#the nonverbal acting kills me i swear

[ladyhoneydee]

this peppermint winter, this marshmallow world

Zelink | College AU | 5.8k

At the end of the second swallow, she finally opened her eyes—and caught Link in the midst of a sip of his own. Watching her. Why did the warmth in his eyes look so…different? Had he ever looked at her that way before, in all their years of friendship? Maybe it was just the glow of the streetlamp they stood beneath, transforming the snow into glittering fairy dust and the ambiance into spun gold. If they left this place, if they took their walk as planned, perhaps the clear blue moon would return them to the same light they’d always been cast in. Why did the thought of that make her chest so tight?

Written for @pastelsandpining as part of the Hateno Hideout Secret Santa! If you like the best-friends-to-lovers trope, nonverbal trans guy Link who is acting veeeery oddly all of a sudden, and confused, investigative Zelda, this one is for you.

Read it on AO3, FFN, or under the cut!

Zelda knew something was wrong with Link from a mile off. 

It didn’t matter that she was stuck behind the front desk, explaining to a frazzled-looking first year that no, they did not have any private study rooms available at this very minute, and they would have to wait twenty minutes or so until something opened up. From the moment her best friend strode into Castleton University’s Gaebora Library, his snow-dusted green beanie pulled down tight and chin tucked in low, she could tell that his mind was running a mile a minute on some topic or another. He always tended to crunch in physically when he was mentally distressed, after all. 

As the student surrendered with a grimace and set off towards the staircase—no doubt heading for one of the public sitting areas on the quiet upper floors—Link lifted his chin, and Zelda met his eyes. The whites widened, the pupils expanded. Then his gaze promptly dropped back to the laminate tiles underfoot.

Zelda’s suspicion rocketed through the ceiling, the five floors of the library over her head, and the snow-laden roof shingles high above. With the exception of particularly awkward or emotional conversations, Link had never struggled to hold eye contact with her before. Heck, they had practically lived off of staring contests back in high school. Even now, five semesters into university, new friends invariably asked if she and Link were dating based solely on how annoying about eye contact and making goofy faces at each other they were.

Still, there was no way he could actually avoid her, even if he wanted to. Not when she was on front desk duty, and the only student worker on shift who knew Hyrulean Standard Sign Language. After all, Link never came to the library to study, only to pick up books. Nonverbal as he was, it was easier to focus in a private place than somewhere people who couldn’t understand HSSL might try to talk to him. 

His fingers stuttered through her name-sign for a moment before smoothing through the rest of his words. “I have an interlibrary loan to pick up? A Walk in the Lost Woods by K.-I.-A. H-E-R-M-O-S?” His finger-spelling of the name was quick, but she’d been signing since elementary school and reading Link’s words and letters off his hands for nearly as long; it was nearly impossible to trip her up at this point. 

“Sure, I’ll just need to grab it!” Zelda’s voice brimmed with enthusiasm to cover up her suspicion. “For your Environmental Philosophy course, I’m guessing?”

“Yeah. Got an essay due next week.” 

Well, at least he was making conversation.

“Tonight is such a mess,” she complained. “I swear I’ve had five different students try to get me to find their books for them instead of just following my directions. It’s like everyone’s brain cells died over winter break.” 

A smile cracked through Link’s slight frown and downturned brows. “So now they’re killing yours in retribution, huh?”

“Mm-hm! Which is exactly why you should get us coffees from Piper’s and meet me on the quad for a walk when you’re finished studying and I’m done with my shift!” She beamed at him.

Just like that, alarm swept his face clean of the soft warmth it had held only a moment prior, and his gaze darted away from her once again. He rubbed his hands on his pants before replying, as if wiping off sweat—which was weird, given that he’d just come in from the cold, and hadn’t been wearing gloves. 

“Oh, I don’t know…”

“Come on, please?” she wheedled. “I’ll need something to resuscitate my poor, dying brain cells. And you’re my chosen hero of the hour.” She smiled in the winning, bossy way she’d learned from a childhood cultivated by a single dad who was not only a hardass entrepreneur, but also had moonlit as the president of the PTA at every public school she had attended. 

She’d learned other things from Daphnes, too. Like how to pursue a lead when something seems fishy—and how to throw someone off the scent of your true intentions until the opportune moment. 

The trick was to pick a reason that was still genuine, just not the whole truth. 

Link sighed, his gestures slowing and taking on weight to emphasize his put-upon tone. “If you insist. But— I’m bringing hot chocolate, not coffee.” Her pout was met with a stern, wolf-eyed stare. “I don’t care if you live off of caffeine. It’ll be after ten before we’re both done for the night, and I’m not dropping money on your addiction when I’ve got perfectly good cocoa mix in my dorm.”

Zelda let out a ponderous sigh of her own. “Fiiiine.” She placed her hands on her hips. “You’re no fun, you know that?”

“They say that the chosen heroes rarely were,” Link shot back, his gestures short and snippy, but punctuated with enough flair that she knew it was from sass rather than actual upset. “I’m just living up to your expectations.”

“Sure, hero.” She smirked. “Let me grab that book.”

As she swiveled her rolly chair around to scan the loan shelf for his book—Nayru’s love, did none of the other student workers this semester realize they were supposed to label the books with the requester’s name to make things easier?—Zelda mused over Link’s odd behavior. He’d brightened up, sure, but for him to hesitate over spending time together…

Well, the last time that had happened, it was right before he came out to her as trans the year they turned thirteen, and he was terrified she was going to hate him forever. 

When she spun back around, Link was fervently tapping his fingers against the wood of the front desk, expressions dancing over his features so quickly that she couldn’t make them out. He remained wordless and reticent while she checked out the green-bound hardback and passed it over, before throwing her a tight smile, waving awkwardly with his free hand, and walking out the door at an even brisker pace than usual. 

He hadn’t even paused to tuck the book away in his backpack.

…It was fine. It was. He’d been wrong back then—she could never hate him, but especially not for that —and no matter what secret feelings he was keeping close to his chest right now, he’d be wrong this time, too. She loved him too much for any other option to stick. Like snow falling on a manhole cover, any trouble between them would melt away before it had the chance to build up. 

She would make sure of it.

--

One of the downsides of working at Gaepora Library was that even at the end of the long, grueling evening shift, Zelda couldn’t leave until she’d scrubbed the floor. 

The reasoning was understandable enough, she supposed—given the building’s late hours, the CasU custodial staff were all done for the day by the time the library closed, and the slush and salt dragged into the lobby would damage the library’s century-old hardwood floor if it sat on them overnight—but that didn’t make her job any more enjoyable. The snow outside was pretty and all, and she couldn’t wait to go out in it with Link later, but did every student need to track slush in on their boots? They had a mat in front of the door for a reason!

Dimly, she noticed the clomping of winter boots approaching the front doors. Zelda glared down at the dirty rag in her hand and scrubbed even more vigorously. Surely the late visitor would notice the “CLOSED” sign she’d propped up in the front window, or the fact that nearly all the lobby lights were off, or her scrubbing the floor, and correctly assume that they should come back in the morning.

The door before her swung open. 

Zelda reared back from the sudden blast of cold. Wrath simmered in her veins, and she snapped her head up, ready to give this person a piece of her mind. 

“Excuse me, but the library is actually closed for the eve—”

Link. 

His nose was red from the chill, and his shoulders shook with mirth. Immediately, all of the frustration that had been coiling like smoke in Zelda’s lungs throughout her shift whooshed out of her with a deep sigh.

“Nice floor,” he signed. “Very clean.”

“If you step on it, I might have to kill you.” 

He laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He’d obviously stopped by his dorm since the last time she’d seen him. His rugged leather-and-canvas backpack was nowhere to be seen, and he’d swapped out his slate-blue quilted jacket for a snowquill-stuffed puffy coat. This time, he was actually wearing gloves, and his omnipresent green beanie was pulled as far over his ears as it could manage.

She smiled fondly. Some things never changed. They might be twenty and sleep-deprived from annotated bibliographies and slideshow presentations instead of ten and sleep-deprived from playing video games under the covers all night, but Link would always get cold faster than she did.

Link, unaware of the nostalgic origins of her affectionate stare, gave her a hesitant smile in return. “I left the hot chocolates outside. No food and drinks in the library, and all.” 

“Aw, you’re such a good boy,” she cooed. “You rule follower, you.”

To her surprise, he flushed redder than the ruby studs in his ears. Gloved fingers twitched wildly in the air for a moment in a clear nonvocal stutter before he pressed the tips together so hard that she almost thought she could see them quiver from the strain. 

The pause in the conversation was disjointed, alien. Like they were metronomes running on two different beats per minute, instead of the unison they’d always shared. 

“Are–are you ready to go?” he asked eventually, and Zelda’s brows shot up. Was he just not going to address his reaction? What was going on? 

At her lack of reply, his eyes darted around the lobby, and he filled the void himself. “They’re gonna get cold if you take much longer. Slowpoke.” Even the teasing insult was added on belatedly, as though he was reading off a script of their usual interactions and had nearly forgotten the last part of his line. 

Well, if he wasn’t going to be normal, she would just have to pick up his slack. 

“Oh, I’ve been ready! In all ways except the physical.” She waved the damp rag in her hand pointedly. “Give me just a minute.”

The nod Link gave her was heavy with relief, and she realized he was grateful she hadn’t called him out on his weird behavior. Well, he was going to be in for a rude awakening once they started their walk and the interrogation began. 

One rag rinsed and squeezed out, one desktop computer logged out and turned off, and one book-stuffed messenger back hauled onto her shoulder later, they were out the door. 

--

Zelda was grateful for the hot chocolate before she even took a sip. The lightweight knit gloves she kept in the pocket of her winter coat were not cutting it against the chilly wind and swirling snow. Central Hyrule wasn’t particularly known for being a cold region of Hyrule—not with places like the Mt. Nayru region of Lanayru and the entirety of Hebra as competition—but when winter settled in over the wide grasslands, it truly did settle. So when she plucked one of Link’s ceramic travel mugs off the bench, the heat that sunk into her fingers was entirely welcome. 

“They’re dark chocolate with peppermint and marshmallows,” Link signed. His gestures were harder to decipher when made one-handed, as the other was occupied with his own mug; still, after a lifetime of communicating with Link in all kinds of one- and two- and even no-handed situations, she could parse them rather well. “I made them both the same so that you wouldn’t have to make any decisions. Or complain if I made the decision.”

“Aw, you’re so kind. The great hero, saving me from my own agency.” She sent him a sly look.

“Hey, how many times have you texted me just to ask me to pick something for you out of decision fatigue at the end of a long day?”

“Too many to count.” She nudged him in the side gently. “I am grateful for that, truly.”

“Oh, I know.” His elbow bumped her in return. “Now drink your hot chocolate, you mooch.”

“ Yeah, your mooch,” she shot back, and took a sip. 

If she’d been looking at Link at that instant, she might have seen how his lips parted and trembled at her words. But Zelda’s eyelashes had fluttered closed from pleasure the moment the sweet, minty richness hit her tastebuds, and the moment passed, unseen.

“Mmmmm, that’s the stuff.” Unconsciously, she poked her tongue out to collect the scant remaining droplets of chocolate from her lips, before going back in for another greedy gulp. The warmth, the velvety texture of half-melted marshmallows slipping into her mouth, the cool echo of mint that lingered even after the sip was gone—it was like a green firework going off in her mouth, cascading sparks of comfort all the way down to her stomach.

At the end of the second swallow, she finally opened her eyes—and caught Link in the midst of a sip of his own. Watching her. 

Why did the warmth in his eyes look so…different? Had he ever looked at her that way before, in all their years of friendship? 

Maybe it was just the glow of the streetlamp they stood beneath, transforming the snow into glittering fairy dust and the ambiance into spun gold. If they left this place, if they took their walk as planned, perhaps the clear blue moon would return them to the same light they’d always been cast in.

Why did the thought of that make her chest so tight?

“How are the brain cells?” Link signed.

“Huh?” She blinked, owl-eyed. 

He laughed. “Okay, so they’re obviously not—” His hands fluttered in the air for a moment. “Oh, what was the word you used before…”

“Resuscitated.” She narrowed her eyes.

He ignored it. “That’s it! Resuscitated. Obviously your brain cells haven’t been resuscitated yet.”

“I think your presence might be killing them off, actually.”

“Well, I can always leave if that’s what you’d prefer…” His words were lighthearted, but something glittered in his eyes. Something that turned her stomach and reminded her what, exactly, they were there for.

“No!” She flinched back at her own outburst and thought fast. “I mean, no, obviously I don’t want you to leave. What I want is to go on a walk with you through the Green.”

“The Green?” If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she might have missed him nervously biting his lower lip. “I thought you said the quad. And I don’t know if it’s a good idea to go all the way out there. I mean, it’s going to get pretty cold tonight.”

“The cold front isn’t supposed to blow in until midnight, actually. I checked the weather earlier. It’ll be totally fine—no more snow or cold than we’re already getting.”

Link looked up, but the sky was inscrutable. It was impossible to tell if the clouds above were thick and heavy with snow or light and mobile; if they were on their way out or if more lurked on the horizon. His brow furrowed.

“Besides, I can always keep you warm myself,” Zelda joked. It was a quip long-familiar for them—their friendship had always been one of touchy-feely affection—but instead of the habitual glomping hug or taking of her hand, Link only gave her that same frightened rabbit stare.

“Or not.” She laughed awkwardly. “Again, the weather shouldn’t be a problem anyhow. Even for you.”

“Ha, ha,” he signed sarcastically, and she could have collapsed with relief. “Make fun of me for having a normal response to abnormal temperatures.”

“It’s my solemn duty as your best friend to make fun of you,” she said through a cheeky grin.  “So? Are you in?”

Link sighed, and it was like she was seeing the action in double: the put-upon, overdramatic performance, and the actual release of trepidation it concealed. “...Yeah. Yeah, of course I’m in. Always.”

Always, even if the whole evening had been strange and discombobulated so far. Zelda took a deep breath and let it out. They would get through this, no matter what was churning inside his head and spilling out like steam over a hot spring. It was him and her. Zelda and Link. Always.

“Perfect.” She smiled at him, softer than the gently falling snowflakes. “Shall we?”

“Yeah,” he said, and the smallness and lightness of his motions let Zelda know her feelings were reciprocated. “Let’s take a walk.”

--

The Green was the closest thing CasU had to a nature reserve. It must have had some sort of official name, but Zelda hadn’t looked at a map of campus in years, and every student she’d ever heard talking about the place just called it the Green. Even the professors and administration did, as if they realized that no one would know what they were referring to unless they adopted the students’ language. 

But regardless of what one called the hundreds of acres of green space that hugged the entire western border of campus, a walk on one of the well-trodden footpaths along the river, through the woods, or across the meadows was always an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. Between Link’s Outdoor Education major, Zelda’s multitude of Biology internships, and the hours the pair had spent avidly mapping every trail themselves during their first semester, they both practically had the land memorized. 

Still, it was only practically, never wholly, because there was always something new to see. 

Even with three years at CasU under her belt, the Green’s beauty in winter never failed to strike her. Although it might have benefitted from a temporary renaming, given how everything besides the tall, old conifers sprinkled amongst the leafless oaks, maples, and aspens was blanketed in pure white snow. The branches criss-crossing over their heads were completely coated, as if the goddesses had dipped them in marshmallow fluff for a wintry treat. 

“It looks completely different,” Link signed. He took a sip of his hot chocolate. 

Zelda had to agree. The last time they’d hiked through the Green—nearly a month ago now, between finals, winter break, and the hectic first week back—a chaotic mess of decaying leaves had carpeted the forest floor, and they’d had to watch their step or risk tripping over a well-camouflaged root. The soil had been wet and slick beneath their feet from rain, and sprinkled through the tussocks of browning grass crumbled huge, frost-blackened mushrooms. Now, the whole world glittered beneath the silver rays of the half-moon, illuminating dozens of squirrel, rabbit, bird, and deer tracks that ran beneath the tree trunks—tracks that could only have been laid since the snow began falling, less than an hour ago. 

How strange, that the season of death felt more lively than the long, damp months that preceded it. 

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure why. The hush just felt right. 

When Link looked over at her, eyes soft and wide with wonder, and nodded, she knew he felt it too. 

They reached a split in the path, a familiar crossroad. Left would take them further into the woods; right would take them to the meadows on the northeastern edge of the Green, before curving back in the direction of campus proper. 

She turned to Link once again. “What do you think? Right?”

“Wrong,” Link joked. “Nah, totally, let’s go to the meadows. It’ll be easier to get back to our dorms from there anyway.”

“It’ll be nice to see how they look, too, with the snow. By morning all the skiers will be out, and it won’t be nearly as pretty.” Zelda grinned good-naturedly. ‘All the skiers’ often included Link and Zelda in their numbers, after all. 

They swung off to the right, pointing out how the makeup of the forest changed as they got closer and closer to the meadows. When they both finished their final swigs of cocoa, marshmallows glazing pillowy sweetness down their throats, Zelda offered to stow their travel mugs away in her backpack. After all, Link had made them himself in his ceramics studio last year; it wouldn’t do for them to break! 

Still, even when the heat from the mug in her hands was gone, Zelda felt warm down to her core.

Books always said that winter was quiet, but Zelda couldn’t help but feel that was exactly wrong. It always felt, to her, like more. Brighter, with the snow reflecting the moonlight back up to dazzle their retinas and aid their journey. Freer, with the song of the wind more obvious as the fresh powder muffled any of the typical forest sounds. Sweeter, with the clean crispness of snowfall settling on the tongue. The beautiful more ness of it all filled her up, until she felt just shy of bursting with contentment.  

And then they crossed into the open air with its swirling snow and stars, and something in her chest, something brilliant and winged and joyful, rose and broke free of its tether.

Her head tipped back and her mouth opened wide and she drank in the moonlight, the starlight, the north wind. Arms flung wide to embrace the night. She twirled, twirled, twirled, basking in the coldbright good until it blurred into streaks and her dancing feet stumbled their way into a deep, clinging snowbank and she tripped—

Arms around her. Warm but not warm; body heat covered up by a wind-chilled shield. Soft but not soft; sturdy compactness muffled by puffy down. Her body was motionless, but her vision spun like the orbit of some wild planet. Its sun: the green beanie. 

“Nice catch,” she said breathlessly. “Have you considered sports?”

One hand lingered on her still-swaying waist, holding her steady. The other lifted to her cheek, its touch tender. His woolen glove itched as it traced letter-signs against her cold skin.

“D-U-M-M-Y.”

“Rude.”

With a deliberately hard blink, her vision finally stopped spinning. Link’s face was before her: nose and cheeks ruddy from the cold, bemused smirk on his lips. It was strange to be staring up at him for once. She hadn’t done that since they were eleven, when she shot up like a beanpole and didn’t stop growing until halfway through high school. 

Noticing the change in her gaze, Link retracted his hand from her cheek, instead hovering it between them where she could make out his signs. “You know, spinning around like you did when we were little is a lot more dangerous now than it was then. Kids have way stronger bones.”

“I drink my milk, thanks. Lon Lon Ranch is coming in clutch for my bones.”

He gave her a deadpan look. “Sure you do. Because I’ve definitely seen you get milk at the cafeteria even once in the last two and a half years.”

“Well…there was milk in the hot chocolate, right?” She raised a brow at him.

“Nope. Box mix and water.” His stare was positively gloating.

“You’re awful.”

“ Yeah, your awful,” he said, and then, as if the terrible, adorable pun had flipped a switch in his brain, his jaw went slack and his eyes bugged. Zelda had about one second to get her feet beneath her before he dropped his arms and stepped back so abruptly that she would’ve fallen again, had she not felt the tension seize his every muscle. 

As it was, she still stumbled. Her jaw clenched, but she forcibly relaxed it before meeting Link’s gaze again. 

In the time it took her to recover, he’d taken two steps back, a distance that yawned between them like an abyss between their feet. His arms were wrapped tightly around his stomach, as if he was about to be sick—or protecting his soft, squishy bits from a nearby threat.

“I think it’s time to tell me what’s going on,” Zelda said, voice soft but clear.

Link was already shaking his head. She waited for his hands to rise into place, for him to uncurl his hedgehog self and speak, even if it was a no, but they didn’t.

“Link, it’s obvious that something is wrong. You’ve been acting wei—” She cut herself off; reconsidered. “... different all night. I’m not judging you, I’m worried. You’re my best friend. I want to help you, if it’s something I can help with.”

The head-shaking slowed, then gradually ceased. He peeled his arms free from his torso. When his gaze met hers, her heart twinged at how ashamed he looked, with his shiny eyes and the redness of his face that she knew surpassed what the cold alone could do to his skin. 

“Do you promise you won’t judge me? Or get mad?”

“I promise,” she vowed. “And Link,” she smiled at him gently, “if you think I would judge you for anything, you’re ignoring thirteen years of experience.”

He let out a juddering sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. Okay. Okay. So the thing is…” His gestures trailed off. He tried again. “The thing is…it’s…I…”

“You can plan what you want to say first,” Zelda murmured. “No hurry, as long as I do get to know it eventually.”

He nodded jerkily, gaze settling on the churned-up snow between them. When his hands began twitching in loose, tiny gestures, Zelda turned her own gaze to the sky to give him privacy. 

The snow had begun falling faster since they’d begun their walk through the Green. She could hardly see the constellations between the shadows of the clouds above. The Ocarina, the Hero of Winds, the Chosen Lovers—all her favorites were out of sight. She could barely make out the three stars that formed the belt of the Princess of Light. 

A tap on her shoulder. She looked over at Link, whose face looked a little more settled, a little less panicked. 

“I’m ready now,” he signed. The motions were steadier, and she felt the tension in her unknot the tiniest bit. They were Link and Zelda. They’d be okay. 

She nodded encouragingly. 

“You’re right that there’s something wrong,” he started. “Wrong with—with me. At least I think it’s with me, because there’s nothing you’ve done wrong that would have done this, at least I don’t think so, I can’t think of anything, but—” 

He cut himself off, dropping his hands fully back to his sides before raising them again. 

“There is something wrong with me. When I’m with you. It started…” His gaze left hers and focused on the stars above, remembering. “I think it started during finals week. That night we pulled the all-nighter. I thought it was just because of how tired I was…but then it happened over winter break, at the solstice bonfire. And it’s only gotten worse since then.”

Zelda’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Nothing wrong with her, yet it only happened when he was in her company? A gust of wind rocked them both, and for a split second, she wished it would carry her away.

