#weaver will try to gently tell them to leave

[cudlycorncornsworthcoberson]

Little character ideas, might build on them later!^^

Essentially these two apart of some grand lore thing that I haven’t even worked out yet and essentially they weave/ make all the stain glass and tapestry for future events or just for temples that are yet to exist.

Very antisocial besties that have a once every century hang out

[shadowdaddies]

With Her Own Wings

Azriel x Reader

Summary: Azriel's mate wishes that she could have wings like his, and goes to dangerous lengths to acquire them.

Based on this ask.💜

A/N: I had TOO much fun with this. One of my favorite fics I’ve written

warnings: kinda spooky, mentions of blood, allusions to sex

Azriel’s fingers laced through yours as the pair of you lazed through the quiet evening streets of Velaris. A sparrow soared across the watercolor horizon like a paintbrush against the canvas sky.

Azriel tracked your gaze, noting how it followed the bird. A small smile graced his lips, hazel eyes twinkling in the setting sun as his wings twitched behind him. 

“I wish you knew what it feels like,” Azriel sighed, his eyes out of focus, as though he were imagining flying high above the city, rather than walking through it with you. It was a conversation you’d had repeatedly, his words echoing through your mind every time he took to the skies - how inadequate you were, bound to the ground. 

Guilt panged your chest as you watched Azriel, his heart racing within his own chest at the mere thought of flying. But he was tied to a wingless mate. You were someone who brought him into your own cage instead of setting him free. 

“You should go,” you nodded towards the warm-hued clouds in the distance. “Enjoy an evening flight. I can walk home,” you forced yourself to say, flashing him a practiced smile.

Azriel’s eyes lit up, wings flaring in reaction before he looked to you. His smile disappeared, wrenching your heart as his expression turned sympathetic. “No, love. I won’t leave you,” he whispered, his disappointment clear. “You could come with me. You know I like to fly with you in my arms as well,” he offered.

The ache in your chest was unbearable at this point. You knew Azriel loved to fly by himself, testing how fast he could soar, flipping and diving through the wind. All the things that made him feel free, at peace. All the things he couldn’t do with you in his arms. 

Knowing that Azriel meant what he said - he wouldn’t leave you - you agreed to let him fly you up to the house. The air was crisp up high, the wind against your cheeks clearing your head of the worries it held. You sighed, sending a childish wish to the Mother that you too could fly, one day.

Azriel arose early the next day, waking you with a kiss goodbye as he set off for a mission. You laid in bed, watching his wings spread wide before jumping from the balcony, your heart straining as you watched your mate diminish into a spot on the horizon.

Thoughts began to spiral, and you kicked off the covers with an irritated huff as you forced yourself from bed, forced yourself from journeying further into your self-loathing. Trudging down the stairs, you turned into the kitchen to find an amused Cassian studying you.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he greeted, raising his cup to you in a mock-toast. Flipping him off, you pulled out a chair at the table, burying your head in your hands, feeling the press of your palms against your closed eyelids.

Cassian softened at your display, setting down his cup as he reached a hand, gently pulling your arm away. “What’s wrong? Tell me how I can help.”

Cassian’s hazel gaze was so genuinely tender, you felt the burden slightly lift as you looked at your friend. A wry chuckle left your lips, and you sighed, leaning back against the chair. “It’s nothing, Cass. Nothing to be done... Unless you know of a good wizard around here.”

His head tilted slightly, brows raised at your strange comment, but Cassian decided not to pry, instead going along with the joke. “Mmm, no wizards I’m afraid. If it’s a potion you’re looking for, maybe try the Weaver’s Cottage. I went in there with Az once now that it’s empty...”

The general’s head turned to see the intrigue on your face, suddenly alight with interest. “No,” he scolded, pointing a finger at you. “I know that look. I’m serious, don’t go there. That place has a darkness that will never go away,” he muttered, a shudder working through him at the recollection.

You rolled your eyes, giving your best effort at nonchalance as you scoffed. “Cass, I wouldn’t dream of it. I just wanted to hear more about what scared the might Lord of Bloodshed. Good to keep in mind,” you teased with a wink. 

That appeared to satisfy Cassian, the male returning the gesture you’d given him earlier. Your friend mussed your hair, muttering about Azriel leaving him alone for training as he left you sitting at the counter, devious ideas eddying in your mind. With a smirk, you hopped up from your chair, headed upstairs to get dressed. 

An hour later, you’d winnowed your way to the forest’s edge, a shallow tree line separating you from the clearing where the Weaver’s Cottage stood. Smoke no longer rose from the chimney and no light shone in the window. The dust and cobwebs weren’t new, but you slipped on your gloves, nose scrunched as you brushed away the silken strands that webbed the front porch steps. 

Looking down, you watched the cobwebs shake from your hand, falling to the dusty deck when the door creaked open. Your breath hitched, eyes widening as you watched the door slowly open for you, a light flickering on across the room.

Swallowing thickly, you crept forward, breaths shallow as you crossed the threshold. Floorboards creaked beneath you, dust flying as a rat scurried across the top of your boots. With a squeal, you jumped back towards the door just to feel it close behind you.

The light on the far side of the room grew brighter, cluttered artifacts coming into view. 

“So skittish for one that hopes to learn to fly,” a silken voice sounded from the dark. As your eyes adjusted to the lack of light, you saw the blurry outline of a female, the edges of her form hazy and semi-translucent. 

Keeping a hand on the dagger sheathed at your thigh, you crossed further into the room, curiosity winning over your better senses at the sight of spell books and herbs lining her table. “Who are you?” you questioned, voice wavering more than you would have liked.

A cackle left her lips, the young woman twirling long black hair through her iridescent fingertips. “There’s that boldness I was expecting. You aught to be more careful dearest, about entering someone’s home uninvited. They say that curiosity killed the cat - imagine what it would do to a little bird like you.”

Your heart thundered in your chest as the realization dawned on you. This witch knew that you were coming, and she had prepared for you. “I didn’t expect anyone to live here. I had been told the home was empty,” you admitted, hoping to quell any offense she might have taken to your invasion.

A scratchy hum sounded from her chest, amusement flickering in green glowing eyes as you shifted on your feet. “It clearly is not empty,” she drawled, moving her hands in a flourish as she gestured to the hoards of both trinkets and treasure that enveloped the space. “I do hope that you don’t rush into all of your decisions the way you rushed in here, dearest, or you may not like what the future holds.”

You opened your mouth to ask her to elaborate when she stood abruptly, gliding across the floor to the table laden with books and herbs, and one singular vial of liquid that she held in her long, nimble fingers. You could see the purple potion through her hand, its contents shimmering in the dim light, drawing you closer. 

“Ah, ah,” she crooned at you, lips spreading into a wide, wicked smile that revealed rotted teeth. Just as your gaze flicked to the bone, it turned to a pearly white, as dazzling and unsettling as the rest of her appearance. “Such a foolish girl. So easily drawn to the potion she seeks. But have you not considered the price to pay?”

Your mouth was watering, vision only able to focus on the vial in her hands. You barely processed her words, eyes still glued to the bottle as you murmured, “a payment? What do you want?”

You didn’t see the sly grin of the witch, a spider who’d caught a fly in her web. “What will I take? I would just like a little lock of your hair. As for what the wings will take, it matters what you are willing to give.”

You didn’t hesitate, dazed as the potion swirled in front of you. Thirsty, you were so thirsty. “I will give whatever it takes to make my mate happy,” you breathed. 

“Very well then,” she snapped, handing you the vial. Her cold arm swept through your skin, sending a chill down your spine as she pulled away. You heard a snip as she cut your hair, and you eagerly uncorked the vial, downing the contents in one go.

The moment you finished drinking, clarity returned to your senses. That was too easy. What could she want from you, truly? You turned to ask, but words couldn’t form in your mouth, vision began to fade as colors grew more vibrant. The witch leaned in, ice-cold hands tucking a parchment into your palm.

“To give you a fighting chance. Go now, pet. You don’t have long,” she whispered, a high-pitched cackle echoing in your mind as you stumbled towards the door. You fell to your knees, crawling on weak limbs towards the entrance. “Oh, little bird. So naive,” she cooed, just as the door burst open.

The light burned your eyes, the outline of an Illyrian standing tall in the doorway the last thing that you saw, cedar the last that you smelled before you awoke again.

Eyes fluttered open to find yourself in your room, Azriel hunched in a chair next to you as he pored over a parchment in his hand. A shadow curled his ear, and hazel eyes flicked to you.

“My head hurts,” you grumbled, hand reaching up to try to stop the pounding against your skull. 

“You are lucky that’s all that hurts,” Azriel said, hurt of his own flashing across his expression.

“You are mad.” You stated. It felt dumb to say, but you couldn’t stop yourself. “You look very handsome, even when you are angry. I love you and I don’t want you to be mad.” The words continued to spew, Azriel’s expression changing from shocked to appraising as you spoke.

He looked down at the parchment. “I guess that is the truth part,” he sighed, running a hand through his onyx waves.

“What truth part? What are you reading? I want to see it. I don’t like when you keep things from me,” you babbled.

Azriel’s nostrils flared, his hands clenching at your words. “You don’t like it when I keep things from you? What the Hel is this?” He thrust the parchment at you, and you read:

The wings that you seek will be yours to keep,

But beware as follows, for nothing comes free:

For one to paint the sky as the winged might fly,

From them new colors will bloom like a light in fog’s gloom.

To truly grow wings, be true to oneself.

Truths may be drawn easily, like books from a shelf.

If one wishes to fly, they shall see from bird’s eye.

But prepare for a scare as you float through the air.

So long as one can endure the challenges that be,

Their wings shall grow freely, they will branch like a tree.

Your cheeks turned red, memories from the cottage flooding back to you. 

“Well, what is it?” Azriel demanded.

You bit your tongue until the metallic taste of blood coated your mouth, but the words forced their way out. “I want wings. Cassian said the Weaver might have something to help and I knew that it was stupid but I went and then this witch gave me a potion to help me grow wings. Please don’t be mad, I can’t bear upsetting you anymore,” you pled, salty tears falling down your cheeks.

Azriel’s featured softened, a scarred hand coming to cup your face as he kissed the tears away. “Hey, my love. It’s alright. I am glad that you are safe. But why would you do this? Why do you want wings?” 

You sniffled, holding his hand against your cheek as you leaned into his comforting warmth. “I see how disappointed you are, that I can’t fly with you. I see how happy you are when you are flying. You always said that you wish I knew what it feels like, and I’m tired, Azriel. Tired of weighing you down. I want to lift you up,” you admitted, the corners of your eyes stinging from crying.

“You do not bring me down. You keep me grounded. And you lift me to new heights - you challenge me in new ways, you bring me more joy than I have ever felt. You are perfect as you are,” Azriel promised, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

You sighed, looking down at the parchment as you noticed your skin begin to change color, turning a ghostly white. “Well, as I am seems to be changing, so I hope you mean that,” you said, holding up your hand to show Azriel as the skin turned as translucent as the witch’s. 

Starting at your fingertips, the skin turned pink, then orange, followed by yellow and purple. It was as though the sky was being painted across your body, your skin turning watercolor shades of sunset. 

You turned to Azriel in horror, only to see him biting back laughter. At his expression, you couldn’t fight the smile that appeared on your lips, and Azriel followed it belly-aching laughter, bent over the bed as he turned red in the face.

“Well, that would be the ‘For one to paint the sky as the winged might fly, from them new colors will bloom like a light in fog’s gloom’ it seems. Very pretty, I must say,” he purred, bringing your purple hand to his lips as he pressed hot kisses to your skin. 

“Oh Cauldron, what else will that witch put me through?” you huffed out loud, collapsing back onto the pillows. Something jabbed your shoulders, and you hissed as you turned to the mattress to find the offender, but nothing was there. 

You took in Azriel’s expression. His jaw hung open, the Illyrian warrior frozen in shock as he stared at you. Finally, he brought a hand to your back, and you gasped at the feeling. He was touching you, but it felt like something attached to your shoulder, sensitive as his fingers traced it before stopping at the fabric of your nightgown.

“Az, is it...?” you couldn’t manage the words. Azriel simply nodded, too stunned to speak. “I guess I’m growing wings,” you said, and you couldn’t stop the excited giggle that escaped you at the proclamation. 

Your mate gave you a soft smile, hazel eyes twinkling in appreciation of your joy. Your stomach rumbled, skin changing back to its normal hue as you swung your legs over the side of the bed.

“Let’s go get you some food,” Azriel murmured, draping an arm around your waist as you ventured down to the kitchen. No sooner had you sat down than Cassian stumbled through the door, gaping at the wings growing on your back. 

“Oh my gods, you did it,” he breathed. His brow furrowed, mouth turned down as he practically ran towards you. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he mumbled into your shoulder. “You are okay, right?” 

You bit your lip, turning to Azriel who was still laughing as he focused his attention on the stove. “It seems as though the worst has pass-“ 

No sooner had the words left your lips than you began to ascend in the air. Like a puppet on a string, you were pulled up by an invisible force as you looked down at Cassian and Azriel from where you were caught against the ceiling.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Cassian murmured, the smirk on his lips disappearing as Azriel smacked the back of his head. You looked down, panicking as you yanked the fabric of your nightgown to cover as much as you were able.

Azriel groaned, removing his shirt as he tossed it up to you, the clothing longer than your dress when you put it on. 

“We forgot about the ‘If one wishes to fly, they shall see from bird’s eye. But prepare for a scare as you float through the air.’” Azriel mumbled, rubbing his temples as he and Cassian looked up at you. 

“How are you going to make that work for dinner and drinks at Rita’s later?” Cassian mused, arching a smug brow at you.

Your heart leapt into your throat as you realized that tonight was family dinner, and you were going to Rita’s to celebrate Mor and Emerie’s anniversary. “It shouldn’t last that long,” Azriel answered resolutely, drawing you from your thoughts.

You nodded down at him in agreement, some relief washing over you as you realized that you still had hours until you needed to leave. 

“Do you think you could help me get down from here?” You asked, groaning as your head thunked against the ceiling for the third time.

“I have an idea,” Cassian muttered, turning on his heel as he went back through the door towards the training ring. He returned moments later, rope in hand, as he tossed an end up to you. “Tie that to your ankle,” he instructed you. You followed his orders, letting out a surprised yelp when he tugged you back down to where you were almost to the ground. 

The general bent down, looping the rope around Azriel’s ankle when Az stopped him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“If I tie your ankles together, then she won’t float away,” Cassian answered, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Azriel sighed, waving his hand resignedly for Cassian to continue.

The half of your body that was tied to Azriel remained grounded, the other half slipping upwards consistently, awkwardly pushing you into your mate’s body. 

“We can make this work for a little while, right?” you looked to Azriel.

A small laugh left him, the shadowsinger shaking his head as he pressed a kiss to yours. “Like I said, I am with you. No matter what color you are, or how much you try to float away.” 

Hours passed, Azriel sitting with his legs crossed awkwardly on top of yours to keep you seated on the couch. Your back itched and ached from the wings that were growing shockingly quickly, the size of an Illyrian child’s at this point. 

Azriel looked pointedly at you, saying the words you knew were coming. “We have to get ready for dinner.”

Half an hour later, you found yourself hobbling down the streets of Velaris, ankle bound to Azriel’s as Cassian snickered at your other side, holding you down. 

“This is humiliating,” you grumbled, your fledgling wings twitching in anger behind you as the Illyrians kept you looped through their arms. 

“I think the punishment fits the crime,” Cassian retorted breezily, wincing as your elbow met his ribs. 

“I didn’t commit any crime,” Azriel muttered, his cheeks turning bright red as you arrived in front of the restaurant. The rest of your family was already seated, their faces in various stages of shock and amusement as they took in the sight before them. 

“What the Hel did you do, girl?” Amren questioned, sipping her wine as she eyed the wings on your back. You told them the embarrassing tale, knowing that you would never live this down, but had already concluded that this was worth it.

Azriel held you tight, his body pressed firmly against yours as you danced at Rita’s. Through the evening, he discovered the preferred way of keeping you grounded was by holding you flush to his chest, which the two of you had fun with when you got home that night.

You woke the next morning with Azriel’s wing draped across you, and you smiled before opening your eyes to see Azriel was asleep on the other side of the bed, his wings draped across himself. You startled, gasping as you sat up in bed, a slight new weight on your back sending you flopping into the mattress.

Azriel mumbled sleepily as he awoke, rubbing his eyes as he turned to you. Your mate choked on his words, eyes bulging as he took in the sight of your wings, larger than his as they spanned the entire length of the bed. 

“Oh, my gods,” he gasped, his hand instinctively reaching out to feel the thin membrane that was now apart of you. 

A small gasp left your lips, followed by a moan at the pleasurable feeling. “Cauldron, I know why you wished I had these now,” you whispered, dizzy from pleasure as you grinned up at Azriel.

He chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to your lips. “Good morning. How do some flying lessons sound?”

[probabludaistkf]

a flower blooms in early winter chpt 1 - the meeting

word count: 2262

Chapter summary:

you are taken in by the former demon lord Vox akuma. You immediately realise the danger you’re in but soon you find maybe he’s not so dangerous.

an: hi this is my first fanfic please be nice it is intended to be fluff and (very mild) crack. This fic is platonic as well and sfw.

The snow burns against your skin, your wounds sting in the bitter cold and your lungs ache as you gasp for air clinging to the last bit of life you have left. The sound of footsteps ring in your ear…  someone’s coming…

You wake up in an entirely new environment, the new smells plague your nose and the lights are blinding, your head spins as you try to recall what had happened.

“Ah, finally awake are we?” You turn to see who spoke, to be greeted by a demon of a tall and muscular frame with pale skin, his hair long and black with red highlights, his voice is deep but he speaks to you softly. You are recognise him immediately as the great demon lord Vox Akuma. Upon realising the danger you were in you bear your fangs and claws and began to back off of his couch but you were too light headed to fight and the lights looked as though they were spinning. 

“Hey, no need to stress yourself. I won’t hurt you.” As he reaches out an arm to touch you, you swipe at him and make a dash for the door. You don’t get far as you trip on your own foot and your chin slams into the floorboards,

“Careful!” He rushes to your aid but you swipe at him again growling and puffing the fur on your tails to make yourself look more intimidating.

“C’mon you’re hurt.” You back away as he slowly approaches “Let me help you.” He smiles softly and reaches a hand out. This time you bite him as hard as you possibly can hoping he’ll leave you alone. 

“Fine then.” He retracts his bleeding hand “are you hungry? I made us some food if you’ll be willing to eat.”

Before you can, your stomach responds for you with an awkwardly loud growl. The demon chuckles softly as he rises “I’ll take that as a yes then, follow me.” 

    You contemplate following as his footsteps trail off but you find that your stomach has led you to the kitchen anyway. Looking out a nearby window you see that it’s midday,

“You’ve been asleep for a while now. I was kinda worried.” He pulled out a chair for you and reluctantly you sat “I did some research and it said the best thing to help you was soup!” You were proudly presented a bowl of meek looking soup. You grimaced at the sight of such humble food but upon seeing the demon’s twinkling eyes, you ate. The soup was mild and easy to swallow and the flavour or each component was simple but came through so clearly. To put it simply it was the perfect soup. You almost felt bad for making such a face; he probably worked very hard on it. Without a second thought you downed the entire bowl. Vox was pleased with himself and happily ladled you another bowl full and another and another and another until the pot was empty. 

“Good. Well done for eating.” Vox gently pat you on your head the moment you let your guard down so you scratched at his forearm leaving quite the deep gash “so what was a kitsune like you doing in this part of the woods? There are humans here y’know.” 

“Of course I know!” You snap back “ they used to worship me.”

“Oh. Tell me more”

“I used to have a shrine north of here, I think, I don’t really know where I am.”

“You’re in a human city.”

“So you decided that to protect a yokai at risk of being hunted and experimented on by humans to take them to a city full of humans?”

“It’s fine, many yokai have blended in here.” 

“…”

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m telling the truth here”

“Fine. Anyway the shrine was originally home to some silk weavers. They had a rat problem so I took advantage and in return I was cared for. Generations later I still remained except now I was worshipped for bringing the family fortune they’re a major designer brand now. The family business is owned by the second eldest son now but out of jealousy his older and younger siblings decided to sabotage the whole family by paying some people to hunt me down. I tried hiding in the old shrine but they found me there. I’m probably still being hunted.”

“I see…”

“Anyways it’s my turn to ask you a question now.”

“Ask away!”

“What were you doing in the forest milord?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been called that. I was out for a walk with a few friends. We were being silly until we heard screaming and gunshots. Your hunters were arrested by the way. So we don’t need to worry about them.” 

“I’m sorry, we?” You quirk an eyebrow. “No matter, I must  leave now, I am grateful for your kindness milord.”

“Hang on, are you seriously leaving?”

“Yes, why?”

“It’s still too cold outside and you have no proper clothes! I just saved you from dying of hypothermia and you want to go out there again?”

You look down at the torn rags that covered your body and tutted, these had cost you quite a bit well not you as you weren’t the one who bought them. All those days in the forest had ruined your garments. It’d be wise to stay but if you stayed you’d be at great risk as well. 

“I guess I have no other choice then. Eat me.”

“I’m sorry what?

“Eat me. If I leave I’ll die. Don’t you find that a waste to let a meal wander off uneaten?”

“No??? I don’t eat people anymore???”

“He’s gone vegan or maybe he’s gone mad.”

“Rude much?”

“You’re a demon you can’t survive without eating souls. I’ve lived long enough to know what you guys are and your eating habits.”

“Is that why you were so afraid of me earlier?”

“Yes but now I know it’s the slow and painful chill of the snow or my soul being painlessly eaten so I’ve made my choice. Eat me.”

 “For the last time NO! I won’t eat you! Anyway you’re full now, right?”

“Correct.” 

“You should really have a bath. Respectfully, you smell.”

“Dammit.”

“I assume you can bathe yourself.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll run you some water then.”

And with that Vox was off. You could hear the dreaded water filling up a bathtub and your skin crawled. There was nothing wrong with water except how heavy it makes your hair and fur. You shudder at the thought. The bath must be avoided at all costs but how? 

