#there's a lot of interesting things I'm leaving out of course

[eccentrcks]

I'm not afraid of you now I'm not afraid of you now villain and violent infant and innocent baby both arms cradle you now I'm not afraid of you now. - "Forwards Beckon Rebound" by Adrienne Lenker.

"Russell Adler, I've been expecting you." He hears her cold voice, thickened with disdain and perhaps resentment, which was ironic that he should be displaying such... dislike towards her instead of the way around for giving him so many emotional scars than his time in Vietnam had given him. "I see we bear similar scars now," Marlene, the little terror who's been a painful thorn to his side, simply sat in front of him on some wooden stool as she nodded at his neck.

Just the opposite sides, kid...

"I wasn't expecting a warm welcome, but..." He stated blankly and tried readjusting his restraints. "I would've expected to be somewhere more reclusive... instead of the same room you entrapped me."

"Don't worry, this isn't my safe house. It's just... temporary." Those empty brown eyes of hers bore into his cold blue ones. His sunglasses remained on the creaky wooden floor. "So, I just removed the tracker from your pocket what you intended to put into me and put it in some fishing shop into fish bait. That's gonna be an interesting trip for your little jarheads." She chuckled dryly and played with the sharp edges of the silver blade.

"You never intended to kill me." He broke the silence after a moment of Marlene staring at him. As if she was inspecting the insect caught in a harmless trap.

"Why should I? Getting rid of you doesn't really benefit me," She leaned forward with her knife, the point end flipping to downwards with the handle in her grip. "You're just an CIA officer with not much value for me. Just one of those... potential casualties. I'd rather just let your job do it for me. I learnt a lot from my mother and the organization that taken me in."

"Astraea."

Marlene just stared at him and an unsettling smile dipped onto her features. "Of course, did you know that mercy isn't always a good thing? Especially the one receiving it? That's the lesson I learnt as a child and relearnt it the year after we first met. So, sparing you wasn't an act of kindness. Otherwise, it would've been nothing more a waste of my time." She reached over to fix his hair and paused to grip the scalp. "It's something you should consider learning for yourself."

Adler almost wants to laugh at that and not out of genuineness. More like sarcastically. It made him think these people were creating a merciless killer more than some obedient soldier, he doesn't really want to know if her mother was worst or not.

Marlene Monroe obviously knows what she is doing, and of course, he'll immediately believe she grew up like an seasoned field operator. What kind of mother teaches their child to be a soldier and to withstand torture in a long capacity? And Adler once believed he could've controlled her like he did with Bell a year ago.

He would've been easily compromised like now.

She let go of his scalp and went back to fiddling with the knife in her hands. "My time with them... made me realized we're not so different each other, although there was one difference that stood out. I had more freedom... and then when they took me in by force, it wasn't long before I felt true isolation. You and my previous interrogators in the past made me feel like I had an opportunity to leave the black hole before, but with them..." Marlene slowly leaned in again. "It was like there was no hope for me at all. Just absolute no way out until they just put you to better use. Nothing can make you feel that way compared to their ways."

Adler stayed still and barely budged from her intense gaze. "So the next time we meet and we will... perhaps I can show you what hell is truly like. It's nothing compared to your little MKUltra methods and all. Then maybe... maybe we'll see that little facade of yours break. Soldiers like you break eventually. They always do." She nodded with a little hum and lightly tapped his chin with the end of her knife.

"What happened to going home?" He had to ask since the last time he'd seen her, she was determine to do Astraea's dirty work in exchange to going home. Yet she was still here, continuing to be the war criminal he's hunting down.

Marlene tapped the knife on her own chin and looked thoughtful before rolling her shoulders. "There's nothing for me to go back to. You'll know the feeling of being seen as an actual villain someday, Russell Adler. Trust me, there's no worser feeling than your loved ones seeing you as the bad guy and eventually becoming one." She stood up from her seat towards a silver briefcase to unlock it.

"Now, I have very important matters to attend to than to entertain you and your whack jobs. So... until then, Russell Adler." Marlene finished before putting on a respirator and some little canister inside released gas. "Nighty night." Those empty brown eyes intently stared straight at his face to watch the drug take effect on him.

Adler felt his vision blurring and breathing became heavier. Little dots that slowly turned bigger filled his vision and it wasn't long before he completely blacked out.

Until then...

-

a.n: Beautiful artwork goes to the lovely @sleepyconfusedpotato and on my god, I loved this piece so much! This is more of a concept on how Adler tries to reach and confront the rotting apple of his eye who gave him fresh scars as she explains how she was taught and etc while he was restrained. This wasn't proofread either, so I apologize for any bad grammar detected.

[sunsetsover]

of course! like i said to you already i think it's so interesting that they differ so strongly on these points considering how aligned our opinions on things have been so far!! and it's fun tbh !! and likewise i would never want to change your mind either, but i also i wanted to address the stuff you brought up just to see how vastly our opinions differ

like it's just so weird bc i don't see what you see at all. i've always got the impression bison is kinda just like 'urgh ok let's do this then' when it comes to killing. like it's a chore. like he's being put out every time they have to do it. even in ep 1 i got the immediate impression that he would've rather been literally anywhere else than in that hotel room w that guy, and was out of there literally as soon as he could be, and i just personally wouldn't think that he'd be so eager to get it over and done with and leave if he was getting any kind of joy or satisfaction out of it, yknow? like wouldn't he be radiating satisfaction after a job well done? wouldn't he wanna bask in the afterglow a bit?

and i'm definitely not gonna sit here and pretend that it's bc it bothers him and he's morally opposed to the killing !! i don't think it's that at all, he definitely dgaf abt killing ppl and wants out for purely selfish reasons, we agree there, but i've never thought 'oh he likes this' beyond that one moment in that first scene, and again, i don't think that was a killing thing but a power thing. bc he was relieved when fadel turned up and they could get it over and done with, and again, he was out of there at the first opportunity. to me there was never any satisfaction there, it was just a job to be done.

even in that gif i don't see what you see, though i CAN see how you see what you see, if that makes sense? like i get where you're coming from, there's definitely a contrast, but i personally look at that and think well. fadel's bigger and likely stronger, and the guy he's knocking out is already unconscious and no longer fighting. bison is smaller and the guy he's dealing with is putting up a fight. that face, to me, is literally just him struggling physically. so i think what you're reading as enthusiasm to me is just the contrast between fadel and bison as people: fadel is stoic, and bison is dynamic. fadel shuts up and gets on with the task at hand, bison struggles and complains and huffs. but that, as far as i'm concerned, is just their personalities and nothing more.

although, weirdly enough, i definitely get what you said abt the sadism thing. it's something i've gone back and forth abt myself, and i still haven't made my mind up yet - whether the two are separate in bison's mind or not. either way, i think to me there's a difference between taking pleasure in killing and taking pleasure in hurting people. i think if the two were conflated, we would see that manifested by now. like he'd be fucking with people a lot more during these hits if there was a connection i think. instead all he does is do his job and move on. i think if anything bison gets off on the psychological aspect of it all as opposed to anything physical, but that would go back to control and power, which is what i've always said is bison's thing. i don't think that really has anything to do with the actual killing part of the equation personally.

i also don't think bison views lilly as evil or disbelieves her! but i also don't think he's.... enthusiastic in his part in all of this? he's not like keen. but i think that leeway is necessary when it comes to bison. it's not bc she likes him more or treats him special bc she acc considers him special, i think it's bc lilly is clever and she knows the harder she tries to rein bison is the harder he's going to fight, so she gives him the illusion of power, of referential treatment. she lets him question her to her face with no real repercussions. but that's not bc she likes bison, it's bc she knows how to manipulate him. she knows how to manipulate fadel too. and while i said he's under her thumb, i didn't really mean it in the sense of him being on her side, but rather fadel - at least to me - is far more caught in her trap than bison is. yes fadel lies, but i don't think he's being strategic so much as he's doing everything he can to not rock the boat. probably bc he's already rocked it once and paid the price. if it wasn't for bison - and by extension kant and style - fadel would have been perfectly fine (maybe not fine but ygm) leaving everything exactly the way it was. he literally says that, both to style during his confession and to bison last ep. and ok he's definitely lying abt how happy he was w the way things were, but the point still remains that he had no intentions of changing anything. which is why i wouldn't say he's strategic at all, bc that to me implies he's planning something, and fadel clearly wasn't. he didn't even wanna let bison ask for a break.

and while i don't disagree that bison probably does trust her more than fadel given everything, i don't think the fact that he speaks up has anything to do w that personally. i think that's literally just a personality thing. i don't think being sneaky is bison's thing - it's why he struggled so much pretending to be in love with kant after he found out the truth while fadel seemingly had no problem w it at all. bison's outspoken bc that's literally just who it is. i don't think him going behind her back - or anyone's backs - is really an option for him, esp not for long periods of time. (also im just not sure what you mean abt fadel going behind her back? fadel lies to her abt the dating thing, but as far as i can remember any sneaking fadel is doing bison is also doing, so am i blanking? have i missed smth?)

i think it all boils down to what you view as enjoyment, i view as just fundamental personality differences between bison and fadel and how they express themselves. which is fun! i love the difference! it's what pushes us to expand our own views of these characters ! i just thought i'd expand on this bc obv i was limited in the tags and you know i loveeeee to talk 💞

just woke up in a cold sweat because i think i’ve realized exactly what all the fucking religious symbolism is actually pointing out and like hoooooly shit. holy shit.

the fact that bison wears a jesus shirt in his fantasies of killing kant has been nagging me since the moment i realized it and i think i’ve realized why it is - and the reason for all of the things pointing towards and symbolizing bison as jesus.

it’s because that’s how bison views himself. not as actually jesus and the second coming, no, but he views himself as righteous, as a reckoning for all these people that they kill. he believes their mother when he says they only kill bad people, and that’s why he gets so much enjoyment out of it, why he involves himself far more in it than fadel, who always detaches himself. it’s why he delights in the idea of killing kant now, fantasizes about it, because he thinks that’s what’s right. kant betrayed him, and he’s a good person. he’s righteous. so that means kant deserves to die for it.

and that’s why kant is judas the betrayer AND john the beloved. because when bison knows it’s coming and turns a blind eye, he views himself the same way as jesus turning a blind eye to judas’s betrayal. and he’s the one the makes kant into john the beloved finding the tomb empty first because he hides from him (notably after kant had confessed to not wanting to lie to bison anymore)!

bison views himself as righteous. as jesus.

but he’s not. because jesus would never take joy in killing anyone. jesus would never have fun with it, in the same way bison does. and even if he did, jesus wouldn’t want to stop to date.

but you know who doesn’t take joy in any of it? who detaches himself from it? who seems, in the very least, suspicious of their mother?

you know who’s birthday is on christmas?

fadel. and if fadel is jesus… then bison can’t be. actually, i think that might make bison far closer to judas the betrayer. and that’s just awfully poetic, isn’t it? because didn’t judas think he was doing the right thing, too, when he sold jesus out? when he took money in exchange for telling the soldiers which one jesus was? just like bison thought he was doing the right thing when he told kant to get fadel off his back. just like he exchanged his brother for a lover and took them both down in the process.

[euphoria-looney]

I Got You On My Radar, Soon You're Gonna Be With Me, "Strategy" By TWICE

This will have a lot of POV switches so get ready 😀

(This has a mother!darling and a daughter!darling, and they are separate from the reader- unless you decide they aren’t 😍😍)

gn!reader (if I accidentally make them seem too feminine, I’m sorry 😞)

Next chapter I'm going to make [name] crash out but not for the reason you think (hopefully not the reason you think)

So Much More.

Pt. 1 Pt.2

Alfred's POV

I couldn't say if I have a favorite among the Wayne family. I've served them for years even now in my old age. Left my own child, Julia, to train to be at my side, servicing the Waynes.

If you had to ask me to narrow down who was my favorite though, it would have to be young master, [name].

They aren't trained to be assassins, vigilantes, or even able to tame feral animals, instead, they excel in normal activities. I remember the first time they approached Master Burce, eyes that had stars glow in them. They wanted to invite Master Bruce to a ballet recital. They danced with such grace and perfection that many had asked them to continue the said sport. Professionally.

However, they had no time to spare as they raced down to see me, looking around frantically, and excitedly, it hurt my heart to see their eyes dim down so quickly after finding out that unfortunately none of their family had come.

Undeterred, they kept trying figure skating, football (soccer), and volleyball. They'd try the music pathway once they noticed sports didn't work. They excused the absences starting with opera since "opera was boring and easy anyway; maybe instruments are more interesting." They tried the violin, cello, organ, and harp. Still nothing.

Of course, it wasn't just these events that the family missed out on, it was also their birthdays, trophy events, everything. I could only try to support them on the side.

They were a gifted child, one, that had a fire burn so brightly. Till it wasn't.

They never stopped doing the activities, but you could tell they no longer cared if the family attended. I'd go and make excuses for them, and they would brush it off.

Then it seemed they had that fire extinguished when Lady [M/D] and Misstress [D/D] came into the picture.

I could only do so much as I wasn't their personal butler.

Then a day ago was their graduation. I believed I could make it, but the circumstances were too busy and important to go to the graduation. So, today, I hope I can make it up with cupcakes. Today is their birthday.

Imagine, my surprise when they started crying, how I felt such guilt, was it the missed events, or even bigger, the graduation?

None of that. They only said how thankful they were for me. I tried to spend the rest of the evening with them, but it just ended up with me being called to see [D/D] with a new animal. I didn't want to leave them.

I had to though, that is my duty as a butler. To serve my masters.

Another perk about [name] though was how understanding they were.

I should've seen the signs.

A smile and nod gave me all I needed to know that they were going to be okay if I left.

After a long day, I went back to my quarters, to see an envelope.

Sealed in wax with a Lotus flower imprinted on it.

Opening it up and reading the contents made numerous thoughts run rapidly in my mind.

Dear, Alfred

I can only hope this news doesn't affect you in any way. I simply couldn't find it in my heart to tell you in person. I'll be leaving the manor. I've left many things in my room that I hope you mind leaving in there. I don't want years of my work to go down the drain, as you see they hold memorial and sentimental value to me.

That's beside the point, Alfie, you mean the world to me. I don't think I could've made it this far without you. There were days I thought of quitting. Seeing your approval was enough for me to keep pushing myself. Alfie, you are the most capable person I've ever seen in anything. This is why I know my disappearance will help you more by taking the unneeded burden off your shoulders.

Alfie, I hope that when I make a name for myself, you will still look at me with such fondness that makes me feel like a child again, clinging onto you like my last hope, as you always have been. Take of yourself, as that is the most important thing about this message. You matter too much for me to ever forget or let go of you, whether it be through memory or anything else.

With love and appreciation,

[name] [last name]

I re-read that letter, over and over again.

True to their words I never saw them again, but they were wrong about one thing.

They were never a burden on my shoulders. Far from it. They felt like- my child, I raised them up and felt proud of the achievements they managed to get on their own.

I knew I had to understand. It was their choice. One that I didn't want to respect. I wanted to drag them back, but with no leads, how does one even do such a thing?

My only choice was to read their entries and watch recordings they did for themselves to look back on.

But that doesn't do the trick, does it?

I'll find a strategy to bring you back young master, I promise.

Journal 7th

(Entry #1)

I'm going into the 7th grade this year. Honestly, everything sucks. I wish to give up. Alfie has been busy since those two new people came into the house. They seem that they don't want to be here. Honestly, relatable.

Alfie tries but he can never understand me. (GUYS THIS WAS THEIR EMO PHASE, it's so unrealistic 😭)

I have to go, I have an ice skating competition to go to.

