#their conversation during the final battle is so fascinating

[luckiestmushroom]

The absolute irony of Robin’s beliefs being freedom, while Sunday’s are Order, and yet when she intervenes in the final battle, she’s desperately trying to get Sunday to agree with her, take her side, change his views. And it’s Sunday who’s like ‘we are on different paths, that’s how our lives have gone.’ Just really telling that even now after all this time he values Robin’s freedom and her beliefs, even as he’s preparing to enact his own plan. While Robin deep down still wants him to conform to her ideals and come back to her side. This is why they are truly diametrically opposed now because the only way Sunday is coming back to her side is if he totally conforms to what she wants as he did when they were children, and the only way Robin would join him would be to betray what she believes in completely.

[chibieggplant]

Law falls for you slow and steady

Trafalgar law Headcanons | When he has a crush on you

Law's crush on you manifests slowly and subtly. It starts with him noticing the way your eyes light up when discussing something you're passionate about or the kindness you show to others.

He often finds himself stealing glances at you when he thinks you're not looking, only to quickly avert his gaze when you catch him. Law tries to act cool and collected about it, but his crewmates soon start noticing him staring dreamily at you and you can bet they tease him mercilessly about it.

Law's normally precise and focused nature becomes slightly scattered when he's in your presence. He might find himself lost in thought, daydreaming about cute or romantic scenarios involving you, only to snap back to reality with an embarrassed expression.

Despite his tough exterior, Law is not immune to unintentionally blushing furiously or getting flustered around you. Compliment him or praise his skills as a doctor / fighter and he will turn into a stuttering mess.

Whenever you're around, Law's usually calm and collected demeanor becomes a bit more chaotic as he tries to hide his nerves. Suddenly he turns into Corazon and is now tripping over his feet and accidentally bumping into things.

Law's attempts at flirting with you are often hilariously awkward, he's not used to expressing his emotions openly. His deadpan delivery and bluntness don’t help his case either. Penguin tried to give him advice on how to be more romantic but it often comes out wrong. “You’re like the North Star in my chaotic sea of life…except, I’m not lost or anything. Just metaphoricaly…speaking.”

He often attempts to make conversation with you…key word being attempt “So um…did you hear about that new medical breakthrough? It’s fascinating stuff. Way less complicated than…emotions…did you know that the human heart beats around 100,000 times a day?”

He protective side comes out around you, subtly keeping an eye on you during battles or dangerous situations, ensuring you're safe without drawing too much attention to it…Though it’s painfully obvious to everyone else when the poster boy for sticking to the plan diverts his plan just to help you.

Law often overreacts when you have even the slightest injury or ailment, treating it as a major medical emergency. His crewmates find it amusing how he switches instantly into "doctor mode" for the smallest of issues when it comes to you. You have a small cut on your arm? He insists it needs to be sterilised immediately, let him look at it, it might need stitches.

As Law's feelings deepen, he finds himself drawn to your company more and more. He starts seeking opportunities to spend time together, whether it's finally coming out of his office to join you for lunch, or stealing you away to discuss strategies for upcoming missions because he needs your input…he doesn’t, he just hasn’t spoken to you in the past hour and he misses you.

Law's crewmates, particularly Bepo and Penguin, become keen observers of his behavior around you. They notice the subtle shifts in his demeanor, the way his gaze softens when he looks at you, and the genuine smiles that grace his usually stoic face in your presence.

Bepo, becomes his unintentional wingman, trying to nudge him closer to you whenever possible. Though his attempts often just make Law stumble into you. Bepo pushes him to compliment you “Doesn’t y/ns hair look nice today captain? Tell her it looks nice” *cue the adorable bear eyes that Law can’t say no to*

Over time, as your relationship deepens, Law might find the courage to subtly hint at his feelings, although he remains cautious about how you might respond. He’s already lost someone he loves once he can’t lose you too.

He starts leaving small gifts or tokens of affection for you in your room, though he would never admit they were from him. His gifts often end up being quirky or unconventional items that reflect his personality, like a tiny model of the Polar Tang or a cute plushie of Bepo.

Regardless of his reserved nature, Law's crush on you brings out a softer side of him. Over time, as trust and mutual understanding deepen between you and Law, he begins to open up more to you. He find himself sharing personal stories and memories of his past with you.

Despite being a former warlord, Law becomes a bit of a nervous wreck when he tries to confess his feelings to you. He rehearses his lines multiple times in the mirror, only to end up blurting out something completely different.

“You know I’ve performed countless surgeries but trying to fix my heart after meeting you is the toughest one yet…wait, that sounded smoother in my head. What I meant is that it seems that I have a significant affection coefficient towards you…dammit! I mean, I-i really like you a lot!”

Law’s crush on you blossoms into true love, he cherishes the bond you have that’s built on trust, respect and genuine care. You become a source of joy and lightheartedness during his chaotic days, bringing much needed colour and love to his life.

[randxmthxughts]

Be Mine - Neteyam x Metkayina ! reader (fake dating)

summary: the one, where neteyam pretends to court the reader to avoid all of the nagging from his parents and a group of admirers. of course, it doesn’t take long for her to fall for him too

warnings: none really, pure fluff, fake dating trope, jealousy, loak x tsireya canon, events take place five years after the battle between the metkayina and the sky people, so aged up characters

wc: >12k

a/n: now that i finished writing this, i realized that i wrote an avatar version of bridgerton, lol </3 if you enjoy this, i love getting compliments and reblogs

masterlist

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Everybody knew about Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan, ever since his family first stepped into your village. His blue skin, golden eyes, and the strange tail, were easily the talk of almost every conversation among your peers. Yet, despite the obvious physical differences, there was always something about him that fascinated you, lured you in.

Many things changed after the Battle at the Three Brothers. With the help of your soul sisters and brothers Tulkuns, and joined by the great Toruk Makto, your Olo’yektan had an upper hand and a decisive victory over the sky people. It was a victory to be passed down in stories to your future generations and to be celebrated gloriously among the clan. This year was marking its fifth anniversary, with a big celebration that would last the whole night.

Since that battle, Neteyam has truly transformed into a man, earning approving and respectful looks from all around him. His forest upbringing never held Neteyam back from growing into his place among the Metkayina: his once slim shoulders broadened, matching the most skillful divers, height increased, and his muscles started showing without even flexing. In addition to his looks, his physical appearance never betrayed his personality. It seemed like Neteyam had the purest, kindest heart amongst all, always rushing to help the villagers with their chores, big and small; whether it meant fixing up a canoe, carrying baskets of food, or sometimes even babysitting, that is if he had time. His father was reluctant to stop the training with his sons, just in case of another attack from the sky people, so Neteyam rarely had any time for himself. 

Guys wanted to be his friends, while the girls were fawning over him, hoping to become his mate. It was no secret that now, being of an age to pick the one for himself, parents’ sudden attention and admiring looks were following him everywhere. But Neteyam didn’t rush to choose.

Unlike his brother, Lo'ak seemed to have his life all figured out, especially when it came to matters of the heart. Falling for Tsireya, Lo’ak had many expectations to live up to, if he wanted to be with her. After all, she was the daughter of the chief, and a tsakarem, the future Tsahik of Metkayina. And while at first, Tsireya’s parents were hesitant of the bond she was forming with the forest boy, Lo’ak’s family spoke for himself. His father had played a significant role in the victory at the Three Brothers, providing guidance and knowledge that helped secure their win. Lo'ak also worked hard on himself to earn her parents’ approval. So the day, when Lo’ak finally returned home with Tsireya's necklace around his neck, a symbol of acceptance, was the day when Neteyam felt the weight on his shoulders double in size. 

You were no different from the other girls adoring Neteyam, as you had also developed a crush on him during your teenage years. It was unavoidable, really. Before you grew out of your friendship with Tsireya, the two of you used to be quite close. So when the Sully’s first moved to Awa'atlu, and Tsireya was assigned to guide the kids, you were often hanging around them too. 

But it was easy for you to accept that you were never going to be an equal match for Neteyam. He had many admirers who were stronger than you, more skilled, more talented, and had respected families. Everything came into the play, and you were losing at every aspect. So, you have successfully suppressed this silly crush for years, before you could finally push it to the very far back of your mind and forget about it. Instead, you occupied yourself with your learning. 

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Despite not being friends anymore, Tsireya and you have always maintained a polite demeanor towards each other. Now it did feel a little strange to be paired with her for the gathering of pxorna’ fruits, but you had to follow through. As per tradition, the entire clan was divided into groups to prepare for the upcoming celebration, and you were assigned to work together. Even though climbing tall trees wasn't exactly your strong suit as a water Na'vi, protesting wasn't an option: after all, the sweetest fruits were always at the very top. So, to make the task easier, you and Tsireya took turns climbing the trees and picking the fruits, then one would lower the bag for the other to catch and store into the big woven baskets provided. This method ensured that the bag wouldn't become too heavy for you to carry back down.

Ready to lower another batch of fruits, you call out to Tsireya to catch it. But instead of a response, all you can hear is her laughter. Surely enough, when you look down, you find her engrossed in a conversation with Lo’ak, completely ignoring you. You try to catch her attention one more time, before huffing under your breath, and deciding to climb down by yourself. You clutch the bag tightly against your chest, but as you get closer to the ground, some of the fruits start slipping out of your grip. Your hand reaches out instinctively to catch at least one, when you suddenly begin to lose your balance. You can almost imagine the damage to your back muscles, once you will hit the ground, when a pair of hands help you down on the ground.

“I got you,” you hear an accompanying voice. 

“Thank you,” you blink in surprise, as you find Neteyam Sully to be your savior.

“You spilled some but they should be good,” he grins at you, as he crouches down and starts gathering the fruits from the ground.

Quietly, you empty your bag into the basket, throwing a glance at the other basket. It’s almost empty. You sigh out of frustration. There was still a lot of work to do, but Tsireya now seems to be completely distracted. At this rate, you’ll never finish. 

“Lo’ak, that’s enough,” Neteyam grabs his brother by the shoulder, interrupting his chat with Tsireya. An amused smile creeps up on your face.

“Come on, bro, let’s stay,” Lo’ak gestures to the trees around him, “At least, there is work to do here. You know the area where Ronal sent us for fruit is dead.”

“I don’t care, if we have to gather fruits from the dead trees,” Neteyam tries to pull him but Lo’ak stands his ground, “Lo’ak, you know that whatever Ronal decides is not up to discussion.”

“Bro, we spent an hour climbing those trees for nothing,” Lo’ak points to the empty baskets they brought, “If we stay here, we can help out the girls and gather for ourselves too. No one has to know.”

“Neteyam, please,” Tsireya pleads.

“Ah, what the hell?” Neteyam shakes his head before breaking into a toothy grin, “But these baskets are gonna have to be full, Lo’ak.”

“Sure.”

You roll your eyes at how easily Neteyam agrees to the empty promise. You weren’t close with Lo’ak but even you knew how often he got into trouble for not keeping his word. It doesn’t take long to confirm your suspicion: while you and Neteyam are occupied with the task on hand, Lo’ak and Tsireya disappear from underneath the trees. 

“Great,” you huffed, emptying yet another full bag into the basket.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help,” Neteyam says with a gentle tone.

You watch him empty out his bag into your basket too, instead of his. 

“You don’t have to do that,” you feel guilty. Does he always work harder to overcompensate for Lo’ak’s behavior?

“I don’t mind.”

He takes it so light-heartedly, you wonder if it’s a daily occurrence. You stare off into the direction where Tsireya and Lo’ak had previously disappeared.

“Don’t you find it annoying?” you ask him curiously. Surely, even he must have his limits.

“They mean well, give them a break,” Neteyam chuckles, nudging your shoulder.

“You know if you keep covering for him all the time, he will never learn his lesson,” you shake your head, “Lo’ak will be the only adult who doesn’t know how to take care of simple chores.”

“He’s not that hopeless,” he laughs, finding your reaction amusing, “He’s just a kid in love.”

You don’t disagree with him, instead falling quiet. There was no place for you to talk about his brother’s behavior, you weren’t close.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be discussing your family matters like this.”

“No need to apologize, Y/N,” his gaze softens, “Besides, wouldn’t you prefer a forest Na’vi climbing the trees, instead of Tsireya? I promise I am much better at it.”

“Of course you are,” you return his smile.

The two of you get back to work, with mostly Neteyam picking the fruits, and you filling up the baskets. Despite your initial annoyance with Tsireya for leaving you, you seem to enjoy working with Neteyam way more. He’s quick and attentive, and you are grateful for him overtaking the climbing part, because you were always a little clumsy when it came to physical activities.

Soon enough, the baskets are nearly full, so you decide to regain your strength and take a break. Neteyam peels fruits for the both of you, and you sit under the trees, enjoying the shade. 

“Hey, did you make that bag?” he suddenly points at the pocket attached to your belt. It was a small woven bag that you had on you all the time, in case you found beads or rocks you could put to use.

“I did.”

“It looks great,” Neteyam smiles, “I’m not surprised though. You always had golden hands.”

“That is not true,” you disagree.

“Are you joking?” his smile grows wider, “Y/N, you make the most beautiful items. I see people approaching you everyday for help. Do you know anybody else in the village who is as skilled at weaving as you?”

“Well…no,” you shake your head.

“Believe me, you really have a talent for it.”

It wasn’t just weaving that he was referring to. You were pretty handy when it came to making jewelry, also clothes, and headpieces. When you first indulged yourself in weaving, eager to learn to make beautiful pieces for yourself, you never expected that it would turn into a hobby. Your expertise soon expanded to other things too, like making resin weapons, toys, you even took up pottery. Eventually, people noticed and started approaching you with small tasks here and there, and you were glad to help out. But your clan didn’t have a name for your occupation, so you never considered yourself to fit into one. 

“Remember the ceremonial belt you helped me make? It still holds up incredibly,” Neteyam reminds you with a toothy grin.

Of course you remember. It was exactly four years ago, when one night, Neteyam came to your marui, ears pressed flat against his skull in embarrassment. He had to explain the reason for his late visit in front of your parents, saying that he had only the night to make his ceremonial belt. It took you by surprise, because Neteyam wasn’t known for slacking off. He just didn’t think that it would be so difficult to make a damned belt. Scolded by his parents for not starting out sooner, he was then too embarrassed to ask them for help, so there he was instead, asking for yours. Having a soft spot for Neteyam, your parents allowed you to help him, despite the late hour. You two barely caught any sleep that night, working on the belt, making sure that it looked special, different from the other guys’. Neteyam watched your movements attentively, eager to learn, so sometimes you would pass the belt back to him to practice.

“I see you still wearing it sometimes,” you smile.

“You really helped me out back then, I was going to get skinned if I didn’t have a belt by the time for my ceremony,” he pauses, “I still owe you for that.”

“Nonsense, no one owes me anything. Neither do you,” you shake your head, “I like helping.”

“You can’t possibly help everyone with nothing in return.”

“I mean, people bring me food here and there,” you chuckle.

“No gifts?” he quirks his eyebrow.

“Not so much. I can make my own gifts,” you shrug, “But Mateä brings me seashells sometimes.”

“Seashells? Do you like those?”

“Oh, they make necklaces and cover ups look so lovely. Of course, they’re a little tricky to work with but it’s worth it,” you explain, “And Mateä always makes sure to bring the most beautiful shells he can find… Sometimes, he even lets me have the ones he picked for himself.”

You knew Mateä ever since you were kids. He was only a year older than you, but he was very mature for his age, way more than anyone you knew. Mateä was also one of the most skilled swimmers in your clan, which allowed him to swim outside of the perimeters and discover great depths. So whenever he had a small task for you, like fixing up his spear, or making an armor for his ilu, in return he would bring you the most unique-looking, colorful shells he could find. 

“Why would Mateä pick shells for himself?” Neteyam squints.

"He probably just likes them," you shrug, "But there were times when he asked me to make a shell necklace for him, but then he would insist that I keep it for myself because he knew how much I liked it."

“So he makes you make your own gifts?” Neteyam snorts.

“Hey, that’s rude,” you give him a playful slap on the arm, “It doesn’t matter. I have many beautiful things thanks to him.”

“I’m only kidding… I just think that he might like you, that’s all.”

“Maybe.”

You don’t deny his accusation, partly because there is some truth to it. Mateä’s and your fathers were close friends, so they were quite happy with the possibility of you and him bonding some day. And while growing up there was no pressure on either side, the two of you had always felt that something might happen. You were never opposed to the idea anyway. Mateä was a good match for you: he was admired for his strength and swimming, and he was very respectful towards you. And even when you had your little crush on Neteyam, you still knew that Mateä was a more likely option. More recently though, you suspected that Mateä was eyeing you too. He just never made a move… not a direct one anyway. 

“Is he taking you as his date to the celebration tonight?” Neteyam interrupts your thoughts.

“Are we supposed to bring dates?” you ask, teasing. Sure, some brought dates to celebrations to make their bonds known but it wasn’t a requirement.

“Exactly! My father wants me to bring a date, like this isn’t a celebration of a battle.” he emphasizes the last word with his thick accent, clearly annoyed. 

“Why does he want you to bring a date?” you cock your head.

“Because I lied,” he blurts out, a guilty expression covering his face.

“Lied?”

“That I am courting someone,” he cringes, “Even though that someone doesn’t exist.”

“Why would you lie about courting someone nonexistent when you have dozens of girls ready to be swept away by you?” you stifle a laugh, “Especially Zìsmì.”

“Please don’t mention her,” Neteyam rolls his eyes, “I don’t mean to sound rude but Zìsmì is very persistent. I sometimes have to turn directions to avoid running into her.”

“That’s kind of mean,” you decide to tease him, saying that with a stern tone, like you mean it. Neteyam shifts uncomfortably. 

“You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s rude of me to talk about her that way,” he begins to apologize but stops at the sound of your laughter.

“I’m only joking, Neteyam,” you tilt your head back, “Don’t worry, everyone knows how pushy Zìsmì can get. If the two of you were ever to become mates, she would dominate you completely.”

“Thank you!” he agrees eagerly, “Please tell that to my parents. They have been so persistent that I reciprocate her attention. I mean… just because she is a good hunter and has respected parents, doesn’t mean I click with her.”

“Is that why you lied?”

“Yeah… I just didn’t think it through. I only said it to get them off my back for a while,” he explains, his voice low, “But when I told them that I wanted to keep it a secret for a bit longer, they got too excited. So sometimes, they kick me out of the house to go on my secret dates.”

“Secret dates?” 

“I kind of told them that the girl I’m courting hasn’t told her parents yet, that’s why we have to hide.”

“For a lie you didn’t think through, you sure had many details to add,” you’re amused by the clear regret on his face, “So they want to meet her tonight?”

“To confirm that I am not lying. After all, it’s been going for over a month now,” he sighs.

“A month?”

“I know, I’m going to get skinned,” Neteyam hides his face in his palms.

“Skinned by whom? Dad or Zismi?” Lo’ak’s voice interrupts your conversation.

Hand in hand, Tsireya and Lo’ak emerge from the trees and sit in front of you. She throws a concerned look at Neteyam.

“Dad, of course” Neteyam breathes out, still not lifting his head, “I can deal with Zìsmì later.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Lo’ak smirks, “By the way, you owe me, bro. Zismi was going to invite you as her date tonight.”

“What?” Neteyam looks up at his brother, “How do you know?”

“Oh, she asked me in the morning. She was looking for you, and then told me that she wanted to invite you.”

“What did you say?”

“I told her that she shouldn’t because you already had a date,” he shrugs.

“Lo’ak,” Tsireya groans, disappointed, “Now your brother will have to apologize to her, once she catches on the lie.”

“I am so dead,” Neteyam grunts, “If I could only have a little more time to think about it, I’m sure I can figure it out. But it’s like she’s conspiring with my parents against me.”

“Maybe you just need to finally turn her down,” you suggest, earning a chuckle from Lo’ak, “What?”

“Neteyam and rejecting someone don't go in the same sentence. He would rather run and sneak around the village, than tell someone that they annoy him.”

“I just don’t find that type of conversation pleasant. Or necessary,” Neteyam objects.

“They are necessary if the person doesn’t get the hint,” Tsireya adds, “Remember when Nauru -”

“Please don’t remind me of Nauru,” Neteyam interrupts her with a pleading voice.

“What did Nauru do?” you ask, now curious.

“Oh, you don’t know?” a grin stretches on Lo’ak’s lips, “It was insane.”

“It’s not funny, Lo’ak,” Tsireya shushes him, turning to you, “At first, it was kind of sweet. Nauru would leave gifts for Neteyam by his marui. But there was this one time she left him flowers, and, of course, she didn’t know that some of those were poisonous. Neteyam almost lost a finger because of her. She would also follow him everywhere, even show up to his hunts, almost earning an arrow in her head by another hunter. It was getting out of hand, and Neteyam had to reject her directly and ask her to give up.”

