#the only otp that will have an eternal grip on me

[smoreal]

God that fandom from middle school has such a lifelong grip on me bc these destiel fics still manage to go so hard???

[bobgoesw00t]

Top 10 Video Games of All Time: bobgoesw00t Edition

OK, I’m officially gonna start listing my Top 10 Video Games of All Time now and I’m starting off with the only game from my original Top 5 that has survived the cut: Star Ocean Till the End of Time

Now I should mention something real quickly and it’s the following: I’ve played this game MULTIPLE TIMES, cleared the story at least 3-4 times, and only one of those clears was done without the use of an Action Replay… I know that’s rather sad but the first time I got to the Moon Base, without using it, that god damn Reclaimer FUCKED ME UP SO HARD that I ended up resorting to using the, “Max EXP” cheat on the entire party.

When they released the HD Remaster of the game on the PS4, I knew that I would have to play smarter (no Action Replay will do that to you), once I got that far and I was actually able to beat her on the first try somehow…I think. ANYWAYS, what I’m trying to say is that this game is one of my three favorite JRPGs from the PS2 (one of those is in my Top 5 right now) and no matter how many times I boot the game up and start from the beginning I have a blast. The story is awesome, the graphics hold up surprisingly well in the HD Remaster (at least IMO), combat is fun and challenging at times, and the cast of characters is phenomenal (hell, my top Star Ocean OTP is from this game and they are SO CUTE AND FLUFFY AO;SDGHASOLGJAPO;STGIJLAGPO…it’s Fayt x Albel/FayBel in case your wondering). I even think the big plot twist is awesome, given how it re-frames the ENTIRE series, even with the games that got released after it. I know one of the people who work on the series said that The Last Hope takes place in an alternate timeline, but I call bullshit on that.

That’s cause if we factor in the information that the Universe as Edge and the party know it is actually a giant MMOesque creation, we can come to the logical conclusion that the Missing Procedure is a bug or virus of some kind in the Eternal Sphere that had the potential to crash the entire system. As for the impact it has on Integrity and Faithlessness, along with The Divine Force, that is a conversation for another day.

I also like how in order to get enough Battle Trophies to unlock all of the bonus content, you actually have to play through the story multiple times with different party configurations when it comes to the optional characters. You’ve got Nel, Rodger, Albel and Peppita and which ever characters you don’t pick end up becoming bosses in the Urssa Cave Temple, and you get Battle Trophies for defeating the different configurations.

I only really have two complaints to talk about but both are pretty minor for me. The first one is the lack of a “Synopsis” section in the Info part of the Camp Menu, someplace where you can look up what’s happened so far and easily figure out where to go next. If you’re like me and you’ve taken a long break from the story, chances are you won’t remember what the current objective is the only way to figure that out is to run around like a chicken with your head cut off hoping for a cutscene to trigger…which sometimes can lead into a Boss Fight that you might be under prepared for. Thankfully they added that into the next game and this is no longer an issue but it’s still a pain in the ass to have this happen.

The other complaint is the MASSIVE difficulty spike at some points in the game. The only places I can think of when this happens is when you stop the Vendeeni from getting the Sacred Orb, the start of the second disc (or the equivilant part in the HD Remaster), and when you reach a certain level in the post-game part of Sphere 211. If you have any party members that are under-leveled, the enemies here will FUCK THEM UP. But even with properly leveled characters, one wrong move will wipe them from the battle.

And that’s all I have for gripes with this game, nothing really game breaking, and once you get a grip on the tougher enemies in the main story, it becomes a breeze to get past them and move on with the plot. Great gameplay, good cast of characters, music by the BADASS Motoi Sakuraba and a theme song from the Japanese Artist renown not just for being the first J-R&B star, but also sung the Japanese National Anthem at the Tokyo Games Opening Ceremony, MISIA. Her song, “A Little Bird Who Forgot How to Fly” is GORGEOUS and I almost ball my eyes out during the ending credits every time when it starts playing.

SO for my score of Star Ocean Till the End of Time, I’m going to follow in the steps of X-Play, use their scoring system and give this JRPG a 5/5.

Lastly for my Honorable Mentions today, I’m highlighting:

Forza Horizon 3 - the racing game that got my into not only the Forza franchise in general, but also introduced me to the music of CHVRCHΞS. Even the the next Horizon game wasn’t able to top this one for me, no matter how good it was.

Tales of Xillia/Xillia 2 - I’m doing a two for one deal this time only cause I feel like you can’t talk about one game without mentioning the other. Both games are awesome, both have their merits and flaws (not many of them to be honest though) and both have my favorite theme songs in the franchise from the Queen of J-Pop, Ayumi Hamasaki.

I’ll be giving more a in-depth reviews of these games sometime next year so that’s all for today! Keep your eyes peeled for when I post the next entry in this series and I hope you all continue to have a wonderful holiday season.

[anniesocsandgeneralstore]

Could I request our favorite otp kissing in the bathtub in the regency AU? Maybe even smutty times in the bathtub?

yes......yes i can do that M......

The water roiled with steam, rose petals swirling. It was a bath Veronica initially intended to take by herself, thinking her husband away on business to town. But then he walked in on her submerged to the chest in the metal basin — and nothing in the world could stop him from joining her. 

It somehow made it all the more relaxing. Leaned back against Jacob’s strong chest, his breath against her ear, his fingers working through the knots in her hair. The windows to their rooms that overlooked the gardens were open, white curtains billowing with the breeze. 

Veronica sighed contentedly as she leaned back into her husband further. 

“Happy, Mrs. Seresin?” he asked, voice nothing but a quiet rumble. 

“Incandescently,” she sighed back. 

He chuckled as he tilted her chin in order to press a delicate kiss to her lips. Barely there. Gentle. Full of love unspoken but known. Veronica twisted in his lap, water threatening to spill over the sides of the tub, until she was turned to face him completely — knees on either side of his thighs. It was a tight fit in the basin, but they made it work. 

Jacob smiled as he tucked her damp hair behind her ear. “You truly are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever beheld. Tell me, how did I get so lucky?”

“The question truly is how did I get so lucky to have you as my husband?” she questioned back as she trailed kisses along the line of his jaw and down his neck. “One who is so thoughtful, so kind, so brave, and so true. Who is so good to me.”

Veronica felt his cock jump to life against her inner thigh and it made her smirk against his collarbone. His hands smoothed up and up her thighs until he found purchase on her hips, driving her core down to his quickly hardening length. 

“You are so good to me, Mr. Seresin,” she whispered in his ear and he shuddered.

“Please,” he breathed, hips rocking up into her — slipping through her slick folds.

She wasn’t sure if he was asking to be inside her or for her to keep talking, keep spewing the praise he so rightfully deserved. Maybe it was both. At least, that was what she decided as she reached into the water and aligned his shaft with her entrance. She sunk down onto him slowly, savoring every inch as she breathed through the stretch. Jacob’s blunt nails dug into the soft flesh of her hips as he groaned openly into her cheek.

“Feel so good. So full. You fill me up so well.” Veronica’s nails gently scratched along the back of his head, cradling him where he had buried his face in her neck. “I would stay here for an eternity with you. In this sunlight, in this rose-filled water, in this beautiful spring. I love you, Jacob.” 

Lifting her hips, she attempted to start moving along his length, bring them both to release. But she stopped when Jacob gripped her waist tight, his head shaking as she settled back into his lap with a furrowed brow. 

“Just stay like this, dear heart. Want — Want to be completely held by you. At least until the water turns cold.” 

Veronica nodded as she relaxed completely against him, wrapping him up in her arms as she stilled. The very tips of his fingers traced up and down her spine, dancing some pattern that only they knew. The temperature of the water slowly cooled around them but neither of them took notice. Too content and too in love.

[dangermousie]

2020 End of Year Post - cdrama edition

This is only going to cover cdramas that aired in 2020; if I had to make a post about all the cdramas I watched this year, I would still be doing it in three months...

Overall it’s been a fairly decent cdrama year (certainly better than the very lacklustre kdrama year.) It’s no miracle that 2019 was (so many excellent dramas!) but overall pretty solid.

DRAMAS WATCHED

(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

44 The Legend of Jing Yan - the worst cdrama I have seen this year, and possibly the worst drama of 2020, period. The hero and heroine were both uncharismatic, incapable of acting and saddled with such shrilly moronic characters, the only suspense was how they haven’t both perished long since from forgetting to breathe. Nor was anyone in the rest of the cast much better; the screenplay was written by a lower mammal and the cinematography was the best a third-rate wedding cinematographer could offer. Stay the HELL away from this one.

43 Unicorn Girl - the only unicorn about this bland yet irritating piece of pap was the fact that I was supposed to believe the leads are hockey players.

42 Autumn Cicada - I like spy stories, Allen Ren, and Republican Era settings. I can tune out Communist propaganda with the best of them. Yet, the propaganda ate the story to such a degree that there was nothing left; pre magic change Pinocchio was less wooden then this narrative.

41 You Complete Me - no you do not.

40 Skate into Love - the only positive thing I can say about this is that at least it’s better than Unicorn Girl, if for no other reason that only one of them is supposed to be a hockey player.

39 Irreplaceable Love - how do you make a story about fake siblings with a mad mother falling for each other boring? I don’t know, ask the makers of this.

38 Eternal Love Rain - I hate to rain on their parade, but these two actors cannot act, have about as much chemistry as a piece of bread, and are trapped in a story perfect for entertaining the mental abilities of the leads of Jin Yan.

37 For Married Doctoress - ummmm, you could do worse I guess. It only made me break out in mild hives. The sadistic ending did make me laugh though.

36 Dance of the Sky Empire - why you get Xu Kai and waste him in this insipid mess of a story is beyond me.

35 Love Designer - it’s inoffensive except to my sense of entertainment. There is nothing wrong with it but oh God is it bland.

34 Love a Lifetime - It felt like a lifetime watching this, but I didn’t love it. The story is incoherent, the actors have no chemistry and it’s all an epic waste of time.

33 Love is Sweet - so sweet it gave me diabetes. I like Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu, but there is literally no plot. I don’t need to sink into a plotless morass to watch pretty people engage in PG-rated make-outs. I am an adult with access to stronger stuff if I am thus inclined, though to be fair they could get x-rated and I still wouldn’t be able to sit through so many episodes of plotlessness for that.

32 Fake Princess - I love Zhao Yi Qin, but the guy needs to pick better projects. The female lead in this one has the voice and personality that can strip paint but the story is also doing nobody any favors.

31 The Changan Youth - I lost my brain checking this out. I had to go and read a dense treatise on medieval coinage or Mayan farming to try to recover it.

30 My Dear Destiny - kinda cheesy fun. It honestly shouldn’t be as low except it really feels like community theater.

29 Handsome Siblings - why is the Nic Tse version so good and this one so bad? True mystery for the ages. Chen Zhe Yuan is the sole reason this isn’t lower, because that kid tries SO HARD to make this drama bearable and almost succeeds. I can’t wait to see him in Sha Po Lang which actually will give him something to do.

28 In a Class of Her Own - see my comment on The Changan Youth. But at least Song Weilong is gorgeous to look at.

27 General’s Lady - inoffensive, pretty and so utterly pointless.

26 The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion - those two leading actors are a no go to me but at least they considerately acted with each other instead of ruining two dramas for me. It’s very pretty though.

25 Jiu Liu Overlord - it’s a mess and I bailed, but I placed it this high merely due to the fact that Lai Yi finally gets a leading role and he’s sexy as fuck and I am shallow. Whoever styled Bai Lu should never work again except at a circus, however.

24 Cross Fire - not my genre and Luhan will always look too much like my cousin for comfort, but it’s a surprisingly gripping and dark drama. I liked it!

23 God of Lost Fantasy - if you want to watch a mediocre wuxia/xianxia, this is not a bad choice. Probably better than Legend of Fei actually, because at least it doesn’t have an A-list cast to waste and gives us Sheng Yilun himbo and shirtless.

22 Renascence - the insane cuts (it went from 70 eps to 36!!!) made a fairly cheesy story into a total mess. But I had a good time until I finally bailed mainly because of the male lead (Chen Zhe Yuan yet again carrying a not-good 2020 drama on his shoulders; the guy should be nicknamed Atlas) and the insane but in a fun way story. The female lead (both the character and the actress) were not up to par but oh well.

21 Legend of Fei - only this high because objectively there is nothing I disliked it. But there is nothing I liked either. The most uninspired drama on the list. If you could eat cardboard, this is what it would taste like.

20 Ever Night 2 - compared to EN1, it’s a waste of film. On its own merits, it’s not very good (the cast replacements are uniformly inferior and Dylan Wang is so wrong for Ning Que I cannot even put it into words; the script is useless.) But it had some parts I loved so very VERY much (all the shippy stuff was perfection) so I don’t feel too bitter.

19 Castle in the Sky 2 - a lovely if not too complex fairy tale. It is inferior to its prequel because it doesn’t have Zhang Ruo Yun who elevated it, but it’s still a solid bit of fun.

18 The Great Ruler - it’s very high fantasy, very pretty, and surprisingly involving.

17 (tie) Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos - the secondary couple steals the show but the rest is not too bad if not too involving.

17 Legend of Awakening - a solid bit of fun with a seriously BDSM streak (theme this year apparently - but come on, the lead’s powers only activate when he’s in extreme pain!) It’s a bit generic and the costuming is done by a blind person, not to mention the OTP is a NOTP, but the rest of relationships (romantic and platonic) are wonderful (I live for the found siblings story in this one) and I like most of the characters.

16 Consummation - a rare modern cdrama I liked; a sweet coming of age story (and love story) even if wrapped in a pretty weird virtual reality concept.

15 Oops the King is in Love - this is how you do a low budget, sweet, silly piece of fluff. Our heroine pretends to be a eunuch and crosses paths with a powerless young king and they are adorable, even more so than the drama.

14 Song of Glory - pretty solid, though draggy and I didn’t love the toothpaste filter. But A+ cast, excellent leading couple chemistry, Li Qin being a BAMF and a leading man (Qin Hao) who is actually an adult.

13 And the Winner is love - objectively kind of a mess (and the heroine has the brainpower of a gnat), but the OTP chemistry is excellent and Luo Yunxi fighting and flirting with a fan as finally a leading man is worth the price of admission.

12 Miss S - snazzy and snappy and stylish and whatever else starts with S.

11 Eternal Love of Dream - I don’t know if it would work for you as well if you weren’t a hardcore shipper for this OTP in Three Lives but I was and this was such a darling, wonderful, shippy delight; plus I love this type of high fantasy.

10 (tie) Maiden Holmes - solid and sweet and a wonderful OTP. Proves that functional doesn’t have to mean boring. If you watch one cross-dressing drama this year make it this one.

10 Qin Dynasty Epic - srs bsns history epic. I am not far into it but it’s so good and smart and visually stunning (if you love battles, this one is for you.)

9 Love Lasts Two Minds - I adored this so much more than I should objectively have, but it’s so beautiful (and no I am not just referring to Alan Yu’s face) and the OTP has wonderful chemistry and the story is solid, and the whole trope of her memory being wiped but falling for him all over again while he’s constantly and utterly devoted is a fave; plus he’s in pain and semi-dyng for most of it so sluuuurp (happy ending, don’t worry)

8 To Love - yes, a modern drama is this high! But it involves intensity, tragedy, genuine adults and sexiness that is Lin Gengxin. And there is an actual plot and darkness OMG!

7 Legend of Xiao Chuo - so beautiful, so fun, so full of gorgeousness of Shawn Dou. Plus, Liao is a rare setting for a cdrama and there are a lot of characters and stories I liked a LOT. Less ship content than I wanted but more than I expected.

6 The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so so delightful. I was literally laughing out loud. I have no idea if it will work as well if one isn’t a seasoned watcher of period cdrama/reader of web novels, with bonus for watching/reading Goodbye My Princess, but it was a complete delight for me (and yes, I shipped for real, as well. Best of both worlds.)

5 Twisted Fate of Love - Jin Han gets a leading period drama role! And he’s enjoying it to the hilt, excellent as a smart, twisty bastard who is also charming and so madly in love with heroine. Sun Yi is beautiful and tough and her chemistry with JH is on fire, the story never drags, and it’s so twisty and fun and just awesome.

4 Love In Between - the most underrated drama on this list. It has no big names or big budget, but it’s wuxia that’s clever, driven, tragic, hopeful and so beautifully shot. Three separate (amazing) OTPs, a leading man who is so not typical (a doctor who cannot fight and who never acquires this ability) and who is intense and smart and damaged, a heroine who puts her quest ahead of her emotions, an unhealthy degree of involvement by yours truly. This is a drama Fei should have been.

3 Love and Redemption - such a lovely, addictive, utterly romantic fairy tale. I was obsessed with it for a reason. All the tropes you love and some you didn’t know you did, a star-crossed OTP to the nth power (and a secondary OTP I hardcore love), a twisty yet coherent plot, some insane chemistry and so much whump and hurt/comfort they must have bought blood packets in bulk.

