#this wasn't angsty

[opiopal]

one thing I think abt often is mammon and mc having moments of silence, and his mind starts to wander..

its not really a sexual thing at all, he just genuinely starts thinking, about just everything.

first its about any new schemes, or get rich quick plans. then it floats over to thoughts about his brothers, maybe about an argument he had with levi, or when they all went to hells kitchen after a student council meeting, or maybe what he'll do once lucifer finds out about his newest get rich quick plan.

then he notices the movement next to him, the- no- HIS human adjusting to lean against them, maybe they're reading or playing on their phone, or drawing or doing literally anything, but he can't help but think about how perfect they are to him. about how they stuck around and looked past his sin, loved him and held on to him like he was the center of their universe. to him they're an angel in human skin, how else could anyone be so patient with him? and despite the fact that he had gotten them into to much trouble, stolen things, dragged them around, they're still there. thats why they're so precious to him, why they're his treasure.

even at night when he just can't seem to sleep, his mind always circles back to the human sleeping next to him. (how they look so peaceful and content next to a literal DEMON is beyond him.) he watches their chest rise and fall, smiling at any small snore or snort that may leave their throat throughout the night. he loves them, he loves them so much, he wants to give them the world, he wants to spoil them, make sure they're never sad, or angry, or anything beyond happy, because his treasure deserves it. He'll hold onto them nightly some nights, pushing his face into their neck or chest to listen to their heartbeat, making sure that they're still with him. he gets scared sometimes, worried their lights will just go out all of a sudden, he knows humans are fragile, and even though every day Mc proves that they are slowly becoming more then human, growing stronger everyday, theres nothing that can make this fear go away. so he'll trap them in hugs were he can check their pulse, lay on their chest to hear them breathing, squeeze their warm hands to remind himself that he wont see so much of their blood outside of their body again.

[sailor-tri]

"Will we ever grow enough to fill your shoes? Or will we fall behind and be stuck in your shadow forever?"

Or whatever deep shit idk, i care them, they're so important to me.

[cosmicrex2301]

Bruce and Clark Testing Differnt Types of Kryptonite Pt.2

Bruce: *Stares at Clark expectantly*

Clark: Uhhh, how about that one? *Points to box labelled 'X-Kryptonite'* Sounds kinda cool?

Bruce: Hn *opens the box and frowns*

Clark: I don't feel anything. Maybe it doesn't do anything, like the pink one?

Bruce: *not listening, eyes closed and brow furrowed*

Clark: Bruce? Are you all good?

Bruce: *Puts his hands over his ears* Please stop talking

Clark: *Worriedly steps closer*

Bruce: *holding his hand out to stop him* No! Don't move either! *sinks down to his knees, hands over his ears once more*

Clark: *trying very hard to figure out how to help without talking or moving*

Bruce: *whispering* Clark... Clark, it's so loud

Clark: *whispering as quietly as possible* Bruce?

Bruce: *looks up, eyes watery*

Clark: *blinks in surprise before floating and, as slowly as he can, flies over to the table and closes the box*

Bruce: *buries his head in his arms, ears still covered*

Clark: *slowly and quietly sits down next to Bruce*

Clark: *Whispering* It's going to be alright, Bruce. I'm here

Clark sits with Bruce in complete silence for an hour, waiting for the effects to wear off. At some point, Bruce shifts so that his head rests on Clark's chest, allowing him to listen to his heartbeat and block out the noise.

[mobius-m-mobius]

We're a team, a group. Group of the two of us. And we've spent our existence pretending that we aren't.

[taxidermy-tuesday]

the tone change was insane

original:

[tevanbuckley]

rewatching the lone star cross over with the knowledge/confirmation that buck's bi is sooooo funny, because look at him

if you saw these still out of context in what world would you assume they're from a scene where buck is consoling tk about his dad being presumed dead? like no wonder tk clocked his ass.

it's even more hilarious that this interaction apparently set off zero alarm bells in buck's head and so it took him a whole three more years to come out. he really just thought he allied too close to the sun.

all i'm saying is buck's lucky tommy was single because otherwise he would've carried on accidentally flirting with hot queer firemen and never putting the pieces together.