“Enough about Nauru,” Neteyam groans, “What am I going to do now? Even if I do turn down Zismi, I’d still have mom and dad to deal with.”

“You’re right,” Lo’ak agrees, empathizing with his brother, “I’m sure you’ll like someone eventually, but we both know how impatient our parents can get.”

The four of you fall silent for a moment, contemplating a solution to Neteyam's situation. But somewhere deep down in your heart, you feel a little relieved that he didn’t have his eye set on anyone yet. You are also partially grateful to your parents for not pressuring you in the same way. It must be hard having the Toruk Makto for your father.

“I know what to do to win more time, Neteyam!” Tsireya excitedly interrupts your thought process, “Remember the time Ao’nung asked Sìlälaw to play along, as if he was courting her?”

“That was pretend?” you ask. Surely, you missed out on a lot of things by not being friends with Tsireya anymore.

“Of course,” she says, like it’s obvious, “Before finding his mate, Ao’nung was getting scolded everyday by our mom and dad. So, he asked Sìlälaw to help him out, pretend like he was following her around, and she just didn’t like him back.”

“I don’t have time for that,” Neteyam shakes his head.

“No, hear her out, bro,” Lo’ak holds up his palm, “It worked once, right? Mom and dad stopped bothering you, when you lied about courting someone. Just show up this once, with anyone, and that’s it.”

“And afterwards?”

“Just lie,” Lo’ak exclaims, “Say that it didn’t work out or something, who cares.”

“And when it doesn't ‘work out’,” Tsireya chimes in, “You can win some more time by being ‘heartbroken’ and ‘not ready’ to pursue another girl yet.”

“It seems so excessive,” you comment, considering the plan, “Isn’t it easier to tell the truth?”

“The truth doesn’t work,” Neteyam lets out a painful chuckle, then turns to his brother, “Where would I even find someone to agree?”

“Now that’s tough,” Lo’ak hums, “Half of the girls are swooning over you, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

“What about Y/N?” Tsireya points at you.

“What about me?” you raise your eyebrows, confused.

“You don’t care for Neteyam like that,” she starts explaining, “And, you’ve had Mateä running after you for years now, but he still hasn’t even asked you out yet. Maybe if he sees you with Neteyam for one night, it’ll make him jealous and finally give him the push he needs.”

Neteyam snorts, like it’s an unlikely possibility.

“Mateä is never going to act out of jealousy, he’s not like that,” you object, “What if he stops speaking to me afterwards?”

“Then we will send Neteyam to talk to him. Neteyam will tell him that he’s heartbroken over you, and that you rejected him for Mateä,” Lo’ak chimes in, “He will dig for some information, nudge Mateä to confess to you. It’s so easy, like it was written in the stars.”

You can’t really find a flaw in Lo’ak’s suggestion. Maybe receiving a confirmation about your feelings is just the thing Mateä’s waiting for.

“Still, I’m not crazy. Do you even know how much pressure it would be to face all those girls?”

“Right, I shouldn’t be putting Y/N into such a position,” Neteyam supports your point.

“Y/N doesn’t have to face them at all. You can turn down those girls easily because you’ll have a perfect excuse. They would be too embarrassed to approach Y/N.”

“I guess,” Neteyam hums, “What do you think, Y/N? I mean, no pressure, but I would owe you for the rest of my life.”

“I don’t know,” you shrug your shoulders. It just feels icky.

“Come on, Y/N, for the sake of our past friendship,” Tsireya pleads with you.

“Okay… it’s just for one night, right?” you agree. It wasn’t.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

You feel like your heart is about to leap out of your chest, when Neteyam takes your hand in his. You take in a deep breath, heading towards the celebration with him. Lo’ak and Tsireya walk ahead of you.

It feels odd to be wearing Neteyam’s necklace instead of your own. That was the courtesy of Tsireya, who was convinced that once anyone saw you two exchange your necklaces, they would be convinced that the courting was serious. 

“I’m scared,” you admit through your teeth.

“Thank you again,” Neteyam whispers, squeezing your hand.

“Come on, guys,” Lo’ak turns to the two of you with an excited smile, “Act natural, okay?”

You nod your head but you’re not sure how you’re going to survive through the night. The closer you get to the celebration, the more people start noticing you. Hushed voices and gasps is all that catches your attention, even though Neteyam walks right beside you. Why does everyone look so surprised? You almost feel offended by the looks you get. Were Neteyam and you really that incompatible? 

The four of you take a seat around a small fire, pairs of eyes watching your every moment. You can’t help but sense Neteyam’s nervousness traveling down his body.

“You alright?” you whisper.

“Not really,” he admits, “Have you seen my parents yet?”

As you scan the crowd of Na'vi dancing and singing, your eyes land on Neytiri talking to someone. Jake stands beside her but his attention seems to be elsewhere, as he occasionally looks around him. Both of them are wearing celebratory clothing that is slightly more elaborate than any of yours. After all, it was a testament to their importance in the victorious battle.

“It looks like your father is looking for you.”

“Shit,” Neteyam lets out, nervously. You can’t help but laugh at his reaction.

“Keep it up,” Tsireya says, “The more relaxed you seem, the more believable this will look.”

She gestures at the two of you, and as you look down, you notice how close you and Neteyam are pressed to each other. It’s like you’re trying to hide from the attention you’re getting. 

It’s not long before you catch Mateä watching you from afar. Your heart beats faster, when his eyes travel to your hand still intertwined with Neteyam’s. He gulps down, and you wonder if he feels jealous.

“Mateä’s looking,” Neteyam points out, “You want to take it up by a notch?”

“What do you mean?” you turn your face to him, confused. 

There is a hint of playfulness in Neteyam’s eyes before he slowly leans in, his mouth close to your ear. You shudder under his breath.

“Pretend I said something funny, and laugh,” he whispers.

“I can’t pretend to laugh,” you whisper back, annoyed, “Can’t you just tell me something funny?”

Neteyam pulls back slightly to look at you. There is an amused smile resting on his face.

“We’re really bad at this, aren’t we?”

“You think?” you quirk your eyebrow at him, earning a small laugh from him.

“Okay, this can work too,” he says. You can’t help but smile at him.

But when you check for Mateä again, he’s nowhere to be found. Your smile drops. What if you hurt him? As if sensing your sudden change in mood, Neteyam gently squeezes your hand. 

"Are you alright?" he asks, “Is Mateä still looking?”

“No, I think he walked away,” you mumble, standing up, “I’m going to get us something to drink, okay?”

“Alright,” Neteyam mumbles back, watching you leave.

“Are you crazy?” Lo’ak slaps Neteyam on the arm, “Go with her, or they’re gonna eat her up alive.”

Following Lo’ak’s gaze, Neteyam sees Zìsmì with her friends. He quickly gets to his feet to follow you but you have already disappeared in the crowd.

“Y/N,” Zìsmì’s voice catches your attention. 

Sighing, you turn around to face her. She has a coy smile on her lips, as she takes you in from head to toe. You wait for her to talk.

“The necklace, did you make that yourself?” Zismi points to your neck, pretending as if she didn’t recognize it right away.

“It looks a lot like Neteyam’s necklace,” one of her friends says, before you could even open your mouth.

“That’s a little weird,” Zismi comments.

“You have a good eye, it is Neteyam’s necklace,” you gather as much confidence as you can, watching their expressions change, “He gave it to me.”

“Why would he give you his necklace?” Zismi scoffs.

“Because I wanted to see it on her,” you suddenly hear Neteyam’s voice, as he appears next to you, “Everything Y/N touches, basically turns into a lucky charm.”

The girls stare at Neteyam, their eyes widened. Again, you feel a little offended. Why is everyone so surprised that he likes you? Before you can react, Neteyam gently pulls you by your hand.

“We have to go, girls,” he throws with his most polite smile.

Feeling their stares like daggers in your back, Neteyam moves closer to you and wraps his arm around your waist protectively, leading you away from the prying eyes.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have left you alone,” he cranes his neck to whisper.

“It’s alright, I’m not scared of Zismi,” you turn to look at him, “Unlike you.”

“Very funny,” Neteyam rolls his eyes. 

His arm is still firmly wrapped around your waist, as the two of you continue walking. The warmth of his body against yours feels almost comforting, despite the curious glances you receive. Neteyam seems to notice it too, as he tightens his grip on you, pulling you a little closer to him. 

"Just ignore them," there is a hint of annoyance in his voice. You wonder if it’s bothering him more than you.

As you get closer to the big fire, you hear a loud cheer erupt from the crowd. Instinctively, you want to find out what’s happening. A chuckle of disbelief escapes from your mouth, when you see Neytiri and Jake dancing around the fire, to the fast rhythm of the drums. While Neytiri’s movements are gracious and fluid, Jake’s are… Well, Jake is trying his best. She throws her head back in laughter, when he makes an awkward movement, but no one else dares to laugh at the Toruk Makto, except for his mate. Suddenly, he sweeps Neytiri up into his arms and twirls her around the fire. The Na’vi cheer them on and on, clapping their hands in amusement.

You join in on the clapping, caught up in their infectious joy. When you turn to look at Neteyam, however, you notice that he's cringing.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” 

“They are acting like little kids,” Neteyam huffs.

“I think it’s sweet,” you nudge him with a smile, “Loosen up, Neteyam.”

“How can I?” he rolls his eyes at you.

“If your father can relax for one night, so can you,” you push him into the circle, with a loud shout, “Dance, Neteyam!”

Neteyam stands frozen for a moment, clearly embarrassed by your sudden action. His ears lower, and he tries to step out of the circle, but Lo’ak nudges him back in. The music picks up and the crowd cheers louder, but Neteyam stands still, clearly irritated by your behavior.

You can’t watch him anymore, so you jump to his rescue, and take his hands in yours. He tries to resist at first, but it doesn’t take much convincing on your part to get him to loosen up. As you embarrass yourself with the silly movements and faces you make, you finally coax a smile out of him. You don’t care about the others watching you, you only focus on getting him to dance with you. Soon enough, Neteyam’s confidence grows, and he starts to move more freely to the rhythm with you. You hold onto his hands, feeling the warmth of his touch, and beam with adoration as you watch him give in. 

Other couples start joining in, and the circle becomes more crowded. People start pressing closer, pushing you and Neteyam towards each other, with barely any space left. His hands instinctively find your waist, yours rest on his biceps, holding him in place. You’re not sure whether it’s the heat of the fire, or it’s just him, but you feel warmer and warmer, every time his eyes meet yours. 

“You okay?” you smile, noticing drops of sweat rolling down his face, “It’s too hot here.”

Before he can answer, you lead him out of the crowd. You catch a look from your parents’ from afar, and can only roll your eyes at them. You know they were going to question you about tonight but you don’t want to think about it for now. At least they don’t seem to be mad? 

Distracted, you turn around, nearly colliding with Neteyam's parents. They look a little lightheaded, and you suspect they've had a drink made from the pxorna' fruits you gathered earlier. Quickly, you bow low and bring your fingers to your forehead in greeting. Neteyam shifts uncomfortably beside you.

“Son… and Y/N,” Jake looks between the two of you with an approving smile. 

“Y/N, are you the one Neteyam was hiding from us?” Neytiri asks curiously.

“Mom,” Neteyam tenses up, “Let’s not make her uncomfortable, please.” 

Neteyam looks so stressed, you wonder how his parents believed his lies in the first place. Maybe they were blinded by the excitement?

“We’re just glad that it’s been her this whole time,” Jake says, smiling at you, “You’re very talented, Y/N.”

“Thank you,” you reply, shying away from the compliment. 

“We were worried that Neteyam was lying just to avoid us,” Neytiri explains.

Neteyam and you chuckle nervously, hoping that this isn’t her smart way of cracking you.

“Are your parents aware?” she asks, scanning the crowd. You quickly draw her attention back to you.

“They are now… I am sorry that Neteyam had to keep this a secret from you, that was my wish,” you lie, “It is just that my mother likes rushing into many things, and I still needed some time to get to know Neteyam.”

You weren’t completely off; your mother did have a tendency to rush into things. If she had known that you were open to dating Mateä, she would have already told him by now.

“No need to apologize,” Jake chimes in, “If anything, I feel bad for forcing your hand.”

“You should feel bad,” Neteyam grunts but you can sense that he’s holding back from saying more.

“It’s alright, I’m happy to be here tonight with Nete,” you pat Neteyam on the back.

Dropping a nickname seems to be just enough to convince them. You notice the satisfied smiles settle on their faces. 

“Ma’Jake, let’s leave them alone. After all, it’s their first outing as mates,” Neytiri murmurs, pulling Jake by his hand.

“We’re not mated yet,” Neteyam cringes, but she only finds it amusing.

“It is only a matter of time, you are your father’s son after all.”

As the two of them walk away, laughing, Neteyam takes a deep breath to calm himself down. You can sense how embarrassed he feels, knowing what you heard. But you didn’t mind it all, he has no reason to be this upset.

“Are you okay?” you nudge him but Neteyam refuses to look at you, “Hey, don’t be like that.”

“I just...I didn’t think it would be this hard,” he admits, looking down.

“What would be hard? Pretending to be in love with me?” you tease, craning your neck to see his face.

“No,” he doesn’t even crack a smile, “I’m sorry for getting you into this mess.”

“You don’t have to apologize, I am enjoying this,” you take his hand in yours, finally getting him to look at you, “Besides, we’re almost done, right?”

“Right,” he nods.

“Now, come on, pretend that I said something funny and laugh,” you playfully repeat his words. Neteyam's lips twitch into a smile before he breaks into a genuine chuckle, causing your heart to skip a beat. You love the sound of his laughter.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

“You two look so good together, I am not ready for this to be over yet,” Tsireya beams, as she plops down in front of Neteyam and you. Lo’ak follows her suit.

“Maybe you should keep it up for a little longer, bro. The way you were dancing - “ Lo’ak starts to imitate Neteyam’s dancing but Neteyam slaps him.

“Stop that, skxawng.”

“Just ignore him, Neteyam, you were great out there,�� Tsireya says softly.

“Seriously, being less tense suits you,” you agree, noticing Neteyam hiding a shy smile.

“I got to admit, it wasn’t bad at all,” Lo’ak straightens up, “I just haven’t seen you dance since Naye.”

“Let it go, Lo’ak,” Neteyam grunts.

“Who’s Naye?”

“Neteyam’s first crush from back home,” Lo’ak snickers, enjoying how far he can push his brother, “Neteyam was so in love with her, he couldn't even talk to her. So this one time, during a celebration, he decided to express his feelings by dancing for her.”

“Well, what did she say?” your ears perk up in anticipation.

“She just pretended like it wasn’t happening and walked away,” Lo’ak breaks into laughter.

“That’s not funny,” Tsireya covers Lo’ak’s mouth with her hand, “It’s alright, Neteyam, we all had our share of silly teenage crushes.”

She unintentionally throws you a knowing look, for support, but Lo’ak immediately catches on.

“Who did Y/N have a crush on?” he asks. 

You stiffen, feeling their gazes intensifying on you.

“It doesn’t matter now,” you try to switch the topic but Lo’ak doesn’t seem to give up.

“It shouldn’t matter then, if you say it,” he pushes, “It can’t be that bad.”

You let out a sigh, knowing that you won't be able to get out of this.

“I used to have a crush on Neteyam,” you admit as laughter erupts.

You shoot daggers at Lo’ak, who is now rolling in the sand, while Tsireya tries to cover up her laughter. You turn to Neteyam, who looks at you with a shy smile on his face.

“Before you say anything, I feel like I should clear this,” you hold up your hand, “It was just a fleeting crush before I got to know you. And it disappeared. So please don’t feel uncomfortable.”

“So you’re saying your crush disappeared right after you got to know him?” Lo’ak asks, another wave of laughter hitting him. Shit. That’s not how you wanted it to sound.

Neteyam only rolls his eyes at his brother, while Tsireya tries her best to keep a straight face.

“I’m sorry, we just sneaked some of the pxorna’ juice,” she explains. 

“I can tell,” you grit through your teeth. You have now truly understood the embarrassment Neteyam felt a moment ago.

“Y/N, please don’t take this to heart,” Tsireya rests her palm on your thigh, “Who cares what happened five years ago? We know you’re interested in Mateä now anyway.”

“Yeah,” Neteyam clears his throat, agreeing, “It was a silly crush, right? It’s all in the past now.”

You nod, but you can't shake off the feeling of unease. You couldn’t help but wonder if Neteyam was relieved that he didn't have to reject one more girl, or if he was secretly disappointed that you were interested in Mateä instead of him.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

When Neteyam asked you to keep up the fake courting till the hunting festivities to make his heartbreak more believable, you agreed. The festivities were supposed to begin only in a few weeks, to mark the beginning of the hunting season, so you thought it wasn’t a big deal. You could wait. Besides, it seemed like things were looking up for the two of you.

Neteyam was finally getting some time for himself. His father had started to ease up on him, cutting short his training. Knowing that Neteyam was supposedly courting you, Jake wanted to give his son a chance to focus on that. 

The past few months had been so tough on Neteyam both physically and mentally, that all he wanted to do was rest and recharge. So he would often use that free time to drop by your marui and ask to take naps on your floor, while you were working on whatever project you had. Since your parents were mostly out, letting you work in peace, Neteyam’s quiet snoring was no burden. And if anyone was visiting you to ask for help with their items, they would only throw an amused look at sleeping Neteyam and leave you two alone, helping you keep up your fake image without much effort. Sometimes, you would catch yourself watching him too, admiring the peaceful expression on his face, as he slept. Of course, this didn’t escape your parents’ attention, as they were peppering you with questions about Neteyam’s intentions almost every night. But you mostly ignored their inquiries, focused on the simple pleasure of being able to help Neteyam.

Slowly, the girls who used to fawn over Neteyam not too long ago also started to lose their interest. Especially with Zismi's parents informing Neytiri that they were considering another match for their daughter. Neteyam felt relieved by the idea that he didn’t have to reject anyone anymore.

On the other hand, you started noticing more efforts from Mateä. Even though you feared that he wouldn’t act out of jealousy, Mateä seemed to be persistent in seeing you more often than he usually did. Whenever you went for a swim, he was right there with you, trying his best to make you laugh. Whenever you would carry a heavy basket, Mateä sprung to your side to help. Not to mention the beautiful seashells he started to bring you without particular reason. It seemed like any day now, Mateä was going to confess his feelings for you. Neteyam didn’t seem particularly pleased whenever he witnessed your interactions, but you only assumed it was an act. 

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

As you rounded the corner to your marui, you suddenly spotted Neteyam pacing around it. You hesitated to approach him as you could hear him mumbling something under his breath. It was almost like he was practicing some sort of speech. Instead, you carefully lowered yourself into the water and swam closer to your home, hiding just underneath. You were close enough to hear him and avoid being seen. You weren’t going to eavesdrop for long, you just wanted to find out what he’s doing before revealing yourself.

Neteyam suddenly stopped talking, and for a second, you thought that he had spotted you. That is until, Mateä came into your view, stopping by the entrance to your marui. You watch quietly, as the two of them exchange a brief greeting.

“Is Y/N here?” Mateä gestures to the marui, but Neteyam shakes his head, “Oh, I guess I thought she’d be here with you.”

“Why would she be with me?” Neteyam asks, with a slight annoyance in his voice.

“Aren’t you courting her?” Mateä asks, confused, “Or are those just rumors?”

“No, it’s true,” Neteyam seems to get his act back together. For a second, you were worried he would accidentally reveal something, “But Y/N is not tied to me every minute of the day, so…”

“So it is true that you’re not mated yet,” Mateä mumbles under his breath.

“Did you have something to pass to her?” Neteyam asks impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest. What is he doing? 

“Actually, I'd prefer to give it to her myself," Mateä matches his tone, clearly not liking the possessiveness Neteyam radiates. 

“If it’s another thing you want her to make for you, she’s been busy lately,” Neteyam scoffs. 

“It’s not a task, I brought her a gift.”

“Let me guess, more seashells?” Neteyam rolls his eyes. What is wrong with him?

“That’s right, I know how much she likes those,” Mateä steps forward.

Seemingly unfazed, Neteyam takes a step forward as well. You shift, thinking of interrupting them before things start to escalate. But Mateä doesn’t seem to be in the mood for an argument. Instead, he brushes past Neteyam towards your marui. 

"I'll leave them on her table. Tell her I brought them for her when she comes back," Mateä says over his shoulder. "Actually, don’t bother. She'll know they're from me anyway."

