#unless I figure out a better ending point

[emsdevs]

I’m a sucker for Angst, so a heaviest of heavy Angst will always do it for me, like I need my insides to feel like it’s being stabbed and overwhelmed with all sort of emotions. Bonus point if it’s long. Hope this isn’t too much to ask for maybe I’m getting too carried away loll Could you do it with Justin Herbert please?

No Strings?

a/n: nonnie you sent this at the perfect time! I've had justin on my schedule for a while, but couldn't figure out what to write for him, so this worked out perfectly! this does not have a happy ending but i might be open to a part two if enough people want it. enjoyyyy :)

masterlist | NFL Masterlists | Justin Herbert Masterlist

You swore you could handle casual. When you started whatever you had going on with Justin, you swore you were the kind of person who could have a casual relationship, but now you aren’t so sure. When Justin asked you out four months ago, you never would’ve expected to be where you are now. It had all been going so well. The dates had been everything you could’ve asked for and more, and Justin was the perfect gentleman. It all began to go downhill after your third date. You had invited Justin into your apartment when he dropped you off, your intentions clear, and he had followed you inside. You two had been sitting on the couch when things began to get serious, the kiss you were sharing heating up.

Justin pulled away, looking slightly guilty. “I feel like I need to be honest with you about something before this goes any further.”

“Um, yeah, okay,” you were a little confused, but you let him speak.

“Look, because of the job I have, I really can’t do anything serious right now. I know I’ve probably led you on a little bit, but I swear I’ve never had any intentions to hurt you,” he stared at you, looking nervous.

“That’s okay!” you speak up too quickly for your liking. “We don’t have to stop unless that’s what you want. I can do casual.” Surely, you could. It couldn’t be that different from a normal relationship.

“You sure? I don’t wanna overstep if casual isn’t something you’re comfortable with.”

“Yeah, of course. No strings attached. Just having fun.”

As Justin leaned back in, you were thinking that this could definitely work. Justin was great, and this would keep him in your life without overstepping any boundaries. You could do casual.

~~

Turns out, you can’t do casual. You’ve been trying to stay normal, but you realized two days ago that you were falling for Justin, hard. You’d been keeping it to yourself, not wanting to scare him away, but it’s getting more and more difficult. He’s just so sweet, and the things he tends to do for you simply cannot be casual.

Is it casual when he plays with the ends of your hair before you get out of bed in the morning? Is it casual for him, even though he keeps all your favorite snacks at his place for when you have movie nights? If it’s casual, why does he keep a drawer free so you have space to keep a few clothes at his place? If it’s casual, why does he know you better than you know yourself? Why has he gotten you your favorite flowers every two weeks since you went on that first date with him? Why does he know “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is the perfect movie to cheer you up after a long day? If it’s casual for him, why is he acting like he’s in love with you?

Eventually, it had gotten to a point where you couldn’t stand lying to him or yourself anymore. After four months of no strings, you had to talk to him. You finally got the chance one night when he invited you over for a movie night. Before the movie got started, you decided it was time to break the news.

“Justin… I actually think we need to talk,” you wiped your hands on your pants, feeling them already starting to sweat from the nerves.

“Oh! Uh, yeah, sure. What’s up?”

“I just really need to say this, and I know you probably won’t like it, but I need you to listen until I finish,” you pause, waiting for him to nod. “Okay, so, I just feel like we’ve definitely crossed some lines in this arrangement, ya know? Like we both have a drawer at each other’s places. We’re spending the night together, and sometimes, we hang out without even having sex. I just… this isn’t what we originally agreed to,” you were avoiding saying what you were truly feeling.

“So we’ll step back some? I don’t know. That doesn’t seem like something to be worried abou-”

“I caught feelings for you, Justin,” he just stares at you, shocked, “I know we said no feelings, but we’ve just gotten a little too close. We don’t have to stop or anything. I’m a big girl. I can handle-”

“No. No, we should stop,” he cuts you off, and it’s your turn to stare.

“Seriously?”

“We said no strings. I told you I can’t do relationships because of my job. If you have feelings for me, this needs to stop now before it can get worse.”

“Right,” you stood robotically, grabbing your things and walking out of Justin’s house with tears in your eyes. The worst part? He didn’t even try to stop you. Somehow, with one sentence, you ruined something that could’ve been so good for you, that had been so good for you.

~~

Now, it had been three months since that night, and you hadn’t spoken to Justin since. You’ve been going through the motions, just doing a fairly normal routine to make it through your day. You wake up, get dressed, go home, shower, cry while you eat your sorrows away, sleep, and then do it all again the next day. Nothing has felt right since your breakup with Justin, if that’s what you would even call. How can you break up with someone you were never really dating. 

You’ve found your confidence to be much lower recently, too. You couldn’t count the amount of time you’ve wondered where you went wrong. Why did you have to tell him? Why would he not even try? Why didn’t he follow you? Today, you found the answer.

You had decided that a day out would do you some good, so since you had the day off, you got dressed and walked around the city. You were about to go into one of your favorite coffee shops, one that you had brought Justin to many times. As you neared the door, you caught a glimpse of something that shattered your heart in a second. There sat Justin across from some girl you’ve never seen, looking too close to just be friends. You watched as she stood, kissing his cheek before she wandered off to the bathroom. A bright smile made its way onto Justin’s face, a smile you had never managed to bring out of him. With your heart broken all over again, you made your way to a close friend’s place. It was closer than yours, and you knew you didn’t want to be alone right now.

He had told you he couldn’t be in a relationship, but what he really meant was that he couldn’t be in a relationship with you. The questions began to set in again. Were you not pretty enough? Not popular enough? Did he need someone in the same tax bracket as him? Did he really just not like you? Did he think you weren’t good enough for him? Was he lying the entire time, every time he told you how special you were to him

Even with all the questions you had, you knew two things for sure. You were done with Justin Herbert, and you definitely could not do casual.

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[tuptastic]

watcher!xisuma headcanon headcanons (links to the initial post!)

Xisuma keeps forgetting he doesn't have wings anymore every time he tries to engage in any form of wing gesture or language and has to pause to think. Made worse by the fact he used to have two sets of them.

However being raised by winged folk very much means he finds comfort in wings so sometimes when he's stressed out a winged servermate will find him to cover him up and help comfort him and help him calm down

Barely anyone remembers what he used to look like before his code was reset and he took on his Admin-form. Xisuma himself doesn't remember. It's almost like the code reset to let him exist with his players really tried to get rid of all of him...

There is absolutely nowhere he can technically safely breathe. While he won't die straight away in some atmospheres, which is why he can sometimes get away with just a lower mask for his lungs, he wasn't meant to exist in his current form and the world is really just out to get him the majority of the time. Too much prolonged exposure to the air can cause him a lot of pain and glitches that are difficult to repair or that hurt.

Xisuma has a Binary Form, which is related to his code reset (he is one of a few who has this form). It's technically his actual appearance, with his player-model being cast overtop of it due to the blank-slate of the Binary Form. It is an all-white humanoid figure with three sets of eyes (Xisuma has two on his left and one on his right), beetle-like wings that hover behind their back, and a waist, neck, and elbows detached and reconnected by 'tubes' containing binary code. Xisuma's also has pointed ears, as does his player model, his facial scar, and a large scar across the chest from damage he took from the coding reset. In this form he's extremely quick, but has very low defenses and hit tolerance and can be taken down fairly easily, and is unable to wear armor in this form due to its unstable nature. It's because of this he chooses to use the cover of his player model, which, while it takes energy to maintain, keeps him safer and better protected.

Hermitcraft's first watcher, Poppy, had a world before hermitcraft that she lost to a world corruption. Because of the extreme way in which she lost her players, she chose for a long period of time to separate herself from them and not to allow herself to interact directly with them.

Almost all of Poppy's nicknames for Xisuma involve some variation of "little xyz". The most common are "little galaxy" and "little bird", though the second has become more of a fond recollection over time as he, well, no longer has wings unless he loses his player model cover.

Ex formed when Xisuma's player model reset. It was difficult for them at first to figure each other out, but the two are fairly close, even if it doesn't seem like it. They like to spend time (elytra, lmao too many wings here) flying together (even if sometimes they end up knocking each other out of the sky). Poppy is very fond of him. Her son and his weird twin brother he dragged home one day out of the trash.

hermitcraft eventually deals with conflict from a rogue watcher specifically related to Poppy and her previous world. It is incredibly rough and in the process of her trying to get rid of them a secondary world corruption almost occurs, and a LOT more. (I'd tell more about how that goes, but I want to save it for some artwork and maybe some writing (and gauge interest in seeing this event lol)

Im having a good time

[narrans]

A Small and Tall Collection | Chapter Seventeen

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Chapter Seventeen | Frostbitten Find

Dorian and Rey crouched in the snow by the banks of the stream, admiring the way the water bounced and glistened over the rocks under the surface. Everything was starting to melt. The piles of ash gray snow scraped off of the roads. The ice coated limbs and branches from nearby trees. The sheets of ice on the roof.

It was still cold, but it was nothing like that Christmas night three months ago. It was still terrifying to remember. Rey and Dorian both still were having nightmares about it. A dark, shadowy figure towering above them. The two of them being no bigger than their little friend, Ashlynn, as they tried running from the man. The sound of Soren’s scream of pain reverberating all around them.

It had been better and, reluctantly, the boys had returned to sleeping in their own beds a while ago. It was still a comfort when Soren allowed them to spend the night with him. Nothing felt scary when he was around, even the dangerous stuff.

Now, however, wasn’t one of those times. There was a little metal pipe that led to a makeshift creek in their neighborhood. It wasn’t very deep, unless it was storming heavily. Maybe a foot or so deep by two feet wide. It had obviously been carved by the storm drains that weaved in and around the neighborhood when it was first put in, and it was the local HOA that had decided to make it more aesthetic within the past year.

On occasion, Soren would let them go out there on their own and play. It was one of those things that he hoped they could bond over, their love of water and nature. It also was a good exercise for both Soren and the boys to not be together constantly. The two younger siblings needed to experience limited independence, and time by the creek let them do just that.

So, that’s where they were. Playing in the stream was fun, especially in the fall when they made sure the creek could flow smoothly from one end to the next. During the winter, however, they needed games to occupy themselves by the water’s edge, and they had just the thing.

They’d collected little bits of sticks, twigs, and leaves and were racing them down the stream. So far, Rey was winning.

“How do you keep doing that?” huffed Dorian. “My leaves look exactly like yours.”

“I’m just lucky,” grinned Rey. “Do you want to trade?”

“Maybe,” Dorian grumbled. “If I don’t win the next one, I want to pick one from your pile.”

“Okay, but if I win then that gives me a whole ten and I should get a prize.” The youngest had a confident gleam in his eyes, almost teasing his own downfall. Dorian sighed. He knew what his younger brother wanted.

“No! I don’t want to give it to you,” he puffed.

“Hey, you wanted to do prizes if we reached double digits. If you win next time we play, you can get it back,” pointed out Rey. Dorian sighed and, reluctantly, the two boys shook on the terms. “Okay? Three. Two. One. Go!” They dropped their decaying, frayed leaves into the creek and ran alongside them as they bumped and spun around the water. Down one waterfall. Across the bumpy stones. The two boys cheered wildly, unable to alter their makeshift vessels’ fate, as Rey’s leaf crossed the finish line first.

“No!”

“Yeah!”

“Can we make it the next one?”

“No, now hand it over. You shook on it.” Rey held out his hand expectantly and, with a sour face, Dorian shoved his hand into his pocket and slapped a game cartridge into Rey’s awaiting palm. The cartridge was a video game set they both enjoyed, and it was one that Soren said he played when he was a kid. Sometimes, when they were allowed to play games, Soren would let them play on his old Nintendo Gameboy. Now that Rey had the cartridge, he would get dibs to play first when they went back inside for lunch.

“Thank you,” Rey grinned.

“You’re welcome.” Dorian didn’t want to, but he did shake on it. A deal was a deal, even if he didn’t like it.

“Want to play again? We can bet something else and start from scratch,” suggested Rey. Dorian, feeling disheartened, sighed heavily and kicked a nearby rock into the water.

“Fine, but only if I get to use one of your leaves!”

“Deal, not that it’ll help you,” teased Rey as both boys bounded back up the slope. Chests heaving, they continued their climb and were almost to the top when Rey noticed something drop out of the storm drain. He wouldn’t have paid it any mind, but watching it pass as it began drifting down the creek made him stop dead in his tracks.

“What? It’s just leaves,” Dorian muttered between puffs of air.

Rey looked between Dorian and the dark lump as he said, “Leaves don’t have hands.” With that, Rey darted back down the stream before the bumpy rocks and tugged his glove off of his hand. He dipped it into the frigid water just as the lump started to drift by and snagged it with his fingers.

