#this got needlessly long again but hey what can you do

[returnsandreturns]

"You know, I really thought that if we were at the point where I really definitely got us killed, you'd be yelling at me about, like, my carelessness or my lack of foresight or how you knew this was going to happen ever since that after hours public pool incident back in seventh grade because I am sure that you have an exact date and time when you realized that we were going to die side by side and it would be my fault but you're just being really quiet right now which is worse, actually, it's worse, Gus, because I -”

Gus graciously interrupts Shawn's death rattle of a monologue with a shaky, “Shut up, Shawn.”

He's never heard Gus sound resigned before. Every other emotion under the sun but not resigned. They're not making it out of this.

“Gus, I have a dramatic deathbed confession to make,” he says, a lot more terrified and high-pitched than he was hoping for, considering what he's about to say. “I—”

“Shut up, Shawn,” Gus says, with exactly the tone that Shawn was going for. Passion. Gravitas. He looks up to see the most fascinating Gus face he's ever witnessed and then Gus is grabbing him by the hair to kiss the everliving hell out of him.

Shawn's wondering whether it's worth trying to have sex or if it will just make it weird when the murderer finally comes to murder them when the door unlocks and light streams in and it's Juliet and not the murderer who was definitely going to murder them.

As soon as they're outside the creepy murder house, Gus books it.

“Hey! Gus!” Shawn yells, chasing him. “We have sensitive things to address!”

“No, we don't!” Gus yells back.

“You have nowhere to run! I know where you live!”

“I'll move!”

“I'll find you!”

“I'll move again!”

“That's needlessly expensive when you could just stop sprinting so I can tell you that I LOVE YOU, TOO,” Shawn says, out of breath, grateful that Gus freezes and turns around slowly.

“. . .you what?” he asks.

“What did you think my dying confession was?” Shawn asks.

“I assumed it would be an ill-timed joke,” Gus says, walking back slowly, “or a reference to an 80s movie or a—dirty limerick.”

“. . .all fair assumptions,” Shawn admits, softly.

They look at each other for a long moment.

“How long?” Gus asks, almost suspiciously.

“Who knows?” Shawn sighs. “Forever? Forever seems like the most—accurate estimate.”

“. . .oh god, I used all my courage kissing you the first time,” Gus says, strained, looking at the night sky instead of Shawn, “so if you're planning on something happening right now, I'm gonna need you to. . .you know. . .because I’m about to start running again if you don't—Shawn, kiss me.”

“Oh! Okay, yeah,” Shawn says, quickly, stepping in to pull Gus into a kiss that's less dramatic than the first one but way, way better.

Mostly because they aren't about to get murdered.

“. . .do you want to go get several kinds of breakfast foods with me?” Shawn asks, when they part.

Gus lets out a soft sigh.

“Please,” he says, leaning into Shawn when he wraps an arm around him and guides him back towards the cop cars.

“I'm gonna play footsie with you under the table,” Shawn says.

“As long as I get food, you can do whatever you want to me under the table," Gus says, groaning when Shawn makes a scandalized noise. "That is not what I meant."

"Hey, don't get my hopes up," Shawn says, happily.

[is-on-its-way]

Bathtub

Post-Fight the Future

A moment in Scully's recovery from Antarctica after being released from a Buenos Aires hospital.

Inspired by this insane "blooper" video. and a tweet asking for a fic about said moment.

There was a soft knock at the door and Mulder said “Scully?” through it. 

“Come in Mulder” she called. 

There was a pause and she yelled out again with a smile “Im not indecent”. She was covered in bubbles after all, he wouldn’t be able to see anything below her shoulders.

He opened the door and slid his face through it apprehensively but when he saw she was covered completely, he relaxed and moved halfway across the frame.

She smiled up at him as she swallowed a retort of “Nothing you haven't seen before”, not wanting to make him needlessly uncomfortable. He had seemed like he’d been held together by a fine thread, under constant threat of loosing what little composure he’d been keeping together for her since she had woken up in the hospital in Buenos Aires. 

They had been in an airy third floor walk up on a street full of colourful buildings, with bare trees lining the cobble stones, since she’d been released from the hospital a couple of days ago. She’d been throughly enjoying wandering around Palermo with him, looking at the old architecture that rivalled DC, listening to live music in the evenings, sitting at a corner cafe sipping wonderful warm coffee, not thinking about work for what felt like the first time in a long while. 

He hadn’t mentioned anything about what had happened yet, letting her take the lead, but she could tell he was itching to. He had so much on his mind and she would have to get the full accounting eventually. But here in this cozy old stone building, in a bathtub from at least 1920, with a weathered door that wouldn’t lock, she felt like she was in a different lifetime. A sanctuary away from the x files and what they would have to return to in Washington in two days. 

“Hey” he said eyes lingering on her face, no chance of impropriety there. She loved him for it.

“Skinner called, he’s glad you’re out of the hospital and he said to call as soon as you can, so…”

“No dilly dallying?”

He smiled at the term and said “Right, I don’t think we should keep him waiting he’s uh… well, annoyed would be a generous interpretation”

She laughed, “Okay, Ill be out in a minute.”

He turned out of the door then back to her “I was going to order some late breakfast, what do you want?”

“You can order in Spanish over the phone?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Well…” He shrugged throwing his hands out. The bottle cap he’d been playing with slipped from his fingers, hit the water, and sank with a tink to the bottom of the tub. 

“Sorry” he said quickly, passing all the way through the threshold and stooping down over the tub. Before she could think to move, he slipped his arm between her legs and was fishing on the bottom of the tub for it. She swallowed the gasp in her throat as his arm brushed her inner thigh and her back straightened imperceptibly in response.

She followed his arm down with her eyes and shifted her legs open so he could reach it, where she could feel it had fallen, under her leg. She looked up at his face, lips parted, in surprise. He seemed truly concentrated on finding the thing. Was he just so comfortable with her now, almost kissing her in hallways, and carrying her half naked across the arctic that this was just what their partnership had evolved into? She wondered what he would do next, imagined what he would do next, hoped at what he would do next. 

“Got it” he said and looked up at her, his hand dripping over the water. Their eyes met and she swallowed as she saw him register the desire she had been too slow to hide. She could see the moment flicker behind his eyes as he realised what he had done. His cheeks burned red as he leaned back, closing his hand around it in a tight fist. “Im sorry Scully, I don’t know what I was thinking doing that.”

She shook her head, setting her face in a casual expression, and ran her tongue over her dry lips. “Thats okay Mulder.” 

They both waited for the other to speak and when neither did, she decided to end his agony. Her mouth spread in a wide smile and then she was giggling. He looked at her and chanced a smile. 

“Mulder” she said sweetly. The water sloshed as she put her hands up in front of her, resting her fingers on the hollow between her clavicles, covering her breasts. She leaned onto the side of the tub, closing the distance he'd put between them. She looked up into his face. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before anyway.” She said it as a comfort, not in jest.

Mulder’s face was flushed but he smiled at her with such gentle affection, she could’ve stood up and thrown her arms around him in a sudsy wet hug. 

Instead she said “Can we go out to that cafe again? I think I need to get the blood flowing with a walk.” Not that that wasn’t already happening right now, but she wanted to be outside, she’d felt slightly suffocated being inside since Antarctica.

“Of course, anything you want, Scully” He said in that stoic tone she loved, as he stood and made his way out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 

End. 

@today-in-fic

[anemoarchonhoe]

Commissioned by @unkownknowledge

Hmm, how about just having trouble in school then? I'm commissioning this for a friend, and I think that's something else they'd relate to. Something with tests being tiring and a pain if that works?

Thanks for commissioning me and for being super patient! Here's your request.

I decided to make it pure fluff, slice of life with no plot since you didn't provide any other indication otherwise. I hope you enjoy! Again, I'm sorry for taking so long with this. 😭 Life just severely beat my butt.

Venti is the very definition of "work smarter, not harder"

He likes being lazy so that's why as soon as he gets schoolwork from your teacher, he immediately works on it so he can get it over with quicker.

It's probably out of character for someone so carefree to finish work early and even efficiently, but perhaps not?

After all, he can lounge around in bed more if he's got nothing to worry about.

Your childhood best friend is an enigma.

Unfortunately you've got no time to puzzle his logic when it comes to academics when you have to worry about your exams.

While you're cramming for tomorrow's tests, Venti is doing nothing but lay on your bed and playing the flute.

"Oh my Archons, stop playing the flute!"

You irritatingly snatched the offending wind instrument and lightly hits his head with it. Venti lets out an exaggerated "OW!", clutching his forehead with his other hand reaching shakily for the sky.

"Argh, you gave me a concussion, sweet friend! Is this the end for me?"

You roll your eyes, shaking your head at his theatrics. "It will be if you don't get your dramatic butt off my bed and study with me."

He sighs and stands up, plopping down on the floor at the side of the small wooden table where strewn papers full of notes and books laid on the surface. He looks at you. You look like you are pushing yourself past your limits. Venti is tempted to make a joke about what brand your eye bags are, but held himself back just in case you were serious about ending him.

"Hey," he reluctantly calls out to you. "Maybe we– you should take a break? You look like you haven't slept at all. Were you studying all this time?"

You nodded without looking at him, grumbling under your breath the keywords that would help you memorize terms you need to remember.

That's it.

Venti slams his hands down on the table, making you yelp and place a hand on your chest. You glared at him.

"What's that for!?"

"Time for a break! I'll get you some snacks. If I catch you reading a book..." Venti jokingly threatens, even narrowing his eyes at you. For good measure, he places your favorite bookmark on the page you were reading and closes it.

Alright. Perhaps he is right. You were so sleep-deprived that nothing is really registering in your mind anymore, so you let him arrange your notes neatly before leaving to get something to eat. You placed your arms and head on the now clean table, closing your eyes to rest them. About a couple minutes later, Venti is back with some apple juice and sliced fruits to snack on.

"Glad to see you're actually taking a break and listening to me." He cheerfully notes, placing the tray on the table before taking an apple slice for himself. "You know, I can help you study if you just ask. You don't have to needlessly push yourself too hard."

"I know," you reply, taking a sip of the cool juice. You felt refreshed, so you drink some more until the entire glass is empty. "I don't want to be a bother, though. And I want to do this on my own."

Venti's eyes softens as he takes your hands slowly in both of his, his thumbs tracing circles on the back of your hands. "You will never be a "bother" to me."

Your eyes widen, feeling your heart skip several beats like a rock thrown across a lake. You feel the ripple as pleasant tingles that originated from the warmth of his hands, spreading throughout your body. It made you relax. Suddenly, you feel the burden you put on your body and you yawned, becoming tired now that you're not as stressed.

Venti notices this and places your head on his shoulder.

"Sleep."

And so you did.

When you wake up an hour later, he did help you study. Venti explained the topic in a way that you could easily understand. Perhaps it's because both your desire for sleep and snacks were both satisfied, but reviewing what you've learned because much easier. You highlighted the important parts that Venti pointed out on your notes, and wrote down extra information that he explained to you.

