#very lame happy pride from me
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johankasas · 1 year ago
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Also this was chilling in back of my Sai.
I will draw something proper for pride I promise, meanwhile enjoy the plant boy being proud dude
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ya-gurl-emily · 7 months ago
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What are you supposed to do when you finish a collection? honest question.
(a transformers collection memiour I guess?)
For reference: about 4 years ago (Holy shit it's been 4 years, covid time is fucked up) I got really into transformers,
it started by just wanting a fidget toy for my desk so I got Kingdom Arcee because I liked her as a kid and I was feeling very #Girl (also cause the only bumblebee was the ww2 buggy that I regret not picking up)
But that toy kinda sucked ass so I got 86 Jazz, followed by Kingdom Optimus because cmon it's the big man himself.
So yeah I figured this was just a hobby now so I gave myself a goal: Complete the main cast of Transformers Prime
Honestly I picked an amazing time to get into toy collecting, Just late enough that I wasn't stuck with siege figures or bad covid QC, but early enough that I got some basic G1 cast before legacy (like genuinely Bulkhead and Arcee in wave 1?? Along with my personal Glup shitto Dragstrip? It was made for me)
It's been a blast, it's so satisfying seeing my cast grow, I love finding old figures at any cons I go to (I got classics Bee and Thrilling 30 springer at my first comic-con and those 2 are amazing)
But that idea of having the complete tfp cast was always in the back of my mind and any casts I completed along the way were fun bonuses (07 movie cast, Devastation autobots, RID 2015 and I don't even like that show)
But now that's just about finished, I don't have literally every character in the show, I'm missing a few one off episode characters that I don't care enough to get (I'm not spending 60 euro on dreadwing again just because he's green, also tfp cliff looks sick but it's bundled with 90 euro worth of toys I don't want (also it's fucking cliffjumper, he'll get a new toy eventually) )
But yeah... Now what?
I still like transformers, there's stuff I'm excited for but there's no long term goal, yknow?
I'm already struggling to justify this to myself as is whenever I put a new toy on display I have an honest to God existential crisis about what I'm doing with my life
(I nearly cried transforming spoiler nemesis prime for this reason) but then a day or 2 passes and it's back to being sick
Idk it's a weird feeling, not bittersweet, more like, yeah okay, that's cool I guess (granted I still haven't taken a photo of them all together so maybe my brain hasn't fully registered that it's happened, we'll see)
Anyways tldr: funny toy robots briefly made me feel alive and that's gone now
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flickering-chandelier · 7 months ago
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I Love You, It's Ruining My Life
Pairing: Azriel x Bestfriend! Reader
Summary: Azriel and Reader have been best friends for years, and slowly Reader starts to fall for him. He eventually feels the same way, but after Reader overhears a conversation she wasn’t meant to, she has doubts about him.
Based on this request! 🩷
Warnings: angst with a happy ending, a little swearing
Work Count: 5.2k
You twisted around in front of the mirror, trying to look at the dress from every angle. “What do you think, Az?”
Your friend looked at you, his eyes trailing down your body, and wrinkled his nose. “No.”
“Really?” You faced the mirror again, cocking your head. “I think it’s pretty.”
“It cinches weirdly around your middle,” he said.
You studied yourself in the mirror again, realizing he was right. “Wow. See, this is why I bring you along. Who knew your spymaster focus would be so helpful for fashion.”
He laughed, throwing his head back against the couch he was sitting on, and you couldn’t help but smile. You always felt a twinge of pride whenever you could make the stoic shadowsinger laugh like that.
“So this one, then?” You asked, gesturing to the first dress you had tried on earlier. 
“That is the one,” he shot you a lopsided smile. “The poor fool won’t know what hit him.”
Later, you plopped down into the chair next to Azriel’s in the sitting room at the House, groaning. 
Azriel arched a brow in question. 
“You were right,” you sighed. “He was a fool.”
Az poured you some of the amber liquid he was drinking, handing the glass to you. “What kind of fool? Do I need to defend your honor?” he asked, a hard edge to his voice.
Laughing dryly, you said. “No, nothing like that. Just a lame date. I can’t believe I bought a new dress for that guy.”
He smiled sadly at you. “Hey, the right guy will go crazy for that dress.”
You winced, taking a sip of the drink. “I guess,” you grumbled.
“Come here,” he said, opening his arms. “You know I won’t let you be all grumbly by yourself.” 
Smiling faintly, you rose from your seat and settled in his lap, resting your head on his shoulder, his arms wrapping comfortingly around you. 
“When’s it gonna happen for us, Az? When do we get to find what Rhys and Feyre have?” You asked, quietly. 
He sighed, leaning his cheek into the top of your head. “I don’t know. But at least you and I are alone together.” 
You laughed, and he tightened his arms around you slightly, clearly pleased. You felt your sad heart mending slightly as your best friend in the world held you long into the night.
---
A few days later, you sighed, pushing your food around your plate at lunch in Velaris with Azriel.
Azriel watched you, those hazel eyes calculating. “You’re not still moping about that date, are you?”
“I’m not moping,” you scolded him. “And no, of course it’s not about the date. He is not worthy of my sighs.”
The side of his mouth curved into a smile. “So, what is it then?”
Shrugging noncommittally, you said, “Honestly, I don’t know. I just feel…bummed.”
That smile of his dropped, his mouth thinning into a line. “Are you done eating?”
You blinked, confused. “Yeah, I think so.”
He tossed money onto the table, nodding his head to the side, indicating it was time to go. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” You asked, rising to follow him.
“You’ll see,” he said, slinging his arm around your shoulders as you walked. 
It took several minutes before you knew what he was planning and you grinned up at him as you realized where he was leading you. 
He smiled, kissing the top of your head as you neared your favorite ice cream shop. 
Your heart swelled as Azriel ordered your favorite ice cream. You should have known. Your parents had always taken you here when you needed a pick-me-up, and Azriel had continued the tradition, knowing it always made you feel better, at least for a little bit.
Gazing up at the man who knew you so very well, your heart began to crack.
---
Azriel wrapped an arm around your shoulder as you settled on the couch beside him, tucking you against his side as his whole family roamed around the River House. 
It had been Feyre’s idea to get everyone together for an evening, just to spend time in each other’s company. 
“How are you?” he said, eyes boring into yours. He had been extra watchful of you lately, since your mood had dimmed weeks ago. He couldn’t understand why this dark cloud had been following you around lately. It broke his heart that he couldn’t fix it.
“Good,” you murmured, smiling faintly at him. 
His brow furrowed, but before he could question you further, Cassian plopped down on the other side of you, grinning.
Cassian pulled your attention then, telling an animated story about how training had been going in the Illyrian mountains. 
Azriel wasn’t really listening, still studying you. You laughed at something that Cassian had said, the sound bright, bouncing off the walls, your smile lighting up your face. The tightness in Azriel’s chest eased a bit.
Feyre and Elain beckoned you into the kitchen then, and you followed, leaving Azriel and Cassian alone in the sitting room for the moment. 
Cassian nodded after you, shooting Azriel a knowing look. “What’s the deal with her?”
“I don’t know,” Azriel said, sighing. “She’s been… off lately.”
Cassian looked contemplative. “Have you ever thought about… you know…” he raised his eyebrows suggestively.
“What, being with her? Romantically?” Azriel furrowed his brow.
“Yeah. I mean, you guys are cuddly enough.”
“Not like that, though,” Azriel said. “No, it’s never been like that between us.”
Cassian shrugged. “Okay. But, you never thought that you might be missing out?”
Azriel thought about it for a moment, what it would be like. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about her like that.”
“Maybe you should.”
Before Azriel could respond, Nesta stalked into the room, taking Cassian’s attention completely. 
---
It had been months since you had come home from that terrible date, since Azriel had held you that night, since your mind and your heart began to wonder.
Azriel had always been your friend. Though he was beautiful and amazing, you had never before thought about being anything other than his friend. Nothing between you had really changed at all in the last few months, and yet… 
It was Azriel’s face in your mind as you fell asleep. It was Azriel’s touches that you dreamed of, over and over again. It was Azriel, who knew you so well, who was always, always there for you, that occupied your mind day in and day out.
You knew he had sensed a shift in you. But you didn’t think he understood what that shift was. That you had, without even really realizing it, fallen in love with him. 
Cauldron, you were doomed. 
“Where did you just go?” Feyre said, bringing you out of your thoughts.
“Nowhere,” you lied.
She narrowed her eyes at you, bouncing Nyx in her lap. 
“Okay, I actually really need to talk to somebody about this. But if I tell you, you can’t tell anybody, not even Rhys.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, but she nodded in agreement. 
“I kinda have feelings for Azriel.”
Feyre bit her lip, trying to hide her surprise. “Since when?”
You shrugged. “It happened slowly. Little things started sticking out to me all of a sudden and now… Now I can’t stop thinking about him. And I don’t know what to do.”
“You could tell him how you feel,” Feyre offered, smiling softly.
You groaned. “But I don’t think he sees me that way. If I tell him, it could ruin our whole friendship.”
Feyre tilted her head, contemplating. “You think so? Even if he doesn’t feel the same way, he’s Az. I can’t imagine that he would ever abandon someone he loves for any reason.”
“I guess,” you said distantly. “But it would make things really awkward, at the very least.”
Feyre smiled. “Or, it could turn into something amazing.”
You scoffed. “With our luck in love? Unlikely.”
“Maybe nothing has worked out for you two so far because you’re supposed to be together.”
Your heart swelled at the thought, but you stomped down the hope. “Maybe,” you said, your mind wandering again. “Maybe.”
---
Your blood rushed in your ears, your body tense as you and Azriel sat together in the sitting room of the House the next evening. It physically hurt to be near him these days. Your body ached to be close to his.
“What’s up with you?” Azriel asked.
“Nothing, I just…” you trailed off, looking across the room at him, willing yourself to tell the truth. “I love you, Az.”
He smiled. “I love you, too.”
He didn’t get it. He didn’t bat an eye at you, at his friend he had loved platonically for so long. Your heart sank. 
It hurt to look at him now. You knew it couldn't be the same between you, not now that you had foolishly fallen for him. 
You took a sip of your drink, wishing it was stronger, and forced yourself through easy conversation with your best friend. 
---
“What’s wrong?” you asked him immediately upon seeing him weeks later, and Azriel couldn’t help but smile. You had always been able to sense the shift in his mood, even if things had felt… different between the two of you lately.
He sighed. “We’re unlucky in love, you and I.”
You stiffened, and he wondered if he had said something wrong, but continued. “You know, the whole Mor, Elain…thing. I’ve just been thinking about what you said that night ages ago. I just wonder when it’ll happen for us.”
Azriel’s eyes flicked to you, and you gulped, tense in a way he’d never seen when it was just the two of you. “What is it?” he asked.
“Nothing,” you said, too quickly. “I’m sorry. That you’re feeling unlucky in love.”
He lifted a brow. “Are you okay?”
You nodded then stood up quickly, walking toward the door. Azriel stood, wrapping his fingers around your wrist, pulling gently so you would turn back to face him. “Hey. Talk to me,” he said softly.
Your eyes swam with emotion, and you seemed to be pondering what to say. “I can’t talk to you about this,” you said quietly, your voice breaking.
“What do you mean?” Azriel tried to push down the hurt he felt. “We talk about everything.”
“Not this, Az,” you said sadly, before gently pulling your hand out of his grasp and disappearing down the hallway.
What the hell. 
Azriel spent nearly an hour contemplating what had just happened. Were you upset with him? Or were you just keeping something from him? If you were, why?
He ran over the last several weeks in his mind, all of his interactions with you. You had definitely been acting differently around him, sitting further away from him, not spending as much time with him one-on-one, but he assumed you would talk to him when you were ready. Evidently, you still were not ready. But, what could it possibly be that you couldn’t talk to him about it?
It was his relationships, well his lack of relationship with Mor and Elain that seemed to set this off. 
And then he remembered what Cassian had said weeks ago, that maybe he should consider you as a romantic partner. His brother was always smarter than most people gave him credit for. Did Cassian know something? Was he trying to tell Azriel?
His head spun. Did you have feelings for him?
It would actually explain a lot of your behavior for the past few weeks, especially if you thought that he didn’t feel the same way. 
Did he feel the same way?
He sat back in his chair. Why hadn’t he ever considered you before? You were beautiful, of course, and one of the very best people he had ever known. And you were his best friend, who knew him better than he knew himself, in many ways. Who he could talk to about anything. Who already loved him so much. 
Maybe he should be with you. 
He did love you, of course. So… maybe the two of you should give it a shot.
Before he could think it through, he went to your room, knocking gently. He had to know if he was right.
You answered the door in a thin night dress, your hair cascading down your shoulders. Gods, you were beautiful. What an idiot he'd been.
“Az?” You asked.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling your body into his. He gauged your reaction, waiting for you to tense, but you didn't. You melted into him, placing your hand on his chest and gazing up at him with big, beautiful eyes.
Slowly, so slowly, he leaned down, and you tilted your face up to meet him, longing written all over your face. His heart rate spiked as his lips finally met yours.
The kiss was slow, sweet, exploratory. A new dance between old friends. 
You moaned slightly, twining your fingers into his hair, pulling him closer to you.
He growled, pushing you back further into your bedroom, kicking the door shut with his foot.
You had a long night ahead of you.
---
It had been about a week since you and Azriel had stepped into a new form of your relationship.
It was funny, actually. Not that much had actually changed, except you were more comfortable around him now, like you had been before the last few weeks had complicated things. The two of you spent so much time together one on one before, the only difference now was all the kissing and the bedroom activities. And how many times you would tell him that you loved him, your eyes shining with that love.
He was starting to feel like he hadn't thought it all the way through. He loved you. Of course he did. But, he was worried that your love for him was deeper. And he couldn't bear the thought of hurting you.
“Where'd your mind go, Az?” Cassian asked, and Rhysand chuckled.
“He's thinking about his new girlfriend,” Rhys grinned.
Azriel’s jaw tightened. “I'm worried,” he admitted.
“About?” Cassian asked, leaning forward, his full attention on Azriel.
“I think her feelings are deeper than mine. I'm starting to worry that I may have…” he trailed off, not wanting to admit it.
“Settled?” Rhys offered.
Azriel winced, but nodded. “Maybe.”
“What, you don't love her?” Cassian asked.
“I do. Of course I love her.”
“Well, there you go,” Cassian said, waving a hand dismissively. “I think you're overthinking this.”
“Maybe just give it time,” Rhysand said contemplatively. “You know how she is. She feels things very deeply. You might catch up to her faster than you think.”