   Vox had returned withs towel in hand

“Ok, bath’ s ready…. Where are you?”

He searched calling out for you being careful enough to even check his cabinets. Considering your size you could hide anywhere. He even checked outside on his balcony and front door. 

“You were just here…” he said, scratching his head. You flinch as he opens the door. Surely he won’t find you here. 

“Hey kid! Where did you go?”

You hold your tongue for now. You can see his white socks from under the bed. Surely he won’t look there right? You flinch again but harder as you see his knee drop to the ground and his head begins to peak under. Surely not. 

“Nothing.” He sighs and so do you “just kidding.” You bite hard when he grabs you from under the belly. 

“How did you find me? Also I’m no ‘kid’.” You queer 

“Boxes don’t sweat. And you sweat quite a bit.” He checks the many wounds you’ve left on him “why are you hiding? I thought we've established I’m not going to eat you.”

You pout and puff your cheeks, ears drooping. Now you really have to take a bath.

      The bath water is a decent temperature and you don’t have to ask Vox to change the water for the eleventh time because the second you touch your tails the water turns brown. You can finally sit and relax. When you return from the bathroom you find Vox has prepared some clothes for you. They’re absolutely massive on you, comically oversized. There’s also a note which reads “I’m sorry if they’re too big they’re the smallest ones I could find.  If you need me I’m in the kitchen making dinner. You can entertain yourself with the TV! You do know how to use one right? ~Vox ^_^”  you sigh and march yourself to the kitchen.

“Milord.”

“Yes?” he snickered. You looked ridiculous in his shirt.

“Do you have a brush that I could possibly use for my tails?” 

“Um.. yeah sure lemme go get it.”

Now you could relax, brush your tails and watch TV in peace. You reach for the remote and put on your favourite show: Bluey. It might be immature and childish but honestly there’s nothing else you’d rather watch. A few episodes had passed when,

“Oh hey. What you watching?” You frantically reach for the remote and change the channel “what’d you do that for?” He grabs the remote and changes it back. “Ah, Bluey, I heard this show was good. Is it really?” You dare not look him in the eye nor respond. How could you embarrass yourself in front of Vox like that? 

He hasn’t even watched five episodes yet and he’s already crying.

“Milord?”

“I’m not crying, it’s the onions!”

“Suuure….”

“I should really check up on the food.” He sobs. And so he exits the room wiping his eyes. You continue to watch until there’s a knock on the door outside. 

“Oh yeah I invited some fox friends of mine. I’ll open the door, don’t move!”

Hearing his footsteps move towards the door you decide to peek around the corner. In the doorframe are two kitsune. One is dressed in an orange and grey suit with a detective cap that hides his ears and his jacket is draped over his shoulders.There are various mysterious stains on his shirt and coat. His hair is short and grey but cut very choppy and you think his orange sunglasses are a bit tacky. And that belt. If you could even call it one. The other was a woman and BOY was she stunning. Her hair was a silky silver and it came down in long locks which curled around her shoulders. Her makeup done perfectly, especially around her eyes and her ears were tall and fluffy. Her tails were equally fluffy, they were wispy and covered in thick, gorgeous fur. Her kemono greatly complemented her makeup and was highly ornate it was definitely made by the family brand. Her gaze trails past Vox and to you.

“Is that the cutie you were telling us about?” She smiles and waves towards you. Blushing slightly you retreat back around the corner. 

“I guess they’re a little shy.” You can still hear how soft her voice is from the living room.

“Far from.” Vox retorts 

“Anyway. So are they ok considering the whole incident?” The man asks 

“They’re well enough to give me attitude. It’s probably starting to get cold. You should come inside.”

“Thanks man!”

     You scramble to change the channel trying to think of something cool that would impress the vixen who was now approaching. Oohh what to put. Her footsteps grow closer. What to put. She’s really close now.

“Hi there honey.” You jump at the sound of her voice “Oh, there’s no need to be scared.” The beautiful vixen raised you up into her arms and gently pat you on the head. “What were you watching?” You bury your face in her shoulder as the Bluey intro sounds. 

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! BLUEY?!?” The male fox is practically dying laughing. “What are you four?!” 

“Actually I’m four hundred and sixty-five.” Your face burns from embarrassment

“Aww. Leave them alone mysta.”

“I just find it stupid that they watch kids shows like a little baby.” 

“Hey Bluey is NOT just a kids show!” You hear Vox chime in from the kitchen

“Yeah, I’ve actually watched a few episodes myself. It’s really good.” 

“You’re not serious Nina.”

“I am. You wanna watch some together.” She gently scratches behind your ear, the perfect spot.

“I swear if that trash-eating mongrel opens his mouth again I’ll sew it shut.” Nina simply chuckles at your remark 

“Who are you calling trash-eating? we’re both foxes!”

“Y’know Mysta they’re not wrong.” Vox finally emerges from the kitchen presenting bowls of chicken katsudon for both of his friends but none for you. 

“Quit glaring at me, yours is coming.”

     You were quite impressed with how much alcohol Nina could handle. She finished a whole bottle of wine all by herself. Half a second bottle of wine in she was absolutely bawling and so was Mysta and Vox. Three fully grown adults crying their hearts out to Bluey. Normally in such a situation you’d stand from a distance and glare at them like the pathetic little worms they are but if it wasn’t for Nina clinging onto you like a teddy bear. You can’t blame her. The camping episode made you cry for the first time too. But Mysta’s bawling is absolutely ridiculous. And the way he and Vox scream, shaking each other like little girls when Jean Luke and Bluey meet again is beyond moronic. But it is quite a sentimental moment. 

“I take back everything I ever said about this show. Kid, I am so sorry.”

“I’m not a child.”

[mossyscavern]

A visit worth remembering.

Warning: it... might be longer then normal-.

__________________

Tom didn’t know why... but he decided to visit Sam.

It was actually Lilian’s idea not his, she just gave the siblings an opportunity to visit the young teen, the others have already visited and now it’s Tom’s turn. At first he didn’t want to visit, then he gave in when he did? He was both dumbstruck and annoyed at the location she sent him to.

‘Ok, this isn’t fair.’ Tom thought, looking around the bedroom, feeling kind of jealous that Sam has so much stuff compared to his and Tim’s bedroom. ‘He even got a bookshelf?? Lucky!’ He thought again.

When Tom sat down on the bed, pouting at the fact that this boy’s room is much better then Tim’s and his, he failed to notice the human behind him.

When he did notice, he sat up in a panic and began rambling to explain why he’s here, after a while he became quiet when he realised the redhead is asleep. “Oh, that’s a relief.” Tom whispered, feeling a little silly at that panic.

Now in front of the human... he honestly can’t think of anything to say. He’s never spoken a single word to anyone except his siblings all undead life, but he has to say something before time runs out.

“Uh, g-gotta be honest? I- um...” Tom trailed off, trying to find a good sentence to apologise, congratulate him on surviving wick or just straight up saying he actually had a fun game.. but nope! Nothing.

“Ugh!! Stupid brain!!!” Tom said in a hushed whisper, taking his mask off and thrown it on the floor in frustration.

Thinking about giving up and leaving, he grabbed his mask off the floor and almost got up... when he noticed the drawings beside the human’s bed.

The same drawings that told the human how to avoid him and his siblings at all times, Tom didn’t actually think the survivor actually kept them... but it turns out Sam just keeps on surprising him.

Now looking back at the human, he saw the human is sleeping on his side, didn’t even change his sleeping position... and noticed a lot of things about him too.

He noticed how his freckles were kind of opaque and overlapping the faded freckles... kind of similar to the stars he sees every night, he also noticed how peaceful Sam is when he’s sleeping.

Without missing a single beat as he leaned in while staring at he redhead, he hesitated for a moment before doing the unthinkable.

Pressing his lips gently to kiss the redhead. When he pulled away he smiled and said. “You’re one in a million Sam, don’t forget that... goodbye.”

Was all he said before putting his mask back on and found himself back at mount Todd. Only then when he realised what he had done and immediately covered his masked face in embarrassment.

“So..? How did it go?” Lilian asked, smirking at her older brother. “Good, great actually.” Tom lied, hoping that his younger sister would leave him alone.

“Sure, sure.. why are your ears red then?” She asked, tilting her head as Tom stopped in his tracks. “Are you gonna tell me what happen-.” “No.”

Tom interrupted. “We’re done here and I’m gone.” Tom said and left just as quickly before she asks anymore questions.

Tomothy Weaver has many regrets... but kissing Sam isn’t one of them.

__________________

He’s is just too embarrassed to admit it-.

I haven’t done much candlebrace shipping for a while now... so I’m gonna fix that with a concept! I kind of always wanted to try candlebrace shipping with Sam when he went to the survival route of the game.

But I kind of went a bit overboard and had fun... maybe..? I dunno... I hope this makes up for the candlebrace shipping tag and I hope it’s alright?

[casspurrjoybell-20]

Sakura Mochi - Chapter 1b

*Warning Adult Content*

Bug - Part 2 - Kamihara Rin 

I heard Yuki giggle in the crowd and my excitement grew. I'd be able to learn how to dance from a flame-weaver. Maybe I could someday dance as beautifully as they did. Even though I was still angry at Yuki for pushing me, I was thankful that she urged me to do something I'd always wanted to do.But, just as they were about to teach me, I heard a commotion, then a loud.

"Rin, Yuki."

‘Oh no’. 

I turned back to see Onaeni next to a taller figure. 

‘Not them.’ 

They had a smirk on their face knowing they'd been the one to get us in trouble. My heart dropped in my chest. Turning back to the dancer, I frowned. 

"I can't."

"I see. Well, feel free to catch another show and we'll see about it then. I'm in town once a month," they said with a smile.

I nodded my head and let go of their hand to guiltily walk over to my nursemaid and the dragon standing next to him. As soon as I was near, Onaeni gripped my arm. 

"Great deities above, you two are going to put this old dragon into an early grave. If your brother hadn't told me where you..."

"I think they get it, Onaeni. Leave them be," the smug dragon said.

I stuck my tongue out at them and they laughed. 

"Come on, Rin. Don't be like that. I was just looking out for my adorable little siblings."

They reached out and pinched my cheek but I swiveled my head to try and bite their finger. They chuckled. 

"It's like I'm taking care of feral animals."

"Let's go. Your parents are furious," Onaeni huffed, pulling Yuki and me along.

"Sorry, Rin," Yuki whispered.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked.

"You couldn't dance. I wanted to see it. You looked so happy."

"It's okay," I whispered.

We were silent the rest of the way back home. I looked down at the ground and realized my knees were scraped up pretty badly, all bloody and gross and my robes were torn. My parents would be furious that I ruined my clothes and that I ran away with Yuki again. It wasn't our first time and it wouldn't be our last. They knew how much Yuki and I hated being cooped up in the estate but they didn't care enough to do much to fix it. 

When we got back to the estate, Onaeni led us to our parents' study. My feet began dragging along the floor as we neared the room. I didn't want to get yelled at again. What did I expect though? We'd left the grounds without a guard or our nursemaid. Not even Akira, though Akira would've likely known anyway. It was probably how they knew where we were. Their powers bloomed already. Future sight. 

‘Lucky for them, not us.’

Onaeni opened the doors to our parents' study and Akira closed the doors behind us. I faced the front and gulped when I saw the angry looks that faced us.

"What did we say about leaving without permission or an escort?" Noni demanded.

"You wouldn't have let us outside even if we asked," I mumbled with my head down.

"You're just hatchlings. Of course, we wouldn't," Noni cried out. "Do you not understand how dangerous it is for you, children of noble blood, to be roaming around without any powers? You could have at least brought Akira with you."

"They wouldn't have let us do anything either," I argued.

"That is not the point, Rin," Nobi finally spoke up. 

She was often quiet when Noni ranted. 

"You scared us. If you continue to run away like this, how do you expect us to trust you in the future?"

My head hung down lower. 

"I'm sorry. We just... I just..."

"I think they get it, Noni, Nobi," Akira spoke up gently. "They're just trying to have some fun, the both of them."

Noni sighed. 

"You bloom and suddenly you're wise beyond your years."

Akira smiled. 

"I'm still a child, too. I need your guidance."

Noni smiled back. She stood up and walked over to us. Onaeni let us go so Noni could get down on her knees and pull Yuki and me into a hug. 

"Oh, my sweet babies. Please, I beg of you. Do not do this anymore. If you wish to leave, tell someone," she whispered.

I felt someone else behind us and realized that Nobi was also hugging us. She kissed each of our heads and stood up with Noni. 

"Did you at least have fun?" She asked us while holding Noni close.

"Yes," Yuki exclaimed. "We got mochi and watched a flame-weaver dance. Rin was going to learn some dance moves from them before Onaeni and Akira came to get us."

"That does sound like fun," Nobi agreed.

Yuki began talking about the dance while I carefully slipped out of the office. I was about to walk away when a hand touched my shoulder. 

"You shouldn't scare Noni and Nobi like that. They just want what's best for you. We all do," Akira said.

"I know," I huffed. "I didn't mean to scare them, I just wanted to get out of here. It's so lonely."

"I understand that. Before you two hatched, I was alone for years as well," they said. "But, you have Yuki. You have me. You have our parents. You don't abandon your family."

"I understand," I whispered.

Akira sighed and pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel the warmth of their flame and it eased the tension in my body. I hated getting in trouble but it was worth it to me. I hated being locked up in here all the time even more.

"Okay, I'll let you sneak off now. Go play or something," Akira said.

I pushed away from them and walked away. My family didn't get it. Maybe they were okay with sitting here and pretending that we had power but I wasn't. Our noble status meant nothing. It was just a formality. Noni and Nobi had other jobs but we all still enjoyed a privileged life. I didn't care. There was more to life than this. There had to be more than sitting around, cooped up in a fancy estate and waiting for the day my life actually began. I couldn't handle the thought of this being the rest of my life. There had to be more. 

[seredelgi]

So lonely they coul die.

fandom: Elvis Presley/ Elvis (2022)

pairing: Elvis x Fem!Reader or Austin!Elvis x Fem!Reader

summary: Reader is a good Christian girl whose family has passed when she was 15, she was then raised by her mama’s best friend, Gladys Presley, alongside her son, Elvis.

rating: Mature, 18+

warnings: stepbro!elvis, a bit of angst, a bit of smut, dubious consent, he’s a bit controlling, but he does it ‘cause he’s in denial, reader is pretty much sexually frustrated, kind of innocent, bit of a “good girl” complex, cheating, as in reader cheats on her bf with EP, let me know if it needs more warnings.

word count: 4.3k

a/n: ok this is has been sitting in the drafts for a while because I was too nervous to post it. Also, I have no idea if it will have a part 2. English is not my mother tongue so it may contain errors but hey, I’m learning.

tags: @eliseinmemphis @galaxygirl453 @powerofelvis​

"So... When can I see you again?" he whispers softly while holding your hand in his, looking at you with a charming sly smile, his big blue eyes sparkling languidly in your direction.

You're blushing fervently beneath the arch of your flat's front door, shooting a quick glance towards the kitchen, where Elvis should still be, and then meeting his eyes again.

You tuck a lock of hair behind your ear, biting your lower lip, pondering if maybe it's a bit early to set up another date.

Mike Weaver's one hell of a guy, that's for sure. You've been seeing him now for about six months, and you can tell he's got it just as bad for you as you do for him. It's in the way he looks at you, in the way he smiles when you're around, and in the revering sweetness of his touch.

Like right now, for example, he's gently caressing the back of your hand with his thumb as he waits for your answer. It's the kind of thing that just makes your heart flutter slightly as you try to focus on something remotely coherent to say.

" Why don't you come by tomorrow during my break and we'll set up a date for this weekend?" you murmur.

For some reason, you don't want Elvis to overhear your conversation. It's not like you're saying anything malicious, but still, you've seen how he's gotten with the men you've dated in the past.

This time tho, even he seemed to like Mike.

You have to admit, you were terrified when your boyfriend came up with the idea of this dinner, but unexpectedly, Elvis behaved. He laughed at Mike's jokes, complimented his handshake, and exchanged what seemed to be a genuinely nice conversation about who knows what football team.

You could feel it. He was the one.

After all, you've been dating him for a while now and you're both about the right age to start to think about settling down.

If he'd ask, you know you'd say yes.

" As the lady wishes" Mike grins at you, and if possible, you redden even more than you already had, the circles he's tracing on your hand with his thumb sending little shivers along your arm.

" Alright then, you better go, I still have to clean up that whole mess in the kitchen" you suggest, not sure to be able to take one second of this tension between you two.

" Not even a goodnight kiss?" he pouts, squeezing your left hand ever so gently.

You can't help but chuckle at how cute he looks with his bottom lip sticking out like that, and you cover your lips with your right hand as you turn to the kitchen to check if Elvis might be on the watch.

Coast clear.

You look at your boyfriend again, his lips now perfectly shaping a swooning smile, and you lean in to kiss him briefly, chastely but tenderly.

The sudden contact has your heart racing so fast you know you can't take any more of it, and with a last quick farewell, he makes his way down the hall, leaving you alone with Elvis once again.

Gosh, what a night.

You are in seventh heaven. You've dreamed about a man like this your entire life, and even if you had lost hopes when Elvis seemed to be set on denying your hand to every single last one of them, you find Mike. Mike who made him laugh three times in the course of just one dinner.

You sigh ecstatically, making your way towards the kitchen, still thinking about the brief kiss you two exchanged.

You feel so silly blushing over a peck on the lips, but with the poor amount of experience you've got up until now, it figures.

You know it shouldn't be so relevant, but you really can't wait to be able to be more intimate with him. It's embarrassing how little you've been able to do, but you're simply not comfortable smooching your boyfriend around town, so you two may have properly kissed two or three times now.

You certainly couldn't hope to bring him home, with Elvis and all, and honestly, you weren't even certain you wanted to.

You know what happens when a couple is home alone, and even if Mike seems very respectful about you wanting to wait until marriage, you're not sure you can trust yourself alone with him.

Your mother raised you a Christian girl, a good girl. You believe in the sanctity of marriage and that's why you decided only one man would have you. You were okay with that, until it became unbearably difficult to find one that lasted longer than a few months.

Now, you don't wanna blame Elvis alone for that; some of them simply revealed themselves to be pretty crappy, but the rest, he couldn't deal with for no good reason.

You know you're supposed to make your own decisions, that you shouldn't care what he thinks of your boyfriends, but you love him too much.

You were only fifteen when your parents and your older brother died tragically in a car accident, leaving you in the caring hands of Mrs. Presley, your mama's dearest friend.

Elvis was three years older than you, around the age your brother was when it happened, and he was one of his best friends too. You two were raised side by side since then, and you've always absolutely adored him. Back when you two were little he was your hero, always defending you against anyone that dared to make fun of you.

Before you became part of the Presley family, you were ashamed to admit you had a huge crush on him. You had to force yourself to grow out of it, of course, since you two became practically family.

He turned into a fine man, the best you've ever known, and he probably set your standards way too high for anyone to ever meet them. It also didn't help that he was impossibly protective of you. No one was ever good enough, no one met his expectations.

Maybe you were guilty of giving way too much importance to his opinion on the matter, but for some reason, as soon as Elvis expressed the way he felt about them, they instantly became unattractive to you. You could only see those flaws he pointed out so easily.

You were growing frustrated with the search, and with yourself. You found it was quite lonely at night, having no one to warm you. You wanted to do more than hold hands and kiss once or twice. Hell, you wanted to be touched, to be loved.

So that's the reason you just couldn't stop smiling that night, even while entering the kitchen, finding your so-called "step-brother" having already cleaned the table and standing cluelessly in front of the sink.

Damn, he's always been handsome when he dressed in all black. It made his sparkly blue eyes shimmer even more intensely than they usually did. How on earth he was able to remain a bachelor this long was honestly beyond you.

" Leave it to me" you say while approaching him slowly, your yellow bell skirt brushing swiftly against your ankles.

He stands back, letting you handle the rest of the work.

You really don't mind doing the dishes, you've always found it very relaxing.

" Thanks for handling the rest" you add, shooting him a bright smile.

" 'S okay, it's good to do this stuff once in a while" he jokes, his big smile making your heart flutter for just a second.

He's always had this effect on you, at least since you can remember. You don't think nothing of it, it's just the way he is.

Effortlessly magnetic.

" So is he gone?" he bluntly asks, taking you kind of aback.

" Yeah" you try to hide the blushing you still feel pervading your cheeks as you think of that sweet moment beneath the arch of the door.

Luckily, he doesn't seem to notice.

He's unexpectedly quiet tho, and it's starting to unease you.

You're done with the chores pretty soon, and as you turn around from the washed dishes you find him there, leaning against the wooden table's surface, his feet crossed.

He's lost in thought. You know because his index finger and his thumb are almost nervously playing with his bottom lip, and at that, your brows furrow.

"Elvis, are you okay?" you approach him cautiously, so as not to startle him. Sometimes he got so deep lost you didn't know if his senses would take notice of your presence.

As predicted, no answer.

You chuckle slightly and take place in front of him, bending a little to meet his eyesight. And there he sees you, smiling playfully up at him, your hands clasped behind your back.

" Mh?" he simply goes, raising his chin, straightening up again, and you follow.

" Are you okay?" you tilt your head to the side, confused.

He looks at you so intensely now you're practically squirming in your place, feeling a mixture of concern and discomfort overcoming your previously acquired serenity.

His eyes are so captivating you're suddenly very aware of your proximity to him, but before you can take a step back, he speaks again.

" I don't like him"

Your heart drops in your stomach, your hands fall at your sides, a sigh of exasperation suddenly threatens to let go of your throat.

" What?" you manage to breathe out instead.

He stands up and looks at you, his blue eyes now clear of any residual doubt.

" Mike. I don't like him. You should probably stop seeing him" he says nonchalantly while making his way towards the fridge.

That, he had never said, ever. It was way too much, even for him.

" I beg your pardon?" you raise your voice, a sudden rage getting a hold of you.

You're so shocked you can do nothing much than stand there, wide-eyed, looking at him as he fetches himself a cola, uncorks it, and takes a good fiery sip before putting it down on the counter aside from him.

