#they always do wait until you are on your own before they stop functioning in key ways

[hello-delicious-tea]

So, MrTea is on an (unavoidable) business trip to Montreal. Currently, I have two healing sprained ankles, incessant headaches due to the constant violent fronts sweeping through, and one (1) two year old getting his year two molars (the Worst Teeth) who, since MrTea left this morning, has also developed a fever and the sniffles.

I am Persevering. The humidifiers (hugely scuzzy, abandoned them half full and hadn’t managed to clean them in the week we’ve been home) are disinfecting, the Vicks Vapo Rub is ready to roll, the baby is in the bath, and the Tylenol and warm pajamas are prepared.

[iamgonnagetyouback]

high maintenance ⋆˚࿔

synopsis ⭑.ᐟ clingy!mattheo riddle x reader where you were high maintenance and he loved maintaining you; but only on one condition

warnings: extreme levels of fluff—may cause uncontrollable smiling

word count: 564 words

navigation┆mattheo riddle masterlist┆request here 𝜗𝜚

Mattheo Riddle is completely infatuated with you, his high-maintenance girlfriend who has him wrapped around her perfectly manicured finger. You live for pink, makeup, long nails, and every glamorous touch, and Mattheo? He adores it. The upkeep, the attention, the endless pampering—he loves treating you like the princess you are. He proudly carries your bags, ensures your makeup is perfectly stocked, and always knows exactly when it's time for a nail appointment.

But there's one rule. Mattheo's just as high maintenance in his own way, only in the form of your undivided attention and affection. The moment you stop pampering him—whether that’s running your fingers through his hair, spoiling him with sweet words, or letting him cling to you like a koala—he turns into the neediest boyfriend alive.

One morning, you’re sitting in front of your vanity, carefully applying lip gloss when Mattheo saunters in, his eyes immediately locking on you. His face falls slightly when you don’t greet him with your usual kiss.

“Why aren’t you paying attention to me?” he whines, crossing the room in two strides and resting his chin on your shoulder. “I’ve been waiting for my turn for ages.”

You laugh softly, twisting in your chair to face him. “Mattheo, I’m just doing my makeup. I’ll give you attention in a sec.”

But that doesn’t fly with him. Before you can finish, he’s scooping you up from the chair, plopping down on the bed with you tucked in his arms. He nuzzles his face into your neck, a dramatic sigh escaping his lips. “I don’t care about your makeup. I care about you.”

You grin, brushing a hand through his messy curls. “You’re being dramatic. And you act like I don’t give you enough attention, Matt."

"Because you don’t," he pouted dramatically. "You can’t just look this good and not let me have you all to myself. It's unfair."

You giggled and kissed his cheek, leaving a faint pink lipstick stain. "I’m almost done. What, you miss me already?"

"I always miss you," he mumbled.

“I need my pampering too,” he murmurs, holding you tighter. “I can’t function without it.”

You know his antics, but it’s still the cutest thing in the world. You lean down and place a soft kiss on his cheek. “Poor baby, did I neglect you?”

He nods, lips pouting in full force. “So much. I don’t know how I’m even surviving.”

You giggle, but comply immediately, peppering kisses across his face until he’s smiling lazily. “Better?”

“Almost,” he mumbles, pulling you even closer. “Don’t leave me.”

"I’m just going to meet up with some friends, Matt," you giggled, running your nails lightly through his hair. "I won’t be gone long."

He lifted his head, giving you a pout that was far too cute for someone who looked as dangerous as he did. "I don’t care. I’m coming with you."

You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t deny how much you loved his clinginess. He always wanted to be near you, touching you, even when you were doing something as simple as getting ready. It was endearing, the way he never wanted to be without you.

"Fine," you said, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "But only if you promise to behave."

"No promises," he grinned, holding you tighter. "But you’re stuck with me, princess."

And honestly, you wouldn’t have it any other way.

© iamgonnagetyouback ⋆.˚ please do not copy, translate, or repost any of my work.

[miniimight]

❝ I LIKE YOU... / I KNOW. ❞ your confession doesn't shock 'em one bit

with mikey, ran, rindou + very nervous!reader (toman timeline)

notes just a wholesome confession scene lol mikey's just as much as a nervous idiot as you are, ran is ... ran, and rindou is also an idiot . also i promise im working on requests i have like seven to work through sobs

it's not like it was hard.

he always felt your eyes on him: passing you in a hallway, in class (which he barely attended, but found himself showing up just to watch you suffer), randomly bumping into each other while out with friends... at first, he didn't care. he had a lot of attention going for him and he thought of you as another drop in the bucket.

but then he found himself paying attention to you.

when you weren't not-so-secretly pining over him, you were looking out the classroom window, a peaceful expression on your face that told him that you were about to fall asleep. or maybe you were with your friends, smiling widely as you exchanged snacks. or maybe you were giggling, your face on fire as your friends helped you craft some kind of candygram.

whatever he caught you doing, he found it endearing. and he couldn't escape it. but for reputation's sake, he tried to hide his adoration and amusement underneath his tough guy exterior. that quickly broke when you finally approached him.

your friends peeking from the hallway behind you both, you gently tapped his arm and your heart almost stopped functioning from nerves.

he cast an uninterested look over his shoulder, eyebrows raised. it was you. "hm?" internally, he was intrigued; he never thought you'd actually come up to him.

"i, uh..." you bit your lip, trying to shock yourself into calming down, but your heart still echoed in your chest.

"did you need something?"

"i'm sorry!" you exclaim suddenly, squeezing your eyes shut as you thrust the snack into his hand. "i like you!"

MIKEY

mikey's heart skipped a beat. "i know."

"uhm..." you whined softly, your body on fire. this was so embarrassing. "okay, bye!" you quickly spun around, hoping that he'd forget it the moment you disappeared around the corridor. he knew?! he KNEW? the fuck did that mean?? WHY DID YOU LEAVE SO FAST?

"wait," mikey's hand gripped your wrist. you squeaked and tried to pull away, but that only caused you to drift closer to him. his own face was dusted pink. "thanks for the snack."

you cast your eyes to the ground. "yeah, i know you're always eating it, so..."

mikey smiled, his grip softening into a delicate hold. he would never dream of giving up a chance to be with the one he'd been yearning for ever since he noticed your starry eyes on him. "wanna ride around with me?"

your eyes lit up and you sent a excited look to your friends. turning back to him as you both walked to his bike, you nervously asked, "so, you said you knew?" you asked, dreading the answer.

mikey smirked, his eyes lidded as he teased you. "yeah, s'not like you were good at hiding it."

"ugh, seriously?" you cringed, hiding your face in your hands. mikey's chuckle brought your eyes to peek over your fingers.

"it's okay, it was... cute." his voice grew quieter, like he was a little embarrassed to admit it.

you blinked at him before you truly processed his words, your heart bursting. "what?!"

mikey looked everywhere except you. "you—you heard what i said! just—come on." he grabbed your hand and ran over to his bike. his hand gripped the top of your head and you were so confused until he pulled a helmet out and slotted it over you. he clasped the buckle under your chin.

he stared at you for a moment before smiling with adoration. your face felt warm as butterflies filled your stomach.

"heh." he giggled, holding the sides of the helmet so that you couldn't hide your face from him. "cute."

as time went on, mikey wasn't so bashful when expressing his love for you.

RAN

he grinned. "ohhhh, i know." he dragged out his triumphant proclamation. "i know."

your face burned and you didn't know what to say to that. so, you bailed. "uh... okay? see you around!" you quickly turned. he knew? why'd he have to say it like that?

it took a moment to realize he was following you.

"so, where are we going?" he asked, tossing the snack package up in the air and catching it. "s'okay if it's far, i got a ride."

you stopped dead in your tracks, bewildered. "what?"

he cocked his head to the side, a calm smile on his face. "aren't we going out?"

you nearly screamed at the suggestion, not expecting this from him at all. "i—no??" you shoved your face into your hands. "i don't know!"

he laughed, captivated by how flustered you were. ran was a guy who liked to sweet talk and see his effect on others, and your reactions were just too good. "come on, i know you've been wanting some time alone with me for a while. you're not so secretive."

you groan and shy away from him. peeking from behind your hands, you meekly asked "was it that obvious?"

he grinned. "yeah. but all the better for me, right?" he put an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to his side and leading you out the school. "knowing i got a pretty thing like you thinking about me all day."

you rolled your eyes, finally starting to come down from the high of your confession. "it wasn't all day."

ran smiled, so tempted to respond with well, that was the case for me, but he figured you'd probably faint. he'd save that for the next time.

RINDOU

"i know." he blurted out before he could think of something better to say. for all the bones he broke, rindou's resolve was weak. but he was good at faking it.

he could tell you were confused, not expecting his response.

you fidgeted with your fingers before you finally spoke up, your face burning. "uh... okay..?" how the hell is anyone supposed to respond to that.

rindou panicked internally, rubbing the back of his neck as he sighed. "are you free right now, or what?"

your eyes lit up as your downcast gaze snapped to look at him. "i am."

a smile cracked on rindou's face as he chuckled with amusement. "then, let me take you out."

"really?!" sure, it wasn't the most glamorous thing to say, but you couldn't help it. you were excited.

"yeah. i mean, you did buy me a snack, so." he held up the package proudly. "gotta return the favor, right? come on, i got a ride."

you tried to hide how triumphant you felt as you followed him diligently. he was awkward, not possessing the same level of finesse his older brother did. like, what does he say to you??

"so..." you started, taking the lead.

oh, thank god. he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"you said you knew?" you mumbled, making a point to avoid his stare. "was it obvious?"

he smirked. "yeah, it was very obvious." you winced, but he continued. "don't worry. it was interesting."

you twisted up your lips in a cringe. "interesting as in a good way, or...?"

rindou racked his brain. ran was always good at thinking on the spot—what would he say? his lips moved before he could stop them. "interesting as in i couldn't stop thinking about you."

you both stared at each other—rindou in absolute shock of what just left his lips and you, completely flustered. your heads whipped away from looking at each other, lips pressed in a tight line as a million different thoughts ran through them. rindou was sure he creeped you out, but then he heard you giggle.

he looked back at you, reading every inch of your expression. you smiled softly. "that was so cheesy."

you kept on laughing to yourself, somehow enamored by his stupid line and he knew he was flying off the deep end.

© miniimight ! thanks for reading <3

[mcuamerica]

Stranded | Part Two

Featuring : (future) Azriel x Fem!Reader, Eris x Reader (platonic), Rhys x Sister!Reader

Summary: Amarantha is dead and you finally get to go home. Requested by @sidthedollface2 here.

Warnings: 18+ only, description of ruined wings and skin scarring, canon level violence, not proofread (i'll do it later), let me know if anything was forgotten...

Disclaimer: I do not own SJM’s characters, only the ones I create for the purpose of this story. This is a work of fiction. I do not give permission to repost my work on any other platform or medium. Please be respectful.

Dividers from @saradika

Part One

You felt your magic return to you the day Amarantha died. It was such an ordinary day.

You were in your cabin, that Eris had found for you the moment your wings were burned. You couldn't return to the Night Court without putting yourself in danger of Amarantha finding you, so you stayed in Autumn.

You were cooking when it washed over you, feeling as if you could finally breath again. You tested your abilities, seeing how much you could do. You were able to engulf the entire room in darkness when you were satisfied it returned.

You lost hope 10 years prior, when one of the local villagers said that all of Amarantha's court was bound to Under the Mountain. That meant you wouldn't be getting anymore visits from Eris, and even in the 40 years before that, those were few and far between. You were lucky Autumn Court was on her "good" side, because she never looked too deep into the woods. From what Eris told you, Rhys had taken her to bed.

You knew Rhys, and you could guess that he did it to keep her eyes from turning towards the Night Court. Towards you. Or Velaris.

So, you lived your simple life. The cabin Eris gave you came with a horse, that you would take to and from the local village. You were able to maintain a garden. And the best thing about living in Autumn was you never had to brace a bad winter or a sweltering summer. You missed the seasons dearly, you missed Solstices and Starfalls. Most of all, you missed your family.

It still haunted you that Rhys was taking on the burden of the Night Court by himself. You wished you could be there with him.