“I just feel so…so weird,” he burst out, hands flying into bigger shapes than they had all night. “Whenever we’re together. My heart beats so hard, and I feel it everywhere. And my knees get all shaky, and my hands get all shaky—which really sucks when you need your hands to communicate, by the way—and my brain gets all fuzzy, and my stomach churns.”

Oh. Oh, he was…

“And it makes me feel awful, because you don’t deserve me acting so weird with you, but sometimes you get close, or you say things that just make–make it stronger, and I just can’t help it!” He shook his head wildly. “I think I must be sick or something!”

Her heart thrummed in her chest at the same time as she had to bite back a laugh. She’d been worried all this time, and all along, he’d—

“Link,” Zelda said carefully. “I don’t think you’re sick.”

“Yeah?” He looked hopeful. “What do you think it is?”

“Well…” How to phrase this delicately? “Do you remember Malon? From high school?”

“Of course! I mean, she was my first girlfriend, how could I forget her?”

“And do you remember how you felt when you two first got together?”

“Yeah, being with her always made my heart…flutter…” He broke off, and Zelda could see the gears start turning in his head, spinning faster than even the snowflakes falling thickly around them.

No turning back now.

“Link…have you ever considered that you might…love me romantically?”

The denial was immediate, words flying from his fingers. “I can’t like you! We said we’d never date back in, like, middle school!”

Her chest swelled with fond amusement at the silliness of the rebuke.

“Link, that was almost a decade ago. We’re completely different people now. Way smarter, emotionally competent, physically attractive people. ” She grinned teasingly. “You had that terrible haircut that made you look like a coconut back then, of course I wouldn’t date you.”

“A coconut,” he repeated, gestures spiky with his derision. “Like yours was much better! You had that little pageboy cut for years.”

“Yeah, and as my best friend, it’s really your fault that I looked so bad for so long. You really should’ve warned me.” 

“My fault! You—” He broke off. After a couple of moments, he continued, gestures smaller. “You mentioned my hair, but…isn’t it also, you know, because of your sexuality?”

Zelda laughed. “I wasn’t even fourteen yet when we made that pact. I don’t think I even knew what a sexuality was.”

“No, I mean…” He scuffed his foot into the snow. “Now. You wouldn’t be into me now, because, you know.”

Zelda’s brows furrowed. “No, I really don’t. Can you be a little more clear?”

“Because…you’re straight?”

She blinked. That was not what she had expected him to say. “Link, that means I like men. You are a man. Of course I could be into you.” 

Link blinked at her as if she had just delivered an entire lecture on the precise chemical makeup of the secretions of tireless frogs and their utilization in the pharmaceutical industry. “I…yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” A smile spread over his face, slow and steady, until he was positively beaming. “You’re right! You could be into me!” He froze. “Wait, but are you into me? You already know how I feel, so…”

“‘Know?’ I practically figured it out for you,” she teased, then took a deep breath. “To be honest, I haven’t thought about it before, because I’ve been so happy to be your best friend. I’d have been happy to be that for you forever, as long as I was by your side. But you…seriously, Link, if you’d want to give us a shot romantically, I’d be so down for that.”

“Really?” he asked, starry-eyed.

“Yes,” she answered simply. “It’s another way to get to know you, to be close to you. To be happy with you.” She shuffled her feet. “I love you, Link, and I’d love to love you even more. Why wouldn’t I want to take that chance?”

The smile he gave her warmed her right down to her frosty toes. The two paces that had separated them for the entirety of their conversation disappeared in a flash, as he clumsily crossed the snow between them. 

“I could be your best friend forever, too,” he told her, “but I’d also like to be able to make out with you.” 

One hand reached up to cup her face, and Zelda tilted her chin down until their cold-reddened noses brushed. 

Nayru’s love, if Link’s heart had been hammering like this every time they’d touched for the last month, he was even more of an oblivious dummy than she thought.

But he was her oblivious dummy. Platonically, romantically. Eternally.

“We should get a start on that, then,” she murmured, watching his eyelashes flutter at the feeling of her breath on his face. “Time’s a-ticking. Snow’s a-blowing.”

Link let out a wordless groan, shifting the hand that cupped her cheek to instead twine demandingly through the hair at her nape, and signed rapidly with his free hand. “Gods, I love that smart mouth of yours.”

She wasn’t sure which one of them moved first, if it was Link’s hungry mouth or her own that bridged the gap. Whoever it was, it led to an intoxicating, insistent push-and-pull; the sharp press of Link’s teeth against her bottom lip; the sensation of the smooth muscle of his mouth as she traced her tongue along his own. 

He tasted of chocolate, peppermint, and marshmallow. Sweet and warm and familiar, just like him. 

Her best friend.

Link.

When they pulled apart, gasping for breaths that stung their lungs with the chill, she could feel that same fluttery something from earlier whirling in her chest, ablaze with joy. 

“That was…” she breathed. 

“Yeah,” Link agreed. His eyes were half-lidded, heavy with desire, as they traced over her face. “It was.”

“We should do it again, as soon as possible.” Zelda pressed a kiss to the lobe of his ear, tugging the ruby stud there softly with her teeth and luxuriating in his ragged gasp. How glad she was that Link had never chosen to let the holes close over; that he could look in the mirror and see how they suited the him he was now, rather than who he’d been when they were first done. 

“I think I’d rather—” he signed, and the shapes were fuzzy with the shaking of his hands, “—do it again somewhere warm.”

It was so unexpected, Zelda couldn’t help but release his ear in a full-body laugh. There was her Link, her precious, lovely, cold-hating Link. 

He’d continued despite her fit of giggles, although a smile had curved the corners of his mouth as well. “Seriously, you said the cold front wasn’t coming in yet, so what’s this?” He gestured at the snow whirling around them, which admittedly was coming down rather hard. And maybe the wind blowing in from the north was a little strong. 

“I never claimed to be a meteorologist,” Zelda sniffed. “And…didn’t I say I’d keep you warm?”

“Not warm enough!” Link dodged as she attempted to brush her icy nose into his warm neck. “Hey! Keep that thing to yourself!” 

As she chased him down the path that would take them back to campus, laughing wildly and stumbling where the drifts were too deep, Zelda couldn’t help but grin. The magic spell hadn’t broken when they left the streetlamp after all: they had kindled it all by themselves. It didn’t matter where they were. At his side, every flurry could be fairy dust.

It was him and her. Zelda and Link. 

Always.

[crankyweasel]

We're back my loves, and uff I am still in shock. So let's get started: Act II of Arcane

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I don't even know where to start, so I guess here?

Ambessa is tryna work arcane stuff but it really doesn't work, she is also apparently doing her very best to take over Piltover which is crazy. Her lt. Rictus has sort of a personality but he's kinda a terrorist (if evil why hot, don't like him tho). She was also trying her hardest to make Caitler her protégé - I'll talk about her too worry not. And let's not forget my most standing opinion of her, I hate her with burning passion. Good strategist, a solid con-woman, smart as all hell, terrible mama and apparently she had an affair with someone?

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Let's stick to the Medarda family for now, we got prison era Mel. She's one smart woman lemme say. We got a glimpse of how her brother - Kino - is/was supposed to be like, although he was a Black Rose apparition thingy (it was weird). Mel is, I suppose the affair baby, from which she has some sort of power or something? - Her arc confused me,

Though I am extremely excited to see what happens next with her, so there's that.

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Zaun is really coming together, with Jinx as their hero of sorts? It is, quite an interesting turnaround. (the second act feels like ww2 Germany and I'm scared of this revelation)

Zaunite people are uprising and working together which was nice to see. It's not the Undercity anymore, it's fully the nation of Zaun,

We also saw much more of mr. Firelight Man Scar, who is awesome and we love him in this household,

We also saw a glimpse of the tree community centre situation, which, was pretty bad. The tree is seemingly dying. A very sad and dire situation? - I would say.

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Moving on from Pola- I mean Zaun let's turn to our saviour Jinx!

She's a retired mama for a while which was strangely adorable to see. I swear on the humanity that I have left, that Isha is her kiddo,

Jinx is still kinda crazy which is character accurate I think. She's great tho, I really like her character turn, that and the small time we saw Sevika for she was a great second mama too. The crazy lil family. Perfect for them really,

Now for Isha. She's great. Very cute lil kiddo, though I do think she's either mute or just nonverbal (which, both is fine don't get me wrong). But, big BUT Isha you damn self-sacrificing idiot!? I genuinely teared up at the end - she sacrificed herself and killed lava-wick - what the fuck Isha?! All in all love her.

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The breakup really broke VI huh? Crazy.. but not really. It was genuinely cool tho to see such a drastic change after a relationship ending (I think many people could relate), I do like this phase tho. The apparent alcoholism, not so much but what can ya do?

We did get to see a glimpse of Vander knock-off ex-enforcer man but he didn't have a big role I guess,

The crazy-sister reunion wasn't on my bingo card but, well appreciated truly. The bickering, the fighting - true sisters here.

And oh my god. The lil family reunion with Vander-wick made me (also) genuinely tear up, like damn please stop playing with my emotions like this RIOT!

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After the dictatorship was chosen for Caitlin in the last act, we truly got to see Caitler at work huh. Also what the flying fuck was that with Maddie?! Didn't make a lot of sense to me but I do so love Riot embracing the whole lesbian thing,

Her dictator character arc didn't really move me in any direction, to me it was only "meh". Like yes, I know your mama was killed by Jinx and that made you vengeful, and that made her wanna get rid of Zaunite people (Caitler much?) but it wasn't that moving really. That and the moment she reunited with VI she dropped the dictatorship, like huh? - make up your mind woman. Also with that cape of her's, she looked like fucking Dracula. Weird aesthetic.

But the reunion was pretty nice, 15/10 reunion.

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Uhm the whole Jayce and Viktor thing was so crazy, holy hell,

So Vik fully embraced his hobo jesus Herald status, made a whole community out of it too. He really made his own holy church. Clever lil mighty Jimmy,

The Salo/Viktor thing freaked me the hell out, genuinely. It was a very weird thing to see. But I guess hobo boy Jayce didn't like it either because he killed Salo in cold blood - because apparently he's got that pure chaos in his mind? I mean Vik just say he's crazy, it's easier,

Then, because he's not done yet (what the hell man?) he goes to the land of salvation of hobo Herald and commits genocide. Committing war crimes must be fun, I'm sure Jayce could tell us.

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Next on our (my) list is the second individual whom I hate with burning passion, I give you - Singed!

He is apparently either a coward or just eighteen million steps ahead of people and the problem is I can't tell. Because locking himself in the cell after unleashing - our man, our myth, our legend - Warwick, is no doubt cowardly (I was like, "face the music bitch"), for which he was held accountable, but then he kind of wasn't? The fuck Ambessa?!

He's got a daughter I suppose who is either, genuinely dead or just very comatose, can't tell this one either, and his name is Reveck? What kinda name is that you old psycho-alchemist?!

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And for the last bit I chose Warwick, because I love him (not in-love with him mind you),

Thing is I always loved Warwick's character design even though I never really played L.O.L myself (I played for like a month). I think he's a fascinating character and I was super excited to see him in Arcane,

After realising that it was Vander who got turned into him was also very interesting. Because like, I did like Vander when he was alive, but back in my mind I always was thinking that he's either the Chekhov's gun type or he's just not that significant - which he really turned to be (not ignoring the pseudo-father situation),

This Arcane humanoid Vander-wick was an interesting choice as well, because I'm sure a lot of people will argue that it's not really the same character. But I personally really liked it, it's a nice change of pace. And this Vander-wick also has heterochromia which is just so cute, honestly, it shows his more human/sane mind,

The family hug, and Vander's memories were really trying to make me bawl, and honest to fuck they almost succeed,

The ending though, different situation. After the whole genocide thing, Vander-wick, not only going full Warwick but rather lava-wick?! The hell guys it was going so good and then BAM pure chaos. I hate every single person at Riot and I'll sue them for therapy money, I swear.

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Thank you for enduring the second rant about Arcane, I really like writing like this and I hope other people do as well.

Till next act loves, please have a lovely day everyone!

[flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash]

Irresistible Danger - Part 59

Synopsis:  After being caught outside the compound on your own, Negan decides to punish you in the best way possible ;)

Words: 4,078

Warnings: nsfw, smut, swearing

ID Masterlist can be found HERE

Masterlist of all my fics can be found HERE

*HIATUS WARNING*

This will be my last chapter update until the end of July or very beginning of August, due to me joining Camp Nano. If people are interested, I can link my nano page HERE if you want to see what progress I make. I haven’t created a Camp project goal yet, but I’ll be adding it soon. 

Clearing the Board

You stared at Negan in shock for a long moment, your brain’s frantic whirring grinding to a screeching halt as the subconscious watched with mouth so agape that the gum it had been chewing fell unnoticed to the floor. 

Had he been thinking the same questions as you the entire dinner? Part of you wanted to bolt, terrified to know what was on his mind. Was this where he pulled the rug out from under you and said things were getting too cozy, that he wanted to back track? Did he want to go back to his wives? Or maybe he wanted to try and make you into another one of them? 

Breathe. Just breathe and see what he has to say, before you start hyperventilating. 

Clearing your throat and licking suddenly dry lips, you hoarsely said, “Uh...yeah...we do.” 

As if this was the permission he was waiting for, he gave a curt nod and started talking. He was so focused and straight to the point that you wondered if he had rehearsed this prior to you showing up. If so, he had done a much better job of preparing than you had. 

“I wanted to apologize for last night. Not just for the way I attacked you, though I do fucking apologize for that, but for how I acted after.”

At this, he paused and ran a hand slowly down over his mouth and beard, and you realized how difficult this conversation was for him, how much he still struggled to be open and honest and sincere with another human when he’d had to learn the hard way to be tough and mean and impenetrable. It made you feel validated regarding your own struggles, as well as grateful that both of you were stepping outside your comfort zones and trying to communicate. 

“Doll, there’s just some shit that I don’t like to fucking relive. It has to happen, whether I fucking want it to or not, and once it’s done, it’s done. I don’t always want to rehash events, or talk about how I feel, because the answer is probably that I feel like fucking horse shit. It’s nothing personal against you, it’s just me wanting to fucking move on. The same way you told me the other night that I gotta trust you not to always give me all the fucking details? Well, same goes when the shoe’s on the other fucking foot.”

You sat there and took this in, brain having pulled out a tablet to take frantic notes, and subconscious still staring in shock with its foot unknowingly stepping right in the middle of the dropped gum wad. Of all the ways for tonight’s conversation to go, no part of you had expected Negan to not only take the lead, but go in the correct direction needed to pulverize one of the newly-created questions you had thrown into the padlocked box. 

Once he said the words out loud, it did make a lot of sense. You had seen it as wanting to connect with him and support him, if he would just explain what had happened on the run to upset him. However, some things might be better left unsaid, so as not to make the person relive the events and the emotions tied to them. What you had seen as him shutting you down was actually him trying to move on from unsavory events (and actions he’d had to complete in his role as leader). Add to that his comparison to your conversation the other night, where you had expected him to be okay with you not giving all details about certain events, and you couldn’t believe how much you had blown his recent actions out of proportion.

You had been quiet for a few long moments, during which he was watching you closely. He tried to make his expression neutral, but the unnatural stillness of his tensed body and the focused intensity of his hazel gaze gave away how much weight he was putting on what your response might be.

 Picking your words carefully, you broke the silence. “Thank you for explaining that, because I did wonder why you turned down my offer to talk last night. I respect your right to not tell me everything about what you have to do in order to keep control of the Sanctuary and other communities. However,” you held his gaze, making sure he saw your sincerity. “I want you to know that I’m always here for when and if you do want to talk about it. Any of it.” 

He was unresponsive for a few seconds, as if the tables had turned and now he was the one a bit surprised at how calm and clearly you had voiced your agreement. Then, a soft smile broke across his face, and he said, “I know you are, doll.”

You gave a small smile, beyond relieved to have that topic discussed and out of the way. Your brain was proud of the two of you for talking it out, while the subconscious was preoccupied with cursing and hopping around on one foot while frantically trying to use a stick to scrape the smeared gum off the bottom of its shoe. Like it, you now flailed about for how to move on to other concerns. The door of communication had been opened, and you didn’t want him to slam it shut now that the thing he’d wanted to get off his chest was done. 

“There’s some other things I think we need to talk about,” you said. When his eyebrows raised in a nonverbal for you to continue, you started nervously fidgeting with your dinner napkin.

Shit, where did you even start? How to accurately say what you were thinking and feeling about this relationship with him. He had obviously noticed you pulling back that day in the woods, and while you had been quick to start blurting your feelings when in a post-orgasmic haze, the words now stuck in your throat and refused to come out. 

That ball of self-doubt was creeping in, telling you to shut the box back up and get out of there. It whispered how maybe now that Negan had fucked you, the “game” was almost over and he wouldn’t be as interested. That the moment you started placing expectations on the two of you, he’d tell you to leave his rooms and not come back. 

Looking down at the napkin, which was now twisted and crumpled from anxious hands, you tossed it down on the table and abruptly stood up, unable to continue the farce of sitting still. You pushed the chair into the table and stood there for a few seconds before giving a frustrated groan and pacing over to his armoire and back. 

It was quite the role reversal, you pacing back and forth while he sat there, silently watching. Your hands gestured wildly in front of you, as if trying to act out what you couldn’t say. You started to talk a few times, but it came out as a sputter of nothingness, causing you to pace back and forth yet again. After a couple rounds of this, you finally stopped behind the dinner chair, hands gripping the back of it until your knuckles turned white. The two of you stared at one another, his forehead furrowed in concern at your mini meltdown.

“Doll,” he said, voice low and calming. “Tell me.” 

Just say it. Tell him you’ve fallen for him. 

But you couldn’t. The emotions were right there, but it didn’t feel right to just blurt them out. Three little words that some people tossed around like pennies, and you couldn’t say them when it mattered. 

You looked at him desperately, willing him to throw a lifeline and take back over the conversation, to tell you to forget it and act like this moment had never happened. Instead, he finally moved into action, standing from his own chair and rounding the small table to stand in front of you. 

He didn’t reach out, didn’t try to hold you, as if he knew that the slightest touch would cause your taut as a bowstring form to burst into a million pieces. His hands instead clenched at his sides in a nonverbal show of restraint. He knew that whatever you were struggling with was important, while at the same time realizing he couldn’t force it, and that the direction of the conversation depended entirely on you. 

“Tell me what’s wrong.” 

There was more authority to his tone this time, but it was the slight hint of worry making it go up in pitch at the end that propelled your own voice to finally get its shit together and start working. 

“There’s nothing wrong, I just…I don’t know how to say it.”

“Fucking say what? You’re killing me here, doll.” 

You looked at him, took in this strong and seemingly impenetrable, yet surprisingly caring and passionate man who had shattered all of the emotional defenses you had strategically built in order to keep yourself safe. And suddenly, you knew exactly how to tell him in a way that he, and only he, would understand. 

“Remember when you said that the game is over when the king is captured?”

Surprise flickered in his gaze, as he obviously wasn’t expecting that to come out of your mouth. However, he quickly caught up, giving a curt nod. 

“I know technically the queen is expendable, and the game can continue on without her, but-” voice cracking a bit, you paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “What the hell does one do when the opposite happens?” 

You saw the moment the realization hit, making him go completely still. Saw the moment he pieced everything together but still held back, as if afraid maybe he was misinterpreting it. 

His face looked wrecked when he husked, “What are you saying, doll?”

Emotion welled in your eyes as you verbally let go, whispering the confession that had been held in for long enough. 

“The king’s captured me.”

He broke the physical distance then, his eyes bright with emotion as he wrapped one arm around your waist and cupped your face with a warm palm. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on your lips that was so soft and gentle you almost wanted to cry. When he lifted his head, you felt overwhelmed by the adoration in his gaze, but that was nothing compared to the words he then spoke.

“Well doll, I’d say that’s only fucking fair, since the queen’s captured me too.”

Shock coursed through you, followed by a rush of emotion so strong it would’ve knocked you on your ass if he wasn’t there to clutch onto. 

He feels the same! Holy fuck, not only did he understand, but he also feels the same!

The two of you kissed again, long and slow, until your surroundings faded away and there was only him. It could’ve been mere moments or long minutes before your lips parted from his, as time currently had no meaning outside the count of his breaths on your face and beat of his heart under your palm flattened on his chest. 

You felt dizzyingly happy, and the padlocked box was tons of pounds lighter. However, there were still a few spiky balls of questions sitting in the bottom of it, and it was time to empty them out. All of them. 

“So,” you said, fingers tracing up over his exposed collarbone and strong throat. “What happens next, after the king and queen capture each other?”

Giving a much softer version of his usual devilish smirk, he replied, “They lay down their weapons, recall their fucking armies, and rule the board together.” 

Grinning like a fool at that, you wound your arms up around his neck and murmured hesitantly, “So what does that mean for the others? What does the king do with the five of them?”

Once again, the metaphor was not lost on him, and you felt the slightest stiffening of his body against yours as he pulled his lips from where they had been tracing along your ear lobe and looked down at you. 

Shit, did you go too far? Maybe you should’ve just stopped while you were ahead and not crossed into that topic of conversation just yet…

“What do you want me to do with them, doll?” 

You definitely weren’t expecting that as a response, as shown by your staring blankly up at him for a few seconds before saying, “Isn’t that your choice?”

He gave an amused tsk of disapproval. “No, that’s not how it works when we both rule the board. Each partner gets a say, and then we figure it out together.”

Did he just...call you… “Is that what I am?” you asked, heart inflating like a bubble at the possibility. 

“I mean, we can stick with just calling you my queen, if that’s what you want, but I think partner also has a nice fucking ring to it.” 

His partner. Not his wife, or girlfriend. Partner. 

Stretching up to give him a kiss of approval, you said, “Partner is perfect.” 

Deciding to go all in, you added, “And I only want you, no one else. I want you to be the person I snuggle up against each night, and the one whose bed I wake up in each morning knowing that I belong there. I want to walk proudly beside you and know that you’re mine, as much as I’m yours.” You hesitated, a small dart of worry at the brutally honest words making you feel the need to ask, “But what do you want?”

The playful light was back in his eyes, that sinful tongue running over his bottom lip. “I thought I already made that fucking obvious, doll. But if I didn’t, then listen very closely.” 

His lips traced over your face, leaving butterfly kisses on your cheeks and nose and forehead as he spoke the words. “I want you. Fucking simple as that. I’ve wanted you, and only you, since the day you fucking kicked my ass at chess.” 