The moment he lifted the mass out of the water, Rey felt a chill surge through his body. It wasn’t because of the cold water on his fingertips. It wasn’t the sound of Soren calling them from their garage telling them to come back because it was getting late.

It was because he could make out the distinct wound on the small figures head.

His eyes were wide. The child’s heart was skipping every few beats as he examined the miniscule person. She had different features than Ashlynn, but it was still obvious that they were the same kind of person. If Rey was right, this one was a girl too.

Her arms were laying limp, along with the rest of her body, and it was obvious she was unconscious. She was wearing furs and other heavy pieces of clothing. There were tears in her boots and parts of her looked stiff, almost like they were frozen. There was something that looked like a bow and arrow on her back and, with her cloak off to the side, Rey noticed what looked like a rusty nail at her side.

“What on earth are you – oh….” Dorian’s voice trailed off when he made it back to where Rey was standing by the creek. His eyes widened as he noticed the things Rey did. “There’s another one? Do you think Ashlynn knows her?”

“I don’t know, but I think we need to get her back to Soren. She looks frozen,” muttered Rey, lowering his voice like how he would talk to Ashlynn. “You don’t think she’s… you know… dead… do you?” Dorian shook his head and carefully pointed to the wound on her head.

“That looks fresh, so no I don’t think so. And I think you’re right. Let’s get back asap!”

~~~^*^*^~~~

“So, that’s what makes a fajita?” asked Ashlynn. She continued to slice up the part of pepper Soren had given her so she could have a few things her size to eat. Soren struggled cutting things small and fine enough for Ashlynn to eat, so instead he’d been giving cooking lessons to her for the past three months. Between Rey and Soren’s inventions and Dorian’s suggestions for dinner and snacks, they had a plethora of things to learn and discuss.

The boys had, together, made a miniature kitchen on one of the counter spaces for Ashlynn. It had a proper counter, a makeshift candle stove and oven, and even a washing station. It had taken nearly a month to convince Ashlynn that having a space of her own down in the boys’ home would be beneficial. It took even longer for Ashlynn to admit that she liked staying down with the boys doing anything and everything. She wasn’t sure if it was her loneliness that drove her down into the human world more and more often, but Ashlynn had stopped fighting those urges that told her to retreat back into the walls every time one of the boys approached her.

She’d even moved her campsite to beneath the floorboards of Soren’s room because their late night conversations left her going home exhausted, and that climb was tedious when she was tired and planned to be back down the very next morning.

During those conversations, Ashlynn learned a lot about Soren, and he learned a lot about her. Things she wouldn’t usually tell someone were things he was able to tease out of her. Things about her parents and everything that happened between them to lead to her father leaving. She talked about her brother and how he hated her because she’d lied about what happened to their dad.

She talked about how she thought she’d been seen in the place she was living before and with everything going on she decided to leave. The rules. Things she wanted out of life. What she would do if she were human for a day. Dreams.

Soren returned the information in kind. He talked about his own dad and how he’d gotten sick. He talked about how Brady came into his life and how, in the beginning, things seemed alright; at least, until the accident. One night after drinking too much, Brady had crashed the car. Soren’s mom was in the front seat, and they were having a fight before the crash. Soren only remembered because his mom had told him crying from the bathroom saying that it was over between her and Brady and to protect the boys no matter what.

Soren talked about his dream of wanting to be a doctor to help cure people of the thing that took his dad from him, but how all of that came to a screeching halt when he assumed custody of his brothers. He joined the firefighters and never looked back. It was a good gig. He was able to spend time with his brothers and even bring them into the station on occasion.

Real conversation. Raw. Meaningful. It was a connection that Ashlynn had been craving since the day she left, and now she’d found it again with the boys in her life.

And she wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Yep, that’s all it is. Of course, you need the seasonings and everything, but peppers, onions, and usually some kind of meat mixed together,” replied Soren. He glanced to the front door and then at the kitchen door that led to the garage. “And then you add all of the other fixings like sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and anything else that might suit your fancy on tortillas or chips.” He sighed and wiped his hands on a crumpled dishcloth on the counter. “Where are those two?”

“They were by the creek, right?” asked Ashlynn. “Do you need to go look for them?”

“No, but if they’re not back in a few minutes, I’m g-”

“Soren!” Dorian’s voice, muffled from the walls in the garage, instantly sent a chill down his brother’s spine. Something’s wrong. Soren was at the door in the blink of an eye, throwing the door open and scanning the space for his brother. The eldest brother noticed Dorian running ahead while Rey, who was way behind him, was walking calmly, one step in front of the other, with his hands cupped in front of him.

“Dorian? What is it? What’s wrong?” asked Soren as he knelt and grasped Dorian’s shoulders, seeking any clue in his brother’s face as to what was going on.

“We… found…” Dorian puffed. “Another… one.”

The statement was stunning. “Another one? Another wh…” Soren’s voice trailed off. “You mean…”

“Yeah! By the creek… Rey saw… something floating in… the water and… snagged… her. She’s… not awake… and I think… she has a… cut… on her head,” stated Dorian between breaths. Soren glanced from one brother to the next. Rey was just barely on the other side of the road, walking carefully and focused on something cradled in his hands.

“Um… alright. You said she’s hurt? Then get the first aid kit from under the sink, tell Ashlynn, and get some towels and put them on the table,” instructed Soren. “And let Ashlynn know. She’ll be able to help us.” He left Dorian to scurry into the house.

Ashlynn, who only picked up on the worried tones as her focus was elsewhere, glanced toward the slightly cracked door that Soren had left open as he stepped outside. She was drying her hands on a snippet of dish cloth when Dorian burst through the door, making her instinctually reach for the pin she no longer carried at her side, and looked into the child’s discombobulated features.

“Dorian? What’s wrong?” she asked. There were dozens of emotions in the boy’s face, but it didn’t matter. His words were what truly seized her attention.

“Ashlynn, we need your help. Rey and I… we were playing by the creek and…” He paused for a breath, obviously trying to calm down his excitement, before continuing. “We found someone, another – like you. We think she’s hurt, so we need to get the table ready and th-”

Ashlynn felt completely frozen in place. The words continued, but she didn’t register them. He stopped speaking. Paused. Then carried on. As Dorian bounded past and asked if she wanted some help getting onto the table, all she could think was the same word over and over.

Another.

There was someone else. There was another Borrower, and they were hurt.

What had happened? Why were they here? Did Ashlynn know them? How badly were they hurt? More concerning… what would they think if they saw Ashlynn? What would they say once they saw her out in the open?

The questions felt like rocks weighing down her stomach, but the sudden eclipsing face of Dorian standing in front of her took priority to her scattered thoughts.

“Ashlynn? You okay?” asked Dorian.

The Borrower nodded vaguely, the need to clear her throat apparent as she finally was able to respond with a weak, “Yeah. I mean, yes, please.” She stepped onto the child’s waiting hand, clutching on for dear life as he spun around and walked at a pace that he obviously thought was slow and steady. He set Ashlynn down and began unfolding the different kits, but didn’t get far as her eyes picked up movement from the kitchen door.

Soren walked alongside Rey, who was stepping heel to toe slowly, and stepped around his youngest brother to check that the supplies Dorian was in charge of were laid out. A cup of water would’ve gone unspilled if it were placed on Rey’s head, each step placed carefully. It reminded Ashlynn of how she walked on squeaky floorboards.

Have they been picking that up from me? Or has he always been this careful?

“Here. Put her here,” said Dorian as he pet the towel he’d snagged from the bathroom.

“I’m gonna,” Rey breathed. He stepped up to the table, eyes flicking momentarily to Ashlynn, before setting down the unconscious figure onto the comfortable surface. Ashlynn picked up on the way the Borrower was dressed. Heavy. Thick. Meant to keep in the warm. Not meant for a quick trip.

It was everything she had when she was running from her own home. So, this Borrower was either seen and running or she’s an Outie. Ashlynn nearly tripped on the edge of the blanket, taking an involuntary step forward that she didn’t realize she’d taken. Thankfully, she recovered from her stumble by covering it up as her crouching beside the newcomer.

Already, she could see a few obvious injuries. There was a clear gash on her temple that started above her left eyebrow and ended almost at her ear. There were a few smaller scratches next to the larger laceration, as if she’d ducked something clawing at her face that had barely missed her eye, but it wasn’t deep. There was also part of a splint on her ankle, but it was loose and in bad shape.

There was also some dark staining by the top of her right shoulder, but Ashlynn couldn’t tell anything without removing the Borrower’s clothing.

“Ashlynn?” Soren’s voice made her startle. She looked back at him, soothed by those golden hazel orbs, and let herself relax.

“Yes? Sorry. Did you say something?” she asked.

“No, I didn’t. Sorry. I just…. Do you know her?” Ashlynn searched the woman’s features and shook her head. “Well, regardless we need to help her.” Despite Soren’s words, he didn’t move. Neither boy did either. It was a solid minute before Ashlynn directed her attention to the boys, who were looking at her hesitantly.

“What?”

“Well… um… you’re kind of… the same,” pointed out Rey.

“And? It’s not like you haven’t seen someone small like me.”

She wasn’t sure what the child was trying to imply until Soren added, “And we remember what you said about the rules and the whole touching thing. Just trying to be respectful is all. We don’t want to start moving her around while you’re standing here if it’ll make you uncomfortable.”

That’s right… the rules… No touching. How… how did I forget?

“I… er… right.” Ashlynn’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. She hoped her size played to her advantage and that the boys couldn’t see the pink in her cheeks. To distract, she knelt and began methodically pulling off different pieces of equipment. The knots were simple and easy to remove, as were the weapons. Ashlynn counted nearly a dozen different implements in total that could be used to stab and slice attached to different hiding spots on the stranger’s body.

It was awkward having three humans watching her. She wasn’t sure if she could feel their breath on her neck or if it was just her imagination. There were other things to focus on, but the thought lingered in the back of her mind. It actually wasn’t until she began removing some of the heavier pieces of clothing that she began feeling uneasy.

I need them to back off a bit.

“Um… guys? Could…” Ashlynn thought quickly of something – anything – she could request to get the boys out of her hair for just a minute. “Um… could you… get some warm water? And some towels? She’ll probably need to be cleaned up. Small and big pieces if that’s okay.”

“Yeah! Absolutely,” Rey said eagerly as he tugged Dorian’s shoulder and the two hurried around the corner to the bathroom. Once out of earshot, Soren knelt and looked at Ashlynn. It was that golden hazel stare Ashlynn feared would happen. She only glimpsed his eyes, but she knew what was coming. Every time he looked at her like that, one of two things happened. One, she felt self-conscious as her skin burned and her heart fluttered like a butterfly in spring. Two, he was reading her mind.

She guessed it was the later.

“Ashlynn.” There it was. That tone he took. It was the second. “What’s wrong?” Was it even worth trying to deceive him? He was able to discern so much at a glance. Could she keep her mind and body steady as she attempted to throw him off?

No. He… Soren’s earned the truth. He’ll guess it anyway.

“It’s… I’ve just forgotten a few things. And it’s weird, being on the other side of it all,” Ashlynn muttered. She heard the human beside her sigh, obviously in understanding, before pushing himself off of the ground and heading to the kitchen to warm some water.

A minute of silence passed, the only sound being the youngest two’s muffled voices as they excitedly cut pieces of washcloth into different sizes, before Soren asked, “Do you want us to leave you two alone? So you can work on her and be undisturbed?”

Ashlynn shook her head as she stood and walked to the edge of the table so Soren could hear her, quickly responding, “No. I… I don’t want to be alone right now with her. I know I should want to be alone, for her sake, but not yet. If we can get her patched up quickly and then close to the walls, I can take her back to my camp before she knows she was s…”

“Wh…”

The sharp inhalation just behind Ashlynn sent chills up her spine. She whipped around to see the Borrower woman, eyes blown wide open, attempting to scurry away while prone. Each movement made her wince, but it was obvious fear was driving her adrenaline to do her bidding. It was obvious that she saw where she was and who was in the room, which was Ashlynn’s worst nightmare.

The Borrower’s eyes quickly flicked down at her sides as she searched for the weapons that were obviously too far away for her to grab before shifting from Ashlynn and then back to Soren. There was only wilderness in the Borrower’s eyes. Primal fear. Terror. Concern. The Borrower rules playing over and over in her mind. Ashlynn immediately knew the feeling, but something else stung more than the fear in the Borrower’s eyes.

Betrayal.

Pet.

Ashlynn could see the word in her face as if it were written there in ink.

I need to fix this. Before things happen and she gets hurt.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Ashlynn said as she crouched to be at eye-level with her fellow Borrower. “I get it. There’s a lot going on in your head right now, but you’re hurt. W-…er… I… can help.”

The Borrower’s face twisted in disbelief as she clenched and unclenched her jaw. Her eyes darted in between Ashlynn, Soren, and the removed weapons. The feeling of vulnerability – being small – radiated off of her like the smell of mildew on her clothes. Ashlynn knew what she had to do, and it would take nothing short of a miracle for her to be able to pull it off.

