moving,” Satoru whines, like a disgruntled cat but he falls silent and goes cross-eyed when Suguru holds a bag of lollipops in his face.

“They re-stocked your favourite. I got you a bag, but I guess if you don’t want it, I can just bring it back,” he teases, because he damn well knows that Satoru is going to want it.

“No! Give it here,” Satoru immediately rushes out, clutching the bag to his chest before he takes out one of the lollipops and sticks it in his mouth.

“How are these your favourite, anyway? They are more on the sour side, aren’t they? You prefer your candy teeth-rottingly sweet.”

Something pensive passes over Satoru’s face, even as he sucks on the lollipop and when he looks up to Suguru, he seems determined.

It immediately puts Suguru on edge.

“What?” he quietly asks when Satoru still stays quiet and his stomach falls when Satoru looks away from him again. 

“They are my favourite because this flavour was the first thing you ever gave to me,” Satoru mutters. still avoiding his gaze.

Suguru goes completely still.

“I knew you wouldn’t remember,” Satoru breathes out, turning his face away from Suguru again which is what finally jolts Suguru into action.

He bends down, contorts himself until he can press his forehead against Satoru’s temple and he can feel the faint tremor that goes through Satoru.

“I could never remember what kind of flavour I gave to you. I should have paid more attention back then, honestly,” he whispers and nearly sustains brain damage when Satoru whips his head around and their foreheads smash together.

“You remember?” There’s an urgency to his voice that Suguru can emphasise with so he is quick to nod.

“Of course I remember. You seemed so happy when I gave that to you.”

“That’s what you remember? Not my hair or my eyes? That’s usually what clues people in.”

“Well, that helped to identify you when I saw you again, but really, those features weren’t the most striking ones about you.”

“What was then?” Satoru wants to know and Suguru smiles softly at him.

“Your loneliness,” he starts with because that was what caught his attention in the first place. “And then that joy on your face when you tasted the lollipop.”

“So you pitied me,” Satoru grumbles out and Suguru goes back to carding his fingers through Satoru’s hair.

“I didn’t pity you,” he corrects him. “You made me sad and I thought it wasn’t right that someone could look so sad at a playground.”

“My handlers wouldn’t let me interact with any other kids, because of the bounty on my head,” Satoru remembers. “So I wasn’t ever allowed to talk to anyone. I still don’t know how you made it to me.”

“I–” Suguru starts and he can feel himself blush at the memory. “I might have kicked one of your handles in the shin to let me talk to you,” he admits and Satoru blinks at him, once, twice, before he bursts out laughing.

“Oh, that is so good, and also deserved,” he chuckles out and Suguru joins him.

“You were so guarded, though. I had never met another kid who was so unwilling to talk to me.”

Satoru shrugs before he talks.

“Usually kids only approached me for two things: gaining a favour with my family or gaining a favour with me. I wasn’t used to someone simply giving me something.”

“Yeah, that was painfully obvious,” Suguru mutters. Then a new thought occurs to him. “How did you recognise me, anyway? I was a pretty scrawny, small kid.”

Satoru points at his eyes in explanation and Suguru momentarily feels dumb before he remembers that Satoru is always immensely pleased when Suguru forgets about his abilities for a moment. Of course the Six Eyes would tell Satoru everything he would need to know about a person.

“But that’s not it, actually,” Satoru says. “I recognised you because of your eyes. They are–kind,” he settles on and when a faint blush settles high on his cheekbones, Suguru gets the distinct impression that ‘kind’ isn’t quite what Satoru was going for.

Satoru still has his head in Suguru’s lap, still allows Suguru to play with his hair as if Suguru has all the right to it, and he still remembers their first meeting; well enough even to remember the exact flavour of the lollipop and declare it his favourite one.

Suguru thinks it’s time he takes a leap of faith.

“I have a tattoo of a lollipop,” Suguru tells Satoru who blinks at him with unabashed surprise. “On my hip bone.”

His heart is already beating painfully fast in his chest, because admitting that he has a memory of their very first meeting tattooed on his body surely must clue Satoru in on what it means to him–what he means to him–but when Satoru bursts out laughing his heart falls right into his stomach.

It must show on his face, too, because Satoru tries to stifle his laughter as he reaches up with one hand to clumsily pat Suguru’s face.

“No, no, don’t look like that,” he tries to console him. “It’s just funny because–”

Satoru breaks off there and instead pushes his shirt up. Suguru’s gaze is fixed on every inch of skin that is being revealed but when his eyes fall on the tattoo on Satoru’s chest, right over his heart, the breath gets knocked out of him.

It’s a tattoo of a lollipop.

“You can’t be serious,” Suguru breathes out and now Satoru’s laughter makes more sense. 

“I’m serious when I say that you’re my one and only,” Satoru says and Suguru can no longer hold himself back, he simply has to reach out and put his hand right over the tattoo.

“You’re my one and only, too, in case that wasn’t clear,” Suguru breathes out, because he knows he doesn’t say it as often as Satoru, but there is no trace of insecurity or doubt on Satoru’s face.

“I know,” he simply says and reaches out to thread their fingers together. “So,” he then says and Suguru knows that something very Satoru is going to come out of his mouth next. “When do I get to see yours?” His voice alone is suggestive enough but Satoru being Satoru pairs it off with an exaggerated eye-brow waggle that makes Suguru laugh again.

