#ty for the prompt friend! :D

[blackjackkent]

Ask meme prompt fill for @eluvisen from this ask meme: even more popular text posts ask meme Karlach/Hector: "life really isn’t what i expected it to be. less quicksand. almost no quicksand to be honest. lots of metaphorical quicksand tho."

-----

“So, dear reader, I found myself stranded not upon the shores of distant planes but instead upon a desert of Toril itself.” Hector reads aloud from the battered pulp novel with a gravitas better suited to the historical records he was known to study at Silverlight. The Tenebrux Morrow novels are, of course, tripe - but charmingly earnest tripe, and more to the point, tripe for which Karlach has a taste.

He first started reading aloud to the camp as far back as the Underdark, when it became clear that Karlach couldn't lay hands on a book herself without setting it aflame. She claimed she didn't care - “haven't read a book since I was a kid,” she'd say dismissively, casually evading the obvious addendum that it was because she'd been trapped in the Hells that whole time. But he'd guessed - even back then before he knew her, before he knew that he loved her - that she might have more of a taste for a good story than she let on. 

And so it had proved. Astarion had scoffed and Lae'zel rolled her eyes the first time Hector began, without preamble, to read out from books they'd found. But the others listened with growing interest, night by night - perhaps grateful for the distraction of entertainment to fill the dull hours between their meager camp dinner and bed. 

It's been a fairly motley assortment of literature, to be sure. Sometimes history tomes and academic texts, which only really interest Gale and Hector, and once, memorably, a romance novel unearthed by Shadowheart (that one made Hector's ears burn to read aloud, much to Shadowheart and Wyll's amusement).

But by far the biggest hit has been the adventure stories they've occasionally found; these sometimes draw even Astarion and Lae'zel to the fire to listen, and elicit a rapt attentiveness from Karlach that makes Hector feel warm all over. 

Tonight's installment is another volume of Morrow's tales. Usually they center around plane-hopping adventures, but this particular volume finds the redoubtable (or perhaps simply doubtable) captain marooned in the deserts of Calimshan, awaiting rescue from her shipmates.

“My only hope,” he continues to read, “was the scent of water upon the air, which heralded the possibility of a nearby oasis. Had I been in less desperate need, perhaps I might have noticed that the water lay not ahead but beneath, for the sand grew soft beneath my boots, and softer still, until its true treachery became known.” He lets his eyes go very wide and drops his voice into as dramatic a growl as he can muster. “A field of quicksand stretched around me, its subtle fingers reaching up to snare me down into its depths.”

Karlach snickers. “Ah, Hells, quicksand again? Didn't she run into that in the Feywild too?” She's curled up at Hector's side with her head resting comfortably on his hip; her tail gives an occasional lazy flick in the firelight. “I remember Dad reading me this sort of stuff when I was a kid, too. Always lots of quicksand.”

“And why not?” Wyll says cheerfully. “It's dramatic!” 

Shadowheart nods agreement. “Yes. Lends itself to a good tale of daring escape.”

Karlach grins, shifting her head a little so one of her horns is better braced against Hector's thigh. “I'm just saying - we've had a whole lot of adventures by now, and I haven't seen a single quicksand, not one. Have you, Soldier?” She squints up at Hector intently. 

He turns a page in the book with a soft laugh. “Literal or metaphorical?” 

“Well, literal, I guess.”

“Not a one.” He chuckles. “Metaphorically, though, the quagmires around us seem more numerous every day.”

Karlach ticks them off on her fingers. “The Absolute, the Chosen… that bloody brain. Yep, getting weirder all the time.”

He lifts his eyebrows, his lips twitching. “Not to mention the greatest quicksand of all… the tiefling temptress I've encountered, distracting me from my scholarly pursuits, ensnaring me with her wiles, sucking me in…”

Karlach smirks. “Hmm. Sucking, you say? Tell me more.”

“Please don't,” Shadowheart groans. “We're only a few days now from a city full of inns, and I for one can't wait for you two to get your own room.”

[verocitea]

*insert a fun and witty autumn related caption here*

[inafieldofdaisies]

🍸 dealer's choice :3

Calahan glanced at the redhead sitting next to him from the corner of his eye, wondering if his charms had taken a short vacation that night, whatever it was he knew one more drink would soothe the burn to his ego, get his buzz going again.

"Sooo, you're not a talker, eh?", he mumbled, suspecting he'd end up with another bored look or a grunt from her. The most he'd pried out of her was her name. Kit. She even refused to elaborate if it was short for something.

Just then Mercedes glided past him, swiftly dropping a folded piece of paper in front of the woman before disappearing outside with a wink in his direction. He ignored the sound of the bell as another customer entered, watching in shock as Kit opened the note and her eyes darted between it and the door before she got up and left the bar, too.

"I'd be damned.", Calahan said out loud, winning a laugh out of Leslie, who took the now vacant seat.

"How much did you lost to Mer so far?"

"Don't even ask. Jesus, I need another drink."

Leslie patted his back, "Tell me again... why did you think it's a good idea to challenge a professional seductress?"

Calahan let out a groan, "What the fuck did she even write?"

Prompt: Send 🍸 for my muse to try to drunkenly seduce yours

[sweetearthandnorthernsky]

40 for the saeblings perhap?

40 mirror - saeblings! or; fey stretches a prompt by a Lot but it's fine

Dirhaval is thirteen, and Saelinriel is one and a half when it happens the first time.

She's been toddling through the house as she is wont to do, their parents keeping a watchful eye on her from the kitchen – when Andreth and Enerdhil start shrieking at each other. 

He’s not quite sure what started the argument, but those two have been at each other’s throats since they’ve been able to talk, and he only hopes that Saelinriel and Adanel aren’t as argumentative when they get older.

As if summoned by the thought of her name, Saelinriel comes wobbling into view in the playroom before coming to a shaky stop before him.

She seems to take a moment to collect herself before she tugs on his pant leg before lifting her arms – the most imperious look on her face that he nearly bursts out laughing – and he picks her up.

The imperious expression hasn’t gone away and she looks like a queen surveying the carnage of the playroom that Enerdhil and Andreth left in their wake as if it were a battlefield, as the two are in the center of the playroom, yelling still.

Dirhaval winces. 

Then he turns to Saelinriel, shaking his head. 

“You better not be like this,” he warns playfully, and her eyes go wide as if offended by the very thought. “Good.”

Enerdhil snatches something from Andreth’s fingers with a triumphant cry, and a stormy look crosses her face before she lets out an ear-splitting shriek and tries to yank it back.

At this point, their parents come into the room and try to calm the situation, but Dirhaval thinks that will take ages.

He sighs.

Saelinriel looks at him, her eyebrows and mouth quivering and for a moment he thinks she might start crying. 

Oh Valar please no.

It seems his worries are in vain – instead she puts her little arms on top of each other, and lets out the most utterly defeated, bone-weary sigh that he's ever heard.

When he turns from their siblings to her, she does it again, and again, and each time his self-control crumbles a little bit more until he's laughing until he can barely breathe.

"Nana!" Dirhaval manages between gales of laughter, and their mother turns. That at least surprises Andreth and Enerdhil out of their spat, and the house is - for once - mostly quiet.

(Mostly, because Adanel is plinking away on the music-toy their grandparents brought her for her birthday, completely unconcerned.)

"Look at this," he says, shifting a little to adjust Saelinriel's weight and keep from dropping her. He looks back at her. "Go on, do it again."

She blinks at him, as if to say: I have no idea what you're talking about. 

He frowns. "Seriously, alpheg?" 

Then he gets an idea. 

He turns away from his baby sister completely, and sighs, shaking his head. A few moments pass, but then she does it again, and it has the intended effect.

“She sounds like Daerada!” Enerdhil manages through giggles and Andreth can barely speak through laughing so hard. Even their parents are laughing, but eventually things calm down, leaving happy silence. 

At that point, their mother holds out her arms, and Dirhaval passes the baby back – sighing again as if she were displeased – and this only sets the children off again, all woes and arguments forgotten.

[lovebugism]

Kissing eddie just as you’re both about to get out of the car and now he’s got a problem cause he’s hard, and all your friends are waiting for you and you’re both a little late and Eddie we really gotta hurry up! what’s the issue? and the poor boy is bright red to his neck over how gone he is on you

ty for requesting :D ps: i'm gnawing at the bars of my enclosure over this prompt –– when eddie's about to leave for a show, you make sure he knows exactly what he's missing out on (established relationship, st4 canon divergence, allusions to smut 18+ | 1k)

“How do I look?” Eddie wonders aloud as you trail down the creaking porch steps behind him. He plants his feet on the gravel driveway and spins on the heel of his sneaker to face you –– already bare-faced and clad in your pretty PJs for the night, a striking contrast to the lead guitarist of Corroded Coffin standing before you.

You pause on the second-to-last step and reach for his face. Eddie leans instinctively into your warm touch as you swipe your thumbs under his eyes, gently smudging his dark liner a bit more. 

“Like a rockstar,” you answer with a proud smile.

Eddie scrunches his nose sheepishly in response, ‘cause he has nowhere to hide with you cradling his blushing face like this. He’s still not immune to the way you look at him, even after all this time. “You’re just sayin’ that,” he mumbles, kicking a lone rock with the toe of his show.

You hum in agreement as your hands fall from his face. “Yeah. ‘Cause it’s true.”

“To you, maybe,” Eddie scoffs, trying hard to ignore the pang of anxiety in his chest. “No one else seems to think so.”

He never used to be nervous performing before Vecna tried to kill him. It was the world that was scared of Eddie Munson, not the other way around –– until it nearly ended, anyway. Now, just leaving the house is enough to induce a panic attack. A part of him is always distantly fearful that a stranger’s face will turn out to be the dark wizard’s, back to life and hiding in plain sight again.

“Hey,” you scold, only partially playful. “I think the crowd of five drunks who watch you perform every Tuesday would agree with me.”

Despite the ice-cold apprehension making his limbs feel numb, Eddie manages a breathy chuckle. “You’re right. We could bomb, and they’d still act like we were playing Madison Square Garden or something.”

You soften then, as though sensing his worry. “You’re not gonna bomb, Eds. You guys are gonna do great. Just like always.”

“Sure you can’t come?” Eddie wonders quietly, blinking up at you with a pair of chocolate button eyes that are hard to say no to.

“You know I can’t… I have an early morning tomorrow,” you coo sympathetically, fighting back a smile when the boy’s rosy bottom lip juts in a pout. “But I’ll be right here when you get back, okay? And I’ll make sure to heat up dinner when you’re on your way. So you have something to soak up the alcohol and adrenaline with.”

You tilt your cheek to your shoulder, squinting suspiciously when Eddie’s frown curls into a cheeky grin. He reaches for you with a pair of ringed hangs and squeezes at your clothed hips. “Just like a good little housewife, huh?” he croons mischievously.

You roll your eyes at him ‘cause you’re not a housewife by any means. 

You live in a trailer with his uncle, for one. And you work five days a week, for another. Besides, you’re not even his wife, which you think is usually the first step. (You have no idea Eddie’s already picked a ring out for you. Or that he plans on keeping that a secret until he plays enough shows to afford a house). 

You decide to humor him, anyway. 

“Sure,” you monotone with a slow nod.

Eddie’s grin widens.

“C’mon on, Munson! We’re gonna be late!” Jeff lisps from the passenger side window of the van. The rusted tin can is parked a ways down the drive, packed to the brim with all their band equipment like a perfect game of Tetris.

You lean forward to press a chaste kiss to his mouth.

“Wear that dress I like when I get back?” Eddie murmurs lowly.

You hum with your lips pursed to the side of your mouth, pretending to be deep in thought. “Hmm… I was kinda thinkin’ about wearing nothing, actually,” you answer, shrugging innocently. “You know, for easy access and whatnot.”

Eddie warms all over. His wild head starts to swim at the visual –– one he’s seen a hundred times before that he’s not quiet sure he’ll ever get over. “Have mercy…” the boy mumbles under his breath.

“Just try not to think about it too much while you’re gone…” you lilt knowingly, smoothing both your hands up and over the lapels of his leather jacket. “All alone… Naked in our bed… Trying to get myself off while I wait for you…”

Eddie stares at you with heavy, lidded eyes. He can’t take the chocolates of them off your lips as they curl into a mischievous, tightlipped smile. “How ‘bout I just stay home?” he offers lowly.

A resounding honk blares from the van in a wordless answer. 

Gareth leans out the driver’s side window, face screwed and sandy curls wild. “C’mon, Eddie!” the boy yells like an impatient younger brother. “Put your dick in your pants already so we can go!” 

Eddie’s head swivels back to face you again, chest deflating with a grieving sigh. 

“You have to go,” you tell him, soft and sympathetic, as you press another kiss to his pout. “Have fun, honey,” you croon and step back from him –– knowing exactly what you’re doing as you trek back up the wobbly wooden porch steps.

Before you shut the front door behind you, you flash the boy a curt wave and a pretty smile. It takes a world of strength to keep from following behind you. 

