#there will be an event where a drag queen is gonna be reading a book to children

[scorpion-flower]

Drag queens: *Reading books to children*

Religious fanatics: Ew gross, how dare you, you deserve no rights, we'll find you and we'll kill you, won't somebody think of the children?

Priests: *Indoctrinating children, bullying them with threats of hell and sexually abusing them*

Religious fanatics: Aww, this is lovely.

[vilhelios]

— A LOVER'S OATH.

(no matter how much time passes, zayne's voice remains unchanging with you — low, pleasing to the ear, and always heartbreakingly gentle.) ; to kick off the follower event ! for c, 🐈‍⬛️🎬, my beloved cat lady, who has always fed my delusions : ZAYNE + 💌 13. "they have never raised their voice around you, always talks softly.”

cw: small text + all lowercase + not beta read ; fluff fluff fluff ; slight angst at the very end ; may be slightly ooc (it's my first time writing for zayne) ; caleb makes a very brief appearance ; slight foreseer!zayne spoilers

I.

you and ZAYNE are ten.

he's been your best friend for as long as you can remember, always at your side. he gives you candies whenever you feel lightheaded, and fishes out a bandaid from his bag whenever you fall and scrape off the skin of your knee on concrete, and walks you home in the evenings whenever caleb had after-school basketball club. when grandma gives you pocket money to buy new crayons, or a new drawing book, she leaves just enough extra to buy those candies he loves so much from the roadside stall; and when zayne's mother gives him money intended for school materials, he can't help but spend it on the popsicles you said you liked.

zayne is your dearest best friend, just as you are his. he's never said it, but you know; you know it because he sits on the table nearest to yours, and doesn't care when your other classmates tease him for holding your hand during recess, and follows in your little footsteps as you drag him through the school's playground.

("i'm gonna be a hunter when i'm older!" you grin, limbs tangled in the bars of the climbing dome-tower. your hands smell slightly of metal, there's paint peeling off the bars and sticking to your skin, and you are young and fearless.

zayne stares up at you, from where he sits in the eye of the tower, eyes peeling away from the book he's reading: the snow queen. "why?" he asks, voice as soft as always. you're upside down on the top of the dome when you look back to answer him, and a young zayne doesn't know if his heart is beating so fast because he's scared you'll fall, or because of something else.

"because," the sound of your hand against the metal bar as you swing around reverberates in the cage, in your chest, and in zayne's mind. you hoist yourself out of the grid spaces, sitting on the bars now, "i want to take care of everyone!")

zayne is your sweetest friend. he knows when you're tired and hungry, even when you insist you're aren't, and proceeds to hand you a little sweet. he knows when the sun gets far too bright and the day far too hot, and places his little hands over your forehead to cool you down, evol swirling at his fingertips. he muffles the sound of the school bell with his palms over your ears, just as he does when your classmates get too rowdy, or when caleb yells for you from across the room.

("don't be so loud." he says, voice even and face as calm as ever, and you watch him gently whack caleb on the shoulder. "it's not nice." zayne does not say that it's because your ears are more sensitive than most.)

(the years pass, and not much changes between the two of you from the days of your childhood, besides the cavity fillings and growth spurts and skills with your evols. zayne still offers you those little candies, still dreams odd dreams, and still talks in the softest voice he can muster when he speaks to you. but eventually, zayne moves away, and your family in bloomshore district becomes you, caleb, and grandma once again.)

…

II.

ZAYNE is a sweet, gentle lover.

as sweet as the macarons and cakes and pastries he lets you buy, and the extra ones he buys to leave on your wanting plate. as gentle as the way he says your name, or the way he calls you darling, or my love, or the less common my snowflake when he spots you plodding over to the kitchen in the early morning. he’s already dressed as smart as always, with hands stained with the juice of the fruit he skillfully cuts. unbreaking strands of crimson apple skin twine around his fingers—neat, perfect, and then finally cut away by a decisive flick of the knife.

“good morning, my love.” zayne looks up from the peeled apple. his voice is a soft, low hum in your ears—it always is, always has been for as long as you could remember. “eat up. you need your energy for today.”

( not like today is anything different, or anything special… but he just wants you hale and healthy everyday. )

lucky mornings go like this, when zayne does not have to rush to akso: he gently slides the plate of breakfast he’d prepared over in front of you (always with a bowl of cut up fruit). then, he takes his own plate, and sits beside you at the kitchen island, shoulders brushing against each other’s as he settles on the barstool. the early morning sunlight bathes his apartment in rose-gold hues, slowly warming you from the chill of the night.

“did you sleep well?” zayne asks—as he always does, monitoring your health in these small ways too—and his voice mixes with the faraway sound of linkon city rousing from slumber. telltale sounds of traffic buzzes in the streets of the concrete and beton jungle below. birdsong flits through the air, church sparrows flying past the window. conversation too, bounces from topic to topic—today’s duties, an invitation for lunch at a cafe near akso, predicted times that you two will return home.

it’s a string of little murmurs, on these mornings with zayne. and this thread of domesticity ends at the doorway, with a final soft, “i love you. take care of yourself today,” as he presses a lingering kiss to your lips and another peck to your forehead. then, the click of the door closing as he pulls away.

( it’s the hardest part of his day. the easiest is the return — an always a too-warm embrace that seeps into his very bones, a peppering of kisses to your cheeks, and a sweet “i missed you, my snowflake. how was your day?” )

…

III.

who are you?

the FORESEER does not feel. he cannot afford to. he is not allowed to. the foreseer is as cold as the ice that he is both ruler and slave to, unrelenting, unforgiving. merciless. a tool for astra—a cruel god, crafting an even crueler tool. a hand meant to be made, tormented, and dealt.

and yet, when he sees you, a poor thief masquerading as an envoy... well, he cannot, for whatever reason, find it in himself to be a weapon. not when he sees visions of lives he has and hasn’t lived flicker into view like distorted deja vu, all centering around this false messenger he has ensnared in ice.

“you forget yourself, testing the limits of my benevolence.”

and even though the words are harsh (oh, and a small part of his inner self recoils at his words), the foreseer's voice is a gentle murmur. soft yet stern, a hint of confounding warmth in his cold tone; second nature.

( “don’t cry.” zayne says, at the end of it all. the jasmine flowers bloom, a gentle, silent symphony. )

cross posted on ao3 -- read it here!

creative notes: the iron dome in the playground represents the tower of thorns (?) in foreseer myth! zayne sits at the bottom (foreseer is always trapped) and reads h. c. anderson's "the snow queen" (which i think is quite fitting for astra-foreseer-mc), while mc/you is actively trying to escape the tower/defy fate.

a/n: went on hiatus for a bit due to uni work, but am back! will be working on the requests i got 🫶💕 i hope everyone enjoyed the new update for l&ds!!! i personally love sylus already, so he might make an appearance on my page eventually.... anyway, thank you as always for reading my stuff!!! i've never been this invested in an otome's lore until l&ds, so i'm just!!! i want to write more for them!!!

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Bookshop au, maybe a VIP membership is introduced where you can sign up and you're the first to know about book related events, schedules for this months activities, like readings/ drag queen reading to children, books that are going on discount, poetry slams, new releases, things that are about to be discontinued, and Kakashi is the first to sign up!

He gets especially excited for the drag queen readings when he realised Gai signed up as a volunteer to get the thing rolling.

Kakashi would love knowing about events and sales, with a special interest in anything LGBTQ+ related.

Man is waiting for so many books to come out and sure the day he comes in isn’t gonna change, but if he knows a book is coming out on a friday he has all weekend to look forward to getting it on monday (and if by this point he has Gai’s phone number he can tell him this is the one he wants when he comes in)

Plus it lets him know when Gai might need a lil extra company at the shop. Poor man has so much to set up, surely he needs someone to talk to (Kakashi won’t do much talking, but he loves listening to Gai chat his ear off).

[raymondebidochonlifechoices]

@middleagedresidentofriverdale asketh, @middleagedresidentofriverdale receiveth!

6x1: In which Archie Andrews is the heart of the town. Literally.

To summarise:

This is a 5-episode only event, so the writers don’t have time to drag things out with their new time-jump: Jughead steps in with a helpful little summary to establish Tangs, Veggie, Jabitha and Barchie as loving couples. Exposition, thy name is Riverdale.

Not one to be left out, Alice has invited uncle Frank over to fix her plumbing. To her consternation, he interprets her invitation quite literally. She always falls for the strong silent type, she says. Which is apparently how we’re describing Hal now.

It seems that the Andrews’ house was bigger than the Pembrooke after all: the only space Veronica and Reggie have for their twin treadmills is the living room. Rivervale is indeed a place of nightmares.

The only person seemingly unaffected by this version of the town is Kevin, whose love of woods and cults surpasses time and space.

A dead deer is found in the forest. Cheryl’s archer maidens prevent FBI agent Betty Cooper from further investigating. I’m having Swamp Lord Hiram flashbacks.

Fangs and Toni go to Dr Curdle Jr for advice for their colicky baby. Having only dealt with corpses before, Dr Curdle suggests the use of earplugs.

The contents of Jughead’s library have transformed into comic books, which -together with Sports Illustrated- are the only type of reading material Archie understands. This is highly suspicious.

It’s all about pest control for one Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, who has graduated from s5 rats to s6 spiders.

Someone calls Veronica the She-Wolf of Wall Street. I feel as if I should have taken a shot of alcohol upon hearing this.

Veggie do it on a bed covered with Reggie’s bonus – and, no, I don’t mean Veronica.

There’s a council meeting. All 3 of the town’s adult-adults (Alice, Frank and Tom) are present. Archie tries to steal Cheryl’s maple thunder one maple tree sapling at a time. At this rate, in 30 years, he’s gonna be maple king. Cheryl decides to be proactive and speed things up.

In Thornhill the situation is dire: the maple groves have withered away and the Blossoms don’t have enough money to even pay the electric bill. They return to the old ways and use candle light but it’s not enough, so they decide upon human sacrifice to boost things up.

Cheryl Blossom, benevolent Keeper of the Maple Flame, bestows ancient formulas to everyone in need. Unlike Archie’s plan, her help offers immediate relief, which is why the whole town decides to follow her suggestion to sacrifice Archie.

Cheryl invites everyone to her Maple Festival. Archie-Let’s-Save-The-Town-By-Throwing-A-Pussycats-Concert-Andrews can’t believe the town falls for her scheme.

To no one’s surprise, Betty, who once threw a knife into her brother-in-law’s heart, wins the axe throwing competition and becomes Maple Harvest Queen.

Archie learns that he can’t have his sin pie and eat it too. Well, he can eat it but maybe he shouldn’t have.

Flighty ex-barchie fan Kevin lures Archie into the woods, where the townsfolk await him in their identical cult clothes. Except Toni. She’s special, so she’s wearing a different dress.

Betty wants nothing more than to have Archie’s baby. Correction: Betty wants nothing else than to have Archie’s baby. Now that she has it, he can die for all she cares. It’s barchie endgame everybody!

Archie turns to his pal Jug for help but in vain. I bet he regrets beating him in that pancake-eating competition during the Festival but it’s too late now: Cheryl takes his heart out.

For the first time ever, Archie Andrews does save the town.

With all the comings and goings at the forest, Toffee abandons the bunker. She couch-surfs at Dr Curdle Jr’s and takes up a bartending gig at The Wyrm to help with money.

Suspiciously entertaining! I’m afraid it can only go downhill from here!

[emkay512]

Once Upon A Time

Chapter 1

Summary: This starts at the beginning of TRR book 2 with the Fydelia ball but with a different series of events. This AU is based off the show Once Upon a Time with Riley and Liam mirroring Snow and Charming. Characters belong to Pixelberry.

A/N: This is my FIRST EVER post and it’s literal trash 😅 I’ve never written before I found you all, and I’ve never had so much fun reading all the stories I found. If you read this please know I’m a complete rookie and I have no idea what I’m doing haha. I welcome and encourage any thoughts and feedback!

A/N 2: my biggest thank you’s to @queenrileyrose and @bbrandy2002 for pre-reading and giving me endless boosts of confidence!!! This first ever, cherry popping post, is in honor of you ❤️

Warnings: This will contain NSFW adult language and content. By reading, you acknowledge you are 18 and over.

I’m tagging those I’ve connected with and thought would be interested. Please let me know if you do or don’t want to be tagged!

@burnsoslow @ao719 @kat-tia801 @callmeellabella @charlotteg234 @neotericthemis

The welcome ball had been exhausting. Riley finally saw them, all of them, the good and the bad. Mostly bad with Liam being the exception.. except the fact that with him came his stupid fiancée. She was forced to deal with the Penelope’s and Kiara’s of the court, and got none of the Olivia’s and Drake’s of the world, with Olivia blackmailed and Drake most likely avoiding the court. Majority of the conversations she had to deal with throughout the night consisted of her rebutting all the allegations against her, most people believing that she had jilted their king. At least she had Maxwell and Bertrand, her home away from home. With the maybe two seconds she had Liam to herself and the amount of work and effort she had to put into her first public appearance, she was completely drained and changed from a gown and into more comfortable leggings and tank after she got back to her room of the Fydelia estate. Just as she was decompressing from the stress of her night, there was a knock on the door. She opened the door to see a particular grin on the face of one Maxwell Beaumont carrying a vase of two dozen roses.

“Greetings, little blossom! One of the staff members stopped me on the way of delivering these, asking what room you were in and I insisted on catching you myself.” Maxwell invited himself into her room after handing her the arrangement. Riley pressed the roses to her nose, inhaling the beautiful scent, and she noticed a note wrapped around one of the stems. She unwrapped the note and turned to Maxwell, who had already cozied himself up on her bed, clearly excited to hear what was on the note. “I noticed the paper in the arrangement too, it’s clearly from Liam isn’t it? You did so great tonight and he had the biggest puppy dog eyes on you, I knew his Prince Charming ass would pull off something like this.. well, go on! Read it!”

Riley quickly unwrapped and read Liam’s note, she had no idea the girlish grin she had plastered on and Maxwell was beaming. He had hated these past few weeks so much, he had been watching one of his closest friends, his makeshift sister, live in desperate torment, questioning her worth after hearing nothing from those she cared most about. She put the roses down and placed the note down next to them and looked up at Maxwell, “He wants me to meet him on his balcony in 20 minutes..”

“That is charmingly romantic, but did he slip in his royal socks and tumble down Madeleine’s overly buffed stairs?? He’s clear across the estate, it’s way too dangerous for you to get out of here alone.”

Riley sighed and collapsed onto the bed with Maxwell, “I don’t know Max, his note is sweet and remorseful, but.. maybe this isn’t about getting back together.. maybe I should just focus on helping house Beaumont and getting home..”

Maxwell stretched across to Riley and smacked her across her head, “Come on, Riles! You have been unable to go a single day without asking about him.. at least twice a day! You NEED to go meet him, otherwise I think both of your little fairy tale hearts will die.”

Riley smirked and rolled her eyes, “You’re so dramatic! And please tell me what fairy tale involved a half nude photo scandal and public humiliation leading to a bullshit engagement between a king and the only ice queen that would rival both Olivia and Elsa while singing let it go? Plus, didn’t you just mention that it’d be too dangerous for me to get to him?”

“Hellooooooo?? Ok first of all, literally all fairy tales are structured that way, couple meets and falls in love, and a public enemy curses them with a dramatic, heartbreaking lie, and then they defile all enemies and live happily ever after.. you’re just living the 21st century version of that! Nudes are basically the most vanilla scandal these days anyway. And secondly, have you JUST met mr covert ops extraordinaire, Maxwell Beaumont!? I said it’d be too dangerous for you to go out alone. Let’s just simply walk out together, and if we get any questions, we can just say we’re meeting my brother for.. you know.. this and that diplomacy reason.. whatever, I’ll wing it. Plus, look at you, you’re already dressed for stealth. I just need to get you outside, and then you can scamper over to Liam’s side of the building. Whaddya say, blossom?”

Riley was exhilarated. Maxwell always knew how to say the right things. She locked eyes with him, pointed straight to his chest and said, “You son of a bitch, I’m in.” They shared a mischievous smile and giggled their way out of her room, totally giddy without even shutting the door all the way. They were completely unaware of the royal guard that had been manning her room and slipped inside.

Thanks to Maxwell, Riley had successfully snuck out of the estate and crept to below the balcony of Liam’s room. She had to think fast as to how the hell she’d get up there, and then she spotted the flower vine growing on a trellis against the building, and she let out a small victorious, “Yes!”

But as soon as she took a step in that direction, a hand grabbed her shoulder and jerked her around so she was facing one of the royal guards. “I don’t think so, lady Riley,” he put a heavy sarcastic emphasis on the term lady, as he was clearly disgusted by her newfound tarnished reputation. “You’re coming with us.”

“Us?” And then from behind her, another guard bagged her head and she felt the grip of two men on each of her arms as they forced her to their destination, practically dragging her as they went. Riley’s heart was thundering in her chest. Where were they taking her? Back to the airport? A jail cell? A dungeon? A firing squad? She wasn’t at all expecting what she got. She was sat on a decently comfortable chair. The guards removed the bag and revealed to see she was in a study. A large one. And there before her on the opposite end of a mighty desk, was the king father, Constantine.

Constantine nodded a dismal to both the guards, and they took their leave. “Well, well. If it isn’t the disgraced American.” Riley was utterly confused and could feel the former kings command in the mood of the room. He did not like her, and she could feel his dislike radiating off of him. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you, you foolish girl?”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“You had your exit, your out. You were scandled. Ostracized! I even had you as far as at the airport gates. But no, you came back. You came back and left me back at square one on how to get rid of you!”

Realization dawned to her, “It was YOU!” Riley leapt to her feet. She felt no fear, only anger coursing through her. “YOU staged those photos, YOU unleashed Tariq on me.. and you timed the release of those photos, at the most prime time allowing maximum humiliation and zero time in between Liam’s announcement. You’re despicable, I bet you’re even disappointed that Tariq’s attack on me didn’t end.. didn’t end up the way he planned.” She had deliberately slowed her speech as each new revelation came to play in her head, she had lowered her voice with disdain and disgust.

Constantine let out a scoff-laugh at what he considered to be a poor attempt of exerting dominance. “You’re right, and quite honestly I don’t care what that pompous buffoon would have done to you, but I must say, those pictures certainly did deliver.” Constantine was teasing and patronizing her, “And now you’re here, still trying to get to my son.”

Riley crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at him, “I don’t know what you’re tal-“

“Enough. I know everything.” He waved in front of her the very note that Liam had written inviting her to his balcony that he got from one of the guards. “You poisoned his heart, and now his marriage. And with that, the entire kingdom is poisoned, all because your feelings.” He spit the last word out as if he found it vile.

“I wish feelings could be helped, but they can’t.”

“Of course they can. Love is a disease, and like all diseases, it can be vanquished in one of two ways. A cure, or death.” Constantine stood and leaned both of his palms flat on the surface of the desk. “Do you know where your beloved is right now? He’s right down that hallway, he should be packing for his new life, prepared to take on his engagement tour to unify two Cordonian houses and assume the responsibilities and sacrifices it takes to be king. But no.. He’s pining for you. Awaiting your arrival.”

