#they never get fined if they miss each others events and everyone knows why

[rie-092]

CHILDHOOD FRIEND

✶﹒ yandere! kim raebin x childhood friend! reader

honestly, i can't see kim raebin getting close to a woman who is completely stranger to him. so, let's just say that you were the daughter of their neighbour who is also his childhood friend.

we all know how introverted kim raebin was, so you had a hard time on getting close with him. because he always avoids you, or if you ever found a perfect time to talk to him, he always hisses making you blink. because for someone who looks like a bunny, kim raebin sure acts like a cat around you.

but wanna know how the two of you got close to each other? it's simple. it's because kim raebin accidentally saw you playing a guitar at a school event back when the two of you were in third grade. and boy, he was overjoyed! because this was the first time that he saw someone interested in music just like him!

at first, kim raebin was really shy when the two of you played or rather spent time together while playing various music instruments or making songs. but expect that after that, he would be so clingy. clingy to the point that he would follow you around like a damn puppy. at first, you thought that it was cute— not until you knew that he started stalking you around when you didn't hangout with him for a few days because you were too busy with school works.

what did you do? of course, you confronted him. but look, even though kim raebin has a problem when it comes on socializing with other people. it wasn't the same with you, because this guy knew everything about you. from your likes and dislikes, your habits, hell, even your measurements! that was the main reason why he easily changed the flow of the argument. he easily made you think that you are the one who's imagining that he was stalking you just because you missed hanging out with him, damn this smart guy.

kim raebin is so damn good when it comes to manipulating you into thinking that you were always the wrong one. forcing you to hang out with him without you thinking that he is actually forcing you. but, don't worry because kim raebin will never hurt you, he swear.

that's why when you heard that he got scouted on a certain entertainment company. you were overjoyed about this. because raebin will finally be able to achieve his dream and of course, you will be able to escape his clutches.

but, boy! kim raebin is a smart guy. because a year after kim raebin became a trainee, you got scouted too, by the same company that scouted kim raebin. how did that happen? you have no fucking idea. the only thing that they said is that they liked the song that you sent to them when you didn't actually send them one of your pieces. but who in the hell did sent it to them? you couldn't helped but to wonder. of course, it was a certain black-haired bunny who was overjoyed when he saw you confusedly stepped onto the company. and kim raebin— along with cha eugene who pestered raebin to introduce him to you welcomed you with the usual excited expression of his.

fast forward, when raebin debuted on testar, you also debuted and became the main vocalist, main rapper and lead dancer of your group. raebin liked the fact that everyone shipped the two of you. when does it start again? when you and raebin got invited to a certain variety show where the two kpop artists got partnered with each other and do certain tasks to see how compatible they were with each other. and seeing how the two of you easily do those tasks without even getting shy with each other, the host couldn't help but to ask the reason behind it. and when the two of you said that you were childhood friends. the internet got into chaos, fuck, childhood friends? everyone loves that kind of trope!

and now, he can visit you anytime he wants. seeing you and him eating together? it's fine, you were childhood friends after all! but seeing you getting partnered with a kpop artist who is not raebin? expect that everyone will criticize that idol because of that.

and raebin was satisfied with what was happening. he loved the fact that he was able to tie you down with him without you realizing it. it's fine even if you get into a secret relationship with other famous people. because once that was discovered by the public. he just needs to act pitiful and his and your fans will do the work to force you break up with whoever that guy was.

look, he likes you. he respects your decisions and choices but seeing you with other people makes his skin crawl. so, can you stay with him and do him a favour just like the old days, will you? because if you do that, he will gladly remain still and take care of you and protect your career.

“ i'm doing you a favour, you're just too irrational to see that right now, (first name).”

[saerins]

[ ೀ pucker up, buttercup | itoshi sae ]

ೀ content: female reader, fluff, sae and reader are adults, pet names (sae’s choice of words are stupid/idiot, calls reader ‘my girl’), alcohol, slightly suggestive at the end. | wc 1.5k | notes: okay did a very quick drabble for sae for christmas !! merry christmas to you guys <3

ೀ summary: being sae’s girlfriend is tough. there’s a lot of things he can’t make time for, and unfortunately this time, it’s you. but somehow, he always pulls through.

it’s christmas eve and you’re at your company function, looking at the fruits of your hard labour.

the event hall is decked with christmas decorations; stockings lining the walls and corresponding to different names for everyone’s secret santa to gift accordingly, christmas lights surrounding every table, everyone getting their fair share of the catering you’d arranged.

“this is amazing,” your boss gushes as she excitedly throws her arms around you. she’s only a few years older than you, so it’s not all too surprising that she’s always super friendly with you.

“relax on the alcohol, okay?” you joke with her, smelling the liquor already.

she pouts at you, batting her eyelashes. “oh c’mon, are you still upset that your boyfriend couldn’t make it for christmas?”

you sigh, though you keep a strong front, smiling through it. being the private girlfriend of an international soccer superstar is tough; he has to miss holidays and special occasions and more often than not you can’t even get your calls through because he’s just that busy. you’d been excited for this year’s christmas though, because he had said he’d be able to fly back home this time.

but as it turns out, his manager—who so happens to love overworking him—has other plans. so all of that excitement just went down the drain. still, what else can you say to him other than good luck with it? you knew being his girlfriend was going to be tough, but it’s starting to take a toll after feeling like you barely exist in his world.

still, you stare at the message he last sent you.

i love you.

and you go soft. soft, because you know he means it. soft, because despite everything, you believe in the man you fell in love with. the one who gave you your first kiss back in high school, the one who’s so awkward that even initiating to hold hands last time had his entire face beet red. the one who never fails to assure you that in spite of the distance, he’s always still thinking of you.

you fiddle with your necklace, the promise ring sae gave you when you were back in high school sitting around your neck like it always has.

in between all the long distance arguments and the time differences and the i miss you, wish you were here with me, you still find yourself hopelessly in love with itoshi sae. even when your friends say they can’t imagine being in your shoes, even when numerous tabloids love to put models or athletes as your competition, you know there’s still no one else you’d rather be with than him.

“i’m fine, really,” you assure your boss, prying her off of you and then adjusting her so her arm is around your shoulder as you lead her to her stocking. “here, why don’t you busy yourself and see what your secret santa got you?”

you really just want to distract your boss so she wouldn’t accidentally end up throwing you a pity party. all you want to do today is to make it through it, spend the first hour of christmas day rounding up the party and then get home and sleep your day away. it’ll distract you from the absence of your boyfriend anyway.

as you watch your boss happily open up whatever’s in her stocking, you wonder if your secret santa got you anything. (of course, some secret santas are dicks and end up not getting their person anything.) so count yourself lucky when you open up your stocking to find both a gift and a card.

amused, you rip the card out of its envelope, your heart skipping a beat when you see that inside of it, there’s a picture of you and sae as high school kids, beside each other, his face deadpan while you’re grinning from ear to ear, resting your head against his shoulder. the message reads: i love you so much it’s stupid.

you’re still in shock but you open up the little gift box, maroon with a green bow on it. when you see what’s inside, you can’t help but chuckle.

holding it above you, under the light, you can see the words hey, stupid engraved on the side of the fake mistletoe before feeling a warm pair of arms wrapping around your waist from behind, cold lips catching you off guard as they press themselves against yours.

it fills you up inside, takes all the weight off your shoulders. you’ll recognise him anywhere, without having to look or hear, the way his lips feel against yours, how he holds you gently against him, laughing softly against your lips as you pull him closer to you by the collar.

never in your wildest dreams did you expect to see your boyfriend in japan, let alone at your work party of all places, and now here you both are, kissing under the mistletoe.

“woah relax there,” he teases you, pulling away but still holding you close.

he’s here, he’s actually here. his hair’s in a mess, and there are circles under his eyes, but he’s smiling. he’s smiling at you and he’s here with you and you don’t even feel the tears forming in your eyes because you’re too busy relishing in the moment.

“itoshi sae,” you call out to him, your hands patting on his body, his black coat and his scarf are real and he’s here—he’s really here. “i thought you were too busy to come back…”

how long has it been now since you’d last seen him? a year? perhaps longer? he’s been so busy nowadays that you wondered at one point if he would even come back to you at all.

sae sighs, holding your cheeks in his hands as he presses his forehead against yours. “i’m sorry,” he says tensely, shaking his head slightly. “i was away for so long, and i just…” his teal eyes stare into yours, both your eyelashes dancing against one another. “i missed you, and i just wanted to see you.”

you’re laughing in disbelief, still holding him close because you’re just that afraid that this’ll all be an illusion that might soon slip away. “and they just let you off like that? that simple?”

he presses his lips into a firm line, averting his gaze. “let’s just say that they weren’t happy about it but i’m the important one, so…” he smiles, genuinely, putting an arm around. “they don’t have a choice but to let me come home to see my girl.”

turns out, he’d called in a favour to your boss, asked her about christmas plans because he knew from your texts that you were in charge of putting it all together. and then he asked her to put the gifts in your stocking. and you laugh hearing about it, because you’re thinking of how your life could’ve gone a totally different way. you could’ve gotten into a relationship with someone else who wouldn’t do this much for you, wouldn’t make time for you, wouldn’t travel across the world and put their own things down all in the name of meeting you.

“what’re you thinking about, stupid?”

you look into his eyes, shaking your head. “nothing, it’s nothing, i just- i love you, itoshi sae.” you smile, and sae smiles too because he loves how your smile reaches your eyes. and he loves being the reason you smile so he’s going to keep being that—and he makes a promise to himself to make you happy for life. but maybe that’s a gesture for next time. right now, he just wants to spend the rest of the holidays with you.

the clock strikes twelve, and he steals the mistletoe from you, holding it up between the two of you again, wincing from how cheesy it is after he does it, earning a chuckle from you.

“merry christmas, idiot.” and he kisses you again, long and slow and completely oblivious to everyone else that’s there who are staring and clapping—half of them still in awe that the itoshi sae is here and half of them in shock after putting two and two together that he’s your special guy.

“so, you’re gonna be here till new years’?” you ask in between kisses.

sae nods, “at least, why?”

you grin, pulling him by the belt as you lead him out of the event hall. “think it’s time we get home and just spend it between the two of us, yeah?”

sae laughs, letting you drag him along, wondering whether by this time next year, will he be lucky enough to call you his wife?

but when he sees that promise ring he gifted you still nestling snug around your neck, he has no doubt. you’re each other’s for life. and you’re worth every single risk he has to take.

[fairqves]

⋆ ｡⋆୨୧˚— FOREVER AND ALWAYS

𝜗𝜚 ༘⋆ ⋆˙pairing. bf! choi beomgyu x fem! reader synopsis. arguments with your boyfriend are never easy, but this one- this one may just be the breaking point. genre. angst ,, fluff ,, wc. 1800. 𝐥u𝐧a notes ⋆.˚ beomgyu the man u are🤭.. 🫧 — 𝓵𝗂𝖻𝗋𝖺𝗋𝔂

if you enjoyed reading, please reblog & like !! <3

Beomgyu had always been known for his charm and wit, his playful demeanor endearing him to everyone around him. But in private, he could be cold and distant, his mood shifting like the unpredictable weather.

Last night had been no exception. The argument had started over something trivial—his lateness, his unexplained absences—but it had escalated into a shouting match that left both of them wounded deeply by each-other’s harsh words thrown.

Beomgyu had stormed out, slamming the door behind him, leaving Y/N alone with her thoughts and regrets. She sighed, running a hand through her hair, and glanced at the clock. It was past midnight, and Beomgyu still hadn't returned. The silence of the apartment was deafening, and Y/N felt a pang of loneliness that she couldn't shake, which had been residing within her for a while now.

“I should head to bed” she mumbled, but as she felt the tiredness of the nights events crawl up into her, she also felt the doom of her relationship with Beomgyu, falling asleep with tears running down her cheeks.

The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow on the room. Y/N had barely slept, her mind racing with worry and anger. She couldn't understand why Beomgyu had become so distant, why he seemed to push her away every time they got close. She loved him deeply, but his coldness was breaking her heart.

She heard the front door creak open and sat up, her heart pounding. Beomgyu walked in, his hair damp from the rain, his eyes tired and hollow. He didn't look at her as he shrugged off his coat and kicked off his shoes.

"Where have you been?" Y/N asked, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and concern.

"Out," Beomgyu replied curtly, avoiding her gaze.

"All night? Do you have any idea how worried I was Gyu?”

Beomgyu sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. "I needed some space Y/N."

"Space?" Y/N's voice rose, her frustration boiling over. "You needed space? Beomgyu, you can't just disappear whenever things get tough!"

"Maybe I wouldn't have to if you didn't suffocate me all the time! I come home and here you are just bitching at me all the time!” Beomgyu snapped, his eyes flashing with anger.

Y/N recoiled as if she'd been slapped, her heart aching at his harsh words. "Suffocate you? Is that really how you feel? Bitching at you? I was worried for you, did you know how scared I was?”

Beomgyu's expression softened slightly, regret flickering in his eyes, but he quickly masked it with indifference. "I don't want to fight right now, Y/N."

"Well, that's too bad, because we need to talk about this. You can't keep shutting me out, Gyu. We need to talk about this.”

"There's nothing to talk about," Beomgyu said coldly. "I just needed some time to think."

"Think about what?" Y/N pressed, her voice cracking. "About us? About whether you still want to be with me? Wasn’t leaving me alone last night for the hundredth time enough?”

Beomgyu remained silent, his jaw clenched. The silence filled the atmosphere between them, heavy and oppressive.

"Fine," Y/N whispered, tears streaming down her face. "If you won't talk to me, then maybe you should leave."

Beomgyu stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, he let out a quiet scoff before turning on his heel and walking out the door again. This time, the sound of the door closing behind him felt like the final nail in the coffin of their relationship.

Days turned into weeks, and the apartment felt emptier than ever. Y/N went through the motions of her daily life, but the weight of Beomgyu's absence was a constant. She missed him terribly, missed the way he used to make her laugh, the way his eyes would light up when he saw her, and missed what it felt like being loved by Beomgyu.

She couldn't understand what had gone wrong, why Beomgyu had become so distant and cold. She replayed their last conversation over and over in her mind, trying to find some clue, some hint of what had driven him away.

One evening, as Y/N sat alone on the couch, her phone buzzed with a message. Her heart leaped as she saw Beomgyu's name on the screen.

"Can we talk?" the message read.

Y/N's hands trembled as she typed her response. "Okay."

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Y/N took a deep breath before opening it to find Beomgyu standing there, looking tired and worn. He didn't say anything as he walked inside, and Y/N closed the door behind him, her heart pounding in her chest.

They stood in silence for a moment, neither of them knowing where to begin.

"I'm sorry," Beomgyu finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry for everything Y/N”

Y/N felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Why, Beomgyu? Why did you push me away?"

Beomgyu sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I guess... I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Of losing you. Of letting you get too close and then losing you."

Y/N's heart ached at his words. "Beomgyu, you don't have to push me away to protect yourself. I love you. I want to be with you, no matter what. I won’t lie, you hurt me so bad Gyu, but I love you. Forever and always.”

Beomgyu's eyes softened at her words, Forever and Always, the same words he said to her the day he confessed his love to her, which seems forever ago now and he took a step closer to her.

“I’m so sorry baby, I love you too, Y/N. More than anything. I'm just... not good at showing it.” He says with his voice cracking at his land words as tears filled Beomgyu’s waterline.

Y/N reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Then show me. Let me in. We can face whatever comes together."

Beomgyu nodded, his eyes filled with determination. "I promise. No more running away."

Y/N smiled through her tears and pulled Beomgyu into a tight embrace. As he held her close, she felt a sense of hope and relief wash over her. They still had a long way to go, but for the first time in weeks, she felt like they were on the right path.

Over the next few weeks, Beomgyu and Y/N worked on rebuilding their relationship. They talked openly and honestly about their fears and insecurities, building up the trust and slowly, the walls between them began to crumble.

Beomgyu made a conscious effort to be more present and attentive, showing Y/N just how much he cared. He would surprise her with little gestures of affection—bringing her favorite flowers, cooking her breakfast in bed, or simply holding her hand as they walked through the park and giving her soft kisses.