“Maybe when you barge in on me showering,” Suguru teases him but he leans down to kiss the pout right off Satoru’s face. “I’ll show you,” he promises then and is met with the same delighted smile that made him remember Satoru for all these years.

And he hopes it will accompany him through his life for so many more years to come.

[slightlyaboveaverageiq]

Connor and the Brat {Part 13}

Brat was quickly starting to regret her decision to stay back at the condo tonight. Not because she wanted to be up Connors ass but because she was realizing there was nothing for her to do. She had already finished putting her clothes away and rearrainging a few things in her new bedroom, she had already showered and changed for bed, she had tried painting but failed to find a muse, she had mindlessly flipped through several tv channels, and had already read 2 of her books. The main thing being she had done these things over the course of several hours and she had no way of getting ahold of Connor when it was well after 1 am. She was aware she wasn’t his mother but it was extremely hurtful that he had acted all concerned about her first day out of the hospital and chose to spend it with Will. Which yes she had urged him to go out but that’s when she thought he would be out for two hours tops. Now here it was five hours later and he still wasn’t back home.

She had settled for making herself some lavender tea in hopes that it would help her sleep and was just about to pour the boiling water in her mug when the front door slammed open rather harshly and two laughs could be heard she had been so startled by the commotion she hadn’t noticed she overfilled the mug and had poured the water on her hand.

“OH FUCK!” She dropped the kettle sending it crashing to the ground before rushing tot he sink and turning the cool tap on, hissing as the water made contact with the now burned and tender flesh.

“Let me see.” Now he wanted to be concerned?? Brat looked up to see Connor walking towards her with a worried, but highly intoxicated look on his face while the woman behind him like severely annoyed she had been abandoned in favor of someone who couldn’t even make themselves a mug of tea.

“No it’s fine, I’m fine.” She told Connor snatching her hand back and allowing it to sit under the cool water and Connor stood there clearly understanding he had done something wrong but didn’t know what or how to make it better. Honestly she was just getting annoyed with the kicked puppy look especially since it was now near 2am and she was still awake.

“Connor she said she’s fine and she’s an adult I’m sure-“

“Yeah Connor don’t want to keep your booty call waiting. I would have crashed Ava and Sarah’s dinner if you had just been honest about why you wanted to go out tonight. You didn’t give a damn about this being my first night back you just didn’t want to look bad.” Brat was aware she was being mean to Connor but she honestly didn’t give a shit, honestly she just got back from a psych ward and probably needed to be watched and he couldn’t even bother to let her know he was coming back late, let alone with some random fuck. Did he not know it was rude to have sex while you roommate was home?

“I think you might need to leave Sam-“

“But Connor-“ The blonde woman started to protest but a harsh glare from the man had her snapping her mouth shut and she quickly righted her dress. “Right, goodnight Dr. Rhodes.” Brat couldn’t help but roll her eyes at how dramatic the woman was being but she could also see how ‘Sam’ probably thought she was also being dramatic.

“You’re gonna have some nasty blisters tomorrow but you should be fine. You’re right, I shouldn’t have brought Sam home with me and I’m sorry. I honestly only meant to have one drink but I just lost track of time and-“ Brat snatched her hand away and shook her head walking towards the bathroom so she could put some burn gel on it.

“It’s your house Dr. Rhodes do what you want. I just feel stupid staying awake until 2:30 in the morning being worried about you when you promised to be back and clearly nothing was wrong. I’m going to bed.” Brat was fully aware she sounded petty right now but he deserved it, he had made her worry and then had every intention of having loud drunken sex when she was trying to sleep.

“Brat I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you worried and upset I just-“

“You don’t have to give me an explanation, goodnight Dr. Rhodes.” Brat firmly shut her door signaling the end of the conversation. She could feel Connor standing there, almost as if he were debating trying to still talk to her before she had a sigh and his feet shuffling away. She watched from the crack under door as he one by one shut off all the lights only to go to his room and ultimately turn his light off as well. Brat couldn’t help the tears that were starting to well up in her eyes. She should have just accepted Connor’s apology because he did seem truly remorseful. Instead she just carried on in her pettiness like she was some jilted and scorned lover because that’s how she felt. But she wasn’t. At the end of the day he was Dr. Rhodes and she was a patient and they would have to get along if she were to keep living in his house.

[electricbluebutterflies]

Kabby + "We need to get you out of those wet clothes. Can you sit up?"

Grayspace funsies as usual, PG13ish for language and (implied but plot-relevant) nonsexual nudity, also on ao3.

She’s going to kill him.

This is not an unfamiliar thought, but the motivation behind it is… different now than it has been for the past few decades, to put it tactfully. Abby is used to Marcus being a difficult person and making her life a living hell for his own amusement; the fun new detail is that lately it hasn’t seemed intentional and-

She may not have to kill him. His own fantastically questionable life choices are probably going to beat him to it.

She can understand some of them, at least, the learning curve of being in an environment that cannot be controlled and is hard to even predict – the weather models they’d had on the Ark are a hundred years out of date and of course that’s the most archaic part of their systems – but there is a level of self-preservation instincts that she’s come to suspect that her counterpart does not have and-

She shouldn’t be so mad at him for getting stuck outdoors in a torrential rainstorm, but frustration has been her default setting towards him since they were children and why change that now and-

“We need to get you out of those wet clothes,” she mutters, not bothering to mute whatever emotions may come through in her voice.