Ashlynn continued to crouch as she shifted her weight and inched her way to the weapons. She snagged one of them, a rusty thumb tack dulled from overuse, and held it up. The Borrower’s eyes gleamed venomously, but surprise overtook her features as Ashlynn tossed it over to her.

“I get it,” Ashlynn said quietly, like coaxing a mouse to her side. “You’re hurt. Your supplies are probably low. This is all probably a lot right now. Your mind’s racing. You’re having thoughts, doubts, about me, but I swear it’s not what you think. So, please, let me help you and I’ll explain everything.”

With little hesitation, the Borrower leaned forward and snatched the rusted tack. She didn’t back up, but she didn’t lower her guard either. She kept the tack by her side and continued to eye Ashlynn suspiciously. The tension was thick in the air, like snow in a blizzard. Nothing could be predicted more than a few inches in front of their faces. It was instinct alone that guided the next steps.

Ashlynn continued to crouch as she approached, snagging a bandage fragment from the nearby kit as she did. Each movement was slow and methodical. Each movement met scrutiny and a hostile glare. She was only an inch away when, to her dismay, Ashlynn heard more pounding footsteps.

No. Dorian and Rey!

“Soren! Ashlynn! We’ve got the towel for y-” Dorian said, stopping in his tracks as he noticed the scene on the table.

“Oh good! You’re awake. We were r-” Rey began to say before everything else happened.

Ashlynn had turned her head just a fraction to the side to glimpse Dorian and Rey, but evidently that was what the new Borrower was waiting for.

In an instant, she slashed her tack at Ashlynn’s face, bitterness seething in her features as Ashlynn pulled away in the nick of time. Ashlynn had only a moment as the newcomer swung wildly again, slicing at the air in an attempt to cut the Borrower before her.

“Ashlynn!”

All three boys said her name at the same time and took a bold step forward, but Ashlynn threw up her hands and shouted, “Stay back!” The Borrower stood shakily, confusion only a glint in her wild eyes as she noticed all three of the humans stop dead in their tracks. It didn’t stop her though.

The new Borrower, obviously determined, began slicing and cutting at the air, missing Ashlynn by millimeters. Weeks of good eating and practice being nimble while the two young boys carried her was obviously doing her some good. She blocked over a dozen blows, whacking the inside of her attacker’s wrists to deflect the oncoming attack. Frustration drove the Borrower as she stabbed forward, aiming for Ashlynn’s chest.

But she was ready.

As the Borrower lunged, Ashlynn dodged across the body and wrapped her arm around her attacker’s arm, keeping the makeshift blade far away from her. With a quick hit to her hand, the new Borrower was once again defenseless as the thumb tack clattered to the table. Ashlynn, barely a breath away from the Borrower, could see every detail of her emotions as they changed in rapid succession.

Rage.

Frustration.

Betrayal again.

Pet.

Ashlynn forced herself to look past all of that to see the true fear, remembering everything she felt when she was trapped in the drawer, hurt and alone. The scene was undoubtedly an alarming one, and not knowing who to trust didn’t make things any easier.

So, as she stared her in the eyes, Ashlynn breathed calmly and spoke as reassuringly as she could. “I know what this must look like.” Each word was slow and deliberate, barely above a whisper so only the two of them could hear. “But you’re hurt. You’re weakened. Let me help you. I swear, they – the humans – won’t bother us if I ask them to.”

Ashlynn kept a firm grip on the Borrower’s arm, forcing the stranger’s gaze, and watched the realization of being beaten sink in. There were hints of doubt in her features as well. To prove it, Ashlynn would have to send the boys away. It was unideal. It was dangerous.

Ashlynn had no other choice if she wanted to earn some modicum of trust.

“Guys, could you leave us?” called Ashlynn, the volume of her voice making the new Borrower wince. The boys were obviously uneasy, but a quick nod from Soren made the two brothers begin to back away. Soren, however, remained stationary. His eyes were fixed on the two of them. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder to feel the human’s eyes on them.

“Soren, go.” Ashlynn directed again.

Soren, clenching his jaw and his fists just for a moment, grabbed a bowl, filled it with warm water, and carefully set it on the table as he passed. He also snagged the cloth fragments from Dorian’s cupped hands and set them down on the opposite end of the table. For just a moment, he shot a warning glance at the stranger, making her shiver visibly, before turning his back on the two Borrowers and ushering his brothers into his room.

“If you need anything, shout,” instructed Soren as he vanished around the corner with his brothers. And if you get hurt, I swear she’ll regret it, Soren thought silently.

Nearly five minutes passed before Ashlynn felt the stranger’s body relax in her grip, which was still firm around her arm. The thought of letting go was daunting, but Ashlynn knew she couldn’t earn trust by restraining the new Borrower. Ensuring she had her attention, Ashlynn gave a little tug and squared her shoulders.

“When I let go, you’re going to stay calm. Got it? Don’t reach for your weapons. Don’t charge off of the table. You play nice and I’ll play nice.” Ashlynn made sure understanding was in her eyes before slowly releasing her arm. Immediately, Ashlynn took a few large steps backward and snagged the thumb tack off of the ground. The stranger’s chest heaved, but she didn’t move. Instead, her eyes flicked to the corner where the brothers had disappeared.

“Don’t worry. They’ll stay away unless I call them back,” reassured Ashlynn. She dared to turn her back to the stranger as she collected the other weapons and pushed them as far away as possible. Turning back, she asked, “Now, do you want help? Or do you think you can help yourself?”

The stranger glared at Ashlynn as her eyes flicked from the bowl of still steaming water to the bandages Ashlynn stood beside. She winced as she forced herself to her feet and staggered over to the bowl of water, eyes wide at the vastness of the bowl. Slowly, the Borrower pulled off a few more layers and examined her blood stained shirt. She pealed it back, obviously evaluating whatever wound was underneath, before dipping her hands into the water to wash them.

Now scrubbed, she began washing the drying blood from her forehead, getting nowhere fast. Ashlynn took the moment to grab the towel fragments from the edge of the table and, cautiously, brought them closer and closer. Like a frightened animal, every little motion made the newcomer twitch. The offering of perfectly sized towel fragments did nothing to ease the stranger’s apprehension. All while she scrubbed, she shot warning glances at Ashlynn to stay away.

Hurt lingered in her eyes.

Minutes passed.

Finally, after half an hour of silence and Ashlynn quietly bringing supply after supply within reaching distance, the stranger spoke.

“Why are you here?” Her voice was gruff and low. She was trying to keep her voice from being heard by Soren and his brothers. Ashlynn had to think about the question for a moment. Here could mean a lot of things. Here as in helping her? Or here as in here in the human world?

“I’m not sure what you m-”

“How long have you been their pet?” asked the Borrower. Ashlynn bristled at the question. Her blood boiled. She gritted her teeth and glared at the stranger. It took everything she had to not storm off right then and there.

“I am no pet. Get that through your head right now.” The words came out more threatening than Ashlynn wanted, but just the word made her stomach churn.

I’m not a pet. I’m not a pet. I’m their friend. I’m not a pet.

“Then what are you? How do you get them to listen to you?” spat the Borrower. “And what kind of deal do you have with them?”

“I’m their friend, and they’re mine. Friends listen to one another, so there’s no deal going on,” Ashlynn responded in kind. “I can come and go as I please.”

“Then I ask again – why are you here?” There was desperation in the other’s voice. It was a legitimate question, and one that deserved an answer.

“I guess… I choose to be here,” replied Ashlynn. “I was like you. Alone. Afraid. Hurt. Sick. I was found and thought it was going to be the end of me, but they patched me up and let me go.”

“Were they the ones who hurt you? Poisoned you? Made you sick?” scoffed the Borrower as she shook her head in disbelief. “Do you even know how you sound? Friends? With a human?”

Ashlynn’s heart began racing. She felt herself trembling, each statement feeling like a punch to the gut. Each question was valid, and she had to admit that some of those answers did involve the boys. Poisoned? No, but she’d eaten after them when they were sick. So, technically, they did make her sick. Her arm had been dislocated because of Dorian, so the answer was yes to that question as well.

She balled her fists and kept her chin up while suppressing these thoughts, not having a good answer to give the stranger.

“Just like I thought,” muttered the stranger. “You’re no Borrower. You’re nothing but a pet.”

“Enough!” growled Ashlynn as she met the Borrower’s gaze and glared. Her heart was pounding, and it was obvious the stranger’s words were getting to her. She didn’t care. She was going to speak her mind, regardless of the consequences. “Those boys – my friends – were the ones who found you and brought you here. You’re getting patched up by their things that they gave willingly.”

“I didn’t ask to be saved, and if you were a real Borrower then you would’ve rejected their so-called help too,” the stranger growled back. “Humans and Borrowers can’t be friends. You’re being tricked by them, but none of you are going to trick me.”

Ashlynn stared down this new Borrower, loathing every moment subjected to her presence, and simply replied, “It’s no trick, and I don’t care if you don’t believe me. When you’re patched up and resupply, you can be on your way.”

She turned away and stormed off to the supply box where she knew Soren kept crackers and tugged a few free from the package and practically threw them at the stranger’s pack. All the while, the stranger didn’t let Ashlynn out of her sight. Only once was there a flicker of surprise as she saw Ashlynn beginning to resupply her pack, but no gratitude was uttered and only skeptic distrust filled her eyes.

She’d had enough.

She marched to the edge of the table and, with all the breath in her body, called, “Soren!”

The Borrower jumped, eyeing her weapons once again, but instead crouching behind the immense bowl of water now stained brown and red from her blood and dirt. Ashlynn heard the quick thumps of Soren’s approaching feet and turned toward the Borrower.

“Remember this kindness, from one Borrower to another, and remember you can be safe here. They didn’t have to save you, and they don’t have to let you go – but they’re going to. Remember that,” Ashlynn said quietly. In an instant, Soren had whipped around the corner, a hint of fear in his eyes as he assessed the scene. Seeing Ashlynn standing there, perfectly safe, his body visibly relaxed as he turned to Ashlynn for direction.

“Everything okay?” he breathed. Ashlynn wasn’t sure how to answer that question. In a word, she felt raw. Emotions swirled like a whirlpool in her heart and mind. She didn’t think the stranger’s words would hurt her so much, but the constriction in her throat that strangled her voice told her otherwise.

Ashlynn nodded instead and stepped up to the edge of the table, gesturing for Soren to approach. She hoped his mind reading would pick up on everything she was feeling and keep her from breaking in front of the one who had hurt her. As reliable as the sun’s rising and falling, Soren did just that. He stepped up and rested his hand on the table, letting her step on wordlessly, and steadied her as he carried her out of the room.

He walked past his bedroom where Ashlynn glimpsed the eager faces of the two young boys she’d come to care for like her own brother and into the bathroom where he quickly flicked on the light, shut the door, and set her down onto the bathroom sink, though she didn’t move a muscle. She stayed crouched there in Soren’s hand as the stranger’s words repeated over and over in her head, head dipped as she closed her eyes.

Humans and Borrowers can’t be friends. You’re being tricked by them, but none of you are going to trick me.

Do you even know how you sound? Friends? With a human?

You’re no Borrower. You’re nothing but a pet.

Pet.

Pet.

Pet.

You’re no Borrower.

She felt Soren’s fingertips press against her back, and she couldn’t bring herself to pull away from such a tender touch. It didn’t quiet the echoing words, but it pulled her other senses to the present. At least, enough to hear Soren.

“Ashlynn, you’re shaking all over. Please, what happened?” The gentle urge in Soren’s voice was saturated with concern. It was heart crushing. There was so much care in his voice. Such tenderness.

Ashlynn dared to open her eyes only to be met with blurred vision. Her eyes continued to sting as she tried blinking, realizing only when reaching up that tears were the reason she couldn’t focus her gaze. She tried wiping them away, but it was no use. Suddenly, with no say or control, a sob erupted out of her. The Borrower’s heart hammered relentlessly. Everything felt warm, making her want to crawl away into the shadows.

But she didn’t.

Instead, some impulse overtook her as she laid down in Soren’s hand and curled into a ball. Eyes averted, Ashlynn dared not look at him now. It was too embarrassing. It was too personal. How could she even begin to describe what she was going through?

To be accused of not being what she was, and the sense that the accusation was right, was crushing. It called everything good that had been going on for the past few months into question.

Is she right? Am I really not a Borrower anymore? I’m not a human, and I don’t remember the last time I really had to “borrow” anything. I… have I really changed so much? Am I really so different now? What’s… next? What do I do?

Please…

Please…

Someone… help me.

I don’t know anymore!

“Ashlynn, please.” Soren’s touch suddenly ceased, the pressure against her back easing until it was gone. “Is… it me? Is it that stranger out there? If she did something to you, I c-.” Ashlynn shook her head, which silenced her human counterpart. The two of them stayed in silence for a minute more as Ashlynn’s breathing began to calm.

I need to calm down. I can’t think clearly if I have a headache from crying like a weakling. Ashlynn pushed herself upright and wiped her eyes on the inside of her shirt. As if on cue, Soren offered just a fragment of tissue he’d pinched, which Ashlynn took gratefully. She stayed curled up, knees to her chest, but at least now she was upright.

Words were never Ashlynn’s strong suit, but something about talking to Soren always felt natural. She relied on that as she wiped her eyes once more.