Y/N, in turn, was patient and understanding, giving Beomgyu the space he needed while also being there for him whenever he needed support. She could see the effort he was putting in, and it made her love him even more.

One evening, as they sat on the couch together, Beomgyu turned to Y/N with a serious expression. "I want to apologize again for how I treated you. You didn't deserve any of it, I was such an asshole, I don’t deserve you.” He says with a small smile.

Y/N smiled softly and placed a hand on his cheek. "Thank you, Beomgyu. But what's important is that we're working through it together. I believe in us, and you deserve me just as much as I deserve you, we deserve each other.”

Beomgyu leaned in and kissed her gently, his lips soft and warm against hers. It was a kiss filled with love and promise, a symbol of their renewed commitment to each other.

Beomgyu sighs into the kiss as they pulled away, Beomgyu rested his forehead against hers. "I don't ever want to lose you, Y/N."

"You won't," Y/N whispered. "We're in this together, no matter what."

Just when it seemed like things were finally falling into place, a new challenge arose. Beomgyu received an offer to go on a world tour with his band, TXT. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, but it also meant months of separation and uncertainty.

Beomgyu was torn. He didn't want to leave Y/N, especially not after everything they had been through. But he also didn't want to miss out on such a significant opportunity for his career.

One evening, as they sat together on the couch, Beomgyu broached the subject. "Y/N, I got an offer to go on tour with the band."

Y/N's heart sank, of course she knew what that meant, but she forced herself to stay calm. "That's amazing, Gyu. You should go."

"But what about us?" Beomgyu asked, his voice filled with worry. "I don't want to leave you, not again.” He says whispering pressing his forehead onto hers.

Y/N took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "We'll be okay. We'll find a way to make it work, we always do Gyu. I believe in us.”

Beomgyu looked into her eyes, searching for any hint of doubt, but all he saw was love and gentleness. He smiled, adoration for you in his eyes and feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. "Thank you, love. I promise I'll make it up to you, mmh?” Beomgyu says fluttering his lashes onto your skin making you giggle and fall into his warm embrace even more.

Y/N leaned in and kissed him softly. "Just promise me you'll come back to me, no more running.” You whisper.

"I promise," Beomgyu whispered against her lips.

The day of Beomgyu's departure arrived all too soon. Y/N stood at the airport, holding back tears as she hugged him tightly.

"Be safe," she whispered, her voice trembling.

"I will," Beomgyu replied, his own voice thick with emotion. "I'll call you every day, I promise."

Y/N nodded, unable to speak as she watched him walk away. As he disappeared into the crowd, she felt a pang of loneliness and fear, but she knew they would get through this. She knew Beomgyu loves her, and she loves him.

Forever and always.

FAIRQVES 2024

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Sticking Point 6

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon, possible violence, illness, death, bullying, ableism, and other elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You are sent in the place of your ailing sister to marry a stranger. (Regency AU)

Character: Loki

Note: I'm moving tomorrow.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me 💞

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you all. Take care. 💖

The tension turns roiling. Even in such airy halls, you cannot escape it, not that you venture very far from your rooms. It seems with each interaction, your relationship with your fiance only grows more fraught. You needn’t wonder why. It’s the very same reason your own father regards you with derision. You’re defective, less than what he hoped for. 

You sit in the window seat, looking over the greenery that reflects Jade Garden’s title. It’s a home anyone would covet and yet it feels as a penitentiary might. These walls are unyielding and the isolation suffocating. 

Your visions drifts into the distance as the leaves turn to green smears blending into the dimming blue of the sky. You close your eyes and turn your head straight, leaning against the wall as you hook your arms around your legs. 

A banquet. It’s less than a proper debut. You’re not certain anyone would be expecting you, or even know who you are. Will they be surprised when they hear your father’s name?  

There are things you know. Things you must ready yourself for. Certainly, there will be jeers, mocking whispers, and errant giggles. Just the same as anyone ever reacted to you. Even the farmhands would echo your speech and laugh bawdily. It hardly matter’s your a lord’s daughter when you sound so ridiculous. 

You hang your head and sigh. It isn’t just one banquet, it is the beginning of a lifetime of events. You will not only face this one night, but many anon. You will be the one they speak of behind their hands and the joke at the card tables. 

You stand, made restless by your dread. The window darkens with the evening’s arrival. Doreen raps at the door and leaves a tray of supper. You pick at it but don’t eat much. You must keep yourself busy so your mind is not. 

You go to your chests. You will need Doreen to unpack these soon. It’s as if the longer you leave them full, the less assured your fate. You might still strap them up and flee. 

You know that isn’t truly an option. 

You take out a gown the shade of cooked pumpkin with an overlay that lends it a bronzish hue. The bodice is trimmed with an eyelet effect and the hem of the cap sleeves and skirt finely threaded with beads. You lay it out on the chaise and find a pair of slippers to go with it and ribbon for your hair decorated with black onyx and brass. 

If Edith could see you then. It should be her in your place. That thought rings louder and louder, bolstered by the constant disapproval. 

You back away from your attire, spinning so you won’t have to look upon it. You never thought to miss home so much. Not your parents, you’re certain they hardly grieve your absence, but for the familiarity, for the simple walls and memories. Edith is there, even gone, you know you would see her in every cushion and every corner. 

You go to the door and listen. As silent as ever. You emerge into the corridor and make careful progress on the pads of your feet. You come to the top of the stairwell and peer down on the foyer. For all it’s beauty, this place is rather grim. 

You descend and let your eyes lead you. You take in every ornament, every statue, every door trim, and every tile of the floor. You want to know it all. You don’t want to feel so lost. 

You find your way along to the sunroom. Upon your approach, the door opens and you falter. A lithe figure emerges. You press yourself to the wall, unready for Loki’s appearance. He has a snifter of liquor in hand as he glowers in the light of a lantern in his other.  

He steps towards you and pauses, lifting the light higher to cast over you. His breath escapes him derisively. He lowers the lantern and sniffs. 

“Like a rat, you skitter incessantly,” he remarks. 

“My Lawd,” you push away from the wall and angle away from him. 

“I am speaking to you. Do not go until I give leave to,” he demands. 

You stop and face him again, hands meeting in apprehension. 

“This banquet business,” his nostrils flare, “I will not be humiliated. Not as you have tonight.” 

“My Lawd, I have been twained in etiq—etiqwette,” you insist. 

He scoffs, “your manners hardly bother me. Certainly you might have some grain of awareness.” 

You seal your lips. He’s said it plainly, as you have. He might be able to close his ears to your impediment but it is with you always. 

“Perhaps you might keep your words to a minimum,” he advises, “select them wisely.” 

You stare at him, cheeks fiery and eyes tinging, “If you would wather, I might make an excuse. A sudden malady, my lawd. I’d hate to stain your chawacter.” 

His eyes roll to the side and his features sharpen, “more would be said were I to appear without my betrothed after my mother’s promises.” 

That he has referred to your nuptials is not so nice as it should be. He speaks to it as a sentence. You look him in the face. 

“It won’t eva go away,” you say. 

“Hm, I only need get through the wedding night,” he retorts and you can’t help but wince. 

You swallow, your hurt turning bitter. “As do I.” 

His head tilts and he squints. He lets out another snort, “pardon?” 

“My sista would’ve hated you,” you whisper. “You did not desawve to know haw.” 

“Be wary,” he steps closer. 

“You make an enemy of me, not I you,” you lift your chin.  

He’s silent. He shifts even closer. So near, you have to keep from wilting away. You stare back at him defiantly, heart beating. 

“You do not know yet what it is to have me as an enemy so you best mind your mannaws,” he mocks your cadence with his last word. 

Your lip trembles as he green eyes sparkle like dark emeralds in the lantern lights. Your chest is a flurry of hurt and anger. What have you ever done to him, or anyone, to make them so spiteful? You swing your arm against his to knock the snifter from his hand, sending a splash of alcohol across the wall and and his vest. The smell is acrid and sour. 

You back away from him, horrified at your reaction. You have learned to restrain yourself, to tamp it all down, to swallow it with a smile and say nothing. In that moment, you simply cannot. You shake your head as your face twists in despair. 

“I would wather an enemy, saw,” you hiss, “as I would be ashamed to call a cad like you husband.” 

His glare flashes and he sways as if he might lunge at you. He rights himself and his brow arches. His lips draw and his cheeks pale. 

“Very well.” 

He spins on his heel and stomps away, the light limning his silhouette sinisterly. You stare after him mortified. What has come over you? You were never bold or brazen or brutal to any. Edith would be disappointed. A gentle soul like her could never even think a hot word. 

You fall back against the wall and clutch your hands over your chest. Is this to be your life? Are you to live in loathing, not only of that man but of yourself. To be castigated for the lilt of your own tongue, the very pulse of your existence? You’d thought your father a villain but this man has proven himself worse. 

Worst than his distaste is your own futility, for he has assured you there is nothing you might do to appease him. As he is bound to you most miserably, so are you vowed to the same fate. Not even in that might you commiserate. 

🔹

You sit in front of the mirror, holding the brooch over the table, feeling the embroidery with the pad of your thumb. You turn it over and back again. It’s the only piece of your sister you have left. Every day she feels further away from you. Every morning, you awake, expecting to hear her, to see her, and she is not there, and you are not at home. 

You peer up at your reflection as your hand hovers over the painted wood. You’ve not touched a tress or cheek. You must ready, you know it, but your reticence is like chains on your wrists. You know what you are to face but knowing cannot make it any less unpleasant. 

A knock comes at the door. You call for the maid to enter, thinking Doreen’s come to remind you again of your pending engagement. The maid opens the door but says nothing, letting in the duchess instead. Lady Frigga is almost rapturous in a dressing gown of peach fabric as her hair is set already in tight curls around an elegant chignon. You stand, apologising for your misstep. 

“Dear, it is quite forgivable,” she assures, “I only meant to look in on you before the banquet, to be certain you do not require anything, but darling, oh,” she sweeps towards you and cups your cheeks, “you’ve not even begun. What is the matter?” 

“There is no issue,” you lie, “I mewely let time escape me.” 

You smile and gently pull away, turning back to the vanity. You open your hand and once more consider the pin. 

“Is this the dress you mean to wear?” Frigga asks as she crosses the room in a swish of silk. You peer over your shoulder as she looks down on the orange fabric. “It is a rather keen shade.” 

“Yes, my lady,” you answer in a dulcet tone. You cannot find a glimmer of concern for your attire. 

She sighs and returns to you, holding the ribbon you’ve chosen, “these are far too dour,” she touches an onyx, “haven’t you some pearls?” 

“Somewhaw...” You bend your neck, staring at the bluebird, at Edith’s handiwork. You remember the day she gave it to you and the way she smiled so proudly. How she pinned it on you herself and made you go around and show all. 

“Oh, dear, that won’t go at all. It would be nice for a lunch, no doubt, but not for a banquet,” she remarks and you close your hand around the brooch. You put your shoulders straight and face her. 

“I have a pawl band in my chest,” you resign and step around her. 

You go to the chest and sift around, careful not to let the brooch slip from your grasp. You take out the pearls on the ivory band and show it to her. She tuts. 

“It won’t go with this gown,” she insists. 

“Yes, the onyx--” 

“Mmp, I prefer pearls. Darling, you must be your best. It is your first social appearance. I do not say this to demean you, only to assist. I know your own mother cannot be here to see you debut but I cannot imagine her pain at this moment. So much loss. Both daughters at once, in a way,” she bemoans. 

Yes, you think of your mother too. You know she won’t be well. Nor your father. All their hopes and dreams dashed in a deficient daughter sent to carry a legacy on with a spiteful husband who mightn’t even have the stomach to deliver one. 

“I vewy much appweciate it, lady,” you make yourself smile, “I suppose it must be nawvs.” 

“Suppose it must,” she hums, “how about you wear the orange gown and I fetch you a feather pin from my own collection? I have a fabulous ostrich and topaz piece,” she assures, “and some black lace gloves. Ooh, yes, dear, we will make certain all is perfect.” 

“Thank you, Lady Fwigga, but it isn’t necessawy--” 

“You are to be my daughter, of course it is,” she preens. “Besides, who shall notice anything but how splendid you look?” 

She twists on her heel and your smile dwindles. You know what is meant. What she will not state plainly. Perhaps a fine outfit might distract from your crooked consonants. You sit on the stool again and watch her go. 

Even those who are kind cannot help their thoughts. She mightn’t be cruel about it, but you can hear the disappointment in her pandering cooing. You are not the daughter she wanted just as you are not the wife her son wanted. Just as you do not want to be as you are. 

[fallingdownhell]

hiii, can i be called 🧸 anon?

i'm new to your page and really liked some of your works! especially the "when your sister is the favoured child" one! i hope it's not too much to ask, i don't think I saw a rule against it in your rq rules, but could you make a part to for it with kaeya, dainsleif, and baizhu, if it's not too much of a bother?

i completely understand if you can't and i would say more about it but this request is already getting way to long, heh.

have a good day/night/evening !

Definitely! Gonna do my best with it as always!

Characters Included: Kaeya; Dainsleif; Baizhu

Content: gender neutral reader; reader has a sister; jealousy themes; slight cursing; estranged relationship with family; metions of cheating; mentions of assault

Word count: 4k words

Thanks for your request, 🧸- anon! Hope you enjoy<3

Kaeya

Having a relationship was never really a top priority for Kaeya or on his "To-do-list" at all.

It was more or less coincedence that he stumbled upon you, continued to have conversations that evolved into dates, which, in the end, led to the two of you to start dating.

He expected it, but it was a welcome turn of events for him. Kaeya never knew how much he actually enjoyed the domestic side of a relationship. He loved coming home to you after his work was done, he adored how you spoiled him with your cooking if you were home earlier than him.

Everything about your relationship just seemed so natural and right to him, like something he would never want to miss out on again. And he was sure that he would never get something as special as this with any other person.

You were the only one for him. At least, in his eyes. But even having said all that, it‘s still hard for him to open up about his past and what he has experienced in the past. It‘s not that he doesn‘t trust you or that he doesn‘t want to open up… he just feels like it‘s never the right time or he just doesn‘t know how to talk about it, since the one time he did do it didn‘t end too well for him.

You have a general idea though, as he told you very basic stuff that he feels comfortable with. But even then, you never pressure him to open up to you, and he can‘t even begin to tell you how much he appreciates you for that. It‘s hard for him, so he needs some time to figure himself out before he can openly talk to you about everything.

Likewise, he would never pressure you to talk or open up about a topic that you don‘t feel comfortable sharing with him yet. After all, that would be quite hypocritical of him if he were to do that..

Like you, he has a general idea though, about the stuff that weighs on you. You told him little pieces about your past, mostly that your childhood wasn‘t the best which was the reason why you weren‘t having much contact with your family, especially your older sister. And he‘s fine with that. Kaeya is sure that you had your reasons for that decision, after all, he can imagine that it wasn‘t one lightly made.

Which is why it surprises him all the more when one evening, you ask him if he wanted to meet your family.

Apparently, your mom caught wind about you dating the cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonius and now, she wanted to officially meet him, have him meet your family to introduce everyone.

Kaeya is honestly pretty indifferent about this. „As long as you want to. I don‘t mind whatever you want to do. It‘s your family after all.“

After thinking about it for a few days, you decide that you want to give them a chance, giving them the opportunity to meet your boyfriend and maybe, if all goes well, let them more into your life again.

So, after some back and forth, it was decided to meet over lunch at your parent‘s home. As the meeting came closer each passing day, you grew more and more nervous, while Kaeya remained calm as always. He really didn‘t have too many doubts, knowing that you loved each other, and that was all that mattered. No matter what opinion your parents might have of him, it won‘t change that fact, so what could they possibly do?

And now, the day was finally here, and you were nervous. Your mind was filled with doubt, thinking that maybe you made the wrong decision. Kaeya tried his best to reassure you, even telling you that neither of you had to go if you didn‘t feel comfortable, but you still wanted to see it through. „If things get too out of hand, we‘ll just leave, okay?“, you said to him, offering a way out to which he obviously agreed.