Neteyam watches in annoyance as Mateä disappears into your marui. You can almost hear him exhale loudly, trying to calm himself down. Maybe Neteyam’s just having a hard day today, you think. Perhaps something to do with his father? When Mateä comes back out, he leaves without a word.

Quietly, you swim to the back of your marui, and get out of the water. You pause before rounding the corner, and approaching Neteyam. Upon seeing you, he forces a small smile.

“Neteyam,” you greet him.

“Hey, Y/N,” he scratches the back of his head, nervous.

“Are you here for another nap?” you tease him, proceeding into your marui. 

“Actually… no,” he follows you in.

You hum, waiting for him to elaborate, as you start taking out some of the supplies you gathered from your bag. It’s then that your eye catches the beautiful green shells laid out on your table. Neteyam stands awkwardly by the wall, watching your reaction. 

“Who brought those?” you turn to ask him.

“Mateä,” Neteyam answers, “I forgot to mention. He was here earlier to see you.”

“Too bad I missed him,” you say, testing his reaction, “But it’s weird that he hasn’t asked me out yet. What do you think? You’re a guy.”

Neteyam has to physically restrain himself from cringing at your words. It takes him a second to regain his calmness, before putting on that fake voice he uses around his father.

“It is weird. He should have asked you out a long time ago.”

“Maybe he just doesn’t like me enough,” you turn your attention back to the shells.

“Nonsense. He’s just a coward,” you hear him scoff.

Surprised, you look at Neteyam again, studying his face. There is a mix of frustration and shame on his face. It's hard to tell if he's getting possessive over you, or if there's something else that's bothering him. 

"Is everything okay?" you ask softly, trying to gauge his reaction, “You seem to have a problem with Mateä.”

"Everything's fine. Just... he always seems to hang around you lately," he says, his voice trailing off.

“Well, wasn’t that kind of the point?” you gesture between the two of you, referring to the fake courting. 

“I guess,” Neteyam hums, you wait for him to continue, “I just don’t like that he acts like a coward.”

“Maybe if you stop scaring him away…” you mumble under your breath, but he’s quick to catch it.

“You don’t want someone who is so easily intimidated anyway.”

You don’t respond, confused by his behavior. Quietly, you start painting the pot you left unfinished last night. Neteyam falls silent too, watching you. He can’t understand what you see in Mateä. It just doesn't make sense to him. Neteyam also can’t understand why Mateä hasn’t made a move yet. Does he want you to choose him over Neteyam first? Or was he giving you other options, so you don’t have any regrets afterwards?

“You said you wanted something?” you interrupt his thoughts. 

“Um, right,” he clears his throat, “It’s kind of awkward.”

You put down the pot and turn to face him, suspecting that it is going to be something good. 

“What is it?”

“Well… apparently we’re not convincing enough,” he looks down at his feet, awkwardly, “People think that it’s just a rumor, that I’m courting you.”

“A rumor?” you frown, “But we’re hanging out all the time.”

Is he referring to Mateä’s words? Surely, if there was a rumor like that, Tsireya would have mentioned it to you a long time ago. She was keeping you updated. 

“No one ever sees us together outdoors, not after the celebration,” his voice gets a little higher, “I was just thinking that we could take it up by a notch?” 

“Well, what did you have in mind?” you tilt your head, curious. Neteyam’s eyes widen at your quick agreement.

“I take you on a date?”

“A date?” you smile, “Alright.”

A toothy grin spreads across Neteyam’s face at your response, causing your cheeks to flush with heat. You can't help but wonder if the two of you were getting too involved in this, and whether it was going to get in your way. But you can't deny the excitement you feel at the prospect of a date with Neteyam. Even if it’s a pretend one.

“What should I wear?”

“Anything pretty, and don’t worry about ruining it. I won’t take you into the water,” he says confidently, like he has everything planned out already.

“Okay,” you agree, reaching for one of the shell-necklaces you made for yourself. You raise your hand to show it to him, “How about this?”

“Hmm,” Neteyam pretends to think about it, as he leans against the wall.

You watch him with an amused smile stretching your lips. You rarely get to see a playful side of Neteyam but you love it when he acts like this. 

“I think I have to see it on, to decide,” he finally says his verdict, before cracking a smile.

You roll your eyes but comply anyway, walking up to him and shoving the necklace into his hands. As you turn around and move your hair out of the way, Neteyam carefully begins to tie the necklace around your neck. You can feel his hands shake slightly, as he takes his time. When he’s done, and you turn to face him, Neteyam is standing too close to you.

“Do you like it?” you meet his eyes, unable to put a distance between you.

“I do,” he breathes out.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

“Hey, Y/N, just dropping by for that pot. If it’s ready,” Tsireya walks into your marui, catching you off guard.

You had just put on a delicate pearly top you’ve made for yourself a while ago, and were trying to see if the ties in the back were in place. Tsireya gasps at the sight of you, bringing her hands to her mouth. 

“Did you make that?!” she beams at you, “You look beautiful, Y/N, it suits you so much!”

“You think? Not too much?” you quirk your eyebrow, pushing her for the truth. 

“Not at all,” she answers with a knowing look, “Are you going to see Mateä?” 

“No, not Mateä,” you shake your head. Tsireya looks at you confused, and you suddenly feel awkward having to explain yourself, “Neteyam wanted us to have a fake date somewhere public.”

“Oh,” that’s all she says.

It’s easy to see when something is bothering her. After all, you have been friends for a long time, you knew Tsireya like the back of your hand. 

“Just say it,” you urge her to speak.

“I just think that you shouldn’t drag this out for so long.”

“But Neteyam kind of needs me to keep playing into it,” you explain yet she doesn’t seem convinced, “Besides, Mateä has been showing more interest recently, so it works for both of us.”

“It doesn’t work for you and Mateä,” Tsireya disagrees, “You need to drop this, and Neteyam has to speak to Mateä before it’s too late.”

You don’t answer, considering her words. Tsireya is right, perhaps you should wrap this thing up. It was only supposed to be for one night, right? 

“Unless… you like him?” Tsireya looks at you, suspiciously. 

“Who?” your voice hitches.

“Seems like you’re starting to like Neteyam again,” Tsireya lets out with a sigh. She hated keeping things from you, but she also couldn’t lie. 

Your cheeks flush with embarrassment. Deep down, you suspect that she might be right. Neteyam was quickly starting to work his way back into your heart.

“I am just helping him out, Tsireya. There’s nothing between us,” you lie.

“I just think that this is not worth it… you and Mateä can have something really great.”

“The pot is ready, right over there,” you point to your table.

Tsireya throws an apologetic look at you, and picks up the pot, thanking you. She senses that you don’t want to talk about Neteyam anymore, and decides to give you time to think. 

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

“Neteyam?” you frown, as he keeps gawking at you, without a word.

It has been a few moments since he saw you walking out of your marui, and he still hasn't said anything. You begin to feel anxious about your appearance. Is it too revealing? Are the pearls too much? You just wanted to look like you were going on a date.

"You look like a beautiful syulang," he finally breathes out, admiring your look.

“You mean it?” you take a step closer to him.

“I do, you look very pretty,” he confirms, but takes a step back. You notice that he keeps his hands behind his back, as if he's trying to hide something.

"Thank you," you reply, "What do you have back there?"

“Uh, I brought this for you,” he says, bringing forward something wrapped in a large green leaf. 

You can't see what's inside, but you assume it's fragile, given how carefully he held it. As you take it from him and begin to unwrap, Neteyam observes your every move with anticipation.

"You really didn't have to bring me anything, Neteyam," you say, meeting his gaze for a moment, “It's not like a real date anyway.”

"I wanted to," he responds shyly.

As the wrapping comes undone, you see a handful of small, delicate yellow flowers. They're unlike anything you've ever seen before, petals shaped in a unique swirl in the ends. As you bring them closer to examine, you gawk back at Neteyam.

"Let me show you something," he smiles.

Without waiting for your permission, Neteyam takes your hand in his, opening your palm and holding it above the flowers, throwing a shade. The yellow flowers begin to glow with a soft, natural luminescence. 

“How come I’ve never seen these!” you beam, earning a satisfied grin from him, “This is very special, thank you.”

“I’m not a very good diver, so I can’t get you those shells you like,” he confesses, “But I saw these glowing at the top of the mountain when I was flying last night, so I went back for them this morning because I thought you might like them.”

“I don’t need you to bring me shells, Neteyam, these are very special,” you carefully pull him in for a hug with your free hand, trying not to squish the flowers. As Neteyam wraps his arms around your waist, bringing you closer, you close your eyes in comfort.

You were already thinking of ways to preserve the flowers, perhaps gathering some resin, and making jewelry out of them. Or something for your hair? Your marui? 

“I’ll put them into water, so that they don’t die by the time I get back,” you say, pulling back from Neteyam.

“Don’t worry, I can always bring you more,” he smiles.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Pretending with Neteyam had become effortless. As you strolled along the beach, Neteyam and you were just talking, catching up on the things that happened in the past years. Occasionally, you would make him laugh, and it warmed your heart to see him happy like that, carefree. Whenever you would notice someone watching you, Neteyam would ask you to hold hands with him to appear more serious. You agreed, of course, but Tsireya’s words were slowly weighing on you. You were letting it yourself get too invested, meanwhile Neteyam was only pretending.

As he walked you back to your marui, you could sense his growing nervousness.

“I think my neighbors are watching us,” you whisper with a smile, coming to a halt in front of the entrance.

“Are they big on gossip?” Neteyam leans in slightly, like he’s about to tell you a secret.

“Oh, very big,” you chuckle, “They are always asking my mother about you.”

“Maybe we should give them something to talk about,” he gulps down, bringing his face closer to you.

As Neteyam's eyes lock onto yours, you suddenly feel your heart race. You can't deny the tension between you, but you also can't ignore the possibility of this causing more trouble than it's worth. The thought of rumors spreading around the village about you and Neteyam kissing makes your stomach churn. Maybe this is too far. 

“What do you mean, Neteyam?” you manage to ask, captivated by his eyes.

“Can I kiss you?” he whispers, so quietly, like he’s going to scare you away.

“It wouldn’t be a proper date without a kiss,” you mumble. It was supposed to be a joke, a snarky comment, but you sounded so desperate, so impatient to feel him.

Neteyam only nods, his gaze fixed on your lips. He leans in, then hesitates, as if asking for one last permission. You tilt your head slightly, your heart racing in your chest. And when he finally closes the distance between you, you feel his soft, gentle lips on yours. It's so delicate and slow that it feels like a dream, intimate and special.

When you pull away, you notice a small smile resting on his lips. You can’t help but shy away from his gaze, taking a step back.

“Well, I think that was convincing enough,” you joke, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

“Thank you for tonight, Y/N,” he says, straightening up, “Have a sound sleep.”

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Your sleep wasn’t sound at all. You tossed and turned on your mat throughout the night, much to the annoyance of your parents. Your eyes kept being drawn to the bowl of flowers, casting a soft glow in the darkness. It reminded you of stupid Neteyam, of his stupid lips, and stupid captivating golden eyes that glowed the same way under the moonlight. You couldn't get him out of your head, and it was starting to drive you crazy.

Tsireya's warning echoed in your mind - this pretend relationship with Neteyam was going too far. You knew you had to have a serious conversation with him and move on with the final stage of the plan: turn him down. If not, you could ruin your chances of finding a real relationship. Without Neteyam.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Early in the morning, with a determined stride, you make your way to the beach, where you spot Neteyam, training with his father and a group of guys. You don’t think through what you’re going to do, when Jake suddenly notices you. 

“Good morning, Y/N,” he says, drawing everyone’s attention to you, “Anything I can help you with?”

You greet them, and gulp down, easily finding Neteyam’s curious gaze on you. Well, you have come so far, why not just get it over with?

“Can I speak to Neteyam for a moment? It won’t take long,” you turn to Jake.

Jake purses his lips, but nods at Neteyam, giving him a sign to go. He approaches you with a worried look on his face.

“Is something wrong?” 

“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your training,” you apologize.

Neteyam obliges, when you lead him away from the beach, to talk in private. It’s still early, so most of the clan is asleep. You feel nervous under his patient gaze but you know it has to be done.

“I wanted to talk to you about us,” you begin. Neteyam nods, encouraging you to go on, “I know there’s still a week until the hunting festivities, and I promised to help you till then, but I don’t think I can.”

Neteyam’s eyes widen slightly, but he remains calm.

“Do you want us to stop pretending?” he asks softly.

“Yes, I think it’s for the best if we stop now. If we keep going on dates and…kissing, it might give people the wrong idea, and I don’t want that,” you answer, trying to keep your voice steady.

He looks down at his hands for a moment, thinking. You don’t interrupt him. He’s probably just trying to come up with the best way of telling his parents. He doesn’t seem saddened that he won’t be forced to spend time with you anymore. You’re the idiot who fell for her fake boyfriend.

“I understand, Y/N,” Neteyam finally says, meeting your eyes, “Thank you for helping me so far.”

“It’s fine,” you let out a breath, “Then it is decided. And Neteyam…we have to keep our distance from now on.”

Neteyam watches, as you walk away with a mixture of feelings. You're relieved, yet also disappointed that the fake relationship is over. You can't help but wonder if things could have been different between you and Neteyam, if only circumstances were different. 

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

The following days seem to stretch with a painful slowness. You feel lost, with a constant sense of longing that follows you like a shadow. The realization that you had fallen head over heels for Neteyam and can’t be with him hits you hard. You feel stupid but you can't help thinking about him all the time, trying to carry on with your day-to-day tasks. But it seems like everything is taking more effort than it used to.

Every now and then, you catch a glimpse of Neteyam from afar, and he looks just as sad as you feel. You can't help but wonder if he's just putting on a show for the sake of the rumors, to make it believable. You wish you could just talk but avoiding him is the right thing to do for now. 

And as suspected, it doesn’t take long for rumors about you turning him down to start spreading throughout the clan. People notice that you two aren’t spending time together anymore and are avoiding each other. It is ironic, how they think that it's Neteyam going through a heartbreak, when in reality it is you. 

When Tsireya comes to congratulate you on the successful plan, she tells you that Mateä has heard the rumors and was preparing to confess to you. But you don’t want Mateä anymore. Instead of sharing Tsireya’s excitement, you can’t hold back any longer, and break down in front of her, confessing your true feelings for Neteyam. It is freeing to finally let it out, to have someone to confide in. As she comforts you, it feels like you are friends again, if only for a moment.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

You got ready a long time ago. Your hair decorated with feathers and beads, face painted with white ceremonial patterns. In a few hours you would be joining the rest of the clan, to wish a farewell to the Metkayina hunters. The Tsahik would bless them with a prayer to Eywa, and after you sing your songs, the young men will leave. It was a tradition in your clan, that at the beginning of each year, the young hunters would travel by the water to an unfamiliar land. It was a test that every hunter had to pass, to learn to adapt in every situation and be able to stand for himself and for his allies. Sometimes, it would take them a few days to return back with a prey. Sometimes, it would last a full moon. It depended on Eywa’s guidance, and the hunters couldn’t return without receiving a blessing first.

Despite the value it held, the passage was still dangerous. It was painful for you to recall the instances when the groups returned with wounded or missing Na’vi. And although you were aware that it was Neteyam’s third time going on the hunt, you couldn't help but feel worried sick for him. Tonight, with the rest of your clan, you had to show your support, but your mind was contemplating not showing up at all. You didn’t want to see his face, afraid that it might make your heart break further. 

There was still time for the ceremony, as you wandered off to the water, trying to calm down your nerves. It would be disrespectful not to go, you had to show up and pray to Eywa that she keeps Neteyam safe and sound. You’re so deep in your thoughts, it takes you a second to notice Mateä sitting down next to you. You force a small smile to greet him.

“Excited for tonight?” he gestures to the extra pieces of ceremonial clothing you’re wearing on your arms and legs.

“Just wanted to be ready in time,” you’re not sure how to respond. You knew Mateä your whole life, yet it feels awkward to be with him alone. 

“I heard that you turned down the son of Toruk Makto,” Mateä emphasizes, you hum, “I will not lie to you, at first, when I heard about it, I was relieved. I thought that he doesn’t deserve you. But seeing you like this… it saddens me. I do not wish for you to be unhappy.”

“Thank you, Mateä,” you hang your head at his words. 

“Listen, Y/N,” he says softly, “We have known each other since we were babies. And while I curse myself for not spending more of my time with you back then, I do not want to regret this chance too.”

You meet his eyes again, nervously. You knew him pretty well. When Mateä was sure about something, he confronted it head on. Whether it was a rejection or an acceptance, he wished to know the truth in order to move on. 

“I always had my eye on you, Y/N,” he confesses, “What I didn’t realize that it was not just in a way one would look after their friend. It is shameful to admit but… it took me seeing you with another man to understand the true nature of my feelings. I like you, Y/N, and I wish to know if you feel the same way.”

You gulp down, tears filling up your eyes. The man you thought you could spend your life with was finally opening his heart to you, yet you didn’t want it. Your own heart belonged to somebody else. Oh Eywa, why couldn’t you enjoy what you had wished for?

“Don’t cry,” Mateä whispers, noticing the tears rolling down your cheeks, “Your heart belongs to him, doesn’t it?”

You can see the brave face he puts on, as you slowly nod your head. You feel so guilty and ashamed for admitting it to him. Mateä was really one of the only people in your life that you valued, and you were hurting him.

“I’m sorry,” you sniff, “If there was a way for me to make this better…”

“You don’t have to apologize, just don’t cry, okay?” he reaches out to wipe away your tears, and you nod again, “That is enough for me.”

You don’t feel like you even deserve his attention right now. 

“Mateä, if I could take away the pain that I’m causing, you know I would in an instant,” you mean it.

"I know, Y/N. But you can't help who you love," he says softly, "Regardless of what you choose to do, just promise me that we can still be friends, alright?"

"Of course, Mateä, you mean a lot to me," you nod, grateful.

"Good,” he stands up with a small smile, “Now, let's go. We don't want to be late."

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

You quietly take a seat next to Tsireya, who is anxiously watching Lo’ak from a distance. Despite knowing how important it is for Lo’ak to partake in the tradition, she can’t help but feel worried for him. You lay your hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

“Lo’ak is a skilled hunter. You know that Jake takes training very seriously,” you reassure her.

“You’re right,” she nods her head, then turns to face you, “You came with Mateä... Did you talk?”

You nod, pursing your lips together. It’s not difficult for Tsireya to realize what happened. It was only logical that you would reject Mateä because of your feelings for Neteyam.

“Oh, Y/N,” she lets out, pulling you in for a hug. You feel like it’s comforting not only you, but also her.

As the rhythm of the log drums slowly picks up, everyone falls quiet. The Tsahik makes her way to an open space, and the hunters quickly surround her in a circle, kneeling down. It’s then that you see Neteyam, wearing his headpiece and armor, with bow and arrows attached to his back. You can’t help but feel a twinge of worry for him but you push the feeling aside, afraid that it might ruin his luck. 

When the Tsahik’s voice fills the air with a praying chant, the hunters begin to sway in unison, seeking the blessing and guidance of Eywa for their upcoming journey. With the rhythm of the log drums, you find yourself lost in the moment too, closing your eyes and letting yourself be carried away. 

Eventually, when Tsahik stops, the hunters rise to their feet. As per practice, they must bid farewell to their loved ones, in case they may not return. You can’t help but feel nervous because this part of the ceremony is usually long, and Tsahik allows everyone to take their time. You know that soon enough you will watch Neteyam making his way to his family, and it hurts to know that he won’t be saying goodbye to you too. With every passing second, you feel more anxious, and all you want to do is get away from there. So, when the rest of the clan starts moving, you stand up to leave without even looking in his direction. 

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

You rush through the trees, making your way into a small clearing, illuminated by the moonlight. You take a moment to breathe in and out with the sounds of nature, and eventually calm yourself down. When suddenly you hear a rustling of the leaves. 

Your heart skips a beat as you see Neteyam making his way to you, with a mix of concern and confusion. 

“Y/N, why did you run off?” he asks, as soon as he’s close enough for you to hear.

“Doesn’t matter,” you dismiss him, “Why are you here? You should be with your family now.”

“I already talked to my family,” Neteyam comes closer, and your breath catches in your throat, “But I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you.”

“Neteyam,” you’re so confused at his behavior. Did he feel guilty because you looked upset? He shouldn’t be here with you right now.

“Y/N, why did you reject Mateä?” he asks suddenly, catching you off guard, “Tsireya told me.”

You don’t answer, holding his gaze. He hated rejecting girls, you can’t burden him now, before his hunt.

“Was it because of me?” he pushes.