This was technically information you already knew, thanks to Trixie, but hearing it from him made it that much more real. It was as if even though all the signs were there, you still didn’t want to fully believe you were the reason for his change in behavior with the wives, not until he confirmed it himself. 

Trying to add a bit of lightness, you hummed in pleasure at his lips kissing the sensitive spot on the curve of your neck and quipped, “Who knew all it would take was a game of chess for me to stand out.”

Giving a huffed laugh, he said against your skin, “If you think that’s the only way you fucking stand out, you’re even more oblivious then I fucking thought.” 

“Hey! Are you telling me I’m weird or something?” you laughed, playfully tugging at his hair so that he raised his head to look at you. 

“Wellllll…” he joked, smiling broadly before his expression got a bit more serious. “In all honesty, doll, I’ve respected the hell out of you since the moment you arrived here.”

Eyebrows raising, you said, “Oh? Do go on.”

His eyes danced with mirth, but his words were uncharacteristically sincere. “Despite being scared shitless when my men first found your little group, you never fully submitted or lost your fight. You marched right into the Sanctuary like you were gonna own the whole fucking place, or at least own the kitchen, which you did in a ridiculously short amount of fucking time, I might add. I felt like a fool for asking you to be another wife and expecting you’d be happy just sitting around looking pretty.”

You gave a haughty grin, but let him continue, knowing that confessions such as this were few and far between with Negan. And you were going to soak in every affectionate word like a desert does the rain, because as much as the actions and nonverbals fed your heart, his words were what now fed your soul. 

“I knew you’d be trouble the the first time I walked in the kitchen to check on things and you refused to fucking kneel with the others, staring me down in a way that said you were demanding to be treated at my equal, and just daring me to try and fucking do something about it. It was that same daring each time we were alone that drew me in like fucking catnip, and while the smart thing would’ve been to stay away, when I found you out in the fucking woods about to be walker chow and totally going against my orders, it gave me the perfect opportunity to force you closer. I knew I should stop sending for you, stop finding reasons to visit the kitchen or order you to bring me trays, but damn doll, you were too fucking exciting to walk away from.

“The day you beat me at chess, you were so fucking proud of yourself, and I realized that instead of being pissed, I was proud of you too. I knew I had a spitfire on my hands, and damn if that didn’t make my dick hard.” His voice lowered a bit, so that you held your breath in order not to miss a single word. “But it wasn’t until that first outing together in the woods, when you killed that walker and saved my fucking hide, that I realized I was done for. That I might as well throw down my crown because the king had been captured, and the game was over.”

You thought back to that day, to the kiss and the look in his eyes afterward. Had you known back then? Possibly, but you never would’ve admitted it to yourself, not at that point. You felt a lump start to form in your throat, eyes blinking rapidly in an effort not to tear up. And you would have succeeded, damn it, if not for his next words.

“I tried to fight it, to fight you. Hell I almost got you fucking killed by chasing you out of here, and all because of my own fucking stubborn pride. I’d never hated myself as much as I did in that moment, when we found you lying injured in the fucking woods. I’ve loved and lost, more than any man should, but...the thought of losing you was what almost ruined me.”

Tears trickled down your cheeks in cool rivulets. “Why didn’t you tell me?” you whispered. Hell, if you had known all of this a bit earlier, maybe you wouldn’t have hesitated to talk things out. Wouldn’t have held back as much as you did. 

Giving a self-deprecating smile, he said, “Because I’m a fucking idiot. But also because every time I considered it, you’d fucking pull away. I would’ve claimed you publicly as mine weeks ago, but you about had a god damn heart attack anytime there was a chance someone might see us getting fucking cozy together. I could practically hear the fears and doubts whirring around in your head the last few days, so I took the coward’s way out and tried to halt those thoughts by repeatedly fucking you any chance I got, until you were too exhausted to overthink.” 

He had meant the words to make you laugh, but instead you suddenly felt overwhelmed. Your stupid eyes wouldn’t stop watering, and if you weren’t careful your nose would start clogging up too. You had always been jealous as hell of women who could cry prettily, because you definitely weren’t one of them. 

You tried to school your features, tried to put on at least a thin mask of “I’m fine, totally fine” but more tears followed by a hiccuped sob escaping your lips said otherwise. You unwrapped your arms from his neck in order to press a hand to your mouth in an effort to try and stifle the emotions leaking out. 

“No,” he said, stern enough to jolt you out of the overanalyzing spiral your brain wanted to jump down. 

Pulling your hand away from your mouth with a gentle but firm grip, he clasped it between his own hands. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” you asked. 

Lifting one hand, he used his thumb to brush away the tear sitting stubbornly on the middle of your cheek. “Don’t do what you did last time. Don’t hide from me again.” 

Sighing, you nodded in agreement. “Fine, but it would be nice if one of these times it was you crying and not me.” 

Humor was a mask of its own, one both of you used to cover up emotions. However, since you were standing there with red-rimmed eyes and he had just verbally confessed his emotions more in the last few minutes than he probably had during the rest of the apocalypse combined, you both deserved a bit of humor. 

“The day that happens, I might as well just chop off my dick and fucking hand that over as well,” he joked back, causing you to smile and shove at him playfully. 

Giving an exasperated sigh, you said “I can’t believe I’ve been so dumb about all of this, thinking...well, assuming totally incorrect things. Guess that’s what I get for not trying to just talk it out.” 

He gave you a mock-stern expression and said, “Well, then let this be a fucking lesson.” He used two fingers to point at your eyes and then at his own, and back to yours. “Partners, remember.”

God, you loved the way that word rolled off his tongue. It was exactly what you had always secretly hoped to find with a man: an equal partnership. Sure, Negan was still the leader of the Sanctuary and had the role of badass motherfucker to uphold, but at the heart of things you stood on equal ground, and your thoughts and feelings and opinions mattered just as much as his own. Not to mention, you would dare him to deny that you were the leader of the kitchen staff. And hey, there was a lot of power in being the one in charge of making sure the entire community was fed. And the fact that he didn’t want to take any of that away from you, that he was proud of your accomplishments, made you fall for him even more. 

“Partners,” you agreed with a nod, running a hand up over his chest. Fingers traced his strong, masculine features before running up into his hair to map the streaks of salt among the pepper. 

Eyes brightening with desire, he stared with laser focus down at your mouth, his nostrils flaring as he watched your teeth subconsciously nibble on your lower lip as you took in this handsome man who was yours. All yours. Seeing the intent in his gaze and knowing where this was about to go by the sudden tensing of his muscles for action, you pressed your other hand against his chest lightly and said, “Wait, one more thing. I have a request.”

“Name it,” he said without hesitation.

“Um...this might seem a bit random, but is there any way you could bump Simon up to having a single room?” When Negan looked at you in slight bewilderment, you continued, “That way Ben can visit whenever he wants.”

His brows lowered, and you were afraid he was going to dismiss the issue as not important, so you pressed on. “In all honesty, it was Ben’s insistence that I be honest and talk things out with you that helped push me to say what I did tonight. I kinda owe him.”

The unspoken words were that Negan kinda owed him too, and his scowl said that he heard them loud and clear. With a slight huff, he grumbled, “I’ll see what I can fucking do.”

Giving a wide smile, you stood up on tiptoe and planted a very grateful kiss on his lips, with tongue included. Pulling back a bit, you whispered against his mouth, “I’d love to see what you can fucking do.”

At that, he scooped you up into his arms with a growl and strode into the bedroom, where he then proceeded to spend a good portion of the night showing you just how thoroughly captured the king really was.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Extra Author’s Note: Holy crap, was I nervous af to post this chapter. I feel like so much has been building to this conversation between You and Negan, and I wasn’t sure how readers were going to feel about it. I know some people were expecting more drama and angst, especially since this is about the time that romance novels usually throw in the so-called “third act conflict”. However, I personally find it pretty annoying when that conflict is some form of unneeded miscommunication or lack of communication, followed by the characters being apart for a period of time and then coming back together in one grand gesture before bam, an abrupt ending where you’re to expect them to live happily ever after with no more issues. 

Instead, I had You and Negan do that earlier in the fic, with the “Confrontation” chapter where they royally fucked up and had to stumble their way back together, followed later by the pregnancy test argument where they started to fuck up but then both broke their unhealthy fight cycle (You did this by walking away and Negan did it by going after her and deciding to actually listen). And now, with this chapter I wanted to showcase their growth and how they’ve learned enough from past mistakes to move forward. Some people might see this chapter as too fluffy, but I saw it as a way to show two grown ass adults finally laying down their emotional shields and communicating in an open and healthy manner. At this point, I thought Negan and You deserved that, and I hope y’all agree. 

Whether you loved it, hated it, didn’t care, all of the above, etc, please feel free to let me know. I’m so so curious to hear what people thought of this chapter, and if what I was hoping to showcase came across in a satisfying way. Thanks for reading! I’ll be back with more updates after Camp Nano! <3

[libraryofloveletters]

Heir To The Throne

Chapter 4: Two Can Keep A Secret If One Is Dead.

There comes a day where all fathers pass their business down to their children. This was no ordinary business, this was the mafia. You were the sole heir to the throne and you didn’t want it. Your father’s right hands Derek and Aaron are tasked with convincing you otherwise, the last thing you expected to do was fall in love.

Mafia AU

Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader, Derek Morgan x Fem!Reader

Warnings: mentions of blood, killing and death, guns and use of, injuries, swearing, alcohol and the consumption of, almost confessions of love, death of parents and sibling 

Word Count: 4.7k

Author’s Note: I'm so sorry it took so long for me to get this up lmao also this one is wild, so much happens loool 

Masterlist /// Chapter 3 /// Chapter 5

---

All he could think about was you. 

Aaron bolted out of the room, he didn’t give Emily a second glance on his way out of the room. 

There you stood, Matt laying on the floor in front of you, what looked like a bullet hole in his stomach, the red blood staining the marble staircase. 

You didn’t move, you stood there, frozen in time. 

Aaron stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking back at the window behind him which was directly across from where you were standing. 

“Y/n, what happened?” he asked, you didn’t shift an inch nor did you answer him. 

Aaron walked up the stairs, the sound of people running down the hallway filled the foyer. Aaron grabbed your hands, your entire body had spatters of red, on your arms, on your face, on your dress. You looked at him, but your eyes shifted back to Matt. Luke had come out with Penelope, Spencer and Tara. Aaron looked back at Luke, there was a nonverbal exchange between them, Luke immediately made his way over to Matt as did Spencer. 

“What happened?” Aaron asked you again, your focus was anywhere but on him at the moment. Dave and Derek walked through the foyer, looking briefly at the scene unfolding on the stairs, Derek’s glance caught yours as they passed by. 

“What the hell happened?!” Aaron shook you, finally you looked at him. 

“Uh- I came out to go see Spencer, Matt was on the stairs. I went to apologize and then he got shot. I don't know what happened, Aaron I didn-” 

“Okay, shut up. He’ll be fine. You need to get somewhere safe.” 

“What ? No! I need to find out what's happening” 

You pushed past Aaron, running down the stairs as you followed the steps your father took moments ago, out the doors and into the yard. Aaron ran down the stairs after you, his hand being grabbed stopped him momentarily. 

“What’s going on?” Emily asked him, JJ was beside her. 

“I don't know, I’m trying to find out” Aaron pulled his hand from hers and headed out the door as well.

Outside stood your father along with 20 other men you had never met in your life. You pushed your way through the men, they all had guns out and pointed at whatever was in front of them and that’s exactly where you were trying to get too. Derek stood across from your father, a blond woman was in front of him. His arm around her neck, holding her in place with a gun pressed to the side of her head. She looked oddly familiar, like you had seen her somewhere before but you couldn't put your finger on in. 

“Who are you?” Dave asked, stepping towards the woman. “Wouldn't you like to know?” she spat at him, she noticed you standing a few feet behind your father. A chuckle left her mouth, “I thought I'd never see you again” she breathed, looking directly at you. Derek pulled her towards him, tightening his grip on her, the shoulder of her shirt moving in the process. 

A little red J beside a large rose tattooed on her right shoulder. 

Abigail. 

Your father looked back at you, “you know her?” he waited for an answer. You swore to James that you’d never tell.

 It takes two to keep a secret and it only stays a secret if one is dead. 

“Y/n. Do you know her?” Dave asked you rather harshly, you shook your head. “No idea who she is.” turning on your heels, you walked back into the house leaving your father, Derek, Abigail and all the men in the courtyard.

Aaron watched as you walked into the house, he wanted to stop you, to talk to you and make sure you were alright but Emily was right beside him and he wasn't in the mood for a fight with her, there were more pressing matters at hand. 

The blood had dripped down the stairs, pooling by the bottom of the staircase. Your mind flickering back to Matt but you pushed the thought aside and ran up the stairs. Abigail didn’t show up unexpectedly, you knew about her and knew this day would come eventually. She was James’s summer love from Paris. He met her when the two of you took the trip for your 16th birthday. Flipping through the closet for something that isn't blood cover, you recalled the first time James told you about her.  

James snuck into the room around 4am. Your nails tapped against the glass in your hand and his footsteps paused. The click echoed through the room and then the lights turned on, you were staring down the barrel of James’s gun. 

“Fuck,” he let out a sigh “what the hell are you doing in the dark? ” he lowered his hand, the gun re-tucked into the waist of his pants. 

“Where were you ?” 

“Out” the one word answer made you want to throw the glass at his head. The top few buttons to his shirt were undone and there was bright red lipstick on his shoulder. The undone button revealed his shoulder when he moved, a plastic like thing wrapped on his shoulder. “What’s that ?” you stand and pull his collar to the side. James swats your hand away, “stop that, you're acting like mom, darling.” his voice taunting you,  he knew you hated being compared to her because you were nothing like her. 

“Who else is gonna take care of your dumbass if she’s not here?” you ask him, your question making him roll his eyes. 

The shoulder of the shirt was now pulled down revealing a large red rose on his shoulder. 

“You got a tattoo ?” “yeah, do you like it?” you hum, returning to your spot on the couch. “I’m gonna go change. Maybe we can watch a movie or go see anywhere is open for breakfast ?” he kisses your head and goes to his room. A few minutes pass when there’s a knock on the door. 

“J?” you call, opening the door to a stranger at 4am wasn't the smartest thing to  do but James wasn't answering. “James?” you shout and then you hear the shower running. Standing in front of the door, you wait to hear if you hear anyone. Finally opening the door, a woman with blond hair stood in front of you. On her shoulder was a red rose with a J, identical to the one James had. 

“Who are you ?” 

“Could ask you the same thing” she smiles at you, your brother returns to see you at the door with the woman. 

“Abby, what are you doing here?” he asks her, stepping in front of you. 

“I came to see you sweetheart” 

“You need to go. I’ll come see you another time, okay ?” James leans towards her, giving her a kiss and then shuts the door in her face before she could protest. He turns, now facing you. 

“Is that Abby as in Abigail ? As in Vincent’s daughter ?” 

“Before you say anything-” “Are you fucking crazy ?!” you give your brother a shove. “Hey! Stop that! She wants nothing to do with that life. She barely talks to her father.” he tells you, as if that makes a difference. 

“She’s his only child, James. You know how these things go. This won't end well- you’d be lucky if Vincent finds out first and kills you before dad gets the chance” 

You walk away from your brother, leaving him in the hallway of your suite. Not a few seconds past before you hear him shouting for you, his hand on your shoulder stopping you in your place. Turning towards him, he reaches for your hands. 

“Y/n, promise me you won’t tell. You said it yourself, dad will kill me” his eyes find yours, the fear evident in his expression. 

James didn’t fear anything- anything except your father. 

A moment passed, you knew your father all too well- you knew what he was capable of. He wouldn't hesitate to get rid of James for lesser things but sleeping with the enemy’s daughter ? That would be it for him. He’d kill him without a blink of an eye.

“Okay.” you nod, “your secret is safe with me” James pulled you in for a hug, he whispers a thank you before letting you go. 

This was a secret that would go to the grave with you. 

Your father walked into your room. “Who is she?!” he shouted, you turned to face him. “Ever heard of knocking ? I was about to change.” you roll your eyes. 

“Answer my question. Who is she?” he shouts again 

“Vincent’s daughter.” 

“How do you know her?” 

“She was in Paris at the same time James and I went. I didn’t know she was his daughter until after we had dinner with her.” 

“Do you tell her about-” “No, never. James didn’t either.” 

And with that, he left you in your room. You changed and headed back down the stairs. The red blood had stained the stairs, dripping down the stairs and dried the way it fell. Derek was in the foyer by the door, you made your way over to him. “Where is she ?” you ask him, he nods towards the basement. You gave him a smile and went towards the stairs, Derek grabbed your arm. 

“You don’t want to go down there.” 

“Derek, let go of me.” 

“At least let me go with you” he pleads

“No thanks,” you rest for his waist, pulling his gun from his pants and tucking it into the waistband of your pants. “Got everything I need right here” you smile at him and head down the stairs, you can hear Derek chuckling as you go down. Your father stood outside of a room, the door locked but the groaning and hitting loud enough to be heard through the door. 

“What’s happening ?” looking at him, he sighs. “She says she's pregnant.. James’s” 

“What ? No, that’s not-” “That’s what I thought too.”  

“Is she actually, you know, pregnant ?” you turn to the door, he hums “No, Penelope checked the medical records.” 

Dave turns back towards the door, his hand on the handle. Your hands rests on his, “I'll go.” he lets go, letting you step in instead. Abigail sat strapped to a chair, her body blooded and bruised. The two men that were in there, looked to the door expecting your father but were met with you instead.

“Go, I'll deal with it.” stepping further into the room, the men looked confused. “We should stay-” “get out!” 

Abigail looked up at you, a disgustingly wicked smile on her face. She was proud of the chaos she caused. You internally groaned, holding back the urge to slap her. 

“What do you want ?” you spat, words laced with anger. You weren't in the mood for her bullshit.

“Surprised you’re still around” 

“I live here dumbass. Why are you here? James is dead.” 

“I’m pregnant” 

“It sure as hell ain’t James’s kid” 

“It is.” 

“Mkay, say it is James’s. What do you want from us?”

She was really starting to get on your nerves, James was dead and there was no way that baby was his. You indulged her, she had always been a little bit on the crazy side. “For my baby, to have its rightful place here.” 

“Why not with your father ? Why us ?” 

“Because James was your brother. This baby is his, he belongs here.” 

“It’s a boy?” you ask, her statement pulling on your heartstrings. James had always wanted to be a father, especially to a little boy. You couldn’t help but imagine for a moment what it would have been like if he was still here, with a baby on the way. That was just a dream, the reality was sitting right in front of you. 

“Yeah, I was thinking James jr” she says proudly. You let out a cackle, “that’s a fucking ugly name. Anyways, you’re not pregnant and it’s not my brother’s.” 

The door creaked as it was pushed open, Luke standing by the door, his shirt stained red from the blood- Matt’s blood. He nodded towards the hallway, you stepped out and Luke shut the door again, 

“What ?” you look at him, your eyes fixed on his shirt. 

“Abigail- Krystall’s daughter.” he tells you, noticing your gaze on his shirt. 

“What ? Who the fuck is Krystall- Oh my god. As in dad’s Krystall ?” looking up at Luke, he hums. “Yeah” 

“How’d you-” “Penelope.” 

You had no choice but to believe him, Penelope always had accurate information and Luke wouldn't lie to you, he knew better than that. Your eyes were still glued to his shirt, the red was shockingly bright against the white of his shirt. 

“I meant to change” he says, barely above a whisper. You just hum, turning to head back into the room. Luke’s hand wraps around your wrist, looking back at him, “He’s okay,” you let out a sigh, part of you was at ease now, “I’ll take you to see him after” Luke lets go of your wrist, you smile at him before stepping back in. The moment you reenter the room, the smile drops from your face. 

Abigail had passed out in her chair, she seemed peaceful for once. There was another chair in the corner of the room, you dragged it towards her. The sound of the legs dragging across the floor woke her, she groaned when she saw you. 

You sat on the chair, legs crossed as the heel touching the ground clicked against the concrete with each tap. The gun pulled from your waistband, now resting on your lap. 

“Okay, let’s try this again. Why are you here?” the click let her know the safety was released, your finger on the trigger awaiting her answer. 

“I’m pregnant” bang, one shot to her left foot. 

She screamed, the shot was a through and through- some of your finest work if you do say so yourself. 

“Medical records say otherwise, sweets. What do you want ?” 

“For the baby to have its rightful spot as heir.” Bang, the bullet grazed her right arm this time and hit the wall.

“Next one goes between your eyes, and I have excellent aim” smiling sweetly, you looked at her, the fear painted on her face. She swallowed, her face back to normal- no fear, no happiness, nothing. “Try me.” she says, challenging you. 

“Mkay, is it money you want ? Did daddy spend it all on his whores ?” 

“You don’t know anything about my father.” she spat, you watched her face drop when you mentioned him. 

“Awh, did daddy toss you aside for his new girl ? Is that why you ran away to Paris ? Is that why your mother ended up here ?” you obviously hit a nerve, she was furious. 

“Shut up bitch,” she spat again, “What happened between my parents and I, is none of your fucking business.” 

You laughed- a full belly, hunched over laugh. You couldn't believe this girl, you never understood what James saw in her. She wasn't smart, she obviously didn’t take over for her father and clearly, she wasn’t good at lying so what could she really do ? 

Getting up, you walked towards her. your hand gripping her face hard- hard enough to leave a bruise. “You're right, what happens in your family is your business but when you drag my brother into it, it becomes my business. So tell me what you fucking want or I swear to god, I'll fucking kill you, you stupid bi-” the gun was pressed against the side of her head when the door swung open. The force of it alone was enough to get your attention. 

Your father stood there, Aaron beside him. “Let her go,” he looks at you before looking at Aaron. “What ? What the hell do you mean let her go ?” your brows furrowed, the gun still against her head. Aaron walked over, his face calm with no expression per usual and he simply untied her. 

“What the fuck is going on?” turning to your father, he doesn't say anything, instead he steps aside, letting Abigail go. David turned and followed her down the hallway, you were beyond pissed. You were mumbling, pacing the room when Aaron’s hand reached for yours, breaking your thoughts. 

“He knows” was all he said. 

“Now is really not the time to be cryptic, who knows what ?” you looked up at the man in front of you. 

“David knows Abigail is Krystall’s daughter, that’s why he let her go” 

“Are you fucking-” cutting your sentence short, you push past Aaron and he followed you into the hallway, running after you as you ran down the hallway and up the stairs. “Y/n! Don’t!” Aaron shouted as he ran after you. 