[hulloitsdani]

Hug :)

[stargirlo]

𝓜EET THE FUSHIGURO'S — ( 𝕿 ) OJI FUSHIGURO │ "dear babygirl, i'm sorry that your father is not active inside your world." (angst)

not everyone has such a perfect life, but not everyone has such a complex life. things aren't meant to go in a straight line, but things also aren't meant to be in a bumpy ride. everything felt like a maze, trying to find a way to escape this hell hole without any blocks or bumps coming into life — your life, toji's life. everyone has goals, everyone has dreams, everyone can achieve some of their goals and dreams, but some of them don't. and it's fucking hard to overcome that.

being in a relationship with toji fushiguro, ah, toji fushiguro. you aren't married to him but somehow you managed to birth out two beautiful children, first being a beautiful baby boy, megumi fushiguro. he's identical to toji, same hair, same facial features, everything looked alike between the two. in the next few years, a beautiful baby girl now came into the world, tsumiki fushiguro. personality wise, she's just like you, a kind-hearted soul, a sweet girl who should be held with care. you know those stickers that are added to packages when you buy something that can break easily; "fragile. handle with care." yeah, that's tsumiki, and you.

even if the family of four didn't have all the luxury, they say that it's the littlest things that can balm your shell.

remember how you used to be so fragile, so kind, and so, so sweet. well that wasn't permanent, and it was only temporary as soon as toji was on and off with family. you know he's working, but you don't know what or who he's working for or who he's even working with. even a man can have his own struggles; but what kind? gambling problems? drinking problems? pill-popping and spending problems? bad with money? only toji knows.

"mama when is daddy coming back?" "is daddy gonna come to my ninth birthday?" "are we gonna watch frozen with daddy?" "is daddy gonna help us with our timetables?"

those questions tire you because you don't know, you really don't. you wish you could explain where he's at, but with so little information and so little contact, you don't know where the fuck that man is.

until this one night where you left yourself and toji into shambles.

carefully leaving your bed in which tsumiki and megumi are currently sleeping in, you set yourself off to leave and relax on the living room. it took some time for the kids to sleep, it took more time for you to even sleep despite having to wake up early for work tomorrow.

not until the jangling keys were hear through the front door, and the loud creak audibly heard across the hallway and onto the living room. he's here. you looked across the room just to make sure it was him, even though you know it is him because he's the only one that has a spare apartment key to his own place. or rather your place now.

"the fucking nerve," you grumble under your breath, a vein almost popping out of your skin. getting up from the couch you came up to him, the reeking scent of alcohol lingered just two feet away from you. the musky scent of sweat and dirt combined with such a foul smell that made your whole face twist and scrunch. eye bags were visible, hair disheveled and greasy, lips chapped, breath probably smelling horrible, and clothes needing to be washed asap. he's a fucking mess.

"mm- what? 'm home..." he spoke lowly, scratching his head as he always kept up his nonchalant nature. one of his hands held a medium sized plastic bag, hanging lazily between his fingers. "yeah no shit." you said sternly, arms crossing in disbelief as your eyes followed all over him like he was some sort of homeless person. "what's up with you? why're mad, babe..?" he cocked a brow, energy low and definitely not in the mood to hear your constant babbling.

you scoffed. what is up with you anyway? is he fucking with you? "what's up with me is that you didn't come home in almost about a month. you look like a fucking mess and you smell like absolute shit." now the jet black haired man knew that shit was getting serious, the way you're just talking to him like that, and the way you're saying that he smells like shit. he needs to tighten up because your points are right about him. "what a nice way to welcome me back, thought i was expecting a kiss or sumn'–"

"are you kidding me, toji? showing up at midnight and acting all nonchalant and shit. you don't understand how fucking worried i was for you? even the kids were asking me about you, keeping them on their toes everyday without any news from you and praying that you'll be okay. do you understand what you are fucking putting me through just now? work was the only thing being up my ass and now there are multiple other things that i have in my hands and in my care." you rasped, eyebrows pinching together as frustration slowly seeped into your nerves, holding back the urge to lash at him. "instead of you, the man of the house, having all the courage to take care of its family, you fucking destroy it. fucking us all up." your hands ball into fists, the whole scene turning into a tense argument.