(Entry #45)

How is this fair!!! This is so sickening.

I've tried everything and what do I get?! NOTHING.

NoW I'm writing all sloppy! Forget it who says I even need their dumb attention!

Here comes waltzing in this mother-daughter duo!

"Oh~, I don't want you guys"

"But we're obsessed with you!"

WELL SCREW ALL OF YOU GUYS.

SIGNING OFF,

[name] [last name]

Journal 9th

(Entry #1)

It's been two years since [M/D] and [D/D] have entered the manor.

Despite what I wrote somewhere in my old journal, I don't hate them. If anything I feel pity for them. They do something that the family doesn't like and it is like their babies that did something wrong.

Not to mention Damian is always monitoring [D/D] at school and it doesn't help that not even the soundproof wall can block off the sound of Mr. Wayne and [M/D].

It's worse at home than before the family would be busy off doing whatever vigilantes do.

Also, it didn't take a while to find that out. As a kid, I thought they were playing dress-up without me. We'll ignore that though.

Anyway, now as soon as their done doing whatever they're to save the city they rush home to smother those two.

I'm starting high school soon. Slowly I'm changing my style so my hair, and clothing. The hoodie phase was... something.

Anyway

Yours truly,

[name] [last name].

Closing the entries, my thoughts are once again interrupted.

"Where's big sibling [name]?" a child/teenager approached me.

This would be [D/D] with a python on her shoulder.

"They're gone, young mistress." I kneeled down to her height.

"Gone?" The tone was menacingly, annoyed. You could hear the python hissing in agreement with his owner.

[D/D]'s POV

I hated how this family held me in such a possessive and obsessive way, but now I think I understand them.

How could I not when staring at [name]?

My precious sibling. If anything I do have something I appreciate this family for, but if I told them they'd probably annoy me even more, they ignored [name] allowing me to be their one true sibling.

They were special compared to everyone else in this whole world.

It sucked every second, moment, that I didn't spend with them. They give the best cuddles anyone could ask for, and they smelled so good.

I also liked their room, it was so ethereal sometimes. Mostly because they were in there but also because they had customized it perfectly, the decorations. I loved the figurines, the Hironos and Smiskis, the most.

However, the most important thing was the scent.

Did I mention that?

When I had first met them it had been a week since I got kidnapped to this god-awful place, I kept getting smothered and needed to just- get away from it all.

I felt so overwhelmed.

Then they walked in front of me, in this, from what I had assumed, abandoned hallway. It freaked me out and I asked what they were doing in this hallway as I was guessing that his hallway would be closed off or something.

"What are you doing here?! Did one of the freaks send you!?" I directed my anger at them since it would only make sense why I'd encounter them.

"What are you talking about? This is my 'wing' of the house, my room is right over there." They had made a confused face at me.

I felt embarrassed but I shook my head not believing them.

"Are you making this up? Listen as much as I don't want to admit this the only people who are living here are my family and Alfred, the only butler. You certainly can't be a part of this family with that attire, and not once has anyone mentioned you." I looked at them up and down.

"I get that a lot, well not really, I don't talk to anyone other than Alfie." Alfie?

"I'm [name] [la- Wayne. I think I'm older than Duke, so I'd be older than you. We don't really interact..."

"Oh, so you're my sibling." Weird her reaction was normal meeting me... "Well don't bother me like the rest of them." I stuck my head up, glancing at them, which wasn't as they were taller than me by a lot."

"The rest of them?"

"Yeah, they're so annoying, you're cool, for now. But they constantly bother me, going on and on about how I'm their precious little sister, boasting their love to me, notice all the jewelry? That's from them." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh." Their tone had changed seemed distance and the way their eyes sharpened, I didn't even notice.

"You know, I like you, you're perfect, want to hang out?" I batted my eyes at them. Something I wouldn't do in front of the others, they just gush over it.

"I'm busy." They answered shortly, already making their way out.

That made me frown.

"Busy? Doing what? I could join you."

"I'd rather you not, I have a performance to do and have no time to waste."

After that moment I would notice them more and more, that even a second not seeing them felt like my world was dying just to be fixed seeing them at the library. They Looked So Cool!

Flipping through a book, typing faster than my eyes could track, and their note-taking, gosh, that handwriting.

Just to be dragged away by that annoying pest, Damian, he'd be like "Good, you're in the library, I have a bunch of books that we can read together.

No, Damian, I don't want to.

I think I also grew on them, a wee bit.

Not to mention, my pets loved them, even more than they loved me sometimes, ungrateful 🙄.

Then one time, I wanted to skip school, and I knew none of the family would let me, even my mom! She would let me do anything to spite the family but not this, as she deemed education important.

So I maybe, sorta, kind of took [name]'s phone number at one point and called them up.

Damian wasn't near me at the moment. Thank Christ, since we attended the same school, same grade, and everything.

They showed up, sighing, they looked so cool with their windbreaker jacket, those s0ny headphones, the pants, the shoes, and that cool instrument case on their back!

They told the principal that they were my babysitter. Like c'mon, we're siblings. Signed their name really fancy and took me in the car.

One of the best memories as they allowed me to watch them practice at their school as long as I didn't bother them.

So I'm a bit peeved at the news I received today from Alfred.

"Gone?" Seems Copperhead agreed.

My head was reeling as a few days passed and my mom seemed to notice (so did everyone else but who cares about them)

I'll have you on my radar soon, my sweet-hearted [name].

"Honey, is something wrong?" She showed concern.

"Of course not, darling-" Father got cut off

"Not you, [D/D]."

"[name] up and left me" I could feel myself deteriorating even more at that sentiment I just said.

"They what?!" Mom seemed to explode at that moment. Her aura suffocating.

[M/D]'s POV

I had no choice; it was by some coincidence that I bumped into Bruce again. In some way, he tricked me, more like manipulated me into marrying him.

It was hard to adapt, of course, it was, somehow my daughter got used to it quicker than me, every time I did something simple one of the kids, those poor traumatized kids would ask to help me. At first, I didn't mind but they did become overbearing just like Bruce.

Don't get me wrong, they've somehow wormed their way into my heart even that dang handsome Bruce, which makes me show signs of Stockholm syndrome, but therapy is not something I need right now.

Though, they could never top [name].

They reminded me of the woman I met through Bruce, and how she was perfect.

So when I found out that she had a child, I couldn't be even more excited to meet her child, [name].

Even though they had no supporters, even one speck of some kind of light kept them going.

I love my daughter [D/D], but she gave up on doing anything used to being spoiled. That just makes me want to spoil her more though.

[name] did many things. I got an invitation to an ice skating competition. Alfred had handed me two tickets.

"Master [name] would appreciate it if you came to her competition, Lady Wayne." Alfred bowed before leaving."

"Woah!~ [name] ice skates?" [D/D] had stars in her eyes.

"Would you like to attend, sweetheart?" I patted her head.

"Anything to get away from home! Though one of my siblings will bother me again." [D/D] pouted.

True to her words we were delayed to the competition.

The sight that we witnessed though, well, I couldn't even describe it.

"Woah~! They did it! They did the triple axel!"

"Okay, but we all know they could've done a quad axel."

"Shut it, Coral, you got disqualified in figure skating when you were 5 years ago, you don't even know how to figure- much less ice skate anymore."

Apparently, the Axel move was one of the hardest moves to pull.

As they made their way off the podium and to Alfred, they smiled understandably as he made excuses for the Wayne household.

"Congratulations [name]!" [D/D] cheered, it made their smile drop for a moment, I didn't notice though, too enamored by their frame.

"Yes, congrats, I didn't know you had such a talent for ice skating." I gave them a bouquet of roses, which I have to thank that dang Bruce for, or else I would've had nothing to give them.

"Figure skating, but thank you." She accepted the flowers before motioning to Alfred that they were going away.

I was going to stop them, but my phone was getting flooded with messages, and when I looked over [D/D] phone was no different.

"Ah! So annoying! I didn't even get to say bye to [name]!" [D/D] had ruffled her hair out of agitation.

Year after year, my schedule got busy and I could never see them that much.

So tell me why, why in the world did my world have to crash and burn during this dinner that seemed to be perfect.

It even had scallop butre.

"Honey, is something wrong?" I was concerned. [D/D] had been in a bad mood all week.

"Of course not, darling-" Bruce got cut off by me.

"Not you, [D/D]."

"[name] up and left me"

"They what?!" I slammed my hand on the table.

"G-gone? What in the world are you talking about, angel?!" I tried to reason.

"They moved! Left! No one knows where though!" [D/D] cried shoving a piece of food into her mouth. Damian scolded her and tried to pat her back before getting his hand slapped away.

"Calm down." Dick went over to calm [D/D] down and Cassandra went over to rub my arm to console me.

"[name]? Darling, who is that." He chuckled, in that stupid possessive way, which would've made me drop this but this was his child!

"Your child! Yours! Remember! The one that has all the trophies!?"

"Trophies?" Tim chimed in.

"don't worry mom, They aren't that many trophies I've earned," Jason added in.

For god sake you pricks! Are any of your names, [name]?!

"I think they are referring to [name] [lastname], masters." Alfred brought out the dessert, his thoughts seemed to also be clouded.

Realization seemed to hit, starting off with Bruce and then spreading.

Who cares about them though.

Don't worry [name], soon you're gonna be with me.

Guys were already making our schedules for next year and being an academic weapon I am I signed up for all Ap.

Junior year is going to kick my ass.

Also

“I can write descriptions”

“Well I can write dialouge”

Man, I can't do either, unless… 😏 y'all beg to differ/j

Jk I feel confident on my writing, I just need validation 👁️🫦👁️

[justpeaxchy]

hi !so I love your hiccup x reader work, and I love the way you write . I was wondering if you could write one where the reader is a bit unsure /insecure when Hiccup confesses his feelings towards her . When you are not so busy, of course!

thank you ❤️

'I'll Be Yours In A Landslide.'

A/n: Hii! Thank you SOO much 🥹🫶🏼! I loved doing this one because, y'know ✨feelings✨ are so interesting to write. Also, I am also SO sorry this took a long time for me to publish! Been a little busy lately and experienced a bit of a writer's slump, but I'm coming back around!

Warnings: angst time!! Brief argument and descriptions of a (sort of?) panic attack [struggle to breathe, overwhelming emotions and such] (Also, denial, if that's one..)

Hiccup x !Fem! Reader

How could someone like him possibly return your feelings? No, it was impossible...right?

It took a while to accept it, to accept the faint flutter of your heart whenever his name was mentioned. Soon enough, that abstruse feeling wasn't so recondite anymore; you understood what it was.

You almost immediately scolded yourself for such a thing, for allowing yourself to fall in such a predicament. How could you? You were only a friend, one that didn't deserve the title of anything more than that.

And you were okay with it.

You told yourself to be okay with the fact that he would end up with someone else by his side, to watch as he fell in love with another, while still remaining as a close friend. That's how it was supposed to be. That's what you'd been planning inside of your wretched, fragile heart. For the longest time, it was a defensive wall you had built up against those feelings that were already locked inside that very same barrier, unbeknownst to you.

You tried, you really did.

You tried to fight against the continuous way in which your heart pined after him, even when he would simply talk on the recent ideas he had in mind. It was always in the simplest of things that seemed to catch your attention; he could be working on his map and you'd be enthralled to be there alongside him and merely observe him as he did so.

You were realizing it was starting to become a lot harder to contain these feelings to yourself.

It began to show when he eventually asked you if you were alright, having noticed your gloomy mood for the past couple of days, and you didn't know how to respond.

So, instead, you fled off to someplace else, avoiding the confrontation. Truthfully, it shouldn't have been labeled as such in your mind, but what were you to do when suddenly asked about your emotional well-being on a subject he could know nothing about? Run, obviously.

As always, though, he caught up to you. This time, however, it was much to your dismay.

"Hiccup, can't you just leave me alone for a couple of minutes? I already told you, I'm fine."

The Chief's son dismounted Toothless, watching you with tentative green eyes as he held out one of his hands, as if you were a dragon of some sorts. "No, I can't believe that when you've been acting like this for the past week. Will you please tell me--"

"No, I can't! You don't have to know everything I'm going through, Hiccup! End of story." You stomped off, desperately trying to make the sound of his footsteps mingled in alongside his prosthetic to fade away as he hurriedly walked after you.

Abruptly stopping in your tracks, you turned to face him, throwing out your arms in exasperation. "Will you quit following me!?"

"No, I don't think so." He firmly stated, standing in front of you as he tightly clenched his jaw. "You can't expect me to act as though everything's all fine and dandy when we both know you aren't." Softening his tone, he reached out for your hand, "Please, what's wrong..?"

You shook your head and stepped back, forcing yourself not to break in his presence. "I can't tell you. It'd be a waste of time."

Hiccup winced slightly at your claim, understanding you probably didn't want him to get closer. "You..can't tell me? Why is that?" He observed you from the short amount of distance put between you both, a remorseful tug snatching the reigns of his heart as you took another step away.

"See, you're doing it again.." Your voice came out as a grumble, dry with resentment like he did something wrong. It simultaneously stung the both of you, not that you would say it, of course.

"What? What am I doing..?" He muttered, his brows furrowing as he tried to make sense of everything that occurred so far.

You raised both of your hands towards him, gesturing at him in a manner that would've made him appear to be the one at fault. "You don't even know what you're doing..! Thor, Hiccup, you just—"

Your quiet groan interrupted your jumbled flow of words, rubbing your forehead in distress. This was not what you wanted. "Just go. You don't need to concern yourself with everything in my life. You're not my dad."

That comment, however, looked as though it sparked something in him that showed he didn't enjoy hearing the comparison you placed up on him. Hiccup nodded rigidly, glancing off elsewhere as he kept his tone low. "Right. I get that. But, apparently, a friend can't worry about you?"

Your stern gaze met his, hands balling into fists at your sides. "If it becomes too much, yeah." You waited, his reaction not what you were originally expecting. He partly sighed, keeping his demeanour together for both of your sakes.

"This isn't going to get any better if you keep these things to yourself. Let me help you." He subtly stepped forward, carefully observing your face for any signs on what else you may be feeling. He'd been with you enough to assign what emotion might be bothering you, something he took pride in since he was the only one who could do so.

Your eyes frantically scanned your surroundings, searching for an excuse in distraught. You needed to get away from him. Fast. "Hiccup, it's late. Just go home, you won't have to worry about me anymore." At least that in itself was true; the sun had already began to set, tinting the sky in mixing colors of orange and pink, obliquely telling you the day was near its end.

For once, when it came to the two of you, that didn't seem to matter to him.

"I can see that, but I'm not going to leave because of it." He became closer, cautiously examining as you appeared to give up for an instant.

"Why can't you leave..?" Your voice was fragile, earnestly trying to keep itself together as it shook underneath the weight of your emotions, crying out for relief from the overwhelming pressure of containing what you sincerely felt. It was torture. And he wasn't making it any better.

Hiccup gazed at you in complete solicitude, emerald eyes softened over in a gentleness that couldn't be found anywhere else – according to your standards. "You know why.." At last, he was in front of you again, carefully reaching for your hand as you weakly shook your head.

"No, I don't." You lifted your focus back onto his face, on the edge of tears as you faltered: "Why won't you leave? I need to understand now, Hiccup."

He appeared to hesitate, his expression vaguely showing the internal debate he had within himself about something – as if deciding to carry out an action he wasn't entirely brave enough to do. "..I've been unsure of whether or not I should've told you this sooner, but..." Pausing, he made it a point to keep the tenuous eye contact between you both, his words coated in a mellowness that quickly brought your guard down. "I can't let you do this to yourself again. I won't..sit back and watch it all happen... Not this time."