“It does not matter, Neteyam,” you try to brush him off, “You have a hunt ahead of you, you shouldn’t be here right now. Shouldn’t be making your night about my stupid actions.”

“How can I not make this about you?” he says, irritated, “Everything is about you now, Y/N. Every moment of every night and day, doesn’t matter what I’m doing, my mind is occupied with the thoughts of you!”

“W-what?” you stutter, caught off guard.

“So for you to tell me ‘it doesn’t matter’ if you rejected Mateä for me… Of course, it matters. It matters to me, because... Because I see you,” he lets out, breathing loudly.

You stare in confusion, as Neteyam’s eyes jump all over your face, searching for a reaction. All you can do is think about how much you wanted him to say those words to you. To tell you how much he liked you, longed for you, the same way you did for him.

“I see you too, Neteyam,” you manage to whisper, reaching your hand to cup his cheek.

A loving smile breaks on his face, when Neteyam pulls you in for a kiss. He is so desperate to touch you, to know that it’s real. You’re real. Happiness overwhelms you, as you smile against his lips, your hands gently cupping his face. 

“I’m yours,” he whispers, resting his forehead against yours.

“I’m yours forever,” you whisper back.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Did my best to upload this before my job interview tomorrow, so by the time I come back, I want you to leave your comments and tags!!! Seriously, I love that shit, it makes my heart melt. Especially when you submit questions

my 30k enemies to lovers fic (neteyam x ta'unui reader)

taglist: @ancientbeing10, @anm3mi ; @lovergirl-3000 ; @sunjayist ; @rensbby ; @okaylorrainee ; @cappsikle ; @raeeahn ; @yawneneteyam ; @oh-austin ; @midlife-crisisperson ; @teyums

[lure-of-writing]

Kick your ass

Note: Hi everybody long time no see! I would assume that is doesn't come as a surprise when I say being a flight attendant leaves no room for writing much less doing anything else but sleeping but here we are after what I'm sure can be counted as forever. Anyways I feel like this story is when your partner just isn't getting it right and it's driving you crazy and you get a little ( or a lot) sassy. I'm so happy to have finally written something in so long and I hope you love it!

Word count-2.3K

Warnings- none unless you count cussing

Summary: Lately all your mate does is piss you off. And don't get it wrong you love him but you are more than ready to kick his ass.

You love Azriel with all of your heart, your whole being if you're being completely honest but lately he has done nothing but piss you off. It first started with him going on a mission during the middle of your cycle. Since the moment you knew Azirel was your mate you gave clear explicit instructions that Azriel was to be no more than five feet away from you during that time of the year unless it was for something of the utmost importance and could not be handled by anyone else. Imagine your surprise when he started grabbing his leather clothing after he had made you breakfast and had gotten you comfortable in your bed that could fit three grown Illyrian men. 

“And just where do you think you're going?” Azriel could feel like distaste dripping off of your words and hitting him in the back as he was faced away from you. It was no secret that Azriel loved you more than life itself and would do absolutely anything to keep you safe and happy but when you were on your period you could be a handful and more often than not you tested his never ending patience until you actually found the end of its supply. With a slow release of his breath he turns around to find you perched on the edge of the bed throwing an angry glare in his direction. “Listen baby” the shadowsinger slowly approached you like you were a wild animal ready to strike at any moment and honestly that comparison isn’t too far off with the way you look like you're ready to rip his head off of his shoulders. “You know I wouldn’t go unless I had to, yeah?” he kneels before you gently rubbing comforting circles on your bare thigh while giving you a soft smile reserved for only you. “Is the information you retrieve from this mission of that great value?” he watched as you paused waiting for the answer that both he and you already knew. “Is there no one else beneath you who could do it instead?” And while yes there were people beneath him that could handle this task, Azriel is a perfectionist and would like to make sure things get done right. “Is it so important that you must leave your mate during their cycle knowing the excruciating pain I endure? It's so important you must put this before your mate?” 

Azriel knew this conversation was a losing battle on his end but he also knew if he would like to be able to sleep next to you tonight that he must offer something to make up for it. “No my love, there isn’t anyone else who can handle this as they are all busy at the moment but don’t worry I will be back before dinner.”  Even as you glowered down at him all the shadowsinger could think about was two things. One, he is definitely in trouble and two, how stunning you look. “I don’t care if no one else can do it, get that brute of your brother to handle it.” You waved your hand in a dismissive way as if to send Cassian on this mission yourself and Azriel couldn’t help but lay his head on your legs and laugh and your attitude. 

The next time Azriel made you mad was during a family dinner with the inner circle. At first with all the new people, family dinners were a little awkward and unbearable mostly due to Cassians pinning over Nesta and her constant blatant rejection but also because of the middle sister's fascination with your mate. Did she know he was your mate? Yes. Did that stop her from having a crush? Absolutely not.

As you were getting ready to head down to Feyres and Rhysands new house you had made it clear he needed to put his foot down and tell Elain he was not and would never be interested in a relationship with her otherwise you would handle it yourself and Azriel knew that meant you would become your own nasiter version of Nesta and you would tear her down until she couldn’t even look you in the eyes. It may not be the best way to handle her crush but until Azriel when it came to dealing with people who had a crush on him you tended to leave your manners at the door. 

Everything was going well at the river house until you walked into the dinning room with Amren and spot your mate seated next to Elain on one side and Mor on the other side. The whole group could feel the shift in the temperature as it dropped and you gave a cold and pointed stare to your mate. Possessing the same powers as Rhysand you barged into his mind “What the hell is this?” without responding he gently shakes his head in a not right here manner and pleading with his eye for you to just let this go. Silently you take your seat across the table from him and sit next to your high lady and Amren. For the rest of the dinner you say nothing as your pin Azriel to his seat as your seething anger radiates off of you and hits him like a tidal wave over and over again never once giving him a break. 

“Y/n” Azriel had waited until after you had taken your bath and done your fifteen step skin and body care route and had gotten into bed with your current book you picked to read before approaching you. He gently sat down on the bed next to your legs and hopped you don;t make him sleep on the couch tonight.  “I know you're upset with what happened at dinner but it just happened one minute I was talking with Mor and the next Elain was ushering us all in to eat dinner and she just happened to sit next to me.” As he gave his explanation of the night's events you had closed your book and laid it in your lap and nodded silently in understanding waiting for your mate to be done talking. “Is that so?” you asked in a thoughtful way. Now Azriel has been with you long enough to know that tone of voice and that statement should strike the fear of every god into him and it definitely did. “Yes, I promise that's what happened.” Once again you nodded in understanding before tilting your head to the side with a confused look on your face. “So if that's all that happened then why would Elain feel comfortable sitting next to you knowing that you have a mate who cannot stand her crush on you? And didn’t I tell you to make sure Elain knew in no uncertain terms that her fantasy of having a relationship with you was nothing more than a fantasy and if she tried I would kill her?” Azriels heart dropped to his stomach as he listened to you talk, he had known that there was something he needed to do but as soon as he entered the house Cassian gave him a cup of a mysterious alcohol and Rhysand had beckoned him over to fill him in on the status of a mission one of his spies were on. And before he knew it Morrgian had whisked him away to talk about her journey on the continent and the information she had obtained while there and the next thing he knew he was sat between the girl he used to have a crush on and the girl who currently has a crush on him. Candidly he knew he was fucked. 

“Let's go with your version of events like you said they happened shall we? I am going to assume you got too busy with everyone to tell Elain to knock off her childish behavior, which you would have done in a much nicer way because you are you. Then why didn’t you say anything to her when I walked in or better yet why didn’t you get up to sit next to me instead?” As a professional interrogator your mate knew you had just walked him into a trap and for a split second he wondered why you didn’t have his job instead. “Baby you know both of those options would have been rude and probably would have ruined the dinner.” Nodding in fake understanding you inspect your nails giving it a brief second before responding “And you are the shadowsinger of the night court. One of the most feared males in Prythian and you couldn’t muster up the courage to say something to Elain? How ironic is that.” You scoffed and shook your head in a surprised manner and needless to say he ended up sleeping on the couch that night. 

The last straw was watching Azriel train the valkyries and watching them not so subtly drool over your mate. You wouldn’t be one to blame them if they had done so in a respectful way but they were bluntly flirting with your mate right in front of you. One thing you loved about Azriel was how secure he was in your relationship. No one could make him look in the direction that wasn’t you, if someone was trying to flirt with him he didn’t register it unless it was you. And normally you wouldn’t have a problem with that except three girls were currently trying to make a pass at him and he had no reaction. Most would take that in a positive way but not you, you wanted him to shut that down the second it started and make a clear line in the sand on what was expected from the student-teacher relationship amongst him and the Valkyries he was training. “Azriel!” You had barely shouted his name from across the training platform on the house of wind but it felt as if you had. He turned around to see you leaned against the wall with your arms crossed over your chest and face set in a scowl while glaring at him. Turing to look at the trainees before him he instructs them on what to do next before quickly making his way to you. “Yes my love?” he asks in such a hushed and concerned tone that you almost forget what you called him over to yell at him about, but over his shoulder you see one of the girls check him out and suddenly you remembered all over again what it was that you needed to speak to him about. “You need to tell your students to stop checking you out and to close their mouths before they start drooling all over themselves.” Your mate's face scrunched in confusion. Azriel may be an excellent observer but when it came to himself not so much. He couldn’t see his own beauty that was hand crafted from the gods themselves, he couldn;t see how his quiet and standoffish personality drew people in, he couldn't see all of the things that you loved about him could all be the reason that other people lust after him. 

His shadows gave him a play by play of what his students had been doing while he wasn’t focused on each person in particular and how you had been brewing in your anger in the corner by yourself. As soon as you put on your fighting leathers this morning Azriel knew he was doomed as it was your ritual to fight each other everyday during training but seeing you in the corner pissed that other people had been checking him out brought his demise to a whole nother level. Azriel subtly glanced down at where your arms were crossed over your chest and he thanked the gods for your outfit. “You sound a little upset, my love.” Once more you send him one of your signature pointed looks “Yeah you would be upset also if the roles were reversed.” He shrugs slightly while tilting his head and wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you closer to his body. “You’re not wrong I would be upset because nobody gets to look at you that way unless it's me.” He pulls you even closer to his body until you’re chest to chest with him and he bends down to whisper in your ear. “Beat me in a match and I will make sure they know I’m no one else's but yours. I'll let you claim me anyway you want, hell I’ll even let you do it in front of them if that will make you feel better.” Both you and Azriel knew the game he was playing at but neither of you cared, well him less than you. You pulled away slightly to look up at your mate and see the smirk resting upon his very kissable looking lips “Sounds like a deal to me because I’ve been wanting to kick your ass all week.” 

The shadowsinger followed behind you with a laugh and he shook his head in amusement while taking in your figure from behind. He watched as you got into your fighting stance and waited for him to do the same. He held his hand up to signal you to give him a moment. Turning around to look at the Valkyries in training he gathered their attention without saying a word. “I think it's about time to see what the last remaining real valkyrie looks light during a fight and maybe then you can aspire to be a fraction of as good as my beautiful mate is.” He turned back around to see you glowing with confidence, determination and love, but also the want to make sure you won his bet. Gods he knew this was going to lead to some great sex after you kicked his ass and he couldn’t be looking forward to it more.

[madwomansapologist]

YOU LOVE BLOOD TOO MUCH (BUT NOT LIKE I DO)

★彡 synopsis: awakened in a new era, sukuna found endless opportunities to hurt and maim others. he also found you, a sorcerer with an ever-expading soul bonded to oaths of pacifism and self-control. allured by the strength you decided to hide, sukuna realized this era could be far more fascinating.

chapter one: a blinding glimpse or the one you politely offered your heart to the king of curses in an attempt of mocking him.

warnings: ryomen sukuna, meet-cute (they're actively trying to kill eachother), hate to morbid curiosity, canon level of violence, blood and gore, near death experience, cannibalistic thoughts, hot villain covered in blood, sorcerers being clinically insane, satoru gojo cameo, fight style visual.

word count: [1.2K]

kill count: [0]

Observing it all from above, scarce stars battling with artificial lights to test his blurred vision, Sukuna realized he awakened in a distant era. One that overflow with life, he assumed.

He could hear it all. At every dark street and its endless crossroads kids would bid their farewells and run back home. Wind carried the hiss of kettles and brush of soles against old rugs. Sukuna reveled in the harmony reverberating inside each and every human blissfully unaware of the hungry void lurking above.

Offenses cowardly whispered, commands shouted, nauseating confessions. How many voices. So much unnecessary noise. Sukuna’s initial deduction was proven correct in a matter of seconds. Life overflows in every moldy corner. Surviving isn’t a concern in this brand-new world, and herds born for slaughter confuse not having a predator with having strength.

It truly is a perfect era to destroy, considering the reek of sorcerers nearby.

I was brought back, Sukuna rejoiced as the receptacle resisted his presence. To a world build to be torn apart, Sukuna laughed as an extravagant sorcerer dared use him as a training dummy. Nothing good will came out of this, Sukuna felt a shiver on his nape.

A thunder silenced the world. Wall after wall shattered as the impact of a lightning bolt threw Sukuna inside the building. Involved by a dense layer of dusty, Sukuna regained balance. Pearly white waves danced above his skin. The aftermath of sheer electricity.

It didn’t burn Sukuna. It didn’t hurt him at all. A basic and quick attack lacking cursed energy and strength. Sorcerers sunk to such a low level during his slumber? Pathetic, although not surprising or disappointing. He never expected them to become stronger.

A blink later and his arrogant smile oscillated. As the energy dissipated, it was all healed. Every wound and scratch. Broken ribs and cut lips. As good as new. In an instant, all the pain inflicted in his vessel disappeared. It definitely wasn’t his doing, since Sukuna haven’t decided if this maggot was worth his time.

“Don’t ruin another school,” wind carried a new voice towards Sukuna. One tender and hospitable. It reminded him of silk. “People will question it, and then Yaga will question us.”

“His brain only works against us”, Satoru whimpered, handing Megumi the bag with his future midnight snacks. “Not an ounce of trust on our good, flawless work. When did he ever let us be?”

Looking at his pout, you giggled. “And since when did we ever let him be?”

Sukuna followed after your voice. What an alluring conversation. Two sorcerers, half-complaining and half-laughing. No remnant of dread or fright. This night, no one that spoke carried the fear of someone challenging the King of Curses.

Feeling moonlight on his flesh once more, he finally saw who dared healing his vessel. And for a moment, all Sukuna could do was stare.

A pearly mist expanded with your every breath. As if haunted by a wraith, or perhaps surrounded by a still gathering storm. It shined so brightly, floating right above your skin, in an extreme contrast with the darkness of your cursed energy.

Sukuna was staring at your soul.

A shiver travelled down your nape as his gaze burned something within you. Tilting your head, you faced Ryomen Sukuna. The weight of his presence alone could make curses beg. Staring back into his red eyes, you smirked.

The double-edged long axe on your hands glistened as you imbued it with more cursed energy. Biting the tip of your tongue, a habit you never truly escaped from, you observed the ancient predator in front of you. It was time to hunt.

Crouching down on the ground, you supported your weight on your toes. A simple change of position. Enough to make stupid curses hesitate. Why crouch down while holding an axe? Why not go straight for the throat? Why put your strength on your knees when you need it on your torso?

You saw no confusion inside Sukuna’s eyes. Only amusement.

In a fluid motion, your body floated above his. The fabric of your yukata covered the wide arch of your arm. The edge of your axe came down, cutting the concrete bellow you even far away from the ground.

As you expected, Sukuna dodged it easily. By making a fuss with your robe, you forced Sukuna to move further away in order to obtain a better view of your movements. And he moved exactly where you knew Satoru would be.

“And I am the one destroying the school?” Hands inside his pockets, Satoru forced his presence upon Sukuna. You wondered who between you three flashed the most annoying grin. “That was on you.”

In the air, you three danced. Satoru and his surgically correct dodges. Sukuna’s incessant pace of physical attacks without breaking a sweat. You forcing them both to move higher in search of the upper hand. A perfect dissonance.

 “You told the kid to let him take control”, you remembered Satoru. “Everything is on you from now on.”

“How convenient for everyone else”, Satoru hissed. “And remind me who said fighting a special curse would make this day interesting? You manifested this.”

“I can take the blame if you pay the price”, you offered. Sneaking a glance at Megumi, you checked if he was safe down there. One of Sukuna’s black nails brushed against the sash around your waist. “I’ve been craving fish and-”

Hollow.

How to define inexistence properly? How to explain the palpable feeling of lacking something? The best you can do is summarize it to a single word: red. Your teary eyes, the energy growing between Satoru’s fingertips, the fist deep into your chest. Everything was burning red.

“Don’t look away from a fight”, Sukuna mocked you, tearing your chest open. There was a certain poison in his words. “And I thought you were promising.”

Crushing your heart between his fingers, blood gushed upon his lips. Sukuna laugh echoed in the midnight sky. How uncommon. Tender and hospitable. You taste just like how you sound.

If you had cried, Sukuna would be tempted to taste your tears. If you had fallen, Sukuna would enjoy the sight of a human turning into a puddle of organs and bones. If you had screamed, Sukuna would feed on your delirious rage.

But as your right hand closed around his wrist gently, Sukuna had no reaction.

“I appreciate the compliment, Sukuna-sama”, you smiled.

Grabbing your black hairpin, the golden opal gem on the end of it reflected moonlight directly into his eyes. Wind moved your hair, framing your face and carrying its perfume directly into his nostrils.

“You can have my heart.” Piercing the still beating organ, your smile turned into a cheeky grin. “I have no need for it anymore.”

 “Yuji”, Satoru called. And just like before, there was no remnant of dread or fright in his voice. “You can come back now.”

Staring into your menacing eyes, Sukuna felt his vessel taking control over the shared body. Licking his lips, he tasted you once more. Yuji Itadori regained consciousness to find himself with a heart in his hands and teeth dangerously close to it.

Fascinating, Sukuna admitted to himself. What an interesting era to ruin.

all rights reserved to © madwomansapologist | @mwalibrary @mwashelf

[mcdynamite]

If you asked most people who know Eddie Munson, they’d tell you that he's a loud, theatrical man. They might tell you that he's always bouncing around, full of chaotic energy and wild ideas, eager to share what's on his mind with anyone who will listen.

And for the most part, they would be right.

But Steve Harrington knows that there's more to it than that.

Steve knows that Eddie is loud, most of the time, except for when he feels most comfortable.

It's a realization that comes to Steve slowly in the weeks following their final battle against Vecna and the Upside Down, during the time they spend sharing a hospital room while they recover from their bat bites.

Steve is there to witness Eddie's cacophonous reunion with the kids - rife with hollering and boisterous laughter and some very stern (if relieved) scolding from Erica Sinclair. But he's also there to see the way Eddie motions Dustin over once everyone settles down and begins to trickle out of the room. Steve watches as Eddie pulls Dustin into his arms and mutters something Steve can't hear into the kid's ear - something that makes Dustin smile with teary eyes.

It's the first time Steve has seen such a soft display of emotion from Eddie Munson, and he finds it strangely fascinating.

Then, it's the same with Wayne a few days later, when he's finally allowed to visit Eddie in the hospital. Steve expects something a bit dramatic from Hawkins' most notorious Dungeon Master, to be honest, but it's not dramatic at all. The reunion between the Munson men is soft and subdued, nothing but quiet sentiments Steve can't quite make out. Eddie is still as full of energy as ever, but with Wayne around, he loses that frantic edge. And so Steve eventually realizes...

The more comfortable Eddie is, the less jagged his edges get. Loud, raucous laughter becomes soft chuckles. Booming declarations give way to quiet promises. Eddie Munson is softer when he feels safest, and Steve quickly decides that while he likes any and all versions of Eddie, he's particularly fond of this one - the one who's shed his emotional armor in favor of comfort, and perhaps a little vulnerability.

He wants to see more of this Eddie - the one who seems closest to Eddie's truest self.

And overtime, Steve gets his wish.

It starts with quiet, late-night conversations filling the space between their beds in the hospital, when they finally begin to dismantle every misguided preconceived notion they've ever had about each other in order to forge a friendship from the ground up.

Once they're released back into the real world, it continues. There are soft, amused comments murmured into Steve's ear during movie nights, and cheeky observations about the kids they practically share custody of on days at the arcade. There are relaxed conversations over a joint passed back and forth on nights when neither of them can sleep at three in the morning.

The closer they get, the softer Eddie becomes, and it only becomes more obvious when they finally stop dancing around each other and start dating.

Eddie's voice is careful and kind when he asks, "Can I kiss you?" for the first time.

He's practically whispering a week later when they both admit to wanting more than just a casual fling with each other.