In a perfect world, Eddie would already have the door bolted shut with you pressed against it by now. He’d have your oversized shirt balled up at your ribs and your shorts pulled down to your ankles and his mouth licking over your pretty cotton panties.

He shakes his head in a physical attempt to remove the sinful thoughts from his brain as he stalks back to the van. He keeps his head bowed as he goes, trying to hide his reddened cheeks behind his wild curls. Gareth watches from the window as Eddie tugs at the crotch of his jeans, trying to un-strangle his hard cock like a teenager.

The boy leans between the front seats as Eddie climbs into the driver’s side, slamming the screeching door shut behind him. “You’re pathetic,” Gareth teases through a fit of boyish laughter.

“Shut up,” Eddie grumbles.

[tetsumie]

heyy when you have the time to do so, can i request college!suna x reader angst to fluff where reader tries to spend time with suna but they get into an argument where he decides to spend time with his athlete friend group but then feels guilty and make up with reader through heart to heart conversation? 🫶🏻sorry if this is so long i have no idea how to make the prompt shorter but honestly i love all the fics you post so idc if you change it up a bit just thought i’d give an idea

𝐅𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇

pairing: suna rintaro x gen!neutral reader

genre: hurt/comfort

content: you confront him about the growing distance in your relationship, something he's been dismissing for a while, until he finally grasps the seriousness of the situation

cw: suna is a bit harsh; arguments but they make up <3

a/n: hihi anon! ty for requesting and i hope it's to your liking :D i'm still accepting requests for my 1k event so feel free to send more into my inbox!

"it's like i never see you anymore!"

suna and you have been in this back and forth argument for what felt like an eternity and it's draining the life out of you.

suna has been preoccupied with the upcoming inter-collegiate volleyball tournament. as a starter on the prestigious division 1 ejp raijin volleyball team, the arduous practices and pressure have been taking a heavier toll than expected on him.

as a result of this, suna has been incredibly distant in your relationship. he was always gone before you woke up in the morning and didn't return until after you fell asleep. every time you tried to plan a date or suggest something to do together, he somehow always cancels. it's always, "sorry i have to run some extra drills. maybe another day?"

it's exhausting putting this much effort into your relationship when it all seems in vain.

you've tried bringing this up to suna before, mentioning how you would like to spend more time together. but suna, being suna, always brushed it off. but there's only so much dismissal you can take.

you really miss your boyfriend.

but you're not sure he misses you the way you miss him.

"y/n you can't expect me to drop everything for you! like fuck, i have a life outside of you," he exclaims, snapping you back to the current argument at hand.

"i didn't say that, rin."

"that's what you're trying to say," he replies, crossing his arms over his chest.

you shake you head, lowering your voice. "i know volleyball always has and always will be a top priority for you but i just wish... well, it would be nice if you could put a bit of effort into our relationship."

"what if i don't even want to anymore..." he mumbles under his breath as he walks to the closet, grabbing a coat.

the rage in your heart and mind now simmer down to a feeling of dread and heartbreak. what?

as he turns around, he sends an icy glare at you. you've never seen this side of him and you refuse to let him see you crumble apart in front of him. you refuse to break down right now.

"you don't want to what, suna?" you look at him, tone icy cold. "go on. tell me."

the heated environment is making his mind all cloudy and he wants to end this conversation now.

"you know what i mean, y/n. i'm going out. don't call me."

the door opens and slams shut.

the moment the door closes, you're completely still. you're running on autopilot. you find yourself making a cup of tea and sitting at the dining table, looking at the empty, lifeless apartment sprawled in front of you.

subconsciously, the tears started to roll. i guess that's it then. i think i better start packing my things. i should be gone by the time he comes back home.

meanwhile, suna makes his way downtown to the bar where some of his volleyball friends had invited him out for a couple drinks. he opens the door to the bar and he can hear the familiar rowdiness of his friends.

"well, well, well, if it ain't the infamous sunarin from ejp," a familiar blonde comes running to him. "been too long since i've seen ya stupid ass."

"yeah yeah whatever asshole," suna slaps the back of atsumu and nods over at osamu who's sitting on the table. "it's good to see you both."

as suna and atsumu head to the table in the back with the rest of his friends, his mind can't help but linger back to the argument that he had with you. but he decides to shake his mind off it.

he's here to have fun with his friends right now. not be worried about you.

"you didn't bring y/n tonight?" komori, suna's teammate, asks. "i haven't seen them in a hot minute. what've they been up to?"

what have you been up to? he doesn’t know. when was the last time we both had an actual conversation? he doesn’t know. he doesn’t even know what's been going on in your life lately. fuck this is what y/n meant.

he forces a smile, masking the bitter thoughts playing in his mind. "they're good. just doing their classes and stuff."

"ah right, well bring them by sometime! it's been too long since i've seen them. they never fail to light up the room with their presence."

"yeah you're right."

he nods, taking small sips from the beer in front of him.

as the conversation and chaos ensue among his friends, his mind keeps drifting back to the memories of the argument he walked out on. his mind has cooled off and a sense of guilt starts to take over his body.

here he is having fun with his friends while you're at home all alone, waiting for him. you just wanted to spend time with him and here he was, finding comfort in other people other than you.

he tries to remember the last time you both had gone out together but he's drawing a complete blank. he can't even remember the last time he's kissed you or held you in his hands.

no wonder you've been feeling so lonely.

and in response, he just kept brushing you off until you blew up today. and to make matters worse, he walked out of the argument giving you no sense of reassurance or closure on the matter.

at the realization, suna shoots up out of his seat with flushed cheeks. the group turns to him.

"i gotta head out for the night. i gotta see my baby."

"get a fuckin' room sunarin," osamu shouts. the rest of the groups howls in agreement. "see ya."

he waves goodbye and starts trudging his way back to the shared apartment. he expects to find you asleep so he can crawl into bed with you and cuddle, never intending on letting you go.

so you can imagine the surprise when he opens the door and sees the bedroom light on and hears rustling noises. "baby?" he calls out. "y/n?"

he takes off his shoes and coat and walks to the bedroom. he starts to internally panic at the sight in front of him.

you have a couple of suitcases out filled with your clothes and belongings. at a glance, he can see that your side of the closet is almost empty. you've even taken down a couple of the decor pieces in the room that you bought but he was never particularly interested in. with your headphones in, you’re focused on packing, but what breaks him the most is seeing you wipe your eyes as you do so. why are you even packing? where are you going?

and then it hits him.

not only did he make it seem like he didn’t want to make this relationship work, but his actions have been driving you away. fuck, this was bad. he didn't mean any of it. he has to fix it or he's gonna lose the best thing in his life for good.

he goes over to you and taps your shorted and you yelp, startled by the 6'2" man, hovering above you.

"what the hell are you doing?" suna asks, cocking an eyebrow at you.

you wipe your eyes. "i'm leaving."

"don't be ridiculous," he scoffs.

"ridiculous?" you laugh at the absurdity of his comment. "what's ridiculous is how you walk out of an argument not even wanting to work things out. what's ridiculous is how you just continue to put me aside like i’m some side piece."

he knows you’re hurting. and it’s all his fault.

he doesn’t know how to properly express everything he needs to say to you.

so in the heat of it all, he does what he thinks is the next best thing and kisses you.

you'd forgotten this feeling. his soft lips on yours and how they fit together just right. it's the softest kiss he's ever given to you and your heart swells at the gesture.

you pull away and you plop yourself on the floor to process what just happened.

right there and then, he looks at you. he really looks at you. he notices the way you have some baby hairs popping out and your cheeks feel warm from all that crying. he notices the way your eyes look slightly puffed out and the remnants of tears on your cheeks.

i'm the cause of this. this is all my fault.

"i’m sorry," he begins.

you sigh and look away mumbling to yourself. "you’ve said that before. it doesn’t change anything."

"and you’re right."

you look up at him, surprised by his admission. "w-what?"

"you’re absolutely right, y/n."

he crouches down to your level, resting his hand on your knee so he can look you in the eye.

"i shouldn't have made it seem i wasn't willing to put in the effort into making us work," he says, gesturing between you and him. "my actions and what i said to you a couple hours ago obviously made it seem that way and i'm an absolute dumbass for not picking up on it."

you’re silent. he searches your face, looking for any speck of emotion, but he still can’t read you. in the amount of time he's known you, you’ve always been the exception.

"i've been swamped with so much work lately and i know i need to do better. i spread myself so thin that i forgot to prioritize the things and the people that matter the most to me."

you're silent, unsure of what to say to him.

"i thought i was doing the best i could do until i realized i could be doing so much more for us and for you. i'm so sorry for not being here."

"i know rin," you whisper. finally, for the first time you look up from your lap to look at him. "it just felt like you didn't care about us anymore. you're the hardest worker i know but i just wish you were here sometimes."

"and i wouldn't be able to be that hard worker without your love and support, you know," his hand cups your cheek as he runs his thumb across the tear streaks on your face.

"i realize how absent i’ve been in our relationship lately and i can’t imagine how lonely you’ve been feeling. i want to make this relationship work with you. i know i suck at being sappy and shit but you really are my other half. no matter what it takes, i’ll make us work. i’ll fight for this relationship. i'll fight for us."

"oh, rin," you sigh and wrap your arms around his neck, bringing him in close for a hug. the tears begin to flow from your eyes.

he feels his eyes glaze over. he breathes in your familiar scent and feels a warmth he’s missed.

even after everything, you still love him.

he starts with a gentle kiss on your cheek, then starts peppering your face with soft kisses.

you let out a watery chuckle, making his heart skip a beat. he hasn't heard your laugh in forever and he swears to himself to never be the reason for your tears again.

"let's go to bed now baby. i've gotta cuddle away all the pain i've caused you."

© tetsumie 2024 all rights reserved

[quixotical-lymbo]

Hi ! Just discovered you through your D-16 x reader fic and your writing is MWAH MWAH yummy 😋 ahhhh thank youuu, I've been craving for tf one fics, I want to request a short fic with D-16, Orion Pax and Gn! Reader who's a racer from that various reader prompts you posted awhile ago? Anything else is up to you! Go wild

Thank youuuu 🫶💐

Pairing: D-16, Orion Pax x gn!racer!Reader Rating: SFW Summary: Showcasing your appreciation for your fans leads to an unlikely encounter.  Warnings/Tags: Pre-canon, cybertronian!reader with a cog, size difference, awkward flirting??, forehelm kisses, and fluff.  A/N: Aww ty for the love! Hope you enjoy :) Word Count: 800+ words 

"What are we doing back here?" Came a rushed whisper from one bot. 

"What does it look like, genius? We're here to meet, ___."

"What?! You said you wanted to show me something, not break into a racer's personal quarters!"

"Psh, I bet they meet all sorts of fans back here all the time, besides, I'm sure they won't mind the bot they blew a kiss at to come and meet them backstage." 

"...you mean me?" 

"You?" 

"They blew the kiss at me."

"My friend, you need to get your optics checked, I'm pretty sure that kiss was meant for-" 

Orion didn't get to finish his sentence when the door to your quarters opened and your shiny figure stepped out and into the hallway. You glanced down at your newly filed digits before glancing up to spot two small, cogless bots standing in front of you. 

"...." 

"..."

"Why, hello there…where did you two come from?" Your voice was as warm as the sweetest energon and caused the tense mechs to ease up. You crouched before the two and placed your servos on your knee pads. One mech was blue and red, a lot more colorful in appearance and personality compared to his standoffish, silver colored mech companion. They were obviously miners from what you could tell from their chipped paint and dusty frames. 

The blue and red mech cleared his throat and prepared to speak until he was nudged back by his friend.

"We were lost! Yeah, we didn't mean to come…all the way here," The silver mech gave his friend a side-optic glare. 

"Could you help us find our way out?" The red mech briefly met his companion's shocked expression with a teasing smirk before switching his bright gaze onto you. "The name's Orion Pax, this mech over here is-"

 

"-D-16, nice to meet you…I'm…your biggest fan! I've been to almost all of your races and-" D-16 stammered out his introduction and seemed to be digging a further hole for himself as he rambled on. His friend watched with a familiar fondness before he snapped his gaze to the racer when their bell-like laugh rang out. 

"Aren't you two the cutest fans I've met," You cooed before pushing yourself up to stand. "I'll show you the way out, follow me." 

Orion pumped a servo when you turned away and winked at D-16 as he went to walk by your side. D-16 only rolled his optics and quickly went to catch up. 

“So, ____, how do you win like all the time?” Orion started the conversation. 

“Practice makes perfect,” You replied with a smile. 

“And what do you do when you lose?” Came the interesting inquiry from the silver mech. Realizing how his question might imply something bad, “I mean, how do you deal with the pressure of needing to be the best? I couldn't imagine having all those optics on me at all times.” 

You giggled and mulled over his question for a few nanokliks. “Well, I suppose I don't beat myself up about losing a race, after all the races would be boring if my rivals weren't on my level.” 