As he's done, he finally meets your eyes again, even more tranquil than before, or so it would seem.

" He's not good enough for you, honey" he explains, shrugging.

" Well, what a shock" you let out before you could think about a proper response.

But honestly, you couldn't care less. To hell with proper responses, he is being absolutely unnerving this evening.

" What's that supposed to mean?" he asks, brows furrowing, his damn bedroom eyes suddenly looking hurt.

You wish you could've held onto that anger a moment longer, but seeing him staring at you so cluelessly just breaks your heart.

He's not being mean. He genuinely believes you're better off without Mike, that you're too good for him. And as much as his previous words had threatened you to simply let the discussion go downhill, you knew you could reason with him.

So you sigh heavily, recollecting your thoughts to be able to put them into words correctly.

You look at him, your eyes begging him to see reason.

" It just means" you start again, slowly approaching him "that you're very protective of me, and as much as I appreciate it, I don't know if I can go on dating like this without it ever leading to something serious"

You're standing in front of him again, your hand on your heart, hoping he can understand your perspective.

" You mean you wanna marry him?" he asks, sounding surprised, looking vaguely disappointed.

You can't help but smile shyly at that, looking over your shoulder for a second, then back at him " Why not?"

" Well, he's a carpenter"

You roll your eyes amusingly, knowing if he had to resort to that excuse, you were sure he got your point.

" It's a family business, it's all gonna be his someday" you smile " he's got money saved up, he's a smart man, a family man"

Elvis shakes his head.

" That don't mean he's good enough for you"

" But he is" you reach out for him, taking his hand in yours, so close his face hovers right above yours "Oh Elvis, he takes such good care of me"

He looks at your hands, as if surprised you'd get so close to him, then his languid eyes dart back and forth between yours two, and he frowns again, his hand taking a hold of your left one.

This gained proximity has your heart fluttering silently underneath his gaze as you inhale the scent of his cologne.

You gifted him that very fragrance. The year before, while shopping for Christmas gifts, you came across this magnificent scent and instantly thought of him. It suited him perfectly: elegant, yet masculine.

" I take good care of you" he breaths hot upon the skin of your cheeks, squeezing your hand as to emphasize the weight of his words " I can buy you anything you like. Dresses, flowers, jewels" he chuckles as his other hand reaches carefully for your hip "you name it"

This time, it's awfully hard to ignore the wave of warmth his hand spreads within you, but you make no link to it with the sudden quickening of your breaths.

Damn, he's handsome.

Tanned skin, full lips, and the most beautiful pair of sparkly blue eyes you had ever seen. Sure, Mike's weren't bad, but they weren't Elvis's either.

You smile along with him, and he tightens his grip around you ever so slightly, letting your right-hand rest on his chest casually. But not so casually that you don't feel the consequences of it.

The warmth you had felt spreading in your lower abdomen has suddenly lowered, prickling faintly between your thighs.

At that, your smile fades, your cheeks redden furiously, and you gulp nervously.

You had managed to stop thinking about him like this, tried so hard to keep at a distance from him all these years, knowing very well the fine line between what you two are and what you're supposed to be for each other.

He's not your brother, but he's been one for you throughout the years.

And yet you can't stop thinking about the weight of his hands upon you right now, and you suddenly wish they could travel along your skin with less restraints.

Not even Mike had ever been able to awaken such thoughts in your head, not anyone.

You look at him again, trying to regain a shred of your lost focus.

" That's not the kind of care I'm referring to" you admit, lowering your gaze.

And that's all you should let yourself allude to, right at this moment, pressed against him like that, feeling things you should lock away. But your heart is racing faster than ever, and you can't really think straight right now.

" I am a woman now, Elvis. I have needs, I wanna feel loved" you can't seem to look at him while you say this, so when he speaks, you simply feel his breath grazing the skin of your ear.

" I love you"

As you feel a shiver running down your spine, you ask yourself if whatever you're feeling now is right.

Could you ever cross that line without feeling as if you've lost some type of family?

The only one you still had left.

You smile and gain all the strength buried within you to meet his eyes again.

" That's not what I meant" you sigh, looking down briefly before finding the courage to look him in the eyes " I wanna be kissed, passionately. I wanna be touched, and-"

You can't say more, because his eyes have darkened, and somehow it took your breath away, made your heart skip a bit, and your thighs squeeze together.

He squeezes your hand and presses you even closer to him, his warmth spreading within you, his breaths mixing with your own.

" I can do that for you" he purrs upon your skin, so huskily you feel your legs weaken.

But you must have heard wrong.

Whatever you're feeling, it's a fluke, and he cannot feel the same.

" What?" you wished you didn't sound so breathless.

" I can kiss you" he says, leaving no space for misinterpretation.

Your heart misses another beat.

He's playing with you, he's just teasing.

" Elvis, c'mon, be serious" you chuckle nervously.

And even if you shouldn't, some deep secret part of you hopes with all yourself he's not joking. 'Cause right now, looking at his lips, you can't help wondering how they might feel against yours. You can bet they're softer than Mike's, and you desperately wanna find out if you're right.

" I ain't playing with you honey, I'm dead serious" he smiles charmingly and tears his right hand away from yours, reaching for your cheek, looking so deeply into your eyes you can't help but surrender to the moment.

His thumb grazes your lips carefully, parting them as he lowers his gaze upon them, and you wish you had the will to tear yourself away from his arms, to stop the storm that his sweet words had gotten going on in your heart.

You feel like crying,  and yet you don't even think about stopping him as he slowly comes down upon your waiting lips.

" Let me love you" he whispers upon them before you can feel his kiss, humid and gentle, softer than you had imagined, tearing apart every last shred of your resistance.

He kisses you carefully, almost experimentally, as if you could break away at any second.

You've got enough time to adjust to the feeling, and start kissing him back as he holds you close to him.

You shouldn't do this. You shouldn't indulge in this inappropriate behavior, and your hands most definitely shouldn't grip at his shirt so helplessly, silently encouraging him.

At your gesture, he tightens his grip on your hip, as to let you know that he wants you close as much as you do, even if he's being impossibly gentle in his kiss.

You're glad he's doing it because you can't imagine what your heart would do if he only-

His left hand suddenly brushes from your hip to behind your back, and you let a soft, involuntary moan escape your lips.

At that, it's like he awakens abruptly. His grip tightens almost violently around you, he slips his tongue inside your mouth, and you feel it clashing against your own, hot and overpowering.

Gosh, this can't be right.

And yet it feels so inexplicably good it hurts inside.

You fear you've longed for this for too long. That his protective ways, his undivided attentions had awakened an intrinsic need for him you couldn't deny yourself any longer.

At that exact moment, as you began to taste him inside your mouth, you decided you wouldn't resist him any longer. That anything he would have wanted to do to you in that kitchen, you would have let him.

You didn't realize how tense you had been until you melted in his arms, letting him deepen the kiss even further and enveloping his arm around you, backing you towards the kitchen table.

Anytime he parts away from you to catch his breath, you surprise yourself leaning against him, asking silently for more.

" See?" he mumbles in between kisses " I can kiss you passionately"

Anytime he moves an inch of skin against your own, you feel it burning as if it had caught fire.

You realize with shame that you're easy to moan against his lips, feeling an explicable need to let him know you're loving it.

Suddenly he reaches down for the hem of your bell skirt, and you feel his hands traveling underneath its thick fabric.

As a shiver runs down your spine and you let a whimper out of you, you're pervaded by a sudden fear. It doesn't tame the high nor the excitement that his kisses have unleashed within you, but it makes you somewhat more self-conscious.

He's got his hands up your skirt, grazing the skin of your bare legs and thighs, making you feel impossibly hot in your panties.

No one has ever done it. You've never let a man this far before.

" Wanna be touched, hon?" he pants upon your lips, and when you meet his eyes, you feel as exposed as if you were laying naked beneath him.

You can't help but nod in his direction, your nose brushing his, your heavy breaths mixing with his.

Your heart skips a beat, and as he starts kissing your neck, leaving your lips alone for a minute, you realize they're quivering both in excitement and distress.

" I can touch you" he breathes.

You should shove him away. That's what a good girl would do.

A good Christian girl would not let a man grab her ass as he's doing now, wouldn't let him lift her up upon the table, and wouldn't certainly open her legs to welcome him closer, moaning his name in his ear as he bites her neck.

You feel so vulnerable now. Sitting on your kitchen table, your legs open for him, your skirt up your stomach, your panties on full display, and your core just a shred of fabric away from him.

He brushes his hand along your thigh, down towards your centre.

Something inside you knows that if you really wanna put a stop to all of this, here's your chance. 'Cause you know he's going for that spot no one's ever touched, the one you saved for your husband-to-be.

But you're too lost in the fever of the moment, too dazed off to fully care.

However, as his hand lands splayed on your pussy, you whimper, your heart dropping in your stomach.

" Elvis" you mutter, sounding breathless as ever.

He doesn't answer tho, and you feel your heart pounding in your throat as he starts feeling you out through the material of your briefs.

They're soaked. You can feel it. And it's downright shameful that you're letting him know like this. Everything is happening is. It's no ladylike behavior.

How are you ever gonna absolve yourself from all of this?

You call his name once again to try and stop whatever he wants to do, but it comes out so distorted by lust that it sounds like a plead.

He detaches from your neck and meets your eyes, wanting to see what you'll look like as you're being touched for the very first time.

You feel his fingers tasting you through your panties, massaging your entrance, making you feel so flustered and hot you think you could pass out.

He's not even properly touching you and you already feel on fire.

All worries and doubts have escaped your mind, which is simply high on pleasure.

You suddenly feel desperately empty inside.

You've never felt this way, as if your whole life depends on feeling him slide inside of you, filling you up as you know he wants to.

Fuck it. He's too far away.

You wanna close that distance he'd put between you two to be able to look at what he was doing to you. You kiss him in a way you would have never dared to think you were capable of.

You're messy and needy, and you make so many sounds you don't recognize. Hell, you can barely recognize yourself right now. You're blinded by the need of him.

Your hand reaches for the spot where he's massaging you, and as if possessed by this sudden hunger for him, you move your panties out of the way, baring yourself completely to him, ready to feel his blissful touch upon your dripping core.

You've never wanted anything more. You had never thought intimacy would be so terribly frustrating.

And it's even worse when he suddenly stops.

He breaks the kiss and backs away slightly.

You open your eyes to look for his, finding them frozen upon you, wide with horror.

Your heart drops right in your stomach.

The stinging hint of anxiety starts pervading your skin with furious pricking.

" Fuck" he swears, and his head drops down. His right hand, the one that had just given you the best pleasure of your life, now reaches for his forehead, massaging his eyebrows towards the centre.

You're frozen on the spot. Wide-eyed, messy hair falling on your flushed cheeks, and your shoulder strap fallen down your arm, exposing your new baby pink bra.

As you try and focus on what is happening tears start to threaten to run down your face.

He stopped. He realized what you two were doing and stopped himself.

Not you, the good Christian girl whose man just walked out the door; but him, the one who never even liked Mike in the first place.

You're appalled by your behaviour.

You just acted as if you had no control over your instincts, whoring yourself to a man you considered as family.

He steps back and turns around almost fully from you, sighing.

And for an unknown forsaken reason, this breaks your heart into a million pieces.

All of a sudden you feel cold.

" I'm so sorry Y/N" he breathes, his hands still holding at the centre of his eyebrows, eyes closed.

You open your mouth to say something, but you can't. Every word you think of just dies in your throat.

He can't even look at you. He must be so disappointed.

You can't help the tears to start running down your cheeks.

You wanna cry, you wanna hug him out, tell him that you liked it, that you wanted him. That you're not really his sister and he didn't take advantage of you.

But you simply can't.

[vinehasnohopeleft]

Kittens.

~~~~

Benny huffed as he had to stay up to watch his younger siblings while his parents went out. As far as he was aware, they weren't really doing anything: Lillian was playing in her room, Caleb was practicing his running, Tom was in his room, and Tim was...

Wait, where was Tim?

Benny paused as he realized he hadn't seen Tim at all since his parents left. The oldest son got up and ended up looking for him. He checked in the twins shared room, checked his normal hiding places, in some trees he was known to hide in- Benny was a out to give up before spotting the twin out of the corner of his eye.

Benny turned to see Tim sat on the ground with his legs crossed and back toward toward him. It was hard to tell what he was doing but as Benny got closer, he noticed a small fur ball near Tim. It took Benny a moment to realize that the fur ball was a Kitten. He watched as Tim slowly reached over to pet it.

It wasn't an aggressive pet, which shocked Benny a bit, but a more gently and comforting type a pet. The kitten seemed to shrink away from the twin's touch at first but accepted it a moment later.

The cat was a calico, mostly orange with black, brown, and white spots. Benny made the mistake of stepping closer which caused a twig to snap and the kitten ran off, Tim whipped his head around and to Benny.

"What are you doing here?!" Tim snapped defensively.

"I was wondering where you went, since I haven't seen you since mom and dad left." Benny replied, taken aback by the sudden yell.

"Well now you know, now leave!"

"So... You have a soft spot for animals, huh?" Benny said, more to himself than to Tim.

"What?! No, I do not!"

"You do, I saw you petting a kitten." Benny watched as Tim froze in place. It was clear that he was trying to think of something to say but when he couldn't, he just turned his head away from Benny.

"It's nothing bad, Tim," Benny said. "It's nice to see that you care for something else that isn't Tom."

Tim huffed but flinched when Benny took a seat next to him. Benny noticed there was another kitten, this time, stretched out on Tim's lap. He could hear the kitten purring up a storm as Tim gently scratched under its chin.

"How long have you hanging out with these kittens for them to get used to you?" Benny asked.

"A week? Maybe two?" Tim mumbled in response.

"Did you name them?"

"Oh, um, the one in my lap is named Tux, because he patterns look like a tuxedo, the one you scared off is named Patches, and there is another one by the name Snowball." Tim said.

"There's another one?"

"Yeah, including their mom, who I named Smokes."

"Why?"

"She has grey fur, it fits."

Benny hummed in response. When Tim was in a decent mood, he was pleasent to talk to, but he was ever in a good mood because of Mary. But after a while, Tux ran off to his mother and so allowed Tim to get up and brush himself off.

"Let's get back home, it's getting a bit late." Benny said.

"You're saying that because you want to sleep." Tim said. But turned to walk back to the house anyway.

Benny rolled his eyes and followed him anyway. "Oh, and Benny," Tim said "if you tell anyone about the kittens, I will hurt you."

"I won't tell anyone." Benny promised.

~~~~

Not the prompt I was given but I wanted to write something so here's that-

This is kind of set in the idea of the Weaver getting a second chance at life.

[fanficbitch]

In Another Life // Surprise

Aaron Hotchner x y/n

February 2013

The whole team is in Florida working on a case. Well, the whole team except for me. I was supposed to go, but I just haven’t been feeling right lately. I usually wouldn’t let a sickness keep me from a case, but I can hardly get out of bed without getting dizzy or needing to throw up.

I managed to get myself out of bed yesterday for a few hours and went to the doctor just so I can get prescribed something to get this over with. 

As I lay in bed, my phone starts to ring and I roll over to pick it up. I answer it without even looking at the contact. “Hello?” I murmur.

“Hi honey, how are you holding up?” Aaron asks me.

“Okay, I’m just waiting for the doctor to get back to me so I can get some medicine.”

“It’s not just a cold?” Aaron asks with concern.

“No, they had to run a few tests and they take a day or so to be processed,” I say. “Don’t worry though, I’m going to be fine. How is the case going?”

“I think we’re getting towards the end of it so I should be home soon,” he pauses. “It’s weird to not have you here.”

“I’m definitely missing it,” I say. “I’ll be good as new before you know it.”

“I’m counting on that,” he says. “I got to go, but I’ll talk to you soon. I love you.”

“I love you too,” I say then hang up the phone. I place my phone on my nightstand, but not for long because when I set it down it rings again. This time I look at the contact and see that it’s my doctors office. “Hello?” “Hello, I am looking for Y/N Y/L/N,” the woman on the phone says.

“This is she,” I say as I sit up.

“Hi Y/N, I am calling on behalf of Dr. Weaver regarding your test results,” she says.

“Okay,” I say.

“Let me be the first one to say congratulations because you are pregnant,” she says. The last word rings in my ear a few times. Pregnant.

“What?” I laugh.

“We ran your urine for a pregnancy test and it came back positive,” she says.

I pause for a moment. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“But are you 100% sure?”

“Yes,” she says again. “Dr. Weaver will be reaching out with her recommendations for OBs.”

“Okay, thank you,” I whisper.

“Have a good day,” she says then hangs up the phone.

I sit silently for a moment. I’m pregnant. I can’t believe it. Oh my god, what is Aaron going to think? It’s not like we were trying for a baby. We have hardly even talked about having kids in the future. I want them and I assume he wants them too, but I can’t be sure. I throw myself back down on my pillows in stress. What am I gonna do now?

                                                       **********

It’s been weird keeping this secret from Jack. I’ve always been a terrible secret keeper, and I am now holding my biggest secret ever.

“Y/N,” Jack says as I tuck him in his bed.

“Yes baby?” I ask.

Before he speaks, he reaches out a places his hand on my cheek. “Are you feeling better?” he asks.

“Yes, I have,” I say, but I still see the worry in his face. “Don’t worry about me Jack. I am going to be just fine.”

“But how do you know?”

I bite my bottom lip. I want to blurt out the truth so badly. The words almost leave my mouth, but a knock on Jack’s door stops me. I turn around to see Aaron standing in the doorway, still in his suit.

“Dad!” Jack yells. Aaron’s smile grows as he kneels down next to the bed. 

“I was hoping to catch you before you went to sleep,” Aaron says.

“Did you get the bad guy?” Jack asks.

“Always,” Aaron smiles. Aaron leans in and gives a kiss to Jack’s forehead.

“Goodnight buddy,” he says as we both stand up.

“Goodnight,” Jack whispers then turns over in his bed. We both leave Jack’s room and Aaron gently closes the door. Once he does, I drag him into our room.

“So tell me everything,” I say as I jump on the bed. Aaron follows me and sits on the edge of the bed.

“Well, we went to Miami to check out the disappearances of young couples. We found that they were all connected by a vacation spot in the Hamptons. All of the couples visited resort the same week. The unsub cleaned rooms at the resort and was able to find out personal details about all the victims. We ended up finding him at a warehouse and saved the last couple abducted,” Aaron says.

“Oooo, I wish I could’ve been there,” I say and give his shoulder a squeeze.

“I wish you were there too,” he says. “C’mere,” he says and I lean in and press a kiss to his lips. “Now tell me everything about you. What did the doctor say?”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. “That I’m fine,” I finally say.

“You’re fine?” Aaron asks as he begins to undress, starting with his tie. “Last time I saw you, you could hardly make your way to the bathroom.”

“Well, they did find something,” I say slowly. Aaron turns around to face me with raised eyebrows. Now he is left in his white undershirt and dress pants. Here goes nothing. “They found a baby. I’m pregnant.”

I didn’t think it was possible but Aaron’s eyebrows raise even higher. He freezes in his spot, eyes wide. I stand up and place my hands on his shoulders. “I know this was so unexpected and not what we planned. I honestly don’t even know what we were planning on in the future. But, I know that I want to be with you forever and it’s not just because of the baby. I love you and I love Jack, but if you don’t see a future with me then-,” I say, but am cut off by Aaron’s lips.

He comes crashing into me like a wave. I kiss him back and wrap my arms around his neck. As much as I want the kiss to continue, I have to know what is going through his mind. “I have to know what you’re thinking,” I say once I pull away from him.

“Honestly,” he says. “I’m shocked, but I’m happy. I’m very happy. And to clarify, I do see a future with you. I see forever with you,” he smiles.

I smile up at Aaron then jump into his arms. “Are we really going to do this?” I ask.

“We are,” he says. Aaron carries me to the bed and sets me down. “Stay here,” he says and I do as I’m told. Aaron changes into him pajamas then jumps into bed with me. He holds me so my back is against his chest, and finally, he places his hand on my stomach. “I can’t believe there is a baby in there,” he whispers.

“Me neither.”

“Does Jack know?”

“No clue,” I say and I can feel Aaron’s smile grow. “When do you want to tell him?”

“First thing tomorrow. I can’t wait to see his reaction,” he says. I roll over so I am now facing my boyfriend. I place my hands on his cheeks and smile.

“He’ll be the best big brother.”

                                                      **********

Aaron and I keep exchanging glances as he makes breakfast. Jack is sitting next to me at the counter, completely oblivious to how his life is about to change. “Can I have chocolate chips in my pancakes?” Jack asks as he scribbles in one of his activity books. 

“Already on it buddy,” Aaron says as he faces the stove. I can hardly contain myself. I am practically bouncing out of my seat. Aaron slides a plate of pancakes in front of Jack then eyes me to confirm it’s go time. 

“Jack,” I say. “Before you eat, we want to tell you something.”

Jack exchanges looks between me and his dad. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, not at all baby,” I reassure him. “There are just going to be some changes in our house.”

“Changes?” he asks nervously. I look to Aaron for help.

“Nothing bad is happening Jack,” Aaron says. “You know how the three of us are a family,” Aaron asks and Jack nods. “How would you feel about adding a new member to the family?”

Jack’s face lights up. “We’re getting a dog?” he asks which causes me and Aaron to laugh.

“No, no, not that,” Aaron says. “How would you feel about adding a baby to the family?”

Jack stays quiet for a moment and looks between me and Aaron again. I decide to chime in to elaborate. “So Jack, when two people really love each other they have a baby. And your dad and I really love each other so we are going to have a baby. And that means that you’re going to have a little brother or sister.”

“Where is the baby now?” Jack asks.

“It’s in my belly,” I say and Jack places his hand on my stomach. “As weeks go on, my belly will get bigger because the baby is growing.”

“When will the baby be here?” Jack asks.

“In about eight months,” I say.

“And then I’ll have a little brother?”

“Well, we don’t know-,” I try to say.

“Awesome,” Jack says then starts eating his pancakes. 

Aaron comes up behind me and whispers in my ear. “Just leave him be. Maybe it will be a boy.”