The future Chief delicately grasped your hand in his, enfolding them together in what could've only be described as an affectionate touch. "I can't stand by and see you suffer without anyone to be there for you." He exhaled, breath slightly trembling as he did so. "I can't let you go on like this when...when I love you too much to leave you alone in this condition."

Your whole body froze, everything around you becoming disoriented as breathing was now suddenly a struggle. "Wait...what?" You managed to mutter, your words barely escaping your lips as you felt as if the trees were closing in on you. Was your vision becoming hazy? Was it blurry from the inundation of tears that strained to pour out? Your heart pounded, feet making a quivering step back as you stared at him, shocked.

He couldn't be serious. He couldn't be.

No, it had to have been a joke to enlighten your mood, perhaps help you feel comforted, but that certainly wasn't happening to you. Hiccup was caring towards the ones around him, you already seized onto that knowledge when you both started to develop your friendship, but he shouldn't have chosen to be this kind in the moment when you were nearly about to break over the very thing he said.

"Now isn't the time, Hiccup... I get that you're trying to be nice and all, but—"

"It's so much more than me trying to be nice." His brows furrowed, worry evident on his face as he kept himself by your side, hand still holding your shuddering one. "I meant what I said."

Your breath came as a short, rigid wheeze, hopelessly attempting to deny his confession. "No, no, no. You can't be serious. Please, don't do this to me..!" Looking at the ground, you didn't register him standing exiguous inches from you, his other hand slowly reaching up. "If you want to help me, then stop joking! I-I can't—"

And then, Hiccup met your cheek with the palm of his hand, caressing your skin as though you were glass on the brink of shattering. He quietly spoke your name to bring you back to the present before continuing, "Hey, hey, hey...just breathe for me, okay? I'm not joking in any way...and I'm not leaving you, I'm here with you..and that's where I plan to stay."

He steadily inhaled, beckoning for you to copy his actions until it was followed by an exhale. You mirrored what he did, to the best of your abilities, the ringing in your ears not yet coming to a full halt. Thankfully, your lungs grabbed a hold of the air you needed, attention locked onto the tranquil hues of his eyes – the thing that constantly brought you solace.

After a few minutes of gathering yourself together, you came to terms with how short of a distance there was in-between you both, causing a dim pigmentation of scarlet to fill your complexion. "Hiccup, I—" You sighed, glancing away. "You can't be serious... You're so much better than I am, a-and you, you are such a great person, while I'm just...me."

Silence lingered in the air, leaving you to assume he probably agreed and had his senses revived to regret ever saying anything to you. That is, until he moved his hand underneath your chin, lifting it in a feather-like motion, allowing him to completely view your face. "That's exactly why. I love you because you're...you. The real you. And I wouldn't change one thing about you if it were up to me.."

Your eyes finally found relief as they poured out the gust of tears you'd been suppressing, sniffling as you tried to keep your posture. When Hiccup pulled you in for a warm embrace, you didn't resist him. You didn't resist his soothing words while he comfortingly rubbed your back. You didn't resist the need to cry,

And you didn't resist the love you buried deep inside of your heart for him.

"I love you too."

And then, the ringing in your ears diminished.

-------------

[merbear25]

I hope you do the bleach vizards!

Vizards headcanons when their brand new fem gf randomly walks up to them and says “let’s have sex!” (Except for hachi sorry big guy)

I have weird taste in characters

I'm so excited to be getting more requests for Bleach 😭 I decided to go against my 3 character rule and give you 5, but I made the executive decision to leave out Love and Mashiro (sorry!) Hope you like what I've written for you 💜

CW: suggestive, gn!reader but fem!reader in mind, headcanons, established relationship

Reactions to a s/o saying "Let's have sex!" (Vizards)

Shinji

You were bold. That was one of the things he quite liked about you. However, being so daring only enticed him to test the waters.

He didn’t get flustered very easily, so coming right out with what was on your mind wouldn’t get the reaction you may have been looking for.

Of course, he’d have that same cocky smile he was known for. Whether or not you were serious in taking the next step wouldn’t really change his response—teasing to get more of a reaction out of you. You were the one who threw the ball in his court after all.

Getting you flustered would be a little goal of his. Leaning in closely, whispers carrying flirtatious undertones all to make you stir a little in your seat worked on you like a charm. He’d chuckle lightly when you gave him what he was after. 

Approaching him like this around others would only end in you regretting your actions. There’d be no way in you walking away with your dignity intact.

Blurting it out while you were in a more private setting would most likely result in just that after a lot of buildup to the main event.

Rose

The faint huff of amusement was paired with a small smile. Although his expression didn’t change much, he found your little outburst of passion humorous and oddly endearing.

Your excitable moments were undoubtedly a part of you that originally drew him in.

Watching you get carried away with a thought here and there warmed his heart. His calm, neutral personality was balanced by yours, making the contrast in you two glaringly obvious in moments like these.

“That can be arranged.”

In a tone that would otherwise sound innocently friendly, his eyes held on yours. He was thoroughly enjoying watching the heat rush to your face. Whether you approached the topic in public or private there wouldn’t be a major difference in his answer.

And he just sat there…patiently with a faint, pleasant look upon his face as he waited for you to say something.

Hiyori

Her face immediately turned red as she choked back a weak scoff. I mean, how forward could you be? Who just blurts things like that out?

The remark she sputtered out was half-assed because she was still processing what you’d just exclaimed.

Don’t you dare comment on how red she got. Well, unless you were looking to make the rest of the day with her chewing you out.

There wouldn’t really be any winning in this situation: say you meant it, she’d get flustered. Say it was a joke, it’d sting even though she’d never admit it.

Just let her have her initial reaction, otherwise it’d turn into even more of a scene.

If you went up to her with this in front of a bunch of people, there’d be no saving you.

Going up to her in private would still get you a tsundere reaction but would come with much less screaming.

Lisa

You cannot say something like that and not mean it. Being her s/o, you’d be fully aware of her special interests in adult manga and suggestive magazines. There’s no way she wouldn’t be pent up to some degree.

With that in mind, bringing this up to her in private would be your best chance at getting what you wanted. Even if her expression was cool and collected, the genuine interest rising within her was hard to miss.

Since she could be a bit irritable at times, coming right out with it when around others would most likely backfire. Springing something like that on her within earshot of everyone all while she was probably kind of irked already wouldn’t fare well for you. 

Was the glare from her disappointment in your lack of restraint or her frustration that she couldn’t act on it at that moment? You’d find out later.

Kensei

He stared at you for a moment, but that turned into an awkward silence. His blush and furrowed brow was incredibly delayed because it took him a second to process your statement. You were in public. Why now?

His posture was stiffened as he tried to get you to be quiet. Your voice seemed to echo around you, and although he wanted to be angry with you, your genuine excitement to take the next step struck him to his core.

You were far too cute when saying that, but he still managed to sternly hush you up. If you teased him after, he’d promptly refuse and walk away in a flustered huff. There was no getting that image you’d planted out of his head, though; the damage had been done.

Bringing this up in private wouldn’t lessen this response by much. With crossed arms and a bright red face, his embarrassment of his now racing thoughts would make it difficult for him to look you in the eye.

[revryebread]

encounter

sorry its slow at work and i'm rotating this in my head. have some more.

They next day is in a new car. Which must be how this works- Instead of restarting on the same street corner every day they just find themselves loose in something random. At least it keeps it’s charm.

Shoka sits up from her her sleeping position, and Al’s hand comes into her eyeline. She looks at it and then back to him and gets up on her own, dusting herself off from the dirt. “Not polite to watch a girl while she’s sleeping, Alfie.”

He groans at her remark and withdraws his hand. “You know that’s not what I was doing.” He’s desperate for any even ground between them, and Shoka’s just as desperate to not give it. 

She shrugs, “Don’t act coy with me, Blonde Boy.I watched your show, I know you like cats, just didn’t know how far it stretched.” He looks at her with a bitterness and a hint of a blush. 

“I’m going to do something else.” He declares, officially ripcording from a conversation he cannot see any other way out of and turning on his heel to walk into the forest. She lets him get ahead of him by a bit, and then follows, pulling out her phone just in time to see the new notifications hit.

Notifications- Oh interesting, there’s a little built in social media for dead kids. Wild. She scrolls through it, everyone has their own little screenname. Some she can pick out from the mess, some are too confusing for her, but it’s a fun thing to look into later. She currently has three friend requests- (What is this, 2011?) RedEyesKnicksFan, AmiMizuno, of course you have purple hair and a dinosaur  She leaves them hanging for now and opens up the Reapers Game notifs.

Congratulations on your first challenge done.

Task: Find one other player and take their phone. 

Time limit: Two Days.

If you end the day without a phone: Erasure

She whistles long and low. Usually they wait until later weeks to get the game going like this, PvP this early is fresh game design at the very least. She calls up to Al- “Tough one today, huh?” He doesn’t respond, but continues to just walk through the forest vaguely. She sighs, and speeds up to catch up with him. 

Once she does, he slows down too. “Reaper job is a tough lot. Math-wise, you gotta be pretty new to it, right?” She’s trying to show compassion, but it doesn’t come easily to her. She hopes it doesn’t sound as snotty as it probably does. 

Al let’s pressure out and closes his eyes. “Yeah. It’s tough. Not much better than being a Player, honestly.” He’s trying to look through the forest, sees something, and begins to push towards it again, this time at a slower pace to keep Shoka in range. She follows behind, not helping with the navigating or the underbrush. 

“At least it’s more fun, get to make the games usually. Make sure people don’t step out of line.” She shrugs, kicking at flowers that are just off their path. Al clearly doesn’t want to commiserate on their shared job experience, so she pivots. “Was your game like this one? Or are they keeping it fresh every week and we just got lucky to be stuck together?”

“Nope. I had a partner too.” He slows down, putting his hand out to stop Shoka behind him. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

She finally recognizes that his tone is desperately different, and her posture changes too. She swings around to look behind them and closes in so their backs are against each other. “Ah.”

“Yeah.”

They stand quietly in the forest for a second, and Shoka feels a tap at her side- She opens her mouth to make a sassy remark but stops- and listens along. He’s tapping to draw her attention to a sound, branches creaking, birds acting up, twigs snapping. They’re being followed.

She nods, and watches deeper into the forest. The sound is moving around them clockwise, she reaches back with her hand now to touch Al and draw his attention in the same direction. She feels him flinch. She has three fingers on his waist (it’s just where her hand falls)-

Two-

One-

He claps, she throws a pin to lunge. She can hear something coming down behind her, but she’s already moving too fast and collides with whoever was sneaking in the woods,

She has her feet high, kicking their chest and knocking them backwards, landing with both feet planted on their chest, her pin in her hand. She seems to have targeted the Player, because they yelp in a fear that is not becoming of a Reaper.

The girl under her has- well, had a sword of some kind, it clattered from her hand into the underbrush.  She was wearing a black cloak that Shoka was instantly able to clock, and causes a deep laugh that does not put her quarry at ease.. “Well, well, well. We gotta stop meeting like this.” She grabs her cloak and pulls her up to face her, the girls black hair falling out of her eyes as she fights to get her hands up.

“Between you and Roxas, the Kingdom Hearts universe must be absolutely fucked.” She throws Xion back into the area where Al is fighting the Reaper, and follows her in. The young replica infront of her calling her keyblade back, but clearly still too early in her story to be of any threat. Shoka throws some ranged Pin attacks at her and she shittily parries them, losing ground.

She looks up to Alphonse and actually finds herself staggered. He’s using alchemy again, but seemed to be fighting… a bird? A hawk was swirling around him, taking dips and dives at his head as Al tried to block him with one hand and complete an Alchemy circle with the other.

The sight has her legitimately stunned, but she shakes it off and tries to regain her composure. “Hey! Bird!” It sounded stupid in her mouth, and the comedy of it makes her grimace, trying to keep a smiled own and seem intimidating..  Neither of the two listen to her. So, if at first you aren’t heard, make it so they can’t ignore you. She throws two more splashes of flame into the dirt around Xion- “Hey! Listen up! I’m going to cook your girl here if you don’t back off!”

Alphonse and the bird both stopped dead- which was enough to get Shoka to snort with laughter even as she’s trying to put up a facade.

“Don’t you dare.” Echoed in her head and her ears at the same time, and she blinked at again, dumbfounded. Al had definitely also spoke, but the bird- the bird was psychic? What in the fuck? The fighting stopped for a moment, regardless if Shoka understood it or not.

If this had been any other situation, she would have felt a pull to be cruel to establish power, but this bird situation had her off kilter. She reaches down to Xion, snatches up her phone, and puts the fire out, putting both hands up.

“So, is the bird like a pet? Is the real guy around here somewhere?” It’s a mix of being a bitch and genuine confusion, but she gets what she thinks is a glare from the bird and it flies over to Xion. Al makes a round around the hawk and the girl to get to Shoka, and before he can give her a talking to about threatening someone Shoka cuts him off:

“Is it…..” She starts and he cuts her off, trying to stop the questions before they continue.

“Yeah. He was my partner. It’s complicated.” Al looks over his shoulder at the the red-tailed, and it’s head shoots up and tilts. 

“You fucked my girlfriend, Alphonse Elric.” 

The bird thought spoke into their heads again, and Shoka found a way to do a spittake without drinking anything. She doubled over, Alphonse put his head in his hands, blushing about as red as you could be before a doctor is called.

Al was caught in a nightmare, trying to both steady Shoka from falling over and argue with a bird about his ex-girlfriend’s dating life.  “That’s not- It’s not like that, Tobias. She wasn’t-” The hawk, Tobias, presumably, let out a horrible screech that was enough to snap Shoka out of it, now on her hands and knees laughing so hard she’s coughing. She rolls onto her back and wipes the tears from her eyes.

“Oh my god, Alphonse you dog. You cuckolded a bird.”  She is barely able to speak through the laughter, and Alphonse shoots his eyes to her over angry bird sounds. “It’s not like that! When she’s from she- everyone thought she was dead and she had been here a long time and- we didn’t even-”

“Stop! Talking about her!” Tobias took to the air again , flapping wildly and Al put his hands over his head, but the bird stopped short of him and landed on a branch. Absolute venom in his… bird eyes.  Shoka peeled herself off the ground and back to her feet fully. She let out a deep breath to try and let the sillies out before returning to her Reaper-sona. “Ok, ok. Let’s get it together. Tobias. You and your girl Xion here, do you have another phone on you yet?”

Xion, who had been quiet through this, looks sheepishly off to the side, and the bird stares down at Shoka for a moment before beginning to preen, but neither answered. “Ok, so. The answer is no, then. Great start. Teachable moment.” She puts a hand on her forehead and shakes it, milking the drama of this.

“So, without a phone, you’ll be erased, you know that right? And Erasure is bad. Are you old enough to know what happens at Castle Oblivion?” She’s trying to put this in terms that Xion will understand, and the girls eyes go wide. “Okay, so it’s like that.”

She looks back up again, and begins pacing with the phone in her hand like she’s pointing at a blackboard- “So the real game is to protect your phone, not get someone else’s. It’s a misdirect to get people against each other.” Shoka explains, walking through the mechanics. She kneels down to the girl in the dirt. She can’t help but see Roxas reflected in her, and she knows that’s the Sora in them both. 

Tobias scoffs, but clearly can’t put it together. Bird brains aren’t big, afterall.

