#water is taken care of though so people can probably push that a bit more

[lelslizzylebs]

Literally just ignore this because the angst is so good, but they went back down on 3/16, interacted with the Tansu party 3/22, and with Toshiro and Kabru's parties 4/3. They defeated Thistle 4/12, and everything after then moved pretty quickly. So the whole ordeal was about one month, and Namari would have been able to confirm that Chilchuck was alive as of the first week after he was overdue, and Toshiro and Kabru would have confirmed he was still alive the week after. Not that they would have told his daughters, but it's emphasized that adventurers are a close-knit community and news travels fast. Then news travelled back that he was still alive once Thistle was defeated. Which means there would have been only one week where he was fully awol (which, incidentally, is also the week we see him being the most distressed about not getting back home).

learning that getting to the red dragon only took the party 8 days has made me completely reconsider how long regular dungeon jobs would take. And also made me realize that all in all since they were down there for several months(?) (and dungeon jobs apparently actually don’t generally take more than a week or so) means that Chilchucks family 100% thinks his ass died

[an-idyllic-novelist]

Lucifer Morningstar with Violet Evergarden!reader scenario

warning: language, ooc, possible spoilers from the first season of the 2024 show.

Special thanks to @tonightwrites for helping me with this piece! Enjoy :)

All right, maybe he is moving a little bit fast in falling back in love again but…well, Lucifer will admit that he can’t help himself. That’s just who he is. He’s passionate by nature, and it shows in the super amazing ducks he has created and how he helps Charlie in rebuilding her hotel. Not to mention you were so cute!

Sure, you’re a little stoic and didn’t have a cellphone, and he did mistake you for a human, but that was okay! He thought it was amazing that you were able to grow almost anything in the hotel’s greenhouse! He had to see it to believe it; wire racks of pots in different shapes and sizes, all those flowers and fruits. There were even herbs nearly bundled up and labeled on a wooden table. It was all very meticulously, and everything was well taken care of. He couldn’t find a single sign of neglect. And a single person was responsible for it all? Holy shit. 

Charlie did reassure him that you were very much dead and a sinner. Why you still looked like a human and had freaky skeletal prosthetics, she had absolutely no clue. 

But the cherry on the top was how respectful you were towards him. I mean, when was the last time someone saluted and referred to him as His Majesty? And that look on the Radio Demon’s face when she curtsied to him, the king of Hell? Priceless. 

He did appreciate your honesty, not even holding back when you said that you weren’t sure if a rubber ducky would look all right with the new fountain in the greenhouse. But you did anyway, carefully laying it on top of the water. You looked at for a long moment, expressionless and calm before turning to him and saying that his little creation gave the greenhouse…a more peaceful ambience. 

You thanked him for his contribution, and went right to work, dressed in an apron with a watering can in your gloved hands. At least until the little maid Niffty came in with a big frown on her face, scolding you for trying to skip meals again. You looked at him for help…but unfortunately, he couldn’t help this time, gently pushing out of the greenhouse while Niffty tugged you by the hand. 

You might say that you are used to not eating to accomplish your tasks, though that growling tummy disagrees~!

Whenever he had a moment, he made sure you took breaks and would spend time with you in the greenhouse so you wouldn’t be lonely. He’d tell you stories, share what else he created, and how he’s been wanting to connect with Charlie for so long…yet was so scared and unsure of what he could say to her. Especially after Lilith left Hell without saying a word seven years ago. 

“The important thing is that you are here with her now and support her endeavors, Your Highness. I…did not have a family when I was alive…but I had friends. Friends who supported and loved me, for all the flaws I possessed.” You looked down at your hand, clenching it slowly into a fist. “It was because of them…that I understood many things about myself…and emotions I did not know I had. Grief. Gratitude. Empathy. Guilt. I was on fire, and I did not know it. But I killed many people during the Great War. I was a weapon. That will never change. However,” You then looked at him. “If I am able to accept that I cannot change the past, and find the courage to move forward…how can a sinner not be able to find redemption even if they are dead? I believe…in Charlie. What she is doing. You do too. And I am sure…she is grateful that you finally understand her.��

 If he hadn’t already been in love with you, this would definitely be the moment when he realized how felt towards you. And Charlie, his sweet, smart little girl knew too. 

That was probably why she pulled him aside one afternoon to privately speak in her office. She was obviously….a little freaked out. But he waited until she finished inhaling and exhaling deep breaths, eyes closed, clenching and unclenching her fists, whatever helped her calm down. She then looked him straight in the eye.

“Look Dad, I’m…happy that you’re happy. I mean, it’s really, really obvious that you like [First Name]. Now there’s nothing wrong with that, I’m okay!” She added quickly, waving her hands up and down frantically. “It’s…it’s been a long time since you and Mom split up, and I know you haven’t even thought about anyone else until now. Look,” She took in another deep breath. “I know how…enthusiastic you can get, but as the hotel’s founder and [First Name]’s friend slash employer…tone it down. The flirting, the dad jokes, and….the romance. I know, I know you love romance! But try to be considerate of [First Name], okay? She’s finally learning how to be a human and I don’t want her to feel pressured or uncomfortable or not understand what you’re doing because you’re moving too fast! She’s really, really oblivious! She doesn’t even know Alastor likes her!”

Lucifer stared at Charlie. “Wait…ARE YOU SERIOUS?! SHE-SHE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW -”

“Dad, please!” 

“IS SHE REALLY THAT CLUELESS?!”

“Yes.” 

To his dismay, you were. You had absolutely no idea that the Radio Demon was besotted with you. He tried to help you around the greenhouse too, invite you to listen to his broadcasts or walks around the nicer parks in the Pride Ring, all the boring stuff an old timer would think count as trying to be romantic. Nope. Nope, nope, this is not happening. Not on his watch!

He will win you over and promise Charlie that he won’t overdo it when he courted you. But could he at least show you how to make a super cool rubber ducky in his workshop, or take you out for a flight with you in his arms? That’s not overdoing it, right? 

…

Maybe? Or should he take you out for some caramel apple pancakes? 

Taglist

@alastorsgoldie

@food-theorys-blog

@sillypenguincats

@theunknowntravel3r

@vikkirosko

@nunezs-stuff

@lbcreations-blog

@imperfectbloodmoon

@crystalrose36

@nixie-writes

@isuckatwritingsobenice

@tired-of-life-86

@frompeach

@trecllllllll

@lanxianschoenheit

@riddle-simp

@22carolina08

@witch-of-the-writing-desk

@justamegafan

@vikkirosko

@chroniccorvus

@angelltheninth

@mary-v193

@chewbrry

@mmelionsblog

@ladymothbeth

@thatstonedwriter

@the-cat-queen-peasants

@anielly-2010

@victheauthor

@oucx

@satubby

@diamondzoey

@ladydoe8

@alyriaschoenheit

[heartpiratedrabbles]

Burning Desires

Prompt: Sabo is pent up and dealing with new powers after coming back from another long mission.

Sabo X Fem Reader

It had been about 3 months since the last time you saw your boyfriend. He had left on a ‘secret’ mission claiming he couldn’t inform you of anything only for Dragon to reveal to you that he was sent to Dressrosa to investigate weapon smuggling. Sabo often forgot or chose to ignore the fact that you were also a part of the revolutionary army and would rather you stay away from dangerous situations.

        Despite all that, you, yourself had just gotten back from your own mission from investigating an island providing slaves to the celestial dragons. You had went undercover with a few other people, going as far as being sold yourself, but at the end of the day you destroyed the underground auction and were now exhausted.

        There was an understanding when you or Sabo went undercover that neither people would contact the other until the coast was completely clear, and you were hoping that when you got back, that you’d be able to contact him. But when you arrived there wasn’t any update on when he’d be back.

        So, imagine your surprise when you hear that Luffy miraculously in the same kingdom that as Sabo. The brother he had forgotten about and remembered only when his other one was executed. You read the article on how Doflamingo was defeated and the new bounty on his brother’s head. There is no way Sabo would have heard of Luffy’s whereabouts and not taken the opportunity to see his brother again.