And, the rest of your family was running Velaris. Without you. You had to wonder if Azriel and Mor ended up together, being trapped in the beautiful, romantic city all these years. You wouldn't if Azriel regretted leaving you that night. Or if he was happy you were gone.

One thing you couldn't get over, even after all these years, was that he left you. Sure, you could handle yourself, but he left you. His best friend. Even when you were young, you always wanted to be around Azriel. Once Cassian and Rhys stopped tormenting him, you were allowed to be around him. He was always the first one to show you techniques with his sword, or new flying maneuvers. But then Mor came alone, slept with Cassian, and that was it. Azriel had been pining after her since then. You weren't resentful of it until he left you the night everything went to shit. When you lost your magic and your ability to fly.

Even know, when the wind was raging in the forest, you teared up. You wish there was some way to be able to fly again. But you grew up in the Illyrian war camp with your mother and brother. You knew what destroyed tendons looked like. There was no hope. Even after Eris and his healers did everything they could to heal them as best as they could. The membrane was in tact, albeit thinner than normal, and you had full function of stretching them in and out. But, the proper strength to fly would never be resorted.

At least you had your magic back. And you waited for Eris to come find you, to placate his father enough that he had time to tell you what happened. You assumed, knowing the depletion of magic was tied to Amarantha, that she died. You really hoped that was the case. You could go home. You could see your brother. You could ignore Azriel for the rest of your life. It never even occurred to you that you could probably winnow back home. You hadn't been able to do it for a long time.

Instead of Eris bursting through the door that afternoon, it was shadows, followed by a heaving Azriel trying to catch his breath.

"(Y/N)!" Azriel exclaimed, bounding over to you. Before you had a chance to step away, he wrapped you in an embrace. One you couldn't help but melt into. You might be mad at him, but after 50 years of being apart, you were happy to see him.

You pulled away, seeing tears in Azriel's eyes as he looked you over. His eyes landed on your wings. "What did they do to you?" He asked, searching your eyes.

"After you left me that night, three of Beron's sentinels burned my wings." You said, taking a deep breath.

"I need to write a note, and then you can take me home. Is Rhys there yet?" You asked.

"I don't know, I've spent all day having my shadows look for you. I was hoping you made it to Winter... I didn't think you would still be here." He said, pausing as you started to write.

You wrote to Eris, letting him know that you would be going back to the Night Court. You also told him that you would support him if he ever needed anything. You tucked the note into an envelop and left it on the counter.

"Okay... can you winnow us?" You asked, holding out your hand.

He gazed over you again, unsaid words clear in his eyes. "I'm sorry, (Y/N). For everything. For leaving you. For not coming to get you-"

"Azriel.. please.. take me home. And then we can talk about it." You said.

He nodded, staring at you for a few moments before he took you hand and darkness enveloped you both.

Rhys was pissed.

He may have been happy to see his family, and to tell Mor and you about how he found his mate (even if she was with Tamlin), but the instant he saw your wings, he knew something was wrong. Before even asking the rest of his family what happened, he pulled you into a room alone.

After recapping what happened Under the Mountain, and more tearful hellos, he asked you to sit down. "Tell me what happened." He said.

You looked down, taking a deep breath. "That night that Amarantha took your magic, and you closed the borders to Velaris, I got stuck in Autumn. Azriel had left to go help Mor with something. I couldn't even winnow to the Night Court borders." You told him what happened with the sentinels, how Eris found you, and then watched as Rhys settled into the quiet deathly rage.

"He did this to you?" He asked, barely above a whisper.

"No," you quickly corrected. "Eris helped me." There were tears in your eyes now. "He- Let me just tell you how it started..."

Eris brought you to a cabin on the outskirts of the Autumn borders, close to a village but far enough that no one would look for you here. He had his best healers come to help heal you, but with their lack ox experience repairing wings, they couldn't completely heal them. You back even still had scarring on it from how hot the sentinels burned through them.

When Eris couldn't stay because Amarantha sent for all High Lords and their heirs, he had a healer stay with you. Until you were back to your normal health. And then, he offered to help you get to the Night Court. Said he would personally take you to the Moonstone Palace. But he warned you how cruel Amarantha already was, and how she was taking more and more people prisoner (to be part of her "court") Under the Mountain. You chose to stay in the cabin. If you couldn't go back to Velaris, you didn't want to go to the Night Court. Not when your brother was actively trying to get Amarantha to avoid it. The return of the Lady of the Night Court would surely set her eyes towards you. And Rhys would pay the price.

Eris would visit you as often as he could. Since Autumn was on Amarantha's good side, she let Eris and his brothers out more. When he was able to step away from the Forest House, he would visit you. Bring you more supplied, new clothes, sometimes even new furniture or paint to refresh the cabin. All the while, he kept you up to date on what was happened. One day, you asked why he was helping you.

"Because I can... and it was my family's sentinels that harmed you. You had no one else around. If you were to die out here, what would I tell you brother? It would have caused an even worse relationship between us. And I'm hoping to have his support when I overthrow my father. If we can tackle Amarantha first... and.. I'm hoping one day you can counsel your brother to help me as well." He explained.

"So you're helping me for your own gain?" You asked.

"I'm helping you because it's the right thing to do... and I've grown fond of this little escape." He answered.

That's how it was until three courts tried to rebel, and Amarantha barred anyone from leaving Under the Mountain. Even Eris. You wondered why he hadn't shown up when you went into the village to grab some more food, when you overheard the rumors.

"He truly helped you? He never hurt you?" Rhys asked.

You shook your head. "No, he never hurt me. He never tried anything. He... was kind. And caring. And I owe him my life." You said, looking up at Rhys.

He nodded, thinking for a moment. He paused his pacing and looking at you dead in the eyes. "Azriel left you?" He asked, seeming to recall what you first told him.

"...Yes." You said after hesitating.

"I'm going to kill him." He growled.

Your heart skipped a beat, knowing Rhys might just well kill Azriel for putting you in harms way.

"Wait- no. Please.. go easy on him." You said.

He paused, taking a deep breath. Darkness was pooling around his ankles. You could tell he was trying to reel it in. "I'm going to beat him to a pulp."

Better than killing him, you thought. You relaxed for a moment before Rhys rushed out from the door. You chased after him to see the first blow to Azriel's face. Then to his gut. Then to his legs to knock him on the floor. All while Rhys growled out in between each punch,"You. Left. My. Sister. In. Autumn?!"

Azriel didn't even fight back.

Part Three

A/N: Another tough one... I think this will have 1 or 2 more parts... which I probably won't get to writing until Sunday or Monday night (I know, i'm sorry!) Thank you all so much for your support!

Tagging: @feiwelinchen @circe143 @sidthedollface2 @crazylokonugget @i-am-infinite @thestartitaness @buttermilktea11 @tele86 @yearninglustfully @bunnyredgirl

Main Masterlist

[sammyluvr]

✶ sweet potatoes — sam winchester

cw : gn!reader, fluff, mentions of kissing, food, and very minor injury (spilt hot water), unedited, 1.2K words. requested ! for my 900 followers event [ closed ] .

prompt : a kitchen that smells like roasted sweet potatoes + “honey–” “why do you keep calling me that?” “i– do you want me to stop?” “…no.”

the promise of a freshly made hot drink has you wandering into the bunker’s kitchen. coffee or tea or maybe even hot chocolate, you’ll decide when you get there. a warm, rich smell greets you before you make it all the way down the hallway, and you breathe in deeply as you cross the threshold to fill your senses with it.

you’re greeted by a sight almost as sweet as the scent. sam sits at the table off to the side, pouring over the book he’s reading these days. he looks up when he hears you and smiles lightly. he and the smell of roasting sweet potatoes is a familiar pairing by now. it’s his favorite way to cook them, and one of his favorite foods. they’re incredibly healthy, and though he doesn’t always love sugared tastes, he likes their particular version of sweet.

you smile back at him easily, drifting past him and to the cabinet stocked with mugs. “smells good,” you sigh as you pull a cup down, knowing he’s made some for you too.

“there’s fresh coffee,” he tells you, and you glance back to see him hold up his own plain white mug as evidence.

“thanks, i think i’ll have some tea, though,” you decide. there’s an herbal mix better suited for this time of day. he nods in understanding, and lets his attention drift back to the book. at least, that’s how it looks before you turn away from him to fill the kettle with water and switch on the flame beneath it. once you’re not looking, he is and his honeyed eyes are trailing your form as you move about the kitchen, settling the tea bag into your mug. his chin dips back down when you pad over to the little table and settle in the seat across from him.

you sit there, a bit absentminded as you wait for the water to boil and he keeps his eyes mostly trained on the book in front of him. his gaze has a tendency to wander when he’s around you, usually just to see you. to see the tip of your nose or catch the movement of your eyebrows as you try to understand something. just for your fingers or smile or eyes, or any part of you at all. but he’s been accused of having heart eyes around you, so he tries not to be too obvious. he wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.

“so, when did the sweet potatoes go in?” you ask as a way to find out when they’ll be ready to eat. you asking him a direct question is an appropriate time for sam to be able to look at you, so of course, he does.

“about half an hour ago. it won’t be too long until they’re ready. you hungry?” he answers. he hopes you’re not too hungry to wait, maybe he should’ve asked you before.

“just a little,” you shake your head, thinking the timing to be perfect. you’ll be hungry enough by the time they’re cooled and ready to eat. the shrill whistle of the kettle interrupts you before you get the chance to ask him if he plans to make something with them or just eat them plain. you stand quickly to get rid of the noise. this old kettle is completely functional, but sometimes you think about investing in an electric one to avoid the loudness.

you turn of the stove and pull the kettle away from the heat. the water spills right into your mug over the tea bag as you tip the spout down. light brown tendrils stain the water, evening out into a pale color that will darken as it steeps. you fill the cup nearly to the brim, for no reason other than wanting more tea. then you set the kettle back down and loop your fingers through the handle, careful not to have your knuckles pressed into the now heated body of the mug.

sam watches fondly as you walk back to him, your movements slow and careful as to not spill. these efforts are futile the moment you sit down. you really should’ve just set the mug down before sitting, but maybe you’re a bit eager to be near sam again and the thought never crossed your mind. everything is much less steady as you lower yourself into the chair, scalding tea sloshing over the rim of the cup and pulling a pained gasp from your lips as it pours over your fingers.

“damn!” you hiss, spilling more as you quickly set the cup down and pull your hand away to rid it of the hot water.

“oh, honey,” sam mutters, the sweet name slipping from his lips without his control, just like it has been these days, a little too often. fingers gentle, he takes your hand from you by the wrist and pulls it towards him, inspecting it to see if he can find any signs of a burn. then he gives a soft tug. “c’mon, let’s get this under cold water.”

“it’s fine,” you say easily, but let him guide you back to the sink because your mind goes a little fuzzy every time he calls you that. he turns on the tap and checks the temperature, just to be sure it’ll be cold for you, then brings your hand under the stream of water. it feels nice, and you’re sure the burn won’t bother you for any longer than a few minutes. it’s quiet except for the rush of water and its splashing into the metal sink. closer to the oven, the scent the roasting sweet potatoes is thick, honeyed. honey. your voice is quiet when you speak, unable to let it go this time. “why do you keep calling me that?”

it takes him a moment to register what you mean. then he feels heat rise up from his neck, through his jaw, and into his cheeks. he’s not so sure how to answer. he calls you honey because he loves you, because it suits you, because he thinks you’re sweet and endearing and that you deserve to be called something soft and full of love. and also because he can’t help it. because it just slips out when he’s around you, and his self control wavers in your presence.

“i– do you want me to stop?” he says carefully. he decides to answer your question with one of his own, in hopes that he can deflect responsibility and in fear that he’s made you uncomfortable.

his fingers are still wrapped around your wrist with all the care in the world, and you probably don’t need to keep your hand under the water any longer, but you don’t move. there’s a moment where you don’t answer, and he holds his breath without realizing it. if you ask him to stop, it could very well break his heart.

“no,” you murmur, “no, you don’t have to stop.” it’s almost the perfect answer.

“but do you want me to?” he asks, voice softened like yours.

you shake your head. “no. i like it when you call me that. it just confuses me a little bit,” you say in all honesty. he turns the water off, and gently wraps your hand in a towel. in the process, he turns you both so that you’re face to face.

