#which is a crime honestly... take me away boys-

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

more color/lighting practice ft. Them!!! the besties!

[ma1dita]

said he likes crazy

a ‘partners in crime’ installment - luke castellan x dionysus!reader

words: 2.1k

summary: (pre-established relationship) The one where only he can help you with a bad day, even if he's been avoiding you since your first kiss. Luke Castellan x fem!Dionysus!reader

a/n: SAID HE LIKES CRAZY GIRLS, BUT HE HATES WHEN I ACT CRAZY guys i didnt sleep for this pls tell me its ok

(posted 1/29/24, beta’d by the lovely ellie @lixzey )

—

He’s been avoiding you. 

To be specific, Luke’s been running away from you. Typical son of Hermes, and a typical teenage boy at that. But if anyone’s asked you what’s up (which, they all have, after almost 4 years of seeing you two not go a day without bickering), it’s just easier to say you’ve been busy.

Okay, so perhaps you’ve been avoiding him too.

Annabeth clocked you as soon as you turned tail after almost bumping into him after archery practice. Damn children of Athena; it’d be nice if they weren’t so perceptive sometimes.

“What did he do this time?” she pipes up, filling the silence of the Big House. It’s late now, and the cabin counselors’ meeting just ended.

“Seeing as you’re the one helping me with the paperwork tonight and not him, you can take a good guess, Annie,” you sigh.

Honestly though, who the fuck kisses someone senseless and then runs away? (Luke Castellan, that’s who.) You weren’t sure what to make of it. You’re a daughter of chaos, after all, not love. But if there’s anyone who can read your emotions better than yourself, it’s him. 

Annabeth stares at her idiot brother through the window as he wanders in the grass outside the Big House.

“That bad, huh?”

“He’s just…being Luke,” you say, blinking slowly as you shuffle through the last of the files you need to put on your dad’s desk before you mutter, “I’m just having a bad day.”

A noise of concern makes its way up Annabeth’s throat. You haven’t had a bad day in a while, in all honesty, not one that makes you act like this, admittedly not one that makes you act like you— the daughter of Dionysus, god of insanity, and not the daughter of Mr. D, camp director.

It was just a bad day until it turned into a bad week, and the voices in your head were starting to get loud without Luke distracting you. Because that’s what he ultimately is, a distraction from your camp duties. 

There’s so much to do and so little time, however, that you hide away your microexpressions that seem to be clawing at you from the inside. The anger, the mania, the hurt. If you unleash it, only the gods can predict how much of camp would be affected by your ‘outbursts’, as your dad likes to call them. Not like you had a choice in the matter. Your days of wreaking havoc are behind you, now presenting yourself as the stellar star of the Camp Half-Blood show. It’s almost a one-woman production with you picking up after your father and trying to tame the traits he passed down.

Thanks for that, D. 

So you give and you give and you give—all your attention and time and effort into keeping camp upright, into being the perfect daughter, that at the end of the day, you’ve drained yourself of who you are with who you try to be.

You look at your tired reflection in the window, before your eyebrow raises at the sight of Luke blending in with the shadows of the tree he’s leaning against. Idiot.

“Annie, would you mind…”

“Yeah, I’ll do cabin checks myself. Might drag your brother to do them with me,” she smiles, patting your arm before grabbing her bag.

“If he complains, let me know. Pollux has heard me bitch enough today.” The small girl raises an eyebrow at that, biting her tongue from responding. You chewed out a lot of people today, acting extra uptight and demanding of the counselors to “just do the right thing.” It was almost insufferable, but despite you trying to hold it in, your emotions bled into their own. Everyone was agitated by the end of the meeting, filing out quickly with biting words and hot tempers. You couldn’t help but notice Luke led them all out of there, and they also somehow got the feeling that he was to blame. 

Smiling at Annabeth in thanks, you watch her walk out to Luke before punching him in the stomach as he grimaces, meeting your violet gaze through the window as he raises a hand. It’s hard to tell if it’s to signal a truce or his embarrassment, but he trudges the way up the path and the door creaks open.

“Heard you were having a bad day,” he mumbles, scratching the nape of his neck. You look at him from the corner of your eye as you continue to write down the weekly to-dos and organize papers for your dad to sign and send back to Zeus.

“Why are you still here, Castellan?”

“So we’re back to that? I thought…” his voice trails off at the sound of his last name, not Luke, not angelface, or anything in between, and both of you are unsure how to proceed. Neither of you have done this before, at least not with each other. You tilt your head to the side, daring him to speak, and it reminds him of a week ago, you bathed in sunlight when he leaned in and kissed you. Though if he did that right now, he’s not sure how you’d react. 

“It’s just a bad day,” you whisper in defeat, lilac eyes wilting in front of him like an overwatered flower.

He realizes then that he cares for you more than he knows how to. And Luke knows what it means when you’re having a bad day.

There’s a deranged look in your eye, a subtle eye twitch and clench of your jaw that is almost insusceptible to the average demigod, but he knows you’re on edge, having taunted you mercilessly until you scream, cry, laugh, or all of the above. But most of all you look tired and in need of someone who knows how it feels to be underappreciated. 

“D’s a great dad to the twins. But I just feel like… maybe he wasn’t meant to be mine,” you whisper, rolling your tongue against the front of your teeth to push back the sob a 14-year-old version of you would let out deep in the dark of cabin 11, having been there for months and knowing Dionysus was your father and waiting for him to see you. To know you. 

“Giving me a hard time about all of this,” you say, hands gesturing to the things you have to prepare for him by morning. You’re overworked, underpaid, and definitely not appreciated— and Luke decides he hates your dad for what he puts you through, not just as a shitty camp director but as a shitty dad. He’s learned to live with the hurt—to use it to fuel his vengeance for how he plans to make the world better. But your ambition makes you change yourself constantly to try to be better. Both fatal flaws are fueled by the ignorance of your fathers. He knows the feeling all too well.

He knows you.

“What do you need?” he asks simply, stepping closer to your form hunched over the desk.

“I can do it, you know. D’s wrong about me,” you whisper, and the words come out sounding so desperate for him to believe the performance you always put on that you avert your eyes.

He doesn’t need to be convinced; instead, he holds his arms out waiting for you to let you make the next move. Luke is neither a fool nor a knave— there are no tricks here, no hidden agenda as he watches you try to compose yourself with a deep breath instead of showing him the real you. The one who’s beneath the mask of being head counselor, your father’s saving grace, and the one who carries her responsibilities like Atlas carries the weight of the sky.

“I know you can. You always have. You really think I’m here to help you file paperwork?”

“Will you let me?” Whether he meant sharing the workload or being there for you, you wouldn’t dare to ask. It’s all the same, anyway—laying yourself bare for someone to peek into your mind and have them not laugh at it.

Suddenly you speak, and the intensity of your tone makes him straighten his posture. 

“Sometimes… Do you ever feel the need to just…”

“What?” He reaches out to tug your hair, and in the dim light, he can see the bloom of your cheeks. You’re shy, and Luke thinks you look soft like this, wary of how he perceives you.

“I shouldn’t.” Fuck the gods. He can see the thought form in your eyes, the heat of your stare tearing through his, and his lips pull into a smirk.

“What was that, Trouble?” 

“Luke, don’t be an asshole…” You say warily, biting the inside of your cheek. There’s no way you’re going down in the history books for cursing the gods because Luke Castellan of all people made you. 

“I thought you liked me like that,” he’s grinning now, and grabbing your chin lightly, mouthing the words to echo your thoughts. 

Fuck the gods.

“Fuck.” you whisper, before your voice fails you, your eyes closing both from his touch and the genuine fear of the heavens falling down from the sacrilege falling from your lips.

“Louder,” he whispers, pulling your face up close to his, “come on, you used to be more fun, Trouble. I believe in you.”

“Fuck!” you say louder and he’s whispering in your ear, urging you to toe the line between perfect child and degenerate.

“Say it again.”

“FUCK! FUCK THE…” you yell before you sigh exasperatedly, eyes widening as you feel the breath release from your chest before your head lolls onto his shoulder. 

“Gods, you’re fucking insane, Castellan.”

He laughs lowly, and it sounds as sweet as sin. Your smiling lips make an imprint on his collarbone, and he wishes they would sear themselves on there for the rest of eternity.

“Hey, I get it from you. Feel better?”

To be seen is a fickle thing. But to be known is something more intimate, and nothing will be able to erase the connection you both share—fatal flaws and all. There are things you can’t change about people, what they are at their core, and so he takes what you hate about yourself with both hands and pulls you towards his chest until you settle against him with a sniffle. Luke tilts your chin up again, a rough thumb wiping away evidence of your watery smile. He thinks he sees a glimpse of a past you—a younger one that dyed his socks purple to make him feel like he belongs here. And he knows now that he does belong with you, right here as he holds you in the quiet of the Big House.

“Ugh, I’ll kiss you later, I still have to finish up here. You’re not off the hook, angelface.” You sigh, pushing away from him before he tugs you back, your feet stumbling as you roll your eyes at his impish expression.

“Let me make it up to you then, Trouble.”

“What, so you run away again?” you scoff, snickering at the sight of his ego being taken down a notch.

“I’ve just….I don’t know how to do all of this with you. Guess I’m worried it won’t meet your expectations, Miss Head Counselor.” A boyish sort of bashfulness crosses his features, and he’s twirling a piece of your hair in his hands like spinning silk.

“I just hope you never stop surprising me. That’s all I ask.”

Your hand touches his wrist lightly, and he sighs like you’ve already taken his breath away.

“I keep my promises. Do you?”

“Who said a kiss was a promise? I meant it as a threat,” you laugh before he’s pressing your hips into the table, nose nudging against yours and suddenly work is off the table for the rest of the night.

You on the table, however, well... that could be negotiated.

“I knew something was wrong with me when your so-called threats got less scary and more sexy,” Luke teases, running a finger on the side of your cheek. His breath tickles your lips, and you can imagine the rage your father would feel if he caught the two of you in his office like this. Besides the blatant defiance, you briefly wonder if your rebellion would get him to respect you more. An interesting thought.

“You’re absolutely terrible. I need to get this done… The gods don’t wait for us.”

A weak sigh leaves your mouth as your brain is already riddled with thoughts of him and he closes the gap between your lips.

“They can wait until morning. For now, you’re mine.”

—

“You can’t love someone unless you love yourself first — bullshit.

I have never loved myself.

But you —

Oh god, I loved you so much I forgot what hating myself felt like. (via swxrn-in)”

ask to be added to general/luke taglists!