It’s not the fact that instead of looking for shelter he decided the right thing to do, caught in sudden rainfall in the middle of a patrol he shouldn’t have been out on in the first place but that’s another issue they can deal with later, was to come right back home and walk several miles in it. It’s the fact that he decided to make this brilliant decision her problem.

This is not, unfortunately, the first time in recent memory she’s ordered him to strip. If anything, it’s the most benign. She doubts he’s intentionally hiding any injuries from her this time, which feels like progress somehow, but she’s never really sure with that man and-

“Help?”

Oh, fuck him.

There’s just something pathetic about his current physical condition, something that a certain part of her finds deeply satisfying, how much water it takes to soak through a guard jacket and the different colors of his hair and beard and-

Focus. Do not make this worse than it already is.

“You owe me,” she hisses as she moves closer and starts undoing the damn jacket. Soaked through as she suspected, and under it his skin feels cold and-

“Something wrong?”

Her hands have paused on his shoulders and he’s giving her one of those worried looks she wished he hadn’t learned recently and-

“You’re going to need to completely undress.”

“Whatever you say.”

“You pick now to be cooperative?”

“Whatever you’re pissed off about-“

“How many of your bad decisions do you actually want to-“

“Like you care.”

She’d hit him if she thought it would get a reaction, but even that probably wouldn’t work and-

“You are currently dripping wet in our office, having cleared I don’t even know how much distance in that condition, and you don’t even seem to think anything’s wrong with that and-“

“You would worry if I didn’t come back on time.”

“This is better?!”

“Then whatever drastic shit you’d do in panic mode? Yes.”

They are wasting time they don’t really have, and Abby decides to ignore her mood for a moment and focus on trying to get his shirt off him and good grief she’s seen all of this more times than she wanted to recently but touch is another issue entirely and-

Her daydreams are going to be that much more vivid now. Dammit.

“You’re taking off your own pants,” she mutters. “I’m not-“

“You’re still going to watch.”

“Yes, because you like to not tell me when you get clawed by-“

“That happened once.”

“Once is enough.”

Their fights don’t go as far as they used to, she thinks as she stands back and… she’s not looking more than she has to, but she’s still looking, and she can map how he acquired almost every scar and-

“I shouldn’t have-“

“I don’t stay mad at you anymore. And you’re not bleeding, so-“

She hands him the couch blanket, and it’s easier to make eye contact now, and-

“You’re still worried.”

“You’re still a stubborn suicidal idiot.”

“Fair. So what now?”

“You’re stuck on the couch for the next hour or so until I decide you’re probably not going to freeze from the inside out, and you don’t do that shit again, and-“

“No promises.”

She expects nothing less.

[carissimipaixao]

— iii. FAMILIAR

published on: june 21, 2023 pairing: okabe rintarou & reader summary: the rain feels cold and unpleasant on your skin, but you try to convince yourself it's bearable. word count: 1.9k+ entries: i. | ii. | iii.

When the bell rings for the last time, [Name] heaves a long sigh of relief. Thursdays are the longest days of the week — the classes go as far as six in the afternoon, but the day never quite ends there. Besides, the days now feel very short, as the sky gets dark at roughly around five. She doesn’t live too far away, especially by train, but something unsettles her when it’s dark. Especially when it’s December.

She takes out her phone from the side pocket of her bag. No text messages. She stares for a moment or two, but she puts it away before it gets to her. Instead, she puts everything inside her bag and follows her classmates out of the room. Some turn to her in curiosity. It’s been more than two weeks since she’s been an internship student in Tokyo Denki University, but, besides the brief introduction that the teacher requested of her, nobody knows anything about her. Nobody knows her. She’s just minding her own business, away from everyone. That usually works well. The fewer problems she gets herself in, the better.

It’s gotten easy to walk through a crowded hallway, pretending nobody’s there. Everything sounds muffled, as if it’s happening in a distant place. [Name] just grips the right strap of the bag closer to herself, head hanging low, as she walks down the stairs. When she approaches the exit of the building, the first thing she sees is rain.

Damn it!

She opens up her bag, although she suspects already that the umbrella was left at home. She fumbles with the content of her bag, but, in the end, nothing is found. She groans and hangs her head in defeat, but then stands upright. It’s just a little bit of rain, [Name] thinks — or rather, tries to tell herself. You’ll be okay. She wraps her scarf closer to herself, puts her phone inside the pocket of her coat to avoid damage, and begins walking home.

The moment the rain touches her skin, she hisses. It shouldn’t be a surprise that it would be cold at this time of the year, but it’s never really satisfying to feel freezing cold water on you after you’ve been inside a warm building for nearly an entire day. Perhaps, it wouldn’t feel as bad if she had taken the chance to go to the cafeteria and get a warm coffee, with just the right amount of sugar in it. But, the more time she wastes inside the university, the later it gets, the worse she feels. You can get your coffee at home, don’t make such a fuss. The scolding tone in her own thoughts is not really her own, but it’s gotten so automatic to include her voice in her head, to make sure she doesn’t stray away from her path and her own errands. One can argue that it’s not exactly healthy, but, oh well… Old habits die hard.