"Thank you, Venti. I learned a lot." You smiled up at him. He really did not strike you as an academically intelligent guy. Now, you're not saying he's dumb, but all of his grades are all average that you now begin to suspect that he is keeping it that way on purpose.

"You're very welcome, friend!" He sing-songed, closing the book that he was using and began to put it away. He was humming as he did so. "Remember, I'm your friend! If there is anything, and I mean anything, I could do for you... I'm always ready to help you out."

"...Well, I'm kind of broke right now–"

"Not the financial kind of help." He shoots you a playful glare. "I'm broke too!"

You both laugh in unison.

You both made quick work of putting away books into both of your bags before deciding to hang out and watch a movie. Sure, you could do more studying, but you are both all tuckered out and just wanted to call it a day.

Venti picked a cheesy romantic comedy that is Christmas-themed. You both playfully argued that he should pick something else.

"It's July, for Archons' sake, Venti. Hardly the season for Christmas movies."

"Then let's make it a night for watching not-in-season movies!"

Venti used Cute Puppy Eyes. It was very effective.

You ended up watching Christmas movies all night until you both fell asleep. Thank gods you both shared a boarding room.

The very next day, at school.

You did not necessarily achieve the highest score in your exam. But damn it, you passed and that's what matters. To celebrate the end of both your suffering (honestly, it's just you who suffered. Venti was fine with his average scores and average grades), Venti decides to treat you to ice cream. He bought an ice cream sandwich for himself while you got your cone. He paid for it and took you to a peaceful walk on a nearby park to unwind.

"How's the exam?" he asked you, taking a bite of his ice cream.

"Eh, I passed. How about you?"

He hummed, swallowing his bite. "It was pretty hard, but I also passed!"

"Neat."

He makes a noncommittal hum. You fake-yawn and awkwardly put your arm on his shoulder and he stiffens in surprise.

A pause. Your heart pounds.

He clears his throat and casually lays his head on your shoulder. You smile.

Word count: 1,005 words

[drdemonprince]

autistic anon here again, thanks for fielding my question, you're a real one for not all toxic positivity on it. i guess i should've formulated things better, because i didn't mean to imply being completely wrapped up in decision paralysis to the point of doing nothing. that's a mental hurdle i've cleared a long time ago, so shit gets done. i have a few emails sitting in my inbox of fundraisers i helped with that closed out, and it;s making me emotional just thinking about it.

there's a weird disconnect between knowing that you're just one person (and that's something i actually like, i'm no-one special, that's a very freeing thought), and fully feeling it. because somewhere there's always a nagging worry i could do more. as true as it is, reminding yourself you're doing what you can feels like a convenient self-soothing lie when you're in the pit of a bad night. probably the calvinist whispering poisons in your ear. (being afraid of falling in the trap of slacktivism or just reposting everything as a signal boost and patting myself on the back for a job well done, amongst them. which is BS, but knowing isn't believing.)

i mentioned the autistic part for a reason, because community is something i've never quite experienced and only understand in the abstract. like those fundraisers i helped with many, many other people, that's a community effort and i'm proud i could contribute my little bit. translating that to in-person efforts has been a big ??? though. it's not very parseable or approachable to me.

i hadn't quite grokked this as all being part of shame, i have your book sitting here and have read it a while, probably should reread it.

Hey, thanks for writing back! I hear from people of all levels of engagement, from having never done anything to like dedicated black bloc hard core mother fuckers so it's hard to gauge from a single message what someone's particular situation is.

It sounds like you are already doing a ton, choosing actions to take, following through on them, reflecting on the impact of your tactics, and then regrouping to do more and to try things differently where you can. Yet you still feel like shit sometimes and as if you're not doing enough. What to do about those feelings?

Well. Consider those feelings aren't a problem you have to fix. They're just a thing that will happen. Because of cultural conditioning and endless exposure to alarming messages and imagery online they're just gonna come up. Those feelings can just exist while you keep doing the damn thing.

You've already got your behavior on lock. You're doing what you can and not succumbing to choice paralysis. You're hopefully not burning yourself out. It doesn't sound like anything needs to change, maybe other than you not consuming too much online bullshit that's making you feel even more guilty needlessly.

You say: "there's a weird disconnect between knowing that you're just one person (and that's something i actually like, i'm no-one special, that's a very freeing thought), and fully feeling it."

Yeah, you might not ever fully feel it. As long as you keep acting like it's true, you're good imo.

i feel like the most evil selfish unlovable human being alive most days. it doesn't really matter that i do. it sucks, but that's just a fact of how my life has been. i can keep picking myself up and doing what i have decided is right for me to do anyway. i do what i can to avoid triggers that make that feeling worse, so that it doesn't become a barrier to action, but otherwise i just... keep on living, with terrible emotions and terrible thoughts. and i focus on my actions.

As for the community piece, I hear you, it's really fucking hard. I think it's very humbling work that is so worth doing though. Often it involves showing up to the work that a group is doing and living with the fact that you won't know what the fuck is going on and looking inept for a while. it's a necessary distress tolerance building exercise, getting more comfortable with just being there and rearranging the chairs and setting up the food and feeling like a dumbass who has nothing to contribute.

being able to sit with those feelings and keep showing up and not having an ego about it is enough to earn a lot of trust and foster deeper connections, I find. so many people fail to be able to even do that in most organizing/activist/volunteering spaces. I understand it feels mortifying but it is another one of those situations of getting over oneself in a way that's ultimately so freeing and beautiful. when you can accept that people want you around even if you never have anything to say and do nothing but bring paper cups and take out the trash. it's a real object lesson in how not being all that important can be a wonderful thing and make it possible for us to find love and acceptance.

[ach-sss-no]

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Boromir's response to the guard was chosen via poll. I never know what the internet will do, and in this case, the majority chose...

....sane and reasonable, the most surprising possible result on the internet! (boromir is not taking the audacious move of trying to get away with pretending he's not bringing another person into the town; but he is also not trying to explain gollum, which i suspect would only serve to confuse the guard and make gollum anxious.)

Needlessly long minutiae under the cut

I do not like to pick specific dates in this AU because I will get them wrong and I am a coward. But this is meant to be slightly into the Fourth Age.

Gollum has been ring-free and essentially in therapy for 4-5 years. There is related fanfiction if you want his situation explained in excruciating detail; all you need to know is that he's just here and has compellingly shown the other characters that he is no longer a threat. He does need care/supervision and can't be ethically released to the wild (primarily because he does not want to go). He's been living in Minas Tirith, if that wasn't clear.

Frodo has set sail, so I am sorry to say he will not be in this comic unless there are flashbacks to when he was still living on the continent. (Ditto everyone else who was on the boat with him)

This is also long enough post-Scouring that I thought Bree would be getting more relaxed about letting people in again, at least if it's just one dude and one hobbit and there are no visible weapons and they have a letter from Pippin Took, famed anti-bandit local hero. Boromir is still thinking about the bandit problem, though.

Staddle is a suburb of Bree to the east. I know this from LOTRO. If you were in Bree and you saw a hobbit turn up at the east gate, creature known to stay at home and not live east of the Misty Mountains, a hobbit, you would probably assume he was coming in from Staddle and not... Gondor, a place a zillion miles away that you've possibly never heard of, where there are no hobbits.

This is the website I got 'ramreth' from and if the site is accurate (it looks accurate) it literally does mean 'wall climber'. I'm not really a conlangs person <_<;

"I had a chance but did not take it" = In this universe where Boromir lives (and is ambulatory/can travel), Boromir was given the offer to travel with the other Fellowship members all the way to Bree if desired, but he left the group earlier than that for personal reasons (chiefly, not wanting another extended absence from Gondor) (but now he regrets that because it turns out there was bandits and also he had more limited opportunity to see certain people again in this life than he realized)

Anyway, if you read all that. Here's a poll, as a treat

[tauforged]

like the thing that i think a lot of ppl gloss over is that a large majority of the talon aligned heroes have little to no interest in the actual ‘goals’ of the organization (to the point where we still don’t entirely know what talon wants or why they exist, lmfao) so much as it just being a means to an end. like we can all conceptualize that sombra is pretty much just there because it gives her access to more resources she can use towards her own goals, moira is there for research opportunities and funding that she’d never get elsewhere due to the nature of her work, i can only imagine that ramattra’s alliance with talon (and thus null sector’s as a whole) is purely situational because it provides advantages he considers useful, reaper is pretty much just there because they’re against overwatch therefore he can use it as an avenue for his revenge, even doomfist doesn’t really seem to hold as much stock in talon as an organization as he does use his position as a tool to achieve his goals, if it stopped being useful he would likely just walk away.

in opposition to the overwatch aligned heroes who all seem to be coming together solely for the sake of this like, ideal of Overwatch as a concept being this paradigm of good and justice and doing what’s right, and rallying behind their faith in the organization and what it symbolizes… i genuinely don’t think any of the talon operatives really care all that much about talon at all. it’s just a job. like, sure, we’re doing cartoon supervillain shit, but the pay is decent and we’ve got benefits and i can continue to do my own thing on the side, no questions asked. it’s honestly a pretty sweet deal.

all of that to say i really don’t see why people seem so averse to the idea of sigma having that same mindset. like yeah, he’s not exactly thrilled to be using his research and abilities to assist in acts of violent terrorism, but does he have many other options? he says it himself in that interaction with baptiste, talon gives him everything he needs - funding, resources, something to fall back on after being in total isolation for decades and coming out with absolutely nothing. it’s a guaranteed safety net — so long as he’s with talon, there’s absolutely no chance of anyone dragging him off or locking him up again, and so long as he contributes when he’s needed, he’s free to pursue his research to his heart’s content. does he regret it? sure, sometimes. i think they all do. i doubt there’s a single talon-aligned hero who genuinely believes what they’re doing is genuinely morally correct and sound. but ultimately in his mind he didn’t have many options left, so he had to settle for something he knew would at least guarantee his safety and continued freedom. it doesn’t really mean he’s being manipulated or held against his will any moreso than most of the other talon heroes, imho. he’s not proud of it, but hey, it pays the bills.

i feel like he regards it with a similar level of resentment/annoyance as i felt towards my horrible soul sucking corporate retail job of several years - like don’t get me wrong, the company i worked for absolutely sucked and i HATED how they operated, policy was bullshit and so much of it was unnecessary and needlessly counterproductive. but i also really connected with my coworkers in the same situation AND i got to get paid to do stuff i already would have been doing on my own anyway, and ultimately the experience i got and connections i made were really helpful in pursuing what i actually wanted to be doing with my life. it’s like if your shitty day job required you to kill people but they also like, got you hooked up with a place to live and a healthcare provider and all that shit and paid for all of your living expenses no questions asked AND gave you a decent budget to screw around with so long as every now and then you showed them what you were making and maybe used it to kill people more efficiently sometimes. i wouldn’t exactly feel any amount of loyalty to the company paying me but i wouldn’t exactly be in a hurry to quit either

[cloverhasnobrain]

Bumblebees

A Hank Pym x reader oneshot. Gender neutral, can be read as platonic or romantic.