“Right! Makes sense. I, uh, thank you." D-16 felt his face plate warm as your bright optics made contact with his. 

"You're welcome, thank you two for seeing me,” You stopped when the exit came into view. “I haven't had this much fun in a while, I hope to see you too at the finish line again.” 

“We'll be there, ” Orion nodded as he nudged D-16 toward the exit. 

D-16 bit his bottom derma before turning back around and walking over to you. 

“Can…can I get a signature?” 

You blinked before your dermas curved in happiness at the timid request made by the mech. You see, instead of signing merch the regular way, you usually left your ‘mark’ on any special fan who caught your attention. It was a very rare occurrence which is why those bots claimed they'd never wash the mark off. 

 You crouched down and tilted the mech's helm back by curling a digit under his chin. D-16's breath was caught in his intake as your dermas pressed against his helm. He stood there frozen even when Orion came to his side and asked for a mark as well.

You obliged and kissed his helm as well. 

Orion leaned into it as you pulled away, you stifled a laugh as you booped his nose to snap the red and blue mech out of his daze. 

“Well…I'll see you two at the next race,” You mused before turning to leave. 

Orion and D-16 were standing there, pedes frozen to the ground as they processed the previous events. 

“Guess that blown kiss was meant for both of us.” 

D-16 only rolled his optics before smacking Orion's arm.

😼 - I do not give permission for anyone to translate, copy, republish, or plagiarize any of my written works. I provide no permission for any of my literary works to be used in artificial intelligence. like my writing? consider buying me a kofi :)

banner(s) by @dollywons !!

[alexwritingspot]

Leo Valdez x reader

request from @beeeezmelmel for a Leo Valdez x reader

prompt 10: “I can’t sleep”

words count: 1.4k

pairing: Leo Valdez x g!n reader

A night time walk to bunker 9 leads you and your best friend, Leo Valdez, to a confession of your true feelings. Could this friendship become something more?

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A/n: hi darling and thank you for requesting! I honestly had so much fun writing this one cause Leo is one of my comfort character! And I find it a really realistic thing that (I wrote the thing with the reader saying the prompt’s sentence) you would definitely find Leo awake at every hour of the night. I wrote this as an eventual friends to lovers, enjoy! 🧡 Also, I’m slowly catching up on all my requests, school is going to start soon and I have lot of test and such for the end of the period, so hope no one is disappointed if I don’t answer their requests really fast, sorry again!

——————————————————————————————————

Loud thunders echoing through the night had woken you up before your nightmare could. Not like your rest had been the easiest, but surely things were getting better after the war with Gaea.

You jolted up straight in the bed, catching your breath while your eyes adjusted to the dime light coming from outside. It was dark and nothing other than the moon was there to lighten up your vision. Luckily enough you hadn’t woken up any of your siblings, you already knew they would have asked too many questions about how you were feeling.

So you decided that maybe taking a breather outside would have been a good solution to calm down your mind from the recurring nightmare that plagued your sleeps. You tiptoed out of bed, almost tripping in the blankets. Careful to not make any noise you slipped on a pair of sneakers, without tying up the laces, of course, and you made your way outside of the g/p cabin.

Chilly air hit your skin as you exited from the door. Gods, now you were even shivering from the cold. You let out a soft sigh before starting to walk, making sure to go unnoticed by the harpies that flew in the sky at night, you surely didn’t want to face Mr. D’s punishments.

You didn’t really know where to go. Well, you did knew who would have been able to cheer you up, but you weren’t sure if he was still awake, or if he would have cared about your stupid nightmares. You decided nonetheless to give it a try, and as you hugged yourself tighter to shield yourself from the cold, one step after the other you started to make your way to bunker 9.

Why bunker 9? Because you were confident that if he was still up, which you suspected, then he would have been surely working on some project of his in the old bunker.

Between the wind blowing the leaves on trees, and the far sound of the thunderstorm outside of camp’s borders, you quietly made your way to the hidden building in the middle of the night.

As you arrived you silently entered through the main entrance, finding yourself in a lot more hot environment, that immediately warmed you up.

Just a little bit further there was him. Sitting at one of the many tables there was Leo, who was working on some gadget of his. Beside him there was Festus, who was laying comfortably on the ground. He was the first to spot you.

You honestly would have just stayed there at the entrance, just enjoying the scene playing in front of your eyes, but the mechanical dragon had other plans.

“Come on, why won’t you work??” Leo asked to the thing he was working on, and Festus tried to get his attention by gently blowing some air onto the boy. “Not now buddy, I’m busy, can’t you see?” Answered Leo, clearly trying to find out a solution.

So this time Festus actually nudged him to get his attention. When the child of Hephaestus still ignored him, the mechanical dragon insisted slightly more, getting Leo to finally pay him attention. “What is it, huh?” He asked as he patted the dragon’s head.

Festus brushed him off, and pointed in your direction.

You could have sworn you froze in place in that moment, completely caught off guard on what to do. “Hey…” You meekly said, the room didn’t seem as hot as before.

Leo’s eyes widened when he saw you “Y/n? Are you okay? Something happened?” He gently asked as he got up and approached you. “Y-yeah, I’m good, I just… I happened to pass by… yep…” Why did you have to say the first thing that crossed your mind?? You were pretty sure that you were a blushing mess by now.

If Leo noticed he didn’t point it out. “Passing by? In the middle of the night? Let me tell you, that would be strange even for me.” He joked, trying to lighten up the mood at least a bit. “Holy Hephaestus, y/n you’re shivering!” He then noticed, and before you could find another good enough excuse he pulled you by the wrist and made you sit on the only couch of the bunker.

“You want to see what I was working on?” He then asked you with his signature smirk as he lighted up some candles that he had laying around. You doubted those would have kept you warm, but you appreciated the gesture.

“Sure thing.” You nodded. This was the thing with Leo. He understood when you didn’t want to talk about something, and he didn’t pressure it. He’d just let you be, and if you wanted you could talk about it.

He moved to the table and picked up the thing he was working on “This buddy over here won’t let me adjust him” he said frowning as he tried once again to adjust it. You chuckled, Leo was able to ease your worries in an instant.

He plopped himself besides you and showed you the small gadget. You passed a hand over it. “What is this supposed to do?” You asked him with curiosity and he started explaining. “Well you see, I projected him because I thought it was a good idea for…” as he talked you totally zoned out, simply staring at him as he talked.

You blamed it on your ADHD, but in reality you had the biggest crush on the guy since he had arrived at camp.

“And so, even if I figured out what doesn’t work I can’t seem to adjust it” he concluded and snapped back to reality. Shit, you had missed the whole explanation.

“That sounds interesting” You simply commented as he put down the small thing and scooped closer to you. “Yeah, until you don’t have to work on it” he said with a smile.

You stayed like that for a bit, embraced by the comfortable silence until you spoke up. “How come you are still awake?” You asked him, tilting your head to be able to look him in the eyes. “I can’t sleep” he answered you truthfully. “What about you?” He the quickly added “If you want to tell me of course”

You let out a sigh “I just… I have this nightmare that has been plaguing my sleep since the war with Gaea and I needed some comfort. I didn’t want to wake my siblings up and… I assumed you would have been awake, and I came here” you concluded, looking down at your hands, unsure of what he would say next.

Instead of the negative reaction you had expected on his face appeared the biggest smirk “So you thought of me to feel safe?~” he was so smudgy about it. You just chuckled “Yeah… you could put it like that.” He smiled “Well then, I’m glad” He wrapped an arm around you “I’m here for you if you need me, that is what… friends… are for, right?” If you hadn’t been so busy feeling defeated after he had defined the two of you ‘just friends’ you would have noticed the doubt in his voice.

“Yeah… friends, you’re right” you looked away, the until now comfortable silence had quickly evolved in an uncomfortable one.

“Actually…” he moved your face gently with his hand, making sure you were looking at him “You know what y/n? I just cannot keep going on like this… I’m not really good with words, but I… I uh… I appreciate your presence and just… I found you really pretty and funny but I don’t wanna be your friend anymore” You just sat there, completely shocked. So, he didn’t care after all.

He saw your hurt look and started talking again “Wait! That didn’t come out right! I didn’t mean to say that we aren’t friends! For Hephaestus’s sake, I’m such a mess with words” He shook his head chuckling, and at that point you were terribly confused. What did he mean then?

“I just… I like you y/n. And not like- I don’t just like you. I like like you, as in more than friends and I know that you probably don’t reciprocate and this will ruin our friendship but I couldn’t just hide this anymore and-“ he was talking a bit too much for your likings.

You crushed your lips on his and expressed with that gesture all the emotions that neither of you knew how to express…

——————————————————————————————————

a/n: GODS, I panicked so bad, I had accidentally pressed “publish” while writing! Anyway, happy New year to all my followers, and thanks for reading! 🧡

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Christmas Celebration

So. When I started typing this. The poll had said that Fluff was wanted with a small lead. The whole time while typing it it was even (seriously how did you do that?!) and as soon as i finish suddenly Lore won?

No. You guys are getting fluff now >:D

First Drabble (original prompt by @spotaus ) Prev Drabble Next Drabble

(also for those curious this ended up being 3700 words so strap in and get ready)

*----------------------*

Nightmare wakes up early. Very early.

He isn’t that surprised. Not really. How can he really be?

Nightmare takes a moment to check how he is captured this time. Seems like Killer is completely wrapped around him and Horror holding both him and Killer. Dust and Cross are on his other side.

Mmmh… A bit more complex.

Probably his own fault for sneaking out of bed and the nest as often as he does. Still. He isn’t about to be discouraged about it.

Some wiggling and scooting and a lot of patience later and he is next to the bed.

Hah. Nightmare pats himself down before walking towards the chair holding their clothes.

It is still a bit weird but also nice to be spending a few nights at Crop’s and Straw’s. The two brothers had invited all of them to spend Christmas with them. Christmas here being all about family and spending time with them.

Horror had obviously wanted to go but he hadn’t immediately said yes. Said they would talk about it first. Which Nightmare gets. Dust still has issues with seeing anyone who resembles his own brother.

But as soon as Horror had told them about the invite Dust must have also seen how badly Horror wanted to spend more time with his best friend. Meaning he had said it would only be fair to say yes and spend time with them.

Killer had quickly agreed and Cross had seemed curious about the whole holiday as well.

Which leads them to here.

Nightmare finishes putting on his extra socks and his bat hoody. He puts on a beanie over his skull. He still is sensitive to the cold and he had to promise all of them that he would make sure he was dressed warm if he exited to nest.

Now fully dressed he slowly sneaks downstairs. It is still dark out but he doesn’t mind too much. A glance at the clock confirms it is nearing the normal time that Horror and Cross get up. Thought with the longer nights and the cold neither are as quick to wake up unless they turn on their own alarms.

Nightmare gets downstairs and spots Straw and Crop both getting ready to go outside. Nightmare takes a seat on the stairs and tilts his skull at them “Where are you going?”

Both of them jump and turn quickly. Straw sighs but grins “Wowie. You are a very sneaky babybones.”

Nightmare shrugs as he waits for his answer.

Crop chuckles “We are going to check the animals. Make sure they made it through the night and got enough things to drink and eat for the day.” He looks considerate at Straw and Straw nods with a large grin and a begging look.

Crop laughs but looks at Nightmare “Want to come along? Or do you think your dads will kill me if you come with?”

Embarrassed and Nightmare shrugs “I mean… if we leave a note I think they will not panic?” he isn’t sure what to even call them at this point. Not after everything. He tries not to think about it too much.

Straw looks so excited “Do you want to come? You can pet Betty again. And maybe pet some of the chickens?” as Straw speaks Crop is looking through the jackets and snowboots to find Nightmare’s set.

Nightmare ends up nodding and walking over. Straw quickly goes to grab some paper and a pen to leave the note as Crop hands over the outdoor wear. He dresses himself and waves off the help offered by Crop. It is just… he is fine dressing himself… mostly… He just lets the gang do it and help him because it makes it faster and they are.. well them!

Tying his shoes takes longer but works alright in the end. Even if the loops are a little… loose looking and not as tied when Cross does it for him.

Even so he pulls his hood up tightly over his beanie covered skull and gets ready for the cold.

Crop opens the door and Nightmare shivers a bit as the cold air penetrates through his jacket a bit. Not as bad as before but that is because of all the extra layers he is wearing.

Straw suddenly looks a bit unsure “You okay? Maybe this isn’t a good idea after all…” he shoots Crop a nervous look.

Crop looks at him “You still want to come?”

Nightmare huffs and nods trying to appear certain and determined. It is only after Crop starts to smile and Straw coos slightly that Nightmare remembers he is still wearing his frog beanie and his bat hoody. Sure there is a jacket over that but it is still not the most serious look.

He carefully walks through the snow and pauses to test a few steps. His spine had been starting to feel a bit better but he best not irate it by falling over and hurting himself.