“You fucking asshole!” you screamed, the statement was directed towards your father as you had a few choice words for him right about now. He was used to your ‘nonsense’ as he put it so he kept walking. You knew he wouldn’t stop to listen to you. You looked around the entryway, it was mostly empty- a few on the men and your father. Derek was off to a side with Emily and JJ by his side. You seem Krystall hugging Abigail and the sight of them alone made your blood boil. 

The sound of the bullet hitting the chandelier and it falling to the ground was the reason they stopped, your father turning to look at you. “What the hell are you doing?!” he shouted at you, looking between you and the shattered chandelier. That was the last thing your mother had decided on before passing, hence why it was in the middle of the villa for everyone to see. 

“I cannot fucking believe you.” you scoff, shaking your head. “Watch how you talk to me.” your father says causing you to roll your eyes. 

“I can believe that you’d pick them over your own. I’m your own flesh and blood-your fucking child and you overstep me for her? The bitch that you’ve known for all of 2 seconds and her slut of a daughter ?” you huff a laugh. Your father just stood there, not a word or a sound left his mouth- he just listened. 

“You know, I'm not surprised. You never cared. All you cared about was your stupid legacy and making sure you had someone to carry it on. That’s why you never cared about James, not until he was old enough and you never cared about me until James died- until you needed someone to fill his place. You’re a heartless son of a bitch and I swear to you, I'm done. I’m leaving and I'm never fucking coming back.” 

“Y/n, don’t make a stupid decision. What are you going to do ? Run off with Matt ? He doesn’t love you.” your father says plainly. 

“Fuck you.” 

Little did you know, those were the last words you’d ever say to your father. 

Stepping over the chandelier, the glass shattering under your heel as you went, you walked up the stairs, the conversation between your father and Krystall fading as you went up the stairs. Luke was sitting outside of Matt’s room, his head tilted back against the wall and his hand behind his head. 

“Hey,” you whisper, your hand on his shoulder. Your touch startled him, his hand twisting your hand and pulling your down towards his lap so he could see who was touching him. He let go once he saw it was just you. “Sorry” he mumbled, looking at you. 

“Jesus Al” rubbing at your wrist when he let go. 

Luke gives you an apologetic look as you walk into Matt’s room. 

“Hey you” you smiled at him, he was awake and laying on his bed. His shirt was gone but a giant gauze covered a large portion of his abdomen. 

“Hey” he whispers, going to sit up but your hand rests on his chest and you shake your head. 

“Stay still before you hurt yourself again.” Taking a seat on his bed facing him. He looks over at you, a small smile on his face. You return the smile, “how are you? I mean I know you got shot so that’s a stupid question but like, you know what I mean” you ramble out into one sentence. 

Matt chuckles and winces, “don’t make me laugh- I'm fine. I’ve gotten worse ones than this.” His hand finding its way to yours, fingers interlocking. “How are you ?” he looks at you, studying your face. “I heard about the situation down there” 

“Fine considering I cussed out my father and almost killed his whore’s child.” 

“So a typical Saturday for you?” Matt joked, you rolled your eyes. “Ha ha, very funny Matthew” his face scrunching up when you call him Matthew.  The conversation drops, the two of you sitting there in comfortable silence. Your thumb rubbing against his hand, you look up at him- eyes locking. 

“Matt, I lo-” the door opens, causing both of you to turn your attention towards that. A woman walks in, tall with red hair, a beautiful smile and glass in hand. 

“Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?” she asks, stepping back towards the door. 

You get up off the bed, your hand untangling from Matt's, “No, it’s fine. You are?” you smile at her, 

“I’m Kristy” she looks at Matt, he pipes up. “yeah, uh she’s uh- she’s my-” “his girlfriend” she finishes for him. You hum, looking back at Matt and then at Kristy. 

It made sense, you could see them together as a couple- a normal couple. Matt deserved to be happy, to settle down and have a family. Those were all things you couldn't and wouldn't be able to give him. 

He deserved it, all of it even, if it wasn't with you but nonetheless, you were happy for him. 

“You’re new here, aren't you ? I've seen you around with JJ” you ask, she nods before telling you that she just started her a few weeks ago.  

“You are?”  she repeats your question, looking to you for an answer. 

“Y/n, Rossi’s daughter.” you smile 

“Oh- oh my god, I’m sorry. If you want I can come back if you guys were busy.” she now realized who you were.

“Kristy, it’s fine. I was just coming by to see how he was.” glancing over your shoulder at Matt, you give him one last smile. You head towards the door, stopping beside Kristy, a hand now resting on her shoulder. 

“Take care of him, he’s a special one.” you give her a smile which she returned. Stepping out, shutting the door behind you. 

Luke looks over at you from his chair. “You okay?” he asks, his brows furrowed. 

“I could really use a drink” sighing, you go towards the stairs, you can hear the footsteps beside you, Luke now to your left. Just as the two of you reach the bottom of the staircase, a sound rang through the villa. 

Bang. 

Your head whipped towards the door, the noise coming from outside. You ran towards the door and straight out, Luke right behind you. Your father on the floor, a pool of blood coming from him. Derek and Aaron both had guns out, pointed at Abigail and her mother. Abigail had a gun in her hand, she let it drop to the ground as she let out a sigh. 

You were frozen in place. 

Everything running through your mind. 

Your father was going to die and you couldn't do anything. Your last words to him was ‘fuck you’ and you blamed him for everything that went wrong. Abigail killed your father and she was going to live? No way in hell was that going to happen, over your dead body. 

Without hesitation, the gun was pulled from your side. 2 more shots rang through the deafening silence. Krystall’s body hit the floor with a thud, Abigail looking over at her mother, a blood shattering shriek leaving her lips. She dropped down to her knees, her arms wrapped around Krystall’s lifeless body, you made your way over to her. 

Derek’s hand wrapped around your wrist, holding you back. “No,” you give him a look, your eyes for pleading him to let go as you pull away from him. He didn’t stop you- he knew it was best to let you go. 

Crouching beside Abigail, she looked at you. Her face covered in tears and her body soaked in blood. You sighed deeply, “see, it didn’t have to end this way.”you hum, the gun tilting her chin towards you. 

“You think I don’t know that your father was the one that killed James because he was seeing you?” you tell her, her face drops. 

No one knew that, no one except Abigail, James and her father knew about the threat or so they thought. They hadn't known that you were there that night, in the suite in Paris, just a room over when you heard Abigail’s father, Vincent threaten to kill James if he didn’t stop seeing her. James wanted out of the life so badly that death seemed like a better choice. 

“I- I loved him” she whimpers. 

“Yeah, well so did I. Life isn't fair sweetheart, tough luck ain’t it ? See, here’s the thing. Your father killed my brother and you killed my father. It was only fair that your mother died too, huh ? An eye for an eye, what do you say ?” Abigail looked at you like you were an absolute mad person. You hummed, she didn’t say anything.

The gun pressed to the side of her head and before she could even say anything, your finger squeezed the trigger. The blood spattered across your face and your top. You groaned, looking at your shirt, “there goes another one.” getting up, you see Abigail hunched over her mother. 

Dave was still on the ground, Aaron sat beside him with his hands covered in blood. He looked up at you, “I tried, I did” he whispers, you nod, your hand coming down to his shoulder. 

“I know.” you look up at the men by the door - two more of the men that worked for your father- “Take him inside” you sigh, watching as they pick him up, taking him inside until you could figure out what to do. 

The high heels that adorned your feel clicked against the concrete outside and against the tiles as you entered the villa. Stepping over the chandelier, you make your way into the dining room. The room is empty and quiet, you begin whistling before pouring yourself a drink. 

The chair at the end of the table was empty, your father’s chair, the boss’s chair- a chair that now belonged to you whether you liked it or not. 

Taking a seat in it, you leant back, your feet propped up on the mahogany table. You sigh, taking a sip of your whiskey and picking up the tune when you dropped it. 

It felt good to be king. 

----

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[youcantbesirius]

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG | S. B.

Pairing: Sirius Black x reader, platonic Regulus Black x reader

Warnings: swearing, plot changes, character death

Y/h - your house

Sirius watched the y/h halfblood witch sit on the table in the courtyard taking a crispy stick from her Hufflepuff friend putting it in between her lips imitating smoking. And as she let the puff of imaginary smoke go a smile broke on her lips as her shoulders shook likely. Her laugh was one of the most contagious things ever. The way you wheezed in bits of your laughter made even the coldest person crack up.

As your eyes met his, his world seemed to stop. He was loosening his tie seemingly short for breath. You, on the other hand, hopped off graciously and hopped over to the young Gryffindor wrapping your arms around him.

"Sirius! Long time no see" you chuckled as you swayed him from side to side.

"Hi..." he chuckled resting his chin on top of your head.

It was quite funny how the noble heir of the Black family was with the halfblood witch. Yet, it made perfect sense. Your mother was a nanny for the Black brothers. And you were simply there, helping her make some money after she was cast out of the pureblood community for being with a muggle.

Walburga and Orion were hard people. But they paid no attention as long as you were doing what you were told. (Depending on your house) They were, however, very pleased that Slytherin got such a talent. And then your mom found better job at the ministry and your time with the Blacks was over. Regulus and Sirius were your best friends and not being able to see them much was painful.

"I haven't seen you much since the sorting ceremony..." you stated in concern. You knew better than anyone what it must be like for him.

"Yes...I, you know how my parents are" Sirius's hands found yours. Both of you, touch starved kids found solace in your hand holding.

"To the dogs with them as my mum would say" you scoffed looking deep into his eyes "you know I am always there for you, both my mum and I are" and he nodded at your statement smiling softly.

As a friendly, defying in spite attitude, you showed that your attitude was very different than the most. You didn't have to be talented at divination to forsee what type of person would you become.

And the years went by, you were still very much the same, if not even harder. Many things happened, you matured quickly and with it stress came. Sirius and you drifted apart a bit. You were a bad girl of your own and he was a bad boy of his own. The only person who truly knew you inside out other than him was Regulus Black, your guardian angel.

"Lay off the alcohol, y/n/n" Regulus took the bottle from your hands handing it to your Hufflepuff best friend to take.

"I need to let loose, Reg, I need to..." you were leaning your forehead against his chest struggling to stand.

"I know..." he looked around catching the sight of his womanizer brother. Sirius's face, even though tipsy, held so much concern.

In a few quick steps he approached them, ditching his previous conquest. His hand landed on the small of your back as he turned to his brother.

"What's wrong?" Sirius looked down at his friend who was struggling.

"Her mother was hurt, bad this time" Regulus whispered.

"Shit..." Sirius closed his eyes.

"Well, that is the wonder of being an auror, never home, never there but it brings money and might leave your kid an orphan" you spoke bitterly.

And for that reason Sirius decided the Potters were better choice. They had money and he would only burden your mom, not to mention his parents would kill you both if you were to take him in.

"Fucking hell..." Sirius moved the hair away from your face that was still resting on Regulus.

"Let's take her to her dorm" he said to Regulus.

Next morning was probably the worst. Your head seemed like it was about to explode. You shifted on your bed only to meet the eyes of your amused dorm mate.

"I could not believe it when Black brothers brought you up. Like I wasn't so surprised seeing Regulus, but Sirius too. Damn baddie" she chuckled as you silently rubbed your face.

Hogsmeade day, you thought. You cleaned yourself up, ditching your uniform and grabbed your leather jacket. Your rock style was very much refreshing to the school. Tight grey jeans, chain, baggy tucked in t shirt with some random band you loved and of course your black leather jacket. You did your makeup to hide the evidence of last night and decided it was time. So upon arriving you sat on the table in Hogsmeade park, your feet resting on the bench, a cigarette in between your lips to so desperately calm yourself.

Once cheerful, now surrounded by darkness of your aura, still touch starved in desperate need of love. You thought about your life. Of the goals you wanted to reach.

"Pads, I don't think it is a good idea" you could hear panicked Remus.

"Yeah, what if she throws hex at us" the squealing voice didn't help your migraine.

"I know her, Wormtail. She wouldn't" you heard Sirius's annoyed voice.

"Come on guys, what is the worst that could happen" James Potter said.

"Well, I am not sure if this is upgrade from when we were young or a downgrade. Your looks are definitely upgrade" Sirius smiled causing you to raise a brow.

"Are you flirting with me, dear Sirius?" You spoke even though cigarette was still between your lips, shuffling through your pockets to find that bloody lighter.

But Sirius beat you to it, lighting it for you.

"Thanks" you took a puff and looked at the group.

"We need your help" Sirius spoke taking your free hand in his. And just like when you two were young, you felt calmer, but there was something new. Adrenaline rush surged through your body.

"With what?" You took the cigarette out of your mouth looking at the rest of them, your eyes only meeting James's who quickly dropped the eye contact.

It happened with most of the boys. The only two that were able to maintain it, Black brothers.

"W-we heard you are outstanding with nonverbal magic and we need you to help us" Peter, you assumed, spoke but quickly hid behind Sirius as you looked at him.

"Peter, I don't shoot laser nor hexes out of my eyes, I won't hurt you" you stated annoyed.

"I suppose it has something to do with your problem, Rem" you looked at the boy who looked up at you in shock.

"How do you know?" He asked nearing closer to you.

"Animagus, mum thought it would be safer for me. Accidentally saw you guys on my run" you shrugged.

"Did you speak to anyone about it?" James asked.

"Do I look dumb to you? Of course not, your secret is safe with me, Rem" you looked at him and he met your look.

"Thank you so much" he smiled.

"What is your animagus?" Sirius asked "I am hurt you did not tell me"

"You weren't talking that much to me, lover boy. To answer your question it is (your patronus animal or your favorite animal)"

"Nice" James smiled.

As you were about to light another cigarette a hand quickly pulled it out of your mouth and you faced annoyed Regulus.

"No more for today" he scolded earning a laugh from his brother.

"Do we have a deal, (nickname used for your animagus form)?" He asked you as the boys began to leave.

"Mhm, meet me in the library after lunch" you winked at him and for a second you could swear you saw Sirius Black blush.

It was the last year. You and Reg drifted this time, due to his affiliation. Not that you did care about that, bit his excuse was "I am doing this to keep you safe, damn it!"

It was a painful goodbye that still tasted salty. The news of his death brought you more pain that anything ever did. But his heroic act was what brought Voldemort to be defeated and not be a threat ever again. As a part of the Order, your new friends, the Marauders and Lily and well Snape, it was funny how you two became friends. You sat both him and Lily down, locked them in a room, much to James's dismay until they sorted it out. You were in 12 Grimmauld place preparing to leave.

"Stay..." Sirius took your hands "Please..." he looked down at you, at your softly lips.

"Okay..." you whispered looking up at him licking your lips a bit.

"Can I-?" He gulped earning your quick nod.

"Yeah?" And it was the best kiss you ever had in your life, with your childhood friend, crush and the only man besides Reg, that you felt peace.

"Took you two long enough" is all you could hear Kreacher mutter.

Kreacher and you were close. Not only because of Regulus, but you would not let him overdo himself and would send him to rest.

You chuckled at the remark looking up at Sirius.

"Glad to have your blessing, Kreacher" he smiled at the muttering house elf who went to his chamber.

"Now that we are alone..." Sirius smiled leaning back in to give you a long kiss.

"You are insatiable, Sirius" you giggled.

"Don't pretend you don't like it " he cornered you against the table lifting you up on it.

Your love was very affectionate, full of touching, almost like you were attached to a hip. That is why ever since you were younger you were comfort for each other, you were safe haven, you were made for each other.

And after years, there you stood with him watching your children run around with your godson Harry, laughing at James who ran after them trying to get them inside to eat. You looked at Lily who was shaking her head.

"Remus and Severus will be here soon" she notified.

"Good. Haven't seen my touch starved, sarcastic friend in a while" you gave Lily a look making her chuckle.

"Hugs for Severus and chocolate for Remus it is then"

You got old together, had many memories you decided to store. The funniest being you becoming grandparents. Sirius broke into a fit of sobs seeing his first grandchild.

"See dad, now you represent your initals S.O.B." your son Regulus teased.

"Shut up" Sirius hiccup looking at the little princess of the Black family.

"Maybe her dad won't be as protective as her grandfather will be" your daughter Arabella laughed.

"Oh no boys until 20!" Sirius hugged you as you laughed at him.

"Tsk, you are in position to talk you womanizer" you teased.

"See! I AM! Because I know boys are scumbags, I speak from experience!" He said.

"What if she likes girls Sirius?" You teased.

"Same goes, you were a bad girl!" He attacked your cheeks with kisses earning an ew from your children

"WHEN WE WERE YOUNG!" you protested.

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

tags via @carinyms bc YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH they're actually both extremely soft and that's actually why i go off about ep5 in tags so much- by necessity of circumstance, simply because in episode 5 each of them has taken turns for the past episode thinking they'd lost the other, there is so much emotional vulnerability, and that's really the softest we've seen Sylvie so far.

i really cannot shut up about the implications of her pruning herself, because not only is she risking her entire life's goal on the off chance she can get Loki back - bc Sylvie is actually the more impulsive of the two, despite how she tries to make it seem otherwise; i don't think her theory about the Void was fully formed when she pruned herself - she's also, like i said before, risking her life. and yeah i've mentioned this way too many times but it's worth saying again because even in a six-episode season it remains consistent, albeit not stated outright: Sylvie is terrified to die.

you can see it underneath her anger the entire time they're on Lamentis, the way she can't stand still after the train (something about the way she's rocking back and forth on her feet as she yells at Loki in that scene just gets to me, ok?), the way her eyes are just a little too shiny to pass as simply being angry- it all winds up back at this really deep fear. and maybe it starts as the fear of failure, the sudden realization that she may never be able to complete her lifelong goal, but by the end i think that's fallen away. she's so tense sitting beside the lake and when the explosions start getting closer and she takes Loki's hand and pulls it closer to her she looks like she's on the verge of a panic attack.

(i added something to another post about the moment Loki recognizes how scared she is, how you can see him resolve to comfort her in those final moments and that's the moment she becomes his glorious purpose. i hold to that sentiment.)

so yeah. even just that early on you can tell that Sylvie fears dying. it's consistent, too, if you look at the scene where they take on Alioth and the monster starts going for her?? her eyes get REALLY BIG and she looks very scared for a few seconds. you can alsp see it right before she prunes herself, the way she looks down at the spear and her face goes blank for a second but you can see it in her eyes, she knows Ravonna could be lying about the Void and she has to weigh the worth of throwing away the last shreds of her former plan just on the 50/50 chance that this woman who hates everything about her is actually telling the truth.

and yet she still does it, even though she's visibly nervous and very possibly ending her own life??? i'm gonna have to tag a trigger warning at the end here tbh because of the way i'm talking about this but for real, i stand by that one line i wrote in my very first Sylki fic about how, essentially, what Sylvie did in pruning herself was suicide. she killed herself, or at least knew it was an option, just for a chance to be with Loki again. and she was scared, she was but the feelings she has for Loki outweighed that in those moments!!

which makes the last episode even more poignant and painful on a couple counts: number one because in ep6, her feelings for Loki aren't powerful enough (or, rather, she doesn't let them be powerful enough, but that's a whole other rant and i've probably already written it somewhere lol) to outweight her need for revenge and purpose. but also, backing up a little bit, all of this *waves hand at above ranting* adds a whole new level to "kill me then, thake your throne".

Sylvie, terrified of death even more than she fears vulnerability, stands in front of Loki in the middle of a heated fight and holds his blade to her neck. now i mean obvs this is the same sentiment as Loki goading Thor into fighting him at the end of Thor1, but also... i don't think she expects him to actually fight her?? she wants him to, she's trying to force him to turn on her so that her pathological mistrust will be validated, but i feel like even in the midst of that she knows better and maybe even on some level does trust that he wouldn't hurt her???

anyway i just spent like an hour and a half rambling and going off on several different rabbit trails, anyone who's actually read this whole spiral deserves cookies or something. the point is that yeah Sylvie is actually extremely soft and she tends to cover up all that vulnerability with anger but a lot of times it still shows through and i am OBSESSED with all the different things you can notice about her

Loki | episode 3 - Lamentis

[popatochisssp]

Alright, this one definitely goes under a cut! XD

Horrorfell

Same rough concept as my take on Horrortale (if you’ve read FGTC, you know the gist, but I’ll sum up)-- human falls, does a Neutral run, leaves the Underground in disrepair, without solid leadership and no souls.

Slight divergence from that: Toriel wasn’t killed in this run...

...but a lot of other monsters were, so when she tried to take the throne, she was more or less booed offstage for wanting anything other than immediate, violent retribution against humanity for what they did.

Undnye is the candidate who takes over, grieving over the disappearance of Alphys and more than a little mad with rage at humanity.

Papyrus...disagrees with her politics. He was thinking ahead-- if one human child could so badly decimate their society, what could a grown one do? An army? No, they had to be smarter than that...

The disagreement...escalated.

Which brings us to...

Horrorfell Sans

He got caught up in the fight with Undyne, trying to help his brother out. He got a broken skull for his trouble, but he was a little sturdier than his non-’fell counterpart and took a few more hits, too: leaving his jaw set at a crooked angle and his cervical vertebrae badly cracked.

He's totally nonverbal. Speech physically hurts him now, so he stopped doing it. He could probably still rasp out a word or two, if you pressed him, but as soon as he hits the Surface, he's gonna start the slow (slow, Slow, SLOW) process of learning sign

It's slow because his memory retention is terrible and he pretty much just lives mostly in the moment, by context clues. He doesn't wanna embarrass himself or look stupid by asking what's going on (and in some cases, with the language barrier, he couldn't ask anyway...) so he just cold-reads what he can and tries to Act Natural

Aggression around or towards him can trigger feral states, in which he absolutely will snap and lunge if he feels threatened, or feels like a loved one is being threatened. While still Underground, he ended up wearing a chest-harness so his brother could grab him and hold him back from attacking if need be (yanking on his collar could've damaged his neck worse than it already was).

No harness on the Surface, but that also means that he doesn't........really leave the house, not un-escorted: his brother (and he himself) worry about him losing himself or just being unable to communicate while he's solo. Unfortunately, he's a social guy, so this makes him pretty lonely, and very frustrated feeling like he's trapped in the house and needs his brother to do things

Makes hand-knit blankets and sells them online for work, no face-to-face communication necessary and the repetitive skill is easy to get absorbed in and not screw up-- so long as he has a pattern to work off of

Horrorfell Papyrus

Lost his leg below the knee in That Fight with Undyne-- it wasn't initially a bad break, but then he walked on it, carrying an unconscious Sans, and used their limited healing supplies on his brother instead of himself, so... (It's fine though, in the end, he found out later he took her eyes in the same fight, so fair trade, right?)