Trigger warnings: ... none? Bees? My rusty writing, I've been on a slump for more than a year, but Hank is like, my favourite character and literally so underrated, he deserves so much more content. And wholesome content ffs let's stop torturing my boy. Do warn me if you find anything noteworthy though. Kisses, L.

_________________________________________

Dr. Pym, just as his favored study subjects, could be a hard man to find for the untrained eye. Granted, he was somewhat clumsy and tended to talk to himself or the insects, which made it easier, but he was also a recluse with the tendency to be the height of a finger at times, which helped with disappearing.

It took some getting used to, but he had so many other eccentricities that in the end, it didn't matter— the difference was that, upon entering his laboratories, one had to watch their step not to squash a certain scientist under their foot.

So Henry Pym was weird, but working for him still felt like a privilege; he was one of the greatest minds of his age and arguably history, a renowned brainiac and superhero, his name looked amazing on a curriculum, and he was a surprisingly good boss, if you got past the paranoia. And the odd fits. And the temper.

You supposed you had it easier though: after Scott became the Ant-Man, Pym needed a new assistant and you needed a job. After having been staff for the Fantastic Four for a year, you seemed like a pretty reliable option; you didn't steal any tech, blow up the Baxter Building, succumb to Doctor Doom or turn to the Dark Side of the Force, and having survived Reed Richards' pompous ass, maybe you could tolerate Hank's... so that was how you'd found yourself working for the Doc, about eight months ago, which was enough time to get a bit of a grip on how his behaviour and thought progress worked.

And to know to access the tracker of his gear, in case he disappeared.

So that was the case when you got in for another day that was meant to be tranquil, cleaned the lab floor, polished the skeleton of a new regulator he'd been working on, washed beakers and test tubes, monitored the temperature on a long-brewing reaction he'd been working on, rolled your eyes fondly at the message on a post-it:

Hello, feed the ants for me please.

— Hank

And you fed the little critters without much trouble, wondering where the hell that nerd had gone— usually, he at least warned you before disappearing. If only so you didn't order food for him needlessly.

You let a breath through your nose; checking his location wouldn't hurt, maybe he could use some help. With that thought in mind, you proceeded to check the tracker he'd installed on his utility belt, blinking at the location the damn thing gave: the very edges of New York? That was weird.

Maybe spending so much time with Pym was rubbing off on you, because soon you found yourself with a backpack full of essentials on top of your rover, putting on a helmet to start through the air in the direction of wherever your crazy boss was stirring up trouble.

When the tracker gave a close enough location, it was on the roadside by the edge of some woods. What the hell was Hank doing, and where?

"Pym!", you called out, shoving your hands in your pockets and threading carefully through the soft grass, between the treeline to find a flowery clearing.

"Doctor Pym! Hank?" You startled when suddenly the world grew so much bigger and you fell amongst the grass leafs with a quiet yelp.

"Hey there," the familiar scientist grinned when you got over the whiplash, offering a hand to pull you to your feet. "Shush now, you'll startle her," he whispered when you scowled and opened your mouth to give him a few choice words for shrinking you like this, causing your forehead to crease again. Who could "she" be now?

The answer was a giant-ass bee.

"What the-" you stumbled back a bit, but the bee just looked at you lazily and fluttered its wings. Yeah, real scared, it seemed. "Pym, what are you doing?", you demanded, placing your hands on your hips.

"This is a rusty-patched bumblebee," he explained softly, looking at the buzzing insect with something akin to wonder. "They're a rare, endangered species, and now in early spring, it was reported to that entomologists society we've been publishing to that one of those little buzzers was sighted here; I had to investigate."

You looked between the blonde man and the bee in front of you, torn between feeling fond and exasperated. Of course, that was what Hank would do on his free day.

"What?", he made a face, "it really IS a rusty-patched, which is amazing because I'd never found a living one in this area. Maybe they've been moving... either way, I found the nest and now I've just been checking on and documenting each individual. They're so special, you see, they do 'buzz pollinating': in which a bee vibrates its flight muscles while clasping a flower, dislodging pollen that is difficult to access. Because of that, they're essential to wildflowers, cranberries, blueberries, and even important plantations like apples, plums, alfalfa, and they're also vital to tomatoes, seeing as they're one of the few insects that can pollinate it."

"Yeah, I have to admit, that's pretty cool."

"You wanna touch'er?"

You blinked.

"Touch her?"

"Yeah, she's so fuzzy, you wanna touch her?"

You pondered. Touching the bee felt a bit like a stupid decision, but it DID look so fuzzy...

"... yeah."

He grabbed your wrist with a bony hand, guiding it to gently pet the fuzzy thorax. You could feel the furry chest expand and fall with each breath of the bee, the muscles moving when it fluttered its wings, and though you had been fully expecting a sting, it was docile, piercing a little hole of a flower, into which it stuck its tongue to drain the precious nectar while you stroked its soft hairs and gave it little scritches between the antennae, cooing when it buzzed.

"You can try it as well, this one is edible to us," Hank murmured, copping a drop when the bumblebee finished its draining— in this size, your hands were so small you could actually hold drops of liquid due to their surface tension, like dew on a leaf, and slurping up the sweet liquid. You laughed at the sight, prompting a chuckle from him as well, and mimicked the movement.

The greedy little bee had drained almost all the nectar, but there was some you could salvage, to gingerly try and give Hank a pleasantly surprised look.

"Jeez, I get why these guys like this so much!"

The entomologist laughed at your reaction, nodding in agreement.

"Rusty-patched bumblebees are seasonal unsects. That means that the queen bee emerges from her burrow when her hibernation stops at early spring, to make her nest and lay eggs that quickly hatch into new bees. They live during summer and the entire nest dies at fall, when only the new queens survive and burrow themselves. Since it's springtime, this guy's colony still has a good while, so hopefully I can accompany their progress and try to ensure that they succeed as well, considering this species' endangered status," he continued, proceeding on a long ramble regarding bumble bees; you didn't mind. You liked it, watching him so excitedly explain such mundane things. It never failed to bring a smile to your face, when he finally forgot all the grandiose to focus on the little things that just made him happy, and that mattered more than most could guess. Like bumble bees.

Springtime was nice, because it meant cool bugs, trying new things, and helping endangered bee species on a sunny afternoon, when you worked at Pym Labs.

Fin.

_________________________________________

Writer's note: Thank you for reading this little oneshot, it's the first I've written in a long while and hopefully I can do more. If you want any more, have ideas or something, feel free to leave a request in the comments or asks, and I will try to provide! I'll more than eagerly write for the Les Mis fandom, Mouthwashing, Marvel— especially Hawkeye, Black Widow, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk(s), Bruce Banner, the Gamma System as a whole, Ant-Man, Hank Pym, Spider-Man and the Wasp, as those are the ones I know best, but I'm always willing to learn more and try new characters! Yes I do prompts, yes I do hcs, fluff, smut, angst, crackfics and honestly down for whatever as long as the vibe is good. Cya,

-L.

[fonulyn]

I've been thinking about Infinite Darkness again, as one does lol, and especially why I'm not super fond of Claire in it. it's been hard to come to terms with that because I started out loving Claire, she's always been one of my favorites, she's fierce and loyal and does anything she has to for what she considers to be the right thing, the fair thing. I love her fierce attitude in re2 remake, and I despite Degeneration's shortcomings as a movie I loved how Claire was portrayed in it, that she'd chosen her own path and she was working tirelessly to make the world a safer place her own way.

which is also why I don't agree with the take that she was sidelined in ID because she didn't get to go in guns blazing, because to me it felt very natural to her almost anti-gun stance in Degeneration, AND because holy shit people a female character does not need to go around waving weapons to be badass?? she does the brainy thing, she figures out the entire conspiracy on her own, but she gets no credit for that feat?? bc she doesn't shoot enough guns?? yeah no. she did great. but I digress.

so, I went into ID loving Claire and came out of it annoyed as hell, feeling like she'd been betrayed and done dirty, but it's so hard to put a finger on why exactly. there's something about how she acts, something about how she specifically interacts with other people, that feels so awkward and so unlike her. she's so needlessly antagonistic, for one.

(and the ramble continues under a cut bc this got long)

and honestly, I think the main issue I have with her is that they dumbed her down. she's not an idiot. and somehow she still apparently assumes that a government agent can just answer all her questions and spill all secrets, and then she gets huffy when he doesn't? I get it that it sucks being dismissed by a friend, but at the same time they're not interacting as friends there, but as representatives of their respective organizations. I can't assume my doctor friend would spill all the info on her patients just because we're friends, exactly like I wouldn't tell her private info about my students. sometimes a person's job does come in the way. and Claire should be clever enough to know that and not just get pissy when she doesn't get what she wants.

and even bigger issue is the ending scene. it starts off so nice, all joking, and then when Leon says that he thought he told Claire not to do anything stupid while clearly in on the joke, Claire suddenly goes all "HEY I'M JOKING"?? yeah Claire, we know, everyone knows, but suddenly she decides to flip a switch and go from joking to angry.

and the "when are you going to stop treating me like a kid" line? it's just blatantly wrong. in re2? they don't even spend that much time together but when they do, they clearly treat each other as equals. in Degeneration? another character dismisses Claire and Leon immediately jumps in to defend her and let them know how capable she is. he and Claire talk about different paths, but in no way is it ever even hinted at that one of the paths would be better or worse than the other. there's never ever been anything but mutual respect between them. and I think it's a huge disservice to both to just dimiss that.

AND the infamous Chip of Destiny™. again, Claire is not stupid. she should know that the conspiracy goes deeper than just Wilson, and just exposing him will drive all the rest of the bad guys deeper underground where they'll be impossible to find. and even more importantly, exposing that information would paint the most ginormous target on her back, she'd be hunted down. and while that might be a risk she's willing to take, she also should respect that it's not something Leon is willing to do to her.

(I'm not saying Leon is blameless in that scene either, he could've spelled it out for her, like he did to Shen May earlier on. he could've at least tried to explain his side. instead he just clams down and makes things worse. I understand his motivations, he thinks he can dismantle the corruption from the inside (erroneously as we know but he's operating with way more limited info than we are) and he doesn't want to put Claire in danger. but damnit boy, open your mouth and say it, if not in that many words then at least some vague version of it!)

so yeah, I think that sums up my biggest issues with Claire in ID. she clearly is bright and can use her brain but then she has a couple of moments where she just. doesn't. for some reason. and how she's so needlessly antagonistic. she's always been ready to throw down if necessary, which I've always loved, but she's never snapped at people like she does at Leon in ID. it's like she's intentionally trying to be mean and I just can't fit that into my perception of Claire, I can't.

with all that said, ID is still one of my favorites of the animated RE movies (yes it's a movie lol), it just bothers me that they did this to her. she deserved better!