It is a slow journey but they get to the chicken coop and Crop unlocks the little latch to let them into the area. Straw quickly grabs the stored food and easily jumps over the little fence to join their side.

Crop grins and opens the coop and must see the confusion on Nightmare’s face. Crop chuckles “They aren’t the biggest fans of the cold.”

Nightmare huffs and nods in slight agreement. He gets that. He isn’t either.

Crop chuckles but continues “But. It is good for them to get some fresh air and move around a bit. It is why I like opening the hatch at least for the morning feeding.”

Straw joins his side by crouching down and opening the bag with seeds and some wheats “We can throw this out a bit for them. Encourage them to come outside before filling up the reserves inside the coop.” Straw grabs a hand and shows how he spreads it around.

Nightmare looks at his own mitten covered hand but grabs a tiny hand before spreading it out around the coop.

Some soft clucks and some chickens slowly waddle out. Looking very suspicious of the snow but clearly wanting the food. They slowly get nearer.

Straw grins and holds some food out for the chickens in his hands. Letting the chickens get closer and once they are close slowly letting it fall to the ground. The chicken starts to eat and Straw pets it. Straw grins at him “See? Easy does it. The girls are all very nice!”

Nightmare frowns but slowly grabs a small hand himself as he holds it out. One of the birds looks at the food he is offering and slowly walks over. Giving soft clucks along the way. Nightmare drops the food when she is close. The chicken pauses before starting to peck away at it. Nightmare inches a few tiny steps closer and pets the chicken. He obviously can’t feel the feathers through his gloves but the idea is nice.

Huh. He… just realised this is actually the first time he is near the animals on his own two legs. The first time he stayed here he remained inside the whole time. His back still too weak to even sit alone for a long time much less stand on his own. The only times he was near any of the animals it was when Dust held him and only near Betty once or twice.

So much had changed.

Crop pops out of the coop and dusts himself off “That is their feeds being filled again. Lets go to Betty next.”

Nightmare frowns as he looks at the coop “Don’t they need to be inside first?”

Straw nods “When we lock it certainly! But they need a moment for themselves outside and will soon realise there is also food inside. Then they will go back in themselves!”

Crop nods and gently nudges some of the chickens away from the fence as he unlocks the hatch again “Ready for the barn?”

Nightmare nods and walks towards the small gate after making sure his gloves are empty of any chicken food.

They leave the little chicken area and move towards the barn.

The inside of the barn is warmer and Nightmare watches as both Crop and Straw remove their scarfs and their gloves. Nightmare keeps his on, thank you very much, it is still cold even if it is a bit less cold.

Crop leads the way and they find the cow relaxing in one of the pen things inside the barn.

Crop pets the cow “Hey there girl. How are you today?” Betty moos and pushes into the affection.

Nightmare is a bit unsure… the cow looks so much… bigger now… He kinda gets why Cross is afraid of them now… it is big and strong and can probably easily break one of his bones… probably more bones at once… he isn’t the strongest of sturdiest anymore and-

“You remember Nightmare right?” Crop sounds gentle as he speaks to Betty. The cow flaps one of her ears and looks around a bit. Spotting Nightmare hiding partly behind the wooden wall of the pen. Oh no.

Crop looks over and smiles “Ready to pet her again?”

Nightmare feels a bit more unsure and shrugs “I dunno…” how to get out of this?

Straw gives him a gentle nudge forwards “It will be nice!”

Nightmare isn’t so sure but slowly walks closer. Animals either love or hate him. There is no in between… Sure Betty seemed okay before but that was with Dust near and Dust you don’t mess with.

Still he slowly gets closer and reaches an arm and hand out. it shakes slightly.

Crop speaks softly “Hey… no need to be nervous… she is very nice and gentle and there is no real wrong way of petting her.”

Hah! Sure. Nervous!

His mitten covered hand reaches the cow’s head and he slowly gives it a pet. One. Two. Three. He pulls his hand back and takes a few steps back. There. He did it. Full marks.

Crop frowns at him while straw grins “see? All good! And look! She still remembers you and liked your petting!” he nudges him again.

Crop gives his brother a smile “I think that is enough. I think I best get him back inside before the wind picks up or it starts snowing. You mind finishing up?”

Straw frowns but looks outside at the dark clouds in the sky “That is for the best. Snow is probably about to happen very soon.”

Crop thanks his brother and he and Nightmare start to leave the barn. Crop frowns at him “Why didn’t you say you didn’t want to pet her?”

Damnit. Not the best at acting still. Nightmare shrugs “it wasn’t big of a deal…” it is more of a mumble than anything. How does he explain that at first he had liked the idea but then seeing the cow from ground level and having to look up at it made him nervous?

They exit the barn and are two steps further when they hear the shout “Nightmare!”.

Crop and him look up to see Cross sprinting at them. He gets to their side and picks Nightmare up as he shoots the barn a nervous look before focussing on him “Are you okay? cold? Hurt? sore? Tired?” he checks his temperature and relaxes “you good… you are fine…”.

Crop smiles as he crosses his arms “We know what to watch out for.”

Cross looks away embarrassed but doesn’t let Nightmare go out of his hug “I know! I mean we know that. It is just… I woke up and well… he wasn’t there… and I saw the note and I just…” he keeps holding him close.

Crop nods “Fair enough. We were just on our way back. But if you could take him back I can stop by the chickens to check if they are in the coop again.”

Cross is already a few steps towards the house before Crop finishes speaking “Yes. I got Nightmare you good luck with your chores!” and he quickly goes back to the house.

Nightmare frowns up at Cross. Weird… Cross normally didn’t even want to walk into the direction of the barn as he knew Betty was there… yet he came running for him…

Nightmare feels warm and safe and confused as he just leans more into Cross’s hold. Sure he knew they were safe but… this is different… it feels more. He only really started to notice it lately just how… how at home it feels. To be with them. Near them.

They get back inside and Nightmare spots Horror immediately. Horror frowns at them and Cross looks away shyly “I euh… got him already and-”

Horror just shakes his skull and looks pointedly at Cross “The note said both Crop and Straw were with him.” he gives him a long look “No reason to run out without a jacket.”

Nightmare blinks and turns only to now notice that Cross isn’t wearing anything over his pjs. Nightmare blinks and looks disapproving at Cross “You could get sick.”

Cross looks slightly panicked between them “I just! I panicked!” and Nightmare feels Cross pull him even closer.

Horror sighs but looks unsurprised. He takes a few steps over and Nightmare feels Horror take him from Cross. Horror easily holds him with one arm before pushing Cross towards the bathroom “Go warm up. I will get you clothes after I got Nightmare out of his outdoor clothes.”

Cross looks ready to object but after taking a look to at Horror and him he relaxes and easily agrees. He disappears into the bathroom.

Nightmare frowns as Horror and him sit down and Horror helps him easily out of his jacket and snowboots. Nightmare looks at the bathroom door before looking back at Horror “Why did he run out? Was the note not okay?” he thought with a note it would be fine. A note was normally all any of the guys needed to leave for each other.

Horror snorts a she shakes his skull “The note was very clear. I think it was just the fact it wasn’t any of us with you that made him nervous.” Horror makes sure his beanie is on right before putting the stuff for outside back by the front door “which is something Cross himself has to work on. Trusting others outside of our tight circle.”

Nightmare nods. It isn’t that surprising. After all the betrayal Cross has had to deal with.

Horror does shoot Nightmare a knowing look “But I think it was very brave of him. He ran towards the barn right?” Nightmare nods and Horror grins “very brave seeing as he considers that Betty’s territory.”

Nightmare feels that same warm and safe feeling again as he crosses his arms. Almost as if he is trying to hide the feeling as he mutters “I thought the same…”

Horror rubs his skull and Nightmare feels himself relax “Don’t worry about it okay? he is fine.” Then more thoughtful “Well… unless I get him clean clothes. Give me a moment.” And he disappears upstairs.

Nightmare still feels warm and cozy and safe and… well…

Loved.

--

Nightmare sits on the counter as he watches Horror, Straw and Crop work on dinner together. It is a whole thing and they had been at work since just after lunch. Straw is working on this giant turkey while Crop works on the side dishes. Horror is in charge of the desert and Nightmare just watches them work together.

It is nice. Even if he isn’t allowed to help.

Cross, Killer and Dust are moving stuff around in the living room. Setting up the table and games or something.

Straw checks the turkey again before nodding and moving towards the counter to work on this mutter mixture he had been dripping over the bird every so often “I still can’t believe none of you have ever celebrated Christmas!”

Yeah that is another thing that Nightmare just doesn’t know what it is exactly.

Horror snorts as he works on the frosting “Told you. Most of us only celebrated Gyftmas underground. And that was all about presents more than anything.”

Nightmare swings his legs as he gives his own answer “My universe just… didn’t have it.” hard to have  winter holiday without winter “just had harvest celebrations and stuff like that.” And the only one who ever got gifts was Dream anyway. So a party? To focus on celebrating family? It sounds real nice.

Straw looks deeply troubled by this “A child never having had the chance to experience the joy of Christmas? Ah. The multiverse is a rough and cruel place and fate is beyond unfair.”

Horror snorts and nods “Very true.”

Crop frowns “We aren’t big on presents with Christmas in this universe… if we had known…”

Horror shakes his skull “No worries. None of us celebrated it in a long time and it has… rough memories for all of us. This is nice. A new tradition.” Horror looks at what he made and holds a tiny spoon up to Nightmare “What do you think? Tasty enough?”

Nightmare gives Horror an unimpressed look “Everything you make is tasty.” But he isn’t going to pass up a chance for an early taste and happily tastes it. As expected. Delicious. He hums happily and nods “Very tasty.”

Horror chuckles and puts the frosting in the fridge before moving on to the next part of the cake.

Nightmare is eventually removed from the kitchen to wait with the others in the warm fireplace lit living room. Something about making sure he is safe as the kitchen is about to be hectic. Which is just nice words for him having to stay out of the way.

Killer pokes his cheek and grins “such a grumpy baby.”

Nightmare pouts and crosses his arms “I could have helped…” somehow…

Killer grins “Of course. Just not in the chaos and hectic energy of preparing a bit feast. The timing is everything and can get stressful.”

Nightmare gets it but still…

Killer grins “If it makes you feel any better. Us three were banned from the very beginning. You were at least allowed to stay in the kitchen with them for most of the prep.”

Cross looks insulted but Dust just shakes his skull at him.

Killer grins “What? We all know it is the truth.” And he winks at Nightmare.

Huh… that does make him feel a bit better.

A bit later the three cooks bring out the food and they sit at the table.

You would think that seven at the table would get complex but they manage. Nightmare is pretty sure they made the seating arrangement with Dust’s situation in mind.

Seeing as Horror is sitting between Dust and Straw. Making it almost impossible for Dust to see the other Papyrus. And with Straw speaking in another accent the voice is not familiar enough to trigger him.

Killer sits at the table head, next to Dust. And Nightmare sits on his other side with Cross on his own other side. Crop sits across from his brother next to Cross. The other head end of the table is against the wall.

It is nice. Straw proudly cuts his turkey as Horror easily moves the dishes around the table to whoever has an interest.

It is all delicious and smells so nice. Everyone is relaxed and laughing and just enjoying themselves.

Everyone it so happy.

After the main course Cross helps with putting the food away as Horror puts the last few finishing touches to his cake which he brings out. It is vanilla with delicious banana frosting with tiny chocolates. It is so good and everyone agrees.

Nightmare is honestly feeling sleepy already by the time it is time to play some games and relax by the fireplace. Nightmare is on the same team as Dust and leans heavily against him as they start a game of catan.

Nightmare feels himself fall asleep before everyone even had their first turn.

He just hears them talk as he dozes against Dust’s side. He feels himself be moved and he makes sure to make his displeasure known. Dust just mumbles a soft reassurance to him that he can stay asleep. He leans against the other and hears Dust’s soulbeat against the side of his skull.

It is calm and soft and Nightmare feels his whole being relax more and more. His own soul slowing and calming down as well.

The feeling is familiar at this point. He gets it a lot when he is being held by any of them. But it is so much clearer and so much stronger when he feels sleepy.

Like another hug. Relaxing him more and more and pulling him towards sleep.

He isn’t sure how long he stays just like that. In Dust’s lap and arms. Happily half asleep as he listens to the others. Sometimes sleeping fully for short periods of time.

Nightmare is pulled from his sleep as Dust gets up. He blinks open his sockets and looks around confused, why are they moving?

Dust nuzzles his skull and mutters softly against his skull “we are just going to bed.”

Nightmare hums and pushes closer to Dust again. Following the soft reassurance send to him form the adult soul so close. Calling out to his very being that it is okay to sleep and rest.

He notices that someone is helping him into his pjs and helps him brush his teeth. Nightmare can still hear movement downstairs as the others no doubt clean up everything.

Nightmare is laid down in bed and he immediately pushes his skull deeper into the pillow.

A soft chuckle “Comfy tiny boss?”

Oh. Killer is with him now?