Has a prosthetic leg his brother made for him, it looks nothing at all like the original leg, or even really a leg, but it's cool as hell and extremely functional, which are the only two things he cares about (He probably puts Cool™️ decals on it, post Surfacing, some awesome flames and such, you know)

Patrolled Snowdin for humans, siccing Sans on any they found and pulling him back before he mauled them too badly that their souls couldn't be used and then bringing the meat to the Capital for distribution. Getting everyone out was the priority, no grudges against Empress Undyne...except that Papyrus didn't trust her with the souls and kept them squirreled away Somewhere so she couldn't just absorb one and go to the Surface and make a huge political mess with the humans. He lies to Undyne and tells her Sans was just shattering the souls beyond retrieval-- she only half-believes him and sends a lot of spies to Snowdin on the regular, it's a Whole Thing

...Until he assassinates her and assumes the throne himself right before they have enough souls to Surface. Then, he’s the King who brought everybody to freedom, so it’s easier to convince monsters around to the whole Let’s Not Wage War on All of Humanity thing. His reign is short and he abdicates to Toriel as soon as things are more or less settled.

Has a very abrasive personality, incredibly prickly and intentionally mean (because he's terrified of forming personal connections: he almost called Undyne a friend and look what she did to him, to Sans, he has so much guilt over that and feels like he should probably never let anyone in ever again)

Very gentle and patient with his brother, all things considered-- not an insult or a cuff upside the head to be found, just casual support and acceptance. He learns sign in the first few months Aboveground so he'd be ready whenever Sans was.

A battle-weary soldier to the core, glad to be Done...but he also won't hesitate to use (non-lethal) force in any situation if he deems it necessary

Becomes a physical therapist on the Surface, he knows the pain and struggle of a mobility-impacting injury and wants to help others conquer it like he did...though he's not wholly bluffing for his ego when he says he sadistically enjoys putting people through their paces and making them cry. It's for a good cause, in the end!!!

Fun Facts Because They’re Important To Me

Sans doesn’t know a whole lot of sign yet, but he knows all the swears, all of them, it was very important to him

Sometimes when going up stairs, he will take them on all fours. He will also go on all fours if he’s running, but he almost never runs because he’s very lazy

Intense fear and anger can trigger his feral states, but so can extreme happiness-- so if he’s cuddling with a s/o, it is not out of the question that he might start purring or knead the blankets around them up into a cozy little nest

-

Papyrus needs glasses for reading, but doesn’t wear them out, he thinks they make him look too approachable. (He’s right, because they’re the half-moon kind that look like they belong on an old lady librarian--they even have the little chain attached so he doesn’t lose them around the house.)

Even more tsundere than tsundere, somehow-- it shouldn’t be possible, but he’s managed it. Anyone trying to get close to him, emotionally, had better have a thick skin for those first couple of months of ‘I’m A Jerk, You Don’t Want To Like Me!‘

Is seeing a therapist for Everything That Happened. He doesn’t regret most of it, but Undyne was... hard... and he figures he needs some kind of counseling for that. Unfortunately, he makes his therapist want to bang their head against a wall because he is so stony and slow to open up. He still goes, though, so that counts for something, right???

And to differentiate from other multiverse skeles, their nicknames shall be Brick (Horrorfell Sans) and King (Horrorfell Papyrus), and that’s aLL I GOT THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

[emiisanxious]

Everything is NOT alright! - Chapter 1

Archive of Our Own Link

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories:

M/M

Multi

Fandom: Sanders Sides (Web Series)

Relationships:

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders

Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders

Logic | Logan Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders

Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders

Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders

Additional Tags:

Established Relationship

Developing Relationship

Relationship Discussions

They all worry and are gay for Virgil

Alternate Universe - Human

Swearing

Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Has Panic Attacks

Fluff

Comfort

chapter four has:

Self-Hatred

Self-Esteem Issues

Implied/Referenced Suicide

Panic Attacks

Crying

Angst

Comfort/Angst

Summary: “Roman is worried about how Virgil is acting, instead of trying to talk with him, he just... Brings it to the rest of their boyfriends.”

Note: It’s the day after Everything is Alright, please read that fic first. Also, not all the ships are on all the chapters.

Note about this chapter: I'm not in any way a babysitter, neither does I know how it works. Also, I don't live on EUA to understand how works should work. So this is all fiction and just to fit what I wanted to write.

He was walking around his room, Virgil woke up early he barely had any sleep, in reality, Roman could count exactly the hours and minutes that his boyfriend slept and that wasn't his persona it was Logan's persona to do that! He was worried, a lot worried.

"Hey, Ro, calm down okay? It's not that family I will be back in like 6 hours I promise." Even with that assurance he still didn't like, but he couldn't do anything as the Emo Nightmare just kissed him and got out.

"You had only 4 hours of sleep you idiot." He murmurs as he throws himself on the couch, for more that he loved Virgil that was enough, as he gets his phones and goes to the first floor knocking on the door.

"Ro ~!" A cheerful voice as he recognized as Patton opening it, placing a gentle cheek kiss. "Get in... Wait, where is Vee?" It soon dropped in a worried tone as the brunet just shocks his head. The person in question always had clothes with Kakhi and baby blue colors and that wasn't different today, Patton also had blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, and freckles around his face.

As Roman he has brunet hair, he liked to use white and red color clothes and brown eyes, a roll of those eyes as he went to the dining room where he found Logan sitting reading. The said one had black hairs and eyes, and used always black with navy blue cloths. "Greetings Roman." As he notices the other getting in and later Patton. "Wait, Virgil isn't coming? Is he fine?

He rolled his eyes again as he just sits next to Logan. "I will talk more once the other two are here." Was all the explanation he could give, for his luck he didn't need to wait too much as another knock and Patton went there, soon he could see his twin, although he is identical he uses more of black and green, the opposite of Roman and had a mustache. It was easy to know who is who

Next to him was a red-haired guy, with amber eyes, using black and yellow, it was funny how they just went with their favorite colors, soon all of them were sitting with the food on the table. All of the other four looking to him, as he grows. "Now that is everyone here. Virgil isn't coming." He started he already knew where it was going.

"That... Is rare but not uncommon." Janus said as he looked a bit confused, not understanding why Roman was so... Worried.

"Yeah, we all have different jobs and his schedule is far messier than yours, bro." Remus was the next one to keep the track of thoughts once he does lose his tracks a lot, so it was a nice way to keep him paying attention.

"Well, that is true. But I'm worried and I want to talk about it." Roman sighed as he thinks about it before narrating what happened yesterday. "Okay, so he went to work, saying it was going to be a 12 hours shift. He would do trick-or-treat with the kid, then tuck him in and the next day he would be here at 10 am. But he didn't. Instead, he sent me a text saying he wasn't sure when he would be back because the family had a problem. To sum up... He got back home at 11 pm." He was trying to keep himself sound too annoyed by it.

"His anxiety was in the roof, he fell a bit nonverbal, he was pale, he told me he didn't eat and neither sleep all that time. And he told me that he would need to do it again tomorrow. Pass the night on this family house. Also, he slept just four hours and went to work because, as he didn't know that yesterday would take so long, he did schedule someone for today. And in between, I was taking care of him he also falls in the thinking he was a bother to me." His tone died there, it was already five years they all were together and he knew it was just his anxiety's voice saying things but it already hurt to know that he still thought like that.

Silence fell in the dining room as he looks at them. "Now you say me this is common and I shouldn't be worried."

"Hm... That sure is a problem..." Logan was the first one to speak as he looks to Roman. "Did you tried to ask him for a talk with the family?"

"Honestly? No. All that I could do yesterday was ground him, remember he didn't do anything wrong with that exercise of asking about the kid and his day. Then remembered to him that I loved him and I would still cuddle and caress him even if he didn't ask. And pretty much fall in silence, just cuddling, later he went to shower I got the food and we eat something while watching a movie. Were he falls asleep in the middle of that."

A long sigh. "Well... Since we are going to what I presume a rough week, probably weeks. Till that family doesn't ask for him. How about this: We make sure that one of us is here all the time? So when he is back whenever his work is done, one of us is at least here." It was kinda obvious that Logan would suggest that but at least it was a nice start.

"He dislikes when we change our schedule remember this." Janus said as he looks at Logan.

"Oh, I know! I will pick Logan's notebook, and we can organize it first. If it happens to have an hour without anyone we can see how to work about it." Patton said as he gets up and went to pick what he said.

"Honestly, that family doesn't know that he isn't a slave to be at their mercy?" Remus tone was sure annoyed as he started to pick some things to eat, after all, he was the only one that didn't sleep yet. "We should kill them!"

"Remus." It was all the warning that Janus gave the sadistic twin. He didn't get an answer, but as Remus, he started to pick up things to eat.

Roman fell silent, now that he put that out of his chest he relaxed a lot, soon Patton brought Logan's notebook back and they started to talk about their schedule as the more organized person just noted. After half an hour, the dining room fell silent again, although they all started to eat.

"So, from what I can see we don't need to change our schedule, we just need to make sure that we all are here when we said and it's adequate." Logan says finally as he turns the object so they can see it. "Also I don't think I need to remember, but... Just to make it clear, be careful okay? Follow the schedule the most perfect way you all can if you can't or something happens, call or text all to see if someone can be there."

They all nodded. "Can you talk to him, Lo? So maybe try to convince him to talk with the family to have some of us with him? Honestly, I'm worried about how long he can go without sleep or eat..." Roman says, he honestly felt terrible for bring that to the table and call out his emo, but they all cared for him so it was fair and right.

"Yes, I can. But only if it happens to him be with me. I honestly, don't think that pushing a talk will be good this week. Virgil isn't a kid, when he is rational, he knows that he needs the company to calm down. Obviously when he isn't..." Logan trailed off as he sighs.

"Okay, okay stop!" Patton says as he looks at Roman and Logan. "We all are worried about him okay? In on own ways. Roman, I thank you for telling us, now that we all know, we will make the compromise of helping. We all in a way or not helped him with his anxiety. So, we know how to help. Now, time to eat and keep up with our days before we all get late. Remus, you need sleep dear." The father figure of them looked to the said in the question and then turned to the rest.

"Logan, please send the schedule to me, I will send it to Vee with a kind message. He knows that in this famILY breakfast we all share our schedule so I know a way to keep him calm." Patton finished as he started to eat.

They looked at each other, it was easy to say that for more they wanted to vent it in their ways, it would just be useless. Remus could always suggest things to Janus later, where Janus would stop Remus from doing, but he would help with his creativity in a weird way to vent those annoying feelings.

Logan could always complain about it and how he wished that Virgil had some more... Care about himself. The purple hair was always worried about them, but he seemed to forget or just push himself to the last. And that wasn't healthy. Patton would for sure agree with Logan and try to help deal with those feelings.

Roman felt more relief as that he wasn't alone anymore, he knew that they all loved Virgil, although the said person seemed to forget or just, not remember it when worked up. So right now, he was just glad that this famILY worked in a nice way.

[signaturedish]

So I’ve been playing that free Uncharted Remastered pack thing and hit Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception.

It’s definitely clunkier than the first two, not as visually interesting either tbh. But I really like these tiny character moments that are pure acting aided by graphics good enough to translate it to screen.

Sully- that old guy- has just been riddled with death flags this whole time. So many sentimental lines, vaguely forboding warnings about his mortality, even a super corny origins clip between him and child!Nate to really punch things home. My eyes have been rolling through every melodramatic “hint”.

But this little look is nonverbal, it isn’t overly dramatic or emotionally manipulative. It’s just a quick glare at Charlie while crowding Nate in closer after he was almost killed. Five seconds max.

It’s exactly how a human being might react in that situation, and to me it was the most effective “you better fuckn sob when we fake Sully’s death later” tactic I’ve seen so far.

I just really appreciate a good storytelling moment like that, where an actor or a director can make a scripted action just feel like a reaction, you know?

It’s not just because I’m a sucker for dad moments, I swear. It’s just that after a thousand sledgehammer emotional scenes, I wanted to appreciate one that felt effortless. I hope the franchise leans on their actors more, I think they’ve got the chops for it.

Maybe I’ve just been with BioWare too long and any non-grandiose motion impressed me lol idk.

[theewrites-tf2]

‘Dad is Mad,’ AKA, Daddy Issues: The Fanfic

What does a reluctance to study, a wild desire to write about an OC, and coffee help create? 

This mildly edited fanfic, of course!

ENJOY, and let me know if y’all want more OC content!!!

—————————————————————————————————-

“It’s still bleedin’!!!” The whiney pitch from the backseat, combined with the thick Bostonian accent, made a grey-ice eye twitch violently again, as the driver gripped the wheel firmly. “Injuries tend to do that,” Spy growled lowly, keeping his eyes firmly on the barren road ahead of him, slick with the downpour of rain. “Your nose isn’t special, Scout, it will bleed like anyone else’s.”

“Especially when you pause to gloat, surely you saw that fist coming to your face?” Another eye-twitch as the silk-smooth drawl of the French woman in the passenger seat sounded,  as unmarred, perfectly manicured fingers procured a lipstick-ruby red, perfectly matching the blood that spotted the edge of her skirt-and she began to masterfully apply a fresh coat. “ ’Ey! I LET him take me by surprise!” Scout insisted, pointing an accusing finger at the noticeably uninjured Règine, whilst holding his bleeding nose in the other. “All the badasses take on injuries, I had to fill in my badass QUOTA!”

Patiently, she began to make a delicate swerve of red to match the arch of her lip, “Then I suggest you quit complaining, mon ami,  if you allowed yourself to be injured on purpose for glory-points.” She paused, grey-ice eyes narrowed in the mirror to meet Scouts, “It’s foolish and reckless, and you are lucky that I arrived in time to-” “Oh, don’t you start now, you didn’t HELP me!” Scout shouted back, eyes flaring indignantly, simultaneous with the crackle of thunder overhead, “You threw a gun at my hand and ran the other way, Ray, that’s not ’helping!’" 

"The point was for you to USE that gun, not whine and shriek when it brushed against you with more force than a feather-” “Feather?!  Bullshit, you CHUCKED it at me, felt like a goddamn TRUCK, least you coulda done was WARN me-”“I was on an espionage mission, revealing my position to the locals would have ruined the goal- ”“Nuh-uh, you could’ve stopped to help-”“-and we would’ve lost the files to the enemies. Apologies, but I think you can survive a mild BUMP to the nose in the eyes of our success-”“-how about YOU get bumped next time, Miss Not-gonna-help-I’m-just-gonna-do-my-makeup-and-save-the-day-without-lifting-a-pinkie- !” “ENOUGH!”

The roar from the older Frenchman was accompanied by the squealing of tires, and a Scout, as the brakes were slammed on and the car skidded to a halt. Scout nearly careened into the seats in front of him, while Règine patiently placed a hand on the dashboard to steady herself, sighing knowingly as the car came to a halt. Tense silence filled the air, with Scout swearing mutely as he righted himself, and Spy slowly, one by one, unclenched his fingers from the death-grip on the steering wheel… And Règine turned back to the car mirror, going to work on painting her lower lip. 

Spy turned, sharply enough for Scout to flinch back,  then tried to puff up indignantly, even under the glare of identical silver-blue irises shooting (metaphorical) daggers into him. Spy  pointed a leather gloved, blood-stained finger at the Bostonian, teeth gritted so hard they could’ve been beginning to crack. “YOU were practically a CHILD back there,” He nearly spat, and Scout actually reached up to wipe some spittle. “And acting like an utter, incompetent, arrogant, overconfident, whining FOOL back there, embarrassing not only our TEAM, but my FAMILY name. And if I ever catch you recklessly endangering a mission like that AGAIN, I WILL leave you to face the consequences ALONE. And YOU-”

Règine clicked the lipstick shut, eyes narrowed with chin raised challenging and already turned to meet his glare. Father and daughter stood in a nonverbal stand-off of eye-contact. A minute passed. Then two. By the third minute, Scout had stopped sputtering indignantly and angrily in the backseat, and was pressed back slightly, uncertainly glancing between the two angry French natives. A glance at the door, as if pondered if heading out in the rain and letting them have this… Thing in private, was the best choice-

“I won’t even give you the dignity of being associated with my family name.” Spy jerked his gaze away before finally growled this out, hands stiffly grabbing the steering wheel again as he restarted the car, leaving his estranged daughter still, eyes narrowed as chin remained raised in silent challenge. She finally lowered it, but not upset, or with a shred of quivering of her bottom lip. She turned back forward, and heaved an almost bored sigh as the car started forward again.

“Well, you succeeded disassociated me with the family name years ago. Really, you need to come up with better, fresher material, père.”

The car had barely moved a few yards, before the brakes slammed again, and Scout cut his stunned, shocked silence with a yelp as he fell forward again. “Get out of my car.” Spy ordered, voice cold and hard as stone as his eyes refused to move from the road ahead. Règine smoothed down her lightly blood-splattered skirt, unbothered, “May I remind you it’s raining?” She mused, not looking up at him, turning her attention to brightening her appearance. “You’d truly leave a young lady out in the middle of the desert, during a storm-?” “Oui. Now go, or I’ll drag you out with a bullet in your knee.”

Règine was silent, before she turned to the back of the car, offering a cool upward tilt of her lips to Scout, while her hand opened the passenger door. “I had fun, let’s do this again sometime, hm?” Scout could only gawk and with a sly, cool wink, Règine slid out smoothly into the downpour, and a crackle of red smoke,  from her cloaking device faded out into the night, slamming the door behind the form of smoke…

Really SLAMMING, so hard that the car reeled under the two remaining men inside, and Scout could’ve sworn that the outline of cracks in the window could be seen, as lightning crashed. Scout gawked, clambering over to his window and scanning the dark, thunder-lighted desert for a fading cloud of red-smoke, any sign of his sister…  But the car lurched under him before he could find her, and he cursed again, nearly collapsing as the car raced down the road again.

“Wh-what the HELL, Spy, turn back!” Scout demanded,  crawling up to smack Spy’s head-rest. “We can’t just LEAVE her out here-" 

"I just did, put your seatbelt on.” “It’s MILES from the nearest town-!" 

"Good, then we won’t have to concern ourselves with her until her return later… Hopefully, much later.”

 "SPY, seriously, turn around!  Why are you being such an asshole?!“

Leather creaked as hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, and Scout braced for impact of the brakes again. Instead, a different impact hit him as Spy growled out,  "Jeremy. Put on a seatbelt, or you can join her. If you can possibly find her.” Scout considered it, for a minute. It’d stick it to the old man, for sure,  Scout would KILL to see his expression as his kid walked out on him,  ’Really turn the tables on the jerk… Show him how it feels.’

But then a glance into the dark desert landscape outside, going by in a flurry fast enough to make his head spin, his chances of running back and finding a pissed-off,  invisible Frenchwoman in the dark, in the RAIN…  Well, to say such chances were SLIM was a compliment. Reluctantly, and with plenty of insults grumbled underbreath, Scout sat back in his seat. Though, in defiance, he refused a seatbelt, and went back to covering his sore, dried-blood-coated nose with his hand, glaring out the window until a handkerchief was thrust into his face. 

“Take it, and be quiet.” Spy ordered, more annoyed than the tense rage he had been filled with earlier, sounding more like the normal Spy Scout knew and tolerated, then whoever the asshole was took his place when Règine was around. 

“The doctor will take a look back on-base. And I expect that back, washed and ironed carefully by the end of the week.” Scout glanced at the fancy napkin in surprise, then eyes narrowed in suspicion before a sigh sounded in the front seat, “Scout, it’s not chloroformed. Just clean yourself before you make a mess of my vehicle." 

Scout glared for a moment, before finally reaching up to snatch it without thanks, pressing it to his nose. He didn’t hesitate to recoil from the overpowering stench of cigarettes that wafted off of it, but sighed grumpily, and pressed it again to his nose, tipping his head back to staunch the flow. ”… You’re still a dick. That was your freakin’ daughter.“ If Spy’s hands tightened impossibly further on the wheel, or if he closed his eyes for a heartbeat, Scout didn’t see it. 

He only heard the long, heavy sigh fill the car, stuffed with too many emotions for Scout to properly decipher. ”… You don’t need to remind me.“ Spy muttered under his breath, almost too softly to be heard as they sliced through the rain on the vacant highway. 

Almost.

But instead of pressing, Scout only gave an irritated sigh of his own, and slumped back in his seat with crossed arms,  thoughts trailing back to the golden-haired Frenchwoman, out there, all alone, in the rain, without a coat, or an umbrella… Left with nothing but… But…

”…Spy, wait, holy shit, she still has the files.“

[elliot-orion]

Can you answer 1, 5, and 44 for all those characters you mentioned?

heck yea! thanks! this is going to get very long tho so brace yourselves lol. I’m going to do them grouped by characters.

Ben

1. What is one word to shut them up?

I’m going to assume this means like a word that gets them to stop talking for a not so great reason and not just “quiet!” but i might be wrong and just be in the mood for some angst. For Ben, it’s kind of moot because they don’t talk, but saying anything at all with an angry tone would definitely get them to freeze up.

5. List 3 fears; one surface-level fear, one repressed fear, and one deep dark fear.

Oh my god you have no idea how perfect this question is because fear is a Huge aspect of this story considering Ben is Nightmare and their powers completely revolve around fear. Ok so, surface fear is sleeping, which has a very not surface level reason, but i’d still count it. They will do fucking anything to not sleep (tho funny enough they don’t drink caffeine, it sends their powers all wack). A repressed fear... hmm im not sure if this means like a fear they don’t acknowledge or fear that they have but don't know the reason for. I’m going to go with it just being a slightly less bad but still big fear, and/or something they don’t know the reason for but still are afraid of if i can think of something. So for repressed fear, it’d be showing their wrists. They don’t know why it’s so anxiety provoking for them, they never cut and their only bad scars are on their neck not their wrists, but if they aren’t wearing long sleeves or dont have bracelets covering their wrists then they get antsy and anxious. For Deep Dark Fear, i could list just about any of the fears Carter left them with, sure, but the Carter shit really falls under the “trauma” category rather than simple “fear” category since the reason they are afraid of shit like making noise and people being mad is because of their trauma. So i’m going to go with their powers. Their powers scare the shit out of them, partially bc they literally see and hear everyone’s worst nightmares whenever they are near someone. they are constantly surrounded by fear and always have been. that’s fucking awful honestly. but also bc when THEY get scared, other people suffer since they are an empathetic type. and they dont want to hurt anyone. So... yea.