[dragons-hoard-of-fandoms]

Late to the party but making an entrance, Murder Drones Episode 5 is finally out so at long last I can stop with the memes (for now) and share my thoughts on Dragons Rising so far.

Okay, first things first, I'm gonna be 100% honest with y'all: I low-key do not care about any of the new characters. I know, I know, BURN THE HERETIC, I can't really explain it myself. Maybe I'm just too attached to the OGs or haven't gotten to know the newbies well enough yet, but so far all I'm seeing is Average Shonen-Esque Protagonist, Nya 2.0 Catgirl Edition, Cute and Easily Marketable Dog-That-Is-Not-A-Dog, The Only One With A Mildly Interesting Backstory, and a bunch of generic cookie-cutter villains. It's not gonna make me stop watching or anything, it's just that they could all randomly vanish by the next episode and never be brought up ever again and I'd be totally fine with it. Certainly wouldn't be the first time this franchise has completely dropped something out of nowhere and hoped no one would notice.

A'ight, got that out of the way, now to start nitpicking: I don't understand why they're pronouncing Riyu as "Rai-yu." I thought it would've been "Ree-yu," like the dude from Street Fighter, and I'm not gonna say it any other way. And why do they keep trying to convince us that Lloyd had to be trained for years when in reality he mastered Spinjitzu within, like, a month at most? I'm going to assume that either A) He's just blatantly lying to make Arin feel better, because there is literally zero chance that Season Two took place over the course of multiple years, or B) Lloyd himself has absolutely no concept of time and can't even remember that he's, like, an eighteen-year-old in the body of a twenty-three-year-old by this point.

BTW Lloyd please do not try to be like Wu, you of all people should know what being like Wu entails. You're already in the "training child soldiers" phase, you can not go further or else you are going to hit the "keeping way too many things to yourself" stage and you know what always happened when Wu didn't tell anybody jack squat until it was too late. Heck, there is still a very real possibility that the Merge wouldn't have happened in the first place if he'd just been like "hey so all the Realms might start trying to fuse together soon and as per usual you're the only ones with a chance at stopping it" instead of sticking to his "The Apocalypse™ is coming for like the seventh time and all I'm gonna do about it is be needlessly vague and cryptic for no real reason" schtick.

They should not have given Ras and Rapton such similar names, I'm going to inevitably mix them up. Also Rapton you will never be Iron Baron. I never thought I'd say anything positive about Iron Baron but I could actually tolerate him, whereas I just wanna see Rapton get run over by a bus. And not even in a cathartic "I want she-whose-name-we-do-not-speak-in-this-household to be brutally murdered onscreen in such a horrific and violent manner that it'd never be allowed anywhere if they weren't Legos" way, just in the most apathetic "please remove this character from existence" way you can imagine.

I'll give them this, tho, the show itself is gorgeous to look at, and the concept is pretty nifty. And while I may not be completely in love with Sora and Arin, I'm still glad they didn't go the braindead babymode easy route of making the "next gen" series revolve around the OG Ninja's kids (even if it is mostly because it completely avoids the possibility of being forced to endure the timeline where Lloyd actually thought getting with she-whose-name-we-do-not-speak-in-this-household was a good idea). I'm definitely gonna stay tuned for Part Two, even if I'm admittedly not the biggest fan of what we've got so far. Hopefully it's all uphill from here.

(More spoiler-y stuff under the cut)

Wow I can't believe they somehow managed to make a Cloud Kingdom character more punchable than Fenwick. The scrollworms are pretty cute, tho. Also, uh, Euthanasia or whatever your name was, Morro would like to know your location.

DING DONG, THE WU IS DEAD! BAGELS FOR EVERYONE!

So on the one hand it seems like we might be getting slightly more focus on Lloyd's dragon side this time around, but on the other hand we've already had multiple instances where it could've been brought up but just wasn't, which could mean that it's all just more of the same token Chosen One™ nonsense we're used to and this post got hit by Quanish's dodgeball of prophecy. (Seriously, surely at least one of the super-mega-ultra-powerful Source Dragons should've been like "Kid what is wrong with your blood," right?)

But, on the chance that the former is the case...

What if the Imperium finds out about it and decides the weird little Oni-dragon-human grandson of literal God is a far more valuable prize?

Also this is how we can still get Garmadon's dragon half to show up please I am begging on my hands and knees

[dadddybangtan]

Suck Torture | 10

Back Table of Contents Next

cw: mentions of mvrder, death of a supporting character, violence, breaking and entering

word count: 1.6k

I came home to my roommates huddled in the living room in silence. They stared at me as I walked in the door.

"Hey." I said awkwardly.

Just then, I heard a small sniffle come from the bunch, but I couldn't tell who it was.

"Did something happen?"

Taehyun got up from the couch and approached me with a solemn expression. He doesn't tend to show a lot of emotion so, I knew something was up.

"Kai was killed on Christmas Eve. His family knew but didn't wanna ruin our Christmas." He said lowly.

"What," My heart sank, "How?"

"They said he went out that night to fix the lights on the roof... After a while, he didn't come back," He swallowed, "When they found him, he was completely drained of his blood with bites on his neck."

The last part took me aback. He said it so casually, I thought I'd misheard him.

"Are you- are you saying he was killed by a vampire?"

He stopped, seemingly unsure how to answer.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time believing that."

If Kai was killed by a real vampire, that raised the chances of Hyunjin being a real one as well. All the memories came flooding back at once.

Hyunjin stabbed my palm and licked the blood on his fingertip. His fingertips in question were extremely cold and pale. His, Felix's and Niki's eyes were all red, Niki's a lot more intensely than the others.

"We did too. At first. But there was another death similar to his a couple days before."

My heart ached in my chest. Kai couldn't be dead. I refused to believe it. When he left to visit his family, I expected him to come back. I wanted to see him wear the bracelet I made for him. I wanted to see him smile again. And worst of all, his plushies were going to wonder where he went.

I walked over to Yeonjun consoling Soobin on the couch. He was sobbing with his face buried in his knees. I kneeled down in front of him. We were all deeply affected by the news, but I knew it hurt Soobin more. I saw how they were in the dorms. They had a secret language that was exclusive to them. They were probably the closest out of all the roommates.

"I'm so sorry," I said, "I know he meant a lot to you."

"He was my best friend," He said, slowly lifting his head and resting it on his folded arms, "He was my first friend here."

"Me too." My heart ached even more.

"He didn't deserve this."

"Vampires don't care about who deserves to die or not." Yeonjun cut in.

"I just can't believed they're still among us. I thought something happened a long time ago to make them leave humans alone."

I thought back on the book Hyunjin left behind at the library. Something about a peace treaty.

I pulled Taehyun into his room.

"I think I might know who did it." I said quietly.

"Seriously?"

"What Yeonjun said made me think of this book I saw at work. About a peace treaty between the vampire and humans," I said, "This- guy was going to check it out but he left it behind. I think he's a vampire. Pale, cold skin, red eyes and all."

"But it's just a random guy, you don't know who it is. Especially if he didn't check out the book."

"It's not a random guy... Remember the birthday party we went to a couple weeks ago?" He nodded, "Their whole family are vampires. But I know know two, Hyunjin and Niki."

Taehyun's eyes widened in curiosity.

"So, what do we do?"

I looked over at Kai's bed. The plushies took up most of the space. I recognized most of them since he gave a few to me to sleep with at night. He had such a pure heart with only good intentions. He gave me a new life and his life was taken needlessly. I took a step towards the bed and picked up a blue penguin plush. I held it up to my chest and took in a faint whiff of Kai's scent.

"We know where they live, don't we? But first, I need to get that book."

"You work tomorrow, right? You can get it then."

"No, I need that book tonight."

I gently set the plush down on the bed and left the room. Taehyun followed hastily. When my hand reached the doorknob he grabbed my arm.

"What're you planning?" He asked with an accusatory tone.

"I'm getting the book and going to Hyunjin's house."

He pulled me close to him with his strong arms, scared eyes bouncing between mine.

"You're gonna break the law and risk getting killed by those monsters," He asked, leaving my speechless, "They killed Kai for just being outside. Who knows what they'll do to you for provoking them?"

He was right, it was incredibly dangerous. But it wasn't going to stop me from trying to get justice for Kai.

"They already tried to kill me once and I survived."

"But you said you didn't believe in-."

"It was last night when I sent you off."

His grip loosened and his face softened as well.

"Then I'm coming with you."

I opened the door, but before we could leave all of our phones chimed loudly with an emergency message.

ATTENTION ALL RESIDENTS: Due to the recent human hunting, the city will be enacting a curfew for all humans. For your safety, please stay in your homes from the hours of 7:00pm and 7:00am. The city will not take responsibility for those out past curfew.

The clock at the top of my phone's screen read 7:02. I turned back at Yeonjun and Soobin who were looking at us too, eyes begging us to come back inside.

"Guys please, I can't lose you too." Soobin sobbed.

"It'll be quick." I said.

The streets were dark and bare, a chill wind whistled through the buildings. We walked quickly and kept our eyes open for any mysterious figures. We reached the library fairly quickly.

"Okay, we gotta be quick. Cops could be patrolling the streets."

"Gimme a lift," I said, "There's a spare key hidden in the sign."

He kneeled down and I climbed on his shoulders. I reached my arms up top pop open the tiny secret door under the sign. The key fell in my hand."

"Got it."

He lowered me down. I heard a car turning a corner in the distance and bright lights started to illuminate from behind me.

"Hurry." Taehyun whispered, a breath of fog coming out.

With my nearly numb hands, I unlocked the door to the store. The car was coming closer, so I shoved Taehyun and I inside quickly. It was pitch black, but Taehyun turned on his phone flashlight.

"Over here," I said, walking toward one of the bookshelves, "I remember putting it back somewhere around here."

With the light of Taehyun's flashlight, I scanned the titles until I found the one: The Vampire Peace Treaty of 1245.

"This one." I grabbed the book and opened it without hesitation.

I attempted to read the first line, but nothing made sense. It wasn't in a different language, but it was such an old version of my language that it lost its meaning.

"Fuck," I muttered, shutting the book and looking for the release date on it, "This shit was written in seventeen-sixty. It doesn't make any sense. You're smart, you try."

"I have a pretty advanced reading level, but I don't think I can understand anything written more than two hundred years ago. Let alone complicated vampiric lore."

I hummed to myself.

"Do you remember where the party was?"

"Vaguely. It's a bit of a walk and I don't know if Yeonjun will let us use his car."

"Would you know of a shortcut?"

"No," He shook his head, "Just the forest."

I stood in silence for a moment. If anything bad was going to happen, the forest would be the place. If the human hunting is bigger than we think, we could die out there. But still, I bargained the options.

"How much of a shortcut is it?"

