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mayajadewrites · 8 months ago

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I Wish I Hated You (Levi Ackerman x Reader)

story summary: You don't do second chances. Especially after you gave your heart to Levi Ackerman, and he decided to throw it away so the next person has to repair the damage. Will Levi put his ego aside and finally admit his feelings for you are far deeper than you imagined? Or is a second chance out of the question?

ao3

C H A P T E R E I G H T : T O M O R R O W

WARNING: explicit scenes in this chapter!! let me know what you think :)

Levi lead you into his living room that you were all too familiar with. His expression was... blank. You couldn't tell if he was sad, mad, or anything in between.

You sit on the couch opposite to the chair he's sitting in. "Levi, I-"

"You should know this," Levi looks down. "I'm not the best at... well, talking. My mother is someone who was... so special to me."

"Levi." You press your hand on top of his. "I'm here to listen."

Levi sighs as he sits back in his chair. "My mother and I grew up poor. Like, dirt poor." Levi started talking. It feels like it's been forever since you and him had an actual conversation instead of just arguing. "We were couch surfing and squatting in abandoned houses. Then, she got sick. We don't know what it was since we couldn't afford to go to a doctor. We couldn't even afford food. I was starving every day. Dreaming of bread." Levi looks down. "One day, she wouldn't even attempt to get out of bed. Or even talk to me. I remember her telling me about her brother, my uncle, and I had his phone number written down. I begged the corner store to let me use their phone, and thankfully they let me."

Your heart sinks thinking of how lonely Levi felt. How he was lacking basic needs.

"I called Kenny and he came and stayed with my mother during her last moments. I stood on the other side of her with my hand in hers. I remember her saying, 'Kenny, please take care of my Levi.' The pressure I was feeling from her hand suddenly just... disappeared. My mother's body was still there, but her soul was gone."

Tears start to well up in your eyes. Levi's eyes were glued to the floor as he spoke, his deep voice cracking when he spoke of the final moments with his mother.

"Then I went and lived with Kenny. Which... wasn't the best either. He fed me, but he wanted me to learn to fend for myself. I would cause fights in school and Kenny had to beg them to let me stay." Levi cleared his throat. "He didn't know how to be a parent. I don't blame him. His sister died and left behind me. My father, who the hell knows who he is - Kenny felt he had no choice. But he did have a choice. He could've just-"

"Levi, he could not just leave you."

"He could've."

"But he didn't. You're his nephew, I'm sure he saw you and saw some of himself."

"Well, when I turned 18, he left. He told me I was an adult now and I had to figure life out. I was being... well, to put it lightly, a delinquent when I met Erwin. He's a tall, well kept man and I wanted to steal from him. He looked like he had money so he was the perfect target. For whatever reason, he wanted to be my friend. He's been in my life ever since." Levi finally looked at you. "He opened his home to me. He fed me. He taught me the ways of being a business man."

You didn't know how deep Erwin and Levi's friendship was. They're bonded brothers.

His mother left, Kenny left - no wonder he likes to leave. Must be an Ackerman thing.

You stared into Levi's eyes - watching the storm brew. Your heart sank as you explored his face, your feelings for him resurfacing.

"Now you know why I am the way I am." Levi put his hands on his knees. "I don't blame you if you want to leave."

"Levi." You walk over to his chair, slowly sitting on his lap. "Do you want me to leave?" You gently wrap your arms around him.

"I think you want to -"

"Answer my question." You grab his chin, pulling his face towards you. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No." Levi shook his head. "I never want you to leave."

You felt like there was life brought back to you. The piece of your heart that broke off when you left Levi mended back to you.

"We have to start over then." You caress his face gently. You wanted to just hold him during this vulnerable moment. "Like, we're going on dates. Almost like we were never together."

"Hm?" Levi tilted his head. "But we did date... for 2 years."

"Levi. Do you want to make this work or no?"

"I do."

"Then we're starting over. I don't want us to jump back into this and make the same mistakes."

Levi nods, letting his hand rest on your thigh. "Are you sure you don't want to leave? I'm giving you an out."

"Levi Ackerman." Theres attitude in your voice. "If I wanted to leave, I would. I have before - remember?"

"I'm sorry I made you leave."

"Shhh." You pull Levi into your chest, letting him lean on you. You felt his eyelashes flutter on your skin as he closed his eyes. His breath is slow and you know he's listening to your heartbeat. He's always loved cuddling in your chest and feeling your beating heart. Levi starts to bury his face in your breasts, his hands traveling up to your waist.

"Hey," You giggle as Levi grabs your left breast with his large hand. "Levi, this isn't the right time to be-"

"Sh." Levi demanded. His fingers pulled your shirt over your head, revealing your plump breasts. They bounced as they were released from the captivity of your shirt and Levi is mesmerized. He brought his lips to your right tit, sucking on your skin roughly as he squeezed the other. You throw your head back at the contact. Levi has always loved your chest and he likes to take his time there when he can.

"This isn't a part of starting over." You breathe.

"We can start over tomorrow." Levi mumbled as he unclipped your bra without looking. His mouth attached to your nipple, sucking it gently. You feel the wetness in your pants already as Levi sucks, bites, and licks all over your tits.

Levi sits you on the chair, his large hands trailing down your upper body to the buttons of your jeans. He's on his knees now as he pulls your pants off, throwing them across the room. "My favorites." Levi hums at the sight of your black lace panties. "Too bad they're coming off." Levi almost rips the panties off of you, revealing your soaked pussy.

He marvels for a moment, watching your arousal leak from you. You throw your head back as your core starts to throb. "Levi-" He cuts you off by inserting his tongue inside you. You gasp as you feel his tongue exploring your pussy, finding your clit soon after. Levi wraps his hands around your thighs as he devours you, his lips squelching against your core.

Levi wraps his lips around your clit, sucking gently as he inserts two fingers into you. You bury your hands in his hair, pushing his face farther into you. You felt him smile as you pulled on his hair, something he's always loved. He pumped his fingers in and out of you quickly while his mouth was solely focused on your clit.

"I could eat this pussy all day." Levi hummed, the vibration from his words only adding to your pleasure. "This pretty little pussy."

"Levi." You moan, wrapping your legs around him as your toes begin to curl.

"I love when you moan my name." His fingers started to pump faster as your walls began to pulsate. "Can you come on my fingers, princess?"

You nod silently as you feel the high quickly approaching. Your chest feels tight as the world begins to fade away, leaving only you and Levi. His tongue lapped your dripping arousal as you reached your high. Levi doesn't stop though, he keeps sucking on your clit until he wants to be done. You came on his fingers, his mouth - practically his entire face.

"Levi, I need you inside of me." You whine.

"You want my cock inside of you, my princess?"

"God, yes." You nod. Levi's mouth leaves your pussy and he picks you up and lays you on the couch gently. His shirt is off quickly, along with his belt and pants.

You watch his cock spring out of his pants. Every time you see it, you're mesmerized.

"Are you sure?"

"We'll start over tomorrow." You nod a Levi's arms are on either side of you. You feel the tip of his cock at your slit, easily sliding in due to your arousal. Levi lets out a husky moan as he feels your gummy walls wrapping around his cock.

"You were made for me." Levi starts thrusting into you. "This pussy fits me so perfectly."

"Baby, it's all yours." You stare into Levi's eyes. He presses his lips to yours roughly, leaving sloppy kisses as he thrusts inside you faster. You wrap your arms around his neck as he watches his length disappear inside of you, stretching your walls. You'll never get used to his size, no matter how many times you fuck.

"Princess, I need you to come again. Before me." Levi grunted as he slammed into you. He attaches his lips to the side of your neck, biting and sucking until your skin is purple. He then brings his fingers to your clit, rubbing it gently.

You throw your head back, feeling your walls pulsate once again. Levi's thrusts start to become uneven as he feels you grip him, which means he's close.

"I'm not coming before you." Levi rubs circles on your clit. Your toes curl as Levi is almost overstimulating you - but that high comes back.

"Levi." You practically yell as the hardest high of your life hits you. You see stars as Levi slams into you again and again.

"Where should I come?" Levi whispered.

"Inside." You whisper in his ear, which causes him to lose all the control he had left. He coats your insides with him as he comes, gripping your hips tightly. Levi fills you up with his cum and somehow there is still more.

Levi pulled out slowly and you whine at the now void. He pulls his pants on and grabbing a towel from his hallway closet and helping you clean up.

"So... tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow." You press your lips to his gently, letting your worries melt away.

#levi ackerman #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman fanfiction #levi x reader #levi ackerman smut #levi ackerman fanfic #attack on titan #aot #levi ackerman attack on titan

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simpingcorner · 1 month ago

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WRECK MY PLANS ONE

Pairings: Rafe Cameron x OC!Isla McCewan; kook!king x pogue Chapter warnings: asshole kooks, English isn’t my first language, trauma(?), kids (idk my friends told me to put it as a tw), swear words, not proofread, let me know if I missed something. WC: 1.456 Disclaimer: All characters are aged up cus I don’t feel comfortable writing about teenagers romance and there’s some really strong themes on here.

All her life she’s known never to cross the big names of the island and all her life she’s been in the shadow, working her ass off everyday since she was a kid, never giving those big names any reason to know of her and, especially, never giving them any reason to get mad at her and have her as their rage target.

The air was different here than in the Cut, it felt better, lighter, it smelled like sea and home cooked meals, which wasn’t all that new but the lack of weed, gasoline and nicotine sure helped the fantasies that this was her life, this was where she lived, who she was and the three young kids running and laughing around her in the backyard filled her heart more than anything ever had before.

It’ll happen, you’ll have the life you deserve, just a few more months and you’re gonna be out of here, never looking back and never having to worry about any of them ever again. Those were the thoughts that lived rent free in her head, dreams and fantasies she deep down knew would never become reality, but what’s the hurt in imagining?

“Isla! Isla! Look what we can do.” The little dark haired boy giggled pushing his sister on the swing giving her the feeling of flying out and about in the sky, “Wow. You know if you push her even faster she might fly over to Bermudas.” She replied smiling at the kids, “I wanna go to Bermudas.” said the girl pouting. “I know you do Luce, mama will take you there one day. I promise.” “I’ll plan everything, and we go for Christmas what you say Luce?” shouted a voice from inside the house, “Gotta ask first Jamesie, you know we can’t just up and go to Bermudas.” “As if they could ever tell her no, come on Is, it’d be vacation for you too, not like mum can’t do it alone.” “What can’t I do alone, James?” the calming voice of Emily Lighthouse came sudden like a rainstorm in the fall to her ears, “Luce wants to go to the Bermudas…” explained the oldest, “And do you know what the Bermudas are baby?” asked the woman picking the still pouting little girl up from the swing. Isla hang back a few moments watching the older woman walk inside followed by her two loving boys, her heart hurt at the scene, her memory blank searching for a moment like that with her parents, a loving parent who’d go out their way to make sure she was safe. One day. As she walked in the house, she had now been working at for the past six years, she couldn’t help but let her eyes wonder around studying the luxury and money this side of the Island showed off like bread to birds. “Sweetheart I asked if you’d like to stay for dinner, I made way too much food for us four only.” Isla’s baby blue eyes widened at the woman’s words, not that it was unusual for her to spend the night at the house, there had been years when she spent more time there than at her own place, but something in her still warmed at the kind request, she knew the Lighthouses weren’t a normal Kook family, they were always nice to her, treating her basically like family, never ever doubting her even when the rest of Figure 8 would go out their way to make her the bad guy. “No, thank you. You enjoy it for me though. I actually have plans tonight.” The girl said quietly, “Well you’ll tell us all about your night another day then. But please take something home. And please be safe they say Agatha’s headed this way.” Isla’s cheeks warmed at the kind words of the rich woman in front of her, she reluctantly accepted the food, got her helmet and jacket and said her goodbyes before closing the door behind her and starting her walk out the neighbourhood.