“i’m sorry i confused you. don’t be confused, though. i mean it when i say it,” he says, so very sincere and sending your heart into a lovesick panic.

your kiss is interrupted by the beeping of the oven timer, signalling the readiness of the sweet potatoes. you’re sure nothing will be as sweet as his lips, though.

[yurozo]

slow dancing in a burning room (leon kennedy one-shot)

synopsis: leon's new to this, new to relationships, new to expecting someone at home waiting for him. after a mission, he's determined to have a moment of peace with you. (general audiences)

a/n: this is purely self-indulgent. i just want to wrap leon in a big blanket and give him a smooch on the head.

in retrospect, a normal life for him was always out of the question. the moment he decided to drown in his own sorrows the night before the incident, as he's so aptly named it, that was it. there was no more backing out for him-- forced to live and relive the same routine over and over until his heart rattled in his chest. every moment in the firefight blurs at the edges, stretched and stringed together in a half-hearted attempt at putting himself back together again, but repairing things was never his forte. not his modus operandi, as it were.

in this war, there's no better way to reconcile than a couple quick swigs until his throat burned.

all this considered, it made the fact that it only took you two years to make leon back into a mostly functioning human being all the more impressive. you had come into his life like a tidal wave—  sweeping him up in your storm and laying him gently on the shore, fixed-up and patched together.

again, mostly.

after three days of trucking through another monster-infested city, leon stepped into the threshold of your shared home with what felt like a death rattle in his chest. he showered after the helicopter ride, had all of his mission gear tucked away at dso headquarters, and for all intents and purposes should feel normal again. but it's only after seeing you, sipping on a glass of water in the dim light of the kitchen that makes the ache in his heart finally quell.

a slow thump this time, rather than a crackling, wet noise.

"can't sleep?" leon chooses to break the silence first, leaning his hip against the opposite counter. you jolt a little, leon always had the quietest walk known to man, but shake your head in response anyway. of course, leaving the not until you're home again left unsaid. he knew you worried. you knew that he knew you worried. it was written in your blood, just as protecting was in his.

"everything went okay?" you ask, turning around to appraise him. that was your routine every time he came home, inspect leon like a bug under a microscope and ever so carefully stitch the parts back on. he looks clean, and save for a few noticeable scrapes and overgrown stubble, he's in considerably better shape than he normally is.

he hums affirmatively in response. "better than most."

"we should sleep." you try and tug him towards the bedroom but he quickly stops you, instead wrapping his arms around your waist and tucking his head into the crook of your neck.

"stay," he mumbles against your skin, lips just barely grazing it in a barely-there kiss. "just for a bit."

a soft sigh leaves you, chest heaving against his. in lieu of an answer, you wrap your arms around his neck, fingers curling in the hair long overdue for a trim.

it's then that leon has an, admittedly, stupid idea. one that sowed when he was forced to watch some terrible romance movie with you, and only blossomed the longer that he was away. his arm moves awkwardly between you until his fingers fumble for the phone in his back pocket, holding it between you as he scrolls for something with a sly grin only reserved for you.

a song you don't recognize starts playing, and leon places the phone on the kitchen counter with a questioning glance in your direction.

you respond in turn with a raised brow. "i didn't know you danced."

"i don't," he chuckles, pointedly not saying that he might only be willing to do it for you. in truth, he's willing to indulge in a very long list of stupid things to make you happy.

he hesitates for a moment before the tips of his fingers gently graze your hips, tugging you forwards. in a somewhat reluctant, but no less sincere way, he continues, "but i've been known to make exceptions."

you step forward at his insistence, letting leon tug you by the hip. a soft smile can't be helped at the knock of his temple against yours. "you're not going to step on my toes, are you?"

"don't get too excited," he grumbles, hands already clutching at your waist while trying to still keep a respectable distance from your body. he's tired enough as it is, and he's not trying to start something later than he can't finish, as tempting as it may be. with his guidance you both start swaying to the melody, a somewhat awkward attempt to emulate every romantic cliche. "i'm probably going to be terrible."

he is. not that you would say that to his face.

leon's stiff, uncoordinated in a way that could not be more dissimilar to graceful way he moves in combat. you've seen him fight plenty of times, seen how every attack and dodge feels like a choreographed routine, and this could not be more different than that leon. his steps are jerky, his hands keep shifting awkwardly against the flat expanse of your back, and he can't seem to hold eye contact with you for more than a few seconds in lieu of making sure his feet are moving correctly.

it's endearing, in an adorable, hopelessly shy sort of way. so completely out of his element, and he knows it.

the longer the dance goes on, the more apparent it becomes just how aware leon is of himself. despite your best efforts at trying to guide him along the kitchen floor, leon almost seems to be self-sabotaging. every time you make a move to ease the tension in his shoulders with a gentle push on his chest or a soft caress with your thumb, his feet stumble into yours.

"relax," you tell him, only succeeds in giving him the inexplicable urge to throw himself out the nearest window.

"i am relaxed," he lies through his teeth.

"stop thinking, then." you try again, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly.

"i can't."

you've known leon too long to miss what that means. almost every time he gets back from a mission, it's like getting the empty husk of your boyfriend haunting the corridors until he can get himself back to routine. at its worst, it takes a few meals and gentle caresses for him to even look at you in the eyes. like a dog with its ears flat and a ripped up shoe in its mouth.

"as romantic as this is," you smile, trailing your hand up his neck until it lands at home on his cheek. the gesture is sweet, truly. but leon already looks like he's falling apart, and this time it's time for you to protect. "maybe we really should get some sleep."

the song comes to an end then, the last final notes trickling through the air before surrendering to a complete, all-encompassing silence. leon only gives you a slow nod, before following your figure to the bedroom. easy, quiet as a lamb.

finally, there's no more burning. all that's left is the quiet.

[cinnamontoastcrunch-15]

HELLO I moved last week and I have no WiFi or service in my flat (posting from a coffee shop) so I apologise for the lack of posting.

However, this was meant to be for today's wolfstarmicrofic prompt Basilisk, but it's officially much too long because I've missed writing to post lmao, so it's not a microfic.

(Ravenclaw Remus AU.)

"Lupin, you're patrolling with..." Moody flicks quickly through his notes, "Black."

"Oh, er... Alright," he says with a shrug, trying to pass himself off as calm.

Internally? Every single alarm is going off in his head.

Remus never exactly... spoke to Sirius Black, or his friends. Ravenclaws and Gryffindors aren't really destined to interact, and Remus would have chosen death over joining the Quidditch team. That didn't stop him from being one of far too many people in the school that had a major minor crush on Sirius.

Sure, he knew that Sirius had grown up rich and pampered. He always held himself in this way that made him seem ten times more important than everyone else. That wasn't exactly helped by the fact that he was a Gryffindor. Lily, Mary and Marlene were the only Gryffindors Remus has ever really tolerated. The rest are all pretentious as fuck. Everyone knows that.

Still, for some reason, his brain would short circuit whenever he was so much in the same room as Sirius. He still lays awake at night, humiliated about the time he accidentally caught Sirius' eyes and tripped over the bench in the Great Hall.

Joining the Order wasn't even a question for him. Anything to help them win the war. He hadn't exactly expected Sirius to do the same, but it just makes him feel like he's back in school. Frustratingly enough for him, Sirius has only gotten more attractive in the year since they've left school. It hasn't really mattered until now, though. He's been pretty successful in avoiding him. It's probably helped by the fact that he isn't even on Sirius' radar, but this? He's going to set the strangest first impression on the planet.

There's nothing he can do about it, though.

That's how Remus finds himself waiting outside the Order house, fidgeting with an unlit cigarette.

"Hey, Remus!"

There he is.

Remus looks up, shoving the cigarette back into the carton. Sirius has stopped in front of him, running a hand through his hair and grinning at Remus.

Leather jackets look weird on literally everyone other than him.

Remus has to jostle his brain into functioning. He blinks once, before finally mustering a polite smile.

"Hi. Should we get going?"

"Yeah. Yeah, let's go."

They walk in silence for a while, moving from spot to spot and taking the odd note.

Until Sirius decides he's done with all of that.

"Y'know, I was hoping you'd join the Order."

"Sorry?" Remus practically stops in his tracks, turning to Sirius with wide eyes. Shock ripples through him.

Hoping?

"I mean, I had a feeling you would. I'm just... glad you did, I guess."

"I didn't even know you knew I existed," Remus confesses quickly.

Sirius actually does stop moving, grabbing Remus' forearm and stopping him too.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, really. You existed on this... separate plane. I mean, you were you. Everyone knew about you. Why would I be on your radar?"

"Remus," Sirius says slowly, eyes boring into Remus'. It sends a shiver down Remus' spine. "All I did was think about you."

"What?" Remus sputters, a strange mixture of confusion and shock overwhelming him.

"Oh, I had such a crush on you." He shrugs like it's nothing; like what he just said hasn't turned Remus' entire world on its axis. "I thought that was obvious, I mean... you're bloody brilliant. Ravenclaw prefect, running a study group-"

"I can't believe you've even given me a second thought," Remus says, a little breathless.

"Merlin, I did. I remember telling James that I'd fight a Basilisk for you." Sirius chuckles to himself, but Remus is losing control over his own responses scarily quickly. "I know you couldn't stand me, but-"

"Who said that?"

"Nobody had to." Sirius watches Remus, a little puzzled. "You're not the biggest fan of Gryffindors, right?"

Well, he's not wrong.

"Besides, you couldn't stay in the same room as me. You literally fell over yourself trying to get away from me before."

"Oh, God," Remus mutters under his breath, his face heating up uncomfortably. His one comfort has been that Sirius didn't notice him embarrassing himself every time he walked into the room.

"Sorry," Sirius says suddenly, releasing Remus' hand. "I didn't mean to- Christ, I've made things even more awkward, haven't I?"

Huh.

He's not as confident as Remus thought.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean- let's just forget I said that. Finish patrolling."

No.

Remus doesn't want to forget. He needs to do something, before Sirius never speaks to him again.

Hurriedly, he grabs Sirius' hand, pulling him into an alley nearby.

Well, he's committed to it now. No turning back.

"Remus, what-"

He pulls Sirius in by his stupidly perfect jacket and connects their lips before he has a chance to second guess himself.

Thankfully, Sirius wastes no time in falling into the kiss. His lips are soft against Remus', parting just enough for their tongues to meet.

The kiss is everything he could have imagined and more. Sirius is somehow both tentative and eager and he tastes like cinnamon and fuck, Remus may as well have died and gone to heaven. His hand involuntarily slides into Sirius' hair, and he's rewarded with a muffled gasp.

Okay, maybe Gryffindors aren't that bad.

[authorred]

Doctor's Orders | Part 2 | Li Shen/Zayne x fem!Reader | Love and Deepspace

Preface: With you hospitalized and in critical condition, Zayne has taken it upon himself to ensure you are nursed back to health. Under no circumstance are you allowed to do close to anything on your own.

Part 2 of my self indulgence because why not I love this man he's so sweet???????

Part 1 Part 3 (coming soon)

Warning(s): None

Your eyelids feel like lead when you try to open them. It takes a strenuous amount of effort to move them, and your body overall feels like it’s being weighed down by anchors. You can hear the steady beeping from next to you, just barely; white floods behind your eyes the more you rouse into consciousness. You can barely move your arms and legs, let alone your head, or even your eyes. It’s the beeping of the machine that keeps you awake enough. Soon, you force your eyes open, and you’re immediately blinded by the sterility of the room.

“What. . . ?” It comes off as a soft inquiry, unheard by everyone. You’re a little disoriented, and you don’t remember how you got to where you are. You feel something on your face, covering your nose. After thinking about it for a little, you figured it’s an oxygen supplier of some kind. Did you become that hypoxic that you need oxygen? You won’t know until you talk to a doctor.

A doctor.

Your doctor.

Oh god, your doctor. Zayne.

Zayne is going to kill you.

There’s no way he doesn’t know—and if he didn’t, there’s no way he hasn’t asked to take over as your attending physician during your stay. Even though you know he’s not in the room with you, the mere thought of it is enough to send your eyes flying open. You attempt to sit up—and your body quite literally burns like the fiery depths of hell. It hurts you, and you’re stiff and sore and covered in bandages, and you think there’s a hole in your chest, but you don’t care; you fight through it.