2 Go Ahead - yes, I can’t believe it either. A contemporary slice of life cdrama made it this high on my list. But the way it feels so real, the found family perfection, the characters I love and loathe, the perfect cherry of a wonderful OTP that hits my narrative kinks on top, and just a perfect storm of loveliness all around with this one.

1 The Wolf - is that any surprise to anyone who’s checked out this tumblr for the last couple of months? Tragic, intense and gorgeous; so romantic and angsty and passionate it made me lose my mind (though some of it was gone the moment the camera panned to Darren Wang) - all my favorite tropes and then some; this is a drama that may not be perfect but it is 100% and then beyond perfect for ME.

FAVORITE DRAMA

The Wolf - I have seen objectively better cdramas; even this year. But it has been literal years since I have been this hardcore obsessed, this utterly pleased, this emotionally catered to and devastated at once. A beautiful dark fairy tale that manages to own me despite the storytelling gaps due to censorship, it took me for one of the biggest emotional roller coaster rides of my drama watching career. Visually gorgeous, poetic, intense, and so romantic it took my breath away, this is not just my favorite cdrama of 2020, it’s my favorite drama this year period, and the one cdrama this year to make it into my permanent Top 10 cdramas list.

WORST DRAMA

Legend of Jin Yan - see my write up for it for why as I refuse to waste more time on this stupid mess.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Wolfie, The Wolf - he is such a haunted, tormented, complex, dark mess; loving and violent, severely damaged and with a hidden yearning softness, longing and aloof. And the amount of charisma and sheer masculine sex appeal Darren Wang brings to the role is insane and not something I see much of in a cdrama. Plus, that character arc with its rapid fall and slow painful redemption is A++++

Runner Up:  Sifeng, Love and Redemption - has a male lead ever loved more utterly and selflessly, suffered more thoroughly and beautifully, and managed to have such chemistry with both his leading lady and his leading man (that his leading lady temporarily turned into) at once? The answer is no.

Almost made the cut - Feng Xi, Twisted Fate of Love, Han Shuo, The Romance of Tiger and Rose, Qing Ci, Love in Between.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Xiao Qian, The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so funny, so much the reason this drama was such a delight. I adore her beyond words.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

Murder Daddy, The Wolf - I am sad the censors robbed us of seeing him die on screen. He was fully human but nonetheless managed to be the worst monster in a drama full of literal ones.

Ling Xiao’s Mom, Go Ahead - I hate her so much I don’t want to look up her name. She abused the kid, the disappeared and came back to abuse him some more. I mean she literally gave her child mental health issues. She is the WORST.

FAVORITE SHIP

Xing’er x Wolfie, The Wolf - are you kidding me? Who else could it ever be for me? They destroyed each other and saved each other, sworn enemies and childhood lovers, soulmates and epic messes, they couldn’t live with or without each other. The longing, the passion, the intensity, the angst, the epicness. LIKE THERE ARE NO WORDS!!!!

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Si Yuan, Shen Manqing, Love in Between - I loved them as much and often more than the main OTP. So much angst and passion and a happy ending! She is a seeming sect darling (except the sect is horrible and also sexist so her only worth is as a marriage candidate) and he’s an information broker who is actually one of the members of a destroyed sect that’s blamed for the massacre of her family. That chemistry and yearning is insane. The scene where she touches his face when he’s unconscious was in serious running for my favorite scene of 2020.

NOTP

Legend of Awakening - I have never seen a couple that didn’t just have no chemistry but exhibited actual revulsion towards each other before watching Chen Feiyu and Cheng Xiao try to act as lovers in this one. It was almost entertaining to be honest.

FAVORITE SCENE

It’s a tie and both are from The Wolf. One is a sequence where Wolfie marches to the walls alone, seeking death at Xing’er’s hands and the whole sequence with the battle and rescue follows. The other is the intercut between Xing’er going to her wedding and Wolfie going to his execution, and the auto-da-fe being intercut with her wedding.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Wolfie, The Wolf - Ummm have you seen this tumblr lately, it’s basically a drool shrine to the man.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Yelü Yansage, The Legend of Xiao Chuo - I have loved this actor since The Myth and he continued to competently steal every scene he was in.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

To Love - come out of the coma, dammit!!!!!!!

NEEDS A DIRECTOR’S CUT

The Wolf - duh. It started out as 59 eps and got cut to 49. I reaiize some stuff is never gonna get put in due to censorship, but some of the stuff that got cut got for time reasons because they were deluded and hoping to get a TV broadcast so ep count had to be under 50. I mean I doubt the censors would care if they kept scenes of Wolfie building her a swing or whatever. I really really want a director’s cut the way Goodbye My Princess did even if like with GMP it’s only three extra eps. Hell, I will take extra three minutes, as long as those three minutes are Darren Wang shirtless or with a sword. Ahem.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

The Song of Glory - it’s a fairly solid drama but honestly it didn’t need to be as long as it was and kind of got draggy and I got lost interest. (I could have gotten snarky and said all the dramas I didn’t like needed scissors taken to them in their entirety but decided to play nice.)

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

There are a number of dramas I could complain about with regard to this (hi there, darling The Wolf!) but this award goes to Renascence - poor Renascence was never going to be a masterpiece, but it had the potential to be a bit of good cheesy fun until it had its run time cut by more than half and became an incoherent piece of insanity.

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Dumb shrill innocent heroine who can’t tie her shoes - see basically all the cdramas I didn’t like this year.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Male lead torture - I mean it’s always open season on that in cdramas, but between Love and Redemption, The Wolf, Love Lasts Two Minds, Love in Between and so on, it was a banner year!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Legend of Fei - what a waste of that cast; what a waste of our finite time on this Earth. What a waste of my intelligence to hope for something better and stick with it for a dozen eps. I have had stale wonderbread that had more personality than this drama.There is absolutely nothing that stands out about this drama in any way,  from half-dimensional characters, to actors who are sleepwalking, to a plot that moves at the speed of an arthritic snail, to uninspired cinematography and direction, to lack of any chemistry between anyone in the cast. If paint-by-numbers was done by a group of particularly linear robots, it might come across the same way as this drama.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

The Wolf - honestly, I did not expect it to come out AT ALL EVER let alone to become my favorite drama of 2020. I was not familiar with the leading man (hahah), I liked Li Qin but wasn’t yet obsessed with her, and Xiao Zhan was excellent in The Untamed but I was hardly going to follow him from drama to drama (and I don’t do SLS any way.) And the trailer was enjoyable but unlike seemingly everyone, I didn’t think it was going to be some epic masterpiece. And then it came out and while it wasn’t objectively an epic masterpiece, it pulled out all the favorite tropes, shippy and narrative kinks from the deepest darkest recesses of my id. And I fell harder than I have in years. 

2020 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

None. Covid Year gave me PLENTY of time

BEST NON-2020 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2020

Novoland Eagle Flag and Joy of Life - they are in my Top 10 dramas from anywhere now. They are quite different except being smart and giving me protagonists to obsess over.

ETA: Also The Untamed because @idlewilds3 pointed out I actually watched it in 2020 even though I didn’t think so because this hellyear has lasted about three decades.

MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2021

I am gonna limit it to dozen and leaving out ones that aren’t necesarily supposed to air next year (Joy of Life 2, Love in Flames of War, Novoland Princess from Plateau.)

Monarch Industry, Novoland Pearl Eclipse, Silk Washing Stream, Dream of Changan, Sword Snow Stride, Wu Xing Shi Jia, Ancient Love Poetry, Immortality, The Long Ballad, Mirror Twin Cities, The Imperial Age, Fall In Love

[theveryinsignificantpotato]

hello!! may a request an alastor x reader where the reader is charlie’s older sister?!

I am sorry this took a weirdly long time, I had to rewrite it literally four separate times before I had a semi-solid idea for a plot, and this is where it got me

I do sincerely hope you like it!

The Magne Match Maker

She was lucifer's oldest and most powerful daughter, holding a reputation for being a high energy leader who didn't take any shit, and often stirred fear in the hearts of those around her. Everyone in hell knew who she was, Alastor alone had read about her in papers, seen her in paintings and portraits with her family, and even caught a glimpse of her on the picture show once or twice in passing. He found himself knowing of both her and her reputation when they met, so the shock wasn't from her personality or anything of substance - he just hadn't anticipated how much prettier she was in person.

Despite her initial skepticism with his relations to her sister's dreams, she never shunned him, but rather allowed him closer in an attempt to grasp any hidden intentions he had. She allowed him to talk and dance and joke with her like he did with everyone else that allowed him to, and he found that she herself was brilliantly funny, charismatic, and quite the dancing partner, she was bold and fun and all around gorgeous - and Alastor would never admit just how quickly she had him wrapped around her little finger.

Charlie watched it all go down too, from the moment her sister arrived at the hotel she had a premonition about those two, and as the weeks passed their chemistry became more and more undeniable. Her sister, who was usually stubborn and quick witted, seemed to turn to putty in Alastor's hands every time he swept her into a dance, she'd blush and lean into his grip, and has a smile that just wouldn't leave regardless of how much she tried to force any other expression into its place. Alastor himself even seemed hesitant any time he had to remove the demon from his gaze and found that his face flushes against his will any time she'd laugh at his jokes.

This went on for months, both parties infatuated with the other while doing nothing to officialize any sort of relationship.

Charlie had to do something

While y/n had accepted the idea, Alastor was thrilled at the principal of a ball! So many bodies crammed in one room in the midst of an event would surely result in some delicious chaos, and even if there wasn't any, perhaps he could treat himself to a dance with the queen-to-be! 

Said demon herself was more excited at the ability to use the event as an excuse to go dress shopping with her little sister (dad had her off on business so often it seemed she never got to see Charlie anymore) it had been a long time since she'd been to a formal event and who better to consult than her! The Magne sisters would surely rule the event with their outfits.

Boy did they, Alastor was stunned when he saw y/n, who entered with Vaggie and Charlie, the three of them were talking and at one point when y/n threw her head back in laughter his long-dead heart seemed to leap back to life. He had never meant to stare, of course, she just completely caught him off guard with her striking appearance. Both Magne sisters wore dresses in the same style with skirts that met the floor with a gold trim, charlie's was primarily black and pink - like her typical outfit, and her sister was wrapped up in her own favorite colors, golden fabric trimming both dresses. He himself was quite dressed up, an old fashioned suit adorning his thin frame (red suited him best, he thought), his bowtie was replaced with a hand-tied bow, and a silken vest showed slightly beneath his coat. Her eyes finally met his after a few moments, and he reveled in the way her cheeks instantly flushed upon seeing him. It wasn't long then, before he approached her for a dance, earning an excited squee from Charlie. 

"You are gorgeous as always Ms. Magne, I would be eternally grateful if you'd grant me a dance." He asked sweetly, taking her hand and bowing to press a kiss to her knuckles

Her face flushes even more and she looks to Charlie who nearly shoves her sister into his arms in reply. He is barely fazed, only moving to ensure she was steady before returning to his previous position, "I'd be honored to" she says finally, her words barely leaving her mouth in a breath.

His smile widens and he immediately begins guiding her to the floor where many couples were already moving to a jovial rhythm, proudly showing her off to those who saw, as if staking claim to her right then and there. As usual, she was a wonderful dancer, and he adored every second he had with her in his arms, twirling and spinning her in time with their fellow dancers, even she seemed to be having a blast. He was so caught up in the moment that he barely noticed when the music slowed to the next song and she ended up curled up into his arms with her head to his chest. His left hand gripped her right one gently, and his other hand was held softly to her waist as he led her between the other dancers.

"You have a heartbeat." She observes in a soft voice

“That I do." He hums in a jovial tone, sending a delightful chill down her spine

"My father and mother don't, I have just never heard one before…" she says softly, and her face flushes slightly once again, "I don't know why I brought that up, I was just thinking and I guess I started talking."

He shook his head “Nonsense, I’d love to know whats going on in that pretty little head of yours,” He hummed continuing their soft sway across the floor, “Many people find the sound of a heartbeat to be relaxing, while I have met others who rejected the idea of a demon with a pulse, I’m curious of what your opinion is.” He continued the topic, hoping to keep her talking

“I like it.” she says contently, “I think I could always listen to it.”

Now it was his turn to feel blood rush to his cheeks, and he was silently thankful that she couldn't see his darkened flesh from her angle against his chest

"It's funny how much I disliked you when we first met," she continued, "I'll admit, Charlie is the only reason I let you stick around at all - and it seems that it's because of her that I'm here with you now." 

He hummed, "She is quite persistent regarding you and I, isn't she?" He muses, his eyes shining with amusement when she finally picked her head up to see him 

"Quite," she says, mirth decorating her features, Charlie was naturally very excitable, but her biggest downfall was her inability to be discreet - she didn't know just how much her proclaimed OTP knew of her set up, and the two of them got quite the kick out of watching it all unfold. "You don't have to listen to her ramblings, mister, I don't wanna hear you complain!" She said with a laugh

"Who said I was complaining? Your sister is quite entertaining, her little matchmaker game is one of the highlights of my days at the hotel!" He replies, "And you, Ma petite chou, play quite the role in that, too. Your smile shines brighter than the sun ever dreamed!" 

She makes a face, unable to hide her light blush at his compliments, "I've never seen the sun, Al- and did you just call me a little cabbage?" 

He laughs, "It's a term of endearment, chér, the french use it to relate the subject to something small, round, and cute, which you my darling, are." He flirts, that familiar sparkle of amusement manifesting in his eyes once more, "and why have the sun when you exist in this world?" 

She rolls her eyes, her cheeks still burning slightly, "Why do you say such things to me? Charlie cannot hear, so there is hardly any cause for you to continue this game."

He seemed confused for a moment, "game? Oh darling, you wound me with your accusation. I may be a demon, but I am a man of my word, and though I admit I have a flair for the dramatic, none of my actions toward you have been anything short of genuine." He confesses, and the look on her face was one of complete shock.

Then in the most amazing twist, an excited smile graced her features

"So you're saying that Charlie is absolutely correct about us and after all of it, you really do like me, and I am the most oblivious being on this plane just like she said." 

He blinked, "now I'm not-"

She rolled her eyes again, shaking her head, "shut up and kiss me, you silly cabbage." 

He laughed then, humming "as you wish, mon drôle de petit chou" before spinning her about and pressing a sweet kiss to her lips

Before she could even process the situation she was in, she heard her sister squeal in delight at the sight of her parallel to the floor in the radio demon's arms, and she couldn't help the excited smile into Alastor's own at the sound.

[homeformyheart]

As I said, 12 - "don't put me in this position" from that one angst prompt list i pointed you in dms, with whoever 👀👀👀

thank you @mepheesto for the request! this mayyyy still be too angsty for most peoples’ tastes (no happy ending). sorry in advance!

author’s note: i thought M would be a better fit for this scenario than N; i know i’m leaving a lot to the imagination but i wanted to keep these prompt fills relatively short. this takes place during the deep romance part of their relationship. hope you all enjoy! copyright: all characters, except the oc detective, are owned by mishka jenkins @seraphinitegames. series/pairing: the wayhaven chronicles – mason x f!detective (ria knight) rating/warnings: 14+; major character death, angst based on/prompt: OTP angst prompts // 12. “Don’t put me in this position.” (in bold) word count: 1.3k summary: ria makes mason promise the unthinkable.

mason stood in front of the wrought-iron gates of the wayhaven cemetery, his thick boot-clad feet sinking in the mud as the remains of the summer storm danced on his freckled skin.

it wasn’t supposed to end this way.

she was supposed to be here, by his side.

not buried six feet below a mound of dirt.

she promised to come back to him.

not go somewhere he couldn’t follow.

she was supposed to live.

not die by his hand in his arms.

3 weeks earlier

ria reached for mason’s hand as she sat on a gurney in the small, sterile room with nothing but white walls and a small, beeping monitor on a side table.

“you nervous?” he asked, holding her hand tightly in his.

his grey eyes softened as he studied her, trying to memorize the exact blue of her eyes and the way her pale skin radiated warmth that seeped through his clothes.

the corner of her eyes seemed to lift in an attempt to put him at ease. she should be terrified, but for some reason, she was trying to reassure him. the thought made him frown.

“hey, i need you to promise me something,” she said quietly, wrapping her other hand around their intertwined ones.

“anything,” he murmured, leaning in to give her a soft kiss on the forehead.

“if something were to go wrong—”

“it won’t.”

he needed her to focus all her energy on surviving.

she tugged his hand toward her. “i know the risks and there is a chance. if something does go wrong and i am no longer in control of myself…if i go feral, i need to know that you’ll handle it.”

he just stared at her in disbelief. “that won’t happen.”

“mason. if i am not myself and am capable of hurting people, i need you to make the call, you understand? for the good of everyone. i wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it.”

the pale blue of her eyes reminded him of the way seeing a sliver of blue on an overcast winter sky sometimes made the cold feel worse. the way the light reflected in them, waking his senses softly most mornings, now pierced his vision until the image of her blurred.

the frown on his face deepened and he pulled his hand away, tucking it into his pocket and reaching for a cigarette. “don’t put me in this position.”