“Going back to your tree house McCewan?” a deep, unfortunately too familiar voice said in the darkening sunset light, “Look, I’m just leaving, I don’t want any trouble.” said the girl with her head down and her eyes on the pavement, “Oh come on, not even a snarky comment? Where’s the Isla McCewan everyone’s always talking about?” “She’s tired and just wants to go home and sleeps, so can you let me pass.” “But where’s the fun in that then? You know you can always come to my place, it sure as fuck is safer than whatever shit hole you live in.” the brunette kook said walking way too close to the girl, finally caging her between him and the wall behind her, she knew she could have gotten out of there really easily, if there’s one good thing that came out of the Cut it’s knowing how to defend herself, but she was tired of having to defend herself and she knew no matter how bad things turned out to be it was always gonna be her fault, so she simply looked at him hoping he’d let her go with a sudden change of mind. What she didn’t expect was the Kook king to come up to them, “She’s not worth it Gold, trust me girls like her are not as fun as you’d think.” her eyes moved to meet Rafe Cameron’s dilated pupils and she knew he didn’t do it out of the good of his heart, the younger kook looked behind him and left them with a scoff, “One day McCewan, I assure you.” he said before going back in the garage he had came out of.

Isla picked her jacket, that had fallen off her grip and started making her way back to her bike, “Wow, not even a thank you. I knew you Pogues don’t have manners but that’s just low.” the older Kook said walking behind her, “Thank you your majesty Rafe Cameron I’ll make sure to offer you my biggest pig and cow to thank you properly.” she said not even looking behind at him, she simply couldn’t, she knew the rumors, she knew what was being said about him and she had promised herself never to go back there, not to that at least. “You really shouldn’t let that tongue run like that, you never know how people might react.” He said with a grip on her wrist, that wasn’t as tight as he’d wanted it to be, “Also you should really look at the person who’s talking to you, it’s very disrespectful not doing it.” she turned to him, his red eyes bored in her blue ones with something she had never been able to read, “Oh thank you Rafy, you’re my saviour I will never be able to thank you properly, please let me suck you off to show you how grateful I am.” Her words were laced with sarcasm and a poison he knew she only used for and with him, “Come on Cameron go back to your underground bunker and cuddle up on daddy’s lap, I’m sure he wouldn’t want his precious baby out here in such dangerous weather.” his jaw twitched and clenched for a second, “At least I have a dad who cares about me and my safety.” “Keep telling yourself that, maybe it’ll become true.” she said getting out of his grip and finally making it to her bike, once her helmet was on, visor down and the bike had started she let her mind wonder and her throat felt full of thorns as she left Figure 8, Rafe Cameron watching her from afar holding on that conversation.

The lights were out in the little black and grey shed she had to call home, she had left her bike at the Flores’ gate not to make a noise and not to be seen, she opened the door praying whatever god was watching that the house was empty, her heart and breathing the only noises in the house as she walked and closed the door behind her, the room was the same as she had left, mouldy black walls, broken pieces of a dresser and lamps were scattered on the floor, the broken and way too hard yoga mat and her baby blanket the only place where she could sleep. She laid on the mat pulling the blanket over her legs as she stared at the ceiling, a few of her old glow in the dark stars still stand between a mould stain and the other, she watched them, memories of her childhood came to mind as she fell asleep surrounded by the creaks and raindrops noises.

divider from @enchanthings

#outer banks #outer banks netflix #rafe cameron #rafe cameron x pogue!reader #rafe cameron x reader #rafe obx #obx fic #obx1 #obx2 #obx3 #rafe cameron x oc #rafe x reader #rafe cameron x female reader #rafe cameron fanfiction #rafe cameron outer banks

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annymation · 11 months ago

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Reimagining the characters in Wish

(Part 5- The Goat)

This will be the last one of these blogs about the characters. I was stalling on this one because honestly there’s really not much to Valentino in my rewrite.

Will his existence influence the plot tho? Yes, definitely way more than the movie Valentino did… Although that bar isn’t high.

So let’s go, animal companion time!

Personality

- Valentino is a one month old baby goat, a little ball of energy, too pure for this world, doesn’t know basic math and we must protect him at all cost.

- His main gimmick is that he follows Asha EVERYWHERE to the point it’s comical, like, I didn’t write him much so far in my rewrite (we’re currently on chapter 3 and he was alive in only 2 of them, so no wonder) but even when I don’t mention him just assume, he’s there… All the time.

- He cares a lot about Asha and sees her as his mother, since well, she technically is, she took care of him all his life (a month).

Main Traits:

- Curious

- Loyal

- Silly

- Innocent

- Determined

Backstory

(Because it wouldn’t be a rewrite of mine if the character didn’t have at least some angst, not even the 1 month old goat is safe from me)

- A month before our story begins, Asha was drawing animals at one of the farms in the kingdom, to practice, when suddenly she heard a new born goat all alone.

- She asked the owners where his parents were at, and they explain they didn’t notice the little guy under the hay earlier, they sold their goats to be exported to a neighboring kingdom.

- Asha felt really sad for him, so she asked to buy him, the farmer said she could keep him for free, taking care of baby goats without a mama goat around was too much trouble anyway, Asha was basically doing them a favor.

- Valentino obviously doesn’t know all that, but even if you told him it’s not like he’d care, he sees Asha as his mama and that’s all that matters.

- He’s very thankful for her taking care of him, getting him a nice sweater and a cozy little bed… He wishes he could thank her.

Which leads us to:

This Book

- So hear me out, there’s this kids book, “The Grateful Goat”, about Valentino, and it’s adorable, it’s my main inspiration for his rewrite.

- In this book we follow Valentino trying to communicate something to Asha and her friends, but they can’t understand him, since we’ll, he’s a goat.

- They try over and over to guess what he wants but nothing makes him stop bleating.

- Then, once Star came down and granted his wish, it turns out all he wanted to say was “Thank you”

That

That’s cute, I like that.

- Imagine this, in my rewrite, once Aster does grant Valentino’s wish and makes him talk, it’s a cute scene of Valentino going like:

“THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS TAKING SUCH GOOD CARE OF ME!”

(And he sounds like a child by the way, because that’s how a baby goat should sound like DISNEY)

- Now, am I saying that Valentino is just gonna speak once to say thank you?… Kinda, but not quite.

- You see, Aster’s wish granting magic is only effective on you if you really really REAAALLY want it to be.

- As he makes animals in the forest talk for example, or brings the tress to life, they only remain like that as long as they really want to, and what do you know, turns out most trees are chill just being tress so his magic fades away from them in a short while.

- Valentino’s wish won’t be to permanently talk, he just wanted to thank Asha, so once he’s done doing that Aster’s magic fades away after a few hours.

-… However, some of Aster’s magic remains deep inside of Valentino, so if for whatever reason Valentino reeeeeally wants to communicate something… Something urgent perhaps… Then he regains the ability to speak.

- Oh yes I CREATED TALKING GOAT ON DEMAND! HE ONLY SPEAKS WHEN ITS RELEVANT TO THE PLOT BABEEEEY!!!

- Not gonna lie, I’m really happy with this, because that just means I won’t have to come up with lines for him all the time, he’ll only speak when necessary.

Design

- So. Many. Cute. Designs… AND WE GOT THE WORST ONE GAAAAH DISNEY WHEN I CATCH YOU-

- It’s fine, I’m fine *breathes* we can fix him.

- First of all, he has horns, because believe it or not 1 month old goats already start showing their horns.

- Second, I debated a lot on this but we’re keeping the little sweater, yeah I’m surprised too, I hated it at first (still do hate it in the way that it is in the movie) but then I was informed it’s a reference to how Walt Disney used to put clothes on the animals of his family’s farm when he was a kid, and that’s the type of deep cut and cute reference I wish we had gotten more of.

- But the sweater won’t be so tight on him, like, let it be a little bit more loose, and maybe don’t cover his lower half.

- This concept art I used for the second chapter of my rewrite kinda illustrates it perfectly how I’d like him to be:

- The fluffy tuff of hair, the big eyes, the long ears, the lil horns, it’s perfect, that’s it, that’s our boy. Tho I don’t imagine him being all white, lets say he has some brown spots.

Final Thoughts

This post actually made me really mad because I wrote it all once and it was perfect, but I forgot to save it before closing tumblr, so I lost it all, ughhh why don’t they have auto save on cellphones??

I have plenty of ideas on how to make him more plot relevant than he was in the Disney movie, he won’t be like THE MOST ESSENTIAL CHARACTER OF ALL, definitely not, but little things that he does move the story forward.

If my calculations are correct he’ll most likely be useful on chapter 4 of my rewrite (or chapter 5, cause like, I’m trying to make them a bit shorter)

Not gonna tell how he’s gonna be useful in the story tho cause I think it’s better as a surprise.

A bit of a quick tangent here, but have you guys ever noticed how some Disney animal companions are the opposite of their human friends?

Ariel is brave and curious - Flounder is a coward

Pocahontas is wise and calm - Meeko is a dummy and Flit has anger issues

Alladin is generous - Abu is a kleptomaniac

You get the idea.

We didn’t get that at all in the Wish movie.

I was trying to come up with ideas on how to make Valentino have an opposite trait compared to Asha, but I don’t really know how to incorporate that into the story, oh well, I might just figure out as I go.

Anyway, that’s our goat, hope you like him!

Thank You For Reading!

#disney wish #wish #wish 2023 #wish star #wish asha #wish disney #wish movie #wish rewrite #wish reimagined #wish valentino

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bettyfrommars · 1 year ago

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it’s the a7x anon 😘

imagine stripper harlot reader and eddie falls for her (obviously) and he follows her to a club one night. it’s an underground club (got me thinking blood rave from blade) but shes deadly, she sucks the soul out of men in the clubs, poisons them for fun, the club is filled with different types, vampires, wolves, ghouls, but none are more desired or feared than her.