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[hoodedjelly]

my Jenny, Tuck, Brad, Shelden, and Vega older designs ^__^

i'm watching mlaatr, still not done, i think i got like 10 more eps (and if i'm being transparent i skipped around eps... i just wanted to see vega...). And i'm absolutely loving the show!!!! i love these characters a lot, didn't like Shelden at first i'm going to be honest, #1 Shelden hater for a bit there. but he chilled out in season two and i started to ship breldon with that too so now i just love him so much.

more about my personal headcanons:

Jenny: - I am under the belief that she is transgender. Jenny was made genderless, so her deciding to be a girl was strictly her choice and i believe that makes her trans. (She's also a lesbian) - she did grow a bit, im not gonna explain how idc really i just liked her being a taller lady :-) - she has A LOT of different cute outfits and hair styles, honestly too much to draw. she never transforms back into her base show outfit when crime fighting, she just fights in her cute summer dress she don't care. - her and vega are dating grrgrgrrrr - when vega is in rule she makes it so there is complete free access between earth and cluster prime for citizens in both places. - I say that cause i think when jenny is older she moves in with vega, technically living in cluster prime but visits earth like everyday. And brad/shelby/tucker/wakeman visit cluster prime - Jenny also hangs out with the nicktoons unite gang, but i deffo feel like its just that secondary friend group that you don't talk to with for months. when you talk again its the same goofiness as before - i think danny calls for her help when he needs it (also manny) Tuck: - he is still a little shit but we love him - adhd boy - questioning cis (he/him) - he got into robotics/stem and builds little silly things - with that, he gets help from Shelby - pretty much just a silly teen, he's on the internet a lot and has "cringe" interests - but idk he's having fun and being silly and finding himself (those interests is stuff like sonic and among us) Shelden(Shelby) - honestly kinda nervous about ppl thoughts on my Shelden, idk it makes so much sense in my brain - hits you with the transfem beam (she/they) Pansexual (she just wants anyone type of vibe) - I think when jenny is visiting vega often that leaves Shelby and Brad hanging out alone a lot. which they don't mind honestly, they are actually good friends! - but during that they just get closer and start catching feelings. Shelby eventually lets go of her feelings about jenny and realizes they were a real jerk and weirdo to her. brad helps them through that and eventually her realizing she's trans. blah blah they in love and kiss at some point. - Shelby is also a furry lmaooo her fursona is a cat.

Brad: - bisexual cis man (he/him) - Still his old brad self if i'm being honest. - totally forgot to say i think all 3 of them go off to college together (even though jenny doesn't have to i feel like she would prob want to just for the experience, but tell me if you think differently i'm still unsure) - i really don't know what else to say sorry brad! he's literally just as silly as ever man. he's just also gay - i will say here i feel it takes a lot longer for shelby and brad to start dating then jenny and vega. they got that slow burn kinda shit going on, since a lot of that is shelby being confused about her feelings. and jenny and vega just hit it off right away if im being honest, very high school sweethearts. - (also i think shelby makes brad make a fursona to match hers, so brad got a dog fursona)

Vega: - Lesbian cis (she/her) - That ending of her just ruling cluster prime was just so crazy to me cause like, aint she like 16? - i think she has a lot of stressed nights and fearing she's not doing the right thing for her people, and jenny tries to help as much she can - that is why jenny visits so much, she wants to help her. - very much got those nights were she accidently falls asleep at her desk, jenny finding her and giving her a blanket and a kiss goodnight - it's not like she's unhappy, she is actually very very passionate about her work and wants to NOT be like her mom - and yeah she deffo goes to robo therapy for the stuff with her mom. - i think it's a conflict where vega is scared her mom is gonna come back and jenny has to reassure her that if she does they'll get rid of her for good.

imma be honest a lot of my hcs are pretty half-baked and random things, im sure im going to think of more stuff in the future but that will be in different posts.

[exhaustedcatte]

You’re a Wizard.

Remus bit his cheek, the juvenile words “Detention, Prewett” died on the tip of his tongue.

No, he reminded himself harshly. That’s Fred and George Weasley. Not Fabian and Gideon.

I’m not a Prefect, I’m the bloody Professor, Remus grit his teeth.

Luna Lovegood floated into the room and Remus saw unwelcome visions, the present melting away to accommodate the past. Regulus Black was there, guiding Pandora when she was batting her lashes at Xenophilius Lovegood.

Draco Malfoy was an amusing mixture of Lucius and Narcissa. He stuck his nose up and raised one manicured brow like his mother, but his ugly words and prideful manners were all his father.

Remus laughed guilelessly, what was wrong with him. Fraternising with the enemy, Moony? A very familiar voice chirped in his head.

It hurt so bad.

Every time Hermione Granger raised her hand, to the chagrin of the rest of the class, Remus saw Lily Evans. Her fierce intelligence and determination a weapon to dismantle the prejudice faced by Muggleborns. Lily would’ve loved her.

He wiped his face with tired hands.

Honestly, Remus was never meant to survive this. He was simply unfortunate, unlucky. An anomaly.

Hah, now suffer.

There was Neville Longbottom, with ears that stuck out like his father and a shy smile to match his mother’s. I’ll watch over him now, Remus promised the smiling Alice and Frank in his memories, apologising for the years gone by.

Then there were the little things.

Snape always caused a spark of his old Marauder spirit to overtake his senses. It also brought forth very vivid sounds of two devils whispering into his ears. Potter and Black, always at the crime scene.

No, no. He batted that thought away before he could spiral.

Remus found himself shocked by the streaks of white in Minerva McGonagall’s hair, which 15 years ago that would’ve caused an uproar. Not even his own greying roots had caused him so much sadness.

His heart ached when he saw Madam Pomfrey pressing her knuckles into her strained back. How much had he missed while hiding from this wretched world?

But what struck a raw nerve was Harry Potter, of course.

The toad green of his eyes and the bird’s nest of his hair. It had been so long but all he could see in the young Potter boy was his friend. A friend who had betrayed him, but his friend nonetheless.

I know you, he pursed his lips to prevent screaming that when he was addressed as Professor Lupin and not Unc’e Moo’y. He had to remind himself that he wasn’t the one who could get Prongslet to burp or take a nap anymore. He was the weird, mismatched man for a teacher.

You know Harry doesn’t think of you like that. Ah, Lily, wise as always.

The James in Harry Potter stuck out like a sore thumb, much like his hair, when he whizzed across the quidditch pitch with innate talent, when he couldn’t hold back his tongue while talking to Snape, when he faffed about in lessons. But it pained more to see Harry stand up for his friends, like his father had always done, and when he went searching for trouble despite being explicitly warned against it.

Oh, how I miss you Prongs.

He sat back in his chair, creaky and hard as it was. There was only one person he hadn’t found in his students.

Remus closed his eyes.

Sirius Black grinned at him from behind his eyelids. Miss me, Moony?

[urfavleo777]

What about Joost catches the reader reading a smut fanfiction about him! Needy fem reader please, and dirty talk and praise kink if you can please <3

warnings: unprotected sex, bad language, smut

joost klein smut

you wake up early in the morning. although to say it's early morning isn't entirely correct. the sun has not yet risen above the horizon, the sky is just starting to take on morning colors. a pleasant warmth envelopes your entire body, making you feel like you are in your own cocoon of comfort and security. you blink a few times to clear the haze of sleep from your eyes. your head rests on joost's hard chest. his chest moving steadily, his warm breath spreads down your neck, soft snores escaping from his nostrils and his strong arm wraps around your waist. his cheeks, covered with stubble, are slightly pink, and his full lips are parted. his blonde hair is messy and you find it extremely sexy.

a smile appears on your face at this lovely sight. 

you untangle your hand from under his head, quite carefully so that he doesn't wake up, and stroke his cheek with the palm of your hand. you don't want to make any noise so as not to accidentally wake him up, but you can't just force yourself to fall back asleep. making sure his eyes are still closed, you grab your phone from the nightstand and begin your guilty pleasure in peace. let's skip the fact that you almost get blinded when you unlock it.

reading fanfiction about your boyfriend makes you feel like you're committing some sort of crime. there are many book titles scrolling on the phone screen that aren't really about a cliché bad boy and good girl, where the biggest 'wow effect' is their kiss. sometimes authors are so carried away by fantasy that you choke on your own saliva while reading their works. 

it never even crossed your mind to tell joost what you do in your free time. and that's how it should stay. he certainly wouldn't be mad at you if he saw a fanfic on your phone in which his character was fucking another girl and readers were thirsting over it, but you yourself would feel extremely embarrassed. besides, why should he find out what thoughts are running through his girlfriend's imagination? well, it's called imagination for a reason.

finally, you find a book that interests you so much that you devote half an hour of your time to it. you giggle a few times while reading, but quickly cover your mouth so as not to wake joost. all in vain. you don't even realize when he's staring at your screen, a wide, lazy smile spreading across his face.

“you wrote it about me?” his morning voice brings you back to reality. an unexpected scream escapes your lips. you place your hand on joost's chest to stop him from grabbing your phone, but it's way too late. he is much faster and stronger. no matter how loudly you beg him to stop, he reads the words on the screen with a smirk on his face. “he sucked and licked every sensitive part of my neck until his lips reach my chest. i bit my lip. i know i was already wet. with joost’s body stapled on me, i just can't help but feel aroused.” he reads aloud, from time to time looking at your embarrassed face, which now you hide in your hands. “baby, why do you read such things when you have me here all for yourself?”

“i—i don't know. fuck, you weren’t supposed to see that.”

joost chuckles quietly while putting your phone back on the nightstand. then puts his head on the pillow and streches his arms out towards you. “c'mere.” coaxing you towards him as he gently pulls you by your hands onto his warm body again. he places your head on his chest and makes you listen to the steady beat of his heart. joost strokes your back with his hand, sending a pleasant shiver through your body. “how often do you read fanfiction about me?”

“not that ofte— everyday.” you answer honestly, closing your eyes from embarrassment. “whenever you're not looking.”

“and you just read? or..?” he murmurs, tracing his hands over your ass.

“both. uhm, i’m doing both.” a short, throaty laugh escapes his lips as amusement appears on his face at the same time.

“desperate for my dick even at six am.”

“i— please, kiss me, joost.” not a millisecond passes and he already obliges. shoving your tongue into one another's mouths before slowly exchanging slow, messy pecks. the sounds get louder and louder as you hum into each other's lips. as you do this, the thin area of ​​your panties rubs against his legs. grinding the bare flesh of his thighs. whatever you need at the moment, he will make it happen. slowly but surely, you work yourself into a frenzy, whimpering into his ear.. that's when he notices these gentle cries as well.

“isn't this better? now you can finally feel my touch, not only imagine it. my naughty girl.”

he starts rubbing furious circles, and you suddenly feel a hard slap against your right bum cheek. you whine as pleasure and pain intermingle, making you squirm around. his breath tickles your ear. “you love it when i'm rough like this, don't you?”

you nod, desperately humping faster to find your release.

“joost, can i ride you, please?” he just chuckles at how desperate and gone you are for him.

all but pleading to climb atop his dick. “of course, beautiful. here.” so without a moment more of hesitation, you take off your pants. easing down gently, you acclimate to his shape almost immediately and the both of you release loud gasps. 

“joost...i—oh fuck..”

“just keep going, baby. you're so pretty like this.”

“joost,” you whine and reach between your bodies to rub your fingers against your sensitive bud. you title your head back, losing yourself in the sensation, and he begins to trail kisses up your chest and to your neck. mouth searching for yours as your hips match his pace.

“so fucking perfect. that feel good, yeah? that what you like?” he questions, perhaps with double meaning.

as you try to speak, you have trouble choosing words. thus, all you can do is nod emphatically. you feel him chuckle against your throat at your nonverbal response. clearly, he's enjoying himself as much as you are.