"I don't know for sure. Might cut an hour walk in half."

That was enough to convince me. I would rather spend a short time in a bad place than take the main road and risk getting mistaken for a blood sucking monster.

We headed out and Taehyun helped me return the key to its rightful place. We dipped through the city and to the forest.

My hands were slowly becoming numb through the forest. I was getting flashbacks from the night before. I knew those eyes weren't there, but I couldn't stop imagining them. The moment between him toppling me and Hyunjin tearing him away was a split second. But I was sure I was going to die by his fangs.

Taehyun was leading the way confidently and I followed. I slipped my hand into his for warmth and he accepted. Through the numbness, I felt him squeeze my hand a tad.

The trees of the forest faded and the huge mansion came into view. It looked dark and vacant. We trudged up the gravel and day-old snow until we reached the main stone entrance. We gave each other a look of mutual fear before I banged my knuckles on the door.

It was quiet, as if no one was home. No one came to the door. I knocked again and still, we were ignored. Until a figure appeared behind us. That figure being Hyunjin.

[romanaisalive]

death is missing other people

Whumptober 2023

No. 7: " “I paced around for hours on empty; I jumped at the slightest of sounds.”Alleyway | Radio Silence | “Can you hear me?”

DnD homebrew setting. Jade is dead and has thoughts about it.

No other warnings than her being dead.

She didn’t think about the dead missing the living, before.

Death was something final back then, something other. She might have had a fascination with undeath because of Caltha (and no, the irony that Caltha was Death wasn’t lost on her) but she never really considered it. She was young, healthy, and hungry for adventure, she had time to think about it.

Or so she thought. But not even later, not even on Dipathar where all of them came too close to dying for comfort it didn’t really… feel real. Dying was real but death was an abstract, a faraway continent she wasn’t planning to visit anyway. 

It turned out to be a weirdly fitting metaphor.

Point being, she didn’t think of it from the perspective of the dead. The living missing the dead, yes. The sadness if a life got cut too short, yes. Sure, she was familiar with the practice of dhakiras, even if not particularly religious herself, but souls were just… souls, more of a metaphysical question than anything. Rist and Suvalin were different again, they were somewhere in between, still trying to accomplish something in the land of the living.

Death was a mysterious, foreign land until it wasn’t.

The first time she saw things from the other side was when she first spoke with Neven. Waiting for someone for more than a century… She could barely imagine it, but it still wasn’t really personal. She felt it the same way she missed her back then, something that stole into her heart but was fundamentally belonging to someone else.

It didn’t take long for her to start to feel it for herself. She was delighted to finally speak with Neven, to actually meet Caltha, not just in dreams, to get to know Hisendur and it was enough, for a time.

A few days.

It should have taken longer but she’s always wanted more than she could have.

Her fingers kept itching for the copper wire she scavenged in Costondir. If she had her way she would have sent a message to Neven every single day, just to talk, just to use what time they had, but she wasn’t the only one she wanted to reach.

Ven’arhel. Umaruh. Basil. Carmel. Rezhi. Even Leihtiris.

Hey, we’re going to meet Neven. Hey, Tulys is a dragon, don’t underestimate her. Hey, Kainu Qaar doesn’t age. Did you meet a moonweaver back then, when they weren’t extinct yet?

I saw how Dipathar looked before the Tide, isn’t that amazing?

What do you think about the theory that everything is made of magic? How would that interact with necromancy? What do you know about the whole situation, anyway? Did Carmel tell you about Ava, were we just needlessly keeping secrets from each other the whole time? We saw your house from the other side.

Sorry I kinda dropped a bombshell then disappeared. How much do you really know?

Hey, I’m dead and Caltha is Death and I’m sending messages to one of my personal legends. Am I crazy, or the world?

She couldn’t. Even if she tried, she knew all the answer she would have gotten was silence. Even if they were at the same place they couldn’t be further apart, the veil between dead and living held strong.

Not strong enough, if Qaar could reach this plane, but that was besides the point.

And they were going back. She missed them now, but it wasn’t going to be permanent. For everyone else…

So many people feared death. They still didn’t really know it, they were still on this side of the lanterns after all, but even that idea didn’t scare her anymore. Death was a friend, a different country, a different continent.

Death was missing other people.

[ollieinoue]

Normally Ollie was not a stubborn person. He was one of the least stubborn people you could meet, honestly. When he was wrong he would admit that he was wrong more or less immediately. But right now? While his mental health was at one of the lowest points it had ever been? He really didn't much care when Coco tossed the keys into his lap and stormed out of the car. Ollie frankly had half a mind to leave him there at the rest stop. He'd be able to figure a way back without a car, Ollie'd done it enough times himself. He even slid into the drivers seat and turned the car back on letting it idle in the parking spot for a few minutes. He couldn't bring himself to do it, though. Obviously. He might be an asshole but that seemed needlessly cruel. Instead he gave a very dramatic sigh, snorted some more oxy, and headed into the rest stop.

He took his time. First he went to the bathroom. then he got a few snacks from the vending machine. Nacho Cheese Bugles, Flamin' Hot Cheetos, some Reese's Pieces, and a couple of cans of Sprite. Then searched around to find Coco. It wasn't difficult to find a ten in a place frequented by truck drivers so it didn't take too long for Ollie to come upon the other. "Hey," he said voice ringing way too casual to be followed up with an apology, which it was not, "I got some snacks, and I got you a Sprite." It wasn't a gesture to make amends, it was more like a lure to get back into the car so they could leave. He didn't feel like making amends right now, he didn't feel sorry right now. He was too busy feeling sorry for himself to care much about someone else. Though he was aware enough to note that Coco might not be too keen join him so he sighed once again, eyes rolling upwards. "What do you want to do?"

Court’s mouth snapped shut, not responding to Ollie, not even acknowledging he heard him. Not verbally at least, though his fingers tightened on the wheel, knuckles turning white as his jaw clenched. The rest stop wasn’t far, but every agonizing foot to close the distance to it was made in silence, Court ramrod straight in the driver’s seat until he could pull off the exit into the parking lot. He had long since figured that Ollie didn’t really like him, any sort of relationship existing purely out of coincidence instead of one of them reaching out, but to hear him say it so bluntly, to verbalize exactly what he thought of them...well, it was pretty much all of Court’s anxieties tangibly coming to sit with them in the car. 

Once the car was pulled into a spot, Court shut it off and tossed the keys unceremoniously into Ollie’s lap as he got out, not gentle about it at all, and already half out of the car when they landed. Still not speaking, rather uncharacteristically for him, he slammed the driver’s door behind him as he headed into the rest stop, for once not giving a fuck if Ollie was going to be following or not. 

[oncejaw-a]

(panel excessive over-analysis n°2: memory and absence // Marcel, Porco, Reiner, Zeke) - writing characters that have been dead before the start of the canon action often means that you don’t have much to work with in terms of characterisation, and that you often find yourself trying to retro-engineer who they may have been by looking at the way other characters talk about or remember them. I’m keeping that for a different post - this one is about the other fun part of looking way too much at a dead character: the presence they retain through their absence. And boy oh boy, is little Marcel everywhere wherever the Warriors, old generation and new, are concerned, especially, of course, for Porco and Reiner. 

tldr 1: Marcel doesn’t purposely witholds his memories from Porco, but it is the result of a lingering, posthumous instinct that got carried on through Ymir and Porco. tldr 2: Reiner is a true champ and Marcel would like to send him a thank you card. tldr 3: I’m pretty sure Zeke knew about Marcel’s plans.

Porco inheriting the Jaw titan should have brought him closure. It should have reunited him with his brother, given him access to his memories, answered some of the questions he may have had regarding his brother’s death. This should, in theory, have been possible, because a titan shifter inherits their predecessor’s memories, and this holds true especially if two titan inheritors are related by blood, as explained by Gabi and Reiner.

I’m sure the Galliard situation is unique in that Marcel did not pass the Jaw titan on to Porco directly: there was another inheritor between them, so the Marleyan research probably was not as reliable or guaranteed in their situation. Still, it would have been reasonable for Porco to expect to see at least part of his brother’s memories. But, plot twist! He doesn’t. Whatever that realisation did to poor Porco once he inherited the Jaw, I shall leave to all the wonderful Porco muns out there, but still. Ouch. Is it a case of the science not holding up in this specific scenario, or is there something else holding back Marcel’s memories? Who knows. More on that in a sec.

That leaves Porco in the dark. He has an idea, a preconception of what happened to his brother, but he hasn’t been able to see for himself and fill in those final blanks. The only person who knows exactly what happened that day, naturally, is good ol’ Reiner... who looks rather frazzled for a hot second here, at the thought that maybe Porco saw his brother’s memories.

This is where I venture a bit more into headcanon territory, but since we have no definitive answer to that question, this is just my personal interpretation! But, I don’t think Porco cannot access Marcel’s memories because of Ymir, and I don’t think Marcel is voluntarily witholding them from the Paths. I think what may be happening is that Marcel’s wish/instinct to protect his brother survived, in some unconscious form, through the Jaw titan, and through Ymir and Porco alike. Including protecting him from one last truth, that he knew would be incredibly hurtful - much more, in his 13-yo mind, than leaving Porco hanging with a gazillion questions and a skewed perception of Reiner, and himself.

Speaking of Reiner, he stands on the opposite side of the spectrum. He knows what really happened the day Marcel died, he knows what Marcel did, and he knows Marcel never spoke a word of it until that day on Paradis. In the aforementioned panel, he seems surprised, and kind of expectant, when he thinks for a second that Porco saw Marcel’s memories. But when Porco says he hasn’t, and asks Reiner “were you trying to imitate Marcel?”, Reiner’s reaction is... absolutely priceless in my opinion.

I very lowkey want to think that Reiner, a little puzzled one second before, also comes to the conclusion (or has a long time ago already) that whatever is holding Marcel’s memories back, may be the result of Marcel’s lingering protective instincts towards his brother. It would be really easy for Reiner to snap back at Porco and tell him everything, and put the blame back on Marcel, but who better than Reiner Braun to understand where Marcel is coming from, and to have the heart to protect Marcel’s legacy? Porco maybe have inherited the Jaw titan, but Reiner really became the living holder of Marcel’s memory, half because he is the one who suffers the consequences of Marcel’s choices, half because he, through Gabi, finds himself in a very similar situation. Also probably because he is a top bloke as a general rule.

This went on a bit of a tangent, but it was a necessary one, since Reiner is now pretty much the sole protector of Marcel’s secret, and pretty much acknowledges that he too, is now walking in Marcel’s footsteps, by trying to get Falco to surpass Gabi so that she doesn’t inherit the Armored. Whether or not he would have had the idea to do that without Marcel’s example is up to y’all Reiner muns out there, you know him better than I do!