Actually meeting your parents wasn‘t all that bad to be honest. The first hour or so was going by really good, you were all having a good time and Kaeya seemed to be getting along well with your mother and father.

That was, until the front door opened again and in came your older sister. Kaeya immediately noticed how the energy in the room shifted, but decided not to comment on it.

He planned on standing up up going over to introduce himself to her, but immediately thought differently as soon as she opened her mouth. Upon seeing you, she instantly started to boss you around, giving you tasks to do even though you and him were the guests here. It almost seemed like she was treating you like her personal slave.

„What are you waiting for, get to it already, you slowpoke!“, she started to insult as you didn‘t move to do as she said, which seemed to irritate her.

„Darling, please? Can‘t you help your sister out a bit since you‘re already here?“, your mom then chimed in. Kaeya was speechless as he witnessed this. He was about to say something, but then he felt your hand on top of his and as he looked at you, you softly shook your head at him.

Then you got up and did what your sister demanded asked of you, which irritated your boyfriend even more. But per your request, he kept his mouth shut, but did keep a close eye on you.

He watched as for the like next ten minutes, your sister continued to berate you, insulted you even, while your parents didn‘t seem to care about that at all. In fact, they cheered her on from time to time, especially when they were comparing the both of you and how much better your sister was apparently doing, unlike you.

„Honestly, I don‘t know why this guy is even dating you. Look at you, you have nothing to offer to him! I bet he‘s just with you out of pity. Maybe he lost a bet and has to do this now, but he can‘t be dating you of his own free will. That‘s ridiculous!“, you sister laughed as she berated you again, your parents laughing right along with her.

And Kaeya has heard enough at this point. He clearly saw how hard you were gripping onto the nearest surface, knowing you had to be holding back tears at this point. All eyes were turning to him as he suddenly stood up from the table, looking over each of them slowly.

„I won‘t stand for this disrespect of my partner any longer. Up until know, I was wondering why (Name) didn‘t have much contact with their family, but I‘m starting to understand now. This is your own child you are treating so horribly. I honestly can‘t believe you‘re able to treat them that way.“

He walked over to you and gently took your hand as he led you towards the front door.

„We‘ll be taking our leave now. Thank you for the invitation, but I can promise you, you‘ll never hear from either of us ever again.“

And with that, he walked out the door with you, no protest to be heard from any of them. The walk back to your shared home was quiet as you were trying to hold back, to not break down in public still while Kaeya focused to get you both back as quickly as possible.

As soon as you were in the comfort of your own home, your dam broke down, tears started to flow uncontrollably. Kaeya held you through it all, gently stroking your hair and back, whispering sweet words into your ear.

One time, when you were calm enough to form some sentences, you just looked at him with a blank expression as you said „Thank you.“

He just smiled at you and kissed your forehead, continuing to hold you. You might not have the best relationship with your blood related family, but he would make damn sure that you would never miss anything from this point forward…

Dainsleif

Managing a relationship with Dainsleif is definitely easier said than done. Most of the time, he is gone, travelling all over Teyvat without telling you what he was actually looking for.

It‘s not easy but the two of you somehow manage to pull it off. Neither of you is exactly aware how this works, but you‘re both glad that it does. Maybe, you sometimes like to think, maybe there is no big reason or solution to anything at all. Maybe, just loving each other was enough for it to somehow work out.

Because, dating Dainsleif and just being with him feels… just right to you. Like it was always meant to be that way. Like to pieces of a puzzle that only work with each other, no second thoughts about it.

Ironically, he felt the exact same way about this relationship. For far too long had he wandered the lands of Teyvat all by himself. Though he longed for companionship, he never, not in his wildest dreams, had thought it possible to find a lover for himself. But after meeting you, it felt like there was finally meaning to his life again.

He wouldn‘t go so far as to claim that he „only waited for you his entire life“, those were lies told in fairytales to little kids. But loving you just came natural to him and just felt right. And he could only hope that, starting with you, his life would finally take a turn for the better again.

Dainsleif has actually come clear to you about everything about him pretty early on in the relationship. He didn‘t dump everything on you right at the beginning, but he also didn‘t want to wait too long with it, fearing that your feelings for him would take a turn for the bad were he to withhold this from you. You were bound to find out sooner or later, and he wanted to be the one to tell you everything, on his own terms.

Surprisingly to him, you took it quite well. He was not expecting that, but was pleasantly surprised with that outcome. Another thing that he didn‘t expect was for you to open up to him as well. Up until this one evening, you‘ve never really talked about your past or your childhood, but now you were. And what he heard made his heart break for you.

You told him about how, growing up, your baby sister was always favoured by your parents.

It would start out small. When your parents denied you a toy you wanted only to spend that money on your sister instead. How every time time your sister broke something, it got blamed on you and you had to take the punishment for it. How you were burdened with all the household chores while your sister was lazying around the entire day, doing nothing.

It would grow into your parents and other family forgetting about your birthday. They never bothered to congratulate you, much less buy you a gift on your special day. Meanwhile, your sister got showered in presents every year, large parties with all her friends were thrown in her name.

All of that led to your own sister starting to bully you. Your parents never believed you when you told them about it. After all, their dear angel could never do something like that. She was too innocent for something so lowly like that.

Which only enabled her to do even worse things to you. Even after she switched to physically attacking you, your parents still defended her, so the bullying never stopped. It got worse and worse the older you both got, yet your parents always took her side even if they were directly witnessing the abuse. But what else could they do? They praised your sister into the sky to every person they met, she was the pride of your parents, so they simply turned a blind eye to her missbehaviour.

The final straw was when you caught her in bed with your then boyfriend. She seduced him, getting him to cheat on you since she couldn‘t stand the thought of you having a relationship when she didn‘t have one. You were heartbroken when you found out, crying and telling your parents about it, hoping they would finally come to realize how much of a monster your sister truly was.

Yet, they took her side again, defending her actions. Telling you that the boy was a much better fit for her than he would ever be for you, completely disregarding your own feelings.

That was the point where you decided you wanted nothing to do with any of them anymore. As soon as you were able to do so, you left your home and never looked back. You cut all contact with them, moved to a different nation altogheter to minimize the risk of running into them.

Dainsleif sat there and listened to your story, just as you had done for him moments prior. He could tell that you had a hard time talking about it, so he did his best to make you feel safe with him, gently holding your hand, reassuring you that he was here with you. It did comfort you greatly and appreciate his silent support.

Then, sometime later, he had returned from one of his travels again. He noticed immediately that something was wrong with you, yet you refused to talk to him about it. It took him some time and gently reassurance, but he eventually got it out of you.

Apparently, while he was gone, you had recieved a letter from your parents. You had no idea how they had found you, but you were scared. You cut contact with them for a reason, you didn‘t want anything to do with them. The whole reason of you moving to a different nation was so that they would never be able to find you again. But they somehow did find you…and it scared you to no end.

Dainsleif wasn‘t sure how to best go about this situation. When asked, you told him that you didn‘t want to leave behind this life you build for yourself, yet you also never intended to ever meet with your family again.

For now, the letter was simply to be ignored, hoping that no further ones were to arrive ever again. But if they did, he promised you to pay a visit to your family… a nice little „talk“ never hurt anyone, right?

But for now, your comfort was his first priority. So, he went out and got you your favourite food. While eating, he made sure to say glued to your side, always making physical contact with you in some way, shape or form to remind you that he was here with you and that you didn‘t have to deal with that all on your own. Wether that be holding your hand, placing an arm around your waist, brushing your cheek, stroking your back, you name it. He is willing to do everything in his power to make you feel better.

Afterwards, he picks you up and carries you into the bedroom, where he cuddles you the entire night. Wether you fall asleep in his arms or stay awake the night with him, he keeps whispering sweet words into your ear, telling you how much he loves you, that you are the only one for him, that he‘ll never leave you, no matter what. Everything that comes to his mind, he just says it, hoping that it brings you comfort while being held close to his chest.

Dainleif is absolutely whipped for you. Your comfort and well-being is and will always be his number one priority. Everything he has to do, he will do without a second of hesitation. No matter what you ask of him, he will fulfill your every wish just to make you happy…

Baizhu

Baizhu is a very caring person in a relationship. Even though he has to be away from time to time due to unpredictable work hours, he always tries to make up for it to you right away.

He tries to spoil you the best he can, every single chance he gets. He cares for you, always asks about your day, tries to spend as much time with you as possible, just overall very attached to you.

And it‘s the same for you, honestly. You love to look after and care for him, especially when he puts himself on the line for his patients again. You, along with Chansheng, always tell him to be more careful and look out for himself. You‘ve often scolded him, yet he always does it again. You get him, but still, you wished he would look out for his own health a bit more.

For Baizhu, loving you came easy to him. It wasn‘t some big thing that felt like a responsibility, like a chore he had to complete. It was just natural to care and look after you, like you had always been there by his side, always with him throughout his entire life. He already noticed this as he was only getting to know you, but didn‘t talk about it to you since he thought it to be weird this early on.

Yet for you, it was much the same. Like you had known him your entire life but only know did you realize that you were missing each other.

Though it wasn‘t always easy. As Baizhu soon learned, you had some issues from past events, mostly related to your childhood, but some also happening more recently.

Even though it felt so natural between the two of you, it still took some time for you to completely trust and open up to him about certain things from your past. Now that you looked back at it, you felt silly for worrying about his reaction, but back then, it was a valid fear of yours. After all, many people would leave someone over less, not many are willing to deal with a partner who‘s gone through than much shit in life already.

And yet, he never judged you for it, always offered you his support and reassurance. When you first opened up about your assault, it was very difficult for you. Despite your family, he was the only other person you have ever told about this. It was hard talking about it, but his gentle smile and the carresses of his hand on your back gave you the comfort you needed to continue talking.

When asked about your family, you told him that you pretty much had no contact with them anymore, except for an occaissonal letter every other month or so. But you were fine with that. And as long as you were okay with that, that‘s all he could ask for. He might not know the details of what happened between you and your family, but he also didn‘t want to pressure you into telling him.

However, when one day a letter arrived from your parents with the request to see you again and meet your boyfriend, you were perplexed. You had no idea how they were aware of your relationship situation, but you also didn‘t want to think too much about it. After all, Baizhu was pretty well known within Liyue, it was possible that people talked about the two of you and your parents just so happened to catch wind of this.

You thought about their request for quite some time and in the end, with confirmation from your boyfriend, agreed to meet with them over dinner in one of Liyue Harbors many restaurants.

You were quite nervous to see your parents and your sister again after such a long time, but the same could also be said about Baizhu, who would be meeting your parents for the first time. Even though the relationship with your mother and father might not be the best, he still wanted to give them a good impression of him, reassuring them that you were in good hands and that he was taking care of you.

When you two arrived at the restaurant, your parents and sister were already there, seated at the table and waiting for your arrival. Once they spotted you, your mother waved you over. She then stood up and pulled you into a hug which you awkwardly returned after your initial shock. Your father simply gave you a nod while your sister smiled at you. You smiled back, taking a seat next to Baizhu after you introduced him to your family.

The first few minutes went by uneventful, everyone settled into comfortable conversation, questions were asked and answers were given, until the waiter came and took everyones order for the evening. Once he was gone, everything went downhill from there.

„So, Baizhu.. I hear you run the pharmacy here in the Harbor.“

„Indeed I do.“

„That‘s very impressive. And at your age as well! You certainly already achieved more than (Name) ever could!“

That comment didn‘t sit right with Baizhu at all. And he saw by the way you shrinked a bit into your seat that you were feeling uncomfortable as well.

„…Excuse me?“, he asked, a smile on his lips, but his voice was dripping with venom.

„(Name) always was very stubborn. They were supposed to take over the family business. Always refused, saying it wasn‘t what they wanted from life. As if they have any idea about what they want from life in the first place. Marrying them off was almost impossible. And after their little escapade, their… unfaithful incident, no one wanted to be married to them anymore.“

Every word your father spoke you shrunk more into yourself, feeling more and more uncomfortable as Baizhu‘s resentment for this man grew more and more. How dare he talk about his significant other in that disrespectful way. You were his own child, god damn it!

„Honestly, that child never did anything right. You could have really taken an example from your sister, (Name). Younger than you but she always does as she‘s told. You were always the difficult one. You should have-!“

„With all due respect Sir, but please shut up!“, Baizhu then interrupted, still smiling, but his tone was far from friendly. Everyone looked at him in shock at his words, including you.

„..What did you just say to me?“, your father asked, getting mad at being interrupted in such a rude way.

„I said to shut up. I don‘t think I speak that unintelligibel, do I? But I‘ve listened to enough. I won‘t stand for how you talk about my partner, your child, any longer. I see now why they chose not to have contact with you anymore. Such an environment can‘t be good for anyone and I‘m glad they made it out of there.“

Standing up from the table, Baizhu looked at you as he extended his arm for you, waiting for you to take it. You glanced over at your parents one more time before taking his hand and standing up as well. Your family only looked after you, too stunned by the situation to actually say anything to that. But it‘s not like either of you would have waited for a response from them.

As soon as you were out the restaurant, you sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. Glad that you were able to escape the situation, but it also left you hurt from the words your father spoke about you, and the way your mother so eagerly nodded along to everything your father said. It hurt to see that after all this time, nothing had really changed.

„Are you alright?“

„Yeah… Yes, I am. Thank you“, you mumbled softly, looking down at your feet.

„What for, exactly?“, Baizhu asked, genuinely confused on why you were thanking him.

„For standing up for me. No one‘s ever done that for me before.“

Hearing that, his heart both swelled and broke at the same time. He smiled as he gently placed a hand on your cheek, carressing it with his thumb. „For you, gladly. And I would do it all over again the next time, as well. You are the most important thing to me, never forget or doubt that, even for a second.“

[truetealtears]

So many fic writers don’t acknowledge the fact that canonically Fenris hosts a game night with Donnic at the mansion WEEKLY

Like sure he probably put them on hold for a bit after his personal quests since oof those were not good times but past that he sees Donnic once a week!

So many of you guys are missing out on A - probably one of/the only friend Fenris consistently hangs out with OUTSIDE of Hawke and Co (even though he’s Aveline’s husband lmao). And B - the closeness and hilarity of their relationship, like they do this for years, they clearly talk to each other about a lot. To the point where Donnic tells him about maybe having children and stuff, which Fenris then asks Aveline about and she goes ‘you two talk too much’ LIKE??? ITS RIGHT THERE IN CANNON

The funny part comes in when you’re romancing Fenris because everyone depicts him as like brooding about it alone in his mansion for weeks (which he definitely did ngl) but then only confiding in either no one at all or like Varric WHEN DONNIC IS CANONICALLY RIGHT THERE

Like can you imagine that at one point during one of their game nights in Act 3 Fenris is like:

“Donnic”

“Yeah?”

“So you are married…”

“Listen Fenris, buddy, you’re right. I am happily married and as your friend I would love to give you relationship advice but you were there for the absolute mess that was Aveline trying to court me. You know full well why I can’t really help you get with Hawke. The two of you combined are worse than even my dear wife.”

“We are not that bad”

“Fenris”

“Fasta vaas, fine. So what now?”

“Well I can offer encouragement, Aveline is close with Hawke used to have tea with her mother a lot, so I can tell you with absolute certainty that Hawke is into you and Leandra wouldn’t have disapproved. You just have to make your move… and also never tell either of them that I told you this”

*Meanwhile in the Hawke estate*

“Aveline I need you to do me a favour and get Donnic to find out if Fenris is still into me”

“What?”

“You told me they hang out a lot! And I can’t just ask him that myself so I need you to find out for me Please? I really need you to return the favour here!”

I think this would be an absolutely hilarious interpretation of canon events and a really funny and sweet dynamic between the four of them. The rest of the Hawke flock could joke about them going on double dates lmao

TLDR: Donnic and Fenris are canonically really good friends and this should be acknowledged more in fics and stuff

(Fenris and Aveline are also good friends fyi but that’s for a different post. As well as something I have actually seen a couple of people talk about on here so yeah another time)

[ggomos-maribat]

9 | in which nights are spent, kisses are missed, secrets are laid out

Part 9 of No Mr. Wayne You Can't Adopt Me! | Masterlist

"Hello? Damian?" Marinette tucked her phone between her ear and shoulder as she continued sorting out the files. "Listen, something came up at the office today and Mr. Wayne won't be able to meet you for dinner outside. Sorry, it was an emergency. He said he'll postpone, though! I'm marking his calendar right now."