“She didn’t really… do… anything. It’s not her fault. I… I heard some things from her that are messing with me. That’s all,” stated Ashlynn quietly. She glanced up into Soren’s golden hazel eyes, warmth spreading back through her shivering limbs.

“What kind of things? Is she in danger? Are you?”

“No… no. Nothing like that.” Ashlynn felt her chest clench as she summoned the words. “She… basically said that I’ve gone soft. That I’m not a… well… what I am.” The tension, like tendrils fastening themselves to her and consuming bits and pieces of her insides, now crawled up her throat and ensnared her vocal cords. More tears slid down Ashlynn’s cheeks. “S-she…”

Curses! Get it out!

“Sh-sh-she c-called me a p-pet.”

Ashlynn couldn’t stop the second round of sobs racking her body. She buried her face into her folded arms which rested on top of her knees and let herself shake. The reassuring pressure of Soren’s fingertips returned, spreading warmth as they did. He didn’t need to think hard about it to know this was an extreme insult and a very hurtful statement, like a derogatory word meant to wound.

“Ashlynn, you know that’s not true, right? None of us – Dorian, Rey, me – would ever see you like that.”

“I know! I know, and I believe you, but it still hurts. And it calls everything into question.” Ashlynn’s frustration strangled her tone, making her words harsh and bitter.

“What do you mean?” asked Soren. Ashlynn frustratingly threw her arms in the air and let the words explode out of her.

“I mean everything, Soren! What am I doing out here? Do I plan on living like this for the rest of my life? What I am! There are rules and things you’re supposed to do. Don’t talk to humans. Don’t be seen. Immigrate if you think you’ve been noticed. Dozens of rules preventing exactly what is going on right now! I’ve basically been living with you guys, not around you guys. That’s not what a Borrower is supposed to do! It’s in the name! Borrow! If I’m not living in the walls and keeping to the shadows, then I’m not a real Borrower! It’s a fact!”

The flicker in Soren’s eyes matched perfectly with Ashlynn’s realization of what she just said. During her evacuation of emotion and swirling thoughts, she’d let it slip.

She told Soren what she was – a Borrower.

Her stunned silence followed by Soren obviously processing everything Ashlynn just said led to an awkward pause between them. It was the first one that had happened in a while, making Ashlynn feel like her skin was crawling. Something – anything – would be better than this.

“Has it really been so terrible? Staying with us?” asked Soren.

Well… anything except for that question. She detected his attempt at changing the subject, but the question was barely better than the rant or the silence that followed it.

“I… no… that’s not what I meant. It’s just… my life has meaning for me when I’m doing what I do best. I’m good at what I do. Being stealthy. Snagging things that won’t be missed. Surviving. I just… haven’t been doing that… for a while now,” said Ashlynn, once again drawing her legs and arms to her chest.

Soren watched Ashlynn’s crestfallen posture for a minute longer before reaching over and gently stroking her arm with his index finger. “I can’t imagine what that’s like,” he muttered. “But I do know that no one can tell you what or who you are except for you. What some stranger says doesn’t matter, Ashlynn. You know who you are.”

Soren heard a muffled, “Do I?” from Ashlynn as she buried her face in her folded arms once more. She sounded so sad. So broken. Soren wasn’t sure what he could say or do to make her feel better, but he could see that her mind was reeling with everything occurring through recent events.

Feeling absolutely sick to her stomach, Ashlynn knew nothing would come of her thoughts now. She needed to think.

She needed time.

It felt like it was taking every ounce of strength in her body to stand. Her knees felt like jelly. Those terrible tendrils of tension still had a death grip around her chest and her throat. Every breath was a struggle, especially an even one.

Soren watched Ashlynn stand and shakily step off of his hand and onto the bathroom counter. She looked exhausted, completely emotionally drained. It was a gut wrenching sight. She had been so excited for dinner earlier, and everything was going so smoothly until the stranger was brought into their home.

I guess cruelty through words exists no matter what size you are. Human or… Borrower. Soren thought about the word for a moment, barely suppressing a smile as he thought about how well that word fit Ashlynn. He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Ashlynn look up at him, tear streaks still slightly visible on her cheeks.

“I… I think I need a little time on my own… if that’s okay,” she said.

He wanted to say no. He wanted to insist that she stay. The last thing Soren thought Ashlynn needed was to be on her own. Soren also knew Ashlynn understood her own mind and what she needed. Making decisions for her wasn’t going to solve the issue or calm down whatever thoughts were going on in her head.

With a reluctant heart, Soren nodded slowly. “Okay, but… Ashlynn… don’t do anything rash or make any decisions right now. Let yourself take some time and think about everything. And… maybe this is selfish, but I’m going to ask it anyway. If you could, run whatever you’re thinking by me? At the very least, I need to make sure I have something to tell the boys.”

Ashlynn could hear the hurt in Soren’s voice, but once again his character shone through. Even though it was obvious he didn’t want her to go, he was letting her.

Would you let a pet do that? Or is that something you do for a person? I’m not a pet. They’ve never treated me like one. It’s not a trick. It’s not a trap. I’m a person. I’m a Borrower… and… if that’s what I am… maybe I should be acting like one.

Ashlynn nodded without voicing her thoughts and headed for the electrical socket on the edge of the sink. The darkness, more daunting than before, swallowed her form as she vanished into the walls.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue | Coming Soon

Previous

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

A Tall and Small Collection | Original Story

[guillemelgat]

Language Goals 2025

As I said in my last post, I'm slowly getting better at figuring out how to set goals which both push me out of my comfort zone and which actually orient me towards what I'm trying to do. This year my main goal is to just remember how to be a learner again; I feel like recently I've gotten a little too in-my-head about how I need to be perfect before I speak, and actually this tends to be a problem I have in general - I won't talk to people unless I feel like I can talk perfectly, but that's not how you learn. I'm also trying to get better at setting reasonable timelines for what it takes to get to a particular level of language, which I have a better feel for at this point, and taking into account how much time I'm spending on the language every day (it shouldn't feel overwhelming if it's supposed to be a brief warmup). With these in mind, here are my goals for the year:

CATALAN

This year, I really want to speak Catalan with more people. That's the bottom line. I'm at a level where I need to be doing language immersion, and that means not being shy about not knowing how to say things or starting off the conversation wrong or any number of things (this historically has been less of a problem for Catalan with me, but for some reason I was absolutely taken out last summer and essentially went partially mute from social anxiety, so we're going to find out what was up with that and try to coax me away from it). I also want to learn to speak the Valencian dialect of Catalan better, and hopefully I'll get the chance to do that!

I'm planning to continue my reading challenge as well, but I'm going to make a separate post about that.

BASQUE

I want to improve my Basque vocabulary, and also my listening comprehension skills. I want to finish Eskamak kentzen and also watch/listen to more things in Basque. I think I just need a whole bunch of audio input - I know a lot of the words, but it's still very hard for me to parse them in speech. In order to improve my vocabulary, I want to do a quick vocab review every day when I get to the library, before I start my work. That way, I'll have a constant, easy, long-term exposure to a wider variety of words, and hopefully after a few months I'll start remembering some!

WELSH

I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with Welsh this year - I feel a bit directionless with it, so I might put it on pause until it feels like the right time to take it up again. But I'd also like to get more listening and vocabulary practice - I can understand large portions song lyrics without looking them up, which is a huge step forward for me. If watching Rownd a Rownd seems like the vibe, I might try to take that up again. We'll see, this one is more open.

MALAYALAM

Mostly, my goal with Malayalam is just to keep taking class, but also I'd really like to get over my fear of speaking. I struggle to pronounce a lot of the letters, and I don't know a lot of words, but if I work on these, I think I'd feel more confident. (I do also just need to feel okay with looking like a fool, though.) By the end of the year, I hope I'm able to have conversations in class or with my family without wavering too much, even if I forget something or mess up the pronunciation.

OTHER LANGUAGES

One main thing I want to work on is learning how to learn a small amount of a language but still being able to use it with people. There are a few different languages which I've wanted to learn for a while but haven't had the time - I'm hoping that maybe I can work up the courage to learn a few phrases, talk to someone, and perhaps learn a thing or two. This is very open-ended, but it's more a challenge for me to expand my comfort zone.

Aaaand that's a wrap! Here's to 2025 being a good year for languages, at least!

[tsurugis]

My mother in law finished my first book in the trilogy I’m writing and I’m dead because she loves it skjndjkdhidj she read the last hundred fifty pages in nearly one sitting and said it’s the strongest part of the book but that it’s well worth how “slow” the beginning is because by the time shit starts going down you really know the characters well I’m dead. she’s weird as hell about books and it’s not her genre but I live with her and I know she wouldn’t be able to fake liking it she can be mean as hell pfpflkjf

[i-havenothingelsetopost]

genuine question, do you like maths?? i have a vague feeling i saw your post of tags or something that said something about it but i cannot figure out if it was in fact you or if it was even positive ahahah

Yeah that was me! I don't go looking for math problems, but when I happen to do them, I tend to enjoy it. Wasn't always this way — elementary school math was about speed and memorization and I hated that — but I had a really good teacher in upper secondary school, and it became about creative problem solving. It feels the same as writing a poem in meter or managing to untangle a really bad knot in a ball of yarn.

[kindacreepy-kindaugly]

Rly need to be havin some actual adult conversations about stuff but I'm. So sleepy.

[whatifitis]

♡ Cursing The Daylight - LN 4 ♡

Summary: Lando hates knowing you never sleep well so when he believes he's figured out why, he makes it his mission to save his sleepy girlfriend from sleep deprivation.

Author's note: A little blurb thing I wrote at 2 am. I tried my best 😭

WC: 1045

CW: Lando being a bit dumb and the sweetest person ever, fluff

You were currently cursing the daylight, watching as a blue bird flew past your window.

Fucker 

It was yet another sleepless night in your apartment. You continued to stare at your alarm clock, waiting for it to go off, a little reminder that if you were capable of sleeping properly, you’d still have 5 more minutes of sleep. 

For most of your life, especially in recent years, you’ve never been able to get a full night's rest. You’d always end up tossing and turning for hours, as well as waking up about 7 times a night. Every day you would feel irritated and restless due to your lack of sleep. 

However, whenever you slept over at your boyfriend's house, you always managed to get a good night's sleep. You and your boyfriend, Lando, have been together for about 5 months. The first night you two had spent together, was the first time you’d been able to sleep well. You woke up bright and early and you felt amazing, like nothing could stop you. 

Over the course of your relationship, Lando came to be aware of your inability to sleep well most nights. Whenever you would sleep in your own apartment, Lando would receive mass amounts of texts from you, all about how you slept terribly and that you either needed a nap or many coffees. 

Lando, being the ever so lovely person he is, picked up on something. The only times you would get a good night's sleep, waking up and not needing to complain about anything and everything, was when you slept at his place. 

The mattress! The boy thought, she sleeps better at mine cause my mattress is fucking mint. 

Upon realizing this, Lando goes and orders the same exact mattress he has, and has it sent to yours. He thought it’d be a nice surprise for you so that you can get a goodnight sleep every night. Another plus would be that you guys are coming up on your 6 month anniversary, this counts as a gift right?, thinks Lando. 

The day Lando gets an email stating that the mattress was out for delivery, he books it to your place, wanting to be there to see your reaction to his gift and so that he could help you bring it in and set it up. 

Lando arrives at your apartment, greeted by you with a massive smile and sparkling eyes. He wastes no time in pulling you to him by your hips and wrapping his arms around your torso. As you wrap your arms around his neck you say, “As much as I love seeing you, what are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet up later tonight for movie night.”

As Lando pulls away to look at you, the postman has just arrived. “That’s why.” he says, smiling cheekily and pointing to the truck behind him. 

The both of you watch as the postman begins to unload the mattress from the vehicle, before Lando jumps in and helps the man drag the mattress to the door of your apartment. 

Whilst Lando and the man bring the mattress into your apartment, you stand there dumbfounded. 

What the actual fuck is going on? The only thing I’ve ordered to my apartment is a new book and I don’t think the book is that big? Wait, did I order the right thing?!

As soon as the box is in your living area, you confront Lando, “Lan, my love, my gorgeous boy… what the fuck?” you ask, pointing at the big ass box in your living area. 

Your Lan stands there next to the box, all but swaying as he stands and gives you the biggest smile he could plaster on his face. 

The cheeky fuck. 

“It’s a mattress!” he says as he poses next to it, adding a pose for effect. 

“A mattress?” you ask.

“A mattress.” 

After a moment of silence, where you contemplated whether to strangle him or take his credit card away from him, you ask “Why?”