“50% chance, right?” I laugh.

[butternuggets-blog]

OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER

@baldwin-montclair @adowobsessed @sylverdeclermont @nicki-mac-me @thereadersmuse @kynthiamoon @adowbaldwin @profoundme444 @beautifulsoulsublime @lady-lazarus-declermont

Part Forty

Summary: Baldwin de Clermont manages to upset an ancient hag. He wakes up.. different.

Father's Day was always...difficult...at Sept Tours. Baldwin avoided Phillipe's office in the morning- Ysabeau usually sat quietly at the desk reminiscing old memories- but in the afternoon he would go up with a bottle of wine and toast to the old days.

This year was slightly different.

'-and the tin was brought from Dijon' Liv cradled the seal carefully in her hands as Baldwin explained its origins to her. The Knights of Lazarus were a poorly-kept secret even before the re-making of the Congregation, but now its charitable acts were spread throughout the human and creature community. Marcus took great pride in his work.

Phillipe materialised in the corner of the room.

‘I had planned to import copper ingots from the Timna Valley if we had been allowed to settle the Knights in Jerusalem’ Phillipe sighed, ‘But unfortunately we were not.’

Baldwin turned and looked directly at Phillipe. ‘Well we can’t always get what we want, can we?’

Phillipe’s jaw dropped.

‘...you can...see me?’

‘Since November 2011′

It had happened a week after the twins’ first birthday, as the last leaves of Autumn were still clinging to the trees below their bedroom window. He had been gently rocking them off to sleep for their afternoon nap when the thought snapped into place.

He was free.

He hadn’t really been leading the family. He had been a placeholder while the cold, dead hand of Phillipe de Clermont puppeteered them through his plan to dismantle the Congregation, and then out the other side.

He could lead them now.

‘Why haven’t you talked to me?’ Phillipe stammered.

‘Because you left!’

If it was anyone else Baldwin would have been screaming.

‘You left, and I couldn’t follow’ Baldwin scowled. ‘Then you went and got yourself killed.’

Baldwin reached blindly behind him for Liv; she took his hand and squeezed it, but said nothing.

‘I haven’t been responsible for shit, have I? It’s all been you. Perpetually, Phillipe de Clermont. You are obsessed with control!’

‘I trusted you to lead this family’ Phillipe said firmly, ‘That is why I made you its’ head’

‘But you didn’t trust me enough to tell me what was coming’ Baldwin spat, bitterly. ‘Did you honestly think I would sabotage our family out of spite??!’

‘And speaking of Diana-’

Phillipe drew himself up tall.

‘-look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t have had her killed if she wasn’t a weaver?’

Phillipe said nothing.

Liv’s stomach dropped into her shoes.

Baldwin’s smile was triumphant and bitter.

‘To hell with Matthew’s feelings on the matter; if Diana wasn’t powerful, you would have slit her throat and dumped her in the rose bushes. I love Liv and Matthew loves Diana but bonds don’t mean anything to you if they’re not ‘useful’ to the family. To you.’

Baldwin stopped to take a breath, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

‘You didn’t want a son who was a leader. You wanted a soldier with no imagination. You made Matthew - the Catholic - the family assassin. Why not Verin? You never...’ Baldwin took another deep breath. ‘It was the Roman way. I understand. But if you'd told me once, just once, that I had leave to use my imagination I would have been comfortable forging my own path for this family instead of trying to hobble along in your shoes.’

Baldwin stared pointedly at the door, then back at his father. ‘Get out.’

Phillipe glanced at Liv, but found no support in her expression. He looked at Baldwin, then turned away, slumping dejectedly as he hovered out of the office.

Baldwin allowed Liv to wrap her arms around his waist and gather him up in a hug. They held each other in silence for a very long time.

[pink-flame]

Like You Could Love Me

So...the Angry Flower Squad was making me SO soft over gifs and @mamirugbee wanted porch fluff with kissing and I remembered that @thedeathdeelers and @missjoolee liked my idea of using this post as a Juke prompt and here we are. I wrote this from 12-2am so it’s quite possibly incoherent and I’m not checking for mistakes until tomorrow so take it for what it is, a late night labor of love. Enjoy! 💜

Julie hadn’t slept for almost 48 hours. 

Her school was hosting a Los Feliz High After Dark event for the lower grades who didn’t get to attend prom. It was pitched as being just as exciting as the dance but in practice was known to be little more than a glorified sleepover in the school gym with PTA members for chaperones. Flynn had been determined that that year would be different, and had talked Julie into joining her on the planning committee. 

The good news was that Flynn had a real flair for party planning and decorating when she was actually invested (see the difference between the dance they tried to forget and the way she had helped Julie’s dad throw together an epic garage party in less than 24 hours). So by the time Julie and Flynn and the other volunteers were done the gym was fully immersed in a carnival theme full of cute booths filled with potential activities and cute backgrounds to take pictures in front of. It was definitely an improvement over the year before which had been an under the sea theme which had consisted mostly of a few blue streamers and Mr. Weaver walking around in an inflatable Nemo costume. 

The bad news was that it had taken a lot longer than they had anticipated and they hadn’t fallen into bed the night before the event until close to 2am. Julie hadn’t been able to sleep even after she slipped into bed next to Flynn and heard her best friend start making the small whistling noises that indicated she was out cold. Julie had been kept up with thoughts of what her bandmates were up to without her and if they had lingered a little longer on what Luke in particular was doing right then, well that wasn’t that surprising. 

She loved Alex and Reggie but neither of them had attempted to hold her hand and remarked on their “interesting little relationship” or suddenly developed the ability to touch her and instinctively joined her in reaching out to gently cradle the other’s face. 

No, Luke was different, not that she wanted to say that in front of him unless she was sure he felt the same overwhelming feelings she did Oddly enough she was much more concerned about the possibility that he didn’t than she was about the fact that he was still..well, a ghost. It wasn’t that she was unaware that his ghostly status could lead to heartache for her later on, of course she was. It just didn’t seem so important suddenly. After what had happened with her mom, what had almost happened with the guys only a couple of months ago...anything could happen at any time. Tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed anyway so why deny herself happiness now if she could have it? If she could have it. Because that was still the question. 

Because Luke obviously liked her but did he like her? That sounded so juvenile but to call it anything else...well, that was really scary. Evil ghosts and the looming possibility of their return had nothing on the insecurity that came with not knowing exactly how the boy you lo...liked felt about you. 

So Julie didn’t get much sleep that night, Flynn’s alarm seeming to go off only moments after she finally drifted off. She had dragged through school that day, trying to match Flynn’s excitement for the night’s upcoming festivities though her own enthusiasm had quickly drained out of her altogether along with her energy. In the end it had been as fun a night as it could be with Julie spending most of it in a semi-exhausted haze. She and Flynn had played some of the games they had set up, and danced to the music they both agreed would have been better if it had been either DJ’d by Flynn or performed by Julie’s band, and when Carrie had sneered something about how tacky the theme was even that had been half hearted and without any real bite. 

So it was a pretty good night all things considered and Julie was in a good mood despite her complete exhaustion by the time Flynn’s mom dropped her off early the next morning. Ok, so maybe part of her good mood was actually because of her exhausted state by that point as she found herself feeling giddy and her mind had gone sort of pleasantly fuzzy. That was her excuse for how she found herself half-skipping up the path towards her front door, singing to herself. 

We create...perfect harmony 

“Somebody had a good time.” 

Julie’s head snapped up to take in the figure of the boy who leaned against the pillar of the porch in front of her, a small smile bordering on a smirk tugging at his lips. 

Luke.

What was he doing there? 

Was he waiting for her?

She had to play it cool. 

She had to be normal. 

She had to not give away all the feelings that had been swirling around inside of her for the last couple of months since they first gained the ability to touch each other whenever they wanted and promptly both became too awkward to touch each other at all. 

She had to…

“I missed you,” She blurted. 

One of Julie’s hands flew up to cover her mouth as she took the last few steps up onto the porch, trying and failing to ignore the way Luke’s eyes widened even as that vaguely infuriating smirk grew larger. 

“I didn’t mean that,” She insisted once her hand had dropped back to her side. “I mean...I didn’t not mean it but...I just meant it would have been fun if you could have come. Any of you. All of you. Um...yeah.” 

Luke let her dig herself deeper, waiting until her stream of words had come to a complete stop. When they finally dried up he pushed off of the pillar with one of his signature little bounces, letting his momentum carry him to within a step of where she stood awkwardly on the porch. 

“Did someone spike the punch at this dance?” He asked her, amusement clear in his tone. 

Julie shook her head a little too fiercely, indignant despite the fact that she couldn’t exactly blame him for suspecting that she was drunk. 

She felt a little drunk. 

Not that she knew what it was like to be drunk but she was pretty sure it was similar to this. 

Not the point. 

“It wasn’t a dance it was a school sanctioned slumber party,” She corrected, focusing all of her energy on not slurring her words or otherwise embarrassing herself. “And nobody spiked anything. And actually nobody drinks punch anymore. Just so you know.” 

Luke held up both hands as though he were surrendering but that smirk of his was impossible to deny at this point, a fact that both made Julie incredibly irritated and simultaneously fighting the urge to lean up and kiss it right off his stupid face. 

Ok, that was not helpful. 

“Not a dance, no punch. Got it,” Luke said, his voice just soft enough to keep her annoyance more or less at bay. 

“Why are you out here anyway?” 

Julie hadn’t meant to ask that but it felt like any filter her brain generally had was long gone at this point. 

Luke tilted his head slightly and reached up to scratch at the back of his neck. 

“Oh, you know, just taking in the view.” 

Julie frowned skeptically. 

“Taking in the view?”

“Yeah,” Luke said, gesturing out at the plant filled yard. “Just communing with nature you know? Honestly, I forgot you were even out last night.” 

“Oh.” 

Julie dipped her head a little so she didn’t have to look directly at Luke as disappointment rushed through her. She was pretty sure she was too tired to keep the evidence of that emotion from being completely visible. She was so frustrated with herself for caring at all. He wasn’t her boyfriend after all. Why would be be waiting for her?

“Julie.” 

She reluctantly raised her head to meet Luke’s gaze which was fixed insistently on her. His smirk had fallen away leaving behind a look at once more open and somehow harder to read at the same time. 

“I’m kidding,” He told her as he took a half-step closer to her, so close that she had to tilt her head up further to maintain eye contact. “I was waiting for you.” 

“Oh,” She said again, very aware that she seemed to have lost the ability to say anything else. 

She reached deep down inside and mustered up the strength to pull out one further word. 

“Why?” 

His eyes somehow managed to soften even more and his voice was oddly breathy when he answered. 

“Because I missed you too.” 

And Julie knew that the most prudent thing to do was tuck that phrase away as something warm, and happy and precious to examine more closely when she had slept and had the mental prowess to actually determine what it meant for their interesting little relationship. 

She knew that. 

But she was exhausted not only from lack of sleep but from months spent questioning where they stood. She was happy to hear him say that he had missed her, of course she was. But she also found herself feeling strangely...angry. 

How dare he look at her with those big soft eyes and stare at her like that if he wasn’t ever planning on actually putting her out of her misery by telling her how he felt or didn’t feel?

“I wish you wouldn’t look at me like that,” The words burst out of her without her permission. 

Luke was clearly taken aback by her words, his eyebrows shooting up his forehead. 

“Like what?” 

“I don’t know,’ She hesitated, just enough awareness seeping back in to make her realize what a truly stupid thing she was about to say. “Like you could love me.” 

She watched as a whole range of emotions rushed over his face too quickly for her to decipher exactly what all of them were. 

“Julie…” 

“Forget I said anything,” Julie interrupted, turning towards the front door with every intention to flee the situation. “I’m just really tired.” 

“Julie!” 

He said her name more forcefully that time and she froze. She didn’t turn back to face him though, the pounding in her chest and the heat spreading across her face giving her all the incentive she needed to keep her head facing away. 

Luke wasn’t having any of that though. 

He reached out to gently tug her back towards him, one hand settling on her cheek while the other rested on her waist. 

If she hadn’t been blushing before she certainly was now. 

“Do you not want me to look at you like that because...because you don’t feel the same?” 

Luke’s voice shook a little as he gave voice to that question, his thumb seeming to stroke across her cheek without his permission. 

Julie was reeling, everything feeling surreal and dreamlike anyway because of her lack of sleep but when combined with Luke’s gentle actions it felt more and more unreal. She couldn’t help but remember the last time he had touched her face, how they had clutched at each other thinking it was the only chance they would ever have. Now they had new chances every day and they had been wasting them. 

Why had they been wasting them?

“Wait...feel the same as what? Feel the same as who?” She asked as her brain finally caught up with what he had actually said. 

He visibly swallowed and she took some comfort in the fact that apparently he was nervous too. 

“The same as I feel,” He paused. “About you. I...I love you, Julie. And if that makes you uncomfortable I never have to say it again, ok? But it’s how I feel and I just wanted to say it. Once or whatever.” 

“But…” Julie felt a giggle rising up inside of her as exhaustion and the pure absurdity of the moment settled in. “But I love you too.” 

Luke’s thumb froze on her face as his eyes lit up with something close to hope. 

“You do?” 

Julie nodded, the giggle finally bursting out of her only to be met with a grin from Luke so radiant she wished she could capture it in a photo to look at later. 

“You love me,” Luke said again as though he needed to confirm beyond any shadow of doubt. 

“I love you,” Julie repeated agreeably. “And you love me?” 

Luke nodded, bouncing a little on his heels as he somehow managed to step even more into her space. 

“I love you.” 

“Well…” Julie sighed happily. “Well, that’s great then.” 

Luke let out a bark of laughter that probably would have been loud enough to bring her dad to the porch if anyone but her had been able to hear it. 

Before she had time to remark on how obnoxiously loud he could be he was crowding her back until she bumped into the pillar he had been leaning against when she got home. The moment her back made contact with its firm surface he was bringing his other hand up until he was cupping both of her cheeks. She barely had time to adjust to that very much welcome sensation before he was lowering his head and aligning his lips with hers, pressing them together in a chaste peck that was still enough to send her heart racing. He started to pull back as if to gauge her reaction but she was having none of that. She had been waiting for this for so long and as previously established she had absolutely none of her usual ability to deny herself what she wanted. 

And what she wanted was her hands on Luke Patterson right then. 

She reached up and latched one hand on the back of his neck and the other threaded deep into his hair giving it a little tug just because she could. She had been wanting to touch him so badly ever since that night in the garage when she’d almost lost him and she’d been wanting to touch his dumb, messy hair ever since “I’m Luke by the way”. So she did. 

He let out a little pleased sound that was cut off when she stretched up to press her mouth back to his, this time with twice as much force and no intention of separating anytime soon. To his credit he took the hint pretty fast, his hands dropping from her face to wrap around her waist tugging her body to press against his as he moved his lips insistently against hers. And wow...that was something, the sensation of almost all of her pressed up against almost all of him. 

He wasn’t warm, not exactly, but he wasn’t cold either like she had feared he would be. It was more like his body was mirroring back exactly her own temperature, leaving it hard to determine where one of them began and the other ended when her eyes were closed as they currently were. 

Or maybe that was just them. 

Maybe it was like that quote she always saw floating around online about souls being made of the same stuff. 

When she was well rested and thinking rationally she had always rolled her eyes a bit at stuff like that but now...she was beginning to see the appeal. 

Julie massaged absentmindedly at the back of his neck as she drew his lower lip into her mouth, the sound he made in response enough to have her pulling back with a giggle. 

“Come back here,” He mumbled, his lips chasing hers even as she turned her face away leaving him to press soft, wet kisses to her cheek. 

“Now you sound drunk,” She told him, turning back to face him and looping both arms around his shoulders. “My dad will be up soon and I have no idea how I’d explain...this...when he can’t even see you.” 

Luke groaned as he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. 

“You’re right.” 

“I’m right,” Julie echoed. 

It was true but that didn’t mean she was happy about it. 

They stayed like that for another minute or so, just enjoying being this close to each other with nothing to hide. They might have stayed like that longer but Julie suddenly let out a yawn she couldn’t contain directly into Luke’s face. 

Luke pulled back sharply but the soft smile that seemed to always be reserved just for her remained in place. 

“You need to get some sleep,” He told her firmly. 

She wanted to argue but all that came out was another yawn. 

Ok, so there was no arguing with that. 

“Goodnight,” She told him, suddenly feeling shy as she backed towards the front door wanting to keep him in her sight just a little longer. 

Luke gestured around them to the soft light spilling around her yard. 

“Good morning,” He corrected with a grin. 

Never one to let him have the last word, certainly not when she was too tired to be embarrassed, Julie leapt forward to press one final lingering kiss on his lips, retreating before he could do more than return the pressure.

Julie backed towards the front door, the grin now firmly on her face and a rather dumbstruck one adorning his. 

“Band practice later,” She reminded him. “Don’t be late.” 

Then she slipped into the house and up to her bed, incredibly tired and pretty sure of exactly  what she would be dreaming of. 

[ushiwakaslut]

     – “ SNEZHNAYA DOES NOT BELIEVE IN TEARS. ”

// former Diluc x reader ; Childe x reader.

résumé : Your little balade in Liyue might as well awake some memories you wish would have stayed burried once you encounter a certain blonde girl

note : i'm so eff-ing tired i'm sorry if it's not that great of a work. it's my first one for this fandom so if you want co come ask for a request don't feel too shy. (i only write x reader tho, no pairing please.)

words : 2,097

Liyue Habor's walls seemed to stretch endlessly into a myriad of ever more eccentric buildings. The stores lined the avenue, their owners shouting their slogans as loud as they could as customers gathered. You sighed, tired of all this noise. The man beside you seemed much happier to be in the economic center of Teyvat. His eyes shone with anticipation as a smile graced his lips. Liyue's blazing sun gave his ginger hair a golden hue. A heartwarming smile caught your lips as your hand grabbed Childe's. The latter had turned around, his smile ever as sincere when it comes to you before he deposed a  kiss against your cheek.

It was almost two weeks in since you had set foot in uncharted territory in search of information. Every day was filled ; between "professional" meetings and reporting to the Tsaritsa by quick letters, both of you were overwhelmed by responsabilities. For the first time since your arrival, you could finally spend a day in the company of your lover.

  “ To what do I owe this sudden surge of affection? „

He laughed, stretching the lines of his face in an expression you adored more than anything. You only shook your head and tightened the embrace you held around his hand. You never knew how to explain all the feelings that were burning in your body, from the faint sparkles in your stomach to the happy beating of your heart. Around Childe, you couldn't explain how happy you were. Finally, with a smile on your face, you stopped in front of one of Liyue's many stores.

Without waiting, Childe had his arms wrapped around your belly, resting his chin on top of your head as you looked at the different perfumes that were on display. Gently, his fingers caressed the fabric that covered (to his greatest misfortune) your skin. The Fatui would have liked this moment to last forever, to be able to be close to you and love you without having to put a barrier, without having to hide. Your voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he opened his eyes to rest his gaze on your face.

“ Should i go for The Golden House Maiden one or for the Valley Weaver one? One is sweet but the other one is.. Refined. I don't know.. „

Your eyes juggled between the two scents and Childe couldn't help but smile at the silly question. He was far from being a great connoisseur of perfumes. Probably that Zhongli would have been of more help with this matter. However, he had detached one of his arms from your body to grab a sample of perfume, then the other, before making a perplexed face.

“Both smell good.. Why not just take both ? ,,

After all, Childe had enough money to offer you both perfumes, no matter how expensive they could be. The Northland Bank would surely not go and check where nor how he spends the money entrusted to him as long as the results of his mission are conclusive.

Although your two missions are quite different, you were both sent as a team to Liyue. Two harbingers in the same place, something that rarely happened. But neither of you would complain, on the contrary. While the time you spend together here is lesser, the time you spend together in Snezhnaya is nearly non-existent. Finally, after months of chasing informations, targets, and downpours, you could get together and share time together.

The perfume store had been the last store you visited before entering your respective hotel rooms. The ghost of a smile still graced your lips as you opened the door to your bedroom, placing the multiple bags on the bed. A sigh emanated from your throat before dropping down beside the bags. A well-deserved rest after this long day of shopping.

However, you knew that this rest wouldn't last long. In less than two hours you had to be back in town with Childe to go to the restaurant with several of his encounters. A sigh, but you were still proud of him for gathering so many informations in such a short amount of time. His flirtatious side was helping him, you were sur about it. After all, you knew him all too well. It was this side of him that made you fall in the first place for Childe. Over time, you got to know other sides of him ; his tender side and his smiles in the morning, his most delicate but also the most sensual  of his touches, his wandering hands but how so warm and reassuring, way bigger than yours, his different smiles, his family but also his secrets, his humor, his fears, his preferences. Childe was a complex man, but far from complicated to love. It was almost natural, like he was a magnet, attracting friendship and love from others without even having to try. With a simple smile.

Finally, you got up, deciding to take a quick bath before the evening that awaited you. Maybe you could get Childe back to your room without anyone noticing. God, how you missed his touch. You couldn't suppress a sigh as you soaped your body, deciding to change the course of those invasive thoughts. It was time for preparations rather than the idea of ​​Childe undressed.

A few days ago you couldn't help but buy a long black dress open at the side. It was displayed in the shop, the lace on the top of the bust making the model's chest all the more beautiful and round. Without hesitation, you went in and out with the dress. A smile painted on your lips as you already imagined yourself in this beautiful dress.

The sun was setting on the horizon, giving Liyue a whole different face. Dry and dressed, you stood in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to put on a good makeup to pay homage to the gorgeous dress that adorned your body. Soon it was the turn of your hair to be tamed in a hairstyle that you had seen in a magazine : “Liyue Daily Fashion”.

As you made sure everything looked perfect, several knocks were heard on the door of your hotel room. Childe, dressed in a much more serious white suit than his usual outfit, stood in front of you once you opened it. You couldn't help but laugh, leaving Childe to pout.

“ Do i look that dumb, darling? „

You could only shake your head before you came up on your tiptoes to kiss his pouting lips. Your hands had gently grasped the collar of his shirt to straighten it.