"Hm. I'm on my way to the restaurant and I believe it's already reserved," said Damian. "Will you be occupied as well? Why not come in place of Father?"

Marinette paused, slowly registered what he had offered, and then smiled. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"I suppose so, yes."

"Really? Didn't you say for it to be a date, one has to harbor some sort of romantic feelings for the other?"

"Yes, I did say that."

Marinette couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. And her reddening cheeks. Kwamis, was that him trying to flirt? When did Damian learn how to flirt?

"Well, are you free?"

"Yes, I am in fact." Marinette practically burst into her boss' office and shoved the remaining documents into his hands. "At seven, right? I'll see you."

She packed all her things in a hurry and sped home on her motorcycle to get ready. Though Bruce would oppose this 'date' of theirs if he knew, she didn't want to miss the opportunity. I'm already off the clock anyway. Let's just hope Bruce won't come crashing our dinner.

***

"Thank you for accepting the invitation on short notice."

Marinette had to admit, Damian cleaned up well. Since the restaurant was on the fancy end, he wore a simple button down that complimented his eyes. Marinette herself had only changed into a red blouse but kept her office skirt.

"I would've been in bed with microwaved dinner and my laptop if you hadn't invited me anyway," Marinette beamed as she took a seat. "Still, I didn't expect you to actually invite me."

"I thought you needed a break from your work," said Damian. "The company seems very busy nowadays. And you're still taking your online courses, aren't you?"

Marinette could've melted on the spot. Damian was always the support behind her like that. At first there were only little gestures: updating her if any of his siblings might come to the office and cause trouble; telling off his father for making her do extra work; dropping off snacks for her when he visited. Soon they became comfortable with texting each other regularly.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "There will be a big event two weeks from now, so everyone's trying to meet deadlines."

"Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Yes, Damian."

"Eating enough?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I am, mom."

"Has Father been bothering you too much?"

"It's just the usual," she said. "Actually, I think he's careful not to give me more work because he knows I tend to overwork. You don't need to worry, okay?"

Damian lowered his gaze, staying still for a moment. "You're like Pennyworth," he told her. "People like you . . . you help out people like Father at the expense of your wellbeing. I've seen it take a toll on Alfred sometimes—he is still human after all. I thought you needed a break from all that."

He looked up at her. "If you're taking care of everyone, who's taking care of you?"

Marinette just stared. There were some tears prickling at the back of her eyes but she didn't dare let it take over. Damian had hit close to home without meaning to.

"Ah, you're right." She noticed that her voice was thick. Oh fuck, fuuuck the tears are spilling. "Sorry, I . . . sorry."

"Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I . . ." She took a deep breath. "I just remembered something. Before, I used to do a lot of favors for a lot of people too. My parents, my friends, even acquaintances. Sometimes I never noticed how many things were already on my plate and so I end up so stressed out trying to please everyone."

To save Paris. To keep the city from crumbling under my watch.

"If you do feel stressed out, I'm here."

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I meant earlier. I . . ." Damian's expression contorted, as if he were looking for the right words. "I've been trying to sort out my feelings recently and I want you to know that I care a lot about you. More than in the sense of friendship."

He likes me back. He actually reciprocates. Marinette's heartbeat stuttered.

"But you know my contract, right?"

"Yes, that is why I won't ask you to—well—enter into a relationship with me. Your job is on the line after all."

Looking to her side, Marinette saw twin doors leading to a spacious balcony. She needed to talk with Damian properly, and it was best they had some privacy. She turned back to him. "Do you mind if we step out?"

Damian quietly told the waiter and ordered the chef's recommendation before leading her to the balcony. Marinette took the liberty of closing the doors and then turned to him. "I just want to get some things out of the way since you confessed to me."

"I know about you," she said in one breath.

"Know about what?"

Marinette subconsciously fidgeted with her hands. "I know. I know everything. Mr. Wayne is Batman, you're Robin, your siblings are the other vigilantes."

He fell dead silent, which worried her a little. Was it a bad idea to tell him that after all? Kwamis, I should've kept my mouth shut. Now he's going to look at me differently and take back his confession and tell his father and I'll be fired from my job and forced to live in the streets forever blacklisted by Gotham's vigilantes—

". . . I see," he finally uttered.

She twisted her fingers. "Are you upset?"

"I don't know . . ." Damian stepped forward. Closer to her. "I shouldn't have underestimated your intuition. I also shouldn't hold it against you since Father's identity is glaringly obvious at this point."

"I trust you, Marinette," he added softly while taking both of her hands in his. "If you know about me, about my family, but still return my feelings then I shouldn't complain. I was afraid I'd need to tell you myself and you will see me differently."

Her eyes widened. "What? No, that doesn't make a difference! I mean, uhm, it makes me understand why you always look tired in the morning or why you're concerned when I go out at night. I'd never think it makes you a bad person."

"What if I told you I've killed people before?"

She bit her lip. "Um, can I tell you another secret?"

He nodded.

"I know your mother."

Damian's eyebrows shot up. "My mother? You know . . . everything that I did?"

"Yes." Marinette drew out a slow slow breath. "Yeah I, uh, I know her and it may or may not be because of my time in Paris as a magical girl saving Paris from akuma attacks."

"Ladybug. That was you?"

"Basically."

"And mother was . . ."

"My teacher of sorts."

She let him take it all in but couldn't read his face. Is he too shocked? Amazed? Sad? Angry? Betrayed? Is he going to walk out of the restaurant?

"I wanted to tell you so you know fully what kind of person I am," she quickly supplied. "I don't like keeping secrets from people I'm close with after hiding one for so long."

"It . . . it all fits, I suppose," said Damian with a squeeze to her hands. "You're a hero."

"Former hero," she shrugged.

"You still are. It must've been hard to shoulder that responsibility."

"You have no idea." Marinette chuckled.  " . . .So?"

He blinked. "So?"

"You still, er, like me?"

"Of course I do. Nothing will change." Closer. Closer. He pulled her gently closer to him. "What about you?"

"I like you a lot. I really do."

His lips look . . . inviting.

"But?"

"There's no 'but'." She shook her head. "That's it. I like you."

His head lowered down to hers, gaze flickering downwards. He was so close, close enough for her to feel his breath fanning on her skin. But at the last second, she pulled away.

"Sorry we can't." She looked up at him apologetically. "Not yet."

"Oh . . ."

Instead of a kiss on the lips, Marinette tiptoed to press one on his cheek. "It's okay. I'll get this to work out." She squeezed his hands. "Trust me."

bonus deleted scene: here

[hp-abandonshipfest]

Abandon Ship Fest Masterlist

Ahoy there! Our voyage is now at an end, and we, the mods, are delighted to announce that we have 23 spectacular gen works for your perusal! Thank you to everyone who engaged, commented, reblogged, and followed along. Your support means so much and we are so grateful! Without further ado, here are our entries ⚓

Fine Print by nocturn Marietta's maxims for a life well-learned and well-lived.

Where the Heart is by silver_fish - a Podfic by @cailynwrites After the events at the Department of Mysteries in June—and all that came after—Harry finds himself once again stranded at Number Four Privet Drive. With only his own thoughts to keep him company, he takes to writing letters to the only person he thinks can help, if only he were still alive to do so.

Collected Correspondence by Artemisaki, jtimu Correspondence between Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy regarding publication of novel findings in magizoology and wizarding space. 

Maybe this is enough by Patriceavril Scattered moments throughout a doomed friendship.

All The Whys To Map The Stars by @nogenrealldrama  Sometimes Astronomy feels like the least magical subject at Hogwarts. But while the influence of the planets can seem subtle, it’s also ever-present. This fic is a short narrative exploration of how Astronomy might affect magic in the Wizarding world.

Eat Your Death, Draco by @sillywives Draco's first dinner with the Death Eaters isn't what he expected.

The Ostentation by @lumosatnight, @nanneramma Lucius Malfoy: the boy, the man, the bird.

[ART] Never Been in Love by @okeydokeylackey Little piece of art/gif of Voldemort with an aro/ace flag 🧡💛🤍💙🖤

The Winds Forbid by @dodgerkedavra The third letter Petunia receives from Albus Dumbledore simply can’t be right.

The Sacred Blood We Spilled by @bunnieblair Her sisters were her ever-present companions in life. Their presence at her side firm and unyielding. Years of treasured girlhood, of never being alone. A lifetime spent fighting, learning and growing together.

Between Truth & Repose by @caitriona-3 Lily figures the assignment is as good a chance as any to ask her question - why are the three curses unforgivable?

Aniseed by @poljupci The Art of Identifying the Things which No Longer Serve You

These Dreams That Deepen Our Desires by Clueless Anxious Ghost of Hayhay (ShadowfoxFreyja) Narcissa finds herself in Azkaban, unwillingly dwelling on her past experiences.

The Diary of T.M. Riddle by @midnightstargazer On a visit to the Malfoys, fourteen-year-old Sirius insists on sneaking off to explore. What happens when he and Regulus find a blank diary hidden deep within the Malfoys’ library?

Ollivanders and Potter: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. by That_Dark_Forest_Witch The wand may be the one to do all the choosing, but wandmakers are needed to help the pairs find each other. The getting-ready-for-school rush in Diagon Ally is one of Harry's favourites now that the shop is his.

A Good Place (Believe Me) by SquibNation10 Five-year-old Harry's idyllic summer in Godric's Hollow takes a dramatic turn when he meets Tom, a troubled boy. Tragedy strikes: Harry's sister, Luna, is missing. Can Tom and Harry solve the mystery together?

The boy and the dogfather by HadrianPeverellBlack Trouble is very protective of the young boy.

The Secrets We Keep by sky_watcher_rose Minerva knows who the black cat with the brown eyes is, but she never says anything. After all, as she keeps telling herself, she has no proof.

Learning to Unlearn by @offthemap A Pansy Parkinson character study. Over the course of a year and a half, Pansy starts to become more open-minded about the world she lives in... though at first not on purpose. A series of vignettes.

My brothers, my boys, my twins by @lucigoo Percy was unintentionally parentified at a young age. Now, on his first birthday without Fred, he finds himself with George and Harry. Reminiscing about the boys he all but helped raised.

Missing Pages by @nightfalltwen Something isn't right with Monica Wilkins' life. It's like reading a book with the pages torn out and she doesn't know.

Unbreakable bonds by x_manga_Bleach_x Bill was Ginny's favourite brother. She'd never tell Ron though. He'd pout and sulk for days.

our house in the middle of our street by daniko A neglected orphan, a former and future spy, and a convicted felon take up residence in a grim old place.

[martialartslover7]

In defense of Sasuke Uchiha (Blank Period)

Another rant post of mine. Hoo boy.

Like, I don't know about you guys, but, honestly, Sasuke should have returned to the Leaf village, regurlarly, after the war. Not after months or years, and here is why: Sasuke may have chosen to leave the village and become a rogue ninja, but never forget...

...he is as much of a victim, as the rest of the entire Uchiha clan (safe for Madara and Obito), and the Leaf village, in the grand scheme of things. He was never the problem.

Remember, Sasuke wouldn't have even defected in the first place, had the Konoha elders not been such an ignorant and stubborn bunch, that is both stuck in the past, and unable to move on. Remaining bitter towards the Uchiha, until they get laid to rest in their coffins. ...Our totally trustworthy leaders, everyone! Would you still apply for a job with them, after what they had done to the Uchiha?

Here is a thing, if they were fine with the Uchiha getting sacrificed to "maintain peace" and wiping everything under the rug, too, where should we draw a line? Where does it stop? What other clan might have been next, had the Uchiha not been the ONLY ones to agree with a coup d'état? You really mean to tell me, neither of the clans, that had sensory abilities like the Hyuga, the Yamanaka, or even the Inuzuka, were ever made aware of this? This. Was. A. MASSACRE. This wasn't a spy operation, innocent civilians were slaughtered in the process, remember, not every Uchiha was even able to unlock their own Kekkei Genkai, so, the only logical conclusion is:

Either, Danzo might have blackmailed the other clans to shut their mouths about this incident, because, come on, NO ONE can tell me, the screams from men, women and infants, along with blood splatters, could have been missed so easily, I know the Uchiha were shoved into the very edge of the village, but what are the chances of this just getting ignored, just like that? Especially if you have the Byakugan, or you have a hound with you, like the Inuzuka?

The elders from each clan in Konoha were all in on this, as an orchestrated, planned event, choosing willingly to ignore it all, because hey, it's so convenient to just look away, when it doesn't concern your own clan, right?

This isn't the face of an "irredeemable piece of trash war criminal, who doesn't deserve forgiveness". This is the face of a man, who has seen and been told some shit, that cannot ever be unseen or unheard. Imagine being born into a world, where, the very second you drew breath, everyone hates you, just for existing, for things, you didn't even ask to be burdened with. Much less, when you were still a kid, too. And doing it in SECRET, no less. Dude. This doesn't take a genius to understand, how fucked right up this is.

Plus, am I the only one who finds it insanely shitty from either Naruto, Sakura or Kakashi, to never make any efforts to publically criticize or oppose the elders for what they have done to the Uchiha clan? Wanting to bring the truth about the entire clan to light, and put the elders and feudal lords on the spot? Just for the fact alone, that they never once tackled this subject during the Blank Period, is, to me, a very shitty thing to do, especially since Naruto prides himself the loudest on having made Sasuke come back to his senses, and yet, never once, does he challenge these old farts? Really? Maybe I am missing something, feel free to correct me, but from my memory, neither he, or Kakashi, when he was still Hokage, made ANY efforts to publically apologize to the Uchiha clan, or even so much as trying to build memorial stones for the deceased Uchiha, or hell, even Itachi (I think?). And yes, I know, the clan was at the verge of starting a civil bar, but again:

NOT ALL OF THEM. WERE FINE. WITH IT. ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING, IT ALL MOSTLY STEMMED FROM MADARA BEING A SORE LOSER, AND TOBIRAMA BEING A RACIST PIECE OF GARBAGE. AND A HUGE PORTION OF THE UCHIHA WERE NOT EVEN ASSIGNED SHINOBI. PRAY TELL, KILLING EVERYONE, BECAUSE OF A FEW ROTTEN APPLES MAKES EVERYTHING OK THEN?!?!?!?!?!

And Kakashi bears Obito's Sharingan, he is living evidence too, of what public scrutiny and scapegoating can do to a person! His life, is essentially no different from either Naruto or Sasuke, and yet, despite having taught Sasuke, and still loving him as a teammate, no, as FAMILY, he NEVER ONCE HELPED HIM GETTING HIS NAME CLEARED?! What the FUCK, Kishimoto?

Also, can I be honest? I hate Boruto, as a follow-up story, for a different reason altogether. That being:

It STILL pretends as if the Uchiha are "evil, by default", and the elders are still, somehow, by some twisted "miracle", "in power", during Naruto's and Kakashi's rule. I mean, just for the fact, that these dried up twigs still have any say, WHATSOEVER, even the tiniest bit of presence in ANY capacity, after all the vile shit that they have pulled, by siding with Danzo, and making backhanded deals with other villages, is enough of a reason for me to more than sympathize with Sasuke's decision to never truly consider this village home, because WHY WOULD HE? These assholes ruined his life, way before he was even born, and yet these same jesters expect Sasuke to live in seclusion, and in shame, over what his heritage has done, but taking accountability for their own actions? Pffft, noooo, why would they? Their reputation as "village leaders" is more important than confronting their own shortcomings...