She hears splashes behind her, increasingly getting closer, before she suddenly stops feeling the water on top of her head. ‘Careful, you’ll get a cold.’ She turns her head to see Okabe hunching slightly over her. He holds a black umbrella in his left hand, standing close — but not too close — to her so that both are protected from the rain. She stares up at him for a moment, caught off guard, and she observes his face and that small smile that’s on his lips.

‘...Thank you.’

His smile falls, and he frowns a little bit. ‘Are you okay? You look a little… upset.’ [Name] glances away, and makes herself look smaller as she pulls her arms closer to her body. He notices. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.’ Instead, they continue on their way, going through the gates of the university.

As per usual, there is a lot of traffic. Regardless of which region you are, Tokyo is still Tokyo. Many students are leaving in groups, perhaps to spend time together or accompany each other home. She can see a couple of lovebirds as well; even from a distance, the slight closeness between the two of them is enough to tell that the two are in a romantic relationship.

A car drives by, going above the speed limit. The sound snaps her back to reality. What are you doing? Pay attention! She murmurs under her breath, feeling her skin burn as she feels the young man’s gaze on her once again. They stop on the crosswalk, amongst a crowd, and they wait for the light to turn green. It’s as they stand there that it crosses her mind that she hasn’t even asked in which way he was going. Perhaps, he’d be heading home, and they would stop walking together.

Before the words can get out of her mouth, Okabe speaks. ‘Where are you headed? I’ll walk you to the station.’

‘You don’t need to…’ The thought of walking this close to him makes her paranoid. And guilty.

‘I’m not letting you get sick,’ he says and chuckles, trying to lighten up the mood. ‘I wouldn’t really be able to forgive myself, you know? Besides, it’s a quick jump to the sta—’ 

When he turns to take a look at her face, he finds himself fumbling with his words, his breath caught in his throat, upon seeing her eyes already on him. Okabe freezes on his tracks. There is something in her gaze that paralyzes him — it’s that seriousness, that seeming uncertainty. Thoughts are running wildly through her mind, mostly doubts and questions. She can’t name what she is feeling, but the selflessness and kindness she has been receiving from the few people she’s met in Japan feels unreal. Especially his.

They don’t really know each other. Besides the short conversation they had in the seminar, two weeks ago, which wasn’t unpleasant by any means, they haven’t had many encounters. They don’t share the same classes as Okabe initially speculated; thus, besides an occasional wave in the corridors or cafeteria, they haven’t really had the chance to get to know each other. Their schedules are different, and they are busy as they are, especially with exams and assignments around the corner. If anything, she would be catching up to the weeks worth of studies she hasn’t been able to follow while she was signing up for the internship.

But, that would most likely be a lie.

In truth, [Name] has been avoiding him. Though, not just him. She hasn’t been in touch with Naoko, besides the times they interact in school. The foreigner tells herself this is to protect herself, to avoid misunderstandings, and to make sure nothing goes wrong while she’s away from home. Many people say that what’s happened in the past is gone and over with, that it can’t come back to haunt you. But, it never hurts to take precaution, does it? Even if university can’t go as poorly as highschool did for her, [Name] is afraid it repeats itself.

Perhaps, taking an internship was a bad idea after all.

‘[Name]?’

It’s when he calls her name — bashfully, she notices, from his tone and the glow on his face, no longer from just the cold — that she realizes she has reached for the sleeve of his heavy coat. She blinks as she stares at her own hand, gripping tightly onto him, and slowly pulls it back into her pocket. She keeps her eyes on the sleeve, unable to look him in the eye.

Why would he care so much about her? Does he feel some sort of obligation to make sure her stay in Japan goes well? She wouldn’t be surprised if some teachers had assigned students to watch over her, to see if she needs help with anything — the language, assignments, possible misunderstandings. Naoko mentioned that, sometimes, students are responsible to keep an eye out for internship students, especially those from Western countries. In fact, hadn’t she said something amongst the lines of “contact me if you need anything”? Would that mean Naoko—

No, don’t even go there.

Okabe hardly knows her, yet it feels like he does. The thought that he is looking out for her, despite being in different years and the very few interactions they’ve had between each other makes the guilt within her heart grow. Perhaps, for all this time she has tried to keep herself isolated, within the circle of studies, she hasn’t noticed how much of an idiot she can come across as. She’d practically flee from Okabe and other classmates whenever she found an opportunity.  

‘...You’re a good person, Okabe,’ she murmurs under her breath. Taking a deep breath, she raises her head, watching him with that same seriousness from before. ‘Thank you for looking after me.’ Despite her initial thoughts, those words are sincere. It feels vulnerable, and [Name] isn’t quite sure if she likes it or not.

He opens his mouth, and a strange sound comes from his throat, as if he’s choked up on his words, unsure of what to say. It’s during those seconds where he’s confused and embarrassed that she takes notice of the situation — two people standing in the middle of the rain, having a heart-to-heart conversation. That’s how it feels like, and it’s not a completely unfamiliar feeling. If Naoko was here, she would surely say it’s just like a scene from a romance movie.

A sudden voice rings from the other side of the street. The crowd that was around them has long shifted, disappeared and replaced. [Name] looks up to see that the crosswalk light has been green for a long time, before turning to the figure that is jogging towards her and Okabe, umbrella in hand.