“And I suppose you intend to keep him that way? Waiting for me, only to be rejected, never knowing I came for him?” Riley’s voice was desperate, but still cunning in reality. She needed him to know her questionnaire was not doubtful, but challenging. That she hated his deliberate intentions.

“No. In fact, you’re gonna walk down that hallway. You’re gonna sneak in and tell him you got his note,” Constantine slid the note across the table, no longer wanting it in his possession, and Riley picked it up. “You’re gonna tell him why you answered his call.. Because you don’t love him. It’ll break his heart.. And that will cure him.”

Wide eyed, Riley could only assume the consequence if she didn’t do as he said, “Or you’ll kill me.” She stated with no question in her mind.

“Oh no. I’ll kill him. Killing you would only make him love you more. And the marriage and kingdom would ultimately crumble.”

“And what about your precious Madeleine? I know how this works this is all about mergers and business transactions. How else would you get Godfrey and his house to join with yours?”

“Please, if Liam were to die at an assassin’s hand, he would die a martyr. Godfrey would forgive, even laud, the death. And the merger would be complete.”

“You would do that to your own son?”

“I’m doing it FOR my son.” Love was once Constantine's weakness and it led to Eleanor’s death. It scarred him and he became brainwashed. Convinced love was the enemy. And now, the product of his foolish love, was Liam, who he groomed to be the perfect king. Constantine applauded himself all these years. It was clear as day that even Leo knew the job belonged to Liam, so Constantine did everything to assuage any of Liam’s hesitation into taking on his duty. He always planned on Liam being the logical one, ready to take on the duty and a loveless union. Then that damn New York trip happened. And that damn Riley came in the picture. Immediately Constantine couldn’t tell if he actually hated Riley, or if he hated the idea that Riley was basically the new version of Eleanor that he’d never have.

[chanelsebbie]

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗠𝗲? | 𝗽.𝗽.

➵warnings: Substance use, language, Endgame spoilers, angst. 

➵masterlist

➵summary: Peter just wants to know why you hate him. 

➵a/n: Hee hee, I’m still trying to break in my new blog so feel free to send in requests and follow or reblog :)  ((THIS IS A STARK!READER FIC))

You never really liked Peter Parker. 

But you didn’t hate him. You couldn’t. Everyone on the Avengers team tolerated him, and some even liked him. And he was talented at what he did. But you still couldn’t bring yourself to like him. 

After the events of Thanos, you were finally brought back, and so was Peter. And Tony was happier than ever to get you home, and in his arms again. You went in and kicked ass. And the good guys won. 

But at the cost of your father’s life. 

Now that he was gone, everyone is asking who the next Ironman would be. You would think people would have been gunning on you, his own daughter, but instead, everybody looked to the boy no older than yourself. 

And jealousy raged through you, feeling put off to the side, along with trying to grieve and mourn your fathers death, all while trying to keep the world at peace. And with the Captain in retirement, along with Natasha gone, that left the team struggling to stay together. Some of the strongest members were gone, and Thor was still trying to lose that weight. 

So it all fell down to you. And sadly, also Peter. You were struggling to finish your studies in high school, as was Peter, the both of you attending the same school. While Peter had all sorts of friends, you preferred to be alone, and get through school, so you could take on more missions and important callings. 

Just like today. But today was going to be slightly different. 

“Come on, y/n, it’s just one party! It won’t kill you,” he protested as you walked into the common area of the Avengers headquarters. 

“Yes it will,” you grunted, plopping down on the couch and telling F.R.I.D.A.Y. to turn the TV on.”

“No- F.R.I.D.A.Y., turn the TV off- It’s a big party and I know you’ll have fun! Flash is throwing it but I know you can still enjoy it,”

That made you not want to go even more. Flash was arrogant, snooty, and always took your detesting glares as playing hard to get. All you knew is that he didn’t like the word ‘no’, which set up multiple red flags for you. 

“No. I said no.” you huffed, taking the remote this time and turning the TV back on, flipping through the channels was Peter let out a defeated sigh, sitting right next to you, pulling out his phone. 

But secretly, Peter didn’t want to leave the living room. And even if he was on his phone, he just wanted to be near you. 

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

“Come ooonnn, y/n, please??” Peter begged over the phone, pleading with you as he tried to get you to come to the stupid party that he was already at. 

The loud music could be heard in the background, along with some masculine cheering, which you were sure was the captain of the football team. 

“Peter, no, I’m already in bed,” lie “and I’m in the middle of a book. I’ll see you when you get back to the compound,” you tried to negotiate with a clip to your voice, and the truth was you were at the compound, sitting on the couch in a pair of fuzzy socks and you really didn’t wanna get up. 

“Fine. Yeah. Fine, have fun at home, square.” he dramatically replied, obviously also not a fan of the word no.

You hated when he did that, when he tried to guilt trip you, because no matter how cheesy it was, he almost always succeeded in making you feel like shit. 

“Good night, Peter,”

And with that, you hung up. 

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

You found yourself dozing off to the sound of the movie playing on the screen, the large blanket covering you making you never want to leave for the rest of your life. 

But your blissful state was halted by the sound of your phone ringing, making your eyes shoot open and lazily grabbing your cellular device and mindlessly pressing the answer button without looking at the contact name before letting out a groggy “Hello?”

“Y/n!!! Heeeyyyyy,” Peter’s loopy voice sounded off, and if you weren’t full awake already, you certainly were now. 

“Peter??” you scolded, “Are you...?”

“Having the time of my life?? Abbssolutelyyy!!” 

“Shhhhh, just-” you pinched the bridge of your nose, trying not to panic, “Where are you?”

“At the party you were too scared to come to,” he chastised, making you let out a silent sigh in annoyance. 

“Just stay there, okay, I’m coming,” you finally spoke, flipping the blanket off of yourself and getting up with get some real clothes on.

“I like it when you say you’re comi-”

And with that, you hung up the phone. 

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

If there was one thing that your father had good taste in, it was his automobiles. He had many he took pride in. Especially the red ones. And if anything, the memory of your father might keep you sane. 

You punched in the address for Flash’s house, and even brought a pair of your father’s glasses, the only two E.D.I.T.Hs left. Ever. 

The drive there was speedy, and when you pulled into the driveway, your stomach dropped. A flood of teenagers crowded the house, and that was just the outside. You couldn’t imagine trying to find Peter in that mess. 

“E.D.I.T.H., find Peter for me, will you?” you spoke to your glasses. 

“Of course,” the voice responded, pausing a moment before continuing, “He’s in the living room. His alcohol levels are high.”

You groaned. You should’ve known, you shouldn’t have let him go out on his own to a party with Flash, that prick has alcohol up the ying-yang thanks to daddy’s money, shit-

Standing up out of the car, you slam the door, glasses still on, “E.D.I.T.H., show me Parker’s vitals, please,” you continued to storm towards the front door and making your way in. 

“His heartbeat is quick and his blood pressure is high, and as I said before, his alcohol levels are irrate.”

“Peter??” you called out, watching as his head popped up like a weasel’s, eyes bright as he recognized you. 

“[y/n]!!” He gasped, running over to you before wrapping his arms around you, “You came! I knew you would!”

“Yeah,” you pulled him off of you, “I came to get you. You’re drunk, Parker, we’re going home.”

“Aww, come on,” he pushed before hanging on you. 

“Peter. No. Come on, let’s go,” you pushed him off again, obviously more annoyed than before. You hated the way people were starting to look at you. 

“[y/n]! Please, don’t push me away again! Just let loose and have fun,”

Your anger brewed. And this was supposed to be the next Ironman. 

“Peter.” you scolded in the most dominant voice you could muster, making a few people around the two of you look their way, “We. Are going. Home.”

Without another word, you grabbed his hand and dragged him out, Peter protesting like a toddler, trying to pull back, but he was so drunk, he seemed weak, and unable to truly fight back. 

You reached the car, opening the door for him as he sat down, folding his arms and glaring at you as you got into the car, starting it and pulling out of the driveway and back to Queens, where hopefully you could get Peter out of trouble. 

A few good 3 minutes passed, (it felt longer thanks to Peter’s glare), and you finally spoke up. 

“Are you done staring at me like a child?” you breathed like a disappointed parent. Which was worse, acting like a mother or a child?

“I’m waiting for an apology. When I sober up, the guyyss are never going to leave alone about what you did to be back there.” he grumbled, obviously going to hold his grudge. 

“I don’t have to apologize for anything,” you gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, trying to suppress your thoughts that made you quick to anger. 

“Like hell-”

“I wasn’t the one breaking the law and underage drinking,” you growled back.

“I can’t wait till I sober up so I can show you what for. That was mortifying. You’re embarrassing.”

Out of everything you’ve been called, embarrassing was never something you were dubbed. 

Peter paused and held his breath, realizing he was blowing it with you, “Wait, [y/n], I’m sorry, I’m just-”

“It’s fine,” you dismissed, trying to keep tears from welling up in your eyes. 

“No, it can’t be, because I read somewhere that if a woman says she’s fine, she’s really not actually fine, and-”

“Peter! Just shut up, please!!” you scolded, trying not to sob, just wanting this night to go away. 

Soon after you hit a red light, and Peter just stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched, trying to think of something to say. Something to do. Anything at all to try and fix it. But thanks to the alcohol limiting the filter between his brain and his mouth, the next thing that came out of his mouth was:

“Why do you hate me?”

Your world seemed to stop for a second as you tried to compose yourself. This was the last thing you wanted him to think, no matter how vulnerable he made you feel. 

“I don’t hate you, Peter...,”

“Then what is it? Why do you push me away? Can you see that I like you? Like really really like you?”

You swallowed hard at his words. You closed your eyes and swallowed, “Peter, I don’t know what to tell you-”

“Then tell me something, please, anything-”

“I love you, Peter-” your outburst made him wince as he tried to focus and piece together your words in his drunken state, “I love you, Peter. And whenever I look at you... I see him, and I just...,” you took a deep breath to prevent the tears welling in your eyes, making you seem weak in your opinion, “I’m supposed to be the next Ironman, but the press says differently. I’m jealous of you Peter,” you shook in embarrassment as you pressed down on the gas, your cloudy vision making you swerve to stay on the road so you didn’t crash a priceless car. 

“You love me?”

“Y-yeah, I mean, I guess, I wouldn’t...,” you paused, “You aren’t going to remember this in the morning anyway,”

“No. I’m not gonna forget this. Not even if I tried,” he laughed humorlessly, leaning back in his seat. 

“Well... I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” you thought out loud, wanting to take your rant and stuff it back down your throat. 

You didn’t mean for him to find out. Not like this at least. 

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

When you two got back to the compound, he gipped onto you like a kid, clinging to you and refusing to let go. At this point there was a mutual understanding between the two of you. That both of you had feelings, but it wouldn’t be discussed until the morning. 

The elevator ride made Peter look sick, the alcohol finally starting to catch up to him, and right as the doors opened, he ran inside, finding the closest bathroom. 

That poor toilet. 

You caught up to him and sat next to a sickly Peter, rubbing his back as he let everything out. He held you the best he could, not wanting you to leave his side. 

You brushed the hair away from his forehead as he leaned over the side of the toilet, groaning in discomfort as he continued to cling to you like you would slip away. After a few more times of the repeated pattern of ejecting bile, he turned to you.

“I’m tired,” he mumbled like a child. 

“Come on, Spidey, let’s get you to bed,” you gave a small smile, picking him up as you dragged him out of the bathroom and into a guest bedroom, getting him an extra shirt and sweatpants from the closet before turning around while he got changed. 

But a wrapping of arms around your waist told you he was done. You waddled him over to the bedside before sitting him down and getting him off your back. He was like a damn koala. 

You finally laid him down, pulling the covers over him snuggly, not failing to notice the longing stare coming from Peter. You gave a smile, and he smiled back. It made your heart flutter in spite of yourself. 

You shook yourself out of it, the only thing on your mind now was getting to sleep, trying to forget the conversation that was supposed to be had the next morning. 

“Goodnight, Peter.” you began to walk away, but before you could get too far away from the bed, you felt someone grab your hand. 

“Please stay,” he begged, unspilled tears in his eyes, the fear of you leaving his side the greatest concern on his mind. 

You paused. You were about to go to sleep with Peter Parker, and yet your hesitation was the only thing that was stopping you from what you had wished you had been doing for as long as you had known the boy. 

Despite the voice screaming in the back of your head to put the wall back up and your foot down, say no, and leave, your body opposed, slipping under the covers with the sniffling teenager. 

He immediately smiled and embraced you, and you knew that you would have to get used to the physical contact. He was behind you, his arms around your waist, his breath gently fanning over the nape of your neck. 

You covered the both of you up, Peter sighing. And as much as you hated to admit it, he looked adorable. 

“Parker, if you barf in my hair, you aren’t gonna wake up with eyebrows,” you were half-joking, half-serious. 

“Will do.” he laughed sluggishly, sniffling before you finally felt his breaths steady and slow, passed out with you in his arms. 

You never really liked Peter Parker. 

You loved him.

[youreobsessedwithtoomanyfandoms]

I’m Just Tired (Part 5)

Word Count:1584

Warnings: None I think

I hate Odin. No joke

Last part should be out by Thursday/Friday. It’s gonna be weird once this is finished, but I’ll also be happy as that’s one less thing to finish writing. But I have loved this one and so far has been my favorite thing to write.

TAGLIST (Line through means unable to tag)

@bonkynsteeb @rosiexx8 @fangirlfree @marilynmonroefanfics @leniram1890 @talksoprettyjjx

Requests are OPEN (click here for guidelines and here to request)

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

(part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 6)

Y/N stood as her measurements were taken. She tend just stood there like a fish out of water. She felt so out of place here. Never had she gotten her measurements done. That was always what her sisters did. Got dressed and went to fancy events. Well, now that she thought of it, she got measurements done before her eldest sisters wedding as she was marrying someone who was apart of the Court. That was when she met Loki. The two of them complete over everything that was happening. He was only there because Thor was friends with the member of the Court and he dragged Loki to come along. She remembers how she laughed and said how she was only there because her sister was the bride. Otherwise she would be at home curled up and reading a book.

“Milady, we are done. We will come and find you at another time to let you see what the dress will be looking like.”

Y/N nodded and took the hand of the handmaiden, Siv, that was given to her by Frigga, and stepped down. There was a knock on the door as Siv was helping Y/N to put her gown back on. She heard the door shut as Siv finished tying the back. “Lady Y/N? The All-Father sent one of his personal guards to come and take you to him.”

Y/N sighed, she didn’t know what he wanted, but she knew it probably wasn’t anything good. “Alright, give me a second.” She looked at Siv, “Go find Frigga and ask her if there is anything she needs you to do.”

Siv nodded, “Of course Milady!” She ran out of the door and went to find Frigga.

Y/N walked over to the door and looked at the guard. “Lead the way.”

--------

Y/N felt as if the guard was silently judging her the whole time she walked with him. But then once she was kneeling in front of the All-Father and his court’s gaze, she just felt like everything and everyone in the room was starring and judging her. “You called upon me All-Father.”

“You are mean to marry Loki by the end of the week, correct?”

She was confused by his comment but nodded, “Yes sir.”

“Are you aware that I can stop it?”

She felt her heart pick up, “I’m sorry?”

“If I deem you unworthy.”

“Unworthy of what?”

“Being apart of this family. And possibly even Queen.”

“Oh.”

“I have a few questions.”

“Yes?”

“Why do you wish to marry Loki?”

“I love him.”

“Will you still love him even if he commits a crime?”

“Of course.”

“If he is not made King?”

“I’ve never expected to be Queen so of course.”

“What is the cause for Ragnarok? I’m sure you were taught that.”

“The crown of Surtur being placed into the eternal flame.”

“Who all must you kneel to in the Asgardian family?”

“Just you. I simply bow at Queen Frigga and Princes Thor and Loki.”

He asked more questions. Each getting increasingly harder to answer. Every once and a while she would hear a click after she answered a question. “Ander, take Lady Y/N away and have go back to what she was.”

Ander, a guard she was familiar with came and walked her out of the room. “Where would you like me to take you?”

“Frigga wanted me to meet her in her chambers.” Ander nodded and lead her down the hallway to go to the room. As she walked down the hallway she questioned why Odin asked all of those questions. Why he mentioned that he could easily call off her and Loki’s wedding. It made no sense to her.

Sometime while she was walking she failed to notice the two princes gaze on her as they saw her. 

“Loki, why is Lady Y/N walking with Ander?”

“I have no clue. But it looks as if they just came from the throne room.”

“Perhaps Father wanted to speak with her.”

Loki knew that meant something was bad if that was true. Who knew what his father had said to her now.

--------

Y/N walked down the streets with Frigga and on of Odin’s guards. She stopped, however, when a small child ran into her. She bent down and helped the kid up. Dusting off the dirt from their tunic. She smiled, “Are you alright?”

The kid looked up, eyes wide when they made eye contact. “You-you’re...”

“Oh dear! There you are!” A women swopped the kid up into her arms. “Are you okay.” The lady turned to Y/N, “I am so sorry. She just escaped my sights for a second!”

Y/N smiled again, “It’s alright.”

The lady gasped, “Lady Y/N!”

Y/N froze. She was used to everyone in the palace calling her it, but the people who lived in the rest of Asgard? No, she wasn’t used to it and believes she never could be.

She felt Frigga’s hand on her shoulder, “She’s still getting used to people calling her that. As she has only been engaged to Loki for a week now.”

The lady bowed her head, “Of course Milady.”

Y/N finally spoke, “You don’t have to call me ‘Lady Y/N’, Y/N alone is just fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Y/N nodded lightly, “Yes.”

“Very well, we must get going.” Frigga lightly pulled Y/N away.

“Wait!” Y/N stopped and Frigga looked at her confused. Y/N turned back to the lady, pulling a few coins out. “How many flowers will this get?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I just...I saw you earlier, selling those flowers,” She motioned to the basket, “And was wondering if I could buy a few.”

“Each flower is a singular coin.”

“Well then, why don’t I buy one and you keep the rest of the money.”

“Oh I could never!” 

“Please.”

The lady smiled, “Two then. One for you and one for the Queen.” She looked at Frigga, “If that is alright with you of course.”

Frigga smiled, “Of course.”

“Alright,” She grabbed two flowers, Y/N was handed a lavender rose while Frigga a pink rose. Y/N traded the change for the flower. “Thank you so much.”

Y/N nodded lightly, “It is no issue. I love flowers anyways.” She placed the flower behind her ear, “Have a good day.” She turned from the lady and started to walk again. Frigga walking next to her. A smile on her face.