So, no, after the war, Sasuke should have been given some form of leniency, with either Naruto, Sakura or Kakashi having gone off to spread the word to other nations that what he did, cannot easily be pardoned, but they at least, THE BARE MINIMUM, deserve to know and understand, WHY he did all this. This. THIS course of action would have been a serious love letter to Sasuke, a sign of appreciation that, no matter where he went, he will always matter, even if he believes himself to be undeserving of it, because: It just isn't productive to be leaving an already scarred individual like him in the mold of "all Uchiha, bad", because that just won't work out. Paying for his wrongs is one thing, but putting him, for the rest of his life, along with his future descendants in the "square of shame", is just plain pathetic. Sasuke deserves to have some peace and quiet, too.

Moral of the story: DO NOT. LET HISTORY. REPEAT ITSELF.

Look, this post is not meant to excuse anything Sasuke has done, I am only providing more context that explains, why I feel like, the story was doing him dirty, especially near the end of Shippuden and during the Blank Period. You can think whatever you want about him, I don't care, all I am saying is, even someone like him deserves some well-deserved closure, because, that never happened. The stigma has not disappeared, and it wasn't Sasuke's doing, it was Madara's, don't get that confused. Besides, go on, keep ignoring the concept of "from action, follows a reaction", just so you can keep twisting and turning it, to always make Sasuke appear like the bad guy. Keep doing. You're doing great. In exposing how stupid and ignorant you are, frankly put.

Sasuke deserves to live in peace, he deserves to be happy, and not live in another illusion of supposed "peace", when really, nothing has changed, he deserves better. And look, we can judge Itachi all we want, but in the end, he still loved his brother, and that remains forever, all he did, was for him, as twisted as his method ended up being. It still ended up saving lives. No one else deserves to bear such a burden. Which makes it even more imperative to not wipe something as important as this under the rug, because "the truth is too unpleasant". Case closed.

Peace.

[nehswritesstuffs]

polite

This thing needs to get out in the world please go and be free my problematic LawSan be freeeeeee~

4723 words; this is the first fic I had begun writing where the Straw Hats refer to Law as Traffy so you can see me working through that a little bit; remember kids: inhaling smoke/vapor microparticles is bad to do in real life because it fucks you up real bad but these are blorbos from the comic/cartoon they don’t live by the rules of reality; I’ve been looking over this thing for a while so if there’s anything that slipped please forgive me my eyes go cross at these words at this point

polite; Sanji cooks dinner and Law wants to thank him, properly. [modern AU; contains naughty times]

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

There was no question that Law’s life was more eventful now that he was socially entangled with the Straw Hats. Unfortunately, he had enjoyed how his life was before: he had literally three close friends, a little over a dozen close acquaintances, and his dog. Everything was contained, he could trust everyone, and he would go home to his apartment to find the fuzzy ball with nothing in its brain other than lint ready to be adorable. There had been literally nothing missing from his life—nothing that he felt he wanted out of the world from what it could give anyhow—and things were likely better that way.

Except now, when he came home, there were often unauthorized people there, let in only Nika-knew-how. Why the Straw Hat Gang (which was, unfortunately, not the weirdest collection of people he knew with such a descriptor) thought they had full use of his apartment, he did not know, but it was getting fucking ridiculous as he would come home to multiple people with fewer braincells than his dog wandering about the place. Tonight was no different as he came in to find Onigiri bouncing around merrily on the carpet while Zoro was sleeping on his couch, Nami was watching his TV, and Sanji was using his kitchen to feed Luffy and Usopp.

“Give me five good reasons why I shouldn’t call the police,” Law droned, his voice clearly bored. “One for each of you, come on.”

“Don’t be so stingy, Traffy,” Nami said. “We’re not breaking anything.”

“Yeah,” Usopp added, mouth full of food. “Also, Onigiri’s fine, we don’t even have anyone looking for us, and Franky’s not trying to improve your alarm clock.”

“Oh, and ACAB,” Luffy nodded. Law pinched the bridge of his nose—he did not need this after eighteen hours in the trauma center. “You know we’re right.”

“I’m not in the mood; get out,” he demanded. “Some of us have jobs to recover from, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, ‘cause you’re ‘an adult’ and ‘a functioning member of society’,” Usopp groaned. He and Luffy went to grab Zoro, dragging the half-awake moss-head out of the apartment with Nami not far behind. Sanji went to leave as well, only for Law to grab him by the upper arm.

“Not you—you’re helping me clean up after you take whatever you left in the oven out.”

“Want me gone, want me here; make up your fucking mind,” Sanji scoffed. “Oh, Nami-swan! I’ll be around later! Have to make sure Traffy’s kitchen isn’t mildly sloppy.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” Nami said as she closed the apartment door. Onigiri whimpered as he put his paws up on the door, wanting the other people to come back. Four seconds of that and he was frolicking around the apartment again, seemingly forgotten the others.

“What do you have in the oven?” Law wondered. Sanji shrugged and went back into the kitchen, with Law sitting down at the island bar.

“I didn’t have a lot to work with, and Nami wasn’t hungry, so I had slipped into a store on the way here and picked up stuff to make a casserole,” Sanji replied. He chuckled as Law raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a casserole.”

“Not in a long time,” Law admitted. He watched as Sanji took the casserole out of the oven; the glass dish showed the noodles and sauce, as well as some unidentified vegetables and meat. The top was coated in golden-brown breadcrumbs and it smelled nostalgic. “Doesn’t look like your normal dishes.”

“Bunch of heavy carbs; fills Luffy up fairly well,” the blond shrugged. He pulled out a serving spoon and a pair of plates, scooping out two servings and passing one to Law. “A lot can be said about what some consider ‘peasant food’, you know?”

“No shit.” Law took the fork that Sanji offered and muttered thanks under his breath before shoving a forkful of the casserole in his mouth. Was it the best food for him to eat? Probably not by a longshot, but a warm, comforting feeling crept through him as he ate, allowing his shoulders to relax and the throbbing in his head to fade. A few bites and he stopped, staring at Sanji with a sense of realization. “You made this for me, didn’t you?”

“I knew you were late from work, so I figured it might be the first meal you’ve had all day. Correct?”

“I… uh… yeah… thanks.”

“Don’t mention it; my job is literally to make sure people are fed. I’d be a pretty shitty cook if I did otherwise.”

Law grunted through his casserole and nodded. Part of him went back to watching his parents make the dish, his foster adult, and eventually his friends and him figuring out the recipe for themselves. Canned condensed soup was involved, a move that he had thought was certain would horrify the Straw Hat chef, but it seemed to not bother him at all. He took his own plate and sat next to Law, using a fork and knife to gather the noodly concoction and eat.

“What…?”

“Nothing.”

“No, it’s something, asshole. Why the fuck are you staring?”

“You have table manners—the rest of them don’t.”

“Nami-swan and Robin-chan can make finger-foods look delicate, but you’re right about the rest of them,” Sanji scowled. He ate another bite of casserole and a shudder overtook him. “None of them can eat with any sort of decorum.”

“Decorum? That’s a strong word.”

“It’s the word I’ve got.” He let Law eat some more before continuing. “You know… that’s part of why I love cooking for the ladies so much—they know how to hold themselves… sort of like you.”

“You saying I eat like a girl?”

“I’m saying you’re fucking polite; the idiots are appreciative, yeah, but they’re never polite. Can’t you take a compliment?”

“You used my kitchen without my permission, not to mention committed breaking and entering.”

“We have a key. It’s not breaking and entering when you have a key.”

“You all are exhausting.” Law rested his face in his hand, cheekbone nestled into the palm, as he leaned with his elbow on the countertop. “You, uh, usually make riceballs when you’re over here—why the change of pace?”

“Like I said: it would fill Luffy, and I’d still be able to save you a portion since it reheats and keeps well.” Now done with his own food, Sanji went back to the dish and began to portion out the rest in some resealable containers—where did those come from? “I’ll feel better knowing these are around; you’re too damn skinny.”

“I’m fine.”

“I can see your ribs through your scrubs, and Shachi told me none of them can get you to eat worth a damn. Fuck off.”

“You’re not my mother. Why should you care?”

“Idiot.” Sanji finished putting the leftovers away and put water in the pan to soak before sulking over towards the balcony. Law could see him from his chair, tapping his foot and fidgeting as he tried not to pace in lieu of a cigarette—ah, he fucked it up, didn’t he? Yeah, he was getting pretty sick of the Straw Hats just dropping into his life unannounced and usually with trouble trailing behind them, but at the same time… the man did have dinner waiting for him when he got home from work…

Figuring it was only fair, Law finished his food, partially loaded up the dishwasher, and went digging around in his room. Once he found the crushed, open packet of cigarettes, he brought them out onto the balcony and held them out towards Sanji, who stared.

“Didn’t know you smoked.”

“Not often, but enough.” He waited until Sanji took one before grabbing one of his own, putting it between his lips as Sanji flicked on a lighter. Law leaned down and lit the end of his cigarette with the same flame Sanji was using to light his with, their faces close enough for him to see the blush on the blond’s cheeks with the light from the flame and the distant streetlamp.

“Th-thanks,” Sanji mumbled, closing the lighter.

“Thank you for dinner.” Law inhaled deeply, allowing the smoke to fill his lungs before letting it all out his nose. Sanji was almost slackjawed watching him—not many people had seen him smoke before, let alone any of the Straw Hats. “Now look who’s staring.”

“A-Again… I didn’t think you smoked.”

“You put me in a nostalgic mood with that meal,” he replied. When his smoking conspirator said nothing, he continued, “This was the brand the idiot who fostered me smoked; sometimes it takes me years to finish a pack.”

“This is the brand I smoke.”

“Lucky.”

Another silence.

“I… didn’t know you were also in the system.”

“That much actually surprises me, with how much our collective idiots talk.” Sanji scoffed at that—yeah, they both had some prime idiots in their lives, didn’t they? “Eight years—the last five was a series of group homes until Penguin became a legal adult and took Shachi, Bepo and me out, which was hard. The first three…” He took the cigarette from his lips and watched the smoke curl off the end. “Let’s just say it was a different kind of hard.”

“Aged out after ten in the back of the geezer’s restaurant and just never left,” Sanji admitted. He then thought for a moment. “Must’ve been a hell of a guy if he gets a doctor to smoke.”

“Surgeon, and…” Law wanted to agree, but it was… complicated. “He tried. I can’t fault him for trying.”

“No, I guess not.” Putting his hands in his pockets, Sanji leaned on the balcony rail and shrugged in an attempt to seem aloof. It made Law think back to his tweenaged years, tramping about as he and Cora tried to run from their demons. Nights curled up in a tent or the back of the station wagon; days going from hospital to hospital in an attempt to cure what the third rate hacks refused; growing close despite the arm’s length distance; the pain of living every day, though pulling it together because that was all either of them could do for one another. Through the smoke and the colored streetlights, the other man resembled Cora more than he wanted to admit, though at the same time…

No, Law couldn’t. He shouldn’t. Cora was not only the man who saved him all those years ago, but he went around introducing the two of them as father and son. Very few truly believed it, mind, but he still did it to avoid questions. It didn’t change the burning way which he missed him some days… one of the many ways Doffy missed him, he was certain…

…except Cora was dead, Sanji was alive, and Law wanted to thank him properly for making him dinner. He wondered if the man in front of him ever slipped out of his careful, measured Eastern accent into something that sounded like home and what it would take to make that happen. What did he feel like underneath those carefully-curated shirts and slacks and suits? How did he sound when he was the one being cared for through careful ministrations? Would his mouth turn even filthier in the face of affection? Was he really as limber as everyone joked? Did he taste just like the cigarettes and cheap wine of his hazy memories or was there more to it than that? He watched him stub out the cigarette on the building brick and toss the tarred filter in the heavy flowerpot Law used as an ashtray—the younger man sure could suck them down…

Law swallowed hard; oh shit.

“Please tell me how to thank you for dinner,” he requested, voice threatening to crack. Sanji looked at him with one curled eyebrow raised.

“I cook for my friends all the time. It’s fine.”

“No, I want to be polite and thank you…” He inhaled deeply on the cigarette and caged Sanji in against the balcony rail, leaning down to press their lips together so that he could exhale in the other man’s mouth. A wisp of smoke fluttered between them as Law pulled away, watching as Sanji flushed a deep pink as he finally let go of his breath and smoke came pouring from his mouth and nostrils, enveloping him in a dizzying, hazy halo. “…properly.”

It was a moment before Sanji’s brain began to function again, it having shorted out the moment Law kissed him. He watched as it was the older man’s turn to extinguish his cigarette, amber eyes flashing in the dim city night with something uncertain… something he wasn’t even sure Law himself understood. Hesitating, he calculated the risks involved with continuing, all of his math pointing towards one singular answer: the night was already full of surprises, and he wasn’t going to learn what they were by leaving now.

“I keep my men to a high standard,” Sanji bluffed. “Do you think you’re ready to meet and exceed them?”

“I know who is in your friend circle—that bar is on the sidewalk underneath us.”

“Not that low, but low enough for you if you play your cards right.” A slight breeze carried off the rest of the smoke and now the blond was Just Sanji again, though it was a Sanji who knew that possibilities were presenting themselves and he didn’t hate it. Sanji left the railing and went back to the door, pausing to look back at Law with a smirk. “Let’s get that kitchen cleaned up and then we’ll talk.”

Law nodded silently, following Sanji inside his own apartment as his anticipation began to build. He shucked off his scrubs and let them drop to the floor; Onigiri went to sniff the pile, yelped, and stumbled away. Now in just his sleeveless undershirt and a pair of oversized basketball shorts, Law moved around the kitchen with Sanji almost effortlessly, wiping counters and placing varied spices and utensils back where they belonged. A glance here, a light touch there, and the electricity between them only built. Once the dishwasher was set for a delayed start and Onigiri’s kibble and water refilled, the pair looked at one another knowing that they had put it off long enough. They stood close enough to smell the remaining smoke still clinging to their skin and clothes, not nearly as strong but still the same scent that was pulling them together.

When it was clear Sanji was not going to budge, Law made the first move, ducking down to kiss the shorter man, the action almost timid. He tilted the blond’s chin up gently, making sure their faces met despite the eleven centimeters between them. Cigarettes, yes, but none of the cheap wine and instant noodles he remembered(?), he imagined(?); instead he could taste the casserole and something else as their tongues scraped together, frankly surprised anything other than the ashy smoker’s aftertaste was present, let alone detectable. As he broke the kiss, his nose brushed against the other man’s hair; unlike his mouth, the hair smelled exactly the same, with the sweet, cloying scent that the specific cigarette brand left behind.

“Are you going to continue to be a creep, Traffy, or are you going to invite me to some place more manageable?” Sanji quipped. He watched as the almost-drunk expression on Law’s face darkened before he swallowed and tried to wet his tongue.

“Tonight, please,” he hoarsely half-whispered, “use my real name. Call me Law. You can’t call me anything else… not tonight.”

Something clicked in Sanji’s brain and he nodded once. “Do you have something that you want to call me?” He watched as Law seemed to consider the notion, turning it over in his head before letting out one quiet word, voice dry and hushed.

“Cora.”

“I’m not a woman.”

“I didn’t say you were.”

Sanji considered this, then nodded. “I don’t know what the fuck this is about, Law, but don’t make me regret it.”

Taking that as all he needed, Law grabbed Sanji by the wrist and dragged him through his apartment to his bedroom, nearly throwing the other man onto the bed. He was almost immediately on top of him, putting hungry kisses on his neck as he pawed at the shirt and tie. The blond shoved him off in order to loosen his tie, a ruffled expression on his face.

“This is Doskoi—hold on,” he scolded. Sanji took off his tie and rolled it carefully, putting it in his jacket pocket, which then ended up draped on a nearby chair. His belt was treated in the same way, getting tucked into another pocket. “Not all of us go around in clothes that can be tossed on the floor, you know.”

“Work clothes,” Law defended. He sat on the bed awkwardly, the temptation to palm himself through his shorts very real. Sanji looked at him in the vanity mirror, catching the almost predatory look in the older man’s eyes.

“So… Cora.” He began to unbutton his shirt. “Who was he?”

“That… it’s not important.”

“Did he love you back?”

“I…” He swallowed, guilt blooming in his gut. “I don’t know.”