“ It's rare to see you in an outfit so.. Professional. I never expected to see you in a suit until our wedding day. „

You both smiled at the thought of a possible marriage before he took your hand in his, kissing it tenderly. Kindly, he asked you if you were ready to go. You had gone to get your purse before joining him, locking the door as you left.

The streets of Liyue Harbor had nothing to do with those of this afternoon, as if you were both in a completely different city. The lights lit up the buildings in a festive manner, as various stores opened their doors. The alleys were much more darker, giving them a grim contrast while the fanciest restaurants had opened their doors, revealing the most beautiful gildings. It was all breathtaking and you couldn't help but wonder what the temples must have looked like overnight. Maybe you could save this idea for a future date with Childe.

The restaurant you were meeting at was not as far away anymore and from here you could already see an elegant-looking man sitting next to a much smaller woman whose hair was adorned with flowers you had never seen. A small person floated beside them, visibly lost in a story she was telling the two people who accompanied her. The sight made you smile, and the man you didn't know wasted no time turning in your direction, offering an equally elegant smile.

During this discussion you learned that the prince-like man was none other than Zhongli, the famous consultant of Wangshen Funeral Parlor. While the girl was none other than Lumine, an “adventurer” and Honorary Knight of Favonius, accompanied by her “emergency food” Paimon. Their dynamic was very funny, making the meal much more lively than you might have imagined.

It wasn't long before Zhongli and Childe got lost in a discussion about their “job”, leaving you yo discuss alone with Lumine. You were all ears, smiling, as she told you about her various adventures throughout Teyvat. Until she conjures up a name you haven't heard in years. Your stomach had turned, your smile had slowly faded as the young woman continued to tell how she had met him and how he had become a hidden hero of Mondstat.

You put on a fake smile before apologizing, intimating that you needed to go to the bathroom. Lumine nodded and Childe smiled at you, resuming his discussion with Zhongli just as quickly. Finally hidden from others you sat on the floor, unable to breathe properly as hundreds of memories resurfaced. Memories that you had somehow buried under a ton of hatred, disdain and detachment.

Diluc, a name you never thought you would hear again. A person whom you had loved with all your heart, with all your soul, the one for whom you will have given everything long ago. Tears flooded your eyes as you thought back to his tender face, the emotions he hid so well from the general public, the tender words that only you received. All those mornings spent in his arms, bathing in the heat of the sun and his body, those nights warming you against his chest, those nights spent outside admiring the stars.

All these memories fled deep within you, coming back to haunt you. That day when the sun shone as bright as his smile, when for the first time you saw him stutter and lose all composture. Him, who was usually so careful with his image. After some time he knelt down, opening a velvet box which contained a most magnificent ring. A gorgeous red crystal adorned the middle of it, making the intricacies and details of the silver ring almost invisible. His cheeks flushed, he couldn't help but look away as he said the phrase you'd dreamed of hearing at the time : “ Would you.. Accept to marry me..? „

Tears were streaming down your cheeks, leaving a slightly blackish trail. You couldn't hold back the sobs as you thought about the fateful day. Far were the romantic evenings, the tender kisses and the longing for a future with the red-haired man. You vividly remember that evening, from the reflections of the candles to the cries and screams of Diluc. That fateful evening when you decided to join the Fatuis. The hatred you had seen in his gaze that night had helped you hold on but in hindsight, maybe it was just the look of a wounded man who had just lost his most solid pillar.

Childe's face appeared like a ghost in your memory, his reassuring smile and hugs, his tender words and his silly humor. Another memory came back : when you confessed to Childe. An afternoon when you were both practicing. When he had taken you against him while smiling, placing a kiss against your lips while repeating that he was the happiest man in the world and that he loved you just as much.

“ Childe… „

You came to wipe away the tears that spoiled your beautiful face. You made so much effort to look beautiful tonight .. You got up, trying your best to get a correct, normal breathing back. Then you went to one of the mirrors to put on a bit of makeup. Maybe Diluc was no longer in your life, maybe you would have liked him to accompany you in Snezhnaya, to become a Harbinger by your side. But all that was only wishful thinking of a former young self. Someone you weren't anymore.

When you returned to the table, Childe had grabbed your hand, interlocking your fingers before kissing the back of your hand. Whispering a slight “you okay ?”, settling for your weak smile as an answer. Something was wrong and he could notice it quite easily but for now, he couldn't do anything.  Tonight would be a different story.

[pseudofaux]

Masanari please. The rest I leave up to you 😉

BLESS YOU I am grateful for this (and for the carte blanche!)! This doesn’t get dirty the way I expected it to, but there’s a treat in there I think is pretty delightful. I hope you will enjoy it. 🤍💜🖤

(Requests are open through May 1!)

They have already been sitting on the floor together for several minutes of silent work when he says, mournfully, “You hurt my foot.”

“I think you mean my foot,” she says gently, flexing the injured end of her in his hand. His grip tightens.

“No. I meant my foot. The same as if any other little mouse in my possession hurt their paw. These limbs report back to me,” Master Masanari says as he delicately pats on a poultice. “And they are mine.”

She sighs, piqued at the implication he has other mice and piqued at herself for thinking such a thing. But there is little point in denying or pressing him. And he is currently doing her a favor, treating the abrasion on her sole. He is a surprisingly--shockingly-- caring healer when he wants to be... he has been gentle with her angry flesh, and his smooth, cool hands felt like water itself when he cleaned the wound.

“Thank you,” she tells him.

“For reminding you of your place?” He asks it without looking at her, but she is looking at him, so even if she couldn’t hear the lilt in his voice she can see his eyebrows go up in a mockery of mild surprise.

“For all your help,” she says respectfully. His hum is very, very pleased as he looks at the way the poultice is sticking. He begins to wrap the first layer of bandage and she thinks he looks like a classical portrait of a weaver, some artisan with flowing hair and skilled hands. He’s not a nice man, but he’s a very beautiful one, and she does love him.

She briefly reconsiders her affection when he offers to slice Kiyohiro’s foot to show her what he means.

“No!” she tells him, and she tugs her own foot back, but his grip is around her ankle so all it gets her is a shocked feeling in her knee when she cannot move. “Don’t be like this,” she pleads.

“Then do not spend time being stupid that you should spend being still,” he tells her, as though it is a kind thing to say. The iron of his grip becomes silk as his hand slips back down to her foot. He leans down and kisses the tip of her middle toe, then nips it. He goes back to the bandaging.

Her mouth, or maybe her spirit, is stupid despite his warnings. Or maybe it was the sharpness of his bite after so much gentle care. “Do you kiss Kiyohiro the way you kiss me?” she asks. It sounds like a child’s taunt and she is instantly ashamed of herself.

He looks thoughtful but does not answer, and that’s when she knows her danger is very, very deep. Two of his fingers guide her foot to the floor, then press until she makes a noise of pain, which brings back his smile. Master Masanari looks right at her and smiles and presses again. Then he leans close to her and puts his hands on the ground as though he is not steady as a boulder without them.

“You’d like to watch me try, wouldn’t you, little mouse?”

Oh no. Oh no, oh no. How does he know?! She has never even allowed herself to have a fully-formed thought about them together! “No!” she sputters, leaning back as though he will not use the advantage of his hands on the ground to lean further forward and follow her, crowding her though there is nothing at her back. His presence looms over her like a hooded snake. “No!” she repeats, voice smaller. “I don’t know,” she confesses, smaller still.

“Do not test my patience, then, or I may kiss him and not let you watch,” he whispers. He does not hiss, but the words do not sound human.

And then he leans back, and the sunny afternoon resumes where it had just been so very shadowed. Master Masanari carefully sets his small case of tools and vials and bandages in order, and empties the bowl of water he used to clean her injury directly into the garden despite the impropriety. Her heart is beating the way it does when he kisses her senseless, which is twin to the way it beats when she runs for her life. She cannot do that now, not until her foot heals.

He knows it, he treated her. And he must have packed his healer’s kindness away with everything else, because he is very clearly making fun of her when he says, in Lord Yasumasa’s voice and very loudly, “I cannot explain the depth of my sorrow that I am unable to satisfy your voracious sexual appetite, but if you are determined to pursue the lord of the Tokugawa, rightly famed for his sensual prowess, I will humble myself and wish you the best.”

Oh no. Oh no.

He is very light on his feet, so light he can bite her nose, kiss the bite, spin in a dance of gray cloth and blood red flowers, and leave no trace of himself behind as he silently strides away, quickly but without any real hurry. She is still sitting on the ground with her mouth open in shock at the trap he wove around her when two maids with wide eyes turn the corner, looking for the source of the day’s newest gossip.

[mimssides]

Never Met You

Chapter 11: Love

You gave me a crown and a title. You accepted me with flaws and all. You gave me power over you and I gave you power over me in the most vulnerable way I know. I didn’t expect love to come for me anymore, but there you came and made my world bright and beautiful and worthwhile. Thank you, my agent of chaos.

The scream in the heart of the Theanan castle rang through the air. A veil was lifted and at once commoners as well as nobility realized what they had forgotten. The servants in the castle, the soldiers and weavers now realized who that weird new guard had been. They realized that they had joked, eaten and lived with their king.

Outside the Theanan boarders, three courts got in motion and the king in the North called for his older brother to immediately be brought to him.

But within the stone walls of the castle Logan didn’t pay any mind to these things. No, he ran. He ran back through the tunnel, threw his jacket off, didn’t turn around when he lost his crown. The backroom, the halls, the gate to the inner courtyard and finally the tents with the hurt soldiers. They all passed by him in a blur.

But the moment Logan entered the tent where his Remus was in, everything became painfully clear again. On a cot between four other men lay the king in a white robe. His hair was sticking to his forehead from sweat and his eyes were closed.

Everyone, except for another man sleeping on the bed to Remus’s right, was looking at Remus and Logan felt his legs give in. Hastily he stumbled forwards and just managed to kneel down to the side of Remus’s bed before he would have fallen without any control over it. And as Logan knelt and watched Remus’s face for the first time which felt like an eternity, tears welled up in his eyes. There he was, the man he adored, he loved, he had married.

Suppressing a whimper Logan looked through the room, searching for a physician or nurse. He spotted a woman next to the door, her eyes wide as plates and her face unspeakably pale.

“How is he?” Logan managed to say despite his voice cracking.

The nurse bowed her head and gulped before daring to say: “He- His Majesty is stable. The wound seems to be healing well and miraculously no vitals were severely damaged through the attack. I will get his physician, who will be able to tell you more, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” Logan said under tears and the nurse left the tent in a hurry to find the physician who had treated Remus.

In the meantime, Logan gingerly took Remus’s left hand with his own left. Something made a small clacking sound as they touched and Logan looked down on his hand. His ring was back again and so was Remus’s.

More and more all what had happened sunk in and Logan started to cry. He tried to be quiet to not disturb the other soldiers but all of it came down on him and it felt like it was tearing him apart from the inside. By the time Roman, Janus and Virgil finally entered the tent, Logan was positively sobbing.

Roman joined by his side mere moments later. Hushed whispers came up around them, the presence of both kings and the prince in a tiny tent being too unordinary for no one to not say anything about it. Usually, Janus would have stopped the talking with a single glare, but in the face of everything he could not bother himself to scold them. It was hard enough for himself to not break down at the sight of his oldest friend lying motionlessly in a bed because he had let him become the guard of his own husband. And so, Janus told Virgil to sit with them and waited for the either a nurse or a physician to return shortly.

In the next half hour Janus eventually got an update of Remus’s state, which was everything considered much better than Janus could have hoped, had both Roman and Logan calmed down and gotten them up from the floor where they had been kneeling. Now he stood with Virgil at the entrance of the tent, Roman sitting on the bed close to Remus’s feet and Logan sat on a stool still holding his husband’s hand.

Virgil shot Janus a look. He simply shook his head. No, he wasn’t fine but there was no time for him now. Logan was one of the hardest people to crack but being together with Remus for ten years, being married to the man for eight and then suddenly being cut off him without even knowing it, had done the trick. And he didn’t even want to think about how terrible all of this had to be for Roman. No, just looking at the prince gave him enough of an idea what was going on in his head.

It was time for Janus to get his mind off all of this. He needed to find out how the other courts reacted, what George was doing now and who the fuck had made a deal with a demon. He just had to leave the tent. Which was easy. Virgil could protect them. No one should come for them now.

“What do you need?”

Janus flinched and looked up to Virgil.

“What do you mean?”

Virgil shook his head and looked over to the bed and then back to Janus as he put his hand on his shoulder.

“You’re trying to convince yourself to get out of here and I think it’s stupid. The king is important to you. Just as important as Ro or I are. Just stay. Tell me what you need and I’ll go get it.”

No time to be emotional. No time to feel guilty. It was enough that Logan as well as Roman were out of order. He couldn’t slack off now.

But if he would let Remus out of his sight me might break out in tears.

The decision was made for him.

Logan held Remus’s hand tightly but not too tight. His other hand was resting on his stomach. Thoughts were flooding his mind and new tears formed once more in eyes despite his best efforts to stop them from running. He barely registered Virgil’s voice in the background, nor how Roman slid towards him to put his hand comfortingly on his back.

Movement from beneath his hand sent a shiver up his spine. He looked from his hand to Remus’s face and found his eyelids twitch slightly. He squeezed his hand in reflex and Remus squeezed back. Green eyes flickered open and before truly seeing what was in front of him his eyes already darted towards Logan.

“Your Ma-” Remus slurred but was cut off.

“Remus!”

The name came out with panic and relief and adoration. Logan didn’t know what to feel, how to express it and what to do but it all became clear just after a few moments. A few moments, which Remus needed to understand where he was, to realize that this indeed was Logan crying over him and that he had just heard his actual name for the first time in months.

“Oh, my brilliant bastard,” Remus said fondly and reached with his free hand for Logan’s face.

Finally, he got to smile the too wide and too inappropriate smile of his again. Finally, he could see Logan eye to eye again. Finally, he had his life back.

And to celebrate this he put his other hand on Logan’s shoulder and pulled him with all the dizzy might he had in a kiss. Logan reciprocated sloppily and after a few seconds broke away as giggles and hiccups shook through him. Remus didn’t mind and pulled him close. Under his breath he cursed as he realized how sore and aching he felt and just then Logan helped him lay down with gentle hands.

As Remus’s head was resting on the pillow again, he whispered to Logan: “You’re too kind. I’m not made of glass, you know?”

“I’ve gathered,” Logan hiccupped quietly. “Any other human being would have died of such a wound. What on earth were you thinking? What did she-”

“Wait a sec, darling,” Remus interrupted and blinked.

The longest thirty seconds of silence passed. Just that it wasn’t silent exactly. And that was what Remus had been listening for.

With a spark of mischief but mostly fondness Remus asked Logan: “Could you look under my bed?”

Logan looked like a third eye had just sprouted on Remus’s forehead.

“Come on! Humour me,” Remus pouted.

Usually, Logan would not have humoured Remus’s silly request. Not in front of his solider, even less in the presence of Janus. But today he would let it slide. Shooting Remus a stink-eye he pushed himself back from the bed and lifted the sheet, which was dangling over the side of the bed, hiding what was underneath it. He blinked. And then he smiled.

Gently Logan pushed his chair back further, shared a short glance with Remus and crouched. He lowered his head and looked under the shabby cot.

“And there I thought that monsters wouldn’t live under beds,” Logan said softly. “What a scary little monster you are. You were trying to get to our king, weren’t you?”

And then there was a pause where the whole room heard a little sniffle and how something shuffled under the bed. Perplexed they all stared as Logan crouched down further and stretched his hand under the bed.

“There, there. No need to feel afraid. No one is mad. Would you do me the favour and show me your scary face, little monster?”

And after a few seconds they watched as little hands grabbed Logan’s arm and the king pulled a little boy with curly hair out from under the bed. Roman gaped from the end of the bed and little Patton grappled Logan’s arm even closer as he heard the noise. Parentally Logan shooed him and quickly checked if he could see anything out of the ordinary with him but luckily found nothing. With his free hand Logan took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe Patton’s face down. Patton tried to duck out from it and stopped to sniffle but Logan was persistent and eventually had been able to clean his face up.

“Now you look like a dashing monster. Much better, isn’t it?” Logan asked with a grin.

Patton pouted but a little smile broke through when he heard the voice from behind him.

“Hey, there Pat. Did you want to check on me?” Remus said and promptly had the little boy sitting directly in front of his face as he jumped up on the bed.

With some struggle Remus sat up again, mindful of the bandages and the pain from below his ribs. He didn’t want to tear anything but he really wanted to see eye to eye with Patton. And as he finally sat with his eyes glued to the floor, Patton nodded his head fiercely but kept his lips shut close as if he was afraid to speak.

“Patton, what is it? Why aren’t you looking at me?” Remus asked and tried to catch Patton’s gaze.

Patton’s eyes were red and puffy but he managed to get himself to look up. And yet despite his sad look and uncertainty, Remus saw something mighty shine within him.

With a tiny voice Patton asked: “Do you still want me now? I’m just a little kid. Why would you want me?”

How well Remus understood that question. How well he could feel the pain and doubt in it. He knew that he had to and would destroy that doubt, no matter how. He tapped on Patton’s cheek and made a funny face, which made his little boy smile.

“Well, for starters,” Remus said next, “I promised you to give you a soft bed in our home and goodnight stories and kisses every night. And that’s a lot easier now because I won’t have to ask JJ to give me a raise to buy a bed. And more importantly, me not wanting you? Very unlikely. So, so very unlikely. I mean who would turn down a kid, who is kind and brave like you? Who would turn down a kid who says hello to the most feared guard of Prince Roman? Who would turn down a kid who has broken into castle for snacks and to check on his friend? And who would turn down a kid who has taught a king how to clean a pan and how to use the public bathhouse?”

Remus pulled Patton into a hug. Patton’s tears sank into Remus’s shirt but he didn’t mind. He just held him and looked to Roman at the foot of the bed with a gentle pledge in his eyes to wait just a moment longer. He had to take care of his boy first.

“Oh Pat, how could I turn you down when you are the reason why I have stayed here? Because I planned on leaving the castle that day when we met. I planned on leaving all behind because it hurt so much that they didn’t remember me. Because of you I stayed. Because of you I got everything back and even more.”

Remus exchanged look with Logan. He nodded with tears in his eyes. Carefully, Remus pulled Patton back and ran his finger over his wet cheek, feeling himself tearing up.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got a son.”

And there the tear dropped.

“If you want to us to be your dads, of course.”

“I get both of you?!” Patton shouted excitedly and looked from Remus to Logan.

“We are kind of a package deal,” Logan said and pointed to his ring finger, “so yes. If you wish so we can become your parents.”

“Yes, please! And I don’t even have to make you become a couple!” Patton cried joyously and jumped around Logan’s neck who barely managed to catch him in time.

Remus shot Logan a pointed look but didn’t ask what that statement had been about. Soothingly Logan picked Patton up, explained to him that they had to let the physicians and nurses do their job and let them take care of Remus. Patton barely resisted. He had been hiding under Remus’s bed for a long while and it had exhausted him quite a bit. When Logan stood face to face with Janus, told him to stay with Remus while he would see what he needed to attend to, Patton had fallen asleep in his arms.

“You’re sure he’s not overworking himself?” Remus asked as he shifted in his bed.

After months of sleeping in a hard uncomfortable bed, his own matrass had felt foreign. But with Logan by his side, despite them not being able to cuddle, since Remus had still to heal quite a bit, things had been bearable.

Roman was sitting on the edge of his bed and rolled his eyes at Remus’s question as he said: “As if we would let him do that. I promise we won’t let him do anything too taxing. He's been with Pat for most of the time actually. I’ve done most of the work with Jan’s help.”

Remus pursed his lips and Roman sighed.

“It’s been a day since we remembered. You need to give him time. Jan feels like he’s failed you and you know what happened the last time his family ‘failed’.”

“I was a kid!” Remus grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Our parents had just died and I just wanted something to make sense. I know Jove hasn’t been responsible for any of this. He didn’t break his oath... Neither did Jan.”

Roman nodded and took his hand. Remus let him and watched Roman for a few minutes. They had spoken a bit after Logan had left but there were still many questions that needed to be addressed.

“They’ll ask at some point why I knew how to fight,” Remus began unusually subdued.

Roman shot him a glance. He shook his head.

“Don’t be like that. It was my idea, so I’ll take the blame. Mom didn’t want us to learn how to fight because of me, and you just had to follow through to not make me suspicious. But frankly, at this point I don’t even know if I can fall into a blood rage. I mean, I sat in our parents' blood and it didn’t happen.”

“True.”

“Still makes me a demon, I know. Don’t remind me.”

Remus snickered and slapped Roman’s arm.

“I didn’t even say anything, but I guess that happens with an identical twin...”

Roman mused over the next words for a while. He knew had gotten the better deal in the end. The younger brother. The spare. Being a demon had always frightened him but with Remus by his side everything had seemed easier. Janus helped him figuring his powers and strengths out and was also a pillar of support in his youth.

A deep inhale. Roman caught Remus’s eyes. He pressed his lips together and nodded.

“I think it’s time we tell them,” Roman finally said.

Remus sunk deeper into his pillow and grimaced. He had expected that Roman would want to take that step. They both had wanted to take that step for a long while but Janus had told them to hold back.

A thread of humour pulled at the corner of Remus’s mouth and he said: “I wanted to for a while. But now would be a good time. Especially since the curse was the Dragon Witch’s doing. It will be easier to explain to them why she did what she did to me. Still don’t know how Virgil hadn’t figured you out. Like, has he his eyes closed in the bedroom or does he have a fetish for blindfolds?”

“No, you dumbass! He thinks they’re tattoos!” Roman whined.

“Tattoos? That’s hilarious! How did he get that idea?”

“I don’t know man! He just assumed and it’s not like everyone knows what demon marks look like. It’s a fair guess from him. Don’t make fun of it!”

Remus continued to laugh as Roman whined and hit him once more in the arm. It didn’t do anything to stop Remus from teasing but at least Roman felt like he had at least tried to defend his partner’s honour. But after a while Remus finally had laughed his last laugh and the twins sat there in silence. There was another thing that was weighing down on Remus’s chest and he wasn’t sure how he should breach the topic.