“this messy little cunt's fuckin' gushin' all over me. think you're ruinin' the sheets, pet,” he teases.

“joost, ‘m so close,” you moan and he begins to encourage you between kisses. 

it is an ecstasy you've never experienced before. your head is buzzing and it's as if the whole world disappears around you as the orgasm takes over, coursing through you in violent waves as joost continues to worship you. you repeat his name like an old prayer you once knew; over and over with conviction.

“sweetheart, where do you want it?”

“fill me,” you plead, his seed coating your walls as he groanes your name.

the two of you still, his labored breaths warm along your chest and you look at him with a wide smile. his cheeks blossom a bright pink. eyes hooded and body spent.

so beautifully human.

he helps you off his lap but keeps you close, holding you next to him as you lay on the bed. your legs slotted between his, long nails grazing along his chest as he presses kisses to your forehead. “next time you're feeling horny, just come to me, schatje.”

[pinkcarnatixns]

leah williamson | hands down

synopsis your girlfriend (barely) faces the consequences for her irritating behavior [1.5K] contents bf! leah, slightly suggestive

You were unbelievably pissed. 

Banging open the door to your shared apartment, you make a beeline for the couch and throw your weight into it with a huff. Making a show of being occupied with clicking through channels, you stubbornly keep your eye on the screen when the sound of your girlfriend’s sock-clad feet pad into the room.

“Baby,” she whined. Sparing her a glance, you only narrowed your eyes further at her standing form, complete with a pout and carrying both of your heavy training bags. At the resolute silence she receives and losing your gaze to the TV, she makes a statement of letting them both thud to the floor and stomping over. 

“You cannot be serious!” She argues as she’s met with a socked foot to the abdomen when making a move to sit next to you. 

As she’s standing over you, you make an effort for an even steelier gaze as the beginnings of a smirk tease her lips. Slowly, she leans more and more weight onto your leg which, shaky from training- quickly crumbles under the pressure. “Get off Leah! You are stinky and annoying!” The small victory she gets from crashing onto you is quickly replaced by shock as she tumbles to the floor at your retaliation. 

“You can kick me all you want but do not call me Leah!” She scoffs, clutching her chest and looking up at you with her all-too-familiar furrowed brow. “Why not Williamson? It is your name, isn’t it?” You smack away the ghost of her hand on your thigh and roll your eyes. 

“Stop that! You only call me that when you’re angry!” She groans as she stands to her feet, matching your crossed arms, “And I haven’t done anything!”

“Oh really! Then it must have been my other completely irritating girlfriend who insists on poking and prodding me like a teenage boy all day long!” You punctuate your words by standing and digging your pointer finger into her sternum.

In an attempt to quell your frustration, her hands find a familiar place on your hips in the small space between your bodies. You avert your gaze to avoid crumbling at the act of affection accompanied by the heady smell of her perfume, your crossed arms still your only line of defense. Her head tilts softly as she gazes down at you, “Is it such a crime to be obsessed with my lovely, gorgeous, talented girlfriend?” 

Heat rises to your cheeks, shy under her complete attention and frustrated at the way she can still make you blush easily after all these years. At the small break in your angry facade, she takes the opportunity to let her hands wander lower, unfortunately jogging your memory to what had instigated your fury in the first place. “It absolutely is when you feel the need to smack my butt in front of all our teammates like a horny boy while they laugh on like your own little fraternity! Honestly!” Shoving at her chest, you stalk over to your shared bedroom. 

Following at a much slower pace and with her head down like a scolded child, she watches on quietly as you rip through the drawers for a change of clothes, grabbing a towel so hard you nearly send the whole stack tumbling. Realizing where this is going, she starts pleading, “Honey, I’m so sorry, they were really egging me on! I swear Katie-”

She stops talking and tailing you as she nearly collides with your back, mustering up her most pitiful puppy eyes as you set your things on the counter. Whipping around to face her, you stand in the threshold of the bathroom, gripping the door with white knuckles. “I’m taking a shower! Alone!” The door is then promptly shut in her face and she hears the lock’s definite click ringing in her ears.

She pouts at the hardwood in self-pity before deciding there was much groveling that needed to be done and she should try to get a head start while you cooled off. 

After taking your time in the shower, you did feel much more relaxed- enough that you reached for one of Leah’s sweaters when leaving the warm steam of the bathroom. Treading back into the living room, you were surprised at her absence on the couch, your girlfriend normally one for lazing around after training. 

You’re suspicious at the small glimpse of her in the kitchen, striding over to you with a sheepish smile, steaming plate in each hand. She had clearly taken the time to shower in the guest room, clad in a hoodie that you remembered complimenting at some point, accompanied by some oversized basketball shorts. Her hair was haphazardly tied up, and you found your frown dissolving at the sight of her bangs sticking out, never quite cooperating much to your girlfriend’s chagrin.

“‘M sorry, I know it’s not much but it’s all I can make without burning our kitchen down.” She awkwardly chuckles, avoiding your eyes slightly in shame. You sigh, irritation gone from your body, and reach for one of the plates of spaghetti when she yanks it back towards herself. She lights up completely at your small acceptance of her peace offering and smirks. “No! Nothing but the princess treatment tonight, my love!”

Navigating around you towards the couch with a new pep in her step, you stand stunned at her sudden change in attitude. You watch on as she carefully sets the plates down on the coffee table next to wine glasses that you hadn’t noticed before, happily plopping into her normal spot.

She had clearly prepared this to some extent, as she drags your favorite blanket half over herself, hovering the rest next to her as an invitation. She shoots you with her familiar pleading gaze, shaking your side of the blanket for emphasis. You were never destined to hold out for long, treading over with a roll of your eyes. As you sit down next to her, she shoots you a thousand-kilowatt smile, leaning over you and tucking the blanket under your thigh, clearly a ruse to have you scooch closer to her- her body heat now seeping into yours. 

“You get to pick the entertainment for tonight, no complaints, I swear!” She passes you the remote, and lets her arm fall around your shoulders, gazing at you with a smug grin on her face. Leah always claimed to hate your ‘cheesy’ movies, forever trying to distract you from them with affection. “I should pick a movie I know you hate after that earlier stunt.” You mumble, but she recognizes the teasing lilt to your voice. 

“I’m sorry honey. You really just looked too good today! It should be illegal to be that pretty after running around in the dirt all day, seriously!” You blush at her words, leaning over to place a small peck on her lips to shut her up and because you really could not keep up this facade much longer. 

She lights up even further, smile bursting at the seams as she eagerly reaches over to place your plate in your lap. At your fork in her hand and her refusal to hand it to you, you quickly catch on to what she’s trying to do. “Leah. Please do not.”

She sinks a little at your words, and groans. “Call me anything but Leah, I’m literally begging.” 

You giggle at her dramatics. “Fine baby, please do not embarrass me in my own home, I’m capable of feeding myself.”

Completely ignoring your words, she makes a point of twisting around some noodles into a little bite and holding it up to your mouth. At your glare, she just smiles harder and moves it closer to your mouth. Knowing she wouldn’t drop it, you open your mouth and allow her to feed you. As you chew, she stares pensively, “How is it?”

It’s entirely too salty, forever being the girl’s favorite ‘seasoning,’ but you get it down and send her a thumbs up anyway- accompanied with a small smile. She’s ecstatic at your praise and peppers your face with kisses before you push her away lightly, giggling with your mouth still a bit full. 

“Now that’s settled! Finish your five star meal and then I deserve a much-needed cuddle session for all my hard work!” She grabs her own bowl and starts scarfing it down. You chuckle to yourself at her newfound enthusiasm, satisfied at the fact that she still glues one hand to your thigh while eating with the other. 

As your plates are almost clean, you break the comfortable silence with a final warning. “Do not do that again baby. You are the vice captain of a professional team and a grown woman, not a twelve year old boy. And Katie’s still in big trouble for egging you on.”

She sets both of your finished bowls back on the table, dragging your legs over hers which leaves you half on her lap. Meeting your pouty gaze, she breaks out in a shit-eating grin. “But baby, you’re so hot when you’re mad at me.”

You hope that the neighbors don’t complain at the resounding yelp she lets out as your hand slaps her bare thigh with all the strength you can muster.

[t0yac1d]

The eyes, Chico (R.Cameron x Fem!Reader)

The eyes, Chico. They never lie.

Request: Rafe please

Word Count: 720

Summary: Rafe noticing how differently you look at him compared to others

Warnings: None! Just fluff!

Rafe Cameron who never paid any mind to you at first. He thought you were just new to Kildare Island and got invited to one of his infamous parties.

Rafe Cameron who never got the best glances from people. They always looked at him in disappointment, hatred and fear.

Rafe Cameron who ends up subconsciously searching for your eyes through the sea of kooks.

Rafe Cameron who notices your glances and longing stares. He noticed how different your look was from the others.

Rafe Cameron who decides to push you away before you could ever make the move to talk to him.

Rafe Cameron who fears that the way you're looking at him is just a facade from who you really are.

Rafe Cameron who ends up telling Barry about you. How you probably already know about his issues and crimes by now.

Rafe Cameron who caught your eye when you stepped into the huge Cameron Estate. He was the first who caught your attention.

Rafe Cameron who made you wonder what a handsome boy like him is doing around guys like Topper and Barry.

Rafe Cameron who pushes you away and leaves you wondering what you could have done.

You stopped showing up at the parties, hoping it'll make him feel better. Maybe he just didn't enjoy your presence around him.

You'd hang out with Sarah and end up third wheeling with her and Topper. You were at the Cameron home, so you decided to leave the two alone in Sarah's room. You felt like you were getting in between them anyway.

Rafe Cameron who spots you walking past his room and down the stairs. He was curious about you. Always has been. And honestly, he was kind of disappointed with himself for pushing you away.

Rafe Cameron who follows you downstairs and tries to strike up a conversation with you. Asking "How are you?" "How was your day?" "Did you enjoy the parties?"

You'd respond with little to no expression on your face, but your eyes held a different story. They said more than you could.

Rafe Cameron who excuses himself in an awkward and stuttered manner as he heads to the bathroom.

Rafe Cameron who dials a number and impatiently waits as it rings before the person on the other end picked up and answered with, "Barry speaking."

Rafe Cameron who goes into detail about your eyes and how you have been looking at him since the two of you shared a glance at the first party he spotted you at.

Rafe Cameron who is sure that words mean more than looks and actions. Which is why he's so sure that you're just not as interested as he thought you were

Barry who tells Rafe that "none of those matter". "Actions and words don't mean shit when it comes to the eyes, man."

Rafe Cameron who is evidently confused and now realizing how long he left you in the kitchen.

Rafe Cameron who asks Barry for a quick tip before he gets back to you.

Barry who tells Rafe to suck it up and "listen to what her eyes are saying. She might not be able to tell you, but her eyes will. Trust me."

Rafe Cameron who hangs up and takes multiple deep breaths before walking out of the bathroom and making his way to the kitchen.

Rafe Cameron who strikes up another conversation with you, this time putting an effort to get to know you while also taking Barry's advice and paying close attention to your eyes.

Rafe Cameron who notices just how pretty your eyes are up close. He then starts to notice how gorgeous you are up close.