“Don’t sit up. You’ll tear open the stitches.”

You freeze at the low timbre of a familiar voice. It’s soft as it always is when speaking to you, but you can’t help but avoid looking at the owner of it.

“Lay back down. You’ll need more rest than usual.” A hand meets your shoulder and gently pushes you back down onto the mattress—and you follow it without a word.

Your eyes don’t meet his, “I didn’t—. . . okay. I won’t move.” For a moment it’s silent and you can feel him staring down at you. You know he’s frustrated, sad, angry even. Maybe all three. You know he wants to say something, perhaps scold and lecture you about overworking yourself. You’re waiting for the inevitable but it never comes. You nervously look up at him and he’s not looking at you either.

“I’m sorry.” Your voice is hoarse from exhaustion, “I didn’t mean for this to happen. The Wanderer just appeared in my complex, and. . . I was the only Hunter there.”

Zayne looks at you, “I understand. I heard of what happened. You did what you had to do to protect the people there. There were minimal injured because of you.”

“That. . . I mean, I’m glad, but. . . I feel like you’re disappointed in me.”

Zayne stares at you for a moment before sighing softly, “I’m not disappointed in you. It wasn’t your fault that you were forced into that situation. I’m only glad you were admitted when you were.”

“Be honest: how close was I to dying?”

Zayne hesitates to answer ever so slightly, “. . . Too close. Your heart stopped. You were severely hypoxic and in respiratory failure, your tissues weren’t getting adequate oxygen, and you experienced severe blood loss due to a puncture wound to your chest that barely missed your aorta.”

You don’t visibly react when you hear his explanation. “I see. I don’t remember any of that. The last thing I remember was the Wanderer coming at me. After that, it’s nothing.”

“Your body and mind were under an exorbitant amount of stress. Especially your heart. You were only at thirty-seven percent function.”

“I’m assuming that means my heart was at a risk of stopping at any time.”

“That’s correct.”

“Great,” you snicker but there’s not a shred of joy behind it. “And now I’m stuck here for weeks and maybe months.”

"Correct."

You stare up at the ceiling and don't give a response. You couldn't even if you wanted to. What were you supposed to do until you were discharged and cleared? You can't stay still—your mind is always moving, constantly running. If you don't get that energy out somehow, you'll go mad. You can't stay cooped up in the hospital. Zayne knows that too, and you hate that.

"Don't think about sneaking out like you have in the past," he says. "You've been put down as a flight risk in your chart."

You roll your eyes, "That was only once, and I only had a wrist fracture."

"You fell from a twenty-storey building and landed on the roof of a car. You're lucky that a broken wrist is all you walked away with." His voice is calm but the way he delivers it gives off agitation. You've heard the tone before—he usually gives you it when he's worried or concerned.

"Maybe." You toy with the sheets pulled up to your waist, "I just. . . I don't know why I'm like this."

Zayne places his hands in his coat pockets and turns his body, so all his attention is on you.

"I can't sit still. I get unnerved. Like I'm meant to be doing something. That's why I keep going on missions. I can sleep, but all I dream about is fighting wanderers. Even on my days off I'm wondering when an attack is going to happen."

Zayne stays quiet, only adjusting his glasses. He understands what you're saying. In a way, he's the same. He can enjoy his off time too, as little as it comes, but sometimes he wonders how the hospital is without him on the clock. "I understand. It's difficult to regulate yourself when you're constantly working. Your mind has no idea what to do when it's quiet."

"It really doesn't. And it's pathetic, because then it ends up like this and I feel like a child who can't do anything for themself."

Without a word, Zayne sits down on the edge of the bed—gently, to not upset your wounds. He's conflicted as to whether he should look at you or not. Instead, he settles on your IV pole. "It's not a crime to be taken care of sometimes. If you're hurt, that's a doctor's job. That's my job."

"Of course it is, you're a doctor," you snort softly. "If you weren't. . ."

"Even if I wasn't, I'd still take care of you."

You look over at him in silent surprise. He's not looking at you but he's never one to be dishonest. For whatever reason, you believe him when he says that. You don't know how you feel about that—a part of you wants to lean into it, but another part of you want to push against it and him. He's already under so much stress ensuring his patients are alive and as healthy as they can be. How selfish would that make you if you wanted that from him too? "Even though I constantly do things to get myself hospitalized?"

He nods softly, "Yes."

"Even though I could randomly keel over and die someday because of my heart?"

His eyes move to look at yours, a somber look in them. "Yes. Even that."

"I see." You look back up to the ceiling. "How is. . . will this affect the amount of evol I'll be able to use?"

"I don't believe this is the most opportune time to discuss this. You should rest and gain more energy."

You sigh softly, "Okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Zayne stands from the bed, "Please call a nurse if you need anything. I'll be back to check on you soon."

You nod, "I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

Zayne's lips curl up ever so slightly—if you weren't so accustomed to how he is, you would've missed it. "I'm glad. It would cause a lot of trouble if you did."

[anonymous-dentist]

Part Eight of the Catboy in the Village AU

Part One | Part Seven

-

Cellbit misses his goggles. The ones he's "borrowed" from Niki are way too small for his head, and they pull at his hair something awful. His ears ache, and not in the usual way. They burn.

Roier says that Cellbit should try and let his ears breathe, and he gently pets Cellbit's hair and holds him as he does so, but. No. Absolutely not, not now that they're both being held captive by her.

The queen's ears are as white as the rest of her hair. They're pierced, which Cellbit didn't even know you can do. They sit neatly on the top of her head, framed perfectly by her crown, and they're perfect. No tears. No chunks taken out of them. No burns. Pure white.

Every time she looks at Cellbit, she's either angry, or she's sad. That's fine, fuck her.

But every time she sees Cellbit's ears, her eyes just fill with pity, and Cellbit. Can't.

His goggles are still on the floor of his shop back home. He doubts he'll be getting them back any time soon. He misses them, anyway; he had the family's tailors customize them so they were soft, yet sturdy, enough to be both functional as alchemical goggles and as an accessory perfect for pinning his stupid fucking ears down with.

His goggles hurt, but they don't hurt. The leather is soft and worn. The lenses are big enough to hide his ears without pinching them too badly. Any pain he feels is from the action of pinning his ears down, not from the thing actually pinning them down.

Roier gets it. He doesn't like it, but he gets it. He's always encouraged Cellbit to keep his ears free, but he gets it. He used to have four arms, he knows all about hiding parts of you from the world. He smiles just so gently when Cellbit takes his goggles off to sleep every night (something relatively recent, Cellbit slept with them on until just before they got Pepito.) He pets Cellbit's hair, he helps massage the feeling back into his ears. He doesn't touch if Cellbit doesn't want him to.

But Niki's goggles hurt, and Cellbit guesses that that's on him for stealing goggles from someone so much smaller than him.

He needs his back. He needs to go home. The queen's ears are perfect. Her daughter's are adorable. He wants to go home.

But first: dinner, unwilling.

The queen won't stop staring.

Cellbit's ears are pinned. Of course they are. He isn't in his cell.

He eats his dinner. Roier made it, and it's perfection. It tastes almost just like the meals from back home, and it's almost enough to make Cellbit start purring.

Almost.

He'll show his appreciation later when they're back in their cell. Roier loves getting compliments, he's going to be purring himself by the end of the night.

But the queen won't stop staring.

Roier, still very much upset about his children, sulks into his enchiladas. His leg is pressed against Cellbit's under the table; it shakes slightly, nervous. Anxious. Angry.

Cellbit finished eating almost as soon as Roier set his plate in front of him. (Sue him, Roier's cooking is magical.) So he's just... sitting. Waiting. Avoiding the queen's look, muttering assurances to his husband.

"There would have been war a week ago if anything had happened," he whispers.

"They might not know," Roier murmurs, staring right down at his food. "Maybe no one's found the bodies yet."

"With how often Foolish is over there? No way. He'd be cutting her head off himself."

Roier cracks a smile at that.

The queen lets out an annoyed-sounding huff. "I can hear you, you know."

Her ear twitches. Right. Cat hybrid, great hearing.

Cellbit gives her a dirty look.

"We aren't talking to you," he says. "Mind your own business."

"Um, I think that you guys talking about my death is my business, actually."

Roier shrugs. "She's right."

"Don't encourage her," Cellbit grumbles.

He settles back in his seat, continuing to glare daggers at the queen.

The queen, however, is still staring.

"What?" he asks her. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, I just..." Her eyes travel upwards towards- "Are those Niki's goggles?"

Cellbit's shoulders tense.

"No," he shortly replies. "They're mine. I found them."

She nods slowly. "Riiiight. In Niki's closet."

"No."

"You know, she told me that they went missing this morning."

"And I've had these for a couple of days now. So."

"So, I'd appreciate it if you would give them back to her. We don't steal in this castle."

Under his breath, Roier comments, "You steal people."

The queen just rolls her eyes.

Then, she sighs and leans forward, what has to be faux sympathy painting itself across her face as she lowers her eyes to meet Cellbit's.

"That isn't safe," she gently says. "You have to know that."

(Cellbit's ears feel like they're in seventeen different places at once. He can feel every tear in them growing minutely larger with every passing second. Hairs are being pulled. Muscles are crying out in pain.)

Very calmly, Cellbit responds- teeth grit, "I'm fine."

Roier eats his enchilada. He scoots his chair closer to Cellbit's. He has dark circles under his eyes, and his hair is a mess, and his clothes are rumpled and sloppy. And he bumps his knee against Cellbit's reassuringly.

The queen is only slightly undeterred.

She nods and goes back to her food.

"I have a special shampoo that I use," she says, mouth full, gross. She swallows and glances back up at Cellbit's goggles. "Mouse helped create it. It's super gentle."

"Okay...?" Cellbit questioningly says. "That's nice?"

He frowns slightly, eyebrows furrowing. What is she playing at now?

"I can ask her to give you some," the queen continues. Ah. "And- hold on, actually."

And then she fucking. Leaves the table. Just like that: placing her fork and knife down, taking one last sip from her goblet, adjusting her dress, and then leaving.

Cellbit stares at her empty seat. What?

"What?" Roier asks, reading Cellbit's mind. (As usual.)

Carefully, Cellbit looks to the side out of the corner of his eye at the guards stationed by the entrance to the dining hall. They look confused, too.

"She's weird," Cellbit declares, not for the first time since his kidnapping. "No wonder her only friends are her servants."

Roier rolls his eyes and gently nudges Cellbit's bicep with his elbow.

"Gatinho," he chides, "be nice."

Then:

"She might have kidnapped them, too."

Cellbit laughs, shocked and loud. He turns in his seat and leans his head forward until it's nestled firmly on Roier's shoulder.

Roier hums happily. He plops a hand onto Cellbit's thigh and squeezes.

"Cute," Roier comments.

Cellbit bites him. Roier moans. The guards shuffle uncomfortably.

And then the queen comes running back into the dining hall red-faced and out of breath. She has something in her hands, something small and brown and kind of ugly.

She flattens her skirts down, chugs her wine, and offers Cellbit a smile.

Cellbit sits up as she walks around to his side of the table.

"This," she says, "is for you. As an alternative."

She holds the object out, and... it's a hat. It's a brown cloth hat like Cellbit used to see Gato Kingdom medics wearing during the war. It has patches sewn on, and there's a clear indent where a pair of goggles would normally sit.

Cellbit looks at the hat. Next to him, Roier is laughing.

It's (presumably) the queen's. It's the color of literal shit. It smells like mint and sulfur.

Cellbit loves it.

"Our mother used to hide her ears, too," the queen explains. She looks down at the hat almost nostalgically. "During the war, I mean. She wanted to help the troops, so she went to the front lines to help the medical corps. She didn't want to be recognized, so she wore this hat to hide her ears."

The queen laughs a little. She's... sad. Of course she is, she's talking about her dead mother.

The Gato Kingdom's previous queen died shortly after the war's end, supposedly of a broken heart from the loss of her son.

Good riddance, Cellbit thinks. Royalty is royalty.

The queen's thumb strokes the brim of the hat reverently.

"She said that it was uncomfortable, but not painful," she continues. "It got the job done, but it never hurt her. So..." She looks back up at Cellbit with tears in her eyes and a soft little smile on her face. "If you want to use it to... hide your ears. Then. That's fine. You can have it."