‘Tutturu~♪’

‘Mayuri,’ Okabe turns to the girl at the same time. The redness on his face is yet to vanish. ‘Sorry, I was just about to text you.’

‘That’s okay. Mayushii has just gotten here, too.’ The girl shakes her head with a gentle smile. Then, she turns to [Name], eyes wide in surprise and curiosity. ‘Huh? Who’s this?’

[Name] finds herself shrinking a little bit, now feeling hyper aware of the way she’s dressed, the way she brushed her hair which is half-soaked from the rain, the way that she probably didn’t brush her teeth that good this morning, the way that—

‘This is [Name],’ Okabe takes the matter into his own hands, politely introducing her to the highschool girl. There is a slight mispronunciation of her full name, but she isn’t entirely bothered by it; in fact, it nearly sounded perfect. ‘She’s an internship student at my university.’

‘Oh, you’re a foreigner?’ The girl — Mayuri — looks at her in amazement. Perhaps, she hasn’t seen many foreigners before. ‘Pleasure to meet you. I’m Shiina Mayuri, but you can call me Mayushii.’ She bows in greeting.

‘P-Pleasure to meet you as well,’ the young woman takes the hands out of her pockets and follows her example. When she’s done, she finds herself staring at that gentle, innocent smile, lost in thought.

‘Were you thinking of heading home?’ Okabe asks Mayuri, after watching their interaction carefully.

‘Well, Mayushii needs to stop by the lab to get some recipes that Yuki-san left for her.’ Mayuri puffs out her chest in confidence. ‘And Mayushii will execute them to the best of her abilities, following the lessons of her mentor!’

For some reason, Okabe shivers next to her. Before she can think about it any further, he turns to look at her instead, giving her a calm smile. ‘Where are you headed?’

‘Uh,’ she fidgets a little bit on her feet, ‘Akihabara.’

Both blink at her, before Mayuri (shouldn’t it be Mayushii, if she clearly prefers the sound of that name?) pulls the umbrella closer to her as she steps closer, to avoid being too close to the road as the light has turned red again. ‘Then, it’s decided. Akihabara it is!’

[mimbotomy]

ask game: ❤️🥳🎬💌

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

With so many fics and WIPs, this was so insanely hard to decide, especially because I have so many conversations and scenes that I absolutely love. But I ultimately narrowed it down to five lines that have already been published, even if some of those lines are longer than one sentence or have been edited in my drafts since they were first posted 😂:

From chapter 5 of The Children of Kephallonia, With No Hesitation:

So when their training session ends so they can eat, Kassandra beckons Phoibe over, kneeling down to grip her shoulder and look her easily in the eye. She is not Nikolaos - she will be better than Nikolaos - but there are no other words than the ones her father gave her so long ago, “You are my greatest pride, Phoibe. Remember that.”

From chapter 40 of Rebirth, Sparta VII

“I take everything so personally, remember?” Kassandra hisses, spinning on her heel to face Alexios with a snarl. A snarl that immediately fades when Alexios flinches, and her eyes fill with pain and horror, “No. No, you don’t. Fuck!”

From chapter 49 of Rebirth, Adrestia II

“No, you owe me a blood debt,” Herodotos solemnly cuts her off, “And I order you to live your life thinking of nothing but your own happiness.”

From chapter 12 of To Live by Another Name, Atropos III

The death of Exekias the Legend is a pitiful one. He stumbles back, and drops his helmet so he can try and staunch the flow of blood with both hands. It pours through his fingers and he makes it two steps forward before falling face down into the pool. His blood turns the water red, and when she spits out the piece of his throat and as much of the blood as she can, it floats like a particularly gruesome leaf in a swamp of blood and bile.

From chapter 2 of Not a Malákes Ravenclaw, Ginny I

“Have you already forgotten what happened the last time you tried fighting one of my battles for me?” Kassandra cuts him off, her voice low and hard and full of barely concealed rage, “Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. It was rather quick for you, after all, even if it felt like I spent a thousand years watching your brains dribble out the back of your skull before Deimos tried to kill me too.”

🥳 Why did you start writing fanfic?

Well, although it wasn’t even my first or second fanfic, I really started writing fanfic because of my story Rebirth.

I started Rebirth bc I had been both reading a lot of time travel fix it fics for Game of Thrones bc I was incredibly disappointed in the final season and bc I was looking for AC Odyssey fics that explored a Kassandra that became more god than human. And when I didn't find as many as I would like, I decided to write my own.

And then I found that I really enjoyed writing and coming up with new situations and worlds to put these characters I loved into, and I just kept writing more and more stories. It became my creative escape in the way drawing and painting used to be, which is not to say that I don’t draw and paint now. But when I started Rebirth, it was the middle of covid, my beloved dog had just died, and I had just finished my first year as a graphic design student and what had always been my creative escape had become my job and didn’t help me destress in the same way it used to. And writing fanfic filled that hole easily.

🎬 If a movie or show were based on your fic, which fic would you choose and who would you fancast?

I think I’m going to have to say the Children of Kephallonia, because in a lot of ways, it’s what I wish AC Odyssey had been. But honestly, I think I would rather see that as an animated show rather than live action, and not just because I am so bad at fancasts 😂

But if I had to fancast CoK, obviously there is no one other than Melissanthi Mahut that could be Kassandra. If she is not cast as Kassandra for the eventual live action adaptation of Odyssey, I will riot.