Of course, Porco and Reiner discussing Marcel and his death make him very present between them, but his ghost is all the more palpable when we are presented with the Gabi/Reiner and Falco/Colt duality. Colt finds himself in the exact same predicament as Marcel once did, outwardly expressing the same concerns Marcel once had. Marcel died at the age of 13, nine years prior to this discussion, nobody mentions him by name, but Reiner is here, Porco is here... and in comes Zeke, casually dropping what could have been the biggest bomb in the Galliard brothers’ lives:

Once we know about Marcel’s backstory and the significance of that scene, Marcel really becomes the only missing participant in this conversation, until Zeke lowkey brings him in without even mentioning his name. The conversation is not about him, but his presence still lingers by sheer virtue of thematic resonance. Porco’s reaction is just enough to confirm that he made this connection too. Though I’m pretty sure I can hear Marcel screaming “SHUT THE FUCK UP ZEKE” from the paths right here and there. 

TLdr: Marcel may be long gone, but man is his memory still vividly and painfully alive because of the one secret he took to his grave, and that Reiner (and possibly Zeke) faithfully keeps. 

[puppy-coded]

Uncle Eddie {S.H.}

✰ 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Steve being needlessly hostile towards Eddie for some reason

✰ 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Steve Harrington x adopted Munson!fem!reader

✰ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1307 words

✰ 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Steve gets nervous on date night since Uncle Eddie is watching his kids. In short, Steve needs to smoke some weed.

Steve had finished getting ready for your night tonight and was playing with his daughter until Eddie got there. 

“Daddy?” You little girl asked in the sweetest little voice that always makes Steve want to do anything for her.

Steve stopped what he was doing and looked at the six year old. “Yes princess? Need anything?”

The little girl shook her head and put her hand on Steve’s. “Can we go to Uncle Eddie’s? I don’t think he’ll have fun here.” She said. “I have a bag packed already!”

It didn't take long before Steve was in your bathroom and he had his arms wrapped around you as you put earrings in.

“Hey Steve, You excited?” You asked as he buried his face in your neck.

He stayed quiet for a bit before answering quietly. “Talie-”

You groaned at that. “Steve. You need to stop spoiling her.”

He got off of you and looked slightly offended. “You’re one to talk! You do the same for Theo.”

“Theo is a growing boy and I’m working on not spoiling him. He turns ten this summer, I’m trying,” You responded quickly. 

“Talie wants to go to Eddie’s,” He informed, hoping you’d say yet for Natalia’s sake.

You rolled your eyes. “Okay, only if you’re fine with it.”

He smiled widely and ran out. You could hear him yelling for your son to get a bag to take to Eddie’s. You shook your head and smiled to yourself, finally finished getting ready.

. . .

Your kids were excitedly chattering to each other in the back seat the whole drive to Eddie’s. Steve kept smiling at you and, as he pulled up to Eddie’s, realized what he had done for his daughter.

You saw his smile fading and squeezed his arm. “It’s okay Steve,” You told him.

He nodded and stopped the car. “Okay kids. Out.” He told them.

The two kids got out excitedly with their back packs on their backs, full of things to do.

You knocked on the door and waited for Eddie to answer.

“Kids, you know the drill.”

They nodded. “No screaming, running, fighting, or touching things that aren’t ours at Uncle Eddie’s,” They recited.

Steve smiled. “Close enough. The end should be ‘anywhere’ but it’s fine.”

Eddie answered with the biggest smile. “My family! My favorite niece and nephew are here!” He greeted happily.

Theo frowned at the statement. “We’re your only niece and nephew.”

“Which is why you’re my favorite. I’m happy to have you kids here,” Eddie told Theo, ruffling his hair.

The kids went into Eddie’s place and immediately sat on the couch excitedly. Eddie was about to go with them when Steve stopped him.

“Okay, Eddie, before we go. Talie and Theo go to bed at 8 every night and no later. Theo is very friendly but Talie loves being left alone. Also they both-” Steve spouted off nervously before being cut off by Eddie.

“Steve. I got this. I’ve watched kids before.” He reminded Steve. “Hang out with your wife and be grateful that she married you. I wish that my sister had higher standards but we can’t all get what we want,” He teased.

Steve was not amused.

“Ha ha. Fucking hilarious.” He grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Talie and Theo love their Uncle Eddie,” He said happily.

Steve glared at Eddie at that.

“Relax Steve. Eddie’s grown up a lot since high school.” You assured your husband. “Don’t worry.” 

Eddie pointed and nodded at you. “Yeah Steve. Relax. I have we... medicine in my room if you need it.” He corrected since he knew the kids were in the background.

“No.” Steve responded flatly. “And Eddie?” He asked, before turning around.

“Hm?”

“Don’t kill my kids,” Steve told him.

Eddie opened his mouth in fake shock. “But that’s the best part!”

It was your turn to glare at your brother for that one. “Try again.”

“I mean...” Eddie started slowly. “I won’t sacrifice your kids to the metal gods.”

You chuckled and shook your head before giving him a hug. “Love you bro. I know you’re gonna be fine,” You complimented.

. . .

You and Steve parked in a random spot on the beach, opened his trunk, and stared at the sunset while you ate. It was beautiful.

Until Steve started getting nervous again.

“Do you have any quarters?” He asked in the middle of your conversation. “We should call Eddie and there’s a phone over there.”

You stared in shock for a few moments before reacting. “Steve!”

“What?” He asked, genuinely confused as to why you’re upset.

You put your stuff down and started picking at your nails. “This is the first night we've had to ourselves in months. Are you going to spend it worrying?” You asked, looking up at your husband. “Remember what happened last time you worried?”

“That was not my fault!” He defended quickly.

“I would say it is! My eyebrows got burned off,” You reminded Steve.

“That was one time!” He responded incredulously.

“Here, here. Let’s calm down.” You said calmly. “Deep breaths. It’s date night.” You said, rubbing his arm.

Steve relaxed and started rubbing the carpet of the trunk. “Yeah. Date night. We’re at the beach. All is-” Steve cut himself off. “Found a quarter!” He exclaimed, holding it up triumphantly.

You watched as he walked to the nearest payphone, getting up to catch up to him. “Do you not trust my brother?” You asked.

“Can’t hear you, too far away.” He yelled, punching in Eddie’s number.

“Steven Harrington!” You yelled back. “Get back over here!”

Steve hung up the phone and he looked a little scared. He put the phone back and started walking back to you. “Eddie didn’t answer. We need to go home.”

“Steve...” You groaned as he grabbed you hand and practically ran to the car.

. . .

Meanwhile Eddie was sitting on the ground in front of his couch with Theo next to him, learning how to play the guitar, and Talie doing his hair behind him, humming along to Part of Your World.

“Yeah Theo, you got it,” Eddie encouraged.

Theo looked up at Eddie, clearly proud of himself. “Really?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, here. You just need’a... that’a kid! You got it!” He said happily after he readjusted Theo’s fingers on the neck.

Theo made the same expression Eddie made just moments ago. “Thanks Uncle Eddie.”

“No prob-” Eddie was cut off by a hard yank on his hair from his niece. “Talie, darling, dear, beloved... You’re pulling my hair,” He informed her calmly.

Talie took the comb out and pet his head. “Sorry. Your hair is just so tangly.”

Eddie turned around and gave her a soft look. “It’s okay, just-” Eddie cut himself off with a groan when Steve entered the house in a panic.

“Where are my kids Munson? Are they hurt?” He asked, calming down a little when he saw Theo and Talie sitting down with him just fine.

Eddie just glared at Steve as you walked up behind him sheepishly. “What are you talking about? They’re fine, as you can see.” He said, gesturing to the two kids.

“The phone.” Steve tried. “You didn’t answer.”

Eddie shrugged. “Talie’s doing my hair. It would’ve been rude to move.” The six year old only nodded in response, she didn’t want her favorite person in the whole world to get in trouble.

“What can I say Steve. The kids love their Uncle Eddie.” You told him, motioning for the kids to get their things.

Theo hopped up happily. “Yeah! I got a tattoo!” He told you and Steve excitedly, showing you two the bats on his forearm that Eddie drew with sharpie.

“You what?” Steve asked, trying to keep his cool in front of his kid.

“Theo!” Eddie exclaimed. “Kids say the darnedest things,” He laughed nervously.

“Munson!”

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

Thank you for running this blog to keep memory of tin man alife and his legacy protected from CRWBY and superfans. If you are able to, can you recommend fanfics involning Ironwood please? Preferably IronQrow, as its my favorite ship. Ironwood x Reader also would be fine, as I'm a massive simp.

Just gonna combine these asks @zukokinnieuwu because they are very similar! But oh gosh I adore Hero with every fiber of my being. Caleb has an amazing voice and my gosh that song is just a powerful song for me and is a reminder of who James is and how much he cares and wants to keep people safe. I feel so bad for James and all he suffered through because of the writers so needlessly. Fan content does help a lot but it still makes me so painfully sad knowing the writers just don’t care. Thank you so much for your kind words!

Hey anon!! Thank you so much! I honestly love running this blog and finding and making content for James it's just so nice to be able to share my love for a character you know? As for fanfics I still haven't read nearly as many as I would like but I do have a few fics I do thoroughly recommend (Mostly IronQrow sorry not sorry)

You honestly cannot go wrong with anything written by @victorious1956 just they've got some great stuff especially in this years IronQrow Week department. Here is one fic I loved with all of the feels and tenderness in it.

I also love in general love Anderazu this fic here is pretty cute with some bonus points of some mischievous Penny as well which I love.

I would also recommend looking at this post I have here with my top ten favorite IronQrow fics. Okay nine cuz I wrote one of em deal with it.

I know you said you would prefer IQ but this is a CloverxJamesxQrow fic that yes it rated M but if you are cool with NSFW this fic is an amazing roller coaster ride and actually had me crying at one point and I think it is well worth the read.

I’ve only gotten around to read some of these but this series is literally called James Ironwood is treated better then me then by the original writers by the_tired_bisexual_agenda and uh it’s definitely true from what I’ve seen!

Ohhh and @awkward-tension-art (who also wrote the previous stuff) also wrote this amazing body positivity fic for James that I adore.

I also answered this ask from forever ago with a bunch of authors recommended to me from an IronQrow server I am in so most of these authors will be IronQrow.

Ohhh this is a really good Jamesxreader. again by the_tired_bisexual_agenda Very soft and gives me all the feels. 

This fic by JamesBranwen is a lovely read and makes my heart melt every time. 

LacePendragon has several very long IronQrow fics that are fantastic and I have not even finished them yet because I have no time oops but I recommend them very highly but here is a very sweet one shot that is just so soft and wonderful I adore it.

KiraH has this absolutely adorable winter fic that is too cute for words. It is pre relationship but oh they are both just so wonderful in this fic I love it. 

I will also shamelessly self promote my own fics because uh well I am proud of it. This fic is only just starting but I am so excited for a lot of the stuff in some upcoming chapters that I hope people will enjoy. 