Of course, Law had not forgotten the last time he’d seen Cora. That abandoned warehouse, getting shoved in the crate; the very last thing he saw before the lid closed was Cora’s beaten face. He said he loved him, sure, but it was the first time those words had been said with any form of sincerity in years—he wanted more, craved more, and yet that night Doflamingo coldly took out all his rage and hostility on his brother. Law always wanted to ask why and how, tempted to go back to the corpse and see if it was really lifeless or just barely hanging on.

Surely he would have been caught had he did, right? If not by Doflamingo’s gang, then by the cop who drove them away. Cora-san had been a cop himself, well, right up until they went off-grid. That was how his younger self knew the man whisking him away from certain death in an organized crime ring could be trusted. No cops, no alternate crime bosses; just the two of them. Cora simply took him for himself and ran.

He never looked back and yet that was all Law could do.

“Anything that’s off the table?” Sanji asked, now in just his underwear. Damn, he was skinny. Law shrugged.

“Like…?”

“What are you not into?” Sanji’s lips pursed at the silence that met him. “Okay… what are you into?”

“I… erm…” Law just shrugged, still awkward. Sanji simply came over and tugged his shirt over his head, exposing his chest and back tattoos. He sat and traced one of the shoulder ones with a finger, attempting to parse out how to begin.

“Do you need to be called a good boy?”

He bit his lower lip—it was a start.

“How about a bad boy?”

It was subtle, but he bit down harder.

“Okay… then how about this: you gotta be on top, or bottom?”

“Can I… top…?” Law felt incredibly shy as he was beginning to regret this. Sanji just leaned into him further, their bodies pressing together.

“We don’t have to do this,” he said. Law nodded in response.

“I know.”

“Listen, Law…”

“You, erm, don’t have to talk or do a lot if you don’t want to; just… don’t worry about me.” He glanced over at Sanji, who seemed as though he was trying to piece him together mentally first. “What… what do you like?”

“Depends, just as long as who I’m with isn’t too lost in their own head,” the blond said. He leaned in and kissed Law, all ash and that delicious dinner. “I’ll invoke one of my idiots if I need you to pause, okay?”

Law nodded at that before gently placing his hand on Sanji’s neck and jaw, guiding him into another kiss. He pulled them both down onto the bed, positioning himself so that he was pressing the younger man against the mattress. They broke the kiss with an inhale, after which Law began to move toward the back of his jaw. The smell of smoke and food was intoxicating—mmm… this was good.

“You’re doing great, Law,” Sanji crooned. Law’s lips had been over his throat and the vibrations made him whine. That was when the blond decided to kick it up a notch to test the waters and let his natural accent come out. “You feel good; come on, make Cora feel good.”

Something clicked in Law’s mind as the smooth Northern tones of Sanji’s voice washed over him. It was not the same as Cora’s—not by a long shot—but they affected him all the same. He moved down to Sanji’s collarbone and bit, pulling a hiss from the blond.

“Naughty,” he chided. “Show me, Law; show me what you meant to back then. Be a good boy and show Cora a good time.”

Law grunted and rutted against Sanji’s leg, getting friction against his still-clothed erection. He continued kissing and grinding, hands finding their way over the other man’s slender body. A hand against the blond’s package revealed he was hard as well. He thought for a moment about riding him, feeling that cock swell inside him, but reconsidered as he reached for the nightstand drawer and pulled out an old-yet-still-wrapped condom and a near-empty bottle of lube. Fuck, it had been a while since he did anything other than tug himself off and he was going to make every moment of it worth the wait.

Seeing that things were in order, Sanji wriggled out of his underwear and allowed Law to manhandle him, opening his legs and letting a slick-covered finger slide its way in. They kissed as another finger worked its way in, then a third, Sanji moaning into Law’s mouth with each new test and flex of the surgeon’s long digits. He grabbed at Law’s hair as his own cock was flushed and throbbing by the time the hand left him, precome dribbled down his stomach. Law wiped his hand on a nearby cloth and then flipped Sanji over, putting him on his hands and knees atop the mattress.

“Hey, what the fuck are you…?” He went to protest, only for Law to steal his breath with another kiss that held his attention for a bit too long.

“Don’t you worry,” Law murmured against his lips. “Let Law take care of you now. Don’t worry and just concentrate on me.”

Law slid off the bed and shoved his shorts and underwear down in one movement, letting the garments rest at his ankles as he slid the condom on and once again let his fingers trace the muscles on the powerful legs before him. They were meatier than Cora’s had been—not to mention shorter, since the man had been tall—but Law had grown since then, hadn’t he? All he knew was that he had a blond in his bed, a Northern accent in his ears, and cigarettes on his tongue and in the air. He lined himself up with Sanji’s entrance and pushed in, shivering as the other man cussed underneath him.

Ah, fuck! His ass was so warm and tight, enveloping Law as he thrust experimentally. Tight, yet pliable… willing… hungry. With his feet planted firmly on the floor, he explored the younger man’s body with great interest, listening to the noises he pulled from him. A shiver and he knew he found his prostate, holding a thigh with one hand and Sanji’s lower back with another as he snapped their hips together.

“Law!” Sanji cried out, the sound going straight to the other man’s dick. “That’s it, Law! Yes!” He thrust harder and harder, hoping to make it long enough to not embarrass himself. His muscles began to shake and he knew he was doomed. The world was starting to blur as he came closer to orgasm, spurred there even faster by the encouraging noises and sounds coming from under him. He couldn’t even think as words escaped his lips, mind in a complete orgasmic blackout.

“I love you too, Cora!”

At that he came, gasping as he bent over double, his chest pressing against Cora’s back as he thrust through his after-shocks. Cora said something sweet as he nearly collapsed on him, only barely able to pull out before collapsing on the mattress. Was that the sound of Onigiri skittering away from his door? Law felt Cora’s cock and found it was still hard, allowing himself to be eased down to the floor so he could kneel at the other man’s feet while he sucked him off. Gentle hands played with his hair and he felt so light… so content… what was even happening? Soft Northern oaths reached his ears as the cock in his mouth shivered and a spurt of hot hit the back of his throat. He swallowed around it, drinking up every last drop he could.

Cora said something and all Law could do was pass out.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

A few hours later and Law woke up with a splitting headache and sore thighs, stark-naked between his bedsheets. He only just barely registered the other person in his bed, the fact that it was Sanji taking a few minutes to soak in. Yeah… he was naked… Sanji was naked… it smelled like sex… oh, and his condom was gone. Great.

“Oh, fuck…” he groaned, then winced at the sound of his voice. Oh… he swallowed dick, didn’t he? “What time is it?”

“Eleven,” Sanji replied, idly scrolling on his phone as he sat up against the headboard. Wait… why did he sound Eastern…? “Surprised it’s not eleven in the morning with how soundly you slept. I had to drag your ass into bed… and you’re not exactly light.”

“Sorry,” Law mumbled. He looked at Sanji and felt his face grow hot. “I… uh… don’t remember…”

“I didn’t roofie you, if that’s what you mean.”

“No… just… was it up to standard…?” The blond sighed—not a good sign.

“You’re fucked up, you know that?” Sanji locked his phone and tossed it on the other nightstand before sliding down into a lying position. “You might want to consider therapy.”

“I don’t have time for therapy,” Law admitted. The feel of Sanji’s fingertips against his skin, tracing his chest tattoo, felt so good it was almost ticklish. “Sorry if I’m…” He swallowed. “…fucked up.”

“Who isn’t?” Sanji shrugged. “You give a good sleepy blowjob at least.”

Fucking hell… Law wanted to hide under the covers and not come out until Sanji was out of his apartment building and in the next neighborhood. He just seduced a Straw Hat, of all people, and had shitty sex… his standards were tanking so hard it was a good thing his actual friends were all on a night shift. Sanji, however, simply propped himself up on his elbow and glanced down at Law as though this was the most normal thing in the world.

“You don’t have the time for therapy, I can’t afford therapy, and yet we’re right here, able to fuck it out until we’re good at something, don’t you think?”

“Don’t pity me.”

“…except I’m not, asshole; you’re realize that if you were fucking lucid.” He reached down Law’s body and cupped his junk, causing the other man to suck in a sharp breath through his nose; not quite over-sensitive, but not ready-to-party either. “Maybe while we’re waiting I can fix us up a snack?”

“I haven’t been to the store…”

“Then it’s a good thing I did before coming here.” Law thought about that for a moment before it hit him.

“You were planning on this, weren’t you?”

“Maybe… maybe not?” He leaned down and kissed Law on the mouth, their lips open and pliant against one another. “Guess you’ll have to find out, hm?”

Law’s life really was more eventful with the Straw Hat Gang entangled in his social circles… but at what cost…? Better yet: how exactly was he going to make the most of it?

[sweetvox]

@tobisaw well see what if you were just some guy that went thru a traumatic event and suddenly your friend gordon disappears and things keep escalating and your family probably has something to do with it and youre really stressed out. and you go to your best friend about it [even tho you dont want to admit that going thru that traumatic event took away your trust in your best friend bc he had no qualms about hurting you in the end. but you dont want to rock the boat so its Fine]

but your best friend is throwing a gay little tantrum about gordon disappearing and you know he liked gordon but everyones upset about it, its not just him, and hes kind of being really selfish about the whole thing. and he wont really comfort you like you want and isnt really reflecting on why bc you supposedly “like mean people” so whats the problem

and you just want to cry bc you miss how you and your best friend used to be, when he was chill and funny and not trying to hide that hes angry all the time at someone whos not even here anymore. so you two start fighting when you never used to fight bc youre finally just tired of it after years and you just want someone to Look at you bc your friend group is falling apart

but also bc your entire social circle is falling apart, youre so lonely and things outside in the world are getting Bad. and bc this friend groups love language is bickering with each other this is kind of the closest thing to a close relationship you even have and you know its the same for him so it kinda devolves into a Situation. ship. and you know its not the healthiest to on-again off-again fight and make up with him, but when the world is ending and your dad is hinting at you taking his job soon that you really dont want, a facsimile of a close relationship with your old best friend is probably the best escape you have at the moment, even if things arent the same anymore and they havent been that way for a long, long time.

anyways i made this earlier and i think i spelled it out better here in writing but i also think this tommy is cute so im making everyone look at it anyways

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Heeeeey , thanks again for the two excellent fics you wrote for me for this beautiful event !💚

For my third resquest , I would like to send you this prompt : "I dreamed of you. I dreamed you were wandering in the dark, and so was I. We found each other. We found each other in the dark." It's from The Green Mile by Stephen King and I absolutely need to get te book , because I love the movie (I cry each time like a baby).

So I would like to ask this quote , with Maydayxreader , please and thank you💚💚💚

@griffedeloup I'm sorry love for taking so long to respond to the request. But I wanted to give Mayday the best. And I hope you like what I did.

Love oo

P.S. Don't worry I'm still working on the other ones.

We Found Each Other

Warnings: Fluff, kisses, anger at the Empire, lack of care for clones, anger, annoyance, reassurance, I think that's it. If I miss any please let me know.

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Mayday sat outside the base looking over the barren snow covered landscape. Why the hell the Empire needed them there guarding leftover crates, that everyone seemed to have forgotten, was beyond him. 

It made him question, why was he still there? After all he could’ve gone anywhere, but then that would’ve meant leaving his men … and you. He wasn’t about to abandon anyone. 

He took in a deep breath letting the fresh cold air wash away the fears that had begun learning in the corners of his mind. The fear that always seemed to be present now. A fear he hadn’t thought he’d have to actually face. It had become more prevalent ever since the Empire took over, an attitude amongst all the Imperial officers that were non-clones, that he and his brethren were considered less than human, if such a thing was even possible, even more so than before the end of the war. Truth was it was only a matter of time before they were all discarded. 

He kept his eyes on the horizon, feeling your arms wrap around his waist, the curve of your head pressing against his back. He closed his eyes smiling as he gently rubbed your hands.

“Cyar’ika, what are you doing up?”

You hummed as you pressed closer to him, smiling, “Well, I reached over to cuddle with you, cause I was cold and you weren’t there.”

“Sorry, sweetheart.” He tried to glance over his shoulder to look at you.

“It’s okay.” You gently pressed a kiss to his back, “Bad dream?”

“No.”

“Did something happen today that didn’t allow you to sleep?”

“No.”

“Hmm… okay. Well, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

He let out a sigh, turning to face you, the fingers of his right hand gently trailing up and down your neck, while the one on his left rested on your waist pulling you closer.

“Nothing’s wrong, love.”

“Okay fine, don’t tell me what’s wrong.” You pouted as you looked at him, giving him your best irritated face, even though in reality you could never be irritated by him. Especially since you loved him as strongly as you did.

A quiet chuckle escaped his lips as he looked at you, resting his forehead against yours, “Maker, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” You gently caressed his sides, wrapping your arms around his back and holding him closer. “What happened?” You looked into his eyes, “Tell me.”

He closed his eyes and nodded against your forehead, “They won’t be sending us any new winter gear.”

You pulled back as indignation and anger filled you, “I’M SORRY, WHAT!” Your voice echoed and carried across the barren wasteland. You closed your eyes and waved your hands as you tried to understand what Mayday was telling you.

Despite the fact he kept calling your name over and over, trying to calm you down, the anger you felt only seemed to grow. 

Your eyes were full of fury when they opened again and looked at him, “You’re telling me… those …” you tried to think of the most appropriate term that didn’t involve cursing, “you’re telling me those mother-loving sister-marrying jackasses can’t even bother to send us some new gear. After looking after their piece of crap cargo!” You turned around and began to storm towards the communication room, “Oh. Just wait till I get on the comms with whoever made that decision. They’ll regret the day they were born.”

Mayday laughed as he reacted quickly, grabbing you around the waist and pulling you back holding you against him. “Calm down, my little fire-breathing krayt dragon.”

His nickname for you always managed to get you to at least listen, maybe not completely calm down, but stop you at the very least before you did something incredibly stupid. He pressed a gentle kiss to your temple. 

“You rushing over there and yelling at whoever answers the comm will only make things worse. Not better.”

You closed your eyes and nodded knowing he was right. Gods how you wished you could make everything better for him. For his brothers. For all of them. 

“I know. I know. But it just … it feels like it’s a constant darkness that we’re walking through. If it’s not one thing it’s another. And even though the war is technically ‘over,’ it feels like we have to work twice as hard just to survive. All because you and your brothers are clones, and I’m someone who fell in love with a clone.” You held on to his arms as they tightened around you, “It’s not fair. Not to you. Not to your brothers. Not to anyone.”

Mayday closed his eyes, breathing in your scent, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. “Did you know I had a dream?”

“Did you dream you killed whoever was in charge?”

He chuckled, “No. Although that would’ve been a good dream too.” He teased, “No. I dreamed of you. I dreamed you were wandering in the dark, and so was I. We found each other. We found each other in the dark. So it’s okay that we constantly are in the darkness, because we found each other and we’ll continue to find each other. So let them throw anything at us, let them try and break us, but we’re strong and we won’t give in. As long as I have you in my arms, I can weather any storm.”

You let out a defeated sigh, turning to look at him, “You deserve better. You all do.”

“And so do you, cyare.” He gently traced your cheek, “We’ll get through this, and we can try and figure out ways of keeping the cold out of my and the boys’ armour. We’ll survive this too.”

You nodded, threading your fingers through his as you held his hand and guided him back to the quarters you both shared.

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Tag List:

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@leotawrites

@helenaslost

[nexility-sims]

𝐍𝐎. 𝟔   ❛ 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 ❜   |   NAKAWE SACRARIUM, DEC. 1990

❧  𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬  /  𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭.

❛ As Mateo probed, Leonor allowed their father’s responses to crest and crash over her. Each question cast a shadow. Each answer, the impact. She could see the scene he described playing out. They stood in the courtyard of the sacrarium, but they also stood out on the deck of the Safyanora. They watched. Although not up close, Leonor had seen the yacht. She recalled enough to have a stage for the tragedy that unfolded; years of memories brought to life the clouded, halting admissions her father uttered. They were ghosts on the deck, shouting at each other and breaking things and following the only script they knew.