When Steve makes him come for the first time, Eddie is all soft gasps and quiet whimpers... breathlessly chanting Steve's name like a prayer. And when Eddie returns the favor later that night, it's with the sweetest, filthiest things whispered into Steve's ear, working him into a frenzy until it takes him over the edge.

And four months into their relationship, one of their most important milestones is said so quietly, Steve almost misses it entirely.

They're laying in bed together, chatting away just like they do almost every night. Steve is basking in the feeling of Eddie's arms around him...of Eddie's bare chest against his back as they trade warmth back and forth. He always loves cuddling with Eddie, but he thinks these nights are his favorites. The ones when he gets to be the little spoon, tucked safely into the arms of the boy he thinks of first every morning and last every night.

Eddie tells him about the way Mike wouldn't stop bitching about his sunburn during the D&D campaign Eddie ran with the boys earlier today, and Steve can't help but roll his eyes.

"God, I told him to use sunscreen yesterday!" Steve insists. Behind him, Eddie snorts. "I did! I told all of them to use it, and most of them listened to me, but did Michael Wheeler? Of course not, because that little shit is hellbent on giving me grays before I turn thirty!"

There's another snort from Eddie - this one louder than the first - and Steve playfully smacks his arm where it's wrapped around Steve's abdomen. Eddie just catches his hand and traces circles across the back of it with his thumb.

"This isn't some laughing matter, Munson!" Steve hisses. "We're talking about my hair, here!"

"Oh, woe be upon he who dares threaten the integrity of your glorious mane, my liege," Eddie drawls dramatically. He nuzzles into the aforementioned mane and presses a soft kiss to the spot just behind Steve's ear.

"Exactly, see? You get it," Steve scoffs, choosing to ignore the sarcasm in his boyfriend's voice.

Eddie buries his face in the crook of Steve's neck and makes a vague humming sound.

"Seriously, though, next time, I'm putting sunscreen in a spray bottle and ambushing him with it, or some shit. I’ll be damned if he survived the apocalypse just so his pasty ass could be taken out by the sun," Steve continues to vent.

Eddie just laughs softly. "You're ridiculous, sweetheart," he murmurs. Steve feels him brush his lips against Steve's pulse point and has to suppress a shiver.

"Yes, and?" Steve huffs, unable to keep the smile out of his voice.

"You're ridiculous," Eddie repeats. Then, his voice goes impossibly soft - barely a whisper, and a bit hesitant - but Steve feels the words ghost over the shell of his ear. "And I love you."

Steve's breath hitches just as Eddie seems to realize the gravity of what he's let slip. Eddie's thumb, which has been rubbing gentle circles into the back of Steve's hand ever since he grabbed it a minute, suddenly pauses. For a moment, neither of them move.

It's Steve who unfreezes first, slowly rolling over until he's facing Eddie, still wrapped in his boyfriend's arms. He takes in Eddie's wide eyes and vaguely anxious expression before reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair out of Eddie's face.

Steve's voice is raspy when he finally manages to speak.

"You love me?" he asks hesitantly, hating the half of himself that's waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe he misheard. Maybe Eddie said something else. Or worse, maybe Eddie changed his mind immediately after saying it and is now regretting saying it in the first place. It wouldn't be the first time someone changed their mind about loving Steve, after all.

Eddie doesn't correct him, though, or take it back. Instead, he nods hesitantly, as though he's afraid Steve will hate him for it, and bites his lip.

"I- yeah," he says, still whispering. He looks terrified, and it makes Steve's heart ache. "Is that...okay?"

Steve wants to laugh. Or cry. Maybe both. Mostly, he wants to tell Eddie that it's more than okay - that he loves him, too, and has for a while now.

"Say it again," Steve begs, instead.

Eddie blinks, his gaze transforming into something so devastatingly tender that Steve doubts he'll ever recover.

"Stevie..." Eddie murmurs, bringing their foreheads to rest against each other. His lips curl into a smile. Steve smiles back. "I love you."

Steve is only slightly embarrassed by the way his heart is rabbiting against his ribs, surely loud enough for his boyfriend to hear.. "Really?"

Eddie smiles and lets their noses brush. "Yeah, baby. I really do."

"Oh," Steve breathes. His disbelief finally gives way to wonder as he allows his hand to move on its own accord - fingertips brushing against the soft skin of Eddie's cheek. Reverently, he traces the shape of Eddie's nose, of his eyebrows, of the little scar on Eddie's temple that's only just begun to fade.

Eddie presses a barely-there kiss to the pads of Steve's fingers when they finally drag across his lips. The action leaves Steve feeling so fond it aches.

"I love you, too," Steve whispers, because it's the truth. He's not sure exactly when he started to fall in love with Eddie Munson, but he does know that he's never stopped. He thinks he'll probably keep falling in love with Eddie until the day he dies.

It's a disgustingly sweet sentiment, and Steve can't bring himself to care.

"Fuck, Eddie," he laughs, breathless. Eddie's eyes are shining with joy. With love. Steve moves closer, until their lips brush against each other when he murmurs, "Love you so much."

Steve's heart has never felt as full as it does right now - as it continues to feel when they collide in a flurry of heated skin, soft lips, and quiet words of adoration. It's not the first time they've had sex, but it's the first time it's felt like this - like being wholly and completely cared for, for the first time in his life. Steve has tears in his eyes by the time they collapse against each other, sated and utterly in love, and Eddie devotedly kisses the tears away when they begin to fall.

In the aftermath, once they've both been cleaned up and caught their breath, Eddie pulls Steve into his arms so Steve's head can rest on his scarred chest. The soft thump of Eddie's heartbeat beneath his ear - proof that they survived everything they've been through, and that their reward is this beautiful, brilliant love - brings a smile to Steve's face.

He turns his head and presses his lips to Eddie's chest, just above Eddie's heart. Eddie's arms tighten around him.

"Love you, Eds," Steve murmurs, settling in and closing his eyes as sleep begins to beckon.

Eddie just holds him and runs nimble fingers through Steve's hair, bending to press a kiss to Steve's temple.

"Love you too, Stevie," Eddie whispers in his ear, voice perfectly, beautifully soft.

Written for the prompt "things you whispered in my ear" from this prompt request list I posted a couple of months ago! If you want to request another one of the prompts on the list, drop me an ask and I'll write it as soon as I can!

[reverieparacosm]

May I request Yandere! Varré x GN! Tarnished general headcanons, thank you!

Yandere!Varré x GN!Tarnished general headcanons

Yandere!Varré (Elden Ring) x GN!Tarnished

Warnings: this text contains themes of emotional manipulation, jealousy, possessivenes, sadism, surveillance, stalking, and potential harm

Note: I am 100% sure that Varré is in a relationship with Mogh. Mogh should finally stop being creepy with his half-brother Miquella and get together with his true servant, Varré. (Edit: I played the dlc... I'm sorry Mogh. I take it back)

Varré is deeply devoted to you and would go to great lengths to ensure that you never feel lonely

He constantly seeks your company and showers you with affection and attention, making sure you are always surrounded by his presence

Due to his intense love for you, Varré believes that the best way to protect you and keep you close is by having you join the Mohgwyn Dynasty. He sees it as a way to solidify your bond and ensure your safety

"Our love of Lord Mohg will forever bind us together, in a dynasty of eternal love."

As a former war surgeon, Varré possesses extensive knowledge about medicine and healing

After battles, he takes great care in cleaning your wounds, applying the necessary treatments, and ensuring that you are not hurt or in pain. His skills and expertise make him incredibly efficient at nursing you back to health

Varré has strong reservations about the Roundtable and its potential dangers. He believes that it poses a threat to your safety and well-being, and as such, he becomes determined to convince you to leave it. He will employ various methods, ranging from persuasion to manipulation, in an effort to ensure your departure

"You have the sweetest screams."

Varré exhibits sadistic tendencies in his yandere nature

While he deeply cares for you, he also finds pleasure in exerting control and dominance over you, often through means of pain or psychological manipulation. This sadistic side of his personality can manifest during intimate moments or when he deems it necessary to discipline or protect you

He definitely has a Blood Kink

Varré watches you diligently to ensure your safety at all times. He keeps a close eye on your activities and surroundings, always vigilant for any potential threats or dangers that might come your way

 "Our love will bloom like a rose in full bloom, my sweet lambkin."

Varré has a deep fascination with roses and sees them as a symbol of his love for you

He frequently presents you with bouquets or single roses, carefully chosen and arranged

Varré is intensely possessive and becomes easily jealous when you interact with others

Whether it's a friendly conversation or a casual encounter, he perceives any attention you give to someone else as a threat to his connection with you

He loves to humiliate you

"You are but a pawn, to be used to serve my own selfish needs. You are nothing to me but a tool to further my own goals. So, shut up and do my bidding."

Varré is a master at manipulating your emotions to keep you deeply attached to him. He knows how to exploit your vulnerabilities and insecurities, using them to his advantage

He deeply values and treasures your body, and he desires for you to perceive yourself with the same admiration that he holds for you

His surroundings turn dull whenever he finds himself longing for your presence

You serve as a source of inspiration for him in a certain sense

He becomes excessively focused on you, desiring to uncover every aspect of your being as if he were delving beneath your surface and merging with you

He might even experience instability and express his affection for you through gestures such as sending love notes, creating artwork depicting you, and including the hearts of his rivals accompanied by a message suggesting they wished to give you their heart, which he facilitated

[tiredtogepi]

A Lady & Her Hounds

Chapter 1

The Hound x Fem!Reader (Jon Arryn's daughter; Sabrina)

This chapter contains: Fluff | Brat

Word count: 1146

*this is my first GOT fan fiction. There are many chapters with mostly fluff, some angst, and mature content ;) I hope that someone will read it and enjoy it*

Dogs have always fascinated you. The way they create bonds, love their humans, their loyalty, and friendliness. Being Jon Arryns daughter was not bad but, you felt left out most of the time since he married Lysa and their son was born. That's when the dogs came into your life. Some Lord from the north had offered puppies from his newest litter as a gift for your name day. Your father wasn't so happy about it, but he let you keep it so you could finally have some company. Initially, you had 3 dogs, but a few years later after contacting more breeders, you found yourself with a pack of 15 dogs.

You took your time to train them for protection during the conflict between the Mad King and Robert Baratheon. They obeyed you well, they looked out for you, but most of all they loved you, their loyalty was not questionable and they would give their life to save you. When the war was over your father was named hand of the king and you all moved to the Red Keep. You had begged your father to take at least some of your dogs but he wouldn't allow it. Luckily you were close enough to the working staff in The Eyrie to make sure they were well taken care of.

When you arrived at King’s Landing, King Robert made sure to have a feast in honor of the new hand and his family. He was a big man that had fought many battles and almost kept his intimidating factor intact, if it weren’t for the extra pounds he gained. What surprised you is that there were still knights protecting him.

During the feast the conversation around you was like some faded-out noise, but someone caught your attention. A tall man with a half-burned face and intense brown eyes. It was interesting to look at him, especially because of some slight facial expressions he made out of distaste for the conversations around, just like you.

"Ha! Lady Sabrina, I know about your interests in dogs but I didn't realize this one would interest you too!" Robert pointed at the man he was able to catch you staring at.

You blushed as that man at glanced at you.

"Pardon, your grace, I was lost in my thoughts." You gave a quick answer trying to avoid more embarrassment.

"No need for apologies. Sandor Clegane is a tough-looking man, our Hound!" The drunk king was getting more excited by the second. "Tell me Lady Sabrina, if we put your hounds and my hound in the arena against each other, which one would take the win?" He laughed and started choking on his own wine.

"I don't think any hound deserves to be put in that situation. I find it very distasteful, your grace." You stood up and bowed to the king while he laughed at your audacity.

"Are you leaving us already?" Robert inquired

"Yes, your grace. I am unwell, maybe I had too much wine." You were already slowly stepping away.

"Would you like to see the master?" your father asked, he always worried about your health, since your mother passed away from a terrible and silent disease, so any little symptom you had he would take it very seriously.

"No, thank you father, I will go get some books at the maester's library. If I need assistance I will call for it." You bowed lightly and as you turned your back the king spoke

"Clegane, accompany the lady to her chambers. She had a little much to drink and might need some help"

You rolled your eyes as you walked out and heard footsteps coming towards you. This is what you hated about this place. Too many people telling you what to do, keeping an eye on you, and always so many rules on what you can and can't do.

As you went to turn into the next hallway to the library Clegane stepped in front of you. You tried to go around him but he kept blocking your way.

"The king said to take you to your chambers." His tone was serious.

"Maybe you misheard it, but I need to get some books first." You tried to move away from him. He ignored you and kept blocking your way.

You tried to keep yourself composed since you had much anger and frustration stored inside you since coming to the king's landing. You took a big breath trying for the last time to be polite.

"Ser.."

"I'm no Ser."

"Seven hells! Let me go get my fucking books!" Maybe it was the alcohol that gave you the courage to raise your voice and push him out of the way, even though he didn't move an inch.

Apparently, that was amusing enough for him to let you go while he subtly smirked. You finally reached the maesters' library. The Hound stood by the entrance. You took a book, then another, then as you went to get the third book you had an idea.

"Ahem!" You cleared your throat to get his attention. He looked at you as you repeatedly looked down at the heavy books on your arms and up at him.

He scoffed and took your books.

''Wait, there's more!" You said it innocently as he turned around and you decided to find 2 of the heaviest books on forestry and wildlife and put it on top of the pile he was already carrying. He grunted.

"We can go now!" You said innocently, knowing you were being a brat. Honestly alcohol didn’t give you the best ideas.

As you found yourself by your chamber door, Clegane leaned down to hand you the books. You stepped away, opening the door to your room.

"Could you place them inside on that little table?" This time you weren't trying to be inconvenient, but there was no way you could carry all that weight.

Clegane tried to hide his annoyance. He thought you were just another spoiled highborn like Joffrey or Cersei. He placed the books on the table aggressively. You tried to walk around the table to accompany him to the door, but you tripped on one of your book piles on the floor and fell with your face on the big man's chest. He didn't move, you put your hands on his chest to get back on your feet.

"Pardon me...I think I've had too much to drink." You mumbled. He looked down to stare at you making sure you didn't get hurt on his armor. You blushed and looked away as he started to leave.

"Why do they call you The Hound?" You asked as he was almost by the door. He stopped and didn't turn around.

"Why do you care?" He grunted.

"What should I call you then?"

"Don't call me." He replied as he walked away.

[deathbxnny]

Hello! Thank you so much for you doing my request but can I ask again? If i can , can you do honkai star rail x reader and reader is from genshin impact and a vision holder ( cyro, hydro or geo ) and they are from sumeru and there are part of the academy and part of Vahumana and vahumana Its specialty is Aetiology, or the study of cause and reason for something, and encompasses history and social sciences. And the character's are Dan heng, blade, welt, gepard and sampo is it ok? And take a break, eat well and drink lots of water before starting other stuff because your health is more important ok? And thank you again!!!

-----♡

A/N: Hello! Thank you for the request and kind words! I neglect myself often for others on accident, so hearing kind reminders is very helpful! I hope, I can do your idea justice!<33

Content: Fluff, established relationship, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns!

((Not fully proofread!))

-----♡

》Dan Heng

Is quite confused sometimes by your studies, yet asks as many questions as he can. Mainly so he can understand what you love so much about the topic and why you're passionate to study that of all things.

Definitely has many talks about you regarding any theories or studies you make, always open to learn something new along the way. He finds your opinions and ideas very intriguing and wants to hear everything you have to say.

Will also add any new information to the Data bank with you, just so he can revisit them later and study them too for you.

Your Geo vision impresses him greatly, always watching in silent awe as you move and control the earth and rocks at your will. It also puts him at ease to know that you can defend yourself and therefore won't get hurt, if he isn't with you.

-----♡

》Blade

Absolutely doesn't understand the point to your studies, mainly since his view of the world is quite simple. The world is just evil and dark, there is not much more to it in his eyes. And finding a reason for all of that just seems like a hassle and waste of time. So it's hard to get him off of that mind-set at first.

But you try to anyways, having long talks about your theories and thoughts, until he finally begins to try and understand your views. He's s little grumpy and reluctant about it, but still does his best for you. As long as your happy, he'll try his best to get it.

Your cryo vision is something that immideatly catches his attention though, especially during battle. He likes how strong it is and how you're able to just freeze your enemies and defeat them easily with no effort. He's definitely very proud of you for that... though he'd still want to protect you himself.

-----♡

》Welt Yang

The most interested person in your studies for sure. Wants to know all about it and perhaps even cares for the subject himself. He likes helping you out with his own knowledge and notes down anything new you tell him.

He'd definitely have very long conversations with you about all your study topics and likes to add his own opinions on the subjects. He could listen to you speak for hours on end too, finding the way you look so excited and passionate about your theories super cute.

He'd our hydro vision fascinating and nearly calming in a way. Especially when you move so elegantly and smoothly during battle. He likes to stand back and watch you do your thing often, stepping in only when needed. But he's proud, when you can protect yourself just fine too.

-----♡

》Gepard Landau

Is definitely intrigued by everything about your studies and wants to know more about it. He would also get you all the research that you need, just so that he can help you get further with your theories.

He will try using the knowledge he's gained from you in his work as a Captain too. He thinks it may help him think of his next moves easier, if he tries assessing past mistakes first.

Gepard would also be willing to have long conversations about various topics in your field too, just so he can watch how passionate you get. He likes to learn about new view points and opinions through your talks as well.

He is very interested in your hydro vision, as it compliments his ice abilities very well. You two would be an unbeatable duo on the battlefield, even if he'd never put you in a position, where you'd ever need to fight.

-----♡

》Sampo

Doesn't really ask much about the topics of your studies, unless it benefits him in his little endeavours or in his, well, "work". He also wouldn't have much to say on the topic, as he never thought about it much before.

With that said, he'd still be willing to listen to you talk about it all day, mainly just to spend time with you. If the topic is interesting enough, he might be willing to learn some things here and there. You never know, where it might come in handy after all.

He tries to form an opinion on some topics for you, but they won't be very elaborate or deep. But it's the thought that counts!

Your Geo vision on the other hand is very interesting to him. You'll have to stop him from using your abilities for anything not so legal though.

-----♡

A/N: Thank you again for the request!<33

[sarahowritesostucky]

im craving some steve/bucky/reader!

will you ever add to Worth The Wait? pleeese??🌷or maybe write a mfm fic that's set in the mcu? I'm dying for a good stucky/reader endgame fix it, and you write the best m/f sex scenes! 😳

Hi! I will add to Worth the Wait, one day. I have a lot of rotating projects and I'll admit that one isn't at the top of the list.

And I was brainstorming some kind of Endgame fix-it fic idea with an ofc/reader x Stucky pairing, and here's what I came up with:

I wanted to write a fic with more canon elements of the MCU (as I realized that I write very few canon-set fics and almost exclusively AUs). I wanted to write an ofc/reader with a super unique backstory, and hoo-boy, did I ever! I took a lot of inspiration from the galaxy as depicted in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. This fic will be posted as a one-shot fic, whenever I get around to writing it.

A Stucky x Reader fic, set in the MCU during and after the events of Endgame:

Reader is from another planet - yes, literally.

You're a refugee from a planet that didn't want you (The Sovereign--Aka "the gold people" from Guardians 2.)

Long story short, those people disdain sexual (aka uncontrolled) reproduction. Your Mother was banished for becoming naturally pregnant by an inferior genetic (a Xandarian)

You have mixed genes: slightly gold skin from your Sovereign genes, and blue eyes and brown hair from your Xandarian father. (And since the Sovereign control reproduction strictly, there are no other mixed race Sovereign people like you in existance)

You narrowly escape Thanos' destruction of Xandar, and wind up hitching a ride, post-blip, with Nebula and rocket on the Milano. They take you to Terra to meet their friends after completing one of their post-blip scouting missions.

There you meet Steve, a Terran, and the two of you become friends. He suggests that you consider staying, as you have no real homeworld. You accept.

Eventually, you develop romantic feelings for each other. You decide to be brave and you walk up to him one day, asking if he wants to mate.

"Uh ... do you mean date?" he stutters. Then when you repeat yourself, the two of you proceed to have a long conversation about male-female relationships in Terran culture.

There's a lot to learn about the differences between Terrans and your own kind. For instance: Terrans don't have genders! ("gender" means something completely different on Terra).

Steve has to learn all about what it means for him, as the boyfriend of an omega-gendered woman. (update: he's a fast learner😉)

Steve loves that you're omega. Your nesting and scenting and purring instincts always make him smile. He loves how submissive and touch-focused you are with him, that he can make you melt into a puddle just by gripping your neck.