“Pat will be in good hands. You’re just as good as dad was.”

Remus’s heart stopped beating. Roman looked at him fondly, like Remus never could.

“I’ve noticed when you came to protect me. You’ll do well. Pat’s lucky and so are we. Finally, his wish is going to be fulfilled; no more demons on the throne. With us this chapter will be finally over,” Roman said and laid his arm around Remus’s shoulder.

For the remaining time Roman stayed in Remus’s room, the brothers just held onto each other. It was scary for them to let go of their secret but at the same time both of them looked forward to it. They wanted to be seen. Wanted to be free of their past and somehow, through this tragedy they have gotten a chance they never could have dreamt of.

The war had officially been called off. King George had sent an official apology to Theana, promised a relief fund and had backed out of the alliance talks between the four kingdoms for the time being. In a letter directed at Remus and Logan he relied that Jean had been responsible for what had happened to Remus. He had fallen into madness and was beyond reason, which was why he had him removed from his position and thrown him into the dungeon. There was going to be a trial when they had more evidence for his treacherous alliance with the Dragon Witch. But if they wished they could weigh into the sentence, since they had been the most affected by his actions.

It had been Janus who responded to George’s letters. Remus was still resting for the week, and while he had read the letter, he did not feel up for making a decision over a life sentence. And while Logan was more than willing to speak a few words with the king they had decided together that they should give George a bit of rest as well. He had been a friend for a long time and while Jean was a terrible person, he was the remainder of George’s family and that was a hard truth to come back from.

And so, Janus had answered, that they thanked him for his information and offer but would for the time being hold off with a comment, since the royal couple was still recovering from the past months before they would decide on such a difficult topic.

But this was not the only thing which had kept Janus busy. He had to redo all of the warding symbols around the castle, had to answer messages from Scites and Kainen, had to keep the court in order, had to get the papers ready for Patton’s adoption. There was no time for him to sit around and chat. There was certainly no time to visit Remus now that he was supposed to be resting. Indeed, it was his duty to not disturb him to guarantee a quick recovery and-

“Hey JanJan.”

Janus jumped around. In a white nightgown stood Remus in front of him. Janus looked around, making sure that his head was not playing any tricks with his mind. But no, this was Remus standing behind him even though there was no way that he could have approached him from the direction he had been coming from.

“The secret passages pretty practical for getting around quickly. I found them when we were 10 or so. Dad said to keep them secret,” he explained a little sheepish and scratched the back of his neck.

Janus scoffed and wiped away some non existing dust from his sleeves. He would not give Remus the satisfaction of having startled him. Thank you very much.

“Come on! I didn't mean to startle you!”

“You should be in bed.”

Janus tried to turn around and walk away. Emphasis on tried. Despite everything Remus managed to close the distance between them and grabbed him by the arm. Viciously he charged towards him and lost all his vigour the second he saw his best friend’s sad look.

“Jan, please stop avoiding me!”

Angrily Janus pursed his lips and yanked his arm away from Remus’s grasp but didn’t attempt to flee anymore. He didn’t want to leave Remus. And so he stood and glanced up to Remus with and expectant look and a seemingly cold expression, Remus knew was as fake as the smile on Logan’s face when he had to listen and gossip with nobility over other nobles.

“I know it’s been a lot on you and I absolutely get that you are stressed but -” Remus voice cracked and he continued quietly – “I don’t wanna be without my best friend any longer! Ro ’s my heart, Lo ’s my lifeline but they’re nothing without you… I’m nothing without you. You’re my bestest friend, and I didn’t get the chance to talk with you about the fact that I’ll be a dad soon! A dad! And you’ll be an uncle and help me not spoil the cute little brat rotten and-”

A cracked whine cut Remus of and without thinking he pulled Janus in a hug. They quickly shuffled into Janus’s office and finally took the time to address what had been bothering them. Janus confessed his regret and shame of distrusting Remus and making him work so hard, even though it was his job to take care of him and protecting him. Remus listened and admitted that it had stung at first but he understood Janus’s dedication to his position and thanked him for keeping Logan safe during his absence. He thanked him for being there for him despite not knowing it was him and swore that he was not angry with him at all for doing his job.

And finally, Remus could tell somebody how much it hurt to be so close with all of them without being able to tell them who he was. He told how much it cost him to restrain himself, how much he hated every second of it, how Patton had been the only one to keep him from turning crazy. The longer he talked the more he marvelled over the boy and Janus found himself smiling at his adoration. It was the same passion and love he had seen in Aneas and Rhea’s parenting of the twins and Janus knew that Remus would do well as a father.

Eventually, Janus got reminded of the time and the two got to up for dinner. With sparkling eyes Logan greeted Remus and Patton tackled in a hug. Excitedly he told Remus that he and Daddy had gone to the physician and showed off the glasses he had been given. Remus smiled at every word and just waved at Roman and Virgil when they joined for dinner.

This felt like things had finally fallen into place.

That same evening Patton had convinced Remus that he should be allowed to sleep in ins dads’ bed this evening because it was a very special day. When Remus asked what was so special about today Patton had simply said: “It’s today and it’s only once today, and it’s also the fourth night that I have two dads and it’s very special to me!”

To that Remus had no objections and helped Patton get into his pyjamas and tucked him into their bed after he had gotten ready himself. Animatedly he told Patton a goodnight story and watched as he fell asleep despite his best efforts to stay awake.

A few moments passed and Remus heard the door to the bathroom opening and turned around. There was his Logan, in all his beauty. His long hair was hanging down to his midback for once, the dark blue nightgown falling gently down his sides. He was breathtakingly beautiful.

“You’re beautiful,” Remus whispered.

A smile broad and wobbly spread on Logan’s lips. With happy and big steps, he walked towards his husband and took him by the hands. Squeezed them and twirled the two of them in a circle before he stopped and kissed Remus on the forehead.

This was odd. Amazing but odd. Logan didn’t do sweet and mushy stuff usually.

“What is up, my bug? Just happy to see me?” Remus said with a suggestive lilt in his voice.

Logan snorted, pushed his glasses up and rubbed his eyes. Now Remus was beginning to worry and his found himself cupping Logan’s cheeks and quietly shooing his husband tears away. But Logan smiled and took Remus’s hand and pressed his palm against his lip. He kissed it gently and shook his head with a serene expression.

“I am more than happy, my star. What I am feeling is beyond words and beyond everything I could ever imagine, my love,” Logan said and guided Remus’s hands down to his waist.

Remus held him and looked at him with a worried frown but Logan kept on grinning.

“You brought us home a son. After five years we finally get to be parents. And of such a wonderful boy. Who would dare to wish for more?”

Remus relaxed and said in a breath: “Yeah, who would? It’s unbelievable.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Logan bit his lips. A teary laugh shook him.

“What if we’d be blessed with a second one after trying so long?”

Remus’s mind blanked. His eyes went wide and his hands tightened around Logan’s waist. He opened his mouth but the words escaped him.

To his luck his husband knew exactly what he wanted to ask.

“I had my suspicions when we got our memories back and today finally got to see my gynaecologist when I went to the court physician with Patton. And she said I’m along the 12th to 14th week. And that the baby seems to be okay so far.”

Had Remus been uninjured he would have lifted Logan from the ground and spun him around in circles. Instead, he kissed him. Kissed him deeply and passionately before they broke off with delirious laughs on their lips and pulled each other towards the bed. They sat down and looked to the sleeping Patton thinking about how he would hopefully be excited to be a big brother.

They looked into each other’s’ eyes for a moment, before Logan broke the eye contact and took Remus’s hand. Gently, he laid it on his belly. He wasn’t showing much yet. This was his first child and he didn’t gain too much weight over the last months but there had grown a little round line over the last two weeks and finally he had an answer to as why. A wonderful answer.

Logan watched Remus look at his middle in awe and then look back at him with this look of absolute and utter adoration. Logan could only hope that his own gaze reflected the same.

“You’re wonderful,” Remus whispered.

He leaned forwards and Logan met him in the middle, their foreheads touching lightly.

And Logan answered finally after so many days: “And you’re ridiculously breathtaking, my agent of chaos.”

___

Link for AO3, Taglist, Masterlist, and next Chapters are in my first reblog!  

[literaphobe]

season three of she-ra rated by catradora content

the price of power: adora talks about how she thinks the others at the horde can change too and when u think about it in the “at this point in the story, she still hoped catra would change” way it’s like wow :’) we knew that but wow :’) it sucks tho that in this scenario she’s actually wondering specifically if shadow weaver can change, which :/ hm :/ bc shadow weaver sucks. adora really fucking called her out on her abuse tho which is so sexy, and yes that has nothing to do with catradora i just felt like i really wanted to mention it at least <3 shadow weaver is a loserrrr <3 but.... she does mention “catra betrayed me” which makes adora do her “oh, catra?👀” eyebrow raise. i swear she cannot keep a straight fucking face whenever someone mentions catra. it’s like. are you lgbt or something? :/ 2/10

huntara: no catra this episode, but adora’s reaction to huntara will forever go down as one of her stupidest gay moments. u think catra knew super huge buff ladies were adora’s type? how fucking funny would it be if catra thought she never stood a chance with adora not because of the internalized homophobia shadow weaver instilled in them but simply because she thought she was not tall and buff enough for adora’s taste. “adora doesn’t want me!!!!! not like i want her..... because i’m not swole😔” 0/10

once upon a time in the waste: very funny and sexy of catra 2 be like. hm. i was sent here to die. i have completely given up on my hopes and dreams. oh wait what did you say? she-ra?😏 and she was blonde?👀 she’s got a sword?😩 she was angry?😽 her name is adora?👅 and all of a sudden catra is like nope existential crisis over. i’m gay again. and also evil again. that mix culminates in her giving a sexy monologue. did you know that if you’re gay and evil you will give very sexy monologues? and also sword lesbians will fall in love with you despite your questionable morals? anyway, catra takes over the whole of the crimson waste. i won’t discuss how since technically it doesn’t involve catradora but it was really hot okay😔 also adora was being really hot and powerful and fearless (she did not even flinch as bats flew in her face. hello?) and Angery this ep but i will also not get into it😩 i will however remark upon how both catra and adora low key had meltdown monologues this ep, and it is :( but also hot and cool of them. now, i will move onto when they meet <3 catra starts slow clapping as her goons creep onto mara’s ship and poison dart the best friend squad. they only send three darts flying and the last one is blocked by huntara. we have to assume that catra only ordered her team to send three darts for huntara, bow, and glimmer, leaving adora for last because catra has to greet her with, and let’s say it all together—“hey, adora😼”. adora tries to make a run for her sword but catra uses her new sexy cool whip to take it away. “i think this might be the quickest i ever won a fight. always so dramatic with you, isn’t it, adora?” adora tells huntara to save bow and glimmer first, leaving adora as catra’s only prisoner. 👀👀👀👀 soon after, everyone is celebrating, and catra sits in the big chair on mara’s ship like it’s a throne, casually draped over with adora’s sword in her hand, the long blade just resting between her legs. and. hooooooooooooooo boooooooooooooiiiiii. let me just. let me just have a second over here okay folks? this is all very hard for my sexuality to take. i don’t think u all realize how hard it is to make these evaluations. every day i have a breakdown over how hot one of them is. it’s one thing to just watch the show but every time something gay happens (so like, every five seconds) i gotta pause it and take notes (by take notes i really mean start ranting about it like this) and then i gotta like rewind it and shit to double check and i have to force myself to just be repeatedly subjected to the gayness. starting to get a little homophobic tbh! okay back to the show. catra is so fucking sweet and makes everyone cheer scorpia on too. she breaks out into this beautiful giggle. oh my god her laugh. bitches falling for this catgirl left and right smh. catra grabs scorpia’s claw and drags her away from the party. we also find out this is when catra learns about what a party is. remember how adora didn’t know what a party was either? :( damn. they deserve to have absolute ragers ok. catra starts talking about how valued and cool she will be when they go back and show hordak the sword, etc, and scorpia is like. but what if we didn’t do that. what if we just stayed here and had a gay life. a good honest gay life filled with sick parties and gang leading. and catra is like oh right.... u have a point..... i do hate the horde...... wonder why that is.... and then scorpia makes a fatal mistake. she says “forget adora!” which is about the dumbest thing you can tell a self destructive catgirl who’s been in love with adora her whole life but also kinda resents her atm. and catra is like perhaps i don’t want to forget adora. did u consider that scorpia? did you not think about how i crave her lips upon my mouth every night? fuck u im gonna go uh... find adora n maybe tie her up even more idk >:( catra goes to “check on the prisoner”, according to her own words. what does that mean, catra. like what. ur gonna go see if adora wants some tea? something 2 eat?👅 someone to kiss? Fkskdjdjdj adora is obviously struggling against her restraints and trying to break free, and the second she sees her she goes “catra, you can’t do this! >:(“ and catra is like “well, hello to you, too.” because MANNERS, adora, like god damn it catra always puts in the tender loving care and effort to greet you and you can’t even say hello? :( catra dismisses the goon who was previously guarding adora, because when you.... talk to your..... best friend turned enemy who’s now your prisoner. ur gonna want some privacy ya know😌😩👀😔 anyway catra is like ok.... once again.... y can’t i do this. and adora is like more horde army might come in!!! which. adora baby i love you but maybe don’t make that the thesis statement of your sales pitch? to the person who was second in command at the horde?? not to nitpick but if i were u i would’ve just said “noooooo don’t open a portal that might destroy reality ur so sexy ahaha” OR “if u give me back my sword and decide NOT to rip apart the fabric of this dimension i’ll kiss you on the mouth❤️” i know that u think ur feelings are one sided and that catra isn’t in love with you and that you can’t seduce her to the bright side💔 but u actually could have 💔 fkdkdjdjdj moving on.... catra says “never a dull moment with you❤️” which is weirdly so romantic. like yeah they’re enemies but catra gets bored when adora isn’t around. life is always exciting when adora is there, in catra’s eyes :’( like damn bitch if you like her so much why don’t you just marry her haha. please? <3 adora continues to explain that we will ALL lose if hordak opens a portal, light hope and mara said that opening a portal will endanger everyone!! and catra says the funniest thing. “you’ll listen to anything weird old holograms tell you, won’t you? you should really try to get over that. :/“ LFKDKFKDKFKFKFJ GIRL YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING THIS FUNNY. but then adora says the wrong thing :( she brought up you know who and said “shadow weaver told me” and catra.... :( she’s like. how did. she tell you. and adora’s voice goes soft and it’s like “you didn’t know?” because from what she knows catra is allegedly the one who betrayed shadow weaver, not the other way around. and catra grabs adora by the collar and pulls her in and adora gets this gasp and. let me just scream for five minutes. okay. i’m back. so. catra pulls her in and she’s like HOW. and adora just very slowly and cautiously tells her the truth. that shadow weaver is in bright moon. and :( catra :( she lets go of adora and comes to this. very destructive realization that shadow weaver “left her” for adora and that all the pain she’s felt is all Because Of Adora. that, just by being adora, everything, all the happiness that catra could have had, has been taken away. which she is wrong about but that’s what she thinks :( and adora realizes that this is. not good. and she gently goes “catra?” because the look on her face must be worrying to adora, and catra starts to walk away and adora desperately calls out to her. “catra, please, you have to listen!” but...... it’s too late :( and catra is enveloped by the darkness. 9/10 for the collar grabbing shit and just the inherent gayness of their connection and interactions but also this is all so sad bros :( my bros are all devastated

moment of truth: catra walks back into the horde with her arm around adora’s shoulder. hm! Hm! HM! really doesn’t feel like she needs to do that! but she’s doing it anyway! later on, entrapta and adora are alone and talking. “catra would say anything to get whatever she wants.” true, but also not true, adora. she wants to be your gf, but has she said anything about it? no :/ that’s in like 2 seasons. and you were literally about to die so she low key had nothing to gain. so :/ think carefully next time. fjsjfjsjdjdjd entrapta pulls out the funniest cutest bar graphs of data, and there’s like four categories and for some reason catra has low scores for the first three but a really high score for the last one? i desperately want to know what that is. adora says “look, i understand. catra was my friend, too.” and she casts her eyes to the side when she says this. as if.... that statement is a lot more loaded than it seems. because yes catra was adora’s friend. but also wasn’t she, at the same time, so much more than that? yes <3 it was because they were best friends <3 gal pals <3 “but she makes bad decisions. this is one of them.” :( yeah i mean what am i supposed to do. disagree with that? it’s so wild to think about how even through all of this adora never hated catra. arguably, she never stopped loving her either. which. sigh😔 pour one out boys we are yearning tonight! entrapta leaves the room, asking adora if she’ll try to escape. and adora is like “no?👀” which is irrelevant but also really funny. another irrelevant thing i want to bring up is catra when she’s losing in a fight against shadow weaver. “so, what? you’re on the side of good now? you made me this way, and you get to be the good guy?” bro. fucking.... bro. catra’s lines istg.... also her being able to take on gang leaders and princesses and take those people down easily but to lose so quickly to shadow weaver... y’all know what that is right :( sigh. wait. i’m not done let’s sit very sadly on this next line for a bit. “do you know what happened to me after you escaped? do you even care?” i’m gonna cry okay. right. back to catradora. catra is. really unhinged and devastated and destructive right now :( and so she marches into entrapta’s lab and demands that they fire up the portal machine. entrapta says they can’t, because “adora was right” and immediately that sets catra off. she gives this barely restrained chuckle and is like “adora is right.....” and she’s just. having a full on breakdown. she’s just filled with so much anger and resentment.... i can’t even joke and call it a hate boner man, and that sucks because i would love to call it a hate boner :( “adora gets EVERYTHING she wants” no catra, you are wrong. she wants you. she does not have you. case closed. adora has literally only truly wanted one thing in her life, and she does not have it because you won’t give it to her 😔 in conclusion, adora p much never gets what she wants :( why don’t you go over and hug her and then maybe you’ll calm down. i know it’s more complicated than that but still😔 anyway, catra is very determined to not let adora win, so in order to beat adora, she decides they have to open the portal no matter what, because that’s the one thing adora seems to not want right now. some very not chill stuff happens, and catra runs into hordak’s lab and demands that he opens the portal. she lies to hordak and says “oh you can’t trust anyone, especially a PRINCESS” and she turns over to glare pointedly at adora. which is. SUCH a bitter ex thing to do. “they’ll just use you to get what they want” CATRA SHE LOVES YOU :( SHES IN LOVE WITH YOU SHE ONLY EVER WANTED TO BE WITH YOU :( and also she was raised to think she only had worth if she did what others expected of her and that everyone’s happiness and safety was somehow her responsibility. and that it would be better for her to die than for others to get hurt. she was never trying to use you :( you were the only thing that ever made her selfish :( bow, glimmer, and shadow weaver run in and fight with hordak and catra, and catra realizes she has to pull the lever now or it’ll be too late. adora desperately yells “catra, please, don’t!” and catra looks at her for a last time, evil smirking before she does it. roll credits. 8.5/10