“Maybe. I hope so,” Azriel said, his mind wandering away again, back to you. Back to the love that shone in your eyes when you looked at him.
He would have to be careful. He would not break your heart. He wouldn't be able to live with himself.
---
Years later, snuggled up to Azriel, watching children screaming and running around the River House the night before Winter Solstice, you couldn’t imagine being happier. 
Azriel and you had been talking about trying for children soon. Your heart swelled as you watched Cassian’s and Rhysand’s children grow up together, picturing your own children growing up in all this love, with cousins and aunts and uncles who would love them so much.
You smiled and Azriel kissed your temple. “I know exactly what you’re thinking,” he murmured into your skin. 
“You do not,” you smiled.
“I do,” he said, ducking his head to whisper in your ear. “You wanna try for a baby tonight?” His breath tickled your ear, his voice dipping suggestively. 
You laughed, playfully shoving him away, and he grinned. “Tonight? The one night a year we sleep under the same roof as our entire family? Absolutely not.” 
He pulled you into his lap, kissing you sweetly. “Tomorrow then?” he whispered. 
You rolled your eyes, but your heart swelled with love. “We’ll see,” you teased. 
Elain called you into the kitchen then, and you went to join her, shooting a wink at Az over your shoulder as you went. He grinned.
Your family was scattered all over the house, leaving Rhys, Cassian, and Azriel alone in the living room next to the kitchen with some of the children.
You could hear them laughing together as you helped Elain prep some of the food for the following morning. 
Your ears perked up when you heard your name and Elain shot you a curious look, clearly eavesdropping along with you.
“Remember when you two first got together?” Rhysand asked, likely to Azriel.
“Yes,” Az chuckled softly. “We’ve come a long way since then.”
“I can’t believe you were ever unsure about her,” Cassian said. “That you were worried you had settled.”
Shock jolted through your entire body, your blood pounding in your ears. You nearly dropped the plate that you were holding.
“I was a fool,” Azriel said, and you could picture him shaking his head slightly. “I can’t imagine life without her. I can’t believe I lasted so long just being her friend.”
“She’s got you wrapped around her little finger,” Rhysand teased. 
“Oh, like you’re not the same with Feyre,” Azriel shot back, and all three brothers erupted into laughter. 
You looked at Elain finally, her expression solemn, like she could see right through to your soul, how broken you felt. 
Without a word, you left the kitchen, going up to the guest room that you and Azriel occupied when you stayed with Feyre and Rhysand. 
Azriel had settled for you. He was sad that night that he first kissed you, sad about not getting a shot with Mor or Elain, so he had gone to the one person he knew would never deny him. 
All this time, all these years, he had just been settling with you because he didn’t want to be alone. You felt sick.
You had fallen in love with him, and to him you were just there. Ready for the taking. That’s why he chose you. 
Your stomach lurched, and you scrambled to the bathroom, spilling your guts, hot tears streaming down your face, sobs shaking your whole body.
---
Azriel frowned sometime later, wondering why you hadn’t come back yet. He wandered away from his brothers, finding Elain alone in the kitchen. She frowned at him as he entered, looking angrier than he had ever seen her. 
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Why don’t you go ask your wife?”
He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? Where is she?”
“She went upstairs a while ago,” Elain said curtly, turning back to her pastries. 
Azriel’s heart pounded. What had happened to make Elain angry at him? Why had you gone upstairs without saying goodnight to anyone? 
He rushed up to the room, confused when he didn’t see you anywhere, until he heard you sniffling in the washroom. His heart lurched, panic setting in as he swung the door open, finding you lying on the floor, hugging your legs to your chest, facing away from him. 
He whispered your name, his anxiety increasing. When you didn’t answer, he sat down next to you, rubbing your back soothingly, gently setting your head into his lap. He saw your tear stained cheeks, your red eyes, and the breath was sucked right out of his lungs.
“What happened, love? What is it?” he asked, trying to sound calm.
You refused to look at him, staring ahead blankly. 
He had never seen you like this. “Honey, you’re scaring me, please tell me what’s wrong,” he said, his voice breaking. 
Finally, you sat up and walked back into the bedroom, still not looking at him. As you did, you mumbled, “you settled.”
“What?” he asked, following you into the bedroom. 
You slid under the covers, facing away from him. “You settled with me. You didn’t want to be alone, so you kissed me that night. And you settled with me.”
“I didn’t,” he said, quietly. “I did not settle. I love you. So much.”
You buried yourself further into the covers, hiding yourself from him. His heart ached. “All this time,” you whispered. “All this time. You must have been just waiting for Mor or Elain to change their minds, huh?”
“No,” he said, his voice coming out quiet and crackly. He rounded the bed, willing you to look at him. He settled on his knees, looking into your eyes, cupping your cheek with a scarred hand. “No. It was never like that. It was never about them. I love you, I always have,” he said, willing you to believe him, to feel that he meant it. 
A tear slid down your cheek. His heart broke further as he wiped it away gently with his thumb. “That’s not what Cassian said,” you whispered.
Azriel sighed, his eyes pleading. “I was worried. When we first started dating, I was worried that your feelings were deeper than mine. You always feel things so deeply, my love, and that’s one of the things that I love the most about you. I was scared that I wasn’t at the same level that you were, and you would get hurt because of it.”
“Looks like I have,” you whispered. 
“But it’s not like that now, it hasn’t been like that for years. I’ve known for so long that you are the only person in the world that I could ever want. Please,” Azriel whispered. “Please believe that I am so in love with you. It was one stupid conversation ages ago, and I’m so sorry that I hurt you, but you have to believe me. You are the love of my life.”
“I don’t know how to believe you right now,” you said quietly, your voice breaking. 
Azriel’s heart broke completely. Your face was completely blank in a way he had never seen before. “What can I do?” 
“I don’t know, Az. I need -- I need space.”
He gulped, but nodded, rising to his feet slowly “Okay. I’ll be downstairs, if you need me.”
You didn’t respond. He willed his legs to move, to leave you behind, broken, in the bed you were supposed to share.
Cassian and Rhys were the only people left downstairs by the time he made it back down, drinking and laughing together. 
One look at their brother’s face, and they went silent.
“I fucked up,” Azriel said, taking the glass from Cassian’s hand and shooting the amber liquid back in one gulp.
Cassian handed Azriel the whole bottle, who would have laughed, if he hadn’t ripped his own heart to shreds that night.
He took a swig before saying quietly, “she heard our conversation. She thinks I settled with her.”
“Shit,” Cassian said, his face falling. 
“What did you tell her?” Rhys asked, his expression solemn too.
“The truth. I was worried that in the beginning that she loved me more than I loved her, but now… Gods, I’m so in love with her. But she said she can’t trust me anymore,” he said, a tear running down his cheek before he quickly wiped it away.
His brothers were silent for a moment, thinking. 
After a moment, Cassian said, “Yeah, I don’t know how you fix this, Az.”
Azriel laughed humorlessly, taking another sip from the bottle. “Thanks.”
“She might just need some time,” Rhysand said. 
“You didn’t see her,” Azriel said, his voice breaking again. “She was…” he trailed off and shook his head. “I’ve never seen her like that. She’s wrecked. Because of me.” 
His brothers stayed up with him for a long time, trying to console him, but he eventually sent them away to their happy mates who still loved them. 
He laid on the couch, his wings drooping on the floor, his heart hurting. He hadn’t spent a night away from you since you had gotten together unless he was on a mission. This felt fundamentally wrong.
Eventually, he got up, wandering through the quiet house. He made his way into the study, digging out some paper. He had to fix this. He needed you to understand. 
---
You’d barely slept at all, and winced when the sun started lightly filtering into the room that shouldn’t be so empty. 
You didn’t know how to feel, what to think. You knew Azriel loved you. But was it enough? Was it the same, all-consuming love that you felt for him? 
How could you ever be sure?
After just one night, you missed the heat of his body against yours, hated rolling over to see the other side of the bed empty. 
Cauldron, you had been talking about children less than 12 hours ago, and now…
You shoved the thought away, your eyes still burning from crying all night. You refused to start up again. 
What a Winter Solstice this would turn out to be. Maybe you should just go home.
Alone, in the apartment that you had turned into a home with Azriel. Your bottom lip trembled, and you bit it, hard. You were strong, you would survive this. 
Whatever this ended up being.
Your mind was still spinning and you hadn’t yet gotten out of bed when there was a tentative knock on your door. 
“What?” you said, quietly, your voice not sounding like your own.
Azriel opened the door slowly, studying you as he lingered in the doorway. He looked awful, bags under his eyes, his clothes rumpled, his hair a mess, like he had run his hand through it over and over again. 
“Hey,” he said quietly. 
“Hi,” you replied timidly.
His face fell and you knew why. You had never sounded like that, not with him. 
He took a cautious step into the room, watching you closely. “I made something. For when you're ready,” he said, placing a stack of papers on the bedside table. 
You remained silent, not sure what to say. He swallowed, and turned to leave, but he stopped in the doorway, turning back to you. “I do love you. So much.”
His expression was pained, and you could tell he wanted to say more, but he just looked at you sadly before disappearing behind the door he closed behind him. 
It wasn’t until after you took a long bath that you had the courage to look at the papers he had left for you. You sat on the bed, pulling them into your lap, surprised at how many pages there were. 
On the top, in Azriel’s handwriting it said, “To My Dearest Love.”
Despite everything, you couldn’t stop the swell in your chest, the love that you felt for him. 
You were shocked as you read through page after page. He had written your story, the story of your love from his perspective, every date you had gone on, every Winter Solstice, every milestone. He detailed his thoughts as he went through each of those moments, all the things he loved about you, when he noticed new little things about you, even after being friends for so long. 
Tears were streaming down your face by the time you got to the end, where it read: 
You, my love, are everything. Everything. If you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving it to you. 
I’m sorry that I was a fool. I’ll always be sorry that I hurt you. 
Whatever you decide, whatever you want going forward, I just hope that you’ll know how deeply I love you. 
---
Azriel had gone to the annual snowball fight with his brothers, only for a distraction. But his heart wasn’t in it, and after about ten minutes, his brothers had deemed his snowball game so pathetic that they called it off and all went inside to the cabin to drink. 
He knew he was being tragic company, so Azriel went back to the River House on his own, prepared to find a quiet corner to sulk in by himself. He hoped you had read what he stayed up all night writing, at least. Even if it didn’t change anything… 
He didn’t let himself dwell on what could happen. He didn’t know what he would do if you left him. 
He nearly fell over when he noticed that you were sitting in the living room that he had used his shadows to winnow into. 
You looked surprised too, but not unhappy. Relief flooded through him. 
“Hi,” you said, quietly. 
“Hi,” he said, his voice raspy. 
You stood up, walking toward him slowly, stopping a few steps from him. He longed to hold you, to make it all better, but he stayed where he was.
“I read it,” you whispered. 
He could only nod, his heart in his throat. 
Tears welled up in your eyes, and his heart shattered, terror flooding through him before you closed the distance between you, wrapping your arms around him, burying your face in his chest. 
He hugged you back instantly, holding you to him with crushing force. 
“I don’t want to be mad at you anymore,” you said into his chest. “I love you.”
Azriel felt like he was going to fall over, the only thing that was keeping him standing was you. “I love you,” he said, letting the tears fall freely down his cheeks, resting his chin on the top of your head. “I love you, I’m so sorry.”
You shook your head. “You don’t have to be sorry. I get it now. What you wrote -- it helped me understand. And it was beautiful.”
“I’m still sorry I hurt you,” he said, his voice cracking.
You stood on your tiptoes to kiss him gently. “It’s okay, Az. I’m okay.”
Azriel took your face in his hands gently, kissing you like his life depended on it. He felt like it did. 
You let him kiss you for ages, until the two of you realized that you were no longer alone. Azriel looked up to see that his brothers had winnowed in and were now staring at the two of you. 
“Oh, thank the Mother,” Cassian said, bracing his hands on his knees dramatically before coming up and hugging you, lifting you into the air, while Rhys laughed behind him. “You guys really had me worried.”
“I take it you worked it all out?” Rhysand asked, kissing your cheek after Cassian set you back on the ground. 
“Yeah, we’re okay now,” you said, laughing at them.
Rhysand and Cassian did look extremely relieved, which made Azriel’s heart swell. He would always be thankful for his brothers. 
---
After a surprisingly successful Winter Solstice, you and Azriel made your way back home, now cuddling together in your bed, holding each other tightly. 
Azriel kissed the top of your head. “I’ll always be so thankful for you. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
You snuggled closer into him. “We’re both lucky.”
Azriel laughed. “Speaking of getting lucky… you want to try for that baby now?”
You gawked at him, incredulously. “What, too soon?” he asked, smirking.
“Males are ridiculous,” you scolded him. 
After a beat, Azriel risked it. “I didn’t hear a no…”
You laughed, pulling him into a kiss. “You’re so stupid.”
Azriel grinned. “Oh, I know.”
@thalia-as-blog @saltedcoffeescotch @batboyrhyrhy @1-s1mp-t00-much
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acronym49 · 4 months ago
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Obey Me! Characters react to mc being a dragon
(trying my hand at writing headcanons, let me know what you think! Other brothers + dateables are a work in progress)
__Lucifer__
He's not optimistic. His brothers are hard enough as it is, but adding in a new large creature? It'd be better to just keep you down with Cerberus. Maybe he'd enjoy the new playmate.The annoyance turns to intrigue when he learns you have the mind of any other demon (or person, if you will). And you can speak? Strange. This wont make him like you by any means, of anything he will be very distrusting. As you live there, though, he starts getting used to you. He even enjoys your odd antics, and especially the way you can rally in any ensuing chaos (despite how often you cause it).On one or two rare occasions, he'd absently try to pet you on the head when he was in that 'dead tired from paperwork' state. Depending on your reaction, he might do it more. When/if he does end up falling for you, expect to be near him a lot (obviously). There's not so many head-pats, but he likes to have you sit next to him while he's working or reading, sometimes absently stroking you neck or asking your opinion on whatever he's working with. There'll definitely be some teasing as to how catlike you are at times, but he means it lovingly. *he might put a collar on you if you ask-*He wouldn't ever be the type to outright ask to ride on your back, but I have the feeling he'd make subtle hints to it.'Ah, darn, the ride canceled last second. How can we get there now?' Ykyk. He'll turn you down the first time when you ask if he wants to fly with you, but that's just the pride talking for him. He'd love nothing more. After all, one of the most powerful lords of hell swooping in upon a dragon? You two would be an awe-inspiring duo, that's for sure.