44. What’s one thing they wish they could do more often, but can’t?

We’re back to the sleep thing here. god this kid needs a five day nap, they are always exhausted. But dreams are Carter’s domain, and if they sleep, he can find them, hurt them, whatever he wants. So they can’t, not until Carter is gone.

Oliver

1. What is one word to shut them up? 

Ollie has a few words/phrases that almost always will send them into the past at some point. “Duck!” or “Grenade!” or anything that might be shouted on a battlefield, certain quotes from historical figures, some names or dates, stuff like that. He goes nonverbal when he’s particularly lost, so that’s a surefire way to get him to shut up.

5. List 3 fears; one surface-level fear, one repressed fear, and one deep dark fear. 

Ok so, surface-level is ovens. He will not use an oven, or any microwaves, or any kitchen appliances that could start a fire. He also refuses to take a bath and prefers someone being in the other room when he takes showers. This is 100% because he gets lost in time so easily that he’ll forget what’s going on in the present time. I cannot stress to you how many times this kid has almost set his house on fire bc he got lost in 1620 and forgot he had the oven on. Baths usually make him head back to a time with lots of water, be it in the middle of a fucking ocean or during a flood or whatever, and he hates that bc usually, he doesn’t show up in a nice safe place and he’ll feel exactly like he’s drowning even if he isn’t physically drowning. Showers he slips a lot in for similar reasons, hence why he prefers someone who’s listening nearby. For repressed fear, he’s afraid of dying, even if he acts fine with it. No one acknowledges it besides the other Elementals, but Oliver is the Time Elemental. Time isn’t a recognized Element, but the Elementals just Know. Even though he’s just 18, he’s only got a few years left, and he’s just got to put on a brave face bc there’s not much he can do about it. For Deep Dark Fear, he’s terrified of losing the remaining time he’s got left. Even though he’s only 18, because of PlotTM, he’s only got a couple of years before he burns up, and he’s terrified to lose it.

44. What’s one thing they wish they could do more often, but can’t? 

Watch documentaries. Funnily enough, Ollie is a massive history nerd, always has been, and he used to watch a ton of documentaries before he got his powers. But even nature or space ones will inevitably make him forget when he is, and so he can’t watch any. He also can’t read any historical fiction books (which sucked when he was younger, his favorite book series had been the Magic Treehouse) for a similar reason. He can read history textbooks, though, since they just list facts and dont show footage or make it seem like it IS that time. 

Morty

1. What is one word to shut them up?

hmm. tricky... Let’s go with Hotspot. If you’ve read sparks fly, you get why.

5. List 3 fears; one surface-level fear, one repressed fear, and one deep dark fear. 

Surface level is probably dogs. He’s been attacked by multiple dogs, multiple times since most animals don't vibe with his whole dark aura of death thing. But getting attacked by dogs is the one that stuck most. He gets nervous around Ollie’s service dog, Edison, but Edison is so well trained he just doesn’t care and being near him actually helps Morty with that fear. Repressed fear is definitely death. Which yea, i know, that’s weird considering he’s the death elemental but hear me out. 1 unlike sparky who gets overwhelmed by too much electricity, Morty gets basically drunk when he’s around too much death. Hospitals, battlefields, large graveyards, etc, and the thing is, he loves that feeling. and it scares him how much he loves it, partially bc he knows what the last death elemental was like and doesn't want to be like them (for reference, the guy went on a mass murder spree and started a couple of civil wars since the death elemental will live until the high rates of death stop, even if it’s past when Elementals normally die and you know they didn’t want to die). 2 Morty’s very existence is a sign that mass death is coming but there are no wars going on and that scares the shit out of him. 3 One Eye literally planted the fear of his powers, killing, and death in his mind to try and limit the damage he could cause and to prevent another situation like the last death elemental. For Deep Dark Fear, Morty is terrified that he can’t trust his own memories or even what he knows about himself. One Eye manipulated his memories and mind so so much and for so long. Morty’s always doubting what he knows and what he believes bc its not like One Eye HASNT planted shit, and he’s always on edge bc he doesnt even feel safe in his own damn mind.

44. What’s one thing they wish they could do more often, but can’t?

As of the start of the story? Be with Ben. For most of the time the two have known each other, they were online friends, until they both ran away together when they were 17. But about 4 months ago Morty left to go back to the SA headquarters, even though it’s literally part of his biggest fear to go back, because Ben was facing a double threat of either Carter getting them, or the SA, and Morty is determined to get the SA to leave them alone (ok technically the Supers Association and Heroes do leave them alone bc One Eye is scared shitless of Ben, but they send assassins like Scout and Hall after them all the fuckin time, and not all of them have sorta morals like the triad). In general tho, hear Ben’s voice. He just wants Ben to feel safe. (Morty is a fucking romantic no matter how tough he likes to act i swear)

I’ve got to do my interview now and this post is long enough as is, so I’ll do the same questions for Matty and Blue afterwards!! thanks!!

[vexedtonightmares]

La Fin Des Temps Chapter 11 (Elu Hogwarts AU)

Mardi 10:40 - “I have to take care of something”

Lucas couldn’t stop staring at Eliott, and Eliott couldn’t stop staring at him. If he wasn’t careful, this was really going to get in the way of his studies. He glanced down at his empty worksheet. Well, more than it had already. Neither of them had left the Room of Requirement until Monday morning, when they’d had to because of classes. It had been painful, leaving the haven Lucas knew was going to disappear the minute they left. Even more painful was the fact that they hadn’t been able to sneak in any alone time all day, friends asking too many questions and not leaving them for even a moment. Fortunately, and surprisingly, none of them had even considered the possibility that Lucas and Eliott had been together all weekend. Actually, now that he thought about it, none of them had said anything about Eliott being missing at all. Yann nudged his side, not for the first time during their lesson, concern shining in his eyes.

“I’m starting to understand Imane’s issues with your work ethic, man. I thought you were in the library working all weekend?” he asked. It wasn’t accusatory, but he wasn’t going to let Lucas get away with the same lie he’d been telling since Lucas arrived back in the dormitory Monday morning.

“I was working,” Lucas argued, “Just not on Charms. I had so much shit to do for Potions and Arithmancy.”

“I still don’t understand why you chose Arithmancy over literally any other subject. It’s math, dude.” Yann shook his head incredulously. Lucas shrugged. He really didn’t mind math all that much. The numbers made sense to him, much more sense than pretending they could see the future with some tea leaves like the girls did in Divination. Though, he suspected the only reason they’d all continued Divination was to be in the same class together.

“Where’s Arthur?” Lucas realized suddenly, looking around the room before his gaze landed on Eliott’s again and he blushed involuntarily.

Yann simply looked at him like he was insane. “Dueling club captain? Remember? He had some meeting with the headmistress or something. I swear, Lucas, what’s up with you these days?”

Lucas had to try very hard to pay attention to Yann, eyes moving away from Eliott reluctantly. “What do you mean?”

“This, Friday, everything.” Yann rolled his eyes, snapping a finger in front of his face to get his focus. “Where’s your head at?”

“The same place it’s always at,” Lucas said defensively, but Yann pushed on.

“I’m not buying that. For weeks you’ve been in some sort of a daze. You ditch us all the time without excuse, or say you’re going to the library and don’t show up again for hours, even days. Friday at the meeting you just disappeared and I didn’t see you again until Monday morning. You didn’t respond to texts, Instagram messages, anything.”

“I’m sorry,” Lucas tried.

Yann shook his head. “I don’t need an apology, I just want to know what’s going on with you. You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Of course,” Lucas said without hesitation. Because he could, he just wasn’t sure he was ready. He didn’t even know what he and Eliott were, if they were dating or what, and he didn’t know if Eliott wanted everyone to know about them. Yann waited for Lucas to continue, so he did, just maybe not with the words Yann wanted. “There’s nothing, though. I swear. I’ve just been a bit out of it, I guess.”

Yann looked determined to press the subject further, but Lucas was saved by their professor asking them to pair up to practice jinxes. As much as Lucas wanted to pair up with Eliott, it would be odd for him to ditch Yann, so he watched helplessly as Eliott and Ian, another Ravenclaw in their year, moved to the other side of the room to practice. Yann followed his gaze.

“Did Arthur tell you that Eliott pulled another disappearing act?” Yann asked as they got in position. Ah, there it was. Frankly, he had been beginning to worry they hadn’t noticed. Lucas fired off a jinx, which Yann blocked with ease.

“No, he didn’t.” Lucas tried to sound uninterested, hoping Yann wouldn’t draw the connection between his and Eliott’s disappearances.

Yann sent a jinx Lucas’ way, just barely missing him and hitting the chair behind him. “Yeah, no one heard from him this weekend either. Did you?”

“Hmm?” Lucas asked. “Did I what?”

“Hear from him?” Yann prompted incredulously.

Maybe if he played dumb Yann would stop talking about Eliott. “Hear from who?”

“Eliott?”

“What about Eliott?”

“Dude, have you been listening? He was missing all weekend, even at the Quidditch match.”

“Huh, weird.”

“So you didn’t hear from him then?”

“Hear what?”

“Where he went?”

“Who?”

“Jesus, Lucas,” Yann nearly yelled in exasperation. This gave Lucas a great opening to hit him with a Jellylegs jinx, one that he’d perfected nonverbally. “Fuck!” Yann exclaimed as Lucas grinned victoriously.

“Sorry,” Lucas shrugged, not sorry at all.

“You little shit, that’s why you were acting so dumb,” Yann laughed, “You were trying to distract me, huh?”

Lucas looked around the room innocently. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Yann smiled at him and it was like everything was normal again, like it had been before Eliott had come in and turned Lucas’ life upside down. He never wanted Eliott out of his life, but it was nice for that moment to remember how to be friends with Yann without feeling the weight of things he was hiding from his best friend. The weight came back a moment later, of course, but Lucas ignored it to the best of his ability, focusing instead on blocking Yann and sending more jinxes his way.

A half hour later, when they left the Charms room, Lucas felt Eliott slip past him and put something in his hand as he passed by. Smooth fucker.

“What’s that?” Yann asked, and Lucas’ hand clenched on the small piece of paper he held until he realized Yann was looking curiously at his neck, right behind his ear. His other hand flew up to the area, hoping Eliott hadn’t left any visible marks there. Yann blinked a few times and then shrugged. “That was weird, I could have sworn there was a hedgehog…”

Lucas nearly breathed a sigh of relief. He’d forgotten about Eliott’s magical drawings. He didn’t know what Eliott had used to draw them on, but they avoided him every time he tried to wash them off, moving across his body whenever he got close. With his luck they’d be there forever, not that he minded. Lucas laughed and raised his eyebrows. “And I’m the one being weird?”

Yann rolled his eyes and waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever, I’ve gotta get to Muggle Studies. See you at lunch?”

“See you at lunch,” Lucas repeated before heading off in the opposite direction, waiting until Yann was out of sight before unfolding the piece of paper in his hand. It was a two part drawing, the right side showing a raccoon alone in a bathroom, the left side showing a raccoon and hedgehog holding hands together in the bathroom. Lucas almost scoffed at how small the hedgehog was-- he really wasn’t that small-- but was more overcome by appreciation for Eliott. On the back of the paper Eliott’s unique and untidy scrawl had written out ‘Lucas no. 1040 skips potions with Eliott no. 1432’.

Would Imane kill him? Yes, undoubtedly. Did he care, in that moment? Not one bit.

But where did Eliott want to meet him? He flipped the paper back over to look at the drawing, grin spreading over his face as he realized where to go.

As predicted, Eliott was leaning against one of the sinks casually as Lucas entered the bathroom Eliott had followed him into weeks prior. Eliott was smoking a cigarette, changing its smell with his wand every second or so. “Fancy meeting you here,” he said, blowing out smoke.

Lucas took his first few steps slow, then, unable to help himself, closed the rest of the distance between the two of them in a few long strides, smile so wide he thought his face might crack. Eliott cupped his face the instant they met, bringing their lips together in a heartstopping kiss.

Lucas wrapped his arms around Eliott’s neck, rising up on his toes to reach Eliott better. Eliott, ever the quick thinker, flipped them so Lucas was pressed against the sinks and lifted him up onto the countertop, positioning himself between Lucas’ legs. “This works,” Lucas murmured against Eliott’s lips, pressing their foreheads together.

“You know,” Eliott began, playing with Lucas’ tie, “This looks really great on you, but it’s getting in the way, don’t you think?”

“Funny, I was about to say the same thing.”

Eliott grinned and undid his own tie, leaving Lucas to do the same, discarding his robes and jumper as well. Naturally, this was the one day they both decided to wear full uniforms. Eliott unbuttoned a few of the top buttons on Lucas’ shirt as well, placing his palm against Lucas’ chest before leaving a trail of kisses from his neck to his heart. Lucas was barely breathing, breathing in gasps, one hand clenched in Eliott’s hair, the other gripping the sink beside him.

He lowered his head and brought Eliott’s face to his, letting their mouths meet once more. Nothing would ever compare to this feeling, to the taste of Eliott’s lips, his tongue, his everything. If it wasn’t a completely reckless and terrible idea to strip down right then and there, where anyone could walk in, Lucas would have in an instant.

Blinking at the thought, Lucas pulled back, muttering as Eliott moved his mouth back down to Lucas’ collarbone. “Eliott, Eliott, stop for a minute.”

Eliott stopped immediately, looking at Lucas with the expression of a confused puppy. It was adorable, but Lucas didn’t have time to appreciate it fully. He pointed to the door. “We should… I don’t know. Anyone could walk in.”

Eliott’s brows creased further. “Didn’t you see the out of order sign I put on the door?”

He hadn’t paid attention to much of anything as he’d hurried to the bathroom, tunnel vision on Eliott, even from corridors away. “Um… no,” he admitted.

“Well, I put one there,” Eliott laughed.

“Do you really think it will work?”

“Let’s find out.” He pulled Lucas in by the neck and crashed their lips together. Any worries Lucas had were immediately obliterated from his mind. Eliott’s out of order sign was sure to do the trick. Eliott unbuttoned Lucas’ shirt a bit further, sliding the sleeves off his shoulders so he could kiss them. As he did so, Lucas repeated the gesture, leaving a kiss on Eliott’s chest with each button he undid.

Eliott let out a soft gasp. “You’re gonna fucking kill me if you keep doing that.”

“Do you want me to stop?” Lucas’ lips twisted into a cocky smirk.

“No. Not now, not ever.” Lucas grinned as Eliott brought Lucas’ face up to his, exploring each others mouths like there was nothing else in the world left to explore. To Lucas, there wasn’t. Except perhaps the rest of Eliott’s body, the few lines and muscles he had left to commit to memory. Eliott’s hand brushed his cheekbone and Eliott pulled away from him just enough to exhale a small, breathy laugh.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” Lucas teased.

Eliott laughed a bit harder. “Yes, actually.”

Lucas spun around from his seat on the countertop, glancing into the mirror. “Wait, really?” He studied his reflection, catching a glimpse of a raccoon taking the hand of a hedgehog and pulling him out of view. Lucas couldn’t help but laugh himself.

“These little guys are never going away, I hope you know what you’ve done,” Lucas said seriously. Eliott leaned down to brush his lips against Lucas’ shoulder, the hedgehog resting there blushing as he did so.

He tilted his head back up, supermodel eyes full of humor and searing into Lucas. “You think I didn’t do that on purpose? You’ll be old and wrinkled and gray and these two will pop up on your bald head when you least expect it.”

“Bold of you to assume I’ll ever go bald,” Lucas scoffed.

“I mean, with all that hairspray…”

“Shut up!” Lucas pressed his hands to Eliott’s chest. “Besides, you told Yann you liked it.”

“I mostly just like you,” Eliott confessed. “Everything about you.”

Lucas blushed against his will. Eliott really needed to stop feeding his ego. At the same time, he hoped Eliott would never stop. “Wait a minute,” he giggled, “Your amortentia… the last thing was my hairspray wasn’t it?”

Now it was Eliott’s turn to go red. “No.”

Lucas laughed harder. “It so was.”

“I don’t know where you’d get that preposterous idea.”

“Mmmm, sure.”

Eliott looked down with a smile, glancing back up at Lucas through his eyelashes. “Besides, you with your cigarette smoke, ink, paint, rain… not very subtle.” Lucas pretended to be offended, hands dancing up and down Eliott’s mostly bare chest.

“So what, I had a crush on you. Turned out all right for me, didn’t it?”

“Awww, you had a crush on me? That’s so sweet.” Eliott’s eyes crinkled at the sides the way Lucas loved.

He shoved Eliott away playfully. “Oh shut up, you had a crush on me too.”

Eliott grabbed onto Lucas’ hand, and Lucas pulled him back in close. “You’re right,” Eliott admitted, “You’re just either the world’s most oblivious person, or I need to up my flirting game.”

“I’m not oblivious,” Lucas huffed.

“Then why did I have to wait four whole weeks to kiss you?” Eliott wasn’t whining exactly, but there was a neediness to his playful tone that Lucas was getting very turned on by, if he was being completely honest with himself.

“Maybe you were the oblivious one,” Lucas suggested. Eliott wrinkled his nose, shaking his head. “Me? Oblivious? Never.”

The look he gave Lucas reminded him of Ouba’s face when she wanted treats, and it was more endearing than Lucas cared to admit. “Fine, fine, we’re both oblivious, useless, disaster gays, blah blah blah.”

“I’m pan, technically,” Eliott pointed out.

“Oh, just shut up and kiss me.”

Eliott didn’t wait a single second longer, kissing Lucas again. And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Lucas wasn’t entirely sure how long they sat there, him on the counter, Eliott between his legs, kissing like the world was about to end. They only stopped when Lucas’ phone buzzed, jarring them back to the present. He was stunned to find that he had multiple messages from his friends through Instagram.

monvoisintuturo: Lulu, at least give a heads up if you’re going to skip potions

basile_simple: He’s missing again? We need to put a bell on him or something

y4z4s: What are you guys talking about? I saw him going to class after Charms

monvoisintuturo: Well he clearly didn’t make it…

y4z4s: Should we still wait for you for lunch, Lucas?

monvoisintuturo: I wonder if Eliott knows where he is

basile_simple: Oh yeah, man, add Eliott to the chat

monvoisintuturo: I can’t, he doesn’t follow me. Only Lulu can

basile_simple: I’m still confused by that

y4z4s: By what?

basile_simple: Eliott following Lucas!

y4z4s: Oh, Lucas said it was some sort of bet or something

basile_simple: That’s anticlimactic   

Lucas checked the time quickly and realized lunch was about to start. Fuck, he really needed to go. Had he and Eliott really spent the entire period kissing in the not-so out of order bathroom? It wasn’t the worst way to spend his time, he supposed.

He started buttoning his shirt back up in a rush, catching Eliott’s confused gaze as he hopped down from the counter. Shirt, jumper, robes, tie, fuck, where were all his clothes?

“Lunch,” he said by way of explanation.

Eliott still looked confused. “And…”

“The boys will kill me if I go MIA again. I’m sure Imane is about ready to kill me already.” He shivered at the thought, hoping Imane and Harriet had at least been able to vent to one another about their respective potions partners.

Finally dressed, he rushed to the door, turning around when he realized Eliott wasn’t following, hadn’t even redressed himself yet. “Are you coming?”

Eliott blushed a violent shade of scarlet. “I have to take care of something.”

“What-- oh,” Lucas began, faltering when he saw the awkward way Eliott was positioned. He laughed a little bit and Eliott rolled his eyes. “Unless you want to take care of it for me?” Eliott suggested, and it was Lucas’ turn to blush. In truth, he did want that, more than anything, but he also wanted to live long enough to do it again, so he really had to go.

“See you in the Great Hall,” Lucas said a bit breathlessly. Eliott smirked, knowing exactly what he was doing to Lucas.

“See you in the Great Hall.” Eliott didn’t move, gaze still fastened onto Lucas’ face. Lucas didn’t move an inch either, wishing to stay in the bathroom with Eliott for just one more second. His phone buzzed again, and they broke eye contact.

“I’m going to go now,” Lucas said, unconvincingly, but he willed his feet to carry him the rest of the way to the door and they did. He cast one more glance back at Eliott, memorizing the way he smiled back at Lucas, tucking the memory away to think of when they inevitably had to part for the day.

Before he could lose all his self control and run back into Eliott’s embrace, Lucas pushed the door open, tearing away the out of order sign as he did so, throwing it into a bin as he rushed to the Great Hall.

Luckily or unluckily for him, all his friends were already seated when he walked in. Eliott and Daphne’s seating arrangement protest had been embraced by nearly the entire school, though both the girls and the boys were sitting together at the Gryffindor table today. Arthur was the first to notice him walk in, scooting over so Lucas could take a seat between himself and Manon.

Imane wasn’t glaring daggers at him as he approached, but analyzing him carefully through narrowed eyes. Her stare was so intense that he couldn’t meet her eyes, feeling a bit like she was drawing some conclusions about him that he wasn’t sure he wanted her to draw. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything, just kept staring.

He tried to act casual as he sat down, but he couldn’t help but notice everyone had stopped talking, eyes on him. Manon was the first to speak, bless her, not even mentioning his lateness or anything out of the ordinary. “So, Lucas, did you hear about the--”

She was cut off by Daphne, who smiled at Lucas apologetically. “You know that the opposite house dress week isn’t until next week, right?”

Lucas furrowed his brows. He did know this, why was she bringing it up? He nodded slowly, carefully.

“Oh, cool, well then, um,” she continued, glancing briefly at Emma out of the corner of her eye, “Why are you wearing a Ravenclaw tie?”

Putain.

He tried not to look down at his tie-- or, Eliott’s, rather-- as he floundered for an excuse. “Obviously I know that your dress thingy isn’t until next week. But I thought, hey, what if some people don’t know about it yet? If I wear the wrong tie, people will ask questions, and if they ask questions, I’ll get to explain to them the inter-house unity club dress challenge, or whatever you want to call it. That way more people will participate.”

Daphne squealed and leaned over to him, pulling him into an awkward hug over the table. “Lucas! You’re the best! Why didn’t I think of doing that?”