Roier gasps. He's always been one for dramatics, but this gasp sounds legitimate.

Cellbit, on the other hand, feels... something. He isn't sure what, but he feels it so deep in his chest that he's sure it's his soul that's aching.

The queen said that the previous queen was their mother, but she wasn't Cellbit's mother. Cellbit doesn't have a mother. Whoever she was, she never went looking for him. Obviously, she didn't; if she had, she would have found him because how many children with cat ears are there? How many?

Cellbit swallows a lump in his throat. Why is his stomach hurting all of a sudden? Did he eat too quickly?

He shouldn't take the hat. It's probably... trapped. Or something. Mind control magic in the fabric. Or something. Lice in the elastic band. Or something.

But, for some reason, he feels himself reaching out for it, anyway. He tries to will the shake out of his hands, but he doesn't quite manage to do so. (Why are they shaking?)

He takes the hat. It's soft. It's been well taken care of, these past years since the previous queen's death.

Hesitantly, he pulls it to himself. To inspect it. For lice. Or magic.

The queen sniffles and turns her face away. After a moment, she's just fine and looking at Cellbit with a perfectly schooled expression.

"Take care of it," she orders.

Quietly, so quietly that Cellbit swears that only he's meant to hear it, she adds, "And yourself."

Cellbit doesn't meet her eyes.

Instead, he meets Roier's, and he sees his own face reflected in them. He's... sad. Why? Why does he look sad?

"You're going to look like a nerd," Roier fondly says. "Here, I got this."

His hands raise, and they brush against the strap of the goggles.

Cellbit instinctively hisses and flinches back, but then he lets out a lon breath. Closes his eyes. It's Roier. It's fine.

The goggles come off. Cellbit hears them clatter gently against the table, a sharp TINK! as they bump into Roier's plate.

Cellbit's ears pop up immediately, like they always do. (He pretends he doesn't hear the quiet gasp the queen lets out. It's none of her business.)

Taking the hat, Roier places it on Cellbit's head. His ears press down just a little, but not to a painful degree. Cellbit imagines that this is what it feels like when Roier wears a hat that rests on top of his ears: a small, unnoticeable pressure.

Complete coverage. And it's soft, too.

The smile is audible in Roier's voice as he coos, "Ayyyyy, que guapo. Nerd. Nerdbit."

Opening his eyes again, Cellbit gently smacks Roier's hands down, and then he holds them just because he can.

He loves Roier's smile. It's one of the many, many, many, many, many, many, many things he loves about Roier. Cellbit isn't much of a poet, but he would describe Roier's smile as something equivalent to the inherent beauty of a solar eclipse. It's out of this world.

Quietly, the queen scoops the goggles off of the table.

"I'll give these back to Niki," she says. "If you want something from now on, just ask. You're a prince, Cellbit. Act like it."

Cellbit briefly turns to stick his tongue out at her before looking back at Roier.

"I feel like a nerd," Cellbit admits.

Roier nods. "You look like one. But you're my nerd. Mwah!"

With an exaggerated noise, he leans forward and plants a big wet kiss to the tip of Cellbit's nose.

The queen doesn't say anything else. She just... smiles. And leaves them to themselves and their remaining food.

But, as she leaves, Cellbit swears he hears her whisper, "He looks just like her."

[meanbossart]

Just thinking thoughts about Orin and Drow lore, and idk if this has been asked already, but

If Orin had just disappeared for like a year, not even Sceleritas could find her, with how obsessive pre-tadpole Drow was how would he handle that? Aside from being prideful and murdery, I don’t remember in the pre-tadpole Drow lore about any instance (after he made it to the temple) of him expressing anything else. Did the two ever have a wholesome moment?

Hmmmm not wholesome, no. I'm sorry to disappoint people who might wanted to see a more explicitly vulnerable side to both of them at that stage in their lives, but that's just not... How I envision things. I don't think anyone born into the temple would have had much room to express themselves in the way average people do.

What they did have was an undeniable connection and mutual understanding. This lasted for about 7 years, so between ages 18-25 for DU drow. (Canonically he's currently 28, give or take). I think that, sometimes, they also silently understood among themselves that things weren't always fair or good.

This might sound like a whole load of nothing to some people, but based on the culture within the cult, Orin's story, and the behavior of everyone involved in it, it seems huge to me that two people who were essentially groomed to be the embodiment of murder would harbor any kind of care for one another, even if it was subtle. The fact that they could share a bed, talk shit about Sarevok, and seamlessly work together and share in the glory of their deeds as equals is what intimacy looked like for them - before DU drow's ego (and the very need of a more explicitly intimate connection with someone, to be fair) got to his head.

They killed together, they rolled around in blood together, they bickered and fought and one time Orin stabbed him in the gut and DU drow punched her jaw out of it's socket. Then they flopped down on the ground and cackled about it while Sceleritas rushed in to stop the bleeding. Is that wholesome? I think for deified bhaalspawn who know nothing but that life it's the closest it gets.

There had to have been quiet moments I'm sure. Like Orin waiting around while DU drow got ready to go somewhere, him adjusting her headpiece, Orin slicing her brother's long hair off when he first arrived and looked like some sort of sinewy wood's creature. At night, they probably laid in bed in silence and sometimes stared at each other until either fell asleep.

I am very interested in not inventing an obscured, soft side to Orin that we didn't get to see, you know? While she wasn't always the level of manic we see in-game, she was completely unfit to function normally due to her upbringing, and this reflects in her relationships. DU drow is also undeniably emotionally stunted, just in a slightly different way.

I got off rambling to no one's surprise LOL but to answer the first part of your question - I don't think he would have been quite as dramatic about Orin just up and vanishing, as there's no explicit suggestion of death in that. He would have been insufferable to be around for a while, but in that scenario I could see his duties keeping him busy.

Not to mention that, while through death, she would be leaving him unwillingly - disappearing with no trace implies the uncomfortable possibility that she truly, honestly, just didn't want to be around him. That allows room for contempt and bitterness to fester until you wrongly convince yourself there was never any love there at all, even if just to soothe your own conscience.

He would have just become a much, much worse person that way in the sense that he would have nothing to focus on besides for his lord's will - as horrific as his attitude towards Orin was, it is very much a human feature to desperately cling to connection. With Orin around, he had a little bit of fucked up tenderness and love in him - it was a personal desire completely separate from his "job", a vestige of free-will. Without her, he just has Bhaal and whatever Bhaal wants.

Orin has always unwittingly anchored him, and then, later freed him. And he never ever deserved any of it.

🤷

[alexiabae]

KIND¹; lia wälti x fem!reader

Summary: during a match between switzerland vs spain, lia was involved in y/n's injury.

Warnings: mention of blood, injury, hit on the head, fluff.

Note: English is not my first language.

not my gif.

"We can!" Irene shouts in the changing room before they all get out of it and go to the tunnel to wait.

This was the captain's job, but since the last encounter that it passed to other hands, even if she didn't wear the band. It doesn't matter anymore. The real captains would show it with it or without it, and Irene is the proof of it. Of course Irene gave them a speech after Ivana's, not despising the function that the coach gave her.

They all embrace one another and give some encouragement before they put a foot out from the changing room, leading it Ivana.

Y/N waited between Tere and Aitana. She brushed her braided hair, nervously biting her bottom lip.

"Stop it, you would mess it up." Aitana muttered, putting off Y/N's own hands from her hair.

Y/N turned to look at her. "It is our last chance." She confesses her worries.

Aitana smiled gently. "I know. And we give everything. You know that last game isn't all our fault. It's too from the coach side. So don't blame it on you, show them what you're capable of. Even if some of them know about it." Aitana winked, reassuring her friend and teammate. They are from the same age, they always played for the same team and they always played in the national team, youth and senior. Aitana knows everything about Y/N and Y/N knows everything about Aitana.

Y/N nodded, grabbing a hand with hers and turned to look in front again, meeting Tere's back. She saw how the other national team came out, concentration written on their faces. She gets scared when saw Ana's face, she knows that face. It was like if the blonde read her mind that when saw her, she gave her one of her soft smiles, raising a hand and waving it in the air. The midfielder does it too, but with a lipped smile.

Some of her teammates greet her too. Alexia and Jenni were the ones near her and started a little conversation, including a hug.

"Nos vamos para casa, Aitana." Y/N leaned briefly to Aitana and muttered only to her to hear.

"Cállate." The Catalan hissed, rolling her eyes. They still have their hands intertwined.

Y/N tried to focus on Aitana's hand and look away, avoiding the rival team. Some chats were heard between all of them, until the referee indicates that it was time to go outside. Y/N let out Aitana's hand and walked behind Tere. Once they are in the center of the pitch, they put themselves horizontally, waiting for the anthems to sound.

"You look pale, are you okay?" Alexia asked her while they waited for Ivana to do the captain's things.

Y/N nods, hugging her. "Sip. No need to worry." She lied to her, not wanting to disturb the concentration for her fault.

Alexia looked at her suspiciously, but remained quiet. She patted her shoulder and ran to her position, Y/N following behind, receiving a wink from Aitana since she is to her side.

She finds Ana's gaze again, who is right now in front of her. "Hey, you missed me?" Ana smirked.

It relaxes a little Y/N's nerves. "Right now no. Ask me another day." The blonde snorted by her comment.

They remained quiet and heard the count down, Spain put in movement the ball. Y/N received the ball and she passed it to Irene. The minutes passed and the possession was for Spain, like they always control the ball and Switzerland has two times the chance to score. It was a corner that almost changed the result, coming again from the Swiss part.

"You need to wake up, Y/N!" Aitana ran towards her and tried to make her concentrate. "Forget about your expectations and play. Play like you always do." The Catalan gave some encouragement to her friend.

Alexia keeps an eye near Y/N, wondering why she is playing like that, missing easy passes or distributing the ball wrong.

"You have right, Aiti. Sorry." Y/N nodded, running with more conviction towards her position, waiting for Misa to kick the ball.

The rest of the first half, Y/N changed her style. She passed to play badly to be the one who created more chances to score. They went half time with a draw.

"I don't know what Aitana told you. But keep that way." Alexia walked by her side, bringing her left arm around Y/N's shoulders.

Y/N smiled. "Sorry about the start... My insecurities get in the way." She confesses, blushing a little.

"Well... You changed your mood. If you want to talk about it, let me know." Her friend offered, smiling with affection.

"Vale. Thanks." Y/N said, leaning briefly her head on Alexia's.

They walked towards the changing room, the coach giving some tactics for the second part, letting them five minutes before to go again towards the pitch.

Irene grabbed Y/N's shoulder and stopped her until the defender was alongside and started to walk again.

"I know what happened before. I understand why you acted that way, our coach doesn't give us hope to win. But I'm giving you it." Irene started to say, the height difference is showing a little. The Basque look down to look at Y/N with firmness. "You can do whatever you want with the ball. You have that magic. You can't let ignorant people get to your head. Play like nothing matters, like if you are a little kid again and the time doesn't matter." Y/N bites her bottom lip to hold the tears from the words that her captain gave her. Because yes, she always considers Irene, Alexia and Jenni their captains.

"Thank you." Y/N muttered, nodding with her head.

"Any time." Irene smiled, squeezing her arm.

•••

The start of the second half was epic for Spain. They scored after five minutes to start it, thanks to Y/N that gave the assist to Salma Paralluelo. People would think that it was for a motivational speech from their coach, but the reality was very far away from that. It is thanks to the players that they scored. A new change came with the words that they exchanged between them.

It was the 70th minute when something changed again. Y/N was acting like a pivot, she is not used to playing in that position, but new changes came in the national team, so she needs to adapt. Well, it was in a counter attack from Spain, Y/N was the last player and she started running upside waiting for Ona to pass the ball to her. Y/N was in the center of the pitch when Ona passed it to her, when she was going to control the ball with her chest, there was a little hole on the pitch that made her lose some balance and make the rival player hit her on the face, with her feet.

Y/N felt and heard the sound the impact made on her left eye. She knew that it wasn't on the eye, but it hurt like it was. She let out a scream, falling to the ground while she covered her face with her hands.