Rafe Cameron who does end up seeing what Barry was talking about, you held so much emotion in your eyes even when you didn't show any on your face.

Rafe Cameron who sees how you look up at him with beautiful, wide eyes that sparkle when he makes eye contact with you.

Rafe Cameron who sees little hearts inside of your eyes when he smiles or speaks.

Rafe Cameron who learned to love your eyes.

You who loved him and learned the real him instead of the aggressive and angry kid who has gotten nothing but looks of fear, hatred and disappointment his whole lie.

[twst-hottest-takes]

OKAY TRAUMA OLYMPICS TIME!

Ranking every Overblotter based on how sad their backstory makes me: THAT MEANS IT’S VERY BIASED AND SUBJECTIVE!

Waves hands in a manic gesture towards the disclaimer* (Now is your chance to turn around!)

7: Azul Ashengrotto-Got picked on for being different. The thing that takes me out about Azul’s backstory and its connection to his overblot is how basic it feels. I’m not here to invalidate his feelings, I understand those insecurities, but apparently the only thing stopping more people from overblotting is that they can’t accumulate blot at the same rate because of lower magic output. If you ask me, the real tragedy of his character is his inability to acknowledge his own achievements. He says, “I’ll show them!” and, yes, hon, you did. Calm down. You are 17, nothing is stopping you from becoming the person you say you are (unlike half the other people on this list). (0/10 He tried to take advantage of my compassion and took my home away. He can cry harder into his money for all I care. Also bottom tier Overblot design.)

(Slight edit: changed Azul's age to 17 because I put 15 before. That would have been his age before turning human to go to NRC, but that might have been confusing and seemed inaccurate. Thanks to the person who pointed that out! The rest of the statement remains the same.)

6: Vil Schoenheit—Hates being typecast and treated like number two. Bro’s real crime is checking his socials too much and letting it get to him. I feel nothing for Vil and he’s only above Azul because his situation is a little less common as a one in a million super celebrity which can come with outlandish amounts of stress I can't comprehend. Again, the tragedy is his inability to be satisfied with his current state of his career and acknowledge his success because someone’s always above him. YOU ARE 18! YOU HAVE YOUR WHOLE CAREER AHEAD OF YOU! Give yourself some space to breath. He’s the one character you’d think would know and see a therapist. He’s so perfectly managed about every other element of his life it seems almost out of character for him not to be considering his mental health. If you consider he's even taking time away from his career to go to school and have "normal teen experiences" I don't know why I should feel bad. (0/10 Attempted murder. Jealous biotch. Probably, less sympathetic than Azul actually.)

5: Leona Kingscholar—Also hates his life situation and being treated like second fiddle. Leona is above Vil because he DOESN’T have a way out of being “typecast.” Time and talent can't save him. He was born into a situation where he can’t be anything other than the second prince and when he finally got a chance to be number one at something (Spelldrive at NRC) Malleus shows up to put him back down to second place again. Life seems to have a karmic way of making Leona nothing more and I feel that. Honestly, Leona’s state makes me cry but I can’t rank him higher because the canon content for his character is sparse. Most of the elements about Leona are things you have to look into and read out of his actions and backstory and while that’s not bad, it’s frustrating that a lot of people overlook them because they aren’t as explicit as the other characters. Leona’s depression is very real, but because the symptoms manifest as less sad-boy and more tired jackass a lot of people overlook his failing mental health. He’s badly written and I feel like the first iteration of his backstory (Book 2 in game) does the worst job about making you feel anything for him considering his actions. (4/10 Smart character with lots of potential but written like an idiot where it counted. Also attempted murder.)

4: Malleus Draconia (TENTATIVE)—Doesn’t want to be alone. After all, what’s the point of being so powerful when it’s so lonely? Loneliness is a feeling that I think doesn’t get explored enough in the media I consume (maybe I need to look harder), so Malleus can be a little higher for what I currently perceive as his reasons for overblotting. He’s an immortal being constantly ostracized by the position he was born into and suffers from the classic conundrum of having to watch everyone he cares about go before him. For all intents and purposes he’s an orphan. He doesn’t have a lot of people he’s related to and can really consider close, so it hits him extra hard when they can’t be around anymore, and for all of his age, as a fae he’s really very young, immature, and inexperienced. The game is doing its darndest to make sure that he gets as thorough an explanation as possible and actively wants you to understand where he’s coming from and feel bad. So he gets the halfway point because as much as I love this kind of thing, favoritism and getting the longest time to explore his feelings only gets him so high. (6/10 I like that the MC has a personal stake in this one, and he's not actively trying to kill anyone.) (Since Book 8 isn’t over yet, his position is subject to change later.)

3: Riddle Rosehearts—Anal retentive to the extreme. Riddle’s mom is so hated by the fandom she is never getting a face reveal. Is now the time to express how bad I feel about Riddle being traumatized by strictness and rules to the point where he honestly believes that bending the most absurd rules will result in disastrous consequences? Maybe. I appreciate that we saw exactly the inciting incident that made Riddle the way he is now. So much of his character falls back on that one time he broke the rules as a kid, and it HAS SO MUCH IMPACT. He gets a lot of props for being one of the few overblotters to actually have character growth post-featured book. Riddle is a contender for second place, but his potential ability to grow beyond his circumstances makes him less tragic. (7/10 Riddle is a surprisingly strong first antagonist in the main story. Almost killed someone, but that was notably AFTER he broke down and turned into a rampaging monster.)

2: Jamil Viper—Can never be his true self. Jamil is another guy who was born into his lifestyle and has no feasible way out of what’s driving him up the wall. It’s not just about Kalim being naïve and sheltered, it’s about how Jamil himself can’t ever use the gifts he has or escape from that fate. He is better than Kalim at a lot of things, but has to act like an amateur so he doesn’t outshine the guy he’s been sworn to protect and serve. He has expectations set on him, and duties to fulfill, and his best route in life as presented to him is just to be as average and boring as possible despite his innate talent and potential. I don’t know if there’s supposed to be a way for Jamil to get out of his family’s servitude to the Al-Asims that causes him to be so bitter, so at this point I kind of assume he’s stuck and that makes it extra sad. The fact that he really just wants to go on vacation makes it hit harder that he’s not even that bad for a guy at a villains’ school. Book 5 giving him a chance to break out of that shadow is great, honestly. (8/10 I can't hate him. He just wants a break, man. He wasn't even trying to hurt anyone, but loses a point for dragging Yuu/MC into his scheme. [Don't y'all dare throw Kalim hate in here. That's not what this is about. I will fight you.])

1: Idia Shroud—Survivor’s Guilt. Book 6 really went there and we are going to talk about it. He did something he shouldn’t have as a kid and now he has to live with the fact that his kid brother is dead. He wanted so badly to undo what he did that he built a new version of him even though he knew deep down he could never replace Ortho. No. I’m sorry. You’re not beating that. That’s not event including the fact that he’s also stuck as a fracking guardian of the underworld in a family that is supposed to be incapable of overblotting in the first place. Idia has textbook depression, and that’s not a bad thing. He feels just as trapped as everyone else and doesn’t see a point to doing anything the conventional way if he doesn’t have to. Idia is NOT a perfect person or character, but as far as his writing for why he ends up doing what he does, I think he easily takes the cake. (10/10 Will weep again. Character writing, with a little dash of hope that he can find some bright spots in life. Extra points for Ortho telling him to keep living. Also, he has the coolest Overblot design. 100/10 for Technopunk Hades.)

This is a super abridged version of what I have to say regarding each of these characters, so I may have to write out actual essays and character analysis for them eventually. I tried to get out the gist of my rankings in as short a form as possible, but that might not be good enough for some people. Feel free to tell me how I misunderstand and mischaracterize your fave.

[atzloverr]

Chapter 6 - Selfish Desire

Warning: this chapter includes yandere themes, kidnapping

previous chapter - next chapter

Selfish desire masterlist

Your mind was all over the place.

Maybe it was the lack of food in your system, or perhaps just the huge amount of information being thrown at you all at once.

What boggled your mind the most wasn’t even the fact that you were kidnapped, it was who kidnapped you.

All those vague answers to your questions, his mysterious demeanor and those long, uncomfortable stares. It all made sense now.

Park Seonghwa had planned this all along, and his partner in crime was a monster who tortured the boy who was in love with you.

Yunho.

You had no perception of time in this dark, isolated basement, but it felt like an eternity had passed since Yunho left for dinner.

You had already checked every corner of the dimly lit room for any kind of means to escape, but only grew more frustrated when you found absolutely nothing. The only sense of comfort you had was Yunho’s hoodie around your body.

You felt sick at the thought of those two monsters undressing you, tying you up and leaving you all alone. If what Yunho said was true, they must truly be sick.

If they think this is any way to treat someone they “love”.

For what felt like the past hour, you had sat in your loneliness in a corner of the basement. The one furthest away from the stairs. You occasionally heard the sound of footsteps from above you, but no other sound could give you any more clues to where you were, or what was really going on.

Your head snapped up from where it rested on your shoulder when the door was slowly opened. As much as you wanted to stay calm, your own body betrayed you, making your breathing pick up in fear.

You didn’t know what to expect, but the person who showed up was the last one you wanted to see.

Hongjoong.

And he was all alone.

His slippers made a flop sound when he walked over to you slowly. You didn’t dare to move an inch, or even take a peek at his face.

As he made his way to where you were sat, you could see that he now wore silk pajama pants, colored a deep blue. You were guessing it was nighttime then.

“(Y/N), please don’t make this more difficult than it has to be,” he sighed. You finally dared to raise your head to meet his fierce gaze.

He was smiling.

This time, not a big grin, but a small, tired smile. He almost looked like he pitied you, which did nothing to calm the anger brewing inside of you.

“Why are you doing this to me?” your voice sounded out in a small whisper.

He sighed deeply once again, kneeling down to your level, sitting in front of you on his knees. You were too tired to try and fight him, and he knew that too.

“Yunho practically begged us to let the two of you spend the night,” Hongjoong told you ignoring your earlier question. “I was so sad to deny him, but the way you acted, trying to hurt me… I just can’t let it go unpunished,” he said, pouting slightly, as to try to look sad for you. As if this wasn’t all his fault.

“And don’t think I don’t know about his little crush on you,” Hongjoong giggled.

Your eyes widened against your own will.

“Oh you’re so cute (Y/N)! did you honestly think I didn’t know?” he laughed. You could swear you had run out of tears, but your eyes proved you wrong as the man in front of you started laughing mockingly.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him that you know his little secret,” he promised, stroking your hair. His hands on you were disgusting. All you wanted was to push him away from you as quickly as possible, but you couldn’t move at all.

“Why are you doing this?” you asked again while tears slowly trickled down your cheeks. Hongjoong’s thumbs gently wiped them away.

“You’ll never understand, will you?” he said, still having that smile, even as his tone became harsher. Meaner. “Stop asking stupid questions, and then you won’t have to rot in this basement.”

Your bottom lip trembled. Maybe this is exactly what he wanted. To see you this weak and fragile. As much as your mind told your body to move, it was as if you were in a trance, looking into your captor’s eyes.

“Looks like you’re staying down here for tonight darling,” his smile grew. You shook your head, not wanting to be in this cold basement anymore. “But look, I brought you something!” he said excitedly.