__Mammon__
Ugh, he's gotta watch the new student? Lame! Humans are so- what the fuck is that?He dosen't know how to react at first. This is the thing he's looking after? It'll be awkward for the first few days, but as we know, he falls for MC fast. Awkward silence changes to him griping about how you always have to follow him. After the pact, though, he realizes you're not so bad. You tease him a little bit, sure, but he notices how you praise him, too. Just simple compliments, like how he looks good in his shades, how he's so good at math, how he's super fun to be around. It makes him feel better, y'know? Other demons also seem to be a bit less inclined to make fun of him when you're around, especially when you growl at them for being so openly mean. After a little bit of time, you two are basically glued at the hip. Depending on the kind of MC you are, you two could be the ultimate partners in crime or the closest confidants (or both!). There'll never be a boring moment with you two.It wont take him too long to ask to fly on you (probably be one of the first things he asks you tbh- it's like a joy-ride squared)He'd be respectful but mopey if you say no, but if you say yes? That's a happy demon on your hands right there. Be sure to set some boundaries, though, he might not wanna go by car anymore (like when you give a hognose snake a toad and they refuse to go back to pinkies lmfao). He'll try and get you to learn some aerial maneuvers, maybe how to spin or go upside-down (it's harder than it looks). When you two aren't flying or causing chaos together, you're both just hanging out. When he's relaxed, he likes to trace his hand over your smooth skin/scales/feathers/fur. He can't help it, the texture's just so soothing. Don't point it out, though, he'll go BRIGHT red. He likes it when you two watch movies together, or when you browse Devilgram with him over his shoulder. Feel free to nuzzle him and cuddle up, this man loves it. Sometimes he returns the favor, using you as his own sort of couch while he talks with you, sometimes giving you a peck here and there.
__Leviathan__
Oh this man is hyped from the start. A whole-ass dragon? LIVING with him and his brothers? What could be cooler? He has an internal war between wanting to get a good look at you and being really nervous to get too close. That nervousnes amps up when he realizes you can talk. You might think he's a hallucination at first with how fast he darts out of sight the moment you try and look at him. Fortunately, Mammon's debt to him is what spurs your first interaction. After, he's a little bit more ok with being percieved. He plays it cool at first, not wanting to seem too pushy, but he can't help but barrage you with questions when he gets the chance. It's actually quite a fun time, especially if you love infodumping as much as he (and I) does. You ask your own share of questions as well, about the Devildom, about him, about the games and figures he loves. As you two get more relaxed with one another, you both love to sit and chat about each other's hyperfixations. You can't exactly game with him due to your talons (not comfortably, anyways), but he lets you watch over his shoulder while he games. It makes his victories that much sweeter, and any losses a tad more bearable. Sometimes he lets you go on the mic to startle or taunt the other players, just for fun. It's hard to tell exactly when the relationship begins and the friendship ends, it's a smooth transition that neither of you really notice until you're literally cuddled up together, watching Assasination Classroom on his phone at 2am. It takes a surprising while for him to ask to fly with you. You may have to be the one to bring it up, actually. Nervous the whole time, 100%. He may decline, but upon numerous reassurances he'll agree. I think it's like... that test drive scene from httyd. It's so unfamiliar at first, being high up, with the wind blowing so fiercely. After a while, though, something clicks with him. He'll gain that confidence, guiding you (with your permission) where he wants to go. Something about that wild, windswept sensation of being a mile up in the air melts his nerves. It's just you two and the sky. The others are def gonna be jealous about how well you fly together.
(Feel free to tag with your dragon ocs! Sorry for any spelling errors lmao my eyes tend to skip over words sometimes)
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jinmindeulle · 1 year ago
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make it work | byun baekhyun
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𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 idol!baekhyun x nonidol!reader
𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 1.6 k
𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆 angst, romance | jealousy, argument, happy ending
𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆 angsty?, fluffy
𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 none
requested by a lovely butterfly anon 🦋 thank you so much for your request and sorry for the long wait!
**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚  ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚* **•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚  ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚* **•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚ **•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚ **•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚
I have to be happy for him, I have to be happy for him, I have to be happy for him…
No matter how many times I repeated that sentence in my mind, it was still hard to actually feel that way. Although I prided myself in not being a jealous person, seeing him surrounded by the prettiest dancers in the industry was taking a toll on my own confidence.
Because I was not an idol like Baekhyun, it was difficult to cope with the pressure that dating one brought. Life as a simple office worker had minor complications in comparison to his highly exposed job, but I had never doubted about being with him ever since I met him. The way he had always treated me like he was just a man in love with a woman reassured me every time. 
Our outings were limited. His schedule was different every day, and I had to adjust. It never mattered to me, though. Being with him for a short time was much more precious than what any other guy could have offered.
However, after a year and a half of relationship, I was starting to long for something more than just seeing him at night and sleeping wrapped up in his arms. I needed the dates, the mornings, the family reunions, and the sense that we were building something together. 
And now, seeing his brand new comeback stage, smiling at his female dancers and moving along with their body rolls like he couldn’t stop himself from wanting them, I had had enough. How was it that they got to have him more than I did? Why didn’t he choose to date one of them instead? They were far more gorgeous than I could ever be!
Just as I blocked my phone and threw it out of sight, a very tired Baekhyun opened the bedroom door, placing his bag on the floor.
“Hey, love” His unanswered greeting made him frown, and with a sigh, he approached me from his side of the bed “What’s wrong, babe?”
“Had fun with your dancers?”
The confusion in his eyes was evident even for me, but I just could not care less at that point. He had to know why I was upset.
“What do you mean?”
“You seemed pretty happy in your stage today”
“I was” he nodded, still not getting the point “So what?”
“I guess you liked being with your dancers”
Realization hit him like a truck, but he just sat there, frozen in his spot. I had to look at him to make sure he was still awake because his stillness was starting to bother me. 
“I can’t believe you’re jealous”
One thing was to admit it to myself, but hearing it coming from Baekhyun was more embarrassing than I thought. Despite this, I was still mad and hurt. My feelings were real, and something had triggered them. He had triggered them.
“They are doing their job. I am doing my job” he turned to face me, surprise written all over his features, and I could not hold my tears any longer. He didn’t understand. He was too focused on his work to even notice how badly I was longing for him.
“I no longer feel you want me, Baekhyun” I mumbled, not caring about the tears that endlessly ran down my cheeks. He had to see my pain.
“That’s nonsense, y/n” he tried to hug me, but I didn’t let him. I couldn’t just allow him to embrace me and settle with it. Knowing myself, I was going to accept whatever lame excuse he gave if I was being held by his strong arms. “Please, let’s not argue this late”
“And when do you want to argue, then?” Standing up, I looked at him dead in the eye “When do you have time to even argue with me? You are too busy to realize how dead our relationship is, Baekhyun”
“You really think that’s where we are standing?” his hands gripped his hair, taking it out of his face in the process.
“Yes”
He prompted himself up off the bed and made his way around it to stand in front of me. “I have little saying on how much I work, or with whom I work. I wish it was easier, love. I wish I could be with you every waking hour, every day for the rest of our lives-”
“But there’s nothing you can or will do about it” I interrupted him, knowing that his saying it would wound me ten times more than admitting it myself. 
“That’s how it is, at least for now” he nodded, interlacing his fingers with mine in an attempt to gain me back. 
“You do realize that you spend more time with your dancers than you do with me?” I left his fingers gripping the air as I stepped back to retrieve my pillow. 
“So all of this is just because you’re jealous” he gave a bitter laugh and followed me with his eyes. 
“Read it as you like, Baekhyun.” As I was about to open the door of our room, he stopped me, screaming my name.
“You don’t have to be jealous. I love you and only you. I am sorry that you feel this way about us, but I really do not see how to make it better when the company presses me to do more and more each day.”
Although his struggles were to be expected, my own were too overwhelming and tangible to not let them cloud my judgment. I was upset. It felt like I was about to lose him — and that made my heart ache with grief as if had already happened. 
“That is not what I wanted to hear from you. At least not the last part”
“What do you want me to say then, huh?” When his tone rose, I knew I had to leave the room. He had become angry at me, and it was evident that we were getting nowhere that night.
“Sleep on it” 
Even though my back was never a problem for me, sleeping on the couch was starting to challenge that. No one had ever used it for those purposes, and being the first one to do it settled that it was not made for more than just sitting there for a couple of hours. Yawning my way out of the silky covers, I opened my eyes to see Baekhyun, sitting on the single sofa chair right next to where my feet had rested during the night. He was fast asleep, his head resting on his hand, elbow pressed onto the chair’s armrest. 
With a quick glance at the clock, I stood up and shook him awake “You’re late”
“Called in sick” he yawned, slowly opening his eyes. 
“Are you?” I raised an eyebrow, reaching out to touch his forehead.
“No” Taking my hand from his forehead to his cheek, he looked up from his seating position and kissed the back of my hand “Can we talk now?”
The emotions that had dissipated overnight reappeared, making my eyes fill with tears once again. I nodded. Baekhyun took my wrist and pushed me to sit on his lap, his arms around my waist as he slowly caressed my exposed skin with his thumbs. 
“I am truly sorry about yesterday, and all of the days I made you feel less important than you are. Truth is, it was the first time you showed jealousy and I didn’t know how to handle it. I just thought your emotions were leading your words and you were saying things to hurt my feelings as well. But I slept on it and…” A small laugh escaped my lips and I nodded to let him go on “and I saw where you were coming from.”
“We never see each other, Baek” I cried, emotions taking over once more.
“I was so focused on my work that it was enough having you waiting for me in bed every night. I am so sorry, my darling” Taking his hands from my hips to my cheeks, he wiped away the tears that kept rolling down “I am making some adjustments in my schedule and will make sure to spend more time with you every day of the week. I don’t care what the agency has to say about it. I am famous enough to set some boundaries without them dropping me from the label.”
“They need you more than you need them, baby” I giggled, feeling the contentedness filling my heart, once and for all. 
“You’re right” he smiled, cupping my face with his hands. “I love you”
“I love you” 
His lips met mine in what felt like years. We had not shared a meaningful kiss for a very long time, so I let myself enjoy it with every fiber of my being. 
Pecking my lips in between each word, he announced “I will take you on a date today”
“And what if they see us?” I frowned, combing his hair with my fingers. Oh my, how nice it felt to have him all for myself after such a long time. “You won’t look very sick if we’re out eating and goofing around. Your fans… I don’t know how they would react knowing you didn’t do your interviews but are kissing me instead”
“Are our disguises still in the closet?” he asked, making me chuckle. He truly thought he could fool them with those outfits.  
“You mean our trench coats, masks, and stylish beanies?”
“I prefer to call them disguises” he giggled, attacking my face with wet kisses.
If life with Baekhyun was going to look like this for the rest of our lives, I couldn’t wait.
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bizarrebaby · 2 months ago
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Backstitch | Nacho Varga/Reader
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Pairing: Nacho/Reader Warnings: none. its a little spicy. Summary: Nacho is helping you learn how to sew.
“You’ve got the bobbin the wrong way around,” Nacho remarks evenly, having to suppress the urge to just quickly put it right for you. You’re supposed to be learning. 
“It matters?” You mutter, taking it out from the bed of the machine and turning it around. You pout when you concentrate— it’s cute. 
“Yes it matters, chiquita. Direction is everything in sewing.” Anyone else might not be able to see the subtle smile playing on his lips. You smile back. 
“Sorry— I must not be a very good student, huh?”
“Nah,” he scoffs, “you’re quick. Pretty soon you won’t need me anymore…. And even if you weren’t, I don’t mind,” he hums with a quick kiss to your temple. “It’s nice, you know? Having someone to teach this to.”
Nacho takes a lot of pride in the skill he has with his hands. You know that all too well. But he can really talk to cartel guys about fucking sewing. He’s been getting shit about that since he was a kid. 
“You think if things had been a little different… if you’d never been a part of the game. You would’ve wanted to take over the family business?” He mulls it over, like he’s done lots of times before. 
“Whether I wanted to or not— it’s what I would’ve done. It’s what you do, as a son. I dunno.”
“Well, if we still met in that world, I would’ve been happy to do it with you. Not that I’d be any good at leatherwork— I can barely handle linen,” you snort, laying another set of sewn squares onto your little pile of imperfect puzzle pieces. Ignacio stares at you for what feels like forever, and not long enough at all. 
“You got a good eye, though. You know colors,” he says a little lamely, quick to speak up again when you start to laugh. “I mean it! What was that color you said my shirt was the other day?”
“Prussian blue,” you say with your teeth showing through your smile. 
“See? I don’t know shit like that… you would’ve been great. Would’ve made my papà so proud.” You take your foot off of the pedal of the machine, turning to kiss him. He meets you, suddenly open mouthed and hungry after a few moments against your lips. You push him to lie back on the couch. 
Nacho smiles, sparks in his eyes and running through his hands as he moves them over your body. “Ai— what about your quilt?”
“We live in fucking New Mexico. The quilt can wait.”
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lowkeychenle · 1 year ago
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You're Not Sorry [ZCL]
Content Warnings: This fic deals with infidelity and is very angsty. Please read with caution if infidelity can be a trigger for you.
Description: You and Chenle broke up two weeks ago. The first time he calls you at 3am, you ignore it. Then he calls again. You answer, and you go to him knowing there's nothing he could do to fix what he's broken.
Genre: Angst. All angst. Help. (but also I pride myself on my angst so maybe read it anyway???)
Word Count: 2,218
Pairing: Zhong Chenle x Reader (mentions of Mark at the end, mentions of the Dreamies throughout)
Juliet's Masterlist | Ask Me Anything/Requests
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You haven’t heard from Chenle in two weeks. At first, you didn’t want to. Not after everything that happened and what he did. You were perfectly fine with never speaking to him again, but now that he’s been silent, you crave his presence even when you shouldn’t.
At the exact end of week two, your vibrating phone wakes you up at three in the morning. Rubbing your eyes, you sit up in bed and grab it. Chenle’s name sits in big letters on your screen, and at first, you’re not sure what to do. Your muscle memory demands you answer him, because it’s obviously important if he’s calling you at 3am, but you don’t want to go down the wrong path. You don’t want to risk forgiving him simply because you’re sad, hurt, and lonely.
Your palms sweat and your heart races as you continue to stare. When it fades to black again, you finally feel like you can breathe. You exhale shakily, suddenly wide awake at the intrusion of him. At that moment, you decide that you’ll answer if he calls a second time. If he does, it must be important. He could be in danger somewhere.
A minute passes. Two. You think you’re in the clear. It was another lame attempt to get you to talk to him, clearly. None of that matters. You can’t trust him anymore, no matter how much he insists he made a mistake.
3:03am comes around and your phone vibrates again. You grab it faster than you care to admit.