Did I potentially repeat myself between all of this? Ohhhhh very likely. Do I care? Eh not really. I know their are probably mannnnnyyyyy amazing IronQrow fics out their still I have not had the pleasure of reading but I can’t wait to find more and read them once things settle down for me. If anyone has any other recs please please please let me know! 

[besotted-eros]

taste of ale and towers

Eren Jaeger x F!Reader (PoC)

Summary: Your favourite patron finally makes a move, and it takes you into the sky.

Content: Unabashed fluff, some jealousy, mentions of alcohol, jealous!Eren. Scouts getting to be stupid. 

You liked your job.

Drunkards, vomit, and brawls aside. You enjoyed the warm atmosphere of the tavern, with its brick walls and its crackling fire. You enjoyed sorting through the clinking glasses and bottles, hearing the bar tales from old regulars and new faces. You were meticulous about cleaning, ensuring that this was one of the only taverns in the town that didn't reek of bile and piss. Instead the scent of soft hay, spiced mead and warm bread filled the room, fighting for dominance with the crowing laughs of the patrons. It was pleasant.

Yeah, you liked your job. Especially on nights like these.

"There is NOOOOO way you're taking credit for that one, that's all me." Connie's hand pushed into Sasha's face, his brows furrowed as the tall girl slapped his hand away and shoved a finger into his cheek.

"Yoush need ta shut up, Conster. Ain't a little tyke like you ever gonna get a titan THAT big. It was HUGE!" She burst from her seat, rocking the table and throwing her hands up to the ceiling. "IT WAS THIS BIG!" the table roared with laughter as Mikasa struggled to pull her back down. You smiled along with them as you filled a tankard. You'd have to cut her off soon.

"Stop knocking over drinks Sasha, you're going to give y/n more work."

The voice cut through the thrum of conversation. You could have picked the sound of him out of a storm, or a symphony. And it made your heart race every time.

You could feel him walking towards you through the crowd, and kept your eyes down. There was a deep scratch on the counter, and you dragged the rag over it repeatedly, until a hand entered your vision. His fingers were long, the skin taunt against bone and tendon. They were the hands of a soldier. But when he rested his it over yours, they were gentle.

"Hey, do you mind if I take this for a second?" Eren asked, his mouth twisted into a rueful grin as he nodded his head back towards his friends. "Don't want things to dry up and get sticky."

He was your most faithful patron. You knew that if he wasn't off saving humanity, he would be in your tavern after dinner at the barracks. But he never drank much, nursing a single beer, maybe two over a few hours.

"Oh, I can clean it myself!" You chirped, and his lower lip twitched slightly, head tilting.

"You're busy, it's okay. Let me." He pulled it away firmly, shooting you a small smile as he turned back. You were happy to see it. It seemed as though he smiled less and less these days. But there always seemed to be at least one for you. You regretted that you weren't able to sit with him tonight, have his gaze upon you as you leaned into his heat. He had been away for a few weeks, and you missed him. Even though he wasn't yours to miss.

"God, you might as well work here 'ren" Jean drawled, and the pale haired man's eyes flicked to yours. Eren scowled at him, wiping the table clean. "Would have pretty co-workers at least." You flushed at the compliment, turning on your heel to busy yourself with needlessly sorting bottles in the shelves. You could tell the group was appraising you now.

"Watch it." Eren snapped, flicking the rag quickly to snap against the scout's cheek. Jean grinned, smelling Eren's weakness. He snatched at the rag, tugging it from the green eyed man's grasp.

"I'll return this for you." Jean grinned, sliding out from the booth and padding through the crowded chairs and bodies. Before Eren could even formulate a way to get him to stop, he was at the bar, pushing his hair back and fixating you a handsome grin.

His friends stared with awe, even Sasha hushed by the sight of quiet rage in Eren's face.

"He's just blatantly making moves on your girl huh?" Connie commented, eliciting a glare from Eren.

"Don't have a 'girl', idiot. No clue what you're on about." Eren dropped into his seat, but his eyes were glued on how Jean was leaning over the bar, long arm outstretched to gesture to a jewel coloured bottle on the shelf. He was crowding you, leaning in so close. He could probably smell the scent of vanilla and rose, and see how prettily a lock of hair curled by your jaw.

"Oh puhlease, Errrren." Sasha took a sloppy swing of her ale, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "You look at her with those big ol' cow eyes, and you're here, what? Every night?" She looked around the table for validation, only met with an angry green stare as eyes of grey, blue and black averted strategically. "You don't even drink!" She rested the glass against her face, eyes closed and expression pulled into a caricature of mourning. "Oh, how will your love ever withstand this distance of 9 feet? How will you ever cross it?"

"Can you shut up and eat some peanuts or something?" Eren snapped, his face red. Armin's mouth was twitching as he fought back a smile, and Mikasa had pressed her wineglass to her lips for an uncharacteristically long amount of time, eyes twinkling over the rim.

"We're out of peanuts." Sasha was truly mournful now, pulling the bowl towards her with both hands.

"Yeah, maybe we can ask Jean's new girlfriend for a refill." Connie murmured into his hands. Sasha roared with laughter, and even Armin couldn't hold back a chuckle, looking sheepish when his best friend glared at him.

"Sorry, 'ren. But Sasha has a point y'know. You have to make a move eventually." His fingers were knit around the tall glass of mead in front of him. But his eyes were still sharp, and his smile kind.

"I'm not going to "make a move"." He replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You guys are making a big deal of nothing."

"Oh come on, just admit it." Connie exclaimed, rubbing his fingers over his dark buzz. "It's obvious she's crazy about you too. She doesn't sit with anyone else, literally just you. And it's not for the conversation, because you suck at that." Eren glowered as the table nodded solemnly. But he couldn't deny it made his heart beat faster.

"She looks at you the same way you look at her. Have you noticed that?" Armin asked, resting his chin on his hand.

Eren watched as you tucked a raven lock behind your ear, nodding as Jean spoke softly to you, his finger tracing the rim of a glass you had filled for him.

He hadn't noticed the way you look at him. He was too busy noticing how soft your eyes were, how you would always keep a place for children to sit behind the bar in case the room got too rowdy. How you'd stand your ground against men twice your size, sneering up at them in a way that was honestly intimidating. How gentle your hands were when they'd rest on his arm, laughing at some stupid joke or comforting him when he'd appear with bags under his eyes and ghosts on his breath.

"Do it." Came Mikasa's soft encouragement, nudging him from his seat. "Before Jean does."

Right as her voice met his ears, you laughed. It wasn't overly vibrant, or loud. But it was a laugh, Jean was making you laugh.

"He might kill him." Armin mused as they watched Eren elbow his way to the pair. Connie grinned, downing the rest of his drink.

"I always loved a bar fight."

"It's not that hard, when you get used to it." Jean was saying, the caramel of his eyes melting into yours as he attempted to hold your gaze. This wasn't the first time you had spoken to the tall scout, but it was the first time he had flirted so blatantly. "I could even show you sometime, could get on my back, or I could stra-" suddenly Jean's was on the ground, staring up in bewilderment as Eren made himself comfortable in the now empty stool. You blinked with confusion, lips rounded into a little o. It seemed that Eren had violently hipchecked the man off, and stolen his seat.

"You talk too much, Jean boy." He muttered. Jean scrambled up, chest expanded as he leaned in close to Eren's face.

"Say that again, Jaeger." He growled, threateningly.

"No." Eren's eyes refused to break from yours. But you could see that telltale bristling, and practically smell the pent up rage wafting from the men.

"If you boys fight in my bar, I'm going to have to throw both of you out." You warned, earning a sheepish look from both of them.

"Sorry, y/n." They said in chorus before glares snapped to each other again. You watched as Eren held Jean's gaze, and something unsaid passed between them. But finally Jean's face turned to a smile.

"Took you long enough." He scoffed, bumping the dark haired youth's shoulder as he walked back to his seat.

You looked at Eren, confusion making your lower lip press forward in a way that made his heart jump.

"Sorry about that." He mumbled, touching the back of his head. "We just... Fight a lot." You arched an eyebrow, a smiling playing on your lips.

"I can tell. But you're close."

He nodded, staring down at the drink Jean had abandoned.

"Can I get you anything? Tempt you into actually getting drunk tonight?" You removed the old glass and slid a new one into his hands. "You look like you need it."

He smiled, mouth twisting wryly. "I uh, can't get drunk."

"Oh? Why's that?"

He flexed his jaw, eyes refusing to meet yours. "Since I'm... Well a titan shifter. I regenerate too fast. As my body metabolizes it, I'm already healing. That's why Armin doesn't get drunk either." He motioned his shoulder towards the table, and as you looked over all their heads snapped away.

"That's fascinating." You said it sincerely, and met his gaze when his eyes raised. He had seemed timid to tell you. It's not that you didn't know, everyone knew. But not everyone accepted it.

"So, do you just really like the taste of our mead then?"

He chuckled, shrugging. "Yeah." His eyes flicked to yours, regarding you from under his dark lashes. "And the company."

You flushed, dragging your teeth over your lower lip. "Yeah, heard it's good here."

Eren grinned, running a hand through his hair. The fire caught the glossy chestnut of it, and you tried not to imagine what it would feel like under your fingertips.

"I like it, seeing you here." You absent-minded wiped a glass as you spoke, needing to channel the growing energy. "Makes me feel a bit..." You trailed off, biting your lower lip in earnest now. "Safe? Normal? Like things are going to be okay if I see you come through the door. The world hasn't exploded yet."

The youth had fallen silent. You wondered if you had overstepped, and raise your eyes to offer an apology. But his expression silenced you.

He looked at you with shining eyes, lips parted slightly with shock.

"I-" you began and were cut off by his hands slapping down on the counter as he leaned forward, gaze cutting through you. He was red, his cheeks like burning embers in the warm light, pretty mouth scrunched slightly to the side.

"Y/n, go out with me." He said, voice pitched and loud. You felt the tavern hush slightly, the loud drone muting as eyes turned to you. He blinked in surprise as you did, both of you caught off guard by the sudden intensity. He sat back on the stool, smile sheepish. "I uh, sorry. Will you go out with me?"

You let him stew for a moment. It was only fair, he made you wait so long for him to say those words. His smile faltered, eyes searching your face. But your lips curled into a smile.

"I'm off tomorrow."

The rap at your door was firm. You had wondered when it would happen, as you had seen Eren arrive at your door a little over ten minutes ago, staring nervously at the entry way. You had leaned out your window to watch him, the normally perceptive man oblivious to your wandering eyes. He had paced, wrung his hands, adjusted the backpack that weight on his shoulders.

"I'll be down in a second." You called, making him start and stare up at you open mouthed.

"Y/n,how, how long-?" He called up, but you shut the window quickly, holding back your laughter as you ran down the stairs, pausing to take a breath before throwing open the door.