"you should've been teaching megumi his timetables, or maybe watching frozen with tsumiki. you missed out on my baby girl's birthday, she just turned nine and i could tell that her birthday wish was for you to come back." slowly, your voice started to crack, salty tears welling up your dropping eyes. "and what have you been doing during those times where i've worked my ass off overtime at a fucking convenient store? huh? i'm so tired, toji, and i bet you are too. but the way you're just unexpectedly showing up when you're the reason you've put me at my lowest is fucking unacceptable." you spat, a streak of tear running down your cheek. toji exhales deeply, knowing how you feel and it was actually his fault that you turned out this way. guilt and frustration washes through him, not having any other excuse about his absence.

"look, the point is that 'm here now. and i promise that i won't leave without letting you know, i promise i'll build a connection with our kids–" and then again, you interrupted his promises. "promise? hah– you? promising something that you'll do again? make up your fucking mind, toji. you broke our promises, you said that you'll marry me someday; that's a fucking lie. you said you'll get payed more and pay off our bills; that's also a fucking lie because you're using that shit to buy rum and gamble out the money that could save our life. look at you, fucking pathetic. you're embarrassing yourself at this point because i know what your true intentions are, toji. are you still popping pills to keep yourself at your feet? did you fuck whores at a brothel while you're at it?" those bitter and heartless words have left toji in shock, of course it has, you know him well and clear — like he was an open book to you.

"did you buy tsumiki the barbie doll that she asked for a few months ago? or did you gamble that money?" you asked, tilting your head slightly as your expression was evident that you were not buying this. "because i know for sure that i was counting pennies at the grocery store to buy that fucking toy for tsumiki–" you spat, holding back from having a psychotic episode before toji's gruff voice interrupted you now. "don't speak like that if you're going to mention our daughter." he gives off a warning, but you could only scoff at disbelief at it, why's he all of a sudden caring so much? "our daughter? no no no, you barely did shit for her and now you're trying to be on your goody-two-shoes to act like you care about our daughter? where were you when i gave birth to her, huh? where were you when i gave birth to megumi?" your voice echoed through the hallway, the argument getting louder that the kids would probably hear it.

"megumi, why's mommy yelling?" tsumiki asked in a hoarse voice, waking up to the ruckus happening outside of the bedroom. megumi softly hushed the little girl, placing his hands that are slightly bigger than hers to her ears, muffling your shouts and derogatory words. "it's gonna be okay, she's just talking to daddy..." he murmured reassuringly, hiding the fact that he's on the edge of tearing up after finding out the truth about the absence of his father.

"you're acting like you did most of the work when you haven't been on my shoes." toji stated, his stomach twisting at the fact that you bought up the way he wasn't with you during labor. "because i did most of the work you dickhead! you barely didn't show up for your own family, for your own lover who was giving birth to your fucking kids! how would you think i was feeling during that time toji?! squeezing the nurses hand instead of yours while i was popping my ass off to give you two beautiful kids into this shitty life!" you shouted, already having a mental breakdown as more tears bubbled within your lower lashline. "you never open about yourself, you never show any ounce of affection ever since we had kids, you never did the bare minimum to show that you still love us! you're a fucking disappointment toji! you don't know nothing about taking care of things. waking up the kids? know nothing about that. teaching them basic human decency? know nothing about that. telling them to pray? know nothing about that. taking them to school? you know nothing about that." and that was the breaking point. the plastic bad dropped down to the floor as his calloused hands quickly loomed over to you to grab you at your shoulders.