--------

Y/N collapsed onto her bed. It felt like she could do nothing right. First she gets chastised for getting lost. Then for talking to a ‘commoner’ as if she wasn’t one. Then for trying to ‘interrupt’ an import session between Loki and someone in Odin’s court. Then for not talking enough. Then for talking to much. It was as if she could do nothing to please Odin. It was 3 days before the wedding and she was even more stressed than she should be. With Odin testing and judging everything she does. To not being able to really see or talk to Loki. To being thrown around trying to make sure everything was going good for the wedding. At this point she was wondering if perhaps she should just sneak off with Loki and they do this without anyone else there.

--------

Once again Y/N was kneeling in front of Odin and his court. “Many times this week you have done exactly what you should not do if you are to marry Loki.” Y/N was waiting for it. Odin to inform her to get out and that she was not allowed to marry Loki. “However, I see just how much you care and love Loki. Just as he does you. It reminds me of Frigga and I when we were younger.” She fully looked at Odin, he was smiling lightly, something he never had done before. “You may still marry my son. Now go on and do whatever else is needed of you.”

She stood slowly and bowed her head, “Thank you, my king.”

He nodded, “Of course.”

She turned and walked out of the room. Holding back a smirk as most of the court looked shocked. She knew full well that only about 2 of the members actually liked her and wanted her to marry Loki. The rest wished for her to go back to the village and be a simple book keeper again.

--------

Y/N curled up on her bed. Grabbing the pillow and pulling to to her face. Tears silently falling from exhaustion. She felt like she was pulled thin because of everything going on the past few days. The wedding was in 2 days and she just felt drained of everything. From making sure the dress fitted correctly to her body. To the wedding preparations. To Odin testing her over everything. Only even seeing Loki during dinner, but even then she barely got to speak to him because Frigga was usually speaking to her and Thor was keeping Loki preoccupied. This was actually the first night she didn’t just pass out from the exhaustion. She felt a small bit of pride due to this.

Y/N felt the bed dip a small amount and soon felt Loki’s chill hand moving hair from her face. Kissing her cheek lightly. She moved lightly to face him. Not even trying to hide the exhaustion. He gave her a small smile, “Hi.”

“Hey.”

“What’s wrong.”

“Everything.”

“Want to talk about it?”

She shook her head, “I just feel better with you being here.”

He wrapped his arms around her quietly, “Then I will be.”

[lokigodofaces]

list of variants/timelines i want to believe exist (and probably canonically do now)

this got long so i'm putting in a cut

a world where all of the events that happened in the Framework are real

bonus if the Framework world has their own version of the Framework that is like the real world in aos

Steve fell off the train, not Bucky. bc of the crap Zola did to Bucky, he survives in ice and well, and everything happens the same but Steve and Bucky's roles are reversed

Coulson doesn't bother to keep it a secret that he's alive, and the mcu is mainly just aos but with all the main characters as well (in other words, there's mainly good writing)

also in that world Steve and Bucky love Lola

Steve doesn't go back in time to live with Peggy

to all the people claiming aos isn't canon: Sylvie just made everything canon y'all. aos absolutely happened, and while i will argue that it happened in the main timeline, if you don't want to believe that it still happened in a timeline

Bucky didn't remember Steve soon enough, not until he killed Steve

Steve killed the Winter Soldier and didn't know who it was until he removed the mask

Hydra didn't hunt down Jiaying and by extent Daisy, so Daisy was raised by Jiaying and Cal who are not crazy bc they didn't have the same experiences they did in the main timeline

Thor never takes the others to Jotunheim, so Loki never learns he is Jotun

Fitz didn't survive almost drowning

Ward wasn't recruited by Garrett, but by literally any non-Hydra agent so he is a good guy

Coulson and May listened to the agent telling them to not send May in at Bahrain, heaven knows what happens there

the government gives the Avengers more than a week to go through the Accords, so they all get to the enhanced-people-have-to-wear-trackers, giant-underwater-prison, enhanced-operatives-can't-investigate-politicians, no-trial-for-enhanced, no-investigation-for-enhanced, etc sections so they all decide to not sign and just don't care what the government says

this is random, but i feel like Bucky as Ghost Rider would be a cool aesthetic.

the Avengers meet Robbie bc he keeps assassinating their targets bc they're targets of Ghost Rider's

Daisy dies instead of Lincoln

Daisy kills Lash before he can save her

Loki never "dies," so he is sent back to Asgardian prison after tdw

Radcliffe never reads the Darkhold, he just gave it to AIDA, so most of s4 doesn't happen

Dreykov comes after Natasha between Avengers and CACW, leading to the Avengers beating his *ss (like Yelena said, the god from space doesn't need an ibuprofen after a fight)

everything's the same but no Joss Whedon going on and on about Natasha not being able to have kids

whatever ship scenario you have is canon now

Loki gets all panicky after the Hulk beats him to a pulp, having now realized what he's done. Thor believes him, and this leads to Thanos being killed in 2012-13

Deadpool sits in the back of everything, shouting comments like "Yay! Superhero landing! But don't do that, it's bad for your knees!"

Peter Parker's parents never die

the Cavalry is an Avenger

Yondu brings Peter Quill to Ego, causing the universe's destruction

Gamora and Nebula get along their entire lives

Gamora and Nebula switch roles (Gamora becomes the cyborg, Nebula the guardian and Thanos's favorite daughter)

Heimdall actually bothers to look for Loki, seeing if they can find his body for a funeral, to find that he is being tortured by Thanos. Odin refuses to send anyone to save him, making Thor realize just how awful he is. Thor, Sif, and Warriors 3 go with the help of Heimdall to save Loki

Odin and Frigga are actually good parents, creating the most iconic trio ever

tw suicide for the next bullet point

Bucky commits suicide between TWS and CACW (Sebastian said in an interview once that Bucky was suicidal)

Loki keeps coming back as DB Cooper for fun or bc he keeps losing bets

the Eternals did interfere

the shrapnel kills Tony

this one thing i made about Mr Rogers adopting Loki

Robbie is part of the Avengers in 2012, but when he sees Loki he immediately says that Loki isn't the issue and goes off to fight Thanos single handedly (and wins)

for whatever reason Coulson and May do legally adopt all the Bus Kids

Hunter and Bobbi both go to break Fitz out of prison, and they stick around for the rest of the season

Fitz and Jemma never meet (saddest of sad days)

Loki for some reason is in FFH and he sees Mysterio's illusions and just laughs bc he's such an amateur

everything's the same, everyone's just obsessed with classical music and it's constantly playing so i get happy watching it

Asgardians are like the elves in LOTR (books, not the movies), so they're constantly singing and dancing and all

Loki is shown playing a Norse flute-like instrument (we know they exist, we've found them, they're different than your typical flute and we don't really know how they sound but i want Loki to be a flautist and no i'm not not projecting (note the double negative) and yes i headcanon Loki to be a flautist i don't care what anyone says)

everyone gets therapy

someone (Monica or Jimmy) hits Hayward on the head, knocking him out (the same way Gandalf knocked out Denethor in ROTK when Denethor told everyone to flee) and the rest of SWORD works with them because clearly Hayward has issues

Stephen commits to not texting and driving

somehow Luis becomes He Who Remains just for one timeline so the entire story is told like how he tells his flashbacks

Coulson doesn't help Fury and Carol escape

T'Challa does not survive and M'Baku becomes Black Panther

the suit in Iron Man 3 is not garbage the entire movie

Tony doesn't find a way to save himself in time

Ross dies in Incredible Hulk

Loki has a pet flerken he just always carries around

by the same logic, Bucky has a kitten he meets between TWS and CACW that he always carries around. said kitten attacks people when they attack Bucky

Bucky becomes Captain America instead of Sam

when Thor goes back to 2013 Asgard, he drags Loki with him back to 2023

Clint tests the time travel by going to Sokovia and drags Pietro back with him

Steve comes back an old man, but they use Bruce's attempt at time travel to turn him back into the 30 something Steve he was

literally anything happens other than Thanos killing Loki bc Loki only used knives when he isn't even tall enough to reach Thanos's neck

Sam and Bucky straight up kill Walker

Daisy never goes through terrigenesis

Loki somehow ends up a tutor for Daisy

Bucky joins the aos team after they find him on the run from Hydra

Bucky plays baritone saxophone bc bari saxes are awesome and it adds nothing to the plot but he spends at least half an hour in each movie playing bari sax

everything's the same but John Williams is the composer

S.H.I.E.L.D. uses GH-325 to revive a bunch of composers (Mozart, Dvorak, Beethoven, Bach, Bizet, Holst, y'know, all my guys) because they for whatever reason have their bodies because of some wack mission. and now they have a bunch of classical composers alive who insist on writing more music. and what are you going to do, tell Bach to stop composing?

by that same logic, someone working at the Guest House decides to steal Freddie Mercury's body so that they can revive him bc he just loves Queen that much

Thor realizes how awful Odin is and makes it his goal to get revenge for what Odin did to his little brother

Thor meets a bunch of Loki variants (most notably gator Loki) and just decides to stop questioning anything ever

Mobius teaches Loki how to ride a jet ski

Loki arrives at S.H.I.E.L.D. and informs everyone he wants to go to school and learn about politics and run for president and S.H.I.E.L.D. is like "okay whatever just don't tell anyone you're a literal god" but have no way to stop Loki from telling anyone

y'know the "shot heard 'round the world" thing from the Battle of Lexington (first battle in American revolution, if you don't know what it is, we have no clue who made the first shot & both sides were telling their troops to not fire. once that shot was fired the battle broke out)? yeah well that was Loki i'm pretty sure

Loki comes to Earth and becomes an Avenger and all but only ever introduces himself as DB Cooper. Thor doesn't ever come to Earth, so everyone just thinks DB Cooper found the secret to not age and just showed up to save people. he disappears for stretches of time & everyone stops being confused bc he was in hiding for decades of course no one's gonna find him (he is actually on Asgard)

[love-dreams]

pairing: hoshi x fem!reader

content: based off of the netflix show, the queen’s gambit, with different character names; drug abuse and overdose; lots of chess terms

wc: 3454

note: I FREAKING LOVE THIS NETFLIX SHOWWW!! this is a character study i’m trying to do to make my female y/ns less.. idk meek? wimpy? it’s such a writing pet peeve of mine and i absolutely loved beth harmon’s character so here it is :))

the queen’s gambit masterlist: 1 2

It was quiet in the orphanage basement. With the exception of the dull thumping of childrens’ feet on the basement’s ceiling. Pensive, and tense, the air felt pregnant with strain. 

Your eyes flitted back and forth, from black to white and then back again. They went over the ridges of the standing pieces, and down the curves until it met the checkered board. A criss-crossing maze full of infinite possibilities for strategy. 

Finally, your delicate, little fingers wrapped around the stem of your rook, pushing it so it slid all the way across the board. 

“Check,” came your raspy voice. 

The janitor’s bald forehead creased into more folds, and he raised up a finger to push up the frame of his glasses. “Not anymore.” His voice was rough, like gravel scraping against concrete.

The young girl’s brows furrowed, “Wait, how can you do that? You never taught me-”

The buff man stood up suddenly, interrupting her rhetoric. “That’ll be for next time. Clean up the board now and get to class.” 

“Wait-” you stuttered, feeling confused and cheated, but Mr. Lee's back was already turned on you, already moving in between the aisles of paint. You sighed, letting her gaze brush over the stationery pieces on the chess board once more, before sweeping all of them off into a velvet bag. 

The school bell rang shrilly.

Soonyoung liked to win. Even at the young age of five, he liked crushing his opponents with a gummy smile on his face and curved crescent eyes. 

They called him lots of names: the best chess player in the country since Yoon Jeonghan, the chess champion, etc. 

But he figured he liked the title “Innocent Tiger of the Chessboard.” Soonyoung thought it made him sound powerful and glorious. He used the name “Hoshi” a lot after the Times magazine coined him that way.

“You’re all a bunch of-”

A girl, whom you did not know, was getting dragged from the cafeteria. A teacher yanked her forward by her long, curly afro harshly. One hand held the girl’s hair, and the other hand, you barely noticed, was holding a yellow-tinted soap bar. 

You walked into the cafeteria, naturally standing at the back of a long line of orphaned girls. She moved forward, hesitantly, taking the spot in line from the previous girl. You looked up at the male vendor with large, unblinking eyes, expectantly. His eyes held a glint of remembrance, and slid a small, white paper cup toward you. 

Your fingers reached into the small cup and grabbed the object inside. Small, oval shaped pills rested at the bottom of the paper cup. 

“Ooh, those ones are best saved for the night. Don’t take ‘em all at once, either. Save ‘em.” You turned around. It was the black girl from before. “My name’s Ruth, by the way. You’re new here, right?” Ruth’s voice was sultry and teasing; her brown, chocolate eyes hid a twinkle of mischief that you could already tell made her a troublemaker. She had her own matching green pill in between her large hands. “You’ll see what I mean.”

Then, she walked right back into the cafeteria with the other girls. 

The room where you slept was also occupied by the dozens of other girls in the orphanage. It had large windows with thin curtains, and stone ceilings and floors. The beds were identical with small dressers on the side of them. 

Because the curtains were thin, they didn’t do much to keep the silver beams of moonlight from filtering into the room and onto the beds. 

Your eyes were wide open, staring at the green pill twirling in between your fingers. You debated yourself internally for a few moments, before swallowing it in one gulp. Your eyes felt heavy with sleep, but your mind was as light as feather, swirling and swirling with thoughts. You finally cemented on one event in her day, zeroing in and latching onto it with no mercy.

The chess game with the orphanage janitor. 

As the event seeped into the cracks of your skull, your eyelids slowly opened until you were faced with the dark, blank ceiling above you. 

A spot appeared. Then another right beside it.

Then two more around those, and then more and more and more. They were alternating spots, some dark and some light.

You gasped, pushing herself to a seated position.

It was a chessboard. 

The pieces slowly materialized on the ceiling. You could make out the distinct shapes of the king, the rook, and the many other pieces that she didn’t know the names of. You knew of the pawn, pieces with a rounded sphere as its head. Mr. Lee had taught you about them the first day she played chess with him. 

“The opening,” he had called it. “Openings are the first moves of the game. Learn some.”

The pieces flickered on the board, teleporting from place to place, mimicking a real chess game. 

You almost overslept for breakfast the next morning.

The teacher paused for a moment in her lecture, her hand moving automatically toward the chalk erasure. Her fingers brushed metal and her eyes saw an absent seat.

“Check.”

A piece moved. 

You let out a breath.

“Checkmate.” 

Mr. Lee leaned back in his chair, his arms crossing over his bloated stomach. He said nothing, instead pulling out a rectangular box from his back pocket. 

“I know all the pieces now.” You stood up, your arms bracing yourself against the table. “And how they move.”

Again, he refused to answer. His muscled, long fingers nimbly hooked under the latch on the cigarette box. You watched as Mr. Lee lit the cigarette and turned away. 

Your internal question remained unanswered.

“Tomorrow,” he finally replied. “Tomorrow, I’ll properly teach you how to play.” 

Your breath hitched in excitement, “Really? You’ll teach me-”

“You should learn the Sicilian Defense,” came his gruff voice. His back remained turned on her. You stood as well, seriousness filling the gap between the two of you. 

Mr. Lee finally turned. 

“To tell you the truth of it, child…” His lips curved upward. “You’re astounding.”

It was the national championship. Reporters and news outlets were crawling around everywhere, shoving their microphones into every chess player’s face. Soonyoung smirked in amusement, letting his gaze drop back down onto the chessboard in front of him.

“Oh, you moved already?”

Chan huffed, “It’s been two minutes, you’re gonna run out of time at this point.”

Soonyoung chuckled, sliding a piece away from him. His aura remained confident and unsettled by Chan’s warning. “I’d be more worried about yourself, brother.”

Chan’s eyebrows furrowed as he analyzed the board. At first glance, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary. All of his pieces were set in motion and Soonyoung- 

His eyes snapped open. Soonyoung was already one step ahead of him. Except this step was a mile in front and already at the finish line.

“H-how did you-” he stuttered in disbelief.

Soonyoung interrupted Chan, “Next move is Anderssen’s mate.” His eyes held a small twinkle of triumph, but anyone who had played Soonyoung before knew that he was never truly surprised about the outcomes of games he played. 

Chan let his head hang low in defeat. “Alright, then.” His hand reached up to knock over the long column of his King. “You win.”

A crooked grin spread across the face of the young champion. 

“Don’t worry!” He smirked. “You’ll always have next time.”

You had been falling behind in math class. You hardly ever paid attention when you were in class, and when you were out, math was hardly even at the back of your mind. Mr. Lee had gifted you a book to read called Modern Chess Openings. Soon enough, you had mastered not only all of the openings in the book, but also the art of hiding a book under your desk and reading.

One day, Mr. Lee had a visitor in the basement. Another man, leaner and taller than the janitor. He was dressed formally and wore a hat. 

“Beth,” Mr. Lee greeted her. “This is Mr. Choi. He’s a representative of the chess club I play at.”

You stared at the stranger, unmoving and unresponsive.

“Hello, (Y/N),” he said, smiling. Mr. Choi was a friendly looking man, youthful too. “Would you care for a game of chess?” He took the chair next to Mr. Lee, long fingers already moving the pieces to their correct positions. His poise was confident and his eyes were shrewd. A completely different player from Mr. Lee was in front of you. 

You won in three moves after the opening. Quick and precise, with no room for error. Mr. Lee looked on from the side of the table. His face showed neither surprise nor pride, but his eyebrows stayed furrowed. 

“Well,” Mr. Choi raised his gaze from the board, turning his head toward the elder janitor. “She’s exactly how you described, Jihoon. I’m certainly impressed.” You waited patiently, unaware of the relationship between the two men. He turned his attention to the young girl in front of him. “(Y/N), how old are you?”

You answered mechanically, without any hesitation. You remained unfazed, an almost bored tone in your voice. “Nine years old, sir.” 

Mr. Choi leaned back in his chair. “Nine years old, huh,” he echoed in disbelief. “That’s amazing. Say,” Mr. Choi reached down beside him. “(Y/N), would you be interested in competing against some other people?” He straightened himself, this time holding something in his hands. “I run a chess club at a high school near here, and I’d love to have you come play with us.” 

You stared at him, shock and curiosity filling your gaping mouth. “Me?”

Mr. Choi chuckled, finally bringing up the object in his hands for her to see. “You can think about it for awhile, I’ll also be in contact with your headmistress. In the meantime, here’s a prize for your win. Nine year old girls like dolls, right?” 

Your mouth refused to answer. You looked helplessly at Mr. Lee, but his gaze was fixated on the ending board pieces. 

“Well then,” Mr. Choi breathed. “I’ll be off.” 

You watched as he grabbed his leather briefcase and his hat, then strode straight in between the shelves and up the wooden, creaky stairs. Then, you turned your attention to the doll in front of you.

You hesitantly grabbed the plastic body, running your thumbs over the cheap polyester clothes. 

Then, you promptly threw it in the trash.

The next time you saw Mr. Choi was not in the cold basement, but instead, in the headmaster’s office. The headmaster was a bitter woman with strict ideals that were brittle and unbending. You had only met her once, and you had hoped that they would never come so close again.