remember: oh, we’re really in it now huh :( we hear the last lines from catra and adora from the last episode, and i think this is a part of adora’s dream. she is woken up by catra gently saying her name <3 then by catra a little bit angrily saying her name fjsjdjdjd adora wakes up with a shock and catra is sitting on top of her. HHHHHH. okay. adora shoves catra off and catra is like ???? damn what usually u pull me closer and hug me when i wake u up😔😔 wtf. but catra grabs adora’s wrists to calm her down anyway and gives her this pretty reassuring look, and she jokes “heh, since when do you sleep in? u usually wake up early to flirt with me!” as we all know adora gets nightmares even from her days in the horde so catra just treats this as normal and tries to make adora feel better as usual. ground her and say lighthearted things to make adora remember that she is safe. i mean technically the universe is collapsing in on itself rn so making adora feel safe isn’t the Best thing to do but catra also thinks the fake reality IS reality atm so that’s not her fault <3 adora is confused about how she got “here” and catra finds this strange because adora is in her room! she has her own room now, because she’s force captain! which makes u wonder whether catra and adora would sleep in the same bed if adora was force captain. would catra creep in and sleep in her bed still? would they lock the door and cuddle? oh well! guess we’ll never know! they... are so soft here, just smiling at each other, catra worried about adora, adora smiling back and deciding to just dismiss what happened as a weird dream. “there was something i needed to fix...” “of course you dream about work. there’s nothing to fix adora. everything’s perfect.” hhhh i know everyone in the fake reality thinks Everything’s Perfect too but can we just be gay for a second and think about how a perfect life for catra is just... to be with adora. can we just chomp down on that meaty thought for a sec? :( ok anyway, catra puts her hand on adora’s shoulder and adora smiles and is like wow ur right :) this does feel pretty perfect i mean catra and i are in bed together what could be so wrong💞😜😘👅😎😩 catra pulls adora up to her feet and says “come on, get up” and adora is perfectly happy to just chase after catra. it’s so fucking unfortunate tho that she decides at the last second to pick her ugly ass jacket up. like baby, no. u look perfectly hot as is in that white top. but she needs the jacket to see her force captain badge so she can get Visions or whatever. like goddamn i know the world was collapsing in on itself but imagine if shadow weaver had never been like abusive and the horde was just some chill ass ugly hangout spot instead of a fascist regime. catra and adora really could’ve just been happy huh? :( anyway catra gets kinda annoyed that her gf is not chasing after her any more and instead putting on her ugly ass jacket and looking at it in the mirror. so she’s like “adora! :(“ and adora goes running. she always comes when catra calls for her😌😌😌😌 and then the opening credits play, giving me whiplash. wow that was such a gay fucking cold open. adora walks side by side with catra and is a little weirded out by all the people saluting her and shit. and she’s like lmao wtf what are they all looking at and catra is like u u beautiful idiot. ur hot, and also the invasion of thaymor that u led went perfectly❤️ ur the hero of the hour i’m so proud of you babe❤️ catra is just a proud happy gf who smiles so beautifully and adora is getting more Visions and Flashbacks. but catra is so hot when she’s proud of her that adora decides that she’s gonna be like YEAH OMG I DID THAT WAR CRIME RIGHTS <3 and salutes people like a fucking idiot. and catra does the whole flirty “oh please, you couldn’t have done it without me ;)” bit and wraps her gay arm around gay adora who looks like she’s in heaven, hilariously pushing adora down a bit because catra is SHORT FJSJDJDJD and adora is like “rightttt ;) what would i ever do without you ;)” and man to be a horde soldier witnessing their flirting. i would start yelling slurs at them immediately. adora elbows catra with her arm and they both laugh, but the force causes catra to bump into a horde soldier. and the soldier makes the fatal mistake of reacting normally and being like HEY WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING TWERP and catra is not amused. adora puts her hands on her hips, glaring at the soldier, and he immediately gets so fucking scared. and the soldier is like UHUHUH FORCE CAPTAIN I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE— I’M SO SORRY. didn’t know she was what? DIDN’T KNOW SHE WAS WHAT???? gay????? banging this angry catgirl????? in the middle of flirting with her??????? WHAT DOES IT MEAN. what does it ALL mean?????? and adora is just like YEAH U BETTER BE >:( disMISSED >:( like fucking WHAT?????? yeah how dare u get mad at my gf for bumping into you. it is YOUR fault for existing while we were roughhousing as part of a very intricate ritual. u ruined the FLOW of our flirting u jackass. u fucking bitch. now we gotta start all over again :( and then like the soldier leaves while v terrified and keeps bowing at them and catra and adora just bursts out laughing at each other. they’re that lesbian couple who will bully u in school and feel zero remorse for it. that is so fucking sexy. i wish that were me. catra proceeds to make fun of the soldier she bumped into and didn’t even apologize to all “oh, force captain, don’t hurt me! UHAHASHUAH” and adora plays along with the re-enactment by posing and acting tough. catra really do be flexing her privilege as gf of everyone’s boss huh. she’s that secretary who WILL spit in your coffee and kick you in the shin all because the CEO is in love with her and they’re like slamming ass. catra is like. just straight up rubbing it in everyone’s faces that she’s untouchable because adora is in love with her. that’s just. that’s just greaaat. they both start laughing again at their own jokes. and yeah they’re both pretty funny people but like ok lesbians. have fun being happy or whatever. catra is like “too good” and adora is like hehehe baby!!!! where are we going again and catra is like to the locker room!! there’s something i wanna show you😘😘😘 because you know they’re in love. them just walking down a corridor together feels like a straight up date. adora thinks they’re taking The Long Way instead of this shortcut she knows with a side door but that door is gone and suddenly this throws Doubt again. and i guess that door got swallowed up by the reality-collapsing portal but damn adora :/ what’s wrong with taking the long way? :/ too good to spend some quality time w ur gf? :/ JFJSJDJ anyway catra is like what? no this way is the right way :) the scene can be read as cute gfs who argue about directions even tho it’s just a walk to the locker room ❤️ i wouldn’t say it’s the right way to read the scene bc the point is that parts of reality as adora knows it is disappearing but shhh. i am gay <3 catra immediately starts worrying about adora again and she’s like DO U HAVE A CONCUSSION :( and like grabs adora’s face which is so cute. she also accidentally shoves adora towards her chest so adora has No Choice but to stare :) good for you adora “i know you get hit on the head a lot” JFKSKDKSJDJD man but catra gf goals tho :( get u a girl who will check if u have a concussion because you get hit on the head a lot, most of it accidents 😩😩😩 “but i figured your dumb little hair poof would cushion the blow” HDHJSSHAHSHSHSH GET YOU A GIRLFRIEND WHO WILL LOVE YOU EVEN THO UR HAIR POOF IS DUMB😳😳😳 adora is a tiny bit >:( about being roasted for her hair choices and also a bit >:) because catra touched her and she’s like LMAOOO IM ALL CHILL M8 😩👌🏻💅🏻😎 “don’t make me kick your butt” as she shoves catra. wow adora! watch where you’re putting your hands! jk i know i know :) you simply have no choice because the only place to shove someone is to push their tiddies :) i understand and approve :) catra responds to adora’s threats with “pft ;) as if you could” which is just yet another invitation for them to “fight” :). u know how i feel about catradora and their roughhousing? it’s like. u know how people talk about men fighting each other as an excuse to touch? i feel like catradora said yeah that’s ours now. and they’re right. it’s theirs. they literally. they fucking giggle and shit as they start shoving and hitting each other all the way to the locker room. and lonnie is like SURPRISE and adora’s reaction is so funny she legit looks like she got mad p*ssy blocked and she’s like the FUCK. and catra isn’t as mad bc she kind of like planned this cute like i love you adora❤️ surprise party. because it’s a surprise party! for adora! adora is like damn whats this?? grey ration bar cake w my face drawn on it? also from the looks of the drawing i feel like catra definitely drew it. isn’t that so fucking cute. adora hugs lonnie (yay) and kyle (what the fuck gross???) and she’s like u guys 😩😩😩u got the gray kind.... that’s way better than the brown kind.... lonnie is like “hey, it was catra’s idea!” implying that catra definitely specifically told them to make the cake out of the gray ration bars, not the brown ones. and adora. let’s all take a deep breath. she goes. “oh yeah? ;)” in the most. insufferably flirty way ever. like in that Wow This Was All You Huh ;) way, with her stupid hands on her stupid hips giving catra this 😏😏😏😏😏😏 look. and catra is like ;) casually leaning against the wall, her arms all crossed. it is interesting to note that adora keeps putting her hands on her hips and catra keeps crossing her arms. i think that’s really cute. catra says “eh, whatever, don’t make a big deal about it” but it is a big deal catra. u don’t just plan cute surprise parties for anyone. and the fact that this is YOU we’re talking about? for catra planning a thoughtful surprise party catered to adora’s tastes all because she’s proud of her accomplishments..... is on par with proposing marriage. adora won’t let catra live this down tho. “wow, i can’t believe you like me ;) that is so embarrassing for you!” and she grabs catra for head scratches. catra giggles and pushes against adora saying “stop it😳😳(no don’t stop bro don’t stop😩😩) get off 🙄🙄 (wait actually don’t get off😩😩) this is not 😡 because i like you😳😳(it’s because i love you💞)” and she shoves adora off only to IMMEDIATELY pounce on adora, making adora laugh so fucking happily. kyle is secretly a lesbophobe tho so when he sees this gay display he’s like WUUUUOHOH I DROP CAKE :( and we get this VERY quick frame of catra and adora with their fingers interlocked before they pull apart at the crash and look at kyle. that is so fucking rude of u kyle. we could’ve gotten a few more seconds of catra and adora interlacing their fingers but NO. fuck u. thankfully, the euphoria of being gay is still burning strong for catra and adora, so they laugh happily instead of beating the shit out of kyle. how sweet <3 adora sees the word MARA in one of the cake pieces, and she’s very thrown off right before catra holds her shoulder and is like “hang on, you got something right... THERE!” and she like throws grey bar sludge into adora’s face ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 u know? how you pal around with your gals? adora rubs the grey cake stuff off her face, and then.... ugh i don’t even wanna say her name. we were all having such a good gay time :( [redacted] walks in and tells adora to get off the floor, and tells catra to get herself cleaned up. and [redacted] tells adora to come with her. adora gazes gayly upon catra’s face who gives her a reassuring smile that tells adora she’s okay, so adora runs along. catra looks lovingly at adora while she walks away. shadow weaver praises adora’s successful war crime and adora is like i couldn’t have done it without the others aka catra <3 and in this fake reality she succeeded in persuading shadow weaver to let catra come with her! adora goes to the force captain briefing and gets roasted by scorpia because scorpia is still like. jealous of adora because you know..... you know how you hate the person your crush is in love with? yeah <3 adora freaks out because the universe is falling apart and she keeps getting visions from her real life. and then catra appears, and all the weirdness stops for a moment. i think it is so interesting how the world starts falling apart faster when catra isn’t there, but when catra is there things in the fake reality start to look and feel a little more normal. it’s like.... catra and adora’s connection is so strong that when they’re together... they can stabilize the collapse of a reality. just for a little while. just to have a little more time together. their gay levels are THAT strong. they’re like level 5000 lesbians. and they just keep leveling up as the show goes on which is why by s5 they can defeat an intergalactic conquerer just by making out LMAOOOOO anyway. catra is very worried about her wife. she’s all “adora, what is wrong?” yeah she’s so worried she doesn’t even use a contraction. adora takes out the slip of paper and shows it to catra. “did you write this?????” and catra looks at it and is like “did i write a blank piece of paper? i’m gonna go with no.” which. KFKDKFKDKFKDKFFJ BROOOO WHY IS THAT SO FUNNY. it’s like not supposed to be funny because adora is having a meltdown but it’s so fucking funny i—moving on. adora starts properly freaking out and catra is like hey :( u ok omg :( calm down :( and she puts her hand on adora’s shoulder but adora swats it away like I CAN’T CALM DOWN :( and she starts rambling and referencing stuff that happened and this vision of catra betraying adora in promise shows up (i think it’s catra’s memory?????) and catra slaps adora. which. HEY :( but also it’s like very funny. and adora is like ow :( what was that? :( and catra is like sowwy!!!! :( u were freaking out!!!! and it was freaking me out!!!!! :( and adora is like well u didn’t have to Slap Me :(((((( and is like why would my evil catgirl gf do this. have i not loved her enough :( is this the thanks i get for loving her with my entire heart :( and catra grabs her arm and is like come on!!!! let’s get you outside!!!! you need some air :) and oh. oh man. oh to have my hand/arm lovingly held by a girl as she giggles and excitedly drags me somewhere. the fucking dream. adora protests against getting air which (??????) u don’t want air? but u need air? to breathe? i know adora is just trying to say she doesn’t need to like go to her and catra’s secret place at the highest edge of the horde but then oh guess what? she’s there with catra. and adora is like how did we get here.... and catra looks depressed because her gf is losing it and that’s so sad 😔 she’s like how did we get here? we climbed up :( like we always do :( or am i the only one who remembers that :( and adora is like idk what’s happening to me :( it’s like i’m losing my mind..... and catra is like you just need to relax <3 by hanging out with me <3 and adora is like ur probs right :( am fine :( everything fine :( and she gets this glimpse of catra and catra smiling evilly at her but catra gets up and is like huh! ofc im right! Everything’s Perfect! soon, the two of us are gonna be ruling etheria together, just like we always planned 😺😸😹😻😼😽😾🙀 and quietly, adora goes “is that what you really want? to rule the world?” and catra gets this UHHHHH look akin to when someone asks u “hey, do you like apples? or are you just gay for me?” and you gotta awkwardly answer “what.... nooooo..... i’m not gay i fucking love apples” and so catra gets the exact face that expresses this sentiment and she’s like “i mean, yeah, obviously. isn’t that what you want too?” and it’s like UGHHHH because clearly neither of them want to rule the world! ruling the world was just an excuse for catra to be with adora, and when adora inevitably says “hey maybe we shouldn’t rule the world” catra will take it to mean “i don’t want to be with you” instead of “ruling the world is bad” and it’s just. it really tears me the fuck up bros! when catra says don’t you want to rule the world too? she really means don’t you want to be with me? and it’s just. HHHHHHHHH. i can NOT. i have had it up to HERE. adora says “i don’t know (re ruling the world lmao i went on a tangent earlier)” and catra is like “don’t flake out on me now!” like ruling the world is meeting up for lunch and suddenly adora texted at 11:30 am that she’s not really feeling up to it today :/ “this is what we always wanted”, catra continues to say, and we all know that “this” is..... the freedom to be with each other, without everything else getting in the way. “everything will be perfect as long as we stay together”. and she is right about that. but also catra’s current definition of them “staying together” isn’t right. adora and catra were always supposed to meet halfway. they will both have to grow to do that. but let’s not get 2 deep😩 i am here to have meltdowns and make gay jokes only😌 and then adora says “what if we don’t stay together? what if it all goes wrong?” which is like. damn that’s the show right there KFKSJDJSJDJ and adora sees lightning again and she gets upset because why can’t catra see the reality-cracking lightning too!!!! why can’t catra see the light!!!!! why can’t she see that she should be doing good things and not evil things!!!!! why can’t she see that she should be coming with me, running away with me, being with me in a place that’s safe!!!!! and catra grabs her hand and is like “adora!!! stay with me, okay? :( you’re just seeing things. it’s all in your head” and it is all so terribly tragic and sad. ah, the age old argument. come with me, stay with me. i will be whispering this in decades’ time, spreading gay tales to my loved ones. after this, lonnie is calling for adora and catra. “thought we’d find you up there” FJSJDJSJDJD the way it’s just like an open secret that catra and adora are gay and have a gay hangout spot where they do gay things. incredible. adora finds out an entire week has passed all of a sudden and she grips her head in frustration and catra is like adora? :( and holds her in concern. and adora is like ranting about how there’s something wrong with space and time!! and catra is just freaked out and begging her to stop because adora please! please stop finding the destruction of reality weird and hold my hand! i haven’t been happy since the day you left! and.... hoo okay sadness. catra’s holding her arm and adora’s like we’re not supposed to be here!!! catra holds her upper arms and goes “adora, everything’s okay!” and adora snaps and tells her to stop saying that! because this isn’t right! because she will lose everything, including catra, if she does not fix this. “everyone keeps telling me everything is perfect but it’s not! everyone except... scorpia” so she runs away to find her and catra is like adora!!! adora, where are you going? please don’t go. don’t go where i can’t follow😔😔 but adora is gone. we get this whole thing with scorpia and adora and adora is straight up just so petty. about scorpia hating her. which mood because i want everyone to like me. all the time. but also adora in scorpia’s defense she has a crush on a certain catgirl who will Not Shut Up about you :/ adora gets flashbacks about catra and realizes that the girl she’s been inappropriately touching for the past.... day? is the one who did the thing that is destroying reality❤️ LMAOOOOO this would be like... hm actually not many situations available to describe this. except. have you been flirting with the thing that’s been trying to kill us? have you been in love with the thing that’s been trying to kill us? yeah stuff like that <3 “catra did this. she captured me, she took... the sword. she activated the portal!” LFKSKDKSKDKDK you know what? this would be 58384848484 times funnier if they had canonically banged during the fake reality before adora realized the world as they all knew it was about to end <3 and you know what? they did bone. but it was cut for time <3 KFKDKDKDK JKJK god i need to like shut up for once in my life. but if i did that, these evaluations which no one asked for would not exist❤️ adora loses scorpia and razz (temporarily) and lonnie and she finds catra again! even tho she now remembers that catra kidnapped her and took her sword and used it for the portal and activated her portal.... she immediately grabs catra and pulls her along with her. despite knowing all that..... for the moment she is acting on instinct and doesn’t care. she just wants to keep catra with her and keep catra safe because the portal is swallowing up so many people and she cannot lose catra. adora drags her to this weapons closet that closes behind them and catra, instead of kissing her in this enclosed space (WIMP), shakes her and is like hey! you’ve officially lost it, haven’t you? and adora is like listen, we have to go. now! scorpia, lonnie, kyle, rogelio, they’re all gone! but catra is like what are you talking about? who’s gone? and adora’s all they’re gone. there’s nothing left. and we’ll be next if we don’t get out of here right now. and she’s so firm about it putting her entire foot down because No. not catra. she Cannot lose her. but catra is so stuck in wanting some part of all this to be real that she’s arguing with adora that she’s not making sense and Everything Is Fine. and adora goes “don’t say it’s Perfect. i know it’s not perfect and so do you!” because... she just knows catra that well. and she knows catra is smart enough to see what’s going on if scorpia did that too. catra’s choosing to repress it all, but adora’s words snap catra into memory for a moment, and she remembers it, maybe even remembers it all, and i think.... it all just hurts too much and she’d rather not be in that reality so she acts like she doesn’t know a thing and tells adora she’s not going anywhere. frustrated because she can’t convince catra, adora picks up one of the stun barons and... tases catra KFKSKDKDKDKSKDK and i can’t help but think of when catra tased adora back in sword part 2 (1x02) and man that is not good but also so funny that they’ve both tased each other. there’s this desperation there in both instances that we should definitely not romanticize at all but they just. deep down they will just do close to anything to keep the other with them. and it is messed up! and i’m glad that a little ways down the road they unlearn this but also.... wow. adora catches catra tenderly in her arms as she slumps against her, literally fucking BRIDAL CARRYING catra out and running away from the crumbling horde. literally IMAGINE IF LIKE. catra did not wake up and fight with adora. imagine if catra had stayed passed out longer and adora had fixed the portal without anyone getting left behind. and catra was still unconscious and she like walks out of the portal back into where they all were with catra in her arms like that. just like hey i fixed the portal :) all of us nearly died and it was kind of partially this catgirl’s fault but i’m like low key desperately in love with her so can we keep her? lmao :-) anyway. adora steals a skiff again (lmao first ep throw back! remember their date) and flies her and catra out of the crumbling world. catra wakes up, watching adora’s determined face as she flies them out and catra’s like WAIT WTF DIDN’T U TASE ME and is like hypocritically fighting adora trying to grab the stun baton. bad idea! adora’s DRIVING you don’t attack the driver!! but catra does not often make good decisions </3 the skiff crashes and they both fall off. they get up, look at each other angrily and run after the stun baton. catra grabs it first but adora hits it out of her hand and grapples catra who continues to keep reaching for the weapon. “catra, you can’t. we need to get as far from the fright zone as possible or we’ll be completely erased along with everything else.” “you think you can convince me by kidnapping me?” well no but goddamn the world is COLLAPSING catra PLEASE :( also is the power of love not enough? catra she loves you she’s in love with you she would pull you from the depths of hell even if you threw everyone in there in the first place!!!!!! that’s how deep this runs because that’s not even a metaphor adora has identified you as the main party who brought upon this reality ripping portal and still!!! she wants you saved. is that not fucking hot? :/ is that not sexy enough for you? :/ KFKSKDKSKDK jkjk okay catra continues with “what is wrong with you?!” and throws adora over her shoulder. not to like. ruin a very heated and serious moment in the show. but catra throwing adora like it’s nothing is like... very strong..... and when you remember how adora likes strong girls........ KFKDKDKDKDKDKDJ adora b like ow that hurts 😔 u free next friday? 😳 catra goes up to the stun baton again and adora kicks it away. “i won’t leave you behind again.” “why can’t you just stay? we have everything we ever wanted.” BITCH THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING IN ON ITSELF. THERE’S A PORTAL EATING UP REALITY. STAY WHERE? “it’s not real, catra.” YES. save the world first, and then after this you can play rock paper scissors and the loser will go with the winner❤️ wouldn’t it be so funny if they did that. if they decided to leave it up to chance. if adora was like well the horde is evil but if you beat me in rock paper scissors i guess i will follow you wherever you go. and then they like fix the portal and everyone is like yay hey adora lets go back to bright moon! and she’s like yeah uh i gotta hash out this situation with my gf real quick uh just a little heads up i might be bringing the horde’s best strategist and leader over to our side OR i might be fighting for the bad people again :/ so wish me luck and everyone just had to stand there and watch as adora and catra held their hands out and went ROCK PAPER SCISSORS SHOOT anyway. “as much as i wish that things could be simple the way they used to be, there’s no going back.” and she holds catra gently and in many ways i think she’s sort of acknowledging that she really, really just wants that light hearted playful dynamic with catra back. they both just experienced it again. they both just threw themselves back into it again. and adora really wants to be happy with catra, she would stay with catra if she could, but she has overwhelming responsibilities and an overwhelming sense of responsibility that was instilled in her from a young age. and she thinks she shouldn’t get to choose her happiness, to put herself first. also like. THE HORDE IS EVIL DJSJDJSNDNSJS like. that’s a really important part too. it’s kind of hard for catra to distinguish that though because she’s had very. evil things done to her all her life. and she held on for so long because she thought adora would always be there with her but then adora walks away and makes it seem like. it could have been that easy. but it can’t have been that easy because if it was so easy why did catra have to suffer so much for? also adora didn’t run away to save catra. she had this destiny thrust upon her, and she chose to leave the horde before inviting catra along, which is not wrong of her at all, but it inevitably made catra feel like an afterthought. and now... things are kind of damaged. and catra just wants to run if adora won’t stay, so she shoves adora and takes off and adora lunges after her, tackling her, and adora decides to confront catra about the big elephant in the room, the thing she’s not said a thing about to catra until now when they’re fighting because she was so desperate to save catra before. “why did you do it?” “i don’t know what you’re talking about!” which is a lie but now that she really gets to see the consequences of her rage and anguish filled actions, i don’t think catra can properly explain it either. she was just so angry and she had built this narrative in her head that it was adora’s fault, and so she just wanted to do everything that adora didn’t want her to do. except u failed catra😔 adora wants you to love her and you do, you do love her😔 oopsie😔 you just don’t show it in healthy ways most of the time because your relationship is fraught with tragedy and abusive upbringings💔 adora gives up questioning catra for the moment because “there’s no time. we have to go.” catra grunts as adora’s childhood promise plays in her mind and it is overlaid with the adora of the present telling her “i promise, everything will be okay if we just stay together.” and goddamn adora really means it. she’s literally willing to patch everything up together even after everything if catra will just Decide right here, right now, to go with her. right then, the memory of adora first asking catra to come with her plays and adora is asking her, “help me fix this, please, this can’t be what you wanted” because adora knows! she knows how caught up catra was, in her pain and anger and desperation to win, to overcome all the times she lost growing up. she believed that catra, with her loving heart that saved adora everyday they knew each other growing up, could not have wanted to erase all of reality. to erase what they had. but just because adora knows that doesn’t mean catra does. all the rage and pain and resentment that led to her opening the portal, it is still there, and it is still affecting her judgement in a bad way, and by reminding her that she cannot just repress it all, that she cannot just play pretend with adora until their time is up,,,, this leads her to lash out again :( :( :( “don’t you get it? i am never going to go with you.” i wanna be like sad but also this bitch straight up LYING remember that other time she said “don’t you get it?” remember what came after that? so maybe catra in this moment is too angry and consumed by self hatred, too proud to admit she wants adora when she thinks adora doesn’t want her the way she wants her.... but “never”? lmaooooo ok :/ catra evil gay laughs and goes “you always have to go and ruin it, don’t you?” ruin what???? the illusion????? the pretenses you work so hard to keep to cover up how deep the feelings you both have run??? catra lunges for adora and fights with her, scratching and missing because adora is dodging and catra’s heart is too.... sigh..... she’s too fucking gay to really bring it ok? no matter how angry she is she still loves adora too much to give it her best. adora doesn’t fight back, mostly defending and pushing catra away. “catra, look what’s happening. you’re going to destroy everything!” catra stomped on her heart and she still wants to Convince her, which is really sad, for now, for both of them. and catra goes feral and is like “i don’t care! i won’t let you win. i’d rather see the whole world end than let that happen.” :( bro? this song is so sad. can we change it? sigh. catra is too far gone at the moment. everything, even the slightest concession to adora, even at the expense of existence, is like admitting defeat to catra. and when catra says she’d rather see the whole world end than let adora win, she’s also saying she’d let herself... die. and that is just so sad. bro who gave season three the right. like... i am so exhausted. i am just trying to call some bitches out for being gay, i did not sign up for all this pain. i am so exhausted. this episode is twenty odd minutes or so. you know how many hours i’ve spent writing this? it’s not anyone’s fault but mine for being extra, but man i am so tired. i love seeing catradora interact, but god, at what cost? the portal rips up the ground between them, and catra grabs at adora, clutching onto her badge. i cannot tell if she was just trying to take it off or she wanted to grab adora and pull her close too. “catra, no!” adora grabs catra’s wrist but the badge falls off and catra falls too. “catra!” catra is on some rock in the falling heap, and adora reaches for her but she’s too far away. still, she keeps her hand outstretched. but catra, who’s hanging on by a rock at this point, gives her this look of... almost helplessness. that then hardens into resentment and anger and she just. lets go. and adora, who has tears in her eyes, is just. she absolutely crumbles here. and she runs a good distance away and falls to her knees and just starts SOBBING. she is just crying so hard over losing catra AGAIN and it’s just. That’s Too Much, Man! thankfully, razz shows up and is like stop crying bitch u can still save her ❤️ so adora decides to stop crying for all time and gets to work❤️ 10/10 but also did i ask? :/ yes i did and i am in so much pain right now. my god what an episode