Nightmare just hums. A weight joins him and a blanket is pulled over him. Two arms pull him close and another adult soul is near. Different then Dust’s. Much louder. So it really is Killer. The message remains the same though. It is safe. I got you. You can rest.

Just… He knows that is the message.

Killer hums and whispers to him “That is it baby. Just sleep.”

Nightmare pushes closer to the other and willingly succumbs to sleep. *----------------------*

First Drabble Prev Drabble Next Drabble

[yxtubers]

𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧

chris sturniolo x reader (fluff)

summary: as you and chris hang out more and more, feelings begin to develop - and chris questions his fear of commitment

warnings/notes: kissing? but that’s about it!

requested?: yes! number 3 “hangouts that start to feel more like dates” from my actions prompt list

a/n: this is sort of long, sorry. do you guys prefer the longer format or should i try to shorten my work down?

> > >

You and Chris had begun to hang out more and more recently. Separate from group hangouts, and separate from Nick and Matt.

Before, you would usually hang out with at least one other person - but slowly, and gradually, you guys began to have one-on-ones instead.

It was a seamless transition. One that you two hardly even noticed until Matt mentioned it one day.

“What’s up with you and Chris?” he had asked.

You ignored his question but it echoed through your brain days and days after. What was up with you and Chris?

Now you were getting ready to go to dinner. With Chris.

He had called you half an hour before, stating that he was bringing you out for food. When you asked whether his brothers were coming, he almost seemed shocked.

“No. Why would I be bringing Nick and Matt? It’s just us.”

And he left it at that.

You put on a casual outfit, as you weren’t expecting it to be anything big. I mean, you guys were just two friends going out to eat - nothing major, right?

Yet even though you knew it wasn’t a date, you were growing increasingly nervous.

The two of you had never crossed the boundary between friends and dating - but the countless movie nights you had together at your house, your sleepovers, and walks around the neighborhood started to feel more and more couple-y as time went by.

You just put your finished touches to your outfit when you heard your front door unlock. Chris had been given a spare key to your house upon the millionth time that he stayed over. It was just easier that way since you two spent so much time together.

“I’m in here!” you shouted as you picked up your keys and bag.

Chris knocked on your door before entering, hands in his pockets as he waited for you.

You gave him a smile, admiring his outfit. He looked good, and as the thought crossed your head you were surprised. It’s not that you’ve never appreciated his looks before, but the butterflies you felt when he looked at you confused you.

‘Just friends,’ you thought to yourself for what felt like the hundredth time this month.

“Gimme a sec, I can’t find my wallet,” you muttered as you dug through your bag.

Chris raised an eyebrow at you, tilting his head.

“No need. I’m paying,” he said.

Your head shot up to look at him. Sure he had paid for you before, but never for dinner. Sometimes he let you pay when you insisted, and he never let down an offer if you urged to bring your money.

Taking your shocked silence as an answer, he walked up to you. Zipping your bag up and taking it in his hand, he grabbed your other hand and pulled you towards your front door.

“What’s this all about, anyway?” you asked, tying your shoelaces.

“I can’t take my friend out on a date?” he joked, but there was a hint of sincerity in his eyes.

You looked away, trying not to blush like an idiot.

He always found a way to mess with you, so you didn’t think much of his response.

Getting your car keys ready, you walked out of the house, Chris locking the door behind you. Looking up you could see the minivan parked outside. This was getting weird - Chris never drove you anywhere.

“What’s with the car?” you asked suspiciously.

Taking your keys from your hand and throwing it into your bag that he was still holding, he responded.

“What kind of date would I be if I made you drive.”

He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Taking your hand again, he walked you to the car. This time, your heart fluttered. The hold on your hand was gentle - almost as if he was testing the waters.

A casual hand hold was new to you. Chris had only ever done it to drag you out of bed, or the house. Never just to walk together.

He opened the door for you, pulled out your chair at the diner, and as promised, paid for the bill. You were beyond bewildered. You now were questioning whether or not him calling this a date was a joke.

The drive home was silent, only the faint buzz of the radio could be heard in the background.

From the side of your eye, you could see Chris’ head turn towards you. You look to him and smile. He returned a bashful smile before focusing his attention back to the road.

Parking in your front yard, he walked to your side of the door to open it once more. He offered you his hand, helping you climb out of the car.

You needed to have a talk with him. Like - immediately.

Entering the house, you both took your shoes off, ready to end the night with a movie. It was like a ritual - you came home and got comfy on the couch to watch some silly thing that Chris had saved for you both on his Netflix account.

Before you let Chris walk deeper into your home, you grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards you.

“Hey,” you said, gaining his attention, “About today…”

“What about it?” his brows furrowed, wondering what you meant.

“I just- I wanna be on the same page.” you said nervously.

“About?”

“Us.”

You anticipated a response. Honestly you just wanted him to say something. Anything.

He took a cautious step towards you, looking you square in the eyes. He had this sudden air of confidence about him - like he was 100% sure of what he was about to say.

“It’s not like it was really our first date - it’s just the only one that we acknowledged was a date,” he said nonchalantly. Again, acting as if it was such a plain fact.

You agreed of course. There was no beating around the bush. You guys had been practically going on dates for weeks.

“I couldn’t tell if you were being serious.”

You felt slightly stupid and small. Insecure was the last thing you wanted to come across as, but you couldn’t help it.

“Of course I was - I am,” he said, taking your hands in his. “I thought we might as well go on a proper one, y’know?”

You smiled at him. He was such an idiot sometimes, but you loved it. If he had just told you beforehand you could’ve avoided all this confusion.

“And I’m serious about this. About you,” he said.

You knew Chris wasn’t good with commitment, so him being so open melted your heart.

“Okay. We can take it slow then,” you said.

“I think we’ve been taking it slow enough,” he laughed.

You laughed along with him. He was right. All the times you two tiptoed around the conversation of what you two really were. Ignoring his brother’s questions about your relationship. It was finally time to come to terms with what was happening between you.

“Well if you say so. I do think it’s customary for a man to kiss their date once they’re at the door,” you said.

With a smirk on his face, and a blush creeping up his neck, he leaned down to meet your lips.

He gently pushed you into the wall, pressing his bodyweight against you. The kiss started slow but quickly spiraled into a passionate, long-awaited release of emotions.

All the pent up tension from the past few weeks was exchanged into the kiss. The desperation evident in the way that his hands roamed across your frame, snaking around your back to arch you into him.

He let out a soft sigh, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

His hair tickled your face, and as you pulled back you tucked it behind his ear.

You let out a breathy laugh, feeling relieved.

As you two stood there with Chris’ grip tight on your waist, and your hands wrapped around his neck, you struggled to catch your breath.

“So much for taking it slow,” he joked, nudging his nose with yours.

You rolled your eyes playfully. As if he wasn’t about to kiss you anyway. Watching as he leaned his head down, you heard his voice pierce through the silence.

“Let’s go watch that movie, hm?” he whispered against your ear.

He once again took your hand, interlocking your fingers and pulling you towards the living room.

The rest of the evening was spent snuggled together on the couch. Never in your wildest dreams did you expect this to come out of your one-on-one hangouts - but you were thrilled with the outcome.

It’s safe to say that your “first date” went well.

[blackjackkent]

1. Don't Leave. Shadowheart for that micro story meme

(Send me a number and I’ll write a micro story using the word or phrase)

1. Don't leave

-----

Nocturne fidgets. She always has - Shadowheart can sort of remember that, although patches of her memory are always a little hazy, a little indistinct. But today the young tiefling seems particularly agitated, as if she doesn't want to let Shadowheart out of her sight.

"You need to hold still," Shadowheart finally says with the flicker of amusement, rapping her knuckles gently against Nocturne's arm. "I can't finish this braid if you keep turning around."

Nocturne sighs and goes still with an evident effort of will, staring intently at one of the night orchids growing in their hiding place within the cloister. "Sorry," she mutters.

Shadowheart's fingers resume their rapid, deft motions through the younger woman's hair, plaiting it into the style Nocturne prefers. "What's got you so worried?" she asks after a slight pause. "You're practically vibrating."

Nocturne's shoulders hunch up a little and she shakes her head. "Nothing. I shouldn't--"

"Oh, please." Shadowheart rolls her eyes. "I can tell when it's not nothing." Her eyes narrow. "Has Buddug been bothering you again?"

"No. You scared her properly," Nocturne says with a slight smile. "And besides... she'll be gone with you tomorrow, anyway..." The smile fades and she looks back at the gently swaying flowers.

"What, then?"

Nocturne swallows. "There's whispers, about your mission. That she's making you forget almost everything this time. That it's dangerous, whatever you need to do. That you could die." She smiles weakly. "I wouldn't mind if it was just Buddug, but you..." Her eyes squeeze tightly shut, ashamed of the plaintiveness of her own voice. "Don't leave. Don't go."

Shadowheart doesn't meet her eyes, focusing instead intently on finishing the end of the braid into a complex knot. "You know I can't disobey the Mother Superior, any more than you can," she says, keeping her voice deliberately steady. "This is Lady Shar's will. I welcome whatever sacrifice I must make in her name."

She's afraid. Of course she's afraid. But she can't admit it, not even here, not even to Nocturne. The Lady of Loss must see her strong in the face of fear and oblivion, if she is ever to be truly honored.

Nocturne settles a little at that, and nods firmly. "Yes-- yes, of course you do. Of course you should. You've always been so strong. I just..." She sighs. "I'll miss you."

Shadowheart smiles slightly. "I'll miss you too - even if I don't know it. And you'll be strong enough until I come back, too. Promise."

[vinestaffery]

oh em gee the request box is open!! may I order a tall and strong fem!reader with any phighter during a match? (hell, you can do all or do a love triangle to stir some drama!) ty for ur time :D

—also idk, something with strong and buff fem!readers are something cool and amazing! 😭🙏

HELLO HELLO!!! AND YES, OF COURSE??? I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TALL, BUFF, AND STRONG READERS. THEY ARE SO COOL!!!! i will say it was a bit difficult for me to figure out how to implement. so i tried my best!!! otherwise, i hope this is good enough : [ I am so sorry for the wait!! I’ve been actually quite busy unexpectedly so my schedule was draining me horribly. Once again, the gear reader I tried to make was very brief, so it's completely up to interpretation! If there's any mistake, please do tell me!! I am also trying out a new layout of how I start stuff, so enjoy! Characters: Boombox, Skateboard, GN! Reader Prompt: Love Triangle, Fluff + angst, headcanons + small drabble oneshot! Requested! 

When you first joined the matches and tournaments, your gear was without a doubt one of the most interesting

While everyone had somewhat of a weapon of some sort, you used your complete strength and agility to defend yourself and teammates

Being able to block, punch and deal tons of damage to opponents

Tons of people loved you! You were practically an all-star!

That’s when Boombox and Skateboard were opposed to you on the other team

Boy, were they over heels for you!

Boombox would always find himself getting flustered each time you threw a sense of encouragement, even though you had beaten his ass THOUSANDS of times!!

Skateboard loved riling you up and making your ego grow, ending up with him accidentally getting his mind-games completely demolished!! 

You’d practically trample over them and help win points for upcoming festivals!!!!

Not to forget, you're one of the tallest phighters, making Ban Hammer more nervous sometimes.

When the Dove vs Crow festival came by, they finally realised their complete love for you. 

And boy, did it turn into utter chaos.

Boombox started rejecting his own teammates support 

Skateboard started to laze around and discourage one another!! 

It was total chaos, and out of character for them! But they’d always somewhat change whenever you came by to support and fight one of them

But, that got even worse when Boombox and Skateboard collided with another and ended up in a brawl.

It shocked you, really! And you were in disarray when it happened.

Sadly, such a brawl caused them to get a penalty. Big time. 

Medkit, thankfully as a close friend to you, helped them out and headed to the hospital. They suffered major damage to one another.

You felt like you had done something horribly wrong, and who wouldn’t? Your two pals fighting over something you had no clue what of? 

Call that worse than Noob Nardashins!

You started to avoid matches, refusing to support the team and staying on the sidelines until the other two recover so you could formally apologise

Vine Staff and Slingshot were concerned for the best, you seemed to be different after the major incident

Luckily, Skateboard and Boombox recovered quick, and heard about the news from Slingshot (who was quite disappointed in their little brawl)

Devastated to say the least they were!! 

So, they ended up putting their differences aside just to prove to you that it wasn’t their fault; maybe a few confessions on the way.

The rain seemed to be more gentle than the other days it started hitting. You had no clue on what to do anymore, your passion ran dry after that fight. Holding the train-bar tight, looking out the window where clouds seemed to endlessly create nothing more but chaos. Windforce must be disappointed or something.

“Ma’am!” A tug at your leg, you looked down. A small little demon-child, holding an autograph of what seems to be you.

“Oh, hello!” In their perspective, you were enormous. So tall, and much more different than any other phighter or civilian. “Could you sign my autograph! I miss when you used to phight, you are so cool! I want to be like you one day!”