“Well, Miss (Y/N). Is what Mr. Choi telling me true?” Her wintry voice chilled you down to the bone, leaving your head numb and you palms overheating. Without waiting for a response, Headmaster Kim turned her attention back to Mr. Choi. “Mr. Choi, we appreciate the offer and would love for the orphanage’s many talented students to compete with others, but going to a school by herself? I worry for the child.” 

Mr. Choi nods, compromising with a soft tone, “Of course, I will be with her at all times.”

“Hm,” the headmaster pondered. “I’d rather her go with another girl actually.”

He relented immediately. “Absolutely.”

The Headmaster stood up from her seat. “Well then, it’s decided. Young (Y/N) will be accompanied by a fellow student from the orphanage.”

Mr. Choi complied calmly, leaving without another comment. Quietly and rapidly just like the first time you had met him. Your nerves spread out like spindly branches of a tree, bumping against each other until it filled the entire room.

“(Y/N)?” 

It was only until the Headmaster called your name that you realized your gaze had dropped to the floor. 

“You’ve been playing chess in the basement, I hear.” There was a pause, and you quickly recognized that the woman expected a response. You dipped her head slightly into a nod of acknowledgement. “I must say, playing chess in the basement is highly irregular.” Your heart rate jerked upward. Would the Headmaster forbid you from playing chess? A sense of dread pricked her heart. “Ask Mr. Jun for a chess board from the game closet, I’m sure we have one or two. You can play out in the open from now on.” 

A wave of relief crashed over you. “Really?”

The Headmaster dismissed you, “It’s lunch time now. Hurry back to the cafeteria, Miss (Y/N).” 

You left without any refusal, your steps hurried and rushed as your shoes clicked against the cement floors.

The cafeteria had its usual vibrations of friendly chatter, and the line to the pill vendor was just as long as the day she arrived. Inching closer and closer to the vendor, you buzzed with anticipation for your daily collection of green pills.

The man slid the snow paper cup toward you, and habitually, you looked inside for the strange green pill among the scarlet ones. 

It wasn’t there.

“Where’s the green pill?” you asked, bewildered. 

The vendor sighed, clearly annoyed and frustrated with you. His voice was thin and gruff, an unattractive timbre. “New state laws, kid. No more tranquilizers. Now move on, more people waitin’ behind you.” 

You furrowed your brow, but moved aside regardless. 

That night, you counted the leftover tranquilizers you had saved up. There were only five left. You’d have to ration them and not take them frivolously. 

The ceiling remained a blank canvas without its usual checkered illusion projected.  

“Chess is getting kind of boring,” Soonyoung noted one day. He was 18 at the time.

Chan glared at him from his peripheral vision. “God damn it, Kwon. Maybe you need to get a life or something.”

He laughed, sweeping the plastic chess pieces off the wooden board. “Are you suggesting a get laid, or that I go on a date? Because both are well within reach.”

Chan grinned cruelly, “Like hell they are. The only thing you’ll ever love more than yourself is chess. As if a girl could even compare.”

Soonyoung rubbed at his nape sheepishly. “Maybe if she was a girl who played chess..”

“Well then you’d just see her as another bad player who couldn’t beat you.”

“Jesus, Chan. Way to make a guy feel motivated,” he sighed. “I guess I’ll just have a steamy date with my chess books instead.”

Chan huffed in annoyance and turned his attention away from the other male.

The drugs didn’t last you until the chess match and you began to feel the effects of it. Or rather, the effects of not having them. You mind would wander during class and you felt sluggish and tired. Ruth noticed. 

“What’s going on, cracker? You don’t look so slick.” 

It was true. Your hair was unkempt, your eyes were sunken and bruised from insomnia, and you no longer had the energy to hold up a conversation. Ruth sighed and moved closer so that your elbows were brushed up against each other. “It’s because of those green pills, ain’t it?” When you didn’t respond, Ruth huffed. “Alright then, I was gonna help you out with that by sharin’ some of mine, but if you’re gonna be so rude, then I guess I won’t!”

Your head snapped up. “You still have some?” you whispered. 

Ruth smirked, her large lips parting to reveal bright white teeth. “Sure I do! Started savin’ these babies up a long time before you did.”

“Can I have some?” you hesitantly asked, your voice was low and soft. It was only a day before the chess game with the high school team and you were slowly going psychotic without the tranquilizers’ help. 

Ruth denied you a verbal cue and instead, moved closer to slip two pills into your dress’s pocket. 

It was your first time leaving the orphanage ever since you entered through the black, metal gates. Thus, when you, accompanied by Jamie Park, ambled through the high school halls, along with Mr. Choi, you were noticeably a little startled. It was noisy, crowded and ever so chaotic. Kids of all sizes were ravaging the school, lockers were haphazardly open and some closed, there was no sense of the eerie order at the Methuen Home orphanage. 

You found that you didn’t mind the disarray much after all. 

Mr. Choi led the duo into an empty classroom filled with desks that had been arranged into a circle. Only a few kids lingered in the room. You could count the amount of girls with your fingers. He directed you and Jamie toward the edge of the room. 

The pair watched as student after student filed into the room in a steady stream of people, like tap water flowing out until only the last few drops fell. 

Mr. Choi stood in the middle of the classroom and spread his arms dramatically. “Welcome, everyone! Today we have a very special guest,” he announced. Mr. Choi motioned toward you. Feeling compelled, you shyly stood and walked forward. “This is Miss (Y/N). You all will be playing a simultaneous against her!” He paused. “Please take your places.”

The students shuffled amongst themselves, the sound of feet thundering crescendo-ed until all of the seats were filled. You looked around at all of the male students seated in front of chess boards, a somber expression pasted on each of their faces. Some even had smirks. You looked up at Mr. Choi, who had a smile on his face. 

“Mr. Choi?” you questioned. 

He nodded, ushering toward the first board from clockwise motion. 

You stepped forward in front of the first board and looked down at the colored pieces in front of her. You took a deep breath, then moved the first piece. 

It took only eighty minutes to win every single board, even the high school’s best chess player.

When you returned to Methuen, you first celebrated with Mr. Lee. The janitor had prepared a small treat for you when you returned. To the normal eye, Mr. Lee looked neutral and maybe even a little irritated, but to you, the pride in his eyes were as clear as the squares on the chessboard.

“Honestly, I was most surprised about how bad they are. I mean, they made the most basic mistakes.” You paused to swallow a lump of dark chocolate. “Doubled pawns, queen trades, all of that. It was honestly kinda embarrassing to play against them.”

Mr. Lee didn’t interject your rant, watching as brown spread across your lips to your cheeks. He handed you a napkin and stayed quiet. 

“Well,” you stood up, straightening our your skirt. “I’m off now.” The janitor nodded, eyes fixated on the chess pieces on the board as if they were moving by themselves. You looked down at the board and a question naturally floated to the top of her mind. “When’re you going to teach me end game, Mr. Lee?”

Mr. Lee looked up at the nine year old. 

“Soon.” 

Soonyoung was only 10 when he won his state championship. He won the country’s championship when he was 14. 

He lost it when he was 23. 

You ran out of the green pills in a day after the chess tournament. Once again, your body was thrown into withdrawal. It felt like a constant yearning for water. Every single day your gaze would linger on the glass jugs of pills behind the windowed divider. It became tantalizing. Each night you would salivate at the thought of breaking in and shoveling those pills into your mouth. It was a heavenly dream that nudged you closer and closer to reality.

It was during class that you found herself passing the open door of the cafeteria. The cafeteria room was a desert and the oasis was straight in front of your very own eyes. Self-control was a feeble wall that disintegrated under the wave of pent up yearning. 

Your fingers trembled as you undid the lock, yanking it off and sliding over the divider. It was too easy. 

Your heart pounded against the confines of her chest. The adrenaline rushed through your veins and your vision quickly became dizzy. 

The second your fingers reached the pills, you were gone.

All those nights of dreams finally came true. You couldn’t even stop her hands from shoveling those pills into your mouth. 

You couldn’t even stop as your fingers twitched on the ground, your body pressed against the cold tile floor.

“Rumor has it you were drunk while playing Minghao.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if I was sober anyway.”

next part: here

tag list: @haotheheckk​ @svtantalizing​

[twstarchives]

Epel Felmier・Voice Lines

Additional Voice Lines

Dress-Up Groom event card

Scary Dress event card

School Uniform - R

Unlock Card “What’s wrong? ...Is there something on my face?”

Groovy “I’ll peel an apple for you too. I can promise you they taste delicious.”

Home Setting “I wonder what kind of magic we’re going to learn today.”

Home Transitions “I only wear this frilly blouse because the dorm leader told me to. It’s not because I like it... or anything.”

“I like magic... I think. I mean, the strength of your magic doesn’t have anything to do with your stature, so...”

“It’s really nippy where I live, so—oh, huh? You don’t know what nippy means? It means ‘very cold’... kind of.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “You’re staring at me really hard; do you need something... maybe?”

Home Taps “If I got taller, I’d look like an even more powerful mage... I think.”

“Meemaw—ah, I mean, my grandmother sent a bunch of apples from home. Do you want one too... maybe?”

“Apples can grow in harsh winter conditions. They’re a very strong, durable fruit. Did you know that?”

“Living in a dorm isn’t really that inconvenient... I think. There were always a lot of people in my house back home anyway.”

“Look here, the hell were you——....Ahh, I mean, are you teasing me like I’m weak...?”

PE Uniform - R

Unlock Card “I like these clothes. And I’m not just saying that ‘cause I have to or anything...”

Groovy “Are you tired? Hehe, being a mage is a real test of strength.”

Home Setting “Clothes that are easy to move in are nice, huh?”

Home Transitions “I decided when I first came to this school to try out some sports. 'Cause I wasn’t really able to do them back home...”

“The magical shift club leader Leona told me that winning depends on strategy, not your physique.”

“I’m good at flying... I think. A lot of the sweet, delicious apples grow in high places, right where the sun hits, so I have to ride a broom when I pick them.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “A lot of people say I don’t look like I’d be good at sports, but I kind of like them...”

Home Taps “I don’t really have any muscles, even though I work out. I wish I had muscles like Coach Vargas...”

“Apples are good to eat after exercising. I heard the acids in them help you cool off.”

“I’m not really good at dancing... I think. I’ve only danced a little at the festivals in my village...”

“My muscles are sore after working out with the dorm leader... He told me I wasn’t flexible and tried to stretch me out like pie dough.”

“Y’know, I’m real tired of you jabbin’ at me like tha—ah! Um, could you maybe not poke me like that?”

Lab Coat - SR

Unlock Card “We have a lab...? If I mess it up, the dorm leader’ll get mad at me... probably.”

Groovy “I want to be a master at making potions someday too.”

Home Setting “I want to learn about potions that grow plants...”

Home Transitions “The work at Night Raven College is hard... kind of. I can never remember those long plant names...”

“Whenever Professor Crewel teaches, you can tell he knows a lot about color-changing potions and flowers that can dye things really pretty colors.”

“The library at this school is full of books from all around the world. The dorm leader told me I need to read one every week.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “There’s a lot of fruits I’ve never seen before in the Botanical Garden; it’s fun looking at them all... kind of.”

Home Transition (Groovy) “It’s frustrating when I can’t solve a hard problem... kind of. I was going to go try researching in the library. Want to come too?”

Home Taps “There’s a lot of people in Pomefiore who are good at magic potions. But I’m not really there yet... I think.”

“One bite of the poisoned apple and you fall into an eternal slumber... I need to be careful when making strong potions.”

“If I made a potion that could strengthen weak apple trees, it’d make Pawpaw really happy.”

“Rook’s an amazing person; he’s so good at sports and his studies too... I think. It’s just, he’s really, really weird...”

“Are you blind or somethin’? I’m busy brewing here so leave me alone for now—...ah! I mean, it’s dangerous if you’re not careful, so please don’t touch, okay?”

Home Tap (Groovy) “Have you grown any plants before? ...Oh, I see. Want me to split seedlings that are easy to grow for you?”

Ceremony Robes - SR

Unlock Card “Don’t worry about me. ...He does this for the both of us.”

Groovy “I’m going to surpass the dorm leaders in no time. I swear it...!” 

Home Setting “It feels like my robes are dragging on the floor... kind of.”

Home Transitions “They say the hoods of these robes are supposed to give off the impression of the Beautiful Queen when she turned into an old woman... Did you know that?”

“The Queen was even willing to make herself ugly in order to be the fairest in the land... She’s real marvy.”

“The Mirror of Darkness is supposed to pick your dorm based on the qualities of your soul, but does my soul really match Pomefiore...?”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Students with all kinds of natural power go to this school... I want to get stronger here too!”

Home Transition (Groovy) “When I sent my grandma pictures of me from the entrance ceremony, she said ‘You look real smart ‘n spruce’! Meemaw’s just exaggerating...”

Home Taps “I feel like there’s a whole lotta ballsy guys at this school. It’s a little different from what I’d pictured before coming here.”

“When the black carriage came to pick me up, all my relatives and the villagers came to wish me off... Hehe.”

“Neither of my parents can use magic, but Big Maw and Meemaw⁠—ah, I mean, my great-grandma and my grandma are both witches.”

“I didn’t grow up around a lot of mages, so life at this school feels very new... kind of.”

“Ah? The hell do you want? Stop actin’ like we’re so close.”

Home Tap (Groovy) “This makeup Vil put on me won’t smudge at all... How is it now? Did it come off?”

Dorm Uniform - SSR

Unlock Card “Want a bite of an apple so sweet you’ll think you’re dreaming?”

“I’m just obeying what the dorm leader asks of me. ...For now.”

Groovy “I may be in Pomefiore, but... I’m still me!”

Home Setting “Welcome to Pomefiore! ...Hah.”

Home Transitions “I’ve got a lot of weird seniors in Pomefiore. It still feels kind of hard to fit in here...”

“I’ve never really cared that much about how I dress, but I love apples that are shaped nicely... I think.”

“I always thought Pomefiore was all about enforcing beautiful looks, but not everyone’s like that. The dorm leader is just a special case.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Wearing the Pomefiore dorm uniforms isn’t just about being beautiful. The dorm leader told me ‘You must get strong,’ too.”

Home Transition (Groovy) “I wish people would tell me I’m cool instead of saying things like ‘pretty’ or ‘cute.’”

Home Taps “The deep indigo used for our dorm uniforms is said to be the same color as the Beautiful Queen’s dress.”

“I once got lost in the dorm and ended up at this creepy basement. I wonder what that room is used for...”

“Did you see the huge apple trees in our dorm’s courtyard? Back home, we’ve got apple trees too. ...But I’m not homesick or anything.”

“Keep this a secret from the dorm leader, but... I actually wanted to get into Savanaclaw. They seem kinda bad and tough. I like it.”

“Quit pokin’ at me so casually! ...I’m kidding. I just don’t really like being touched, I think.”

Home Tap (Groovy) “Ramshackle must be so nice. I’d love to be alone and free.”

Duo Magic Epel: “Let’s go, Rook!” Rook: “How daring you are, Monsieur Cherry Apple.”

Birthday Celebration Outfit - SSR

This card was only obtainable during Epel’s birthday event (May 5 - May 12, 2021).

Unlock Card “I can’t believe you guys are throwing such a huge celebration for me... Thank you, everyone!”

“I want this year to be fruitful, like the way fresh apples grow every year.”

Groovy “I hope that next year I can have a blast with you and everyone else again!”

Home Setting “How do I look? Cool, right? ...Huh?! I’m ‘cute’?”

Home Transitions “Deuce gave me a cap with really cool patches on it. I’m gonna wear it next time I go see him.”

“Ruggie told me ‘I’m expecting a little something back from ya!’ when he handed me a present... I have no idea what I’d get for a senior.”

“Everyone looked so shocked when I blew out my birthday candles in one breath... Do I really seem that weak?”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “It’s my birthday party today, so maybe I can act like myself a little bit, and have fun...”

Home Transition (Groovy) “I’ve still gotta do homework after this... Ah! Maybe it’d fun if I worked with you. It’d be like we’re keeping the party going!”

Home Taps “Jack gave me a cactus. I hear it’s hard to get them to bloom flowers, but I’ll try my best to grow one!”

“I used to mark my height on a pillar to see how tall I’d gotten. But I stopped because I wasn’t really growing...”

“Huh?! There’s cream near my mouth? That could’ve been bad... Vil was about t’get real hacked off at me!”

“It makes me happy to get presents, but I don’t really have a use for makeup and fluttery clothes and stuff like that...”

“You want to see me carve an apple? Then I’ll give a go at carving a portrait. Will you be my model?”

Home Tap (Groovy) “I like how the party really picks up when you and Grim are here. I don’t do so great when the mood’s all stiff.”

Duo Magic Epel: “Vil! There’s something a bit different about me today.” Vil: “Happy birthday, Epel. Let’s see it.”

Tutorial “Let’s go! I’ll leave you behind if you don’t keep up.”

Lv Up “Ehehe, I made some progress... I think.”

“If I do my best, someday I’ll definitely make it...!”

“Let’s try our hardest from now on. Okay?”

Max Lv Up “I feel a strong power rising in me, like an ice-cold poison. It feels like I could put anyone to sleep... maybe?”

Episode Lv Up “Why’re you even botherin’ with me? If it’s ‘cause you think I’m strong ‘n reliable, then... that’d make me happy.”

Magic Lv Up “With this power, I’ll even take on the dorm leader!”

Limit Break “I’m getting stronger. Do you believe in me too...? Maybe?”

Groovy “I wish I could grow slowly and steadily, like an apple.”

Select Lesson “What subject are you going to take? ...I like flying, I think.”

“Do you want to take a class with me? It doesn’t really matter to me, though... hehe.”

“Seriously, how long are you just gonna stand there? Pick already.”

Lesson Start “Mm, hello everyone.”

Lesson End “I’m drained from all that studying!”

Battle Start “You’ve got some nerve biting at me...!”

Battle Win “Guess I’m not as soft as I look! Maybe.”

Other

Profile Quote “Apples are awkward and hard to handle... just like...”

January 2020 Trailer “Are you by chance waiting for your prince on a white horse to come?”

Countdown Poster “Would you like a bite of this red apple?”

Login Bonus “It’s important to keep up at something everyday. Apples won’t ripen either if you don’t take care of them everyday... you know?”

Player Birthday Wish “It’s your birthday, ain’t it! I made some jam outta the apples my family sent me... Here! Ah... Um... What’s wrong? You’re making a funny face... Did I say something weird... maybe?”

Epel sometimes slips into speaking in Tsugaru dialect, which is so different than standard Japanese that sometimes it’s impossible to understand unless you’re familiar with it. I’d describe it as a “heavy country dialect.” There’s no perfect way to translate it, and I don’t really have a good grasp on different English dialects anyway, but I tried 🙆‍♀️ If anything was worded strangely, it was probably intentional!