“Do the rules say anything about a punishment for not stealing someone else's phone, dummy?” She talks to Xion in a baby voice on the ground, and she shakes her head in a way that Shoka finds pitiful. “Well?” She wants them to put it together fully, Al starts to try and protest behind her, but she puts up a hand and he listens.

Xion shakes her head no, and Shoka nods, stands up, and tosses Xion’s phone back to her. The girl looks confused, but scoops it up. Once she does, Shoka puts her hands in her pockets and leans back on her foot. “Well, as fun as this reunion has been, we’ve got places to be, right Alphie?” She smiles back at him, and he looks as confused as everyone else here.

“Oh come on- I can’t be the only one who saw the loophole. In my day, Reaper’s could actually think?? Did they take that out of the job description?” She sighs and rolls her eyes. “There’s more to this game then following orders. You have to think for yourself.” She looks down to Xion and makes eye contact- “Don’t let anyone try to hammer one way of doing things into your head, alright? You’ve got your own brain. Use it, dummy.” She taps Xion’s head, and then stretches.:

“Alright, chick magnet, let’s get out of here. With me!” She declares the conversation over, and Alphonse takes one look at the bristling Tobias and sprints after Shoka.

Once they’re out of sight, Al catches up with her and grabs her shoulder, which she quickly riggles out of. “Excuse me, I’m not one of your bird girlfriends. Hands to yourself.” Al blushes again, but tries to push through it. “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand, Shoka.” He can see her revving up to make this a back and forth argument again. And interjects “ I’m trying to compliment you. That was really good of you back there.” He clearly chokes on the compliment a bit, which Shoka can’t blame him for given that she poked and prodded at him.

“Oh,” She pushes her hood back up over her head as if to hide in it. “Well- I mean, don’t mention it too much. Just a girl doing the old job since the new hires seem to need training.” Al is clearly trying to stay composed- and Shoka deems to help him with it. “But they’ve got potential. Regardless. Yes. Glad to help. Or whatever. Less erased dead kids. Probably a net good.”

She has her hands in her pockets now, and Al letting her ramble isn’t helping. So she lets out another whistle and spins on her heels to see the red of the door sticking out ahead of them. She points to it, and keeps moving. Dropping both the compliment and the situationship like a dead rock between them. 

Al is, all things considered, grateful.

INCONGRUOUS

Last night we were shooting the shit and asked: Does the infinity Train have a Reaper's Game? If so, who's the game-master? Who is there?

What if Shoka died and saw Alphonse in the Reaper's Game but he had clearly made his way to being a Reaper?

------------------------------------

If she was a betting woman, Shoka Sakurane would have bet that she was immortal while on the Infinity Train.

It's stupid to say, but she had already died before she came on in the first place- what was it going to do? Kill her again? She's double dead? At the very least, she wouldn't end up in the UG a second time. She'd probably just vanish into nothing, Erasure immediately.

It's what she deserved, probably.

But the fact she was having these thoughts at all, this feeling of incredulousness- it meant she wasn't erased. Something decided she should have another chance, AGAIN. As if she hadn't squandered enough already. She thought back to her friend back in Shinjuku- so long ago she can't remember her name. She never got a second chance, she barely got her first.

Regardless. Her eyes shoot open on the floor of the Platformer Car, and she can feel the phantom pain of her death- a misplaced jump, an offbrand thwomp. She sits up and tries to walk herself through the process she's seen so many kids go through- an annoying side effect of the job is playing therapist. She focused herself in on the advice she would give them: whatever got you can't hurt you anymore, but more hurt is coming if you don’t get your shit together.

Her phone vibrates with a familiar giggle, and she reflexively goes to her pocket to pull it out, and as she does, catches her hand and arm in her peripheral vision-

Her green number was gone. The mark she had gained after killing Al that wrapped up her hand, arm, all the way to her neck- it was gone. There was part of her that wishes she felt relief, but it's a hollow victory. Scott free again for Shoka Sakurane. The girl who never faces consequences, just stays ahead of them.

She pushes the new, fun way of self loathing out of her head and locks back in on her phone to be greeted with a familiar UI, and a familiar notification.

Welcome to orientation. Task: Clear two cars and check in. Time limit: Two Days. Cost for failure: Erasure

A good song never dies- she was back in the Reaper’s Game, on the train's personal UG. Part of it should make her laugh- Trish was always whining about how the train was a stand, and turns out it was Shoka’s world that was real. Hilarious. 

She forced herself up to her feet, wiped off her jacket, and pulled out her pins - two cars would be child's play for her. Whoever this game-master was, they were playing with Kids gloves.

---------

Come the end of the first night, and Shoka had smashed through two cars with an Apex like fervor. There were no denizens or other passengers, so the jury was still out on how they would interact with her in her new not-alive state, but some jumping puzzles and the simon says car made for easy progress. 

When she opens the door at the end of her second car, she's happy atleast to finally see someone, and a morbid sense of familiarity comes with it when she sees the wings and hoodie. 

“Heya, newbie.” It's some tall dipshit that reminds her of Beat. Great. “Welcome to da toughest game of all, da Reaper’s Game! I'm sure yous got questions about where or what ya are, but your pal Joey here-”

“Awh, this is so cute- is it your first week being a Reaper?” Shoka doesn't have time for a petty Reaper to be giving her orders- she flashes her Shibuya Reaper pin. “I've got a couple of years on you sweaty, save it for some other idiot.”

The boy stammers, knocked out of his opening number- “Oh, I- but they said yous was a player?” He starts to flip through his phone, presumably reading some kind of orientation guide, his stupid face twisting as it tried to grind into motion. “And dat pin doesn't look too familiar to me, are you one of ours or da last guys?”

Hmm- so this game has recently had a leadership turnover too. Whatever political issues this UG was having was already more interesting than dicking around on the normal train. 

“Think of me as a transfer, dummy. Or- don’t try to think of me at all. I’m worried it might make your little brain sputter out.” The boy frowned, but was unable to come up with a comeback as Shoka had COMPLETELY taken control of the conversation. “Some simple questions for you, did I ante anything up this time? Is this a team sport? How longs the game?”

The boy began to sweat, it clearly was his first week. How did he ever win a game in the first place? She had half a thought to just erase this idiot and take his Reaper pin and find her way to the top, but she heard someone warp in behind the two of them-

“Joey, are you having-” 

You're going to carry this with you

 “Is that you?”

She span on her heels, hoping to see anyone else, but she recognized his fucking voice, and his stupid fucking stance. Alphonse Elric, but with a black sweater vest and black noise wings. The two of them locked eyes for a second, and she tried to open her mouth but just made the stupid sounds that Joey had been making moments earlier.

”What finally got you?”

Al was the first one to talk, and unfortunately was much better at keeping a poker face then Shoka. He spoke in a very practiced cool tone- she didn’t know if that meant he had gotten over it or was seething. Which only made her MORE mad.

Luckily, though, it gave her an off ramp that wasn’t ‘confront the guy you killed and now is in charge of you in the afterlife.’ “Still no good with girls, huh Alphie?” She put on a fake smile that she hoped wasn’t obvious and half turned to give him a very visible cold shoulder. “You can’t just ask people that, it’s rude. Read a book.” She could see Joey’s confused face, and she was certain that the only thing he’d ever read was a Sports Illustrated. “Do you twos know each other or somethin?” 

She shot a glance back at Al, and she could see his cool expression had dropped to an expression barely cloaked anger. Guilt hit her in the chest, especially after the events of Poker, this might be the only person she knows here. So she should play nice and not jump on that weakness he’s showing. “I’m the reason he’s here, so yes, you could say we know each other pretty well.” 

“That’s not-” Al started to argue, but Shoka turned back to Joey again to cut him off. “But it’s not important. I just wanna know what the game format is. Can you give that to me, Joey? Or is it too many syllables back to back for you to remember?”

Joey was blushing and struggling even more now, and Shoka felt a hand on her shoulder. She tensed up hard and went to jerk away, but Al’s hand gripped there for a second- the one she had shot off.

“I’ve got this one, Joey. She’ll be my charge.” Al sounded resolute and pissed. She glared up at him and pushed his hand off, spinning on her heel again. “What the fuck do you mean, Charge? Is this a fucking mentorship program?”

“Game format. Each Reaper is paired with at least one player. Welcome back Shoka, we’re partners.”

“This is a fucking nightmare.” She shattered another glass on a wall near his head, and Al lifted his head back up into the place where it was sitting, head in his hands. She had been throwing a fit, (Al’s words), for the past hour. Wrecking this Sur La table Car in a way that was, unfortunately, only reflected in the UG. 

This game was apparently a partner/ward situation. Which meant that while she was supposed to be paired with dipshit, Alphonse had taken it over and was now her direct handler. Which was bullshit. A conflict of interest. A stab in the fucking back. An affront to the reapers game as a whole. But Al was, unfortunately, uninterested in hearing her complaints, and while he definitely seemed smug about his decision, it was pyrrhic at best.

“Deal with it or be erased, Shoka. I don’t-” Al started and was cut off by another plate shattering into the wall and sighed loudly. “Oh you get to throw out threats now? Big man with the big threats? Was it not enough that I killed you once? That I felt guilty? Now I have to be haunted by the actual fucking idiot. And he has my old job?” She let out a guttural yell and collapses to the ground, miserable. Al waits for a second on his seat to see if she actually has worn herself out or not. “Your not even going to give me a chance, are you? Your gonna pull me along just to see me erased.”

Al quietly gets up from the far side of the room and walks over to her, glass crunching under his feet. She can imagine this scene from the third person and feels humiliated. Al stands over her for a moment with his hands in his pockets, quiet. She waits for him to say something, and he doesn’t. After a few attempts to rearrange the glass on the floor into a shape, he finally sighs and breaks the silence.

“I don’t want you to be erased, Shoka, and I’m not doing this to try and ruin your chances at winning the game.” Shoka sneers up at him, “Oh, high and mighty now then. Better-than-me Alphonse helping the down and out killer he-”

“You didn’t kill me, Shoka.” That stops her dead in her tracks, and again, she begins to sound like Joey stumbling over her words. “You’re a fucking liar. I shot you.” 

“That’s not what got me. I got out of there, got patched up in the colosseum car, and got in a fight with someone else. You hurt me really bad, and I don’t forgive you for that, but you didn’t kill me.”

Shoka had been sitting and stewing in the guilt of what she had done to Al for months. Every single thought she had since the Caboose was tinged with guilt and anger and righteousness from killing Alphonse Elric- and she fucking didn’t. It was all for nothing. What had she been mad for? What had she been tearing herself up and twisting herself into knots about?

She stood up suddenly enough that Al stepped back, but she closed the distance and pointed in a finger in his chest.. “Say you’re lying.” She didn’t even know what she was saying, she was all id at the moment. “Admit that you’re fucking lying.”

“Shoka- it’s not a lie, it’s true. You didn’t kill me.” He regained some sort of stubborn confidence and stopped backing up- “Would it be easier for you if you did?”

She wants to hit him again. She wants him to swing at her even- any sort of fight or violence to avoid talking this out with her words. She doesn’t have them, they’ve left with all her misplaced aggressions she’s carried around for weeks. She opens her mouth to hurl another insult, or demand another confession. Nothing comes out, and her hands curl into fists. 

She screams, and collapses on the ground again-

“Are you- Shoka-” It’s Al’s turn to struggle for words now, because she’s fallen and has just begun to sob. There comes a tipping point with emotion, and she’s hit it.

---

He leaves her alone to regain her composure, because neither of them are emotionally solid enough to manuever through the “so you thought you killed me, and wanted to, and you carried the guilt with you for months before finding out that actually you didn't” and so they both decide to pretend it didn’t happen and push past it. A problem solving method that has never failed anyone ever. 

Days in the UG are weird- they close and end suddenly, and don’t have the connective tissue of Waking Up and Falling Asleep. The days games end and you appear in the next one. It’s an odd feeling, but the familiarity of it makes Shoka Nostalgic, and she is able to kick back in to the next day with full vigor.

Her first thought of the day is the recognition that she’s walking up to him on a street corner, which again, feels right for a Reaper’s Game. There were skyscrapers, but it wasn’t Shibuya, or any city she recognized for that matter.

“Morning Alphie.” It lacks the blood that her usual sneers have, because she can’t find the bitterness in her right now. Al seems to be understanding, and nods at her, holding out a little aluminum wrap.

“I got you one.” He mutters, biting into a breakfast burrito of his own and looking around the car. She stares at it for a second and takes it, leaving a silence that she hopes is as good as a Thanks. He looks at her for long enough to confirm that it isn’t, and sighs. “So-”

The giggle from her texts stops him from prying, and she snaps it open instead of allowing him to finish whatever nightmare he was about to lead them down-

Welcome to Orientation. Day two. Task: Clear two cars and check in. Time limit: Two Days. Cost for failure: Erasure If you’ve already finished- congratulations. Take the day off.

She frowns. What she needed was a distraction, not a day off. She looks up to Al, who has a look on his face that says he already knows the assignment. He shrugs. “Do you want me to leave you alone today?”

She starts to formulate a new insult her head to drive him away, and it jumps out at her- he’s got both of his hands. She hadn’t seen him with one arm for long, but the image had been burnt into her mind for so long that it still throws her off guard. They just have a clean slate with each other. In a way. A vague way.

“You’d leave a girl alone in an unfamiliar city?” Fuck, wait- That’s asking him to stay, isn’t it? She tries to backtrack but is flustered enough that she fumbles it. “Yeah. Get out of here, I’ll walk around or whatever.” Al sighs again, pinching his nose. “Shoka…”

“Ugh! Fine! Stick Around! I don’t care, I’m walking away, follow if you want!” She shouts like any of what she said in the last minute is congruous with each other, turns on her heel, and walks the fuck away. Al takes a beat and follows.

[bonefall]

Bone what herbs should be used for a funeral

(CONTENT WARNING: DEATH AND DEAD BODIES. DECAY. BLOAT. STINK. MAGGOTS, EVEN. MORTUARY THINGS.)

Quick answer: Fennel, valerian, catmint, so the mourners can still safely 'share tongues.' Mint/Lavender if the body isn't looking so fresh. Vinegar, salt, herb oil, a very creative flower arrangement if it's yikesy.

Mortuary student answer:

Depends really, what state did they find the body in?

If they died in-camp, then they can just use any nice-smelling herb. The remains won't be stinking unless they were already smelling bad when they were alive.

At this stage I would avoid the canonical lavender and mint, since it's shown that they like to "share tongues" with them one last time. Those two herbs are poisonous! Instead, go with fennel, valerian, and catmint if there's enough to spare. Fragrant flowers that can still be consumed without harming the mourners.

Now if they died away from camp? They might have been laying there a while.

Generally after about 2-ish hours, the corpse will be in rigor mortis (depends on the temperature tho, heat speeds up decay). At this point there's no smell, and they can be brought home and mourned just like a cat who died in the camp.

You can expect the body to stay fresh about 1 - 3 days, depending again on the season, but you're gonna start noticing the belly begin to bloat.

And THIS is where you're going to have bigger problems to patch up, and you're gonna smell it before you see it.

The biggest one is going to be the maggots. There is no getting around this; a forest is full of flies. A single day after a fly lays its eggs, you will see the little noodles doing their little noodly things.

They're doing their job breaking down organic matter is all!

No need to be afraid of them. If the body needs to be stored because you're pending a funeral, just bust out those mint and lavender herbs I told you to put aside earlier. Those are insect repellents-- but it will mean they can't do the customary 'sharing of tongues.' Chives and other onion-relatives could also be helpful here

If the maggots are already having a party, clean them off. I mention that ShadowClan can ferment vinegar-- that would be super helpful. Just take a mossball of it and wipe lmao. They want to set up shop near orifices and exposed wounds so pay attention to those areas.