For her teammates, it happened in slow motion. They saw how it was clearly on the eye, making them run towards her and towards the rival player, screaming.

Ana runs quickly to put herself in the middle. "Hey! She didn't do that on purpose." She tried to explain at them to understand, holding Alexia and Aitana. The blonde looked briefly to her friend, seeing how affected she is.

"I don't care!" Aitana roared. She was the first one to go to where Y/N was laying, pushing Lia aside aggressively when the Swiss tried to see how Y/N is.

Alexia was biting her lip so hard to retain what she was thinking that surely soon she made a cut. So she decided to go where Y/N is laying surrounded by her teammates.

Lia saw how the medic team from Spain came quickly and moved out all the players, seeing how they reincorporated Y/N up. A lot of blood was covered on her face.

"It's not her eye." Ana told her, letting out a relief sigh. She heard the medics saying to Spain's players that it wasn't her eye.

Lia thanked whatever it is to hear that. The brunette raised her hands towards her face and let tears roll for her cheeks, feeling really bad for her actions. Ana noticed how quiet her friend was and saw how she covered her face with her hands.

"It's not your fault, Lia. It's a bad coincidence." She muttered, hugging her by her shoulders, kissing her head.

"If something more happened I would never forgive myself, Ana." Lia muttered.

Ana sighed again. "But that thing didn't happen. So, please stop overthinking." She saw how Y/N stood up, holding with a hand whatever the medics gave her. The public started to clap, making Lia look at what happened and standing up she too, tried to go where Y/N is, but Ana grabbed her wrist, shaking with her head.

"Are you okay?" Aitana asked once she stood up, wiping something on Y/N's face with affection.

"It hurts, but I'm okay." Y/N said in a hoarse voice.

"I'm going to kill her." Aitana muttered by her side.

Y/N snorted. "Shut up. Me and you know that it wasn't true. Also, it is not her fault. There is a hole here." She pointed at the spot where it was, seeing how Aitana clenched her jaw.

The others approached her, relieved sighs and heard that it wasn't a big injury. Y/N walked slowly out of the pitch, until she saw the referee going to the player who made this to her and showed a red card, earning claps from the public and some of her teammates.

The medic team took her towards the tunnel, Y/N keeping an eye on the player that was walking behind them. The Swiss received some support from the staff team and teammates before the brunette walked towards inside.

"Hey." Y/N stopped walking, turning to look at the brunette player.

Lia stopped too, caught with the guard off. "Hey..."

Y/N smiled, grimacing a little when she felt the skin tense. "Do you want to accompany me? I pass it badly with this type of thing."

Lia nodded slowly, seeing the confusion on the medics faces. Y/N extended her hand with a smile, the Swiss took it and let it guide herself by the other three people. They approached Spain's changing room and Lia let the medics do their thing. She walked where Y/N was laying and held her hand, squeezing it when saw how scared Y/N looked.

"I don't like needles." Y/N let the other know, knowing how scared her face turned on.

Lia still didn't speak, she just squeezed her hand, caressing her palm with her thumb too. She saw how her left eyebrow was inflamed when they took off the ice pack, her eyes fully close and a bruise starting to form. The Swiss swallow, already feeling more guilty when she sees the state she lets her rival.

While the medics stitched her left eyebrow, at some point happy screams were heard, letting them know that someone scored. Right now it was the last thing that Lia cares about.

"Vale. He terminado." One of them said, cutting off the thread while the other put on a bandage.

Y/N sat up while talking about some things with them, clearly Lia can't understand it because it is in their language. They give her a water bottle, offering too one to Lia before they get out of the big room, letting the two alone.

"Sorry about Aitana's behaviour. She is very protective of me." Y/N muttered, giving her a lipped smile.

Lia copied her. "I understand. I should probably do the same thing." Lia talked for the first time.

Y/N liked her voice. "Your face sounds to me..." The Spanish player said, her eyebrows knitting, once again forgetting about her new injury and hissing from pain.

The Swiss thought that she looked adorable. "I'm Lia. I play for Arsenal, we face each other two seasons ago." She explained, caressing mindlessly Y/N's hand.

Soon, Y/N's eyes brighten. "You are Ana's friend! She told me stories about you two."

Lia blushes. "I guess it is me."

"What are you doing here?" Someone else came, interrupting their conversation.

The brunette lets Y/N's hand fall and stand up, ready to go.

"Shut up, Aitana. She is here because I asked her if she can accompany me while they stitch my eyebrow." Y/N said, standing up too.

The Catalan looked at Lia suspiciously, but remained quiet. Soon, another one came, making Aitana walk to where they are standing.

Alexia frowned. "¿Qué hace ella aquí?" She asked in Spanish. She knew it was rude, but wanted an answer without the Swiss finding out.

"Y/N tiene un crush." Aitana stated, her jaw clenching. Y/N blushed, hitting Aitana's arm. She hoped that Lia didn't understand but her name and crush is enough.

The brunette blushed too, maybe she didn't fully understand what the Catalan said, but something she caught.

Alexia leaned her head aside, walking to where they are. She extended her hand towards Lia, the Swiss accepting it shyly. "Next time be more careful, please." The midfielder said kindly, but with a firm tone, just like her gaze.

"Alexia!" Y/N whined. The mentioned shakes Lia's hand softly and hugged Y/N carefully, giving Aitana a smug smirk.

"I don't find it funny." Aitana growled, annoyed. She was standing beside Y/N, with her arms crossed about her chest. Alexia rolled her eyes, in part understanding her, but the other she just wanted to hit her.

More of them came to see how Y/N is, frowning and giving some dirty looks at Lia.

"Irene, Jenni! Let her alone, I ask her to be with me." Y/N grabbed Lia's hand when saw how the tall women walked towards the brunette with decision. She put herself between Lia and the two women.

Jenni looked at Alexia, who was there before them and wanted an explanation.

"Se nos ha enamorado." Alexia answered, shrugging with a playful smile.

Y/N turned towards her quickly, giving with an eye a bad look, while her cheeks turned red. It makes Alexia laugh.

Irene raised an eyebrow, looking at the Swiss inquisitive. "You are Ana's Lia." She pointed out, crossing her arms. She wanted to intimidate the woman, she heard too about Ana's stories and if the blonde was right, Lia can have all the approbation from the team. Barcelona team unless.

Lia swallows, nodding. In other circumstances, she doesn't get so intimidated by someone easily, but she kicked in the face of one of Ana's friends and she looked intimidating.

"Uh? Our Ana?" Jenni asked loudly, looking for Irene to confirm it. The defender nodded. "Es guapa." Jenni winked to Y/N, earning some protest from Aitana and others and the laugh from Alexia, who was finding it funny.

"Dejadla en paz." Y/N hissed, blushing more. She tried to move with Lia to the exit, but it was impossible.

"Lia? What are you doing here?" Ana asked, confused, entering inside and walking towards all of them. She raised an eyebrow when saw Y/N and Lia holding hands. "¿Qué me he perdido?" She inquired towards her teammates.

Y/N roll her eye. "Nada." She said quickly, letting out Lia's hand, even if she soon missed her contact.

Ana looked at her, a loving smile creeping on her face. "You are good. Nothing happened to your eye?" She asked, putting both hands on Y/N's cheeks, examining her close eye, seeing a purple bruise forming around it.

"Just stitches to my eyebrow." Y/N muttered, crossing her arms like a child. The blonde Swiss chuckled and kissed her forehead carefully.

"Le gusta tu amiga." Jenni hummed, making Y/N choke with her saliva. Ana turned to look at Jenni and then at Y/N, raising once again an eyebrow. She is still holding her face with her hands.

Some chuckled was heard around them, Lia a little confused but guessing that they are making fun of Y/N, for her reaction.

Y/N moves out from Ana's hold and walks to her cubby, throwing her empty bottle at Jenni. The forward grabs it easily, laughing.

"Lia?" Ona called her. The Swiss looked at the defender, who approached her and whispered. "They are making fun of her because they think that she has a crush on you." She felt bad for Y/N and wanted to help in a way, and if Lia can help you, it was okay by her.

Ana heard what the freckled girl said and smiled. Lia opened her eyes, surprised. Not waiting for it at all. Then, she walked slowly towards Y/N, not caring anymore what they could say.

"You know...? I heard some stories about you that Ana shared with me. From her perspective you look funny and adorable. I don't know... But, do you want to take some coffee later? Maybe we can share some embarrassing stories about Ana." She said, a kind smile on her lips.

Y/N looked at her, a little in awe. "I love to. I have a lot." She muttered, agreeing with the proposal.

Lia chuckled. "Good. I have a lot too." The Swiss said, grabbing Y/N's phone from her hands and writing her number phone on it. "Here you go. I texted myself to have your number, I hope you don't mind."

Ana looked offended. "I'm going to be the topic on their first date? I mean, if it was for another thing okay, but not for embarrassing stories." She muttered, making her teammates laugh.

"Look it for the good part, you create a new couple." Jenni said, laughing.

"I still don't agree with it." Aitana said stubbornly.

[jamdoughnutmagician]

Between The Sheets

Steve Harrington x Female Reader

Summary:A lazy Sunday morning in bed with Steve leads to something more...

Warnings:Smut, 18+, Unprotected Sex (obviously), Spooning, Cock Warming, Cuddle-fucking, Breeding Kink, Daddy/Mommy kink (kind of??)

Word Count:990

Authour’s Note: OH WE MAKING BABIES I’ve written a few filthy fics before, but this one is truly honest-to-god filthy..so I’m sorry.. also sorry if there’s any mistakes!

It was no secret to you about how Steve wanted a family of his own. A family of his own with you. The memory of him sharing his fantasy of having ‘six little nuggets’ running around always lived in the back of your mind. 

It was also no secret to you that Steve loved being snuggled up to you. Spooning close to you, his chest pressed to your back whilst he peppered small kisses to your shoulders, neck and behind your ear.

His arm would always sling its way around your body, his large hands finding their place holding your breasts, fingers toying with your nipples, rolling them under his fingertips.

It was one of those lazy Sunday mornings where neither of you needed to be anywhere, and the warmth of your bed was more appealing than the cold outside world. Your naked bodies huddled together, his morning wood eagerly pressing against your bare pussy.

“Keep me warm for a bit, Honey?” He rasped out, his voice husky with sleep.

“As you wish” you smiled as you hoisted your leg up closer to your chest giving him access to your pussy.

Steve swipes himself through your folds a few times, coating himself in the wetness of your arousal, before guiding his increasingly hard and thick cock towards your core. He slowly sinks inside you inch by inch until he’s as close to you as he can be.   

Steve's size is always a stretch to you. He's just so thick that the press of him inside you is never anything short of a tight squeeze, and yet, you welcome the delicious burn that comes with him being inside you.

Everytime Steve pushes himself into your bare cunt, with nothing separating you from him, his mind betrays him and all he can think about is breeding your pretty pussy. Filling you up until you’re so absolutely full with him.  

You knew what Steve was thinking about, he was thinking about making a start on getting those six little nuggets that he so badly wanted. You knew he was thinking about it, because it’s what you were thinking about too.

“Want you so bad, honey” he purred against your ear “wanna give you my kids”

“Well what are you waiting for big boy, let’s do it” you say suggestively over your shoulder.

Steve swears that his brain stops functioning for a moment, images of you all big and swollen with his child flooding his mind. It didn’t take very long before his hips snapped into action, sliding almost all of the way out of your warm wet pussy, before his hips thrust back up to meet yours, filling you with his thick cock. 

He keeps fucking up into you whilst his large hands are holding the weight of your boobs, squeezing the soft flesh of them under his fingers. He’s always been obsessed with your boobs, and in this position he was able to take full advantage of the feel of the soft weight of your tits in his large hands.

“Think about how big your tits’ll be when they’re full of milk…fuck” he groans out continuing to toy with your peaked nipples.

His hand snakes down to splay over your stomach as he holds you close, whilst thrusting up into you with his thick cock.

“Can you feel me right here, Honey?” He says pressing his hand down on your stomach.  “I’m practically in your guts” his voice groans out.

Steve always managed to leave you breathless every time. The stretch of his cock filling you so completely. 

It wasn’t enough for Steve to be this close to you, he wanted to look at your face as he filled you. He pulled out of you briefly with a grunt before gently man-handling you until you were laying flat on your back. He moved himself so that he was hovering over you, caging you safe between strong arms.