the portal: it’s so fucking refreshing not seeing catradora for a bit <3 i spent hours watching remember ok. here i am now starting the last ep at least a full week later because of how much it was. sometimes this show is too gay <3 i love it tho! i do <3 it’s just hard having to pause and replay every five seconds and write an essay about the tiniest thing <3 and i know what you’re thinking <3 no one asked me to do this <3 no one asked me to be so extra <3 and yet <3 anyway, more than half of the ep passes with adora losing bow and glimmer in the end, but as she’s crying on her knees again she lifts her head up and corrupted!catra touches her forehead with one finger. oh <3 that’s gay <3 anyway, catra’s here because she died but she’s got like nine lives so she’s back now and infected by the collapsing portal. oh great! we get what is probably the most cursed ḩ̵͕̺̯͚̞͈̰̤͎̥̗̳͂̽̃̄͌̎̅̈́̏̎͘͝͝ẻ̷͇͚͈̤̪̖̜̥̥̱̼̅̒͌͗͝y̴̥̺̓͌͊͌̊͒͌̏̔̕͝ ̶̧̟̤̠̯̱̳͕̙̯̔ͅá̶̤͉͕̱̰̮̺̮̝̗̱̲͓̺̯̒͐͐d̵̨̟̖̦̈̑̄̌̍̆̀̾̊̑̽͗͝͠ȏ̷̧̢̨̞̮͇̟̘̘̠̼̊͆̐̉̉̀̌̿̚ͅȓ̴̬͚̔̈́̀̒͂͗͠��̧̢͉̦̘̪̜̥ͅą̸̡̡͕͈͚͕̼͔̳͔̖̙̯̱̓͗̊́. the look on adora’s face when she’s greeted with this is very interesting. she gives catra this little once over. on one hand, catra isn’t gone like adora thought when she had lost her into the collapsing portal, but also something about this catra definitely doesn’t look right. catra then proceeds to slam adora into another dimension. flat against the bar table in the crimson waste... and ngl it looks like. catra slammed her on the table for :/ stuff :/ that’s like :/ you know :/ banging :/ and adora even looks around for a moment because catra isn’t there and adora’s thinking damn where u at catra? :/ so you didn’t slam me against this table for... no? :( we aren’t gonna slam ass? :( but then surprise surprise! catra straddles her at the last moment! adora gasps and catra is like oh... where are your friends? in that unsettling corrupted tone. notice how adora has been silent this entire time. so horny you couldn’t speak bitch? :/ sadly, catra lunges for adora and adora realizes that catra is still evil and that she isn’t going to kiss her gently on the lips after all 😔 adora grabs catra by the arm and pulls her close. she puts her other hand on catra’s shoulder. adora baby.... you don’t need to touch her with both hands. are you that gay? yes. why am i even asking that question. “catra, stop. you have to–“ catra pushes her face aside. “it’s always the same with you, adora. i have to do this, oh we have to do that!” and then they’re like gay struggling against each other? and catra pulls adora up and holds her tight against her, adora’s arm bent over catra’s shoulder to keep her there. then with her other arm she wraps her elbow around adora’s other arm to further restrain her? and then she puts her face right against adora’s cheek. i don’t know how to explain this. it’s just. homoerotic. damn the gays fight like this? catra then tosses adora aside and they land somewhere else. catra says like things to adora that are about her insecurities and stuff. but i’m not gonna get into those <3 isn’t that so sexy of me? instead i will say this. catra kind of like fights one sidedly with adora a lot in this segment where they go through various locations we’ve seen in the show, and she like talks a lot of shit. but let’s focus on how adora’s feeling <3 she goes through it like this. 1) not horny anymore! i’m scared/insecure/angry with catra now 2) catra throws adora into the big chair on mara’s ship and catra slams her hand against it next to adora’s face like how someone might do before you kiss them in movies 3) horny again 4) catra doesn’t say sorry for the mean things corrupted her said and she didn’t kiss her gently on the lips so adora gets her shit together and realizes all the things evil corrupted catra is saying is not her fault! she pushes catra away and is like “i didn’t make you pull the switch. i didn’t make you do anything! i didn’t break the world, but i am gonna fix it. and you? you made your choice. now live with it!” and in between all that she fights back against catra and at the end she does you know that punch we all know about. but after the punch she calms down from that emotional breakthrough high and gets this :( face. at the end of the day... no matter how far gone catra went, no matter how right she was in setting those boundaries and making it clear catra has to be responsible for her actions, adora cares. adora loves her, it’s the one thing she can’t help. and to see catra sink so deep into the darkness... it hurts her. adora watches catra disintegrate when they fall into the wormhole thing that the portal caused, and she has this like. >:( :( look because adora’s planning to fix everything anyway, the upsetting thing here for her is that she failed to make catra see sense. catra’s likely going back to the horde when all of this is over and there’s nothing adora can do about it. and at the moment i don’t think adora wants to try anymore after failing so many times... which is good for her! but also they are both going to be so sad after this </3 after the whole angella scene (miss that milf) adora gets the sword back and becomes she ra again. we go back to the scene in the horde and catra clutches the side of her face, so we know that was her but it also wasn’t Her, you know? like part of her face got corrupted by the portal and she just had to make sure she was real and whole again. adora comes back as she-ra and destroys the portal, prompting catra to escape. but she looks back at the last moment, looks back angrily, and adora gives her an equally hard stare. she’s done with catra, for the moment, and catra realizes this, and it kind of hits her that this adora is different now. and for a moment she is sad and afraid, but she pulls it together to make a mean face again, before running away. 9/10

[writtenfan]

Midnight Pounces and Purr’s

Catra x Reader

(Ive been in love with her all-day, drawing up a storm...might as well write a quick short thing eh? )

Warning: Little bit of graphic nsfw stuff~!

“Hey (y/n)~”

You raise your head and wipe your mouth against the blanket

“Whu-“

A body jumps on top of you and pins your face back down on your pillow with clawed hands.

You finch and grab the wrist kicking and causing the person to yell out and twist them backward rolling them off the comfortable mattress onto the hard floor  as you  held onto their wrist

“Ow ow ow OW! Ok I’M SORRY!”

“Guys cut it out….” You hear a sleepy whine from a bed nearby.

You whisper sorry as you sit up and rub your eyes, releasing the wrist you held and watched Catra rub her hand and look up at you with angry slitted eyes as she sat up.

“Oh, I’m sorry Catra! But don’t sneak up on me like that! Especially after the ambush training, we had today!.” You laugh and she turns around on the floor facing you and sticks out her tongue, then holds out her other hand. 

“Hoist me up will ya?” her smirk makes you smile, and you grasp her arm and pull her onto the bed, where she automatically falls her head into your stomach and places her hand on your side and begins purring.

You lean back, back of your head against the pillow, and mess with her thick hair as her purr vibrates on your stomach tickling you gently.

“What took you so long huh?” you ask in a whisper and Catra stops purring.

“I just had to meet up with a few folks from another squadron, nothing more.”

She raises her head to look at you with a snarky smile on her face as she decides to kneed her claws on your midsection.

“Hey…stop it, you know that hurts.”

“But you like it huh? Don’t lie” she has a devilish look on her face, and she continues to kneed her claws until a sharp pain made you have enough.

You flip her over and pin her underneath you, your head hovering over hers, with your hands near her shoulders.

“I said stop it!” you chuckle softly and Catra starts laughing as well and pushes your face to the side while she wraps her legs around your waist and you fall back as you both start fighting each other, the covers tossing around onto the floor as you both fall on your sides facing each other.

You close your eyes and continue laughing but realizing that you no longer heard her voice you open your eyes puzzled with tears in your eyes which you wipe away.

You see her staring at you, looking into your eyes as if she had seen something behind you. You glance behind you for a second and see nothing.

“W-what’s up Catra?” you beginning to feel nervous.

Catra’s legs are still wrapped around yours, her tail curled over her waist and flicking restlessly on the side of your thigh. She was rubbing the back of her claws on her feet against your ankle. Her eyes continued to look into yours put her eyelids lowered a bit and she moved her hand that was on your shoulder down to your waist.

You watched her hand move down as she did this and looked back at her once she gave your exposed waist a squeeze. You looked back at her and she has a smirk on her face.

“Getting flabby eh (y/n)?” 

You scoff at her remark and place your hand on the back of her waist and pull her closer to you.

“Want to say that again Catra? A little bit closer?!���

You were blushing terribly inside, and you automatically regretted this move as Catra’s eyes trailed to your lips then back to you, your eyes did the same and her tails started flickering more against your leg. She bit on her lip and you started heating up.

“Yeah, In fact! I’ll even say it closer than this!!”

She scoots her body up and her lips hover less than an inch away from your face, “Getting a bit, thicker huh (y/n)? Arn’t training hard enough huh?!” she slides her hand over your butt and squeezes hard, keeping them clenched before releasing them. She then presses her chest against yours and begins playing with your hair, before giving your nose a small little lick and you felt the roughness of her skin against the tip of your nose as you did so.

You grab under her thigh and pull her leg higher on yours and she purrs softly only for a second before you guys stare at each other, almost crossed-eyed from how close she was to you. Her eyebrows still furrowed, challengingly. 

“What are you going to do about it huh?” she growls as she curls your hair around her finger and bites her lip exposing sharp fangs as she did so.

You both look at each other for only a second before Catra growled and took her finger from around your hair. “You better not start hating me after this…”

You raise an eyebrow “after wha- “

She greedily grabs the sides your face and smooshes her lips against yours, her tails pats and curls around your leg as she presses into you more and keeps kissing you, her fangs biting town on your lip every so often as she moves her body on top of yours pinning you on your back. She takes both her hands and keeps your head in place, as her mouth opens slightly and she tilts her head to kiss you deeper and you do the same. You rush her hair back and place a hand just behind her ear rubbing it softly with your fingers.

She purrs and her claws push lightly into your face as she arches her back and presses her hips against yours her tails swishing back and forth in the air as she breaks for air, a small drop of saliva on your face which she brushes away and looks at your with wide pupils, furrowed eyes and a smug grin.

Your both breathing heavy and your both silent as you look up at her and she looks down at you.

“…So…WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?! DON’T JUST SAY NOTHING (Y/N)!” she growls as she pinches your cheek hard and you slam your hand over her hand, pressing it against your face and push her down back onto you, using your other hand and her lips hesitate before slamming back into yours but this time you sit up and you move your hands-on top of her waist and she wraps her arms around your neck. As you kiss her you feel the warmth of her tongue slide eagerly against yours and twist itself around yours and pull back into your mouth. You in turn run your tongue gently against her fangs and she beings purring hard once you do so. This made you force her down on the bed and break away from her kiss only to start hungrily kissing the side of her neck and she let out a small wror…as she clutched the bedsheets under her.

“ABOUT TIME!!!” 

You both break away from each other and stiffen your backs up, her fur stands on its ends and you watch about 4 bodies sitting in their beds, a few clapping a few whistling and you turn to Catra and she starts blushing wildly and throws herself off your bed onto the nearest victim, clawing away at their blanket and pillow as they tried to protect themselves as she starts screaming.

“I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!!”  she hops from one bed to another and catches the ankle of one guy as he tries to bolt out of the room and the only thing you see is him screaming and being dragged behind a bed.

You pull your hair back, absolutely embarrassed but a friend holding a scratch wound stands up from her bed and smiles at you holding her fist out and you smirk pounding your fist into hers.

 “Damn (y/n), we all were taking bets on when this would happen….also, who took the first move? I have all my money on you.” she starts looking worried “please tell me it was you.” You shake your head and start laughing then rise from your bed. “CATRA! Leave him alone! Come on…lets sneak off to our spot for a bit…”

She jumps into the middle of the room from behind the bed landing on all fours and rises up, her hackles still raised.

“Race ya. Idiot.” She growls as she speeds towards the door which you automatically bolt on after, trying to grab her tail as you sped down the hall.

“Shadow Weaver’s going to Kick. My. Ass.” You hear her growl as she bounds around the corner.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Victor’s Qixi Event (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for an event which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Victor’s Qixi date: here (translated by @lucienism)

[ Chapter 1 ]

At night, the stalls in the temple fair light up one by one, and what greets the eyes is a galaxy on earth. 

The “stars” illuminate every dazzling stall, and also shroud certain corners. 

In an inconspicuous corner, a fortune-teller is reading my fortune. 

Fortune-teller: Miss, looking at your face, have you met with some twists and turns recently?

MC: I have...

Fortune-teller: Do you have trouble sleeping too? 

MC: You’re right!

Fortune-teller: Your complexion looks quite terrible, and it feels like a bad omen.

MC: W-what kind of bad omen? 

Fortune-teller: Did you provoke an important fiend?

Looking at the fortune-teller’s exaggerated expression, I nervously recollect what happened. 

If he’s referring to someone “important” recently, that could only be--

??: Why aren’t you done yet? 

The fortune-teller and I whip our heads towards the source of the voice. In the next second, we speak in unison.

MC: What are you doing here? 

Fortune-teller: That’s him!

The three of us are left dumbfounded. I cast a glance at Victor’s unhappy face, then hurriedly explain to the fortune-teller:

MC: Taoist priest, you must be mistaken. This is my... friend, and he’s very good-natured. 

The fortune-teller looks Victor up and down, and it seems like he’s unconvinced by what I said. 

Fortune-teller: Mm... in short, be more careful, Miss. 

Just when I’m about to bid farewell to the fortune-teller, he suddenly calls me, and speaks. 

Fortune-teller: There are a lot of people at the temple fair. Be careful not to walk down the wrong path. 

Hearing the fortune-teller’s worlds, I feel a sudden tightening in my chest. 

Before I can ask him a question, Victor takes my hand in his naturally, and the warmth distinctive to him covers my palm. 

Victor: You won’t walk down the wrong path. 

The faraway lights only illuminate his outline, and I can’t tell for sure if he's smiling. He applies some pressure on my hand, then pulls me closer to his side. 

Victor: Let’s go.

-

[ Chapter 2 ] 

MC: This is my favourite event every year - the “strange-tasting basket”!

Pulling Victor, we reach a stall. Quite a number of people have been so tormented by the strange-tasting items that their faces have turned twisted.

MC: The ribbon biscuits in every basket look the same, but they have different flavours. Out of all the ribbon biscuits, only one is sweet. 

While I stare at the line of baskets and hesitate, Victor’s voice sounds in my ear.

Victor: Aren’t they all the same? Why do you need such a long time to pick?

MC: They aren’t the same! I need to pick that unique biscuit.

Victor: You can’t tell taste just by using your eyes. 

For a moment, I’m unable to retort. After hesitating a little longer, I hold up a basket.

MC: I shall begin! Ooh... it’s so salty...

I furrow my brows and manage to swallow it with difficulty. When I lift my eyes, I see Victor’s unsuppressed smile. 

MC: Hmph, don’t celebrate so early. It’s your turn!

Victor arches his brows and looks at the basket in my hand, then picks one to eat. 

MC: How is it? 

Victor: ...it’s bitter.

MC: Hahahaha, looks like this game is very fair. 

We continue eating the biscuits in succession. If they aren’t sour, they’d be spicy. The strange tastes accumulate, and my tongue is about to lose all feeling. 

MC: There are three biscuits left... Victor, which one do you think I should pick?

Victor: There’s no point if other people choose for you.

MC: But I’ve never picked the sweet biscuit for several years, so I don’t have faith in my own luck.

Victor: Isn’t this year different?

Looking at the slight curve on his lips, I smile as well. 

This year is truly different - I have him with me. I decide to close my eyes, and pick a biscuit blindly from the basket and place it into my mouth. 

MC: It’s sweet! I really picked it!

Victor: Mm, amazing. 

Victor pulls me and we leave the stall. Our pace is a little fast, but it doesn’t bother me because I’m still immersed in the joy of picking the special ribbon biscuit. 

After walking a short distance, I can faintly hear a little girl exclaiming happily from behind me. 

Little girl: It’s sweet! I picked the sweet ribbon biscuit!

MC: Eh? 

I subconsciously look at Victor, but he looks the same as always, as though he didn’t hear the sound from behind us. 

Victor: There seems to be a performance about to begin in front. 

The sweetness at the tip of my tongue has yet to dissipate. I lower my head and smile secretly. 

Even though he isn’t the vendor who prepared that sweet ribbon biscuit, the sweetness he has given me is also special.

There are people beating gongs in front. I brisk walk to keep up with Victor’s pace, and excitedly tell him about street performances. 

-

[ Chapter 3 ]

Stepping out of the lively temple fair, what greets my eyes is a wide clearing. There are lit-up lanterns floating on a small, slow-moving river.

Victor and I sit at a nearby teahouse to rest, and we gaze out of the window to look at the view.

MC: Legend tells of the reunion between Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. People are afraid Cowherd wouldn’t be able to see the magpie bridge in the night, so they light lanterns on the river so he can successfully reunite with the Weaver Girl. Perhaps people yearn for these kinds of feelings, so they can’t bear to see any obstructions separating them. 

Victor: Do you yearn for it too? 

MC: Of course. I used to release a lantern every year. 

Victor: Then why aren’t you releasing one this year? 

I hold the tea cup in my hands, sneaking a glance at him. 

MC: Because... because there are too many people releasing lanterns this year, so it's sufficient to make the magpie bridge visible. I’m also uncertain if the gods above can cope with so many wishes being squeezed together. 

Victor doesn’t respond. After a moment, a surprised cry floats from outside the window. 

Following the sound, I turn my head to look. Out of nowhere, great waves appear from the peaceful river, straightening the lanterns floating on the river into a snaking trail.

It’s reminiscent of a path leading to a goal, shining in the night. 

MC: Wow... how did that happen? 

Victor: No one has ever witnessed how a magpie bridge looks. But since it’s a path, the important thing is that it must be easy to walk on.

I turn my head back to him, my heart filled to the brim with warmth. I hold up my tea cup, and clink it gently against him. 

Victor: What are you doing?

MC: Replacing wine with tea, this is to thank you for paving a path for the lovers!

Victor looks at me, then averts his gaze unnaturally. 

Victor: I just find that having someone to journey together with isn’t bad.

-

[ Chapter 4 ]

As the night grows darker, more and more people rest near the riverside. The faint din finally allows me to return to my senses from my earlier restless emotions. 

Next to me, Victor remains expressionless, making it impossible to guess his emotions.

MC: Victor, are you satisfied with this festival? 

Victor: It’s noisy, but it’s still interesting. 

MC: There are many more festivals in the mortal world. Some are noisy like this one, and some are quietly and peacefully spent at home. If you’re interested, we can try them all once. 

Victor arches his eyebrows. 

Victor: At home? 

MC: Mm... it means spending it with family or an important person!

With my face red, I offer an explanation. Suddenly, another noise interrupts me. 

??: This is too difficult. Dad, you have to help me!

Not too far off, the sound of a child asking for help drifts towards us. When we turn around, we see a a little boy sitting in his parents’ arms, at a loss with what to do with the object in his hands. 

MC: It’s a Luban Lock. When I was young, my father would often play it with me too. Even though it’s just a few small wooden pieces, it’s very difficult to both fix it or take it apart.

[Trivia] A Luban Lock (“鲁班锁”) is a traditional wooden cube puzzle

Victor: It’s only when the pieces hold each other up can they be stable. That’s why it’s called a “Lock”.

We secretly take another look. The little boy’s parents can’t resist his pleading glance, and help him.

With three minds working together, they fix the Luban Lock very quickly. The wooden pieces are formed into an exquisite Luban Lock, mutually supporting each other, and firmly interlocked. 

Seeing the family with happy expressions adorning their faces, I can’t help but smile along with them. 

MC: That’s really nice. 

My fingertips are suddenly wrapped in warmth. I turn back and see Victor entwining our fingers together. 

MC: Victor...? 

Victor: We can spend subsequent festivals together. But a condition is that you have to stick close to me, and you’re not allowed to run all over the place. 

I look into his deep eyes, and hook onto his fingers tightly. 

No matter what weight we face in the future, as long as we support each other along our journey, I will definitely share it with him.