"Hi," you said breathlessly, fixating him with a smile. He looked at you with mouth agape, eyes wracking over your form. He had only ever seen you in your typical work attire, a dingy apron tossed over an old puffed skirt, a modest button up to finish it off. So when you brushed your dark hair back off your shoulders, allowing his eyes to alight upon the soft skin of clavicle and chest. The blouse you had picked laid prettily off your shoulders, gripping onto the flesh of your upper arms. The soft cream complimented your brown skin in a way that would make Eren associate the shade with you forever.

"You... You look really beautiful, Y/n." He said finally, giving you a rougishly handsome half smile.

"You clean up well too." You replied, and he shrugged humbly The white button up was ironed with a soldier's precision, and the jacket he wore over it hugged the muscles in his arms temptingly.

"We match." He commented, gesturing to the dark green of your skirt and how it complimented the fabric of his jacket. You had chosen it because it reminded you of his eyes when the fire had gone down, right before you'd have to ask him to leave. He'd be heavy lidded, hair mussed and smelling like smoke. But would insist on helping you put up the chairs every time.

"So, where are we off to?" You asked, he turned quickly, face excited as he took a step. But then he paused, turning back around sheepishly. He offered you an arm, straightening his back. You held back a laugh at his excitement and containment of it. It was endearing, you thought as you took his arm and he began to guide you towards the outer wall.

"I uh... Made us a picnic." He said, helping you over a puddle. "Well not just me. Sasha, she made the sandwiches. But I helped." It made you flush to think that the whole regiment was probably aware of what you were doing currently. It didn't help that Eren took you over wall Rose, the basket pulley system making you cling to him under the gaze of the soldiers manning it. You stood together at the top for a moment, staring over at your district. He pointed out the barracks, and you pointed out your home. He moved closer to you to follow your pointing, needlessly close. But you liked it.

"We don't usually let civilians over like this." He whispered as he helped you into the basket on the other side. "But I told them you're special." He gave you an easy half smile.

"Trying to squeeze free booze from me, Jaeger?" You teased as he climbed in beside you. His arm was around your waist instantly, bracing as the descent begun.

"Yeah." He responded, and grinned back at him. He made the fear lessen.

You admired him as best as you could, stealing glances as he walked beside you through the forest. The dappled shade touched his high cheekbones, made his green eyes flash like emerald caught under a jeweler's light.

"Here!" He exclaimed finally, grabbing you by the hand and pulling you towards a clearing. In the middle of it was a tall, tall tower, a wooden outpost made for guards to keep an eye out for titans.

"Wait one second, okay?" Eren asked, holding your arms and placing you against the leg of the structure. He draped his jacket over you before climbing up the ladder, at a speed you thought was almost showoffish.

You leaned against the wood, listening as the tower creaked above you. It sounded like the trees that surrounded, a part of the landscape. You hugged Eren's jacket tighter to you, dipping your head to your shoulder to inhale the scent of him from the collar. It was clean, vibrant almost. A sharp smell that made you think of knives and the edge of his jaw. The fabric was coarse against your nose, obviously military grade, utilitarian in its design. But you thought of the way it would hug his slim shoulders, his muscular arms, how it would -

"Having fun?" Eren's voice called and your head snapped up to see him grinning from the entry hole. "I'm ready for you up here."

You pulled yourself up, hoping the exertion would hide the embarrassment. He helped you onto the platform, large hands firm on your body to hoist you up.

"Ta-da." He said, gesturing to the blanket laid out in front of you. On top of it he had arranged sandwiches, two glasses that had been filled with deep red wine, and a loaf you recognized as sweet bread, soldiers "desert" rations for special occasions. He had even bought candles, perched delicately in a spartan holder. "It's not much but..." He guided you over, shrugging slightly. "I hope you like it."

"I love it, Eren." You sunk down onto the blanket, grinning up at him. "Didn't know you were such a romantic."

He shrugged again, but his cocky grin told you he was pleased with himself. It became somber as he sat across from you, reclining back on his hands.

"Just don't get the chance to do this, y'know." He said softly, voice gentle enough to be carried away by the breeze. The walls were low here, and even while sitting you could see over top. The forest seemed to go on forever, a sea of shimmering greens. You felt an intimate fondness for them and with a start realised why, as you looked back towards the man sitting across from you. He held the colour of life in his eyes, verdant and vibrant.

"I'm honoured that you're using it on me, then." You replied, earning yourself a warm smile. Your heart leapt at the sight of it, and you decided that even if this was the only time you'd get him to yourself, you'd make the most of it.

"There's no one else I'd rather." His voice was genuine, and seemed to even catch himself off guard. He blushed, prettily. "Uh, dig in." He grabbed his sandwich, quickly stuffing it into his mouth.

You pretended not to watch him eat, how his tongue would dart out to wet his lips or how you could see his Adams apple bob with every swallow. And he pretended not to watch you drink, how your lips pursed on the rim, how you'd hold the cool glass against your cheek as you listened to him speak. Hours passed like that, the food long reduced to crumbs and fuel to press the conversation forward.

He spoke mostly about his friends. Stories that showcased Armin's smarts or Mikasa's fortitude. You liked how he looked when he slipped into fond memories. Eyes glossy, smile crooked. He spoke with his hands, painting scenes with every movement of his fingers. Sasha grasping Mikasa by the shoulders, Jean being bowled over by an over excited Connie. The wind would wind it's fingers through his hair. It was long, not long enough to pull into a ponytail but long enough that it stroked the nap of his neck. The sun reflected the golden threads in it, and you wondered if there was any part of the forest that wasn't a part of him.

And he listened to you as though you were a preacher saving his soul. Eyes wide, leaned forward and nodding intently. You felt seen in a way you hadn't before. Sure people had looked at you, long and hard and even leering. But no one saw you like Eren did.

"The view is beautiful." You commented after some time, standing to walk over to the ledge. The sky had painted itself an orange peel, with a glowing lemon for a setting sun. You peered over the low wall, swallowing your vertigo. Eren followed you, and after a small pause placed an arm slowly around your waist. You felt his warmth glow through you, and were comforted.

"Yeah," he said, gazing at you as though you had hung the moon. "It is."

You let your head drop, leaning it against his shoulder. Intimacy was a stranger to the soldier, something that had no place in his life. In fact, Eren was almost scared. After titans and gore, after horrors that would rise bile for even the most hardened veterans, it was your soft figure that made him speechless. He didn't know how to hold you, didn't know what to do with the elation that filled his heart at the sensation of you soft and compliant in his arms.

Should he kiss you now? He thought as your face turned towards his. Your eyes were sparkling, smile so sweet it was almost saccharine. He could see peace in your face. A soft rest, head nestled somewhere warm with only the sound of heartbeats. But before he could close the space between you, a loud squak startled you away. Eren's grip on your waist tightened and he stepped you back from the ledge cautiously. In front of you a bird burst through the canopy, rushing towards the sky as another followed hot upon its tail. You watched as they cartwheeled through the sky, shrieks loud and grating.

You placed a hand over your heart, letting out an airy laugh. "Thank you, I would jumped right over."

"Glad you didn't. " He murmured, reflecting your smile. "It would suck to have to jump after you." The look on your face was unreadable, and Eren worried that he said something wrong. He was afraid of that, to love you wrong. What else would be expected of someone like him? He didn't know how to treat a woman, let alone someone like you. What was he thinking of, trying to kiss you. You, with your radiant smile that cut through the subdued warmth of the tavern and straight into his chest.

"Should probably pack this up," Eren began, turning back to the blanket. A soft tap on his shoulder made him turn back to you, eyebrow cock with question. Only to be met by your lips, crashing into his. The force made him step back, catching you by the waist. For a moment he feared you would actually topple over the side.

You kissed him exactly how he had dreamt. Like a stormcloud, soft but full, wetting the desert of him. Your hands cradled his cheeks, tender in how you held them. Eren couldn't remember the last time he had been touched so softly.

When you broke away, he was blushing.

"I... Wow." He managed to get out, chest rising and falling with the force of his breath. "I didn't expect that."

"I'm sorry," you murmured demurely, making to step back. "It's just that..." You chewed on your lower lip, and he thought about how you were most likely tasting him. "You meant it. That you would jump after me. I liked that."

The smile spread like a wildfire across Eren's face. "I did." He said breathlessly, pulling you back towards him. This time he kissed you, fingers sliding their way from your jaw into your hair.

When your lips broke again, you wondered how you were still standing. Your heart felt as though it could break through the canopy itself, and your knees fragile enough to give under the next strong gust. Eren was in a similar state, all red face and gentle hands, feeling their way through the length of your hair. He ran his fingers through it, from root to tip, repeating the motion has the wind fought him for the chance to stroke your locks.

"Been wanting to do this." He whispered, hand going still on the back of your neck. "From the moment I first met you."

You rolled your eyes, trying to quell the fluttering that grew in your stomach. "Use more lines on me, Jaeger."

His dark brow furrowed, and he used his grip on your hair to pull you closer. It embarrassed you how heat ran through your body as he did it. "'ts not a line, y/n. I mean it." He dipped his head to rest his forehead against yours, green eyes boring into you. His hands slid down you, moving like a landslide. You felt the topography of your body would be forever changed by him, born anew by the fact he was touching you. They came to settle on your hips, and he hummed into another kiss.

"You were fighting someone." Eren said finally, and you let out a quick laugh. "No, really. When I first saw you, you were fighting someone." You felt like you were falling when you saw the expression on his face. He recounted seeing you like he recounted his friends, eyes soft and full of adoration for the memories that made him whole. "I had gone for a walk, just needing to clear my head. And all of a sudden in front of me this door swung open, and a man stepped out. Nonchalant, holding it open as he checked his watch. And all I could hear was this... Yelling." He laughed, squeezing you slightly as you leaned into him. A part of you wanted to press your face into his neck, to find how the curves of your body fit. But you needed to see his face as he spoke about you. Commit it to memory. "And then this fucking hulk of a man stumbled out, and he was *blabbering* like a kid. Just apologising, over and over again. And then you," he paused for a moment to press another kiss to your lips. "You come out holding a broom like I've held a blade, just ready to kill. And you had it up against his chin, right here." Eren dipped his head and nudged yours back, exposing the expanse of your throat. His lips found the thin skin of where your neck curved into your chin, and he kissed it. "Your hair was a mess, and the light made it look like you had a halo. No wonder the man ran." He held you by the small of your back now, dipping you slightly. Your eyes had fluttered closed as he clung to him. "And you caught my eye as you turned, God I must have looked like an idiot. But you caught my eye and you smiled. Apologised, and then thanked the man holding the door so sweetly. And I thought..." He pulled away now, blushing.

"You thought what?" You pressed, pressing into him.

"What mouth you'd kiss with. If you'd kiss hard and passionate, or soft and sweet." He gave you a boyishly handsome smile. "It's both. "

You pressed your lips to his again. And again. The sun set against your entwined bodies, and Eren had a feeling the night watch wouldn't be impressed with his request to come back over. But it didn't matter, he thought as you pulled away to smile up at him, brighter than the moon. Because this was worth it.