“Cause, you’re always tired and you never sleep well unless you’re at my place. So I figured out why! It’s because you find my mattress to feel so much better and comfier. I even ordered the same bed sheets I have, but I got yours in green since it’s your favorite color. They should be here tomorrow though so for tonight you can spend the night with me or we can use your old sheets.” he proposes, smiling so wide it makes your heart melt from the sweetness that you don’t deserve. 

He gets you the same mattress he has in his home, for your home. 

“I sleep better at yours because you’re there. Not because of the mattress, you muppet!” you exclaim. 

You watch as Lando’s face immediately drops, “what?” he asks. He’s truly been stunned with this information, “What’d you mean it’s not because of the mattress? You mean to tell me I haven’t helped solve your sleeping issues?! I thought I was smarter than all the doctors you’ve seen for this issue!”

You can’t help but laugh at your boyfriend's statement. 

“Gorgeous, you thought that of all the doctors I’ve seen… that none of them have thought that I was sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress?” 

Lando just stood there silent, blankly staring at a wall, likely contemplating all his life choices. 

“Fuck. So, do you not want the mattress? Seems like a hassle to return.” he states as he scratches the back of his neck, wondering how he’s going to return the heavy ass box. “Wait, you sleep better when you’re around me?” he looks at you, somewhat shocked. 

You walk up to him, taking his hands in yours and making him look you in the eyes, “Gorgeous, in the time we’ve been together, we’ve slept on couches and several different mattresses. And I always sleep well no matter where or what we are sleeping on. I sleep better because I’m with you, I feel safe with you.”

“Oh… oh!” he giggles a bit. Red starts to lightly color his face, he’s blushing, “That’s nice.”

You don’t think you’ve met anyone more awkward than this man, but you love him because of that, not in spite of it. 

[deathbxnny]

RAHH YOUR BACKKK

perchance, could you do arcane women reacting to reader in the aftermath of a really toxic relationship like how they would comfort them and stuff?

Arcane women comforting you after a toxic relationship. | Sevika, Vi, Jinx x Gn!Reader

You can't just say perchance!/J

But on a serious note, thanks for the interesting request, I had alot of fun writing this!<3

Content: Angst, past toxic relationships, fluff, can be read as either platonic or romantic? Idk, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns.

((Not proofread))

》SEVIKA

She hated your ex and never bothered to hide it either. Her passive-aggressive remarks and cold glares got the point across every time, but she never tried to talk you out of your relationship. It wasn't entirely her business anyway, and you'd learn eventually on your own. Trying to intervene would only make things worse unless they were hurting you, to which she'd bury them alive for it.

Either way, it came to no surprise to her when you appeared at her door late into a random night, crying and sobbing incoherently at what had happened. You finally found the strength to break it off with your ex, but that didn't stop the heartbreak from lingering in your heart so horribly. Yes, they were terrible to you, and it was for the best you left, but the self-doubt and conflicting emotions in you were driving you to the point of insanity.

Thankfully, Sevika was quick to get you into her humble home wordlessly, slightly unsure of how to comfort you. But she didn't play her long awaited "I told you so" card. Instead, she got you some tissues, a nice cold drink of your choice, and your favorite food before simply sitting down next to you in silence. She figured that listening to your rant would be better than to say anything, and so she did just that, for how long you needed it.

Deep down, she was brewing with anger, though, yet kept it calm for you. She wanted you to feel comfortable here and even goes as far as to let you cuddle up to her at the end of your vent session. In her mind, many different ways of dealing with your ex's existence came to mind, yet they stilled at the softest "thank you" given by you.

Her heart skipped an embarrassed beat as she waved your gratefulness off with a stubborn shake of her head, claiming it was nothing to worry about.

Your ex, on the other hand, definitely had something to worry about, though, once she gets her hands on them.

》VI

Vi has been itching to fight your ex from day one, yet refrained at your pleas to not hurt them. She always told you that you deserved better. That you deserved someone who actually loved and cared about you, but you couldn't see her way no matter how many times you two talk about it. It's like you couldn't see past the love you had for your ex until the glasses finally did break.

The pink haired woman intervened during a heavy argument between you and your ex, which eventually led you to finally just break it off with them for good. You were so sick of their fighting and finally understood what Vi was seeing from the start... but that didn't stop the guilt and heartbreak from seeping into your heart by the time you made it back to her place.

You felt ashamed for not seeing it sooner, but Vi was quick to wrap you up in warm blankets and reassure you that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Things like that can happen to anyone, after all. And you learned something from it, so that's a good thing!

She will try and give you a bit of a peptalk that then veers into her, wondering if she should beat your ex up for good measure. Words won't get through to them, but these fists certainly will! Or so she thinks. Thankfully, you eventually fall asleep in her embrace before you can notice her once again reckless scheming.

Vi may let them get away with it for now, but if she ever sees them around, it will be on sight... well, as long as you're not there too. She wants you to feel safe with her and hope's that you do, as she, too, finally falls asleep.

》JINX

I hope your ex is good at dodging bullets because Jinx will shoot them on sight. She has already contemplated this from the start and never thought anything good of them either in all the time you dated them. She'd prank and annoy the hell out of them in the hope of driving them away, especially after you warned her not to hurt them.

But that didn't mean anything to her anymore, after you two finally broke up. Her efforts weren't for nothing after all, and she would've rejoiced at the news if it weren't for your heartbroken expression that greeted her the moment you stepped into her hideout.

Pushing her chaotic and murderous thoughts aside for the moment, she was quick to cuddle you up in her strong arms and let you rant all about your troubles to her. She'll feed you your favorite food and drink whilst you speak, yet doesn't say much herself. She's a good listener when she wants to be and luckily knows when to be serious. At most, she'll join in at the shit talking phase, glad to finally be free to gossip about them in peace with you at last.

Eventually, she'll try and distract you with some new inventions or stories of hers until you fall asleep, at which she takes that as her green light to go on a little hunt. After covering you in all of the blankets she can find and making sure that your resting place is extra comfortable, she casually loads her gun and exits the hide out with a wide grin.

Finally, some revenge for all the tears you've shed.

[magicalmanhattanproject]

Okay, so with Quackity Studios tweeting about adding new people and the need for tolerance and patience with people who don't speak English, let's just take a second and have a chat about what that's gonna look like.

First: you will hear things or read things on the translator that hurt or offend you.

This is inevitable. Do not immediately post about it. What you need tolerance for is hearing things that hurt or offend you and what you need patience for is figuring out of malicious intent was present or if this is a hill worth dying on right now.

As an example, we're pretty sure at this point that Korean is gonna be the next language added. The second person pronoun in Korean sounds a lot like the n-word in English. The n-word in English, if you're not aware, is like the single most offensive slur we have. It's not something that you want to hear unexpectedly. But also, if we get Koreans, they're gonna be using the word for "you" and English speakers are gonna have to be able to tolerate that.

On the other side of things, Korean has a complex system of honorifics and addressing someone without an honorific would be considered very forward and intimate at least if not very rude. None of the QSMP languages have honorifics though and only French really retains formality* so no one else is going to address them with honorifics unless they specifically explain it to people and walk them through it. That will probably be weird and uncomfortable for them and they're going to have to be able to tolerate that.

*Spanish and Portuguese do technically have formal vs informal but it's disappearing quickly in both of them.

These natural cultural clashes and pain points are going to be harder to overcome since we also know that at least some of these creators won't speak English at all so they can't just switch to English to helpfully explain things to us easily in a way we understand. We're going to have to deal.

So here's the thing: just because there can be cultural miscommunications and mistranslations, that doesn't mean that people can't also be assholes. How do you distinguish between the two?

Step One: Assume good faith. Assume that everyone in a given encounter is trying to communicate respectfully and compassionately and that a failure to do so can be overcome

Step Two: Don't get involved. Especially not in Twitch Chat. Two or more people trying to communicate through a language barrier does not get easier when they're also trying to wrangle hostile viewers.

Step Three: Are you sure you heard what you thought you heard or saw what you thought you saw? Did the translator fuck up? Is it a word that just coincidentally happens to sound like another word? If this is the case, the streamers can ask for clarification or use another tool and get it cleared up. Keep watching and see if they do.

Step Four: If they did say what you thought they said, are the streamers handling it? We had a thing a while back where Bad called some friends, including Bagi and Etoiles, uncultured because they didn't get a reference he was making and Etoiles was like "bro I'm French" and Bad apologized. That should have been the end of it, but I had to see people arguing about it for weeks. The problem was solved in 10 seconds.

Step Five: If the person is doubling down, are you sure this is something you can fix by yelling about it on Twitter or Tumblr? Would it be better to let people who actually know them talk to them behind the scenes? Pierre made a few missteps in the beginning of the server, Quackity said they had a chat, Pierre hasn't misstepped since. It's just easier to sort things out in private, one on one conversation than yelling at someone in public.

In short: it's fine to take note of behavior in case patterns start to emerge in it, but yelling on social media about how so and so is the worst person possible is not constructive.

[literatooru]

𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

pairing: f!reader x dabi

warnings: 18+ (NSFW) (MDNI) slight exhibitionism, cockwarming, very slight degradation (calls reader slut exactly once), unprotected sex

Dating Dabi has taught you to always expect the unexpected. It's obviously tough, but you've learned to control your own reactions to deal with whatever he throws at you.

One thing you can always take for granted though, is that, no matter how used to him you are, he'll always manage to somehow catch you off guard. Especially when he comes and suggests for you to do things you would could never imagine yourself doing. But of course, it's Dabi. You couldn't possibly say no to him.

That's how you find yourself settled in his lap, his fingertips running along the plush skin of your thighs make your entire body shiver, his chin rested on your shoulder, and his cock buried so deeply inside you that the barest of moves makes your gut twist.

You were initially suspicious when he suggested —almost demanded— you wear a skirt for movie night. Granted, calling it that is a bit of a stretch. Yes, a movie is playing, but everyone in the league is drunk out of their asses to pay any mind to it. That, at least, is one of the reasons he managed to convince you to go along. No one will notice, he had said.

As soon as you both entered the room, he pulled you to the far end side of it, plopping into the couch and pulling you into his lap as someone started the movie. Of course, due to the season, everyone agreed on playing horror one. Just your luck.

You try to focus on it, you really do. But when a particular jumpscare manages its purpose on you, you start in your place, and the movement makes Dabi's body react almost immediately; his hips slightly thrust up.

He chuckles, his hot breath hitting the back of your neck making goosebumps arise all over your body.

"What's the matter, doll?" he murmurs, kneading his fingertips into your flesh.

A whimper manages to escape past your lips and you crane your neck to hide your face in the crook of his to conceal your embarrassment. He tuts, the sound laced with mirth. "Shh... you better make sure to keep it down," he says, shifting his hips once more to rip another moan out of you. Another chuckle makes his chest rumble, and he takes your chin between his fingers to make you look at him. "You don't want everyone in here to know what a needy little slut you are, do you?" After you shake your head, he nudges his chin forward. "Eyes on the screen," he says, then waits until you're facing forward once more.

His fingers continue tracing teasing figures on your exposed skin, sometimes slipping past the hem of your shit, moving up, up, up before stopping; never touching you where you need it most.

You let out an exasperated huff, making the corners of his lips quirk up. His fingers dig into your hips to halt your movements when you try to grind against him, and his hands almost slam you back down on him, another small moan managing to slip past your parted lips.

"So desperate," he mumbles against the back of your neck, his nose tracing a teasing trail that makes you shiver, and your entire body tenses up as you hold your breath. He groans against your skin, his tongue peeking out to taste it. "Stop squeezin' me so tight unless you want me to make a mess of you. I don't care who's watching."

You bite your bottom lip so hard that you think you might draw blood. His chest is flushed right against your back; the warmth of his body seeping through your clothes, his scent invading all your senses and clouding your judgment. You need him so, so bad that your legs start trembling from the effort of holding back.

"Tōya..." you mewl softly in a weak attempt to make him do something.

"Yeah?" he whispers in your ear, his hot breath caressing your skin. Moves his head to kiss your pulse point, nibbling on the skin and licking it. You've just opened your mouth to speak when he gives another teasing thrust, your lips instantly clamping shut to prevent any noises from coming out. "C'mon. What is it? Cat got your tongue?"