The steady speed of your heart pulsed. A heart, so metronome, keeping a sensible rhythm, collapsed at the thought of someone wanting to be just like you. You trembled, but kept a smile. “Why, of course!” and you bent down on one knee. 

The small child held out their photograph, taking out what seemed to be the cutest gel-pen possible. It was bedazzled with keychains of different phighters — Medkit, Subspace, Vine Staff, Katana, Boombox, and Skateboard — that caught your attention. Heart soon skipped a beat at the sight of two familiar phighters.

Taking the gel-pen, you wrote your name in thick writing, right where it would be suitable for the child. You looked back up at the child, handing both the pen and the autographed paper. “I saw what happened in that one phighting match, I’m sure it’s not your fault! Maybe they just fought because they like you!” 

No, that’s not right. It’s not because they like me – it’s because I am the problem. Your eyes seemed to be pale and your skin full of goosebumps at such words. Words that seemed to taunt you soon enough to the brink of extinction. If I just never seemed to enter those phights, none of them would’ve gotten hurt. None of them would’ve gotten hurt.

None of them would’ve gotten hur—

The sound of the train stopping, halting as the doors slid open. The child vanished as she yelled goodbye in the cloud of civilians. They all pushed through and tried to get onto the train as fast as possible, while the ones hopping off did the same.

— * * *

You waited at the hospital seating area. Visitation hours were becoming slim, but thanks to Medkit, you’ve been granted more than the usual civilian. He sat at the front-receptionist, seemingly boring himself in constant work and typing. You could hear his quick work-skills not too far, colliding with the clock’s agonising voice.

“You can visit them now.” Medkit piped up. It had to take him a few tries to finally catch your attention, zoning out was not something fun for you.

“Hey, you can visit,” Medkit yelled with a more guided, threatening tone. That caught your attention. Waking from your small dissociation, you got up and trudged off through the door. To the shared room of your two “friends,” that you hated to call them that.

You had feelings for them, of course. They were just so your type, stupid but clever. They were risk-takers, just like you, but you overall enjoyed their thick humour and how they correlated with you quite well; rejection was bound with this. 

Knocking at the door of the room, you opened the sliding door. There, Skateboard and Boombox sat. 

“Oh- Did I interrupt something?” You bent down slightly to walk into the room. The two phighters turned to face you. Skateboard relaxed at the sight of your face, while Boombox just let out a thankful sigh.

“I thought you’d never visit!” Skateboard rushed off of his chair, running over to hug you. You couldn’t help but smile, this is what you missed. Spending endless time with the two, you couldn’t help it. “I was! You guys were just in serious deep sleep.”

“Ha ha, yeah right,” Boombox piped up, elbowing you as he sighed. “Gosh, you're getting taller. You need to stop growing!” Shaking his head, letting out a laugh, he looked out the window and back. “I never thought you guys missed me this much.”

“Miss you that much? Oh boy, we missed you more than you missed us!” 

“Yeah, what the skater said!” 

You smiled, humming as you looked at them both. The comfort that came from them both, came from fortitude. It felt like protected walls that returned the healing hearts; to welcome them to the fort and that they spared any harm. It made you feel happier.

“But,” The two phighters moved back, leaving the last hug.

You raised a brow, eyeing at the two as they sat down. You plucked out a chair from the side, sitting down on it yourself as you stared. “We owe you an apology,” Skateboard nodded. Boombox seemed to look away in slight embarrassment, but shook his head. He had to prove this to you.

“What happened in that match was completely me and Skateboard’s fault. We didn't mean to be that mean towards each other, it’s just…” Skateboard looked at Boombox, who struggled to continue his apology. It was like something had been caught in his throat.

“It’s just…?” You eyed them, concerned. Maybe this was the end of your two’s shared friendship? It was your fault all along.

“What happened that day, it wasn’t your fault. Me and Skateboard have had this… little–""BIG crush on you, and we started to hate one another because of it and we are so sorry for what we had caused! You can hate us all you want, but please, it was entirely our fault and our recklessness taking over!” 

Boombox’s face turned light green as Skateboard waited patiently for your response. You were shocked.

“Please don’t hate us.” 

“Hate you?” 

Silence. You bursted out laughing soon after. “Hate you? No! Absolutely not! I have a crush on you guys too!” 

They stared in shock. You? Loving them both? Wow. 

“...” “... FUUUCK YEAAHH!!!”

[inafieldofdaisies]

💭

Calahan cocked his gun, pressing it to the back of John's head. At first all he got as a responce was a frustrated sigh, and he couldn't blame the bastard, he too would be feeling that way at the realization he was getting sloppy, careless. John hadn't heard him enter his ranch, not until it was too late, not until Hartley had him at gunpoint. Right in the middle of his living room.

Ironie in French. A bitch in any language.

"You're making a mistake, Deputy.", came out in a hushed, but still stern voice.

"Do you have your words for God ready, or should I give you a minute to come up with your defense? Don't forget to tell Him Joseph will be joining you soon. In Hell, bastard, it's where you're all headed to."

"Wrath.", John muttered, at the same time a child's laughter carried over from the kitchen.

Fuck.

"John.", a female voice called out next and then its source came into view. A tiny readhead, face full of freckles, carrying a sleeping baby in her arms, her eyes shifting in worry between her husband and Calahan.

"Well, look at that, Johnny-boy, it's your lucky day. We'd have to reschedule your rendezvous with God.", he gritted out, lowering his weapon, taking few steps back, ready to make his escape. Retreat, something he hadn't done ever. But Reaping or no Reaping he had a code, in comparison to the Seeds.

"M'am," he nodded his head to the woman he knew as Esther, copying Leslie in his polite mannerisms when meeting new people. He hated John, but something about the woman's energy told him she didn't deserve any cruelty. Killing John in front of her and her child would be just that. Her gaze remained on his, but didn't say anything as she joined her husband, hugging him around his waist with her free hand.

Just as Hartley was at the door, his fingers reaching behind him to push it open, Esther called out, "Deputy, I made a pie, would you like a slice?"

"He was about to kill me and you're offering him pie, bumblebee?", John asked incredulously.

"Remember what Joseph says.", was all she uttered out.

The name made Hartley's blood boil. Reminded him of his goal, what was at stake.

He ignored the peace offering, addressing John instead, "You're a lucky man, John Seed. Remember that.", he lowered his voice, "Enjoy it while it lasts."

John's eyes darkened at his words, he was ready to follow Calahan as he exited the house, but whatever Esther said next held him at bay.

Lucky man, indeed. Too bad this ends with one of us dead, Seed.

He knew next time there won't be anyone to hold him back, to make him hesitate. He promised himself that. Too many people depended on him to let doubts creep in.

Prompt: Send 💭 to hear my OCs most recent thought about your OC.

[hangesdarling]

Request for a oneshot of Hange who gets really horny and flustered from their vampire fem s/o feeding from them. Thanks 🥰!

a crimson kiss — h. zoë

PAIRING. Hange Zoë x female reader SYNOPSIS. You were a vampire lurking in the dark streets when you met Hange. CONTENT. a bit of slow burn to build their relationship, very suggestive, blood, biting, implied sex, light angst, open-ended hehe WORD COUNT. 2.6k A/N. fic request from @malorey-ethster :D this reminds me a lot of the vampire!hange series lingering in my head omggg

Dark shadows loomed over the village, making the darkest shade of black among the streets. People feared the night when criminals and monsters lurked as what rumors in the streets have told tales about. But as you stood perfectly still on a deserted alleyway among the darkness, you saw this strange being walking slowly, book in hand while the other held a small lamp.

People don't walk the streets late this hour but then again, this one is different. The perfect prey, too distracted by a book to think that you're standing still right across from them. Your claws clenched against your skirt, and the taste of blood from your previous meal still lingered, only prompting your hunger to take action.

You were about to pounce in that person's direction, trying to swallow your regret for another life lost in your hands but you felt a blinding light crossing past your eyes, making you retract from your stance.

Your arm shielded your eyes as the yellow glow of the lamp illuminated your face in the darkness.

"Oh, there you are," you heard the person mutter, a smile creeping across their face at the sight of you. But before you could run and disappear in the darkness once more, you felt a pair of arms restraining you.

-

The coach you were riding on had its small curtains drawn as you rode into the early dawn. You silently thanked how the velvet, embroidered fabric was thick enough to cover whatever sliver of sunlight began to creep in the sky. You tightened the thick shoal wrapped around you despite your bound wrists. This person who told you their name right after abducting you helped to fix your shoal so only a portion of your face could be seen. Hange.

"Sorry about tying you up like that," they muttered, almost apologetic as they offered you a smile. "But I won't hurt you, I promise. I was just tasked to investigate, that's all."

When the coach halted, Hange pulled you outside in wary carefulness, not letting the sun damage you. You found yourself in what seemed to be a library with a few laboratory materials, perhaps Hange's room.

Their table was strewn with sketches, and several stacks of reports detailing your nightly appearances and words from witnesses. It was clear that Hange had enough knowledge of all the forms you could take and even your whereabouts even before they crossed that alleyway last night.

In the days that followed, Hange fed and observed you, wondering to themself why you always requested animal blood even when it wasn't well-suited to satisfy your hunger. You tried to scare them off with a cold, obscure persona but nothing seemed to deter them even after your several attempts to bite their nose off.

Hange believed you would eventually soften up, earning your trust by encouraging you to talk without coercion. And even when you're trying hard enough not to yield, you find your mouth running, detailing what went before you became a heinous creature up to this day. Hange succeeded in pulling the words out of your mouth, even ones that you wouldn't want a soul to hear. Their presence felt like a dewy morning, a light breeze eager to get to know you out of pure curiosity.

"Ah, to think that there are more fascinating things than titans," Hange would smile at you, trusting you enough this time to untie your wrists. "Let's be friends, Y/N."

During the following days, Hange lets you lounge on their bed, keeping you comfortable as you lie down under their thick blankets. They don't sleep much themself as you have observed, maybe taking a few hours to sleep at their desk during the night and that was it. After a week of being together, you found them to be a heavy sleeper and took that advantage to carry them back to bed. You stared outside the window for the rest of that night, measuring how easy it would be to try and escape from this floor but decided against it. After all, only danger awaits you outside. If the townsfolk won't burn you at the stake, they would tear you apart bit by bit. Leaving you under the sun would be the least harsh punishment.

Hange was alerted the moment you disappeared from the bed, looking everywhere for you and thinking you might have escaped but they silently chucked to themself when they found you curled under their bed among the darkness. Hange crawled next to you despite the dusty floorboards.

"You seem a lot more comfortable in the darkness, huh?" they asked, tapping the underside of the bed frame and pulling away some webs from it. "We'll get this cleaned up if you like."

"Hm, thank you..." you mumbled.

Hange had gotten to know you better from then on. Physical contact became less strange as you let Hange touch your cold hands or felt the lack of pulse on your neck. A living dead creature. And even then as you lack the properties of a human, Hange never failed to make the space safe for you. They let you hug them at night, even if their warmth cannot meet yours, and let you hold their hand despite your insusceptibility to coldness. Every day, Hange brings a variation of animal blood to know what you like best. All felt like cold and tasteless cream crawling down your throat but you prefer them, knowing that your hunger wasn't hurting people anymore.

One night, Hange handed you a cup of blood, a shade darker than what they always give you. Your keen eye found the bandage poking beneath their shirt.

"Hange, is this your blood?"

"Uh, well, it is. I do think it's better if you drink directly from me but your insistence on drinking animal blood may cause a bit of shock to your system when you drink human blood again so try sipping from it first," Hange responded.

When you tilted the cup to your lips, it was cold but a sudden taste burst in your mouth, a hint of sweetness permeating the usual buttery taste of human blood. It has never been sweet before so what made it different now?

You told Hange how it tasted, quite in detail, and used several comparisons to help their research. However, the subtle smile and blush on their face couldn't escape your eyes. Maybe it was their excitement from the new information, but it's undeniable that there is something else.

-

Whenever night falls, your body does not crave long hours of sleep so you spend the night staring outside, counting people on the streets, or perhaps judging who the weakest prey may be just from their stance. But that night, Hange wanted to sit with you by the window, trading their few hours of sleep to be with you for longer. Your budding relationship came slow and subtle, the way midnight shifts to dawn to let the rosy rays of the sun appear in the sky once more. The hugs, the touch, the comfort within each other. Vampires cannot love humans this way but so are other things people tried to set rules upon. The peculiar cannot love or marry, forced to stay in the shadows and linger in their loneliness.

But even living organisms without consciousness like plants still sought companionship, you know, Hange told you one time, flipping through a book showing symbiotic relationships among living organisms. One has a better chance of survival with the other so it's only right for them to be together, right?