[starsbythepocketful12]

headcanons cause i’m in flarrie hours

they are THE couple when it comes to halloween costumes

all their outfits for big events (parties, gigs where dirty candy and/or jatp perform) are coordinated

carrie my femme queen & flynn my nonbinary lesbian darling

go to protests & marches together

flynn lends carrie books by her favorite Black female authors & carrie lends her books by her favorite sapphic poets

they make playlists about each other but the other doesn’t know they do it (julie & kayla are the only ones permitted to know of the existence of these playlists & have been sworn to secrecy, though julie has a strong suspicion carrie also makes playlists about flynn and vice versa)

have a joint pinterest account for their wedding moodboard

carrie adopted a tiger cub and named it flynn for their three month anniversary

they go to the mall together every other weekend and shop, which they both love to do and when they get home they always model the new outfits they bought

flynn squeals every time they see a dog in public and always runs over and asks if they can pet it and carrie always watches her with such a fond look that the owner almost always makes a comment on what a lovely couple they are or asks how long they’ve been together (something that has actually been happening since even before they were dating, and back then you can imagine the flustered ness it caused)

flynn often comes to watch dirty candy rehearsals, cheer them on, make sure they’re staying hydrated/taking snack breaks and that carrie’s not overworking herself

carrie is the first person that flynn tells she wants to DJ professionally and carrie gets her her first gig

eventually flynn gets into producing as well and ends up making a track for carrie, who writes lyrics to it and it becomes dirty candy’s most successful song to date

carrie says i love you first one saturday afternoon while they’re watching a movie on flynn’s computer in her room. flynn laughs at a joke and carrie looks over at her, her beautiful, incredible girlfriend, and simply can’t resist the urge to say it

flynn’s shocked into silence so carrie panics and leaves and doesn’t answer flynn’s messages

that night flynn shows up at the wilson mansion and throws rocks at carrie’s window until she comes out

flynn is upset with carrie for running out and ghosting her and carrie’s trying to defend herself so they argue but then flynn interrupts carrie by kissing her and breathlessly saying, “i love you.” carrie kisses her and not another word on it is said

carrie steals flynn’s hats

they’re not really PDA-y, they just happen to engage in a lot of unconscious, casual affection, like flynn often absentmindedly intertwines their pinkies and carrie doesn’t realize her arm is around flynn’s shoulders until she’s doing it

even after months of dating will still flirt like they’re in their enemies who are secretly very attracted to e/o era

flynn really loves art, particularly murals, so she drags carrie to a lot of gallery openings and museums

at one point when flynn’s going through a hard time carrie enlists all their friends for help making a giant mural full of drawings of things that make her happy

flynn happy cries when she sees it and is pretty much always seen hugging carrie for the rest of that night

only really cuddle when one (or both) of them is sleepy, though flynn does often sit on carrie’s lap

before starting to date, carrie would tease flynn for having stuffed animals during their sleepovers at flynn’s until they started dating and flynn started spending more time at carrie’s and flynn discovers that her girlfriend’s a little hypocrite

flynn has a younger sister and brother (sister is six, brother is four) and they absolutely ADORE carrie and think she’s the coolest and carrie thinks they’re the cutest

flynn’s like no they’re little demons and carrie’s says who says demons can’t be cute? you once called me a demon right, and im cute, aren’t i? and flynn rolls her eyes and fights back a smile

flynn also has a college aged older sister who she looks up to a lot, like that’s her hero and absolute role model, so naturally carrie’s terrified to meet her, and though she tries to appear intimidating at first, she can’t keep up the act for long and starts being friendly with carrie pretty much right away

one day they’re supposed to go on a date but carrie’s sick and forgot to text flynn telling her not to come so flynn shows up at her house but stays anyway to look after her

flynn reads to her and makes her soup

trevor & flynn play video games while carrie naps

flynn makes jewelry in her free time and consults carrie for her thoughts on every piece (in junior year she starts selling them at school & turns out to be quite the entrepreneur)

they have an inside joke about cosmo and wanda

a couple of the dirty candy members sometimes jokingly flirt with flynn and are like “watch out! we’re gonna steal your girl!” and carrie gets possessive and apologizes for it pretty quickly but flynn thinks it’s hot so it works out pretty well

will watch bad rom coms to make fun of straight people and throw popcorn at the screen when they get together

pet/nick names: care, baby, babe, love, (from carrie to flynn who shuts down upon hearing it) honey, (flynn to carrie, who becomes very giddy the first time flynn says it in a text message) sweetheart

if you couldn’t tell before they ofc have an enemies to friends to lovers arc

move in together after graduating, neither planning on going to college (julie goes to berkeley and nick some other place in california where they have lacrosse cause that’s the sport he plays right) and their parents think it’ll be a disaster but it actually goes really well

the first couple of weeks they fight more, all petty arguments mostly out of the stress of moving, but they always talk it out

it doesn’t take long for them to be happy they’re living together and feel really glad they took that step

two years after graduating flynn gives her a promise ring

carrie cries her eyes out and replies “of fucking course, you dumb fuck” when flynn asks if she’ll take it

ten years later carrie’s a successful pop star/choreographer & flynn’s a record breaking producer/DJ and they’re about to buy a house when they realize they never got married

it’s just a moment where they’re relaxing together on the couch and suddenly are like. oh

and proceed to burst out laughing

it’s a small ceremony, thrown together in just three weeks

carrie wears a short, light pink dress with a heart cutout in the back that would probably be more suited for a high school sophomore’s spring fling but no one cares

flynn wears a suit, and is walked down the aisle by her older sister

they both tear up upon seeing each other and sob through the vows (the traditional pre written ones, they wrote vows for each other but they recite them to the other when they’re alone, so it’s something special only they can share)

julie & kayla are the maids of honor, nick and alex are the best men

julie & luke’s five year old hernando is the ring bearer & alex and willie’s three year old umi is the flower child

trevor, flynn’s older sister and parents cry

even flynn’s now teenage younger siblings, who as of late have often been stereotypically cynical and moody shed tears

jatp perform at the reception (they have also become a hit band at this point)

when they get back from the honeymoon the first thing they do is get a dog

they adopt a golden doodle rescue named stella

a couple years later they start talking about kids and look into getting a sperm donor

because they love being competitive they do little games to decide who will be the one to carry the baby

it’s all jokes though, they decided at the start of the process that it would be flynn for the first kid and carrie for the second

but then SURPRISE flynn has twins

a boy and a girl named tyler and ollie (who’s who i won’t tell you cause fuck gender)

they don’t even talk about carrie getting pregnant now cause they’re busy with the babies and trying to manage their careers but one night, when the kids are eight, and flynn has just flopped onto the couch with a dramatic sigh after putting them to bed, carrie puts down her kindle and quietly says that she wants another kid.

they talk for hours because while flynn wants another kid too, when you’re both celebrities with demanding jobs and people constantly trying to peer into your life, that decision involves even more factors

they decide to have another kid and carrie chooses to take a step back from her career for now-she’ll return to it eventually but for now she wants to be able to just be a parent without worrying about work and not have to deal with the guilt that comes with working when she feels like she should be being a parent

though the kids have always been their main priority and they have done quite well dividing their time between work and being with them, and have done decently shielding them from the public eye (majority of the pictures of ollie & tyler that the public has are blurry candids, and the few high quality ones are from when they were three and they no longer look like that anyway so it’s all good)

it’s a harder process for carrie to get pregnant as she’s almost 40 and flynn was 31 when she had tyler and ollie

but it happens though they’re careful about choosing the sperm donor-even briefly consider asking reggie or nick-because with this kind of thing there’s always the risk that other parent could track down where their kid ended up and want to be a part of that kid’s life later on which is uber complicated for many reasons so they get those scary possibilities out of the way by just finding someone who they know wants to be in the child’s life

preston choi, a thai & korean american mathematics professor ends up being their guy

he’s immensely genuine, sweet, respectful, polite, and gentlemanly

when he came out at fifteen his parents kicked him out of the house

it was a long and difficult journey but they’re in a decent place now

but it’s not the family he wants to have and he’s tried but has yet to find a partner

but doesn’t want to wait to have kids so here he is, more than happy to co parent with flynn and carrie

so that’s what they do! tyler and ollie become big siblings to miles wilson-choi on december 10th, 2044

miles grows up in the most multicultural home ever, being fluent in 4 languages (English, AAVE, Spanish thanks to their tia julie, Korean, and Thai) all their life

tyler & ollie welcome preston and miles into the family with open arms, as well as the addition of korean and thai cuisine to the already amazing dinner tables they had of soul and caribbean food

when miles is seven carrie goes back to work full time, with preston’s assurance that he’s got this when her and flynn are busy and tyler and ollie (who are now fifteen) promising they’ll help out as well

at that point the long awaited julie and the phantoms/carrie and flynn wilson collaboration FINALLY happens

flynn wins her 28th grammy for it, leaving her tied with beyoncé for most grammys won by any woman ever (its julie’s 14th, luke’s 6th, and carrie’s 12th, and the band’s collective 10th cause alex never did any solo projects and reggie released one country album but it didn’t win any grammys rip though it was nominated for 2 CMAs)

[sinsbymanka]

This is a submission for the @cozy-autumn-prompts​ event, brainchild of the lovely @scharoux​. Thank you for the amazing prompts! @tightassets​ and I submit the following art (belonging to her talented hands) and fic (my doing) for prompt #4: By The Fire.

Title: It’ll be a Hell of a Story Rating: M Pairing: Female Cadash/Varric Tethras, Maria Cadash/Varric Tethras Tags: Flirting, UST, Fantasizing, Pre-Relationship, Non-Inquisitor Cadash

Read on AO3

It should have been a simple problem.

Simpler than the breach swirling threateningly above them, at any rate.

They’d managed to survive the whole world going to shit, but that massive hole in the sky was still gonna be a problem they needed to solve. Sooner rather than later. And to do that, they needed people. Soldiers. Mages. Weapons.

Lyrium.

And whenever someone said ‘lyrium’, they always looked at the dwarf. Like the humans and their skirts and their wars hadn’t upset the whole damn lyrium trade. Varric debated throwing his hands up and washing them of the whole thing.

Demons. Holes in the sky. Templars. Mages. None of it was really his cup of ale.

But there had been red lyrium in the temple. And that… well, that was his problem. He’d put it out in the world. He was responsible for the spark that ignited the fire, and now he had to deal with the inferno. Besides. He could find a lyrium dealer with one hand tied behind his back, right?

He could kick himself for his optimism.

Ruffles couldn’t get the Merchant’s Guild or Orzammar to play ball, not a surprise. Too much risk to sell to this ragtag bunch on top of a mountain, not enough reward. Even Varric wouldn’t be able to pull enough strings to make it work, which meant he needed the Carta.

Of course, the one time in his life he wanted them to appear, they were nowhere to be found. Frankly, that was suspicious. There’d been Carta crawling all over Haven when he arrived, it didn’t take much to see their signs. Dwarven marks carved into cabins to mark drop points. Snow clearly brushed back to cover paths. Several short, shady dwarves in the tavern that kept to themselves while they played cards.

If he’d have known he’d need them later, he would have said hello. He’d been too worried about spinning tales to make the chantry dance to his tune and trying to ingratiate himself to both sides of this damn mess so he could get back to Kirkwall with his fine dwarven chest hair intact.

Maybe they’d all died in the aftermath of the temple exploding. He’d seen a couple Dwarven corpses, but not enough to make up a whole crew, and there’d been multiple operating in Haven. Did that mean the rest fled?

Varric scratched his stubble while he picked his way down the icy, gravel path. His eyes still roamed, trying to find any signs of seedy deals lingering in the shadows, but all he saw were scared refugees and soldiers not even old enough to grow a beard. The wind cut through them all and they scurried past without even looking down at the dwarf.

Well. Back to his fire to regroup and think of another plan before he froze into a nice chunk of rather handsome ice.

Honestly, it was hard to believe that somebody didn’t look at the chaos and see profit to be made. They didn’t make Carta as tough as they used to, apparently. Where were all the tough, savvy business people? The clever rogues able to stay one step ahead of all the competition? What about someone who could look at this mess and decide to chip in, if only because that hole in the world threatened everything?

Varric scoffed to himself and shoved his hands in his coat. Carta dwarf with a heart of gold? He’d grow a beard first.

He sighed and turned the corner, letting his eyes drift covetously to the fire not twenty paces away.

And almost stumbled to a complete stop. There was a woman sitting on his bench, next to his abandoned supplies, munching on a flaky pastry while flipping through his book.

A dwarven woman. One that looked like the right kind of shady he’d been trying to locate all damn day.

But the cunning tip of her head as she read, the blade on her thigh, the sheer audacity of her, was nothing notable. Not compared to the curves accentuated by her snug breeches and the tempting swell of her breasts tantalizingly framed by a shirt not quite as scandalous as his, but close. Her red hair was braided away from her face, but wisps of it danced in the wind, tickled her freckled nose.

She lifted her eyes from the page and locked eyes with him. Hers crackled with intelligence, energy, and absolutely wicked satisfaction.

At a glance he knew three things. First. She was Carta. Second. She’d been watching him look for her.

Lastly, and most importantly, she was the best kind of trouble. And that made her more dangerous than she even knew.

She didn’t break eye contact, didn’t even bother to drop his pilfered book. Instead, she raised her snack to her lips and took a slow bite, watching him watch her like she was a queen upon her throne and him some lowly petitioner.

And honestly, that was the right of it. Which shouldn’t make him think of getting on his knees and throwing those shapely thighs over his shoulders, but dammit he hadn’t expected to find the most gorgeous woman in the world in the middle of the Ferelden muck.

She lifted his book, tipped her head to the side, and smirked. “It’s not bad, but you’re sodding verbose, Tethras. You should probably get a better editor.”

Every thought in his mind screeched to a halt, replaced by one word.

Minx.

“Sorry my personal belongings aren’t up to snuff, Princess. I’ll leave better material out for you to peruse next time.” Thank Andraste his mouth was still working, because he’d lost control of his feet completely, dragged towards her like a victim of an unseen mage.

She snapped the book shut and tossed it easily onto the ground, ignoring his nickname to pat the bench beside her. It was a clear invitation, and he almost forgot how absurd it was to be invited to sit on his bench. Almost.

“I’ve been looking for the Carta all damn day.” He narrowed his eyes, making a show of grumbling displeasure to hide his ridiculous glee.

Her only answer was a sly smirk and to recline back on one palm. “I know. I was watching.”

“See something you like?” He gestured at himself, watching her stormy eyes drop from his face down his stocky body, lingering pointedly on his displayed chest. Then she swept a burning path back to his face.

“It’s not a terrible view.” She admitted.

He smiled at her. The most charming, brilliant smile he could summon. The same one that had many a fine dwarven barmaid tumbling over themselves to get him another glass of ale. His redheaded temptress only gave him a predatorial smirk in return.

“Should I assume you’re here for business?” He asked.

Or pleasure.

He didn’t dare say it. Not to her. There was something… something about her that made him pause, consider her carefully. Something that screamed if he gave her that power over him, he’d regret it the rest of his life.

It was the eyes. Must have been. He’d never seen a more endless set of eyes in his damn life.

“I’m curious.” She declared, tapping her free hand on the bench while she studied him. “I was on my way out, you know. Too much crazy religion for my taste.”

“The Chantry freaks you out more than the demons?”

“I can shoot the demons. It’s frowned upon to start murdering old women squawking at me, but they are annoying.”

She wrinkled her nose in evident distaste and something flipped in his stomach. The wind picked up again and took more of the hair from her braid, whipped it across her cheeks.

He had the sudden, maddening urge to trace his gloved fingers over her jaw and tuck it back behind the shell of her ear before cupping her cheek and drawing her sweetly towards him in a passionate kiss that-

She was either far too clever for her own good or used to inspiring a chaotic inferno of lust wherever she went, because she clearly saw the direction his thoughts veered off into. And all the woman did was bit her lower lip between her teeth to stifle a laugh he was sure would be throaty and sinful.

Yeah. He definitely didn’t need to sit down next to her on the bench. He needed three feet of space between her and him at all times to stop himself from doing something stupid.

His legs didn’t get the memo.

He plopped his ass right next to her, their thighs touching teasingly, but she didn’t bother moving. Instead, she simply eyed him with a distinct blend of wariness and interest. He sensed it would take more than his roguish charm to break down that caution, but he didn’t need to do all of it now.

He was used to playing the long game, after all.

“What’s your name, Princess?”

“Cadash.” Varric’s heart leapt in triumph. That was a good name for lyrium. A very good name. It was about time he had some good luck.

Then she added the kicker. “Maria Cadash.”

Oh. Oh they had hit the fucking vein with this one. They didn’t just have Cadash clan operating in Haven, they had one of the fucking heirs to the whole pot. A winning hand, if he played it right.

“Nanna sent me a letter telling me to get the hell out of dodge before the humans blew up the sky. Again.” She smirked, shaking her head. “But I’d just gotten comfortable.”

“We can keep you quite comfortable, Princess.” Varric insisted. Maker, he had hit the nail on that head with her nickname. He had bonafide Carta royalty on his hands and he’d do well not to lose her.

She leaned forward, her shirt dipping open with the motion, drawing his eyes for just a second and making him think of other things he could have in his hands. Because he was weak. A weak, weak man.

Maria held his gaze, brought the sweet back up to her mouth, and bit into the flaky dough. His eyes flew to the sugar dusting her pretty lips. He had half a mind to lean in and kiss it off.

“You know, those are bad for you. Not a single apple actually in them, Princess.” Varric rasped.

Maria slowly licked the sugar off her bottom lip. “I only like things that are bad for me, honestly.”

Varric leapt on her admission of weakness. “Well in that case, why not supply the Inquisition? You couldn’t make a more dangerous decision if your life depended on it. Think of the rush of danger. The cloak and dagger thrill. The late night missions and secret assignations…”

He sweetened his voice to the same low, cajoling tone he’d used on templar, guards, coterie, and all the worst of Kirkwall. She watched his mouth move with rapt attention, her snack forgotten.

Varric didn’t know how his arm slipped behind her back, but suddenly his palm was on the curve of her spine in a gesture that seemed carelessly intimate. Maria didn’t pull away. Their knees touched, her chin tipped up, and for a wild moment Varric waited for her to lean in and capture his mouth.

Instead, her smile curled up like the fire they sat beside. She tore her eyes from his to look at it with a shake of her head.

“It’ll cost you.” She warned. “This is risky. Risky isn’t cheap.”

Some things were worth paying any price for, weren’t they?

“We’ll find the coin.” He promised. “And you get to stay at the center of the action, just like you want.”

Her eyebrow climbed up her forehead. “You think I want to be underneath a spiraling hole in the bleedin’ world freezing my tits off?”

“Of course you do.” He stated, picking up an abandoned mug and holding it out to her in a silent toast. “It’s gonna be a hell of a story, Princess. Wouldn’t want to miss it.”

Just the slightest bit of her wariness fell away, revealing a wicked glint of humor and a spark of madness he’d seen too often in a dozen other brilliant women when they had made up their mind to have an adventure with or without him.

“No.” She declared with relish. “I suppose I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world.”