His hand sneaks under your skirt once more. You yelp when he pinches the top of your thigh, his hand moving inward to brush against you. "Look at you. Soakin' wet and I've barely even touched you."

"Please..." you whisper, your hips shifting on top of him when he uses a single finger to tease your aching bundle of nerves, his amusement growing when he notices how you clench your jaw; the way your brows pinch together and your face scrunches up. The way tears well up in your eyes after almost half an hour of his teasing, feeling so full of him yet feeling no satisfaction at all.

"Please, what?" he snickers. "Use your words, doll."

You're just about to do exactly that when Dabi yanks his hand out and adopts a nonchalant posture. You grit your teeth and are about to complain when a drunken man you don't recognize stumbles forward, catching himself on the arm of the couch before he can hit the floor. You don't have to look too closely to know just how intoxicated the man is; just the smell alone makes you scrunch up your nose, and he's not even standing that close.

"What do you want?" Dabi drawls, discreetly pulling the hem of your skirt down to cover as much of your body as possible.

"Wha's the matter wiph her?" the man manages to say, pointing a finger at you. "You cryin'?"

"Ah, she's all right," Dabi says with a lopsided smirk. "Aren't you, sweetheart?" As he says this, his arms curl around your hips and pull you flush against him, readjusting his position, his hips grinding against yours when he does.

You've managed to to merge your moan with a groan and hide your face behind your hands.

"Sure," you blurt out, your voice muffled behind your palms.

"She's just a crybaby," Dabi has the nerve to add, patting your leg. "Not a fan of horror movies."

"Ah, well. I see," the man says, nodding as he staggers away. "They ain't tha' scary! They ain't real! Jus' actors 'n stuff," he mumbles as he makes his way through the crowd.

"Dick," you hiss at your boyfriend.

He smiles, his body relaxing against the cushions of the couch.

"Isn't that what you want?" he retorts.

You grumble something under your breath (definitely a bunch of insults, all directed at him), and he snorts.

"Right then," he starts, his hand going under your clothes and finally touching you where you need him most. "How about I take care of you properly now?"

[tasteracha]

a/n: the string on my sweatpants got caught in my kitchen drawer and unraveled and now here we are. this is crack. maybe. idk. MINORS DNI.

thinking about minho constantly teasing you by pulling on the string on your sweatpants all the time. he reveled in the way you would sigh in exasperation as you tied it again, wondering what the point was of doing so when he was just going to untie it later. he would pout and sag into the couch or whatever surface he was sitting on if you changed your pants so you kept them on, compliant to his wishes. he played with the strings if you were sitting together, twining them between his fingers and flicking them this way and that as if they were some kind of cat toy.

things changed when you retaliated by doing it back, pulling on the loose ends of his sweatpant strings if you happened to walk past him or as he was reaching for something high up in the kitchen cabinets. his reaction though was something you didn't expect - he wouldn't pretend to be annoyed or sigh like you did, he would flush red at the tips of his ears and clear his throat, tying them back up quickly before backing away from you. you tried out this experiment a few times in confusion, the answers to his actions never really seeming in reach.

was he hurt or offended in some way by your actions? it didn't seem likely, he was never the type to get truly offended by teasing, especially when it was something he dished out on a regular basis. you let yourself sit in your confusion for a couple days before asking him right out - communication is key, right?

except, he didn't really give you an answer. he just flushed again, stuttering out that nothing was wrong, really before going about his day. it isn't until you reach for the strings one last time, determined to figure this out, that you see him flinch a bit. your hand hovers by his waistband, paused in time as you take in the way his jaw clenches and his hands form into little fists. your brow furrows, mind whirling at max speed until it clicks.

your hand is millimeters from his crotch. every time you'd swiped the strings open, your fingers brushed at his clothed cock. he wasn't hurt, he was turned on.

"oh," you say, a bit dumbly as you look up at him. he squeaks when you move your hand closer, resting on his inner thigh just by his crotch.

"i-," he clears his throat when his voice comes out high-pitched. "sorry?"

"are you embarrassed by being turned on because my hand was near your dick?" you ask incredulously, as if his reaction made absolutely no sense.

"well," he gulps when your hand moves to cover his cock and it jumps in his pants at the contact. "yes?"

you slide to your knees in front of him, face inches from his pants and breath hot on your hand.

"you better get over it, unless you want to die of shame right now," you warn as you tug his pants down.

he scoffs at you, fingers tangling into your hair, but the redness of his ears doesn't disappear even after he finishes into your waiting mouth.

[jsooly]

if you were the sullys' human kid / jake sully & neytiri x daughter!reader

synopsis, a baby when the na'vi forced the sky people off their planet, jake bonds with you and tries to convince neytiri to raise you as their own. she doesn't agree, unless…

+ takes place during avatar 2009

(1 - ur here! ☆) / (2) / (3) / (4*)

+ chapters with an * beside it means that it’s following atwow plot line as opposed to disconnected scenarios

"hey—who's kid is this?!"

your mother was pregnant with you during her term as an RDA corporal. she often went on missions with you in tow, safe behind squads of personnel.

you were born on the battlefield, promptly transported back to base before the worst could happen

she died shortly after, before you were even a day old.

orphaned, they powers that were let you stay in her room and put you in the care of the scientists and doctors.

months passed. you learned to walk quickly, learned to yell for attention when you needed something... the RDA base was in no way suited for a child, and no one cared to accommodate you. not when they had na'vi to terrorize and a planet to pillage!

worming your way out of supervision yet again, you found yourself in the fields where the avatars' playing court and farm plants the height of two humans.

you scurried out of the cover the tall stalks provided as an avatar came flying up the path, its knee connecting with your side and sending you flying.

"shit—!"

"jake, i told you you weren't supposed to be running!"

your body must've tumbled 10ft. down the way before you came to a stop. and once you got over the shock, your cries were definitely heard all the way in the command center.

"that's a child!" jake held his head in his hands, relief flooding through him that you were responsive after that collision.

"woah, really?" norm said in a dumb voice before pushing past him and crouching beside you.

"how old is she?! how is she just allowed to walk around on her own?"

"she's turning two soon and her mom died recently in a spat with the na'vi. frankly we don't have the time or resources right now to keep an eye on her at all times." norm cradled you as he surveyed the damage. "thank goodness you just missed her and didn't bulldoze her like an animal."

it ended up fine. you were a tough kid.

poor jake didn't leave your side as you were taken to the med bay and treated, avatar and all.

he fretted as the nurses wrapped your arm with bandages.

"hey, kid." jake offered a sympathetic smile, dusting the dirt off your clothes. his thumb rubbed over your cheeks gently, wiping off the mud that had crusted. "no hard feelings?"

you gave him a wide-eyed look and wrapped your little hand around his thumb as if you were shaking his hand in agreement.

and that was the moment you had him hooked.

sure, his primary objective was bonding with the na'vi, but the times he was on base, his mind would wander back to you. what on earth pandora could a 2 year old be doing to entertain themselves in this weird environment?

curiosity would get the better of him and he'd use the little spare time he had to peek into your room.

seeing you play all alone with your blocks and cars and makeshift dolls made him so unimaginably sad he had to reconsider why he even felt that way.

you caught his figure in the doorway. he tried to retreat, but you'd already made your way towards him.

"jake!" you chirped, stumbling on chubby legs.

"yup." he eased back into view, a warm smile on his face. "that's me." how do you talk to kids? "whatcha up to?"

you mumbled something.

"hm?"

"playing." you shrugged, kicking the invisible dirt on the ground.

"i can see that." he hummed. "is norm gonna let you watch the avatars today?"

you held your chin in thought as you'd seen dr. grace do many times. jake's lips twitched upwards in amusement.

"yeah." you finally answered.

he glanced to the side, unsure what to make of your monotonous replies. "uh... you excited?"

you pointed at him. "you?"

"me?" he asked, pointing to himself also. "am i excited?"

you shook your head. "your... avatar?"

"ohhh." he nodded slowly in understanding. "no, you won't see me much today. i'm gonna be out on a mission."

you frowned and stepped back, shutting the door in his face.

"huh." the rejection stung just as bad as neytiri's.

somewhere down the line, he grew self-conscious, as if his self worth depended on the opinions of a toddler.

the bunch had to listen to him ramble not-so-subtlety and answer all his questions about you, so they caught on pretty quick.

"jake, she's attached to you." grace said with finality. "she's upset she can't spend more time with her favorite person. simple as that."

"favorite person?" jake echoed, distressed. "i almost killed her when we first met!"

grace scoffed. "that's an exaggeration."

"a warranted one." norm mumbled under his breath.

grace whacked him. "you're not helping."

"she slammed the door in my face the other day." jake folding his hands together, resting his forehead against his fists. "you... you think she's mad at me?"

the team groaned.

grace put a hand on jake's shoulder. "don't worry about y/n. you should be focusing on your other girl." she said, referring to neytiri.

the big battle came around, all the tensions and issues snowballing into one decisive moment where the na'vi had the chance to defend what had been taken from them.

jake was over the moon when he finally did what he knew in his heart was right. he embraced neytiri after the battle and he thought he had everything he ever wanted in his hands.

but... a part of his heart was running around the base barefoot.

"ma'jake." neytiri hissed. "no."

"she has nowhere to go." jake pleaded. by the grace of eywa, he was permanently connected with his avatar. his giant hands hooked under your armpits, dangling you in the air in front of his mate.

even neytiri couldn't deny how pitiful you looked. your eyes were sunken from not sleeping enough, frame small from lack of nutrition. what were your caretakers doing?

she shook her thoughts away, retorting, "leave her with her kind! she will be better suited there."

"they're too busy to take care of her properly." jake held you against his chest, stepping towards neytiri. "she needs a proper mother and father."

neytiri growled bluntly in frustration. "i cannot—will not—raise a human child."

jake frowned, unwilling to dismiss her feelings or leave you behind. he loved both his girls too much to deny either one of you. conflicted, he stood there frozen as he tried to think up a compromise.

neytiri studied her husband's face, his brows knit in torment and lips pulled between his teeth. her heart suddenly felt heavy.

“if she matters that much to you… she may stay with us. until those humans can figure out a way to care for her.”

jake lit up like pandora under the night sky. “thank you.” he pulled her in and hugged her right, pressing his lips to her forehead reverently. “thank you.”

within a month, you grew on neytiri. i’m not even joking it was that quick.

she marveled at how light your footsteps were. there were so many times you crept in her shadow unnoticed until she heard that sweet giggle of yours.

you were her fast learner. you were a much better student that your father. being so young, you were able to catch onto the language quickly.

humans were bad. human babies….. eh. this human baby in particular… oh, she could more that spare her prejudice. affection can take its place instead.

it wasn’t bad seeing jake in dad mode either. she didn’t have any doubts, but seeing jake interact so gently with you and entertain you even after a long day made her even more confident in her choice.

a comm came in. neytiri watched jake cross the space as he answered the ringing. as greetings were exchanged between norm, max, and jake, she continued to comb through your hair.

“nga lu… brushing? my nikre?” (you are… brushing? my hair?) you sounded out.

“close.” neytiri said. gently tugging your head back to look at your face, she smiled. “good job.”

you beamed up at her. “irayo nga, sa'nok.” (thank you, mother.)

she paused, peering down at you before tilting your head down and resuming her work on your hair.

in theory, neytiri would’ve corrected you. but that would’ve meant there was something wrong with what you said.

“hey, things have calmed down around here. we can take y/n.” norm said over the phone.

jake glanced at neytiri, who was already watching him.

“they lie. leave this child in their irresponsible hands?” neytiri scoffed and hissed under breath. “she is better suited here with us.”

the knot in jake’s stomach dissipated. “yeah.” he grinned. then, turning back to the phone, “yeah, don’t worry about y/n. she’s good with us.”

neytiri fought back her own smile.

fast forward two years or so, you had a baby brother on the way.

more parts?? idk

© jsooly ‘25.

[katz-rambles]

Hi! I saw your requests are open and I’m wondering if I can get a little Viktor xFem!Reader fic? 🥹

Maybe some angsty/dead dove themes, and lots of fluff? Maybe the Reader is taking care of Viktor while he’s in pain and they end up cuddling? Anything you want is fine! 💖

TIA if you decide to write this!!

Awww, yess! This sounds so cute. Viktors, my personal favorite, so I had a lot of fun writing this!

(fluff, angst(?) w/ comfort, gn!reader, this is it?)

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰

Your footsteps echo throughout the empty hallway as you try and get to your lovely boyfriend as fast as you can. You haven't been able to see him all day. he and Jayce have been cooped up in the lab all day long.

It's well past midnight at this point, and Viktor still isn't home. Usually, you'd just let him do his thing, but not tonight, not when it's getting closer and closer to one in the morning, and there's still no sign of him. All signs in your mind point to the worst. Maybe he had a fit today and is in the infirmary, or maybe he just got caught up in whatever he was doing. You pray it's the latter.

The door to the lab is unlocked, so he hasn't left yet. He'd never forget to lock it. Unless there was an emergency. Your thoughts are swarming with what might have happened, none of them good. You have to brace yourself for what you think you may see when you get inside the lab.