"call me a disappointment one more time 'n see what fucking happens." he shook you like you were mentally ill, thinking that some sense would come to your mind. but could you let him get this physical with you? fuck no. "don't touch me you freak!" you squealed, hands that are smaller than his large ones grab his wrists as an attempt to pull away from his embrace. "can you take a second to understand what i've been going through?! jesus... haven't had a single moment to express myself for just a fucking minute." he grunts, the grip on your shoulders loosening up as he wasn't daring himself to even hurt you. no way.

"and what do you have to say to this, huh?! stop trying to figure out a useless excuse so that i could come back to you like nothing happened." you sniffled through your nose, soft hiccups eliciting through your slightly swollen lips. "please just hear me out–" toji exclaims, showing an ounce of vulnerability that he wasn't planning on expressing. "no! take your fucking shit and leave this goddamn place," you quickly push him away from your personal bubble, grasping the plastic bag and slamming it at his chest. "you're nothing but a fucking deadbeat who doesn't even deserve to be called a 'father'." and with that, he's standing by the front doorway, mentality absolutely destroyed as his face uttuerly grew pale. this was it. this was over.

"if you weren't raised in such a fucked up clan, maybe you shouldn't have been such a shit dad."

-

the aftermath of the argument left toji having a hole to his stomach. it was like daggers were digging deeper and deeper into his gut. what you yelled and screamed at him for was probably right, maybe he is a shit father; maybe he was born in a fucked up family and turned out this way. the plastic bag swung between his thick fingers, walking like a kicked puppy in the rain as he was lost in his thoughts.

a nearby trash can was visible along his way, now carelessly throwing away the bag and discarding it with the rest of the trash and pests that were there. what was in that bag anyway? take-out? alcohol? meds? no. they were two gifts that megumi and tsumiki were asking for a few months ago. a pretty blonde barbie doll in her pink little dress, and a few stacks of digimon cards. all of that went to waste.

meet the fushiguro's.

note: phewww, that was a lot. updating my masterlist tmrw. have a good night everyoneeeeeeeeee.

⠀( OWNED BY ) STARGIRLO.

do not plagiarize any of my works , translate them , or repost them anywhere around any other social media platform . thank you .

[cantdealwiththisnow]

Part 1 - Appreciation post for all the TFP universe Autobot mugshot cameos (known and unknown) in RID2015 3x25 (even if the context is that they've been OUSTED against their will)

[makalyta]

Seeing Brynjolf alone at the Ragged Flagon as he brushes everyone off, stating that he's busy when he is clearly not, is... frustrating. I had to give this behavior an explanation, so I put myself in his position: Brynjolf has just handed over his life and afterlife to a Daedric Prince. Was there really no other choice to avenge the Guild, did he really have to sacrifice his freedom forever, even after death? Empty chests can be replenished with gold, a new Guildmaster can be elected, but he will never have his future back. Maybe he even starts to understand Mercer Frey's choice to betray Nocturnal. There at the tavern, drinking ale and keeping his face hidden to conceal the pain, Brynjolf realizes that there is no escape from the fate he was forced to accept.

[seance]

I'M GONNA SEE MY MAN, 'TIL I GET SATISFIED / for @izzy-hands

[smoothshine]

𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗

[spacedace]

Reluctant War AU Part 3

Part 1 Part 2

More of the brain worm that has taken me over, gonna probably post it to Ao3 here before too long. Already got another part started and so many ideas for additional stuff, someone please send help I've been consumed by this thing lol

Sorry if Waller seems out of character, outside of fandom I'm mostly familiar with her through Justice League the animated show & Justice League: Unlimited and her vibe there has always struck me as "deeply incredibly unlikable character that also kind of has a point but also has done so much fucked up shit in the name of her goals that you don't really care about her point anymore." So you know, complicated lol. If she's completely unrecognizable let me know, but I'm hoping she feels at least somewhat like Waller.