He stood up and picked up something from the floor. Huh. You must’ve missed it when he put it down.

“I’m not so cruel, am I?” he asked rhetorically, holding up something, blocking the small amount of light you had.

You felt your eyebrows knit together as he held up the large blanket in his hands. Your large blanket. “What, how-“ you started, feeling the tears continue to stream down your cheeks.

“I know you can have trouble sleeping at times, so I brought you something to make you feel more…” Hongjoong smiled. “At home.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

This might’ve been the worst night of your life.

Even with the rain pouring outside, and your thick blanket wrapped around your body, you were restless.

Your body was so tired, but your mind couldn’t give you a wink of sleep. The fear consumed your entire mind, leaving you shivering slightly.

Was this what Yunho had to go through? Sleeping alone in a cold and empty basement with thousands of questions, but zero answers?

You could tell hours had passed, and the morning was near. Light came through the basement door, illuminating the room better, serving as a sign that the day was near.

You dreaded the moment that door would be opened once again, but at the same time, wanted company, answers and most of all, food.

Your stomach was growling at you. The last time you ate was dinner before your shift, which consisted of instant noodles… You didn’t want to, but a part of you regretted fighting back when you were given food.

Maybe food was a privilege here, something that you needed to earn. It wouldn’t shock you if Hongjoong took away basic human rights here, such as food or water.

Thankfully, there was a small bathroom in the basement, so that right was still in your grasp.

You curled yourself into a ball, still trying to find that sleep you so desperately needed. That’s when you finally heard those infamous footsteps coming from above you. From what you’d connected so far, Hongjoong’s steps were the roughest. These steps however, were almost silent. You wanted to think that it was Yunho, but something told you that it might’ve been the third party involved in this.

If you weren’t so on edge, you probably wouldn’t have picked up on the person slowly unlocking the door and stepping inside. The person slowly made their way down the stairs, so quietly that you couldn’t really hear how many steps they had left.

You decided to go with your best bet.

Playing dead.

Or more accurately, fake sleeping. As a kid, you had easily learnt how to change your breathing to make your fake sleeping believable.

You were facing the opposite wall of the basement, so you still didn’t know who was behind you.

A deep sigh was heard as the man sat down.

You knew exactly who that sigh belonged to. You had heard him make all kinds of noises, anything to avoid speaking.

He seemed to keep himself at a distance from you, maybe some attempt at respecting your boundaries? It seemed ridiculous if you thought about it.

“(Y/N)” His deep voice sounded out, slightly raspier than normal. “I-“ he started, breath catching in his throat. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

You opened your eyes in confusion.

Seonghwa sniffled quietly. “I love you,” he told you. You couldn’t believe the words coming out of the man’s mouth.

I must’ve finally managed to fall asleep. This must be some kind of weird dream…

You had to know if this was purely your imagination or not, so you turned around to look at Seonghwa, without thinking it through.

He gasped in surprise at your sudden glance.

“I- I thought-“ he stammered. You recognized this behavior. He was going to start panicking again. Just like that time at your place. Just like that time in school.

School.

Wooyoung.

Your place.

The corner.

It all came rushing back to you. Had you simply forgotten that you had a life back home?

Surely someone had to go looking for you, right? Maybe a missing person poster was going to be put up for you too.

Now, you were the one panicking, not your project partner in front of you.

“Hey, (Y/N), please calm down,” Seonghwa urged you, trying to shake you back into reality. Your breathing only picked up even more. The only thing capable of bringing you back to reality was the harsh slamming of the door, and the rushing footsteps that came after it.

Hongjoong stopped in his tracks when he saw the scene in front of him.

“Seonghwa,” he called out. Seonghwa’s head snapped to the side. “Leave us,” he demanded, eyes fixated on your form.

You watched with wide eyes as Seonghwa immediately obeyed, and rushed past Hongjoong, up the stairs. You flinched when the door was slammed closed once again.

The two of you ended up in a silent staring contest, not muttering a word to one another, until you finally mustered the courage to be the first one to speak.

“So you order around Seonghwa as well? Maybe I wasn’t so wrong to say you did this to him as well,” you said, still not breaking eye contact. Hongjoong raised a brow at your bold statement.

“You do not know anything about our relationship, so don’t go trying to make me a villain when you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Your eyelid twitched at his rudeness. “Well then please indulge me, what is your relationship like?” you challenged.

Hongjoong stepped closer to you, still keeping his stare linked with yours. His hands gripped the soft blanket around you, and you soon realized what he was trying to do. “Stop it!” you yelled as he roughly pulled the blanket from your grasp. He harshly threw it behind him, and what he did next only made your will to fight him stronger.

“Hey, stop it you pervert!!” You tried to stop him from taking Yunho’s hoodie off of you with all your might, but his hands seemed to be made of steel.

“You don’t deserve to wear this,” he said, eyes wide with adrenaline and anger. As he finally snatched it from you, he pulled it close to his face, inhaling deeply. Was he… smelling it?

You crawled further away from him in disgust. You attempted to cover up your body, now only in your underwear. “Oh, are you cold? Are you embarrassed?” Hongjoong mocked. He was still smelling the hoodie, hiding his nose and mouth, but his eyes showed you that he was in fact smiling.

You already felt the goosebumps creeping up your body. Just as Hongjoong picked the blanket up and was about to leave, you spoke before your mind could comprehend it.

“Wait!”

Hongjoong stopped in his tracks, looking back at you. “P-please can I keep the blanket? It’s really cold down here,” you begged. You didn’t want to give him that satisfaction. Seeing you like this, kneeling on the floor in front of him.

He made a pause, pursing his lips in thought. A small ray of hope appeared, as you anticipated his answer.

“Hmm, let me think,” he smiled. “How about… No!” He laughed as he continued walking away from you.

“It was a cute attempt though,” he said on his way out.

Your eyes dropped to the floor beneath you. You hugged your knees in a small attempt to get some warmth, but already missed the fabric of Yunho’s hoodie against your body.

The door closed behind Hongjoong, the sound echoing in the basement. You were fearing those punishments that Yunho had told you about, but even as you made him angry, he just took away your human rights. First it was food, now it was warmth. You sighed in defeat.

Guess the waiting game was about to begin again.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Yunho looked around the room, the anxiety creeping up on him. You, all alone in that dark basement he had spent so many nights in, he couldn’t bear the thought of it.

Even after begging Hongjoong and Seonghwa to let you sleep in his room tonight, they just reminded him who was in charge.

“You had to go through this too, didn’t you?” Seonghwa cooed, slowly dragging his fingers up and down Yunho’s arm. “It’s only fair she gets the same treatment!” he continued, smiling.

Yunho looked at the clock on the wall. It was five o’clock in the morning. Why on gods green earth would someone be up at this time.

Yunho’s breath hitched at the realization. Were they going to do something to you? He listened idly for more sounds of footsteps, having learned how to identify them by now.

Hongjoong was walking down the set of stairs leading to the first floor. Yunho couldn’t help but put a hand to his mouth in fear when the basement door was opened harshly. Hongjoong’s loud stomps were heard as he went down to the basement.

After minutes of silence, Seonghwa’s footsteps were heard outside of Yunho’s door. Had he also been down there?

The door to his bedroom was opened carefully, and Yunho couldn’t explain the look on Seonghwa’s face as he entered the room. Without any words being said, Seonghwa placed himself on the bed, next to Yunho.

The two locked eyes as Seonghwa’s weight made the bed dip slightly.

“What’s going on?” Yunho asked. Seonghwa snuggled closer to him, sighing. “Don’t worry about it.” Seonghwa’s hand found Yunho’s hair, running his fingers through it lovingly.

Yunho was left puzzled, unsatisfied with the answer. “Can I please meet her again today?” Yunho begged, looking into Seonghwa’s eyes with a pleading look. This time, he was happy to earn a silent nod from the man in front of him.

Finally, he could close his eyes and rest. Knowing that the two of you will reunite soon.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The basement suddenly lit up when the door was opened. It had been what you guessed to be a few hours since Hongjoong decided to deprive you from the warmth, and now you could only hope that he had miraculously changed his mind.

In your line of sight was Seonghwa, carrying a tray of food. Breakfast, you presumed. You. eyed him with caution as he set down the tray about a meter away from you.

It was a traditional Korean breakfast, which honestly, made your mouth water just from the look of it. However, you weren’t going to let yourself get fooled this time.

Seonghwa was about to take his leave when you let your suspicions get the better of you. “How do I know this isn’t drugged?” you asked, reading his face for any clues.

“You don’t,” he deadpanned, turning on his heels to leave you. “Can you at least give me a reason to trust you?” you tried.

He paused in his movement. “Maybe not a reason to trust me, but a reason to eat it,” he suggested. You tilted your head in confusion. “If you finish it, I’ll let you meet your little lover boy,” he smiled.

You bit your lip. “How do you know about that?” you questioned. Seonghwa chuckled, but still stood with his back facing you, ready to leave you any second.

“I think many people knew about it, only you were too dense to figure it out!”

He walked away from you swiftly.

“Can you promise me?”

His head snapped around once more, asking you to elaborate.

“Promise me that I’ll get to see him,” you demanded.

You could basically see his smile as he answered. “Sure darling. I promise.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

As much as you didn’t want to admit it, that breakfast might’ve been the best thing you’d eaten in a long time.

You didn’t exactly have the economy to buy yourself luxurious ingredients like these, so it was truly a blessing to feel the tastes on your tongue.

You were hesitant at first, but once you took a bite, you couldn’t stop yourself.

Seonghwa just gave you a satisfied smile when he picked up your empty tray.

Now you just sat there, staring at a wall, silently anticipating Yunho’s arrival. You wondered how long they were going to keep you down here. What was their plan? What were they trying to do when they decided to kidnap you?

Seonghwa’s confession of love was not what you expected, but it seems what Yunho had told you about them was true after all.

Finally, the door was opened again. You got a peek of the main floor’s inviting warm lighting, being such a contrast to the dull and dark basement. Hongjoong appeared, hands behind his back, with that smile on his lips which you had already learned to hate.

You anxiously watched, and almost jumped up in joy when you saw Yunho’s tall frame enter the basement. Yes, you still felt very ashamed in your barely dressed state, but right now, none of that mattered.

You immediately threw yourself in Yunho’s embrace, holding him tight. For some reason, seeing him made you feel like everything was going to be okay. He didn’t have that bandage over his eye anymore, which also comforted you.

Yunho’s arms wrapped around your cold body, and his knitted sweater reminded you of home. Home. That’s what Hongjoong called this place. Home. What a disgusting use of such a warm word.

You threw a sharp glare at Hongjoong when he separated the two of you, giving Yunho a small back hug.

“I can’t believe Seonghwa would be so foolish as to give you a reward for merely finishing your food,” Hongjoong scoffed from between Yunho. Yunho looked apologetically at you.

“But I’m a man who keeps my promises, and my beloved’s promises,” he added. “So we’ll let you guys spend some quality time together,” Hongjoong giggled.

You rolled your eyes at his attempt to sound genuine. “I figure you’ll have to get to know each other better.” Hongjoong walked around Yunho, so he could get a clear view of you. “After all, you’ll be spending the rest of your lives together,” Hongjoong said, his eyes staring directly into yours.