“Wanted to see your pretty face, Princess. Wanted to look at you whilst I breed this pretty little cunt.” He says as he presses the red leaky head of his cock at your entrance, before rocking his hips to slide himself deep inside you once more.

 You reached your hand up to gently cup his face in your hand, stroking your thumb over his cheek. There was something about being under him like this that would send your heart racing. No matter what, he was always your Stevie.

“Making me feel so good, Stevie…Feel so full…” you whined out.

“Yeah…you’re so tight, honey…gonna fill you up so good.” he moaned out between grunts. 

“Gonna make me a Mommy, Stevie?”

“Fuck…” he drawled out. “Yeah Honey..Daddy’s gonna fill you up and make you a Mommy” His hips continued thrusting into you, whilst his hand dropped down to rub over your sensitive clit. 

It didn’t take very much more than a few more rolls of Steve’s hips and his fingers rubbing tight circles over your clit before you were coming. Squeezing his thick cock as your orgasm rushed over you.

The squeeze of your tight wet walls, hugging his length so deliciously was what sent Steve over the edge. Burying himself so deep inside, whilst he stilled above you, filling you with the hot spurts of his release.

He looks down at you through the mess of his hair that’s fallen over his eyes as he leans down to capture your lips in a deep kiss.

Pulling away from his lips, you reach your hand up once more to rake your fingers through his hair, moving it out of his eyes.

“So…Daddy, huh?” you lightly tease.

“You started it, Mommy”

“Do you think it worked?” you smile.

“Well I suppose there’s no harm in doing that again..you know just to make sure...I know I certainly would be up for round two if you are.” he chuckles.

“I’m ready when you are, Harrington.” You smirked.

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias x Reader - The Fight

I'm basically a Ruben Dias x Reader factory now 🤣

Summary - Reader and Ruben Dias have a fight before a party.

Enjoy!

"There's no surprise who you're bringing to the party. It's obviously Ruben. I on the other hand am planning on finding my own hubby at the function."

"Is that so?" You laughed. You had been on the phone with your friend Cherry ever since the two of you left work. Now you were at home, getting ready to take a shower and prepare yourself for the party tonight.

"Don't mock me for being excited to attend this V.I.P. party." Cherry chuckled. "Ruben probably brings you to one of these events every weekend."

"You'd be surprised." You said. "Ruben is a pretty quiet guy. He doesn't party like that, or at all for that matter."

"Well he will tonight. What are you wearing?"

"Oh I don't know? I have this cocktail dress that I haven't worn yet. But I warn you it's pretty skimpy."

"Great! I'll wear a skimpy cocktail dress to match you. Which time are you and Ruben arriving?"

"I dunno at ten maybe? Ruben won't be home until eight."

"Alright, I'll see you later then. "

"See you later Cherry."

You got off the phone and jumped right into the shower. There was no need to worry about dinner because there was plenty of leftovers in the fridge. Out of the shower you took your time doing your make up, pampering yourself with all the beauty products that you barley used. Despite liking the quiet lifestyle that you and Ruben had you remember that you hadn't always been like that. Enjoying a night out again would be fun, especially since it was your boss birthday, the chief editor of the magazine you worked at. And she had a habit going all out for parties. It would be fun.

"I'm home!"

"Ruben?"

You heard him calling from the living room. You had just tried out your dress and heels for the night and felt compelled to step out into living room in them. To Rubens surprise of course.

"Wow." He said, eyes darting widely at you. "You look..."

"You like it? It's not too skimpy?"

He shook his head. "Skimpy? Nah. I like skimpy."

"Ruben." You laughed. He dropped everything to get to you, basically ambushing your neck and shoulders with kisses.

"And you smell good too." He groaned. "Why the warm welcome?"

"What do you mean why?"

Ruben stopped kissing you and held you out in front of him. "Did we say we were going to dress up tonight?"

"Ruben I'm not playing dress up. This is my outfit for the party tonight. "

His eyebrows furrowed. "What party?"

You gasped. "My bosses birthday party? Did you forget that it's tonight?"

Ruben looked to come to the realization. "Oh that party." He let go of you and went back to pick up his gym bag from the floor. "Yes that party. I ironed a nice shirt for you to wear but you should probably wait to put it on until after dinner."

Ruben had you trailing his steps into your bedroom,  in a way ignoring what you just said.

"Ruben?"

"Yes baby?" He pocked his head out from the closet where he stood.

"Did you hear what I just said?" You frowned. He was leaving you hanging for some reason.

"Yes and about that party." Ruben stuffed his things in the closet before closing it and turning back to you. "I don't think I wanna go to that."

"You what? But you said you would."

"I know what I said, I just don't feel like it anymore. You know how it is."

"No I don't. Feel free to explain." You folded your arms.

Ruben sighed. "It's been a long day Y/N. I rather rest on the couch with you.  Put on a good movie or something? "

"But Ruben we do that every night. I was really excited to go to this party with you."

"Sorry." He shrugged and moved past you.

"Sorry? That's all you have to say for yourself?" You were quick to follow him into the living room, feeling your heart raise as you did."

"I'm very sorry?" He took a seat on the couch, stretching for the TV remote. However you stepped in front of the screen, blocking the signal.

"Y/N?" He frowned.

"Ruben, I let you drag me with you to all of your events. Can't you just attend this one with me? I mean my boss and all of my friends are going to be there."

"I never force you to come with me to any of my events. That's your choice." Ruben said his voice bit agitated.

"Yes, that's my choice as your girlfriend to come with you. Can't it be your choice as my boyfriend to come with me?"

"No." He said, without a second thought.

"Ruben?" Your hands fell to your side, a bit hurt by his remorseful response.

"I'm sorry baby, but I said I didn't want to go."

"You never want to go anywhere!" You shouted, stunning Ruben by the fact. "At least not anywhere I want to go."

"Y/N?" Ruben stood. He looked sorry to have upset you. "Let's not fight." He said, stretching for your arm. However you pulled away. Not wanting him to touch you.

"Y/N?"

You shook your head. "I'm going to that party. I promised Cherry I'd meet her there and when we make promises to each other we keep them."

"Y/N." Ryben sighed. "I didn't mean to..."

You took a step back as he took a step forward.

"Y/N, please." He seemed desperate to touch you but you kept moving away from him. The two of you ended up in the kitchen, where you grabbed your keys and purse from the counter.

"There's leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry." You muttered.

"Y/N." Ruben realized what was happening, that you were leaving him.

"I'll ask Cherry to take me home after the party, so don't wait up for me."

"Y/N, please don't go. I'm sorry, but please don't..."

"You know..." You said this with a hand to Rubens face, silencing his attempt to apologize to you. "...I understand your need to rest and recover and all, but I actually thought you would do this for me. I guess I was wrong."

"Baby?"

You turned your back on him, heading towards the door.

"Baby wait, I'm..."

You slammed the door in his face before he could manage to squeeze out yet another heartless apology. You were going to that party with or without him.

"I'm so sorry about Ruben" Cherry said, as the two of you met up for the party at the rooft bar of the fanciest hotel in Manchester. You told her about the fight you had with Ruben before you left. "Here, let me you buy you another drink." She said, snatching the empty glass from your hand.

Your attempt to enjoy the night had failed. You couldn't get the thought of Ruben out of your mind. You were still angry with him for not coming. But you were probably more upset by the way you left things. You and Ruben hardly argued with each other and when you did it simply left you heartbroken.

"Now tell me why a beautiful girl like you is sitting alone in a place like this?"

You were startled a little by the guy who suddenly approached you. He wore a blue suit with a red tie and his har was slick back with alot of gel, too much gel for your liking.

"I...I'm just waiting for a friend." You stuttured.

"A boyfriend?" He asked, raising a brow.

You shook your head. "Just my friend."

"Good." He said and sat down next you.

You looked towards the bar where Cherry went, unfortunately she was nowhere to be find at that moment. "Great." You thought.

"What's your name?" The guy asked. He was big and tall, but not nearly as big and tall as Ruben, who you really wish was here to save you right now.

"Y/N " You said in a manner of business.

"Nice to meet you Y/N. I'm Raul."

"Hi." You muttered, not really in the mood to chat with anybody right now.

"I'd like to buy you a drink if that's okay with you?" He said, eyes wandering freely across your chest.

"Actually my friend is getting me a drink as we speak." You pointed to the bar. Raul looked in the same direction but was unsure at whom you were referring to.

"Right, your friend." He said. "Does she bring you here often?" He said, referring to the rooftop bar.

"No, but my boyfriend does." You just had to mention that you had one for the guy not to get the wrong idea. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I see. But where is he now since you said you were here with your friend?"

You shrugged your shoulders. "At home, watching a movie or somethin?"

"And he left you to go out by yourself looking like that?" The man continued to eye your skimpy cocktail dress.

You chuckled. "I guess he kind of did."

"What a fool, no? If you were my girl I'd never leave you out of my sight not even for a minute. You can tell him I said that."

"Thanks but I don't think my boyfriend..."

"No need." A voice said behind you.

You turned around in suprise. There he stood.

"Ruben?"

He wore a pair of jeans and the beige sweater that you originally picked out for him to wear.

"What are you doing here?"

Ruben didn't answer you but kept his narrowed gaze at the guy occupying the stool next to you. That's when Cherry appeared behind Rubens shoulders with two flutes of champagne in her hands.

"Sorry that I took so long. Your boyfriend called me on my way to the bar, asking about the adress to the party. I had to text him the details so he could come here." She said.

You turned to Ruben. "You did? Why?"

His expression softened shifting away his gaze from the man sitting next to you.

"I'm sorry baby. It was stupid of me not to come with you in the first place."

"I'll say." The man beside you coughed.

"Can you...." Ruben curled his lip. That was Cherry's cue to help me get rid of the guy, offering him a drink at the bar.

It was just you and Ruben now. You still couldn't believe that he came.

"You shouldn't feel forced to do something that you don't want to do Ruben. I'm sorry if that's how I made you feel."

He shook his head and grabbed your hands. "No. I want it to be me you bring to these types of things. I'm mean I wouldn't want anybody else but you to be my date. And I should have understood that earlier."

"Oh Ruben." You clinged onto his neck, pulling him down for a kiss.

He spoke against your lips. "If you want me to dance, I'll dance, even if I'm shit at it. I'd do anything for you Y/N. I made a mistake of making you think otherwise."

"Oh Ruben. You don't have to do anything for me."

He wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting your heels from the ground, twirling you around a bit.

"But I do." He whispered. "Because I love you. "

"I love you too."

"Let's not ever fight again."

"I agree."

[do-you-have-a-flag]

a moment to rant about technology again (i've made variations of this post before but i keep thinking about it so here we are again)

my five year old laptop can no longer send or receive files from my three year old android phone, it's always struggled with bluetooth sharing, and these last couple years it completely stopped working.

for a while i would plug in my phone directly via a usb cable that i had to use with an adaptor since they keep removing ports on mac laptops.

the android file transfer app i was using got discontinued, the only options i have now are a subscription model app or 3rd party cloud storage.

So now if i want to get a file off my phone onto my computer i have to connect to the internet, log in to an account, wait for file upload, log in on my computer, wait for file download, hope there's no connection disruptions that break the process, hope there's no security concerns for hosting my files on an external server, and stay at the mercy of the free file hosting space limitations.

reminder: this is the only option when the ability to locally transfer for free using a cable i paid a few dollars for years ago is taken away from me.

OKAY annoying. i don't want to buy a new laptop or phone because frankly there are no actual improvements on the tech i would be paying for essentially slightly better function and dealing with a bunch of ad ons i do not want...

a more extreme example: I have a hand me down apple tv that's now 12 years old. this thing does not have an app store. earlier this year they removed the netflix app from it.

if i screenshare to the apple tv from my laptop to try and watch netflix from my laptop on the big screen it will stop displaying video.

the only way to watch netflix on the apple tv is to play it on my laptop while I use the same adaptor i use to plug in usbs to plug in a hdmi cable. kind of limits the portability of a laptop but whatever.

i will grant you over 10 years is a long time for support servicing a device, but at least newer apple tvs still run netflix on them.

the tv, the apple tv, the laptop, my phone, all things purchased full price years ago, all things that USED TO communicate fine, but every now and then an operating system will update and oops this feature or app you use regularly that you paid for won't run anymore! better pay a forever subscription for a totally different service! better buy a whole new device!