“mason, i’m so sorry,” she said quietly, putting a palm to his cheek and turning his head toward her. “i hope you know how much i love you.”

he put the cigarette in his mouth and bit down hard, crushing the paper between his teeth until it disintegrated. the broken remains fell to the floor, the dark brown filling contrasting with the white tiled floor. the entire room was blinding and blurring.

“ria, i—”

a knock on the door, followed by agent chana peeking out from adam’s large stature drew their attention away from each other.

“ready? the agent who will perform the turning will be here shortly. you all can wait outside,” chana said sharply.

ria met adam’s piercing gaze, holding it for a full two seconds before he gave her a small nod. mason glanced back and forth between the two before adam left the room, the frown on his face deepening.

she slowly intertwined her fingers with his again and kissed the back of his hand.

“i won’t hurt you,” he said quickly, tightening his grip on her hand.

“i need you to keep me from hurting the ones i love. and i am sorry that by doing this, i am hurting you.”

he paused and looked at her for what would be the last time while she was human. how could she ever understand how losing her might destroy him?

his strength, stamina, and keen senses were of no use to him now. none of it would help keep her with him.

“come back to me. that’s an order,” he murmured, capturing her lips with his.

he focused on the feel of her lips, the taste of her contented sighs, and the warmth spreading throughout his body, memorizing every fiber that she seemed to touch before pulling back. he watched as the color of her eyes seemed to tremble before realizing that he was actually seeing the reflection of his own tormented grey ones.

“i don’t answer to you, sunshine,” she retorted cheekily.

mason ran his thumb over her cheek, feeling something unfamiliar lodge itself in the back of his throat. “please,” he whispered, his voice strangled and hoarse.

her eyes widened slightly. the word was as unfamiliar for her to hear as it was for him to say.

“i’ll try,” she said, squeezing his hand one more time before nudging him toward the door.

mason reluctantly left, looking over his shoulder back at her as agent chana began securing her to the bed, the gnawing pit in his stomach growing as he took in a rare expression of concern on adam’s face.

“what did she ask you to do?”

adam gave him a long, stoic glance before reaching into his pocket. mason already knew that it was a vial of dmb before adam had even removed it from his pants. he stared at the glass container, the color of the liquid inside confirming its purity and potency before meeting adam’s gaze again.

the feeling of dread in his stomach seemed to match the fear reflected in adam’s face. mason turned back to face the window to the room, hoping for once in his life that his instincts were wrong.

as promised, nate and felix kept rebecca as far away from the room and the process. they all knew things could go south and rebecca was better off only knowing the final result once it was all over.

despite her willingness and determination to turn, it seemed that ria had expected the worst to come true. it bothered him more than he wanted to admit that she hadn’t confided in him, even if it was because she knew he’d want her to call off the whole thing.

and as promised, adam and chana did their best to control the situation. the agency tried every known tactic to temper and lock away her feral side after she was turned. but the way she was turned, probably because of her mutated blood, was unlike anything the agency had ever seen before.

she was too strong, and it was all too much.

he watched as the woman he loved faded away a little more each day. every physical and psychic attempt to subdue her seemed to tear him apart inside tenfold.

after a week, he knew the blue-eyed person scratching and snarling at everything in sight was no longer the person he had hoped to spend eternity with.

so when the time came and the forms were handed to him, mason didn’t hesitate.

he signed the order and held on to her as tightly as he could during the procedure, despite her thrashing against him and the restraints. he held her for as long as he could even after her body stilled and her breathing had stopped.

he held on to her even when rebecca stormed in and cradled her child’s head in her hands, weeping hysterically for hours. his grip tightened even as adam and nate repeatedly murmured that he needed to let her go.

he knew they were right, at least, in that particular moment. funeral arrangements would have to be made and her body would need to be prepared. so, he let them take her body.

but he knew he’d spend the rest of his immortal life holding on to her.

from these OTP angst prompts (always accepting)

* * * * * taglist:  @kelseaaa; @kat-tia801; @anotherbeingsworld; @crackerdumortain; @pearlsandsteel; @gloynporslen; @sosolenoo; @alyssalauren; @wayhavenots; @gingerbreton; @takemyopenheart; @writer-ish; @fhauvilles;

[iamnightduchess]

As You Are - Special Chapter (R18) : Perfect Storm

Chapter summary:

The ethereal vision that greeted his eyes upon entry should be that of one of the forbidden sins in the history of humankind. She was even more breathtakingly beautiful in her purest form - scars and marks, imperfections and all.

Like the cracks on an unbreakable golden chalice.

He was the luckiest son of a gun to be the first to drink from said chalice and it made the wine tasted even sweeter. He could get drunk or get high on this woman for all eternity.

Reiner realizes he might have just unleashed an unstoppable storm when he drank from her chalice. He’d known she'd become an inescapable addiction upon first taste, the way he would be hers. He’ll get her so high, she’ll never come back down anymore. It’s a perfect extrication.

Well, you’ll never get to heaven if you’re scared of getting high.

Pure smut. A 10k special Thank You insert. Available on AO3.

A/N: This chapter is a special insert as an appreciation to my beautiful readers for their amazing support in helping me achieve my second personal writing milestone - 10k hits! It’s beyond my wildest dreams ever. Thank you so much, guys! This is also my personal belated birthday present for Mikasa on 10 February (and Reiner’s VA ;D) and an early Valentine’s gift to my beloved OTP and to you guys. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Content note: Pure smut in its truest explicit nature. No plot advancement. Just a good ol’ short chapter of ReiKasa dicking it out in the showers, discovering more of each other and a post-coital small talk on Reiner’s personal choice of drawers. Or lack of it. Who says Reiner is not taking their baby making efforts seriously? Takes place in ch.12 of As You Are.

Rhythmic muse: High by Alina Baraz.

----

Take me deep into your mind...we can get away…

As You Are

Special Chapter

Perfect Storm

Reiner closed the distance that stood between the bed and the bathroom in three long, hurried strides. He couldn’t be bothered with fixing his yukata; he let the shift hang open, letting himself hang out in the open. The sounds of the morning storm and early rolling thunder in the far horizon had been almost deafening, only several knots away from being too close to their fleet. The breeze slipping through the opened windows grazed against his nude torso in a prickling coldness. The second he stopped short in front of the steel arc of the bathroom door, he remained still.

His eyes glazed over the statuesque figure standing underneath the pouring shower, covered by only skin - porcelain, smooth, inviting. Sounds of the raging storm outside only emphasized more of this mystifying woman's beauty in its natural state, no different than a tantalizing spell cast by nature itself. The steam evaporating from the showerhead formed a curious, enticing silhouette around her body. His eyes lingered fondly at the way she closed her eyes in bliss under the long steady streams of hot water flowing down those supple skin, tinting her lusciousness raw with a delectable blush. Serene, lost in her own tranquil space.

Apart from bearing the reddening imprints that he’d left on her long slender neck from their lovemaking much earlier, between the enticing lines of her svelte curves and enticing edges, her creamy skin wore numerous dark marks and scars with their respective stories - ones that he was very aware of mostly. Long-term ODM usage would be responsible for most of them.

Others?

They were beckoning him to seek out the answers.

Just half an hour earlier, his body took hers for the first time. Reiner tasted heaven when she reeled him in to the deepest, most sacred part of her. With every pull and every push, he could feel himself unburdened everytime their hips met.

Lighter and unshackled.

Liberated and wanted.

Desired and needed.

The water flowed down her face and he found himself becoming envious of the way the warm liquid gets to lave at those long lashes, the sharp outline of her nose and her lips in a soft translucent caress.

He had all of her and he was left wanting more.

Reiner shrugged the night shift off his shoulders without any hesitation and stepped into the bathroom. A small marble tub, almost full to the brim, sat at the farthest corner of the room just next to an old gold-framed wall mirror which appeared to be more relic than vanity. In the dim lighting of the clouded sun peeking through the windows, the steaming water looked absolutely inviting.

A sigh escaped his lips. He could really use a good, long soak right now.

A low, guarded moan pulled his attention back to the now flushing body underneath the flowing water. He ran his tongue against his thin lips impulsively at the visual stimulation; she was as vivid, tempting, no different than a marble carved into perfection. All hard and muscled exterior, safeguarding the soft centre within. Painted with dark marks of bruises and battle scars of untold histories - a privilege he no longer had since the moment he inherited his Titan powers at the age of eleven. But she wore them naturally with effortless pride. Priceless yet they're worth more than some steel medal of honors he’d seen the men in Marley’s military fought to the death for.

Reiner closed the distance between them, stopping just in front of her with their bodies almost grazing. She opened her eyes, those anxious gunmetal irises in between the flowing water somehow confided that just like him, she’d never been this exposed; naked and vulnerable in front of another person in her whole entire life before. He saw the way she crossed her arms against her chest and the juncture of her thighs in uncertainty, conscious and suddenly feeling the need to cover herself even when he’d seen almost all of her much earlier.

He lifted her chin with a delicate touch. The pad of his thumb began to caress the outline of her lush pursed lips before tugging her lower lip gently, savoring the sensuous way her breath felt against his skin and the feral manner she bit at his fingertip.

His member twitched in reflex upon the sudden stimulation, threatening to break his own self restraint.

He grinned regardless. Apparently, he’s not the only biter in this marriage and that realization only got him being turned on more than ever before. Eager to find out just how much more wicked she could be. Just how much more of him she’d bite.

Reiner nudged her arms away from her chest gently, marveling as the perky globes bounced softly from the slight movement and finding himself staring far too long in amazement at the tempting blush on her face leading all the way down her drenched neck and to her chest. His hands began to knead the sculpted packs on her abdomen instead, touching a much larger discolored mark encircling her under chest, that resembled the shape of a large incomplete strap that was far too large to be from the ODM gear.

He couldn't help but wonder. "How did you get this?" His hands continued rubbing against the mark that stood out so painfully amongst her pale, milky complexion.

She swallowed bitterly, her expression darkened as a wave of recollection began to resurface. "The day you and Bertholdt tried to take Eren, I had been reckless. I was too focused on saving Eren from your titan's clutch that I was grabbed by a pure titan from behind. It broke my ribs immediately and I might have died that day if it wasn't for Jean's help." From the way she winced, it made him understand that the mark remained capable of inciting an unpleasant phantom pain upon reminiscence even years after it happened. She conceded to her own insecurity, reaffirming his perception. "It's ugly. I hated seeing it every time I looked at the mirror."

It was him, his ignorance and his selfishness who had indirectly caused that mark and left her with a painful reminder that she could never get rid of from her body.

His first mark on her body ever.

Reiner gritted his teeth in tremendous guilt and frustration. God, he didn’t know. It must have been extremely excruciating for her. He immediately lowered himself downwards with his knees rooted onto the cold bathroom floor, causing her to gasp and eyes to widen in surprise. Grabbing her on the curves of her waist, he looked up and sent her a grave look of regret. “I’m so sorry for all that I’ve done to you. All the pain that I’ve caused….” His apology manifested itself through a morose whisper. The warm of his breath, the tantalizing graze of his coarse facial hair and the light brushing of his lips against her taut skin sent the rippling muscles of her abdomen jumping in an enticing jolt. He could feel her hands grabbing the back of his head gingerly, fingers gripping his now wet tresses, her calm breaths getting heavier yet he didn't do anything further than burying his face against her torso even when his lips were already close to her mound. “Don’t hate the mark. Hate me. I did that to you.”

“No. I won’t.” Mikasa shook her head, dismissing the absurdity in his plea.

She thinks the mark is hideous yet not even once, ever held him accountable for it. 

It only made her even more exquisite in his eyes. He implored, “Anything on you or what you are would never not be beautiful to me.” 

They both remained still in that quiet moment, losing themselves in their own intimate sanctuary. Only the sound of running water and the steady storm outside accompanied their mutual embrace of the other's past sins, repercussions and acceptance of each other's flaws and imperfections.

----

Mikasa pushed Reiner’s rock hard body against the cold bathroom wall using her own as their lips once again tried to wrestle each other out of an imbalance between air, warmth and rapture using their tongues and teeth. Torsos and limbs brushing up against each other, his larger hands grabbed the supple exterior of her derriere, cupping and squeezing them raw with his palms - he could even write his name on the supple skin using his finger nails. He pressed inwards so that their hips grinded tantalizingly against each other in a torturous friction. His member then jerked upwards into a semi-hardening state from feeling her on him alone. He breathed her in; her signature scent was already bathing his skin and his body already stained by her warmth.

Mikasa pulled away from the kiss and gazed deep into his eyes. While he took advantage of the immediate breather to touch the tip of his nose against her own, causing the corners of her lips to curve upwards into a tiny, shy smile.

He'd only ever dreamed of being in heaven but if this feels like being in one, then he’d rather stay like this with her forever. His hands fiddled around the curves of her waist, squeezing the willowy contour passionately, loving the feel of her soft wet skin in his hands.

Her fingertips kept on trailing along the column of his neck, grabbing gently at his nape before settling on his shoulders, gripping carefully at the juncture of his limbs to soothe the strained muscle knots she’d discovered there. Her dominant hand later began trailing along his sternum, a finger drawing a straight, tantalizing line down his chest. Through every inch of skin that she touched, he could sense a tiny spark pulsing through his veins, reawakening the already satiated lust within.

A small hiss escaped through his gritted teeth the second her roughened palms caressed his chest with languid but precise circular motions. He observed the way her thumbs traced unhurried circles against the second most sensitive spots on his body and the way the muscles of his own pectorals and abs jumped in reflex from her touch.

Reiner let out a long languid whimper upon the sudden exhilaration. Mirroring her actions, a hand moved upwards from the rounded mound of her ass along her spine teasingly before curving sideways. His large palm seized one of her porcelain globes in his hold and he pressed on the dusky nub using his thumb, rubbing the hardened tip with the cautious of touch. Nibbling tenderly on her cheek, his question came out in a low, shaky drawling against her ears. “Mikasa...how do you want me to touch you...fast or slow….?”

Her answer came in the lowest, deepest whimper from her chest. “Either...Just keep going...” Eyes tightly shut, his younger bride threw her head back in an increasing rapture and a low, unguarded groan escaped her gasping lips upon the intensity of his touch. He watched in wonder, tinged with a tiny pride upon the new discovery - she’s extremely sensitive there it seems.

This exotic beauty's body is a dynamite yet at the same time, an undiscovered wonderland, primed for his lifelong conquest - one he'll never want to stop worshipping.

Through every breath and every inch.

Through every touch and through every kiss.

The tip of his nose ventured from her temple down her slender neck before halting right above the swelling of those appetizing twin mounds of her chest. Kiss her he did, at the same spot he just savored. He drew the outline of the weighty globe with his tongue, suckling hard and absolutely losing himself to the bliss of her skin’s sweetness to the way her soft cries sounded to his ears - muffled by his messy wet tresses, ensnared by her own open mouth kisses. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his scalp as her heaving became more urgent. His plastering bangs grazed her chest until they turned into a flushing mess.

His other hand had already made its own bold move by slipping in between the juncture of her thighs and running the pads of his digits across her wet slit. She immediately gritted her teeth upon the sudden invasion, probably due to the soreness from his earlier thrusting, but he’d sooner turned her hissing to another wave of moans when he caressed her lower mound with a wickedly soothing rhythm. 

Too lost he was in the beguiling pleasure that would sooner overtake all sense of inhibition that he’d missed the way her nimble hand had already wrapped itself around his member, already stretched out to its peaked state. The coolness of her palm burned the most sensitive part of his body as the skillful hand of a competent blade wielder projected her prowess through the way she handled his length -- with thorough, natural precision.

He just kept on growing stronger in her hands.

No one has ever made him feel like this before.

No one.

He could feel as if his soul was leaving the confinements of his physical form the moment he saw her dropping down to her knees, just like he did with her earlier. However this time, when she gazed at him with those tempestuous eyes and burning cheeks, he’d know he’ll never be able to resist her newly-unearthed desirous appetite.

It was quite contradictory that even when he’s the one who’s looking down at her right now, she’d always have the power to make him yield to her silent commandeering force.

Despite the flowing water washing away at their skins, he’s still stained by her; her essences seeping through his pores in unwavering waves no different than a perfect raging storm piercing through a man’s perseverance.

Oh God, she’s just naturally good at blowing him... and his mind.

----

He ran his lips against the irezumi on her back, drawing a cross with his tongue like a sacred offering, lapping up the water drizzling down her skin like the nectar of an exotic flower. Right before he filled the impure void within through one messy yet solid thrust into her, clinging to her lithe body from behind as they fell into a familiar, acquired rhythm not too long after.

He pulled her in for another searing kiss from behind. His other hand underneath one of her knees, his larger build pressed her slightly smaller frame hard against the wall through every onslaught of his hips against hers. Both of them were getting off of the high from the other.

Mikasa’s relentless moans soon turned into a long, dragged out, almost incoherent chanting of his name; urging him, needing him with every part of her being, that she’d broke the skin on his forearm when she became undone on his third deep thrust.