Phoibe is a lot trickier, mostly because I don’t really know a lot of child actors. But I sorta envision her as a younger Auli’i Cravalho? It’s not quite right though.

I actually have to agree with your casting of Barnabas - Ian McShane is fantastic

As for Herodotos, the actor who instantly comes to mind is both totally wrong and also perfect in my mind, if that makes sense. For some reason, I can only imagine him as Ian McElhinney as Granda Joe from Derry Girls, but like, just the vibes? And only in certain moments? If that makes sense?

💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

I have three favorite tropes, all Odyssey related. Or at least, I’m pretty these count as tropes.

First and foremost, I love writing OP Kassandra. Control over fire and lightning and the sea, summoning beasts and monsters, turning the Spear of Leonidas into an eight foot lightsaber? That shit is my bread and butter and jam, and even in fics where I make Kassandra a little more human, it’s going to show up at least a little bit.

Second, I love exploring Kassandra and Ikaros’ bond as something more akin to the bond between human and dæmon in the His Dark Materials books. Like it’s less Kassandra just occasionally astral projects into an eagle and more Ikaros is a not so small piece of Kassandra’s soul, the most important relationship in her life, and they are both individuals and one and the same.

Third, Phoibe lives. Her death in canon serves no purpose except to make Kassandra sad and makes no narrative sense. Obviously, Phoibe should have been the Atreus to Kassandra’s Kratos ala the God of War reboot, and there is nothing that will convince me otherwise.

With the exception of my MCUxOdyssey crossover, in my fics Phoibe either A, never dies at all, or B, comes back to life whether through time travel (ex Rebirth or my WIP A Flap of an Eagle’s Wings) or because Kassandra literally drags her out of the Underworld (ex A Miscalculation, Not a Malákes Ravenclaw, or my WIP There is No Escape. . .)

Ask me more!

[papajscupcake]

Lost

Lo’ak x omaticaya reader

Summary: While exploring you see a boy lost in the woods at night and you can’t help but follow him quietly but when the animals try to kill him you save him

It was late at night and i was walking along the branches in the tall trees my bow on my shoulder and not a care in mind the ground down below illuminated beautiful colours that brightened up the forest totally opposite from the sky, why am I out so late? you ask well it’s because I have no one to tell me to go home or a home to go to.

My parents died during the war against the sky people fourteen years ago a few days after I was born, my aunt took care of me until I was ten, she had died due to her illness that no one in our small village could cure, after her death I couldn’t take it staying there any longer so I ran away and now I live in the forest away from other Navi’s and sky people because who needs people when you have yourself right?.

Sounds of foot steps crush below me brings me out of my careless thoughts i stop pulling my bow from off my shoulder and I grab a arrow putting it between the string and wood ready to fire it at any moment

I slowly peer my head over the branch and see a Navi boy around my age with a knife in one hand and a stick of fire in his other his footsteps were slow yet loud which would only attract the dangerous wildlife that comes out at night

I slowly make my way down the tree my climbing was silent and well practiced especially after years of experience and exploring the lost boy never looked my way which I take as a sign he couldn’t hear or see my movements

I slowly follow him through the forest I’m not sure why I was especially when I had no idea who this was but my heart told me to follow so I did

The laughing like sounds of viperwolves filled the air of the orange lit forest

The boy turns in his spot holding the fire towards the viperwolves who were surrounding him

“Come on then!”He growled poking the fire towards the taunting animals one jumps out to him and he whacks it with the flaming stick another one jumps out at him from the branches above him and he stabs the stick into it as he tries to pull the stick out it’s flesh another jumps out at him

he narrowly dodges it and swings his knife at it slicing it stomach two more pounce at him knocking him to the ground

i jump out from the bushes and fire the already set arrow into the viper wolf that was on top of him’s stomach and run towards him then whacked at the two that were tucking at his feet one jumps on my chest pushing me backwards i mange to keep my balance and pull my knife from my Hip stabbing it

i take down the next couple that try to jump at me finally i swing my bow at the final couple i hiss at them watching them scruffy off into the forest i turn my attention to the fire stick that was still lit and pick it up

“Hey wait don’t!-damn bro“I ignore him launching the stick into the water blocking out the boys complaints

“Fmi to palon the na’ring nekll,skxawng”

(Trying to burn the forest down,idiot) I mumble to myself and I go towards the dying viper wolf i crouch down to it and stab it into the heart

“Tsunslu sa’nok eywa, run nga vitra Kop kulat ngenga lefpom kxitx”

(May mother eywa, find your soul and bring you a peaceful death)

The boy comes towards me holding his now charcoaled stick

“Hey-uh I don’t know if you know English but thank you”I ignore him and pull out my arrow from the freshly killed animal

“That was pretty impressive- I mean I would’ve been screwed if you hadn’t come alo- hey wait” the boy ranted now staring to follow my retreating body

I walk through the forest now trying to leave the boy I knew I shouldn’t have helped him now he’s gonna want my help

“Hey wait up-where are you going? I just wanted to say thanks for killing those things-“I growl under my breath and turn around whacking him in the face with my bow sending him to the ground