        This most likely meant more paperwork for everyone down the line and more work, but nonetheless you smiled at the thought of your boyfriend finally healing his wounded heart a bit. Sighing, you put the newspapers down, wondering when he’d take the time to contact again.

~~~

        You got an update from Dragon that Sabo had eaten a devil fruit. You didn’t ask many questions, when prompted about it in the past Sabo said he’d be interested if the power felt right. You wondered what the power itself was but thought the surprise of when he comes back would be better. You had read at points that some devil fruits changed the person a bit, them having to get use to the new powers and how their own bodies worked, it’d made sense.

You’re more concerned on how Sabo would have to be more careful around water, he was often the one to jump in after others without a second thought. Koala was with him right now so he shouldn’t be too reckless, but the thought still made your heart skip a beat at the implications.

As you sit at your desk finalizing a report you can hear a small commotion in the hall. Someone probably playing another prank, you think as you look back down at your paper. As you sign your name you jump at the sound of your door being slammed open, enough so that it starts to swing back. Startled you look up to see your boyfriend, with small flames littering his body.

“Sabo?!” You stand up rushing to him to try and put him out, “What happened to you?” As you pat his shoulders quickly the flames seem to only get bigger, their heat slowly growing as well. You realize Sabo isn’t talking you, making you all the more concerned.

As quickly as you had stood up to help him, He pushed you back, kicking the door shut as he saunters to you. “Sabo? What’s wrong?” You look up to see the flames flicker more, “Is. Is that your devil fruit Sabo? Why didn’t you say anything?” You look up at Sabo, his eyes dark and staring at you, as though trying to decide to what to do. You cautiously and slowly wrap your arms around his neck, “Babe? Can you please talk to me?” You inch closer staring up at him with concerned eyes.

“Hot,” Is all he says as he wraps his arms around your waist and kisses you. You deepen the kiss, pulling his closer as you reach one hand up to grab his hat, gently place it to the side before returning your hand to his hair.

He pulls away while gasping for air, “Is that all you have to say to me?” You giggle, “Of course your hot Bo, you’re practically dressed for winter…” You trail your sentence off before slowly pushing his jacket off his shoulders. You see a small spark in his eyes before steals your lips again.

“Missed you. So much,” He mutters in between kisses. You feel a slight heat trickling down your back before it expands. You gasp a bit, trying to arch your back away from the sudden feeling, “Don’t worry” Sabo whispers as you feel him rip your shirt off and toss it to the ground. You glance at the floor seeing your singed shirt, your face getting red.

You tug at Sabo’s shirt and he quickly discards it. Coming back to you he nips at your collarbone, hard enough until he hears you moan. “God, Y/N, I need you,” Sabo groans as he grips your hips tightly. You can feel light flames brush against you as a hand wanders to your breast, squeezing it tightly.

You tug at his hair as he sucks at your neck, “Sabo, please.” You buck your hips towards him and feel him groan into your skin. Just as you reach down to unclip your bra, your office door swings open again.

“Sabo, don’t think you can get out of your work by-“ Koala stops in the doorway looking at the scene in front of her. You make eye contact with her as you quickly wrap your arms around yourself, lightly pushing Sabo away in the process.

Koala seems to be frozen in place as you cower in embarrassment. You see flames sprout from your boyfriend before simmering down with a sigh, picking up his jacket and covering you with it. “I’m sorry babe,” He says leaning down for a gentle, longing kiss. He pulls away, “I promise tonight will be fun.” He winks at you as he smiles and turns away, grabbing his hat.

“Sabo, you forgot your shirt,” Koala says while trying to avoid eye contact with both you and Sabo, stepping aside.

“To hot anyway,” He mutters as he places his hat on his head walking out.

[naivegh0ul]

ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID (also omg hiii! Pain buddies ♡♡♡)

If its ok could you do Gn!Reader at least? Since im just a gay lil lad. (I'm a guy but I feel a lil rude to ask for masc!Reader 👉���)

Anyway! Reader with a cane and chronic pain and EDS related issues (like hypermobile joints) and ghost being so kind about it especially since reader is young and "looks healthy"

Always anxious about using their cane because of certain people making comments like that. Like they can walk without it a bit but will be so sad and achy cause their legs and back hurts and so many places just do NOT have enough seating. (Often ends up sitting on the floor even to rest even though its such a hassle to sit down or push themselves up)

Scary dog privilege ghost being such a good emotional support, being so gentle with reader to use their mobility aid while also being so scary to someone if they try to say something or give a look.

Ghost being like a human reminder to take breaks, fix posture (you know with hypermobility and 'knee locking'), take your cane, pain killers for more busy days etc. Cause he just cares so fucking much and wants to make sure reader is in the least amount of pain possible.

Probably would carry reader if they asked

Just!! Need soft ghost comforts cause im such a sad achy boy rn.

(Also a lil unrelated to chronic pain but I need him to lay his full body weight on my small body cause I am the autistic and I crave that pressure and also feel like it would do WONDERS for my back)

how and why are you so relatable!!!! also don't ever feel rude or awkward ab requesting masc reader, pls request whatever you want <333

Ghost understands your chronic pain, after all, he's getting shot at on the daily so he's pretty achey all over. He's always reassuring you whenever you're having one of your bad days, cuddling you close to him when you sniffle and sob into his chest from the pain :(

He's such a sweetheart about it and always carries a spare cane with him wherever he goes. People don't question an older veteran carrying around a cane so you don't have to worry about people giving you weird looks about it.

And if it's one of those days where you're really feeling anxious about using your mobility aids in public, Ghost will just carry you. He doesn't want you sitting on the hard, dirty floor so he'll have you on his back or holding you bridal-style.

He calls you his little backpack when he's carrying you on his back. Sometimes people look at him weird because why is Ghost carrying a full grown man on his back? Ghost just glares at them, gives them a 'don't say anything bad about my partner or I'll kill you' type of look.

He is like a human alarm clock sometimes, pops up behind you and whispers "Have you taken your meds?" in your ear before magically producing them, pulling them out of his pocket. (and an entire water bottle??)

I need him to lay me too, dude. After a long day of you using your cane, he'll feed you and make you take your medication before laying you in bed and putting his entire body weight on top of you.

This man will become a heated, weighted blanket in an instant. He'll have you lay your head on your wedge pillow and will flop on top of you, nuzzling his face into your neck and praising you for how well you did today and how you took all of your meds and used your mobility aid when you needed it instead of trying to push through the pain.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Re. Autism meltdown

I wasn’t diagnosed until my late 30s. Meltdowns were always perceived as negative or indulgent behaviour, and therefore punishable. Had no choice but to train myself not to demonstrate them in an outward fashion, if that makes sense. What I do however, when I’m feeling utterly overwhelmed, is more like a complete shut down. I’ll just become catatonic for hours… locked away somewhere deep inside my subconscious. Somebody knock the lights off and dump a weighted blanket on me for the love of Christ! Entirely non verbal, typically I’ll sit on my hands to prevent stimming. Feels like I’m imploding in excruciating slow motion - rage in part, but mostly shame - unfortunately I cannot project the feeling outside of myself. Even though I am not actively doing anything, I emerge from these “shut downs” exhausted and tearful… often desperate to go pee, as I’ve held it for hours. I am not reprimanded for these episodes, but neither am I commended for sparing people the “observer discomfort” that an outward meltdown would. Honestly, I feel as though I might enjoy a good scream and maybe launching a stuffed toy across the room… I just have no idea how to go about it.

Hi there,

I’ll do my best to help. I found an article going over shutdowns. It gives some tips that might help:

Sleep, sleep, sleep. A long rest is preferred but any bit of sleep helps.

As you’re coming out of the shutdown, you might experience an “emotional hangover.” In this case go easy on yourself and do recharging things like watching a movie or playing your favorite game.

Lean into the shutdown, it won’t last forever and you’ll feel better once it’s done

Watch out for what Samantha Craft, an Autistic blogger, refers to as “Implosive Thoughts” before and after the shutdown. It is similar to the shame spiral described in our Meltdown article.

Get to a safe space where you can lay down, preferably a sensory friendly place where you can be alone or with a person you trust.

Take the time you need before re-engaging. Practice some Neurodivergent affirming self care.

For Partners, Friends, Family, Bosses, Teachers, etc.

Leave the Autistic person alone. If you’re worried about them, check in gently every once in a while. Bring them food and water.

Give them time. After a shutdown, Autistics will probably need a lot of time and space to recover. It can take up to a few days. It’s nothing personal.

Understand why the shutdown happened and try to reduce any triggers you may be responsible for.

Do not push them to “snap out of it.” Doing so may harm them.

Don’t touch the person unless they give their express permission. Ask before touching.

Educate yourself on Autistic processes and traits. Understand the signs of Autistic shutdowns and meltdowns.

I’ll leave the article below in case you’d like to read through it.

I also found an personal article a person wrote about their own experience:

“We don’t talk about shutdowns as often, I think, because they are often a bit more invisible than a meltdown would be, because it’s not so much of an inconvenience on other people.

I am sitting very, still sitting, very quiet, not speaking, probably staring at the floor, at something, or out a window, and I’m just going to freeze up for a while, and I won’t be bothering anybody. Depending on the situation, or the circumstance, an Autistic shutdown could potentially go completely unnoticed.

The other thing about shutdowns is, because they often, for me, will happen when I am in very intense, emotional situations, me just shutting down and going blank all of a sudden… something I have very little control over, is sometimes taken as intentionally “shutting down a conversation” or “stonewalling” or “refusing to engage”.

“That’s because people who don’t shut down don’t understand what it’s like to suddenly become locked in on yourself like that.”

This will also be below if you want to read more:

I hope these sources can help. I’ll also tag @autistic-af and @krisrisk to see if they can provide more information/advice.

Thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ❤️

[otter-pup]

I count. It's at least least 10 minutes of you laying before the final five eggs in your womb refused to be laid. The pressing against the entrance to your cervix refuses to go any further, refuses to budge. Despite your best attempts to try and get it out, it's impossible. The eggs simply don't want to be laid.

When we both realize this, I get to making sure the eggs are taken care of. Once that's done, I make sure you're alright. Getting you water, some water, and whispering praises to you. "You did so well, pup," I whisper as I rub your much smaller but still swelled stomach. "Once we get home, we'll get those eggs put of you. You did such a good job today, puppy."

Though, as I rub your stomach, I let magic slip out. It's impossible to tell since the magic affects the eggs directly; they'll steadily start to grow on the way home.

After a bit of back and forth between us, I get you to concede to sitting in the back of the car. It took convincing, with me mostly reasoning you'd need it to lay down and stay comfortable on the way home. And it's not like I was lying.

Soon enough, we're on the highway headed home. Unfortunately, it's packed full of traffic. But we both had a feeling it would be, considering you had asked to do this on the day many people had off work.

As I grumble to myself as we get stuck behind another car, you can swear that you feel the eggs growing in your womb. But surely they couldn't be? It has to just be a figment of your imagination because of finally being able to lay all the eggs, right?

🐺

the stream of eggs suddenly stopping is so disorienting, my eyes refocus and i gather myself enough fo look down and confirm what I can feel—my belly hasn’t completely shrunk back down, there’s still eggs in my womb that haven’t been laid. i struggle, trying to push them out, but they won’t budge.

you stop me seconds before i was gonna stop myself, and take a bucket from the back seat youd brought with you specifically for this purpose, to put the eggs in once they were laid, if we weren’t home first. it’s almost too small to fit them all.

i happily drink the water you hand to me, melting against your hands as you rub my belly and praise me for how good I did. im not worried about the last few eggs, even if it’s weird they didn’t come out with the rest—it’s your magic, after all, i know you’ll have a way to get them out.

i don’t want to sit in the back, further away from you, but you are right that it’d be more comfortable. eventually, i agree, and settle down, covering my still-nude lower half with a blanket.

the roads are just as busy as the plaza, and I do my best to get myself comfortable enough to handle the rest of the ride home. but as I shift, I notice something—my belly seems a little bigger again?

i shake my head. its probably just because i expected to lay all of the eggs, so the little pouch left behind seems bigger than expected. there weren’t any more eggs popping into my womb, I’d gotten used to that feeling, and there was no way the ones that were there had gotten any bigger.

i try to subtly rub my bump without you noticing to ease the feeling, and the shifting of the eggs inside me makes me doubt that second part for a minute. but it’s nothing, im sure.

[stainedglasstruth]

TIMING: After Dark Waters LOCATION: A Latte To Love PARTIES: Lil (@the-lil-exorcist) & Arden (@stainedglasstruth) SUMMARY: Arden and Lil, both looking like shit, meet up for some coffee. The exorcist updates the journalist about her investigation into the crystals. CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

Lil practically fell into the seat across from Arden seeing the other and not bothering to go around with the pleasantries she had been getting better at. After all, although she couldn’t say she was the closest to Arden - other than Jonas who could Lil really say she was close to them after all - but she did know her. So she’d taken the other on the offer to meet up and trade information. She needed someone that she knew wasn’t going to turn around and hurt her for no reason. She was fairly certain Arden wouldn’t, and - well if nothing else Lil wanted to make sure the other didn’t do anything too reckless. Part of her too - the small part that was practically screaming at her - also wanted to find more people to trust with all of this. 

Lil wanted people that would care - and as soon as that came across her brain she pushed it down. 

“If I still look like a drowned rat, know that there’s not much I can do about that,” Lil said with a voice that was still a bit raspy from everything as she leaned back into the chair waiting for the waitress to notice her as well. Her throat didn’t feel like it was on fire anymore anyway, and she’d mostly gotten the tangles out of her hair.  Hell, she even slept for a few nights. She probably looked at least a little better than she had been. “But at least I’m not late? I also got some - well it’s at least interesting news. - Oh wait, I'm supposed to say hi first. Hi, Arden. Hope your week has been better than mine. I also got some pastries for you from the bakery.” 

—

As was often the case, Arden was early. She had been waiting a little bit, a cup of coffee already in front of her by the time Lil arrived, nearly collapsing into her chair. Raising a brow, she took in the state of her companion– somewhat harried, hair mussed, circles under her eyes. Lil was objectively beautiful, but she did look a bit of a mess at the moment. The woman was in good company, though, as the broken arm, bite scar, and general lack of sleep meant the writer wasn’t looking her best these days either. There wasn’t any judgment, but there was some concern as she looked over the other. “Uh, hi,” she greeted. 

The raspy voice was unexpected, and she found herself wondering if Lil was sick. But if her throat hurt, the woman didn’t seem phased, words spilling out of her without much pause. Arden blinked, taking a second to process. “Oh, thanks? You didn’t have to do that. And, you’re fine, I mean,” she gestured at herself with her good arm, “glass houses, and whatnot.”

“Are you okay, though?” It wasn’t like the two of them were close, but between her appearance, the rasp, the comment about her week, and just the fact that they were in fucking Wicked’s Rest, it seemed like a safe bet to say that something had happened. 

—

Lil focused on the other, and realized she wasn’t the only one that seemed to have a bad time as of late. It had taken her a moment to realize that Arden wasn’t her normal self, and that she probably wasn’t the only one that had to get medical attention. Taking in the arm with a glance, part of her wanted to ask what had happened, and the question was on the tip of her tongue before realizing it was probably too much. Instead she gave the box of pastries over, making sure to put them on Arden’s not broken arm side. 

“No problem,” Lil said almost automatically as thanks. She had a habit of trying to feed people anyway, and well she wasn’t any good at cooking or baking. It was much safer to pull some pastries, than accidentally poison someone. At the question, Lil couldn’t help the shrug as she continued. “Someone pushed me into the harbor to kill me, I think. Hell of a guess that I couldn’t swim, but someone fished me out anyway. Are you okay? I really want to believe that you just tripped, but we live in a horror town during a weird time.” 

She wanted to let Arden in on what she knew, but Lil for some reason also wanted to make sure the other was okay. After all, as squishy as Lil was, she was a Medium. Death wasn’t all that much of a mystery or fear for her normally. Sure, she’d been pissed and scared at the moment but it didn’t continue haunting her. 

—

She was not one to turn down free pastries, especially when they were from Bread Cemetery, even if she did feel a little awkward about it, and even if it did send a small pang of hurt through her as it made her think of her ex-roommate. But Arden ignored them for the moment, her attention entirely focused on Lil as she continued, very casually mentioning the possible attempt on her life. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who’d been having a terrible time recently. 

Her eyes widened at the woman’s words. “Holy shit, what?!” She made sure to keep her voice down to its normal volume, but she couldn’t help the jolt of shock and concern that ran through her. It brought to mind that time at Vicker’s, the incident that had made her scared of the water. She could remember that feeling of fear and panic as something grabbed on and began to pull her under, the panicked scream, water flooding her lungs. Suppressing a shudder, Arden’s brows furrowed as she prodded Lil for more information. “Do you know who? Or why??? You got yourself checked out, right?” After a moment, she gathered herself, though. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer any of that. I’m just… glad you’re alright, I suppose.” 

Of course, it was natural the other have questions for her, too– she did look like shit. “I mean, I’m still kicking,” she replied with a crooked grin. “I would love to be able to tell you that I did just trip, but, yeah, horror town.” There was no way she was going to get into everything that had happened at the barn right now, especially not while they were in public. Besides, while Lil obviously knew about ghosts, she didn’t know exactly how far her knowledge went. And it wasn’t exactly a pleasant topic, either, so she kept it at that for now. 

Looking over, Arden caught the waitress’ eye, and she came by to take Lil’s order before leaving them alone once again.

— Even though Lil couldn’t be considered normal, and most of her reactions she knew were probably outside the norm, she did expect Arden to have some questions about it. Still, there was a bit on Arden’s face that made Lil wonder if she was afraid of the water. “Yeah I think someone’s trying to kill me,” Lil said with a bit of a shrug trying to keep it as well less scary as possible. “Not sure who, although I think there are a couple of leads, don’t really know why cause I don’t think I pissed off anyone that badly,” Lil said with a bit of a shrug she didn’t really feel. Sure, ghosts sometimes wanted to kill her, but they usually didn’t feel corporeal while trying to push her. “Oh yeah, I got checked out. I should be fine, my throat is just all salt water-y.  Not good for the vocal fry, you know? And no problem, it was something that I just said. You’ve got a right to be curious or cautious.” 

After all, it would be more than fair for Arden to not want to work with Lil if she had some sort of dagger above her head. It could be a liability. Lil nodded lightly and said, “Sorry to hear that. If you need help, let me know. I still have a hell of a right hook.”  At that she ordered her coffee, giving the waitress a smile before turning back to Arden. 

“Anyway - barring all the horrors and terrors, I think I at least have something for you on those crystal people. Whatever it is, it’s not a spirit or haunting. It’s something else,” Lil said softly, aware of the ears around them. “Couldn’t tell you what, but it’s not a ghost.” 

—

Arden didn’t quite know how to respond to that. “That’s– Wh– What the fuck? That’s insane???” She supposed it wasn’t any less insane than the rest of the shit that went on in town, but still, why would someone want to kill Lil? “What kind of leads do you mean? Do you need any help?” As thinly stretched as she was these days, she would be willing to spend some time looking into things for the other. It wasn’t like she was spending her nights getting much sleep. She might as well get something done during those periods of wakefulness aside from tossing and turning. 

It was good to hear the woman had gone to the doctor, at least. “I do, in fact, know,” she nodded.  “It’s a shitty feeling.” It was a testament to how much she liked Teagan that she had initially agreed to go swimming with her. She remembered never wanting to go in the water again after her childhood adventures in almost drowning. 

She shrugged her good arm at Lil’s apology. “I appreciate it, and noted,” Arden grinned, “but that particular issue has been dealt with, thankfully. Also, apparently I’m pretty decent in a fight– or at least I am when I happen to have two working arms. A friend was helping me train,” she explained. “I figured it’d be a good idea since I’m planning on staying here for the foreseeable future. So, you know, if you need back up in a few months, I’m your girl.” Flashing the other a sarcastic smile, she drained the remnants of her coffee, ordering another when the waitress stopped by. 

“Oh.” It was a bit disappointing to hear. “I mean, that’s probably good, I guess? But it also means we’re back to a big ‘ol question mark.” She supposed it narrowed down the possibilities, but she was still nowhere near any answers about what the fuck was happening in the town and the mines. “How were you able to rule it out?” While she trusted the woman, especially when it came to the matter of ghosts, Arden wanted to understand how she had come to the conclusion.

—

Lil shrugged a little, not rising to the idea that it was awfully insane. It wasn’t the first time her life had been in danger, although it was one of the first times that the person was corporeal. “It - isn’t easy being an Exorcist. I’m assuming someone wants me dead to hide something else.” It was the only thing that made much sense and gave her a sinking feeling. After all, the longer her family wasn’t found, the more likely that they were connected.  “I’ll keep it in mind though if the leads turn out the way I think they might, I appreciate the help. I just don’t want to tip them that I know.”  She didn’t know who this Astra person was, and although part of her wanted to ask Arden, most of her didn’t want to see the other end up in a mess because of her. She’d just have to hope that the personal investigator got back to Jonas soon. 

“Ouch, sorry. Wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemies and you're certainly not,” Lil said with a nod. Well, sometimes she kind of wanted Marcel to fall into a well, but she would eventually pull the man up. After he said sorry. 

“Nice! I’m glad to know that,” Lil said with a bit of lighter humor than she normally had this day. “We’ll have to exchange techniques when you’re back to hitting strength.” It was a small way of saying she was also stuck here for the foreseeable future. She wouldn’t leave without figuring out what happened to her family, and she had a sneaking suspicion that after, Jonas wouldn’t want to go back to a life of wandering. Even if she felt listless - Lil knew she couldn’t leave him, especially in this town. 

Lil nodded lightly, sighing as she said, “Yeah. I was kind of hopeful it would be in my wheelhouse this time.” At the question, Lil continued, rubbing the back of her neck lightly as she did so, “A friend asked me for a favor, and it ended up involving one of the people who’d touched a crystal and was possessed. I ended up meeting and going to see my friend's friend and the guy and - yeah not a ghost. Guy was for sure possessed, but it wasn’t a ghost. ” 

—

She frowned at the thought, but she supposed it made sense. There were many people in this town who had a lot of things to hide. From murders to who or, perhaps more accurately, what they were. Even if they weren’t all her own, Arden herself had a lot of secrets, a lot of knowledge that if given to the wrong person could end incredibly poorly. But for someone to go to the extent of trying to kill a medium, an exorcist, that seemed incredibly extreme. However, the method of the attempted murder was considerably less extreme. It wasn’t a very hands on or surefire way of killing someone, just pushing them into the water. Maybe the person was only human, then? 