It's quiet when you first enter, you could hear a pin drop. You look around, desperately searching for Viktor, and there he is, on the ground. "Viktor!" You quickly rush to his side, kneeling to try and figure out what's happening. He's sitting on the floor, his head resting against one of the legs of the desk behind him. His hands are gripping his leg as he lets out a low groan. He looks up at you, tears pricking the sides of his pretty eyes, and his brows are furrowed as he leans his head back and groans again.

"Okay. I'm gonna get you up, and we're going to go.. somewhere." You brush a few stray strands of hair off his face, internally panicking as you try and think of where to go. "Not the infirmary," he sighs, looking at you once again, "I've already been there." His words just make you panic even more.

You wrap one of your arms around his back and slowly help him stand up. He clings to you as you both get on your feet. His legs are wobbly, and if you weren't there, you're sure he would have fallen by now. You both take smaller steps. There's a comfort in the sound of the footsteps that are echoed by the thumping of a cane. It helps you remind yourself that he's right beside you and that he's not going anywhere anytime soon.

You silently thank whoever is listening that your shared dorm is on the same floor as the lab. It's not a far walk either, but the walk feels like it's taking forever. Every time you start to move a bit too fast, you hear Viktor groan, and it has your heart hurting for him. You know how much he hates it.

You embarrassingly fumble with the keys for a few seconds before you can actually find the right one. "It's okay, dear, I'm right here." Viktor mumbles, taking one of your hands in his. You nod and take a deep breath, finally grabbing the right key and opening the door. You help him get in the bed and leave the room to let him get changed into more comfortable wear.

He opens the door, and you immediately go inside, crawling onto the bed to lay beside him. You rest your head on his chest, and you can feel his slim fingers curl around your shoulder, pulling you closer. From this position, you can hear his heartbeat. Each beat is a tell tale sign that he's still with you. His hand starts to rub your arm, and he kisses your forehead.

He leaves his head on the crown of your head, inhaling your scent. Letting both of you know that you're with each other. "Do you think you'll be able to get better?" Your voice wavers at the last few syllables that leave your lips. You feel the vibrations of Viktor chuckling. "I hope so, my love. I really hope so." He sighs, and you move your position so you can clearly see his face. Your hand is resting on his chest, and your finger starts to trace random shapes into his skin. Moving to outline the marks that adorn him.

"But.. ehh.. don't worry about that. Let's focus on the present." He whispers, his voice barely reaches you. You place a soft kiss on his lips and rest your head back on his chest. For now, all you can do is hope that someone, somewhere, finds a cure. Maybe one day they will.

[sweetflanfiction]

Asymetrical Symphony - Part 7

Universe: Arcane (LOL)

Pairing: Viktor x reader

Summary: You had been on the rooftop with Jayce and the Herald and somehow you were sent to a place where things can be different with your help

Disclaimers and Warnings: If you want me to tag you on the chapters let me know! Also leave a comment with your thoughts :D Not finished, not proofread. English isn't my 1st language. All I know about LOL is from google and all I know about Arcane is taken from the show, so inacuracies will be plenty. I have a sort of idea on how to I'm gonna go with magic and runes, so bear with me. The reader will be written as GN (going by they/them) to get everyone involved, but if you see any discrepancies let me know.

Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5 • Part 6

• ··········· • ············ •

The ride down the elevator was awkward bordering on comical. The enforcers had been none the wiser about your deeds, unlike the fidgeting scientist next to you.

Through the blurry reflection of the golden doors you could see him open his mouth to say something but then shake his head and turn back to the door. His foot was tapping on the floor, the rhythmic thump reverberating inside the ascensor. At some point, he had turned to you for more than a second and you had looked at him, urging him to say something but he puffed some air out and turned away from you.

When the elevator pinged and the doors opened he was quick to start his march out of the elevator but you grabbed his elbow, gently. He quickly snapped his neck to look at you, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Are you going to tell them? About…” You looked and pointed up.

“What?” He paused for a second, digesting the question, and then shook his head. “No, of course… I just… We could…if you let me…”

You recognized that expression, that tone of voice, that slight high-pitched shift in his tone. Viktor was trying to hide his excitement, and it didn’t surprise you. It was Viktor, the man who would get up from being zapped by putting his left hand in a machine to then putting the right one in there just to make sure.

Esther called your name from behind Viktor and you waved at her, smiling like nothing had happened.

“She doesn't know either… So…" "She won't know from me." His gaze pivoted from you to her. "Thank you. I’ll see you around, I guess.”

You squeezed his upper arm and walked around him, feeling his golden orbs following your figure. 

'That could have gone much worse' was the last thing you thought when you passed by the enforcers trying to roll up the banner that had fallen.

• ············ •

Another week had passed and you had successfully avoided the problem that was Viktor. Not that you thought he would tell on you, but you knew excited Viktor and that needed a compartment on your brain all on its own.  And right now you needed all your brain capacity to think of how to approach Remembrance Day since it had been formally scheduled. Which means Ambessa’s attack had a date.

You brainstormed with your mother the best way to approach it. Telling Cait about the attack would have led you to even more suspicion unless you told her about everything but the less people knew, the better. Waiting out on the sidelines was also impossible, it could be a repeat of the rocket attack and you’d be back to square one.

At some point, you mentioned just destroying the statue and they’d have to reschedule it to get a new one, but the way your mother had said your name after told you how bad that idea was.

It was a sort of joint decision that the best way to improve the outcome was to go to the actual event. Which then gave you another hill to climb: how do you convince your mother, who was now convinced she was the hero's sidekick and one of the better-known faces of Piltover, that she can't come to a major event because it could end in tragedy. For her, for you, and Piltover.

“I have to be there!” She said calmly, sipping her coffee while you fine-tuned the piano. “You can’t be there. If something happens and I have to choose, one second could be enough for someone to die.” You didn’t even look at her, your head stuck inside the musical instrument. “Why would you need to choose? If Viktor is the catalyst to the thing, you save him.” Esther shrugged like this was the easiest decision in the world. “If you had to choose, who would you choose?” You argued, looking back at her. “Viktor.” She looked you dead in the eyes, shrugging and you couldn’t for the life of you feel even a bit surprised or disappointed. “Would you even forgive me if I had chosen otherwise?”

You shook your head. The answer to the riddle was simple, but it didn’t mean it was easy. And you would hesitate.

“You can’t come.” You insisted and she grumbled. “I’ll go. It'll be good. People will see me as an official representative of the family. The new member of the Rainemours. Stop gossiping.” “Yes, because you appearing alone in an official event will not make people think you’ve killed me and buried the body.”  “Tell you what.” You leaned your elbows on the side of the piano. “I’ll go alone and then you…I don't know…a Remembrance Dinner. Or something. So people know you care…” “And why would I miss the main event when I can do both?” she questioned, raising her eyebrows at you.

A moment of silence crossed between you. You took a deep breath and nodded. Walking slowly around the piano and crouched next to where she sat. She frowned as you grinned mischievously, eyes squinting in question.

“Don't you have a book to finish?” You whispered at her. 

The gasp she gasped had you biting your cheek trying not to laugh. Instead, you tilted your head, a gleam in your eyes.

“How dare you!” She said flustered, more embarrassed than angry. “I have… I’ll have you know… the chapter is well underway… and…I…” “I’m not the editor…" You interrupted and got back up to your feet. "Tell her that. She saw me at the cafe yesterday and asked for you.” 

She turned her eyes from you, flustered, taking a sip of her coffee before turning to you.

"I'm your mother…" She humphed.

“You are, and I love you, and I can't lose you again. I won't." You told her, your words filled with certainty. "And in all your wisdom, I know could make any decision in a split second, but I can't. I'll freeze and I'll stutter and I'll scream and Piltover will crumple again. Please."

Esther looked at you and her gaze softened. Sighing she nodded.

"I've been feeling a little under the weather anyway."

• ············ •

Even without a plan, you came to the event, arriving early, a black ribbon pinned to your chest. With the invitation in hand, you effortlessly passed by the Enforcers at the entrance, even if some gave you the side eye.

You found a somewhat shadowy location in the courtyard, near a metal column and some boxes. And then you watched people, coming and going. Enforcers were slowly dropping in, remaining clustered at certain points, their vans closed and watched. The stage was closed off, the heavy curtains hid the statue you knew was there. 

The sun was setting, making the glass shimmer and reflect the vanishing light. Their obsession with glass had been their worst enemy in both attacks. Many of the injured people had been people who got hit with shards of the sharp decoration. Whether it had fallen from the dome or broken by the Chembarons.

“Hello.” A familiar salutation came from right next to you and you jumped. “Holy blue balls…” you mumbled, placing a hand on your hip and walking in circles, trying to calm your heart. “Of Hextech…” Viktor finished the joke. “It's funny because it's true. I apologize for startling you again, but I… we need to talk and you have been avoiding me.”

You shook your head vehemently at him, your finger mimicking the motion.

“For me to avoid, I would have to frequent the same places you do, which I do not. So it’s merely a coincidence we haven’t crossed paths.” You lied through your teeth.

"Your mother told me, you didn’t want to come with her to the Lab the other day. That is the definition of avoiding someone.” He smiled triumphantly at his quip and you rolled your eyes.

This is the universe making you pay for your book comment. You looked away from him, groaning low in your throat. And then a plan started to form.

“We’ll talk, right now at the Lab.” The easiest way to get him away from the Memorial, feed his curiosity. “I can’t leave.” He muttered, looking at the stage.

He slumped his shoulders and leaned his back into the column, placing his cane between his legs, keeping it steady with the feet. He was the picture of dejected. You couldn't help but smile softly at him.

Viktor had cleaned up. His usual three-piece uniform had been replaced with a form-fitting black suit and tie, adorned with red and golden details. The white cane contrasted with the suit. His hair was still a mess, but if this Viktor had any similarities to your Viktor, nobody touched the hair unless it was to cut it.

“Jayce wants us to be here together.” He blurted out, pushing his hair out of the way with one hand. “'The pockets that keep us afloat will be here', he said ‘We need to present a united front’. I do not feel united with anyone here, to be honest, so I don’t understand why I need to be here. But he threatened me with a healthcare provider.”

“A healthcare provider? You mean a doctor?” You started to hear the worry in your voice. You hadn’t seen him cough, you felt his back brace and he still limped around, but he seemed to be breathing somewhat fine.

“I have a bruise on my back.” He pointed behind him “With the brace it’s not healing so well, so I’ve been going around without it. And it’s uncomfortable so--” He stopped suddenly and looked at you. “Why am I telling you this?”

You shrugged, theorizing that somewhere in the back of his subconscious he knew you were a friend.

“Anyway. Yes… I cannot leave.” He made a disgruntled face, looking at his feet, the cane swaying from one hand to the other, but never leaving the ground.

You sat on a box next to the column and leaned your elbows into your knees, looking forward at the crowd that was starting to form.

“Someone once told me he would rather ask for forgiveness than permission ” You looked at him through the corner of your eyes. “He must have been very reckless.” He said, his voice still hinting at the frustration of his predicament. “Sometimes. But he also got things done.” 

It was excruciatingly easy for your interest to go from getting him out because of the Herald to getting him out because he was unhappy. It was like muscle memory. You'd see those golden orbs even hinting at unhappiness and you'd stop to help. 

“Yes, but they are threatening me with…medical assistance.” He spat the last two words.

You were about to reply but another familiar voice shouted, coming closer. Jayce was making his way towards both of you in quick steps, his arm extended upwards as if he could go unnoticed. He was wearing a similar look to his partner, his face determined and clean-shaven. A stark contrast to the last time you saw him.

“Viktor!” he shouted again. “Jayce!” Viktor mimicked his intonation but not his enthusiasm, straightening back up and leaning into his cane. “I thought you were gone, buddy!” Jayce declared, squeezing Viktor’s arm. “Nope…still here.” “Mel wants to get me on stage with her. Usually, I’m ok with it -- Oh…Hello…” he looked at you and paused, only now realizing there was a third person there and who that third person was. “I'm Councillor Jayce Tallis of the Tallis Family.”

He showed you his hand and you took it, shaking it confidently. It has been a while since you have seen him like this. Not excited, given the time and place, but carefree, normal…untraumatized.

“I know who you are.” You stated and he nodded. “I also know who you are.” He gave you an uncomfortable grin. “Caitlyn was not happy about your mother paying off a Judge to set you free.”

Viktor audibly groaned and you could almost see him run a hand from forehead to chin.