The vinegar will also help with the smell, if there is one (if you found the maggots after they JUST hatched, about 1 day post-mortem, there might not be a stink yet.)

But you might be past just dealing with a couple maggots. You might be looking at decay. In a cat with all that fur, you're going to notice the rotten smell before any visible symptoms... but when moved, the side towards the ground's going to be wet and gross. Probably ant-y.

First visible symptoms are fur starting to fall off, bloated belly, the eyes might be gone.

Now if you're dealing with that, you're pushing it. It's probably going to be better to get them in the ground quick instead of horrifying the mourners. But okay, let's say it's not SO bad yet that you can't carry them by the scruff anymore...

But let me tell you buddy, if you go to drag them by the scruff and the skin comes off. Give Up! Just Give Up! They are LATE for dirt duty!

But you may be able to bring some of that bloat down with salt to dehydrate them, but you'd need a lot of it. I also hope you have vinegar because you're really going to want to neutralize that smell, especially if you can't spare like half a pound of salt.

Lastly, I wouldn't even JUST gather flowers for this one, crush your herbs up and get a REAL smelly oil. Bathe them in that.

I'd get creative here too, get some fresh plants to cover up anything that's poking out you don't want being seen, like bones or muscle. Bring attention to the parts that you WERE able to restore, or aren't so bad yet. If something important is missing, like a leg or a head, gather up some dirt and cover it in flowers to give the appearance of them still having it.

[sysig]

Guess who :3c (Patreon)

[capaldiera]

man idgaf about what treville and richelieu have going on (mostly nothing) (they dont like each other but they work together a lot bc of their jobs.) (i guess treville holding onto a sense of honour whilst working with the cardinal is interesting but like that's not. thats not really those two having something interesting going on). lets talk about the king and the cardinal man.

[spotaus]

Cackling rn, Y'all are so so great <3

EHHEHEHEHE!!!! Ancha I figured you'd enjoy the tragic siblings combo here!! And, like I figured, you absolutely blew this reply out of the water, I was sitting here reading it giggling like a madman haha! I'll get into it now!

YEs! Nine being the original one that was supposed to be perfect, to be molded and shaped, I thought it aligned well with the Xtale/Underverse storyline (X-Gaster attempts to have a timeline and uses one character as his special little blorbo basically to try and make the world perfect, and Papyrus' number is IX, implying that X-Gaster tried with him first, before scrapping that timeline and going with Sans instead, hense his X! So, Making Nine the older sibling makes that make a bit more sense, and then some fudging for realistic plot goals + setting stuff lol!), but also explained a lot into why Cross is how he is, obediant and always looking for approval and having a hard time making his own choices! Okay hang on, I'm getting ahead of myself-

Yep, super hard decision, but the one he thought was best. he was young, didn't have any way to protect Ten, not really, so he did what he could to mitigate the damage. Nine was sure X-Gaster wouldn't just abandon all the work he's already put into him, that he was sunk cost fallacied into focusing on him. But then. Well. Ten wanted attention from someone so desperately that X-Gaster decided to fill that role and realized Ten was basically play-doh to mould in his hands at a whim. Changed prey!

Nine DEFINITELY had those moments. Thinking about how Ten was being dumb, blind to the truth. And absolutely the jealousy and simmering frustration. Nine had to convince himself at the start to not get attached to Ten, and that wasn't easy at all. but then Ten becomes X-Gaster's main focus. Not only does he know, then, that his time is limited if XGaster ever loses use for him, but he knows Ten will be what Nine fought so hard not to be. He knows that Ten is everything that he should've been, and wasn't. (And, yeah, he hates Ten for that for a good chunk of time, because it quickly turns into Ten's interest in Nine being the only thing keeping him alive. not another project scrapped by XGaster.)

OUGH??? Hunting him into the arms of their mutual abuser, I'm gonna sob- but yeah, no, definitely. He absolutely did that. often. (I think another note here, that comes up in his behavior later, is that Nine is able to find a support group. XTori, XUndyne, XAlphys (I'll come up w/ better names later lol-) all of these other people who were around in one way or another, people he was able to bond with like a family, who had families of their own, who taught him during, and especially *after* the coup, what a family should be. He has a chance to reflect and be vulnerable very early on. After Ten leaves, there has to be a point where he (stoic and optimistic as a front) finally breaks down and tells someone *more*. More than the basics, more than the fact that XGaster was bad. Just glimpses at first, but all the horrible things he had to do, that he did to Ten, that XGaster did to both of them. There was a reason Nine would chastize Ten when discussing with the others, but NEVER condemn him for what he'd decided to do. Was he dissappointed? Yeah, of course. Was he blaming him? No, because unlike Nine, he had no safe avenue for escape, no reference point for a different life, because Nine didn't give it to him. So, point is, SOMEONE hears, just bits of this, and is horrified. Talks through it with Nine, explains that, no, none of that was okay, and what he did *was* shitty, but makes sense. he starts to slowly work through all of this, all while Ten is already gone. And, no one suggests they go searching either. Everyone still thinks of Ten as a lost cause, despite what Nine says. because of what Nine says. So, yeah, with his support group he decides he wants to reconsile with his little brother, properly... one day.) Oh and he totally hates himself for choosing the coup over Ten, even if everyone praises him for it.

And the note about Nine being so ready to rebuild their relationship! I think this is a big old yep!! Ofc, Nine just wasn't sure how to go about it. With the chaos of helping with the aftermath and the coup and reorganizing basically a whole country, Nine didn't have time (or so he told himself) to have that discussion with Ten. So, he kinda did what made him feel at home among the coup corps. Just... left Ten with the others, asked him to be involved but didn't smother him with attention. (<- Nine, as a main focus of XGaster, appreciated the moments when he could be one of the crowd, when he wasn't helping organize or leading). This didn't help Ten, who had no direction, no one willing to talk with him. Like you said, he only grew more isolated and saw exactly how much people didn't want him there.

And for the Cross leaving bit, I've had that up in the air, so I'm really glad you put some insight into it, haha!

I love the idea of them having a talk (or multiple) talks about it! Maybe Ten did get advice from someone (Like, backhandedly. Maybe he was struggling to figure out how to help (no orders, no direction, no guidance) and when he asks someone for orders, someone says, like, "You decide what to do based on what feel's good and what doesn't. With Nine as your 'brother' you think you'd know that, purebred." Or smth snarky like that, and.) and he takes it to heart. He realizes that being around these people does NOT feel good. That trying to fit is does NOT feel good. That staying around Nine does. not. feel. good. It all hurts. not like trainings used to hurt, when Nine would beat him up in sparring, but like when he got scared when he didn't react to a command fast enough and XGaster would see. It felt like bad things were going to happen. All the time. So he tries to tell Nine, to explain how he's feeling, but Nine just doesn't get it, or insists it's and adjustment and he'll be okay, and when that doesn't work, he gets manipulative like you mentioned! Just like X-Gaster. And Ten catches it. That same sick feeling in his gut like when he used to get orders. And that's his final straw. One more talk, a week or two later to let things simmer, and it goes south again. Ten decides he's leaving. And he goes. I love the comparison you added too, where the situations are happening generational trauma style <3

(Also, sorry, almost forgot, X-Gaster is TOTALLY dead! No chances being taken over there.)

BONUS ALSO. Almost forgot, I called the kingdom Ritten. Like, a play on the word "Written" becaus of X-Gaster's 'overwrite' button! I think I'm gonna stick with that for a bit, I found it while stumbling through my Cross drabble and, tbh, you probably remembered Ancha, but I seem to always forget so maybe typing it out will help me, haha!

Ofc ofc! Night is always, in my mind, a family-driven character! He broke 10000s of years of traditions (not actual numbers lmao-) to potentionally save his twin from an unknown threat. he was ready to let his only trusted follower and his loving guardian leave if it would make him happier. he was willing to cut off a treaty with the biggest powerhouse and most stable kingdom in the known world just to protect his knight and brother. For him, he has the power and means to make rash decicions for those who are close to him. (<- This is both a character strength and flaw in my eyes. Kinda guy who would let the world burn to protect his family, if it came to that.)

Anyways! Not about him!

There were totally rumors flying around after Cross' induction ball. nine felt awful because he figured maybe his brother had settled down, found a little place for himself where no one could hurt him again. But, no, he's working for another tyrant, one in the ranks of murderers and criminals. Was that what he thought of himself? had Nine screwed up so badly that his little brother thought that was his only option? And he's definitely disappointed to not see Cross in the group that visits first. He's hesitant, and worried, but like you said, the longer Night is in power, the more Nine realizes Nightmare isn't actually bad. He's good. he's doing good things, and has something to show for it. (I think he was skeptical when they first decided to ally with him. X-Gaster had a silver-tongue, who's to say Night isn't just like him?) And he decides, for peace of mind, that yeah. maybe Cross is happy over there. and safe.

And!!!! All that Lust scene?? Yea yea yea!!!! You read my mind istg, I'm not gonna linger on it for length sake, but Lust is someone Cross feels is very down to earth. he's aware that No One he knows has really had a normal childhood, but Lust is arguably the closest. he was never a soldier, or a slave, or coerced by a church, or a doomed prince, or an isolated traveler, or a runaway. Lust was a noble kid, which made some differences, sure, but he lived among the people, and Cross needs that outlook. And Lust is so kind to him and helps him talk through it. And!!! OUGH. I love them...

And THANK YOU. I owe you my life for continuing where I left off with that interaction, because I was STRUGGLING. You came out swinging!!!

That flinch is definitely important, but!! The way Killer jumps at the opportunity to defend Cross, and give Nine a taste of his vitriol for everything he put Cross through?? OUGH!! 'This is Crossy, my fellow knight and at this point my little brother.' HELLO???? Killer making it VERY clear that Cross has a place to belong, that he's loved and cared for, and that Nine has to step it the fuck up if he wants to *earn* that title of brother back, because he has some tough competition! (And omg, yeah, the knights having their drinking nights and that's when the heartfelt stuff happens is really honestly so real and true. Only way someone could pry any admittance of actual weakness out of Cross' mouth on a normal day lol!) Oh and the Night addition!! Night watching out for him brother!! Yippeee!!!!

And Nine would totally be trying to find a way to talk with Cross. (Maybe even resulting in an awkward situation where Nine is trying *really* hard to get Cross away and. maybe. just briefly. he almost tries to guilt-trip Cross into it, the same way he used to and how X-Gaster did before him. Maybe he catches is. Maybe he doesn't. Killer tells him to buzz off back to his post or something.) and Cross is so so on point here. He wouldn't want to leave Night and Killer's sides at all. He's on high alert. All the confidence he has atp is false, and he can't help himself but to be right back in the shoes of a 16-17 y/o him, when he used a different name, and these people all looked at him like he as a traitor, some sort of dog to be taken out back and shot if he acted out. He's freaked out, and like you said! It hurts to be around Nine again! It makes him feel awful, and double awful because he's not the way Nine expected him to be. Again. like always-

Dude, do NOT be sorry, this little Dust and Cross interaction at the end?? So tasty????? Cross being open and Dust relating and being willing to share his own story! (And maybe this is after Dust reunites with Phantom, maybe Cross has gotten to see a glimmer of their relationship, strong and friendly, even if a bit strained from time. Nothing like him and Nine.) And Cross getting the lesson Dust was trying to get to him wrong at first. Dust gently pointing out to him what he meant. How they need to apologize... ough... This is going in the drawer in my brain of wholesome interactions I love dearly...

And now from the other rbs!

Myeba, I am also going Crazy over Ancha's wording there. Made to hurt eachother. It's so tragic, I'm gnawing on my own arm about it :D

And the broken glass/porcelain analogy!!!! Shaking!!! I love love love the idea of something no longer being in its original form but still being used and loved no matter what. Reparied, repurposed, etc!! (Gives me the energy of that 'to be loved is to be changed' line going around on occassion haha!)

And lastly!!! THE ROT!!!!! Gods, do you guy know how much it means to me that the siblings with The Rot subtext (thank you for that btw) are the ones that come from Ritten? The clean and perfect and spotless kingdom where it was meant to be a utopia? That X-Gaster (who I think is a germaphobe and perfectionist, which he did pass down to Nine and Cross btw) was only able to foster the nastiest, most destructive, most horrid things under his creation? That festering just below the surface everything was actively eating away at itself? At his foundations? At everything??? And it's STILL GOING???? Losing my mind!!!!! (/pos)

Thinking about Cross' reunion with his brother!!! (New Age AU lore run under the cut lmao-) ( @ancha-aus this is what I was on about a few messages ago!)

So, Ancha mentioned it a while ago, but I agree that Cross and his brother Nine should certainly get to see each other again <3 (this post might involve things I've said before but I have horrid memory soooo my apologies lol-) Note: I'm thinking Nine should be Cross' older brother! It makes sense narratively and also I've got too many older siblings in the Main cast haha-

Cross (Ten at the time) had a strained relationship with his older brother. X-Gaster was their only parent, and created them with the intention of making the perfect super soldiers, men who would obey his every command. Nine was the only one of X-Gaster's previous attempts to survive, and he was very.... maliciously compliant we'll say? Nine was a clever skeleton who would follow his creator's every command, so well that any and all loopholes would be taken advantage of whenever possible. Nine did not like X-Gaster, and he didn't like his rule, and he didn't like how the people were treated.

Of course, he had to make a hard choice when Ten was created. X-Gaster wanted to use Ten as an anchor to hold Nine back from his rebellion. If he had a little sibling to worry about, surely he would be more obedient, right? Well, no. Nine made sure X-Gaster never could use Ten against him by doing his rebellion regardless of how Ten was treated. Did it hurt? Yeah. Did he know he couldn't afford to let Ten get hurt by his connection to him? So badly. He ignored Ten for much of his life, which meant that X-Gaster gave up on using him for leverage, but was also given the chance to craft Ten exactly how he wanted without any of Nine's backlash.

Aka? Ten got manipulated by X-Gaster. Nine broke the rules, and he got punished. Ten did well? He was treated well. It turned out that Ten was his perfect soldier, and Nine was the one he could keep around to keep Ten in check.

And, Ten adored Nine. When they got older, Ten never stopped looking up to Nine, even if he thought Nine was reckless and stupid for being disobedient. He knew Nine had his reasons, and frankly? Nine showing him ANY kindness (helping him patch up wounds after training, leaving treats for him, looking at him kindly, etc.) was better than nothing and far better than X-Gaster. They had a really strange and unhealthy bond, but brotherly nonetheless.

So when they were both older, abd Nine was planning the coup, and he tried to bring Ten to his side? It hurt. It hurt both of them when Ten turned away. Ten never said a word about how it was Nine who asked him to join. He told X-Gaster someone tried, and he denied them, but nothing more. And then when the Coup was in motion and Nine had to face Ten? They both had to do what they thought was best. Ten obeyed, all he's ever known, and Nine finally broke the rules and laid all his cards on the table.

And when they won, when Ten was left without a master, when he'd fought hard against his older brother? When Ten was without direction and looked to Nine, but he couldn't follow Nine because Nine had broken all their rules... Nine was willing to watch out for Ten. There was no more threat of X-Gaster, they could finally live as siblings, but Cross had been too indoctrinated. He was too adamant during the coup. No one else could trust him, they didn't want him around, nothing. So he was honest with Nine and told him he was leaving, in passing, before simply running away.