You refused to let yourself react to those last words, knowing it was some sort of bait. There was no way he meant such a thing, no, he simply wants you to think that. Right?

Hongjoong slowly stepped away from the two of you, his boots loudly indicating his every step up the stairs.

You locked eyes with Yunho, whose eyes were distant and cold. When you heard the door close and lock, you immediately began where you left off.

“Oh (Y/N), I’m sorry,” he mumbled into your hair as you buried your face in the crook of his neck. “You haven’t done anything wrong, Yunho?” you answered confused.

He started sniffling silently. “No i-it’s just—“ he began, but his sobs interrupted him. “I don’t want this for you.”

You shook your head, only hugging him tighter.

The second you untangled from the hug, Yunho immediately took his sweater off, offering it to you again. You couldn’t even protest, you knew you needed it more than him.

The two of you sat down in the corner you had started to feel at home in, and that’s when the questions started throwing themselves out of you.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Yunho had over the last 20 minutes or so, explained “how things work around here.”

You listened attentively as he explained the ways to stay out of trouble, and what could happen if you do get in trouble.

“Yunho, can’t we try to escape this place? There must be some way for us to get out?” You held Yunho’s warm and big hands as you suggested it. His eyes traveled to the floor.

“Do you remember when I told you that I tried to escape once?” You nodded.

“Well…” Yunho sighed. “I don’t want to tell you this but, it wasn’t worth it in the end.”

You raised an eyebrow. Yunho’s lips formed a straight line before he sat down on his knees. Without warning, he pulled up his shirt, exposing the skin underneath. You wanted to look away as he suddenly showed his bare skin, but the second your eyes found what he showed you, they just couldn’t look away.

Yunho had bruises and cuts all over his stomach, not to mention the bandaged part on his left side.

“He stabbed me.”

His eyes met yours, and he could only explain the look on your face as sheer terror. You put a hand over your mouth in shock.

“I can’t let that happen to you (Y/N). I just… can’t,” he whispered. “But I promise you (Y/N), one way or another, I will get you out of this place.”

“Yunho,” you called, looking into his intense eyes. “I won’t leave you behind, okay?” you told him, tears pooling in your eyes.

Yunho blinked, and then threw his arms around you. This time, he didn’t hold back his sobs as he collapsed in your arms.

next chapter

masterlist

help this is kinda long………… hope you enjoyed anyway!!!

(requests are opennn)

[lizzaneia-elizalde]

how would the yanderes react when darling asks "would you love me if i was a worm" 😁

Yandere men and their darling asking "would you love me if I was a worm"

By the way, if you don't specify which set of yanderes, i'll do the latest! So, for this, it's set 2!

YAN! DELINQUENT

"A worm? Uh..."

Liam would be flabbergasted.

He would genuinely think about it. He doesn't have pets before. But, you're not a pet. You're his lover, so does that count as beast--

Then he watches your face distort from cheeky to worried, to sad because he's not answering at all.

But please, don't take his silence the wrong way. He's genuinely trying to give a logical answer to your question!

He's thinking of what soil to use, the cage... Wait, does caging you benefit? Or would it be healthier for a worm to be on grass?

His head is going overload trying to think of what to answer that you actually felt bad for it, until he just groans in his palms and say...

"Of course, I will. Worm or not."

YAN! BULLY

"Yeah no."

Straightforward answer, and it just pissed you off that he didn't even think about it.

And oh boy does he like the fact that you're pissed at him for saying that. He'll tease you about it, saying "boohoo, i'll just throw you away and find another person. Because honestly, how can I fuck you when you're a worm?"

Now, that genuinely hurt you, because it implied that he only loves you for your body. And now, you're ignoring him. Sure, you have no other friends to turn to, but what's there to miss from him when he says those stuff.

Uno freezes, because now he sees you're actually hurt. At first, he'll laugh at you for being such a sensitive person, not until you ignoring him became too painful and he had to lower is high ass pride and kneel in front of you, saying that you as a worm wouldn't matter because he still loves you.

YAN! NSFW ASMRTIST

"Is this a request for a new audio?"

Rose was slightly aware of the trend, but he didn't expect you to say it to him. So maybe you were suggesting a new audio plot?

But no, you're actually asking if he would love you if you were a worm.

He chuckles, a bit awkward. He's a bit too old for these trends.

"I don't understand the trend. But um... Yes, I will still love you. I'll take care of you greatly, and make sure you live your best life with me."

YAN! ISEKAI'ED ADVENTURER

"My lady? A worm?"

Aeron stops what he's doing (probably marquessate work) and looks up at you. "Are you going to get cursed or something?"

If he somehow knew the trend beforehand, he'll be surprised that you knew that. Are you also from this world, perhaps?

But then, he'll stop himself and chuckles. "Yes, I will. Also, I know that you will overcome whatever curse will be afflicted on you."

It seems that he misunderstood everything. But you don't mind.

YAN! PLAYER

"Yes. And I'll also be a worm. And we'll have a worm wedding, then a worm family..."

Oh gods, please make him stop.

After you asked that question, he'll giddily answer like he's been thinking about the question a lot. You looked at him funnily as he listed down his wormy fantasy when you both become worms like it's the inevitable. Sometimes, it's scaring you, really.

"--then, i'll bring you the most precious food out there, wait, what kind of worm? Ooh, earthworms? But no..."

Why did you even ask that?

YAN! PARASITE

"Aren't we worms already?"

You shoot Acheron a mean look and he laughs. "I mean, we're technically parasites, hopping from one body to another. So yes, we are worms, and I still and will love you. Yes?"

Well, that's true... But did he really have to be logical? Where's the whimsy and fun?

As you pout there, he chuckles and kisses your forehead.

Well, at least he will love you no matter what.

YAN! EMPEROR

"... No."

You were shocked. Surely, SURELY, the man who committed war crimes just to find you would love you as a worm?

When you asked him why, he would just scoff and say:

"I am a man of high status. I will not be loving a worm."

You frowned, and he could clearly tell that you were about to turn around and walk away when he suddenly pulled you close.

"I will be finding the best wizards and sorcerers out there, even warlocks and witches, just to turn you back to your form."

Okay, maybe Callisto can be sweet too.

YAN! COLLEGE STUDENT

"No questions, yes."

Alpheus gave you a straight answer as he put hot glue on the plank on his hand before gently placing it on the board. "I'll even make you a small house just for you to live on."

He's unbelievably sweet when he said that, like it was the most obvious thing ever. Even when he's making his architectural model, he's still so attentive towards you.

In reality, he doesn't understand this trend at all. Why become a worm in the first place? It's not even logical. But eh. You wanted to ask, so fine.

YAN! DEEP SEA CREATURE

"What is a worm?"

Ah, you forgot that this man is essentially homebound and cannot get out. So, no worms. So you thought of an alternative, a starfish!

He deeply thought of the answer to give you, until... "Hmm, yes, I will. But, that means, I can dissect you into multiples so I can have more of you."

Okay, okay... Jeez.

YAN! HUNTER

"Wait, a worm? Yes, but..."

He's not sure how to say this without saying anything incriminating. "I have to remake the whole pool aquarium into a biodiverse ecosystem!" Well, at least he's still thinking of you.

"NO! WAIT! IF I GIVE YOU THAT BIG OF AN ENCLOSURE, I'LL LOSE YOUR WORM FORM!" You blinked, not expecting such a passionate revelation of an answer. He bit his nail, actually thinking deep. You just rolled your eyes and chuckled.

YAN! KING

"If you become a worm, then I'll be a worm too."

Soma frowns. What kind of question is this?

"I'll make sure that you won't get away from me and crawl back to the Emperor." He seethed, eyes burning with jealousy.

Did you ask that to spite him? Are you going to escape by being a worm? Foolish enough to even say your plan too. He grabs your hand, kissing you roughly.

"I will kill every single worm I see until I reach to you."

YAN! GOD

"Do you wish to be one?"

Liviticus stopped watching the screen and looked to you. He's thinking too deep now. "Are you unhappy in your new form? I can fix that."

But before you could deny, Livticus turned you into a worm, making you shriek in horror as he picked you up. He smiles softly, thinking you like it. "You'll turn back into a human tomorrow, so don't worry."

STILL TOMORROW?

Man... You shouldn't have asked...

YAN! PROSECUTOR

"I will not be able to love you romantically as a worm."

He sadly says as he holds your hand. He seems genuinely distraught of the fact that he can't. You asked him why not. "It's because we are species apart, and it will be unfair to you if I confine you to me always when your place is in the soil, thriving, eating, growing... I simply cannot."

He pecks you on the forehead, gently brushing the back of your hand. "But, I will still long for you, forever."

[mylucayathoughts]

Little moments that I love in Red White and Royal Blue. PART 6 (haha I'm going feral)

I know these scenes have been talked about like hundreds of times already but I still need to get the feels out of my system, plz bear with me 🙏😭

When Alex bends almost 90 degrees to take a look at Henry at the royal wedding. He seeks out Henry so much already it is so cute 😍 His commentary "He is so smug and entitled", "he's such a snob" and "I swear he's not 6 feet 2!" and yet we get this eager look from him 😝

Alex was MAD at Henry but he never meant for his suit to get ruined, he was so drunk he forgot that he had whipped cream all over his hands. You can see from his reaction that he realized he fucked up and says sorry immediately, even tries to clean the suit with his cream hands 🤣

"Well now I feel like I need to apologize" - and I'm sure it took some pressure off of Henry. Wish we saw his reaction. I bet he was finally at peace knowing that Alex doesn't dislike him anymore or at least sympathizes with him.

The face Alex makes at his phone after talking to Henry, if only he could see it 😏 he LOVED every second of the call 😍 and he adores Henry but he hadn't realized it yet, my dumbass baby 🤧

During the new years party, whenever Alex was physically away from Henry, his mind wasn't 😏

The way Henry grabs Alex's face and pulls closer while he kisses him 😩😍🦋 you can see the wrinkles on Alex's cheek.

My boy (Henry) was really going at it and then Alex closes his eyes and gives in to the kiss 🥺

Henry giving Alex a look after his "the night is still young Ma!" he must be thinking "what exactly are your intentions?" 😝

Then he smiles both at the joke and at the prospect 🤣😏

Alexs come-hither look 👀👀 gotta mention Taylor, he was so good with his expressions here, (focus was on him in this scene, as opposed to the Paris scene where we saw Nicholas's mostly)

From the red room to Alex's bedroom - the whole thing is just so beautifully scripted, well directed, well acted. Cinema peaked here guys 😍😩 I have no complaints!

I love love how before leaving, Henry took one good look at Alex, took a deep breath, smiled and slowly turned away. Like he couldn't believe his own damn luck that he was just with Alex, after years of longing. And that Alex seems to want him too 🥺

Henry struggling with his buttons and Alex immediately going to help him and their sweet little smiles in this scene 😍 And Nicholas and Taylors acting here, part eager, part excited, part nervous, part silly 😩😩😩 beautiful honestly 😭

Henry saying "oh and I told my sister" and Alex's "awe I didn't know that" and they both get lost into their own little world forgetting the tornado in the room that is Zahra. Boyfriends™

I almost cropped out Alex's butt here (which would be a crime btw) but I didn't and Henry's smile 😩😍 he is such a cutie patootie 😘

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 7

[moonstruck-poet]

Let's Have One

Pairing - Ben Barnes x reader!