[levyfiles]

Last week the @skepticbeliever-bookclub prompted us to post a selection of our favourite shyan fics so there’d be a nice little way to highlight all the hidden gems of favourites we might already recognise and love while sharing a few we might never have found otherwise. Last December I posted a little list of some of my favourites so I figured I’d dust off that list with a few new additions of particular favourites I treasure. 

Be All My Sins Remembered by spoopyy

Summary:  In every lifetime, they find each other.

Review: This fic manages to take you on a long journey through what feels like a series of AUs and they all weave in and out of the wealth of their relationship with some vivid descriptions of the historical settings their journey takes them through. As someone who grew up reading Anne Rice’s epics through historical events, this fic is right up my alley. A vampire Shane passing through the wave of human society’s climb searching for a reincarnated Ryan again and again, trying to hold on to him and keep him through great tragedies and timeframes that just don’t let them be together. This was one of the first fics I read when I was only a lurker and to be quite honest, I need to give this one a nice re-read, maybe for the book club which would be loads of fun. Either way, 10/10. Would be Hurt in the heart again.

Perfect Fit by @beaniegara

Summary:  There’s a legend that says anyone able to take all of statue Shane’s cock will summon the god to the mortal realm. Given the statue’s excessive size, no one has ever succeeded to prove or disprove the story. Until Ryan that is.

Review: Listen. You wanna talk actual fandom legends. This fic is one of them and it pulls out all the stops on being delicious and evocative. Also features one of my favourite incarnations of size queen bergara. Good stuff and you’re really rooting for Ryan in this lol.

a prize for rotten judgement  by sarcasticfishes

Summary: “You’d drive each other crazy. You sit together at your office all day, and then you’d be commuting home together, eating dinner together, watching TV together, going to bed — well, not together, but you get it, right?”

It doesn’t sound so awful to Shane. There are worse people he could be spending all his hours with than Ryan Bergara.

Review: The moment I happened to glance at the notes of this and saw that Fie’s secondary title for this would have been Ryan and Shane move to the Suburbs, I about lost it with excitement. Primarily because the show this references is one of my favourite comedies and that is one of my all-time favourite episodes. Let me tell you though, even if the reference is lost on you, this story is so much gold rolled into a heart-gripping tale of two best friends who spend every waking moment together taking the plunge to share a home and they were roommates oh my god they were roommates. Shane is pining and you’ll pine right along with him as you’ll yell and holler for him to stop being so damn real and full of doubt. It really is worth every gasp of pain and all the more for the execution but the delivery will leave you in delight. Certainly had me yelling at the author. This fic is gonna be one of my timeless favourites; I knew it the moment I began.

Everything’s Weird and We’re Always in Danger by beethechange

Summary: Ryan perches on the edge of the bed, an indistinct shape that Shane can only just make out in the dark, so he turns the lamp back on. He wants to see Ryan’s face, wants to know that he is alright. Ryan’s cheeks are damp, his hands fisted in the hideous flowered duvet.

“It won’t go away,” Ryan says miserably. “I’ve been like this since we got here, basically, and it won’t fucking—”

“Ah,” Shane says. “Well, you know, sometimes fear…adrenaline…they can affect people. Physically.” He waves his hands indistinctly crotchward. “It’s a, a scientifically known phenomenon.” Shane feels a little better staying in the realm of scientifically known phenomena.

Review: Word of advice. You see a fic is authored by beethechange, run don’t walk because you’re absolutely always going to be treated to the best of banter, the best of prose, chemistry, organic execution and feels right up the bottom end of your heart. This fic, this changed everything I thought I knew I wanted out of a bed-sharing fic. It’s got a little bit of two treats here. You got a sex-pollen-esque situation mixed with bed-sharing and holy fucking damn that is more than you think you deserve, but read this because you do deserve the best of the best. The build up, the dialogue, the surprisingly hilarity of it, the hotness woah, and The Aftermath. When you think you know what you’re in for, you’re wrong and you’re most pleasantly surprised. Get this fic in your life and honestly? while you’re at it, you could do a clean sweep of every fic in her list of works and while my less than adequate reading time management may still be short on some of her most well-recommended pieces, I have an adamant faith that Bee doesn’t disappoint. Go get y’all juice.

Maelstrom by thewindupbird

Summary:  Here’s the thing about driving halfway across the country to see someone. You can’t really deny, after that, that you’re pretty much head over heels for them.

Review: Listen. One morning on a day off, I just laid in bed and read this– all 40k+ words– while lying there clutching my pillows, hurting and loving every moment of it. The descriptions of Americana, the slow steady metronome rhythm of Ryan’s feelings as frightened and helpless as they feel when you’re relating deeply to them juxtaposed with the deep-seated struggle of understanding what it is to be with someone you love so much but your mental health is burning quiet holes in your ability to express it in a way that can be understand. Ryan’s fierce determination, breaking through the silence of their non communication is really Everything to me in this fic. i think I really left my heart in the scene in Shane’s parents kitchen. That finished me. Read this fic and understand the deep relief you get when you’ve finished a fight with someone you fiercely care about and they understand you and you understand them and it’s OK; it’s gonna be all right. Augh.

5 times Shane had to overrule Ryan’s “No Homo” + 1 time he didn’t have to by ghoulboyboos

Summary: There was only one thing that would truly drive him up the wall with Ryan, much more than any debate about ghosts ever could: Ryan’s consistent twitches of “no homo” when any sort of physical contract between them happened.

Review: I have such a soft special spot in my heart for this fic particularly because Lud manages to examine a trope I tend to avoid in such a sweet and honest way I couldn’t not love this fic. The story takes a painstaking and very real look at the “no homo” issue as it weaved through the journey that was early days Ryan and Shane. Shane’s reaction to in this and how he communicates with Ryan has such a very heartfelt and once again, real quality to it. I get in my feelings all over again about how far they’ve come and what it meant for Ryan to have Shane there. Lud really nails this piece and it’s a classic in my eyes.

A Burial on Box Hill by InkStainsOnMyHands

Summary: The Celtics believed that the yew flower symbolized both immortality and death. Meanwhile, for centuries, the buxus flower was seen as a symbol for safe passage into the afterlife.

Or,Shane and Ryan were never the same after investigating the Black Forest of Germany alone.

Review: Let me just quote my bookmark comment here. Usually I flee from tragedy like a cat spotting a cucumber but the brevity and the prose dragged me in and now I’m a functioning mess. Bless this fic. Oh my god it’s short and reads like one of those quick horror stories you’ll read to your friends just as the scary stories are transitioning from the urban legends to the ones that feel real. Big warning for main character death but still read it if you appreciate a good story told.

Body Farming by shiphitsthefan

Summary: Failed suppressants and a surprise heat: the worst of cliches, and here Ryan stands, living the trope on location with the alpha he’s hopelessly in love with. Even worse, they’re spending the night in the famous Bell Witch Cave, completely alone and with no way to contact the outside world.

Ryan knows he can survive and keep his preheat a secret, as long as Shane will stop being so protective and concerned. After all, it’s not like Shane wants to bond with him.

Right?

Review: Now judging from the reactions of many people I’ve spoken to, big heavy ABO kink is not popular here but guys, GUYS. This one. Let this one in I promise it is not what you think it is. The dynamic is organic and the worst side of the trope is subverted in all the best ways and lord help us, the smut is hot, like swelteringly smoking. It’ll stay with you.

Believer by cellard00rs

Summary:  Some demons and otherworldly creatures love climbing up the power ladder. Shane is not one of these. He likes where he is (thank you very much) and has no interest in moving up. All he wants is to give his friend Ryan a nice birthday gift. So, naturally, everything goes to hell.

Review: This fic is another fandom legend. When I think demon!Shane. It’s this and one other one that always pops right into my mind. This was my first exposure to the bureaucracy meets the supernatural!Shane trope and I was sold from the get-go. The Shane in this fic is everything I imagine a demon!Shane is and his ginger care for Ryan, the concept of their bond and how even though Shane is a demon and responsible for keeping the supernatural a firm secret from Ryan and the rest of the world, his skepticism is relayed through his status as a demon. I want to talk more about it but I think so much of the enjoyment comes from the surprises as the plot unfurls.

hey boy, take a look at me by weakspots

Summary: Ryan is 27, for Christ’s sake, and he’s not exactly hideous, so there’s really no reason to spend his money on a dude — a dude — whose face he’ll never see but whose livestreams he’s been jerking off to for roughly 4 months now. He should be going out and partying and fucking random chicks. Or a guy, whatever, just to get it out of his system and confirm to himself that he really is 100% straight.

Because he is. This is morbid curiosity, if anything.

Review: I’ve been a long-time fan of this universe and it was a universe I didn’t know I needed until this author gave it to us. We or rather me, a desperate audience, just devoured this with every update. Not only is it hot, but it has the delicious intrigue of secret identity, anonymous stuff and a LOT of blush-worthy prose therein. This version of Shane makes me thrive but the titillating nature of straight-identifying!Ryan being bowled over by the turn of events that leads him to his world tilting into the gravity of a camboy just--you Have to read this one!

Heartbeat by quackers

Summary:  So the guy Ryan sits next to at work is a vampire. That’s no big deal, right?

Review: I could talk your literal ear off about this fic. Vampires, man. I love the trope; you don’t know me as a person if you don’t know this at least. And this fic kept me fed all damn year. It was a readable garden. If there is one thing I can guarantee about quackers’ work, it’s that their world-building is a festival of detail. The realms and alternate universes they work with while still managing to keep Shane and Ryan’s voices so familiar and real is a talent not attributed to your everyday author. This fic propelled me into wanting to write more and more because quackers makes stories so much fun! Reading their work is, to me, not unlike the feeling I got when I was younger and finding series that speak to my need to escape this crummy existence, made me want to believe in fun spicy things like a vampire that lived through centuries, cynical but still searching, navigating a world where people are still people, adjusting to differences and prejudices, finding comfort in a guy that understands that and more. I’ve talked about this fic in more than a few different posts so I’d just be reiterating a lot of things I loved about the more historical aspects of Shane’s journey, the way Ryan is so firmly curious and inventive in ways to connect with Shane. Look, even if vampires aren’t your thing, I can promise that if you visit quackers list of work, you will find something for your supernatural-lovin’ palate that speaks to a gentler side of your own curiosity about monsters and the jocks that love them. lol.

I’ll Crawl Home by carrieonfighting

Summary:  “Shane was almost unnerved by how quickly he’d settled into this body, this name, this life - his friendship with Ryan was the most time he’d spent with any human before, and yet the man fascinated him.”

Review: This is the second fic I think of when someone says the words ‘demon!Shane’ to me because ohhhh my word, this fic is a masterpiece. I really am hard-pressed to find anything better than the feeling I get when I think of demon!Shane headcanons interwoven with the irl Buzzfeed reality and the idea of the Ryan as we know him being protected and watched and loved so deeply by a demon that found him so long ago and wanted nothing but to protect him. I feel an almost vicious glee reliving that moment when Ryan and Shane are on goatman’s bridge and man, I just really love canonical fic mixed with a slight twist. The writing in this makes it work so well with lines that still haunt my heart and soul like “Ryan liked popcorn. So did the demon. Genuinely, not just out of a desire to please the human – he liked the way it crunched between his vessel’s teeth. There were some aspects of taking a corporeal form that were… nice; laughing, coffee, feeling warm. Ryan made him laugh.” FUCK! The beautiful agony of it, watching the demon fall in love with Ryan through the eyes of his vessel. Just stark with pain and unspoken, well-written angst and pain with a perfect ending, I wouldn’t change for anything. I love this for us as a fandom and will always love that author crafted this piece and shared it with us. (Also every time I hear Work Song by Hozier, I think of this fic again and sigh).

[monarch-maelstrom]

⚠️Warning Swearing, blood, death, and traumatic events⚠️

This is the first chapter of the fan fiction I’m writing and I hope you guys like it. And btw if anyone has ideas for a cover or a title please tell me :)

Chapter 1

Next>>

When Shadowmoth is defeated things take a twist for Ladybug and Chat noir. Ladybug goes to new worlds when she learns new things about her past. Dragging Chat noir along with her. And back on Earth the world is rewired to have one person rule it all, King Félix Fathom. And on top of all that a new villain rises, Signora Farfalla. With new worlds, rulers, villains and even feelings who knows what mysteries are in the stars.

=-+ Note’s +-=

This is an AU where the events of season 4 aand the ending of season 3 did not happen. Ladybug still has the miraculouses, Rena Rouge is still active and Felix was never given a miraculous. The only events that did happen are that Rena Rouge knows Ladybug is Marinette and Ivan, Sabrina, Marc and Nathanael were given miraculouses. Ladybug has also let all of the miraculous holders keep their miraculouses and Alix and Chloé have a miraculous. And more mysteries are yet to be solved.

This story is inspired by The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Mayer. If you like this story you’ll enjoy The Lunar Chronicles. It is an amazing series about a teenage cyborg girl and her journey defeating an evil queen. There’s 4 books: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter. Each book is inspired by a different fairytale. Cinder - Cinderella, Scarlet - Little red riding hood, Cress - Rapunzel and Winter - Snow White. It is one of the best book series I’ve ever read and I recommend it so much.

Chapter 1- The beginning siblings

Shadowmoth shoved Chat noir into a wall with his cataclysm activated. The brown and black destruction scaling up the wall like a disease. Consuming the white and orange of his bedroom. Chat noir backed away from it. Thick red blood dripping down the front of his suit. Chat noir looked behind him. Shadowmoth had left. He looked back at the wall. If he remembered correctly that wall was a VERY important support wall. The wall crumbled into a pile of ashes. And the basketball hoop crashed down onto the floor cracking the wood. Almost crushing him. Chat noir backed away even farther. Then he started running. He sprinted as fast as he could searching desperately for Ladybug. “LADYBUG! LADYBUG WE NEED TO GO! LADYBUG!” He ran through the house that he grew up in. His feet slamming against the cracked tile. He didn’t care where the hell Shadowmoth went, he just needed to find Ladybug. He slid down the rail of the stairs and sprinted through the foyer.

Everyone had been evacuated out of the building except for Ladybug, Him and Shadowmoth. Chat kicked open the door to his fathers office. The gigantic door falling onto the tile. He jumped into the empty hole where the elevator to the secret basement used to be. He crashed onto the platform, shaking it entirely. He quickly ran down the platform still shaking it. He searched the platform, looking through every crook and cranny he could find. In the middle of the platform? No. In the life support machine thingy with his mothers corpse? Definitely not. In the greenery? NO. Chat noir was getting nervous. He didn’t know where the hell Ladybug was and time was running out. This whole building was gonna collapse.

Then a thought occurred to him. What if she’s in the water? What if Shadowmoth threw her in? Chat ran to the railing searching desperately for anything. Her hand, her yo-yo, some hair. Chat launched himself off the platform. If she’s not in the water then he didn’t know where she was.

…………………..

Ladybug remembers being pushed off the platform. By someone she didn’t know was there. Ladybug remembers crashing into the surface of the water, knocking the wind out of her. Ladybug remembers sinking, and sinking, and sinking. Trying to save every last droplet of air. Ladybug remembers air bursting out of her lungs quickly being replaced by water. And then black.

…………………..

Chat crashed into the surface of the water. Creating the biggest splash he’d ever seen. Not that he’d seen that many. He swam to the bottom. Searching and searching desperately, oh so desperately. He felt like his eyes were gonna burst with tears. If he couldn’t find Ladybug or if he did find her and she was dead, He would be so lost. He felt so helpless. He was gonna die. Shadowmoth was gonna die. Ladybug was dead or was gonna die.

He was about to compact into a tiny ball and cry until the building collapsed. But then he saw a flash of red. He swam as fast as he could. Sure enough there she was. Really beat up from the fight but she looked okay. Her hair ties had been cut in the fight so her hair was down and flowing all around her. Damn, she’s really pretty with her hair down. Chat noir shook his head. Not the time. He couldn’t tell if she was dead or unconscious but either way he needed to get her out of here. He grabbed her by the waist and looked around. He couldn’t swim to the surface because he couldn’t get back on the platform. He couldn’t use his stick to go up because he lost that in the fight with Shadowmoth. Well if he was gonna die at least he was with his lady.

He looked around one more time. And found a drain. It was clogged though. If he unclogged it he and Ladybug could probably fit through it and go wherever it ended. Probably the sewers. The only problem was he might be a little claustrophobic. Heh claw-strophobic. Ok he actually needed to focus. He was running out of air. He started pulling out the stuff clogging the drain. It was mostly leaves with some butterfly cocoons. And occasionally machinery. He unclogged the drain and that AWFUL sound was gone. It sounded like someone continuing to try and drink their drink when there was only air and ice left.

The drain started to pull them in. Chat noir held on tight to Ladybug and they went down. It was like a water slide. Except faster. Water was going crazy crashing against the sides and splashing. There were vines and leaves hanging from the ceiling. There was algae and mold on the sides and Chat thought he was gonna puke. But at least there was sort of air again. And Chat noir was completely right. He felt so claustrophobic. He started hyperventilating. Chat’s hold on Ladybug started to slip so he held onto her tighter. Eventually she slipped out of his grip and went down the drain. Now he was even more worried. She was out of his sight and he didn’t know where the drain went. He tried to sit up and crawl down the drain but he hit his head. He rubbed his head. His ring started beeping. “Not the time Plagg.” He hissed. He got on his stomach and swam down the drain. It really was like a water slide. He couldn’t help but say “weeeeeeee!” down the drain.

The drain came to an end. There was a drop down. Where did it lead to? Had Ladybug already gone down? He went down. It was like a waterfall. He hair was so wet by now. He could feel it matted to his forehead. He looked down and saw Ladybug falling. He made it so he went down faster and he grabbed onto Ladybug. He could feel her gasping for air. Oh thank goodness she wasn’t dead. He saw the floor coming fast. He held onto Ladybug acting like a shield for her. He flipped over so his back would hit the ground. It seemed like it was taking a while for the ground to hit. He turned his head to look at the ground and slammed into the concrete. He groaned in pain. He also rubbed his nose. Should’ve seen that one coming.

Next to him Ladybug lay there on her side. He started to panic. How long had she been underwater? Chat rolled Ladybug onto her back and laced his hands together. He pushed hard on her chest. Nothing. He put his mouth to hers. Nothing. On TV the most romantic things were the hero saving the damsel in distress from drowning. But in real life this was the most stressful thing EVER. Chat didn’t know much about CPR but hopefully it was better than nothing.

…………………..

Chat was kissing her. Wait no. He was probably performing CPR. Hopefully. He wasn’t doing it that well so it felt more like a really passionate kiss. But because she was awake it did the job. It really didn’t matter if he was performing CPR or not but either way she was blushing like hell. Which hopefully he didn’t notice. But she wasn’t concerned about him noticing her blushing. No. She was more concerned with the fact that he was crying. Which was concerning because she had never seen him cry.