Reiner observed the way Mikasa tried to wash away the bleeding from the bite-shaped bruise on his arm with the water from inside the tub itself. He dismissed her attempt by pulling her body snug against his chest, staring at the mark in awe and reassuring her with nothing less than pride in his tone. “Hey, that’s my first mark from you.” He still remembered how she managed to cut off the same hand clean from his wrist on top of Wall Rose years ago.

“It’ll be a scar.” She persisted, still trying to argue with his insistence.

She gave him his first mark and without his regenerative powers, that mark will remain on his body forever until he’s buried six feet under.

He buried his nose into her drenched hair, taking in the scent from the glycerine soap he used on her earlier. “All the better because it’s from you.”

They stayed for a while inside the ceramic tub, with her head resting against his shoulder and his arms around her, listening to the sounds of rolling thunder and turbulent sea waves coming through the opened windows of the bathroom.

After a good while, it was her who suggested that they step out and step back into the awaiting demands of the day. “We should really get going before Gabi storms in for another ‘rescue’ attempt.”

Snickering, he released her reluctantly and sent an admiring stare at her retreating figure, still dripping with bath water until she disappeared behind the door to their shared chamber.

By the time he followed suit into the conjoined bedroom, she had pulled her skirt over her hips. She stared in disbelief the moment she saw him discarding the towel around his waist and had his legs through his breeches immediately.

Her inquisitive gaze did not go unnoticed. “What? I travelled light and I wasn’t expecting the detour to the Island.” Everything he had was on his body.

“All this time, you’re…” Her words trailed off suspiciously.

A thin eyebrow raised snarkily to emphasize his answer. “Yeah. I’d prefer not wearing one either way. It’s breezier and actually a much healthier habit too.”

“Whatever suits you.” Mikasa shook her head, feigning an impending state of disinterest while fending off an oncoming headache.

He gave her an improper wink. “You’ll thank me when I have given you healthy, kickass babies, Mikasa.”

She groaned in retaliation at his blatant lewdness. A trait of his that has always been apparent since they were younger still remained despite the years that had gone by in between. Despite all that, she couldn’t help her lips from curving into an amused smile.

Just a fleeting thought of envisioning a strong young boy or a girl with golden blonde hair, cheeky comebacks and a headstrong attitude was enough to make the fuzziness in her heart return right before the fleeting fantasy was interrupted by the same vision but with three more of the same identical boys and girls and a burning house of chaos behind them.

“....four be a lot?”

“Huh?” She blinked back at his question.

“I was asking, would four babies be a lot for you?”

She’d known it was an intended humor. They both knew that he couldn’t possibly have enough time for such an unattainable dream. She wasn’t oblivious to the dismal glint in his eyes.

“Perfect.” Her heart suddenly felt a lot heavier.

---

A/N : After what went down in the previous chapter, I am willing to be virtually sucker-punched by you guys because of this chapter. I am hurting my emotional well-being with this chapter, and I said to myself, why should I be suffering alone? Haha Kidding, guys. Thank you so much for your time & till the next update! Take care & stay safe. xoxo

[dgcatanisiri]

All this time on the whole thing about making Mass Effect inclusive is reminding me of the biggest frustration I’ve had with same-sex romances across BioWare’s games.

Which is that I usually DON’T walk away from these games happy with my options. When BioWare is one of the rare publishers who even offer the ability to play gay characters in RPGs, and like hell you’ll see a mainstream AAA game feature a gay protagonist. I think the closest we’ve had to that is the Deadpool game, since he’s canonically pan, but the most we get of that is his groping Cable’s chest, and otherwise, it’s all about how much he wants to spend time with “big breasted fans” and his relationship with the female-presenting Death (yeah, sure, anthropromorphized form of an abstract concept, Death looks, sounds, and is spoken of as female, so...).

But while BioWare gives the option... I’m rarely content with the options.

Jade Empire offered Sky, who I do love as an option, but I can’t help but feel like this is in many ways due to the fact that I first played Jade Empire when I was still coming to terms with my sexuality - any romance that affirmed “yes, you are deserving of love as a man who loves other men” would be embraced at that point, and because of my issues with the general archetype he is cast from the mould of, I don’t think I’d feel the same if I encountered him new today.

ME1 SHOULD have had Kaidan, but doesn’t. 

Dragon Age Origins has Zevran, who is from that same archetype as Sky, the loveable rogue. Repeating the same character type, and throwing in a character who is a shameless flirt is not the way to my heart. No, I latched on to Alistair, and get frustrated at only being able to fulfill that desire with a mod.

ME2 again has nothing. And, even if it HAD, the way that things turn out in ME3 would have left me pretty disappointed if I’d gotten the ability to romance Jacob or Thane. 

DA2 is the first aversion - while I went in expecting to love Anders, I was pushed away by finding the romance (and the friendship, tbh) toxic and abusive. Luckily, however, I could balance it out with Fenris, who was FINALLY a romance I could love to replay the game for.

ME3 continued that, with Kaidan finally an option. And, while I don’t like to shake that OTP up by leaving Kaidan behind, I find Steve Cortez a good character, just hampered by finding the romance uncomfortably framed in a “get over your grieving so I can get in your pants.”

But then Inquisition takes a step back - I find Dorian as a character obnoxious, not to mention coming across as a prop for the development of his father at his expense (plus fandom’s treatment of him souring me further). Meanwhile, the game drops as I’m getting to accepting being asexual, which puts Iron Bull’s whole romance way out of my comfort zone, on top of feeling like the writing is more focused on making the whole thing a punchline.

And then Andromeda and THAT mess... Gil’s a decent character hampered by THE WORST combination of lack of concern for him and a plot written by someone who has NO idea what they’re talking about when it comes to gay people trying to have kids. Reyes goes back to the old archetype well, on top of me both finding him sketchy as hell AND vehemently objecting to a romance lock in that has you making out with him not five feet away from the still-warm body of the woman he ordered killed (and that’s the summary version...). Then there’s Jaal who, just to get his bisexuality, BioWare had to be shamed in to offering it.

So the rough version of this is that of the eight games above, almost all of them come with caveats. Only six games HAVE options, and of those options, two are “options” in the sense that they exist, rather than being options I would take, dropping it to only four games. Of those four, I’m still very, VERY hard on the options within the Mass Effect games. Because, while I do take Gil or Jaal as romances when I play Andromeda, it’s more in spite of than because of the romances proper. Like, they involve active mental patching for me to roll with them. And Kaidan as a romance is one that is a barely there THING, happening in the last game only.

And this is the best I GET. What are my alternatives? Cyberpunk? There’s... issues there, particularly around bodily autonomy and how V has to give up theirs just to get the ability to meet the one gay option. Skyrim/Fallout? Where the “romance” is just a persuasion check and no special content, on top of the romances being bisexual more due to developer laziness, rather than inclusivity. Assassin’s Creed? Where the romances have mostly been pointless flings? That forced a het relationship in the name of forced reproduction in Odyssey’s DLC? Where the most important relationship of the games that offered it is still with a female NPC? Where the “canon” version that carries forward in both Odyssey and Valhalla says that the PC was actually a woman, not a man, so the pairings I viewed as M/M were “actually” M/F? Games like Pillars of Eternity, where the romance exists more through blocks of text than gameplay? 

At best, there’s games like Technomancer and Greedfall (the latter having its own issues, and sort of retroactively tainting the former as a result of those issues.), by a smaller studio. But... I mean, that is one publisher. Out of how many?

I love video games as a medium. I love playing an interactive story, one that advances because of your choices and how you want the story to unfold. But... The medium is in the iron grip of people who don’t love me, and don’t care about me.

[jate-kara]

bro idk anything that’s going on with clone wars but “I feel like this has been an unnecessarily long hug.” + ur fave pairing (brotp or otp)

hold tight |  on AO3

The Rishi outpost is gone. Most of Domino is dead. It doesn't hit Fives until he's lying awake in the dark, listening to the rasp of his brothers' breath.

Echo is all he has left.

--

His hands are shaking.

Fives clutches the troop bay’s overhead rail and does his best to swallow back the lump swelling in his throat. Echo’s as still as stone beside him and stays so even after the gunship touches down on the Resolute. Captain Rex bids them follow.

Fives obeys numbly.

The other troopers in the bunk room barely give them a glance when they pass by. Rex leads them to the far corner and stops.

“These are yours now,” Rex says, and gestures to the beds. Fives clasps his hands behind his back and sets his shoulders back. Echo gives him a quick glance and Fives knows that, even if he plastered the blankest expression in the world on his face, Echo would still see right through it.

In that moment, Fives has never been more grateful for him.

“Thank you, sir,” Echo says for both of them.

There’s kindness in Rex’s eyes. “I’ll leave you to get settled in,” he says, and pats Fives on the shoulder. “If you need anything, just ask Jesse.”

Fives follows his gaze to the man on the bunk opposite theirs. There’s a Republic emblem emblazoned on his head, sweeping down across his left eye and curving around his skull. Jesse lifts a hand in a wave, then goes back to fiddling with his datapad.

“Yes, sir,” Echo says, and with something like a reassuring smile, Rex is gone.

By the time Fives remembers he has to tell his legs to move so he can sit, Echo has already claimed the top bunk. “I don’t remember you asking me if I wanted that one,” Fives says. There’s no bite to it. Words feel strange on his tongue, heavy and wrong.

He wonders who had this bunk before him.

“You always took the bottom bunk on Rishi,” Echo says calmly. How is he so calm? Fives grasps the blanket and jerks it back. His arm is trembling.

“The Rishi outpost?”

They turn. Jesse’s stopped working on his datapad. Under the weight of their gazes, he falters. “I just got assigned here from Kamino,” he says awkwardly. “I heard the Rishi outpost was completely destroyed.”

Hevy. Cutup. Droidbait. O’Niner. All gone, now. “That’s a word for it,” Fives says through grit teeth. The blanket is rough in his grip, like it’s been washed one too many times and worn away to abrasive fiber.

His hands are shaking.

“We were attacked,” Echo says. His voice is so measured. So steady. Fives envies that. “One of our squad members sacrificed himself to—”

“Hevy,” Fives snaps. Echo stops. Fives turns to face them. His breathing is harsh in his ears. “His name was Hevy.”

Echo’s silent for a beat. “Hevy,” he agrees quietly. “Hevy stayed behind to detonate the explosives manually and destroy the all-clear signal the droids had been broadcasting. It was because of him that the Republic was able to discover the Separatists’ plans to mount an assault on Kamino.”

Jesse’s eyes blow wide. What was that Rex and Cody had called them? Shinies? That’s what Jesse is: fresh off Kamino. “Oh,” Jesse says, like an exhale. “That’s not good.”

“Yeah,” Fives says shortly. “It wasn’t.”

“Sorry,” Jesse mutters.

Fives blows out a breath. “Not your fault,” he says. Out of the corner of his eye, Echo relaxes. “But if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep.”

“Yeah,” Jesse agrees quickly. Too quickly. “’Course.”

Fives changes into fatigues, stows his armor with Echo’s, and returns to his bunk. Someone calls out, and a few minutes later, the lights snap off.

All the breathing feels louder in the darkness. Fives tosses and turns and kicks at the stupid scratchy blanket until the rest of the room stops moving: everyone is sound asleep.

Well, almost everyone.

“Echo?” Fives calls, a raspy whisper. For a second, he thinks Echo might have managed the impossible, but then there’s a low creak from above him and Echo pokes his head over the side.

“What?”

“Can’t sleep either, huh?”

Echo snorts at that, swinging his legs to dangle and then dropping down. Fives sits up and scoots over to make space. “Not with you talking to me,” Echo says. It sounds rote, not wry. Fives shoves his shoulder.

“So,” he says. “The 501st. Hevy’d be so proud.”

Echo chuffs a laugh. “Yeah,” he says. “I guess.

Even in the dim gloom, he can see that Echo’s hands are shaking too.

Fives opens his mouth to ask you okay? and closes it just as quickly. He used to think okay meant being alive and having his squad close and safe.

Now, half of that definition depends wholly on Echo.

“C’mere,” Fives murmurs, and holds out his arms.

Echo clings to him like he’s a lifeline. His breath is shuddery. So much for his steady façade: Fives should have noticed – should have known. The calm to his chaos: that’s Echo.

“I feel like this has been an unnecessarily long hug,” Echo says at last, muffled against his shoulder.

Fives manages a chuckle. “Sorry, are there regulations for hugs now too?”

“Probably.”

Despite his words, Echo doesn’t pull away for a while. When he does finally ease back, he settles close enough that their shoulders are still pressed together.

“I miss them,” he says softly. “The others.”

“Me too.”

Echo’s hands are curled together in his lap. He turns his gaze to them. “I’m glad you’re here,” he whispers. His hands clench; a tremble runs down his spine. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

Fives ruffles his hair. “We’ve always had each other’s backs,” he says. “Nothing’s gonna change that.”

There’s a haunted look to Echo’s eyes. “We left Hevy.”

“Hevy made a choice.”

“We should have gone back for him.”

“Echo, Hevy’s the only reason we’re alive right now.”

Echo grimaces. “I know,” he says. His voice is choked. “I know.”

Fear explodes in Fives’ chest, a broken burst of desperation. He takes hold of Echo’s shoulders and squeezes until he meets his gaze. “I will never leave you behind,” Fives says fiercely. His throat is tight. “You understand me?”

It takes a moment. It takes an eternity. At last, Echo nods.

“Good,” Fives says, and blows out a breath. His grip on Echo’s shoulders eases. “That’s good.”

“We should get some sleep,” Echo says blankly. He makes no move to go back to his bunk, so Fives slides over and pats the space beside him.

“Might as well stay here,” he says. Echo curls up against him, warm and solid and safe and alive.

For now, that’s enough for Fives.

--

[kingslxyers]

Yuki

So, it looks like I’ve fallen right back into the VK fandom. I’ve been itching to write something for days now because I just want my OTP to be happy for once in their lives. Below the cut is an AU I’ve written almost in between/post VK ending if you’d like. I love writing angst, but I also love angst with a happy ending. This was written in the wee hours of the morning, so excuse any weird typos x

P/S: I’ve never read VKM so it doesn’t exist

She watched as the last of the burning embers were smothered, her fists clenched so tightly her nails were drawing blood from the palms of her hands. Yuki felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and turned, almost bewildered to see her daughter standing behind her.

“It’s going to work.”

Yuki smiled bitterly, pulling Ai into a tight hug, “I hope you are right.”

Her heart had stopped all those years ago the moment she had felt his body fall limp; her hands shaking uncontrollably as she cried hysterically, wishing it had been nothing more than a cruel nightmare. Willing that she would wake up and have him hold her in his arms again, tempering her fears like he had always done with a few, simple words. Yet, hundreds of years have passed since she had last felt the warmth of his touch and the only constant she had experienced in those long years was the dull, aching reminder that she had failed to stop him.

For all he had done to protect her, what else could she promise him with but her eternity?

Before Aidou had sealed him in his ice coffin, she had asked for but a moment with Kaname. Sitting by his side, she had held his hand. She had long since memorised every curve and line on the roughened hands that have always been nothing but gentle with her.

“You’ve always been the one worrying about me,” she said, tracing the lines on his hand tenderly; a featherlight touch, “Worried that I would get into trouble that would take me away from you forever.”

“How could you be so hypocritical?” She laughed, tears blurring her vision as she clasped his hand tighter, sobbing without restraint. They had won the battle, but she had lost the only one who had loved her more than anything else in the world; his love for her had outweighed the value of his life.

“Rest well, my love,” she gasped through her grieving, brushing her lips gently against his forehead, “I will be the one to protect you now.”

Without hesitation, she would have followed soon after him in her despair, had it not been for the baby in her belly; her sole reason to carry on living in a world where he did not exist any longer. Their beloved Ai was now centuries old, but a baby in the eyes of their kind, and Yuki’s sole regret to her daughter would be that she had never met her father.

After his death, she had stabilised the Vampire Society and taken her rightful place as the Kuran heir, earning the respects of haughty nobles and purebloods alike. The world Kaname had strived to create, a world where their daughter could live without the fear she had experienced; it became her obsession. She worked incessantly, leaning on the support of her familiar friends and family.

It was not perfect; this strange society she wanted to establish, but it was enough. Aidou had continued Kaname’s prior research, eventually developing a way to tamper with the idea of resurrection. They had one chance, one with no guarantee that it would work. When Aidou had brought up the idea, she had been fearful. Fearful to have hope that she could possibly see him again. After all these years, she had suppressed any lingering ideas of ever being able to feel the warmth of his touch ever again.

But eventually it was Ai who had given her the courage to finally agree.

Yuki watched as the ice coffin that had been holding Kaname for so long began to disintegrate, sparkling shards of ice dissipating into the air around them before gesturing for Aidou to stop, “Wait.”

Her former tutor froze immediately, turning to look at her. Her hands were shaking, the adrenaline coursing through her veins unabated, “I-”

The atmosphere in the room was tense, both Ai and Aidou waiting with bated breaths as to what she was going to say. She had no plans to stop the process; it was too late now, but she simply couldn’t bear to watch.