And he loves your heats. He's fascinated by the way your body changes and the way you start behaving. You can tell it turns him on, to see you getting needy and aroused, and he is very good at helping you through your heat.

He doesn't have a knot, but aside from that part of anatomy, his genitals are a very pleasing size compared to the Xandarian males you've been with in the past. Plus: he has the serum, so he's able to keep pace with the demands of your heat!

When you were at the peak of your heat that first time, half-delirious and begging for a knot, Steve got creative and tried the only thing he could think of: his hand! (fun fact: it's bigger than a knot😉). You now joke that you're a "size queen" in every sense of the word

Your romance with Steve is going well, when Steve and the others figure out a way to potentially reverse the blip: time travel.

You're conflicted, because it's all very dangerous and you're scared of losing Steve and the family and home you've found on Terra. But you know they have to try.

It works. And after the final battle, after you've been scraped out of the wreckage and laid Tony Stark to rest, you finally get to meet the man you've heard so much about: Bucky Barnes.

You can see the change in Steve, with his best friend back. He's happier, lighter, his full self in a way he wasn't before.

Over the course of a few months, you become close friends with Bucky as well. You and Steve don't even have to have a discussion about where Bucky will be staying: It's with you.

The three of you decide to go to Wakanda for a time. You're excited because you hear that the African Terrans' culture is very different from the Terrans in New York.

In Wakanda, you grow even closer with Bucky, and you decide to bring up the idea of partnering with Bucky at dinner one night.

Bucky just about spits his mouthful of wine across the table.

Apparently, three-way relationships are not the norm in Terran culture. Bucky and Steve get very pink in the cheeks at first about it (something you've learned means they are aroused, embarrassed, or both).

Steve splutters and stumbles a lot, but once Bucky shrugs and suggests that the three of you spend a night in bed together, Steve gets very quiet and won't stop looking at Bucky for a long time. (You grin, because you think he looks at Bucky like he want to mate him😉)

Later, after the three of you spend your first (amazing) night together, Bucky privately explains to you that he and Steve have never been intimate before, and that back in "their time" two males weren't allowed to be together like that.

You're astounded by these things about Terran culture and history that you're constantly learning, but you have two very good teachers in your mates boyfriends Bucky and Steve.

Terrans can't bond, but they do hold ceremonies to commit to life partners. So, after a year of living in Wakanda together, you, Steve and Bucky decide to have a "wedding." You are mated married on the palace's grand terrace, under the Wakandan sunset.

That night, you consummate the marriage, and that's the first time that you take both Bucky and Steve inside of your body at the same time. (spoiler: it's amazing😉)

You've already told them about bonding. They don't have glands in their neck like you do, but they've agreed to honor your traditions as well, and they both bite you that night.

You thought it would be purely symbolic, since they're both Terran, but it turns out that Terrans do have pheromones to some degree, and so shockingly, you can feel a euphoric rush when it happens.

You experience that intense closeness and intimacy of a bond with them, and even though it's not the same for them, over time, both Bucky and Steve confide that they feel a change as well.

Maybe it's a bond, and maybe it isn't. Who knows? Who cares? It's love, of that much you're certain. And that's all you need to know.

Yeah, so. This'll get written somewhere down the line. Hope it wasn't too far out there for ya 😆

[kaiathedenian]

kaia the edenian's masterlist: the edenian library 📖🌿

🌿 the library's literary topics 🌿

baraka

johnny cage

kano

kotal kahn

raiden

(more coming soon)

🌿 the library's catalogue 🌿

drama: most of our stories take place during mortal kombat 11 before or during the final battle with kronika.

horror: as mentioned above, our stories include war amongst the gods and beasts of realms like Outworld. please read at your own discretion as a handful our catalogue include violence and gore.

angst: stories tell of the tensions that run high when the elder gods and beasts unleash their chaos upon each other.

smut: please be advised that a selection of our stories include sensually explicit activity for readers 18+ and will be labeled as such. minors do not interact.

🌿 the library's literature 🌿

KANO

backwoods: after a good drink and conversation, those mysterious and devilish eyes of his lead you to a good time in the woods...

KOTAL KAHN

kotal kahn & the thief: even a thief as cunning as jela can't escape the punishment of her crimes delivered by outworld's kahn, the sun god, kotal.

BARAKA

restless: with so many sleepless nights thanks to war so close, you, an edenian warrior keep your allies like baraka, even closer... the good boy: after returning home from war with your mate, baraka, you both are free to express your love as you wish... sweet dreams: fascinated with your slumber and how it stirs your body against his, your mate, baraka, takes it upon himself to assist you with your sweet dreams.

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[theramblingsofadork]

Midnight Thought: Do you think that Dr. Starline’s obsession with video logs became a thing because he wanted to feel like he was being heard?

Like, he started doing them as a way to keep track of his progress, but as the years progressed and he remained alone and isolated— (whether purposeful or not, due to his high intellect and fascination with Eggman) — they sort of became his way to vent, and have a ‘conversation’ with someone? Despite the fact that, in essence, he was only talking to himself and a camera?

(IDW Spoilers beneath the cut.)

I first thought about this when Surge made her comment about him *apparently vlogging so extensively* that he even makes videos about what he makes for breakfast.

While it may just be the tenrec being facetious, we do see quite a few logs across the IDW comics from Starline. And while most appear to be the typical ‘talk about your plans’ shtick, there are a few moments he also has some introspective thoughts, or visibly melts down.

To me at least, it doesn’t seem to be out of the realm of possibility that if Surge isn’t making it up, Starline garnered this habit of making a lot of video logs simply due to not being able to express himself or talk to anyone. Either stemming from his childhood being shoddy—(I imagine someone with his intellect/fascination would have had a hard time making friends)—or because no one else could deal with or understand his ramblings, both good and bad.

This exchange during his and Eggman’s final battle seems to feed into the whole idea even more. Starline definitely would have rambled excitedly to his idol about his inventions, seeing as Eggman would actually be the first to understand whatever scientific jargon he was going on about, and be the most likely to respond positively.

Sadly for Starline, he would still be ignored in the one way that mattered most to him, thus feeding back into this whole unhealthy search for approval and his vlogging loop again. (Y’know, if he had made it out..)

It’s entirely possible I’m looking too much into this, and Starline just really loves the sound of his own voice. But the nuances of how they wrote him give off this whole vibe that there is a possibility of this. And if that is indeed the case, then it’s just really dang sad.

I know he’s a great, horrible™ villain whom we all love to hate, but.. gosh dang it, this platypus gives me so many feels. 😭

[jay-ce01]

"Echoes of Magic: The Scarlet Witch and the Agent"

Wanda x Fem!reader

Warnings : slight mention of fights

Words : 894

In the heart of New Avalon, a city teeming with life, where skyscrapers towered above bustling streets, two powerful women stood at opposite ends of the moral spectrum. Wanda Maximoff, known as the Scarlet Witch, wielded magic that defied comprehension, while Y/n, an agent of the Supernatural Defense Agency (SDA), fought to protect the city from mystical threats.

Their first encounter was a clash of wills and powers, set against the backdrop of a moonlit rooftop. Wanda, her scarlet energy crackling around her, pursued a rogue sorcerer with determination in her eyes. Y/n, tasked with apprehending the elusive Scarlet Witch, stood her ground with steely resolve. The air between them was charged with tension as they faced off, each refusing to yield.

Their battle was a spectacle to behold, a symphony of magic and martial prowess that echoed through the night. Wanda's spells were as unpredictable as they were potent, weaving through the air with deadly precision. Y/n, however, proved to be a formidable adversary, her tactical mind and combat training allowing her to hold her own against the Scarlet Witch's onslaught.

As the dust settled and the dawn began to break, neither Wanda nor Y/n emerged as the clear victor. Instead, they found themselves locked in a stalemate, nursing wounds both physical and emotional. But amidst the wreckage of their clash, something had shifted. Beneath the veneer of animosity, there lingered a spark of curiosity, a fascination with the woman on the other side.

In the days that followed, their paths continued to intersect, each encounter more intense than the last. Wanda and Y/n clashed repeatedly, their battles escalating in both scale and ferocity. Yet, with each confrontation, they found themselves drawn to one another, their mutual respect and admiration growing with each passing day.

It wasn't long before their rivalry began to take on a new dimension, evolving into a complex dance of attraction and desire. Late nights turned into shared conversations, filled with laughter and banter, as they navigated the uncharted territory between them. Despite their differences, they found common ground in their shared sense of duty and their desire to protect the city they both called home.

But as their bond deepened, so too did the challenges they faced. New Avalon was a city of chaos and conflict, a melting pot of supernatural forces vying for control. And in the midst of it all, Wanda and Y/n found themselves embroiled in a web of intrigue and betrayal that threatened to tear them apart.

It was during one particularly perilous mission that the truth finally came to light. Trapped in a labyrinth of illusions and deceit, Wanda and Y/n fought for their lives against a common enemy. In the heat of battle, with danger closing in from all sides, they realized that their bond ran deeper than either of them had dared to admit.

With the city skyline ablaze in the distance, Wanda and Y/n found themselves drawn together in a moment of raw emotion. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, igniting a fire that had been smoldering between them for far too long. In that moment, the barriers between them crumbled, and they surrendered to the undeniable pull of their hearts.

From that day forward, Wanda and Y/n embraced their newfound connection, navigating the complexities of their relationship in a world that still saw them as adversaries. But in each other's arms, they found solace and strength, bound by a love that defied the boundaries of their past. Together, they would face whatever challenges the future held, knowing that as long as they had each other, they could overcome anything.

As their relationship blossomed, Wanda and Y/n faced new trials and tribulations, both as individuals and as a couple. They fought side by side against the myriad threats that plagued New Avalon, their bond growing stronger with each victory and each setback.

But it wasn't always easy. Their love was tested time and time again, by enemies both old and new, by doubts and insecurities that lingered in the shadows. Yet, through it all, Wanda and Y/n remained steadfast in their devotion to one another, drawing strength from the connection that bound them together.

They shared quiet moments of intimacy amidst the chaos of their lives, stealing kisses in the darkness of night or holding each other close as they watched the sunrise from their rooftop sanctuary. And in those stolen moments, they found solace and peace, a respite from the trials of their world.

But as their love grew deeper, so too did the dangers that threatened to tear them apart. Dark forces conspired against them, seeking to exploit their weaknesses and destroy everything they held dear. Wanda and Y/n faced betrayal from unexpected quarters, their trust shaken to its core.

Yet, even in their darkest hour, they refused to give up hope. Together, they stood against the tide of darkness, fighting with all their strength and determination to protect the love they had forged amidst the chaos of their lives.

In the end, it was their love that proved to be their greatest weapon, a beacon of light that guided them through the darkest of nights. And as they stood together, hand in hand, facing an uncertain future, they knew that as long as they had each other, they could overcome anything that stood in their way.

[vodkacheesefries]

Non spoilery as possible final thoughts of The Veilguard after finishing my first playthrough. Beneath the cut because it got long and I respect your dash space 😌

The Good:

Character creation was so much fun. I'm looking forward to a new playthrough so I can make another Rook.

The combat was a little tricky at first for me to get the hang off, but I got the hang of it and ended up loving it.

I played as a warrior and had a lot of fun being the hulk and smashing the ground and kicking people off ledges. I don't feel like I unlocked very many abilities, but idk if that was a me problem like with the things I chose during levelling or if that's a class problem, or if that's a game problem. I also didn't switch them out very much, so maybe it didn't matter I hadn't unlocked very many.

I loved the companions. I do have some critiques I'll get to later, but overall they were a very enjoyable cast of characters and I loved how they handled companion quests.

I didn't actually mind only having 2 companions, and I didn't mind not being able to control them. I liked not having to micromanage them.

I also didn't mind the fact that there weren't really conversations you could just have with them. I remember getting frustrated with just repeated dialogues in Inquisition, or when the companions had no new dialogue. I also liked that I didn't feel worried about making sure I paced myself through conversation trees so I didn't run through all the dialogues too fast.

I liked the soundtrack. I know a lot of people probably don't pay attention to it, but I did and I enjoyed it.

Rook was fucking funny. They were so smart but also 'no thoughts head empty' at the same time. Truly up there on my list of favorite DA protagonists.

They got the balance of doom, dread and darkness with hope and friendship just right imo.

Solas truly shone and whoever wrote him did SO good. He is a fascinating character and a really, really good antagonist and mirror to Rook. I love him. I hate him. I love to hate him.

The Okay:

The overall writing of the game was fine. I think you could tell there were parts of the stories and certain characters who maybe suffered more through the rewrites and everything it took to get the game out. I found some of the dialogue in the early game a little clunky, like whoever wrote it didn't say it out loud first, but that I do feel like that problem fixed itself eventually.

I feel like I remember them talking up the customizability of the Lighthouse, and I feel like it was there to an extent, but I wanted to be able to play with it more.

I liked the returning character cameos we got, but there were a few I feel would have really made sense to hear from or see again given certain context. (Zevran, Merrill, any Grey Warden character.)

I've seen other people say this, but it didn't really feel like a Dragon Age game. It was a different format, to be fair, and I liked that they explored new mechanics. It did feel...a little bit like a Mass Effect game. Which I didn't mind because I love Mass Effect. I think this problem could have been fixed with just a handful more of callbacks to prior games.

Like I've talked about this before and I do truly get it, we can't import every single decision ever. That's a lot of things to account for and new players wouldn't have fun trying to set that up if they'd never played the other games. BUT they could have kept it so simple; a letter from the HoF (if they survived) advising you on how to handle Blight, and how they'll take care of Ferelden for you. A codex entry about Hawke's journey to Weisshaupt after the Fade. A King Alistair sending you troops for the final battle etc and so forth.

It just needed a little more grounding to feel like it really belonged in Thedas, and that things that happened in prior games did matter to the culmination of the thread that has run through the entire series; the Blight, the Evanuris, and the Fade. That could have fixed the 'didn't feel like a Dragon Age game' problem.

The Bad:

There really wasn't much I disliked about the game. I wanted them to delve into some of the characters a little more and rely less on the ascribed stereotypes they had given them (ex: Taash being a jock who isn't necessarily in touch with their feelings or Lucanis talking about coffee all the goddamn time).

There were puzzles in certain areas of the game that gave you zero direction or incredibly vague hints and you just had to fumble through it. Maybe it's me, and I just have a low intelligence modifier, but I also did all the astrarium puzzles in Inquisition just fine so maybe they needed just a little more direction in game.

Also someone like a writer said this was the most romantic Dragon Age game and maybe it's just the romance I picked, but uh. Hard disagree. I don't care for any of the romance routes in Inquisition for my canon Inquisitor, but it's hard to beat Solas' date in the Fade or Cullen's first kiss on the battlements, or Iron Bull calling you "kadan" for the first time. This opinion might change as I play more of the routes, but for now, I was just a little disappointed with it. (I romanced Taash. I love them. So much. But there could have been so much more)

Final Verdict:

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars. I will enjoy playing it again, and I think if you can go into it expecting it to be fully its own game and new and different from prior games you'll enjoy it.

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

I was just rewatching parts of the four-parter of Sonic Boom, "Robots From the Sky," originally for the Sonamy content 😂 (since that has some of the biggest evidences for them secretly dating in that show, but that's for another post)

But then I noticed something a little odd.

In the fourth part, Sonic is weirdly...quiet.

I'll just say real quick I'm a big fan of the headcanon that Sonic used to be mute, and is still selectively mute, all depending on the day and the situation and whatnot. I think it adds depth to his character and another side that'd be fascinating to see in canon (and I always latch onto fanworks that portray such). But besides there being the obvious thing about Classic Sonic being completely mute, and Sonic X Sonic being quiet most of the time, and stuff like that, I didn't expect to find anything for it in Boom, of all things.

(to be clear, that wasn't an insulting comment. I adore Boom. It's sorta my comfort show. XD)

ANYWAY, the point of this post! In the fourth and final episode of the miniseries, even though he started out the episode talking as usual, Sonic went weirdly silent starting shortly after the rest of his friends arrived. There was the silly, rather flirtatious scene he had with Amy, they all tried (and failed) to fight, Sonic instructed Tails to take the others and fall back while he went and got the robot guy (I forgot his name). That command he gave Tails was the last real thing he actually said for the next five minutes of the episode (these are ten minute eps remember, so that's more than it sounds, and definitely way more than five minutes happened in the real timespan of the episode). He said a couple things at the very end, but spoke no real words in the conversations and battles (other than yelling "ow" that one time 😂).

Like?? Boom!Sonic isn't necessarily as talkative as Movie!Sonic or Prime!Sonic, but he doesn't often come across as "quiet," either. But...???

Like, several times in that period (which must've been hours, since the robot guy built a bunch of robot duplicates of them during that time) he was the only character who stayed quiet the whole time. He was paying attention to what was happening, but I kept expecting him to contribute or just say SOMETHING, and he just wouldn't. Not even when Tails said something to him. Several times someone gave him some type of instruction and he just nodded, without so much as a hum. He just stood there. His robot duplicate said something a couple times (or maybe just once, idk, but still).

I might be reading too much into it, but the thought was just interesting to me. I was trying to think of why he might've gone silent for that time, in context of the situation, and thought either maybe it was because it was a truly more serious situation, or maybe because he was actually hurt? And his being silent was the only tell that something was off? IDK!! Selective mutism, especially with Sonic, is very interesting to me. 😅

[stewardofningishzida]

Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel — Chapter 19: Missions Possible

Time for the apprentices to do more missions! Now, the training wheels are slowly coming off.

TRIGGER WARNING: Demonic possession, bad language (quite a bit in this one), death mention, homelessness, scary situations, bullying

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 19:  Missions Possible

*We catch Clea and Wong up with the events in the Mansion over some tea.  Over the next few days, we end up busy going over and organizing the new additions of tomes to Kamar-Taj’s library, as well as demonstrating the new abilities that we were taught.  Since there’s so much new material, we help Trix.  Wong is begrudgingly impressed with our many discoveries.  He can’t hide it behind his usual stoicism this time.  I also finally share a bit of my past with Trix and Prettywitch.  I figure it’s only fair since I told Broken Stephen while calming him down and 616-Stephen had heard it while making sure nothing bad happened at the time.  During downtime, I converse with The Ancient One, updating and showing her the new things I learned from the Mansion to see if she already knows it or could potentially use it.*

The Ancient One (impressed): It seems that the universe you visited is much more inclined towards the spiritual. I have not seen such things in any of the other universes I have come across.

Me:  Interesting.  I’m glad that these techniques can enable you more.  If I’m being honest, your presence has grown to be quite a comfort.  When I noticed you and the other spirits weren’t there, I panicked a little.

Ancient One (smiling gently): I’m glad to be able to help you, however as you have proven, you’re still very capable on your own or with your friends. I will not be here forever and I wish you to have peace even after I eventually move on.

Me (shifting slightly uncomfortably):  Heh…Yeah.  I don’t wanna hold you back.  *I knew the day would come eventually.  I had just hoped that I wouldn’t have to think about it for a while.*

Ancient One: Don’t worry, I will be around for quite a while yet. This world has blossomed after the threat of Dormammu and Thanos and I am curious as to how the multiverse will affect this place. Clearly the introduction of you and your friends has done a world of good and has introduced a number of things to our order and this world. I am fascinated to see how your order will come to be and grow.

Me (taking some comfort in this):  That’s good.  Though, whenever the day does come, I want to respect your decision.  So, please let me know.  I don’t want to be selfish about it.  *I’m sincere.*

Ancient One: Don’t worry, you are not being selfish. Now, show me again how you summon your weapon. Can you change it or is it a certain one every time?

*I nod and perform the spell again, summoning a rapier and dagger.*

Me:  I can change it since I’m still alive because there are more possibilities for a living being.  However, once you die, your weapon type tends to “settle”.  For instance, that version of Stephen has a battle-axe.  My default is usually a rapier and dagger because that is what I specialize in fighting with.  Precision and speed while remaining adaptable.  However, I can visualize a more suitable weapon for the given situation and summon it with enough concentration.

Ancient One (impressed): Fascinating. Though the thought of Stephen, even an alternate version, using a battle-axe of all things is a bit…*she smirks* strange.

*I’m amused.*

Me:  Apparently, it was because of the situation he learned it in as well as the opponent he faced.  She was wielding a hatchet and he was defending himself at the time.  It’s an interesting story-*I get a psychic contact from Stephen.*

Stephen (psychic contact):  Steward, please meet me in my office.  I have a mission for your group.

*He contacts Trix and Prettywitch the same way and we all meet in his office.*

Prettywitch: Hey, Stephen. What’s up?

Trix: Hi! You needed us?