“Ow! bro!”he complained holding his cheek

“Don’t thank! You don’t thank skxawng”I sigh taking another step forward towards him

“This sad-very sad only”I told him he holds up his hand blocking my bow from him

“Okay i I’m sorry- for whatever I did I’m sorry”he told me I take a step back

“This your fault they did not need to die”I say struggling with my English

“My fault they attacked me how-“He began but I interrupted him pushing my bow into his chest sending his once sitting position back to lying onto the ground

“Your fault! Your fault! You’re like baby, making noise, don’t know what to do”I growled he nodded and slowly stood back up

“If it was my fault why did you not let them kill me? What’s the thinking?”he asked holding his hands up in surrender i cock my head to the side in slight confusion

“Why save?”He nodded and put his hands down

“Yeah why save me?”I sigh

“You have strong heart,no fear”I take a step closer to him and poke his head back slightly

“But stupid, ignorant like child”I turn around and walk away from him I could hear him chuckle and start to follow me again

“Look can we uh can we talk? You know where are you from?”He asked copying my tracks along the high branches

“Or how you know some English? Cause your not from m- wow”He says and began to fall backwards but I catch him holding him up right

“Your like baby! Sa’nok eywa oeyktìng?”

(Mother eywa why?) I grumble under my breath before looking back at him his eyes held a pleading look

“I-I need your help”He asked

“You should not be here, go”I tell him and start to walk off again but he stops me by grabbing my arm I hit his arm off me and push him away slightly

“Txing, ne’ìm kelku”(Leave, back home)

I told him before looking up at the sky noticing seed of the sacred tree floating down towards us i gasp slightly and lift my hand towards them one slowly falls into my hand

I smile at it and glance at the boy who hand some of the pure spirits on his shoulders and arms he looks at me and smiles slightly

i smile back and stare into his yellow eyes which I have noticed are quite beautiful i clear my throat and look towards the spirit that was now following the rest that were leaving the boys side

“Come, I get you home”I say then started to walk into the direction of his home in the mountains how I knew this is because I saw Navi on Ikran’s go there

“Me Y/n”I tell him glancing at him he smiles a bit confused and does a small awkward wave

“I’m Lo’ak, Lo'ak te Suli Tsyeyk'itan-but uh you can call me Lo’ak cause…that’s…my…name, Just Lo’ak is fine”he ranted then awkwardly rubbed his hand behind his neck

“Nice meet you just Lo’ak”I tease he laughs and follows me as I lead him home

Part 2?

[stormkobra-5]

#1 with Jake Lockely please!!!

This fluffy idea popped into my head (instead of whorish, I know, idk) and I couldn’t help but write it!

Prompt: 1) one muse putting their hand over the other’s mouth while they have sex + Jake Lockley

Rating/Warnings: 18+ dry humping, limo sex, carefree sex, Jake is soft, fingering, oral

“Shhh!” Jake hissed, bursting into a loud laugh that he had to cut off by biting his lip. You burst into a sharp giggle which you struggled to contain, prompting Jake to shush you again.

“Cariño! Quiet!”

“I-I’m trying!”

That was really hard to do, for two reasons. Firstly, being newlyweds with Jake, you were drunk on love and giddy as hell. Everything had a rose-hued lens. Suddenly your faces hurt with how long and how much you were smiling. Things that shouldn’t make you laugh did, things that should have made you angry were brushed off carelessly.

Secondly, you couldn’t keep your hands off each other.

After teasingly nudging each other under the table at dinner, Jake had taken you by the hand and ran with you to the limo in the pouring rain, eager to get his hands up your skirt; but the moans and whimpers from your breathless kisses turned to laughter as your soaked clothes stuck to your skin, being difficult in removal and squeaking obscenely when you tried to “dry” hump each other. The sound had prompted Jake to fall back into his seat with a bout of deep laughter that was contagious, and the giggles just kept coming.

When he’d finally gotten your skirt over your hips and yanked your panties down, he’d fingered you through two orgasms before eating you out through a third. In his frantic attempt to get his still-wet pants down, made even worse by the obvious bulge in his pants, he got tangled in his own legs with the pants sticking to him and fell backward, prompting you to laugh again.

Which was why, even after he’d entered you from behind, keeping you on your hands and knees on the backseat and steadying his weight on one arm that’s propped against the door, you couldn’t stop snickering. At the thought of Jake’s wide-eyed stumble with his pants half-down, you burst into a peal of high-pitched, half-stifled giggles.

“Prin—“ A breathy chuckle of his own interrupted him, so he started over. “Princesa! Sh! Do you wanna get caught?!” You were both wheezing breathlessly regardless of whether or not you could be heard. Jake growled in mock-frustration, a hand clamping gently over your mouth as he started to piston his hips into yours sharply. Your moan was muffled against his hand, eyes rolling back as his thrusts hit your G-spot perfectly.

Jake chuckled, low in his throat and broken by panting. “There you go, estrella— sh…”

“P-papí— I-I’m close—“

Jake tried to bring his hand down to your clit; but it was soaked from a combination of the thick steam in the limo and the rain, among other things, and so when he tried to bring it off the car door, he ended up slipping. You both jolted forward before sliding off the leather seats like you were at a water park, and after a moment of stunned silence, Jake rolled away from you with his face in his hands as he tried to keep his deep laughs under control. You had no such luck, doubling over with silent shakes as your amusement turned to deep wracking laughs. “Don’t look at me!” Jake whined into his hands. “My smooth sex moves have been fucking obliterated by rain!”