She shook the thoughts away. “I’m sorry. And that’s a hell of a way to go about it.” Were they cocky? Were they trying to send a message of some kind? Arden didn’t know, but she would love to find out, to help. However, this wasn’t some mystery novel, this was real life, Lil’s life, and it was good that she was handling the situation with caution. For a moment, she wondered if Lil had gone to the police before remembering how useless the WRPD was, especially since this was all likely related to the supernatural. “Yeah, back at you. I’m really sorry–” that someone tried to drown you “– that you had to experience that.”

“Sure! I’m always down for more training buddies,” she grinned. It would be nice to get to know Lil better. Arden liked her well enough, and she seemed fun and knowledgeable, as well. Even if they didn’t become besties for life, having another ally was always good. And if there was a part of her that complained about getting close to people, about people leaving and getting hurt, she shoved it down. She could and would think about it later, but right now they were talking crystal bullshit. 

“Gotcha,” she nodded. Though, after a moment, she cocked her head to the side. “What else can possess someone aside from a ghost?” Her mind was jumping to ‘demons’ before she was even able to finish the sentence, but, from the little she knew about both demons and the crystals, the situation didn’t immediately strike her as something demonic. Still, she threw out the idea to the exorcist. She likely knew more than Arden when it came to the topic of demons.

—

Lil shrugged and said gently, “Not everyone is good with their words, I guess.” That and she couldn’t actually hear ghosts. If it was because of what one might have said, well, Lil wouldn’t be any the wiser. She’d never solved anything by knowing something a ghost told her. The dead were as quiet to her as they were to most people. “Yeah, hopefully they don’t try that again.” She was pretty sure she was smart enough not to have it happen again. 

“Great. I won’t go easy on you though, I don’t have any special powers that make me good, so there’s no need. We’re probably pretty evenly matched,” Lil said with a laugh in her voice. After all, exorcists were painfully human with that kind of thing. Still, it would be nice to have someone to practice with that wasn’t a hunter. She enjoyed the times she could hang out with them, but they were always going to beat her in the end. She really was useless, even if she kept punching. That was really on her probable father issues. 

“Lot of things, mostly demons though,” Lil said slightly more casually then she really felt, rubbing at the inside of her palm. “I’m not sure that’s what's happening, though. The energy was super weird, but I’m not a demonologist, so it could have been demon-y.” She was at least 60% sure it wasn’t a demon, but she was never going to be certain on that one. She certainly didn’t think she’d be able to do anything about it. 

—

She laughed. “I think there are probably a few more options to try between conversation and murder. Then again, my job is words, so what do I know.” Arden pulled a pain au chocolat out of the box. “Yeah, I also hope no one tries drowning you again,” she grinned, feeling a little bewildered by the words coming out of her mouth. It felt a little uncomfortable, making light of such a serious situation, but it was kind of insane. Besides, she was just following the other’s lead. She took a bite of the pastry as Lil spoke. 

After doing most of her training with a firefighter balam and a master combatant vampire, it would be nice to spar with someone who was more of an equal, especially while her arm continued to heal and regain strength and mobility. It would be beneficial to Lil, also, especially if someone was actually out here trying to kill her. “You’re on, then.” The comment about special abilities once again had her wondering what the woman knew. Arden knew that sometimes mediums and exorcists worked hunters, at least when it came to the Scribes. Though, she couldn’t see why the same wouldn’t apply to others. 

“It would be nice if something related to the mines could be straightforward,” she sighed. It would be nice if anything in this fucking town could be straightforward, but that usually wasn’t the case. “It doesn’t seem demon-y to me either, but I’m really not a demonologist.” Shit, that reminded her, Wynne had been asking about demons. “Actually, I know you literally just said it's not your thing, but do you know anything about greater demons?” 

—

“Not sure the other steps to be honest, although most people aren’t actively trying to kill me - I would like that on the record I’m not that much of a threat,” Lil said, going back to her more naturally unaffected nature. After all, if she let every almost death make her sad, she would never be jokey again. “Yeah, I’m hoping the same. I don’t want to get fished out again.” 

“Bring it,” Lil said with a toothy smile, feeling more like herself than she had in a while. It always felt formal being back in Wicked’s Rest, like she was trying to protect her family's reputation or something. She should probably consider why that was, but at the moment she didn’t want to think about it. 

“Unlikely to happen. Those things have to have all sorts of fuckery in them,” Lil said knowing that while not technically a science term still fits it well. Lil chuckled, trying not to think of her sister and what that sort of life would have been like. She’d be terrified. Sort of like when asked a question about greater demons. Freezing for a half of a second, Lil tried to settle in and said cautiously, “Yes. I would say that I know some about greater demons. Why?” 

—

Arden took a beat to think it over. “I don’t know, maybe like throw a brick through a window with a note or something? Horse head in the bed? Going straight to murder seems a bit much, but that’s just me,” she shrugged, playful grin on her face. 

Hopefully Lil would be left alone, and none of this would come up again, but that seemed pretty unlikely. If someone had gone through the trouble to make an attempt on her life, they would likely try again. She wondered how far they were going. Were they watching her? Maybe even Jonas? The situation sounded terrifying enough without her mind jumping to the worst case scenarios, but the same things must be running through Lil’s mind, right?

She really should’ve thought over a response to ‘why’ but she wasn’t exactly at the top of her game right now. Were the situation reversed, Arden would certainly be asking Lil the same question, however, she couldn’t think of anything believable. Bare minimum, it was. “Someone I know grew up in a demon worshiping cult, like, with human sacrifices and everything? And this person is trying to find out more about all of that.” Some days, she couldn’t believe the shit coming out of her own mouth. 

—

“You know, they just jump straight for murder. Must be an unrequited crush thing. Only thing that makes sense is to want to murder me so bad,” Lil said with a bit of a cough, joking. Although she wasn’t sure that the list of her ex’s didn’t involve some women who wouldn’t be willing to kill her. She should work on that one. 

Still, she had a suspicion that it wasn’t her that they particularly cared about - or rather it wasn’t just her. It didn’t feel personal enough for it to be something she had done, but rather someone wanting to get rid of any Ballard they could find. That was the part that worried her the most - the fact that she wouldn’t or couldn’t be the only target. 

Lil raised her eyebrow at the answer, thinking of a way to steer the conversation away from demons. It wasn’t a topic she really reveled in knowing anything about, and she doubted if Arden knew the same that it would be her favorite topic either. Still, there was something there that Lil knew that she couldn’t just leave. Maybe it was the fact there was so much misinformation out there - that people could easily get killed by what they didn’t know. Breathing in slowly and exhaling, she said, “I - wouldn’t - if a demon is getting human sacrifices, it means it is powerful enough to kill almost anything in the world. Your friend is lucky to have left, and unless they know what they're doing exactly -.” Lil paused, feeling panic that she wasn’t used to rising up, as she went to rub at her left hand. Jane screaming at her to just - Oh God it hurt- Why is it bleeding - Mom I don’t want to - .

Shaking her head slightly trying to get the rising panic to settle in something other than her psyche, she continued softly, “You can get a lot of people killed. Any advice or things I give you may be wrong depending on what they're facing, and I - don’t want to get someone killed because I don’t know the details. It’s not something that you ask casually and get general advice on.” Lil didn’t mean it as a dig, but more so that she couldn’t have more souls on her conscience than she already had. While she had gotten to know Arden, well, there was a huge gap in the middle of experiences Lil hadn’t talked to most people about. She didn’t know how serious what she was asking was, and Lil needed to warn her. “I can try and give you some advice, but - it’s not the type of knowledge most people are able to hold and still be able to sleep at night. It would be better for your friend to reach out.” 

—

“That must be it, yeah,” she laughed. “They want you so bad, it makes them stupid and murderous.” 

Powerful enough to kill almost anything in the world. The words made Arden’s stomach drop. There wasn’t a lot to find on greater demons in the archives, but the occasional mentions did stress the horrible power they had, the terrible things that they could be capable of. It wasn’t exactly surprising, what Lil said, but it felt so far beyond anything she could imagine– anything she wanted to imagine. Plus, it was something that someone she cared about had been caught up in, which that made it all feel more real, made it feel so much worse. 

She could feel her face falling, growing soft with her concern for Wynne, and she didn’t have the energy to fix it. Not now, when she could so easily picture the look that came over Wynne’s face  sometimes when they spoke about home, when they told her the truth. “I– it didn’t seem like it was a common occurrence? The, uh, sacrifices. But yeah…”

It seemed to be a difficult topic for Lil, too, something in her eyes shifting. “No, yeah, that’s entirely fair. Sorry, I know I just kind of sprung that one on you,” Arden replied, feeling slightly bad for asking. If it could get Wynne some answers, though... “They asked me, and I don’t know shit, and you’re the only person I can think of who might know anything.” Despite herself, she was kind of curious, too. 

She wanted to joke about how she wasn’t sleeping much anyway, but she wasn’t sure if it would go over very well at the moment. Instead, she nodded. “I’ll let them know, then.” 

—

“I’d get it, but honestly. They could just flirt with me more normally, like trying to stab me or something,” Lil said with a chuckle, wondering how many of her exes would try to stab her. Probably a few of them, and she couldn’t be super mad about it. 

Lil’s body was tense as she considered everything that was said, and a lot of stuff that wasn’t. She didn’t have to be a genius to know the situation must have been delicate, and it was written over Arden’s face that it had to be bad. “It doesn’t have to be for them to be powerful. Demons are - hard. You’ll get a lot of bad information if you aren’t careful.” Hell, most exorcists probably wouldn’t know very much about them, Lil wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for her dad pushing insisting that she become a demonologist. She’d seen her sister’s soul weapon, she’d seen a demon standing there. 

At the statement, Lil couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking her head lightly as it stung, and said, “Sorry - not laughing at you. You just got a little lucky that I would know anything. Most exorcists wouldn’t, hell, most of them I think wouldn’t associate with a demonologist unless they absolutely had to. I wouldn’t be shocked if they walked out.” That was true, at least for Lil.  While Jane was somewhat accepted into exorcist society, it was almost solely because of their shared last name than anything to do with their prowess. 

Lil sighing, and in some ways deciding to give up some information in the hopes of saving whoever this was, said“ Listen I know it sounds like I’m being obtuse for no reason. I’m not trying to. It’s just that exorcizing demons is considered cursed work, even among exorcists. Which it might be because at a certain point you can sense demons, but they can also sense you. It’s probably the most difficult thing a human could do, and you’re challenging your soul against something that’s not from here, literally. Most of the time you’ve got to give something of yourself to do it.” Hesitating, Lil flipped her palm to show Arden the scarred skin there. Despite the years, and Lil wanting it to fade, it was still raised and a bit red jagged. It told a bad story and her eyes flickered away from it, looking back at her coffee before continuing. 

“You have to bet everything for a chance of beating a demon. If your friend wants to do this, they need to be extremely careful and know the limits they are willing to go to and stand by that decision. They also have to find someone or something that can tip the scales in their favor. I - can probably help, but I’m no demonologist and I can’t promise that I could kill a demon.”

Still, Lil could help. Exorcists weren’t born, they were made, and the same happened with Demonologists. While she never wanted to go through the ritual process to tip the scale, she had been forced to learn rituals and things that pushed her to the edge. She couldn’t kill a demon, but she could do something.  

—

She snorted at that, though her amusement didn’t last for long.

As Lil began to explain herself, Arden just shook her head. She understood the need to be careful with information involving the supernatural, and demons, as she understood it, were the most powerful and dangerous the supernatural world could get. Of course, the exorcist didn’t know that, so she continued with her explanation. 

It was interesting to hear her go into more detail about demonologists, how they were seen as cursed and avoided even by exorcists. The way Lil explained it, it made sense, but in the same way it was difficult to even imagine real life demons, she hadn’t really considered the implications of what being a demonologist must really be like. Hell, it was hard enough picturing a regular exorcism, much less a fucking demonic one, but here was Lil, looking uncomfortable, holding up a scarred hand, seemingly showing her proof of one. 

“Oh, yeah, no, I was not expecting or asking you to or anything– that would be fucking insane. I don’t even know if they want to… I mean, I’m sure they probably want to, but, you know.” She didn’t want to consider the option, of Wynne getting involved in dealing with a demon. Wynne was smart, they knew how dangerous these things could be. They had just survived a deadly encounter, after all, they wouldn’t. “They know this stuff is dangerous.” But even if they did… “I sure as hell won’t let them forget it.” Arden would protect them, for as long as she had a say in it.

—

Lil nodded slightly, leaning back into her chair, wondering exactly why people wanted to face their demons. She’d always elected to run away from them personally, still she seemed to have gotten her point across, even though it was somewhat awkward. Moving her hand to not look at it she instead just went to sip at her coffee for a moment. She wasn’t used to talking about most of this, and she wasn’t sure what all was necessary to say. 

Instead, she just listened, and after a moment said, “It’s hard not to want to stop evil when it’s happening in front of you. I’m sure your friend will want to do something if they're able to, and if it does happen, just - let me know. I might not be a demonologist, but I am better than nothing and willing to help. Even if it’s only to say don’t do it. ” 

It wasn’t heroism or something like that. Despite the better angels of her nature, Lil wasn’t exactly an altruist at heart. More so that Lil figured whoever it was might need to be pulled back, and well that was what she did. She pulled people back from interactions with whatever the hell was on the other side. While she didn’t intervene on most things, this was an area she had to.  

Maybe if only because Lil wished someone had pulled her back at some point too. Stepping in when something was dangerous and she shouldn’t be doing it. Although she adored Jonas, he was never in a position to do that himself, and well no one else ever tried. Clearing her throat and wincing, she continued, “Besides, no offense, but I don’t exactly trust that you wouldn’t run off and do something yourself. You know, with those new fighting moves you got.” Lil smiled lightly, trying to joke. “Well, after your arms healed, at least.” 

—

Wynne would definitely want to do something. Their family was still involved in the cult, as far as they knew, there were people there that they grew up with, that they cared about. Lil was right, which, of course, she was. She apparently had been involved in some kind of demonic exorcism herself after all– if Arden was understanding her correctly. Not to mention her experience with the average ghostly dealings. There was such a bravery in what the woman did, dealing with spectral beings, a bravery she didn’t think she possessed. She felt so helpless in the face of tangible supernatural forces, she didn’t think she had it in her to try to take on something intangible, much less a fucking demon. There were enough earthly horrors here, she didn’t need to do any outsourcing. 

But Wynne was a better, stronger person than her, and they were in an impossible situation. Would they risk everything to save their family? She sighed, certain she knew the answer.  “Well, I sincerely hope it won’t be necessary, but I appreciate it. And, if it comes to it, I will be right there with you also telling them not to.”

Something she also appreciated was the other woman’s sense of humor. Her joke was well-timed, and managed to break through some of the worry and tension that had arisen once the topic turned demonic. “Oh, yeah, probably a good call– my goal is to stab the devil himself,” she deadpanned. Lil also seemed like the type to get waterboarded just for making a stupid joke, and, apparently, that was a trait she looked for in a friend. And while she wouldn’t go as far as to call this a friendship yet, Arden felt like they could get there. 

[theveryworstthing]

So over on patreon Trevor asked for my take on the Addams Family and I grew up LOVING the Addams family movies so here we are. Instead of doing a straight up style interpretation, I decided to do a full on design challenge, using the characters as bases to make a black southern gothic Addams au. I actually drew the kids first, using the character bases of Wednesday and Pugsley to create some delightful kiddos I'm calling Sunday and Blanche. I of course then redesigned Gomez and Morticia into Carlisle and Mortesha.

The Addams have a very specific high aristocratic goth aesthetic (they've got a butler and nobody really works among other things) so in this re-imagining I wanted to go with vibes that run a little more middle class/upper middle class.  I thought it would be interesting to think about what would be considered weird and off-putting in an entirely different culture, and how being a big ol' goth is way less controversial than it used to be.

I tried to keep this short (HAHAHAHAHAHA) so I didn't spin off into an essay about villain coded families, black people in the horror genre, and normalcy as it pertains to social survival, but just...bits of that are in these designs and lore. Keep that in mind.

Also I made the kids twins because they've flip flopped in age so much in different media and also twins run in my family (i'm the daughter of one). And let's face it, I'm pulling a lot of their southern gothic traits from living as a southern goth so *shrug*.

10 thousand pounds of lore incoming loooooooooool.

The Parents

From the moment he saw her he knew that there was a 50/50 chance of him either never making it out of that swamp alive or marrying the figure that was creeping out from under the distant willow tree in a black cocktail dress. The third time she found him trussed up in one of her traps, he complimented her rope work and asked if she'd like to go out sometime after his head wound stopped bleeding.

Or while it was still bleeding.

If she was into that.

Some kids and a mysteriously burnt down Piggly Wiggly later, their love is still as strong and inescapable as a bear trap in a sink hole.

Carlisle Guillermo (now Addams through marriage but I wanted to give him two first names for a name since Gomez has two last names) makes a vaguely described living practicing ‘law’ around town. A loophole king, people come to him from miles around with contracts signed in blood, fights over chunks of hair buried in their rivals’ yard, dehydrated primate hands, memories that seemed like dreams until the evidence of their happenings became too real, and other regular Legal Items asking for counsel which he is all too happy to give. For a price. Sometimes that price is a homemade pie and sometimes it’s a million dollars, depends on who you are. Whatever you’re asked to pay it’s worth that price, and if you try to scam him out of work or he just plain doesn’t like you? Well. He knows how to twist a contract better than anything at the crossroads.

And he always gets his due.

He doesn’t just serve the local (living)humans though, there are many things that need proper legal representation in this day and age. You wouldn’t believe how many city councils try to build on sacred burial grounds even after he lets them know that his ghostly clients are totally gonna haunt the FUCK out of the ensuing shitty condos and curse their families for all eternity. At least 50% of his energy goes towards dealing with real estate bullshit.

Carl is an excitable and good natured(?) man who loves his family, cigars, dancing, and his many knife-based hobbies. People find him very charming once they get past the feeling that they’re talking to a sultry gator badly disguising itself as a human. I didn’t put a ton of deep thought into designing him, mostly I wanted to make a middle aged dude who looked like he would have been voted ‘most likely to smooch the literal devil’ in high school. Tbh he probably has, but no demonic ex’s can compare to his lovely wife~

Mortesha Addams(her name was already perfect so I just tweaked it)is a woman of many talents. A self proclaimed homemaker, she prides herself on a greenhouse full of Concerning Foliage, a beautiful wasp apiary, and a coop full of what are probably chickens that she keeps for what are probably eggs. She’s also an avid creator of the outsider art that can be seen around the estate. She has taken on the family business of selling her homemade goods in a little stall by the road just outside the swamp with her mom, and makes pretty good money doing so. A surprising amount of poison gets bought in quaint southern towns.

Speaking of poison, people who come out to the edge of the swamp to buy it are usually carrying a lot of secrets around, and Mortesha knows most of them. It’s not like she pries the truth out of people, it just so happens that many nervous hellos eventually turn into the tragic backstory power hour if she’s alone with a client for long enough. She supposes that’s just how people are. Despite the fact that the Addams are very active in the community (whether the community likes it or not) she especially, as a direct descendant of the first Addams matriarch, is seen as…Well not an outsider because the community feels A Certain Way about outsiders and despite it all the Addams are their people, but maybe something like an exception. They feel like whatever weirdness they’re hiding can’t be weirder than any given Addams, so they get a little loose with their words.

This is amusing to her, since Addams’ don’t naturally keep the kind dramatic secrets that their surface level prim and proper neighbors do. It’s much more fun to openly talk about those things.

Do they have a sadly decrepit yet terrifying grandma up in the attic? Yeah, like three. They got a tv, all the creepy porcelain dolls they could want, and they’re close to family. Where do you keep your gram-grams?

Any bodies buried on the property? Yeah some, but most are thrown to the gators.

Any creeping through the balmy summer night with ill intentions? Yeah dude, everyone loves a nice family stroll.

What about dangerous forbidden love? If an adult Addams isn’t incorporeal then they’re either queer or in a torrid romance with some person/thing mysteriously drawn to that awful swamp. Sometimes both at the same time. Most times actually.

Mortesha would know.

The current head of the Addams family is just as outgoing as her husband but a lot quieter and harder to read. She never really seems to get mad about much and always has a genteel smile for everyone whether they deserve it or not. A seven foot tall human shaped “Oh, bless your heart”. A perfectly composed Lady even when she’s, oh I dunno, burning down a Piggly Wiggly. You know. A regular southern mom. Chat her up at the hair salon for 50% off a jar of wasp honey with your next purchase of a mysterious but foreboding packet of herbs.

Designing her was pretty easy because I just drew a lankier Grace Jones and called it a day. I had some problems with her outfit simply because if we were going HARD southern gothic then she’d probably be wearing a white/cream dress with a fuller skirt but I thought keeping the silhouette and the black was more important. She’s supposed to be an anti southern gothic southern gothic character anyway. A woman who looks like she has a million secrets who is actually the most open person you could meet. For better or worse. The red hair came from a coloring error that I really ended up liking (my mom had red hair her whole childhood that only darkened up in high school so I can buy that an Addams can be naturally fire engine red) and the veil was to get more of that classic Morticia silhouette in there.

The Children

Sunday and Blanche are the twin children of Carlisle and Mortesha Addams. Some say the Addams clan got their cursed homestead when a wealthy local businessman made a deal with the devil and lost, leaving his grand mansion to his least favorite maid and cutting his losses once he realized that the swamp would do everything it could to drag the house into the water and take what was owed with its horrible curse. Others say that the family has just always squatted there and no one really cares because man, fuck that particular swamp. Have you been in there? Absolute horror show.

Anyway.