“I-I’ll be outside,” she muttered, turning on her heels and running out of the room. She slammed the doors closed behind her as she sank to the floor, her heart pounding. After a couple of moments, she heard footsteps approaching. “Okaa-san, should we continue?” Ai asked softly through the heavy wooden doors. With her keen senses, she could already imagine the look on Ai’s face. Her daughter was every bit as stoic as the father she’d never met, but she could already tell there was concern etched into her beautiful features.

What a failure of a mother she was.

Hugging her knees to her chest, she shuddered, feeling very much like a child again as the panic was rising through her system as she answered a single “Yes.”

They were taking an immense risk even considering this process. If it did not go according to plan, his body would not be able to take the strain. Aidou had cautioned her on all the possibilities. At best, he would wake up and at worst, disappear from this world forever. How could she possibly be alright with the notion of never seeing her love again? Even if he did wake up, there was no indication that he would remember her at all. Her heart clenched at the possibility and she buried her face in the crook of her arms. Yuki heard Ai walk away from the door, presumably to tell Aidou she had given her consent. Now, there was nothing more she could do but wait.

After what seemed like hours, the double doors opened and she turned to look at Aidou expectantly. His expression was grim and she could already feel the tears welling up, “The process was successful.”

“But?” Yuki asked, pushing herself off the floor.

“We don’t have any way of telling when he will awaken, if he will. Only time will tell.”

The weight of her own body was suddenly unbearable and she all but stumbled, using the wall as leverage to hold her up. She felt Aidou pull her into a fierce embrace, “It will be alright. I know it will.”

Had it not been for Aidou holding her, she might have collapsed to the ground again. As he spoke, her grip on the back of his familiar blue shirt tightened, “It will work. We have to stay strong, for Kaname-sama.”

“I know.”

                                                          *****

Several weeks passed and she found herself by his side every spare moment she could find. They had brought him back to the Kuran mansion, where they had first made their home. Whilst he was encased in ice before, she had continued to visit; to tell him of the things his daughter did and her troubles with fitting in as a pureblood. Back then, all she had wanted was to be able to be closer to him. Now, to be able to hold his hand, greed consumed her. She wanted to her him say her name again, like he did all those years ago.

She wanted him to finally wake up.

Autumn had since come and gone and the winter frost had begun to creep its way into the mansion. With a crackling blaze burning in the fireplace in the bedroom, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the day she watched the furnace being put out. She had spent countless days sitting in front of that furnace, watching as his heart continued to burn and regenerate endlessly. A protective barrier had to be made, in order to stop her from reaching in whilst in a daze. Some days, she would simply sit and cry; others, she could only stare blankly for hours on end until someone came to pull her away. Now, it somewhat put her mind at ease that his heart was back where it belonged. Sitting by his bedside, she reached over to move his hair away from his face.

He still looked like he did all those years ago; nothing had changed.

“Kaname,” she said and paused for a moment, “Do you remember? When I couldn’t bear to even look you in the eye, or call your name without dying from embarrassment? Now, I would give anything to have you look at me again. I won’t run away anymore. I’ve become someone who can proudly stand by your side. In the hundreds of years that have passed, haven’t you punished me enough already?”

She rested her forehead against his and whispered in earnest, “How many more lifetimes would you have me wait? Won’t you come back to me already, my love?”

As the previous years that have passed before them, silence greeted her with its deathly kiss and she accepted it gracefully before pulling away; there was always tomorrow. The sky outside had long since turned inky; dawn would be approaching soon. As she made her way to stand by the window, she could still hear the muted, almost mellow sound of snow falling outside. She didn’t know how long she stood there, recollecting bits and pieces of memories that she had accumulated over the long years of her life. The human her had met him on a similar day like this; it was the day her memories began. She smiled a little to herself, she must be getting old, constantly thinking on the past. Carefully, she let down the drapes, getting ready to turn in. There was always tomorrow.

“Yuki.”

She bit her lip when she heard her name being called, her fingers tightening their grasp around the velvet drapes almost unconsciously. She could recognise that voice anywhere, despite not having heard it for so long. Yuki found herself holding onto the drapery for a little moment longer before she turned around almost hesitantly.

In a room almost completely shrouded by darkness, a stark contrast of the happy ache in her heart, she was met with an all-too-familiar pair of wine-red eyes and a gentle smile.

“Yuki.”

[lunnamars]

Hello! I heard you wanted prompts ~~ "winter" with Ichiruki please?

Oh hello! So, although IchiRuki is my otp and forever will be, it's been a while I haven't actually read anything about them and there's the fact I have never written anything related to mah pretty babies. Actually, it turned out a little bigger than I expected, but well, I hope you like it! :) 

Ah, a quick reminder that English is not my first language, so forgive me for my mistakes. 

The cold had never been a problem to Kuchiki Rukia, which meant that the winter would never freeze her. After all, she's cold and snow herself. But the loneliness and the melancholy of that particular season had always affected her.

And there was something about the winter of those 17 months she spent locked in Sereitei and away from Karakura Town that had left her frozen inside. And even after all was said and done, when Ywach was gone and he and the others had gone back to his mundane life, she still felt kind of cold.

It has been a year she hasn’t seen him. And it was really fucking cold.

Rukia doesn’t know actually why she had not followed him through the Senkaimon to his world and why she still prevents herself from going to visit him and his family. Karin and Yuzu must be bigger now and way smarter than their thickheaded brother. Their father probably is still the same and she hoped he was, Rukia has always been very fond of him.

He probably was in his first year of college and she is happy for him. Rukia just wanted to tell him herself.

And when the snow is falling and the winds of winter are freezing her bones, she longed to talk to him. She really wanted to hear his voice, he's her best friend, for fuck's sake! Her partner in crime, her ride or die, the one who could actually make this cold go away. 

Rukia knows she had decided to stay, it was not his fault. She decided to stay because her life was actually there, in Seireitei and he deserved a normal life — that's what Rukia has always believed and he knows that. So she stayed behind and started to train harder than before so she could become the next Captain of the 13th Division. In all honesty, she did want to continue the legacy of Ukitake and Kaien, Rukia wanted to guide those people under her command. 

But she also wanted to be with him. 

Why the hell didn't she follow him? Why the hell didn't he ask her to go with him? Why the goddamn fuck did she tell him he should go, so he could still have the life he should have, and that she should stay?

Those 17 months were one of the hardest, with summer or winter. 

She heard from Renji that Inoue finally got to go out on a date with him and that did not sit well with Rukia. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she was somewhat happy for her friend.

But did he enjoy it? How did he feel? What was he thinking? She really wanted to know, like the old times. Maybe he wouldn’t tell her, but Rukia knew that just a look into his eyes would tell her everything. That's how they are. And she's pretty sure that if he walked through the doors of the Kuchiki mansion (in this goddamn cold) right now, she would still know him. Like, really know him.

Rukia had no words for the hell they were — just friends, best friends? Lovers? Something that transcends the ordinary idea of lovers? Soulmates?

She did not care. She just wanted to see him, give him a quick hug and then kick him, hear his voice, tell him that it doesn’t matter who he was hooking up with, she'd always be by his side because Rukia had lived a long and lonely life after death and he was the one who changed everything. 

The only thing she was sure it was that there have always had some unmistakable glint in her eyes when she looked at him and Rukia is a closed person, but he would forever break through her walls, baring her soul.

It was fucking cold, the winter was unforgiving this year and she missed him. 

To hell this idiocy of mine, stop being a goddamn coward, Rukia.

"Byakuya-ni-sama, I'll be off for two or three days, but don't need to worry about me", Rukia walks into her brother's office and says, absentminded while reading some reports. She has made her decision, but Kuchiki Rukia does not neglect work.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Rukia", comes the deep voice of her brother.

"What— why—"

And she stops midsentence and dead on her tracks. Her eyes widen and her heart actually skips a lot of beats.

"Ichigo."

"Yo, midget",  he smirks and suddenly, Rukia could not hear the wild winds of winter.

"Well, as I'm sure I'm not needed here, I'll let you both talk in private", Byakuya says with his usual stern demeanor.

Rukia is speechless (and for the record, she is never speechless) and barely pays attention to her brother's departure. He's here. Why are you here?

"Because I was a dumbass a year ago", he mumbles with his everyday frown. She had missed that too. But the fact he basically had read her mind didn’t go unnoticed by her. "I shoulda stayed with you."

She blinks and swallows hard. Rukia wanted to hear that so badly a year go. Heck, she still wanted to hear that, but her instinct to protect him always kicks in and always will if they ever meet again in another life. "No, you shouldn’t have. Ywach's words were not meant to be taken lightly, you moron."

Is it weird that she missed calling him a moron?

"You're unbelievable. I don’t see your sorry ass in a whole fucking year and the first thing you call me is moron?", he was fuming and she sneered.

"Haa… did you expect me to jump right to your skinny arms?", she raised an eyebrow, mocking him all the while.

"Hey!! My arms are not skinny anymore!", he poked her head really hard.

And then Rukia kicked him. Just like she wanted. But Ichigo was Ichigo and he didn’t even let her savor the moment, their moments of the good old days — he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. It was so easy for him to tower over her, especially when he catches her off guard, both things never ceased to make her feel somewhat fragile and protected at the same time. It made no sense in her head. 

Then he muttered, “I was a dumbass. I really was.”

And she responded in the same tone, “Me too.”

Rukia knew she already had the distinct spark in her eyes that only Ichigo was able to spurt out of her. It has been a year and he still does the same thing to her, he’s still completely effective against her — the smirk, the softness in his eyes, his unquestionable handsome features.

Those 17 months were the worst of my life, I’m sure of it. The worst winter, I was cold all the time.

But Rukia is stupid sometimes and always so so worried about him and she suspects she forever will. So she blurts, "Inoue is better for you."

Hurt dances in his eyes and a twist of his mouth scream to her how disappointed he was. But Ichigo never backs down, no, not Ichigo. Just a look into his eyes and expression and Rukia knows why he was there. After all, she had said before and will say it again — they know each other so well that it seems almost some kind of witchcraft someone cast on them in another life.

He pulls her closer, really close, and one hand is around her waist and she’s trapped, almost giving in—

"I don't want to be with Inoue", his tone is final, certain.

Then Rukia whispers with a trembling voice as if she doesn’t believe a word that was flying out of her mouth, "Inoue can give you so much more."

"I don't want whatever she can give me."

Ichigo leans in her brother’s desk behind him and they were almost on the same height. He was too tall and she was too short, so she rarely had the chance to be that close to his face to the point of drowning in his brown eyes, see clearly how he had marks from frowning so much and his well-shaped mouth.

He looked frantically at her, orbs moving fast, piercing her own big eyes, expecting some reaction from her. 

I don’t want to be cold anymore. I wanna go home.

"That'd never work. I'm literally a ghost, stupid boy. And you have an entire life ahead of you. Why waste your life with someone who's already dead?", she starts stumbling over her words and her expression was pleading for him to understand, it was almost pitiful, full of the longing of a whole freaking year. “Besides, what about Yhwach? I know I’m assuming you’d be happy with this predicament, but—”

Now he was truly close, looking at her lips, seeming to not listen to a word that was leaving her mouth; deciding, in the end, to swallow her pleas and doubts, “Then I’ll fight him again and again and again.”

Ichigo mumbled in her mouth and then she comes undone when he rests his hand in the back of her neck, his lips meeting hers. They had never kissed before, but somethings stirs inside her, some old memory and then she’s not frozen anymore. Any argument she had, dies in her throat, dies with her gasp and with her eyes closing ever so slowly, dies with Ichigo flushing her body to his, locking and embracing her, with the intensity of a year apart. 

She finds usage for her hands, resting one on his back — feeling the muscles, the spine, everything — and the other gripping his shirt with all the longing she had inside her. Then she had no idea how, didn’t even see it coming, but his tongue found hers and he tilts her head slightly, kissing with all the fierceness he possessed and Rukia caught her breath. With every nip of her lip and any tease of his tongue, he’s asking her to choose him. 

Asking her to stay with him. 

Like she had any control when it comes to Ichigo. So her answer overflows with every bite on his lips, with her hands running up and down his back, with the soft moan she let it slip. 

They part an eternity later so Ichigo could rest his forehead on hers, both panting for breath and she had never felt warmer in her life — no cold and lonely winter is able to break her now. He whispers again, his mouth brushing against hers, "You don't want it to work, Rukia?"

She closes her eyes and mutters, “I don’t want you to die, Ichigo. Everything I did from the moment we met was to make sure you wouldn’t die.”

“Please, Rukia”, a kiss, “It was really hard—”, another kiss, “to keep up with the speed of the world on those 17 months”, a tug on her lips, “Don’t do that to me again.”

“Ichigo—”, she whimpers.

"Let me stay. Please, midget."

Another kiss.

"Are you trying to convince me by kissing me?", she scoffed.

He decided to leave her lips and trail her jawline with slow-dive kisses, then basically purred in her ear, "I don't know, is it working?"

She could feel his smirk. Bastard.

Rukia rested her head on his temple and whispered with the affection she normally keeps to herself, "I want you to stay."

He stops kissing her and holds her tight in his arms, resting his head on her shoulder. "I missed you, you know? It was raining too much already", he says in a strange strained voice.

She answers with one of her own, but with sincerity, "Me too. The winter was almost unbearable, Ichigo."

He moves away just enough to look at her and then has the audacity to grin at her face after so many confessions, "So… is that an order, Captain Kuchiki?"

"I'm still not a Captain, Ichigo!"

"But you will be, so might as well start training", he shot her his lopsided smile that always lets her wondering how someone was not able to fall for it. She did, but no way in hell she would tell him.

She puts her hand in her chin and actually considers his suggestion, Ichigo just laughed. "Mmm, from that point of view, I guess you're right", then she arches an eyebrow and says in a mocking tone, "That's a first, huh."

Ichigo presses his lips in a thin line and she was almost sure there is a vein pulsing in his forehead, "Oe, you damn shorty—"

Before he finally snaps, she dives in and steals another breathtaking kiss and decides that she loved to hear him gasp. In the end, he had convinced her and she knew danger would always be lurking around, hunting them, trying to tear them apart, to sever their red thread, but Ichigo said he'd fight over and over again. So she'd do the same, over and over again.

"Just shut up and stay, Kurosaki."

Winter will never freeze her again.

[tchalla-rogers]

blown a fuse

December 4th: Outdoor Lights (Steve Rogers x Stark! Reader)

Christmas OTP Challenge for @thefanficfaerie​

Captain America: Civil War

“This isn’t the real fight, Steve,” Sam declared through the comms.

“Alright, Y/N, what’s the play?”

“We need a diversion, something big!” you blurted.

“I got something kind of big, but I can’t hold it for very long. On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half…don’t come back for me.” You rolled your eyes, chuckling. You didn’t take this dude seriously, only believing he could minimize his size. Not believing him at all, you continued to fight against Peter and decided to ignore his “signal”.

“Holy shit!” Peter screeched, stepping back. You looked behind your shoulder and saw Ant-Man was no longer…ant size. His gigantic foot came stumbling and almost knocked you but your dad grabbed you to leap you both out of the way. You stood back up and silently thanked him with your eyes as he flew off to fight Sam.

You cried out, “Alright guys, I guess that was the signal!” and you sprinted to catch up with Steve and Bucky running towards the tower. Steve reached for your hand and you quickly grasped it, sending him a smile. You guys would’ve made it if it weren’t for Vision, once again, using his annoying beam of energy to send the control tower collapsing. A strong, controlled gust of wind targeted the tower, thanks to your doing, and kept the tower from fully collapsing. You clutched your head and screamed as soon as War Machine fired a sonic disruptor. The tower came tumbling to the ground around you three and Steve grabbed you. Thankfully, you all made it but you were stopped by Natasha.

“You’re not gonna stop,” Natasha grunted, not even in the form of a question.

“You know I can’t,” croaked Steve as he held you as you were still tightly clutching your head.

“I’m gonna regret this.” In that instant, you thought that you would’ve had to break back into a fight but you saw Natasha stun T’Challa who crept his way through the rubble. Ok, back to liking Natasha. “Go.”

You guys made it to the Quinjet as you halted. “What? Y/N, what?!” Steve shouted, running back to you frozen in place.

Shaking your head, you muttered, “I shouldn’t go on that jet with you guys just yet. I’ll continue to fend them off. In order for us to win, some of us have to lose.”

Steve ran his hands through his hair in a frustrated fashion. You’d regret this but you’d also regret continuing to break your father’s heart, even if it was already pretty damaged. Steve caressed your cheek as if there wasn’t a battlefield right outside and time was running low. He pulled you in for a kiss and you wrapped your hands behind his neck. It felt like an eternity but you know it was only a few seconds before you pulled away. You smirked and ordered, “Go. I’ll be right behind you.”

Steve softly smiled, running onto the Quinjet as you sprinted back outside, climbing over the rubble from the tower.

You looked up as the jet ascended into the air and noticed Rhodey and your father chasing after Steve and Bucky. “Alright, let’s go, Falcon!”