Summary - Seeing you play and bond with his sister's baby sparked a new feeling of want and love in Ben.

Warnings - none!

This one is a thank you for a hundred followers!! I love all of you sm <33

"You ready, love?" His soft voice addressed you as you finished applying some light compact powder, thus finishing your simple and elegant look.

"Yeah just done," you gave yourself a scan and smoothed down the simple blood red dress. And even with the three cups of caffeine that you had downed in the past two hours, a yawn still managed to escape.

"God I'm hopeless," you chuckled lightly, fighting the urge to rub your eyes so as to not ruin the eyeliner.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and pulled you closer by the waist. "I can see how tired you are and I can't do anything at all".

"Hey it's fine," you kissed his cheek, lingering for a while and nuzzling into his neck. "It was my fault for staying up late on that case".

"You sure you're feeling okay? No headaches or anything?"

"I'm fine," you smiled at his worried expression before grabbing his hand and leading him out of the door. "And besides it's Sarah's birthday party, I wouldn't miss it for the world, you know?"

"I know," he replied and followed you without a doubt, opening the car door like an absolute gentleman before getting in himself.

"I should've done that since I'm driving," you laughed when he shook his head.

"You open the doors for me at restaurants and I do it for cars. I think it's only fair".

The drive to the party was spent in silence, with the radio and Ben's humming being the only source of sound.

"You need to have a small holiday," he interrupted the quiet and took your free hand in his. "You're working too hard".

"I'll get one as soon as I finish this, I promise. This one's a lot more complicated than we expected so naturally it is taking more time".

"I find you absolutely cool have I ever mentioned that?" He asked with a teasing smirked on his face.

You couldn't help but laugh and smile yourself, "I think you have, indeed! For the past week or so".

"Seriously though, I still can't believe that I'm married to a crime branch officer. Who could've thought?"

"And it's beyond my understanding how I managed to snatch for myself a literal Disney prince for the record," you retorted and he grinned proudly.

You two had arrived at the destination and the car was parked quickly by your efficient hands.

As usual, he got out first and opened your door, offering a charming smile and his hand as if you were a queen.

You accepted it without a moment of hesitation and placed your palm on his cheek to give him a rather unexpected kiss, one that he immediately reciprocated.

"Goodness," he whispered to himself after you pulled away, leaving him rather breathless and following with a wink.

Ben just felt himself fall a little more in love.

As soon as you opened the doors, you were swarmed by his family members. Eveybody coming closer to greet you with enthusiasm while your husband watched from the sideline, a fond and adoring smile on his face.

"It's so good to see you sweetheart!" His mother cupped your cheeks and surveyed your face in the most motherly way possible. "You're resting well aren't you? Eating properly and getting enough sleep? He's taking care of you isn't he?" She pointed towards her son and playfully narrowed her eyes as if threatening him.

"Don't worry, Mum. He's always taking care of me," you laughed at his nervous and scared face.

"He better be," Thomas, his father patted him on the shoulder sternly before chuckling and pulling his boy in a hug.

You finally managed to extract yourself from his loving family and he joined your side a second later, straightening his blazer.

"I honestly think they love you more".

"Well, I know they love me more".

He rolled his eyes at your smirk and extended his arm which you took, placing your palm on his bicep.

"You look beautiful by the way," he muttered in you ear as you searched for an empty table. "Like breathtakingly gorgeous".

"Thank you," was all you managed to utter because the way he was looking at you made you feel all sorts of things.

"All these years and I can still make you blush huh?" He grinned knowingly while you poked and slapped his abdomen.

"Let's sit here," he pointed to one with two empty seats and you followed, settling down at last and letting out a sigh as you slipped your heels off.

His hands found their way to yours, as though it was second nature to do so. His fingers fiddled with yours, occupying his attention till the party began.

And it started soon enough with everyone standing up as the birthday girl cut her cake and both her husband and son placed a kiss on her cheeks.

"Awh," you said to yourself, a smile forming on your face at what you saw a perfect family. You wanted that too. You already had a loving husband, the only thing left now was an adorable little one.

You lips were pressed together as you looked at your man, letting your eyes rest on his sharp but smooth features.

How beautiful would it be to have a little baby, a perfect combination of yourself and someone whom you held so dear. Maybe they'd inherit his dark eyes and hair or yours, it would be beautiful either way.

How lovely would it be to see this small, tiny human being blossom into a fully mature adult with their own unique personality while also sharing some common traits.

Your heart felt heavy with love at the thought and Ben could certainly feel you planting holes in his face and he looked at you quizzically, though a smile was still there.

You shook your head, suddenly overcome with emotions as you rested your head on his shoulder, wanting to be close.

He didn't say anything and merely pulled you closer, if that was even possible while pressing a kiss to your hairline.

The celebrations were in full swing and all of the couples were currently on the dancefloor, swaying to the romantic rhythm which soon changed into an energetic beat.

"Goddamn," a breath escaped your lips as you pushed your sweaty hair out of your face. "You're quite the dancer, Barnes".

"Care for another one, my love?"

"Unfortunately though I have to decline your offer, darling. I'm quite tired," you laughed lightly and he guided you to sit on a chair.

He knelt down on the floor and touched your feet making your eyes widen as you instantly grabbed his hands.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Shh just relax and trust me," he whispered and you watched as he undid the buckles of your heels and removed your sore feet from their tortuous clutches.

He then went forward to gently rubbing the top and sides and then moving towards the sole. The slight pressure helped immensely and you had to literally push him to get the man to stop.

"Thank you," you said into his ear once he settled down next to you, his chair close.

"Always," he murmured back and leaned down, capturing your lips in his and savouring the moment before it was broken by the party host.

Drinks and food were served once again, probably to energize the crowd for another round of crazy dancing. And Ben too had been dragged away by his many relatives, you laughing at his face that screamed 'save me from these hooligans'.

The sound was getting too loud for your rather sensitive ears so you decided to go to the more quieter areas but suddenly a loud crying stopped you in your tracks.

Pinpointing the source was easy enough and your heart dropped in your chest on seeing a toddler sitting on the grass all alone.

"Christ," you almost sprinted to the baby, recognizing him to be Louis, Ben's nephew. You sat down on your knees, offering him a smile and slowly moving closer.

"Hey Lou," you whispered, the smile still intact as you held out your palm. "You remember me, love?"

Fortunately the one-year-old had stopped crying though tears still stained his cheeks. He looked at you through wide set of eyes, his mind racing as he tried to identify.

After some time of silence you concluded that he didn't recognise you, which was fair considering you had only ever seen him twice in his life.

"Come here," you beckoned, now sitting on your heels and grinning as he raised his arms, allowing you to pick him up.

"Now what might you be doing here all alone, hmm?" You spoke softly, tucking him close to your body and finding a secluded spot in the party which didn't invite a lot of noise.

A sudden giggle was heard from him and you looked, surprised and laughing upon finding the cause. His tiny fingers had found your small butterfly necklace.

Sitting down on a chair you placed him on your lap, facing you. "Yeah that's a butterfly!" You smiled and gently wiped his moist cheeks.

"Fieee!" He grinned, his voice melting you immediately. He was an adorable boy, with blond hair and sea blue eyes.

"You wanna play a game? Let's play a game," saying so you kept him engaged for quite a long time and were entertained yourself.

"More!" He said happily, swinging his little feet as you tickled his sides making him squirm away but also lean in.

There was a tissue box kept on the table and you folded one to create a boat, an aeroplane and some simple shapes much to his excitement.

"Boat," he pointed towards the craft kept on the left and you clapped.

"Good job!" You chuckled and kissed the top of his head with every ounce of love. A wave of pride filling your chest at his correct answer.

Your shenanigans went on for another thirty minutes before Louis started yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Someone's getting sleepy," you adjusted his position so that his face was resting comfortably on your chest and your palm was patting his back.

Ben's blazer that had been resting on your shoulders for almost the entire night was now shielding his nephew from the cold. You draped the black coat on him and it fit like a warm blanket.

"Goodnight sweetheart," you murmured and kissed his forehead before resting your cheek gently on his head.

"Nigh Nigh," he replied, eyes closed completely and one of his fist grasping on your necklace.

Looking at him sleeping so peacefully made your tired body feel dizzy as well and before you knew it, you were knocked out.

Ben Barnes on the other hand was roaming around the hall for the past ten minutes, trying to locate you amongst the crowd. He was getting agitated and couldn't help but release a sigh of relief upon seeing you.

Walking closer a small noise of surprise left him as he saw you fast asleep with his nephew resting on your chest. His heart took up its pace as he gazed at the domestic scene, his brain already creating various scenarios which depicted you and a tiny one nestled in your arms.

He swallowed, sitting down in the empty share and pulling out his phone to click a picture, knowing it would last longer.

His eyes surveyed every inch of you in that beautiful moment.

Moving from your creaseless eyelids to the small movement of your lips while you were asleep, then to the protective but gentle hold you had on the baby who was snuggling closer to your cozy figure under his own blazer making his smile widen.

"God I adore you," he said with a small chuckle, getting up to press his lips to the top of your head.

"Oh thank goodness," his sister Sarah's voice was heard from behind as she panted a little.

"What's wrong?" He stood up straight, concerned upon seeing her frazzled state.

"I left Lou with an uncle of ours and I saw the said person drunk some time ago and freaked out," she took deep breath, glad that her son was safe and sound.

He scoffed is disbelief at the carelessnes shown before turning back to you as you were rubbing you eyes and blinking rapidly, trying to move before remembering the child that was alseep too.

Ben and Sarah watched with a smile as you adjusted the coat, tucking it carefully and brushing the small strands of hair from his face.

"Oh hey," you greeted when your eyes fell upon the pair and you stood up, "He fell asleep as we were playing," you explained and handed him to his mother.

She took her son in one arm and pulled you in a warm embrace, "Thank you. I was worried sick after not seeing him," she said, shuddering slightly and you offered her a comforting smile.

"Its okay I can understand, glad to say he was in good hands," you said softly and they nodded while laughing.

"See you around then, visit soon, Ben," she hugged her cousin and bid goodbye.

"You slept well?" Your husband asked and brought you close to him while you arms went around his neck.

"Mhmm, needed that power nap".

"I've been thinking.." He began slowly making you pull away to look at his face, noticing the slightly nervous expression.

"Go on," you encouraged him, leaning ahead.

"We've been married for almost four years noe, yeah? And have been together for ever longer," he said and you nodded. "How about- How about we have a child now?"

Your eyes widened and you stilled in his arms, your heartbeat increasing with both nervousness and excitement at his declaration, "Y- You sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He questioned and gently swayed you two together. "I want a future with you, my love. Have been dreaming about it for ages".

"Me too," you admitted, a small smile forming against your lips. "Seeing Lou again just increased that feeling tenfold".

"I second that. And honestly? I really want to take the next step now. I think we're ready. What'd you say?"

"I think I'm ready too".