Forgot to say this in the last update, but still feel free to use all this as an overly long prompt if yall want. Literally anything I throw out to the void should be treated as a prompt lol If there's anything at all interesting to you in any of this nonsense go for it <3 <3 <3

---

Amanda Waller was someone who did what needed to be done.

Ruthless, heartless, vicious, cruel.

She’d been called it all. Wore the words thrown as insults as a badges of pride and valor. Because at the end of the day, when it came to the problems she was given to face, the issues she was meant to solve, those words meant she’d done what others had been too squeamish or cowardly to do. Life was a never ending slog of trolley problems and she the only one unshakable enough to pull the levers that needed pulling.

It wasn’t so simple as a matter of greater good.

Greater good was what the weak willed muttered to themselves after having feelings over doing the bare minimum. A justification used by people on all sides to do what they wanted with fractured, faulty logic thrown around like truth was a thing immutable. To assuage their guilt when they were forced to make a call they didn’t want to.

It wasn’t a matter of greater good. It was a matter of preservation. Of protection. Of digging through the filth to find the threats skittering beneath and crush them with ruthless abandon. Of facing a god and not blinking because if you did it could cost the world.

Of doing what needed to be done, no matter how underhanded or atrocious it was.

Hands dirty.

Hands red.

Hands wrapped tight around the throat of something that could threaten to destroy it all.

When the Ghost Investigation Ward had been shoved her way with it’s sucking wound of a budget, it’s bloated incompetent staff, its asinine methods she’d seen a rotted limb in need of hacking off. It hadn’t been until she’d been conducting her inspection, digging through the trash for a few pearls of effective agents she could snatch up and put to work elsewhere, that she’d truly seen what they were working on. The potential.

Potential to better arm themselves with in the forms of the strange new weapons being created.

Potential for threats far greater than anything even she had thought possible before.

The GIW as it had been when she’d first come across it was a fetid waste of time and resources. A laughing stock agency only secret because no one took them seriously enough to look. Made stupid and useless with its own conceited delusions of importance it didn’t actually have. Yet.

She went to work on it. Hacking away as she’d originally intended, but this time with a different goal in mind. She ripped out the weeds with bare, calloused hands and planted proficiency and loyalty in their place. She took over as director herself, tossing the self-aggrandizing fool that had been running the place into the ground to the dogs as the culprit for misappropriate spendings, saving the agency by tweaking things until their ballooning budget was pinned neatly onto the former director as an embezzling charge.

Then she got to work.

The Fentons were brilliant, if entirely insane. But Amanda could work with that. She’d reigned Harley Quinn in - more or less - she could do the same to the two deranged scientists that so eagerly wanted to be apart of the fight against the dead. Especially when the benefit came in the form of the inventions they threw together so easily, especially when those inventions were weapons.

It took very little to get them on board with her plans for the GIW. Keeping their focus could be a chore, at times, but she didn’t even have to really do much in the way of pressing to get them back where she wanted them. They craved knowledge and understanding nearly as much as they craved the eradication of the entities themselves. Letting them have the first look at a new subject here, free reign over a vivisection there, it took so little to fuel their fervor and keep them busy working on the projects she set for them.

Things had been going smoothly.

For a time at least.

Until Phantom.

He’d been the main focus of the previous director’s attention, the big fish he’d so desperately wanted to catch and put up on his wall. Amanda wouldn’t lie and say it wasn’t a tempting prospect, but not one she’d put above the other projects she had set in motion since taking over. No, Phantom was powerful, enough to be a real problem one day, but she could the awkward youth in the way he held himself, the inexperience in how he handled situations. She had time to get everything else in order before focusing on getting Amity Park’s would-be hero brought to heel.

And he would be brought to heel. One way or another.

Hands dirty.

Hands red.

Hands wrapped tight around the Core of a fledgling god and bending him to her will.

An artifact, old an powerful, recovered with some effort. A means of controlling specters, of chaining them to the will of the artifact’s wielder. Dangerous in the wrong hands. Dangerous in the right hands.