Sympathy for the Devil

eddie x demon!fem!reader

It's the mid-90's and Eddie has moved to Seattle with the rest of Corroded Coffin to get in on the music scene. He sees you one night dancing at a bachelor party and can't seem to stop thinking about you. His hunt for you takes him to a dark part of town where only monsters dare to go. wc: 2.5k

18+ONLY, grunge!eddie, descriptions of monsters, eventual smut, star-crossed lovers, Gareth, reader described as having thick hips and tattoos, exotic dancers, alcohol consumption, breathing fire. Readers dad is basically Hellboy.

Part 1: Great Balls of Fire

Part 2: Mark of the Beast

Part 3: Burn it Down

A/N: There is just so much I want to explore on this topic, I had to turn it into multiple parts. No smut in this chapter, but there will be in the next two, if there are people who want to read it. I love any reason for a good Blade blood shower. I love this anon, and I hope I did some justice to your idea.

-----------

Eddie dropped down into the dark venue on a wing and a prayer, hoping you were working that night. He didn’t know your schedule, he only knew you from that one night two weeks ago when he was there for Jeff’s bachelor party.

Out of a sea of beautiful, scantily clad women, you stood out like a flash of lightning in a pitch black night.

“I can’t believe we’re here again, man,” Gareth complained, swiping his hair out of his face.

“What are you afraid of?” Eddie shouted over his shoulder, hoping to be heard above the throbbing, electronic music. His eyes scanned the crowd for you, or any one he remembered seeing you talk to that first night. Ahead of them, down the shadowed alcove of the venue were several dancers gyrating on poles and spreading their legs out wide for customers at the rack to hook dollar bills into their g-strings.

“I’m afraid my girl will cut my nuts off if she finds out I came here with you,” Gareth responded.

Gareth's hair was shorter than it had been when they were in high school. It was just long enough to tuck behind his ears, but still so full and curly that he had to slick it back. Eddie’s hair was much longer now, almost to his nipples, and he’d grown his bangs out, so it was more grunge rather than early 80’s metal.

“We went to see Mudhoney at the Crocodile,” Eddie confirmed. “That’s all you need to tell her. We only came here to look for someone.” They had done exactly that, and the Mudhoney show had been amazing. Corroded Coffin’s relocation to Seattle was the best decision Eddie had ever made, and he was grateful his band made the journey with him. They were all renting this old house on Capitol Hill and getting paying gigs a couple times a month—it was a dream.

But since he’d laid eyes on you—he could barely function.

You had bewitched him in the best of ways.

So, there he was---dragging Gareth back to the same strip club to look for you. He honestly didn’t expect to get your number, or even talk to you—he just needed to see you again.

Once he reached the dimly lit red cocktail bar, Eddie froze. “She’s not here,” he wet his dry lips, getting on the balls of his feet to scan the crowd. “I mean, I don’t see her.”

“Okay, great, "Gareth tried to avert his eyes from the women on stage so that he wouldn’t feel guilty. “Can we go now?”

But Eddie wasn’t ready to give up that easily.

“Hey,” he called over to one of the servers he remembered from the last time. She was about to carry a tray of drinks over to a table when she caught his eye and her face lit up.

Eddie was awkward when he didn't want to be, but on every other occasion—he possessed a decent amount of charm. Plus, this particular server was a fan of his band, he just didn’t know it.

Eddie stroked some hair behind his ear and leaned closer, giving her your full description, right down to the color of your eyes, and the details of a few of your tattoos, and then asked if you were working that weekend.

The server shook her head, her cheeks burning hot under Eddie's attention. “Sorry, she’s not here. I think she’s at the Devils Den tonight.”

Eddie squinted at Gareth and the both of them mouthed “the devils den” with a question mark, like they had never heard of it in all of the 2 years they’d been there.

The Devil’s Den did not advertise. You could not find it in the phone book. It was a word of mouth or friend of a friend only, and security was tight.

“Be careful,” the redhead server offered a warning, passing Eddie her phone number on the inside of a gum wrapper with a wink. Gareth rolled his eyes and headed for the door.

Eddie drove Gareth back to his car first.

“You sure you don’t want me to go with?” Gareth asked Eddie over the hood, strumming his fingers on the metal.

“Nah man, I’m good,” Eddie assured him, twirling his keys on his finger as he walked backwards. “You go home to your girl. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

He remembered the directions the redhead told him as he sucked down a cigarette with the window open, blowing smoke out into the crisp city night. It took him down through the east end of town, along a tunnel, and then shot him deep into the industrial district. Vacant buildings loomed like faceless gargoyles as his van rolled along the dismal expanse, void of human life.

The building was unmarked, but the address was correct; he checked it with the numbers inked on his palm several times. He parked a block away and walked over with his fists shoved deep into the pockets of his leather while scraps of paper and leaves skidded across the pavement. His long hair flew across his lips and clung there until he peeled the strand back and tucked it behind his ear again.

He could hear the music now, thudding low from inside the building as he rounded the corner.

There was a purple light coming from the open doorway, and a minotaur man with a thick tail and broad shoulders sat on a stool blowing smoke out his nostrils. Eddie heard him ask the couple ahead of him to see their IDs, so Eddie got his ready.

You just happened to be on your way out for a smoke when you saw him—-

Him.

The one you couldn’t take your eyes off of two weekends ago. The grungy boy with the long hair you couldn’t stop thinking about.

What was he doing at a monster bar? Did you want him to see you like this?

Self-consciously, you spun around, ducking your head so he wouldn’t see your horns, wondering if you should try to cover them with your hood and retract your claws.

Eddie handed the Minotaur bouncer his ID.

“What the fuck you want me to do with this?” The bouncer asked, aggressively standing up to his full height which was close to 7ft. His voice bellowed, “no humans allowed, can’t you read?” Sure enough, there was a black and white sign on the door that said: NO UNAUTHORIZED HUMANS ALLOWED.

Eddie tucked his ID back in his wallet, about to offer to try and pay the guy off when he saw you appear in the doorway.

“Oh shit,” Eddie whispered to himself. You were even more stunning than the night he first saw you. Now you have horns? He hadn't noticed them the other weekend at the club; maybe you had them tucked under your wig. He could tell you were different, but he had no idea you were what was known in human circles as a Beastly.

“He’s with me,” you told the enormous Minotaur man, and Eddie watched him cower before you. He sat back down on his stool and bowed his head, muttering his apologies.

He had to remember not to let his jaw hang slack as you walked closer, swaying your hips as you did so, plucking a cigarette out of the pack to pop it into your mouth. He noticed that what he once thought were tattoos were actually designs that seemed like they were burned into your flesh; they glowed orange in the night as if there was lava flowing in your veins.

Eddie patted his jacket and his back pockets, forgetting where he put his lighter. Once he found it, his hand was trembling, but he took a breath and cupped his palm over the flame, leaning forward to offer it to you.

You hesitated, searching his rich brown eyes. His very human eyes: you wanted to watch them sparkle. “Do you want to see something cool?”

Eddie lowered his hands and poked his tongue out between his teeth. “Always.”

“It might freak you out,” you warned.

“I love getting freaked out.”

You held the cigarette out and blew on the end of it, producing a string of fire from your lungs. It was a soft, blue flame and Eddie watched the tip of your smoke light up and crackle with embers just as the fire disappeared behind your lips again.

“Party trick,” you took a drag, squinting one eye at him playfully.

“Can you do mine?” Eddie opened the top pocket of his jacket to pull out a smoke from his pack, while a few more bodies shuffled by on their way to the door. Two had chalk white skin with fangs, one had the snout of a pig and a green mohawk, and the other looked like she could’ve passed as human, until she stuck her tongue out at one of the other men and it was long and forked, falling almost to her chest.

They each gave Eddie a suspicious look, but when they saw you standing there, they quickly jerked their stares away.

Eddie gripped the cig between his full lips, and his eyes never left you as you leaned in. You could’ve produced a flame long enough to reach him where he was, but you decided to step in close, so that your mouth wasn’t far from his.

Your eyes met as you breathed a steady stream of fire. The thought occurred to you that you could take him right then; you could suck his soul out like juice from a Capri Sun and he’d never know what hit him. You could drink his essence like oxygen and fill your stomach with his charming warmth—but then you wouldn’t have him anymore, and your heart was screaming louder than your hunger.

“That’s so rad,” Eddie chuckled. He took a drag and then blew the smoke out sideways. “What other tricks do you know?”

“I think it’s your turn to do a trick,” you raised an eyebrow.

“What could a human possibly do to impress you?”

“I’m sure there are lots of ways you could impress me,” your smile was coy, and it made Eddie’s pupils widen with admiration.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

But then one of the ghouls with skin that looked stapled on stepped out of the doorway and said your name.

“What is it?” You snapped. Your demeanor changed—your eyes narrowing on her.

“Sorry,” the ghoul stammered. “Um, it’s Drucilla—she says there’s a phone call for you.”

“I’ll be right there,” you grumbled, waving her off, but when you turned back to Eddie, your face softened. “I have to go. If you’re around later we can—-”

“Yeah, I’ll wait,” Eddie said quickly. He didn’t know how long the wait would be, and he didn’t care.

You motioned for him to follow you inside, and as he entered, the Minotaur bouncer grumbled: “Sorry about earlier, man.”

“It’s all good,” Eddie clapped him on his big, beefy shoulder.

There was a band at the back of the venue playing something that reminded him of Alice in Chains, and Eddie felt right at home. Everyone turned in his direction, and he followed close behind as you traveled down a few carpeted steps to the long, low-lit bar along the wall. Your tail flicked from side to side as you walked, and he smiled to himself when he noticed it.

You swatted the bar with your hand to get Danny’s attention. The wolfman bartender stopped the conversation he was having mid-sentence and rushed over, a furry hand swiping hair away from his beard.

“He’s with me,” you told Danny, motioning over your shoulder to a bewildered Eddie. “Anyone fucks with him, and I’ll rip their head off.”

You meant it literally, and Danny knew that.

“I’ll keep an eye on your pet,” Danny nodded as he cleaned a glass with a towel. He made eye contact with Eddie and ran his tongue over his sharp canines.

Eddie sank down onto a stool at the bar and watched you go, his heart hammering in his chest. There were two exotic dancers in cages on either side of the dancefloor, and one looked like she had reptilian skin with an alligator tail. The action on the main floor was more of a mosh pit than actual dancing, and he knew the guys from his band would dig this place. He wondered what you would think of his music if you saw him perform; maybe he could do a few tricks for you on stage. He wanted to look out and see you in the crowd and know you were his.

“What can I get you?” Danny asked, flipping a coaster in front of Eddie with a flourish.

Flustered at his choices, Eddie ordered a beer, and then he leaned in. “Hey, what is her story? Why does everyone seem so…afraid of her?”

“You mean you don’t know who she is?” Danny raised both bushy eyebrows at him as he popped the cap on his beer.