Blanche is the more outgoing sibling and quite the engineer/mad scientist in the making. He started going grey at 2 weeks old but considering he was also rocking some extra fingers, toes, and a tiny tail (he takes after his dad), his parents just put it on the 'not life threatening' pile and decided not to worry about it. He's the kind of smart that teachers find utterly infuriating, less a dog eagerly learning and obeying commands and more a hyena who keeps teaching itself how to pick locks. He has a few friends in his school's robotics club (which they honestly allowed him to make so the school could contain his... creations) but mostly hangs out with his sister exploring the swamp. They find all sorts of neat things in there! wedding rings, suspiciously lumpy garbage bags, cloaked cultists who can't read private property signs, it's an adventure every day!

Blanche is all about experimentation with his creations, his look, and his tether to this mortal coil. Is lipstick a cool thing to try? Let's find out. Can he get out of a strait jacket fast enough after being pushed into the depths of the swamp by his sister? let's find out. He's not dead yet and confused local doctors can attest to the fact that he's rarely attained more than a bad bruise so he's pretty set on continuing to kiss rattlesnakes on their cute little heads and have his sister practice her knife throwing at him until that fact changes.

Blanche is very much a country goth. Cowboy boots (customized by his mom), knife, and lighter are daily accessories. He likes to wear the crusty swamp jewelry they find (the rust adds a splash of color!) and despite appearances he does try to keep himself neat. He's just got  natural Grunge Colors and a tendency to wear clothes he likes until they fall apart. Pugsley always seemed the most modernly styled to me (which might just be because little boys clothes have been the same for a long time) so I wanted Blanche to be the most purposely fashionable Addams. Everyone else is goth by nature, but he's the only one truly familiar with goth as an alternative fashion.

I got really into designing Blanche because honestly, I find Pugsley to be the most boring member of the family. And he was hard to design! I had to mess with his vibe a lot to get him looking how I wanted. I know he's supposed to evoke an " 'evil' little boy next door who's parents never reign him in", but that's just goth Dennis The Menace.  I's 2020. We can at least go queer goth Calvin.

Sunday was much easier to design. Wednesday was my favorite as a child (of course) and I really wanted to keep the spirit of her look while adding things like billowy sleeves (it gets HOT down here), big poofy twists instead of braids, and a nice tie. She's a professional after all, been running the local pet cemetery since she was 6 and the previous groundskeeper met with an unfortunate accident after telling her that tarantulas don't have souls. Her specialty is creating beautiful naturalistic animal funerals similar to those that Maquenda (https://linktr.ee/artofmaquenda) makes, and she takes pride in creating miniature dioramas of her subjects after each burial which she uses as a kind of 3D catalog for future clients.

She really wants to try out her skills on humans one day. Well. Publicly try out her skills. Lotta random bodies float into the swamp. None of them have turned down her requests for diorama models so far. Most seem downright flattered. Plus, she usually figures out which graveyard/crime scene they floated over from and gets her parents to give them a lift back. She'll even help enact terrifying revenge from beyond the grave on whoever put them there if she's not, y'know, busy.

Besides arts, crafts, and pet based funerary arrangements, Sunday is an avid lover of archery (any ranged weapon really), books where little fantasy adventure animals die dramatic deaths, and history. She is That Kid who eagerly raises her hand when asked who Christopher Columbus was and ends up being sent out of class after 15 minutes for making 'a scene'. Her favorite party trick is just picking an item in the room and talking about how it relates to either some obscure historical figure with a buck wild life or a horrible disaster. At least one charity pancake breakfast ended with children in tears after her vivid description of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919.

Social-wise, while Wednesday is the girl that people ask to smile because they think she'd, "look so pretty", Sunday is rarely asked anything at all. People just kind of assume from her quiet nature (in between horrible history facts) that she's angry all the time and that she hates everyone. This is untrue. She hates some people but she's ambivalent to most everyone else and even downright friendly if you bother to talk to her like a person instead of a terrifying cryptid. Like, she IS a terrifying cryptid but she's also a little girl.  

That’s about it for now. One day I might do the other family members but for now I’m happy with the four I’ve redesigned. Making an au! Lurch in a family that doesn’t do butlers could be interesting. Over on patreon I put forth that he could just be Motesha’s mute little brother (similar bone structure) but Amy Crook had the nice idea of quote: “ a mysterious "cousin" that "helps around the house" whose origins are both long in the past and faintly unsettling. He's good for lifting heavy things, like that tank of propane you're about to throw into the burning Piggly Wiggly... “ which i now consider canon. Who's kid is he? How old is he? Not important. Anyone willing to commit arson with you is family.

Annnnyway.  This challenge was a lot of fun! I love indulging in AU’s.

[omegas-playhouse]

Alpha!Kuroo X Omega!Reader

CW: Omegaverse, knotting, breeding kink(tiny tiny bit), creampie, elevator sex, AFAB, NSFW. If I missed anything let me know!

~**~**~** MINORS DNI **~**~**~

You groaned as you stretched leaning back in your office chair. The office was so much better not constantly filled with people asking you questions and stopping you every so often. You always worked better after hours once everyone had mostly gone home for the day. You enjoyed your coworkers for the most part but they were very distracting. Especially today in particular.

You looked back down at your paperwork before you picked up your pen and started working once again. Though after a moment your nose twitched before you frowned. You smelled him long before he darkened your doorway. You didn’t look up as he walked closer to your desk propping himself up on it. “What do you want Kuroo?” He smirked. “Just came to see how my favorite coworker is doing.” You rolled your eyes. “Wish I could be bothered to say the same. Now get out. I’m trying to get this work done.” He chuckled. “You’re so mean…you’ll hurt my feelings.” “I will hurt more than your feelings if you don’t leave.” He smirked again leaning closer to you with that stupid wolfish grin on his face. You hated how it gave you butterflies.

“You know for someone who claims to hate me so much your scent seems to say otherwise, omega.” You frowned your pen, halting its movements. You narrowed your eyes and you glared at him. “What are you talking about?” He smirked when you took the bait. “Can you not tell? There was a reason why so many of the guys around the office kept coming in. When was the last time you took a suppressant?” You blinked before freezing. Had you taken any recently? You frowned remembering that you’d given your last few to a coworker and you’d forgotten to get more.

Kuroo frowned as your scent soured. You were panicking. “Now don’t stress too badly. It isn’t too loud but even if you get your suppressants they aren’t going to help.” You groaned, laying your head on your desk. Kuroo chuckled. “You should probably get home before you get any worse.”

You sighed as you went to pack up your things. “Want a ride?” You open your mouth to tell him to get out before a shiver goes down your spine. You cursed softly, failing to bite back a whimper. Kuroo growled slightly before shaking his head. “You…really need to get home and fast…” You nodded as you finished packing up. “I’ll drive you home. You’ll attract the wrong kind of trouble smelling like that.” He said, staring at you. You glanced at him before looking away and nodding. “Fine..” He quickly left to grab his keys. He needed to get some fresh air. You smelled too good. He was so tempted to bend you over your desk and fuck you stupid. Hopefully the ride would be quick. Once he met you at the elevator you both went inside heading down to the garage floor. However as you descended a loud scraping could be heard making you freeze. You and Kuroo stared at each other before the lights went out and it stopped moving. Thankfully not too long after the emergency lights turned on so you weren’t in complete blackness.

“No…” you whispered, trying not to panic and failing miserably. “K-Kuroo..” You whimpered. “We’ll be alright..don’t worry..” he said softly moving closer to you as he used his scent to try and comfort you. You relaxed some before moving away. You knew he was trying to help but smelling him was going to send you fully into heat. “Why me..” You groaned. Of course you’d get stuck in here with Kuroo as you were starting your heat.

“Could be worse.” You looked in the direction of his voice narrowing your eyes. “Don’t say that. Things will get worse..” He chuckled. “At least you’re not alone in here.” “Ah yes…almost going into heat with a stupid alpha here is going to go so well.” You muttered as you heard him get closer, making you squeak and back up to a wall. Kuroo chuckled. “You’re so cute~” He muttered, pressing himself against you, burying his nose in the crook of his neck. You pressed your hands against his chest wanting to push him away, but you only gripped the front of his shirt. He smelled so good him just being so close was enough to make you wet.

Kuroo let out a shaky breath. “You smell so good. I can see why all those other alphas were after you. You’re lucky I scared them off..” He said softly. “Huh?” “I stopped them from showing up. A few of them were even planning on staying behind..” He muttered kissing the side of your neck, making you shiver. “Couldn’t let them do that.” He growled before pulling away. He took a deep breath. He needed to try and control himself before he pounced on you. “Kuroo?” You said softly, reaching out for him. He groaned. “Kitten…if you keep this up I won’t be able to control myself. It’s taking everything in me not to tear your clothes off right now.” You whined your thighs pressing together. “Besides you hate me anyway, right?” He asked. You sighed. “I..don’t hate you. Not really.” You said softly. “You just…I hate how much you affect me and get under my skin so easily…” Kuroo blinked before smirking. “Oh?” You rolled your eyes. “Stop looking so smug.” You said crossing your arms as you looked away. You couldn’t see him all that well, but you knew him well enough at this point.

You then heard him cross the elevator walking over to where you were standing. He chuckled as you pressed your back against the elevator. “Don’t shy away now..” he said softly. “I won’t do anything unless you give me permission.” He said softly pressing up against you. When you remained quiet he moved his knee in between your legs applying pressure. You moaned, grinding against his leg. “Come on pretty girl. I’ll be more than glad to help you out.” He said applying more pressure. “K-Kuroo plea-“ You started before he interrupted you. “First name, baby.” You let out a frustrated sigh. “Tetsurou..” You said softly a shiver running down his back. “Please…help me.” You said grinding more against his thigh. Your panties were soaked with your slick at this point and your scent was filling up the elevator making Kuroo’s head spin. “Not quite the begging I wanted but fuck…” He hissed, pulling you into a deep kiss, letting you soak his pants and thigh.

You sighed, kissing him back eagerly. “Testu…” You whined. “I know..” He muttered, starting to strip off your clothes. He kissed along your jaw until he reached your neck nipping and biting and leaving marks all over your skin. He pulled away after a moment admiring his handiwork. He wanted to make sure everyone understood that you were his. You huffed after a moment. He was moving too slow for your taste. You needed him now. You quickly drop to your knees making him blink before you quickly undid his pants and belt moving them out of your way before you reached out and rubbed his dick through his underwear. He moaned softly. “Impatient aren't we?” He said, smirking a bit. “Not my fault you’re too slow..” You mumbled reaching into his underwear and pulling out his cock. Your mouth watered as you stared at him.

You kissed the tip feeling it twitch in your hand before you ran your tongue along up from the base to the tip. You couldn’t help but reach down to touch yourself as you licked the tip before lowering your mouth on him, moaning softly. Kuroo cursed holding onto your head as you took more of him into your mouth. He bucked his hips causing you to choke, but you kept going, not picking up the pace like he wanted as you sucked him off. You looked up challenging him as he tried to get you to go faster. He growled before grabbing onto your hair and forcing all of himself down your throat making you groan. “Damn tease..” He growled again watching as your eyes water before he pulled you off letting you take a big gulp of air. “Do something about it then..” You replied after catching your breath, smirking up at him.

He glared at you before stuffing his cock back into your mouth. “Don’t complain when I’m giving you exactly what you are asking for.” He growled, grip on your hair tightening before he set a fast pace, fucking your throat. You moaned as you flicked and rubbed at your clit. You were getting so close too fast. “Fuck, your mouth feels good...glad it’s good for something other than you talking shit all the time..”He muttered. He was getting close and so were you. “Gonna cum...you better swallow all of it omega..” You looked up at him, eyes glazed over as you moaned around his dick, drool dripping down your chin and onto the floor. He cursed forcing you to take all of him and holding your head there as he came down your throat. It didn't take you long to tumble over the edge as he filled your mouth and throat with his warm cum. It was so good. His legs shook as he leaned back against the wall, letting go of your head. You slowly pulled away, panting as you looked up at him. He reached down holding your jaw. “Open your mouth..” You opened wide showing him that you had swallowed all of it like he’d told you. “Good girl~” He said softly.

Kuroo undressed himself before he had you lay down on the floor of the elevator. He wasn’t sure how long you both would be stuck in here before main power was restored so he didn’t have a lot of time to do everything he wanted to you. He then knelt down leaning over you. “Alpha please...need you..” You muttered. You were sweating and your scent was even stronger than before. You were fully into it now. The only thing you wanted was for Kuroo to bury his cock deep inside you. Kuroo grabbed at your legs pushing them close to your chest. He went eye level with your pussy. Just smelling you like this would probably send him into a rut if he wasn’t careful. He then ran his tongue along your slit, wanting to at least taste you a little even if he didn’t have time to fully devour you.

You moaned, legs twitching in his grasp, still being held up towards your chest. “Alpha…” You whimpered as he shifted positions hovering about you, his cock lined up with your hole. He then slowly entered you, moaning as your hole sucked him in and milked him. “Fuck…” He whispered before fully burying his cock inside you. You moaned, reaching up to wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. You squealed as he pulled out slightly before burying himself inside of you again. Despite how wet you were you could still feel him stretching you so nicely. His cock was hitting all the right places inside you. “More...please alpha more..” You whined wiggling your hips as he picked up the pace. Your eyes rolled back as he fucked you hard and fast. Kuroo cursed as he felt your insides cling to and wrap around him. He stared down at you as your eyes rolled back and your legs shook. “Close close close..” You repeated words slurred as you were completely lost in the feeling of his cock rubbing your sweet spot and the tip hitting your cervix. You’d never felt so full and so good. It was almost too much.

You whimpered feeling his large knot bump against your hole. “Knot me..please...breed me, Testuro..” You moaned. “Fuck...how can I say no when you ask me like that baby..” He moaned as he pushed into you harder, his knot stretching your hole wide before it popped inside. You convulsed clenching hard on his cock as you came which had him tumbling over the edge and cumming hard not long after, biting your shoulder. As tempting as it was he didn’t to mark you as his mate without you being fully coherent or without permission.

Your body twitched as you came down from your high. You reached up, pulling Kuroo down into a kiss. You stayed like that for a while enjoying being wrapped up in his arms as you were tied together and he scented you. You purred happily nuzzling against the crook of his neck, making him smile.

[zhongliologist]

Breeding Kink Pt. 2 | Dragon!Zhongli

Pairing: Zhongli x fem!reader

Genre: SMUTTTT!!

Words: 5.2k

A/N: Oh god i have no braincells anymore. Zhongli fcked with my braincells as well. Here ya go. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Happy Birthday as well.

Warning: THIS IS AN 18+ FIC, SO MINORS OUT THERE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

PART 1 HERE

*

It was already deep into the night.

The last of the busy market kiosks has died down, the golden glow of their lanterns flickered off for the day, while the late-night loiterers had gone to rest at their station as silence and the sound of crickets settled in. The harbor has truly gone to sleep after a rough day’s work, and will rise once again at early dawn.

Yet inside the bedchambers of a certain married couple, things were still heating up.

“Z-Zhongli…! Please…!”

You held on to the silken sheets tightly with face flushed and sweating. Every now and then, a moan would escape your lips, savoring the moment where ecstasy was at its peak. It felt good—really good—as your husband Zhongli thrusted sharply into you.

“YN…” he growled beside your ear as he bent down, kissing the bare skin of your shoulders. “YN…I’m close…haa…”

He could feel all the pleasure welling up inside of him. You were holding on to him like a vice grip, as if wringing him out of his seed and coaxing him to come inside you. Zhongli felt his dick twitch at the thought of filling you up, pushing him closer to his climax.

“Aahhh…so g-good….mmnn….! Zhongli…! I’m gonna—”

“My love…I-I…!”

—!

“Mama? Papa…?”

A knock at their door, followed by a small voice stopped the both of them in their tracks.

Oh no, not again…

Looking at each other, you and Zhongli immediately scrambled to compose yourselves.

“Yuqing…ah, please stay where you are—"

“Honey, just a second! Let me…let me just find my slippers—”

Hurriedly, you grabbed your discarded robe on the floor and put on your sandals, while your husband raced to the adjacent bathroom to relieve himself. “Love, I’ll be there in a moment. Please take Yuqing back to her room in the meantime,” was what he said.

As you opened the door, you were greeted by curious amber eyes—the same as her father’s—who seemingly stared at you as if trying to assess the situation. She was carrying her favorite plushie, a geovishap hatchling, for some reason, while you knelt down and caressed her cheeks gently.

“Yuqing? What’s wrong?” you asked her, “It’s way past your bedtime.”

“Something jumped from the window, Mama…! I…I don’t want to go back!” She replied, almost in a whisper as she held on to the plushie tightly.

Your daughter’s words immediately caught your attention. It could just be a squirrel, or maybe something more dangerous. Nevertheless, you have to go check it out.

“Alright, honey. Let’s see what it is,” you replied as you carried her on your arms. “Mama and Papa can easily hunt monsters down!”

Yuqing blinked at you. “Hm? But where’s Papa?”

“Oh, uh…he just needs to pee,” you replied awkwardly, not totally forgetting what you two were doing a while ago.

By the time you arrived at Yuqing’s bedroom, you were greeted by a calico cat which was carrying her own young into the room, staring at you both with scrutinizing eyes. It seemed to have taken a liking to the room and decided to take shelter there. You instantly knew what was the matter.

“It’s a mama cat!” Yuqing exclaimed happily, jumping from your grasps as you muttered “be careful!” at the ecstatic child.

“Don’t come too close to it, honey,” you told her, sitting on the bed as you watched your daughter crouch near the animal to observe it. “The mama cat doesn’t like it if you touch her kittens. She might scratch you.”

“Oh…” your daughter murmured disappointingly, and then returned to your side when she had enough watching.

Looking down to her, you could really see how much Yuqing resembled Zhongli—the same eyes, the same dignified yet gentle countenance. Her hair was a little lighter but it’ll probably turn as dark as Zhongli’s when she’s older. You smiled at the thought of watching your daughter grow—a few years ago, she was still so small and fragile as you held her for the first time, but now, she’ll be turning six, and then eleven, and then little will you know, she has become such a fine lady.

Pulling her into an embrace, you caught the child off guard as you smothered her with kisses.

“Mama!” She protested, but was giggling at the same time. “Mama…what are you doing!”

“I just love my dearest Yuqing!” you exclaimed, but then stopped to pat her head gently. “Now, are you still scared?”

The dark-haired girl shook her head with a smile. “I’m ok now, Mama! It was just a cat.”

“Alright,” you smiled as you began tucking her in again. “We’ll talk in the morning what we’ll do with the cat, but right now, it’s time for you to sleep. Little girls need to sleep for them to grow big, okay?”

“Understood! Good night then, Mama!” Yuqing replied underneath her blanket, as you gently soothed her head. The whole time, you continued to do it until she had finally fallen asleep, soft snores coming from the small child which made you smile warmly.

By the time you returned to your bedroom, you could see that the bathroom lights were still on. You were waiting for Zhongli to swing by Yuqing’s room earlier but for some reason, he’s been caught up in the bathroom this whole time. It also seemed like your husband had heard you enter the room and began calling for you.

“Dear…! Perhaps you could come here for a moment?”

Curious about what was going on, you then stepped into the bathroom and only to be greeted by a much larger, more draconic Zhongli. You could only stare at the large protruding horns on his head, the scales on his arms and legs, and the tail that was swinging back and forth between his legs. Not to mention the large thing on his crotch that made you do a double take at the mere sight of it.

Zhongli closed his eyes as soon as he noticed your stunned expression. Despite how he looks, he still had a bit of his self-control intact.

“YN, I think we have a problem here,” he told you as calmly as he could.

“I might be going into heat again.”

*

It was finally D-Day.

The both of you spent the last week trying to prepared for this, because unlike the first time, you had responsibilities. For one, Yuqing had to be taken elsewhere and away from the carnage. It will not bode well if your child is there while your husband is being one horny dragon.

The people both of you know where highly dangerous though. Among the rejected list was Childe, Hu Tao, and Venti, with the last one loudly lamenting how he couldn’t have fun with Yuqing in Mondstadt. Keqing and Ningguang would be great but they’re busy with work, while the adepti wouldn’t have enough skills and patience to babysit a child for a week, even if it was the child of the former geo archon. That’s why in the end, you asked Lumine and Aether to take care of your daughter for a while—they were at least, safe enough not to put Yuqing in danger. Hopefully.

On the other hand, you had to prepare yourself for another bang of your life. The first time had caught you off guard, but this time, you were prepared to satiate your half-dragon husband to the fullest. You had also prepared yourself to conceive another child. Well, you really were planning to, but it was the night when Yuqing interrupted you two.

“Dear?” A head peered into the kitchen—or rather, a head with two horns.

Zhongli’s dragon features seemed to be staying longer and longer the nearer his heat approaches. Luckily enough, it wasn’t much of a rare sight in Liyue.

“Oh, morning, Zhongli. Should I brew you some tea?” you asked, busying yourself with breakfast for your family of three.

“It’s alright. I’ll do it,” he replied as he stepped in beside you, preparing the hot water to be boiled.

For a while, the both of you stayed like this in silence. You were concentrating on not getting the congee burned while he was trying to get the proper temperature of the water.

In the end, it was Zhongli who broke the silence.

“Will you be alright later?”

You whipped your head to his direction. “H-huh? What? Me? Oh, I’ll be fine!”

“Are you sure?” he asked, turning to you and caressing your cheeks with the tip of his sharp claws. “If only I could assure you that it will be painless.”

“Zhongli,” you called his name firmly as you flipped an egg. “You have never hurt me, and you never will. I survived the first time, right? We have Yuqing running around after all.”

Your words seemed to have magically melted his worries away, no matter how tacky you thought there were. But you didn’t know that Zhongli simply needed your assurance that it will be okay, otherwise, he’d go into a spiral of worry. Comforted by your presence, he crept his arms around you, hugging you from your side.

“Ah, my wife…my lovely wife…” he muttered happily as he nestled his head on your shoulder, savoring your scent and your warmth. “You’re really my wife…”

You giggled at his sudden show of playfulness. “That I am, sir.”

For Zhongli to be this affectionate, it seemed his heat has really gotten to him. Normally, he’ll reserve these kinds of actions for the both of you late at night, but right now, he’s incredibly clingly and wouldn’t stop following you wherever you go. For the most part, he really loves taking in your scent and running his hands around your body.

Soon enough, you hear the loud and rapid padding of feet on the floor as it dashed towards the kitchen where the two of you were. In a few moments, Zhongli was face to face with his own daughter who grinned gleefully at him.

“Mama, Papa!” Yuqing exclaimed as she clung to you like her father.

“Now young lady, what brings you here early in the morning?” Zhongli asked mischievously, still hugging you and resting his chin on your shoulder.

“Lumine and Aether! They’re coming right? They’re coming!” she almost shouted, arm tightly adhered to your leg.

“In about half an hour, darling,” you replied. “Now, are you both aware that I’m trying to cook here? I can’t move!”

Instead of letting go however, Zhongli tightened his hold of you while nuzzling deeper on your shoulder while Yuqing did the same on your leg. You grumbled. “Like father, like daughter.”

Giggling, Yuqing glanced at her father who was tightly clinging to you like she was.