When the opportunity to reunite arises, it's because Cross' original kingdom wants to be allies. It's been years, Nightmare is hardly 18 or so, and he's been slowly working to bring people together. When the kingdom reaches out, they also ask about Ten, because it's not exactly a secret as to where he eventually ended up. They want to reconnect.

Night is cautious. Cross assures him Nine wouldn't support leaders who weren't doing their best, so an allyship would make sense. Night is more worried for Cross' wellbeing and the threat it might pose to him (physically or emotionally) to face those in his old kingdom. So, they agree that Nightmare would visit with Killer and Dust as his initial party. Cross would stay back with Horror (and Blue + Dream as added back-up as Knights) at the kingdom.

Only after several visits of Night's (and discussing it very heavily with Lust, the other Knights, Night, etc) does he decide he'll go in person. By then he's the only Royal Knight who hasn't gone with Nightmare, and they decide he'll go alongside Killer (Killer could be trusted to keep an eye on both Cross and Night, and as the first Knight it's kinda like a dibs situation to be able to look out for Cross).

And like. I haven't quite fleshed out Nine's personality yet... but I do believe that the moment he meets Nightmare and his men (because Nine became head of the guard in Cross' absence) he's unable to help himself from greeting Cross with a "Ten!" And I think Cross would recoil because, reading his old name is one thing, hearing it said is another. And he's really not sure how to respond.

(This is going to keep sitting in my drafts if I don't post it now, but basically this is just a quick look at my thought process so far for Cross + his Brother lol-)

[soyoursoulisgreen]

5, 11, and 30 for the artist ask meme!

5. Estimate of how much of your art you post online vs. the art you keep for yourself

It's increased over time! Well, actually, it's been a bell curve, kind of. Maybe more like a roller coaster lol. Obviously before I was online I wasn't sharing any of the stuff I drew; I drew for about seven years before posting anything - casually, for my own entertainment - and then for a while I was posting almost everything in some form or another; if I didn't post the original doodle, it was because I cleaned it digitally! But I got pretty burnt out on that haha - it does still come and go in cycles lol. Nowadays I probably keep back about 30% of what I draw? Although it can be hard to quantify - if you upload to an audience of zero, is it actually online? Haha ♪ Or an audience of one! Just because it's shared using the internet as a middle man, does that count as "posting"? :0 I don't know! I think it's an interesting question tho!

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what

Yes! It really depends on what I'm drawing; my go-tos are always Reddit story readings since I don't have to think too hard about picking one, they last a while, and they keep my auditory brain occupied while my hands and eyes are busy. For a couple days of Requestober, especially the Portal/Stanley Parable days but also the song prompt, I was listening to themed stuff - GLaDOS lines, Narrator lines, the aforementioned song haha. I hate having to stop to pick the next thing! It makes editing my footage harder and throws off my flow :P

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

A lot of my Law Abiding Citizen stuff probably - LAC is such a good series!! I wish more people would see it/were still into it. We're few, and I was late to party, but my love still burns! If I had to pick just one thing tho, I think it'd have to go to one of my Just Desserts comics - I cried while drawing it initially, and I still think Charm's transition from her smiling-crying face to her angry-crying face is so well done ♥

[minisugakoobies]

Cross My Heart | KMG

Pairing: Mingyu x GNReader (afab)

Genre: smut, porn with the barest of plot, friends to lovers (?), non-idol!AU

Rating: M (18+)

Warnings: pussy drunk mingyu, late night texting, biting/marking, fingering, lots of flirting, lots of teasing, grinding/dry humping, dirty talk, cunnilingus, face sitting, come eating, hand job, mingyu's a messy boy, OC is needy and mingyu loves it, mingyu has maybe the tiniest bit of a praise kink, use of pet names - pretty, mingyu requests death by pussy

Word Count: 5.2k

Disclaimers: NSFW, obviously I don’t own SVT - they just inspire me

Summary: Your crush Mingyu wants (to eat) you.

Text Prompt: You: I can’t stand you Mingyu: Then sit on my face

A/N: Hiiiii I'm writing for svt now and I'm starting with Mingyu because he's driving me insane. This is actually the first in a planned series of 13 svt fics based on text prompts. I'm fully in my self-indulgent era, so this is for everyone who, like me, needs some munch 'Gyu right about now 👅

Unbeta'd as usual. If you like this and want more svt fics from me, please let me know! I'd love to hear what you think (but please be kind I'm fragile 🥺) 💕

SVT Masterlist 💜 Main Masterlist

It’s finally here. After months of planning, you and your friends have flown halfway around the world for a week of vacation. The six of you arrived just a few hours ago, and after the long flight, the long wait at the airport for your luggage, and the long drive to the hotel, you’re exhausted. 

Well, mentally you’re worn out, at least. Your body? Is still on your old timezone, where it’s currently tomorrow morning. So it thinks that you need to be awake, even though it’s night where you are. You had stayed awake the entire flight here in order to avoid this very problem. 

Fucking jet lag got you anyway.

Unlike you, Seungcheol and Vernon are having no issue sleeping. The three of you are sharing one room, while Minghao, Wonwoo, and Mingyu are sharing another. You glance over at the two lumps tucked in their beds, snoring away like you would be if your body wasn’t so confused.

Because you’re trying to be a good friend and let them sleep, you’re lying on your bed, scrolling lazily through your various social media apps. You could watch something, but you don’t really have the focus right now. Yet you want something pleasing to look at. Something to mindlessly enjoy while you wait for exhaustion to overwhelm you. 

So, naturally, you turn to your favorite nightly pastime - scrolling through your social media apps, looking for any new posts from Mingyu.

It’s an addiction, borne out of your raging crush on your friend. Well, really, he’s Minghao’s friend, you don’t know him as well as you do the others, but still. You’re friendly enough around each other. Which is because Mingyu is so nice, such a sweet and funny guy who always makes you feel more than welcome whenever he’s around. 

He’s also a blatant flirt. At first, his cocky smiles and playful words made you think he might be interested in more than just being your friend, but it wasn’t long before you realized he’s like that with everyone. So you tamped down the hope that burned in your chest, leaving only a simmering crush to smolder forever.

It’s morning back home, where most of your friends have barely started their days, so your feed is fairly dead. There are a few photos from Wonwoo from the flight, including one of Minghao sleeping with his mouth open that you immediately save to your favorites, a couple from Vernon, and, of course, several from Mingyu. You tap into his page.

Mingyu’s an avid photographer, particularly of beautiful things - breathtaking landscapes, delicious meals, himself. Mostly himself, to be honest. Not that you’re complaining. It’s maybe the most mutually beneficial relationship you’ve ever been in. Mingyu loves to provide pictures of himself. You love to admire them. A win-win all around. 

You tap back to home and refresh your feed. A new post appears, from Mingyu. The jet lag must be getting to him, too, if he’s awake and posting right now. The photo is another selfie, this time of him lying in bed, one arm resting behind his head, showing off a perfectly sculpted bicep. God. Could he be more gorgeous? 

Clicking into his page again, you rub your thumb over the screen to make his photos flip by in an endless parade of hot Mingyus. It’s ridiculous, you muse, watching picture after picture roll by, to think about how much time Mingyu must spend on these photos. Making sure he’s got the perfect lighting to bounce off his muscles just right in those gym selfies. Or figuring out the best angle to show off that sharp jawline of his. Just ridiculous. And yet, every second isn’t spent in vain, considering how the photos drew you in like shiny trinkets to your magpie eye. 

It would be so easy to think of Mingyu as a modern day Narcissus, endlessly snapping selfies, drowning in his own reflection on his phone. But he’s never struck you as conceited. It’s something else - a desire for connection, perhaps. A need for-

A tiny heart floats up your screen and you gasp. Shit. You just liked the post the scroll stopped on - one of his many gym selfies, frame zoomed in on his torso, his hand clutching the bottom of his shirt to show off his rippling abs.

Your eye drifts to the date of the photo. Posted eight months ago. 

Quick as lightning, you hit the screen again, shattering the little heart icon. Your pulse is beating too fast. There’s no need to panic. He couldn’t have seen that. Maybe you’re overreacting, but no one needs to know you’re lurking in his profile in the middle of the night, especially not him. 

A notification drops down over Mingyu’s face. A message.

Mingyu: Someone’s up late. 

Ah, damn. You were too slow. And now he’s in your DMs. 

After taking a moment to shriek quietly into your pillow, you write back. 

You: Can’t sleep

Mingyu: Same. Jet lag’s got me fucked up

Mingyu: You know what always helps when I can’t sleep?

You: What?

Mingyu: Creeping through someone’s old photos

Even though he’s not here looking at you, your neck flames with embarrassment anyway. You could play it cool. If only you knew how to do that. 

You: Shut up

Mingyu: It’s ok, I’m flattered

You: Oh fuck off

Mingyu: No really, I am

Mingyu: I like that you want me so bad

Pressing your mouth firmly into your pillow, you swallow another screech. Here we go. Right into the flirting. You can’t handle this right now.

You: Idk what you’re talking about

You:  It was an accident

Mingyu: Oh you were accidentally admiring me? 

You: How did you even notice? Are you just staring at your phone, waiting for attention?

Mingyu: I mean yeah

You snort. 

You: You’re ridiculous

Mingyu: Maybe. But I’m honest about it

You: I’ll give you that

A few seconds go by, then a minute, then two. Maybe you’re boring him. Maybe he’s found something else to entertain him. Or someone else.

When the next notification comes in, you jolt a little. 

Mingyu: What else will you give me?

And now your heart does a funny jump as you stare at his words. God, what a question. How you wish he were asking for real, and not just being playful, like he always is. 

Would it be too real to reply with the truth? “Whatever you want?”

You: I don’t know

You: What do you want?

Mingyu: What if I say you?

Suddenly you don’t understand words.

You: Why would you say that?

Mingyu: Because it’s my answer

Mingyu: I’m being honest again

You: That’s the jet lag talking

Mingyu: Oh come on

Mingyu: You really don’t know?

You: Know what??

Mingyu: How I feel about you

Is he being serious right now??

You: If this is a joke I don’t get it

Mingyu: Not a joke

Mingyu: Hold on

The notification icon on your app suddenly lights up. One heart. Two. Three four five. You open your notifications and immediately start laughing. Mingyu’s going through your oldest photos and liking them, one by one. 

Mingyu: See? I’m obsessed with you

Seungcheol grunts in his sleep, and you press your arm harder over your mouth, trying to muffle yourself better.

You: You’re so annoying, oh my god

Mingyu: So annoying that you can’t stop looking at my photos at 1 am?

Mingyu: Or flirting with me?

You: Is that what’s happening? Are we flirting?

Mingyu: Ok don’t act like you don’t know

Mingyu: I flirt with you all the time

You: You flirt with EVERYONE all the time

Mingyu: Yeah but I only mean it with you

Like any other time this happens, any time his words make your head spin, you put on the brakes, stopping before you start to believe you might have a chance. 

You: You’re so dumb

Mingyu: Are you really going to pretend you’re not enjoying this?

You: Who said I’m pretending?

Mingyu: Me. I know you’re loving this

Mingyu: Because you want me soooooo bad

You: Shut uppppp

Mingyu: Go on, yell at me

Mingyu: You’re cute when you’re mad

You: No really

You: I can’t stand you

Mingyu: Then sit on my face

Your mouth falls open, an amused huff of air escaping in a befuddled laugh at his unexpected response. 

You: What?

Mingyu: Come shut me up. Sit on my face.

You’re blinking so hard, you can hear your eyelids clapping together.

You: Fuck off. Stop playing. 

Mingyu: Who’s playing? I’m serious

Mingyu: Smother me with those gorgeous thighs of yours. I’ll go out a happy man. 

Your gorgeous thighs? He’s never said anything like that before. What the fuck is happening.

You can’t help but picture it - him lying on his bed, you kneeling over him, fingers tangled in his dark hair as you ride that pouty little mouth of his. It’s not the first time you’ve fantasized about it, but it’s the first time the vision has felt… possible. 

Mingyu: No response? You’re just gonna leave me hanging like this?

You: Don’t tease me

Mingyu: Trust me, there are a million ways I’d love to tease you, but this isn’t one

You lay down again, rolling onto your side, curling in on yourself, like you’re trying to contain all the excitement rushing through your veins, keep it from spilling out and over into the room where your friends are still sleeping.  

You: You’re really serious?

Mingyu: Cross my heart and hope to die

Mingyu: Between your legs

Again you laugh.

You: You’re such an idiot

Mingyu: Does that mean you’re not coming over?

You: Like right now??

Mingyu: Why not? 

Mingyu: Wonwoo and Minghao both slept on the plane. They went out exploring

Mingyu: I’ve got the room to myself

You bite your lip, a little harder than you normally would, the sharp sting confirming that you are not dreaming and this is, in actual fact, happening right now. 

You: I guess if I’m not sleeping anytime soon

In the dim light from your phone, you eye the path to the door. You can easily make it out of the room without waking anyone. Should you so decide. 

You: I could come over

Mingyu: I promise I’ll make it so good for you

Mingyu: Eat that pussy like you deserve. Make you cum on my tongue over and over

You inhale sharply. He’s definitely never talked about your pussy like that before. Reading his words has you positively throbbing.

Mingyu: Please, just let me taste you

What else is there to say to that but -  

You: I’m coming over

It’s a short walk to Mingyu’s room. A rush of anticipation hits you as you raise your hand to knock. It doesn’t take long for the door to open, bringing you face to face with the man whose social media you can’t stop stalking. Mingyu’s shirtless, grey sweatpants hanging alarmingly low on his hips, and if you weren’t already planning on crushing him with your thighs, this insta thirst trap of an outfit would push you right over the edge. 

“That was fast,” he laughs, stepping aside to let you in. “Did you run down the hall?” 

“I thought I told you to shut up,” you shoot back. 

“And I thought I told you to make me,” he smirks, reaching for you at the same time you reach for him, practically mashing his teeth against your lips as he pulls you in for a kiss. Despite what he just said, he’s kissing you, too eager to wait for you to do what he demands. 

It’s rough and messy, all teeth and tongue, both of you doing your fair share to keep the other silent. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say speechless, because Mingyu’s definitely not being quiet, moaning into your mouth, and you’re certainly whining loud enough for the other rooms to hear you.

He presses you back into the door, chest to chest, hip to hip. You tilt your head and he follows, chasing your mouth, as if he’s needing another taste. Your hands roam over his biceps, his shoulders, his neck, covering every inch of warm skin that’s exposed, and he slips his arms around your waist, holding you impossibly tight. Not for one second do your lips part. This is the type of kiss you’ve always read about in your favorite stories - the one that makes your knees weak, makes your head float, makes you forget everything but Mingyu. 

It’s delicious. It’s amazing. It’s every superlative you can think of. But it’s not enough. You want more. Part of you wants to tell him to get on with it, take you to bed, because you’re here to make him eat his words by eating you, but the other part isn’t about to quit kissing him any time soon. 

Thankfully, Mingyu takes care of your dilemma by eliminating the choice. Without warning, he bends his knees and lifts you, big hands secure on your thighs to hold you close to him. Okay, now it’s like one of your stories, the way he lifts you like you’re lighter than air. You’d swoon if you weren’t so busy licking into his lips. All that time in the gym is really paying off

He carries you to his bed, displaying his impressive thigh strength by slowly lowering himself into a sitting position, bringing you into his lap. You loop your arms around his shoulders, desperately seeking his mouth, as if the 0.2 seconds between kisses might kill you, which, honestly, it feels like it might, and you’ve never been in this situation before, making out with the man of your dreams, so for all you know, it will, so why risk it? 