It was shattered, and even whole and functional Phantom was resistant to its power. But Amanda Waller prided herself in her ability to see the potential in things. It could be repaired, be made better. Even gods could be bound, be made to kneel, with the right pieces, with the right application of force.

It was just a matter of time to gather everything needed.

Phantom didn’t know he could single handedly destroy every last member of the Justice League. The baby fat, the innocent eyes, the split-second hesitations when he fought. He knew enough to be confident in fighting the usual ghosts that haunted Amity Park, but he still very much saw himself as a little fish. Maybe it was the part of him that was still Daniel Fenton, gangly teenager not quite sure what he was truly capable of yet.

She had time before the Fenton’s son truly became an issue. Time to judge if his parents’ obsessiveness would overcome their - rather shoddy, by Amanda’s estimation - parental instincts and continue to hunt him once they knew the truth. Time to get as much out of them as she could before hand, should they falter at the idea of attacking their own son. Time for the staff to be repaired and returned to working order, to get the other items needed for the truly big fish hidden on the other side of the veil between worlds.

She had time.

Until she didn’t.

Pariah Dark had not been something she thought she’d have to account for - not yet, at least.

If he wasn’t already dead, she’d ring the Ghost King’s neck with her bare hands. His arrival had opened Phantom’s eyes to what he was capable of, of just how big of a fish he was. Worse still, Phantom’s defeat of the war mongering King changed the state of play. Phantom was no longer an impressively powerful half dead teenager.

He was King Infinite.

He was an Ancient.

He was getting on her last damn nerves.

Phantom’s rogue gallery were now firmly under the boy’s control. Still distinct nuisances around Amity Park, but no longer considered true concerns. They were loyal to their boy king, delighting in ruffling his feathers but never crossing the line into treason or attempted regicide. Which meant that the GIW was the only thing that held his attention.

Amanda took the time to send a care package to the former GIW director in his tiny, dank prison cell. As thanks for his carelessness in revealing to the entire town - both living and dead - of the agency’s existence and their intentions. Had he stuck to standard protocol, Phantom would have been none the wiser to their presence. Would have scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders at the ghost that went missing upon occasion. Would have been boredly uninterested in the people his parents had begun working with. Would have been taken by surprise when they finally came for him.

But no.

No that self-obsessed, fame chasing imbecile had to go and announce to everyone and their dead mother that the GIW existed and exactly what it was they were in Amity Park to do.

Phantom knew what they were there to do.

They could only count on his naive certainty that he could broker peace with them for so long.

Peace. As if he and his people weren’t the invading force, the monsters slipping in through the cracks between worlds, the latest threat that had to be accounted for. As if he himself hadn’t rent their world asunder himself in another world, another time. No. Peace was not something they could hash out with this baby-faced monarch with his too-big crown. Peace was the assurance of safety, security. Of control of the situation.

There could be no peace.

The higher ups were somehow surprised when Phantom took that to mean there would be war.

Amanda Waller was not.

The Fentons, as suspected, took the right side when all was revealed. Steady hands and flinty eyes as they crafted the weapons that would be needed for the coming fight. Minds even sharper in their maddened grief, hearts set on revenge for the son lost and the entity that stole his face and friends and sister in his garish pretense at humanity. They were blinded to the reality of the situation in its entirety, the potential in what their son truly was, but at the end of the day it didn’t really matter. They did what she needed them to do, they could believe whatever it was they wanted so long as they did.

By the time the boy king and his armies marched upon the Amity park facility, preparations had been put into place. The base in Amity had been stripped back to bare essentials, everything of importance moved to more secured locations.

The weapons labs.

The artifact.

The girl.

All tucked well away from the front lines where Phantom and his motley crew could not reach. Their time to be put in play would come, but not yet. First she needed to gauge what Phantom and his people were capable of, what they were willing to do in the name of what they wanted. Amity Park was a pawn well sacrificed on that front. As were the other facilities she’d left easy to find.