Everyone else seemed less enthusiastic about his response. Manon and Imane exchanged a glance,-- he didn’t even want to know what that meant, though he could probably guess-- Emma narrowed her eyes once before shrugging and accepting his excuse without argument, Basile and Alexia simply looked confused, Yann looked like he wanted to believe him, and Arthur seemed to be moments away from solving a puzzle. Lucas hoped Arthur’s puzzle wasn’t close to the real reason he was wearing the wrong tie. Eliott’s tie.

Fuck, Eliott would be there any minute. Lucas had to find a way to head him off before he could make the situation worse. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to message Eliott, thankful his friends had mostly gone back to their own conversations.

lucallemant: Don’t come to the Great Hall

srodulv: i’m almost there… what’s wrong?

lucallemant: Look at your tie   

Lucas bounced his knee under the table as he waited for Eliott to respond. Just their luck. He wasn’t totally opposed to the idea of telling his friends about them, but they didn’t even know he was gay. Plus, this wasn’t the most ideal setting, and he didn’t know what to call his relationship with Eliott, if he could even call it a relationship. In all their talking, somehow it hadn’t come up.

“Where did you get the tie?” Arthur asked, and Lucas bumped his knee under the table in surprise, flipping his phone over.

“I, uh, found it,” he mumbled distractedly, trying to appear nonchalant.

Clearly, neither Yann nor Arthur were convinced. Yann pointed out, “You were wearing your Gryffindor tie when you left Charms.”

“Yeah, where did you go, anyway? Imane looked ready to kill when you didn’t show up,” Arthur chimed back in.

“I felt… sick,” Lucas tried. The boys raised their eyebrows.

“Sick?” Arthur repeated slowly. Lucas nodded.

“I think something didn’t sit right with me during breakfast, and, you know.” He shot them all a meaningful glance. Arthur choked on his food and looked Lucas up and down once.

“Dude did you shit your pants?”

“What? No!” Lucas exclaimed incredulously, breaking into nervous laughter. “But you can see why I skipped potions, then.”

Arthur snorted. “Yeah, yeah. Do what you gotta do, man. Although, it would have been funny to see Rigaux’s reaction if you shit yourself in her class.”

Lucas couldn’t help but laugh along with his friends, shoving Arthur playfully. This explanation seemed to do it for them, though, and Lucas took their new distraction with Basile’s weird eating habits as an excuse to check his phone. He had three new messages from Eliott.

srodulv: merde

srodulv: i’m guessing our friends noticed?

srodulv: what did you say?  

It warmed his heart a bit, to see Eliott say ‘our friends’ instead of ‘your friends’. He was glad that Eliott considered the girls and boys to be his friends as well. He knew they felt the same about Eliott.

lucallemant: I made up some bs excuse about helping raise inter house unity club awareness. Not sure if everyone bought it, but they let the subject drop

srodulv: oh

srodulv: not that now is the best time to… explain things, but do you not want your friends to know about us?

Lucas noted the shift from our to your. Did Eliott really think Lucas would be ashamed of him? It was too absurd to even consider.

lucallemant: No, it’s not that, I just didn’t know if you did

lucallemant: Plus none of them know I’m, you know…

srodulv: gay?

lucallemant: Ha ha, yeah, that

srodulv: no rush or anything, i don’t want you to feel pressured…

Lucas chewed on his bottom lip. He didn’t feel pressured at all, and maybe that’s why he made a split second decision.

lucallemant: I think I want them to know

srodulv: really?

lucallemant: I mean, maybe not today, but soon. This weekend…?

srodulv: :)

lucallemant: Yeah?

srodulv: yeah. does this mean i get to call you my boyfriend?

Lucas had to try very, very, hard to keep from reacting in the slightest, but he was almost positive a bright blush had spread over his face. Boyfriend. That was new, but Lucas found that he quite liked it.

lucallemant: Boyfriend, huh?

srodulv: …?

lucallemant: I think I’d like that, mon mec

srodulv: yeah?

lucallemant: Yeah.

srodulv: <3

lucallemant: Stop that, I have a reputation to uphold

srodulv: <333333

Lucas rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the smile working its way over his face. Eliott would be the death of him. Manon nudged his side gently. “You good?” Her face looked more concerned than a smile usually warranted. Did he really smile so little that this sign of happiness made her wary?

“I’m great,” he answered truthfully, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

Her brows twitched. “Ouais?”

He nearly laughed. He’d gotten so used to only speaking French with Eliott that he’d nearly forgotten it was his and Manon’s thing first. “Ouais,” he assured her.

Lucas tried to turn his attention back to his other friends, avoiding the small smile that twitched at the corner of Manon’s mouth, basically confirming she knew more than she was letting on. “Justin Bieber? Seriously? Where is this kid, I need to have a word with him about his music taste,” Arthur was ranting.

“What?” Lucas asked. Yann showed Lucas his phone screen and Lucas nearly choked in surprise.

That was how they were playing this, then? Lucas tuned out the rest of the conversation, searching for a different song. They really were going to be the most annoying couple ever, even if no one knew it yet. Lucas really couldn’t find it in himself to care one bit, because Eliott was his boyfriend. Eliott Demaury. His boyfriend. God, he was so happy.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

AO3

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[09yards]

Chapter 4 - broken hearts club, part one (Days Gone By - NCT)

Days Gone By masterlist | main masterlist

Broken Hearts Club Part One

'Cause misery loves company, so hey, what do you say?

15th June

Renjun had woken up first the morning after. Disorientated, dizzy and drunk on the familiar scent of freshly baked vanilla cookies and general comfort, like a hazy mid-morning daydream. Gradually coming around from his slumber, he began to register his surroundings; streaks of light, streaming sporadically through the cracks in the blinds, dark grey duvet only reaching his hips, his small frame on display, a large hand splayed gently across his back, curling him into a furnace – the source of the cookie smell. The t-shirt he was wearing hanging low and lose off his body - evidently not his - and his head was resting on something  (or rather someone ) far too firm to be a pillow. He was not in his own bed and he was not alone.

The scent was familiar, it was one he had become well accustomed to over the years. Belonging to the ever-so-perfect Jaemin. Shit, he was in bed with Jaemin, wearing Jaemin���s clothes and memories of the two making out and grinding on one another... and (oh god)  the soulmate mark, flooding his mind. Consecutive images flashing every time he blinked, dread flowing through his veins.

Why did he do that? That was his best friend , nothing more. That was not supposed  to happen, Renjun was supposed  to hold in his feelings up until graduation next year when he could happily move to the other side of the country, or another country for that matter, and avoid Jaemin until any and all feelings had faded away. Yes, he very much thought that running away was the best (and only) way to cope with his feelings.

Maybe he could fall in love with a nice foreign boy, forgetting about the picture-perfect, ideal type that was his best friend.

Feelings could be dealt with later. Broken hearts can be mended later. After all, misery loves company and it was beginning to feel like misery was all Renjun knew.

2nd of august [continued]

“Oh, come on Mark, just show us!”

The only time Renjun ever acted cute was when he wanted something, putting on a lilted whiny voice, fluttering his eyelashes and pulling out all his aegyo - which frankly just irritated Mark; he’d never understand how it worked on Jaemin, the younger would practically fall on his knees then and there whenever Renjun used it to get whatever it is he wanted. Maybe he’d just become immune to it after having a no longer adorable little brother who once upon a time didn’t need to try to do aegyo, he just was cute and Mark would’ve given him the world if he’d asked.

Jisung once asked if he could have the moon and Mark ended up spending two hours putting a glow in the dark stars and moon sticker set up on Jisung’s ceiling, which are still there.

“Mark! Why are you hiding it, everyone knows about mine and Yuqi’s, about Renjun and Jaemin’s, Johnny and Ten’s, Doyoung and Jaehyun’s, the list goes on. You’re just the next one to have it, it’s no big deal.”

No big deal that you don’t want to tell your best friend because the moment you see his reaction, you’ll know if he’s your soulmate or not. Sure, no big deal.

“Okay! Lucas leave Markie alone. He’s my shy little brother remember; his soulmate mark is interesting  to say the least and we’ll leave it at that, shall we?”

“Lucas is right though, what’s the big deal, it can’t be worse than Johnny’s.”

Mark inhaled quickly, firmly and very noticeably. Way to be subtle Mark!

“Oh no, you’re kidding its worse than Johnny’s! That’s brilliant.” Jaehyun turned and took a few steps out of the kitchen back to the living room, confusing the others until they heard a, “HEY! Doyoungie come here!” Doyoung appeared instantly from lord knows where amongst the seemingly endless amount of people gathered in his house, navigating his way through and around groups that Mark barely recognised. They were quite disgustingly domestic, as usual, but it was amplified by the copious amounts of alcohol consumed – most of which by Doyoung. Kisses to cheeks and pecks all over, stood just too close together for it to be publicly appropriate, Jaehyun’s hands never leaving Doyoung’s body and consistently moving to inappropriate places for innocent eyes.

Finding his spot with Jaehyun’s arm around his waist, body curled into Jaehyun’s chest but head turned enough that he was capable of conversation, or rather joining in on the teasing of Mark to get him to show the others his soulmate Mark (which had been hidden by his choice of a flannel shirt this evening, resisting the urge to roll his sleeves up despite the heat.

“What’s going on now? Injunnie are you still trying to get Mark to reveal his soulmate mark, I thought I told you to leave him alone?”

Doyoung was actually sticking up for Mark, but everyone knew he wanted to know just as badly. Everyone was desperate to know the moment Mark spluttered when he was first asked, apparently that was just the sign they needed that it was a good one. Not boring like all the other recent ones had been.

“No babe,” shaking his head and tutting at his boyfriend, “trust me, you’re going to want to stop pretending you don’t want to know – it’s worse  than Johnny’s .”

Doyoung’s eyes visibly widened at that, the same reaction as everyone else. Doyoung couldn’t stop laughing, gripping onto Jaehyun’s shirt in order to attempt to balance himself.

“Okay,” barely audible between wheezes as he tried to catch his breath from laughing, “Mark you have to show us, you cannot keep that from us. Seriously, how can  it be worse than Johnny’s, no offence Ten.”

Johnny’s mark was notorious in their small town (possibly village if you were feeling technical about population sizes), everyone knew about it. Word spread like wildfire the moment someone outside of their intricate friendship group overheard - the seal had been broken and that was enough. Johnny would never get over how utterly mortifying it was when his mother returned home to tell him all about the delightful conversation she’d had with Mrs Potter down the road about how scandalous this teenagers soulmate mark was, only to be told she didn’t know the name of the boy who had this tasteful  (said with quotation marks and dripping with sarcasm) phrase emblazoned on his body only that the soulmate was ‘the one who goes by the number rather than a proper name because his names too long’. His mother was devastated she hasn’t been told and that Johnny never explicitly told her that he was gay - although Johnny argued it was rather obvious and that he didn’t watch magic mike, multiple times, just because he loved romantic films. Johnny couldn’t look his mum in the eye for at least two weeks afterward.

Ten slapped his best friend on the arm for his commentary. Even after almost four years, Ten still hadn’t lived that one down and doubted he ever would – but he still hadn’t made his peace with it, the teasing continued to be relentless whenever the topic of soulmates came up and Ten was quite sick of it, his truculent nature sparking every time.

“Shut up Doyoung, just because yours is cute and all because Jaehyun was four and you did look like a fucking  bunny!”

“Correction, he still looks like a bunny, especially when we’re fucking.” Doyoung became visibly flustered at that, Jaehyun never being one to shy away from admiring his boyfriend at indecorous times, “Shut the fuck up Jae. Back to Mark! We were talking about Mark; Mark show us your mark!” Clearly Doyoung was a master at attempting to turn the conversation away from himself whenever he was flustered.

Doyoung was definitely a giggly drunk and a little obstreperous under the influence of alcohol, despite the situation, “oof that rhym-ryhmed, I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it!” He was grinning now, clearly impressed with his efforts towards an outdated joke, prompting Jaehyun to coo over his boyfriend (cough, disgustingly domestic, cough).

“If you not wanting to show us is about Haechannie, we get it, but you know we wouldn’t tell him if you didn’t want us too.”

Ten’s usual bite to his voice was gone and he spoke softly to Mark, despite his tendency to be louder and easily making his presence in a room known, he had a soft spot for Mark – seeming to care for the younger far more than he’d ever let on if asked. Typical tsundere Ten.

“Hyuck’s not here yet, right?”

Ten replied with a simple nod and a quick eyebrow raise to Johnny, a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by Mark but he was used to being incapable of decoding their years-in-the-making ways of communicating nonverbally.

“Just, I’m not ready to tell him yet okay? If I show you all, he doesn’t hear a thing or I will know who to kill and I won’t hesitate to – I have dirt on every, single, one of you.”

“Okay, okay, whatever Mark, we solemnly swear to not tell Haechan or let him find out. Now show us that freaking tat!” Lucas would be the death of him one day, slapping a hand against Mark’s back and making him wheeze at the sheer force, partially knocking the wind out of him. How Yuqi (teeny-tiny, possibly quite fragile but also rumour had it she had a black belt in martial arts, Yuqi) hadn’t been crushed by one of his death-grip hugs, Mark will never know.

Exhaling deeply, Mark began to roll up his sleeve. He’d managed to tuck the tattoo away, hidden from eager eyes, underneath a long sleeve easily and hopefully he  could find some sort of watch or bracelet in order to cover it up before having to leave the house over the next few days. As he pushed his sleeve toward his elbow and lowered his arm to allow the others to see, the kitchen had gone silent. All four of the onlookers (not counting Johnny and Ten who having already seen it, were no longer completely shocked by the marking) were in utter shock. Silence had washed over them, the thumping from the heavy bass dance music Ten had put on earlier and the ticking of the kitchen clock were the only things heard. That was until Doyoung was, foreseeably, the first one to lose all composure and let out an unattractive snort before clutching to Jaehyun’s shirt once again in a fit of giggles, gasping in attempts to breathe, between muttering ‘ oh my gods ’ and ‘ holy shits ’, the others all swiftly following suit after that. Even Mark managed to crack a smile at their reactions, despite his unwavering feelings weighing down his shoulders. But hey, what’s new?

Lucas was the first to speak, managing to catch his breath enough in order to be able to from a comprehensible sentence. “Okay, you win, that is understandably something you wouldn’t want to share.”

“Damn, Haechannie did not hold back. Babe I’m so glad we were in reception, all these dirty thoughts, you people are so disgusting. I have never been as grateful as I am right now to have bunny written on my hip and for my first thought to have been ‘squish’.”

The seemingly automatic assumption that Hyuck was the one responsible (again), didn’t fully register with Mark, too focused on the conversation continuing – not giving him the chance to protest what everyone was thinking, maybe it was for the best.

“Johnny, please tell me we’ll never become as disgustingly domestic as them, I don’t think I could handle the desire to vomit every thirty seconds. I like fun, I like spice and flirting, not patterns and cheesy nicknames.”

“Shut up Ten, domestic is cute! Domestic shows commitment - don’t be bitter just because you can’t handle that.”

“Go take Yuqi on dates to drive in movies and other corny shit Xuxi, keep pretending you’re in one of those American movies from the nineties.”

“You’re just jealous because you can’t have dates outside of a five-mile radius of this house.” Ouch, wrong place and wrong time Yukhei, not good - not good at all.

“Okay everyone! Ten do not respond to that, Lucas go somewhere else before he starts fighting – you know I can’t hold him back. We’re here for my  baby brothers eighteenth everyone, not arguing over soulmates and relationships. We’re done here, everyone back to the party.” His voice was stern and husky, stretching himself to his full stature - Johnny was a fluff ball but not one you wanted to make angry.

Johnny was always the mediator, the only one allowed to tease either of his baby brothers – as soon as someone else did he would automatically switch into over-protective older brother mode. Mark thought it was his way of protecting them, he’d been instrumental in the raising of Jisung and had grown up alarmingly quickly after having lost their father and as their mother became busier and busier with her work. Then he grew up more after he was pulled into the world of parties and late nights by older friends from various sports teams, desperately trying to forget about his newfound feelings for Ten at the time, at the tender age of sixteen. He continued to mature as he started his A-levels and helping Mark with his GCSE’s and Jisung venturing into high school for the first time. Their mother was busy, always there for them whenever she could be but that didn’t hide the absence of a father figure. Yet, they made do. Their mum did everything she could and more and they’d be forever grateful for that. He’d had to mature once again when Ten got accepted into an entertainment company in Korea – his lifelong dream – and they weren’t ready to go their separate ways, knowing that as soulmates it would only hurt them more. Ten not being able to wander around town or take Johnny on magnificent dates during the daylight hours was a sore subject for the two of them, not seeing each other in person for months at a time was hard – but they made it work. They both remember, unfortunately very well, the pain they went through when they both realised their feelings for each other and Mark remembers listening to Johnny cry to their mum when he realised that he was hopelessly in love with his best friend. Mark remembers the homophobic kids that were the year above Johnny and Ten, threatening them in the hallway, Mark remembers Johnny outing himself in front of a substantial amount of the student body in order to stick up for Ten; not caring about if he was ready or what people would say. Mark remembers Johnny as a protector, a rock, their anchor – always keeping them safe and grounded.

Luckily, everyone knew when to drop a conversation and most quickly dispersed from the kitchen, re-joining the party. Mark let out a sigh of relief – he knew he wasn’t ready to deal with this yet. He could feel himself sobering up by the minute.

“Hey, Mark. I’m really sorry for pushing you earlier. That wasn’t fair, not after how understanding you were about me and Jaemin. Do you want to get some air?”

Getting some air was their secret code, their way of escaping the world – even if only for a few minutes. Mark always thought there was something about the way you could just sit there, watching the world go by without a care in the world. Something about the way the air flowed around them – like it was easier to breathe, easier to let go of your worries. Their words would flow out, sitting with their legs dangling over the edge of the treehouse with the ability to chat the days away. Thoughts, feelings, dreams, all shared with the world and no longer the insides of their minds, eating away at any and all insecurities and worries. It took them back to when they were young, when they didn’t care about what went wrong, whether they messed up or not. Mark liked how naïve they were back then, not a single care about the future - everything would work out in their eyes - now, it was a continuous cycle of crippling anxiety, an overwhelming desire to achieve, sleep deprivation and a strong inclination to do nothing at all. Procrastination was, and always will be, a total bitch after all.

The two took their designated spots, watching the sun beginning to set over the field before them, casting a rose-coloured hue over the scene. Mark always had a fascination with sunsets, he isn’t sure when it started but there’s something about them that draws him in, maybe it’s the colours or the way Hyuck’s skin glowed just like the sun itself whenever the golden hour light was cast over him, highlighting his features and only exemplifying his beauty more. God, shut up Mark. You sound like a stupid lovesick teenager, oh wait... that’s exactly what you are.

“Earth to Mark? Calling Mark back to Earth in three, two and - “

“Sorry! Sorry, got distracted, guess there’s just a lot on my mind.”

“You don’t say. Come onnnnn! It’s your birthday Markie, we’re supposed to be having fun and getting far too drunk off of what will be later recounted to our parents as ‘just the one cider or beer’ and then regretting our entire existence in the morning when we’ve realised all the mistakes we’ve made while under the influence. For example, being three drinks in and already kissing boys that are far too pretty for their own damn good and frankly it’s very unfair.”

“So we’re less than two hours in to the party this time and you and Jaemin have already made out in my bathroom?”

“No, we only got to the hallway and then Hyuck rang him, something about an emergency and Heejin. Oh shit, sorry Heejin free zone.”

“It was a rhetorical question and I’m okay, you don’t have to keep things from me. Honestly, I’m okay. I know it’s the same old stupid, stupid trope but i’m not going to spend the rest of the year pining for my best friend. i’m going to enjoy this year; i’m going to get my grades and i’m going to get into uni and you know what renjun? i can do this, i can; not anyone elise - just me. I’m going to do this. I am sick of waiting around for things to happen. I am not going to sit around and look pretty while he inevitably breaks my heart, he has Heejin now. He’s not gay. School is my priority and that is something I can control. All the things I can fix, why not fix them now while I can?

Me and Hyuck, we don’t act like boyfriends, people don’t assume we are. They assume we’re best friends and maybe that’s all we’re ever meant to be. Maybe i’ve just confused the line between caring about someone and loving them. I am done crying over him, I’ll focus on being friends nothing more. That’s all we need and I’m perfectly okay with that.”

“So pining hours are over for you?”

“Pining hours over Hyuck are officially closed.”

“And where do we stand on pining hours for me over Jaemin being open?”

“Still very much open young padawan, it’s time for you to be honest with me.”

“Great because I love him, so much. But I’m also super scared. I know it’s supposed to be us against the world, I know that it’s supposed to be about you and hyuck being able to be just friends but I can’t do that with him - I really love him, like singing and dancing in the rain love him, hold a boom box outside my bedroom window love him. Like one make out session was so intense I forgot everything in that moment, I want to do that again and again.”

“So rather than telling him your feelings, you’re going to keep getting tipsy at parties and kissing him?”

“Yep. He has nice lips okay, don’t judge me.”

“Why won’t you just admit you’re soulmates? You could be happy, you can fall in love and let him look after you.”

“See, that sounds nice and all but after he freaked out thinking I don’t have a soulmate mark and we’re some freak exception to the rules, I don’t really know how to tell him he forgot to take my socks off? It also sounds kinda kinky and he’ll definitely make a sex joke and I’m not ready for that.”

“Well, whenever you are ready, for any of it, you know you’ve always got me.”

“You know this is the part where you’re supposed to tell me to go get that Jaemin dick?”

“I am not telling you to go get that dick-“

“Why are you two always hiding out here? Okay, why do I feel like you were talking about me?”

“Hey Jaemin, we were just coming down. Just wishing Markie a happy birthday.”

“Come on you two, but avoid the snug - Doyoung is giving Jaehyun a lap dance, Jaehyun’s also shirtless so there’s a bunch of girls drooling, mainly Mina so soon enough she’ll be on the vodka crying over the fact that ‘all the cute ones are gay’.”

“Let’s go then!”

You can do this Mark, you can have fun. It’s your birthday, get drunk and dance the night away.