Stephen:  In the interest of you girls gaining more experience in the field, I have something that needs to be done back in New York.  A pack of Khats has been attempting to gain entry to my Sanctum and cannot get past the wards.  So, they have resorted to possessing a group of apprentices to try and sneak through.  I need you three to extract the demons from the apprentices without harming them and eliminate the threat to the Sanctum.  You may choose to send the Khats back to their dimension or dispatch them.  Understood?

Trix: Demon ghost cats, save apprentices, got it!

Prettywitch: *She’s both excited AND nervous, knowing full well what dueling with a Khat entails.* Sure, yeah. 

Me:  Okay.  We’ll do our best to send the Khats back first.  Though if they escalate and pose a direct and immediate threat to anyone, we’ll dispatch them.  We’ll give them a few chances to back down first.  Fair, guys?  *I look at my friends.*

Prettywitch: *She’s in deep thought for a second.* What? Oh sorry, yeah.

*Trix gives a double thumbs up.*

Me:  How many are there?  That way we can keep track.

Stephen:  There are 5 of them. 4 have found bodies.  The 5th is still lurking through Greenwich Village.

Trix (slightly sarcastic): Lovely. *Getting serious* So they’re out and around or are most of them contained in the Sanctum?

Stephen:  Out and around.  They’re attempting to get into the Sanctum and are blocked out.  We cannot let them in.  It would allow them free access to too many dangerous relics.

Me:  Good to know.  Okay, if that’s all of the info, we’ll gear up and portal over.

Prettywitch: That’s not all, though…Khats are sadistic, they can bring a victim’s suffering to the surface and even look into  a person’s mind to figure out what will make them suffer most. They’re like low-tier Fear Lords, basically.

*I listen to Prettywitch carefully.*

Me:  So, like Nightmare.  Good to know…*I think for a moment to remember the techniques we were taught to clear and calm our minds.*  

Trix (smirking): So, ‘fortify our minds’ then. Got it!

Stephen:  They can also teleport, manipulate their size, and magically induce sickness.  So, be on-guard.  If you need backup, I’ll be in the Sanctum.

Me:  Any other info?

Prettywitch: Not that I remember; it’s been awhile since I’ve read that issue, but if I think of anything I’ll be sure to let you guys know.

*I nod and summon my supplies.  Once everyone has their gear, we head through the portal to the New York Sanctum with Stephen following us.*

Trix (glancing around Sanctum): I know we’ve been in this universe for over a year now but it’s still weird being here… *She gestures at the New York Sanctum*

Me:  I know, right?  It’s amazing, but doesn’t quite feel like home.  Like, you can sense that it belongs to someone else.  Understandably so.

Prettywitch: Yeah…

Stephen:  Good luck, girls.  Be careful.  *He lets us exit to Greenwich Village to begin our search.*

Prettywitch: Okay. Think we should do a scan of the Sanctum first? Just to be safe?

Me (standing in the entrance hall, not having exited yet):  Will do.  *I scan the Sanctum.  So far, nothing hostile has penetrated its defenses.*  Nada.

Trix: So we scan the area then?

Prettywitch: Okay. I’ll consult the cards, too, just to be safe. *She cleanses then shuffles her deck, asking the cards if the Sanctum is safe. Her face scrunches as she pulls the Eight of Swords.* Oh…That’s not good.

*We hear a knock at the door.*

Me:  Speak of the Devil…

Trix (calling through the door): Who is it?!

Young male voice:  Apprentice George Schmidt!  Can I come in?

Prettywitch: *Raises an eyebrow.* George Schmidt? That sounds about as suspicious as “Hired Goons”.

Trix: Well, Jingle-Heimer Schmidt, the Sanctum is currently closed for cleaning.

Me (subtly scanning):  *quietly*  Yep.  It’s one of them…but also the poor guy’s still stuck “inside”.  

Trix (whispering): We could say he could come in to help and ‘clean’ him instead. The problem is we’d open up the Sanctum unless we went full Muppet and open up a window from above and drench him in holy water or something.

Me (low voice):  I mean…That’s not exactly a bad idea.

Prettywitch: Yeah. I’m down for that. 

Me (whispering):  Wanna do the honors, Trix?  Prettywitch and I will stall him.  *I speak up to be overheard.*  Guys, I think he’s telling the truth.  Maybe we should give him a chance.

*Trix grins and scrambles back into the Sanctum to grab holy water and get to the second floor, too excited to actually portal there.*

Young male voice:  C’mon!  Ask Strange!  He’s my boss!

Prettywitch: *Giggling.* Don’t worry, we just wanna make sure everything’s cool. That’s all. *She giggles, again.*

*After grabbing a decent amount of holy water in a bucket, Trix is in position above the doorway through an open window.*

Trix (psychic link): Ready!

Me (to the “man” outside):  Fine, lemme undo the lock.  *Psychic link*  “Do it.”

*Trix giggles as she dumps the bucket of water onto the apprentice, nailing her target.*

*He lets out a scream of surprise and pain.  The young man’s form crumples and falls to the ground.  A shadowy figure seeps out of his body and reforms, reeling from the dose of holy water.  I quickly exit the Sanctum, shutting the door behind me, and open an interdimensional portal.  Then, I concentrate to use my spiritual abilities and grab the Khat by the scruff of its neck before hurling it through the portal.*  

Me:  …and stay out!  *I close the portal and check on the apprentice.  He’s alive.  Just unconscious.  I levitate him horizontally and take him into the Sanctum so he can rest on the couch while recovering.*

*Trix closes the window and secures it before portaling downstairs.*

Trix: So it worked?

*I smirk.*

Me:  One down, four to go.

Trix: I kinda used up the holy water here so unless we make or find more, we’re going to have to get creative.

Prettywitch: Oh, well in that case… *She summons a crucifix and fills a giant bowl with water, then she uses the cross to bless it.* There! That should suffice! *She turns and smiles at her friends.*

Me:  Sweet.  So, onward?  I doubt the others will just line up to come in here.

Trix: Unfortunately that would be too easy. Are we splitting up if we each take holy water with us? Or should we stay together?

Me:  Knowing how it goes, we should probably stick together.  If there were still 4 of us, I’d say stay in pairs, but split up.  Alone, though.  Probably not the best idea against four demons.  Especially if THEY don’t split up.

Trix (shrugging): Fair enough. I’ll be support class as per usual so either one of you lead the way.

Prettywitch: I’ll check and see if some of them are nearby. *She pulls her decks out, cleanses, shuffles and pulls three cards; The Devil, Four of Wands & Ten of Wands.* Okay, this spread is saying if we wanna find the next Khat, we just have to learn our mistakes from the past, otherwise we’ll repeat them.

Me:  Hm.  So, which mistakes will we need to approach for this?  *I think for a moment.*

Trix: Thinking it will be relatively easy? Not layering ourselves in protection spells? Because while Wong hasn’t said anything to us yet, I think he glares a bit every time we go somewhere and don’t immediately put on protection spells for a mission or something like that.

Prettywitch: That’s not a bad idea.

Me:  Makes sense.  Also, staying aware of our surroundings.  We’ve been ambushed countless times.  We need to watch each other’s backs to be sure.  

Trix: Mental traps are absolutely going to be used, don’t fall for them. *She shudders, thinking of the room in the depths of Kamar-Taj and Agatha.*

Me:  All right.  Let’s put on some protection spells and begin the hunt.  *I cast a protection spell on myself.*

*Trix casts a physical and mental protection spell…just to be safe. She may be paranoid about it now but after everything, it’s paid off by now.*

*Prettywitch snaps her fingers and casts the same, pink psychic shield around her form from their last mission.*

Trix (sheepishly): So…anyone know how to get around here? I’ve been to New York once and it was in our world and Manhattan.

Me:  Unfortunately not.  I had to switch planes at JFK while on a trip to DC once, but that’s about it.

Prettywitch: Sorry; I’ve been to New York once and that was in 2005. Hell, I’m pretty sure we didn’t go anywhere near the village, to be honest.

Me (facepalming):  Wait, what are we doing?  We have Starkphones!  Lemme just pull up a map.  *I pull out my phone and look up a map of Greenwich Village.*

Trix: Oh shit. I forgot about those… I was going to suggest a magic map or something.

Me (looking at the map):  Let’s do a grid-style search emanating from the Sanctum in a zig-zag between the main and side roads.  It’s a bit of an old-school search approach, but it covers all bases.  Sound logical?

Prettywitch: Hell yeah!

Trix: Yup!

*We head out and begin the search throughout Greenwich Village.  So far, not much luck.  Also, now my legs are starting to hurt.*

Trix (frowning): We aren’t getting too far this way, but I think I have an idea. Wong and Stephen wouldn’t likely be happy with me though.

Me:  What is it?

Trix: Remember our animal forms? Wong was talking about how we likely still have the ability to shift into those particular animals due to the nature of the magic that happened…so I could shift into a raven to scout from above. If we keep up a telepathic link then that would make this easier.

Me:  Hmm…Seeing as Khats can’t fly, that would be a decent way to spot them without being taken out.  Though how long do you think you can keep it up without going feral?

Trix (shrugging): 30 minutes tops? I dunno, this is the first time I’d be consciously trying it but if we have the link up you’d be able to tell. *She turns to PrettyWitch* Cards have anything to say about it or the situation?

Prettywitch: Let me see…*After performing her ritual, she pulls out the Ten of Pentacles.* I’d say yes.

Trix: Okay, I’ll just be careful. I’m not gonna animorphs it by accident…knock on wood. *She concentrates for a minute before suddenly in a burst of feathers, a raven is standing on the ground where Trix once was.* 

Trix (through the psychic link): Is this working?

Me (psychic link):  Yes.  Be careful and head down the second you feel anything “off”, got it?

*Trix bobs her head and with a caw and a bit of initial struggle, she takes flight. After getting high enough, she does a few circles around the nearby streets. It takes a couple minutes before she sees two people dressed in robes being weird in an alley.*

Trix (psychic link): I think I have something. Two blocks southwest of you guys in an alley. *She lands on a fire escape above them, acting in character and trying not to reveal herself as anything but a bird.*

*I nod at Prettywitch and we head towards the alley.  Meanwhile, the two people in the alley don’t seem to notice Trix at first.  Then, one of them makes an odd sniffing noise and looks in her direction.*

*Trix is holding something shiny in her beak, something she picked up along the way. It’s a bit magical, but hopefully it makes them think it’s what caught the Khat’s attention. And it’s soooo shiny and tempting…*

*I see a tiny glint of shiny material and look, noticing Trix.  Then, I listen quietly to hear shuffling in the alley.  My eyesight isn’t great either and never has been, but I do detect movement.  My hearing is very acute.  So, I can clearly hear that someone is there.  I gesture to Prettywitch to scan the area to confirm it’s our target.*

Prettywitch: *She closes her eyes and thinks about Khat. Almost immediately, she zeros in on his presence.* You’re right on target, Trix. *She communicates this telepathically.*

Trix (psychic link): Awesome! Oh hey, did you know there’s a bunch of magic coins on the different roofs around here? Was there an explosion or something? I keep wanting to collect them… *She pauses* Khats first. Focus…

Me (psychic link):  Good work, guys!  Okay, Trix.  You should come back to us and change back.  If we need more recon later, we’ll let you know.

*Trix is a bit hesitant because just the feeling of flying is so nice but after a few moments of hesitation, she lets out a caw and flies back to the group and changes back into her human form. The coin is in her hand and she’s studying it closely.*

Trix: What is this thing from? *She’s absolutely a bit scatterbrained but that seems to be the only lingering effect.*

Me:  We’ll worry about that later.  

*We hear an angry hiss from the alley.  They’ve spotted us.*

*Trix immediately snaps to attention and tucks the coin in her robes but is ready to fight if need be.*

*The possessed apprentices split ways and each charge us from different directions.  One of them appears to be concentrating on something while making direct eye contact with Prettywitch.  The other is in a standoff with me.  I’m watching them carefully.  They seem to be waiting for something.  In the meantime, the first one is mounting a psychic assault, attempting to probe Prettywitch’s mind.*

*Prettywitch senses this and tries to calm her mind, but she’s too late as the creature probes her mind.*

*It proceeds to psychically attack her.  Smoothly transitioning, Prettywitch sees Trix and me turn to her.  I have an exasperated look.*  

“Me”:  Really?  It was THAT easy for them?  Why did you even come along if you were gonna keep screwing up?

“Trix”:  Honestly, dealing with your hangups is such a pain in the ass.

Prettywitch: *She shudders.* No…No, this isn’t real. *She tries convincing herself of this, but while she knows that, intellectually, Khat has broken through her defenses, emotionally she can’t help it. She’s terrified of failing, of things changing, no matter how small or insignificant they may be.*

*Outside of Prettywitch’s mind, I see her beginning to have a panic attack and know what’s happening.  However, now I have to choose between going to protect her and leaving Trix and myself open to attack from the other Khat or letting Prettywitch deal with this psychic assault and going for the offensive against the second demon.  As I look at Trix, I see what appears to be her body already lying on the ground broken.  My heart practically stops as tears begin to well up in my eyes…Until I do notice one thing slightly “off”.  Her spirit isn’t there.  Although I know she could have moved on, I opt to convince myself that this is an illusion and charge the possessed apprentice attacking Prettywitch with an angry roar, praying that Trix will hold her own against the other one.*

*Trix glances at Prettywitch and Steward for a moment before turning to face the other Khat.*

Trix: God, why is everything a mental attack? I do that to myself on a daily basis anyway, I don’t need help. *She summons a blade made out of crystal and darts forward.*

*The second possessed apprentice casts a spell to turn the ground beneath Trix into a veritable treadmill, moving backwards as she charges forward.  Meanwhile, I’ve tackled the first apprentice to the ground, breaking the first Khat’s concentration on its assault on Prettywitch’s mind.*

Prettywitch: *She gasps and, realizing her mind is calm again, sighs in relief.* Thank Christ…

*Meanwhile, the hood of the possessed apprentice I tackled has fallen down, revealing a man.  He snarls and kicks me in the stomach and I reel back from getting the wind knocked out of me.*

Me (breathless):  OOF!

*Meanwhile, Trix slams her sword down into the ‘treadmill’ and launches herself up, surprising even herself. She pulls out her small batch of holy water and attempts to throw it in the apprentice’s face.*

*The possessed apprentice ducks, dodging the water.  Though their hood falls over from the speed of movement, revealing a young woman.  She utters a curse and then casts the Bolts of Bedevilment at Trix in retaliation.*

*Prettywitch gets in front of Trix and places a giant, pink shield up in front, stopping the blast. Then, she proceeds to whip out the cross, again.* 

Prettywitch: By the power of the blood! By the holy name of Jesus! I command the demon known as Khat to stop afflicting these two souls! Go to the foot of the cross to receive your sentence!

*The two apprentices hiss in pain, stunned, but quickly recover.  They sneer at her and soon both of them begin to circle Prettywitch and Trix.*

Possessed Woman:  Fool!  Your belief is incomplete.  How can you hope to save anyone if you have no faith in yourself?  *She laughs mockingly.*  Look!  Your friend has abandoned both of you to our mercy!  *I’ve opened a portal back to the Sanctum and stormed out through it.  The shower of sparks closes behind me.*

Trix (snarling): I believe that you’re a total bitch.

Possessed Man:  Mmmm…Yes.  More negativity.  Please continue to feed us.~  *He has a predatory look.*

*Trix pauses before turning back to PrettyWitch.*

Trix: Hey, they’ve got a point. I mean, why not just insult them for a while until they get bored?

Prettywitch: What!?

Trix (shrugging): I mean, why not? If we keep them busy here then that keeps them from running around.

Possessed Woman:  Wait, wha-

*An inky-blue portal opens in the alley and my astral form emerges from it, flying at the nearest possessed apprentice.  The woman squawks in surprise before grinning.*

Possessed Woman:  Really?  As if you couldn’t be MORE useless, you choose your weaker form!  

*She laughs, only for a second, before my astral form punches her square in the chest, sending the Khat within flying out.  The possessed man is stunned for a second before conjuring twin broadswords and charging full-force at Trix and Prettywitch, meaning to end the fight more quickly.*

Possessed Man (snarling as he charges):  That’s it!  No more playing with our food!  

Prettywitch: Yeah?...Well, your mother sucks cocks in hell!

Trix: His mother is so fat that hell sank down a few extra levels when she got sent there.

*In the meantime, the disembodied Khat has its claws out and proceeds to attempt to slash at my astral form.  I end up retreating through the alley wall because I need a moment to conjure my weapon.  The Khat attempts to follow to deny me the time.*

Prettywitch: *She sees the Khat attacking Steward and points the cross its way.* The power of Christ compels you to be gone, thot!

*The disembodied Khat turns to Prettywitch, annoyed, and goes to swat the crucifix out of her hand.  As this is happening, the possessed man shatters the shield and grabs Trix by the throat and starts to squeeze.  In the seconds that the Khats are distracted, I’ve conjured my weapons and re-emerge.*

Me (growling):  This is your last chance to back down.  Leave this dimension.  Now.  *I hold my rapier and dagger at the ready, a silent promise of potentially deadly harm.  My voice is calm and low.*

*Prettywitch decides to trust Steward and goes to help Trix. She creates a giant scythe that interferes with the demon possessing a body and slashes. It’s enough to get the possessed student off Trix. She quickly places a protective barrier around them and pats Trix’s back while she coughs and sputters as she’s pulled into a panic attack.*

*The second Khat decides that enough is enough and leaves the man’s body so it can gang up on me with its “friend”.  They face me.*

Khat 1:  Bold of you to challenge two demons to a fight.

Khat 2:  Or perhaps you’re simply as stupid as you look.

Me (curled lip):  Heh.  Weak.  Both of you.  Piss off to your world and maybe we’ll forget this little incident.  *I seem to be snarking with my words, but my eyes are cold and my tone as dangerous as before.*

*The first one proceeds to grow to the size of a large panther and leaps with alarming speed towards me.  I barely have time to duck.  Meanwhile, the second one attempts to flank me.  I stick out my dagger and they back off at the last second to avoid being impaled.*

Me (calling out to one of you):  Open a portal to banish them!  *I’m still going to try at least one more time to force them through, attempting to emulate Stephen’s own respect towards sentient life.*

Prettywitch: *Nods. She stands up and holds the cross up, again.* By the power of the blood! By the holy name of Jesus! I command the demon Khat to stop afflicting this world! Go to the foot of the cross to receive your sentence! Now be gone!!!

*At this point, they’re ignoring Prettywitch and focused on me.  I cast the Shield of the Seraphim around myself and open the portal while the Khats proceed to assault the shield in an attempt to get at me.  Once the portal is open, I allow the shield to dissipate.  One of the Khats falls over, but regains its footing quickly.  The other leapt away in time and both continue to rush me.  I end up having to defend myself on both sides.  They’re trying to wear me down.  In a desperate move, I cast the Mystic Mists of Munnopor, obscuring the entire alley.*

Trix (disoriented and croaking): Fuck this. *She flicks a spell into the mist, tagging the Khats with a glowing rune each on their chest so Steward knows where to target.*

*There’s a dull thud and one rune disappears after a few seconds.  Then, a yelp of pain from me before a yowl from the remaining Khat.  Then, that rune disappears as well.  I then cast the Winds of Watoomb to clear the mist.  After that, I close the portal, admittedly looking a bit more disheveled than before.*

Me (in astral form):  Two more down…2 to go.  Let’s portal these two apprentices into the Sanctum with their friend.  *I look exhausted.*  You two okay?

Prettywitch: Yeah…Yeah, I’m okay. Trix?

*Trix tries to speak but can only croak.*

Trix (psychic link): Asshole strangled me so guess who’s going to get a lecture from Stephen and Wong tonight. *She rolls her eyes.* I can still do stuff but I’m pretty exhausted.

Me (concerned):  Great…Let’s try and find the last two quickly.  I’m just gonna stay in astral form since it’s easier to grapple with these guys this way.  Though somehow, having my hair yanked still hurts even in the astral plane.  *I scowl back towards where the Khats were for a second in irritation before softening my expression as I look back at my friends.*  You don’t have to do recon, Trix.  We’ll figure something else out.

Trix (annoyed but in psychic link): I can still help and at this point I’m not letting these assholes win…I also don’t want to go back to Stephen quite yet. It’s bad enough Loki might come lurking around soon. I want to help. *She conjures one of her crystalline butterflies* Hopefully this works. *She releases it.*

*I nod at Trix and we watch the butterfly as it begins to track down the next Khat.  Then, I turn to Prettywitch.*

Me:  Hey, you sure you’re okay?  I saw that the last demon we dealt with gave you a really hard time.