❧ poor gil left out of the family huddle :/ i wonder where he is

𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 & 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭 ↓

It was true what she said—that she hadn’t wanted to think about it. Leonor knew on some level that, while she and her brothers were cloistered away at Nakawe Palace, the police questioned her father and the other passengers well into the next morning. They pieced together a version of events, and they shared that story with Mother Beatriz. The children received the barest fact: she had accidentally drowned. That was what Leonor’s mind fixed upon. Her mother’s absence, so fresh that it was difficult to truly grasp, took the form of Safya submerged, screaming, terrified. When Rodrigo entered the frame, it wasn’t as a comfort or a consolation. He was the anguished figure apologizing to her at the marina while flashbulbs remind them of the harrowing truth at the heart of their existence: ‘ Nothing is ever simple, and no one has ever respected her privacy. ’

Although unwilling to shy away herself, Safya had been fierce in defending her children from the harsh scrutiny inherent to public life. She insisted they receive the benefit of childhood. Mateo and Gil, still, enjoyed the privacy that propriety demanded for them. For her part, Leonor was no longer a child but had yet to find the spotlight glaring. She stood on the periphery where her mother, tall and strong, happily shaded her. The death was disorienting; in an instant, it plunged the family into a state of suspension. Yet, that great and awful pause, the moment after an explosion of tragedy knocked them to the ground, was coming to an end. It was Rodrigo who seemed to regain his senses first. In doing so, he reminded them that their mother was also no longer there to shield them. The shade was gone.

TRANSCRIPT:

[R] Can I disturb you?

[R] I’m not sure it’s a good time for quiet reflection—not for me, not yet. I need to talk to you, if that’s okay.

[R] Nora?

[L] Okay.

[R] I’ve missed you. I’ve been worried about you.

[R] You must have questions—about everything, her, what happened that night. How could you not? [L] I didn’t want to think about it.

[R] You need to know it was a terrible accident. [L] I do. [R] There was ugliness, but it was normal. Everything was going to be fine, and then she just never came to bed, and I—

[M] Why are you out here without me? [R] Where’s your brother?

[M] Are you talking about her? [R] {Sighs.}

[R] Fine, together. There’s no good time for this conversation. Sooner is better. I was telling Leonor about what happened, how she— [M] She fell and drowned.

[R] Yes. But, well, you know what happens to us. Nothing is ever simple, and no one has ever respected her privacy. I just want you to be prepared for what comes next. Everyone else. The press. Others.

[M] I don’t … That’s not … Why would they do that to us? [M] You know why, sprout.

[R] I want you both to be brave and strong. But, you can’t do that unless you … Unless you feel like you know what’s going on. You can’t be in the dark about anything. I don’t want that—she didn’t, wouldn’t.

[M] Did you fight? [R] We did. [M] … Did anyone get hurt, before—? [R] A bottle broke. That’s this—see, small cut, that’s all. [M] And her? [R] She was drunk. Stumbling around, falling down. [M] Why were you fighting? [R] {whispering} We never needed a reason, did we? I don’t even remember. She walked off, and I went to bed, just exhausted, and then … She wasn’t there. She was gone, disappeared. Gone. I … I wish I hadn’t— {Rodrigo sighs, shakily.}

[M] I’m sorry. [R] I’m sorry. She should be here with you.

[M] We still have each other. We’re still a family.

[obeymebutnotlikethat]

Insert from: Starshower

Did they finally die? They blinked up at the dimly lighted ceiling. A jumbled mess of noise stumbled into their ears and hung over them like smoke haze. Did they even have a body anymore? It didn’t feel like it. Everything was filled with sand and a clock face ticking.

That’s right, Solomon tried to bring them home. Except home didn’t have a table made of gold or a weird painting on the wall. Furniture made of gold, they attempted to close their eyes, oh they just time-traveled. Solomon wouldn’t bring them to their home he brought them back to a different Devildom.

“MC,” someone panicked.

The stranger's voice loomed over them and they noticed the lack of cold tile. They were being jostled in someone’s arms and they didn’t understand. This Demon was crying and it sounded too heartfelt. Oh god, please don’t let it be Solomon doing a theatre lesson.

“Simeon, they’re awake,” another squeaked, “Beel let them go.”

Beel? He was the one crushing their ribs or maybe Solomon fucked up the spell. Greatest Sorcerer their ass. More like the ultimate Demon collector.

“Solomon…is fucked,” they croaked.

“Solomon?” Someone shook their head, “Never mind, are you alright, MC?”

They blinked away the haze as they sat up and observed their surroundings. Simeon, Luke, and Beel kept them from the cold floor. He looked relieved. 

“I thought for sure I died,” they sighed heavily, “What exactly have I missed? Why am I here?”

“You don’t remember,” Simeon hesitantly responded.

“MC,” Luke sniffed.

“No?”

“Barbatos just took Belphie on account of treason. He is being held at the castle,” Beel managed to inform in sorrow.

“We called Solomon,” Simeon said quietly, “He suggested sending you back in time”

Of course, he did.

“However, it didn’t work I assume,” Simeon continued, “You’ve returned and Belphegor is still being held.”

“The shift in a key event may have formulated a different timeline,” MC inferred.

Oh, they slowly nodded, and they ended up in another world. Instead of formulating themself into the brothers' history…they were replacing another version of themself and this time Belphie was imprisoned. They rose to their feet with the help of Beel and Luke clinging to them like a buoy.

Their brain couldn’t come up with a reason for Belphie’s imprisonment.

“Belphie went against Diavolo,” MC inferred, “Or was it Lucifer?”

“Both,” Beel swallowed.

A sense of unfamiliarity hit them harder than the roof. These beings truly cared for the MC they were handling and it almost made them feel saddened for the one whose place they took. However, if that MC met with Barbatos, they wouldn’t have returned anyway. Barbatos knows everything and would’ve expected their arrival, however, the cunning Demon works in the disguise of his intentions. Even outside of his master’s. At least, the one they dealt with did. 

Their face scrunched up at the thought of their luck. The brothers of their world seemed to draw to them in terms of pacts and their relation to Lilith. Even the early versions liked them for their familiarity. 

“Then, we need to talk to Lucifer,” they looked at each of them. 

They could see the uncertainty on everyone’s faces. It confused them but then again everything always did. 

“He won’t want to talk with us,” Beel replied with a frown.

“They’re mad at you. You won’t be safe,” Luke cried with fright.

“Lucifer would be the best one to help get him back. We can’t keep…hiding from them,” they hoped they didn’t sound too unsure. 

This situation was mundane for them and not for everyone else. These people couldn’t see the difference between the exchange students and they didn’t want to ruin it immediately. No, they needed to guarantee their safety, gather bearings then go after Solomon. Memories or not they’d get him. Their world hardened them for this moment.

“That is true…” Simeon hesitantly agreed.

“MC’s right,” Beel sighed, “We need to talk to hm and the others.”

“Well,” Luke shuffled, “If Mc believes they’ll be fine. You better come back.”

They released a small laugh at his version of caring. His youth shining brightly with nervous optimism.

With a wave, Beel and them took off towards the House of Lamentation. More so the house of horrors their conscience tried to tagline it.

“Beel,” they started, “How did we get here? I mean jog my memory on why your brothers hate us.”

Beel considered them for a moment before responding.

“Lucifer confronted you about our pacts and you told him about Belphie,” he resignedly answered.

“Our pacts?”

This world’s MC made a pact with Beel?

 “Hm,” Beel nodded,” You made pacts with us in the hopes to free Belphie. Except you didn’t pact with Lucifer.That’s how we found out about Belphie being in the attic. He was just trying to protect him in some weird way. Especially by lying.”

“Now it all makes sense. Except the lying part, still fuzzy on that.”

“Are you alright,” Beel said with a start, “It took you a while to get up.”

“Peachy. Just confused maybe a concussion”-they shrugged.

“Lucifer lied to us and said Belphie went to the Human World.”

They bit their tongue as they arrived at the house’s library. How were they supposed to play house when the plot’s a trillion times different than the one they came from? This Belphie was imprisoned by Lucifer in fear of Diavolo imprisoning his brother. They almost rubbed their temple at the logic. It kind of made sense to be imprisoned by a brother instead of a literal prince but at the same time sent to the Human World. No one could travel to the Human World without a portal and those had restricted access.

“You two finally decided to return,” A snobbish voice resounded.

Alright, Asmo certainly wasn’t the one they expected to meet in a library.

“With a good reason more than likely,” a reserved voice resounded from a corner.

Ah that made sense: Satan. Asmo always seemed to drape himself on Satan and it seemed this world was no different. They awkwardly stood next to Beel and hoped he took the lead. 

“We need to speak with Lucifer,” Beel’s voice cut in.

“Why should we? After this Human led us all on,” Asmo huffed, “Do you have anything to say?”

Wow, the other MC must’ve been living the life. ‘Led us all on’ were they in a harem.

“It’s not nice to play with us, MC. Especially when you’re a sheep in a wolf’s den,” Asmo stalked closer, “What should I do to you? Kill you, eat you, or enslave you?”

Satan

A hand reached back into a faraway memory and nearly made them stepback. What type of sick game was this?

“Asmo,” Beel’s voice ricocheted off the bookshelves in a warning.

“I’m sorry for hurting you,” MC started, “Hurting the both of you in regards to the pacts.”

They tried to sound genuine, honestly, but the subtle warning from Asmodeus brought back the survival. The weary and guarded walls slowly built themselves up once more.

“It was never my intention to ruin what we have, however,” they swished the words in their mouth for a second, “I also wanted to help Belphie. There was no deception in our time together or even the pacts.”

The pacts you all wanted to make, they internally muttered. Honestly, the brothers of their world and the early timeline were the one’s seeking out pacts. They only happened to be the one who could do it besides Solomon. No one trusted him. 

[yourmomsgranddad]

— SEE YOU AGAIN

— PAIRING: Chad Meeks-Martin x fem!reader

— SUMMARY: You like Chad but you can't tell him. You feel like you might never get the chance when Ghostface strikes again.

— WORD COUNT: 3.3k (might be the longest one :/)

— WARNINGS: reader plays piano, reader sings a song (i'm sorry), canon violence, traumatic events?

You never were an awkward person.

Not really.

You were always outgoing.

You loved going to parties and hanging out with people. You loved hearing people's stories. And you loved talking to them.

But when it came to crushes, you were as silent as mouse. You could figure a word, a thought, all that was there was sound. And it wasn't cohearent.

You didn't know where it came from.

You were usually normal around Chad. But one day, after he spent a few hours at the gym, something shifted.

Now every time you two were around each other, you couldn't think normal thoughts. He just flooded your entire brain. And it was unhealthy.

You couldn't tell anybody. You were kind of embarrassed, falling all over a boy like this. But someone did catch you.

Tara.

Chad had just walked away and you might had slipped up by looking at him like this was a dream you were enjoying a little too much.

"Why are you looking at him like that?" She wondered with a half smirk on her face. "Hmm?" You looked like a deer in headlights, you had been caught. And she was loving seeing you this way.

"Don't 'hmm' me. I know you heard what I said. Why are you looking at Chad like you're in love with him? Oh my gosh, are you in love with him?!" She gasped, mocking you.

You put your hands on your face, you wanted to hide.

"It's fine. I won't tell. It'll be our little secret."

And so it was.

Anytime Chad was near you in any type of way, Tara would take the chance to tease you. Mention how good you looked to him. Talk about how pretty your eyes were so he would look at them closer.

It was torture.

"Why does she keep talking about you?" He asked one day after Tara had walked away. You wanted to say something cool. 'She just likes messing with me, that's all.' And that would have been the end of it.

But your tongue was stuck. He was sitting awfully close to you and staring directly at you, you didn't trust your mouth at this moment.

So you basically let his mind wander.

"Oh my gosh, wait! Do you think Tara likes you?" His eyes went wide with glee. Your heart dropped. Why was he so happy about it?

That definitely brought your words back.

"That is definitely false. If anyone were to like me, it would not be Tara. She disgusts me." You joked, causing him to laugh and you were back to not speaking.

"Why are you always so silent nowadays? I miss your voice. I miss you talking to me." You wanted to crawl inside your body.

It's not like you didn't like him talking to you, it was one of your favorite things. It's just the talking back that's hard. So you didn't. But you felt bad for not talking to him.

So you decided to not to put the option of talking into his hands.

You admired him from afar. When you hung out as a group, you made sure not to be close to start up a tiny convo.

That would have to do for now. Until you could get your words together.

You never understood why you kept a piano in your room.

You hadn't played since you were ten.

You escaped to your room while everyone was in the living room, watching tv. You sat at your little keyboard. It was covered in all types of stickers of your interests in high school.

You just slammed your hands on the keys, it didn't sound like anything. You missed feeling the keys underneath your fingers. You wanted to play something.

You played the first song that came to your mind.

"Heart beats fast, colors and promises. How to be brave? How can I love when I'm afraid, to fall? But watching you stand alone. All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow." You began playing along with your faint singing.

You didn't want to bother anyone while they were trying to watch their movie. You just wanted to sing to yourself.

"One step closer."

You removed your hands from the keys. Just sitting in your silence. You forgot how fun it was to play your piano. A smile began to dance across your cheeks. You were so enraptured in your activity, you didn't notice someone in your doorway.

"Were you singing Twilight?"

You looked up and there was Chad, looking down at you where you were sitting with his arm crossed.

"Which answer would sound less weird?" You wondered, joking with him for the first time in weeks. You forgot how much you missed talking to him. And you could tell from the look on his face that he did as well.

"None of them. You were singing Twilight, that gives me an obligation to make fun of you." He teased, walking into your room and sitting on your bed behind you.

You swiveled around on your stool, looking at him hopefully.

"Bring it." You waved, egging him on.

He looked up for a second, as if he was thinking of an insult until finally, he sucked in a bunch of air, making a makeshift smile toward you.

"I can't."

"Why not? Scared of hurting my feelings?" You pouted. You stood up from your seat, going to sit next to him on the edge of your bed.

"It's okay. I can take it."

He smiled at you, for some reason he didn't believe you. "Come on!" You playfully pushed him, trying to get him to do something.

"No! I have nothing bad to say. I really liked your singing."

Your playful exterior dropped and all that was left was appreciation. "No one's ever complimented my singing before. Mostly because I think you might be the only person I've ever sung in front of."

"Well they should. People don't notice how good things are until they're gone. I know if you stopped singing, I would definitely miss it."

"Well I guess I just shouldn't stop then."

"Oh I advise against it."

You hadn't noticed but the entire time, you were staring into his eyes, not looking away once. They were trapping you and you felt as though if you looked away, this moment would cease to be.

It wouldn't be real.

But he touched your cheek, assuring you that this moment was very much real. And he was staring at you with the same exact look you had.

You just knew the moment wasn't real when he started leaning in.

You wanted nothing more than for his lips to touch yours but you broke apart when you heard the sounds of screams coming from the living room. You wanted to have wishful thinking and believe it was the tv but you just couldn't be that lucky.

You knew what happened back in Woodsboro before Tara, Mindy, Sam, and Chad got to New York. Your heart jumped.

You didn't waste any time before bolting out of your room and finding everyone in the living room on edge. Everything seemed off as Sam was shaking and everyone else was looking behind you.

You slowly turned around to see something from your worse nightmares, Ghostface, in the flesh.

You had only heard stories about the heinous beast but seeing him here just made your heart beat out of your chest. You didn't dare move. You felt as soon as you moved, it would feel like you were pressing play on whatever was going to happen.

And surely enough, standing still does not help when you standing in front of a literal murderer.

He lifted his hand up, the one with the knife. Sam screamed for you to move but you were paralyzed by fear. That fear didn't do you any favors as he stuck his knife right into your abdomen.

You didn't know what being stabbed felt like, I mean you did constantly accidentally slice your fingers while making food but you never actually got a knife stuck in you.

It didn't feel nice.

It felt like your body was going to fall apart like Play-Doh, or sand. Now you definitely couldn't move.

Luckily he didn't go down to finish the job but instead decided to follow after Sam, wherever she ran to. You couldn't see anything, everything was super blurry and shaking.

You had been drunk before but it was nothing compared to this feeling.