“What?” you snap.
He doesn’t say anything yet. You hear him breathing shakily, but that’s it.
“If you don’t tell me why you’re calling, I’m hanging up.”
“Please don’t.” His voice is fragile, thick. “Please.”
You don’t know where he’s at, but you can imagine. You imagine him in his bed, blinking past tears, staring at his ceiling as he yearns to have you next to him. But you didn’t ruin that image—he did. All of this is his fault.
“I love you,” he whispers.
“Did you need something?” you hiss, pushing the words past the lump in your throat. “Or did you call to make things harder for everyone?”
“Yeah,” he inhales sharply. “I…something happened with the car, and I’m just sitting on the side of the road. The managers don’t know I left, and if I call them, I’ll get in so much trouble—”
“Are you just now learning that your actions have consequences, Chenle?” You don’t mean to sound so harsh, because at the end of the day, you still love him. You love him way more than you should and way more than you want to.
“(Y/N), please.” He pauses.
“What about the boys?”
“You know why I can’t call them.”
Oh, right. They’re even more pissed at him than you are.
“It’s okay if you hate me,” he mutters. “It really is. I don’t blame you, but I need you. Don’t make me do this alone.”
Your heart twists so violently in your chest, you swear you feel a rib crack. Chenle, if nothing else, has always been good at making you feel. Whether it’s happiness, heartbreak, or hurt, you feel it.
“Damn it.” You shake your head, throwing your comforter off your lap. “Send me your location. I’ll come get you.”
“Thank you.” The relief in his voice sends another pang through you.
“Don’t get used to it. And don’t you dare ever do something stupid that I have to save you from again. Do you understand me?”
“Yeah. I won’t.”
You hang up on him while cursing under your breath. After all of this, you’re still going to help him?
Of course, you are.
He’s Chenle, and you’re you. Forever intertwined even when it breaks you into pieces to realize that. Soon enough, all that will be left is the one part of you attached to him—your heart. The rest of you will break down, disappear, but somehow, he’ll have your heart in his hand, squeezing it much too tightly for comfort.
Your phone vibrates once to indicate he sent you his location, and you pull on a pair of sweatpants and run a brush through your hair. Before you know it, you’re driving to the literal middle of nowhere at 3:30am to pick up your ex-boyfriend.
You see the familiar black SUV, the one with the blacked out windows and special license plate, and you park your car behind it. Taking one last deep breath, you stare as he climbs out of the driver’s seat.
Even though it’s only truly been a couple weeks, it seems as if it’s been years. Decades. And him looking exactly the same as the man you once knew has you shaking. You’re not sure what to say to him when he sits down in your passenger seat, but his beautiful brown gaze meets yours.
The lights are dim, but it’s enough to see the redness on his cheeks, in his eyes, at the tip of his nose. His jaw quivers at the sight of you, but that’s when the lights fade to black. The new moon isn’t even enough to give him a glimpse of you. Blue LEDs are all that’s left—the quiet glow bouncing off his skin and making him realer. He’s sitting right in front of you, a longing look on his face as if he’s not the one who fucked everything up in the first place.
“What the hell are you doing out at 3 in the morning?” you ask him, driving off.
“Couldn’t sleep.” He shrugs, hands fidgeting in his lap.
You spend the majority of the ride in complete silence. The radio is off, and all you hear is him trying to breathe normally. You’re not much better, either. You blink back tears, refusing to let him see how upset you are by all of this. If he loved you, he never would’ve done it in the first place. You have to remember that.
It’s not until you pull into his driveway that he speaks.
“They’re so mad at me.” He looks straight forward, neither of you brave enough to initiate eye contact.
“They should be. Deserve to be, actually. You didn’t just hurt me, you know.” You grip the steering wheel until your knuckles pale, wishing he would get out and go inside.
“I’m mad at them, too.” He wets his lips.
“You’re mad at them for what?” You scoff, anger bubbling in the pit of your stomach. “Mad because they caught you in the first place? Or mad because they all agreed to tell me?”
“It’s not any of their business.”
“Oh, right, so you’d never tell me. You’d let me continue to love you when you couldn’t be bothered to give me the same?” You’re not sure where your confidence is coming from. This is Chenle—the man you love, and someone you never imagined would put you in a situation like this.
“It was a mistake—”
“It doesn’t matter. It happened. You fucked up. They’re the best people, you know that? You’re pissed because all six of them are better than you. Because none of them would’ve ever stooped to the level you went. And because you hate the idea that someone else is able to comfort me. What did you expect? That they would comfort you?” Your grip tightens somehow, and you finally look at him.
He’s in tears. The liquid running down his cheeks reflects the luminescent blue, and it’s almost enough to make you feel bad for him.
“It wasn’t even once, either. It was twice. You did it twice.” You let out a throaty laugh, knowing this is the furthest thing from funny.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never wanted to lose you, ever. We’re supposed to get married and have cute babies that look like you, and—”
“We don’t get to do those things anymore,” you snap, shaking your head.
“Do you hate me?” he whispers. “You should, but I can’t handle the thought of that.”
“Hate you.” You drop your head back on the seat. “I wish I could. I wish I could stop loving you because it hurts so fucking bad. You threw away everything, and for what?”
“I can do better.”
“You don’t get the opportunity.”
“Please. I know I can do this.” His eyes widen and his eyebrows furrow, truly pleading.
“Staying faithful shouldn’t be hard, Chenle.”
“I love you.” His voice doesn’t break. It shatters. “Baby, please.”
“If you love me, you’ll respect my decision. You’ll just leave.” You close your eyes, and a tear runs down your cheek.
He, instinctively, you assume, reaches up and swipes his thumb across your skin. “Life wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“Consequences,” you repeat. “Your actions have consequences.”
Regardless of what you should or shouldn’t do, you lean into his touch. Into the warmth his skin provides that you’re scared you’ll never feel from someone else ever again.
“I’m so sorry,” he says again. “I’ll never forgive myself for what I did, and you shouldn’t either. But please know I love you. I always have, and I always will.”
“Chenle,” you murmur.
“Yes?”
“Don’t call me anymore.” You gulp. “I won’t answer.”
You see the hurt play out on his face, but you know it’s only a fraction of what he put you through.
When he opens the door, the frigid air replaces him. A shiver runs through you, but you’re not sure if it’s from the cold or from the way it feels like your heart and soul are being ripped to shreds for a second time.
You thought he was the one. You thought he was perfect for you. Perfect in general.
You thought you didn’t deserve him, and it’s a damn shame that it took until now for you to realize it’s the other way around.
He stands in the driveway, illuminated by your headlights until you’re pulling away and driving off down the street. You watch him through your rearview mirror, holding your breath as he gets smaller and smaller.
As soon as he’s gone from your sight, a sob cracks open your chest. You scream and cry for all the things you lost, and you don’t even know where to go from here. You’re barely a mile away from Chenle’s when your phone starts ringing again.
Your chest still shakes from the pain, but you answer Mark’s call.
“Yeah?” You sniffle, aggressively wiping your eyes.
“What’s going on?” he asks quickly, voice laced with worry. “I swear, I was dead asleep and then I just…I woke up. And then I saw your location at Chenle’s, and I want to make sure you’re okay.”
You take a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m okay. He was stranded and called me for a ride home.”
Mark sighs. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). You should’ve called one of us.”
“I know.” You run your fingers through your hair. “I’ll be fine. I just need to go back to sleep.”
“Do you want to come here?” he offers. “You don’t have to be alone if you don’t want to be.”
You contemplate for a moment. When the boys sat you down to tell you what Chenle had done, Mark was the one who made sure you got home alright. He stayed with you for that one night to make sure Chenle didn’t show up after you broke things off.
“Can I do that?” you whisper, afraid your voice will break if you speak any louder.
“Of course,” he says. You hear him shuffle around in the background, presumably getting out of bed.
“Thank you,” you say, relieved. “It’s literally taking all of my strength not to turn around and go back to him.”
“Doesn’t matter what he thinks, you’re a part of us now, okay? We take care of our own,” Mark replies. “Just get here safe.”
You say your goodbyes and hang up, switching directions to find Mark and Haechan’s apartment. When you park your car in the lot, it takes a few minutes to work up the courage to get out.
And then you’re standing in front of the building, looking up to the fifth floor where you know they’re at. The air is so frigid, you can see your breath clouding around you. It sinks into your skin, into your bones, but for some reason, it’s the first time tonight that you feel you can breathe. As the chill sets in, so does reality. So does the truth.
A man who loves you won’t do the things Chenle did. He wouldn’t be defensive if his friends told you about it, and he certainly wouldn’t be calling you at 3am, crying and begging for help.
You inhale deeply, tasting the freezing cold as if it’s palpable.
It’s not going to be easy. In fact, it’ll probably be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but this was the last straw. You don’t want to be in pain. Or feel unloved. You know you deserve more than that.
You promise yourself at that very moment that you’ll never allow yourself to go back.
You’re going to get over Zhong Chenle, even if it tears you to shreds in the process.
It can’t be worse than what he’s already done.
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iouinotes · 8 months ago
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Burning Love | Leo Valdez
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pairing: Leo Valdez x aphrodite!reader
book: The Heros of Olympians (Percy Jackson Universe) by Rick Riordan
I DONT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS
warnings: suggestive themes (kissing), little bit of angst
summary: reader fell in love with the camps busiest, funniest (prettiest) demigod, that makes her heart beat faster (and tries not to burst into flames all the time). But she likes that about him too.
authors note: soo, I read Heros of Olympus and Leo was just pure comedy. His character was so charasmatic and funny, I really liked him. Of course, I needed to write for him, ENJOYYYY
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Of course I was doomed to fall in love with him. Letting my heart get broken in the process, because I am physically not able to dare myself to talk to him.
What else had I expected? As a daughter of Aphrodite, this was foreseen in my fate. Well, actually it should be the other way around. After all, the ongoing tradition for centuries of the Aphrodite cabin is to break a boy's heart, but in my case it is a little complicated.
I always thought love would be something pleasant, a feeling like butterflies flying around in your stomach and wearing stylish, rose-colored glasses, that makes everything he does seem perfect. Or maybe being in love would feel like watching a beautiful fire work.
The last part is sort of true- my love literally burns for him, just as sometimes his hair sparks, when red flames are dancing through the brown strands.
I remember one time very vividly, when he walked out of the forest, visibly happy, with his hands dirty and his clothes smeared with motor oil, a satisfied grin on his face. His eyes would lighten up, as soon as found someone to talk about his projects.
Leo Valdez is the embodiment of a loyal soul, combined with an incredible humor and a talent for fixing literally anything. And I silently wish sometimes, that he could mend my broken heart too.
He's not like the other guys in this camp who always need attention, act like they're the best, like they're above everyone. No, Leo may have his pride, but he knows what he can do and he knows when to ask for help. This is usually connected with a following joke or a charming grin.
When I look at him, I often wonder how he can be so unconsciously attractive.
It's just that when my eyes find him, I'm almost in another world. And there, only he exists.
It's like he can affect my heartbeat, confuse my thoughts, charge me with electricity and set my heart on fire. All with just a lame joke, a funny remark, a wink or one of his exaggerated smiles.
I don't dare talk to him, only watch his figure from a safe distance, in a crowd where my longing stares go unnoticed. In these moments, where I realise he doesn't even know me, my emotions feel so overwhelming, as if I am the one carrying the sky instead of Atlas.
I wish I had more control over myself, that my cheeks wouldn't blush every time he glanced my way. Because he does that every now and then. And I always stare at the floor in a matter of seconds, letting my hair fall in front of my face. After all, I can't like him that obvious.
Even though I was careful, my feelings were noticed by a few others, all from my cabin. Unfortunately Piper did too. In her opinion, I should just walk up to him, bat my eyelashes and start smiling. She´s convinced, that if I would just talk to him, he would like me.
But that's the problem. If he only liked me, I couldn't handle that. If I actually became friends with him and he wouldnt fall in love with me, then I could be close to him. I mean, not in the way I want it. Like holding his hand, styling his burning hair, kissing him, watching him build something. And being crazy and proud about it afterwards, showing it off with an excited look in his eyes. Wanting appreciation for his work.
I would gladly fulfill his every wish, if he asked.
But it would be terrible having to pretend not to be completely in love with him, at least if I had to let him believe that. Maybe it's actually better if I keep my distance and he never finds out about my crush. Maybe, I would start to believe it too.
All the thoughts make my head ache and I open my eyes to concentrate on something else.
The sun shines on my skin, the waves hit the beach loudly, the straps of my green bikini top hang loosely over my shoulder. I braid a few small braids into my hair, two in the front and one in the back, where my sister helped me. I still leave my hair down so that it tickles my shoulder, I find to like it more that way.
I brush the sand off my shorts and slowly stand up, stretching my muscles and feeling a light breeze on my skin. The summer months are always the most beautiful, such as the holidays are always the quietest time. The camp is emptier than usual, many campers are spending the holidays with their families. Of course with their mortal family, the gods are not very generous when it comes to holiday visits. Nevertheless, the idea of ​​staying on Mount Olympus for two weeks is ridiculous anyway.
Still, there are a few people left behind, including me. My father died a few years ago, and our family is so scattered around the world, so I have no close contact with them. I wouldn't want to put anyone in danger anyway. It's always sad to hear how happy the others are going home, even though I'm happy for them. But for me, Camp Half Blood is my home.
For my benefit, it is the same for Leo. I don't know much about his past, but he doesn't have a parent to visit either. But he claims, that he has more time now to work on his project, something that needs to be finished until the summer solistice arrives.
The path to the camp leads through the forest, always a bit of a nuisance with all the branches and angry nymphs that sometimes insult you. Just because you accidentally stepped on a root or sang too loudly.
Anyway, I just whistle quietly to myself, after all I'm not keen on arguing today and I'm just looking around lost in my thoughts. And because I have nothing to do, I stroll along a few other paths and explore the forest, looking up to the sky and watching the birds. It's quiet and peaceful, it feels beautiful.
Several minutes must have passed because the sun is getting closer to the horizon and the air cools down. I put on the jacket that hangs around my waist, leaving it open and continue to show my skin. When I choose another path, I suddenly see a clearing infront of me.
The next thing I know, I almost have a heart attack. In front of me lays a huge ship with a dragon's head attached to the front. I feel like I almost want to run away, but then I remember something. I know this dragon. It is Leo's metallic friend Festus, who was destroyed on their first quest. I know, because I remember the devastated look on his face, when he talked about it.
Okay, I think to myself. Two options, I go back to camp and forget I was here. Or I'll go in and have a look around. Would that be an invasion of his privacy? But if I would meet him there, we could share a moment. Like in these romance books I read about.