“Papa, do you like Mama?”

Zhongli, for a moment, smiled at her warmly before replying. “Very much so, my dear.”

You could only hide your flustered expression at his words. But of course, it made your heart skip a beat, even after marrying him and having his child, Zhongli could still make you feel this way with just a few words.

It was a good thing that Yuqing changed the subject before your heart could explode.

“Papa! You have horns!” she exclaimed and pointed at Zhongli’s head.

“Oh? Is this your first time seeing it?” he asked as he knelt to the floor. “Do you want to touch it?”

Zhongli could definitely see his daughter’s amber eyes sparkling with curiosity as she slowly inched her way closer to him. Yuqing may look like him, but she definitely has your temperament. The way she sees the world with so much wonder and excitement reminded Zhongli of you.

“Can I, Papa? Can I?” she asked, her small fingers reaching out for them.

“Yes, you may, my dear.”

Bending down, Zhongli felt Yuqing glide her fingers at smooth surface of the horns. “Be careful though, the tips should be sharp enough to wound you.”

Filled with wonder, the child gazed at Zhongli with amazement. “Papa, are you a dragon?!”

“I can become one.”

“Does…! Does that mean I can be a dragon too?!”

Aahh…You smiled at the two of them as you finished the last of your cooking. “Alright now. Let’s have breakfast. The twins will be here soon if we don’t hurry up!”

*

“Aether! Lumine!”

The dark-haired girl immediately ran towards the twins right after you opened the door to greet them, incredibly excited for the week ahead. Aether scooped her into his arms right away as Lumine pinched her cheek for being so adorable.

“We’re extremely grateful to you two for agreeing to take care of Yuqing,” you told them bashfully. “It was hard to think of anyone reliable and willing to do it in such a short notice.”

“It’s okay, YN,” Lumine replied, “We’d love to have Yuqing around anyway! Right, Aether?”

Distracted with playing with Yuqing, Aether turned to Lumine who was looking at him pointedly. “Huh? Oh! Oh yeah! We’re gonna play a lot!”

“Let’s play house again, Aether!” Yuqing interrupted, “I’ll be the mommy, Lumine will be the aunty and you’re the daddy!”

A large, tall shadow loomed over the twins from behind you. “I prefer if you’d arrange the designations in a different way.”

“Oh, Zhongli.” You turned to your husband who was menacing enough to make the male twin tremble like a leaf, especially in his half-dragon form.

“M-Mr. Z-Zhongli!” Aether immediately felt a chill run down his spine. If anything, he felt an overprotective dad is way scarier than all the monsters he battled so far.

“Good morning Mr. Zhongli,” Lumine greeted the man calmly with a smile. “You don’t have to worry about anything! Yuqing can be the mommy, I’ll be the daddy and Aether’s the dog.”

“Good.”

You could only smile awkwardly at the whole exchange. If this continues on, Zhongli might change his mind and insist his daughter to stay.

“Alright, here’s all her clothes for the week as well as other stuff she needs,” you interrupted as you shoved a bag on Lumine’s hands. “Please don’t hesitate to call us if something happens.”

Lumine only glanced at you with a plastered smile. Bothering them isn’t something she’d really want to do.

“We will, YN,” Aether replied and then exchanged looks with his sister. “I think it’s time for us to take off now though.”

“Alright. Come on, Yuqing, let mama and papa kiss you goodbye,” you told them as you reached out for your daughter who easily climbed out of Aether’s arms.

Crouching down, you and Zhongli embraced your daughter tightly, kissing her cheeks several times until she began protesting. With Zhongli chuckling, he patted her head gently while reminding her of several things.

“Now young lady, be of your best behavior. Don’t make Lumine and Aether worry too much.

“I will, Papa! Can I have almond tofu as a reward then?”

Zhongli smiled at her amusingly. “Alright. Do we have a contract then?”

“Yes! It’s a pinky promise!” Yuqing held out her pinky and linked it with Zhongli’s, who was careful not to scratch her with his claws.

“Don’t forget to drink your vitamins and eat your vegetables, ok? And sleep on time. Be careful not to go anywhere without telling Lumine or Aether!”

Yuqing sighed, “Yes, yes, Mama. I will.”

Ruffling her head, you finally kissed her forehead while Zhongli did the same.

“Don’t forget to have fun!”

As she ran off to Lumine’s side, the both of you stood up.

“We’ll be going then. See you after a week!” Aether exclaimed as they began to take the steps down the porch.

“Bye, bye, Mama, Papa!”

With that, the three of them disappeared and went off their way.

Glancing at your husband, it had finally dawned on you that this was only the beginning.

“So, should we get started?”

He asked, and you froze.

*

“W-wait…! Zhongli!”

“What’s the matter?”

Your husband asked you, as if he wasn’t pinning you against the wall, nuzzling against your neck as he took in your scent. You could feel his warm breath against your pulse, his hands on your waist as he continued to pepper small, faint kisses on your skin.

“It’s…it’s the middle of the day…a-and…and…!”

“You never had an issue with that… are you getting shy, my love?”

You could sense the teasing tone in his voice as he nibbled on your ear, without ever the intention of removing himself from you. Flustered, you pursed your lips as you bit down a moan.

“N-No, I’m not! It’s just…!”

“It’s just what?”

Zhongli smirked at your unexpected bashfulness, urging him to tease you more to see more of that adorable expression of yours.

“I-I mean, we just sent off Yuqing…and they might return or something—”

“Oh, they won’t.” Zhongli gave your jaw a small hickey. “Or at least I’m sure they are well aware not to bother us.”

“H-Huh…?”

Without furnishing you an answer, he simply knelt down before you and wrapped his arms around your thighs to hold you down. Looking down, you could see him smirking mischievously at you, making you gulp.

“Why don’t we get you ready, my love?”

Slipping his head underneath your skirt, you instantly felt his lips on your thighs as he kissed his way up towards your core. You could feel yourself melting at the heat of the situation; the sensation of his warm tongue prodding your clothed entrance.

“Z-Zhongli…! Mnhh…!”

Even with your underwear on, you could easily feel him stimulate your sensitive clit as he circled his tongue around before sucking it. Your knees buckled immediately as you found your hands holding on to his horns, careful not to pull too much.

“You’re so drenched here, YN,” he told you, his voice vibrating against your sensitive parts.

“D-Don’t say that! O-Ohh…! Fuck!”

You couldn’t even tell him off properly as soon as he slid of your underwear and began to tease your hole with his tongue. You could feel him go in and out as his warmth filled you up. But it wasn’t enough, of course. After getting a taste of the real thing, nothing could satiate you other than him.

“Zhongli…oh god! Ah—!”

Without stopping, he continued to lap on your juices and stimulate you until you were at the edge of orgasm. You could feel your legs grow weak and the only thing keeping you from falling to the floor was his tight grip on you as he ruthlessly ate you out like a hungry man.

Peeking from underneath your skirt, Zhongli watched as he gradually pushed you closer and closer to your climax. His bright amber eyes filled with lust as he stared at your half-lidded eyes and trembling lips; crying his name out loud over and over again. He wanted to take you then and there, push his cock inside you until you were filled to the brim; his hard on was excruciatingly painful inside his pants, but he had to be patient and get you ready for him.

“Come for me, love,” he muttered, circling his tongue around your clit once more and sucking it.

It only took an instant for you to shiver and tremble in pleasure as you felt your orgasm wash over you like a tidal wave. Your skin felt like a surge of electricity passed over you as your knees buckled and your arms held on to his shoulders to stop you from falling over.

Removing himself from underneath your skirt, Zhongli then scooped your weak figure and carried you on his arms towards the sofa. He had you sitting on his lap facing him while you encircled your arms around his shoulders and waiting for your high to calm down.

For a while, the both of you stayed like this. Zhongli kept on giving you small pecks on your neck and shoulders, slowly divesting you of your clothes as he went around your body. It was slow and sensual; unlike the first time he was in heat.

“H-Hey…you too…” you purred, kissing the underside of his jaw.

He only hummed at you; his hands busy with getting your skirt off of you. “Yes?”

“Let me undress you too.”

Zhongli reigned in his urges as soon as he heard your suggestion. His face flushed as he watched you slowly remove his tie and unbutton his shirt to reveal his toned chest. Groaning at the feeling of your hands on his bare skin, he knew he only had a few moments left before all his self-control could fly off the window. But it was incredible, he could only feel himself grow even harder.

Soon enough, you were already on the floor kneeling before him. Zhongli felt himself tense up at what you were about to do, but had to strength left to stop you from doing it. Silently, he watched as you glide your hands on his things and then to the prolific bulge on his pants. You could feel him poke you earlier while you were sitting on his lap, which gave you the idea of blowing him off.

Gradually, you undid his belt and pants and finally take out his monstrosity of a cock. Zhongli gave a guttural groan as he felt your hands pump his shaft tentatively, his claws biting at the soft leather of the sofa.

It wasn’t the first time you saw his cock, and while it was impressive in normal days, the one right before you was definitely befitting of a dragon. You hesitated.

H-how did this thing fit inside of me before?!

Nevertheless, you continued on. It was massive but it was definitely hot, seeing Zhongli sitting there in front of you with a flushed face and his cock out. Timidly, you gave the tip a small peck as you slowly allowed your tongue to glide over it.

“Y-YN…that’s…!”

Empowered by his reactions, you then licked the underside of his shaft until it was glistening wet with your saliva. Eventually, precum began to ooze out of the tip and curiously, you began licking it as well, sucking it in the process.

“Ughh…! F-fuck…YN…! I’m really—”

Trying to bob your head up and down, you could only fit so much of him inside your mouth as your jaw tried to accommodate his size. But you felt your core tighten up and become wet, thinking that this cock will eventually fill you up to the brim with his cum.

Zhongli was rapidly losing it. He wanted to cum, but he wanted to cum inside of you and have you bear his child. He wanted to see your cunt filled with his seed until it oozes out of you, and then plug his cock back inside of you to fill you up once again.

No, this won’t do.

“YN…! Y-YN…! P-Please stop! Mnnh—!”

He held your chin to make you stop—the way your lips left a trail of saliva to his dick tempted him push it back inside your mouth—but he had to end it there, right before he came inside your mouth. Slowly he guided you towards him; confused as to why he stopped you right before he was about to come, you moved back to his lap where he gently caressed you and wiped his fluids from your cheeks.

“Let me kiss you, my love.”

In a soft and gentle kiss, Zhongli captured your lips. You could feel it radiating with love and warmth as he slid his lips over yours, his tongue darting inside, as if trying to fill his senses of you and only you. You both kissed until your lips were swollen, until you felt him rub his shaft against you unconsciously, making you moan in the kiss.

“Z-Zhongli…” you gasped for air. “Are you…holding yourself back?”

With those amber eyes, he gazed at you seriously—all the while keeping your lips closed to his.

“Is it a sin to treasure you so much?”

His words caught you off guard, but eventually, you smiled. Zhongli never failed to express his love for you. He was gentle and kind, a good husband and an even better father. Brushing a few stray locks of hair from his sweat-riddled face, you kissed his forehead as a way to show how much you appreciated his thoughtfulness.

“Thank you for thinking about me, Zhongli,” you remarked, “But right now, I really want you to let loose and fill me up completely with you.”

With eyes blown wide, Zhongli felt himself twitch at your words—his arousal no longer hidden. Grabbing the back of your head, he then crashed his lips against yours in a searing kiss lidden with passion and lust. He bit and licked on your lips while his hand groped your full breasts, pinching at your nipples to make you gasp against his lips.

“Then so be it,” he smirked. “I’ll make you completely mine.”  

Guiding his shaft to your slick entrance, he pushed himself inside of you in one go—making you squeal at the sudden sensation of being penetrated. It took some time for you to accommodate his large cock, but eventually, your cunt was drenched so much that it hadn’t become much of an issue.

“Z-Zhongli…! Oh god—fuck! …s-so big…!”

You began riding him, moving up and down on his lap while Zhongli continued to make you feel good by playing with your breasts. You could feel his sharp claws make indentations on your skin, but not hard enough to draw blood, but it was a strange sensation which only heightened the pleasure of having his dragon cock thrusted inside of you.

“Hnnghh!! Y-YN…!” Zhongli winced at the sudden tightness, and began to distract himself from cumming by licking on your pert nipples until they were red and sensitive.

With pleasure attacking you from different parts, you could only mewl as Zhongli gradually turned you into a lewd mess as you felt him twitch inside of you. Soon enough, he’ll be cumming inside of you, and that would the first among many others for this entire week. If his first heat said anything, Zhongli wouldn’t stop mating with you until you were fertilized with his seed.

The thought did nothing but coax you to your climax. You could feel yourself tighten around him as he pounded into you mercilessly, your juices mixing together. Zhongli was also close. He was already extremely aroused, and it wouldn’t take long for him to climax.

“A-Ah—! YN….! L-love…I’m…I’m close…!”

He muttered with face flushed and breath ragged.

“Yes…! Oh god, yes…! P-Please, Zhongli…! Ah—! F-fill me…fill me up…!”

In just a few thrusts, the both of you came at the same time. He pushed deep inside of you and came; his warmth filling you up until he was spent. You were still shivering with pleasure when he pulled you in for a kiss, his tongue once again ravishing you with so much intensity that it could be argued that he made you come once again with just a kiss.

Reeling in from the afterglow, you could still feel him hot and hard inside of you, as his breathed hard against your neck. You were no different though—the way your mind was still covered with a haze of lust, or the way his cock inside of you felt so good as it hit a particularly good spot. The aphrodisiac you got from Dr. Baizhu seemed to be quite effective.

Removing yourself from his embrace, you staggered to stand up with your limp legs, but managed to crawl on fours right beside him.

Zhongli was both bewildered and disappointed to have your warm body away from him, but when you pushed your ass before him and gazed at him with sultry eyes, he felt his heart rate pick up the pace.

It was embarrassing to show your cunt dripping with your juices and his cum, but you didn’t really care much. You were too entrenched with arousal to feel embarrassment.

“Z-Zhongli…let’s…let’s do it again…?”

Grabbing your ass, he spread you out even more, and even slapped your butt lightly. Zhongli could definitely see his cum dripping out of you and promptly scooped it up with his finger and pushed it back inside of you.

“P-Please…! Zhongli…I—!”

He smirked. “Very well.”

Without warning, he slid himself back inside of you; making you bite back the remaining words. It felt incredible having him inside. It was hot, as if you were burned and electrified at the same time. Your mouth hardly had the time to close as he continued to piston in and out of you.

This time however, Zhongli began playing with your oversensitive clit, groaning loudly at how you tightened your walls around him. You squealed in delight as his cock hit a particularly good spot, making you cum sooner than expected.

“Oh…o-oh god! Z-Zhongli….! Zhongli…! A-ah…!”

Yet despite your premature climax, he continued on—thrusting inside of you and prolonging your orgasm. It was so good you could feel tears pooling the side of your eyes as he plowed your sensitive cunt.

“You came, didn’t you?” he asked, his lips once again on yours. “I’ll make you come again soon enough.”

True to his promised, Zhongli picked up his pace and fucked you as roughly as he could. You knew there will be bruises after this but the pleasure was greater than anything for you to care about. The way his cock just fills you up, hitting your g-spot over and over again relentlessly, or the way his groans just sends shivers down your spine.

“F-Fuck…! Fuck…!Z-Zhongli! I’m—! I’m gonna…!”

“Yes, love...! Haa….come for me…! I’ll fill you up with my seed…”

Once again, you came from the overstimulation—your arms failing as the pleasure was greater than anything you experienced so far.

“F-fuck…YN…a-ah—!”

With that, Zhongli suddenly bit your shoulder as he pumped more of his seed inside of you, which only overflowed from your hole. You mewled at the mixture of pain and pleasure, unable to distinguish the one from the other, but you knew it felt extremely good.

Zhongli was silent for a while as he lapped on the bitemarks he had made. He was glad that he hadn’t bit too hard, but for some reason, he also liked how you were marked as his.

“Allow me to take you to the bedroom,” he whispered to you as you nodded your head groggily. Sleep was beginning to approach you fast.

Unsheathing himself from you, you winced at the sudden feeling of emptiness. But it was immediately remedied by the feeling of his warm body near you as he carried you to your shared bedroom. Slowly, he laid you down on the soft mattress and eventually joined you there, embracing you from the back.

“Let’s rest for now,” he muttered right before your eyelids fell heavy. “We’ll need it for later.”

And he was right.

For the next few days, the two of you tainted every room inside the house (well, except for Yuqing’s bedroom).

From the kitchen where Zhongli fucked you from behind, bending you on the counter as he emptied himself inside of you—to the bathroom where cleaning up turned into another round where he slowly entered you while underwater—or on the floor, which was only because you couldn’t reach the bed because he was too horny for his own good.

It was only then, as the both of you rested from the last round which took all night and early morning, that you realized how much time had passed.

“Mama! Papa! I’m back!”

Your eyes shot open, and glanced at Zhongli who was staring at you as well.

“Oh no.”

[j-1z]

xdinary heroes as lovers: jun han

disclaimer: all of my readings are for entertainment purposes only and should be taken with a grain of salt, as these idols are strangers.

this reading was done on june 8th, 2022. i used the ‘mystereum tarot’ deck. i also pulled up his birth chart for a bit more guidance.

dance - jay safari the night is only young for fun romance

spy? - WHOKILLEDXIX yeah, you like me, baby, yeah, I get it

*yucky blucky fruitcake - doechii i'm looking at my pillow / my pillow look back at me / my thumb is over the screen / the other is in my jeans // got so much shit on my chest, yo, i need to drop it

how he is as a partner, what he can give three of pentacles. eight of cups REV, king of cups, eight of wands, queen of wands, fool

Junhan is so cute and sweet - incredibly inexperienced in the world of romance, but he’s very eager to learn - a bit childlike in his passion and enthusiasm, I almost want to say “in love with love”. Has a good balance between his head and heart, does well with partners who need someone to help settle their head. The type to ask his older, more experienced friends for advice on how to woo someone. Ideally, he sees a partner as someone who is equal to him, someone who he works together with to create equal happiness. Very intuitive, can kind of just, feel what his partner is feeling, will gently push his lover to share any of their worries and gladly helps them work through them. Although inexperienced, he’s very wise and thinks of relationships as a common sense situation - treating them how he would want to be treated? Very calm, compassionate, needs to be careful with becoming his partner’s therapist. He really likes PDA, but probably wouldn’t admit it, simply loves the idea of being affectionate with someone. Junhan is also a bit oblivious to when someone likes him. Also getting surprisingly flirty vibes from him like, I don’t think he’s afraid to be bold at all with someone.

Very non-confrontational and can stay in relationships that are bad for him just because he doesn’t know how to pull away, or because he likes the idea of having someone. Can have a hard time differentiating between his partner’s feelings and his own. Can also be overkill with therapizing his partners, some can feel like he’s prying, but it’s just his energy. Has a tendency to idealize his partners as well, which can also lead to him to stay longer than is necessary.

his ideal type, what he wants from them knight of cups. six of wands, seven of wands, page of wands, ten of cups, three of swords, four of swords

Junhan’s ideal is someone a bit more extroverted than he is, class clown vibes. Another one who likes artsy, romantic types, someone who is soft, but also not afraid to get what they want. Rebellious, charming, self aware and introspective, his ideal is someone who is more led by their heart. Also, very pretty to Junhan, he likes being seen with them. Wants a partner that’s loud about their love for him, that will show him off. He gives off vibes of being bashful when it comes to PDA, but he actually really likes it - likes to lowkey be like, “hey, I have a partner, look!” He wants someone who will push him to do better, might be into other guitarists/musicians, some friendly competition. Tends to be drawn to people who have a lot of sadness and anxiety underneath everything and partners with those qualities tend to be drawn to him, likes to heal in a way. Aquarius and water sign vibes.

his attitude around love currently moon

A little confused and feeling left in the dark - what he’s been taught about love in the past is being shaken up as he continues to get older. That “in love with love” feeling is being challenged and he needs to possibly admit something to himself.

wild card death, page of swords

Relating to the above, going through some kind of awakening in regards to romance currently. This isn’t a dark feeling, he’s very curious about where things are going to go and he’s welcoming it with open arms, even though it's a bit scary and unfamiliar. He’s figuring out what he actually wants, experimenting. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s talked to some of his more experienced friends about his current feelings. Junhan’s energy is overall very open, nonchalant and forgiving and it seems to extend to himself as well. The lyrics to Yucky Blucky Fruitcake really stuck out to me as I was doing this reading for him.

[absolutelyfizzing]

Sifu Hotman

zuko x water tribe sibling!reader

request - I want to request a Zuko x fem reader being Sokka and Katara's sister. She can be the older sister or sokka's twin sister. Also when they start dating Sokka and Katara can like threaten him by saying don't hurt my sister or else.

A/N - This is taking place after the war, I'm vaguely uncomfy writing for underage people (or like younger than 17) so I just went ahead and aged them up. I'm sorry if that's not what you were wanting! I'm also sort of ignoring the plot of the comics and stuff and we are ignoring Mai's existence. I don't feel like this was my best writing by any means but i tried and i thought it was a cute idea. There will probably be more zuko x reader coming soon

word count - 2000

MASTERLIST

You took a deep breath in, the warm air refreshing after having just spent the last month in the southern water tribe with your family besides Katara who was off saving lives with Aang. Your twin brother stood beside you, his hair grown out and tied into a ponytail. Your sister would be here in the fire nation in a week with Aang. It had been three years since the war, you had just been kids at the time. You and Sokka were 15 during the last battle and you had felt so old then. Now, looking back, you had been immature and childish but you had grown up. After the war ended you remained in the fire nation for a few months. You had wanted to get a little bit of quiet before you started going on more adventures with your brother.

You had been very close with Zuko while he was traveling with you and the gang. You didn't know why but you trusted him, maybe it was because you trusted Toph's judgement but either way you had accepted him quicker than the others. You remembered how cold the rest of the group had been to him and it almost was funny to you now considering that Katara had just told you a story in a recent letter about Toph, Aang, and Zuko getting into a bickering match about fire flakes that ended in Toph trapping both of the boys into a earth tent. It was also hard to comprehend that Zuko was the new Firelord and he ruled over a whole nation.

It had been 2 years since you saw Zuko in person. It wasn't on purpose but you kept getting pulled in different directions, none of them leading you into the fire nation. You were excited but also scared to see him, butterflies filling your stomach at the thought of seeing him. You'd had a bit of a crush on the new Firelord when you last saw him but you refused to tell either of your siblings, knowing that they would threaten him to high heaven before he even knew about it.

Your brother walking beside you calmed you a bit, his presence being comforting to you. He was much taller than you now and he was more confident than the kid he had been during the war. You knew that the same was true for Aang, though he never grew up in personality. As you approached the gates of the palace you wondered if Zuko had changed.

You realized that he had as the gates opened and he was stood on the steps up to the palace waiting for both of you. His hair was long and it was pulled into a messy bun. His scar was no longer shrouded in his bangs and he seemed more confident in his stance. His robes were long and elegant and you wondered if he wore them by choice of if they were required because of his position. Your brother jogged slightly to get to Zuko faster, having grown to hold a strong bond with the man. You walked calmly but there was a smile on your face as your brother and Zuko embraced. Once the released each other Zuko turned to you. You noticed him gulp a bit and a blush threatened to cover your cheeks. Your grin became wider the closer you got to him and soon you were wrapped in his embrace.