“Uh, no! You are just fine right on the gr-.” His words quickly halted as he felt you latch onto his back wings and he was already going full speed to chase after the other two and to protect Steve and Bucky. Sam continued in pursuit, with you pondering how to stop your dad from catching up to the jet. You began to control the creation of hail as the larger ones hammered down on Rhodey and the smaller ones came down on your father, just to piss Rhodey off. Too busy concentrating, you didn’t notice Sam look down and witness Vision fire a laser at you both. Sam was too late at trying to lower you from the laser and it sliced your back. You yelped in shock and winds came roaring, knocking Sam off course. Instantly, you have dropped hundreds, no, thousands of feet in the sky.

“Steve! Steve! She was hit!” Sam worriedly howled into his comm device.

“Sam, Wanda, you have to get her!” Steve yelped in fear. “Wanda!” You couldn’t hear them due to the strong wind whipping in your ears, causing your comm to fly out. Wanda couldn’t hear them either, though. Her comm was gone and Vision was too busy cradling her unconscious body, fear ripping through him as he missed his intended target. The use of wind could’ve come in handy but you were slowly passing out due to the drop and your vision slowly began to blur...

***

Tony was thankful that you had backed down, rather going into hiding with Steve and those who fought with him. He didn’t know how his nerves weren’t shot after you made it clear that you were against the Sokovia Accords, fought against his beliefs for Steve, and then plummeted to the ground in a matter of seconds.

He had been practically babying you ever since, especially when you were in the hospital for a little less than a year. It made you feel claustrophobic, continuously having your father’s eyes on you, but most of the time you ignored it. And when you were released from the hospital, it had been Protective Tony galore.

You were completely aware that Steve had to go into hiding after going way beyond neglecting the Sokovia Accords. Tony made sure to clear your name, even though you weren’t fighting on his side. You can easily tell how visibly disappointed he still is after you took Steve’s side over your own blood. And once it occurred to you that you had no idea when Steve would appear in your life again, a feeling of dread and emptiness soon overcame. There was nothing Tony could do to help, no matter how many times he attempted to reassure you. He knew you were incredibly smart and could potentially find Steve’s address or phone number, but to no avail; nothing came up.

New York’s weather was slowly becoming frigid and it failed to numb the thoughts of Steve’s absence. Tony pushed you to leave the cabin, go shopping with him and go to lunch so that he could see some joy sparkle in your eyes again. And as much as Tony might have seemed controlling to other people, you appreciated his fatherly concerns. You knew that it just meant that he loved you, even after your slight betrayal. Deep inside, regret coursed through your veins knowing that you could have lost your relationship with your father.

There was one night in particular when you heard rustling outside of your door after a deep slumber, but deep down you knew that it wasn’t Tony. He valued his sleep more than anyone and he clearly left those sleepless nights behind once you were healed.

Your ears perked up as there was more shuffling right outside, but you instantly knew to grab for the gun in your top drawer. You attempted to be as quiet as possible, slipping out of your bed and silently sliding your top drawer open. “Shit…” you whispered, gripping it tightly. You hadn’t used a gun ever since before that day, but that didn’t mean that you couldn’t use it for intimidation.

Taking silent steps as your bare feet touched the wooden floor, you sighed once more. There was no way that you could stop the shaking in your hands, but you slowly reached for the door. After assembling a proper grip on your gun, you opened the door in a haste.

You peered out to the left of the hallway and noticed that no one was in sight. Carefully, your head shifted to the right of the hallway and a yelp quickly left your lips.

***

Tony jumped out of bed once he heard your scream from the hallway and frantically asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. what was happening. “Y/N has spotted a guest in the hallway, sir.” Tony scrambled to his feet and flung the door open, not caring to find a weapon in the haste to your door. His pajamas held tightly to his skin as he continued to sweat and he was frantically panting, but he stopped right before the hallway where you were. He cursed under his breath when he realized that he could’ve grabbed his repulsors and now here he was just knowing that he had to get to you.

As he looked down the hallway, he noticed how significantly brighter it was than how he remembered. Especially in the night time, Tony would ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to dim the hallway lights in the lakeside cabin. Tony inhaled as his feet softly padded on the ground and he rounded the corner of your hallway.

His eyes fell on you, tightly wrapped in Steve’s arms and Christmas lights illuminating the hallway. “Seriously, are you paying for the electricity bill?” Tony deadpanned as the two of you broke apart quickly. You gently rolled your eyes, but the happiness of the situation was still evident in your facial features. No matter how much Tony wanted to lie and say that he didn’t want Steve in the lakeside cabin, he just couldn’t do it.

At first, Tony was devastated that Steve didn’t tell you where he was, but then he grew furious. He knew how much you loved Steve and Steve couldn’t just tell you where he was staying at? Then a few months passed and Tony became more understanding; this was a dangerous game they were playing in the Avengers. Steve had to do what he needed to in order to protect you, The Avengers, and himself.

“Hey, Tony,” Steve beamed.

“I’m serious, are you going to pay for the electricity bill? That’s a lot of lights.” Tony grinned, albeit squinting due to the brightness. With a clear vision, he noticed something visibly different about Captain America. “You grew out your hair? And...is that a beard?” Steve lightly brushed his beard with his fingers, nodding slightly. “Looks terrible.”

“Dad.” Tony smiled, walking towards Steve and pulling him in for a quick hug. He knew that this encounter would be enough for you, always wanting to see them both together. Once they pulled apart, Tony saw the radiant smile tugging at your lips and felt a strong warmth in his heart. “Finally.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony nodded. He knew that Steve would have to go some time, but he was thankful to see the radiance in your eyes knowing that Steve was still alive. “Matter of fact...I have been dreading putting up Christmas lights outside by myself-.”

“Oh my God, Dad...he just got here and you’re asking for help?” you joked.

“I’ll help,” Steve stated, grinning at your father.

Tony patted him on the shoulder gratefully and then turned back around to walk down the hallway. “And you can take down those lights, we’re not running up the bill because you’re trying to impress Y/N.”

“You’re a billionaire,” you jokingly mumbled as Tony continued to walk down the hallway.

***

Pepper and you hung up the decorations inside the lakeside cabin as Christmas music blasted through the speakers. It definitely was overwhelming to have Steve here for a few weeks, but Tony had noticed a visible shift in your energy. And in all honesty, he was dreading hanging up lights outside with Steve. He knew he’d be shivering while Steve would be unbothered with his 100-year-old body saved by serum.

And as much as he wanted to postpone, he woke up to you and Pepper already decorating for the holidays. Thankfully, the time had passed by quickly, although with a lot of struggle on his part. Steve effortlessly strung lights up on the house, but Tony was out of breath and decided not to climb the ladder anymore.

He heard the front door open, seeing you walk out of the house and pull your jacket closer to your body to stay warm. “Should’ve known you were lazy.”

Tony scoffed, “Not all of us can have serum pumping through our veins.”

“The only thing you have pumping through your veins is the syrup and wine from this morning.”

A boisterous laugh left Steve’s mouth from atop the house, stringing up the last of the lights. You smiled up at him as night had already begun to fall after Pepper and you finished the inside decorations. You could hear less stomping on top of the house from Tony and Steve and knew that was your indication to walk outside.

Tony rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up in the air. “I will not take this slander anymore.”

“Tony, you slander everyone,” Pepper joked as she walked out of the house. Tony incoherently mumbled, but Pepper shut him up with a quick kiss on his lips.

Steve finished and walked down the ladder slowly, walking over to you. “Time to light it up.”

“I’ll do the honors,” Tony stated, but he saw Pepper and you raise your eyebrows knowing that he barely helped with the lights. “Nevermind...Capsicle, this is your time.”

“No, it’s fine,” Steve smiled and reassured him that he could do it, he was the guest after all. “If you don’t want to blow a fuse, I wou-.”

Tony mocked Steve and you stared blankly at him, but he coughed to cover it up. He grabbed the plug and ignored Steve’s suggestion, plugging in the lights in order to illuminate their lakeside cabin. When the house finally lit up, no one could keep a smile off of their faces. Tony held onto Pepper, kissing her on the forehead, as you and Steve did the same. It only stopped when the lights shut off quickly and all of the lights inside followed. “Did what I think just happen...just happen?” you quietly asked, voice squeaking from knowing that Tony had just blown a fuse.

***

a/n: this is so bad and i’m sorry. i had so many ideas coming through my mind, and i kinda jumbled them all together. also the beginning is from let it rain, so if you think you remember it from somewhere...it’s from that :) this is also not proofread. i am trash.

[silvorr]

Gabriel Approves The Second Time Around

Part 3

When Plagg was satisfied with the cheese stash he kept in Adrien’s bag, the little Kwami turned around ready to whiz over to his charge and head to school, but was met with the sight of his kid sitting at the edge of his bed and looking at something in his hands.

Plagg sighed and floated over. “Are you looking at that damned ring again?”

Adrien flinched but didn’t move, “I’m really doing this Plagg.” His voice was hoarse and it was as if someone had stolen his breath away. That someone was probably Marinette.

Plagg simply rolled his eyes at Adrien’s dramatics, “I thought we were over this yesterday.”

“I thought so too. I’m scared Plagg.”

“I told you the promise ring’s a bit much.”

Adrien shook his head, “Not that. Just the- the whole idea of it. Of this. We’ve been going out for a month Plagg. What if- what if this is too fast for her? What if I’m rushing things? Should I wait? What if- “

“Oh please.” The pure snark in the Kwami’s tone had Adrien looking up in time to Plagg coming to hover in front of him, his green eyes full of a strictness he’d never seen before, “That girl is head over heels in love with you, even I can see it and I’m usually napping in your pocket! If anything, you’re not doing this soon enough. You’ve already been on four dates with her, what more do you want?”

“I- “

“Oh nuh-uh.” Plagg shook his head and crossed his arms, “Let the Kwami speak. As cheesy as this sounds, both of you deserve to be happy, kid, and both of you have already danced around each other for long enough.”

Adrien sighed and looked back down at the ring he held in his hand. It wasn’t anything extravagant, nor was the tiny heart shaped gem real. If it had been, Adrien knew with certainty that Marinette would never accept it. For one reason or another, she hated being spoilt, as fun as it was for Adrien. Too many times he had been unwillingly paid back and right now, he really couldn’t have her saying no.

“Maybe I am worrying about this too much.”

Plagg threw his tiny hands up in exasperation, “Finally!” The tiny god whizzed into the shelter of his breast pocket and nudged him softly, “Come on kid, you’ll end up being late for school.”

Adrien stood up and grabbed his satchel, “May lady luck be by my side.”

Plagg snorted. If only Adrien knew…

-

 Adrien was already seated when Marinette walked into the classroom. This was one of those rare days when Marinette was on time. That being said, Adrien hadn’t expected her to arrive this early, he thought he’d have more time to prepare but clearly, that wasn’t so.

“H-hey Marinette.” God, when was the last time he stuttered around her? He thought it had ended after their third date.

She gave him her sweetest smile, the effects of which were clear in the way his heart beat extra loud in response. “Good morning Adrien.”

‘WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO BE SO PRETTY?!’

Adrien shrunk on himself a little and mumbled, “Good morning Marinette.” To his relief, she hadn’t heard him, but Nino had. The DJ was busy stifling his laughter into a fisted hand and Alya was shooting him weird looks.

Adrien didn’t dare turn around to start conversation, lest he be blinded by that angelic smile again, but then Nino and Plagg nudged him at the same time and he sighed. He had to get this over with at some point.

“Hey Marinette?”

She continued rummaging through her bag and gave him a non-committal hum. The fact that she hadn’t met his eyes yet gave him some form of relief, because he couldn’t trust himself to word properly if he had those beautiful bluebell eyes on him.

“Will you- will you come to the-the stairs near the Eiffel Tower with me? At-at lunch today?”

She finally looked up and there was something- something bright in her eyes that had Adrien’s heart stutter to a stop.

‘Is it hot in here or is it just me?’

“I’d love to Adrien! What about- “

This time Alya intervened, “We’ll come along later, m’kay? Nino and I have something we need to do before that.”

“Okay.”

Adrien made a sound similar to being choked, but he was saved from any embarrassment when the teacher walked into the room.

God, this was going to be hard.

-

 When lunch came around, Alya and Nino helped Adrien and Marinette escape without anyone bothering them, for which Adrien was eternally grateful. Any interruption now would end up in him losing his nerve completely and who knows when he’ll be able to muster up the courage to propose again?

Still, it was far too quickly that he found himself seated on the steps near the Eiffel Tower. The tower seemed as beautiful as ever, but not as beautiful as it had been when they had gone on their first date there.

“Adrien? Are you okay?”

Adrien turned to look at Marinette and he was immediately captivated by her bluebell eyes. She looked worried and he could understand why; he’d been acting weird around her the whole day today but could you really blame him?

“Marinette there’s- there’s something that I- umm…”

“Adrien?”

His hand had wandered into his pocket, where he could feel the cool metal of the ring. His fingers traced the heart shaped jewel on it.

“You- You really are something special Marinette.”

That caught her off guard. Her eyes widened in surprise and her cheeks started to flush red. She managed to squeak out, “Thank you?”

Adrien let out a shuddering breath, “W-we’ve gone out on what, three dates now?”

“Four.” She mumbled. He knew that, hadn’t forgotten. Still:

“I really really enjoy spending time with you Mari. You really are an amazing girl.”

She had her eyes closed and her breathing was heavy. Adrien had a feeling that she already knew where he was going with this.

“What’s your point Adrien?”

“Marinette.” Her eyes were on him again. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Her hand flew up to her mouth in time to muffle a choked sob. He had pulled out the promise ring and was holding it out to her, and while she couldn’t take her eyes of the ring, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

Finally: “Yes yes yes, a hundred times yes!”

He chuckled and she jerked forward until he had his arms wrapped around her and she was giggling uncontrollably into the crook of his neck. He laughed along with her and held her tightly. She was his, finally his! Nothing could compare to the joy that made his heart stutter, to the beauty that stole his breath away. She was so amazing and sweet, and he had the privilege of calling her his girlfriend.

When they finally pulled away just enough to look at each other he leant forward and kissed her forehead, “God, I like you so much Mari.”

“I like you too Adrien.”

He let her pull herself out of his grasp and extended a hand to her, “May I?”

She giggled and accepted his gesture, “You may.”

He was grinning uncontrollably as he slid the ring onto her finger. It was a snug fit and that fact alone would have been enough to make Adrien cry with relief. Proposing was so fucking hard, how did Marinette do it when she first confessed to him?

“Adrien?”

He looked up at her and his breath caught in his throat. The pure joy in the way she looked at him, her gorgeous smile, everything about her was so… ineffable. Completely and utterly ineffable.

He was too captivated to notice exactly when they had sidled closer to each other, or when she had slowly snaked her arms around his neck, or when he had encircled both his arms around her waist. In that moment all he knew was that her face was centimeters away from his, that his gaze kept flickering between her eyes and lips, and that to kiss her now would mean… everything.

She cupped a hand on his cheek and he leaned into the touch, his eyes already fluttering close. Almost there…

They heard their voices before they saw them. Someone loudly proclaiming about how excited she was to have lunch with her friends and two amused chuckles that followed after. Adrien sighed and he let his forehead rest against Marinette’s for a split second before he was pulling back and so was she, but not before he had softly kissed her forehead and whispered, “Next time.”

They could finally see their friends approach them with Lila in the lead, who waved excitedly. Adrien giggled at Marinette’s sour expression and waved back as his girlfriend quietly huffed beside him.

As Alya, Nino and Lila joined them on the steps, Nino shot Adrien a questioning look and in response, Adrien shifted closer to Marinette so he could wrap an arm around her waist and shot the DJ a cheeky grin. Lila, who had clearly planned on sitting next to Adrien and probably latching on to his arm (like the parasite she was) faltered at his gesture. She looked between him and Marinette and her smile turned slightly bitter, subtly enough so that anyone not particularly looking wouldn’t notice. She awkwardly stopped just a step or two below the new couple and sat down.

Alya caught the whole interaction and her eyes widened as she shot a look at Marinette. Marinette could only blush and snuggle deeper into Adrien’s side in response. Clearly, that was not enough to satisfy Alya’s insatiable thirst for these kinds of things. “Did something happen while we weren’t here?”

Marinette simply pressed herself harder against Adrien as she kept her gaze firmly down on the concrete steps and Adrien tightened his grip around her in response. While Marinette was dying in embarrassment though, Adrien was soaking in all the attention with a welcome grin. “You could say that, right Marinette?”

Marinette might have mumbled something in response but Adrien couldn’t tell.

He looked straight at Alya and his grin turned into a smirk, “I asked her out.” Then, almost like an afterthought, “She said yes.”

Alya let out a huge whoop and fist pumped into the air and Nino chuckled as he clasped Adrien’s back, “I’m proud of you man.”

“My OTP is cannon!”

Lila, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during this whole time gave them all an uneasy smile, “I’m really happy for you Adrien. And for you as well Marinette.” The way she said her name, Adrien sent a warning glance at Lila. Lila’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh my GOD, the class is going to flip!”

-

 Once the school day had ended and Lila was finally in the safety of her room, she let out an enraged scream, “WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS!”

She threw her bag against the wall in frustration and stalked over to her bed, pulling at her bangs the whole way, “That good for nothing clumsy nobody! How dare she! HOW DARE SHE! Adrien belongs to me; how dare she try to steal him away! Why I- UGH.”