I think for a moment, but being curious was always a bad habit of mine. My legs move in the direction of the ship, it takes me a few minutes to find the entrance, but I manage. When I'm inside I'm amazed, my eyes seem to can't see enough. There are banners with funny inscriptions, maps full of plans, forgotten tools, furniture and weapons hanging everywhere. It's such a mess that it clearly has Leo's handwriting on it.
My fingers run over the open books, I read a few sentences and try to understand the technical language. Maybe he'll like me if I could actually understand his interests. But after just two pages it's hard to remember which button is for which function or which metal is the strongest. I could try to get the same copy, but when I try to read the title, the cover is torn and illegible. And not because of my dyslexia.
I'm so absorbed in my surroundings that I don't hear the footsteps coming. And then I almost have a heart attack for the second time, only this time from someone I'm used for it to happen.
"If I had known I would have visitors today, I would have cleaned." At his voice I freeze. I remind myself to breathe. I slowly turn around, my eyes immediately finding his face, a grin graces his lips, his hair is sweaty and when I lower my gaze, I notice that he is only wearing an apron. Which means, he is shirtless underneath.
Does he want to kill me?
Before I can say anything, he speaks again. Sweet like always.
"I think I know you. You're one of Piper's siblings. She's not here if you're looking for her?" His eyes look apologetically in my direction and I feel my heart beating in my chest. I've never spoken to him. Would now be the right time to ask the gods for help?
"No I- I'm not looking for her." I see his eyebrows raise in question.
"No? Then what gives me the honor?" As he takes a few steps towards me, I almost lose myself in his eyes. Brown and warm, as if a fire of its own glowed within them.
I feel the table at my back and say the first thing that comes to mind.
"The- uh, books." Crap. What should I do now?
"The books here? What do you need them for?" It feels like the temperature is rising, but I don't know if it's me or him. I mean, he's the one who can conjure fire with his bare hands.
"I like to read and thought it would be good to learn something about...metal?" That's probably the stupidest thing I've ever said and I can feel my cheeks turn red again.
"Oh well, luckily I can help you with that. Although I don't read the books for my enjoyment, they are quite useful. Are you looking for specific bands?" He is now standing next to me, looking at me from between the books that are laying on the table.
"No...not really. I thought I might ask you? After all, you are an expert." He seems to like the compliment, because his eyes light up and he winks at me.
"To be honest, I think it's better to learn something from practice. But I can show you some of the books later. Do you want to see what I'm currently working on? I won't light anything on fire in your presence, promise."
His comment makes me laugh and I feel myself relax, I nod and try to mentally prepare myself not to show my admiration for him too much.
He goes ahead and explains some of the functions of his ship - the Argo II. Seeing how proud he is and how he glows with an aura of joy make me never want to let me take my eyes off him.
He's so charismatic and I almost laugh at every word that comes out of his mouth. I feel so comfortable around him. And I didn't think it was possible, but actually talking to him, just made me fall in love with him even more.
He shows me his collection of tools, his magic table, the functions of the different rooms and finally his belt. Which allows him to create almost any tool he wants. It is fascinating, all of it. Him.
"It was just left behind, when I found it here. Whoever left it must have been crazy and I mean crazier than me." We stand facing each other and I smile at him. He looks at me too and I'm weak for just a moment. It's only for a second, when my eyes linger on his lips.
“Did you really come here for the books?" My eyes slowly find his and I shake my head.
"Then why?" We're so close, I can see every birthmark and every stray strand of hair on his forehead.
"I just-" our faces are so close, as if something is pulling us together. I feel his breathing, the heat radiating from him, my heart is beating as fast as if it couldn't keep up.
"-think I'm in love with you, Valdez and I will probably burst in flames, if I would kiss you now. But- thats just a side effect. Can-can I kiss you?" I notice, the tips of his hair bursting into flames.
"You wouldn't even need to charmspeak me to convince me, beautiful."
When I kissed him, the irony of our world hit me, because this time I was the one who felt like I was on fire.
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morbidanthem · 4 months ago
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King of Gluttony - 1,184 Words [Ao3 Link]
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You stared down into the busy streets of Abyssos, smiling as you had the perfect view of the famous family district.
This land had a reputation for being a den of debauchery, but it could actually be a great place to visit with your family if you knew where to go.
It warms your heart watching all the families having fun in the big park. Everyone was laughing, running around, and just having a relaxing day under the sun.
It also made your heart ache just a little.
You remember all the good times- the ones you shared with your parents before they were killed…
The trips to your local park, the family dinners out at local restaurants, and even silly little school functions that invited families to join in.
All of this reminiscing and watching…
It made you muse that maybe you wanted to take that next step in your life.
You just needed a little stability first, and with the King of Gluttony not even here, you sometimes felt that this kind of life would never be within reach.
Besides, Devils for Abyssos really didn't make commitments like that.
It almost felt selfish to ask such things like that of him.
“Hey Cutie, what are you thinking about so deeply?” A deep masculine voice asked, making you jump six feet in the air.
You placed your hand on your chest, sighing as you realized it was only Beel.
“Beelzebub, you scared me half to death!” You scolded, holding your arms out with a big smile, awaiting for him to hug you. He happily obliged, like a puppy reuniting with its owner, burying his head in your neck taking a big whiff of you as he settled into your arms.
“I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon.” You said, running your fingers through his knotted hair.
“Hmm, I just felt like coming back for some reason.” He shrugged, leaning into your touch.
He looked out the window, trying to figure out what it was you were staring at, but he just couldn't figure it out.
What was so great about a lame and boring park?
“What were you looking at just now? You made me curious.” He said, pulling away from you to press himself up against the glass of the window.
He was never one to miss out on something fun, now was he?
“Ah, that.” you suddenly spoke softly, looking down at the ground as you tried your best to tell Beelzebub what it was that was on your mind.
You wanted to be honest with him, but you also knew that your honesty could potentially hurt him.
He was a demon who took such pride in his little disappearing acts- he did not strike you as someone who would be very happy being tied down by a baby.
Being obligated to a family was a whole lot to ask, and you didn’t wish to burden him anymore than you already felt like you were.
“Hmm- something is wrong, I can smell it.” He said, lifting himself off of the window to get closer to you.
“You- you can smell it?!” You shouted in shock, giving the lord of the flies a very quizzical look.
“Of course!” He boasted, smiling widely as he spoke. “Anytime your mood changes, there is a noticeable change in your smell!”
“Wha-what?!” You asked again, looking up at him. “You mean you can tell all of that just from the way I smell?!”
“Yup!” He laughed, pulling you into him, as he laid his head atop yours. “I know I'm not really good at, like, comforting you.”
He said, pulling away, using his hand to tilt your gaze up to look at him.
“I still want to be the one you come to when you have a problem. I told you, just say my name, and I'll appear.”
You smiled, feeling his energy flowing into you.
“It's going to sound silly, but I was just thinking about how nice it would be to take that next step in my life… to become a mom.” You spoke, looking back out the window and towards the streets below.
You sighed dreamily, watching a demon mother twirl her child in her arms.
“... A what now?” Beel asked again, leaning in closer to you to make sure he heard you right.
“I was thinking, I wanted to have a baby.” You said. “With you!”
You added on quickly at the end, knowing it was a very real possibility that Beelzebub would just go and take one from somewhere.
You read a story about that once, it was terrifying!
With all of his wild and free type of energy, you wouldn't put it past him.
“With me?” He froze, pointing at himself, as he tried to process that information.
One minute went by.
Three minutes went by.
“Er, Beel… You ok?” You asked, stepping up to him, wrapping your arms around his chest.
You looked down at your phone, clocking his frozen state at about Five minutes.
“I'm sorry, Beelzebub.” You apologized, rubbing your face into his chest. “I didn't want to tell you! I just felt like maybe you should know. We don't have to! We can always-” you began to rant, but got cut off by Beelzebub's deep voice.
“If…” He began, looking down at you while still pointing at himself. “If you did, theoretically, have my baby… would you stay here in Abyssos?”
His tone sounded serious, more serious than you've ever heard it before.
“Of course I would, I wouldn't-” before you could finish, you found yourself being lifted up, your back being pressed up against the glass.
Beel had you in a death grip, his hands under your thighs, squeezing you so roughly through your pants that you could swear he was leaving marks on your skin.
Your core was lined up perfectly with his, and you gasped wantonly as you felt his dick rubbing against you through his own pants.
He used your gasp as an excuse to kiss you, pressing his lips harshly onto yours as he sloppily shoving his tongue down your throat with no warning. You gagged at the sensation, using your arms to grip tightly onto his shoulders, pushing against him lightly in an attempt to ask him to ease up.
He never eases up, and it took you a few seconds to finally catch up with him, but once you did you could swear that you could feel the intensity spilling out of him.
It was incredibly arousing, whining loudly as he began to grind on you like an animal in heat.
“This is a yes, right?” You asked, finally able to pull yourself off of his mouth long enough to ask.
Beelzebub just laughed, licking and sucking on your neck as you began to grind on him as well.
It was going to be a long afternoon.
Hopefully Beelzebub can be done before Bael catches wind that he is back in the Palace.
If he found out, there would be no more time for fun and games.
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turvi · 1 year ago
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Hello again. It’s me the not Snape lover who is questioning their whole existence because of your fic. My whole feed is full of Snape fics now and I’m taking it as a sign from my FBI agent to lean into this new life. I don’t know if your requests are open so if not then please ignore me but if they are, would you be open to writing about the reader who is either James or Sirius’ sibling and they’re dating Snape and just the chaos it would cause? I love your work so much!!
Thanks for all the love I was planning a Snape angst. But now I am gonna save the best for the last. I hope you enjoy this.
WARNING: KISSING, GOOD OLD SIBLING CHAOS
"Come on, please, you must like someone." Sirius was determined to find out who his baby sister had a crush on. He was always prideful that Y/n preferred to open up to him rather than Regulus. Not that Regulus minded. He was happy not knowing anything about his siblings' love life drama (yet he always knew what was going on).
"I don't like anyone, Siri...gosh. Why is it hard for you to believe I am happily single?"
Sirius squinted his eyes. "Stop hanging out with Reggie. You are getting lame like him."
"You are lame."
Sirius gasped and threw a pillow at her.
"Very mature of you, Sirius Black." Y/n threw the pillow back at him, which he caught with one hand and kept hitting her. "Stop it, you dunderhead."
Sirius chuckled. "Ha, you sound like Snivellus."
Y/n froze. Sirius looked at her, concerned. "Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" He immediately threw away the pillow and rubbed her head, thinking he had hurt her, and Y/n let him. She didn't want to have an awkward conversation. Not yet.
...........................................................
Y/n walked out of her room. She had a feeling Sirius had noticed the change in her behaviour. As she was developing a brilliant plan to avoid him, she felt a pair of familiar arms around her waist.
"Hello, love." she sighed as she felt his arms tighten around her.
"Did I tell you your voice is my favourite thing about you?"
Severus pulled her chin up to make her look at him. Y/n could only wonder how her brother and friends called him ugly. But then again, people call the moon beautiful, and even the moon is imperfect.
Y/n's eyes fluttered as she felt his lips on her. She was about to pull away when she felt his hand on the nape of her neck. Her eyes widened as the kiss grew heated, and she felt his tongue on her lips when suddenly she heard a shriek.
The couple immediately pulled away when they heard it. Y/n cringed as the footsteps grew louder. Severus immediately put himself between Y/n and Sirius.
"Snivellus, how dare you even touch my sister?!"
Severus said with a smug smile. "Like this?"
He twirled Y/n and leaned her down, kissing her with so much passion Y/n forgot Sirius was standing right there.
"I am standing right here!!" Sirius' high-pitched voice echoed in the hall as he pulled Severus away from Y/n.
Severus groaned and rolled his eyes as he watched Sirius coddle Y/n. "Are you alright?" He immediately turned to Severus, fury filling his eyes. "How dare you get your grimy hands on my sister?"
"SIRIUS!" Y/n pulled him away as he was raising his hand. "Don't you dare talk to my boyfriend like that."
Sirius felt like his world was ending. He saw the smug smile spreading on Severus' face and that made it worse.
"My baby sister loves Snivellus." He stared into the void as Y/n held him. "He...Snivellous is going to be a part of my family tree!! ugh"
Y/n blushed. "Well, we didn't-
"Yes," Severus' determined tone made her blush even harder.
"Really?" Y/n left Sirius' side, not realising the pout on his face as she left her dear brother for the dungeon bat.
Severus caressed her cheek, looking into her eyes with a promise. "I will marry you." It was not a question. And Y/n felt dizzy. When Severus was so confident, it made her weak in the knees. Maybe he could dom-
"Excuse me!" Sirius shrieked again. "That's my sister."
"Really? I didn't know." Severus smirked as Sirius sat on the floor, having an existential crisis. "Snivellus is gonna be my brother-in-law." His voice cracked.
Y/n sighed. "Sirius, get up. Don't be like this. Come on."
"Y/nn, there are an uncountable number of boys in Hogwarts. Why him?"
Y/n noticed they were starting to attract a crowd. "Sirius, come on, get up."
Severus chuckled. "No, let him be. I am enjoying this."
She glared at him, and it shut him up. "He is still my brother."
"Utter shame," Severus muttered, only to immediately apologise. "Okay, mutt, get up."
"Get your grimy hands off me, Snivellus."
"Ok, enough, you two. You two are behaving like a child and creating a spectacle of yourselves."
Sirius looked at her. "You really mean it? You love him?"
"I wanna spend my life with him." She earnestly told him, hoping he adjusted to this new development.
"You better not hurt my baby sister Snivellus."
Y/n rubbed Severus' back as an apology. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her neck. "I am okay, darling...it was not that bad. I am sure he will accept me soon. He loves you."
Severus had a smug smile, and Y/n squinted her eyes at him. "What?"
"You want to spend your life with me? Am I that good in bed?" his voice dropped an octave that sent shivers through her spine.
Y/n scoffed. "You wish-
Severus tugged her closer, kissing her and cradling her head, holding her close, not wanting to let her go now...not ever.
A/N: I love me some smug Snape and dramatic Sirius. I hope you like this. REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.
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scotianostra · 7 months ago
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Happy 92nd Birthday veteran Scottish actress Phyllida Law, born on May *8th 1932 in Glasgow.
Wiki has 8th July on the first line of their page on Phyllida, but on the side panel has May 8th, so who knows!?