The problem with making children gods, with giving them crowns and calling them King and giving them armies to play with, was that they thought there should be rules. That even in the trenches tearing apart their enemies, there was a certain level of playing fair that everyone was held to. They thought there was a way the world worked, of how things should be that blinded them to more effective options even as time stretched on and desperation set in.

It was the Dead’s problem though, not hers.

She reached out to the Justice League. Sour faced, unhappy, bitterly reluctant to accept that she needed their help. Stone faced and barely containing their rage at what little they knew of the situation, they agreed to a meeting.

She didn’t let herself smile until she was well and truly alone in her office.

Greater good. A lie people told themselves. A fairytale told to children. A means of convincing the weaker willed that they had no choice, that they had a noble duty to bend to. A belief that could be wielded like a weapon if the fantasy of the idea had dug in deep enough. And there were few it had dug into so deep as the members of the Justice League.

Amanda Waller was someone who did what needed to be done.

Hands dirty.

Hands red.

Hands clenched tight on a victory long in the making.

---

Part Four

[lovethytendytenderly]

27 by Fall Out Boy // an edit a day til penguins hockey, a countdown (day 0)

x x

Hockey is back!🐧🏒 Welcome home 😈😇

[twistyfish]

You gritted your teeth, yanking the needle through your skin and inserting it again. You were too much of a wimp for this. The view of the salmon pink gash on your calf being pulled shut by your own hand was nauseating.

But you had to keep going, before it started bleeding again. Your fingers moved swiftly, navigating the needle through flesh like an oar through water. You wiped your tears awkwardly with your jacket so they wouldn't drip onto the wound as you stitched it.

You wished you had your cauterizing tool.

You sniffled and scrubbed your eyes aggressively with the back of your hand. Shit, you were pathetic for a hunter. But it didn't matter. The hard part hadn't even begun.

How were you going to keep this from Rafayel? That bitch was so perceptive. And you had to protect him, with an injured leg.

A fist pounded against the door. "Hey! Hurry up!"

Speak of the devil.

Rafayel's voice rang out from outside the bathroom. "You constipated or something?"

"No, stupid," you yelled back. You shoved the medical kit in your drawer and and put the gauze in your backpack in case you neededto swap it out.

The moment you opened the door, you saw his face twisted into an irritated expression.

"You're so slooow," he whined. "What if I get attacked while you're crapping? Who's gonna defend me?"

"You're perfectly capable of defending yourself."

"Yeah, but I'm paying you to do it for me."

You mocked him, repeating his words in an annoying tone, after which he proceeded to kick you in the shin. You grabbed his arm and walked him out to the pier.

It was a cool day. The clouds looked like fuzzy, grey dust bunnies floating in the sky. Rafayel wasn't mad about it, though.

"It's really nice out. We should dip our toes in the water," he commented.

"You're right." You took off your shoes and waded in, letting the sea wash over your toes.

Rafayel waded in all the way up to his knees and beckoned you over.

"I'm wearing jeans," you pointed out.

"Roll 'em up," he countered. You sighed and rolled each side up one cuff length, walking in till your ankles were submerged.

"Happy?" you asked.

"No, that's barely- you know what, let me do it." And before you could stop him, he leaned over and used his long ass arms to yank your pant leg up, reopening the wound with the thick, scratchy denim. You yelped and pulled your leg away as he looked at you, flummoxed.

"What the hell is that?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it," you said through gritted teeth, brushing the spots of blood off your messy stitches.

" 'Don't worry' my ass. Those stitches are ugly. Did you do them yourself? What happened?" He sounded uncharacteristically concerned.

"I had a situation," you mumbled.

He sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's my job to protect you."

"I'm not talking about your job. I'm talking about the fact that you never let anyone in." He looked solemn. "We're friends. You can come to me when you need help. When, not if. Because everyone needs help sometimes. Even deepspace hunters."