I like technology, but i think convenience stops being a convenience the second you have to pay unlimited money for it forever, the second it stops working completely if there's a minor network issue, the second it forces you to replace it every year, the second it impedes your right to repair. is it even convenient to rent access to everything?

in 2024 we had a power outage that lasted about a day, a complete network outage that also lasted for several hours and effected both wifi and network data, a tech outage that took down multiple services including eftpos for about a day. Sometimes power, internet, and electronics in general will crap out on you. it happens.

during the power outage I read a book. during the network outage i had mp3s and mp4s and cds and dvds. during the tech outage i had just enough cash to pay for the pet food when we discovered mid grocery trip that no one could pay by card.

I like the convenience of streaming and wireless sharing , i like not having to lug around multiple devices and a tangle of cables. but i also like not having to pay for wasteful tech. i also like owning the things i like. i also like having things that work and stay working until they're worn out instead of until a new version is released.

it's not about being a prepper or cutting off technology entirely. it's about having OPTIONS, it's about having something that functions for longer than 2 years, it's about having alternatives to apps and log ins and QR codes and 2fa.

it's great, for instance, to use your phone to hop on a train, look at a menu and place an order in a restaurant with a discount thanks to the points you have. but it is also good that i still have a physical travel card for public transport that i can just casually put in the hand of a guest who is visiting and shouldn't have to pay for an equally generic travel card for only 2 days of use. no id tied to it, just a piece of plastic with a fare already on it. lets say your phone dies while you're out and about. you have the travel card physically so you use that, you can' check your account balance with an atm and use the physical bank card instead of taping your phone, even if there's an issue with eftpos you might still cary some cash for a meal, and you wouldn't have to wait to pay back a friend you split a bill with if you have cash.

i think for sure rewards apps are useful, sure, however i think it feels extremely dubious security and privacy wise that we go from place to place leaving a trail of data with our spending habits. that already happens online of course but it doesn't have to happen in the real world.

why are we saying yes scan my face yes scan my fingerprint yes have data on what i buy and where i go and my contacts list and my files and my reading and viewing habits and my games. why are we acting as if linking all the services we have that data shared to with each other is going to be secure when the more businesses that demand these analytics the more our identifying information is at risk due to a wide web of possible weak points.

and circling back to the planed obsolescence thing, way too often the upgrades proposed to us is to trade ownership for forever-subscription access to libraries that have no interest in hosting their content if it's not profitable, or applications and services that harvest data and sell it to advertisers or scrape it for other products where the users provide free labour.

and what new conveniences are we sold? rent your phone it has ai assistants that are built from stolen data and will feed on your data so it can be sold and then a year from now when you're just about to have paid the same price you would have to purchase it outright you'll notice it's battery life has gone to shit and it's software has become weirdly unstable and you know you can get a great deal on the newer model!

but isn't it soooo convenient

you get a discount for 6 months on this streaming service and auto-predict on your texts in a different hat and an image generation feature so you can poorly edit your photos by adding in mulched pixels.

it's so convenient scan your fingerprint and tap your locked phone to check out faster at this self service bay where you don't have enough space and scan all the items yourself without a conveyor belt to organise them and you can't leave without a receipt because this way the store doesn't have to pay for more staff. some day your location will get those cameras that automatically scan your items as you walk around the store that definitely are run on ai and not just poor people working remotely checking the footage manually we prommyyyyy.

pay for 5 different streaming services to skip ads it's soooooo much more convenient than free to air tv or paid tv or the radio where you get ads. except sometimes you do still get ads unless you pay more and we won't let you share with friends and maybe we'll delete that show you were watching that we never produced a home release dvd set for.

we have screen sharing and wireless sharing and all kinds of watch together features but you have to get the newest version of our product it's so convenient just buy it again or be left behind even though your tv or phone or computer otherwise works fine. because you know if you pay for this service forever and get your friends to sign up with your code they get a discount! for a month! and the friends and family plans mean we get all kinds of linked data! share to your contacts! use our ai assistant to compose a message to your friends! share a link to this funny video with all the junk in the url so the video platform knows the age location device model and login id of the person you're sharing to! it's so convenient!

whatever. do whatever you want with your own tech useage. but maybe every now and then put your phone on airplane mode, maybe get cash out and go to a second hand bookstore or a cinema or a small cafe with friends, or if you prefer- go to a rave in an underpass or a music gig in an alt bar. take photos on a camera with an sd card. take photos on someone's polaroid camera. borrow a cd from your local library, rip the audio from it, make a mixtape, put it on a usb you covered in stickers, lend it to a friend. dig around second hand stores and online marketplaces for old mp3 players and get a pair of cheap aux headphones and listen to music free without ads.

you can still video call a friend so they can see their favourite singer live, or tip your driver who got you home at 2am, or watch an obscure foreign movie that went out of distribution in the 2000s, or find and order the exact model of a part you need to fix your vacuum using image search identification from a photo you took, or create a group chat with all your family members to share an announcement. there is legitimate convenience in tech.

I just want to advocate for backwards compatibility and a variety of options in preferences towards usage and ownership. I don't think that's too much to ask.

profits will always win out over privacy but i have a right to complain about it.

[residentfromnowhere]

| SOUP |

GiyuuTomiokaXHashira!Reader

TW: 18+ Themes, Masturbation, & Voyeurism Kink

Note: not proofread and I was half sleep when I made this so apologies for this mess of a Drabble -w-

“Yes, Y/N fuck me harder…ffffuuck-“

How did you get here? How did it get to this point and When did it get to this point? How did you get yourself into this mess of a situation to where your trapped in the door way of your friends home when all you were doing was delivering a bowl of soup. Soup for Christ sakes? And to someone who you thought was just a good friend no less? One second, you were walking down a path you have taken dozens of times to reach a fellow hashiras house and then the next thing you know, you open a door and hear not just anyone moaning, but him moaning. Loudly. See, it’s not the moaning that startles you and makes you stop in your tracks, it’s the fact that he’s moaning YOUR NAME out of all things and saying the most lewd and vulgar phrases afterwards that makes you freeze.

If anyone saw you now, they would think that you were a statue. Stuck between making a run for it or just standing there and waiting until after he’s done. There were many windows of opportunity to where you could have ran for the hills but each time, your body would cease to function, making you have to hear him call out to you and talk about you in such a way that you don’t know if you will ever recover from this. You were terrified to even breath in fear that he would notice but knew that if you didn’t leave soon, you would see something that will alter your perception of him forever

Giyuu Tomioka was a kind, quiet soul whose skill was nothing short of amazing and can easily be recognized as one of the demons corps best. He was the first to ever speak to you when you first arrived and always showed kindness and understanding towards you. So imagine how shocking it must be to see someone you look up to and call “friend” pleasuring them self to the thought of you. You respected him and saw him as more of a teacher than anything so why is it that you’re just now learning about his feelings for you And like this?

You snap out of your train of thought when you suddenly hear a low, breathless grunt. You finally get the courage to look through the cracked door and see a half naked Giyuu panting, chest rapidly moving up and down as he watched the remaining of his essence spurt out and god it was so much. He was covered in it and the thump from him laying down made you jump backward, having your head hit the wind chimes right above you. You both freeze, not knowing what to do and at that moment, you decided to drop the soup and run faster than you ever ran in your life and never thinking of turning back.

Ever since that day, you haven’t been able to look him in the eyes but he didn’t show that he minded it. At first, you weren’t sure if he saw you or guessed that you were there but after a few conversations, things seemingly went back to normal. Well, so you thought. What you didn’t know was that he sensed you and knew the entire time you were there and it just made him hornier. He was too far deep to stop now and he thought since his muse was there, he might as well put on a show.

He’s only keeping quiet for the sake of the friendship and for your own peace of mind but when I say that even after you left, he had another round because the very fact that you stayed made him horny and honestly couldn’t help himself, i mean he went harder than before. You could have sworn he mumbled something along the lines of “thank you for the soup” while walking away but wasn’t to sure. I guess we will never know, hmm?

[jaehyunsprincesspeach]

Hi! First of all i just wanted to say that i really love your writing style and your works❤️, i always have such a warm feeling inside me when i am reading your works😊 and second i apologize for any mistake cuz English is not my first language and you can ignore this ask.

I was wondering if you could do skz reaction to their idol!crush who is very respected in the industry that never ever does tiktok challenges with any other idols (aside from their members if they are not a soloist) wanting and asking to specifically do idk the s class challenge (i can't think of anything else🥲) with the members.

thank you so much, i'm so happy you enjoy my works !!

sorry this took me so long, but i hope you are doing well !!

all the love ~ lunar

SKZ React to Idol S/O Asking to do a Tiktok Challenge With Them

Chan

Chan knows that you only do Tiktok challenges with your group, so when you ask if you can record the two of you doing their S-Class challenge, he can't hide the shock he has. of course, he is more than willing to do the challenge with you, and honestly he has been wanting to since the challenge was released, but he never thought you would come to him asking, he thought he would have to ask you. when it finally settles in his head, he calmly brings you into the most comforting hug and says "i thought you'd never ask, lets go now!" he's calm, but there's no doubt he's excited to do a challenge with you!

Lee Know

Like Chan, he would be a little shocked that you are asking someone outside of your group to do a challenge with you, but honestly, he's not all that phased. if anything, he's happy that he gets to be the first person outside of your group to record a challenge with you. he knows that it could start dating rumors, but he really doesn't care, he's just happy that you asked him of all people, yet he still wont show how excited he truly is (spoiler, his heart is running in circles around his chest)

Changbin

the excitement this man has omg, you'll have to wait a good 10 minutes for him to calm down before he gives you a verbal answer. he would say something like "no way, my baby wants to do a challenge with me? how could i ever say no? hahaha all the other guys suck, im the first person outside of her group who gets to do a challenge with her!" he is like a child in a candy store, and when he calms down, he makes sure to tell you how special this is to him, knowing that you only ever do challenges with your group. pulls you into the tightest hug, and takes you to the studio (secretly the two of you record more challenges, but only post S-Class)

Hyunjin

thinks absolutely nothing of it, until he remembers that you only ever do challenges with your group, and he would have this realization right in the middle of recording it. like he would stop everything and just stare at you, mid recording, and would have to start all over again. once he does remember, omg he is so over the top happy. picks you up and spins you around telling you how honored he feels to be the first person you are doing a challenge with outside of your group, and tells you how happy you make him. once he finally gets it out, the two of you can finally record the challenge together.

Han

his brain straight stops functioning for a few minutes. the second you ask if the two of you can do the S-Class challenge, he's thinking about all of the conversations where you have told him you only do challenges with your group, or thinking about the potential dating scandal that could come from this, even thinking about the possibility that he messes up his own dance and embarrasses himself... once he comes back to reality, he acts all confident and unfazed, though he's really freaking out on the inside, but he is more than willing to join you, and is really happy that you asked him over anyone else!

Felix

sweet baby angel has no hesitation saying yes to you, like he does with everything else. he would ask if you're sure about recording a challenge with him, knowing that you only do challenges with you group, but once he knows you're all in, he's all in with you. he simply can't say no to you, but if it was something you are not comfortable with, he wouldn't do it. smiling the entire time, cause he finally gets to do a challenge with his baby, and he's over the moon happy that he is the only other person you have ever done a challenge with.

Seungmin

completely unfazed. he knows that you only do challenges with your group, but the fact that you are asking him means that you are okay with it, so he's not going to think too much about it. after recording, he would make sure that this was on your terms, rather than having someone tell you that you have to do this, but once he finds out it was your idea, again he's unfazed (secretly has butterflies fluttering throughout his entire body, but nobody gets to know that...)

I.N

I.N is another one who would be unfazed, though he might ask more questions before recording. he knows you are strong and that you wouldn't do anything that you are not comfortable with, so he will check before hand and make sure it is something you are okay with. after, he shows a little bit of excitement, knowing that he is literally the only person you have done a challenge with outside of your group. feels an overwhelming warmth in his heart for you, and makes sure you know how happy this made him, without showing too much PDA of course.