Eddie shrugged, eyes dancing over the wall of bottles. “I have no idea, man. This isn’t my scene.”

Danny came forward and put his hairy forearms on the bar. “Yeah well, her dad is the head Devil in charge of all of this,” he gestured around. “He runs the underground Beast Mob, and everyone is scared shitless of him.” Danny scooted Eddie’s beer forward, giving him a pointed look. “And you should be too. He hates humans.”

Eddie swallowed hard. “I’m pretty good with parents,” he mumbled.

He sat there for a while and sipped his beer, taking in the scenery and the other monsters, when he caught sight of you weaving your way back through the crowd. Everyone you walked by seemed to beg to touch you or talk to you; a couple of them even bowed. He wanted to have you on his arm, to feel the fire from your lungs burn his skin.

“Hey,” the person behind Eddie tapped his shoulder, and Eddie spun around to find an orc-looking guy with two tusks jutting up from his bottom teeth.

“Yeah, man, what’s up?”

The bartender glanced over Eddie’s shoulder at you, and then regarded him with a nod. “Be careful with that one, son. She will feast on your soul and drain you dry.”

Eddie turned to see you watching him from across the way, and you offered a shy wave. Your short horns looked sharp and ready for battle; the marks in your skin glowed like neon.

Eddie sighed wistfully. “Damn, I really hope so.”

#Eddie Munson #Eddie Munson fic #Eddie Munson x reader #fem reader #Eddie Munson monster #monster fic #Stranger Things #Stranger things fic #monsterfucker #monsterfucking

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bloodlegacies · 26 days ago

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Hey, I just read the update (and the previous update that I hadn't read yet), and I have some bug reports and questions, if you don't mind! Well and some comments too, I guess.

^ My MC seems to be thanking his father for nothing here as his father didn't do or say anything special… Judging by the code, I think it's because my MC didn't kill yet so his father's comment on that isn't displayed - but MC's reactions to that comment from Eleazar are not set to trigger only if we got that line from Eleazar but no matter what, so I get the "positive response" from a gentle MC, instead of the game skipping that interaction as a whole and going to the one where Eleazar is displeased and MC reacts accordingly.

^ It says there are 7 competitors. But 5 men + 3 women is 8 in total.

^ This segment already appeared before, then it went to the balance training with Eleazar, and then the whole segment repeated itself.

^ Untranslated segment at the beginning here. I understand enough to get what it says, but it still shouldn't be here heh.

That aside, I was wondering if some instances in the game shouldn't raise ice powers? For example, when the MC creates an ice barrier to stop Serah's attack. That one stuck out to me, considering how much of a feat it was. Similar to killing everyone after MC's mother was killed (though I think this one sets a variable on, so it's less of an "issue"). Not that this is a big issue to begin with! Just thought it would make sense.

Speaking of that scene with Serah, and this would be my first question... if the MC stopped Serah indeed, that must have brought even more "shame" to the king, right? I mean, he was already frustrated at MC having killed a bear at such a young age, but then the same kid proved their elemental powers were stronger than those of his older daughter in front of a full audience (not to mention said daughter just lost control of herself in public to begin with).

That aside, what did Asther and co think of a MC who shouted at them to stop in the tower, when they were gossiping about Hayden? On the matter of Hayden, will we get the option later down the line to have MC say (or even simply think) about being reassured that Hayden was supportive of the two lovers (even if the methods were dumb), because MC themself is in love with Hayden and it's reassuring to know they do think love is worth the risks? I can imagine my MC having a mindset of "I need to know if there is any point in me trying to prepare how to manage to be together, and for that I need to be sure they will fight for that too". Like, sure, the lack of trust about the whole thing hurts and was already discussed, but there is also a huge reassurance in the matter.

And that one is not a question, but I just have to say at this point I hate Eleazar more and more every single time he appears! My MC is butting heads with him all the time - like, they disagree on basically everything. I can understand just how surprised my MC was when Eleazar agreed with him about doing nothing more following the Fion "incident"! Like, at this point it would be funny if it wasn't so upsetting - almost ANYTHING Eleazar asks of my MC, the answer is "no". My MC is so nice and merciful, and then you see him with Eleazar and he just becomes hateful and angry.

First of all, thank you for letting me know about the bugs and errors in the code and translation. Thank you.

And secondly, it's true. It makes sense, so I'll add some skill points if you do. Not a lot, but I will.

Third: Definitely yes, this has further irritated the king, who already felt antipathy towards mc, considering what he did at the beginning of chapter 1.

And fourth: Yes, it will be possible. Many options involving this and more, with Hayden, will be possible at the ball, which will be brought up in the next update. Where there will be decisions that affect the relationship with the ro's, and involving the mc himself and how they will be seen later. There will even be options to get upset with the ro's in a more direct way, and if you have a relationship, be it friendship or romance, there will be some reactions from them and other options.

And what about Eleazar? He's complicated hehehe, some love him, some hate him, others are indifferent, but he's a guy who always causes a reaction. I can understand your MC, after all, Eleazar isn't the easiest to deal with, is he? 😁

#ask #blood legacies #blood legacies if #mc #choices

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dotster001 · 1 year ago

Text

Hidden Desires Chapter Five

Summary: Jamil x gn! Reader. Now that you're at the Isle of Woe, your relationship with Jamil might be tested. Not that you even realize it.

CW: major spoilers for book six!!!!!!!!, not really transitions, just cuts from place to place, ideally imagine the events of book six occurring concurrently with this

Chapters: Prologue One Two Three Four Six

"Test two ready. Commencing Dive!"

Jamil heard Ortho's voice distantly in the headset, as the scene in the vr changed again. The first test him and Leona had faced was incredibly easy. If this was how all the tests would run, he had no doubt that himself and the other overblotters would finish and be released well before the twenty four hours they'd been contracted for were up.

As the scene finally settled, he looked around in confusion.

"We're in the greenhouse," Jamil muttered.

"Hmph," was all he got from Leona.

"Ayo! Leona! Where the hell have ya been!"

"Ruggie?" Jamil breathed.

"Jamil! You scared me! I'm so happy you're okay!"

"Kalim," his eye twitched a bit, but he calmed his tension quickly. "Sorry Kalim. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Whatever, Leona if you don't get that potions essay in by the end of the day, Crewel 's gonna have my head on a platter," Ruggie said with a pout.

"Oh, I get it," Leona began, but was cut off by a new voice.

"Jamil! Where did you go?"

Your voice. And not long after, you. He felt all the tension ease from his shoulders as you walked towards him. Only for you to place your arm in Kalim's. Then press a kiss to his cheek.

"We should have a party to celebrate, right love?" You said sweetly.

Jamil was about to release a slew of curses, when the air filled with sand.

"Snap out of it, Viper. They're using our memories to create a scene that will upset us," Leona snapped.

Jamil's face split into a grin, "So if we don't get upset, we can calmly fight them."

"Correct. Prepare yourselves!"

….

"And what is the Ramshackle perfect doing here. That I don't understand," Idia said with a frown. He had just apprehended yourself, Epel, and Rook.

You should lie. You should say you were just here to drop off Vil's skincare routine. But you couldn't lie. Not when you were so close.

"I'm here for Grim and my boyfriend," you snapped.

Idia rolled his eyes. "Sevens, of course you are. Normies are so predictable, allowing emotions to take over their senses."

"Wouldn't you be devastated if your boyfriend and your only family were both stolen from you in the same breath!" You shouted, meanwhile feeling Epel's hand slip into yours, and give it a reassuring squeeze.

Idia stared at Ortho for a moment. "I'll give you the family thing, but Jamil? C'mon! He's a guy!"

"Sounds like you speak from experience," Epel snickered, before getting fixed with a glare.

"Look, I already told you, less than twenty four hours from now, they're free to go, all of them. Then you can live your basic romantic lives, or whatever, and leave me alone."

"Fine," you hissed.

"Good. Ortho's going to escort you all to a room you can stay in, and have you sign some paperwork."

You held back any further retorts as Idia entered his chariot and flew away, leaving you and your rescue crew alone.

….

You really wish the world wasn't ending. It would have been far more relieving to have teamed up with the kidnapped overblotters. But Grim was still missing. And the world was indeed ending.

And now you were splitting up again to find Idia in Tartarus. In an unexpected way.

"Roi du poison, Epel, and I should be in one team, since we have spent the most time together, and thus will work the most seamlessly. And Y/N should come with us because we can protect them the most."

You wanted to go with Jamil. If you all failed, and the world got flooded in blot, you wanted to be by Jamil's side. To give the man you loved a last farewell.

"A brilliant idea! I trust you three to protect our savior better than any of us!" Azul said with a bow.

You looked at Jamil, and noticed his clenched jaw, but the rest of the group was nodding in agreement, and he rolled his eyes.

"Sorry," he mouthed, and you gave him a tired smile.

"Then how should the rest of the groups split?"

In moments, the groups were split, and you were preparing to make your way into Tartarus. You turned to say something, anything, to Jamil, but Rook threaded his arm through yours, and dragged you off.

….

"May I give you each a hug and a kiss?"

You and Epel stared at Vil. But Rook excitedly spoke up for the both of you.

"Oui! It would be a wonderful way to experience your gratitude!"

Vil smiled softly and hugged you, pressing a kiss to your cheek. He moved to Epel and did the same thing.

Then he stood before Rook. He slipped his hands into his. Then leaned in and passionately kissed his lips.

Rook froze, before reciprocating, and both you and Epel couldn't look away, as much as you longed to. It was when Vil began to lace his fingers in Rook's hair that Epel gave a not so subtle cough.

Vil pushed Rook away, despite being the one who started it, then gave his own cough.

"Shall we proceed?" Before anyone else could respond, he began his descent down the stairs, Rook trailing him like a lovesick puppy as you and Epel giggled behind him.

….

"I can't help but wonder, snake. For someone who always thinks so little of everyone else, and who lacks charisma, how did you get Y/N?"

Jamil had thought Leona was going to take another nap while they waited for the spear to recharge. After already being sliced into, and forced to reflect on his entire life view, he was not sure he wanted to start this conversation.

"Maybe I have some charisma after all," he said with a smirk.

Leona gave him an unimpressed hmph.

"I don't know. Perhaps I proved to Y/N during Vil's overblot that I can protect them."

"Y/N doesn't need protection. Just cause they don't have magic, doesn't make them weak. They're the school beast tamer for a reason."

"That's just something Crowley calls them."

"Ha ha ha!" Leona let out a booming laugh. "Maybe, but I've known Y/N longer than you, as much as I'm sure you hate that. But the beast tamer title is legit. Hell, if you haven't noticed any of the changes we've all gone through, it just makes my question all the more valid!"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you sound jealous, housewarden," Jamil snickered.

"And what if I am? You're dating them, you know what they're like, can you really blame me?"