You did definitely still feel everything that was going on. All the rushed footsteps going around your fading in and out body. The screams echoing off the walls.

When someone picked you up like a baby and sprinted down the stairs with you in their arms.

"No. What about Chad?" You slurred out.

"I'm right here. I got you."

You might not be able to see anything since your loss of blood but you knew what Chad's voice sounded like. That sound put you to sleep most nights.

He sat you down on the stairs, leaning you against the wall. Your vision started to blur back into reality and you could see Chad, leant in front of you. And you definitely noticed the big splotch of blood in the center of his hoodie.

"I'm sorry about the blood."

He looked down and chuckled, you were bleeding out and felt bad about it. "It's okay. It's not your fault. Just stay awake, okay?"

You nodded. You could see but now all the adrenaline was gone and you were hyper aware of the bloody gash beginning on your side.

There was no amount of alcohol to take away this pain.

The sun had come up and ambulances had been called.

Turns out, after Chad ran you down the stairs, Ghostface got to Anika, Mindy's girlfriend. You didn't know her well but you did know Mindy and you felt bad. You held onto her as you just sat in the back of the emergency vehicle.

You hadn't noticed but Chad walked up to the two of you, leaning next to you. "Are you okay?" He wondered, looking down at you.

You were covered in the blanket that the EMT had given you. They had stitched up your side and stopped the bleeding. And your vision was back to normal. You weren't okay but you were doing a little bit better.

"No. But I knew going to college with you guys would be like a movie. I didn't think the movie would be Saw, but I'll manage."

He let out a little chuckle.

"At least it's not Nightmare on Elm Street, you love to sleep." Mindy added, making you giggle. This is what you needed, a joke with a friend to get your mind off the fact that less than 24 hours ago, you had been stabbed.

You looked up at Chad to see if he was laughing too but his eyes were somewhere else, on someone else. You had noticed, going under the yellow tape, was Ethan, Chad's roommate.

You knew Ethan, you were in Chad's dorm a lot for studying and just hanging in general.

You didn't feel any way about his appearance but from the look on Chad's face, you knew something was wrong. He stomped up to the boy and slammed him into a parked vehicle.

You rarely seen Chad get violent but when you did, you never really liked it. I mean who would?

"Where were you, man?! My sister and Y/n got stabbed and you were just gone!" You didn't like the violence but you did like Chad worrying about you. You had completely forgotten about your crush.

It kind of leaked out of you with your blood.

"I was at ECON!"

You wanted to believe him but something in you just didn't feel right about the situation.

You wanted to go back to normal after the incident but knowing who you're friends were, this was only just the beginning.

You found a Ghostface lair and any confidence you had before, it left as soon as that knife left your body. You felt your breath become haggard, you didn't know what to do and you felt like you wanted to burst into tears.

But you had to stay composed. Deep breaths. Nope, you couldn't. You had to get out of there. You put your hands in the air and stomped out. Knowing the situation, you probably should have said where you were going.

But you honestly didn't know, you just needed air.

You were lucky that New York was constantly windy so you didn't have to worry about not getting any.

Your life was exciting. I mean you lived in New York, what could be more exciting than rats and the stinky pee smell constantly? But that level of excitement? Have to constantly be running and worry about who you can trust?

No one wanted that.

You knew for damn sure Tara didn't want it. She always told you how she wished her life was different. "I love my sister but I don't like that Ghostface comes with her." She told you once.

You knew the dangers of being friends with them. But you didn't know it would be that bad.

There are a lot of scary things in life. But the number one thing was mankind.

You were pulled out of your thoughts when you heard someone exit the building you just walked out of. And it's like the universe wanted to punch the remaining air out of your lungs because who else would it be except for Chad.

"I saw you run out so I wanted to make sure you were okay."

You found a fire escape and sat down on it, looking up at the New York sky in this dark and sad alleyway. "I'm not Ghostface, if that's what you're thinking."

He noticed the way you couldn't look at him. Your eyes were trained on the sky. You being Ghostface was the last thing on his mind.

You kept thinking to yourself, why are you so distraught about a little knife? You got stabbed a little and you didn't die. But you kept thinking about how the knife twisted in your gut, about how the person who stabbed probably didn't think twice about doing that to you.

What if it happened again?

He sat down next to you on the very small step and you just sat in silence for a while. You kind of needed it.

"I can't believe this is your second time going through this and you're so chill about it." You tried to chuckle but for some reason, it came out quietly. It was barely even a chuckle, more of a sound.

"I have to be. If I break down, they get you. But you're allowed to be human. You got stabbed, it's not fun." He tried to make you feel better about being mad and sad at the same time but you just wanted to scream.

"Y'know when you pop a balloon and it flies around the room until it loses all its air? And you hear that gross sound of it deflating?"

He nodded shortly, he didn't want to cut you off. You needed to get this out.

"That's how my body felt. Like a big ball of air floating through the air and losing all of its insides."

You hadn't noticed but you subconsciously put your head on his shoulder. And he definitely was not pushing you away, instead vying to put his head on top of yours.

In any normal circumstance, you would've been doing backflips in your mind. But this wasn't a normal circumstance. And your stomach was already making noises for another reason, nothing good.

Breaking the tension, Chad let out a little giggle.

You jolted up, looking at him confused. You weren't expecting the sound but you happily welcomed it.

"What?" You chuckled along with as if you were already a part of the joke. "Are you hungry?" He wondered with a bright smile on his face. And there was the good feeling he gave you when he looked at you, just flooding right back in.

"Kinda. Why?"

Before anything else could be said, he grabbed your hand and begun leading you out of the alleyway.

You hadn't known it yet. But you two were about to go on a date.

It wasn't much a date as much as it was just him making sure you got something in your stomach.

But it felt like it.

You laughed, you talked, and you ate. All date activities.

By the time, you made it back to the hideout, it was nighttime. And it seemed like Sam and Tara were just getting there too, like they weren't in there when you left.

"Where have you guys been?!" Sam shouted, looking like a peeved mother toward the two of you. "We went to get food."

She barely let you get a statement out before wrapping you in her arms in a warm embrace. You'd expect this type of interaction from Tara but never from Sam. This definitely was new.

"Damn, Sam. Flirting in front of your boyfriend? Shameful." You joked, hopefully setting a lighter tone on the situation. It helped a little, it caused everyone to let out a little chuckle.

"Tara, tell your sister to stop flirting with me."

You hopped out of Sam's arms, falling into Tara's who returned it almost immediately. She smiled at your antics, this was the first time in weeks you were being yourself.

"Sam, stop flirting with Y/n. She does not like you that way."

She rolled her eyes playfully as you continued to walk in their current direction, still entangled in Tara's arms.

The group let you two know that they had a plan to trap Ghostface and kill him inside the weird lair.

As soon as you got inside, you all went your separate ways, going off and doing your own things. You instinctively went to the little candy counter. You didn't really want the candy, you just liked how it looked.

It didn't take long for Chad to pop up in front of you.

Things were silent between the two of you and for once in the past few weeks, you enjoyed the silence.

"Was that a date?" You blurted out.

"Before, when we went out to eat, was it a date? I'm okay if it wasn't. Like I wasn't wishing it was a date. I just didn't want to take it wrong way and say in the future that it was a date. Especially if it wasn't. Oh my gosh that would so embarra-"

Without any type of warning, he jolted forward, slamming his lips onto yours. You were momentarily paused, you almost didn't know what was going on. But as soon as you understood, you couldn't stop yourself from smiling.

After just sitting there, idle, he pulled away and looked around, almost pretending that didn't happen. He didn't want to be the first person to mention how awkward that was.

He just knew you were going to say something.

"Really, C? You did all that to just give me a church kiss? That's crazy. If you're going to do it, you better do it like you mean it."

So he tried again. Leaning forward slower this time and placing his lips on you lightly. This kiss more gentle as he slipped his tongue in through the gap your teeth made from smiling.

"Now that's a kiss."

You both pulled away satisfied, you smiling a little too big. You were excited, you had been waiting for that for weeks.

"It was a date. For your information." He said, clearing the air as he leaned over the counter. "I really like you, you know that?" Again, unexpected. You thought you were going to have to confess. But he did it for you.

But before you could return the sentiment, you felt a familiar sharp pain in your side. It was exactly the same as you remembered.

Balloon.

Your body froze from the pain, you basically lost feeling in your feet. You fell forward, into Chad's arms. He wanted to check and see if you were okay. But you fell behind him, causing him to fall into Ghostface.

He ducked, leaning over to grab you.

"Come on! We have to run."

He clutched your hand as you started sprinting toward the door. You wanted so much to hunch over and give into your injury. But you knew the moment you slowed, it was over. So you pressed your free hand into the wound as hard as you could and bolted.

You went to burst through the door but it was instead opened by Tara and Sam who seemed to be untouched.

They quickly rushed out of the way, allowing you to run through. Sam slammed the door in his face and then it was back to running.

The pain was unbearable but so was death.

You made your way back around to the spot you were originally. You got in front of Chad who threw a popcorn machine down, trying to trip Ghostface.

He jumped over it, speeding right past you, Tara, and Sam, going right for Chad. You want to help him but you were hunched over, on the ground, holding onto your wound for dear life. You were lucky Tara and Sam sprung to action and pulled him off of Chad.

He kicked Ghostface to the ground and suddenly, it seemed like you won.

Tara pulled you to the door, just in case you need to make a quick escape. Chad went to grab a gumball machine and make sure he was dead. But out of nowhere, another Ghostface appeared, stabbing Chad in the same exact side you got stabbed in.

"Chad!" You and Tara yelled out.

The two Ghostfaces took turns, alternating stabbing Chad in every part of his body. "No!" You shouted, you wanted to use the rest of your strength to go and help him but you could barely stand.

"Go. Run." He managed to get out of his blood soaked mouth. He forced out a nod even though he couldn't even move, he had blood coming out of everywhere in his body.

Tara hooked her arm around your middle and began pulling you out of the room.

You couldn't go rather far since you were also bleeding.

"Drop me right here." You whispered, reached down to the floor, taking a nice seat behind a wall. You could barely be seen. "Are you going to be okay right here?" Sam wondered, grabbing on your free hand.

"No. But if I move one more inch, my body's going to fall apart. Come back for me when it's safe."

The girls nodded. They hesitated leaving you in this state. Blood was gushing out of you like a faucet and you could barely move. You were defensiveless.

Tara's eyes darted around the room, seemingly looking for something. She walked away for a second, only coming back with a rusty old knife. She shoved it into your free hand. "Anyone comes near you, give em' a matching wound." You only reacted with a nod.

"That's my girl."

She stomped away, fading from your view.

You wanted so much to burst out of this injury and help Sam and Tara with whatever was causing them pain out there. You couldn't see since your back was to them.

You tried to get up but your legs immediately turned to jelly and back down you went.

But surely enough, they ended it, stabbing their roommate's dad in both of his arms. That part you saw since they were right in front of you.

As soon as he was confirmed down, Tara went right to you.

"Are you good?"

"Not in slightest."

She wrapped your free arm around her shoulder and helped you out of the building. She was bleeding from her side as well but she was walking as if it didn't bother her. She was trying to help you first.

She got you to the ambulance where they patched you up once again and you were once again, sitting in the back of an emergency vehicle.

"I'm growing tired of ambulances." Tara mentioned, standing in front of you, breaking the long built of silence. "You and me both, sister." Sam replied, rolling her shoulder in pain. She had gotten stabbed too.

Tara looked back at you and you were just sitting there, silently crying.

"What's the matter?" She worried, grabbing onto your hand in concern. You rarely cried in front of your friends so she was a little confused by the sudden feeling.

"It's just Chad."

You heard the rustling of wheels in the slight distance. You immediately recognized it. It was a gurney from the ambulance. But who else was in the building who needed saving?

You looked up and looking half dead, was Chad.

You got out of your seat almost instantly and ran to his side. "I thought you were dead." He couldn't talk, he had an oxygen mask on but he lifted his hand up to your cheek.

He didn't even have to say anything.

You understood.

[lyranova]

The True Meaning

Hiya guys! So there was a Secret Santa event with some friends and I decided to participate, my little fic-gift was for the always lovely @thoughtfullyrainynightmare ! And I hope you like it 🥺💕💕💕!! Merry Christmas and I hope you (and everyone else) have a lovely holiday~!

Word Count: 837

Warnings: None

————

“ Do you think they’ll like them?”

“ Of course they will,” Solara told her husband, Fuegoleon, as she finished tying a ribbon onto the last gift and gently placed it under the tree.

Fuegoleon placed a hand under his chin as he stared at the many beautifully wrapped presents that sat underneath their christmas tree.

For some reason, he didn’t feel convinced by his wife’s words.

“ How can you be so certain that they will? I mean, they could easily hate and reject our gifts just as easily as they would love and accept them.” Fuegoleon pointed out as he continued to scan the various gifts.

“ …Darling, they’re five months old,” Solara countered. “ They’ll love anything we get them, unlike a few picky adults and teenagers we know.” She added with a joking smile.

However, her husband still wasn’t convinced, and it made her frown in confusion, this was very uncharacteristic for her husband. He tended to be confident in his ‘gift giving’ decisions, so why was this making him hesitate?

“ Are you worried because you’ve never given your children a gift before? Or because it’s their first Christmas and you want it to be special?”

Fuegoleon’s head immediately snapped in his wife’s direction, how did she-?

But then, he smiled, of course she knew how he was feeling…she knew him about as well as he knew himself and vice-versa.

“ Both.” He admitted softly as he turned to look at the gifts and large tree again.

“ I want our children to have the best first christmas they could ever ask for,” He continued as he played with one of the ribbons that sat atop of a gift. “ I want it to be special for them.”

“ I understand, I want that for our twins too,” Solara said as she nodded slowly. “ However, because of that, I think you’re missing the point of what makes Christmas special.”

Fuegoleon frowned for a moment, he was missing the point of Christmas? What did she mean? But as her smile turned into a knowing one, he realized what she meant.

“ You mean family, and all of us being together on the holidays.” Fuegoleon said with a small smile, and she nodded.

“ Exactly,” She agreed before looking towards the tree and gifts as well.

“ Having a big, fancy tree and a mountain of gifts is all fine and good, but that isn’t what the holidays are about; the holidays are meant to be about spending time with loved ones, enjoying and appreciating each other, and just…being together whether there’s gifts or not.” She continued before she turned to look at her husband.

“ When our children get older and look back on photos of their first christmas, which do you think they’ll remember fondly? All of the gifts and the fancy tree, or the family they spent the day with?” She asked with a curious brow, even though they both knew the answer.

Fuegoleon turned to look at his wife.

“ In a perfect world, our children would remember both,” He lightly joked, making Solara shove him playfully. “ However, if they’re anything like us, they’ll remember the family they spent the day with over the gifts.”

“ Exactly,” She then reached out and gently placed her hand against his face. “ And that is what will make the holiday special.”

He reached up and placed his hand against hers before he turned to place a kiss on the inside of her palm.

“ You’re right, I’m sorry,” Fuegoleon apologized softly. “ I think I just got carried away by it all.”

Solara shook her head.

“ It’s hard not to, I know I was starting to get carried away as well, hence all the extra gifts.” She admitted with a sheepish chuckle as she looked back at the tree.

“ So please don’t feel bad, dear, I think it’s great that you wanted to make the day special for them. It shows how much you care about your children and their happiness,” She continued before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss against Fuegoleon’s lips.

“ All I ask is that you not forget the true meaning of the holiday,” She said softly as she rested her forehead against his comfortingly.

“ I promise I won’t forget, not again.” He told her softly as he leaned forward to place another warm, gentle kiss against his lips.

Solara smiled into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer as his arms gently wrapped around her waist.

As the kiss deepened and began to grow a little more heated, the couple was interrupted by the sound of loud baby cries coming from the nursery.

“ Duty calls,” Solara sighed as she and her husband pulled away and again rested their foreheads against each other.

“ Indeed.” Fuegoleon agreed with a chuckle, he placed one last kiss against his wife’s lips before standing up and extending a hand to help her stand.

The couple, hand in hand, quietly made their way to their twins nursery to try to get them back to sleep.

————

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!