“Mr. Tallis,” you smiled at him, squaring your shoulders and tilting your head to the side. “My mother didn’t pay a judge to set me free. She paid an attorney to write a legally binding document that would allow me to keep being a person of interest in the investigation, but instead of rotting in a jail cell until someone decided to pluck me out because they figured out how to put me in the pit for good, I would be doing it so from the comforts of my own home.”

Silence between the scientists. You gave Jayce the sweetest of smiles and added.

“Fortunately I was born on the side of the bridge that allows me those types of…leniency.”

Jayce was about to retort back but Viktor beat him to the punch.

“I hardly think antagonizing the child of one of our benefactors is going to show a united front.”

“Ah…right… I forgot.” He blabbered, pushing a hand through his gelled hair. “How’s Esther? Madame Rainemour…you mother…” “Sick and working.”  “Yes, we received her letter.” Jayce smiled awkwardly, grasping at any straw that would make him look more approachable. “Editors' deadlines are just like Investors deadlines. Pesky little buggers.”

The deep exasperated sigh that Viktor lets out behind you was enough for Jayce to understand what he had said. You were so close to bursting out laughing. This was the elixir for all your troubles, Jayce Tallis and Viktor bickering. They could go for hours really.

“The deadlines! I meant the deadlines!” Jayce corrected himself

His shoulders deflated and you snickered, stealing a glance at Viktor, who was supporting a disapproving expression, holding his head on his fingertip, slightly shaking it.

“No worries Councilor. I understand these are…trying times.” You acknowledge, trying to get him out of his funk. “Yes.” He sighed deeply, stealing a glance at Mel’s form behind him. 

“You should go to her.” You encouraged softly, he looked at you surprised and you shrugged. “Help with the speech and all. United front. The councilors and the science.”

And if he was on stage, the criminal that was gonna jump her would be easier to fend off too. Jayce would jump at the opportunity to be a hero and unlike others, he would do it without wanting recognition, although it kept knocking on his door. That’s just who he was.

“Viktor?” He asked and you turned to look at his partner. “Go. If this is your conduit with all of our patrons, I fear we won’t have any funding left when this is over.” He rolled his eyes but smiled at his friend. “They’re right. Mel looks like she could use a muscled, broad shoulder to lean on right now.”

Jayce nodded and sighed, gaze moving to you again. He pushed his hand out again and you took it.

“I am sorry. I’m usually much more… likable.”  “You still are. Good luck.” 

You watch him walk back to Mel and place a gentle hand on her lower back, her shoulders immediately relaxing. Mel had been a good friend once upon a time and a fighter until the end.

“Please don’t judge him too harshly. He has good intentions…most of the time.” Viktor gave you a one-shoulder shrug accompanied by a side smile.

You saw a flash of pink behind him and noticed Vi approaching the center of the square, hunched down, hands in pockets. The ensemble cast was almost all here. Searching the crowd you felt a couple of eyes on you and turned your gaze to the only missing piece of the night.

If looks could kill, you'd be dead. Her eyes held the intensity of grief and loss, but also the need for vengeance and retribution and you were her closest target at the moment.

The lights began to dim and you sighed, turning your back to the Enforcer towards the stage. Let the show begin. 

People kept filling the empty spaces and getting closer to hear and see the speech. You felt Viktor’s presence behind you and took a deep breath. If something happened it would be easier to have him here where you could account for him, rather than him being with Jayce on stage.

The place was now packed with a multitude of people, from all places in Piltover. Well, all places on this side of the bridge. Some had settled in a position where they could see the unveiling while others kept moving around trying to find a better spot. 

A rushing couple was making their way to the front of the square and hit Viktor’s cane. The familiar thud and a surprised grunt were enough for you to step backward and put an arm up, without turning to him, knowing full well how he would usually stand, leaning his full weight on his walking aid.

“Thank you.” He mumbled, placing a hand on your clothed shoulder and another in your arm, to keep his balance. “No problem.” You whispered, trying to distract yourself from the touch by placing the tip of your foot under the cane and jerking your leg up, pulling the cane upwards to your hand. “Here you go.”

Viktor grabbed the cane with the hand that had been in your arm but kept the other on your shoulder. He didn’t know it, but this was a somewhat normal stance for both of you. Either a hand on the shoulder or in the crooked of your elbow. Especially on his worst days. Now it was starting to grow heavier and heavier. 

It's just Viktor. Good old reliable Viktor. You repeated and stole a glance at your present company, his always cold hand gently grasping your shoulder, his neck craned a bit to check the people around him, his golden eyes narrowed as he looked onto the crowd.

“You’re staring. “ he announced, his eyes turning to look down at you for a second and going back to scan the crowd. “Just wondering why you're standing here and not there.” You pointed to the backstage entrance, heavily guarded by two Enforcers. “Well, since I am here against my will, might as well stand wherever I feel like.” You snorted and saw him shrug. “Besides, I have seen and talked with these faces before. Many times. You are undoubtedly the most interesting person in the room.”

You blinked a couple of times, looking up at the man, who finally dropped his gaze to you. It takes him a moment to understand the words that came out. So much like Jayce sometimes. After a beat, he shrugged.

“Eh…it’s the truth. Do with it what you want.” His shoulders relaxed and he turned his face to the stage, and the curtains opened. You felt your cheeks redden involuntarily.

A podium stood in front of something covered with a sheet. You inhaled, held it, and exhaled. Mel began her speech and you mimicked Viktor’s action from before, your eyes darting from left to right, checking every face in the crowd, every enforcer. You spotted Vi, with her pink hair and bright red coat, although she wasn’t looking at the stage but at Caitlyn, who, much like you was scanning the crowd.

Mel’s melodic voice kept going and you kept scanning. Your focus shifted from the people to the glass house around you. It was a beautiful structure, glass and cast iron. A greenhouse of sorts, made for any type of celebration.  The glass ceiling gave everyone a beautiful view of the night sky, not yet fully dark, some purple reminiscing from the sunset. 

“I’ll never understand Piltover’s obsession with glass ceilings.” Viktor whispered as you were looking up, matching your own silent concern from before.

“People in glass houses, throwing rocks at people with glass ceilings.” You mumbled back, turning your head towards his, watching his golden orbs observing you with curiosity.

“Something like that, yes.”

You turned your head back to the stage where the statue of the three deceased councilors was displayed. Anytime now. 

The beat of your heart was quickly ramping up, loud and rhythmic, only countered by your slow breathing. You became hyper-focused. Every single movement, sound, or feeling was exacerbated. 

Clothes rustling, soft sniffles, feet shuffling on the ground. The thunderous ‘ba-dum’ of your heart in your ears, Viktor’s breathing behind you, his cane scraping the floor to find a more comfortable position, his hand on your shoulders.

Your breath quickened and you became aware of how many people were inside the glass house, how it had taken a single person on stage to make this crowd stomp their way out. 

The ripping of clothes as people ran, the sound of glass breaking, the shards burning where they slashed anything soft, the sound of children crying, the last gasp someone took before dying. 

Your eyes glazed over as your focus became panicked. You won’t be able to run out fast enough, Jayce would get Mel, Caitlyn would help Vi and you could easily grasp Viktor's arm and drag him out. But what about them, the others, the innocent people who were simply living? You couldn't save them all.

A cane scraped the ground again and something squeezed your shoulder. You looked at it. Purple sinewy fingertips, squeezing your shoulder, golden gears around his wrists.

“I need to go…” you managed to blurt out as the line between this reality and the other started to blur.

“Is everything ok?” Viktor’s soft voice sounded worried. But you heard the twisted metallic twang he had gotten after…ascending…adding a cruel ‘my friend’.

“I can’t breathe.” You choked, starting to walk backward into the protesting crowd. 

You bumped into someone and whipped your head around to look back at the angry figure. The figure of an angry woman glitched into an imposing, familiar construct. And your body just stopped moving. You willed your feet to run and get as far from the enemy as fast as possible, but nothing. You tried to get your arms to punch the thing. But all you could do was blink at the mechanical deadly beauty. 

“You’re not here. I’m not there.” You mumbled incoherently.

You felt a hand grab your elbow and pull you away from the creature and into the wall of shadows that were forming around you.

“Excuse me. Thank you.” You heard someone in front of you mumble as they dragged you along by the elbow. “Coming through. Thank you kindly, good sir.”

You let yourself be dragged, looking over your shoulder towards the angel you stood tall and bright, tilting its head. 

“Oh no…” you whimpered. “I have you. Come on.”

Your breathing started to hitch at your throat, your face flushed, and your heart both felt like it was stopping and going faster. 

The cool night air hit your face and you turned your face towards the night sky, your wide eyes losing sight of the robot. The hand on your elbow moved lower and was now holding your hand, gently pulling you along the sidewalk. A cold, pale, calloused hand with long fingers. Human. Viktor.

The sounds of your footsteps mixed with the gentle tap of Viktor’s cane had your mind finding perch in this reality again. 

“Vik?” You squeaked and the scientist stopped to look at you, his eyes filled with concern. “Come. It’s a close walk to the Lab. It will be quiet at this time.”

• ············ • ············ •

@marshy-moo @victormydarling @blueesmiski @th3stup1dcat @22carolina08 @httpstes @that-one-shitty-blog @disa-pointment @sseleniaa @moons-lighttrail @aysluxe @fae-doodle @kitewa @local-mr-frog @bakusquadobsessed @cherry-cola-100 @optimistic-but-very-realistic @seeksrsnn @thecordelialetters @notsaelty @lansy-4 @ayupfrogg

[tiannasfanfic]

Physical Affection

Eddie Munson x Reader (Fluff)

Summary: You aren’t a very physically affectionate person…until you are.

A/N: Gender neutral Reader, they/them pronouns used, no Y/N. Not proofread.

CW: None, just pure fluff.

You weren’t an affectionate person.

Well, that’s unfair to say. You could be, just on your own terms. All of your friends knew this and none of them minded, but those times when you were randomly affectionate, it always caught them off guard.

If you ruffle Dustin’s hair, for instance, it’ll suddenly make the otherwise chatty boy speechless. Fixing Steve’s shirt by tucking in the tag for him made the former ladies man blush. That time you helped Robin fix her smudged eyeliner left the poor girl stuttering.

While everyone noticed you were a little more affectionate with Eddie, that was to be expected since he was your partner. But, despite that, they couldn’t help but wonder how things were going with you two. By all appearances, everything seemed fine, but they knew Eddie was typically way more affectionate in relationships than this. He was always all over his partners, no matter if they were one night flings or serious relationships. But with you, he had scaled way back. The only time they’d ever seen you two be affectionate for longer than a brief moment were at parties when Eddie would keep one arm around you protectively at all times. You never seemed to mind though, leaning into his embrace to wedge yourself even closer to him.

It wasn’t until one night at The Hideout that they started figuring out you might be way more physically affectionate than they thought.

The guys were out having a Boys Night when you came rushing into the bar and directly over to their table. Everyone was concerned since Boys Night never gets interrupted unless it’s an emergency.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Eddie asked, jumping to his feet. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, everything’s fine,” you said, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “I just need you to give me a hug is all.”

Gareth, Grant and Jeff all froze in shock, then exchanged surprised glances.

Did they hear you just right? Did you seriously just ask for a hug? Surly they were hearing things. A combination of the drinks and loud music coming from the jukebox messing up what your words sounded like. That made way more sense than you asking for a hug.

But a warm smile came to Eddie’s face in response, and he stepped closer to you, wrapping his arms around you in a tight embrace. Your arms slipped around his waist as you buried your face into his chest, and you held onto him tightly.

The guys watched for several long moments, gawking as Eddie started to slowly run one hand up and down your back. He softly kissed the side of your head and they could hear him muttering something to you, but they couldn’t make out what. Your body just seemed to melt in his embrace, the tension in your shoulders visibly relaxing as you pressed yourself into the hug.

“What the-“ Gareth started to say, but the words died on his tongue at the glare Eddie’s suddenly shot at him.

Eventually, you pulled back from him just enough for the two of you to exchange a soft kiss.

“All better now, sweetheart?” they heard EddIe ask you.

“Kinda,” you said, nodding. “Do you think I could wait on you at the trailer?”

“Of course,” he replied, then kissed the end of your nose. “You have a key, my house is your house. Make yourself at home, I’ll be there here in a couple of hours.”

After sharing another tender kiss, you finally pulled yourself from Eddie’s arms. You gave the guys a wave and then left The Hideout.

The guys all stared at Eddie as he returned to his seat and took a drink of his beer.

“What?” he asked, finally noticing their looks.

“What the hell was that all about?” Jeff asked.

“Yeah, they never, ever ask to be touched,” Gareth said. “What gives?”

“Nothing,” Eddie said, then sat his bottle down to point at each of them. “And you’d all better just forget you ever saw that.”

The tone of his voice was serious, making them all blink.

“The shit?” Grant asked. “Why?”

“Why? I’ll tell you why,” Eddie leaned forward, a very serious look on his face. “They’ve started sitting on my lap and cuddling every time we’re watching a movie. Completely on their own!”

The guys stared at him in shock.

“Oh wow,” Gareth finally said. “That’s big.”

Eddie nodded rapidly, his curls flying.

“Yeah!” he said. “Huge! So if any of you meathead’s say anything to them and mess this up for me, I swear to God…”