He bit his lip, and Leona snickered again. "I've been here before you, and I'll be here after."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jamil muttered.

"It means you don't seem to be taking to the beast taming, and Y/N will realize you haven't grown at all from the slimy snake who tried to kill them."

"Sevens, you sound like Azul," Jamil groaned.

"Is the octopus after Y/N too?"

"No he just…he's overprotective."

"Fair. Rather not fight him if I don't have to, so that's good to know."

Jamil was prepared to offer up a retort, but was met with a soft snore.

"Unbelievable," he groaned.

Logically, he knew there was a chance that some of the overblot crew, who sat with you at lunch every single day even if they had to share a chair, would be into you.

But Leona?

He thought back to when you watched the stars together in the Scarabia dorm. But when he looked at the memory now, he saw Leona. Leona who was kissing you roughly, like a predator who caught his prey. Leona, who laid you down against the carpet. Leona, who pinned one of your wrists above your head, while your other hand slipped into his hair. Leona who released a low growl as he deepened the kiss.

"Fuck!" Jamil shouted, standing up from his seat and pacing angrily.

He should be happy. He should be happy there was someone who'd pick up the pieces if he had to leave you for something or someone else. He knew it might have to go there someday; once he'd rebuilt his reputation, which he was nearly done with, he'd have to take whatever was the next step to building his power, both at school and in life.

But he couldn't be happy.

And that was terrifying.

The world could end in moments if they failed, and all he could think about was how Rook had pulled you away before he could say goodbye. His reputation and future be damned, all he wanted right now was to hold you.

This was terrifying.

Leona was wrong. Your beast taming had affected him. Even if you didn't mean to be taming him, you had done it successfully anyway.

Sevens.

Why did he have to love you?

….

Idia had overblotted sort of. Riddle's hair has turned white. Vil had aged. You'd gotten Grim back. And now you were about to go home.

But first…

"Hey, Idia?" He looked at you startled, his eyes wide.

"I just want to say, when you come back, if you need someone to talk to about…all of this, I'm always there to listen. You don't have to suffer alone."

Idia slowly nodded, and you turned to climb into the aircraft. Jamil was staring at you, eyes blank, and you gave him a reassuring smile. He extended a hand, and you took it, using all your strength to pull him into a hug.

"I'm so happy you're okay," you whispered, feeling safe in his arms as he tightened the hug.

"C'mon lovebirds, let's go," Leona said with a laugh.

You giggled and pulled Jamil with you into the aircraft. The trip felt like it would be a silent one.Then Vil started sobbing.

"Roi du poison!"

"Don't look at me Rook! I'm old, and rotting away!"

"Roi du poison-"

"I've been robbed of my youth and middle ages!"

"What happened to your speech from before?" Azul asked, clear amusement in his voice.

"I was trying to keep control of the situation!" Vil shrieked, but was stopped when Rook cupped his cheeks.

"I love you! And I will always find you beautiful! If you were a worm, I would still find you beautiful!" Rook cried.

Vil sniffled, then leaned in and kissed Rook. The kiss continued for a little too long, and everyone looked away.

"Unrequited love, huh?" You snickered.

You could have sworn you felt Rook kick your seat between kisses.

….

Jamil watched as you and the rest of the group gamed together. In particular, he was watching Idia. Idia who slowly moved himself closer and closer to you. Idia who genuinely smiled when you spoke to him. Idia who ignored his own controller so that he could help you play.

"Beast tamer, huh?" Jamil muttered to himself.

One day under your light, and Idia was already growing as a person. Jamil didn't feel any different. At least not where it mattered. Yes, he loved you. He loves you more than anything.

But was that enough for him to deserve you?

....

Tag list-@shytastemakerthing @leonia0 @mizucika @somany-fandoms-solittle-time @kurenix @starshiningsirius @pikeru565 @da-disappointment @dearhyacinths @carpediem1219 @ravenkake @savanaclaw1996 @felinegrate

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #jamil viper x reader #twst jamil #jamil x reader #jamil viper

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aihoshiino · 5 days ago

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it ate my fucking 'ideal oshi no ending' ask??? Tumblr, whyyyyyyy

i didn't write shit down anywhere else, I'll try my best to 'member. i'll write down everything again as good as i can, lets pray i wont miss anything :'D

okay, so aqua does his super smart (stupid) plan, but he and kamiki survive and end up hospitalized. kamiki wakes up first and, while he doesn't regret all the things he did, decides to stop™ and to also honor Ai and her memory by telling aquas version of what happened. bc at the end, kamiki loves Ai. and Ai loves her children, and he wants to finally honor her and her wishes by doing what she'd want. (i had been pondering that one a bit more after sending the og ask, and i want his eureka moment to be smth like him being close enough to death that he actually manages to talk to Ai in the afterlife. or at least thinks that he is)

anyways, when aqua wakes up, he's surrounded by his friends and family. kana gets to bitch slap him bc she said she would do that and honestly i support her rights and wrongs. big affirmation of aqua being loved and supported by everyone.

then he gets a private talk with akane, who essentially goes 'okay what did actually happen' and they get to bond over both having had to deal with being suicidal and having attempted to end their lives, essentially a role reversal to the Love Now arc.

after that, ruby talk to resolve THE FUCKING KISS. let ruby finally properly break down and start to move on from the sarina/gorou thing. hell, use it so aqua gives her a push to talk to kana and mem-cho about how shit ruby was to them while going all black hoshigan. allow her to acknowledge that she has been imitating Ai and finally step out of her shadow. THANK YOU

also, solely needed, aqua and kamiki talk. idk if that was in my original ask (i think it was?) but let aqua find out about kamikis reasoning for going with aquas version of the story. and then, let them have a proper talk. (.... kamiki comparing aqua to Ai. aqua finally calling Ai his mom,,,, please,,,,)

then, timeskip pages where we get to watch rubys idol career now that she stepped into the light as herself. akane and kana acting together (akane and kana friendship. Please.) cute group stuff. aqua and ruby healing.

(bonus page: Ai smiling as she watches.)

bonus chapter gets to be aqua kana confession, can be ambiguous or ends with them dating, idc, just let kana confess.

This is. Not as well worded as the original, but this was the crux and i think the most important stuff? i did add a few scenes i thought about after sending the original ask.

(also, if anyone wants to use any of this as basis for an alternative ending fanfic /oneshot, this is the blanket permission for that.)

2024 - 2024 CLOSE ENOUGH WELCOME BACK ANON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is the ending Big Akasaka doesn't want you to see!!!

ok no all jokes aside I still really love this!!!! I think this is basically my ideal ending for the Oshi no Ko we got - obvs if you start really diverging from the canon material you can do basically anything with it but I think when I was still in my "surely aqua will live <- clueless" era immediately post 163, this is the kind of ending I was imagining - bittersweet and still marked by tragedy and trauma but that at least allowed everyone to start the process of getting back on their feet and working their shit out.

#oshi no ko #oshi no posting #onk spoilers #onk asks

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greenerteacups · 10 months ago

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Hi! Just wanted to say the latest chapter is lovely & amazing & sweet & had me smiling the whole time! I absolutely love your characterisation of everyone, especially Draco, so it was so so lovely to return to this world & to his thoughts!! with his best friend and crush at malfoy manor no less! All the yearning is already off to a great start hehe I am so excited for the rest of book 5!

Wanted to ask you how has it been for you to write this new book and volume? Has your writing process changed since when you’d first begun taking on a long form project like this?

& also are there any moments or surprises in this book that you’re especially excited about?

sending so much love & gratitude for you and your incredible works 💓

Thank you so much! This is really encouraging, I so appreciate it.

Inasmuch as I can use this metaphor without having kids myself, I sort of see each of the books as a different child. The first one flew out in basically a few weeks of very intensive writing, and it was a total dream — plot, pacing, symbolism, major beats, all fell into place basically without effort. The character stuff was the hardest, as I've written about before, but even then, the glorious part of writing beginnings is it's the most energy you'll ever have for a project, so the lows were pretty soft lows. Book 2, in contrast, I had to drag kicking and screaming by its ankle from under the bottommost mattress of my brain. It's one of my least favorite books (tone problem; COS has killer plot/setting/ingredients for a YA novel, but it's stuck in the doldrums of Harry Potter's well-documented Early-Installment Weirdness, before Cedric Diggory slams the gas and upshifts the whole series into its correct age bracket). More specifically, once I'd gone through and picked out everything in the book that happened because of Lucius, I didn't have a plot — hey alexa how do you rewrite Chamber of Secrets when We Got No Fucking Chamber Of Secrets — and oh by the way, even if you want to do a moody tone/political setup book, remember that your protagonists are still twelve, so if you go too dark or too intense, you'll risk torpedoing your readers' suspension of disbelief. Good luck, Charlie.

Book 3 felt the most like its own novel, if that makes sense? It's the last truly feel-good book of the series; it's a great stand-alone mystery novel with relatively low stakes. Plus you get a bunch of the big series icons: patronuses, dementors, werewolves, Hogsmeade, the Marauders' Map, and time turners arithmancy. It just felt like a good old-fashioned motherfucking romp of a mystery/adventure story, before any of the complex character work and major stakes of the late books come in.

Book 4 was the most fun I've had writing anything maybe ever. I don't even know what it was. Maybe the tournament arc, honestly? Love me a tournament arc. But in any case, I opened every new chapter feeling a tingle of excitement for what I was gonna get to do. Oh, and the romance started, finally, Jesus God (if it feels like a slow burn reading, just imagine what it felt like writing it, when everything takes ten times as long, and you have to figure out how to word the fucker.)

Book 5, in contrast, has felt much less like that tingle of "here we go!" and more like "oh, man, this is gonna be cool." Because this is the arc of the story that composed the original idea for Lionheart, literally years ago, and to be honest, I didn't think I'd get this far! If you'd asked me "do you know that it's going to take you 500,000 words of backstory before you can start writing that concept you're thinking about, and you're going to do it anyway?" I would have said: "absolutely not, strange mind-reader!" But like... I'm here! Finally! And it's... real now? Like, this isn't just a bunch of clips of scenes in my head anymore! That's rad!

That being said, it's definitely been slower than Book 4, because I kept switching back to my outline document to make sure that certain things were set up properly, and that I hadn't lost any of the plot threads or forgotten a minor beat that was vitally important for the story three chapters later. And I had a minor crisis about three months ago when I ripped out about 8 chapters in the first third of the book — basically everything from September to December — because I'd done a readthrough to check pacing (big mistake! never edit while drafting, that's satan talking) and realized I had a missing storyline. Like, there was a whole layer of the story that was just. Missing. Not there. And the existing text really couldn't fit another thread, so instead of taking weeks to pore through and try to sift out what I could save, I needed to factory reset and start over. And I didn't want to! I vividly remember sitting there with my head in my hands, trying not to weep, because I'd decimated 90,000 words of work in a single edit. But it had to be done. Because the story wasn't going to work. And now (hopefully) it will.