Suddenly water flooded her mouth. Chat noir must've noticed because he pulled away. She sat up and started coughing up water. When she stopped she started breathing again. Which, she never knew she could miss air so much. Chat was sitting next to her, staring at her. Then he started crying even harder than he already was. “Oh Chat! Why are you crying? Are you okay?” Ladybug asked, concerned.

There was blood dripping from his nose. And on his cheek. And all down the front of his suit. His hair was matted with water and he was soaking wet. Ladybug reached over and wiped the little bit of blood on his cheek off. He reached up and held her hand there. And leaned into her hand. Ladybug pulled him into a hug. He started sobbing so hard. And he held on to her like he was never letting go. He was shaking and getting blood on her suit but she didn’t mind. “I… I…” he started. He sniffed. “I was… so… so scared.” Ladybug nuzzled her head into his hair. Damn, even after everything his hair still smells so good. She closed her eyes and sat with him for a while.

After Chat stopped crying and was comforted. They looked for a way back up to the mansion. Chat really didn’t want to go back but they needed to collect the miraculouses. Ladybug looked at the curved wall of the sewer tunnel. There was a short ladder that Ladybug assumed led to a manhole cover. Ladybug stood up and tried to help Chat up. But as soon as he stood and she let go he collapsed again.

Ladybug was assuming that because he was swimming so much in the thick and strong water and that he was carrying her that his legs had just given up. Ladybug was impressed that he had gotten this far though. Ladybug had two ideas. Either he stays here while she quickly grabs the miraculouses that way because he’s hurt he’s also safe, but he'll probably be a little upset. Or she’ll carry him which will be a pain but after all he did she’ll do it, and she’s a little worried she might hurt him but he’ll be happy.

Chat looked at her with full eyes. She really didn’t want to leave him here but it was safest. But then again he probably won’t allow her to leave him here. “You want to leave me here don’t you?” Chat said sadly.

Ladybug stood there. “I don’t want to… but I’m worried you’re gonna get more hurt than you already are.” Ladybug smiled sadly. “But if you want to come I’ll allow it.” He pondered this for a moment and looked at the ground.

“I… I’ll stay here…” Chat says studying the ground. “But promise you’ll come back as soon as you're done.” He said looking at Ladybug. He smiled sadly, responding to her sad smile.

“I’ll be quick. I promise.”

…………………..

Ladybug left Chat in the sewers. It was damp and it smelled musty. The rocks on the ground were flooded with water. Some of the water tinted red from his blood. Chat had been so focused on saving Ladybug that he hadn’t even noticed the pain. But now it was all flooding back.

He assumed he had probably broken his nose being shoved into the wall. And hitting the concrete. Chat crawled over to the wall and leaned against it to support him. “Claws in.” The green lightning sparks covered his body and got rid of his suit. Turning into Plagg.

Plagg landed and curled up in Adrien’s lap. This was the first time Adrien had ever seen Plagg so tired after a fight. Adrien grabbed some cheese from his jacket. The cheese was wet but he didn’t think Plagg would mind. Plagg lifted his head up and sniffed the cheese. Then he slowly ate it. Adrien laid his head against the wall. The wall was cool and it felt nice. “Do you think Shadowmoth is dead, Plagg?”

“I don’t know. And I don't care right now.” Plagg said his words slurred.

“But what if Ladybug has to fight him by herself.”

“Then she’ll fight him. She’s strong Adrien, she'll be fine.” Plagg said, his words were more defined. Adrien sighed. Adrien didn’t know what he would feel if Shadowmoth was dead. Maybe relief? Sadness? Anger? He didn’t know, he just hoped he would be okay

…………………..

Ladybug arrived at the mansion. It was a pile of rubble and dust. She recognized some things. Like some of Adrien’s cd’s. His trophies. A destroyed grimoire. She picked it up. You couldn’t read anything. All of the pages were destroyed and torn. The cover was scratched up and missing chunks. Ladybug sighed. And dropped it. She looked around some more.

She saw a hand underneath some rubble. She hauled the rubble off of the body and sure enough there was Gabriel Agreste. She guessed he wasn’t quick enough to get out. Ladybug grabbed the broches. The peacock and butterfly miraculouses. They’d won. Ladybug looked down and noticed a letter. It had Adrien’s name on it. Oh Adrien he’s probably going to be devastated. She picked it up and noticed it had a little bit of weight to it. She felt around inside it and it felt like there was a… ring? Ladybug shoved it in her belt and started walking back to the manhole.

Then something grabbed her foot. She looked down and there grabbing her foot was Lila Rossi. “Oh geez Lila. Are you okay? Why are you here?” Ladybug helped Lila up. And Lila coughed up some blood.

“Shadowmoth took me captive and I was still inside when the building collapsed.” Lila said her words sort of slurred. Lila bent down and fixed her boot.

“Oh no I’m so sorry we didn’t see you! Do you want me to take you home?”

“No, I'm fine.” Lila smiled a devious smile and Ladybug realized this was a big mistake. Lila pulled a knife out of her sleeve and launched herself at Ladybug. Ladybug flipped backwards. And pulled out her Yo-Yo. She started swinging it in a circle forming a shield. Lila threw the knife at Ladybug. Ladybug dodged. She looked behind her at the knife. Then back at Lila. “Looks like you lost your weapon Lila.” Lila just started laughing.

The knife came flying back to Lila. And Ladybug didn’t notice. Well at least it didn’t hit me. Lila launched herself at Ladybug and Ladybug wasn’t prepared. The knife cut her cheek. But otherwise she was fine. Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around Lila. But Lila cut it. “H…how…. My yo-yo is indestructible!” Lila just laughed again. Ladybug was getting tired of that answer.

Ladybug patted her belt to make sure she had everything. Ladybug patted again. Something was missing. The miraculouses… She looked around desperately. While she was distracted. Lila took action. She sprinted towards Ladybug. And before Ladybug could notice. It was too late. A searing pain spread through her stomach. She looked down. And there the knife was. Stabbed. She had been stabbed in the stomach. Ladybug collapsed to her knees.

Lila took out the knife. And smiled. “If you were looking for these, don't worry, they're safe.” Lila held up the miraculouses. And walked away

…………………..

It had at least been 20 minutes since Ladybug had left. Chat noir started getting worried… and lonely. Chat heard the manhole cover open and Ladybug slowly came down then fell down the ladder. Chat quickly crawled over. “LADYBUG?! OH GEEZ ARE YOU OKAY?” A puddle of blood started to expand under her. He scanned her down to find the wound. And there it was a big gaping hole in her stomach. Someone had stabbed her. Chat started to panic. She was dieing. She was dieing. SHE WAS DIEING.

“I… I’m fine… it’s just a… a little cut.” Ladybug said, her words slurred in pain.

“HOW THE HELL IS THAT JUST A LITTLE CUT?” Chat said angrily and panicked. “WHAT MOTHERFUCKER DID THIS?!”

“Mmm… I’m fine.” Ladybug said, rolling over.

“Who made this Ladybug?” Chat said pressing his forehead to hers

“L…Lila.” Ladybug responds clearly in pain and dieing.

“Lila…” Chat noir said with a snarl, pulling away from Ladybug. Chat noticed that the wound was already healing. Which is unusual. Even for them superheroes. And the tips of her hair were turning a lighter blue than her hair color. Was that normal? Was it a new hairstyle? Chat brought Ladybug into his lap and she leaned her head on his chest. She was in so much pain and he didn’t know what to do. Then he realizes something. “Ladybug… where’s the miraculouses?” Ladybug starts sobbing. He tries to wipe away the tears. “Lila took them didn’t she…” Chat says calmly. Ladybug sobs even harder. Getting his suit wet again.

“I… I’m… S… S… Sorry.” Ladybug says, nuzzling her face into the crook between his neck and shoulder. Chat starts rubbing her hair with his hand. He nuzzles his face into her hair.

“It’s not your fault milady. You tried your hardest.” Chat says trying to comfort her. She sobs even harder into his shoulder. She starts shaking from either pain or crying. He wipes some of the tears off her cheek and pulls her closer. She starts sniffing.

“How… how can you even put up with me?” She whispers. “I always fail and mess up.”

“Milady, you make mistakes like everyone else. If you didn’t make mistakes then you wouldn’t be human. And it’s okay we’ve defeated Shadowmoth before and we’ll do it again.” Ladybug looked him in the eye. “It’ll be okay.” He smiled. She smiled sadly. Then rested her head back where it was before.

“Thank you, Chat.”

…………………..

Marinette got home and the wound was almost fully healed. Which was useful and unusual. Because she wouldn’t have to lie to her parents and it wasn’t natural to heal that fast. She honestly should’ve been dead. She was slouching a little and her stomach was sore but at least she wasn’t dead. She walked up the stairs and collapsed into bed.

Tikki floated by her. Pounding her with questions like. “Where’s Nooroo and Duusu?” “What happened?” “Are you okay?” “Do you know who Chat noir is?” The reveal… She forgot about the damn reveal! Could they still do it? Even if there’s probably gonna be a new shadowmoth? Even if they didn’t have the peacock and butterfly miraculouses?

She heard pounding on the roof. Could it be Chat noir? Or Rena rouge? Or one of the other superheroes? Either way she wasn’t really in the mood to talk. She opened the hatch. Looking around. It was not Chat noir or Rena rouge or one of the superheroes. It was master Su-Han. He looked mad and very stern. “I want a full report of what happened. And if you got the miraculouses or not.” Marinette stood there. She didn’t want to talk about this right now. But she didn’t have a choice.

“I… I didn’t get the miraculouses.” Marinette looked at Tikki. Tikki frowned sadly.

“Explain.”

“We found out who Shadowmoth was and defeated him. But when I went to collect the miraculouses…. I was stabbed and someone took them.”

“Do you know who took them?” Marinette was a little upset that he wasn’t worried about the fact that SHE HAD BEEN STABBED.

“Y…yes Lila Rossi.” Master Su-Han stared at her. He must’ve known there was more. Like how she almost drowned. Or how the building collapsed. Or how Shadowmoth is dead. Or how her and Chat noir were cuddling… a lot… her heart fluttered just at the thought of it. Marinette shook her head. No, not the time. When she looked over at Su-Han he was mad. “I… I’m really sorry.”

Su-Han didn’t say anything. He just left. Which she was fine with because she had places to be.

…………………..

Adrien sat on Nino’s bed processing everything. Nino was in the other room eating dinner with his family. Nino’s mom had come in multiple times asking if he wanted dinner. He just didn’t have an appetite. He sat there for a while. He kind of wished Ladybug knew who he was so he could talk to her about everything.

The silence was soon broken by something knocking on the window. Adrien walked over and opened the window. There, hanging was Ladybug. “Hey, Adrien…” Ladybug said nervously. Her yo-yo slipped and she screamed. Adrien grabbed her and pulled her inside. “Heh thanks” she said with that awkward smile he loved. Then she straightened up. And her face was serious again.

“Are you giving me another miraculous? Because remember what happened last time?” Ladybug shuddered.

“No, don't worry I’m not here to give you a miraculous.” Then she looked at the ground sadly. “I’m sorry about your father… and house.”

“Ah… um… it’s fine. I’m okay.” Ladybug looked sadly at him. Adrien was trying to contain himself from just launching himself into her arms. Or grabbing her face and kissing her. Or just something that wouldn’t make sense to her.

“Um well anyways I have something to give to you.” She pulled out her yo-yo and opened it. She pulled out a letter and handed it to him. It had his name on it and it was in his father’s handwriting. Oh god I don’t know if i’m ready for this.

“I uh thank you.” Adrien said sadly.

“I’ve got to go but I’m sorry for your loss.” Ladybug said. Then she took off out the window. Adrien looked at the letter in his hand. He decided he needed time to process everything before he read it.

[justkending]

Are you stupid or stupid? (Drabble)

Summary: Maybe having kids do your makeup wasn’t the best for a tired babysitter.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 1500+

Warnings: Just a ton of fluff that you may or may not be able to handle... :)

A/N: This is for @itsunclebucky​‘s challenge! I had the prompts: “Are you stupid or stupid?” & “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you look ugly. And that makes me kind of happy.” - Bridesmaids Thank you for letting me do this challenge my dear, and congrats on your milestone! Here to more milestones in the future!! xoxox

____________

You usually had to say no when your sister asked if you could babysit considering your job. At any moment you could get a call saying the world was ending, and you needed to jump on a Quinjet to go save it.

But after what had to have been the 10th time canceling with your sister, Tony told you not to worry. It had been a tough argument between both of your iron hard heads. One with you saying you would find time later and wanted to stay at the compound just in case. 

But after Tony had Morgan, he always made sure you could escape to your family when you needed. He knew the right thing to say every time too to get you to leave your job behind, and put your family first. 

“You don’t know the next time you’ll get to see them. So if the world isn’t ending this instant, get your fine ass out of here.”

So with a heavy roll of your eyes, you nodded knowing he was right. You did love seeing and spending time with your family, but could easily be blinded by the needs of your job.

However, tonight you told your sister that you would babysit, and her and her wife could go out on a date night. You don’t remember the last time you hung out with your nieces, and they were always such a hoot. 

Tonight consisted of loads of movies, princess play, staying up way past bedtime, and some intense makeovers. 

By the time you did get the girls to bed, you were too tired to mess with the heavy amounts of eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick smeared all over your face. Mainly in places it was not made to be put. 

You looked like Abby from that show Broad City on the episode where she gets her wisdom teeth out, and her friend does her makeup like a drag queen. It was that bad.

But again, you were too tired to care.

So when your sister came home to relieve you of your job, she couldn’t hold back her laughter and neither could her wife. 

“I know. I know it’s bad. I’ll take it off when I get home though.” you yawned as you sat up from the couch and stretched. 

“You could just stay the night here,” she offered, fluffing the pillow you were leaning on.

“I would, but I have training early in the morning. Gotta show some of the new agents how to kick Bucky’s ass,” you chuckled, grabbing your things and crossing your arms. “Thanks for letting me hang out with the girls. I miss them and I really needed this.”

“Thank you for letting us get out of the house for once without the little rascals,” your sister smiled.

“You’re more than welcome to have some sleep overs here whenever you need a healthy dose of birth control,” her wife Sarah said nodding at the girls bedroom. 

“Noted, and I will for sure cash that in at some point,” you chuckled tiredly. 

“You sure you’re good to drive?” your concerned sister asked walking you to the door.

“I’m good. It’s only a 10 minute drive. I’ll wake up once I get in the car.” 

“Ok, drive safe. Thanks again sis.” 

“Anything for you and Sarah. And the girls of course!” you waved walking out to the driveway.

“Text me when you’re home!” she shouted.

______

You made it back to the compound in one piece, but you were exhausted. 

When you got back to your room, you saw your boyfriend was still up at the late hour, and was reading a book in the corner of your balcony. Bucky always waited up for you if you were coming home late. You knew it was so that he had a peace of mind of you being safe, and also that he couldn’t sleep well without you. 

He never told you those things, but it wasn’t hard to catch on. 

As soon as the door shut behind you, you saw him turn in his seat and smile before coming back in the room. 

But just a few steps in he froze, and tilted his head. 

“What, uh, whatcha got going on there?” he said with a small chuckle escaping. 

“What?” you asked confused. 

He pointed at his own face making a circle with his index finger showing he was talking about you. 

“Wh-” you started, but then your brain caught up and you remembered that you had makeup done by a 4 and 6 year old still on. “Oh, crap I forgot.” you moaned slumping over and walking to the bathroom in a drained way.

All you could hear was full on laughing from the other room, as Bucky slowly collected himself enough to come into the bathroom with you. 

You were looking for your makeup wipes, but must have moved them because you couldn’t find them fast enough. 

When you looked up in the mirror looking at Bucky behind you, he had his arms crossed and one hand covering his mouth. He was trying SO hard not to laugh, but when you made eye contact with him again, he folded over laughing more. 

“What is so funny about this?” you chuckled at his reaction. You don’t remember the last time he was this giggly. It’s not like you guys don’t laugh when you're together, but this giggle fest was so much stronger than most. 

“Nothing. Nothing.” he said trying to hold it in, but failing. You send him a serious look not having the energy for this like you normally would. “Ok, ok.” he said, seeing you were too tired to understand. “It’s just that...It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you look ugly. And that makes me kind of happy.”

“What?!” you shouted, turning to look at him. 

“Wait-” he said, getting defensive but still laughing. 

“You can’t just tell a girl she’s ugly Buck!” you shouted playfully running up and shoving his chest. You would be offended, but you know he didn’t mean it that way. That didn’t mean you weren’t going to let him off with his slip up. 

“Let me restate what I meant,” he said, putting his hands up in surrender as you kept smacking him. “I didn’t mean ugly, I meant...” He was in a bind and didn’t know how to fix it, and once again the giggles came back out. 

“Are you stupid or stupid?” you said straight faced crossing your arms over your chest tightly. 

“Stupid. Very, very stupid.” he answered still laughing as he pulled your elbows to him, and held you in an embrace. His chin resting on the top of your head. 

“At least you got one thing right.” you mumbled into his chest. 

“I’m guessing the little munchkins did this amazing transformation.”

“How’d you know?” you said in a sarcastic tone. 

“Wild guess.” he chuckled. Then he pulled you back holding your shoulders as he looked at you. “I’m just not used to seeing you with makeup up of any sort, and this... Well, this is not the kind of makeup I ever thought I would see you in.” he smiled. “I hate to tell you, but you have lipstick in your eyebrows I think.” he said running his thumb over the red smear. 

“Yeah, I noticed,” you giggled. 

“You gonna keep it on to show the crew in the morning, or do you need help washing it off? I’ll support whatever,” he grinned, turning you around and putting his hand on the lower part of your back as you both looked in the mirror. 

“You know, I think Steve would appreciate seeing how makeup has changed over the years. It’s a nice form of art,” you said tilting your head as you examined the fine artwork done by the youngins. 

“That or give the old man a heart attack,” he said, mocking your tilt of the head. 

“I didn’t give you a heart attack,” you smiled up at him. 

“That’s because I’m very used to your dorkiness.” he kissed your cheek. 

“Awe, trying to suck up after your slip up. How cute...”

“I’m not going to live this down for a while, am I?” he sighed resting his chin on your shoulder now and embracing you from behind. 

“No. No you’re not.” you smiled, but behind it was a deadly promise. “But, like you, I’m not sure this is the right style for me. Doesn’t really fit.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t really scream Y/N.” he nodded. 

“Ok. I’m going to wash this off and then I’ll be ready for bed. If you can’t tell by this alone, it was a very tiring and eventful night.” you sighed warming up the water. 

“Sounds like a plan doll.” he said, giving you one more kiss on the head before heading to the door. “And Y/N/N,” he said before you turned to look at him. “You look gorgeous 25/8. It’s nice to know some of us have a chance with you when you get done up like this.” he grinned.

You let out a single loud laugh before throwing a wash cloth at him as he ran out laughing himself. 

“Punk,” you mumbled, grinning wide as you went back to riding your face of the clown paste.