Hange leaned on your shoulder as they read by the moonlight. Your eyes followed the words and illustrations closed, exchanging a smile of two with them before trying to resist the urge to kiss them. Hange's rapid heartbeats near you only amplified that temptation as you turned away slightly. Hange may not have your keen sense, or hear a heartbeat and feel human warmth from you but their sharp intuition cannot deny what you both felt at that moment. Hange dropped their book by the side before turning you to face them in a soft, gentle kiss. Their warm lips linked with your cold ones and yet you found yourself pulling closer, as the companionship you desired all those years ago materialized before you. Hange kept a trail of kisses on your neck, pulling you towards the bed until you both collapsed on the soft mattress.

The curtains fluttered close as the wind outside calmed, little by little the moonlight could only bleed through an inch in that window. The flame on Hange's lamp by the table slowly extinguished but Hange kept kissing you in the darkness. Every touch, every time their fingers gripped yours against the mattress was a proclamation of the affection you've both tried to ignore. Both your worlds felt so distant but even if Hange could taste the blood from your mouth, they never wanted this kiss to end any sooner.

Hange had you spooned in their arms for the rest of the morning as they slept soundly against your neck. You wiped the blood beading on their lower lip from last night when your kisses got too passionate. Hange didn't mind and only laughed off their wounded lip, teasing you that it made them look more appealing in your eyes. You watched a drop of their blood dissipate through your finger, creating an intricate maroon pattern against your skin. You could taste that familiar hint of sweetness even as you brought it to your lips. And when you kissed Hange's lips, you felt their blood grazing your mouth, your tongue gently licking their wound until the bleeding stopped. Their blood tasted like a thin sheen of sweetened butter coating your mouth. However, the sweet taste only brought upon the bitter memories of your past. Of the human blood dripping from your chin as a victim lay lifeless on your lap, the sound of their diminishing heartbeat against your ear, and their last scream of help before becoming the food to satisfy your hunger.

You pulled away from their lips before they could even wake up, situating yourself to their chest so you wouldn't see their bloodied lip. You wrapped your arms tightly against their body, ear pressed to their bare chest where you could hear the rhythmic sound of the heartbeat you came to love.

-

"Y/N, why don't you feed from me this time?"

Hange's question broke the silence sitting between the two of you. Their eyes remained contemplative, bored through the wooden ceiling of their room.

"Why would you want that?" you asked cautiously.

Hange turned to give you a small smile. "I just noticed that you look healthier when you drink human blood. Your cheeks weren't so pale and you seemed a lot energized. It's your natural food after all so you don't have to insist on drinking animal blood."

Your mind wanted to protest, but all the reasons you shouldn't feed from them were stuck in your throat.

"But I don't want to hurt you..." you mumbled.

Hange tilted your chin so you could look at their reassuring face once more. "Come on, dear. You won't hurt me. It takes a few liters before a human could die from blood loss. If we regulate this properly, I won't die."

Their offer sounded tempting, after all, you were in a considerably better state after ingesting their blood. Almost like you have regained twofold of your strength from their blood alone.

Hange was overjoyed when you finally agreed, they pulled you into their lap before pressing a soft kiss on your lips. Hange's face was flushed when you began licking the spot on their neck you wanted to puncture with your teeth. Your mouth gently nibbled on their neck, leaving shallow bite marks that blossomed pink on their neck. Their hands roamed around your body, rubbing your thighs under that skirt until they wandered under your shirt.

You moaned softly against their neck with the way Hange was tugging on your clothes as if in permission to take them off.

"You're enjoying this a lot, Hange," you smiled as you helped them by unbuttoning your shirt. Hange groaned as you gave their neck another playful bite enough to turn them on even more.

"You bet I do," they chuckled, their voice shifting into a sultry tone as they brought both your bodies closer to the headboard. Hange leaned their head back, poising their neck where you could feed from them properly.

Your tongue glided along their reddening bitemarks, grazing your teeth to that particular spot before slowly digging in. Hange winced as they felt the puncture through their skin, their blood pooling on your mouth even before it dripped down their chest. Hange gripped your hips tightly, snaking down your rear to squeeze the flesh as your teeth dug in even more. Curses and praises spilled from their lips, suppressing an occasional moan or two as their hands were filled with the flesh of your bottom. Your tongue lapped desperately against the sweet buttery taste of their blood, the crimson gliding in thick gulps against your throat. Hange only pushed your head further into their angled neck as an encouragement, their every moan telling you how aroused they felt.

When you drank enough, your bloodied lips kissed their wound, patching it up with a cloth to staunch the bleeding. Hange captured your lips on theirs, their slender fingers wrapping gently around your throat. They could taste iron in your mouth, intoxicated and lightheaded from the blood you fed from them. Hange sucked on your plump lip, flipping you over onto your back before sliding their tongue in to lick along yours. As your kisses grew passionate, both your lips turned a crimson shade.

Hange stripped off the rest of your clothing, enraptured by your lips against theirs, and of the healthy color appearing in your cheeks. They wanted a taste of you, to return the bliss you gave them.

Hange's notes lay ignored by the bedside, discarded somewhere else along the pile of your clothes and theirs. Your intimacy was bloodied, full of bites and traces of drying blood after you finished. But you could care less about the thin sheen of blood coating your breasts or thighs as your lips rested on Hange's for the final time before they collapsed in exhaustion in your arms. The warm, bubbly bath you soon had washed away all the crimson and pinkish traces on both of your skins. You washed and nursed their wound, enclosing the fresh bite in a soft and dry bandage.

Hange slept on your chest until evening, perhaps tired from the ordeal. But as you stroked their hair's brown locks into neat strands, you remembered that familiar hunger coming in occasional visits, one that was never satisfied until the prey was lifeless. But Hange was never your prey, and you never wanted to be the monster to end them. You placed a long kiss on their forehead, gaze lingering on their sleeping form for a few seconds before pulling away to sit up on the bed.

The idea of departing from this place tarried your mind ever since you discovered the taste of Hange's blood. I trust you, Hange said multiple times, and yet you could never trust yourself to that extent. After all, you were still a monster of the night, even if you wore a human appearance. No matter how much Hange loved and cherished you like a breathing, living being deserving of good things, you couldn't keep them forever. You never wanted to subject them to this cursed life of aimless wandering and feeding on humans to save yourself.

You held Hange's hand around yours, cold diminishing against their warmth as you began to think and decide before the sun rose once again.

likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated, sweethearts <3

[lovebugism]

hi angel! I have a little fictober request … can I pls get holding hands for the first time from the prompt list with steve harrington and shy!reader? maybe they’re in a busy place and steve doesn’t want to lose r so he grabs her hand, not realising how ridiculously flustered she gets <3333

ty for requesting angel :D this can be read as a part two to this fic!

summary: steve takes you to a mall in the city in a desperate attempt to spend time with you, fending off freaks, douchebags, and your anxious tendencies alike (shy!reader, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers cw for mentions of anxiety, 3.5k)

fictober leftovers (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Steve idles between the X-rated horror and thriller sections for several long minutes until he works up the courage to talk to you. You’re a pretty little thing behind the counter, hand in your palm as you scribble into the journal Keith threatened to confiscate from you earlier that morning.

He’s never been this nervous to talk to you. Things are different now. Post-first date, and Steve’s still toeing that wretched line between friends and something more. The puppy love is so painfully mutual, but it’s equally hard to navigate. He can’t come on too strong — not with someone as soft as you — but he’s still got some King Steve left in him. He’s still learning how to be gentle.

With sweaty hands, he walks up to the counter and tries to be subtle about the whole thing. Stealthy, like a ninja. He leans on his folded-up arms and blurts before he means to, “So you’re, like, totally coming tomorrow, right?”

You lift your chin and blink at him with wide eyes. You hadn’t heard him come over, too busy doodling a bunch of nothingness in your notebook. Your stomach whirls at the sight of him. It takes you a moment too long to answer.

“Coming… where?”

“To the mall,” he reminds, then corrects himself with a shrug. “The one in the city— not the shithole we have here.”

“Oh. Uh, I don’t— I don’t know,” you stammer. Steve invited you earlier that week, and you promised to think about it. You did. And you want so desperately to go, but your brain’s too mean, and it just won’t let you.

The disappointment that flashes on his face is fleeting, but you don’t miss it. The hurt softens his features in an unbearable way. It makes your chest ache.

“C’mon,” Steve presses in a gentle lilt. He leans closer to you, eyes twinkling and lips curling. “It could be fun, you know? I mean, everyone’s gonna be there.”

He’s trying his best to persuade you. He has no idea that that’s exactly what’s keeping you from going. Crowds are always stress-inducing, even those of the familiar kind.

“Everyone as in…?”

“Robin, obviously. Dustin, too,” Steve answers, counting on his fingers as he goes. “Max is coming, but Lucas has a basketball thing, so he can’t. And the rest of the little shits are in California, so that’s definitely a plus.”

It’s a dumb joke, but it makes you laugh anyway — a quiet giggle of a thing that makes him grin.

“Uh… Eddie’s coming, too, I think— but don’t let that dissuade you, alright? I promise I’ll protect you from that freak. You don’t have to worry about him.”

You smile because you know he’s joking. You’ve met Eddie a couple times now. He’s always been really sweet to you. Him and Steve just have a strange complex that forces them to be assholes to each other.

“And also, I’m gonna be there. Obviously. So…” he trails off with a wavering smile. So if you don’t wanna come for them, maybe you can come for me, is what he’s really trying to tell you.

“I don’t know,” you repeat, quieter now as you shrink into yourself. You try and fail to meet Steve’s honeyed gaze. “I just feel like I’ll make everything all weird.”

His bushy brows pinch, almost in offense that you’d think you’re anything less than totally perfect. “Why would you think that?”

“‘Cause… I don’t know,” you murmur in a quiet sigh. You don’t want to lie to him, but telling the truth feels so much harder. “They don’t really know me, you know? And I feel like… like I’ll just ruin everything if I’m there…”

It takes Steve a couple of seconds to answer you. He doesn’t know how you could say something that — like you don’t light up every room you’re in. “Well, that’s… that’s just not true,” he argues with a shrug. “They like you. They love you, actually— they just wanna get to know you. And the only way they’re gonna get to know you is if you come hang out every once in a while.”

Your heart flutters. You want to believe him. It’s hard for you to comprehend that anyone could care so much about your presence, so you just nod and don’t say anything further. 

Steve is quick to comfort you, almost like he can read your mind. “But if you think it’s gonna be too much, you could always just stick with me. I’ll fend off the freaks for you, no problem.”

His cinnamon eyes glimmer with honey. He looks at you far too fondly to say no.

—————

There’s six of you crammed into Steve’s 733i. It’s already a tight fit, but it’s more suffocating when it’s full of a million different conversations. Almost all of them are pointed your way. Steve tries to bat everyone off of you, but it’s hard to yell at everyone and drive at the same time.

You’re being a pretty good sport about it despite how anxiously helpless you feel. 

You wring your clammy hands in your lap and try to regulate your bated breaths, nodding to whatever Max is telling you. It’s hard to hear her because Eddie’s talking to you, too. You’re too scared he’ll think you’re mean if you stop him.

You watch Robin reach for the radio, complaining about all the yelling as she turns up the volume. The cheesy pop song is all you can hear. The conversations around you become a monotone buzzing. You feel like you could just about explode.

“Jesus, you guys are acting like you’ve never seen another person before,” Steve shouts over it all, the only definite thing you can understand. “Let her breathe before she thinks we’re all a bunch of lunatics, alright?”

He’s met with a bunch of muffled complaints, but the noise quietens nonetheless.

Steve glances at you in the rearview, a quick check to make sure you’re still okay. You catch him doing it and try your best to give him a smile. It looks more like a wince.

“Well, it’s your fault for finally bringing someone cool around,” Max argues with all her practiced teenaged ambiguity. “I have to spend all day surrounded by freaks— at least now there’s someone halfway normal to talk to.”

“I’m normal!” Steve insists, face twisted in offense.

“You’re a jock.”

“Hey. C’mon, Red,” Eddie scolds, so obviously playful. “Let’s not go throwing the j-word around—”

The brunette boy huffs. “Thank you!”

“—Jock would imply that Steve’s still cool,” the wild-haired boy continues. “Which he isn’t.”

Poorly hidden laughter fills the small car. Steve nods and mutters beneath it all, “Yeah. Okay. Thanks for the clarification, Munson.”

He glances at you again and finds you cracking a halfway sincere smile. He shoots you a light-hearted glare. “Don’t laugh! You’re just encouraging him!”

“Sorry,” you apologize, hiding your giggle behind your fist. “’M sorry.”

Steve smiles at you, silently tells you he doesn’t really mean it. He’d let Musnon make fun of him all day if he thought it meant he’d get to hear you laugh like that again.

—————

You take your first good breath in an hour when you step out of the car. 

Steve shuts it off and gravitates towards you on instinct. His honey eyes are wide as they dart across your flustered features. You see his hands reach towards you, to grab your elbows maybe, but he decides against it.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” you nod, quicker than you mean to. “I’m good.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. I really tried to—”

“I know,” you cut him off with a sweet, still quiet smile. “It’s still okay.”