“Stop me if I’m going too fast,” he says between kisses. 

“You can go as fast as you want,” you reply, without even a second’s pause. “Just don’t stop.” 

“Damn, and here I was worried I was coming off too excited,” he grins, face lighting up in delight. Then he kisses your cheek, whispering against your skin at your offended huff. “It’s okay, I like how needy you are for me.”

“Shut up,” you groan, but you know he felt the way you shuddered, so you give up the weak protests and start kissing him again, twisting your fingers in his hair to keep him close. 

Mingyu finally stops laughing when you take his bottom lip between your own, sucking and licking at the plump skin. With a groan, he digs his fingers into your sides, and he starts to guide you back and forth, rolling you over the eye-catching bulge in his sweatpants. It’s a sight that makes you clench, thinking about how much you want to sit on it now, just pull him out and ride, too needy to feel him inside you to even take your clothes off.

But again, you want more. You want what he’d promised earlier.  

He nips his way down your throat until his mouth latches at the base of your neck, sucking and biting, and you whimper, squirming in his hold. “

‘Gyu, please!”

“Please what?” 

He doesn’t lift his head, too absorbed in sinking his vampire-like canines into your soft skin, not sharp enough to pierce, just hard enough that you know you’ll have bruises blooming there tomorrow, little souvenirs of this moment. 

Please everything, you think. You want it all, whatever he’s willing to give, you’ll take. You’re feeling greedy as fuck right now. 

“I want what you promised me.” 

“Hold on,” he intones seriously, right before laving his tongue over a fresh mark. “Let a man at death’s door enjoy his last moments.” 

“Oh my god, you’re so stupid,” you groan, grabbing his face and smashing your lips together. He’s just - just such an idiot, such a stupid sexy idiot and you want him more than you’ve ever wanted anything in your life.

“Fine,” he says after a few minutes of frantic making out, a cheeky grin spreading across his face, hands circling around your ass, squeezing as he pulls you closer. “Time for my last meal.” 

He kisses away your embarrassingly pleased moan, and then he maneuvers the two of you around so he’s lying on the bed on his back and you’re straddling him. As he watches with rapt attention, you peel off your shirt. Since you’d been dressed for bed, you hadn’t bothered to throw on a bra. Judging from Mingyu’s expression, you made the right call.  

“Pretty,” he breathes out, wide eyes finding yours, and you have to take a beat, have to take a moment to sit and let the reality of the situation wash over you. The two of you are here, together, in this hotel room half a world away from home. Both wanting this. It’s clear to you now just how eager Mingyu’s been since you walked in. He wasn’t lying - he wants you just as much as you want him. 

With this new understanding, you stand up to slide your shorts and panties off in one go, before straddling him again, and lowering yourself for another kiss. Immediately, his arms are around you, gliding down your back, all the way to your bare ass, taking the biggest handfuls he can. 

“You drive me insane. So pretty, so hot.” 

Mingyu’s words kick the simmering heat in your gut into a full blown fire. You moan into his kiss, grinding yourself against him. One of his hands grips your side, helping you chase the friction, while the other slips between your bodies. When his fingers brush your inner thigh, he lets out a strangled groan. “Oh fuck, you’re so wet.”  

“Your fault,” you gasp, lips fervently pressing against his, licking at the seam of his mouth until he allows you in, so you can roll your tongue over his like you roll your hips. 

“Then allow me to make it up to you,” he grins, long fingers cupping your mound, trapping the heat there in his palm as he rubs it against you. You keen, thighs already twitching. You’re going to lose your mind before you even get to his face. 

You’re not alone in that feeling, as he suddenly reaches for your thighs, urging you to crawl up his body. “Get up here, please,” he begs, flat out begs you, and you slide forward as fast as you can. You need his mouth, right now.

Hovering over him is a little surreal - MIngyu’s big brown eyes are gazing up at you in a perfect replication of your favorite daydream, only it’s so much better than you’d ever imagined, because the expression he wears is one of complete awe, like he’s the one living out his fantasy. Again you feel bold, so you run your fingers through his hair, nails lightly scraping over his scalp. He moans quietly, low in his throat, like he’s trying to hold it in, and your mouth quirks in a half smile as you kneel. 

“Nice knowing you, ‘Gyu.” 

He hums a happy note, lips vibrating lightly just as your cunt reaches them, and you moan quietly. You don’t settle all the way down, because as much as you were playing along with this whole death-by-pussy dream of his, you are slightly worried that you might actually suffocate him, if not because of your weight than because of your dire need, that you might get too lost in the aching desire that’s building inside you, spurred on by the way he’s brushing the lower half of his face and down your folds, just breathing you in, teasing you with his touches but not giving you what you so desperately want. 

“‘Gyu,” you whine, tilting your pelvis forward, to catch his tongue as he traces your inner thigh, leaving a trail of saliva behind. He blows a puff of air across the wetness, sending goosebumps running at the cooling sensation. 

When you try to shift again, he’s quick to wrap his hands up around your hips, holding you still. Not hard enough to hurt, but strong enough to let you know - he’s in charge now. 

“Stay still, pretty,” he murmurs, tenderly pressing a kiss into your skin. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my promise. Cross my heart, remember?” 

With that reminder, he pulls you down further onto his face. His tongue slides into you, nose bumping your clit, and you whimper, hands flailing at your sides, seeking something to cling to, finding nothing but the warm air around you. The pressure on the sensitive bud combining with the wet hot muscle plunging between your slick folds is overwhelming in the best way.

“‘Gyu, oh, that’s so good!”  

Mingyu nods his head vigorously, nudging his nose around, letting his tongue drag up and down your slit. It almost feels like he’s agreeing with you, backed up by the way he grunts brokenly, this deep rumble in his chest that gets strangled halfway through his throat. 

You’re not sure at what point you start thrust your hips. Mingyu helps you find the right pace, big hands guiding you forward and back, forward and back, until you feel the rhythm all the way from your ears to your toes. 

As his mouth slides up to suckle on your clit, his left hand also snakes upwards, cupping your right breast, thumb rolling over your puckered nipple. You shudder, nerves sizzling like power lines, lit up by his every touch.

“‘Gyu…” Mingyu’s mouth pulls another whine from you. You glance down, catching the furrow in his brow, the sweat dripping down his temples. “Oh my god.” 

“Mmmmphf,” Mingyu agrees, or so you assume, unable to understand anything he might be mumbling into you. A particularly sharp suck on your pulsating clit makes your back arch, and Mingyu’s hand falls from your chest, disappearing behind you. 

The sudden rustling of fabric draws your attention. You glance over your shoulder, only to whimper when you catch sight of Mingyu’s hand stroking his erection, band of his sweatpants hastily shoved down, stiff cock so flushed it brings a matching heat to your neck. 

If you were more limber, you’d reach for him, give him a helping hand, but you can’t stay twisted around for long, not when Mingyu’s tongue makes you refocus on his mouth. It’s too difficult to think about anything else right now but the way he keeps plunging inside you, using the thick muscle to fuck you shallowly. 

You can’t stop mewling like a cat in heat, rutting back and forth over Mingyu’s tongue. Even in your daze, it doesn’t escape your attention that Mingyu’s absolutely pussy drunk at this point, depraved moans buzzing endlessly against your most sensitive spots because he refuses to detach his mouth from you long enough to let them escape. Every muffled note reverberates deep in your core, joins the tense chord that’s building inside you to a crescendo. 

“‘Gyu, please.” 

At the sound of your plea, Mingyu stops stroking himself, bringing his hand around to find your clit, middle finger drawing circles around and around and around. 

When you double over, hands sinking into the plush bedding on either side of Mingyu’s head, he grunts, tipping his head to the side so he can speak. “You okay?” 

“Fuck, Mingyu, ‘m good,” you giggle, suddenly hit by a burst of glee, perhaps due to the lack of oxygen in your head, since all the blood in your body is concentrated in your clit right now. “I’m having an amazing night.” 

Mingyu hums again, sounding very pleased, and you meet his gaze, and suddenly you wish his phone was nearby, so you could snap a photo, because this look - hair mussed and clinging to his forehead, pupils blown, nose to chin coated in your glistening wetness - this is a look worth capturing.

“Yeah, me too,” he says, chest heaving as he catches his breath, and the sincerity in his voice steals your own away. If you had any nerve, you’d confess something right now, something you weren’t planning on telling him tonight or tomorrow or maybe ever. But you keep silent, only breathing a tiny exhale of surprise as he slides out from under you, and nudges you onto your back.

Mingyu folds you in half easily, because you’re giving no resistance, letting him shape you the way he desires, and then his mouth is on you again. Now that he's lying facedown between your legs, he’s able to get some much-desired friction without using his hands, grinding his neglected cock into the bed as he concentrates on you. 

His tongue glides over your throbbing nub again, and then his right hand ghosts over your slit. You whimper a soft “Please,” and that’s all he needs to slide his finger inside. The intrusion has you squirming, urging him silently to go deeper, and to your relief, he obliges. But he also locks his other arm over your legs, holding them so you can’t keep bucking your hips up. 

“I said, stay still,” he mumbles, with no anger or heat behind it, just amusement, laced with a slight tinge of cockiness. He knows he’s frustrating you, judging by the curl of his lips as he plunges his finger in and out slowly, way too slowly, teasing you with what you need most. You try to press your hips down onto his hand, to make him glide faster, but he just leans into you slightly, big arm stopping your movements. 

Your whine is beyond petulant. “Don’t tease me!” 

“Pretty, I promise you, when I tease you, you’ll know.” 

And then he adds his middle finger, curling both, pressing on the most sensitive spot on your inner wall. Over and over, his fingers flutter, massaging until starlight bursts behind your eyelids. 

“It’ll be something like this.” 

He withdraws his hand.

“Gyuuuuuu.”

If he was slightly cocky earlier, he’s fully arrogant now, face breaking into a wide grin while he laughs. “Wow, so whiny. You do want me bad.” 

“I swear to god if you dohhhhHHH-”

You break off in a moan when he lowers his face again, loudly lapping at your wetness. Clever fingers alternate between scissoring and stroking, following the changes in your breathing, and you hope that he’s close to being satiated, because you’re teetering on the edge of your climax, only the slightest bit more stimulation necessary to push you over. 

“Mingyu. Mingyu, I’m gonna cum.” You open your eyes, raising your head enough to look at him, to watch with a dropped jaw as he buries his face in your cunt, his own eyes closed in ecstasy, and oh, that’s it - “Oh god, I’m gonna cum!” 

Your warning cry - though clearly appreciated by Mingyu, who groans in answering refrain, hips humping the bed furiously - is ultimately unnecessary, given how hard your walls suddenly clench around his fingers. He doesn’t stop his ministrations, fingerfucking you through your orgasm as your lower half trembles beneath his heavy arm. He holds you in place as best he can, sweetly kissing your clit, while you wail and writhe, pressing your palm into your mouth to keep your cries from waking the rooms around you. 

Eventually your tremors slow, turning into occasional twitches, before your body finally relaxes. Mingyu continues to lap at you, every pass of his tongue getting lighter and lighter, until he lifts his head. He’s the perfect image of lust, eyes dark and desirous, and you claw at his shoulders, needing him close again. 

“Kiss me.” 

He wipes his face with the back of his hand, smearing you over himself more as he rises up to meet you. His cock is hard between you, and you moan, knowing that you did that, that he got this turned on just from eating you out, and extend your fingers to wrap around him.

The unbidden sound he utters when you take his cock and slide it through your soaking folds, coating it in your wetness, is the filthiest sound you’ve ever heard.

“Careful, pretty,” he pants, looking down at your hand. Under his close gaze, you circle the head of his cock before rubbing your thumb over and around the slit there. “‘M close.” 

“Wanna make you come, ‘Gyu,” you tell him, and he hisses, hips bucking into your grip. 

“Fuck.” His long fingers cover yours, guiding you into a faster pace. “But I’m gonna make a mess.”

“Do it. Make a mess.” The need to make him completely fall apart takes possession of you, makes you say things you’ve never said to anyone else. “Come all over me.” 

Mingyu whines, chin dropping to his chest. He’s barely blinking as he stares at your entwined hands. 

“Pretty… don’t say that….”

“Please, ‘Gyu.” All shame has fled your body. “I want it.” 

No further encouragement is needed. Mingyu grunts a few times before he’s painting your stomach in so much white, in little drops and big splashes, doing exactly what you told him, eyes rolling back in his head as he does.

When his high abates, he sits back on his heels, gazing at the mess he created, all the sticky sweat and semen that covers your body. A delirious thought comes to you. Is the sight beautiful enough for him to want to take a picture? 

“Wow,” he murmurs after a moment, shaking his head. “You’re even prettier when you’re covered in me.” 

His dead serious expression is enough to break the haze of lust hanging over you. You throw your arm over your face, too flustered to look at him. “‘Gyuuuuu!”

“Changed my mind, I’m calling you ‘whiny' from now on.” The bed shifts as Mingyu rises. He laughs all the way to and from the bathroom, laughs even harder when you glare at him, reaching for the towel he holds. He surprises you by nudging your hand away. “Let me.”  

His touch is so gentle as he wipes away his mess, then your own. When you’re both clean enough, he lays on his side, draping his arm over you. “Think you can sleep now?” 

Oh, you can sleep. You’re feeling satiated in a way you haven’t for a long time, and now that the rush has worn off, you could knock right out. You should probably go back to your room, ride this calm wave right into sleep, not let yourself get too excited at the thought that this vacation might be the best one ever.

Instead, you grin, sliding your fingers through the hair on the back of his neck. “Yeah. But I don’t want to.” 

“Oh?” Mingyu’s smile mirrors yours. “What do you wanna do instead?” 

“I might have some ideas.” 

He lets you pull him down for a kiss, humming eagerly.

“Tell me what you want, pre-”

A sharp rap on the door startles you both.

“Dude, don’t you dare!” Minghao hisses through the wood. “We’ve been out here forever!” 

If you liked this fic, please consider reblogging! Likes do not help it get seen by other readers. 💕

© 2024 by minisugakoobies. Crossposted to AO3. Please do not copy or repost. I do not allow translations of my work.