You noticed that his frame was larger. You leaned your head back from the hug to look at his face and he looked well. Like he was happy and maybe even getting enough sleep.

"Hey there, Sifu Hotman." You smiled and Zuko rolled his eyes as he released you from the hug.

"I see we haven't matured in 2 years?" He grunts but you can see the smile trying to creep onto his face. "Toph still calls me that too." He grumbled lowly and you started laughing.

"Where is the little demon?"

"She's away dealing with some prisoners for me. She should be back in a week or so." Zuko smiled. "She's taken up a pretty important role here. She's like my personal lie detector. She likes to sit in on council meetings and scare everyone."

"I think that's actually her dream job." You smiled and Zuko hummed in agreement. There was a bit of a silence as you and Zuko just gazed at each other. He seemed so sure now. You had missed him dearly.

"Okay! Let's get this show on the road, people!" Sokka yelled and you internally groaned that he had to ruin the moment. Before you all turned toward the palace, Zuko sent you a wink and you felt a blush cover your face. As you headed up the steps of the palace you felt a comforting hand on your lower back as the Fire Lord gently followed behind you, Sokka running ahead of you, likely to find the food in the kitchens that he was accostomed to spending all of his time in.

"Can I speak to you in private when we get a moment?" Zuko asks and again your heart rate picks up. You turn your head to look at him.

"Of course" You smiled and he smiles back at you, making your head spin a bit. You spent the next few hours meeting new advisors, getting a tour through new parts of the palace, and catching up with Zuko who seemed to be acting more clingy than you had ever remembered him to be.

"Y/N, would you mind coming with me?" Zuko asked and you turned to face him with a smile.

"Of course!" You chirped as he led you to a secluded hallway away from your brother who was discussing war strategy with an advisor of Zuko's.

When you reached a place where you were out of earshot of others Zuko gently took your hands.

"I have something to confess." He stated and you felt fire on your cheeks, you nodded for him to continue, "I'm in love with you. I have been for years and I've never acted on it because there was always something going on and I was so unsure but now-" he gazed into your eyes with sincerity, "I couldn't be more sure. I want to be with you. If you'd have me, that is." Instead of answering you jumped forward, pressing your lips onto Zuko's in a searing kiss. He groaned and pushed back, trapping you against a wall. He pulled away to press his forehead into yours and you closed your eyes for a moment before opening them again and gazing at the man in front of you.

"Katara is gonna kill you." You mumbled and Zuko smiled.

"You aren't worried about Sokka?"

"I just know that Sokka can't win in a fight against you. Katara on the other hand..." you trailed off and Zuko looked offended.

"That's pretty rude to say to the man who just confessed his love for you."

"I'm just being honest. Toph might have some words too."

Zuko shuddered at the thought of what they could do to him. Sokka would be upset but he could probably handle it. Aang would be happy for both of them he was sure, always the peacemaker and moderator. Aang would probably be the only reason that Katara wouldn't attack Zuko immediately.

Over the next week you snuck around with Zuko, taking alone time any chance that you got. Sokka rarely let you get any peace as he stayed with you nearly constantly. He was always a little on the defence with you and he would likely settle in and ease up over the coming weeks as he got used to the new environment. You were never a huge fighter, though you could hold your own. You also couldn't bend. You were the one of the group who took care of everyone, you were the smartest in strategy by far, and you were the only one who could reason with Toph. Because of this, Sokka had gotten used to just being near you in case anything happened, though it was rare that anything did. You appreciated it normally but now you wanted time alone so that you could spend it with Zuko as you got used to being in a relationship that was more than platonic. But today was the day that the rest of the gang was arriving, even Suki would be joining you so you hoped that would take some of the clingy-ness of Sokka away. You all stood at the front of the palace, much like Zuko had stood for you a week earlier, and watched as Appa approached in the distance. He flew gently in front of you and as soon as he landed in front of you he licked you with his giant tongue and you were covered in slobber. Despite this you couldn't be happier to see the giant animal and you embraced him. You were suddenly pulled away and brought into the arms of your little sister.

"I missed you, Y/N." She mumbled into your neck and you smiled into hers, it had been so long since you had seen her and you felt tears come to your eyes at the relief of having her near.

You spent the next hours catching up with Katara and Aang, who had grown to be taller than you since you last saw him. Toph and Suki arrived that night and you were all glad to be together again at last, old memories coming back and filling you all with joy. You and Zuko looked at each other and you took a deep breath. You had discussed that you would be revealing your relationship to the rest of the group when you were all together but you were nervous for their reactions.

"So... I have something I would like to tell you guys." You stated and all of the conversation died down, all eyes suddenly on you. "Me and Zuko are together." You rushed out and you only got blank stares for a moment before there was groaning from Toph and Sokka.

"You couldn't have waited another year? I didn't think you would have figured it out by now." Toph grumbled and pulled some coins out of her pocket, Sokka doing the same. Suki and Katara held out their hands and money got dropped into them, both with smug looks on their faces. Zuko looked over at you and had the same look of shock that you likely did.

"What?" You mumbled.

"We all knew you were going to get together of course, you've been pining after each other for years, but me and Suki said you would be getting together this month and Toph said in a year. Sokka actually said in 3 months so he was closer than Toph was." Katara stated simply and you still just stared at her, mouth agape. "We also talked about the fact that if he hurts you," Her gaze shifted to a nervous looking Zuko, "we would all be committing some crimes."

"I feel like I should clarify that those crimes include maiming and murder." Sokka glared at Zuko and he gulped.

"But I'm so happy for you two!" Katara exclaimed, her attitude shifting completely. You and Zuko stared at each other in shock and then you smiled at him. You were so happy to finally be together and to have your friends around you.

[clairecrive]

Heyy:) can you write Nikolai x tidemaker reader, while Nikolai is still Sturmhond and the reader is part of the crew. Nikolai fell in love at first sight but the reader is a little introvert, but she snaps one day and confesses her love to him.

Sorry English isn’t my first language:)

Stars in the night

a/n: Hi hun sorry for the long wait. it's a bit shitty but I hope you're still around and like this x

warnings: none, fluff

word count: 2.8K

tags: @jupiterandbutterflies, @agentsofsheilds , @for-bebbanburg , @randomoutsiders , @pansysgirlfriend, @hannaxmaria , @vintagebitc , @story-scribbler , @crowssixof , @odetostep , @lizzie-he4rts, @korol-lantsov, @subjecta13-thefangirl,@gallysonegoodlung, @a-c-lee, @mriddlemethis, @carnationworld, @thanossexual, @luvxginger, @sanna2020, @partiesandblurrypolaroids, @edithsvoice, @wafflesandschemingfaces, @snugleo, @sugarmelonwater (tag list form)

SHADOW AND BONE MASTERLIST

Nights were usually y/n’s favourite time of the day. Chaos and shouts left place to eerie silence and the comforting quietness of the stars. Being on a ship meant always having people around whether they were shouting or singing or playing or whatever.

Y/n didn’t mind their company per se, it’s just that sometimes, people’s presence can get too much. But whenever she felt overwhelmed, she knew she could count on the stars to anchor her and help her breathe.

After an exhausting day at sea, no one refused the possibility to sleep and recharge. So, more often than not, y/n didn’t have any trouble in taking the night shift. It actually made her even more popular with the rest of the crew.

The crew’s captain was another thing. Y/n hadn’t a precise idea on him simply because he was always up to something. Sitting still was not in his blood, even where there were no chores to attend to. If there wasn’t something to do, Sturmhond would create it.

He was such at antipodes with y/n’s personality that their interactions were limited to her assignments, her report after her shift or him updating her about his plans. Or rather- her role in them. Y/n wasn’t foolish enough to think that he really made her part of his plans. And to be fair, y/n never asked more than what directly concerned her. Maybe that was why Sturmhond was so interested in her.

There was nothing subtle about the man. From the way he walked like he owned the world, to his shiny red hair. So, when he unusually started to roam around her just because, y/n did notice. Hell, everyone on the ship noticed. It was hard not to in such a limited space.

However, y/n thought nothing of it. It was just him being his extravagant self. Nothing new, honestly. She did not mind it either. The man had a way of being there without being overbearing, which was more than y/n could say about any other men she had met. Well, all except Tolya, of course.

He had started by bidding her good morning and goodnight every day. Then he would come to find her throughout the day, to chitchat above all things. To y/n’s horror, the privateer didn’t desist. He kept coming and y/n honestly didn’t know how to react.

She had always found him quite handsome and charming, but there was something she was absolutely shit at: small talk. And the man wanted exactly that from her. Alas, it all ended up with Sturmond’s voice filling the awkward pauses and y/n barely answering his questions.

She knew in her heart that she was giving him the wrong impression and she feared that her awkwardness would be mistaken for coldness making him eventually desist. Despite her fears though, the man didn’t seem off-put by her behaviour. He kept coming and coming but that didn’t ease y/n in any capacity.

Then one night, he stopped beating around the bush. It didn’t exactly catch her by surprise, y/n knew him, it was only a matter of time before he came out with it. It wasn’t in his nature to be discreet. Or so she thought, based on what she saw.

“Why did you want to be part of my crew? You don’t seem to like me,” he wondered, his green eyes shining in the moonlight.

Despite the words that left his mouth, y/n knew what his question implied. What he was really asking. But however powerful she might be, y/n didn’t have the guts to be upfront with him. Not even with the comforting presence of the stars as their witnesses.

If only he knew.

She knew that this could potentially be a chance for her to test the waters, to see what his intentions were and to make her clear. But alas, she knew nothing about flirting. Deflecting it is, then.

“Tolya and Tamar trust you. I trust them with my life so,” she shrugged, tacitly implying that she somewhat trusted him too.

“I see. So not only do I owe them my life but also an incredible crew.”

“The big and mighty Sturmhond praising someone other than himself?”

“I only sing praise when they’re due.”

“And, of course, no one deserves it more than yourself.”

“Well, you said it darling.” He flashed her a dazzling smile that made the moonlight pale.

Y/n rolled her eyes a bit to convey her annoyance and a bit to avoid him seeing the blush rising on her cheeks.

Truth be told, Tolya and Tamar weren’t the only ones that persuaded her from becoming a part of his crew albeit they were a big part of it. She wasn’t lying when she told him that she trusted them with her life. If it wasn’t for them, y/n would probably be a soulless machine right now. Her body on the outside but really nothing that made her y/n on the inside. That’s what happened to Grisha in Shu Han.

She owed the twin everything but that wasn’t why she made the decision to join them on the Volkovny. They didn’t force her to follow them or anything. And y/n couldn’t deny that Sturmhond’s handsome face didn’t make her sway a little in her decision. That was, however, something slippery about the privateer. It didn’t make him untrustworthy per se, but it certainly made her wary about trusting him.

The biggest push that prompted her to the Volkovny and life on the sea was her experience in Shu Han. Being Grisha meant not having a safe place outside of Ravka and sometimes in Ravka as well. Her home country was war-torn and as much as y/n had been trained to be a soldier all her life, she didn’t feel ready to take part in a fight that she didn’t feel her own.

Despite his unorthodox methods, General Kirigan’s sole purpose had always been making Grisha safe. And seeing as she had seen first-hand how the world treated Grisha, y/n could really get behind his plot, not caring about how bloody it was.

Life on the sea meant no more persecutors. Outside of her crew, no one in the ports they sailed to knew she was Grisha. Not that she was ashamed of who she was, but it’d be like having a mark on her skin if people knew. A mark that made her unsafe. She craved a life where she didn’t have to constantly watch her back. And being on the Volkovny granted her wish.

Not that it was a safe lifestyle, of course. But y/n was a survivor. If she had come out of the keirgud alive, she could well out best every threat that she will eventually cross on the sea. Besides, she knew that the twins had her back. And, in a small percentage, so did Sturmhond.

She and the captain didn’t exactly have a relationship, not like the twins have. She wasn’t his confidante or anything and she preferred to spend her time on her own -as much as life on deck allowed her- but since she was such in close quarters with the twins, that definitely made her closer to him than the rest of the crew. Not to mention that now the captain had started spending his nights with her too.

Well, not all night and not every night but it was a substantial increase in his time spent with her. Sure, it was all parts of him doing his rounds at night and being his amiable self.

So why the hell did her breath hitch whenever she caught his silhouette approaching? She hated herself for feeling like this. And him. Only that she didn’t, not really. It wasn’t his fault, was it? It was just her being silly. It’ll pass, sooner or later.

Only that, of course, it didn’t. In fact, it got even worse. If before she could manage their interaction by playing aloof and uninterested, it has now come to the point where she almost blubbered. Her heart hated her, it’d beat frantically whenever he’d approach, and his intoxicating smell made it impossible to form a coherent thought.

So, y/n decided to just stay clear of him to prevent any embarrassing situation.

After that, things didn’t get weird per se. Seeing y/n alone and drifting away from most group gatherings wasn’t weird. What was though, was her absence during the night shifts.

Before she monopolized those shifts, now she took turns like everyone else.

That was the big spy that made everyone worry about her. Non though went to talk to her about it. It would have been too personal for most of the crew to ask, and those who didn’t think better of it.

The twins knew her very well, she’d come to them whenever she was ready.

The captain… well, he didn’t react at all, which made y/n think that he hadn’t noticed anything.

He very well did, though. And the sign that he did was that he hadn’t come to her anymore. He noticed her withdrawal and while he didn’t understand why he respected her decision.

That didn’t mean that he gave up on her entirely though. His research moved elsewhere; his tactic shifted from approach to observe.

It took him almost a week to be feed with this new tactic. Not only did it prove unsuccessful, but he had almost broken a limb or two in his spying attempts.

One night, the one when he knew that you had taken the shift, he shifted again to ”approach”.

“Lovely night, eh?” He grimaced as the words left his mouth. Lamest approach ever.

“Oh, captain,” y/n exclaimed, startled by his unexpected presence, “yes, indeed.” She agreed, turning back to rest her arms over the bannister.

Nikolai’s eyes shine with amusement and y/n grimaced, cloaked in the darkness of the night, she was torn between wanting to punch herself or him. Maybe both.

“Sorry for startling you. I was surprised to see you here.”

“I’m on the night shift today,” she explained even though it wasn’t needed but saints. If they had given her social skills, she would have been too powerful.

“I see. It does not happen as often,” his eyes roamed over to her face, he could only see the side facing him thanks to the moonlight.

Y/n knew what he was doing, the man was hardly subtle, but she appreciated his attempt of breaching the subject lightly.

“We all took turns; it wasn’t fair for me to hijack this time shift.”

“I’m far too smart for you to lie to my face,”

“Excuse me?”

“What I mean to say,” he sighed, regret showing on his face, “is that I worry that you might have changed your habits because of me.”

“Why would you think that?”

“It has not escaped my notice that you’ve trying to avoid me.”

“Avoiding someone on a ship is an impossible feat.”

“I’m aware,” he smirked, and something told her that seeing her trying to do exactly that amused him to no end. Y/n turned back towards to sea and said nothing. Better silence than pointless words.

“So,” it was Sturmhond who broke the silence, “want to tell me what’s the problem?”

“There’s no problem, captain.”

“Again with lying,” he chided softly. Sturmond knew y/n like the back of his hand. Being on a ship will do that. He knew then that the best way to approach her wasn’t to put her under the spotlight or in a corner.

She sighed, knowing that lying to him would not get her out of this situation. Trying to muster her courage, she turned to him.

“Alright, you’re right,” she conceded and that alone was telling since Sturmonhd’s ego didn’t need any stroking. “You haven’t done anything wrong, though. It’s me.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

���You should because it’s true. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by my emotions and I don’t know how to deal with them.”

“So, you just run from the situation?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it running,” she mumbled under her breath. His intense stare put her even more on edge.

“Isn’t that point of living, though?” he added softly, “Feeling?”

“Maybe.”

“Amazing,” he said with an edge to his voice.

“What?” Y/n’s eyes flickered to him and the expression on his face left her wondering if he was serious or making fun of her.

“I’ve seen you facing volcras and other enemies straight on with a courage that puts to shame many soldiers and yet this is what you’re afraid of?”

“Rejections is much scarier than combat.” Abandoning every attempt of pretence, y/n went with the truth. She was already in the game, now she had no choice but to play.

“Is it?” His brow raised and now there was no doubt that he was making fun of her.

“If something goes bad in a battle, I’m dead. And there’s nothing for me to worry about if that happens, right?”

“But putting myself out there and then getting rejected, means living with the shame and embarrassment of knowing that I’m not enough.”

“Well, that’s a rather tragic take on it.”

“Joke all you want. I don’t suppose you know what it feels like, giving your shining hair and dazzling smile.”

“While knowing you think that of me brings me immense joy, I would also like to point out that you’re wrong.”

Now it was her turn to raise her eyebrow in wonder.

“Rejection takes a whole other shade of intensity when it comes from your family.” The words were said lightly but they made her breath get caught in her throat anyway.

“Is it because of your lifestyle?”

“It’s because of their opinion of me that I’ve chosen this lifestyle.”

“I’m sorry that your family is unable to see how much you shine.” “Maybe it’s because you’ve blinded them?” She tried to ease the tension and she was rewarded with a tease of a smile.

“Oh, don’t point it at me! I will lose my eyes and then you’ll throw me from this ship,” she shrieked and went to shield her eyes as if she was under the midday sun. This foolish stunt earned her the captain’s laugh. One so full and rich that left no doubt of its authenticity. It made y/n smile too and wish that he’d do that more often.

“I would never throw you from this ship.”

“What use could I have with no eyes?”

“I’m sure we’ll be able to find you something else to do.”

“Like being the ship’s clown.”

“While you amuse me to no end, I was thinking about a far more private role.”

“Private as in?”

“Meant for my eyes only.”

“Selfish much?”

“When it comes to you? Shamelessly so.”

The privateer leaned down to her, agonizingly slow giving her all the time to pull away if she wanted to. A million things swirled through her mind in those few seconds. Every worry about what was going to happen, about all the ways this could go sour.

The wheels in her mind turned incredibly fast almost making her lightheaded. Before this could turn into a full session of overthinking though, y/n shook her head effectively stopping the thoughts from growing.

Despite her lacking in basic social skills in an incredibly sad way, conversation with him always flowed easily. She never worried about what she was supposed to do or say or whatever. She could just… be. Be y/n.

That was priceless if not rare. And right then and there she decided that she wasn’t willing to lose it. Not without fighting.

Borne from the spur of the moment the best decision she could ever make, she leaned into him as well. Closing her eyes, she was able to see the corner of his lips lifted a little before she felt his lips on him.

Saints.

Did she say that she was afraid of feeling? Fuck that. This feeling, the feel of the touch of his lips on her, his fingers lightly stroking her face, his breath inside her, him becoming a part of her? She was pretty sure was going to die if she went too long without it.

Angling his head to the side, she pressed her lips on his with renowned fervour. Her hands found their way in his strands. A moan left him as y/n swallowed the sound. Using the grip on his hair, y/n pulled him to her. Sturmond gladly followed her lead, returning the intensity of the kiss before his hands gripped the back of her knees, lifting her up.

He lightly used the bannister as leverage, his grip shifting to her hips holding her so tightly so that losing her was not an option. Not now, not ever.

[ladyanput]

Ok so this is the third time that I'm sending you an ask tonight. (or is it night time in your country?) I'm being annoying right now but whatever. So I've been cackling about those salt fics you wrote because they are just amazing. I have a request, though it is up to you to write it or not. So, can you write a salt fic where someone got an interview with Ladybug (probably Aurore) and then they ask her why they replaced the old heroes like Rena Rouge, Carapace and etc. and LB is just like I don't work with dumb shits or somethin'. Then there is also a new Black Cat (Probably Luka, Felix, or Damian) because Adrien here is an asshole and this fic is saltier than salt water. Then LB also insults Alya's blog and their school. Those foolish mortals get some lawsuits and the rest is up to you. (This request is probably messed up since it's already midnight here and I can't sleep.)

You're never annoying, I just apologize that it took me so long to get to you. I do hope you don't hold it against me, darling.

A one on one interview with Ladybug was basically unheard of if you weren't the Ladyblog or Nadja Chadwick. Ladybug had made it firm that she wasn't a celebrity, she was a hero. She wasn't there for clout, for attention, for fame or fortune. She just wanted to keep Paris safe.

That's was Aurore admired about her. And why she felt queasy as she sat across from the heroine, who had given her of all people an interview. But she got ahold of herself, taking deep breaths as the cameraman began counting down. And when he hit 'one', she put on her best smile and straightened in her seat.

"Hello Paris! Welcome back to 'Latest Buzz'! I am your lovable host, Aurore Beauréal. Today I am here with a very, very special guest, our very own heroine of Paris; Ladybug!"

Ladybug beamed right at the camera, but gave a shy little wave, giving away the nerves she obviously had.

"Now, Ladybug, I'm so glad you requested to be on the show. You know, I initially thought I had misheard when Estelle told me. Usually you're not big on personal interviews." Aurore gave her full attention to Ladybug, but keeping the bright, friendly smile and perfect posture.

"Well, I tried a few times actually. But when I did, none of them were really great experiences." Ladybug admitted and both girls immediately thought of that disastrous Face-to-Face interview. It left a bitter taste in their mouths. "My issue is that misinformation has been spread around a lot recently. It's made me realize that I need to find more trustworthy sources."

"Ladybug. I vow on my integrity as a host and Estelle's reputation as a journalist that we are people who research facts. We don't ambush our guests, we respect them." She said, placing a hand on her heart. Ladybug saw an honesty in her eyes that she hadn't seen in such a long time. It honestly made her feel.. Respected. "Now, Ladybug.. We both know you have a lot of fans. A lot of admirers. False information can be spread so easily these days, which sources specifically are you telling people to avoid?"

"Well.. With Face-to-Face, I found that I was entirely ambushed in that interview. I wanted to speak about my hero work, but instead Nadja kept trying to needle her way into my personal life. That picture she had shown in largely out of context; when Dark Cupid attacked and Chat Noir was under his spell, it was the only way to get him free."

"Yes, I remember watching that. I'll be honest Ladybug, I felt bad for you." Aurore bit her lip, but smiled a bit when Ladybug nodded. "I mean, Chat Noir wasn't helping either. He seemed to be trying to push this narrative forward that you two are a couple."

"And we're not!" Ladybug burst out before she could stop herself. Everyone in that studio could hear the utter stress and frustration in her voice. "I've begged and begged Chat Noir to stop with the flirting, the 'telling people we're dating', everything! I just wanted him to focus and he couldn't seem to do that!"

"Is that why you replaced him? Because of his slacking off and refusing to take anything seriously?" Aurora sat up an bit straighter, her eyes going wide.

".. Not exactly, no. It was a bunch of issues that eventually piled up and boiled over." Ladybug made some gestures with her hands, trying her hardest to find the words but just letting out a long and pained sigh in the end. "I do enjoy my new partner now. He is more serious, more stable. I know he won't go off and pout if I deny something he wanted. I needed an entirely new team, as a matter of fact."