Lila stared up at her ceiling from her position on her bed, her mind moving at a mile per minute. She couldn’t understand what Adrien saw in that girl Marinette, but one thing Lila was sure of, it wouldn’t be enough to keep Adrien away from her. Adrien was Lila’s, he belonged to her the minute she had set her sights on him and some goody two shoes wouldn’t be enough to change that. All she needed to was-

Wait.

Lila smiled. Her biggest advantage over Adrien was his father. His father, who- well he probably hadn’t approved of his relationship with Marinette, had he?

Lila giggled in delight. Adrien- oh poor sweet Adrien- would soon see what his father had to say about this.

[sith-shenanigans]

OTP Song Meme

Tagged by @lumielles and @frozenabattoir— thank you both so much! You may regret this. :>

I am going to wildly ignore the rules of this and post their entire playlist instead of a single song.

1. Lost Girls — Lindsey Stirling

[instrumental]

2. The Long Way Home — The Birthday Massacre

Here in the dark, don't fall asleep / We walk through the snow, trying not to breathe / Don't let me go / Stay close to me / Don't look behind us / There's nothing to see

Below / Let me go / From here I know / It's a long way home

Into the woods, under the trees / We follow the trail, down to the sea / There's nowhere to hide / Don't wait for me / Don't look behind you / There's nothing to see

Below / Let me go / From here I know / It's a long way home

3. Still Alive — Leslie Fish

Running from the living / Running from the dead / Running from the memories / Just one jump ahead / But you're still alive— / There's a face in the mirror / Still alive, the dead don't bleed / Still alive, life is a changer / And you're no stranger / Come take what you need

There will be an answer / The sun will rise / Love is a survivor / Open your eyes

4. Wish That You Were Here — Florence + the Machine

And if I stay, oh, I don't know / There'll be so much that I'll have to let go / You're disappearing all the time / But I still see you in the light / For you, the shadows fight / And it's beautiful, but there's that tug in the side / I must stop time traveling / You're always on my mind

You're always on my mind...

5. Still Here — Digital Daggers

Musing through memories, losing my grip in the grey / Numbing the senses, I feel you slipping away / Fighting to hold on, clinging to just one more day / Love turns to ashes, with all that I wish I could say

[...]

Every night, I dream you're still here / The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear / When I awake, you'll disappear / Back to the shadows / With all I hold dear / With all I hold dear...

6. Back From the Dead — Skylar Grey

I'm so confused, I don't know what to feel / Should I throw my arms around you or kill you for real? / 'Cause I worked so hard to put the past to rest / Now it's tumbling down on me just like an avalanche

[...]

I never thought that you and I would ever meet again / I mourn the loss of you sometimes and pray for peace within / The word "distraught" cannot describe how my heart has been / But where do we begin, now that you're back from the dead?

Where do we begin, now that you're back from the dead?

Where do we begin, now that you're back from the dead?

7. Bound — Suzanne Vega

Once you said I'm made of fine stuff / I've been corrupted, and taken enough

Now you appear, making your claim / Inside my heart is the sign of your name

8. Bleak December — Set It Off

In that bleak December, you're just too cold / But I need the answer before you fold / You would hold your cards inside your chest / I think I drove too far / For that bleak December / And how full of shit you are

[...]

Now what are you to me / But a fly inside a web of lies you weave / You're not fooling anyone, not you, not me / So I wonder how you stay alive / When all I do is freeze

9. How to Start a War — Simon Curtis

I thought we were meant to be / Thought it'd be you and me / Standing together at the end of the world

I guess that's not what you want / I guess that I should just move on / So tell me, how am I to move when I can't even breathe

This is not how you make love / This is not what we signed up for / This is not how it's meant to be / This is how you start a war...

10. Down — The Birthday Massacre

Tell me why / We never cared to do this when we still had time / We'll never have to give up if we never try / I know I'll only want it when it's gone / Into the fire

Show me now / I wish that I could fake it but I don't know how / I know we'll never make it but I can't stop now / We're only just beginning and it's over

[...]

Leave me here / I'll never see tomorrow 'til my eyes are clear / We never could run faster than the passing years / I know that I won't miss you 'til you're gone / Into the fire

Cross my heart / We'll never have to let this end if we don't start / We'll never see the light 'til we step into the dark / We're only just beginning and it's over

11. Enemy — Simon Curtis

All this time I thought you knew, I thought you were aware / Of how much I would do for you, of just how much I care / All this time you sat here thinking that I wouldn't give / Every bit of life of mine just so that you could live

And now I've got a feel from you it's bitterness and cold / I'm hearing what you say but not believing what I'm told

[...]

You built so many walls around me that you couldn't see / That without you there is no us there is not even me / I'm standing here before you with no armor lying bare / Lying stranded and defenseless you could help me if you care

You built so many walls around me that I wouldn't dare / Try to climb them but I'm standing with a white flag in the air

12. Bleak December (Acoustic) — Set It Off

[reprise]

13. Lies — Martina McBride

Hummingbirds don't fly backwards / Lovers don't say goodbye / Saturn has 7 rings / And I have never told a lie

[...]

I'm finally moving forward / Getting on with my life / I never dream of you and me / It's strange I don't know why

I'm really not that lonely / You never cross my mind / And when I hear your name / It doesn't cut me like a knife

I don't walk these halls / And I don't climb these walls / Every night...

14. Thick as Thieves — Shinedown

Evidently we can't work it out / I guess that courage ain't allowed / Evidently you're not in the mood / And everything I say just bothers you

You built this fortress / I stumble towards it

Evidently you look furious / Walls up and I know you're serious / Evidently I'm not always there / But you left and I looked everywhere

You built this fortress / I stumble towards it / I stumble towards it...

15. No Light, No Light — Florence + the Machine

Would you leave me / If I told you what I've done / And would you leave me / If I told you what I've become / 'Cause it's so easy / To say it to a crowd / But it's so hard, my love / To say it to you alone

16. Half Light — BANNERS

Sometimes I join you / Let you wash over me / When we're in the darkness / Only the blind can see

And you can tear it up / Oh, no one tears it up like you / Oh, you can rip it up / Oh, I can rip it up like you

When you're in the half light / It is not you I see / And you live a half life / You only show half to me

And can you shake it off / Oh, can you shake it off for me / When you're in the half light / I don't like the half I see

17. Burn — Silent Rival

You wrote a note from a pile of ashes / The pen in your claw got me laughing / No one believes I still feel the weight of your head in my lap

I shudder to think of you out in the cold / Wherever you are I hope you’re warm / Don't worry about me, I'll find my way back / Fire light in my path / Your light in my path

Watch you burn / You light up, you rise up, and you burn / Glow as you fly from the earth / Watch the engines ignite as you burn / Before I could say my goodbyes / Goodbyes, goodbyes, goodbyes / You’re burning and burning

Some call it pain, it's just a feeling / Some call it pain, I call it healing / Will I ever heal, I'm always raw / I'm always raw / Set fire to it all / Set fire to it all...

18. If I Say — Mumford & Sons

I came here without a choice / I'm sorry I could never thank you / For saving me more trouble / I didn't want any trouble / If you were given one more chance / Would you bring me back to life / Bring me back into the light / Into the light

[...]

Show me your hands / Are they cleaner than mine? / Show me your face / Did you cross the line? / Show me your eyes / They any drier than mine? / Your soul survives / But peace, you'll never find

19. Things We Lost in the Fire — Bastille

I was the match and you were the rock / Maybe we started this fire / We sat apart and watched / All we had burn on the pyre

You said, we were born with nothing / And we sure as hell have nothing now / You said, we were born with nothing / And we sure as hell have nothing now...

20. Magpie — The Mountain Goats

Feed the kittens in the kitchen / Set food out for the strays / Try hard to do your best / The magpie will have his way

Fill your mouth with berries / By the full light of the moon / Work all night if you have to / The magpie comes at noon

Shore up the crucifixes / Above the archways and the doors / The magpie will come at midday / And you will go down on all fours

And when the cherry's white with blossoms / Be ready and be brave / And remember what we had here / When there was something left to save

21. Supernova — Within Temptation

I'm waiting for your last goodbye / 'Cause I'm not over it, not over it / I'm waiting for your last goodbye / The kiss of time

Like thunder screaming out for a flash of lightning / Stars are falling down for God's applause / I'm waiting for the light of your supernova / Your last goodbye

22. Through the Mirror — Beyond The Black

Watch you spin in your veils of protection / Layer on layer of dark colors unwind / Shake them off, but you never forget them / Show your scars to the mute and the blind

Only showing your face to the lonely / Wear a mask for the masses so cold / Choosing roads that are broken and stony / Let me tell you my dreams of our destiny

Speak to me, sing to me, bare your soul to me / Step through the mirror, join me inside / Run to me, stay with me, till eternity / Show me the faith that you hide / You hide

You are wandering spaces in limbo / Hearing words from the voice in your head / Give a sign and I'll open the window / Step outside and I'll hold you instead

Only showing your face to the lonely / Wear a mask for the masses so cold / Choosing roads that are broken and stony / Let me tell you my dreams of our destiny

Speak to me, sing to me, bare your soul to me / Step through the mirror, join me inside / Run to me, stay with me, till eternity / Show me the faith that you hide / You hide...

23. Mercy Mirror — Within Temptation

I don't like to think about the pieces / All the cracks in the bricks that still remain / If I could breathe, I'd ask you

To look in my mercy mirror / I need you more than I have known / So look in my mercy mirror / 'Cause I'm not ready to let you go...

24. You Are the Only One — Sergey Lazarev

We can never let the word be unspoken / We will never let our loving go come undone/ Everything we had is staying unbroken now / You will always be the only one / You're the only one

Won't ever give up 'cause you're / Still somewhere out there/ Nothing or no one's gonna keep us apart / Breaking me down but I'm still getting nowhere / Won't stop, hold on

Thunder and lightning it's getting exciting / Lights up the skyline to show where you are / My love is rising, the story's unwinding / Together we'll make it and reach for the stars

You're the only one, you're my only one / You're my life, every breath that I take / Unforgettable, so unbelievable / You're the only one, my only one

25. Paradise (What About Us?) — Within Temptation

There's no sense, the fire burns / When wisdom fails, it changes all / The wheel embodies all that keeps on turning

Blood red skies, I feel so cold / No innocence, we play our role / The wheel embodies all, where are we going?

All in all, you'd expect the wise to be wiser / Fallen from grace / And all in all, I guess we should have known better, 'cause

What about us / Isn't it enough? / No, we're not in paradise / This is who we are / This is what we've got / No, it's not our paradise / But it's all we want / And it's all that we're fighting for / Though it's not paradise

You and us, or I and them? / There comes a time to take a stand / The wheel is watching all that keeps on burning

The venom works, it's like a curse / A Trojan horse, when will we learn / The wheel embodies all that keeps returning

All in all, you'd expect the wise to be wiser / Fallen from grace / And all in all, I guess we should have known better, 'cause

What about us / Isn't it enough? / No, we're not in paradise / This is who we are / This is what we've got / No, it's not our paradise / But it's all we want / And it's all that we're fighting for / Though it's not paradise

What about us / Isn't it enough? / No, we're not in paradise / This is who we are / This is what we've got / No, it's not our paradise / But it's all we want / And it's all that we're fighting for

What about us / Isn't it enough? / No, we're not in paradise / This is who we are / This is what we've got / No, it's not our paradise / But it's all we want / And it's all that we're fighting for / But it's not paradise

What about us, what about us, what about us, isn't it enough?

What about us, what about us, what about us, isn't it enough?

What about us, what about us, what about us, isn't it enough?

What about us, what about us, what about us, isn't it enough?

[smartcookie727]

Precious Time

Hello, my darlings. Are you ready for a fun twist on my usual work? I bet you are. This fic has all the patented cookie charm, wit, and heat, but focuses on an OTP I haven’t written before. Jerza. I’ve shipped them for quite a while, and when a steamy sketch from Mashima kept floating around my dash, I knew it was finally time to stretch my fingers and give them a try. This fic is especially dedicated to @xambedo, who loves some good Jerza and is always there to support my endeavors. Her Jerza ficlets always light up my heart and remind me that I love these two dorks so much, even though I may not show it much. Let me remind you...this gets a bit NSFW ;) I hope yall enjoy. As always, leave me a comment, reblog, tag, whatever you want to interact so I know what yall like. 

Pairing: Jerza

Prompt: The Final Night

Length: 3k

It’s their last night together, and Jellal wants nothing more than for her to stay. But Erza knows her time is already gone. Their hearts waver between pleasure and grief as they try to forget their pain with the taste of passion. Time is precious, and there’s no reason to spoil a beautiful night with tears.

Precious Time

Jellal stepped out of the bathroom door and forgot every clever word he knew in a single breath. The last few days had felt like a dream, and once again, he found himself staring, mesmerized by the grace of his long distance love across the room. Erza sat perched in front of a large mirror, running a brush through hair that sparkled with drops a of scarlet sunset. There was a quiet peace that soothed his heart in these moments. He could stand back and admire the woman beneath the armor. No council, no guilds, no dark wizards, no burden that came with their names. Titania. Prisoner. Those titles were shed at the door, and they could be Erza and Jellal for a brief time. He would stretch this moment into eternity if he had the power—he’d do anything to preserve her smile.

“You’re staring again, Jellal,” came a lilting voice, shaking him from his thoughts. He looked up, eyes meeting hers in the glass.  

“Yes, but have you noticed how long?” he retorted playfully.

“Since you got out of the bath about three minutes ago,” she countered.

“Always observant, Erza, but I can’t help myself sometimes. Everything about you is mesmerizing—especially with your hair like that. Scarlet has always been my favorite.”

Erza stood and turned to face him properly, flashing a devious smile. Jellal’s pulse pounded in his head. The way she’d sauntered across the room had made his mouth go dry. Erza stepped close enough for her chest to brush against his own. Biting back a gulp, he tried to hide the blush that burned his cheeks. But it was no use. Erza loved to have her fun with him.

Chewing her lower lip, she dragged the hardened tips of her breasts against his bare skin, still wet from washing. It was a terrible mixture of pleasure and agony to be teased through the thin black lace of her lingerie. She took his hand in hers and curled it around the thin band of bra that laid just below her breasts. There was a playful glint in her eyes, daring him to do it. Jellal exhaled deeply and tugged her closer. Erza had a knack for playing with him—testing the limits of his boldness until his stoic exterior crumbled away—and Jellal had learned that there was always a reward for taking the initiative.

Reaching for a kiss, Erza saw a jumble of anticipation, need, and happiness in his eyes. But there was also pain, and for a moment, she stayed her hand. Jellal always grew somber when he knew their time together was close to an end. Too many shadows still lurked in his heart.

“And blue has always been a favorite of mine,” she said, combing her fingers through dripping locks. “Though there’s always been something about your tattoo.” Gently, she traced the red markings around his cheek. Another mystery of his past. “It’s like you’ve carried a token of me with you, even before we ever met.” Her finger brushed his temple. “How did you get it again?”

Jellal sighed, and Erza knew what his answer would be. “Even if I could remember what really happened, I don’t think you’d believe me,” he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. Erza pursed her lips but let the subject go. One day he’d have to venture back down that dark road, but tonight was not that night. It wasn’t good for him to have such ghosts keep residence in his mind.

Jellal stroked the guildmark on Erza’s arm, urging her away from grim thoughts he wasn’t ready to resurface. Some skeletons were better left locked away and forgotten. “We carry a reminder of each other with us, no matter where we go.”

Erza glanced down at her Fairy Tail emblem. Blue, just like him. He’d always hoped she’d chosen that color because of him. It made him feel connected to her, even when they were apart.

“Yes, we do. So why is there sadness in your eyes?”

Jellal averted his gaze, silently cursing his inability to hide his emotions from her.

“It’s nothing.”

“It's because I have to leave in the morning,” she whispered, resting her forehead against his chest.

Erza was too observant sometimes.

“Yes,” he said, burying his nose in her hair. He felt her arms wrap around his waist. “There just never seems to be enough time. I'm not even sure when we'll see each other again.”

“I know,” Erza said, voice wavering, “it's not easy for me either. But don't muddle the moments we have together with such sadness.” Blinking away her own pain, she wiped a tear from his cheek. “We should be happy for the time we can have.”

“I just—wish I could hold you next me every day—not just for a night here and there.”

Jellal’s words stung her heart, and Erza granted herself a moment of self pity. Grabbing his deep blue hair, she pulled him down into a desperate tangle of lips. She longed to make up every kiss she couldn’t give, every touch they'd missed, every morning they’d woken up cold and alone instead of nestled together, and she poured it all into one moment of passion.

A rouge tear fell down her cheek. Sniffling, she shook away. Erza didn’t know if it had been hers or Jellal’s, but with it went the rest of their pain.

Smiling up at him, she said, “You're holding me now. So kiss me tonight and leave the tears for tomorrow.”

Jellal smiled back down and placed his lips, warm and tender, on her own. “Ok. It can wait til tomorrow.”