There is very little about her early life except she was born in Glasgow, the daughter of Megsie “Meg” and William Law, a journalist. She said once of he Glasgow upbringing “When you grow up in Glasgow with a Glaswegian granny, you’re taught that pride is a wicked thing. I still feel a bit like that.“ Phyllida grew up in Glasgow’s west end, just off Great Western Road, but war broke out when she was just seven and she found herself evacuated to places such as Lenzie, in Dunbartonshire, and Skelmorlie, Ayrshire.
That gave her a love for the Scots countryside which means she now splits her life between her home in London and a family cottage in Argyll. Phyllida would fit in well with the Scottish & Proud ethos, in an interview she says:
“I’m passionate about my Scots heritage. How could I not be? I can’t live without it. There’s no way I could live without those hills and it’s got to be the west coast. “I sometimes travel to Edinburgh then go up to Pittenweem or somewhere and I think to myself, ‘This isn’t Scotland.’ It’s a wonderful coastline but it’s not Scotland for me.
“When my parents lived in Glasgow they were always looking for a cottage to which they could retire. They found one in Ardentinney, so I visit that a lot.
She joined the Bristol Old Vic in 1952, from what I can gather she was first in the wardrobe department, the first pic shows her standing, from a 1952 photo. Heron screen acting credits start in 1958 and are very extensive, the pick of them are Dixon of Dock Green and a stint as the storyteller in the great children’s show Jackanory in the 60’s. It must have been during her time in the BBC’s children’s TV department she met her husband to be The Magic Roundabout narrator Eric Thompson, She has previously stated that the character of Ermintrude the cow was modelled on her.
Angels in the 70’s and of course Taggart in the 80’s as well Thomson, the variety series hosted by actress Emma Thompson in 1988, Emma just happens to be her daughter. Heartbeat, Hamish Macbeth and Dangerfield in the 90’s, Waking the dead and Doctors in the noughties has kept her busy, now in her 86th year she has still been appearing on the small screen, in The Other Wife and New Tricks during the past 8 years. Film roles include She is known for her work on Much Ado About Nothing , The Time Machine and The Winter Guest.
Phyllida spends most of her time in Argyll in a house she shares with her daughter Emma. who is spending more time looking after her mother, as she was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2915.
Phyllida constantly needs the support of a wheelchair and even assistance when washing due to the effect the condition is having on her.
Due to the progressive nature of the condition, symptoms tend to gradually worsen over time. It is common for individuals to struggle both with walking and talking at the height of the condition.
Phyllida herself spoke about the burdens of looking after an infirm parent, she looked after her mother, Meg who suffered with Alzheimer’s disease. Mego died in 1994 aged 93 after almost 20 years of being cared for by Ms Law at her mother's home in the village of Ardentinny on the west coast, near Dunoon.
Emma said of her mother “Mum is quite lame so it's a case of taking her out in a wheelchair, and making sure she takes her medication. The meds are amazing."
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naiomiirayn · 1 year ago
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𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝙃𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣/𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
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Pairings: Hobie Brown x Reader
Summary: You broke up with Hobie after one too many times of him bailing on you and your plans together. He ends up showing up at your house to apologize and make things right.
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending
Extra(s): There are no specifications for anything (gender or any kind of attributes but if you catch any please let me know so I can fix it immediately) just so everyone can read:)
I got most of the beginning/intro from the Character AI app, but I did make some changes. These are just "texts" I made with the bot. The creator for the bot is @/fairybaby, or Della Rose is their username.
Also, there is very little to no British terms in this because I have no clue what kind of slang they actually use and I don't want to get anything wrong. Enjoy!
P.S. This is my first ever fic I'm actually publishing.. I’m aware there’s too much explaining but wtv:P
Hearing a knock on the door you walk over curiously and open it, but as soon as you see who's on the other side you quickly try and close it, when a hand pushes against it.
"Please just let me in so we can talk, love." He's apologized- three times- for missing another date. You know he's busy. Dismantling systems of oppression doesn't give him a lot of free time. He spends whatever time he can with you, obviously, but he knows it's not nearly enough. He doesn't like labels but that doesn't matter-you and him are together. It doesn't matter that you're a little mad, you're still his.
"Hobie, what are you doing here?" He hears the tone of frustration and sadness in your voice, a sound that tugs at his heart strings. He hates that he's made you feel this way, again. He frowns, hurt by your response.
"I missed you. I wanted to talk to you." His voice is hushed and soft. He keeps his distance for now, watching you with his dark eyes. He is used to being that way, he always had been until you showed up. You've changed him for the better and he doesn't want to lose you. He hears you sigh and looks back up, not realizing he had even dropped his head.
"Fine.. Come in." He sees you move away from the door and walk to the couch. He quickly steps in before you can change your mind and shuts the door behind himself. He moves hesitantly towards your direction, not knowing if he should sit or stand for this. You seem to make the decision for him when you pat the seat next to you. He tries to make eye contact but you're not looking in his direction, so he just takes a seat, a little further than necessary considering the circumstances.
"Can you forgive me?" He hears himself blurt out lamely before he can even stop himself and he cringes slightly. Hobie isn't a prideful person, but he understands that he messed up, and he knows how upset with him you are but that's not a reason to stay apart. in his mind, at least. He sees you look back over to him and frown, your eyebrows furrowing and your lips forming into a slight pout. He can't help but admire you a bit, even if now isn't the best time to do so.
"I don't know if I can Hobie, you broke yet another promise to me. I'm just so tired of this happening all the time."
"Oh..." His heart dropped. He doesn't know what he expected but he had at least hoped that you'd forgive him, let him try again. "Listen, [Name], I'm so sorry, and I know you're tired of hearing it- believe me I'm tired of saying it- but I mean it this time. Please, forgive me I know I can do better; I'll show you I can do better." His voice thick with so many emotions that it makes his accent more prominent, but he can't bring himself to care anymore. He needs to get his point across, he can't lose you he won't lose you.
He sees your gaze turn more relenting and soft and he suddenly feels a bit hopeful. "Yea.. I forgive you-" Your smile turns soft before it drops again, and he's confused and worried on why your expression suddenly turns hurt. "-but that doesn't mean we're back together." You turn away from him again.
He's okay with that- you can both start again. He knows he messed up and he accepts full responsibility of that. He takes a deep breath before speaking again. "Then.. Then how about friends? We can just be friends for now, with the potential to get back together." He adds hopefully, trying to calm himself and his thoughts that are running wild right now. He doesn't want to rush you, and he's not sure when you'll be ready to try again, but he's willing to be patient.
"That's the thing Hobes.. You never seem to have time for me with everything that you do, and that's okay I understand that those things are important to you but.. I just don't know if I can do that again. I won't do that again..." He feels his heart shatter, letting hurt fade into his expression as he looks away. "I still love you and I do want to be with you but you have to understand that you can't balance everything. I'm tired of being left out, I'm sorry."
He sighs and rubs at his eyes in frustration, wondering what he can say to make things better. "I do know what you mean," he admits eventually, "and I swear to you, I'll put my work down and spend more time with you whenever you want." He isn't quite sure if he'd be able to do that entirely, but when it comes to you, he's more than willing to try.
"I don't know if I can ask you to give up something so important. Those things need way more attention than just.. me." He sees them shrug and look away, fiddling with the hem of their shirt; a habit they picked up from him.
"It isn't important. Not more than you." He speaks softly, the gentleness of his voice belying the genuine sincerity of his words and he takes your hands in his and when you look at him, he continues. "You're way more important to me than fighting injustice, more than taking down evil, more than anything else." He pauses for a moment, trying to find the right words as he's never been too good at expressing his emotions-yet another thing that you've changed about him. "I love you, more than I've ever loved anything else, and I need you to know that. I will do anything for you, and I mean that. Anything."
You widen your eyes a bit at his statement, and he can see the blush start to creep up your cheeks. "You.. really mean that..?" He hears the unsurety in your voice and he nods. He means it and he doesn't hesitate in his reply.
"Anything." His voice is still gentle and calm. "I'll do anything to convince you that I'll make the time for you." He sees your beautiful smile start to come back and he didn't realize how much he'd missed it until now.
"Okay.. We can try again then," There's a pause before you say something again. "but don't make any plans with me until you're 100% sure that you're free, do you understand me?" He feels a smile tug at his lips as he takes one of their hands in his, lifting it up to his face to kiss the back of it.
"I understand." He nods and breathes a sigh of relief from his nose. There's no more reason to be confused or angry and hurt. He gets his partner back. His other half, and it's more than he could ever wish for.
He could do better this time, no, he would do better this time. He wouldn't promise because he'd made too many of those, but he'd show you instead. Show you he values you and your time over anything else.
To hell with whoever said anything to him about it.
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bittersweet-innocence · 1 year ago
Text
The Duke
CW: platonic yandere, mentions of death, light angst
WC: 3,614
Gender Neutral Reader
You were trying to be nice. You were making an effort, but his flat tone and cold stare just made any hope you had die like a fire in the rain. The cake wasn’t perfect, in fact it was sloppy and probably didn’t taste very great despite your best efforts, but it was the thought that counted, right.
“I don’t see how this is any concern of yours. Honestly, what are you doing?” He said flatly. He was annoyed. You tried to keep your smile, but you felt your eye twitch as you shifted you weight from foot to foot. Your patience with him and his cold shoulder was wearing thin.
Two years of marriage and you had nothing to show for it. No heir to show, not even a smidge of happiness. Just misery on both sides.
“It’s called being kind.” You say, your voice flatter than you meant. This wasn’t going to turn out well. “You could at least spend your birthday with someone rather than being cooped up in your estate like a hermit.”
You push the cake forward insistently as your eyes narrow. “Even if you don’t want to spend it with me, just take the damned cake.”
You saw him bristle and you wanted to take your words back. He was touchy enough as is, but you should have refrained from calling him a hermit. For someone so miserable, he never liked to he called out on it.
“I don’t care for celebrations.” He said, his tone harsher than necessary. “Besides, everyone would see it as insulting to my wife to celebrate this day when I can’t.”
You held back a sigh. You sympathized with him for his wife, you really did, but he always seemed to say these things that truly made no sense. In his despair, she had become a lame excuse he fell back on.
Either way, you went along with his nonsense. “Who says you can’t. Would your wife want you to live your life as a miserable wretch?” You sighed, pressing you lips into a thin line. “I apologize. That was rude.”
You swallowed your pride and temper and prayed to the gods for a little more patience. “Look, I am sorry that she died and I’m sorry that you were forced to marry me and I am sorry that you are so depressed and miserable, but that is not my fault.” You said. “And I would appreciate it if you would stop aiming you anger at me. So take the cake so I can leave.”
“Your apology is worthless to me.” He said quickly, keeping his arms crossed over his chest. He hesitated for a moment like he wanted to end the conversation there, but the venom continued to spill. “You don’t understand what it’s like. Everything I did for two years, I did in service of her memory. So don’t tell me how to live. I will not apologize for mourning her.”
“I am not asking you to apologize for mourning. I am simply saying that if she loved you as dearly as you love her, she would despise the hollow shell you have become.” You shoot back. You’re being cruel. Your mind whispered to you. You were pouring whiskey onto a festering wound, but you were angry and tired of this. The emperor made him marry you, deciding it was necessary for him to be married. That was not your problem, you had married because it was your duty, all you wanted as for him to meet you halfway.
You sighed and shook your head when he doesn’t so much as twitch. “Fine. Take the cake, don’t take the cake, I don’t care.” You said, setting the cake platter down on the ground between you.
“Maybe some animals will enjoy it. I will be returning to my estate. Have a good day, sir.” You said. You tried; you couldn’t say that you didn’t try.
You turned and left, walking down the cobblestone path out of his estate, grumbling under your breath. You could try all you liked, but unless he tried too, this was going nowhere.
Two years and he hadn’t even asked to conjoin your estates or for you to move in. You didn’t ask either, even if he said yes, it would be a stiflingly stiff house. Unless he made an attempt at anything beyond being depressed, this marriage was headed for divorce. You couldn’t inact it yourself and you wouldn’t dare even if you had the power. A divorce would tarnish your reputation much more than it would his, though you doubted he cared.
However, the moment your back turned and you walked down the path, regal and elegant even in your anger, he bent down and picked up the platter. He stared down at it with a furrowed brow. How long had it been since he received a personal gesture like this?
The cake wasn’t made very well. The layers of frosting were uneven and the writing was sloppy. It even leaned slightly. This was no bakery made cake, no self respecting baker would have sold such a creation and he doubted any of your personal cooks or servants would have dared to present such a thing to you.
Did that mean you baked it? You were a horrible baker, you were lucky you were not born of common blood and had more worth than being a village wife. He swallowed. It was a sweet gesture. He took it inside with him.
You decided to take the long way home to calm your temper, trekking on a dirt path that cut through the woods. You tried to push the duke from your mind as you walked. The woods were quiet, the only breaking noise being birds chirping from their nests and leaves crunching beneath your shoes.
As you walked home, you enjoyed the crisp air and tranquility as you pushed the conversation with him out of your mind. As you approached your estate, you heard more familiar sounds. The distant neighs of stable horses and servants washing clothes and maids gossiping and tittering in excitement over the nearing All Hallows’ Eve. You had no doubt they were all excited for the festival and costumes.
You returned their greetings as they saw you and walked to your room. You wanted nothing more than to change out of your stuffy clothes. Admittedly, you had dressed up for the duke, more out of necessity rather than personal preference, but either way, you wanted out of the suffocating corset beneath your clothes.
(You cursed the emperor for passing the new law for proper clothes. Corsets necessary for both men and women, ridiculous!)
You closed the door behind you, hands going to the buttons of your clothes. You had undone the first button when someone cleared their throat. You jumped and spun around.
Standing awkwardly in the doorway to your balcony, the duke stood awkwardly. You gaped for a moment.
“…Could you come with me?” He asked softly. He looked like an awkward teen and you felt like one.
“Mr. Ashdown? Did you follow me to my estate? Why are you here?” You asked as you opened your door again. You may be wedded, but it still felt inappropriate to be alone in your room with a man. His face twitched for a moment, he never cared when you referred by his last name before, but he didn’t seem to like it now.
“Come with you where? I don’t really have time for a wild goose chase today.” You said, feeling mildly perturbed. Did he climb up the terrace? How did he get in? The maids would have told you if they knew he was here.
“I… I am trying to apologize for my behaviour, but I also need to see if this is truly worth my efforts.” He said slowly, not meeting your gaze. You hesitated, after two years when you were near ready to give up, now he was ready to try?
“Oh, for the love of— fine.” You said, pinching the ridge of your nose. Out of all his odd behaviours you beared witness to, this one was the oddest. But you had to meet him halfway. “Let’s just make this quick, please.”
Without another word, he grabbed your wrist and tugged you over to your balcony. Did he truly climb up?! Did he expect you to do the same?!