And of course, there's still that sense of excitement and exhilaration from before. Always. But whereas Book 4 felt like a delicious chocolate pudding, Book 5 is a medium-rare steak.

(Book 6, so far, is four shots of espresso and a whiskey chaser. FWIW.)

#greenteacup asks #lionheart #lionheart spoilers #dramione

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redphlox · 4 months ago

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Genuine question! How do you feel about Hawks currently in the story? I know he has a lot of fans, and a lot of people really enjoy him, but I am somebody who really struggles to enjoy Hawks with everything we have thus far.

I really did have high hopes for his character, I hope that he was going to have a real moment of self-reflection about Twice's death. Every time Hawks talks about twice, he just says the same thing, "Yeah, Jin was a good guy. (:"

He's got a very weird parasocial relationship with Endeavor, and the story didn't unpack that. After Endeavor's family past comes to light, he's not shown to have any struggle with the idea of Endeavor being a past abuser he just automatically goes straight giving him his support and we are not shown a moment of internal conflicting thoughts on Endeavor.

Horikoshi created a very interesting foil situation with him and Touya, but then he never unpacked that either. They never interacted again after Twice's death. Sucks, as I felt like the Dabi and Hawks dynamic has TON of potential (not talking from a shipping lens), but it still didn't go anywhere in the end.

The way the story frames Hawks is very strange, too. Not one person on the hero side questions him killing twice. It would have been interesting if we had gotten a scene where Tokoyami questioned Hawks and asked if it was the right thing to do.

Another weird scene was when Lady Nagant explodes, and Hawks catches her. She tells him he's got the look of a real hero or he had an optimistic look in his eyes (I don't remember 100% what she said now). That was their first time meeting each other, too.

Now, here we are currently with Hawks, becoming the president of public safety commission.

Idk, I wanted to really like him, but when I read his character in canon, I just think there is a lot that the story did not unpack with him.

Some of it feels like Horikoshi's writing choices. It really feels like he holds back really hard when it comes to the heroes.

Hey! Thanks for your thoughtful ask 😊

Basically, I agree with everything you said. You took the words right out of my mouth. I initially really liked Hawks - his design, his spunky personality, his quirk, and the mystery surrounding him. All the foiling with Dabi was superb. I didn't even mind when he killed Twice - not that I didn't feel sad about his death, because I did, but with the framing and everything I thought his death wouldn't be in vain and that the characters would all grow and learn from it, especially Hawks.

But nothing came of it. I'm of the opinion that Hawks was retconned heavily because Horikoshi realized how popular his character was and didn't want to angry fans by having him face consequences or be wrong about something. I feel like Lady Nagant is probably what Hawks' backstory and actual plot were supposed to be, and she's just a substitute. But this sudden change in the direction of his arc completely devastated the themes and thus the story.

Hawks feels really empty to me right now. He's the epitome of toxic positivity, blindly following, and no introspection or self reflection about his actions or what it means to be a hero or even about what it means being a victim. He's just kind of there.

I know we have two chapters to go, so maybe we'll have more - I have hopes that with his power as president of the commission he will pardon or rehabilitate the villains in some way and actually follow through with what he had offered Twice.

We'll see. For now, I'm like... rolling my eyes and imagining better writing for him.

#bnha #bnha critical #my hawks meta

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ms-moonlight-inn · 3 months ago

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“Shame-proof” DVD Commentary

Thank you to @shamelessdvdcommentary & to the anon to requested us (whoever you are, we love you!). My bestie @notherenewjersey & I are here to answer all of your burning questions (do you have the syph? why's it burning? it's not supposed to burn.)

Anyway, here's our stuff... hopefully it'll help with that itchy burny.

Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?

“Shame-proof” is about two childhood actors who lose contact with each other after their series wraps. Quickly, we find out that Ian had been harboring a deep crush on Mickey, who had basically been bullying Ian the whole time. Confessions & apologies ensue.

Also, a friend called it an undercover RPF... and if that’s how you choose to look at it, well we’re not gonna stop you.

NJ– it COULD be RPF but that’s not how it was written. We weren’t imagining Cam or Noel’s childhoods here, aside from what we stole of Mickey’s back canon that Ian watches as he pines.

Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)

The outline started on 4/16/24. 22887 words posted. Posted for the Summer Camp project on 8/3 but we were done before that. Moonlight was convinced it would be 10k but I knew it was bigger. And this was without us going down every rabbit hole we saw. It’s 8 chapters, most of the chapters start with a flashback to the past and then jump to the “present.”

Moonlight– seriously, NJ dragged me away from some other HC I had kicking around, & we dove into this one instead.

What was the initial inspiration for your story?

I read Jeanette McCurdy’s book, and as with any time I read anything, my brain said “What if this was Gallavich?” I know Moonlight is an L.A. girl, so I knew I wanted her input. I think I had a rough outline already when I looped her in, but she immediately took what I had and expanded and deepened it, as she always does.

Moonlight– God it’s so much fun to talk trash about all the things you grew up with & around. Los Angeles is filled with opportunities for trash talking. LOL

If the story is written from a character’s POV, why did you choose this character?

This didn’t start out as either of us deciding to stay in Ian’s POV, but in order to keep Mickey’s motivations a little more opaque, we landed there. Until the latter chapters, at least. For the drama.

Moonlight– No further comment.

What was your favourite scene to write?

All of them? I like Sue so much, and I love writing Frank’s bullshit. RuPaul is fun, too.

Moonlight– I’ve got two favorite scenes. The first is the scene where they’re kids doing the campground episode. I adored the moments of discovery Ian had there –figuring out that trees existed in southern California, figuring out that he had a serious crush on Mickey, and then the boy he meets on set as he’s running away from his problems. (BTW, 10 punk rock points to anyone who knew the song before I remembered to add a link).

The other scene I loved writing was the rimming scene. In the outline NJ said, “they get together in the sexiest and most romantic way.” And I wanted to throw my laptop at her face. SERIOUSLY, what the actual fuck?! So I got them all the way up to the part where Ian’s naked and stalled out for, like, two weeks. I was on a call with @mybrainismelted saying, “I’m stuck on this scene. I’ve managed to get one dick out, but I haven’t quite figured out how the other one’s gonna get naked AND STILL KEEP THIS BULLSHIT SEXY AND ROMANTIC.” Needless to say, I figured it out. 😁

NJ– Yup! That was, I think, the entire outline for that chapter, originally. One line. I knew that’s what happened at that point in the story, why bother with details? LOL

How did you come up with the title?

Oh geez. Trying to come up with both an AU of Shameless AND a reboot name, both of which would sound semi-natural was tough! But Shame-proof is more than just the title of a fake TV show. It also speaks to how Ian and Mickey were able to finally live wholly as themselves. No more hiding, nothing left unsaid. Without shame, shameless in the very best ways.

Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?

I always throw things in. We both do. But hopefully, readers who haven’t read either our individual or joint back canon can still enjoy the story.

Moonlight– See easter egg question.

Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?

No.

NJ– if one of us is stuck, the other usually isn’t or can jostle the other into being unstuck. We’re good like that.

Favorite line in the story?

NJ– @gallavichgeek pointed out two of my favorite lines, but I will repeat them here because … yeah.

“Hey, come back,” Mickey says softly.

“I’m still here,” Ian answers, a little confused.

“Yeah, but all of you. M’ not ready to let any of you go a moment sooner than I hafta.”

***

“I’d say,” he hesitates, then goes on, “that someday you’re gonna get everything you ever wanted. That all the bad shit, the bullshit, and the pain, it’ll all be worth it.”

***

If I crash, I’m coming back to haunt you, Ian had answered.

If you crash, I’m diving in after you.

***

Moonlight– “What the fuck? How ‘bout double-dutch no with a cherry on top.” Mickey steadily refuses. (Anytime Mickey is being creative with his cursing & curses is a good time. Bad language & mockery are his love languages.)

What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)

All of it? It’s a great story.

Moonlight– I’m also proud of the structure we used. It was NJ’s choice to do what basically amounted to two mini chapters in one –past & present colliding, if you will. And it worked so well for this storyline.

Are there any deleted scenes that didn’t make it to the final story?

Not deleted, so much as we had ideas that didn’t make it to fully fleshed for the final draft.

Are there any ‘behind the scenes’ info you’d like to share - e.g. what’s going on in a character’s head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?

NJ– It’s important for people to know that Mickey in the past was protecting Ian so much more than he was protecting himself, with his bullying behavior.

Moonlight– God, yes.

Reading back the story now, is there anything you’d change or add?

NJ– I want more of Ray, more of Sue, more of the Random Studio Infant now grown up. More of Sheila and of Kermit. I want the world to be fuller. And maybe it will, eventually.

Moonlight– Def’ more Ray, he’s funny & I’m sure he & Ian had so many stupid adventures. I think I’d like to see a few of the conversations between Ian & Mickey, but I struggle with that ‘cause I love when there is that air of mystery to a storyline. I don’t necessarily want to be told everything. But I think at least one of those late night conversations we reference would be nice to see.

NJ– yeah, we did have a time limit so some of the scope got condensed. I agree, those conversations would be incredible to see/hear.

Would you ever write a sequel to this story?

Well…. This story has legs. It has scope beyond what you’ve seen. I have believed, since the outline began, that this was the fic that would make the leap to traditional publishing. Moonlight and I are hoping to expand it and bring it to a publisher. “It’s a crossover between Shameless, I’m Glad My Mom Died, and RWRB.” Who wouldn’t wanna read that? LOL The Gallagher family will shrink a little, Terry will still be his monstrous self. So no, there won’t be a traditional fic sequel. But if we’re all very, very lucky, there will be an expanded version that scratches the same itch.

Are there any ‘easter eggs’ in your story - e.g. references to other stories you’ve written, a trope you often use etc?

The Saint Christopher’s medallion that Ian receives from Mickey? Yeah, the person I wrote that for knows it was for them. 🫶

If you’ve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity?

By far NOT our most popular story. Yet.

Were you nervous or excited to post this story?

I HATE waiting to post- posting a fic like this where it’s all done upfront is hard for me, emotionally. So I was beyond excited for people to read it and love it as much as we do!

Moonlight– NJ really hates not posting immediately. Like, really hates it. This fic was written for the @gallavich-fic-club Summer Camp Event & we had to wait our turn. Which she HATED. 🤣

Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?

Can we count each other? I’m a genuine writing freak- fast, thoughtless, and I rarely edit beyond typos. (many of which elude me and still end up in the final draft.) Moonlight is the opposite- she’s incredibly deliberate and also deeply and passionately devoted to the editing process. When we edit together, it can look a little argumentative, but we trust each other, so a lot of those conversations end up like, “I don’t see the issue, but I trust your judgment.” We both say it all the time.