He sighs heavy, like a deep breath of relief. “Okay. Good,” he hums, almost to himself, nodding with a pink grin you could stare at all day. He would’ve let you, but neither of you get the chance. 

Your friends start messing around, and the chaos melts into the buzzing crowd surrounding you, and you realize the two of you aren’t the only people on earth. Bummer.

You gather around the large map at the entrance of the bustling mall. “Where should we go first?” Dustin chirps from the front of the crowd. His eyes are as wide as his smile. “Game Player? Sam Goody? Oh, look— they have a RadioShack! I’ve been looking for a new supercomm. It’s on the other side of the  building, though, but we can just work our way around, I guess—”

“Jesus, Dusty-Bun,” Robin interjects with a gritty laugh. She stands on the outside of the group, arms crossed over her chest, effortlessly too cool for it all. “Take a breath, buddy.”

“Don’t call me that!” the boy gripes over his right shoulder.

Steve shrugs. “Go wherever you want to. I don’t care.”

Dustin looks to his left, shooting the older boy a glare. “Aren’t you supposed to be the babysitter?”

“You’re fourteen!”

“Well, what if I get kidnapped?”

“No one’s kidnapping you, alright? Trust me,” Steve jokes, only smiling when he sees you trying to hide yours. He puts his hands on his waist and cocks his hip to the side. “They’ll send you right back where you came from. You have nothing to worry about.”

Dustin squints. “Rude.”

“We’ll just meet back at the food court in, like, two hours. And if you don’t get yourself killed, you’ll be fine,” Steve reasons with a nonchalant shrug and a jutted-out lip.

“Oh. Wow. Thanks, Steve. What would I ever do without you?”

He rolls his cinnamon eyes at the boy’s monotone. “Alright, smartass.”

When the rest of the group dissipates, he leans over to nudge your shoulder. It knocks you from your stupor — so deep in your own head you were practically drowning. You blink at him with wide, glassy eyes. “Hm?”

“Do you wanna go anywhere?” he asks with a wavering smile. His laugh is equally forced. “You’re kinda staring a hole into the map there…”

“Oh. No. I was just…” you trail off with a shake of your head. You’re not entirely sure what to tell him, how to make him understand your easily overstimulated mind. “I was just distracted. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. No big deal.”

“Where did everyone else go?” you wonder with a furrow to your brow, noticing the lack of familiar chaos around you.

“Eddie and Dustin went to some movie store, and I think Robin and Max are on the hunt for cassettes.”

“Okay...” you nod with a tremble in your voice. 

You’re still not totally used to being alone with Steve. Your friends are usually good distractions. They fill your awkward silences with something funnier and talk loud when you get too quiet. When they’re not around it’s just… awkward silences and quiet air. 

You get too in your own head, so eager to impress the pretty boy beside you, that you end up putting your foot in your mouth.

Steve doesn’t seem nearly as apprehensive. Instead, he’s beaming at the fact that he’s finally got you alone. He doesn’t have to worry about quieting Dustin when he gets too loud or shoving Eddie away when he forgets what personal space is. It’s quieter with just the two of you — warmer, cozier, easier.

“Wanna go down to the food court?” he wonders, honey eyes sparkling when he looks your way. “I know you haven’t eaten anything yet, so…”

Your eyes narrow, accusing and playful. “How would you know that?”

“Uh, ‘cause I know you,” the boy scoffs like it’s obvious. “I basically have to force you to eat every morning.”

“That’s not true!”

“It so is!” Steve giggles and it’s heaven to your ears, the exact sound of honey. “That’s why I hate not opening with you. ‘Cause if I’m not around to force you to eat the other half of my Poptart, I’m just, like, worrying if you’re withering away or not.”

Your face burns hot. Your heart swells with a similar warmth that borders on painful. You didn’t think he cared so much about you — or that he ever thought about you outside of work or the occasional hangout.

“Fine,” you concede with your arms crossed over your chest, trying not to seem as flustered as you feel. “Let’s go to the food court.”

Steve grins. He follows you in stride when you start to head that way. “Cool. We can go get one of those disgustingly good burgers or something.”

“For breakfast?” you wonder with a light-hearted laugh.

“Yeah! Like, one of those crazy huge ones, you know? The patties are, like, the size of your fist— make a fist.”

You do. You ball your fingers and hold them up between you. Steve holds onto your wrist for further inspection, fingers long and warm and soft. You swallow.

“Bigger than your fist,” he corrects with a laugh. The sweet sound is drowned out by the swell of yelling teenagers. They talk so loudly and over one another that their conversations become a meaningless drones.

Two in particular shove at one another, laughing loud like it’s fun. One of them almost barrels into you — long blonde hair, tight shirt, tighter jeans, and cologne so potent it stings your nose. He just narrowly misses you, mostly because Steve’s there to yank you out of the way.

The boy’s gentle grip on you tightens. He pulls you close until you’re stumbling into his side. With a strong arm wrapped around you, he shouts at the roughhousing teens — “Watch where you’re going, assholes!”

The scrawny boys walk on ahead of you. They seem apologetic, halfway scared at first. When they realize Steve’s not rushing to beat their asses, they chuckle about the whole thing and keep punching each other.

You’re still frozen in shock — not so much of fear anymore, but of how tightly Steve’s holding onto you. It’s an embrace of the firmer kind, a touch so solid you feel immediately safer inside it. You don’t think you’ve ever been this close before. The teenage girl in your heart starts to spin.

“You okay?” Steve asks when the anger ebbs.

“Yeah,” you nod, swallowing tightly and forcing an awkward laugh. “You don’t have to keep asking me that, you know?”

He nods rapidly, then notices how close he’s holding you. Fearful that he’s made you uncomfortable, he uncurls his arm from around you and takes a small step back. “No, I know! I just wanna— I just wanna make sure, you know? ‘Cause I know you don’t like… all this.”

He waves his hands vaguely out beside him.

You’re immediately cold without him holding you. You wrap your arms around yourself to compensate for the lack of him. 

“Yeah, but… It’s not the rest of the world’s fault that I’m scared of everything,” you say with another forced laugh, shifting your weight on your feet. If you could melt into your oversized sweater, you would. “It’s mine. So I can deal with it. I have to deal with it.”

Steve nods, slower this time and with a silent sense of understanding. He steps closer to you and shrugs. “I think the least I can do is make it a little easier on you… And I feel like I’ve been doing the exact opposite of that all day.”

“That’s not true,” you argue with the shake of your head.

His chocolate eyes widen. You’re rarely so assertive. “No?”

“No,” you answer, softer this time as you grow sheepish all over again. Your unsure gaze darts from your dirty sneakers to his twinkling eyes until it makes you dizzy. “You’re actually making it more bearable for me, so…”

“Oh. Okay. Good,” he nods with a smile, breathless because his chest is swelling with pride. He knows the world can be a little much for someone as soft as you. It’s good to know that he’s the exception to all that. 

He gets lost in the way you look at him for a moment too long. He clears his throat and stammers, “Uh, do you still wanna go get food?” he asks, pointing off beside him. “We can find somewhere quiet to eat so we don’t have to deal with teenage douchebags the entire time.”

Your heart lurches into your throat. It’s practically your love language — spending time alone in a quiet space, with no overt need for conversation or people to fill the void. 

You nod, trying and failing to hide the beam on your face. “Yeah. That’d be nice.”

—————

The quiet place in question is a photo booth on the halfway vacant, furthest end of the mall. Closed curtains, small spaces, and entwined breaths. It smells like his deep cologne, your perfume, and a freshly cooked meal. It’s too easy to forget that there’s a whole world outside of here.

You sit twisted on the bench, facing Steve with your burger trays in front of you. You pluck salty fries from the plate with a trembling hand, distantly fearful that you’re not supposed to be eating here. You think being so close to Steve is worth the risk.

“Is this the day you were expecting to have?” Steve asks with a lopsided grin. He takes a big bite of his burger right after and gets mustard on the corner of his mouth.

“No,” you answer, giggling as he swipes the stain away with his tongue. “But not because it’s bad.”

“Hm?” he hums to egg you on. He’s got too much of a mouthful for anything else.

“Mm-mm,” you shake your head, equally nonverbal as you chew on a handful of fry crumbs. You swipe your palms together to dispel the grains of salt. “I’m having more fun than I thought I would, actually.”

Steve scoffs in disbelief. “Spending time with me? Alone in a photo booth? That’s a good time to you?”

His tone makes you self-conscious. You feel a little shameful, like a child, because you don’t need much to be entertained. You get all warm with embarrassment, too. Being alone with Steve has always felt like climbing mountains — something short of an adrenaline rush that makes you think you could conquer the world. Maybe you’re too small in comparison to do the same for him.

“Yeah,” you shrug in an inaudible murmur. “I don’t know— I just… I like spending time with you, you know? I don’t really care what we’re doing.”

Steve’s chest swells. From a girl who too often keeps to herself, inherently nervous and incessantly frightened of being a burden, it’s more of a proclamation of love than he ever thought he’d get from you.

“Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page,” he confesses with a crooked pink grin, internally praying his cheeks aren’t as red hot as they feel.

He holds his half-eaten burger out towards you. You knock yours with his, clinking them together like champagne glasses. He takes another too big bite. You go to do the same but get a whiff of the sleeve of your sweater before you can. 

“God, I smell like a teenage boy,” you groan, only half-playful. The nose-burning musk from the kid from before has seemingly stuck itself onto you. Like fruit and sage and wood and vanilla, every scent ever made combined.

“I wasn’t gonna say anything, but you definitely smell like bodyspray,” Steve affirms, scruffy cheeks jutted out from the burger in his mouth.

“I think I’ve been tainted,” you giggle, a quieter sound compared to his boyish laughter. “Thanks for saving me, by the way.”

You’re saying it to be nice, but you watch him get all shy about it when you take a bite of your sandwich. He shifts on the bench, like he suddenly can’t get comfortable. When he rubs his palms on his thighs, you can’t tell if it’s because of the salty fries or because they’re clammy.

“Yeah— I didn’t mean to— I didn’t mean to grab you like that,” he stammers with an apologetic twinkle in his eye and a gaze that can’t quite meet yours. “Just so you know. I was just trying to—”

“Save me?” you interject.

Steve smiles when he sees how softly you’re looking at him. He shrugs. “Well, I was gonna say ‘pull you from the line of fire,’ but sure.”

“It’s okay,” you repeat for perhaps the thousandth time that day. “I didn’t mind. It felt nice, actually— you have really warm hands.”

“That’s ‘cause yours are always ice cold.”

“Well, maybe that’s because you’re not holding them,” you blurt before you mean to. 

You freeze mid-bite, eyes wide in distant horror as your blood runs cold. In a desperate attempt to break away from the awkwardness you caused, you muster a trembling smile. “I’m kidding,” you murmur, halfway hidden behind your burger.

You weren’t.

Steve knows this, too, so he smiles. 

He’d been thinking about it all day, in truth — how he was gonna get to hold your hand without having to stick his foot in his mouth to ask you. Turns out, a series of unfortunate events and an impromptu date in a photo booth was all it took. And he’s grateful. For all of it.

“No, you weren’t,” he teases, fingers as warm as his smile when he wraps them around yours. He holds gently onto your hand — even though it makes eating a little harder, even though your fingers are cold, even though you tremble.

[seyaryminamoto]

Fic-to-Art #27: Azula, Mai and Ty Lee's friendship

This month's prompt was friendship, and while the contest was fierce, ultimately the oldest of Gladiator's friendships won out. Therefore, I drew these small pieces to show the progression of the bond between these three within the story :D

The first two scenes aren't 1:1 with anything shown in the story, they're more along the lines of things I never got to write but always imagined likely between them. I'll always believe Ty Lee was the instigator of this friendship, and I can't imagine anything more suitable for her than to pick out the two girls she found interesting in school and deciding they would all be friends, while the two girls in question remained entirely confused about the whole thing.

Fast forward a few years later, and as a lot of the baggage and chaos from canon never happened, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee get to stay friends as they grow older, bonding over things that weren't depicted here (such as their experience in Ember Island, sans Zuko, where they got to understand each other better, Ty Lee's fall from grace, Mai's choice regarding who to marry...), mainly because I really didn't have the time to expand on everything. So, as tough as things could get, these three stuck it out together and no matter if Azula is too busy to hang out with them sometimes, theirs is the kind of friendship that all of them can always return to, with full awareness and trust that they'll always have each other's backs.

The last scene is my favorite scene between them altogether, and it's their conversation right before Ty Lee's wedding. It's a really heartfelt moment where Ty Lee is unusually vulnerable and very honest about what these two mean to her, and this time both Azula and Mai drop all pretenses and are completely honest about how much they care about her too. It's pretty much the crystallization of that friendship in one of my favorite chapters to write, ever!

So... there we go! Hope you guys like it! If you want to be part of the creative process behind these pieces, a $1 pledge is enough to make you eligible for suggesting and voting for prompts, as well as reading Gladiator snippets 6 days before the new chapter is released!