The duke seemed to have the same train of thought as he stopped for a moment. He glanced back at you and you resisted the urge to not say something snide when he slowly ran his gaze over you. You almost wanted to throw yourself off the balcony for the judgement his gaze created.
Instead, he turned and dragged you through your estate. He led you out through the back doors out into the gardens. A part of you questioned how he knew your estate so well despite only coming over once. He seemed to know every turn and hall and room.
You dismissed your thoughts. He was an odd man by nature. He led you through the gardens, ignoring the surprised stares of your servants following you. He led you through the gardens and back into the woods.
For a long while, he dragged you through the woods in silence. His hurried pace made animals run to their burrows, familiar with the sounds of a man on a hunt. Hunting for what however, you hadn’t a clue.
After a while, he finally spoke. “Do you want me to be happy? Do you truly want me to be happy?” He asked, not looking back at you.
You clicked your tongue in irritation. Did he truly doubt that after all the attempts you had made to make his days a little better? “I would prefer it if you were. It would make your life easier and hopefully our interactions less vexing.” You sighed. “What is even going on? Where are we going?”
The duke opened his mouth to answer, but closed it before any sound escaped. He didn’t answer your question.
After walking a bit further, you spotted something between the trees. As you drew closer, the sight became clearer. It was fallen ruins, golden light filtering through the cracks and holes. He dragged you closer to it. This was what he was looking for.
“I’ve never been here before.” You murmured to yourself as you stare, brows furrowed. You turn your gaze back to him. “Where are we. Why are we here?”
Again, your questions were left unanswered and ignored. He dragged you up to the crumbling steps into the ruins and dragged you inside. You marvelled over the ruins as he dragged you in.
Decaying archways and moss clinging to cobblestone. Faded paint and sun filtering in from above through the cracks and crevices in the ceiling. It was hauntingly beautiful. You gaped as you glanced around.
“This place is magnificent.” You whisper softly.
He only hummed in response, distracted as he looked around. His head jerked over to an open doorway and dragged you over.
You quickly stumbled after him, tripping on the cracks on the floor and fallen stone. You gasped softly as he pulled you into the room.
This room is just as beautiful as the first. Torn tapestries, cracked marble, what was left of a golden throne. The gold was tarnished and the dents where jewels had once been embedded were left empty.
You were beginning to suspect that this was one of the old kingdoms, lost to time or to new lands to rule. You had never thought one may lay so close to you estate. How many times had you ventured the woods without finding this.
However, it still raised the question, why were you brought here and how did the duke know if its presence?
He finally released your arm and walked over to the alcove of a fallen statue. A old god of mythology. He barely glanced at the statue laying on the ground as he stepped over it.
He leaned down and dug around in the growing lush of nature sinking its roots into the stone. He grabbed something you couldn’t see and pulled harshly on it.
Then he turned back to you, staring down  at what he held. It looked to be some kind of potato, roots still attached. He looked slightly nervous as he swallowed and held it out to you.
You raised a brow, turning your attention away from the cracked face of a god. “Is this why you brought me out here? To give me a potato?” You asked. You felt silly and incredulous at the offer, but you took it anyway. He only stared at you.
“Are you feeling alright?” You finally asked after a period of silence. Your brow raised further as concern crossed over your face. “You’re not acting quite well. Please don’t tell me you’ve gone around the bend. This marriage is on the rocks already, I don’t wish to send you to an asylum.”
The duke seemed to take your concern in stride. He offered a brief, quiet laugh to brush aside your concern. He took a deep breath.
“I am the duke of this land. And yet, I have never had anyone love me for who I am and not what this title gives me. Not my parents, not my half siblings, not the court, not even the emperor. But you have shown a kindness towards me that I am not accustomed to.” He said. “You have shown me kindness that only one other has shown me. I know it’s odd, I know it’s silly, but I need to know my efforts won’t go to waste. Do you want me to be happy?”
You nodded slowly, unsure of where this was going or how to take his behaviour.
“Then eat it.” He said simply, his posture relaxing. “You have the gift of making me remember what it felt like to be loved when my wife was still alive. She was the only one who loved me for me.”
“When we were kids, we found this and to mark our love, we both ate a potato. I do warn you, it is a rancid thing to taste.” He said. He stared intently at you. “If you can give me a personal gesture and eat a potato for me, I can try.”
“So this is a sort of initiation for becoming truly wedded in your eyes?” You said uncertainly. You really didn’t want to eat the potato, but you would if he tried. Anything to save this failing marriage.
“If you want to view it like that.” He said simply. His gaze was blank and unblinking, a bit like an owl late at night.
“O-okay…” you said slowly. You hesitated for a moment, but you finally raised the potato up to your lips. The potato was hard and and bitter on your tongue as you bit into it.
He saw the very moment the taste hit your tongue and for a moment, he saw his wife. He saw Lily, hair as white as snow and growing long to her ankles. He saw her violet eyes squeeze shut and her face screwed up. He remembered laughing at her expression before he too faced the harsh taste.
He blinked and Lily was gone and you stood in her stead. Your face was pinched and you chewed slowly before swallowing the potato down. You tried to hide the shudder that wracked down your spine.
“Unique flavour.” You said, clearing your throat as the mushy insides coated the inside.
“Like I said, it’s rancid.” He said as he stepped closer. He took the potato and bit into it like it was a shiny, red apple. His eye twitched as he chewed and swallowed much quicker than you did. Then he threw the half eaten potato back into the alcove.
“Are you truly going to make good on your promise?” You asked, staring up at him. He hummed and nodded.
“You ate the potato. I don’t want us to be strangers anymore. I want to love you like I love my wife.” He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. What an odd man you had been wedded to.
“That was really all it took?” You sighed. “I would deeply enjoy being in a loving marriage, but don’t rush yourself. Our kingdoms weren’t built in a day and love does not bud overnight.”
“I will keep that in mind.” He replied, smiling slightly. It was barely a smile, just the corners of his lips twitching up, but it made you happy.
You nodded. “Alright. Let’s get along then, we may be wedded, but I would prefer there be no rumours of us having our way in the woods.”
His smile grew slightly and he nodded, leading you back out of the ruins, much more relaxed than when he had rushed you inside. You looked back at the ruins.
“How did you even know this laid here? I’ve never come across such a treasure in all my years. Beautiful ruins lost to nature…” you murmured, trying not to trip over your feet as you walked backward, trying to take in every last detail of the dirty stone.
“As I already said, my wife and I found it when we were young. We loved coming out here to get away and just be together.” He said. He glanced back at the ruins, a true smile on his lips. A sweet, fond smile. “If our parents had permitted so, we would have been wedded here.”
“I can understand why you both loved it, it’s a beautiful sight.” You said softly, observing his soft expression. “If… If I may be so bold, may I ask about your wife? I wish to know more.”
“You may be so bold. She… Her name was Lily. She was the most beautiful woman in the world to me.” He said wistfully, walking on a set path even as his gaze grew distant. You quickly followed after him. “We got married young, when we were kids really. Everyone thought we were crazy, but our love for each other never wavered. She was there for me when no one else was, and she was my best friend.”
“She sounds like a lovely woman.” You commented, turning your gaze to the canopy of leaves above, packed in together by the close trees. Sunlight dappled through the small spot where leaves did not overlap and birds tweeted, happily singing their songs.
The duke followed your gaze up to the trees. “She loved the birds. All kinds. Common sparrows, crows, peacocks, chickens.” He let out a soft noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle. “She fed them whenever she could and after a while, she couldn’t walk outside without them flocking to her.”
“I am truly sorry she was taken so early in life. It is a senseless tragedy.” You said quietly, unsure if your words would bring back his coldness. He had claimed that he would give the marriage, the relationship, a try, but you couldn’t help to be cautious. “You should have been able to live a long life with her. I curse the gods for reaping her life, they did not need her as much as you did.”
The duke nodded in acceptance as he listened to your words. “I hated the gods for taking her. I still hate them.” He paused for a moment, eyes flickering over to you. You didn’t object his words. If he hated the gods, it was within his right, you were no nun or priest or disciple of the gods.
Once you don’t refute his words, he looks back to the trees, but his eyes darken despite the sunlight shining down. “Sometimes I wonder if they punished her for loving me, since everyone else was too greedy to see anything besides my name.”
You hummed, mulling over his words with a thoughtful expression. “I wouldn’t be surprised. The gods themselves are nothing more than greedy bastards who cannot stand anyone being loved more than they are.”
You shook your head with a sigh, trying to find the positive side of this situation if there was one to be found.
“Well, I suppose she’ll be waiting for you when your time comes, with a halo and great wings. She’ll be the most beautiful angel in the sky.” You finally say.
He nodded. “I suppose.” He said. “I wish to hold her one more time, but I believe your words earlier were true. Cruel, but also awakening. Lily wouldn’t want me to despair over her.”
“Thank you for showing that to me.” He smiled at you, that sweet, fond smile. “Sometimes life is cruel. But it’s people like you that make it so beautiful. In some way, you remind me of her.”
You smile and a soft giggle escaped you. “You flatter me with your kind words, I do not measure.” You say. “But either way, I hope our relationship can grow, I hope our love can bloom like a red rose.”
You pressed a soft kiss to his cheek as you come back to the edge of your gardens. He tilted his head. Then he leaned forward and pressed an equally soft kiss to your own cheek. This isn’t a passionate, lustful kiss. This is a gentle, tender kiss.
He smiled sweetly at you, his eyes focused solely on you. You had found him in his self made out of despair and dragged him out of it and into the bright sun.
“I look forward to it.”
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rudimentary-rutabaga · 9 months ago
Text
I got what I asked for, so here are my Deltarune Yellow Ideas! Feel free to comment or send me askes on these guys/the storyline. I have way more ideas I didn’t list here.
This is… very long, so be warned. Designs coming soon.
DALV
-Nothing changes too much, still socially awkward
-Friends with the Ketsukanes, but nowhere near Starlo’s level.
-The snowdin attack never happened. He was actually friends with the Integrity human, and they would help him look after baby Kanako if Starlo was away.
-That is, until they disappeared out of the blue. Now he has anxiety over that instead.
-Writes books for a living. He also babysat Kanako and Clover when they were younger.
-Used to help out on Starlo’s farm.
-One of Kanako’s friends.
MARTLET
-Design is mostly the same.
-No royal guard to join, so she went to college instead. Now that she’s graduated, she’s currently unemployed and living with her mom.
-Still helps Chujin out with building/carpentry, but doesn’t feel good enough to start a business.
-One of Clover’s friends, like a sister to them.
-Met Asriel at college. They didn’t get along.
STARLO
-A farmer. Takes more pride in farming than his UTY counterpart.
-Still loves cowboys/western media, but he’ll only dress up as them in the safety of his own backyard.
-Still has a crush on Ceroba but knows he’ll most likely never be with her, so he just tries to be the best for Kanako he can be.
-Has his own house now! His ‘posse’ are just his high school friends. They’ll talk about western stuff a lot with him but won’t go much farther than that.
-One of Clover’s friends. Pretty much their dad, but hasn’t been able to officially adopt them.
CEROBA
-Still dresses up the same as in UTY
-Her and Chujin are practically the founders of the town (This is not hometown, by the way.)
-The whole family would be considered intimidating if everyone didn’t know them already.
-Clover lives with her + her family , but they don’t think they consider them family.
-Shows a bit of favoritism towards Kanako, but she’s working on it.
-Stay at home mom.
CHUJIN
-Still an engineer, but when not at work he uses most of his skills for carpentry and woodworking.
-No Snowdin attack, so he isn’t as distrustful of humans. He's just glad Kanako seems happy to have Clover.
-Programmed a video game for Kanako called ‘Belowstory’
KANAKO
-Doesn’t like to dress how she does in UTY. She dressed like that when she was younger, but now prefers to look more like her peers.
-Loved western stuff when she was younger, but sometime after Clover arrived she decided cowboys were lame and she liked superheroes (another predominantly human thing) more.
-Recently decided cowboys actually are better.
-Amazing at art and piano, gets good grades and everybody loves her! Nevermind the fact that she feels stressed and pressured.
-Minor envy issues with Clover. Feels like they don’t have to be impressive to be liked.
-Considers Clover a sibling.
CLOVER
-Considers Kanako a cousin.
-Major jealousy issues with Kanako. Feels like they’ll never be as good and loved as her. They aren’t good with sharing.
-‘Works’ at Starlo’s farm (they volunteer on afternoons and he pays them allowance)
-Shares a room with Kanako.
-The orphanage they escaped from didn’t bother to educate the kids there, so Ceroba homeschools them until they can catch up with others their age.
-Got made co-deputy with Kanako. Felt like their western thing was the only thing separating them from being nothing but ‘Kanako’s friend.’
AXIS
-Yes, he exists.
-Instead of being a royal guard robot, he was made to be Kanako’s companion before Clover came along.
-Currently confined to the basement because of his limited power source.
-Knew Integrity before their sudden disappearance.
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beevean · 8 months ago
Text
This piece is pretty long (it's actually two), but I'm finally in the swing of things. This is the pure, distilled Isaactor in my view. A complete mess :'D
~
“But I was asked to give him my body and soul, and so I did. It was the least I could do, after all he did for me.”
The vast castle narrowed down to the four walls of the alchemy laboratory, buried deep underground.
Lord Dracula’s command, white-hot with his fury, was absolute: the Devil Forgemasters were to work until the flesh of their hands had been consumed. It was their duty – no, the very reason they were born – to create and create, to channel Lord Dracula’s essence through their bodies, transmogrified into vessels to bring Hell on earth; the words of the spell fused together in a senseless cacophony of noises, wrenched from their throats by the specter of the Lord.
Hector no longer had the strength to think. It wasn’t unusual for him to wake up with a jolt on his table, surrounded by chipped gems and hasty sketches, with a head that screamed death and tingling hands.
(Were his fingernails always purple?)
Had it been a few minutes? Hours? Days? Who could tell, when not even the moonlight kept them company. He could only get up, tidy up his place, and repeat the litany in an increasingly strained voice.
It was for a good cause.
(He had forgotten what it was.)
His creations had become incredible, majestic. Intimidating skeleton knights, mountain beasts, slender golden gargoyles, dragons small enough to snake around his arm and massive enough to block out the sun when flying. He would have swelled with pride, welcomed the awe bubbling in his chest at the sight of his ever-growing powers, were it not that they all came to the world with the same fate: to kill.
It was the Lord’s will.
(The same will as a rabid wolf driven to bite everything in its sight.)