His exclamation only made you laugh harder, until you were gasping for air like a fish out of water. Beaming, Jake pulled you into his arms until he was able to guide you to straddle him. “Let’s try this again, hm, cariño?”

“Yeah,” You giggled, breathlessly nodding as he helped you sink down onto his length, both of you all beaming smiles as you pushed your foreheads together and snuck soft kisses.

Later that night, when you’d finally gotten back to your hotel, Jake groaned theatrically as he laid on the bed beside you. “What?” You choked out, another fit of laughter threatening to overtake you.

Jake rolled his eyes back. “My sides are sore,” He mumbled, fighting a grin, “And not from fucking you so much. It’s from fucking laughing!”

His admission made you giggle, and he sat up so fast it’s a wonder he didn’t have whiplash. He tried to scramble over you, shushing you frantically and putting his hand over your mouth. “Oh no! Don’t you start again, cariño!” But it was too late— you were both already laughing again anyway.

Give me a character and a prompt!

[wastefulreverie]

revelations week day 5: no choice

"That can't be right, Jack," Mom hissed. "I mean, listen to what you're saying! We can't just give up!"

Dad's face was grim in the low, red emergency lights of the Specter Speeder.

"I don't know what you want me to say. If we want to get out of this, Phantom's the only one who can save us now." His laugh was bitter. "I mean, what ghost in their right mind would go out on a limb for their sworn enemy? It's hopeless."

Danny gulped. "Why's it have to be Phantom? Why not any of the other ghosts out there?"

"We had the Speeder keyed into Phantom's ecto-signature. It was supposed to be tracking him, but something in the code was scrambled when we crashed. How it happened is beyond me. It's less than one-in-a-millionth chance, but now the Speeder is refusing to unlock without Phantom's biometrics. Meaning we can't leave, and we can't start it up again."

"Can't we pry open the doors, though?"

Mom shook her head. "The doors are titanium and the locking mechanism is powered with a super magnet. It'd be no use."

"What about our biometrics? Aren't they programmed in too?"

Dad took off his glove again and pressed it down on the scanner.

The lights flashed and there was a high trilling alarm.

"They're all scrambled." He replaced his glove and the alarm stopped. "I tried reentering it manually, but Phantom's the only administrator the system recognizes. I'm not sure how long it will be until we run out of air, but chances are even if Phantom finds us in this corner of the Ghost Zone, he won't be able to enter the Specter Speeder because it's impenetrable for ghosts. He'd have to be on the inside."

Mom put a hand over her mouth. "No…"

"There's no way out of this one. I'm so sorry. I should've never—should've never brought us out here." Dad's eyes watered. "This is all my fault."

"No. It's not your fault," Mom said. "We all agreed to make this trip. This was nothing but a freak accident."

Danny jumped down from the stool he'd been sitting on. "Yeah, speaking of freak accidents—"

His parents turned to look at him, fear etched across their faces.

He walked across the Specter Speeder and pressed his thumb against the biometric scanner. Moments later, the engine roared to life.

"—there's a few things about mine I haven't told you about."

His parents' expressions were dumbstruck.

"How—?"

"I mean, of all the expeditions you could have roped me on you had to choose 'tracking down Phantom.' It was sort of funny at first, flying around in circles, but I guess it's sort of a fortunate thing that I was inside the Speeder instead of outside when we crashed?" He shrugged. "And to think I almost blew you off today and hung out with Sam and Tucker instead."

"Danny," his Mom's voice was low. "What did you do?"

"I unlocked the Speeder. I mean, all that business about suffocating to death didn't sound good."

"That shouldn't be possible," Dad said. "I mean, you're not Phantom."

"Sure. I'm not."

Mom sounded uncertain.

"... are you?"

He shrugged. "I mean, not on purpose. It sort of just happened?"

"Um." Dad looked uncomfortable. "What does that mean?"

"Look, if today's taught us anything it's that accidents happen, right? That's all it was. Just an accident." He lowered his voice. "Where I may or may not have turned the Ghost Portal on from the inside and died just enough to become a ghost but not enough for my body to shut down, so now I'm a walking philosophical problem walking the line of life and death and somehow—it's beyond me—got roped into teenage vigilantism."

Neither of his parents said anything for a good half-minute.

"I can't tell if you're joking or not," Mom said.

"Oh," he clapped. "I wish I was. But that's just my life. Half-life. You could say half-death too, but Jazz gets mad at me when I frame it like that because she says it's better to place the emphasis on the glass half-full approach." He shook his head. "I don't care which. So, are we getting out of here, or what?"

Dad's voice was hoarse. "Uh, alright. I—I can set coordinates for home."

"Cool." He leaned back onto his stool. "I wouldn't have told you like this if I had no other choice. Not ideal, I get it. But we're good, right?"

His parents stared as if they were seeing straight through him. He checked to make sure he hadn't turned invisible again and found that he was still quite visible.

Ah. That was the shock setting in.

"Mm. Looks like you still need time to process."

It was a good thing that the ride home was a long one, because they'd need it.