You looked down, embarassed.

He grabbed your chin. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

"I'm here for you."

[gatorlovebot]

read my other king!simon blurbs here.

simon was never really one to listen to his court. his advisors were mostly there for show because simon did what simon wanted, as simple as that. his advisors and men could give their opinions and guidance all they wanted but simon was the king, no one else. ultimately he was the one that made the decisions.

but sometimes he did listen to them, sometimes because he actually agreed with what they were saying or to just get them to shut up when it came to more inconsequential things. but this, to you, did not seem that inconsequential.

the castle had been preparing for the arrival of the royal family from the south for weeks. the visit was for political purposes, the southern king wanting to form an alliance with simon. simon wasn’t too concerned when it came to the far away kingdoms. when he first took the throne his main concern was power and domination, waging wars with kingdoms to gain more rule and land. but now, as he was getting older, he was more focused on ruling his kingdom. visits from other royals were few and far between but they were still big affairs.

from the day you had become appointed to stand by simon you had heard talks of him taking a wife, his advisors attempting to persuade him to share the throne with someone else, potentially another royal, to grow the kingdom. but simon stood firm in his decision over the years to never take a wife, especially not another royal. he could never picture a union with another royal being genuine, especially when his advisors kept assuring him he didn’t even have to like his potential queen, they were more concerned with the political implications. but simon didn’t care about politics or gaining more power, when it came to a wife he wanted someone to love, someone to love him, someone to be proud to stand next to.

but the day before the southern royal family was set to arrive you felt like alternative timeline.

“she’s beautiful, she’s educated, she’s young, and she has no prospect as high as your caliber, your highness.” simon’s advisor spoke of the king’s daughter, the princess.

you’re alarmed, this conversation isn’t going how they usually do. when simon’s men bring up potential wives for him, he usually shuts down the conversation immediately. just protest after angry protest until eventually his men just drop the conversation entirely for the next few months. but for whatever reason this time around simon seems curious about the whole thing.

“what did you have in mind?” he asks, and you try your best to hide your shock but you can imagine your eyes look like they’re about to bulge out of their sockets. he can’t be fucking serious.

and his advisor seems shocked as well, “well, your majesty, we thought that we would start simple since this isn’t something you usually do. a walk around the royal gardens, and then if that goes well, maybe a lunch. just the two of you.”

simon ponders it for a few moments and your body goes tense and rigid in that time. “sounds fine to me.”

your jaw drops.

“well done, then, your highness. the southern king has approved of this potential courting, so everything is set.”

you tried your best to get out of it, why would simon need you to accompany him on his little courting date? but, you were expected to accompany him to everything and without a valid excuse there was no way of getting out of it. you walked a respectable distance behind simon and the princess, along with one of simon’s guards. you tried to not look at the way they easily strolled through the gardens, arm in arm in, tried not to listen to her angelic giggle as she laughed at simon’s awful jokes, even one that he had told you earlier that morning. but you couldn’t help yourself, they were the only thing you could focus on.

it all seemed like such a cruel joke, making you question what you had done to deserve this. you let your emotions get the best of you as a tear falls down your cheek. you quickly reach up to wipe it away. “here,” the guard directed, holding out a handkerchief.

although the gesture was kind, you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about the whole thing. “oh, thank you, it must be the pollen getting to me.” you tried to convince.

his smile told you otherwise, “no problem, my dear, no need for explanations.”

when the princess and simon halted further up the path of the gardens so she could lean over to smell one of the flowers, the guard nudged you with his elbow. he extended his arm out to you and you took advantage of the connection, linking your arm with his, feeling grounded for the first time since stepping out into the gardens.

it wasn’t very appropriate, physical touch with one of simon’s guards, but it was ultimately harmless. the guard was just being considerate of your feelings, which you couldn’t help but indulge in. and if you held onto the guards arm even tighter when a sour look crossed simon’s face when he spotted the two of you out of the corner of his eye, well that’s nobody’s business.