[thegeminisage]

merlin thots about the s5 opening episodes.......

here’s your courtesy cut

one of my favorite things about s5 so far is how very nicely arthur and merlin have both 1. grown up and 2. grown into each other...they still give each other shit 24/7 but it’s a lot more companionable and comfortable now than it ever has been. furthermore, both of them exhibit the use of MULTIPLE braincells even at the SAME TIME. they work very well together as a team even in the heat of battle (we did see shades of this near the end of s4), despite merlin being kind of useless at physical combat when he couldn’t rely on his magic for a boost. they can have entire conversations without a word and they’re just INCREDIBLY synchronized. the whole #vibe has really gotten a level up

timeline-wise, it’s been roughly a decade since season 1. in s1 they said the purge began 20 years ago (upon arthur’s birth), and shortly after, he had a coming of age ceremony - 21′s an important number, so in season 1 arthur began as being 20 and turned 21 before the end. season 2 = 22. gap year for s2-s3 = 23. season 3 = 24. s3-s4 gap year = 25. season 4 = 26. 3 gap years betweeen s4-s5 = 27, 28, 29. season 5 = 30. i don’t know how long it was in real life between seasons 4 and 5 (definitely not three years), but i really do feel like they’ve both aged SO much and they absolutely act like people who have known each other for a decade.

gwen as queen is AMAZINGNGLSDKJGHDSLFG she’s SO PRETTY i love her SO MUCH. love that she has her own serving girl now! this is what she deserves

the round table is good too altho it looks a bit too big for that room. it’s amazing though like...FUCK uther pendragon arthur has come SO FAR

merlin being nice to the new girl is very charming. makes him seem older and w-w-WISER (love that word) by comparison

also love that merlin gets to ride a horse while some of the footsoldiers walk. that’s #status. that’s *** ******

pretty sure i had a stroke during merlin’s vision of arthur’s death. the whole thing was done SO well - they go from the battlefield and arthur’s incredibly dirty face as he very realistically looks like he’s falling down and dying and then cut to a very alive and present arthur asking what’s wrong. you can really FEEL the whiplash, and also the dread settles in nice and deep, at least it does if you’re me and you’ve read spoilers, like, “only you can keep arthur safe” BUT I KNOW HE DOESN’T I KNOW HE CAN’T I KNOW HE FAILS and merlin might as well know it too because he looks ready to CRY and thru the rest of this 2-parter opening he acts like he thinks arthur may drop dead at any moment

i feel like i read somewhere once that actors don’t like to eat during a scene unless absolutely necessary because when you do 30 takes of something you get very full very quickly and some even go so far as to have a spit bucket just out of sight so that they can just get rid of it without having to eat any more. which makes it absolutely bananas to me that so often in merlin the characters are not only eating but eating very quickly as though they really have been roughing it in the wilderness all day & are absolutely famished...they don’t have to show them eating so often BUT THEY DO

arthur getting merlin into a tight spot by insisting he perform, planning on laughing at his failure? funny. merlin ACTUALLY USING MAGIC TO TEACH HIMSELF TO JUGGLE so that he could watch arthur’s jaw hit the floor? PRICELESS. i wonder how long it took him to do that, he definitely wasn’t using a body double

merlin is acting so bleak and dire in these episodes that even mr no-empathy himself asks him whats wrong, multiple times. they’re doing a VERY good job at really driving home the fact that arthur’s time is running short and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. merlin’s so sick with dread he’s making ME sick with dread. arthur’s here and being his normal dumbass self but the distance between them feels HUGE during the moments merlin is thinking about arthur’s impending doom

arthur all “i cant believe u can juggle i didnt even know you could catch” and then throwing the boots at merlin only for merlin to NOT CATCH THEM and arthur goes “see explain that” and merlin goes “wish i could” and i D I E 

because he’s KNOWN HIM FOR A DECADE and he still can’t explain the magic and at this point it must feel like to him that he never, ever will UUUUUGH it’s funny how they can feel so close to each other one second and like THIS the next i am DYING

the little conversation they have when they make camp the next night is the same. the sad music plays, merlin keeps looking at arthur like it might be the last time he sees him, and arthur keeps insisting on asking merlin what’s wrong and trying to make him feel better...they’re really for real friends!!! they’re so serious and grown up!!!!!

ive lost count of how many times either merlin or arthur has been nearly dead and had to get hauled around by the other one

also of how many times merlin used his magic in a way that should have been obvious to bystanders and wasn’t

“if morgana doesnt kill you i will" “threatening a king is treason merlin” “what about threatening an ASS” listen. look me in the eyes. this is TOP TIER banter

remember how in the early seasons they’d bend over backwards to leave plausible deniability when expressing affection? like “we’d be good friends if you weren’t a prince” or “you’re not wise or anything but yeah you’re wise” or whatever dumb toxic masculinity bullshit...those days are OVER with. merlin speaks DIRECTLY from the heart. “i’m worried about you” and “i swear i’ll protect you or die at your side” he is not fucking around even a little bit. this fool is in love

they were ALMOST cuddling when they slept together under that overhang

the two of them trapped in that net was PRICELESS. in the early seasons i got a little tired of the frequent slapstick/juvenile humor and wished the series was a bit more serious but now that they’re here i cling to every shred of levity with my whole heart

i was SO relieved to realize gwen wasn’t actually planning on killing that poor girl - i kept saying the entire time it was very out of character for her, no way could she be that cruel

arthur: “you wanna kill me fine but my last request is for you not to kill merlin” merlin: “you wanna kill arthur fine but you’re gonna have to go through me” arthur: “for fucks sake”

merlin: i never do as i’m told! that’s *** ******

i dont care if mordred DID save their lives i NEVER wanted to see him less i am so full of dread

i can’t BELIEVE morgana also has a pet dragon. she and merlin could have been the BEST foils and i’m STAYING mad about it. she was actually so good in this episode - way less full of evil smirks - that i briefly rejoined the morgana defense squad and got REAL pissed when mordred eventually shanked her, ESPECIALLY after she was so happy she was nearly crying to see him again. WHAT IS IT WITH THAT KID AND STABBING PEOPLE KNOCK IT OFF

the snowy environments in this episode were soooo good. the scenery was just...top fucking tier and it’s nice to see them somewhere other than the same old places. also like NO allo but arthur looks really nice just wandering around through a bunch of fucking snowbanks with dirt all over his face

arthur and merlin’s little ploy to steal that dagger by arthur faking a collapse was SO GOOD. they’re SO IN SYNC. i was THRILLED. better still: he winked when he was done. he used like FIVE WHOLE BRAIN CELLS AT ONCE and he was ALMOST as proud of himself as i am proud of him. what a guy, that arthur pendragon

their escape was really good too. the nonverbal communication? top tier! they just give each other little looks and then proceed to wreck the whole scene. doubly funny when the slaver is like WHO SPILLED THAT STUFF and arthur just kind of jerks his head over at merlin. snitches get stitches, YOUR HIGHNESS

i barely felt one whole emotion for sefa or her dad but him dying was like. sad. this show is sad. why the fuck am i watching it. i hate character death. they were hugging

arthur seemed like he was having just the time of his LIFE sneaking into that big ol tower of doom. dude was all cute little quips and smiles. popped his head outta that lil minecart like a kid at christmas

i love also that you give percival nothing but a single sword and in short order he goes about liberating all the slaves, killing all the slavers, and then reappropriating their swords to a better cause. he’s a one-man army. i was SO impressed. and he really looked like he was having fun too

merlin seeing that lil baby dragon again was SO fucked up and sad. why can’t it TALK :(((

also lmao “merlin you cant be that stupid” “no i am if you dont believe me watch” and merlin bolts and arthur sighs with SO much longsuffering and says “im going after him”

the light in morgana’s eyes when she talks about wanting to have arthur’s head and then her stabbing him over and over without actually killing him...she’s batshit insane. rip

i do like that arthur sort of TRIED to talk her around...it’s the first time he’s really gotten to speak with her since the end of season 3 when he found out who she was

on a final note, though, i am less than thrilled with the knighting of mordred...how is it arthur can KNOW who he is, that he’s a druid, and can do magic, and LET HIM INTO THE KNIGHTS, and still have sorcery be outlawed in camelot?? it doesnt make any SENSE

[jaywrites101]

Jay Reviews: Captain Marvel

Higher, Further, Faster. Emotions are a weakness, or are they? Today at JayWrites101 we're looking into the cinematic adventure that is Captian Marvel. Critics everywhere are pitching in on this one, giving it reviews ranging between Masterpiece and Disaster with very little room for leeway. How accurate are those reviews? Let's find out together.

The purpose of this review is not to promote, nor offend. We're here to break down The Good, The Bad, and The Strange to find out what makes this movie so unique.

Spoilers ahead.

Medium: Movie Genre: Superhero, action, drama Premise: A superpowered woman with amnesia must find out the truth of who she is so she can stop an interstellar war from destroying her homeworld.

My, that's such a simple premise, isn't it? Boy, the context of this premise changes dramatically. Our Protagonist, Vers, starts off as a Kree soldier fighting to protect Halla from the Skrulls, big green aliens with the power to shape-shift into anyone. As more information is revealed, she ends as Carol Danvers (not to be confused with Karra Danvers, DC's Supergirl) a human pilot who absorbed a fraction of power from an infinity stone whose mission is to protect Earth from the Kree as they try to use her to take over the galaxy.

It's funny how the entire plot reverses itself completely, but the basic premise never changed.

Plot: We start off learning about Vers, as she and her team gears up to rescue a spy whose cover has been blown. The mission turns into a complete fiasco when the spy turns out to be a Skrull in disguise. Vers is captured and "interrogated" using some kind of mind-reading technology. Thing is, she's remembering stuff she couldn't possibly have remembered. Things like getting chewed out for crashing a go-kart, or falling while doing a military course. Vers manages to escape her captors and flee to Earth. After contacting her team, she joins forces with Nick Fury, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who's thinking about putting together a task force to protect the Earth from major threats. Not a bad idea, that.

Together they investigate the fragments of memory that Vers recalled from her capture, all while being chased relentlessly by Skrull agents who also made it to Earth. Vers eventually finds a friend who knows the truth and learns that she is, in fact, Carol Dan-vers, a human. Before this revelation has time to sink in, the Skrull offer a flag of truce. They reveal that they're not a military force, just a few survivors trying to hide from the Kree who hunt them relentlessly. As proof, they offer Carol a recording of the incident that robbed her of her memories where it's shown unarguably that her teammates, the Kree, deliberately captured her to find the Tesseract, a device that holds an Infinity Stone, and accidentally gave Carol her powers when she tried to destroy a device that used that energy.

In the end, Carol and her new friends are captured by the Kree and Carol realizes the device she believed was giving her power, was actually suppressing her powers. She destroys the device and becomes Captian Marvel, a superbeing whose massively undefined powers include energy blasts from her hands and flight. Powers that allow her to tear through a Kree spaceship like it was tissue paper. If you've watched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1. then you know these things are no joke, but Carol destroys one in three seconds flat by flying through it.

Bad guys leave, Carol takes the surviving Skrull to a new planet on the opposite side of the galaxy and Nick Fury begins his Avengers Initiative. Fast forward to the Present and Carol returns in the end-credit scene to a very confused Captain America and demands to know what happened to Fury.

This was one heavy plot. I cut a lot out of it and it still took me thirty minutes to give a summary that wouldn't leave you more confused than you began. You wouldn't think this movie was so plot-dense until you have to try to explain it.

The Good: I just broke down the plot, but what's great about Captain Marvel is that this plot is engaging. I had to go to the bathroom about a third of the way through the movie, but I didn't once consider actually leaving because every second of this movie was filled with something.

I've heard it said before that a good plot structure is "X happened because of Y and causes Z." There are precious few films that encapsulate that principle into the core of it's being better than Captain Marvel. And the nods to future films and plot points were fun to discover as well.

Another thing worth noting is how much of the story is conveyed nonverbally. They spend a lot of effort to say as much as they can, using as little dialogue as possible. This helps the viewer to remember plot details better since they're not just passively listening, but it also means that removing attention away from the screen can cause you to miss things crucial to understanding what's going on. I'm leaving this in The Good because Captain Marvel used this feature well. It's always nice to see a visual medium like film use visual storytelling to great effect instead of having someone constantly dumping exposition all the time.

As a subset of the above, lack of exposition in a movie that is a plot-heavy as this one is always worth noting as praiseworthy.

The use of humor to break up the heavier scenes was a relief, and it often came when I least expected it. Real early in the movie there was this scene where "Vers" was escaping the Skrull's and one of them does this growl at her and she growls back! It was such an absurd little moment of humanity and character that I lost it. And almost anything with that cat! I swear, how they made that monster scratching out Nick Furry's eye out into something hilarious, I'll never know! But they did, and all those little moments made this movie shine.

Real briefly, I'd like to address a common complaint I've heard against this movie, Carol's lack of character. These people are full of fluff. Is that it? Can I just leave it here? Do I really have to explain this? Yes?? *sigh* Okay.

The idea that Carol lacks character is born from her "reserved" personality type. Now, I'm not calling anyone sexist! But this is a personality type that is very often shown in Men ™ , and it doesn't even raise an eyebrow. But to any dude who actually is sexist, and refuses to look at anything other than how large Brie Larson's chest is outside of her superhero suit, this personality type can easily be swapped out with a piece of cardboard and they wouldn't notice.

Now, guys have been pulling off this “kind of quiet, but kind, but I'll seriously kick your ass if you mess with me,” attitude in film for ages. And quite a few even have had success with it. (I'm thinking Resse from Person of Interest, a show that is definitely getting its own review someday.) But it's exceedingly rare for a woman in film to have this personality type.

It's not uncommon in reality, however. And I, personally, like this touch of realism.

The few moments where Carol allowed herself to laugh felt warm and genuine. All her interactions with her niece were heartwarming. Again, some very important people, some of whom I even respect, say that the side characters never got a chance to shine, and Carol never got a chance to have a character arc.

But again, they're full of fluff. If anything, expressing emotion was Carol's character arc. By beating up the man in her life that insists that she never feel emotion, Carol shows that her emotions are her strengths and she does not at all have to prove herself to anyone.

Why?

Because she kept getting back up.

This is a powerful message to tell anyone. Not just women. We heard a variant of the same message in the Dark Knight trilogy. But in this one, it's even more satisfying because the people who kept knocking her down were cheating to begin with.

Now, I'm not going to say that this message was transferred across the eight sexes evenly. I have no doubt that women felt this message more acutely than men. This specific message was made for women. Duh. But there's only one reason why any man could come out of this film feeling attacked.

They saw themselves in Yon-Rogg.

I'm just saying, if you related to the one male character that got attacked in this movie, you prolly need to be offended. Just a little. It's not going to kill you to take a hard look at yourself, even if you eventually discover that you have, in fact, been an ass at some point in your life.

Congratulations. Welcome to the human race. Now, move on.

Before we take our own advice and move on, I'd like to address one more thing Captain Marvel did exceptionally well: The sound design.

This movie sounded wonderful, from the effects to the actual factual background music. Most notably in the third act. There was a point where a character said "The music is a nice touch" and I agreed completely. A lot of these films use similar or recycled music to amp up "the moment" but this movie... well, they didn't turn it up to eleven, but the got it up to ten.

They had music with lyrics, and that's more than 70% of movies these days. Thumbs up.

The Bad: Remember how I said I loved how engaging this plot was? It's still a freakishly dense plot! This whole thing was so tightly edited there was very little time to just unpack the things that happened. Often, you had to try and unpack the thing that just happened while actually doing the next thing.

This helps the movie be engaging. But it hamstrings it when it comes to actually following what’s happening. There is just no way to condense this movie. I've left out tons of stuff just because I have to stop typing this thing eventually!

The Strange: This part of the review is dedicated to the bizarre. To elements or ideas that seem half done, or just really questionable. Not usually bad enough to be constituted as a plot hole, these things are... just... things.

So, for example, the Kree team. What were their names? How many of them were there in the first place?

Don't know? Me neither, and I took notes when I watched this film. I remember Minn-Erva, the sniper, and Yon-Rogg the main villain. And if I'm honest, I actually forgot their names and had to look it up. I didn't even know their group was called "Starforce," until I discovered it looking for the correct way to spell their names.

This is not the best way to set up your main bad guys. Especially if your audience is supposed to care about them at all for any reason.

And while we're at it, the antagonist himself, Yon-Rogg, could do with a little bit extra development too. We don't really know much about him except that he thinks emotions are weaknesses in a fight, and that Carol using her full power is cheating.

We don't really know anything else about him, so there's no real sense of betrayal when Carol turns on him. The "evil all along" trope works best when it's a character you've been with the whole story who's secretly had a plan the whole time. It works because you, the audience, feels betrayed too. Here... it just kinda happened. And, depending on how cynical you are, you probably even saw it coming.

It's like they were going for a sucker punch but aimed it at your forearm; doesn't really hurt, and does little to actually surprise us.

Strongest Scene: When making the strongest scene, I don't mean I look for the scenes with the most meaning packed into them. If I did, the climax or the Intro of a story would win every time. No, what I look for in a strong scene is pure storytelling. How is it shot, who is in it, how does it connect with the rest of the story, and how much does it say.

For Captain Marvel, my subjective vote goes to the bar scene between Nick Fury and "Vers." Even though they've technically met already, the two are really seeing each other for the first time. Nick, newly awakened to the idea of aliens, and Vers, finally respecting Nick's skills as a competent agent despite his comparative backwater setting.

Nick realizes he's in about a mile over his head, and Vers realizes she can't work alone.

They have a nice discussion about their past and aliens, complete with its own little humorous jabs, and there's a very real sense that these two are full partners afterward that carries all along the rest of the movie.

Weakest Scene: As much as it saddens me to say this, I'm going to have to put the introduction to the movie here.

Don't get me wrong, it does a fully competent job of setting up Vers and her amnesia. But we don't get a good sense of anyone else in Halla. To me, it's the things we don't see that really spoil this intro. We don't see any of Carol's friends, and the one guy we do see is in a bit of a mentor position. We don't see how people in this world live, and because of that, we don't get to know if the people of Halla are happy, or miserable. And while this does little for the plot of this movie, it would've done marvels at giving the villains characterization or justifications.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda; didn't.

Luckily, I can gladly say that every other scene in this movie was made stronger than this one.

Conclusion: Captain Marvel is an excellent story from start to finish. Anyone who tells you otherwise is stuffed so full of fluff you can call them Whinee the Poo. And yes, that is my way of saying they're full of crap. 

There's a stigma around female characters that they're almost all considered Mary Sue's, and that being a Mary Sue is the WORST CRIME EVER!! But I never got that from Carol. Mostly because at every opportunity instead of powering her way through her problems, she had to cave and struggle and even fall.

And then she got back up.

[daughter-of-water]

long ask on cerseis lies

in the books cersei claimed to jaime that she didnt want bran to fall that she never told him to push bran and went he was achild when in the first book while jaimes first instinct was to give  bran his hand when he was about to fall on his own  and pull  him off  while  cerseis first reaction was   he saw us and asked jaime what he was doing when he pulled bran up 

actually

https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/103635-cerseis-lies/

GRRM is a different kind of writer. He wants the readers to solve the puzzles he created. He sometimes uses unreliable narrators. His characters can be ignorant, cheating or lying. GRRM does not explain everything plainly in words. He implies some of them heavily or mildly. So in order to get to the truth, we must be careful. That is far more important when dealing with great conspirators or known liars. We can understand GRRM’s style better with this quote:

Jaime handed him the ring of keys. “I gave you the truth. You owe me the same. Did you do it? Did you kill him?”

The question was another knife, twisting in his guts. “Are you sure you want to know?” asked Tyrion. “Joffrey would have been a worse king than Aerys ever was. He stole his father’s dagger and gave it to a footpad to slit the throat of Brandon Stark, did you know that?”

“I … I thought he might have.”

“Well, a son takes after his father. Joff would have killed me as well, once he came into his power. For the crime of being short and ugly, of which I am so conspicuously guilty.”

“You have not answered my question.”

“You poor stupid blind crippled fool. Must I spell every little thing out for you? Very well. Cersei is a lying whore, she’s been fucking Lancel and Osmund Kettleblack and probably Moon Boy for all I know. And I am the monster they all say I am. Yes, I killed your vile son.”

Tyrion answers Jaime’s question in the end but that is a lie. He wants Jaime to use his head and warns him about Cersei the lying whore. Like Tyrion, GRRM does not spell every little thing out for us. He even gives us many lies as facts, most of them are not as obvious as the one Tyrion said above.

Cersei is a liar. Worse, she lies to herself when the ugly truth is unbearable for her. She whitewashes herself all the time. In her POVs, we don’t see any confession about how she killed Melara but it is heavily implied that she pushed her to the well she died.

In this thread, I want to explore the lies Cersei told to others or herself, which should enable us to understand more about the obvious or canon information related to her.

“He saw us,” the woman said shrilly.

“So he did,” the man said.

Bran’s fingers started to slip. He grabbed the ledge with his other hand. Fingernails dug into unyielding stone. The man reached down. “Take my hand,” he said. “Before you fall.”

Bran seized his arm and held on tight with all his strength. The man yanked him up to the ledge. “What are you doing?” the woman demanded.

The man ignored her. He was very strong. He stood Bran up on the sill. “How old are you, boy?”

“Seven,” Bran said, shaking with relief. His fingers had dug deep gouges in the man’s forearm. He let go sheepishly.

The man looked over at the woman. “The things I do for love,” he said with loathing. He gave Bran a shove.

Before Jaime pushed Bran out of the window, he looked at Cersei. He loathed the act but still pushed Bran out of the window. Cersei is known to make her point without saying the words. There is another example of this.

“Yes,” he [Pycelle] wimpered, “yes, Colemon was purging, so I sent him away. The queen needed Lord Arryn dead, she did not say so, could not, Varys was listening, always listening, but when I looked at her I knew. It was not me who gave him the poison, though, I swear it.”

Now let us see the first time Jaime and Cersei talking about Bran.

“I’m not ashamed of loving you, only of the things I’ve done to hide it. That boy at Winterfell …”

“Did I tell you to throw him out the window? If you’d gone hunting as I begged you, nothing would have happened. But no, you had to have me, you could not wait until we returned to the city.”

Cersei not only lies, but also puts the blame on Jaime to make him ashamed of himself more.  ( by not only going she didnt tell him to push bran out the window but also going he was 7 and they could have frightened him into silence  and when he said he didnt think she  cersei then cut him off to further attack him by claiming he never thinks  when her reaction to jaime pulling bran up was to yell he saw us making it obvious she wanted him dead)  She definitely wanted Bran dead. She definitely said this to Jaime without saying the words. Jaime looked at her and understood it just like Pycelle understood that Jon Arryn must die. And Cersei denies them all.                       

Cersei lies. Water is wet. As I stated in a previous ask that it doesn’t matter if Cersei gave like a direct nonverbal cue, people like Jaime and Pycelle are familiar with her thinking. They know what she would want them to do in these types of situations--do what you need to do to make the problem go away which invariably means kill the person.