Pain slowly eased from their hearts. They clung to each other in a long embrace, neither able to let go of the person they’d yearned to hold for the last few months. Erza ran her hands over Jellal’s back, rubbing away his last shreds of sorrow. His arms around her felt like home.

Jellal placed a kiss on her cheek. Then her mouth. Again and again he kissed her, losing himself in the taste of her lips. Erza chuckled to herself. She could’ve stripped bare standing in his arms and he’d be none the wiser. And that was cause enough to have a little fun.

Nimble fingers untied the towel resting around his hips, and with one swift movement, Erza yanked it from his body. Her ensuing fit of laughter broke their fervid exchange of lips. She’d actually managed to pull it off. Jellal’s jaw dropped. He lunged for the towel, but Erza whipped it one way and then the other, always keeping it just out of his reach. Finally, Jellal was having fun. When she was sufficiently amused, Erza draped the towel around his head and tousled his hair dry.

“I think,” she teased, tugging down on the fabric and fixing him with her eyes, “you should focus on what's happening in front of you now.” Her finger skittered across his chest, rousing sensitive skin. “Instead of worrying about tomorrow.”

Jellal’s heart leapt into his throat. “What do you have in mind?” he breathed.

“Oh, I think you know.”

Tossing towel and caution to the wind, Erza jumped into his arms. Jellal’s feet fumbled with the sudden addition of weight. Steadying himself against a wall, it occurred to him that there were many advantages this position. Her legs wrapped around him. The soft curve of her ass overflowed in his hands. And Jellal pulled her as close as their bodies would allow. Featherlight kisses danced from Erza’s lips. Every touch urged his thoughts into dangerous territory, and the mischief in her smile told him she wanted it just as badly.

The world fell away in a blur of giggles and racing hearts. Tonight, he’d give her everything he knew she wanted—and everything they'd both been missing. Heat surged inside him, and Jellal whirled around, pinning Erza’s back against the wall. Soft caresses turned rough and hungry, and the more passionately he touched her, the more it stoked Erza’s fire.

Her hand gripped his royal blue hair, craning his neck to the side. Hot breath tickled his skin, and Erza began a slow barrage of kisses. Jellal’s knees threatened to buckle under her lips. Harder and harder she bore down until he thought he might break in half. Dark marks would surface in the morning, but Jellal didn’t care. There wasn’t room to think about that while pleasure coursed through his body. Another taste of her tongue and he gave in to her desire.

Air rushed into Jellal’s lungs as their lips parted. His head was somehow filled with clouds and bursting with bliss all at once. He sighed, happy. Unimaginable to Jellal’s sorry soul, he was happy. Erza rested her head on his shoulder. Her breath was ragged, but even still, she began to move her hips. The brush of lace against skin urged Jellal onward, teasing him with temptation, and he would not resist its call any longer.

He dared to give Erza what she wanted. Tenderly, his finger ghosted along the underside of her lingerie. A gasp tore from her lips. Soft and twinged with wanting, it was a sound that only he had the privilege to experience. And with that, Jellal lost the final shred of his composure. He needed to hear her moan harder, longer. More. Faster than a heartbeat, Jellal whipped around on his heels and made a beeline for the bed.

Suddenly, he was falling. His foot twisted in the traitorous towel, long forgotten and lying on the floor. He landed on his back with a thud, still tangled in Erza’s arms .

“Ow,” Jellal groaned, rubbing his head. The collision left his teeth reverberating in his jaw.

Erza fought back giggles from her perch on his chest. “Lose your focus, Jellal?” she purred, hand drifting around his body.

He pursed his lips in feigned annoyance. “It hurt.”

She poked him playfully then trailed her hand lower until she found what she was looking for.

Jellal felt like his body had been set on fire. He drove his head back against the carpet, grinding his teeth together to keep from screaming. The way her fingers brushed against his length was overwhelming and intoxicating. He felt her forehead press against his own, steading his trembling body.

Warm breath tickled his ear. “Shall I make the pain go away?”

Jellal gulped, nodding his acceptance. Erza’s hand tightened around his cock, and she began to pump. Jellal thrust his arm around her back, desperately trying to hold onto her as his heart threatened to beat through his chest. The feeling of Erza was more overpowering than he’d remembered, and he was growing aroused faster than he could’ve ever imagined.

“You can do whatever you want to take away the pain,” he said between ragged breaths.

Erza trailed kisses down his neck. “That's dangerous territory, Jellal.”

Sweat dripped down his neck. “I like a little danger in my life,” he said, panting furiously. Jellal bit down on his lip as her thumb twisted and teased him. Bright spots danced across his vision, and he loosed a guttural moan. “How does it always end up with me in the floor,” he laughed, nonsensically stroking Erza’s thighs, “and you on top of me?”

“Well,” she mused, tracing a finger along his chest, “we don't get many chances to have a room during these intimate interludes—much less a bed.” Erza sat upright and ground herself against his arousal. “Would you rather I get off and go to sleep?”

Jellal surged forward and cupped her face, pressing his lips to hers in a long kiss. “I don’t want anything but this.” His hands trailed through her hair as he murmured, “The woman who saved me, wanting me—to love me back—I don't know what I did to deserve this.”

Erza slowed for a moment. “You know. You just don’t want to believe it yet.” She placed a tender kiss on his lips. “So let me show you just how worthy of happiness you are.” Her next kiss sent fire blazing through his veins.

“I love you, Erza,” he breathed, tongue twisting around her own.

“I love you too. So don't miss this moment worrying about the future.”

Jellal nodded, kissing her harder until Erza’s back hit the floor and passion overtook them both.

Jellal felt truly at peace as he faded into blissful sleep. There was nothing more comforting than sight of the woman of his dreams dozing next to him under the sheets. He glanced over at his Crime Sorciere jacket, waiting patiently on a chair across the room, and a lazy grin sprouted across his cheeks. For a moment, he considered waking her. But the gentle rise and fall of Erza’s shoulder as she slept was a reminder that this was a fleeting moment of serenity for her, and he decided against disturbing her rest. She was right. Leave your worries for tomorrow. Yawning, Jellal wrapped his arm around Erza’s waist and nuzzled into the crook of her neck. The last thing he remembered before surrendering to sleep was the bright scent of strawberry in her hair.

Morning sunlight rudely roused Jellal from his slumber. He rolled over to shield himself against the intrusion and climbed on top of Erza, hoping to wake her in a much more pleasant manner. But his lips caught the fabric of her pillow instead of her cheek. Rubbing his eyes open, Jellal found himself sitting in an empty bed. Puzzled, he stretched his muscles, surprisingly sore from the night’s activities, and scanned the room. There was a small handwritten note on the coffee table. His heart plummeted into his stomach, and he stumbled over to the couch to read the paper.

I promise we'll see each other soon, but I've already stayed longer than I should. The guild’s probably already sent out a search party to find me. You know more than anyone the pride I carry with my title and the weight of my responsibility. If I had to say goodbye to you in person this morning...I don't think I would’ve been able to leave. We would’ve fallen back to bed and spent the rest of the day in each others arms. And as much as I want that...we’ve run out of time, my love. I'm sorry not to be able to wake up with you, have breakfast with you, and kiss you goodbye. But know I wanted to so much. I nearly woke you four times. I miss you even as I sit here and write this. You look so peaceful as you sleep, and I can’t rob you of that. I’m sorry. I know this isn’t how either of us wanted this little trip to end, but remember that I love you and that it won’t be long until we’re together again. There's a gift on the couch to help put your heart at ease. Be safe and don't let anyone catch you.

Pain crept back into Jellal’s heart. He knew Erza had responsibilities at Fairy Tail and places she needed to be, but that knowledge didn’t make it any easier. She couldn’t disappear like he could. He had the freedom to wander around the entirety of Fiore and no one would be any wiser. It was his mission to do just that, but Erza was always in the spotlight. Fairy Tail’s Titania. Jellal shook the feeling from his heart. He knew it was safer this way for the both of them, but he wanted all those things she’d talked about too.

Sighing, Jellal rummaged through the small bag she’d left behind. Inside, he found a timekeeping lacrima. There was nothing flashy or ornate about it. He stared at the time ticking by. It was odd for her to leave a gift, not that he was ungrateful. Still, it didn’t make sense. Jellal ran his finger absentmindedly over the border when an etching in the glass caught his attention. Suddenly, the image in the lacrima shifted. Numbers melted away to reveal a clear picture of Erza.

She stood arguing with a merchant next to what appeared to be a magic mobile and her giant cart of endless suitcases. He chuckled, she could be so brash sometimes. The poor soul didn’t look like he understood that it would be safer just to concede. No matter what was said, Erza would be leaving with that magic mobile. She had to keep up airs he supposed. There was no one more powerful and frightening than Titania. For a moment, the Erza in the lacrima stopped yelling, looked over her shoulder, and smiled. Jellal’s heart leapt in his chest. He would move Earth Land with his bare hands to make her smile.

Jellal removed his finger from the etching and the image faded. A trick lacrima was much more Erza’s style. Returning the orb to the bag, his hand brushed a small piece of fabric. Curious, he pulled it out, and a bright red blush burst across his face. Even when she wasn’t there, Erza still managed to have fun at his expense. If the rest of Crime Sorciere found out he had this, he'd be teased within an inch of his life. Heart pounding in his ears, Jellal thrust the item back into the bag. He took a few deep breaths and let his gaze drift around the room. It settled on his jacket, still waiting for him on the chair. A tear welled in his eyes; his heart already ached without her.

“At least I managed to leave my tears for today,” Jellal mumbled.

Dressing quickly, he readied his pack and donned his jacket. Tucked away inside a hidden pocket was a cloth sack. Gingerly, Jellal fingered the contents it held.

“A real reminder of each other to carry with us, no matter where we go.”

He’d have to remember that line for next time. Just a little longer and he'd be brave enough to accept the love he’d grown to realize he deserved. Just a little longer. Jellal stepped out of the door and into a scarlet sunrise. Warmth filled his heart.

“I promise, just a little longer.”

[i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate]

OTP Challenge Day 4: On A Date

OTP: Gruvia

Rating: Still going with E for everyone

“What are you thinking about?” Erza’s voice broke Gray away from his thoughts and brought him to reality. It was late, and the guildhall was mostly empty. Mira was cleaning some of the dishes used that afternoon, and Gray was sitting at one of the tables with a mug of some sort of ale in his hands. Erza had suddenly sat down across from him. He could tell that she was serious about getting an answer, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t even sure how long he’d been there.

               “I…” He paused, gripping the handle of his mug tightly. Erza beamed, leaning over the table like she was ready for some conspiracy theory to pop out of Gray’s mouth.

               “Are you thinking about Juvia?” So she was fishing for a specific answer. Gray glared. Well, now I am. Juvia’s pretty smile came to mind. Not the crazy one that drove Gray up the wall. No. He recalled a specific moment, when he had caught the water mage sitting on the window ledge upstairs in the guild. She had been staring out the window at the city, and humming. He remembered her expression was so at peace, with a small smile, and her eyes had shimmered with something akin to warmth. He had often been visited by that vision in his dreams. Somehow Juvia managed to give him dreams of a better future, and nightmares both.

               Erza crossed her arms, “When are you going to ask her out?”

               “When she stops squealing every time she sees me,” Gray huffed. “I don’t like girls who are needy.”

               “Interesting…” Erza murmured, as if taking notes, “Then why do you think it is you’ve fallen in love with one?” The words stunned the ice mage, practically making him drop his mug.

               “W-what?! In love?! What the hell made you think… that… that I’m in love with her?!”

               “Gray,” Erza said firmly, her eyes as stone cold as iron. “Can you really truthfully say that you’re not?” Gray could only stare at his friend. The silence between them stretched out, as he tried to come up with excuses, tried to find something nasty to say, but nothing came to mind. No, in fact, his heart was pounding in his chest. It seemed to be the only thing he could hear.

               “That’s what I thought,” Erza smiled, reaching out to grasp his shoulder, “I’ll ask again, why don’t you set things straight? No one has eternity.” Gray bowed his head, and gritted his teeth. If he told Juvia how he really felt about her, he expected that her behavior would only grow worse. That she would become even more needy, even more obsessive. But Erza wasn’t wrong. He had realized, not long ago, that he had growing feelings for Juvia Lockser. Just her name set his heart off pounding, made his chest fill with warmth, with some unknown emotion. In love with Juvia Lockser?! “No one has eternity,” Erza whispered, again, “Not even you.”

               Gray stumbled to his feet, pushing his beer aside. His head was pounding. He couldn’t believe he was actually entertaining the idea…

               “Where are you going?” Erza asked. Gray shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged as he turned towards the door.

               “To find Juvia.”

*** ***

The pitter-patter of rain on cobblestone was a familiar sound, and in that moment it almost brought a sort of peace to her. She sat on the steps to the Cathedral, her long blue curls held back in a ponytail. She held her hands out, watching as drops collected in her palms. The water was cool against her skin, the wind was picking up. She smiled up at the sky. She used to hate the rain, and then tolerate it, but now that she had seen blue sky—rain had become something of equal beauty.                  

               “Juvia!” Pounding footsteps, and a voice, out of breath from running. Gray-sama…? He was standing at the bottom of the steps, soaking wet, and shirtless. And when he finally caught his breath he looked up at her furious. “Come down from there.” It was a command, not a request. Gray let out a deep sigh. “I’ve been looking for you for hours.” He took one step up the stairs, only closing the distance between them by a foot. “Why weren’t you at home?”

               “Juvia wanted to sit in the rain,” Juvia smiled, holding out her hands again. Gray seemed to pause at this, he looked flustered, his cheeks tainted pink. Possibly from the rain. “What is Gray-sama doing here?” She asked.

               “I…” Juvia could see hesitation in Gray’s demeanor. His arms were crossed, he was biting his lower lip. “I came to ask if you’d like to…” He seemed to suddenly gain a burst of courage, because his expression changed to determination, he clenched his fists, “Juvia Lockser! Will you have dinner with me sometime? A date!” Juvia was frozen in place, like the words she had just heard had petrified her. She felt like she was drifting through a dream. This can’t be real. There he was, her knight in shining armor, or—more often—no armor, waiting to hear a response that she had practiced over, and over again in front of the mirror, and she couldn’t really find those rehearsed words for the life of her. Her heart was pounding, her hands were shaking. Now was her destined moment, her dream-come-true, and she was ruining because—

               Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

               “G-Gray…” And then she burst into tears.  It was not the reaction either of them was expecting.

                “Juvia!” Gray gaped, “What…? What’s wrong with you?!” He wasn’t angry, she could tell. He was just shocked. She could hear him climb a stair or two in her direction, “Hey, quit crying!”  

               “Juvia cannot! Juvia—” Before she could finish, Gray had grabbed her hand, and practically pulled her down the stairs into his embrace. She sobbed against his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his back. As she breathed through the last of the tears, she finally managed to spit out an explanation, “Juvia is just… so happy,” she whispered. “W-why…. What changed?”

               “Erza,” Gray sighed, brushing tears away from her cheeks, not that it mattered since both of them were soaking. “Erza said something stupid, about no one having eternity. Or something and…” He looked down at her, pure fury reflecting in his dark eyes. He gripped her shoulders as if she were his lifeline. “Juvia, I can’t lose you! You have to know…” Their eyes were locked for what felt like minutes, or hours. “…how I feel.” Gray’s heavy breathing slowed, and then, like magnetism, they were drawn to one another. Their lips met in a furious meld of passion. Pent up emotions fueled them. Juvia let Gray take control. One hand cradled the back of her neck, pulling her as close as he could, the other pressed against her waist, so tightly that Juvia was sure she’d have bruises to prove it. But she didn’t care. The way he tasted now, like whiskey and petrichor, like melting snow on the tongue, it was enough to draw all her thoughts away from the way he held her and straight to the way he kissed her. It was as if it was their last night on earth, and he was feverish for her touch. She was drowning in the rain, drowning in the cool sweetness of his mouth on hers.

               It ended all too soon, and they stared breathlessly, and silently, inches apart. There was a touch of awe in Gray’s eyes, a perfect replacement for the rage that had been there moments before. She could almost feel the electricity tingling between them. Their lips were just a hair’s breadth apart, and Juvia was ready to close that distance again. She had tasted the forbidden fruit, and she needed more.

               “I…” Gray broke the silence, his hands trembling.

               “W-what…what was that for?” Juvia whispered. It didn’t seem that the ice mage really had an answer, but his eyes met hers and Juvia understood.

               “You’re mine,” he whispered, and then his lips found her skin again, leaving a chaste kiss at the corner of her mouth. Juvia trembled, her whole body ached for him. She wanted to shout it out to the world: Yes! Yes! Juvia belongs to Gray-sama! But the words died in her throat. She knew him. He wouldn’t like that. Gray was typically a man of subtlety. And for now, this was enough. When he released her from his arms he was his serious self again, offering her a firm frown. “Will you? Go out with me?” Juvia smiled, trying to contain the burning excitement within her. She brushed a hand through his soaking hair, and studied him for a moment longer before whispering,

               “Yes.”