Moonlight– D’aw, bb. You’re making me blush. You’re right, I am a meticulous asshole, but your brain is fast & witty. Together, we write good shit.

NJ-- Also, god the verb tenses in this story gave me fits. I am a grammar nerd, so is Moonlight. But skipping between tenses for the past and present when we wrote straight through- she never had an issue but I regularly was in the wrong tense and had to go back and fix, cursing my own self the whole time. Loudly. Often on the phone with Moonlight.

Moonlight– 🤣🤣🤣 yeah…

If any one has any comments, words of praise, complaints you’d like to register with our headquarters, please let us know.

NJ - in the greatest detail, if you’d be so kind.

Anything else you’d like the readers to know about the story?

Moonlight– Yes, the cheese sledding story is based on semi-true events. The guys at my high school used to carry large blocks of ice to the top hill of the local golf course & ride them down. Years later, a dorm mate I knew in grad school told us about his Vermont cheese tour where he saw “giant wheels of cheese” that he swore he could use as a mode of transportation. And so, the cheese sledding story was born.

NJ-- And I made sure it was at Trump’s golf course because a few years back, a man in New Jersey did some fun vandalism like that and I find it deeply satisfying.

🧀🛷

#shameless dvd commentary #notherenj #moonlight_inn #gallavich #mickey milkovich #ian gallagher #shameless us #the tumblr text editor is trash #please forgive the wonkiness #only Moonlight worries about that kinda shit #tagged #hello anon!#we love you #gallavich summer camp

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gulliblelemon · 2 months ago

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For @purplehoodiesandclementines

I felt bad that your scene request ended up so angsty. So I did this instead.

It's Wille's POV from the scene in The Palace in Chapter 10 of Where We Left Off. I hope it makes up for the heartache 💜

“I love you.”

Wille’s entire world stopped. Had he misheard? Had he just heard what he’d been wanting to hear for years? Simon couldn’t possibly have just said—

“What?”

The feeling of Simon’s breath ghosted across his lips as he sucked in a deep inhale. “I love you. I love you so much. And I don’t want to lose you.”

Oh. Oh! It hadn’t been Wille’s imagination. Simon had actually said it; Simon actually loved him. Overcome with all the emotion he’d tried to contain over a decade of loving Simon, Wille lurched forward with a gasp and captured Simon’s lips with his own, cupping the back of his head and holding him so delicately. Simon kissed him back, gently, and surely and with so much fondness that Wille almost melted on the spot.

But then he realised he hadn’t—

“I love you too,” he gasped, in an impossibly small gap between their kisses. “I thought—”

He moved away from Simon, trying to control the outpouring of emotion threatening to spill from his mouth.

“I thought you didn’t—” He tried to catch Simon’s eyes, tried to work out how and why and— “I didn’t realise you felt that way. I thought it was just me.”

Simon laughed, and it did more to ease Wille’s rabbiting heart than anything else could have done. “I thought it was just me.”

And that was the most ridiculous thing Wille had ever heard in his life. Wille, whose life had been defined by his love for Simon for longer than he could remember. “Simon,” he said. “I have been in love with you for over a decade.”

Wille watched in amazement as Simon processed his words. “For over a decade?” he asked. “When—”

Sighing, he leant to rest his head on Simon’s shoulder, knowing the embarrassment should probably be rendering him useless, but he couldn’t find it in him to care when Simon loved him.

“I don’t know. It’s probably weird to say since that very first night. Right?” Leaning back, he tried to see what Simon’s reaction was to basically being told Wille had fallen in love with him at eighteen and never got over it. “There was something… I’ve never felt like— You’ve always been… here.” He pressed his palm over his heart, which was beating erratically against his ribs. Simon’s eyes followed the gesture. “You know?”

Simon didn’t answer, and Wille was worried that he’d said too much, given away more of himself than Simon wanted. Ruined their—

But then Simon lifted his hand to cover Wille’s, lacing their fingers together, and leaned forward to kiss him again.

Wille could feel tears prickling at the back of his eyes, his heart so full of joy and sadness and overwhelm and the knowledge that Simon loved him back. Simon - the love of his fucking life. And he felt the same way.

#young royals #wilmon #yr fanfic #where we left off #gulliblelemon

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imzadi-caskett-huddy · 7 months ago

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It Started With a Kiss (3/?)

Thanks to everyone for reading and leaving reviews on this story thus far! I know a lot of you are frustrated and screaming for her to just make her choice already, but Kate Beckett is a complex woman, and it’s complicated, lol. There is a difference between knowing what you really want and going for it, despite its potential to wreck you, and staying with the safe choice, especially for a woman with Kate’s emotional baggage. Be patient, there will be a payoff! I’m pro-Caskett…you NEVER have to question who Beckett will end up with eventually in my stories; it's simply a matter of the journey for her to get there.

This chapter is based on the episode “The Final Nail” and takes place a week after the previous chapter. Just a reminder, I am following the same basic outline of the show with regard to cases and episodes, so imagine everything happening in the episodes that you’ve seen, with the only changes being my alternate or added scenes.

I still don’t own anything from Castle.

xxxxx

Beckett was waiting for him outside of the Westlake house. This entire case had been difficult for him; when Castle really believed in someone, he believed in them with his entire being. Finding out someone who had been so important to him, who he had put so much unwavering faith in was a killer took its toll. She knew he had to be devastated. That’s why she was here–not to rub it in his face or to arrest Damian herself…in fact, she had made sure she was not the arresting detective on record…but to support her friend, her partner. “‘Show me a hero, and I’ll write you a tragedy.’ F. Scott Fitzgerald said that.”

Castle gave her a sad look as he came down the steps. “It must’ve been Ernest Hemingway who said, ‘Man, I sure could use a drink right about now.’” His tone was deflated.

She gave him a small smile. “Lead the way. I’m buying,” she gave a small gesture with her shoulder.

Her offer shocked him slightly, but he started down the street anyway; it may have shocked him, but he wasn’t going to turn it down. “It’s Valentine’s Day. Shouldn’t you be at a nice candlelit restaurant wearing a new dress ordering surf and turf?” He refused to add with your boyfriend. He didn’t need to think about that.

“I’ve got a couple of hours. You okay?” she asked, falling into step alongside him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he insisted.

She knew better. “Liar,” she said with a playful nudge of her shoulder to his as they walked.

He sighed. “I just can’t believe my trust in him was misplaced all this time,” he shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “You were right about him this whole time. I should’ve trusted you. And I owe you an apology.”

She shook her head. “You don’t owe me an apology. I wasn’t right about him killing his wife. In fact, your belief in him was the reason we caught the real killer,” she told him softly. “And for the record, I didn’t want to be right about him,” she added, placing her hand on his arm gently as they stopped at a crosswalk.

“We caught the real killer because you continued to dig and look for the truth, even though you were convinced Damian was behind her murder.”

“Like I told him…you believed in him. And I believe in you,” she replied softly, meeting his eyes for a moment. When the light at the crosswalk changed, she let her hand drop from his arm and began crossing.

It took him an extra second to process her words coupled with the look in her eyes and the fact that her hand had been on his arm...because they didn't touch like that...before he followed her.

xxxxx

Castle hadn’t even paid attention to the name of the bar he’d led her into; it was just the first one he’d seen that didn’t look like a dive as they had been walking. Now he sat on a stool at the bar, looking into his glass of Scotch silently.

Beckett had situated her stool a little closer to him than usual, her body turned slightly so that she was open and facing toward him. She took a drink of her beer, allowing the silence to settle as she studied him. She knew better than anyone that sometimes just sitting in companionable silence was better than talking, so she was hardly the one to push him for conversation before he was ready.

“Thank you for everything you did for me on this case,” he finally stated, taking a drink of the alcohol in his glass. He meant it. She’d handled him gently when she’d had the boys bring in Damian. Before she’d interrogated him, she’d been understanding and soft as she reminded Castle he wasn’t going to want to be in the interrogation room when she took his friend apart. When she’d arrested him, she’d brought in a uniform to place the handcuffs and pull him out of the room instead of doing it herself; she didn’t have to do any of it that way, but she had in order to try to lessen the blow of it all, and he appreciated it. “I was less than objective, and you didn’t have to let me stay.”

She offered him a smile. “You’re my partner…even when you were being less than objective,” she shrugged. He may not have been objective, but after she had let him back on the case, he hadn’t interfered. If he had, she would have kicked him off the case for good; but she had

definitely given him a little more leeway than she would have given someone else. And she of all people knew how difficult it was to find out someone you’d believed in wasn’t who you thought they were; he’d been by her side last fall when she’d had to arrest Royce.

Her words brought a genuine smile to his face. “Still…thank you.” He was quiet for another moment as his smile faltered a little. “I guess I’m not as good at judging a person’s character as I thought.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. I told you…the version of Damian you knew was the version a homesick little boy needed him to be. I don’t think anyone would fault you for clinging to that; I certainly don’t,” she started, lightly resting her hand over his. “People change, Castle, and they only let us see what they want us to see. I know all too well about misplaced trust in old friends,” she said softly, taking a drink of her beer. “It doesn’t mean your judgment is flawed. You know…I actually wish I were a little more like you.” Seeing his questioning look, she continued. “You’re able to trust so easily, you always see the best in people…” she trailed off with a shrug. “I’ve been a cop too long to do either of those things. I can count on one hand the number of people I have complete, blind trust in, and I’m sure you’ve noticed I don’t exactly see the best in people or situations.”

He gave a soft chuckle at that. “Maybe I should adopt your strategy. It would let me avoid looking like an idiot when my blind trust in someone is misplaced.”

She shook her head. “Don’t. You’re an optimist, Castle…that’s who you are. Don’t let what Damian did destroy that part of you,” she told him seriously. “I like that about you…sometimes I need your optimism. Your silver linings remind me that there’s still hope and light out there. Some days I really need that,” she admitted.

Before he could respond, her phone chimed to signal a text. Seeing her frown slightly as she read it, he raised an eyebrow. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah. Josh is just stuck at the hospital tonight,” she answered, taking another swig of her beer. “No surf and turf this Valentine’s Day,” she made a joke from his earlier words. She realized she should probably be upset that her boyfriend had just canceled their romantic dinner plans a couple of hours before they were supposed to take place, but she honestly felt more relief than anything, and she knew that didn’t bode well for their relationship. He’d been out of the country for a month; she should have been excited to spend the evening and night with him, upset that he’d canceled again, but she just…wasn’t, at least not really.

He studied her for a moment, trying to gauge how upset she was over her plans being canceled. She seemed a little perturbed, but not overly sad. “Well…it’s not surf and turf, but can I tempt you with burgers and shakes at Remy’s?” he suggested cautiously, just in case she was more upset than she was letting on.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, considering his invitation. She wasn’t sure she should agree to dinner with him on Valentine’s Day of all days. There was definitely something more than friendship between them…enough that agreeing to his suggestion could potentially be dangerous considering the lines that had occasionally blurred between them during the last few weeks, first with that undercover kiss, then with his confession that she had simply shrugged off to too much alcohol at the time, then with their undercover date at the club a week ago. On the other hand, burgers and shakes from Remy’s were hardly romantic, and he’d had a really difficult day. Would keeping him company so neither of them had to be alone really be the worst way to spend the holiday? “Sure, Castle. Why not?” she agreed.