"Well I am going to say, on behalf of everyone here, that we're glad. We swear on our integrity as journalists that if such rumours were to ever surface again, we will do our proper research." Aurore beamed and many of the staff and crew behind the cameras nodded and gave Ladybug their thumbs up. Honestly, it warmed Ladybug's heart to see such support.

When had been the last time someone had supported her like this? Sure, her parents supported her, but her friends..? Her peers? No, none of them had supported her in a long time.

"Speaking of research, I'd say to stay away from the Ladyblog." It burned to say it but it had to be said. Alya had crossed so many lines it wasn't even forgivable at this point. She had gone too far, had betrayed too many.

"Wait, what?" Aurore nearly jumped out of her seat but quickly composed herself, taking a deep breath. "Pardon me Ladybug, but the Ladyblog has been a vital source of information since the very beginning."

"And I'm not denying that!" Ladybug quickly held up her hands, her eyes desperate now. "But please let me explain. The Ladyblog was amazing in the beginning, but like all things, it started to go astray. It was things like trying so hard to find out my identity. Trying to push that narrative of that whole superhero couple thing.. Ladyblogger Alya Césaire has proven time and time again that she is not trustworthy. I mean, I thought she was my biggest fan. Why does she keep pushing my words aside?"

Many people who watched the interview would agree. If you idolized someone, respected someone, truly looked up to them.. Why would you push aside their words, their wishes to try and push the narrative you're so convinced is true, but isn't there?

"And don't get me started on the whole Lila Rossi craze she seemed to be on now." At Ladybug's mention of Lila Rossi, both Estelle and Aurore had to keep from rolling their eyes. They knew all about the girl.

"You speak as if you are quite frustrated, Ladybug. What an odd reaction to your best friend." Aurore leaned forward a bit in her seat. Everyone else got to the edge of theirs. Ladybug only shook her head, looking utterly defeated.

"That's the thing, she isn't my best friend." It took everything to keep from satin that she hated her, that she had taken away her friends and her life. "The only times she's met Ladybug is when she's been akumatized, which has been around six or seven times at this point. And the other things she's claiming are so outlandish! Saving Jagged Stone's kitten from a airport runway? Clara Nightengale stealing her dance moves? And the Ladyblog just posts it out there, claiming every single story is true. I'm just scared that people are taking this one hundred percent seriously. That's why I had to drop Rena Rouge and Carapace from the team as they believed Lila Rossi over me. They didn't even try to confirm these rumours! And it hurts to think that one day, someone will take Lila's words seriously and get hurt. What if she says it's safe to dip strawberries in bleach? Or tells someone that she found a way to tame some kind of wild animal? Someone would get hurt because they believe her story and try it out for themselves!"

"My goodness, I can definitely see how that is a problem. Misinformation is very easy to spread thanks to the internet, so you being worried is a very relatable thing." Aurore nodded, then tilted her head ever so slightly. "Ladybug, do you know anyone who has taken her word seriously? This is besides the Ladyblog of course."

Ladybug closed her eyes briefly, mentally debating with herself before finally giving in. These things needed to be said.

"Collège François DuPont. Now I wasn't there personally, but I heard about this situation and looked into it. The entire situation was appalling. Apparently a student was found to have cheated, assaulted another student, and commited thievery. But the thing that stuck out is only one person saw her do all of these things; Lila Rossi. No investigation was done, no questioning other students. This student was then expelled immediately. Her teacher and her principal didn't even give her a chance. And from what people have been saying, Miss Rossi's behaviour is actively encouraged in that school. She misses countless days, no, months of school, claiming she's traveling. But when she was supposedly in Achu, doing whatever it was she was claiming with Prince Ali, I was fighting her akuma here in Paris on Heroes Day!"

"I was at school the day that happened. I knew the student that happened to. They're the nicest person in that school! Never a bad thing to say about anyone, always willing to help! I agree with you on how things were handled, it's a level of incompetence that is baffling." Aurore's hands slowly curled into fists as she remembered it all. She slowly shook her head. "The principal, their teacher, their class who backed up Rossi. It must have hurt them so much, made them feel so alone."

"That's why I want people to be more careful with what information they take as fact. It's so important, because stuff like that can lead people to a desperate place. They feel alone, like the entire world is against them. I wouldn't have let the principal and the teacher get away with that gross negligence in their jobs." Ladybug leveled her gaze directly to the camera. "People of Paris, please listen to what I am saying. I am here to be a hero, to protect you from the terror of Hawkmoth and to defeat him. But please, do not be like Principal Damocles, do not be like that teacher and her class at DuPont. Do your research, look up your facts. Do not let a liar lead you to do something dangerous and hurt yourself as well as others. Respect each other, talk and be honest. I swear on my life that I shall do the same. You are the people I swore to protect and I love. I am saying this all to protect you. And I'll hope you'll all forgive me for not protecting you sooner."

...

The interview rocked Paris. Ladybug speaking so openly about her frustrations, about the discrepancies in the Ladyblog and Lila Rossi had many people double checking the sources of everything they learned from that blog.

Alya could barely show her face as she made her way though the school hallways. Her reputation as a journalist had gone down the drain. People had basically started boycotting her blog, harrassing her, or trash talking her on other forums and sites. Even a lot of news outlets picked this up.

What hurt the most from that interview last night was Ladybug's words towards her, both as Rena Rouge and as Alya. Surely the heroine had to be mistaken, she had never beytrayed Ladybug! And that Oblivio incident, it was just to show Chat Noir and Ladybug that they were meant to be together!

Her family was upset with her. No, upset was too tame of a word. They were pissed.

"I can't believe she lied to us.."

"Well what do you expect from someone who keeps harrassing Ladybug?"

Alya flinched when she heard the whispers and rushed into Miss Buster's class. The entire class was there, all seated, all looking utterly miserable. Many of them looked as if they had been crying all night. A lot like she had.

"W-where's Miss Bustier?" Alya asked when she eyed the empty desk. Many of her classmates shot her glares, but didn't say anything about the interview last night. After all, they had no room to talk.

"She and Principal Damocles are with the school board now. We're getting a new teacher." Adrien was the one that spoke up. He looked utterly miserable. So unlike his usual self.

"Lila isn't coming back. She was pulled from school when her mother found out what happened." Alix muttered from her seat, arms crossed and shoulders hunched.

The class went quiet as they all internally contemplated how things had gotten like this. Their eyes focused on the door when it abruptly opened and Marinette came strolling in, carrying a box.

"Good morning everyone!" She said brightly, pretending not to notice the downcast expressions on their faces. She set the box on the teacher's desk before she turned towards them. "Oh? What's wrong everyone?"

".. Did you not watch the interview with Ladybug on 'Latest Buzz'?" Alya stared at Marinette, a bit dumbfounded by her friend's lack of awareness of the situation. She had been expecting Marinette to rush in with support and a fiery vengeance against those who had humiliated her best friend, maybe even a fresh pastry. But instead she was greeted with empty hands and a cheerful hello?

"Oh, well I haven't really had the time to watch much television. I mean, with my transfer papers, needing to plan out my new schedule with all of those new classes. Busy as a bee, that's me!" Marinette just beamed, giving Adrien a playful wink that had his stomach churning.

"Wait, transfering?" It was Rose that spoke up, her large eyes seeming impossibly large now. "Transfer what?"

"To my new school, of course." Marinette giggled and clasped her hands together. "I start on Monday."

"New school?!" Alya was on her feet and rushing towards Marinette. The others quickly followed, crowding around her. "What do you mean new school?! When did you ever say you were going to a new school?"

Marinette blinked, as if stunned, then tilted her head ever so slightly.

"I told you all last week, don't you remember?" Marinette tapped her lower lip, seeming to be wracking her brain before she abruptly snapped her fingers. "Oh! I forgot, you all were deep in conversation with Lila about her upcoming event with Jagged Stone and Clara Nightengale. You know, the one she said she'd be attending with Ladybug, since they're such good friends. Did she ever say how it went?"

All of the students shifted uneasily, suddenly seeming to refuse to meet her face.

Alix murmured something so barely audible, Marinette held a hand to her ear and leaned closer.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Lila was lying to us!" Alix snapped as her cheeks went a flaming red.

"About everything! She never knew Jagged Stone!" Juleka spat out in fury.

"Or Prince Ali!" Rose sniffled.

"And she wasn't friends with Ladybug? They were barely acquaintances!" Alya wailed out as tears welled up in her eyes.

But Marinette hardly reacted the way they were expecting. She just gave them a small smile and nodded.

"Oh, yeah. I know."

Alya sucked in a breath sharply.

"You knew..? But why did you never..?"

"Oh Alya, you silly forgetful thing. I told you the day she returned from her long 'trip', remember? I told you she was lying." Marinette gave Alya a smile that said 'oh you silly thing'. "But you told me that I should really check my sources. And I got tired of trying to bring up any lies, since that was always your response. So I decided to just stop. I mean, since you're such an inspiring, honest journalist you must double and triple check every source you come across and found every story to be true!"

Alya flinched and looked away, feeling the churning feeling in her gut again. No, the Ladyblog had been the only source for the stories. The. Only. One.

"And I'm sure all of you knew what you were doing! I mean, it makes sense; trusting the words of a complete stranger over someone you've known for a while now. Some of you since we were in diapers!" She focused her gaze on Nino and Kim, who had the grace to at least look ashamed.

"Marinette, you really should-" Adrien began, reaching out for the girl, but was cut off by her clapping her hands together.

"But it's alright! I decided that fighting with you all wasn't worth it, so I took Adrien's advice and took the high road! Don't bother exposing Lila, she isn't hurting anyone!" Marinette announced brightly, giving her hands a little wave.

The temperature in the classroom dropped by several degrees.

".. Adrien, she's kidding, right?" Nino glanced over at his friend, his eyes pleading for him to deny it all. But the sight of the blood draining from the model's face and the sweat starting to bead at his forehead told him everything he needed to know. "Dude.."

"How could you?! You knew this entire time and didn't even try to tell me?!" Alya rounded on Adrien, fury in her eyes.

"Now, now, don't get mad at Adrien. I'm sure he knew you all were going to do you research. Besides, it's not like this did anything bad for anyone." Marinette pressed a hand to her cheek, still grinning. "I mean, it's not like you all took her advice without doing any research. You didn't try the things she suggested without actually checking them out to be true, right? No one lost any scholarships or job opportunities. No one's relationships were ruined. No one was hurt."

The nauseous feeling spread to all of the class as the reality of everything caught up with them.

"I'm sure everything will go back to normal, right? I mean, I'm sure that that woman from the education bureau isn't here to fire Damocles and Bustier for their severe neglect in their duties. Expelling me with the most mediocre and shaky proof. Surely that's a school I should feel safe in! That I should be proud to be a part of. But alas, my preparations for my new school are already done, so oh well."

Marinette shrugged and adjusted her purse strap.

"Anyhow, I wish you all luck with the amazing things Lila has helped you to do! I know it must have been worth ignoring me and convincing me I was crazy. With all of the free time I've had, with you guys practically replacing me with Lila in the group, I've had tons of time to spend with my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?!" Alya's eyes went owlishly wide as she gaped at Marinette. "But what about Adrien?!"

"Oh Alya, I fell out of love with Adrien forever ago." Marinette shook her head in an almost patronizing way that had Alya's cheeks burning with embarrassment. They didn't even pay attention to Adrien's noises of surprise. "I mean, you claimed I was jealous of Lila getting close to Adrien, that I should let the jealousy go. And you know what? You were right! So I decided Adrien wasn't worth the stress, the embarrassment.. I mean, I couldn't even talk to him straight. I thought he was the most perfect guy in the world! Goodness, did I learn my lesson!"

She giggled as if she found the entire thing amusing. She then beamed at the class.

"Well, ta-ta! I need to get back home and make sure everything is ready to go. I wish you all the best, I really do!"

They all watched, shellshocked as Marinette breezed out of the classroom like it was nothing. Like she wasn't leaving her friends, her school, her life behind. And they all would wonder exactly how badly they screwed up, if she could walk away do easily, without a care.

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[dem-obscure-imagines]

The Kiss of Life

Pietro Maximoff x Reader

Summary: You are an Avenger with the power to heal. However, you didn’t expect to catch feelings for the man you brought back from the dead.

Note: Let it be known that my very first ever Tumblr fanfiction, waaaaaay back in 2015, was a Pietro Maximoff fic about a healer! Reader bringing him back to life. I was obsessed with this man. Still am, lowkey. So, this fic is just kind of me revisiting that idea with about six more years of writing experience.

Warnings: Mentions of death, death (temporary), bulletwounds

Wordcount: 2.7k

On the day of the Battle of Sokovia, you were on board the Helicarrier. Tony Stark had contacted you, knowing the shit would hit the fan, and then Nick Fury had found you and picked you up. As the team’s resident healer, you didn’t actively go out in the field, but you were always on stand-by just in case. And this was one of the days you were glad you were.

You’d taken one of the “boats” to the quickly rising chunk of the city in order to heal civilians. You encountered a young woman who had her leg caught under a piece of rubble. But super-strength wasn’t one of your abilities. Luckily, a certain silver-haired speedster saw you and rushed over to help. You healed the woman and she quickly went over to the boats to be evacuated.

“Are you…” the man asked, looking you over. “You’re with…?”

“The Avengers, yeah.” You nodded. “Are you?”

“I’m new.” He grinned. “I’m Pietro. Nice to meet you.”

“(Y/N).” You offered your hand and instead of shaking your hand like you expected him to, he raised it to his lips and pressed a soft kiss there. You tried to ignore the heat rising to your cheeks. You couldn’t deny he was handsome, and his accent and gorgeous muscles only helped his case.

“Oh shit, your arm.” You pointed out the wound there.

“I was shot.” He nodded, his jaw clenching. “It is not bad, though.”

“Here, let me.” You reached up and held your hand over the bullet hole. Immediately, golden light radiated from your palm and Pietro watched in awe as the spot repaired, his skin closing up underneath the hole in his shirt. “There. Good as new.”

“Thanks. Remind me to find you the next time I get a paper cut.”

You chuckled. “I’m always around.”

The two of you split after that. You went off to help more civilians evacuate and he busied himself with fighting robots.

And then it happened. You were on your way to the boats to help people. You heard the loud noise of a machine gun, and when you looked up, Pietro was standing there, riddled with bullet holes, wobbling on his feet before inevitably collapsing.

You sprinted. You didn’t care about the risks or the danger, you ran as fast as you could to him, falling to your knees at his side and immediately pushing every ounce of power you could muster into his chest, arms, and legs. You felt like your veins were on fire and you couldn’t describe why, but you knew that this was why you were there. This was your purpose and you intended to fulfill it.

You watched as his wounds stitched together. You searched him for more. Anything you could do to make him better.

His eyes were open, unblinking, wide and haunting. His skin was cold to the touch. You knew what you had to do, but you didn’t know if you had the strength to do it after expending your powers all day.

“Can you do it?” Clint asked softly, watching.

“I think so.” You murmured. “I’m gonna try.”

The Kiss of Life, as Tony had dubbed it, was something you had only done once. It had absolutely drained you. You’d been asleep for a few days following it, but it was worth it. It was always worth it.

So, slowly, you leaned in and pressed your lips to Pietro’s pushing everything you had left into his body, from your chest to his. You reached up and felt for a pulse, waiting, waiting, waiting, until suddenly, you felt his vein twitch beneath your fingertips. You felt his chest heave with a breath and immediately released, exhaling a large breath of your own.

He looked up at you, confusion and warmth swirled in his eyes. He stared at you for a long moment, a hand rising to his lips, as if he was looking for confirmation of what you’d just done. He looked down at himself, searching for the dozens of wounds he’d just acquired, but not finding any.

Your head was spinning. You blinked a few times, watching him carefully. He sat up and as soon as he did, you slumped forward into his firm chest, your eyes fluttering shut. The last thing you felt before falling asleep were his strong arms wrapping around you and his soft lips pressing against your forehead.

“Thank you.”

***

You woke up with a pounding headache in an…unfamiliar place. You didn’t recognize the room you were in, but it appeared your things were there, from what you could tell. Oh, and there was a man sitting in a chair pulled up to your bedside, a nervous look on his face. His finger rested on his lip, deep in thought.

You moved, straining to sit up but your entire body was sore, your limbs each screaming for you to stop.

“Hey, hey, careful.” He moved at lightning speed, catching you off guard. He gently moved you into an upright position, resting against the mountain of pillows on your bed. “Easy.” He smoothed the hair off of your forehead and leaned forward to kiss it, long and soft. “You do not feel like you have a fever…”

“I think I’m okay.” You insisted, shaking your head. Your voice was hoarse. You coughed a few times, but half a second later, Pietro was holding a cold water bottle in your face, helping you drink it with careful hands and a doting expression on his face.

“Banner left these for you.” He handed you a bottle of painkillers and you took a few of them, swallowing them down with more water.

“Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything, but you knew he was thinking about it.

Instead, you asked, “How long was I out?”

“A few days.” He replied, his voice soft and low. “I…I was worried…worried that you…”

“Yeah,” you laughed darkly, shrugging. “I…well, some risks are just worth taking, I guess.”

“You barely know me and you saved my life without hesitation.” He said, a million words hiding behind his eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed cautiously, giving you plenty of time to tell him to back off, but you didn’t. “Clint…he said he’s never seen you run so fast.”

“I knew I wouldn’t have much time before…” You shook your head, trailing off. “And I knew I couldn’t let that happen. I got lucky. I was exactly where I needed to be.”

He was quiet for a beat, thinking. And then, all at once, he pulled you into his arms, against his firm chest. You listened to his heartbeat, his breaths, which became ragged as soon as he started sobbing.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. You’re okay. It’s all okay.” You said, your arms wrapping around him, one hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“Thank you. T-thank you so much. I…I don’t know how to repay you.”

“It’s just my job, Pietro. You don’t have to—”

“I want to, though.” He said, pulling away from you to look you in the eyes. His large hand rose to frame your cheek and you felt a chill run up your spine, heat flooding your cheeks due to his proximity and the look on his face. “Please let me thank you the way you deserve.”

You didn’t know what else to say, so you just nodded, staring up at him. “O-okay.”

“Do you think you can walk? The others want to see you.” He said.

“Um, I can try. I’ll probably be a bit weak.”

“I’ll help you.” He reassured you, helping you remove the blankets on top of you and scoot to the edge of the bed.

You put your feet on the floor, gently easing up until you were upright. You wobbled a little, but Pietro’s arm snaked around your waist for support, helping you forward slowly until you were out the door of your new bedroom.

“Where are we, exactly?”

“New facility.” Pietro explained. “Stark insists it will be safer than the Tower.”

“Gotcha.” You nodded.

He led you out to the main room, where the majority of the team were all sitting on the large sectional couch. As soon as you walked in, aided by Pietro, they all sat at attention. One of them, a young woman wearing a red sweater, stood up and walked up to you quickly, wrapping you in a tight hug.

“Thank you so much. Thank you for saving him.”

“Of course.” You hugged her back. “Us Avengers have to look out for each other. Welcome to the team. You’re Wanda, right?”

“Right. Nice to meet you, officially.” She smiled warmly.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” You pulled away and as soon as you did, you wobbled a bit, but Pietro immediately held you upright, preventing you from falling.

“Got a new friend there, (L/N)?” Tony chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

“So it seems.” You smiled, letting Pietro help you over to the couch where the others were all situated. “The new place is nice.” You noted. “Very modern. Very sleek.”

“Thought you’d like it.” Tony nodded. “There are still quite a few empty rooms if you want to switch, but, uh…Speedy wanted your room next to his.”

Pietro laughed nervously, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. When you looked over at him, his cheeks were steadily turning red. Cute, you decided.

“Well, I certainly don’t mind.” You grinned. “What are we watching?”

“Disney movies.”

“Hell yesssssss.”

“Told you she’d like it.” Steve chuckled, his arms folded across his broad chest. “How are you feeling, kid?”

“I’m good. Little sore, but good. Should be back to normal in a few days.”

“Glad to hear it.” Steve nodded, smiling.

“Anyone have any papercuts that need healing in the meantime?” You joked.

“Maybe take it easy for now, (L/N).” Natasha chuckled, shaking her head. “Our bruises and papercuts can wait.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

You watched a few movies with the rest of the team, and afterwards, Tony ordered pizza, a very bewildered delivery boy knocking on the door about an hour later. Pietro wouldn’t let you lift a finger, and so once the pizza arrived, he brought you a few slices on a plate with breadsticks and garlic cream cheese dip.

“Thank you, Pietro.”

“Of course.” He grinned, plopping back down in his spot between you and Wanda.

You had only been awake for a handful of hours, and yet you suspected that this constant attention from the silver-haired speedster wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

***

You were right. It was about two weeks later. You’d made a full recovery and were back to your usual level of activity. You were in the training facility doing your daily workout when Pietro sped in. You were on the treadmill, just finishing up, when he strolled over, a grin on his face.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

“Oh yeah?” You asked, slowing the treadmill to a stop and leaning against the rails, taking a moment to catch your breath. “May I ask why?”

“One of the interns is making a coffee run.”

“Oh hell yeah.” You took a long sip from your water bottle. “Well, thank you for letting me know.”

“Of course.” He grinned, leaning against your treadmill. “How are you today?”

You smiled, heat flushing your cheeks. You blame it on the workout, but you knew there might be another reason for it… “I’m good, how are you?”

“Good.” He replied. “I’m good.” He paused, holding up his hand, his knuckles red and bloody. “I did hurt my hand, though…”

“Oh, here.” You took his hand in yours and held your other palm over it, letting your power glow for a few seconds until the wound healed up. “There. Good as new.”

He exhaled a breath, clenching and unclenching his hand. With it, he reached up and gently traced your jaw. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against yours, causing a flurry of butterflies to erupt in your stomach. “You’re incredible. So incredible.”

You stared into his blue, blue eyes for what felt like eternities, his warm breaths ghosting across your cheeks. And then the moment was over. He pulled away from you, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead.

“Want a ride?”

“To where, the living room?” You laughed. “Sure, why—?” There was a rush of cold air and suddenly, you were in the living room, Pietro cradling you in his arms. “Not.” You looked up at him, tucking a piece of hair back behind your ear. “Wow, you’re fast.”

He grinned and you swore his cheeks got a shade redder than they were previously. “I am, aren’t I?”

You ordered your coffee from the intern and waited for Pietro to order his, but he didn’t.

“Aren’t you getting anything?”

“Oh, I don’t like coffee.” He shrugged, and then winked at you. “But you do, so…”