[fmhobeus]

jjk men and their red flags

a/n: i'm feeling problematic :> tell me what u think (agree/disagree/add more?) this is all for shits n giggles !! non sorcerer au kinda

kento nanami — (over)protective

but like... to the point where it feels like he's treating you like a child! he doesnt like to see you sweat or even work at all for that matter. he loves it when you cook but has bought covers for all the knifes. if he sees a burn on your hand get ready for a 10 minute long lecture. if you accidentally fall he wont let you get up for atleast 3 days to help you ""heal."" it's almost like he doesnt trust you to take care of yourself :') he probably has like 3 separate first-aid kits everywhere.

suguru geto — emotionally unavailable

i feel like this is explainable to his character (sort of.) i dont think that he'd make you feel isolated at all, he's be an amazing listener and probably memorizes every word you say. he listens to you rant and even trauma dump with insane patience. but at some point it feels as though you hardly know him. he's talk to you a lot but very little of it is personal and you hardly know what he's thinking because his ass is not tell you. he also unintentionally distances himself from people from time to time. this applies to you too and you can feel him getting emotionally distant sometimes. it isnt something he does knowingly but it sure ass hell bothers you.

satoru gojo — very clingy and needy

this nigga. he is so utterly clingy. and at first it's perfectly fine, even appreciated by you. you still love him like crazy of course but it is just overwhelming. he is like a child most of the time, he need you around him and is always accompanying you wherever you go, and he expects you to do the same. he also doesn't believe in "me time" because why would you feel better when you're away from him: (? want to hang out with your friends? what do you need them for: (? he's right there. he is also physically incapable of listening but boy is he good at making up.

toji fushiguro — controlling

he is so controlling omfg. it's usually subtle but sometimes he will outright just say no to things he doesnt like, not caring if you like them. it gets to the point where he actually starts to change your personality. he is very caring and that's his justification for this typa stuff. it is usually harmless stuff but he gets paranoid often. he doesnt let you wear miniskirts out if you're not with him. he doesn't let you befriend people he thinks are into you. he barely lets you buy stuff on your own, he usually gifts you whatever it is youre into at that moment. borderline turned on by fear and you being dependent on him.

choso kamo — has no social life outside you

pretty self explanatory. he doesnt have many friends outside you and isn't interesting in making them either. total loser. so taking him out to events, he probably doesnt interact much and chooses to look at you the entire time, which annoys your friends. he answers their questions pretty bluntly. he's never down to have people over and lowkey hates when you are.

hiromi higuruma — workaholic

also self explanatory. he leaves early, comes home late. you barely see him on the weekdays. sometimes he goes as far as ignoring your calls when in between cases. he calls you periodically but has to have an alarm set to remind him. he loves you very very deeply but is just used to working non stop T_T

[nvuy]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE BOOTHILL COMMUNITY I'm eating very well this week salute for your contribution 🫡🫡🫡 I also like the idea of sappy boothill he's the type to say "my girlfriend hates me I hope I die" and the Jessica and Roger rabbit dynamic is so!!!

he’s your ride or die. it’s most definitely a case of somebody asking “what do you see in him?” to which you reply “he makes me laugh.”

he’s so whipped to the point he’ll be in a serious debacle with somebody, guns drawn, throwing threats, but as soon as he hears the custom ringtone he’s set up that indicates that it’s you calling, he holds up a finger to his opponent and answers the call.

example: “oh, keep talking.” his gun is aimed directly in the centre of his opponent’s forehead. “one more word and i’ll blow a nice hole through yo–”

his pocket vibrates and chimes a ridiculous tune.

gun disappears back in its holster, the red targets in his irides fade and he turns his body away to answer the phone. “hey sweetie!”

his opponent is stunned. “wh–”

boothill holds up a finger. “of course i can buy dinner on the way home! what do you want to eat?” his opponent just barely hears a voice speaking on the other side of the phone. “mhm… i can get that… no problem… hey, you’re not working on friday, right? i’ll take ya out for dinner. there’s a nice little restaurant on the xianzhou luofu i think you’d like… sound good? i’ll see you tonight… love ya lots.”

probably makes kissy noises before he hangs up.

“seriously? are you–”

whoops. trigger finger’s a bit too itchy today.

adding onto what you said, he’s so sad when you’re upset with him. to me, he seems very disorganised and more of a risk taker. he’s got a body of steel; lots of risks won’t even leave a dent on him. he’s constantly running late to things, constantly leaving tasks unfinished to start something he finds more interesting. he’s in for the thrill of the ride.

one time, he forgot a date he himself had set up.

not only did he come home to find you clearly upset over it, but he was absolutely fuming at himself. apologised one million times to you, two million kisses, probably got on his knees, and he can’t ever forgive himself.

even if you’ve already forgiven him, you’re laughing and trying to get him to stand up because “you’re a grown man acting like this.” he latches onto you like a koala bear.

it’s not even that deep either. it’s just a lunch. it’s not like it was a special occasion. speaking of which, he’d never forget a birthday, valentine’s day, whatever traditional holidays you celebrate. never ever.

he’s actually such a sappy gooey loser it’s so sweet. his favourite thing to do is bury his face in your neck or your chest or your lap. he’s all over you like sticky sweet honey, and you can’t get rid of him that easily.

[miriani-lavellan]

Ahh, Lucanis. So let me first say, his scenes make total sense and I'm happy with what we got - we all want more from our faves, but they did manage to compact a lot of trauma and resolution in some fairly compact quests. Here's what I think happened that wasn't made explicitly clear though:

Lucanis chooses the pantry to sleep in because he's been imprisoned and tortured for a year, and he's not ready to leave captivity yet, not inside his head. He locks himself in there because it's familiar misery to him, which is easier to deal with than scary freedom.

Lucanis' letter to Rook before he asks Emmrich to bring Zara back for questioning tells us he's suicidal at that point, and probably has been for a while. Spite, however, doesn't see him as a lost cause - he never uses that to take over Lucanis' body entirely. This is so interesting to me, when we know things like that pretty famously happen all the time in Thedas. He's determined to keep Lucanis alive - and he asks for Rook's help in doing so.

We are in the NORTH now BABY! Attitudes towards spirits and demons are different here, especially in Rivain, and it seems with our Rook too, who never expresses any chantry-esque hang ups (that I've seen). Seer Rowan greets Spite as Determination, and that's how he's introduced by Isabela (with some excitement) if you fight in the hall of Valor. What happened to Spite is just as sad as what happened to Lucanis. He was violated, perhaps corrupted, and definitely trapped - and hurts Lucanis sometimes in his frustration. But, I think he likes Lucanis! He's his host's little head gremlin, and I think the relationship they have (that we don't see too much of) is healthier than any of the possessed individuals we've seen before.

Because? Lucanis is not a spiteful person. He wants revenge, yes, and he's angry, but he doesn't hurt everyone around him because he's in pain. One of the first things he does when he becomes part of the team is go shopping for them. And despite how Ilario and Caterina have hurt him - and you can argue all day whether he's right to be like this - he still cares for them.

I think that when we help Lucanis leave the prison inside his head, we are helping Spite to return to his original nature as Determination just a little more. We're determined to help our friend, and you know what? Spite is too. For himself, firstly, because Lucanis's pain is hurting him, but in the end, he's done it for Lucanis too. There's an argument there that Determination didn't get corrupted at all - just hurt, and that Lucanis, with his loving nature, has been keeping him from turning into a mindless demon of pain.

I thought for a long time that when Lucanis breaks away from kissing Rook, it was because Spite said something horrible to him. But actually, I think it was Lucanis himself, remembering how trapped he is. Thinking about the eventuality of killing himself - I strongly suspect that's what he was thinking about before he fell asleep, and that's why Spite was trying to go walkabout - trying to get out from where Lucanis can't. Lucanis got lost in the moment, but of course he doesn't want to drag Rook into that.

Lucanis making dessert for Rook and thinking that's the same as asking them out (but not actually asking them out) is so completely on brand for him I laughed. He has no idea what he's doing. It would have been nice, though, for Rook to reply to one of the companion's 'so you're together?' banters with... 'we are?' Or for Rook to be able to ask him. Unfortunately, we don't get those convos where we can spam ask questions etc like in DA:I - I did wonder if that got cut and we missed some resolution to that.

Lucanis gives no shits about everyone knowing he's Rook's love interest. He's not ashamed of himself or scared he'll hurt them - Rook has helped both him and Spite. And judging by the way Spite's wings come out to embrace Rook as they kiss Lucanis, I suspect that Spite might love them, too.

[hairmetal666]

No one knows who writes the Hawkins High Tattler. It comes out every week, without fail, has for almost two decades. Everyone reads it, even teachers, even parents. It's caused more the one suspension, grounding, and even--famously--a shipping off to boarding school.

Steve's never let the Tattler get to him much. He's in it, of course, practically a new story every week. But it's just silly gossip.

Of course, Steve is also, currently, the titular Tattler, so. It's not like he's surprised when his name shows up.

It's his third year, his last year, and he knows everything that ever goes on at Hawkins High. It's pretty easy, honestly. Everyone thinks he's ditzy and vapid; nothing more than hairspray and polos. People will say anything around him, assuming he's not listening or not interested, and then bam. It's in next week's Tattler. No one even suspects him.

The confessions locker probably helps. Down by the theater, busted and unusable, the perfect place for people to leave tips, to tattle on their friends (or enemies, as the case may be).

That's what he's doing right now, checking the confessions locker. After 9:30 on a Friday night, the place silent as the tomb, perfect time for it. Pretty standard fare this week. The only thing of interest is that Eddie Munson was the person who broke all Ms. Click's pencils and left the stubs on her desk. This one, he laughs at, can't wait to publish it; can't wait to talk to Munson about it.

He gets a lot of stuff about Eddie. Most of it he doesn't publish because it's bullshit about satanic rituals--the nerdy kids he babysits play dnd, and there's no way Karen Wheeler is letting anything satanic happen in her basement--or about his sexuality, and one thing Steve doesn't do is out people.

Gathering up this week's submissions, he closes the locker with a soft clink, and he swears, swears he hears the squeak of a tennis shoe on the polished tile of the floor. He freezes, heart in his throat. Nobody has been here this late before.

Seconds pass but there's only silence. Confident he's only hearing things, he heads out, the parking lot just as empty as when he arrived.

---

He sees Eddie a few days later, when he's picking up the kids from the arcade. They typically exchange casual greetings, but as Steve waits, Eddie stands with him, offers him a cigarette.

"Read that was you who messed with Click's pencils. Good one."

Eddie shrugs, gives a little bow and a smile. "Happy to be of service."

"It was my class, when she found them. Never seen her so mad."

"No way," Eddie laughs. "Not even when Hagan drew dicks on all the textbooks?"

"Not even then, man. She was throwing pencil stubs everywhere."

"Fuck, sad I missed it." Eddie takes a drag, Steve's eyes following the movement, lingering on his mouth. Something warm and tingling builds at the base of his spine and he forces his gaze away.

"How long you in detention for?"

"I'm not. Swore it wasn't me, and Click doesn't want to admit she reads the Tattler, so. Not much they could do. "

"I've seen it sitting on her desk!"

"I know! She reads it when she has detention duty!"

They lean against Steve's car, laughing, and Steve feels good. This is good. He likes Eddie. He's funny and dramatic and smart and kind. He's not deserving of any of the mean things that get submitted to the Tattler.

The kids come streaming into the parking lot then, and Eddie stubs out his cigarette, says "see you around, Harrington," and Steve finds himself flushing for reasons he can't quite explain.

---

He starts seeing Eddie around way more. He's in school most days, smoking in the parking lot after the last bell, chatting with Steve in the hallways.

It shows up in the Tattler; big news that the King and the Freak are hanging out. Most of the submissions are about it, increasingly elaborate rumors about their supposedly deep, close friendship.

He wishes he could tell Eddie.

Eventually, Eddie invites him to smoke at the quarry. He doesn't hesitate to say yes, doesn't even bother to try ignoring the swoop in his stomach, the speed of his heart.

They sprawl out in the back of the van, Eddie's loud, raucous music pounding around them, sharing a joint back and forth.

Steve gets hazy, boneless, can't stop watching Eddie, the way his lips purse around the joint, his long hair glinting gold in the weak light of the camping lanterns, the pleased shine of his eyes every time he makes Steve laughs.

He likes Eddie so much. Everything about him, honestly. Butterflies ping in his stomach, happy and slow, and he thinks how nice Eddie's lips are, wonders how soft they must be. And he thinks--he's read the submissions, right--he knows the things they say about Eddie, and he wishes it was true, he wants--he wants--

He wants

---

Steve's running late to check the locker. Lost track of time at the diner with Eddie, and it's making him panic.

He stuffs the submissions haphazardly into the pocket of his hoodie, dancing with nerves, willing himself to grab them all and get out.

Locker emptied, he sprints towards the exit. He has a second to process someone barreling towards him in the dark, but he's going too fast to stop, can only brace himself as they collide.

It sends him sliding across the floor, Tattler submissions spilling out of his pocket like snow. He hits the ground, scrabbling for the papers, praying that whoever is here with him can't see them in the low light.

Hands grips his biceps. "Stevie, Steve, we have to get out of here" and there's a second where he's comforted by the familiar rasp of Eddie's voice before terror spikes again.

He pulls himself from Eddie's grasp, searching for any dropped submissions in easy reach. "Wha--why--what's--"

"I ran into Jason Carver and his band of idiots at the gas station. They're on their way to here to try to catch the Tattler in action."

Steve freezes. "I don't--that's not--I--"

In the deep silence of the empty school, they both hear the slamming of a door, a bitten off giggle. Eddie grabs his wrist and they run. Into the theater room, through a door Steve didn't know existed, to the backstage area of the auditorium.

"You should be safe here," Eddie says.

Panic spirals through him. "I can explain. I was just--I forgot a--I needed--"

"Harrington! I know, okay? I already know."

Steve can only blink at him, swallows rough in his throat. "What--Eddie, I--"

"I saw you. Weeks ago. Forgot my notebook in the theater room after Hellfire and had to run back for it. You were there, at the locker."

"You can't tell anyone."

"I'm not going to."

"No, Munson, you really can't. Nobody can know. Nobody--"

"Swe--Stevie, I promise. The secret's safe with me." He rocks back on his heels, chewing on his lip for a second before he continues. " I--I couldn't figure you out, you know? I saw you around with those kids and it didn't make any sense. King Steve, babysitting tiny nerds? But I saw you at the locker and..."

"You're giving me too much credit, man."

"I don't think so. You're never--fuck, Harrington--you're never mean. At least, not in the last couple years. You spread gossip, but you don't punch down, and you're funny as hell. Mean as shit too, but only to the people who deserve it."

His ears burn and he looks down. "Just because I have fucking--fucking editorial standards doesn't mean that I'm anything special."

Eddie scoffs. "Remember, Stevie, I was reading it a year before you were here. Cruel, vapid garbage. Always the most vile, pointless stories about people who couldn't defend themselves. And how many submissions have you gotten about me, for instance, that you've never used?"

Steve clenches his fists. "I would never--"

"I know. Sweetheart, I know. That's why I li--You're so fucking good, Stevie."

He laughs, ears burning. "I'm really not, Eddie. I try to write about fun gossip that can't hurt anyone too much, and nobody's found me out because they think I'm too dumb--"

Eddie reaches out then, fingers connecting softly with the edge of Steve's jaw. He can't help but lean into the touch, eyes flickering closed.

"You don't want to hurt people because you're fucking kind. You know how I know for sure? You must get submissions every week about me, and you've never once printed that I'm--" Eddie stops then, swallowing hard.

Steve's throat goes tight. He rests his hand over Eddie's, still holding his face. "Me too," he whispers. "Kind of. I like--it's both. For me."

"Oh," Eddie breathes, mouth lifting in a bright, beautiful smile that Steve can't help but return.

He's watching, sees when Eddie's gaze drifts his lips, making his breath hitch. He doesn't really think about closing the distance between them, slotting their mouths together in a tentative, gentle kiss.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you, Steve Harrington? Eddie asks when they part.

Steve blushes. "That's sort of the last of them."

"Sure. Next you'll be telling me you've played dnd."

"I have a character."

"What???"

"Human paladin. Dustin worked on it with me. Ready to get out of here?"

"Human paladin," Eddie gapes. "You know--you said--what's happening?"

Steve twines their fingers together, leading Eddie towards the auditorium exit. "Well, first we're going to walk out to my car and then we're going to my house, and we're going to look through Tattler submissions. Maybe makeout a little bit."

Eddie giggles. "What the fuck? Like. What the fuck, sweetheart?"

He turns to face Eddie, smile big and pure and bright with happiness. "If you're really nice to me, I'll let you help write this week's issue."

"Oh, oh. You're going to wreck me." Eddie mumbles, almost to himself.

"If you're lucky." Steve beams.