Marvel Tags:

@thejourneyneverendsx​​ @death-unbecomes-you​​ @heyiamthatbitch​​ @zeilenkrieg​​ @lizzymacy555​​ @iheartsebastianstan​​ @srrymydood​​ @xa-dia​​ @redhairedfeistynerd​​

My Lovelies forever:

@natura1phenomenon @lauravic @traceyaudette @kakakatey @notyourtypicalrose @laneygthememequeen @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @sandlee44 @thorne93 @snffbeebee @thefaithfulwriter @marvelfansworld @essie1876 @greyeyedsmile14 @capsiclehan @naomi02hook @xostephanie @averyrogers83 @awesomenursingstudent @gh0stgurl @cs-please @carls1022 @jjlevin @rainbowkisses31 @carls1022 @anise-d-castle6 @deannotmoose​ @their-bibliophile​ @kitkatd7​

[ateezmakemeweep]

prince!yeosang x servant!reader

word count: 4k

angst, fluff

6:34 p.m

the clattering of utensils and shattering of plates on the marble floor has you squeezing your eyes shut, shoulders hiking up to your ears and a blush creeping on your face. you hear the dramatic gasp of the queen and the annoyed huff of the king and you'd think after almost a year of being a servant, you would've gotten the hang of it.

it's been a year since you've dealt with the passing of your dad, who left you, your mother and younger brother with no source of income.

a year since your mom cried and begged and pleaded with you to take this job because if not, your family would be living on the streets in a matter of weeks.

and a year since the boy watching you with cold, guarded eyes as you mumble an apology and scramble to pick up the broken dishes used to be your best friend.

you're concentrating hard, desperate not to drop anything else, so you don't hear the squeaking of the chair or heels clacking on the floor behind you until the queen's ice-cold hand wraps around your elbow harshly. a fork falls off from the top of the plate, echoing throughout the large, quiet room as you jump in surprise.

"you're awfully clumsy today, dear," the woman says, her tone cold and clipped, "i want to remind you we have the gala starting at eight so it's in your best interest to stop acting like a complete buffoon.”

you swallow the lump in your throat and you nod, mumbling another apology before bending down and picking up the stray utensil. your eyes sting with tears, not because of her words but because this woman was once like a mother to you.

your first time meeting the kang family was on the first day of second grade.

yeosang was the new boy and it took you all of ten minutes to become best friends. you noticed him sitting all alone during carpet time, scared and anxious as he looked down at his feet that were wiggling back and forth nervously.

with the fearlessness that most 7-years-old possessed, you went up to him and sat down right in front of him pretzel-style.

"hi!" you said with a bright smile on your face. he looked up and gave you a shy one back, bowing his head at you but no words leaving his mouth.

"i'm y/n, what's your name?”

he looked at you questioningly before swallowing. you remember patiently waiting and smiling even wider when his tiny voice finally said, "i'm yeosang.”

you nodded thoughtfully before grabbing a book from the bookshelf next to you, "do you wanna read this with me?”

he peaked at the book and smiled when he saw two brown bears on the cover, "okay. that's one of my favorites.”

"mine too!" you said and both of you sat side-by-side, one page on each of your tiny legs as you took turns reading and making animal noises.

at the end of the day, you two ran outside together hand-in-hand as yeosang eagerly introduced you to his mom: "mom! this is my new best friend, y/n!”

her smile was so kind and pretty and the resemblance between her and her son was overwhelmingly obvious. she bent down to your level and outstretched her hand for you to shake.

"hi, y/n. it's very nice to meet you! thank you for befriending yeosang.”

you smiled sweetly at her and nodded your head excitedly, "we're gonna be best friends forever.”

she smiled at the two of you, eyeing your clasped hands and a little laugh fell from her mouth,

"i hope so!”

"oh and y/n?"

you turn your head when you hear the queen's voice and you're met with her forced, tight smile.

"make sure to fetch prince yeosang's outfit for tonight. leave it in his room.”

your gaze moves to the boy who's looking down at his plate, a part of your heart aching. you nod your head before turning back around and heading towards the kitchen.

as you retreat toward the kitchen, yeosang's eyes watch you leave the dining hall and he tries to push down the immense guilt burning in his body.

he pushes his plate away and grumbles to his mother that he's no longer hungry, retreating to his room to mentally prepare for whatever bullshit event is happening tonight.

you take out your tight bun after putting the dishes in the washer, racking your hands through your hair and allowing yourself ten deep breaths before throwing it back into a ballerina bun. another female servant gives you a kind, sympathetic smile because she knows that if working like this is hard for her, it must be ten times worse for you.

you smile back before sighing and making your way to the in-house tailor to pick up yeosang's outfit as instructed by the queen. you turn around the corner and bump into the chest of the man, inhaling sharply and immediately bowing because you already know who it is.

"sorry, your royal highness," you say quietly, eyes meeting his before looking back at the floor, "i was just on my way to get your outfit. my apologies again.”

"y/n, wait,”

but before he can even say anything, you scurry off and he exhales sharply, running his hand through his hair and watches you nearly run down the hall to get away from him.

"what—what are you doing here?" he had asked you, grabbing your arm and leading you into the small living room where one of the many grand pianos reside.

the royal family had come down to meet the two new servants hired and yeosang's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw you standing there, eyes cast down and hands behind your back.

he wanted to go over and rip them apart, hold them in his own because he knew you were probably digging your nails into your palms out of nervousness.

"i'm one of the new servants," you told him quietly, embarrassed to say it aloud when he was just clearly told two minutes ago, "i got the job last week.”

"but-but why? what happened? i don't understand.”

"it doesn't matter why," you tell him, heat rushing to your cheeks because you knew this would be embarrassing but it's almost unbearable.

"it definitely does, y/n," he said, eyes burning into yours and you can only look out the window behind him. "i...i haven't seen you in months, you wouldn't answer any of my letters or calls and now you're here and... working as...as a servant? for my family!”

you bite into your lower lip, the pain and confusion in his voice hurting you.

"i'm-i'm sorry if this is weird for you," you say, swallowing the lump in your throat.

"weird for me-" his voice cracks with disbelief before the words die in his throat, hand running through his hair because he doesn't know what's going on right now.

he looks at you as you watch the floor and he lifts his hand to your jaw gently, lifting your face to meet his gaze and the gentleness in which he does it has tears pricking your eyes.

"please tell me what happened? please," he begs, "i know something had to have happened.”

"n-nothing, your highness," you say, shaking your head out of his grasp even though it's the only thing you've been yearning for since he moved away, "i should go meet the others, the queen is probably-“

"stop it," he growls and you swallow, pleading with him through your eyes to not make this any harder.

"what?" you ask, voice squeaking.

"don't call my mom the queen and especially don't call me your highness.”

"that's what i'm supposed to-“

"why are you here?" he asks again, eyes blazing with determination to figure out what happened and how he can fix it.

apart from this, hearing you call him your highness and being expected to serve him, he will do anything to fix it.

you scan his face and the tears that have been stinging behind your eyes surface, the concern and pain too much for you to handle right now because you've missed him so much.

he sees your watery eyes and on instinct, wraps his arms around you in a hug. you shut your eyes, only being able to stand there with your own arms hanging loosely at your sides because you know how much it would hurt you to hug him back and fully be held like you used to by him.

"you can't," you squeak out, a tiny sob threatening to leave your mouth as you put your hands on his stomach to push him away.

"i can't what?" he asks quietly, "know what happened or hug you?”

"both," you say, breaking your own heart when you fully pull away from him and take a step back.

anger flares in his eyes, his mouth opening to say something before a throat clearing in the doorway catches both of your attention.

his mom's head is peeked in, her eyes narrowed at the both of you and watching you skeptically.

"ah, there you are y/n," she says, "come on, i'm showing the servants to their rooms now," and the way she says servants has yeosang cringing, ready to scream at his mother and risk whatever punishment would come.

"yes, ma'am," you say quietly, your gaze meeting yeosang's one more time before following his mother out the door.

you all but sprint down the hallway to the tailors office, needing to get far far away from yeosang's watchful eyes. you knock on the wooden door before entering and seeing the prince's blue and white attire hung up for the gala tonight. you smile and thank the tailor before dread creeps into your stomach because you have to now see him again.

you exhale shakily, walking slowly down the halls and up the stairs to the left wing where yeosang's bedroom is. you give a firm two knocks and then two more when he doesn't say anything after a few moments.

you hear a mumbled "come in" and feel your stomach twist nervously because you were hoping he would just come out and take it. you brace yourself, hand on the doorknob before twisting and walking in, holding his outfit up high so his pants don't drag on the immaculate marble floors.

you see him sitting on the bench at the end of his bed, his arms leaning back and his eyes following you as you enter the room.

"here you go, your royal highness," you say hanging his outfit from one of the tall dressers.

you then turn to him, not moving from your spot before adding, "the tailor said to call if you need help with anything.”

you wait for a response and when he doesn't speak, you bow your head at him before making your way towards the door. you're almost in the hallway when you hear footsteps behind you, your arm getting yanked for the second time today and sending you flying back into the room.

yeosang peeks outside the door before shutting it and you feel your heart rate already starting to pick up.

"what're you doing-“

"do you know how hard this is for me?”

you peer up at him, scared by the intensity in his voice and you look at him questioningly.

“what?"

he scoffs, shaking his head and walking back over to sit on the bench. you cross your arms over your chest, nervous and unsure and about to pass out from your racing heart.

"how hard it is watching you be so sad and withdrawn and...hate me? we were best friends and now... you can't even look at me. you just keep running away from me. you barely fucking talk to me, y/n.”

a ball already starts to form in your throat, feeling trapped in this giant bedroom and you fear you might start to have an anxiety attack at any second.

"i don't hate you," you find yourself saying quietly because you can't have this boy thinking that.

no matter what happens, you know you could never hate him.

"then what happened?" he asks, getting up to walk toward you again. you take a step back, hitting into the wall and you feel your breathing start to labor even more.

"no," you say quickly as you shake your head. "it doesn't matter anymore.”

"y/n," he says, softly, almost cooing like he's approaching an injured animal, “please."

"stop, your highness," you choke out because you know once he's close to you, you're gonna give in.

"i just want to help you," he says, now standing directly in front of you. his hand goes out to touch your cheek and you turn your head to the side, doing your best to step to the side with him blocking you.

"yeosang, please," you breathe out and his whole body stills.

"yeosang!" you called through your best friend's house, closing the front door and heading up the stairs with an armful of take-out.

"the line was so long, apparently everyone wanted-“

you see the boy sitting hunched over on his bed, hair a mess from what you presumed was his fingers raking through it hundreds of times and you know immediately something is wrong.

his head snaps up, your eyes meeting and you see the storm of emotions swirling in his eyes.

you place the food down on his desk before walking over to sit on his bed, one leg perched up as the other one dangles by the floor.

"are you okay?”

and it was that night that he told you he was becoming a part of a royal family.

that the man his mom had been dating proposed and instead of just marrying into a normal family, she was marrying into…royalty.

she'd become queen, making him a prince.

and if he hadn't been so out of it, so obviously dazed and distraught, you would've laughed until you peed and figured he was pranking you. because it was just so bizarre and far off from the normal life he had been living for fifteen years, almost half of it with you.

"well shouldn't you excited, your royal highness?" you joked (and if only you had known you'd be seriously addressing him that way come a year later), "you're gonna be a fancy prince!”

"jesus, don't call me that!" he says, throwing his body back onto the bed, "it's so weird!"

a small giggle leave your mouth as you, too, fall back, your arms comfortably grazing because this kind of skinship has been happening between you and him since puberty.

it was something silent between you two, both aware of the love you felt for one another; but when the relationship is as strong as yours, the mutual feelings running as deep as yours, it's not something that has to be discussed.

you talked him down that night, reasoning that his step-father would of course explain to him the ins and outs of royal life, that he'd come to love and feel grateful for the glitz and glamor, that he'd have his mom with him the whole time.

"but what about you?" he had asked, turning on his side and resting his head in his hand, "i'm moving in two weeks and my mom said the...the palace, oh my god that's so fucking weird, is three hours away.”

you smiled at his mini rant, looking to the side to assure him everything would be okay. that you're only a phone call and a text message away and then joked that you two just have to write letters to one another because that's such a royal thing to do.

"but i'm gonna miss you," he said quietly, "we've been with each other everyday since you demanded i read with you in 2nd grade. how...how am i supposed to never see you?”

"you're so dramatic!" you squeak playfully so you don't start crying, rolling onto your side to match his position and slapping his chest lightly, "you can just send your driver to pick me up. if it's not a limo, then don't even bother.”

he rolls his eyes and you giggle, your hand lingering on his chest as you look at him with a soft expression in your eye.

"really though," you say, voice quiet and soft and he knows you're about to get sentimental on him. "we're best friends. and not even your new fancy royal life will change that. we'll still talk everyday and we can visit each other and it'll be like nothing ever changed.”

he smiles softly, biting his lip nervously because could it really be that easy?

"do you promise?" he asked, holding out his pinky and you look down at his hand with a smile.

"i promise," you say, hooking your pinkies together, hands twisting and thumb pads connecting.

before you can take your hand back, he grasps and holds it around his, pulling you down so you can lean on his chest.

and usually, you'd whine and fuss and roll your eyes but tonight, with the prospect of him leaving in less than two weeks, you allow yourself to lay there. you listen to the sound of his heartbeat and will yourself not to cry because you know you're gonna miss this the most when he's gone.

"you finally said my name," the boy says, throat clogged with emotion because he hasn't heard you say in so long; in fact, he's really come to hate the fucking term your royal highness.

"i-i didn't mean, i-“

”you broke your promise.”

you swallow the lump in your throat, knowing exactly what he's talking about but you shake your head because you're not ready to face it.

“what?"

"you broke your promise. you promised that nothing would change when i left. you promised we would always be best friends.”

for the first time in what feels like forever, you feel something other than dread and sadness fill through you.

"well stuff did change when you left," you spat and his eyes widen at your tone. and like a volcano that's just erupted, there's nothing you can do to stop the words from pouring out of you because you've been suffering so badly.

"like for starters, my dad died. we don't know what happened or how but he just...died. just completely gone and left us with no money so my mom started working and i started working and going to school and taking care of my brother but then one night, my mom comes home and begs for me to take this job. because apparently we were only a few weeks away from being kicked out onto the streets and i...i missed you so much, yeosang," you tell him, tears welling up in your eyes and you don't think you've spoken this much since you've arrived at the estate.

"i had no one and my life had fallen apart and i just wanted you so badly...but then i came here, so excited to finally see you until i realized...i’m the servant girl, i'm here to bring you your fancy little outfits and clean your dishes and us being...the way we were before would never work. because you're a prince and your mom fucking hates me now," you say, tears blinding your vision and you know this is very well the emotional and mental breakdown you were bound to have after this hell of a year.

"i...i don't know what i did or what to do and i just...i always thought about that promise, because it kept some sort of sad hope in me, that maybe there would be a chance but we never thought about, if i became the person serving you, and why would you still wanna be friends with someone like m-“

a sob tears through you and you didn't know your life could get any more embarrassing but alas, you keep proving yourself otherwise. because this sort of emotional breakdown, there's no coming back from.

yeosang gathers you into his arms, your broken sobs and mumbling muffled by his shirt. you have half the mind to pull away because this is absolutely not approved by the queen and you're ruining his expensive clothes but you can't bring yourself to pull away from him. and you're not even sure you'd be able to because of the vice grip the boy has around you body.

"i'm sorry, i'm so fucking sorry, y/n, i...i didn't know, i had no idea," he says against your head, his own tears gathering in his eyes because he failed as your friend, failed as someone who loved you and continues to love you and wants to take away your pain in anyway he can.

"i'm sorry," is all he can coo against you, his hand running through your hair and every time you shudder against him, he can only hold you tighter and you both have been waiting for this day the second he left.

you both just stand there and cry into one another; cry for each other and cry for your father and cry because of the awful strain on your hearts the separation had caused you both until this very moment. 

"it was so hard being distant from you," you tell him once your crying subsides, "i thought..you were the one who hated me.”

a humorless laugh leaves his mouth because he can't believe you'd ever think that.

his lips graze the top of your head, "don't you know i've always loved you?" he mumbles against it, hesitantly pulling himself away from you and walking over to a chest in the corner of his room. you watch as he lifts it up and takes a few items out, bringing them over to his bed.

"come here," he says softly and you wipe your wet face, cringing at how red and puffy you probably look before walking over.

"oh..my god," you say, a watery laugh actually leaving your mouth as you come closer to the bed.

"the librarian thought i was crazy for adamantly searching for this 2nd grade level book," he says as you stare down at the oh so familiar cover of two brown bears. "but when i first came here, i wanted any reminder of you," he admits quietly, scanning over the other belongings like every single picture you two had ever taken and the small amount of letters you two did actually write to one another.

you look up at him with teary eyes, throwing yourself into him for another hug because it's a strange, painful thing to miss someone that you've seen every single day for a year.

his lips fall to your head and he hums three words against your head over and over and you know nothing's gonna be the same after this.

a violent knock on the door has you two jumping apart and it's like a bucket of cold water was thrown over you. your eyes are wide and you wipe your face and you're about to panic again as your snapping back into reality that you're a servant and he's a prince.

yeosang puts his hands out in a calming motion, shaking his head because he sees the wheels turning in your head and he won't be able to take going back to the way it used to be. not after he held you and heard you laugh and finally got his feelings out in the open.

he points to his ensuite and you nervously tip-toe over, opening the door quickly and watch as he prances over to the other side of the room.

"yeosang! why are you not-" his mother's voice gets cut off by the harsh slamming of a door and you don't think you've breathed for the whole 2 minutes and 19 seconds he's been outside in the hallway.

his door suddenly opens and closes again and you peak out, seeing him walking towards the bathroom with a smile on his face.

"i told her we both weren't feeling well so i sent you to your room," he informs you, "and that i'm not going down there tonight.”

when he sees your wary look, he shakes his head smoothing out a piece of your hair. "it's fine. she's pissed but it's fine. you're fine," he insists.

you let out a sigh, looking up at him before your eyes travel around his room before looking back at him.

"so...now what?" you ask, quietly, unsure of how things are gonna go from him.

"we'll figure it out," he says, taking your hand in his, "i'm...i'm gonna get you out of here and then we'll figure it all out, okay?" he says, voice soft and quiet and eyes begging for you to finally let him help you.

your stomach's uneasy and your heart is clenching but you trust him.

you always have.

so you nod.

he smiles softly, surprising you by placing a soft kiss on your cheek that is promptly covered by warm, red heat.

“oh, that's new...i've never made you blush before," he says, a playful smirk on his lips as he walks over to his bed and lays out, moving the pictures and letters and book to the floor.

a laugh bubbles out of you, your head shaking because he absolutely has and "i guess you just never noticed," you say, eyeing the bed warily and he extends his hand for you to take.

you hesitate for a second before taking his hand, plopping down on the soft, comfortable mattress and laying next to him.

"we have a lot to catch up on then," he says and then just like that night you made your first promise, while listening to his thumping heart and soft smiles, you spent the rest of the night whispering and giggling with one another like nothing ever changed.