He genuinely smiled at that. Sure, she wasn’t his girlfriend, and it wasn’t a romantic dinner, but he still got to spend Valentine’s Day with Kate Beckett. After this whole Damian Westlake case, it seemed that the universe was doing him a solid.

xxxxx

They had stopped by the precinct so Kate could grab her things. She’d decided to hold off on finishing the paperwork on the Westlake case until the following morning before Castle showed up. She didn’t need him looking over her shoulder as she finished processing everything. They’d opted to walk the few blocks to Remy’s and were now seated in a familiar booth with their mostly eaten burgers and shakes in front of them.

“Can I ask you a question?” Castle asked her seriously.

She arched an eyebrow, setting her shake back on the table and resting her forearms on the flat surface. “Since when do you ask permission to ask me anything?” she pointed out.

She definitely had a valid point; he typically just asked her whatever was on his mind and it was her decision whether or not she would answer it...and how irritated she would be that he asked whatever it was. “Earlier at the bar…you said you could count on one hand the people you trust completely.”

Ah, she understood where this question was going. He wanted to know who she had that much trust in. “My dad, obviously. Montgomery. Espo. Ryan. Lanie. And you,” she answered him easily.

“Me?” he was a little surprised by that answer. He’d obviously hoped to be on the list, and he knew she trusted him to a point, but he hadn’t realized he had earned that level of trust from her. He also couldn’t help but be pleased Josh’s name was not on the list.

“You,” she nodded, suddenly a little more interested in the fries left on her plate that meeting his eyes. “You’re my partner. Even when you annoy the hell out of me, you always have my back,

you always back my play. You are the only person I’ve ever shown every detail of my mom’s case to, the one I trust to stop me before I fall back down the rabbit hole, the person I want with me when I take down whoever is behind it,” she explained, knowing that she wouldn’t have to tell him anything else beyond the fact he’s the only person she trusts with her mother’s case; that alone would completely explain the level of trust she placed in him.

Her admission shocked him enough that he didn’t know what to say for once. “Wow. I…uh…I’m honored,” he finally managed.

“You’ve earned my trust,” she told him honestly. “I mean it when I say, you are my partner.”

They stared at each other for a few moments, the air between them growing thick with the unspoken tension. “You know, technically you listed 6 people. So…that’s really 2 hands, and not 1…” he finally broke the moment with a little humor to lighten the mood.

She rolled her eyes. “I can just kick you off the list,” she teased. “You are the most recent addition.” But they both knew she wouldn’t, not unless he broke her trust. And that was something he was going to do everything in his power to keep from doing. Her trust was too valuable, too hard-earned; once it was gone, he wouldn't be getting it back.

“You know, now that I think about it, Ryan and Espo are kind of a package deal…they only count as one. So you’re right…one hand,” he chuckled.

She couldn’t help but laugh a little, shaking her head. “I’m going to make sure they know you said that.”

As they were walking back to the precinct after dinner so Beckett could get her car, they passed by a man with a table set up on the sidewalk selling long-stem roses as a last-minute offering for Valentine’s Day. Castle, of course, stopped to purchase some, for his mother and daughter she assumed. But then he offered her one of the single, long stems with a smile.

“I’m allowed to give my partner one rose for Valentine’s Day, right?” he asked her.

A shy smile spread across her lips, and she was careful not to prick her fingers on the thorns as she took the stem from him. “Thank you.” Her own boyfriend hadn’t even sent her flowers for the holiday, and here was Castle, giving her a single red rose. Not that she was the type to overly care about receiving roses…or flowers in general…on Valentine’s Day, but the gesture was nice. “Can I give you a ride home?” she offered as they got back to her car.

“You don’t have to. I’m like, 20 blocks in the opposite…” he started to decline.

“Castle, get in the car,” she interrupted him, rolling her eyes.

xxxxx

The ride to his loft was made in comfortable silence. “You want to come up? Alexis should still be out with Ashley, and I operate under a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy with Mother, but I’d be willing to bet she’s got plans of some kind. I can offer you wine…” he offered. Realizing how it may have sounded by offering her wine, he quickly added, “Or I can make you coffee.” He didn’t want her to think it was a romantic offer.

She thought about it for a moment before turning off her car. “I can come up for a bit,” she decided. It’s not like she was currently in a rush to get back to her apartment to spend the rest of Valentine’s Day alone.

“So, coffee? Or wine?” he asked once they were inside.

“Well, I’d prefer to be able to relax and not be so wired when I get home, so wine,” she answered with a small smile.

“Right,” he nodded. He placed the roses for his mother and daughter on the kitchen island and moved to get a bottle of red wine and a couple of glasses before gesturing to the couch to get comfortable.

She sat on one end of the couch, slipping her shoes off before curling up on it. “Thanks,” she smiled once more as she accepted the glass from him, taking a drink.

“You’re welcome,” he took a seat on the opposite end, making sure there was the entire middle couch cushion between them. He turned so that he could comfortably face her.

“So Alexis’s first Valentine’s Day with Ashley, hmm?” she asked him with a smile.

He gave a soft laugh. “Yeah. Should I be worried?” he asked her.

She shrugged with a smile. “Probably not. Alexis is the most responsible kid on the planet, so I’m sure you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“It’s not her I worry about. It’s the teenage boy with her.”

She laughed into her glass as she took another drink of her wine. “Says the man who still acts like a teenage boy sometimes.”

He nodded. “So you understand why I’m worried.”

“Castle, it’s Valentine’s Day, not prom. Relax,” she assured him. “All the adults have the hotel

rooms booked up for themselves tonight anyway, so teenagers aren’t going to be able to get one,” she teased.

He shot her a look, and she couldn’t help but laugh. He was too easy.

Their conversation continued easily as the bottle of wine slowly disappeared between the two of them. “So the event planner I hired to do the fundraiser we talked about last week is supposed to send me a few dates where we can meet with her to go over the details,” he told her as he finished his glass.

The fundraiser. Right. For the scholarship in her mother’s name. She still couldn’t believe he had come up with this way to honor her mother. Even a week later, it still made her heart do somersaults. “Sure, Castle…just let me know, and I’ll do my best to be there. But you have all the plans we came up with. You could plan it without me there.”

“And I will if you can’t get away, but it’s important to me to involve you.”

She smiled and shifted slightly so that she was close enough to touch his knee. “I appreciate that, I really do. And I want to plan this. Unfortunately, murders don’t always stick to a schedule,” she smiled. “I just want you to know that if something comes up on my side, I trust you to do this. I trust you won’t go over the top.”

He smiled, leaning forward to set his empty glass on the coffee table. He shifted a little closer, resting his hand over hers. “I promise, everything will be perfect. Nothing over the top,” he assured her.

She leaned forward to place her empty glass on the table as well. “I know I already said this, but thank you. I can’t even come up with words to tell you how much this means to me,” she told him honestly.

“Thank you for letting me do this for you,” he said softly, his eyes meeting hers and getting lost for a moment. He was grateful she’d accepted his offer; he knew how closely guarded she was about her mother. The Kate Beckett he’d met a couple of years ago would have probably shot him for even making the suggestion; then again, the Richard Castle from a couple of years ago probably would have planned the whole thing without consulting her or getting permission from her at all. They had both grown as people since then.

She let her eyes hold his, not realizing she’d shifted closer to him. Her eyes drifted from his eyes to his lips, and she knew what she wanted. It was a bad idea, but between the events of the day…the past few weeks, really…and the wine in her system, the feelings she had for him had fought their way to the surface and she couldn’t remember all the reasons why or even bring herself to care that it was a bad idea. For once, she stopped thinking and just acted,

closing the distance between them and pressing her lips against his.

The kiss was tender and slow, her fingertips gently caressing his cheek. She deepened the kiss after a few moments, melting into him. The tip of her tongue had just slipped past his lips and touched his when the sound of the door opening and Alexis’s voice telling Ashley goodnight hit her, causing her to break the kiss and pull back abruptly, as though she’d been burned. Shit… Realization sunk in and her eyes widened. “I…need to go…” she quickly distanced herself from him on the couch.

“Kate…” Castle started softly, but before he had a chance to say anything else, Alexis approached and hugged him from behind, seemingly unaware of what she had interrupted. “Hey, Pumpkin. Have a nice time?”

“I did,” she smiled. “Detective Beckett, I didn’t know you’d be here.” She wasn’t accusatory, simply surprised. She’d figured the Detective would have plans on Valentine’s Day.

Beckett was in the process of slipping her shoes back on and froze for a moment at the teenager’s words. “Oh, um…your dad and I were just…”

“That case I was looking into…my friend was arrested, and she was kind enough to try to cheer me up a little,” he broke in to offer an explanation.

Alexis frowned slightly. “I’m sorry your friend was guilty, Dad,” she told him sympathetically.

“Yeah, me too,” he nodded. “Hey, I got you something,” he said then, pushing himself up from the couch to give Kate a little time to try to recompose herself. He dragged his daughter to the kitchen and handed her the single red rose he’d picked up for her on the way home. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Alexis grinned and kissed her dad’s cheek. “Thanks, Dad. You know you’ll always be my favorite Valentine.”

Kate watched the scene in front of her; seeing Castle being such an amazing father had always been a soft spot for her where he was concerned. She realized if she didn’t get out of there now, she was going to end up doing something really stupid that could easily end with her in Castle’s bed. “Well, Alexis is here to cheer you up now, so I’m going home,” she said in a lighter tone than she felt as she approached the door.

“Thank you for keeping him company until I got home, Detective. And don’t worry, he’s in good hands. I’m going to break out the ice cream,” Alexis assured her with a smile. “I just hope he didn’t ruin your Valentine’s Day plans.”

“Uh no. Josh was stuck at the hospital, so it’s fine,” she answered quickly, avoiding Castle’s eyes as she brought up her boyfriend…her boyfriend…who was not the man she’d just kissed on the couch. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she told him. “Goodnight Alexis, I’m glad you had fun,” she added to the girl and then letting herself out of his loft before he could try to get her to stay. She was absolutely running.

xxxxx

I know this is a longer chapter, but I really didn’t want to split it up into two. I want to try to keep each chapter its own episode if I can. I’m still not sure I’m overly happy with how this ending turned out, but it felt organic to me…this last scene is one I’ve spent longer on than almost any other scene I’ve written, so I hope you guys are all okay with it.

I hope you enjoyed the additions I made to this episode, and as always, I look forward to your comments!

#castle #caskett #kate beckett #richard castle #castle fanfiction

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