Prettywitch: What? Oh…yeah, that…I don’t know, I think that Khat probing my mind made me doubt myself. It just…it made me feel awful, like I couldn’t do anything.

Me (gently):  Look, we all know what demons do…They bring out the absolute worst in anyone they target.  Their whole deal is that they find any insecurity, fear, or flaw in a person and then they pick at it until that person snaps.  You know the saying that “you are your own toughest critic”?  They basically magnify that and force you to look at it.  It’s like looking in one of those funhouse mirrors where various parts of you are exaggerated and made way bigger or smaller than they really are.  What I’m trying to say is that despite what they were manipulating you into thinking of yourself, they’re wrong.  I mean, look at you…Look at how far you’ve come.  How far we’ve all come.  We were all just some Marvel nerds with no powers just living our boring everyday lives only around a year ago.  Now, the three of us have survived multiple attempted apocalypses, hostage situations, monster attacks, and training sessions from Hell.  You’ve made it this far and can do so much more than before.  So, I don’t know about you, but I think that’s something, right?  *I give Prettywitch a smile.*

Trix (psychic link): And we’re also still marvel nerds. *She grins.*

Prettywitch: *At first she doesn’t know what to say, she’s speechless. But she takes a moment to consider Steward’s words and nods. She wipes the tears from her eyes.* No. No, you’re right. *She smiles.* Thank you.

*I give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.  Despite being in my astral form, I did a bit of telekinetic manipulation to make it feel like I actually patted her.*

Me:  Sure, you have insecurities, but we all do.  That’s why we work together and help each other.  We’re all works in progress with our own sets of issues.  So, if you ever start feeling badly again, just remember that you aren’t alone in this.  Okay?  We’re in this together.

Prettywitch: I know. *She wipes her tears away.* Thank you. Now let’s go kick some Khat ass!

*Trix flails a bit in excitement and enthusiasm before she gets a bit exhausted. In the meantime, her butterfly has returned and is circling so it can lead us to what it found.*

Me:  All right.  Where’s asshole number 4?  *I watch the butterfly.*

Trix (psychic link): I…may need a little help. *She looks over at Prettywitch* Just make sure I don’t fall over please! *She summons two crystal crutches to hobble with. If they had more time, she would have gone back to the sanctum but they are so close to finishing this.*

Prettywitch: Okay…?

*I raise an eyebrow at the butterfly after figuring it out.*

Me:  Well, that’s convenient…Looks like we’re headed back to the Sanctum after all.

Trix (psychic link): Let’s speed this up then. *She opens a portal about a half a block from the Sanctum and wobbles through. She’s running on fumes but refuses to stop and take a break.*

*I watch her quietly, aware of her fatigue.  However, I don’t say anything seeing as we’re almost done and can team up on these demons with numbers at this point.  We pass through the portal and I start scanning for the 4th and 5th Khats.  There’s a figure standing in front of the Sanctum, corrupted red mandalas issuing forth from their hands.  The wards on the Sanctum have begun to glow in warning.*

Prettywitch: *She steps forward.* Khats, you’re trespassing in our mentor’s Sanctum and in his city, and we cannot forgive nor condone those actions. *She forms a cross again and creates a bucket of holy water she splashes onto the figure. Then she holds up the cross as if it were a wand in a magical girl anime.* By the power of the blood! By the holy name of Jesus! I command the demon Khat to stop afflicting this world! Go to the foot of the cross to receive your sentence! Be gone, motherfuckers!!!

*The remaining possessed apprentice lets out an animalistic screech as they collapse, the Khat emerging from within, stunned.  I open a portal and hurl it back to its home dimension before it has a chance to recover.  Now, the question is…Where is the 5th one?  Prettywitch feels a burning sensation enter her person.  There’s a feeling of her mind being squashed down, as though being crushed deeper into her body.  It’s getting hard to breathe and she feels her grip on consciousness begin to slip.*

Me (roaring furiously when I see what’s happening):  KHAT!

Trix (in horror): PRETTYWITCH!

*I fly swiftly over to Prettywitch’s still-standing, twitching body and reach into her since I’m still in my astral form.*

Me (low, growl):  Prettywitch, stay grounded.  Now.

*Prettywitch nods and grounds herself as best she can.*

*After the warning, I yank.  Hard.  The last Khat is forcibly pulled out of her and it grabs onto my arm, digging its claws into me in retaliation.  I cringe and jerk forward, going with the grain of the claws to loosen the Khat’s grip and headbutt it in the snout.  Yowling, the demon is knocked off.  It recovers quickly and lunges for my throat, snarling.  I hold up the dagger that I had conjured earlier and almost jam it into the Khat’s open mouth, but it manages to move slightly away at the last millisecond so I only slice part of its ear off.  The fight is quickly getting more vicious.  It attempts to go after Trix since she’s vulnerable.*

*Trix yelps painfully as she tries to dodge but throws up a hastily constructed spirit shield that she learned from the Mansion’s library. Luckily it holds enough to keep the Khat from getting in.*

Me (hissing):  Oh no, you don’t!  

*I cast the Images of Ikkon and proceed to gang up on the Khat, each image attacking.  The Khat counters, slashing the approaching illusions as they come in a chaotic mob.  While it’s occupied with that, I come through one of the images at full speed and kick the final Khat as hard as I can in the center of its torso, forcing it through the portal.  I close it quickly and slowly drift down to the ground, exhausted and with the arm of my astral form leaking a sort of ichor.*

Prettywitch: *She gets on her knees and puts a hand on Steward’s back.* Hey. Are you okay?

*It passes through since I’m still in astral form.  Despite my huffing and puffing, I look at her and give a thumbs-up.  After a minute, I take several slow, deep breaths.  Though it’s probably a force of habit seeing as I don’t exactly have lungs in this form.  Still, I slowly calm down.*

Me (flatly):  I’m sorry you both had to see that…I lost my temper.

Prettywitch: Please! You should see my mom when she’s angry…But it was definitely a bit alarming seeing you so angry.

Trix (psychic link): Honestly, it was worth it so no worries from me. *She’s wheezing heavily and drops the shield.*

Me (quietly):  …You’re my friends.  Nobody hurts my loved ones and gets away with it.

*Prettywitch gives her a big smile before trapping her in a big bear hug.*

*She passes through me.  I’m amused.*

Me:  I’ll get back in my body.  Then, hug time…Though admittedly, I don’t know how THIS is getting fixed.  *I hold up my slashed arm.  Now that the rush of the fight is wearing off, I’m starting to feel the pain.  Though it’s definitely different from physical pain since I’m still in astral form.  There’s clearly damage present, but it’s…abstract?*

*Stephen has sensed that the Khats have been sent away and opens the Sanctum door to let us in.  He notices all of us in varying states of exhaustion and injury.  So, he quickly ushers us in and levitates the final apprentice inside so they can recover.  The others are still unconscious, but will be okay.  Now, Stephen is back in “doctor mode” and begins to fuss over us.*

Clea: *She enters the room.* How is everything?

Prettywitch: Fine. You should see him, though. *She’s gesturing at Stephen.* He hasn’t stopped, he’s running around like a mama hen.

Clea: *Giggles.* That’s so cute!

Prettywitch: I know! *Giggles.*

*Stephen has Trix resting on a bed and is checking her injuries.  Meanwhile, I’m floating in my astral form over my body.  He hasn’t allowed me back in yet because he needs to fix my spirit’s arm first.*

Stephen (fussing at us):  You nearly ran yourselves completely ragged doing all of this in one go.  You could have taken a break.  The wards would have held.  A spell from an apprentice or two is not sufficient to break through, which is why I did not rush you in the mission.  Honestly, you three are devoted, which is admirable, but you’ve got a self-destructive streak a mile wide…Please, don’t move.  Let me see.  *He’s working hard to heal Trix properly.*

Prettywitch: Oh you’re one to talk, Mr. - *She sees Clea shaking her head, telling her not to say anything. She opts for something nicer to say.* I mean, you’re right, Stephen. We should’ve considered that. *She looks back at Clea who gives her a reassuring smile and nod.* 

Trix (finally able to speak softly): Sorry, we’re a bit gung-ho about things. It didn’t really occur to us it wasn’t an emergency mission because everything we’ve been going after has been a ‘big deal’. *She’s a bit sheepish.*

*Stephen nods at Prettywitch in distracted acknowledgement and does a final check on Trix before moving onto me, looking over my astral form’s injuries.  He sighs in relief.*

Stephen:  This isn’t as bad as it looks.  Astral forms can be weakened or destroyed, but not physically damaged.  This is merely an energy wound.  You’ll have to rest more and no projecting until your spirit recovers, but otherwise, you’ll be okay.  Go ahead into your body, Steward.  I just had to check and make sure that the Khat didn’t somehow taint or corrupt this wound before letting you rest.

*I nod and sink back into my body, letting out an involuntary shudder as it regains consciousness.*

Me:  Thanks, Stephen.

Prettywitch: *Staring admirably.* He really is a sweetie.

Clea: Sweetie?

Prettywitch: Oh! I’ll explain later.

*He goes to check on Prettywitch to be absolutely sure that she’s okay.*

Stephen:  How are you feeling, Prettywitch?  Your eyes are a bit red.  

Prettywitch: Oh, I’m alright. I nearly got possessed and had my mind probed, but other than that I’m alright. I think I’m just still shook up, that’s all.

*He looks her over carefully before taking a step back.*

Stephen (cautious):  Okay, but I’m keeping you three here overnight for observation.  Just to be sure.

Trix: Of course. *She smiles.* 

Prettywitch: You got it!

Me:  Will do.  Thanks again for taking care of us.

*He relaxes slightly at our words.*

Stephen:  You’re always welcome, girls.  *He gives us a warm smile.*

*Thankfully, our night in the New York Sanctum passes uneventfully.  We head back to Kamar-Taj in the morning when Stephen is satisfied that we’re all okay.  Over the next few days, we finish up with sorting the books from the Haunted Mansion.  One night, I end up having a particularly bad nightmare, flashing back to my past.  I relive some very painful memories, losing some loved ones and roaming the state while homeless and hungry.  At around 2 am, I wake up to tears running down my face and a deep sense of dread.  Now, I’m worried about my friends.  After all of the danger we’ve gotten used to facing, are they really unharmed?  Are they sleeping safely and peacefully?  What if they aren’t?  What if one of them is hurt or sick?  The anxious thoughts keep coming and I get up quietly.  Since it has been a few days, I’ve recovered enough to project again.  So, I silently sit down on the floor of my room and astral-project myself, phasing through the walls to check on Trix and Prettywitch.  When I see that they’re safe and asleep, I calm down slightly.  A thought passes, worrying about Stephen, but seeing as he’s with Clea, I don’t exactly want to float in on them in case they’re having an intimate moment.  So, I go back into my body.  There’s still enough lingering anxiety and stress from the dream that I’m wide awake.  After a few minutes of attempting to meditate and calm myself, I grow agitated and exit my room, silently changing into my robes.  I cast the night-vision spell so I can move about without bothering anyone.  Then, while wandering the temple, I see the charity packages that the Order has set to deliver later in the morning.  Remembering how it felt to be poor, I’m moved and decide to deliver them early.  I leave a note to indicate that they’ve been put in their proper places and go off to deliver them.  On my way back, I see an older man lying on the street.  It’s a cold night.  So, I gently nudge him awake and offer him a hot meal from a local cafe.  I pay for his food and while he’s eating, I subtly summon a spare blanket from my old house.  When he’s finished eating, I give it to him and bid him a good night, hoping that he’ll be able to stay warm for a while.  Still having a bit of energy left, I stop by a convenience store and buy some cans of vegetables, packages of soup, bags of rice, and some candy bars.  While I wander, I drop off a few small care packages of my own from the supplies on some doorsteps of various shacks so the families within can eat and have a little bit of comfort for the week.  My heart is still heavy, knowing how difficult these situations can be.  It’s tough just trying to survive and privately I wish I could do more.  Helping people onto their feet is a difficult endeavor because the simple act of surviving takes a lot of energy.  So, they often don’t have enough energy left of themselves to add their own advancement to the mix.  Not to mention the societal difficulties of attempting to get a job and move forward.  When you’re poor, you’re often invisible or outright dehumanized.  Not only that, but there are so many people out there struggling that it would break anyone trying to help all of them alone.  That and many people who ARE comfortable at the moment are living within 2 paychecks away from becoming destitute.  So, they’re racing to keep themselves afloat too.  I’m well-aware of all of this and have to put my thoughts at peace, knowing that I’m doing the best I can given my own position.  So, I head back to Kamar-Taj.  After a minute of thought and one last astral check on my friends, I decide to rest outside in the hall, between their doors so I can at least hear if something is wrong.  I simply couldn’t rest properly with the thoughts going through my head tonight.  However, sleep does eventually come.  I’m still slumped against the wall between Trix and Prettywitch’s doors in the morning.*

*Prettywitch opens the door and lets out a big yawn when she notices something slumped against the door.*

Prettywitch: Steward?

*I stir and look blearily at Prettywitch.*

Me (tired):  Hey…

Prettywitch: Have you been here all night?

Me:  …Not all night.  I ran a few errands.  That’s all.

Prettywitch: *She pouts.* Okay, let’s get you up. *She yanks Steward up by the arm.* You’re gonna lie down and get some more shut-eye, is that understood?

*I grunt a bit in pain, my joints having stiffened rather badly from roaming around in the cold and sleeping on the floor.*

Me (tired, but knowing how bad my insomnia can get):  No, no.  I’m awake at this point.  If I sleep during the day, I won’t sleep at night.  Better for me to just force my way through the day and pass out tonight.

Prettywitch: *Sighs* Okay then, let’s get you some coffee. *She practically drags Steward down the grand staircase of the temple to the kitchen.*

*I give a grunt of thanks when I receive the coffee and practically hang over the cup, as though wanting to envelop and absorb it in its entirety.*

*Trix yawns as she wanders into the kitchen, already in her robes.*

Trix: Morning! *She takes a closer look at Steward.* Hey, what’s wrong?

Me (tiredly):  Just a rough night.  Nothing to worry about.

*Trix looks concerned but decides not to say anything if PrettyWitch has likely already asked about it.*

Prettywitch: Yeah, she says that now. What she needs is some caffeine. *She offers Steward something.* Biscotti?

Me (grateful):  Thank you.  *I accept a couple of pieces and sigh*  It was just another one of those nights.  You know the kind where I get all nervous and have to check on everyone to calm down.  *I shrug resignedly.*

Trix: Yeah, it makes sense. I’m sorry you’re having those dreams.

Prettywitch: No, I understand. Those can be rough.

*Clea enters the kitchen, yawning.*

Clea: Good morning, girls. *She notices something’s off.* Why the long faces?

Me:  It’s nothing.  Just got a bit jumpy last night and wanted to check on everyone.  Didn’t come knocking on you and Stephen’s door because I wanted to respect you guys’ privacy, but I checked on everyone else as best I could.  *I’m sheepish.*  After that, I couldn’t sleep and ran some errands instead.

Clea: *Sits down.* Well you should have. Why spend the night moping when, instead, you could have talked with someone?

Prettywitch: Yeah, but you two go at it like…*She stops herself.* I mean, she’s right, you deserve to have privacy.

Clea: Privacy, shmivacy! What’s important is that you feel safe and secure, believe me. And I’m sure Stephen would say the same if he were here, right now.

Prettywitch: *She thinks this over for a second or two.* Knowing Mother Hen? Yeah.

Me:  It’s not really my safety that I worry about usually.  I get worried about everyone else.  Like, if I let my guard down too much or for too long, something bad might happen and I’ll lose you guys too.  Sometimes, in my dreams, I do…*I look grim.*

*Trix scoots closer to Steward, trying to provide a bit more comfort that she’s nearby and okay.*

*I silently show appreciation for the gesture.*

Clea: I know what that feels like. Some nights, I see my visions of all my loved ones dying. Then I wake up and that nightmare persists in my head. But then I look at Stephen’s face lying next to me and I realize all I can do is endure. Because he’s here with me, him and all our friends. That’s what really matters.

Me:  That’s why I check on everyone.  Reassurance.  

Clea: *She smiles at Steward.* I know. You’ll be fine, Steward. Trust me. We sorcerers aren’t so easy to kill, you know? *She checks to make sure Steward didn't take offense at her attempt at lightening the mood.*

*I curl my lip slightly and let out a half-hearted chuckle.*

Me:  That aside, what’s on today’s agenda?

Clea: Oh right! Stephen and I were discussing that before I came here.

Prettywitch: You guys run outta cream or something?

Clea: I prefer the blend Hamir makes here.

Prettywitch: *She smirks.* Fair enough.

*Stephen walks in and looks at us.*

Stephen:  I see that this has been an…interesting breakfast.  Dare I ask?

Trix (shrugging): Girl breakfast.

Clea: Sorry, Stephen. I got distracted.

Stephen:  That’s quite all right, Clea.  I was thinking about sending each of you girls on solo missions starting today.  Judging by Steward’s appearance, I think it’ll be safer to send either Trix or Prettywitch out today.  The other two will stay behind, but can be back-up if needed.  Beyond that, they can continue to study and do some maintenance.  It’s time they got used to performing routine maintenance on magical grounds, relics, and architecture.  

Prettywitch: I can do it! I could use some fresh air.

Stephen:  Very well.  Your first mission will be recon in your home universe.  New York City so that we can all get our bearings.  *He’s also lowkey curious about how our version of New York looks like.*  Scan for any irregular magical signatures and if there’s anything suspicious, report it and we’ll move forward from there.  Understood?

Prettywitch: You got it!

Clea: Would you mind if I accompany her, Stephen? I’m curious to see the New York of this world, myself.

*Stephen thinks for a moment.*

Stephen:  Okay, but I must ask that you do not intervene unless absolutely necessary.  The girls need to start to be able to handle themselves on missions.  *He seems slightly detached with us lately.*

Clea: Of course not, my love. I have faith in them just as you do.

*He nods, being professional.*

Stephen:  Good.  Off you two go, then.  Be safe, please.

Prettywitch: We will. *She pecks him on the cheek.* See ya later, Stephen!

Clea: *She pouts and walks over to Stephen.* Goodbye for now, beloved. *She gives him a peck on the lips.*

*Stephen is doing his best to keep a straight face with Prettywitch, but subtly leans into Clea’s kiss.*

Clea: You wanna go out for dinner later?

Stephen:  That would be nice.  *He’s stiff, as though trying to repress something.*

Clea: *Giggles.* You know you can be affectionate with me. But I do like watching you strut about like you own the place. *She gives him a flirty smile.* 

*He smiles back at Clea gently.*

Trix (still sleepy): I should probably go check in with Wong. He’s had a weird look in his eyes since I brought back the ghost library and I think he isn’t sleeping either but will never admit he’s addicted.

Stephen (concerned):  Yes, please check on Wong and make him go to bed if that is the case.  *He looks at me.*  …and you should go rest, but knowing how stubborn you are, you may clean the main relic room until you are tired enough to sleep.  Then, go to bed.  Doctor’s orders this time.  *He’s firm.*

Trix (grinning): On the Sorcerer Supreme’s orders then…. *She gives a small salute and begins to leave. Before she does so, she places a hand on Steward’s shoulder in comfort before leaving.*

*I gently pat her hand on my shoulder in response to indicate a silent “thank you”.*

Me (meekly):  Yes, Sir.

*We head to our respective areas.  Stephen sends Prettywitch and Clea on their way to our home universe, now called Earth-333.  Something occurs to me and I remember our promise to Broken Stephen earlier.*

Me (psychic communication to Broken Stephen):  We’re officially starting to perform missions in our home universe.  Not there to stay quite yet, but getting our bearings.  Just wanted to fulfill our promise to let you know.

Broken Stephen (psychic communication to Steward): Really!? That’s great! I’m so proud of you guys! Thank you.

Me (psychic communication):  You’re welcome.  How are things on your end?  *I’m checking on him to make sure that he’s adjusting well.*

Broken Stephen (psychic communication): I’m…doing okay. *He smiles.* It’s taken some time but I’ve talked to my friends and they’ve been pretty understanding. Tony’s still pissed, but I’m sure he’ll come around eventually.

Me (psychic connection):  All right.  Well, at least things seem to be transitioning relatively smoothly.  I’m happy for you.  Okay, now I have to go do some maintenance on the main relic room at Kamar-Taj.  So, will talk later.  Be safe, please!

Broken Stephen (psychic connection): I will. Talk to you later.

*Meanwhile, Prettywitch and Clea arrive in Earth-333’s New York City.  Home universe, sweet home universe for us.  With the introduction of magic to our world, only a Seer could tell what may pop up.*

***To be continued***