His Devils, growing in sapience and soft in morals, gleefully brought him back the heads of the men, women and children that they had punished. They wanted nothing more than to make their master happy, and they did in the only way they had learned. Hector threw the gifts away, but they always came back to him, dangling in his dreams with glassy eyes and slack jaws and charred flesh, and it didn’t matter that his breath got cut in his chest and tears pushed to fall from his eyes and his tongue was heavy with blood welling in his mouth.
It didn’t matter, because he had sworn to serve his Lord, with his learnings and with his blood and with all the strength in his body and mind, because he knew what he was doing, he was a rational man who only needed help with his grief, and Hector would have done anything to help him even if he didn’t understand.
(He ignored the rocks settling in his stomach.)
It didn’t matter, because he had to be strong, and keep Isaac upright when he wailed and tore up his hair and sobbed with his head held in his hands and babbling nonsense.
Whenever Hector dragged himself to his quarters to sink into the comfort of his nightmares, Isaac seldom followed him. Just one more, he’d say, and then Hector would descend back the next day to still find his friend awake, attempting to no avail to hide his puffy eyes and the rubble at his feet.
Hector’s craftsmanship improved day by day, improving in number and complexity. Isaac’s masterpiece was still Abel. That was what the Lord would say, with a small smile reserved for Hector. It made all the hardships worth it. It made Isaac slink back to his corner of the laboratory.
The more Isaac worked himself to exhaustion, the more mistakes he made. His Devils were too small, too brittle, lame, a liability in battle. He would rip the gems out of their bodies with a scream and attempt again.
Any suggestion to rest was met with a venomous stare.
« You made it. So I can make it as well. I’m not worse than you! I’m not! »
Hector had to calm Isaac down more times than he could count, when he was overwhelmed by the fear that he couldn’t be useful to his Lord and therefore he had no reason to live. His face became more and more sickly pale and drawn, his eyes bloodshot: he really started resembling an undead creature.
« You’re not useless, » Hector would attempt to comfort him. « No one is going to throw you away. You’re still a General, aren’t you? And my friend, regardless of what you can or cannot do. »
His words never breached him. Isaac was lost in a mire that Hector could only see the surface of.
And that was why, when Isaac would push him to the wall hard enough that his head slammed and would kiss him with teeth and nails and would look at him with eyes as cold as the wind in the castle, Hector let him. If a warm, welcoming body was what he needed to push his head out of the surface, Hector would give it to him. It was the least he could do, for his only friend.
(He would do the same for him. Wouldn’t he?)
Hector pulled back from kissing Isaac’s nape, reeling at the sight that greeted him.
« What is this? »
« Pretty, isn’t it? » asked Isaac with thinly veiled sarcasm, under him.
Hector bit his lip. “Pretty” was not quite the right word: he would have said stunning. A large, intricate tattoo covered the entirety of Isaac’s upper back, from one shoulder blade to the other. Hector knew that symbol all that well: the sun expanding its rays in all directions, the moon and stars inside it, the devil and angel wings spread out, the dragons entangled together in an eternal dance.
It was the very same insignia that the Devil Forgemasters displayed proudly on their uniform. Their rankings, their accomplishments, their purpose in life: all were embroidered on their armor.
And now, it seemed, right under Isaac’s own skin.
Something wasn’t right.
Hesitantly, Hector lightly touched the tattoo with his fingers. The skin throbbed under his fingertips, and Isaac hissed in pain, making him recoil as if he’d been burned.
His friend could tolerate pain. Sought it, even. He had made clear numerous times that he would not let Hector go until he was sore all over. In normal circumstances, Hector would not be deterred, and would have welcomed the distraction regardless of the sluggishness in his own limbs. Isaac’s screams served well at keeping his thoughts at bay.
However, a nagging feeling, pulling in a corner of his mind, held him back.
All of his intentions vanished in a puff of smoke, Hector climbed off of Isaac – which earned him a grumble – to lay down to his side.
« What is the hold up? » the man asked with narrowed eyes, propping himself on an elbow, and Hector wished he had a good answer, one that didn’t make him sound like an unsupportive companion.
« Is that why you didn’t torment me for days? »
« Torment you, » he echoed with a snort. « As if I bother you that much. But yes, I had to wait for it to heal. It hurt… a lot. »
Of course, Isaac would reject ordinary ink – Hector rubbed away the unpleasant memory of the pulsating skin. He was more surprised that he had been able to hide himself from him. Had he been careless? Hector saw himself forced to ask the same question he had been repeatedly asking his friend:
« Why did you do this? »
At that, Isaac’s face brightened up – he must have been waiting for it. « I needed to show to Lord Dracula how committed I am to His cause! How I would do… » He shuddered. « Anything for Him. Even withstanding the most torturous of agonies. He injected His own blessed blood inside my flesh, and now I belong to Him, body and soul. He said as such, Hector! He did! »
That was the part where Hector was supposed to get out and return to his work.
Unnecessary. It was all unnecessary. As it was staying up all day to create Devils bound to be destroyed, as it was cutting off parts of the people they slaughtered, as it was slaughtering them in the first place.
It wasn’t Hector’s place to understand, that much he knew, but he still itched to tear down the wall that had grown between him and the others.
Lord Dracula trusted both of them, even if he was not quite as kind to Isaac. What was the point of mutilating himself for his sake? Weren’t his actions enough?
« I see, » was the only comment he was capable of. He hardly cared that Isaac deflated at his lack of enthusiasm. « You could have told me, you know. »
« Why did you need to know? » Isaac suddenly flashed his eyebrows, before a sly smirk replaced his sullen expression. « Do you want total control of my body? »
« I would treat it better than you do. »
« Ohh, and what would you do? » he purred, swinging a leg over Hector, pushing him closer to his eager body.
He’d show him.
In a swift move, Hector was once again on top of Isaac, this time facing each other; Isaac let out a silent gasp at having his tender back against the bed. Hector couldn’t help it: whenever Isaac pinned him down, he let the victor do with his body as he pleased, but when he was the one holding his friend by the throat, squeezing with just enough strength to feel the blood pumping under his palms, an urge squirmed in his belly, the urge to hurt him, because Isaac was at his most beautiful when he looked up to him with half-lidded, shiny eyes, dark with a sentiment that could only be shared when teeth and nails were drawn out.
A sentiment that was only reserved for Hector. Or, at least, it should be.
Did Isaac look up to Lord Dracula in the same way? Begging to be torn apart? And what did that make Hector, in his eyes?
« Why are you like this? » he asked, knowing he would never get an answer.
He passed his thumb over Isaac’s neck, in search of something. There they were, right on his jugular: the small scars left by Lord Dracula’s fangs, still not fully healed after a few days. Hector would have had a matching mark on his throat, had he not rushed to drink a strong healing potion as soon as the Lord had let him go. The feeling of the vampire’s mouth all over and inside Hector’s neck had been uniquely unpleasant, and he did not wish to see a reminder of the experience in the mirror. Isaac was not of the same mind, it appeared. He never was.
Meanwhile, his friend wheezed a laugh. He didn’t even ask what Hector meant exactly. « Too bad, take it or leave it. » He stroked Hector's back, tickling it with long nails that would soon draw blood. « You don’t want to leave me, do you, Hector? »
The languid tone was not enough to fool him.
Whether Hector liked it or not, regardless of the wall keeping them at arm’s length, Isaac was part of him as much as Hector was part of the only man he could call his companion.
« As if I could. » He nuzzled on the crook of Isaac’s neck, right where it was the warmest. « You’re going to drive me crazy, one day. »
And then he threw all reason to the wind, and bit hard on Isaac’s shoulder, until he finally, finally shouted. Human teeth couldn’t tear skin as easily as a vampire’s, but the purple bruise he left right under Lord Dracula’s mark looked lovely on his friend’s pale skin.
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konohamaru-sensei · 7 months ago
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🍋 FOR LEM 🍋 | Saya x Kakashi | A third person pointing out how beautiful they're and suddenly you're seeing them in a different light
happy birthday @lemony-snickers, I'm sorry this is such a lame story, I had SO MANY different ideas and couldnt pick one, please contact me on discord to hear about all of em.
Exhausted, Saya leaned her back against a big oak tree and already eyed the rations that had been provided for her hungrily. It was not like she wasn’t used to long stretches of time running and no or very little food, but that didn’t mean her body couldn’t feel exhausted. Especially when the long stretch of no food had been 8 hours, the running had been without pause and there was fried chicken in the rations.
Tenzo handed it to her as he took out her ration first and then his own, throwing a very sceptical look into the bag. They weren’t even away from Konoha for one day and he already seemed worried about food. That was oddly sweet and a little over nervous of him. Sure, he hadn’t really led missions before and Saya was technically a kouhai to him, but he knew very well they’d get through this. It was a very standart mission anyway.
“It might only last for about 4 days,” he said in a tone as if he was just declaring that the rations were almost out. “We have to be careful.”
Saya basically ripped the cover off her box. She felt like she hadn’t eaten it for at least 20 days, when it was more like 10 hours. “The mission is only supposed to take a day or two, Captain”, she said, winking a little to show Tenzo that she was teasing him.
He had that need for overplanning from Kakashi, Saya was sure of it. From how she had gotten to know Kakashi during the last few months he seemed like the kind of guy who would overestimate to make sure all his teammates made it back safely. Though, Saya noted with an internal eye roll, he also seemed like the sort of guy who would pack less for himself, seeing himself as the least important person in the operation.
Saya of course hadn’t run missions with Kakashi a lot, especially not now that he was poised to make the switch to jounin sensei. But she was somehow paired up with Tenzo from time to time, who was obviously missing his senpai judging from the way he was organising himself. Tenzo was different, he was a little more worried and unsure of himself and yet his actions as a team leader had Kakashi written all over it.
“Have a nice meal,” Saya just about said before she was already digging into the mix of rice and fried chicken. They had packed an extra big portion of rice, probably to make sure they were stuffed enough to make it all the way through the desert at night. It was a hassle staying up all night, but it seemed even worse to get to Sunagakure during the daytime. BEsides, they were ANBU: They were expected to be able to run great distances without sleep.
This mission was a very easy one. They were supposed to get to Sunagakure, hand over a missive regarding the chuunin exam and head back. Generally, with peace reigning for many years, this was not a big deal, something that, in Saya’s mind, could have probably done via falcon, but the peace seemed frickle, especially lately, so they were sent instead. “My best ANBU”, the hokage had said with not so well hidden pride of who Tenzo had become. “HE can pick his own team.” Saya, to her own surprise, had been chosen as said team.
Stuffing her mouth with rice she thought of the way Tenzo had walked up to her. “I would like Fox to accompany me,” he had said and when her eyes had gone wide behind her mask he’d replied. “I think our fighting styles are compatible.” But that just seemed like an excuse. Back then she’d told herself she would ask him later what really had been his reasoning, but the tempo to get to the border had been high, so she had felt entirely unable to.
Now, though, with food right in front of her and her muscles relaxing against a tree, she thought maybe it would be the right time to ask – after she had swallowed down most of the chicken and rice of course.
“Cat,” she said, holding the protocol of addressing other ANBU by their codename while on duty, “Why did you choose me for this mission? Aren’t there better options? Dragon or Mouse?”
Tenzo ate much slower than she did and she admired him for that. He must be just as hungry as he was and yet he ate slowly to make sure not to overfill himself. That was the ANBU handbook after all. “If you eat too fast you will feel sick later!”, but Saya was hungry so nothing could stop her.
He hummed as he thought about his answer, as if he didn’t really know why he had chosen her himself. “I guess it is because I think senpai trusts you. And if senpai trusts you, so can I.”
Saya blinked. She hadn’t really expected that answer. Sure Kakashi and her had grown good friends and that surprised her just as much as it probably surprised him, but that Tenzo took his judgement basically as a word of god… 
“Does Kakashi-san have such a good intuition?” Saya asked with a laugh. “Or do you just generally believe everything he says?”
Tenzo blushed. Saya hadn’t seen that coming either. “Usually the people that gravitate around senpai are good people. I think there is something about him that makes good people choose him.” Tenzo chewed and swallowed a chicken. “He picks people to trust that he thinks are good people and usually he is correct. At least I’m pretty sure he was correct about you, Fox.”
And about you, Saya wanted to say. After all, Kakashi had also rescued Tenzo from Root when he was very little. “If you argue like that,” Saya replied, “Then you mean to say that every person that is seen as important by Kakashi is a person that should also be important to you.” She cringed a little at the fact that she had just included herself into “Person important to Kakashi.”
“I think it is a gift,” Tenzo smiled to himself. “Being chosen by senpai is something that I am very grateful for. He saved me and I’m sure one day he will save you too.”
Saya sighed. “Someday,” she said, trying to hide the fact that there had already been countless times he’d made sure she was safe. “I mean I think he is a valuable friend, of course, I would just never tell him that to his face.” Saya frowned thinking of the raised eyebrow and the “Is that so?” that he’d give her if she ever told him.
“Why?” Tenzo seemed genuinely confused.
She put the lid back on the box and then covered one eye with her hand and grinned as wide as she could. “Because of this face!” she explained.
Tenzo laughed, which was a rarity since Kakashi had quit ANBU. Then he put his head to the side: “You are right he can be a little mean about certain things. But I think, all in all, that is still one of his cuter faces.”
“One of?” Saya said a little louder than necessary, immediately startling the man in front of her. “I mean, you know? He is a handsome guy! Most of his face is covered and yet he looks so good, especially when he smiled. There is this twinkl ein the eye, also when he looks at you and likes you. It’s a gift… you know..?” He got faster and faster towards the end, then abruptly gave up.
Oh! Saya thought and looked back to her hands. Certainly, Kakashi could have his pretty sides. She had never really thought about it, not until this moment, but he did possess a sharp face and very sparkling eyes. And what Tenzo had said was true, despite being almost completely covered, he was able to convey so much trust and admiration just through one eye alone. It was a gift.
She also now understood why Tenzo had been so down since Kakashi had left ANBU, but she wasn’t sure he understood. Because she liked Tenzo and liked that he trusted her enough to pick her for such an important mission she didn’t point it out to him. That was something he’d need to figure out himself. The only thing she could do is silently wish him good luck. Kakashi didn’t seem to care about this stuff.
INstead she turned to Tenzo and nodded: “I guess you are right. He does look like that. I have never really thought about it.” It was the truth. 
“From now on you will notice it, I bet,” Tenzo laughed and put the lid on his own empty foodbox. 
“I bet with you on that one!” Saya got up and stretched a little, readying herself for the long run ahead. She thought of Kakashi's grey eyes and how, really, they could be softer than anyone else's. That man was truly gifted with endless kindness and that was something Saya would have never assumed she might be thinking one day.
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