***

It was a few weeks later. You’d known Pietro for a little over a month at this point. You were in your room, reading. It was getting late and you knew that, but you also didn’t want to go to sleep until you finished the chapter you were on.

You heard a knock on your doorframe and looked up to find Pietro standing there, his hair a tousled mess and dark bags under his eyes.

“Nightmare?”

He nodded.

“Come on in.” You scooted over and patted the side of the bed and immediately, he zipped over. “You okay?”

“Better now.” He said, his voice low and raspy.

You closed your book and set it on your nightstand to give him your full attention.

“Can we talk?” He asked.

“Of course, Pietro. What’s on your mind?”

“I…I don’t even know.” He let out a long breath. “I keep thinking about…that day. And I’m not sure why.”

“Well, it was traumatic. Dying, even briefly, is hard to recover from. Emotionally, that is.”

“Hmm.” He hummed, nodding. “Am I the only one…that you’ve…”

“No. There was one other. Some S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I don’t even remember her name. It was a long time ago. But those were the only two successful times.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes I’m just…too late. If I don’t get to the body in time…” You shuddered and shook your head. “I got really, really lucky with you, Pietro. If I was any further away, I don’t think…” Your stomach dropped at the thought and you couldn’t continue.

“Don’t think like that.” He said softly, one of his large hands rising to your face. His warmth was incredible, calming.

You leaned into his touch, resting your hand on top of his.

“I’m right here, printsessa.” He leaned in closer. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.”

“There’s…something else.” He said, his voice wavering. “I don’t think it’s any secret, but, I’ve fallen for you, (Y/N). We are so close and I love it, but the only time we’ve ever kissed was when I was unconscious. I…would like to change that.” He paused, looking deep into your eyes. “But only if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh thank God.” You exhaled a relieved breath, your eyes sparkling and heart racing. “I was worried you were only hanging around me because I saved you. I didn’t think you were into me.”

“How could I not be?” His thumb rubbed your cheek affectionately. “You are kind and clever and selfless and brave, not to mention the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’d have to be stupid to let you slip through my fingers.”

You were both quiet for a beat before he asked, his voice soft, “So…can I kiss you?”

You leaned in closer until your lips were less than an inch away from his before whispering, “Do you even have to ask?”

Part 2

[chaeryybomb]

BRUTAL

pairings: female reader x best friend!jungwon

summary: they told you that these were the golden years, but to you "golden" was a rusting metal spray painted yellow. the story of a seventeen year old trying to survive high school when all you do is try your best. but your best friend jungwon makes it worth the while. 

genre: high school au, friends to lovers, fluff, tiny bits of angst if you squint, attempt at humour

featuring: jang wonyoung, kim sunoo & nishimura riki 

word count: 4.5k 

warnings: reader having a existential crisis most of the time, strong language, mentions of insecurity

the sour series masterlist

You slumped forward the moment the bell rang, letting your head hit the table. You could care less if a bruise would form on your forehead, you had much bigger things to worry about. Your teacher left the class wordlessly as the class was busy doing their own thing. And by that, everyone was buried nose deep in studying. You lifted your head to see the different books of the same topic scattered on your desk, a yellow highlighter balancing on the edge of your table.

Reaching over to grab the highlighter, you turned your head over to the side to look at your desk mate. Wonyoung sat there looking straight out from a k-drama, with her hair flowing down her back perfectly and her slender nimble fingers moving as she continuously wrote in her notebook. She was smart too, fluent in English and Korean, great at maths and science. And on top of that she was kind and friendly, everyone loved her. You did too, you had the honour of calling her your best friend. But sometimes you felt insecure around her, everything she did looked flawless and there you were just trying your best.

"Ack!" You yelped as you sat up straight, holding your forehead. Wonyoung rolled her eyes at you with a small smile on her lips, she had flicked your forehead to get you out of your thoughts.

Without taking her eyes off the textbook, she tapped your own workbook with her pen. Silently telling you to stop procrastinating. You pouted at her and looked at the clock, 10 minutes before lunch. Maybe a walk to the girl's bathroom would do you some good.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," you whispered to Wonyoung. She nodded and smiled at you before you walked out.

As you strolled towards the girl's bathroom, you passed by the bulletin board outside your class. A bright blue poster stood out with the words "ENJOY YOUR YOUTH" in white. Scoffing at the message, you continued on your way.

"I'm seventeen now, where's my fucking teenage dream?" You muttered to yourself. You were tired of waiting for your life to end up like a coming of age movie. Everyone told you that these were the golden years and you should enjoy your youth, but you swear to god if you hear another one of those cheesy sayings, you might just cry on the spot.

Reaching over to open the stall door, you halt in your actions when you heard familiar voices talking.

"I'm so worried for finals, my parents are gonna kill me if I fail English again," a girl complained. You hear the sound of tap water running. "How are you so calm during this time, Mirae?'

"What's the use of studying hard anyways," the second girl, Mirae, said. "We all know the top spots are gonna be taken by Jang Wonyoung and Yang Jungwon, I just study enough to pass."

The other girl snorted at her reply. "Imagine if those two got together, the power couple of the year," she suddenly said.

"Poor Y/N then, she's gonna be over shadowed by them."

"As if she already isn't. I almost forgot they were a trio until you mentioned Y/N," the girl laughed.

"What can I say? They're out of her league," Mirae joined in with her laughter.

The two voices faded away as you heard the door closed. Finally pushing the door open, you looked at your reflection. Your eyebrows knitted in annoyance and your face was morphed in a scowl. You washed your hands aggressively and poked the inside of your cheek. What bugged you was that they were right. You were the black sheep between Wonyoung and Jungwon. Both of them were smart and amazing, and you're just…you.

You love your best friends, you truly do. But you were constantly compared to them and you hated it. Everyone wanted them, you watched as guys tripped over to confess to Wonyoung and girls squealing when Jungwon smiled at them. The two of them always reassured you that you weren't beneath them but you were sick of their sympathy. You're so caught up in the news of who likes you and who hates them. You just wished people liked you more.

Storming out of the bathroom, someone accidentally ran into you and caused you to fell onto your butt. The student immediately stood up and scurried off, not bothering to even a mutter an apology. All I did was try my best and this is the thanks I get, you thought bitterly.

They said that these were the golden years, but you wished you could just disappear. God, it's brutal out here.

"Y/N, wait up!" Jungwon called after you.

You stopped in your tracks as you watched Jungwon waved goodbye to some students before jogging towards you.

"You heading to cram school today?" He asked you as the both of you fell into the same walking rhythm.

You shook your head, clasping your hands behind. "I moved it to Thursday instead, Wonyoung said I had to many things on Tuesday," you told him. Originally, you would be heading to the library to study before heading over to the cram school. But Wonyoung took one look at your schedule and decided that you did not had enough breaks, so she managed to convince you to take the Thursday slot instead. Thursdays are one of the days where you would not go to the library.

Jungwon seemed to be disappointed to find out that you had switched slots. Maybe he should changed slots too, but does he have any empty spots open for Thursday though? He'd have to check later. Instead, he coughed and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Do you wanna come over later? The new Demon Slayer movie is out," he offered, hoping that you'd accept.

Unfortunately, you once again shook your head. "Sorry Jungwon, I'd want to cram even more later. Finals are really creeping in and I can't afford to waste any time," you told him with a sad smile. As much as you would like to ditch the books and watch Demon Slayer, the glaring C on your last history paper was telling you otherwise.

You stopped walking when you had reached your doorstep. "Thanks for walking me home, Jungwon. See you tomorrow!" and with that you disappeared behind the door.

Jungwon waved goodbye as he watched the door closed. The smile on his face dropped and his shoulder sagged. Jungwon you idiot, of course she would want to study, he scolded himself. With disappointment on his face, he trudged home with a heavy heart.

"Change of plans, guys," he announced as he swung the front door open, unfazed by the fact that Riki and Sunoo were lounging on his coach. He accepted the fact that Sunoo had somehow gotten the keys to his house (suspecting that his mother probably gave it to him due to favouritism or maybe Riki had sneakily made a copy).

Riki's head poked out from the couch. "She rejected you, didn't she," the younger boy said with a smirk.

Jungwon's face ears turned red as he glared at the boy. "No she did not!" He immediately told him. "She rejected the offer to watch the movie, that's different!"

"That's basically rejection, hyung," Riki laughed.

The other boy just glared at him. "Shut up!" he sputtered out before hiking up the stairs.

Sunoo gave Riki a look, to which the Japanese boy just shrugged his shoulders innocently.

Jungwon walked out from the shower, a towel around his neck with one hand running through his damp hair. Sunoo and Riki had left earlier, finally giving him some peace and quiet. His phone screen was flashing from his study table, initiating that someone was spamming him (quite aggressively) with text message. With a raised eyebrow, he picked up his phone

[7:09 pm] wonyoung: JUNGWON

[7:09 pm] wonyoung: JUNGWON

[7:09 pm] wonyoung: JUNGWON

[7:10 pm] wonyoung: WHY DID Y/N JUST MESSAGED ME ABOUT HOMEWORK

[7:10 pm] wonyoung: ISNT SHE WITH YOU

[7:11 pm] wonyoung: I THOUGHT YOU SAID U WERE GONNA WATCH A MOVIE

[7:11 pm] wonyoung: DEMON HUNTER OR SMTG

[7:12 pm] wonyoung: WHY IS SHE ASKING ME FOR HW

[7:12 pm] wonyoung: DID U CHICKEN OUT???

[7:13 pm] wonyoung: omg u chickened out didnt u

[7:14 pm] jungwon: jfc wonyoung

[7:15 pm] jungwon: and no i did not chicken out okay

[7:15 pm] jungwon: she declined

[7:16 pm] jungwon: she said she had to study ;-;

[7:17 pm] wonyoung: omg u suck

[7:17 pm] wonyoung: i told u the movie idea was dumb

[7:18 pm] wonyoung: but do u ever listen to me

[7:18 pm] wonyoung: no

[7:19 pm] wonyoung: and now u suffer the consequences

[7:20 pm] jungwon: yea yea i get it im dumb

[7:20 pm] jungwon: now what's ur solution the great jang wonyoung

[7:21 pm] wonyoung: i am so glad u asked :)

[7:21 pm] jungwon: oh no

[7:21 pm] wonyoung: stfu im giving u a better idea

[7:22 pm] wonyoung: a n y w a y s

[7:22 pm] wonyoung: my ynradar is going off and she's s a d

[7:23 pm] jungwon: how would u know

[7:23 pm] jungwon: she seemed fine today

[7:23 pm] wonyoung: stfu jungwon its best friend things u wont understand

[7:24 pm] jungwon: i-

[7:25 pm] wonyoung: and as her future bf u SHOULD start to train ur ynradar

[7:25 pm] wonyoung: anw its exam season stoopid

[7:26 pm] wonyoung: and its when those kids start to talk abt how the both of us are gonna get top scores

[7:26 pm] wonyoung: and they talk down on y/n while doing so

[7:26 pm] wonyoung: assholes

[7:27 pm] wonyoung: so i propose to u

[7:27 pm] wonyoung: a ✨ study date ✨

[7:28 pm] jungwon: i

[7:29 pm] jungwon: that's

[7:29 pm] jungwon: actually not a bad idea

[7:30 pm] wonyoung: obv i came up with it

[7:31 pm] jungwon: can u not

[7:31 pm] wonyoung: anw a study date

[7:32 pm] wonyoung: she's struggling in maths

[7:33 pm] wonyoung: specifically taxes because she said and i quote

[7:34 pm] wonyoung: "why do we have to do taxes when we pay people to do it for us"

[7:34 pm] wonyoung: so pls help her and try to cheer her up

[7:35 pm] wonyoung: and confess coward

[7:36 pm] jungwon: i make no promises for the last one

[7:36 pm] wonyoung: aFTER EVERYTHING I JUST SAID

[7:37 pm] jungwon: what if she rejects me wonyoung

[7:38 pm] wonyoung: WE'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION A LOT OF TIMES JUNGWON

[7:38 pm] wonyoung: SHE LIKES U BUT SHES TOO DUMB TO REALISE

[7:39 pm] jungwon: sigh

[7:40 pm] jungwon: fine i'll try thanks wonyoung

[7:41 pm] wonyoung: np i expect y'all to be a couple by next monday <3

[7:41 pm] jungwon: i-

Sighing for the nth time of the night, Jungwon sat on his bed. He allowed the towel to slipped off his shoulders as his thumb hovered over your chat icon. Truth be told, he always thought his crush on you was unrequited love. You never showed any signs of returning of feelings so he thought he would just ignore the feeling until it was gone.

But oh boy was he wrong, because he didn't knew that he would be spending his high school years by your side. And now you occupy his mind 24/7. Wonyoung could literally tell that he was in love with you, but somehow you never caught on. He allowed Sunoo and Riki to convince him to do the whole "movie date idea", but that failed. So Wonyoung's suggestion was his only option left.

He typed out the message, ready to send it out. If only he could just press the button. Come on Yang Jungwon, you can do this. Just press the damn button Jungwon. Suddenly his phone pinged loudly, scaring the lights out of the poor boy as he yelped and his phone landed with a thud on the ground. He peered over his bed, as if his phone was a ticking bomb.

Oh, it was a message from you.

[8:01 pm] y/n: hey do u know where wonyoung is

[8:01 pm] y/n: she isn't answering my texts

Oh no. He realised that your chat was open, the two ticks indicated that he had (unintentionally) read the message. He couldn't just leave you on read. That's just evil. Scrambling to get his phone, he immediately typed a reply to cover for the other girl.

[8:02 pm] jungwon: sorry i don't :/

[8:02 pm] jungwon: what do u need her for

[8:03 pm] y/n: mf was supposed to teach me a maths question but she left me on rEAD

This was his chance! It was the perfect opportunity for him to score a date with you. Okay, breathe in breath out Jungwon. Don't mess it up and just ask her, he mentally prepared himself.

[8:04 pm] jungwon: oh i could help you if you want

[8:04 pm] jungwon: yk with finals coming up and everything, i can help you study

[8:05 pm] jungwon: if you want of course

[8:05 pm] y/n: omg srsly??

[8:06 pm] jungwon: pls help me study my braincells are literally dying

[8:07 pm] jungwon: jdsjkda okay how about this saturday at your place?

[8:08 pm] y/n: yeah sure

[8:08 pm] jungwon: cool its a date then!

You blinked at Jungwon's message. A date? Wait, did Yang Jungwon just indirectly asked you out? Nah, nah. You were overthinking it. Yes, definitely overthinking. Don't kid yourself, why would Jungwon ask you out on a date? Jungwon is just a friend, you tried to convince yourself.

Keyword: tried.

If he really was just a friend, then why did it felt like butterflies were in your stomach when he said "it was a date"? Then why did you frowned when those girls said that Wonyoung and Jungwon would make a good couple?

Oh god, do you have feelings for your best friend?

Saturday came faster than you would have liked it to. Ever since that last chat with Jungwon, it gave you the sudden realisation that you did in fact had feelings for your best friend. You tried so hard to avoid him in school because you don't want the butterflies back in your stomach. It was basically confirming the fact that you like him. Well, avoiding him also confirmed the fact but you choose to be in denial about it.

You didn't tell Wonyoung about your study date but lately she's been sending you outfit ideas on Pinterest. Specifically, date outftis. And whenever you tried to ask her a question about school, she brushed you off with a random excuse. So it left you no choice but to save those questions for Jungwon.

Speaking of Jungwon, he had texted you 10 minutes ago that he was on the way. You were standing in the middle of your room with your hands on your hips. Both of your parents were out for the day, which left you alone at home. You had taken out the low table to be used later and it was currently in front of you. Colourful workbooks were neatly stacked on top of it.

You did a 360 turn around your room. Was it messy? You cleaned it this morning when you woke up. Did you had any clothes out? No, doesn't look like it. For some reason, you were a nervous wreck. You blamed Jungwon. He just had to call this a date, didn't he.

Should you change? Maybe you should finally look through all those pins Wonyoung sent. Wait, no, why would you have to change into something nice. Jungwon was here to help you study, just that.

Yeah, a study date, your mind emphasised on the word.

The sound of the doorbell pulled you out from your thoughts. You immediately went to open the door. Yang Jungwon stood there on the other side, with his signature smile. Had he always resembled a sheep? He just looked so fluffy.

"Hey!" You greeted him with a smile, internally wincing at your way-too-enthusiastic voice.

But Jungwon didn't seem to mind it. "Hey!" he greeted back.

You moved to the side to let him in. "Thank you for having me," he said as he bowed then proceeded to remove his shoes.

"Uh, do you want anything? Water?" You asked him.

He shook his head.

"Ah, cool. Let's head to my room," you started to walk back to your room.

"Where are your parents?" He asked.

"Out," you simply replied.

That was when it dawned upon you, that your parents were not home. Leaving you and Jungwon, alone. Together. In your room. Alone. With the boy you potentially have a crush on.

"Y/N?" Jungwon tapped on your shoulder. You had stopped walking when you were suddenly washed over by your thoughts. Snapping out of it, you sent him a small smile before opening the room to your door.

The both of you shuffled into your bedroom, you sat down in front of the low table while Jungwon settled down next to you. He moved to take out his books then turned to you. "How about we do some studying and if you have any questions, you can ask me okay?" He said.

You nodded and flipped your own workbook open, immediately starting to work on the first question. Jungwon copied your action and a comfortable silence engulfed the both of you. As the time passed, you found yourself stuck on a certain maths question.

You slightly turned your head to the side to look at Jungwon. He was concentrated at doing his work, you felt a sense of deja vu while looking at him. He resembled Wonyoung when she was studying. At the thought of Wonyoung, you suddenly thought of what those girls said at the bathroom.

They would make a good couple, wouldn't they, you thought. The power couple of the year.

The butterflies in your stomach faded away into an uncomfortable feeling. Just the idea of them getting together already made you sick. You bit the inside of your cheek, you really did had feelings for him. And now it scared you because what if he doesn't feel the same. You made a mental note to consult with Wonyoung later, at least you hope that you'll allow yourself to tell her.

Jungwon must've noticed you staring and gently tapped your head with his pencil. A contrast to when Wonyoung painfully flicked your forehead.

"What's wrong? Are you stuck on a question?" He asked.

You leaned back a bit at the sudden action. You were so deep in your insecurities that you had totally forgotten about the literal problem sitting in front of you. Yet you couldn't even bother to ask him so you just shook your head. "I'm gonna get something to drink," you said instead.

Jungwon watched as you stood up, then decided to follow you as well. "I'll come along."

The boy joined you in the kitchen, perched on one of the island stools as you grabbed a can of soda from the fridge. He studied your movement as you worked around the kitchen. Your features were neutral, you weren't smiling nor frowning. But he could tell that your shoulders were tensed. Wonyoung was right, you did seem down. And he cursed himself for not noticing earlier.

"You okay?" His question made you stopped in a mid-pour stance, the can of soda was tilted but not enough for the contents to be poured out.

You brushed his question off and poured the drink into the cup. "Yeah," you hummed.

Unconvinced by your answer, he pried more. "You know you shouldn't care about what they say, right?"

You furrowed your eyebrows at him, pretending like you didn't understand where he was coming from.

"You're not below us, you know that right?"

You couldn't help but scoffed at his words. Jungwon's lips tugged downwards "I'm being serious here, Y/N," his tone was stern. "You shouldn't listen to what they say. You're more than just-"

The sound of the can being slammed down shuts him up. Your fingers tightened around the can as you looked at him. You didn't had the energy to hear him preach the same old "Don't Listen To Them" speech. You don't need his pity.

"I don't want to hear it, Yang Jungwon," you said through gritted teeth. Not sparing him another glance, you threw the empty can into the trash as you grabbed your glass.

As you walked past Jungwon, he suddenly reached out and held onto your forearm. "Y/N," he said softly. "Please tell me what's wrong."

You sighed and slowly turn around to face him, placing the glass back on the counter. You took in a deep breath before you opened your mouth. "I feel like I'm not enough," you finally said. "Everything I do just doesn't seem enough. All I'm doing is my best but it's just crushing my ego because everyone is telling me that you're better than me."

"I feel like no one wants me and I hate the way I'm perceived. It's always poor Y/N this and poor Y/N that's because everyone just sees me as your shadow and I fucking hate it. I only have two real friends," you gestured wildly. "And lately I'm a nervous wreck cause I keep comparing myself to the two of you. I'm not cool and I'm not smart, and I can't even parallel park!" You threw your hands up in frustration, the feelings you kept inside were pouring out like a waterfall.

Jungwon just stood there as he listened tentatively to every word. He didn't knew that you felt this way, bottling up all your emotions like that.

"And I'm so tired of people telling me to enjoy my youth and that these are the golden years. I might just fucking cry if I hear those words again," you finished ranting. It felt good, it felt like a weight on your heart has been lifted. Then you remembered that you just dumped all of it on Jungwon.

You opened your mouth to apologise to him but he surprised you by pulling him into his arms. At first you were standing stiffly at the sudden contact, but it took a millisecond for you to melt in his embrace. His arms were gently around your back and you returned the hug by wrapping your arms around his torso. The two of you stay in that position for awhile, relishing in each other's embrace. You definitely needed this hug.

Tightening your hold on Jungwon, you realised how important he was to you. He was your best friend and he was always there for you. It was stupid of you to compare yourself to him, when all he did was tried his best for you. The taller boy chuckled when he felt you rubbed your face into his shoulder, he involuntarily released a contented sigh. You felt one of his hands stroked your hair, it felt comforting. That action itself was enough for the butterflies to slowly settled back in you.

After a while, both of you finally (unwillingly) released each other. He pushed a strand of hair behind your ears and said, "You're wrong by the way." Which made you tilt your head in genuine confusion.

"You are cool and you are smart. You're like the coolest person I know. And no one thinks of you as our shadow, you don't hear it but I've always hear the juniors praising you for helping them and how enthusiastic you are," the way he delivered his words was filled with pure awe for you.

"And who cares if you can't parallel park. You didn't hear it from but Jay hyung failed his drivers test three times just because he couldn't parallel park," and that got a laugh out from you. Jungwon smiled proudly that he managed to make you laugh. "And you're wrong when you said no one wants you. I want you."

You blinked once, twice and thrice. He wanted you? "You're just saying that cause you're my best friend," you replied.

"No," he firmly said. "I like you, Y/N."

(Jungwon doesn't know where he got this sudden surge of confidence, but the mood was the perfect time for him to confess. It was a one time chance and he had to take it.)

You chuckled. "I like you too, Jungwon. We are friends aren't we?"

"No, Y/N. I like you. More than friends."

"Oh." Oh.

"Yeah," he scratched the back of neck awkwardly. Oh no, did you not feel the same way?

While you on the other hand, were malfunctioning on the inside. Your best friend just confessed to you and you were frozen on the spot. Why couldn't he had done it over text instead. If he had done it over text, then you could've left the message unread and you could've spammed Wonyoung for help. But the thing is that it wasn't over text and you couldn't just tell him to wait here while you panicked to Wonyoung in your bathroom.

Yang Jungwon likes you. And you like him too, right? Because if you didn't, your cheeks won't be heating up right now and your heart would have not be beating rapidly like it was going to break your rib cage any second. If you didn't like him, there would have never been butterflies in your stomach. Yeah. You like Yang Jungwon, you like him a lot.

"Me too," you whispered, it was soft but it was enough for him to pick it up. Jungwon eyes snapped to you, doe eyed filled with hope. "I like you, too," you said, this time louder. And you made sure you looked him in the eye when you confessed.

You watched as Jungwon's mouth morphed into a big grin. He let out a sigh of relief and dropped to his knees, surprising you. "Jungwon!" you squeaked, bending down to help him.

"I'm fine! I'm fine," he assured you as he stood up with your help. The grin on his face was still there. "It's just that … you like me," he breathed out. "You like me back, wow. I-I can't believe it."

Your face was definitely burning with embarrassment. You punched him lightly on the shoulder, turning away to hide your face. "Believe it, you dork. I like you, okay!" Somehow his grin was able to grew wider at your words, Gently, he took your hand in his.

"How about we stop this study date, and I'll take you out on real date?"

© chaeryybomb 2021

a/n: thank you so much for reading this <3