"Well then, I supoose we should start practicing soon," he said, now a teasing smirk on his face making you blush.

"Indeed," you replied and the two of you laughed, placing your foreheads against each other and simply staring into each other's eyes, making a whole new world of promises by sharing looks.

===============================

[twstfanblog]

What is your Yuu's relationship with everyone in the brothel au?

Oh LORD this is gonna be a long one. More under the cut XD Sorry this took me so long to get out!

Riddle- Felt really bad for him when he first entered the brothel because he was basically squatting with Trey to escape his overbearing mother. As of now, She and him look over the brothel's fiance records together since Riddle is educated and Crewel trusts him with the files. She teases him about Floyd clearly planning on marrying him and what kind of ring he wants (If he ever answered, she'd tell Floyd immediately).

Trey- Big Brother #1. She met Trey when she was a child and got lost in the city. Spent a few days with him and his family so she was elated when she found out he started work in the brothel. Very fond of Trey and does her best to not make his job too stressful for him (as she ropes his two fastest food runners into her side hustle and puts the kitchen behind on orders).

Cater- Has only met Cater a handful of times since he is a child of a noble family. But since he and Idia use the brothel as neutral ground to meet up, they have crossed paths. They are positively neutral to each other. Cater is embarrassed that he opened up one day on the issues he and Idia are facing and she fucking gushed about how he was literally living a romance novel plot. She now teases everytime they meet up if anything 'plot relevant' happened.

Ace- Partner in crime #1. Yuu has a side hustle of ripping customers off who try to purchase her for a night even though she's not an entertainer. Ace was the first one to join her and they've managed to rope Deuce into it too. Was honestly surprised that Ace knew how to do complex math when he told her he could.

Deuce- Partner in crime #2. Deuce doesn't really know how to treat Yuu since they were friends before he learned she was Crewel's child. So he'll speak normally to her than trip up and become very respectful until Yuu tells him to stop it. Finds it really sweet that Deuce sends 2/3 of his paycheck home to his mom and grandma.

Leona- Honestly, deeply impressed that he's managed to become the second most popular entertainer with having done NO WORK. They hang out every now and again, which is how Yuu learns before anyone that Leona has a FORMAL education which is something only noble children have access to.

Ruggie- Calls him a rat. Actually thought he was someone trying to sneak into the brothel without paying and knocked him off the fence with a very good throw and a shoe. Once Leona got her up to speed on who Ruggie was she just calls him 'Leona's Rat Boyfriend'. Has asked him if he wants a job in the brothel but Ruggie doesn't trust Crewel to not make it a life long contract without him knowing.

Jack- Jack only comes to the brothel to visit Epel on his week off from his guardsman job. She's watching the first-year poly all circle around each other, not realizing that they all like each other, and she isn't gonna tell them because its too funny to watch them.

Azul- Has been tormenting this boy since they were mid-teens. Azul confused her for an entertainer and just word-vomited about how he could take care of her and that he'd make sure she was the most gorgeous bride. Since then Yuu teases how and when Azul is planning on proposing to take her away from her life of toil and strife. She does like Azul and if he DID ask for her hand in marriage, she'd fuss at Crewel to actually think it over instead of rejecting the request without hesitation.

Jade- Cousin #1! Since the twin's mom was a former entertainer and one of Crewel's good friends, the twins visited the brothel a lot growing up. Once baby Yuu came around, she was like a permanent playmate for the twins. They affectionatly call each other cousins.

Floyd- Cousin #2! Too silly guys that Jade had to watch while their parents were talking. Now Floyd whines at Yuu about what kinda present he should get Riddle as a sorry for fucking him so hard he dislocated his hips.

Kalim- Depending on the part of the AU, Yuu hasnt met Kalim and has no idea who he is. But when he manages to find Jamil, they end up pretty close. Yuu unknowingly makes Kalim 200% more annoying by jokingly calling Kalim her 'future brother-in-law'. Kalim now keeps asking Jamil when their wedding is and if he can help plan it

Jamil- Yuu is so down bad for this man that it's looped all the way back into pure rizz and Jamil isn't sure how the fuck it's WORKING. Yuu got Jamil the entertainer job, convincing Crewel to not kick out the very clearly shady traveler with shifty eyes. Jamil is very fond of Yuu because she's been nothing but helpful to him even when he didn't fully realize it. This is an internal back-and-forth for him since his goal is to leave the city and create more distance between him and Kalim, but he does find himself wanting to either stay in the brothel and further what he and Yuu have going on OR make a new plan where he absconds with Yuu.

Vil- Annoying little sibling to Annoying older brother. Vil was what Yuu would call an ugly duckling of an entertainer. He fumbled for the longest time before Crewel finally took Vil under his wing and helped him fully accept his new role in life. So she did make fun of Vil a lot in the beginning of their relationship. But then Yuu realizes that Vil knows how to read and since he IS getting better at his job, Yuu gifts him some old books she wasn't interested in anymore. Only to ALSO find out Vil used to be an actor and he's missed it, so he'll do dramatic reenactments of scenes from the books and they bond. Vil actually takes Yuu with him to an afternoon theater show every time there's a free day in the brothel.

Rook- Actually hated him for a while because she was sure that Rook was going to buy Vil out of the brothel with how much he booked him. She's scared that if Vil left she'd never see him again and mainly focus that negative fear on Rook. Rook took it in stride seeing Yuu as Vil's younger sister who just wanted to keep her brother close. So he works to endear himself to Yuu in the time he has prepping for his sessions with Vil. Yuu got random little gifts from Rook as 'Tokens of affection' until Yuu finally yielded and stopped being outwardly hateful of Rook. As of now, they are on fond terms and tease Vil about how he has such a 'passionate future husband'.

Epel- Chaos Twin. Actually really happy when Epel requested to become an entertainer, because now she has someone actually on the roster to help with her scheme of ripping the customers off. Epel hasn't officially made his debut as an entertainer, but he's got two lesson plans; the one Vil made for him on how to do the job properly and the one Yuu made for him on how to sweet talk his clients into spending more money on him.

Idia- Doesn't know much about each other since Idia is pretty good at sneaking into the brothel to meet Cater. She does meet Idia randomly sometimes when he leaves he and Cater's room. Idia does ask Yuu if he's making the right choice in NOT continuing his and Cater's relationship into the public and just going through with the arranged marriage his family set up.

Ortho- Hasn't met Ortho. But Ortho makes a grand entrance to the brothel to tell his brother he is being DUMB and should just be with Cater instead of being miserable with someone he doesn't like.

Malleus- She met him when she was a child and thought he was so pretty that she exclaimed she was gonna marry him. Malleus thought it was really cute and agreed to her terms. But now, years later She hasn't seen Malleus in real life for some odd years. They mainly communicate through letters and it's mostly just Malleus info dumping about the newest sculptures he's seen. And the VERY RARE love letter that flusters Yuu to the point she has to shove her face into her pillows and scream.

Lilia- Fun Uncle Lilia! She jokingly states she's never seen him sober, since whenever he does visit Silver in the Brothel he at least drinks a bottle of wine before Malleus is taking him home. Lilia finds Yuu to be adorble and was very happy that Silver had someone around his age to grow up with while living in the brothel. (He is the reason Yuu tried wine as a two-year-old)

Silver- Even though they were basically raised together, they see each other as friend instead of siblings. Silver normally keeps to himself while Yuu has her nose is almost everyone's business. If the business is low and Yuu doesn't have any paperwork to do, she'll sit out in the garden and just watch Silver work. She talks enough for the both of them and things are nice and cozy between them.

Sebek- They still kinda hate each other. Sebek because he thinks Yuu is leading his Waka-Sama on. Yuu because she thinks Sebek is unfaithful since he slept with Epel when its very clear hes been trying to convince Silver to accept his marriage proposal and finally come back to the yokai woods with the other Diasomnia boys. After a while (and Sebek panicking that he really did ruin his chances with Silver) they talk and realize that Sebek is just poly and showing interest in the fucked up dynamic that the first-year poly is.

BONUS, THE TEACHERS

Crewel- PAPA ♡! Yuu adores her father and he loves her so much back. He's very protective of his baby and will ban and throw people out if he thinks they're ogling her. Knowingly turns a blind eye to her scamming cuatomers too stupid to read who is actually an entertainer from the book of names in the front room. Is the birth mother to Yuu, and she HAS ASKED who her dad is and Crewel has been dodging her question for the past near two decades.

Vargas- Uncle Vargas! Captain of the city guard and old friend of Crewel. He visits on and off during his week off every month, normally to just have a drink with Crewel. But sometimes he'll wrangle the entertainers into running a lap around the brothel just to check they're all 'healthy'. He has taught Yuu self-defense, and that's only because he didn't know what else to do to entertain a toddler. (Possibly Yuu's father)

Sam- MR. SAM!!! Sam is the fun family friend who visits every season to do trade in the city and deliver custom goods. He'd bring Yuu toys and snacks from different countries every season so she is very fond of Sam. Sam knows a lot more than he let's on about Jamil and Leona but doesn't say anything when they recognize him. If things in the city ever go south, Sam is the one who's ready to take Yuu and Crewel out of the city to safety. (Possibly Yuu's father)

Trein- GRANPA ♡! The tutor for the brothel that helps the workers who dont know reading and math learn. Was Crewel's personal tutor when Crewel was still a nobleman. He is disappointed that Crewel ran away from home became a whore in what he assumed was a 'tantrum'. He is proud of Crewel now, and even finds Yuu adorable when she was born. He is on the payroll as a tutor for basic education for the workers, but he gives Yuu and a few other entertainers History and Literature lessons if they show interest in the subject.

Crowley- Has only met Crowley in person a few times and it was when she a baby so she doesn't remember him at all. Was a business partner of the former brothel owner, he was fond of Crewel because of how intelligent he was. Fully claims Yuu as his child and sends Crewel letters asking about her. Crewel has no idea where this man is and he's pissed about it because Crowley dumped all his debts on Crewel after stating they were married. So Crowley is on the run outside of the city and Crewel is trying to lure him back in to be murdered face the music. (possibly Yuu's father)

[stillness-in-green]

why do you think Deku never tried to talk to Shigaraki? doylist reason is obvious but what's the watsonian reason?

Honestly, this one’s pretty tricky to answer.  It’s very hard to get myself into the headspace of Deku (and the people in his own headspace!)—mainly because I get extremely uncharitable, extremely quickly.  Mainly about Horikoshi, yes, but that does extend to Deku, too, as well as the broader world he lives in.

The brain goes immediately to answers like, “His world is so incredibly slanted towards retributive models of justice that the fact that he even thinks about wanting to know Shigaraki’s motivations makes him a candidate for mad sainthood to the people around him.  The fact that he doesn’t follow that impulse through all the way to actually asking is immaterial; while Villains have to be punished for their actions, for Heroes, it’s the thought that counts.”

See how I’m already drifting back towards meta-narrative analysis at the end there?  Deku brings a lot of that out in me, especially from Villain Hunt onwards.  Like the wooden doll he’s named for, he comes off to me as a vessel for the plot to happen through more than he does a consistently written, well-thought-out character.  Trying to think of him through a purely Watsonian lens—no refences made at all, period, to what I think the story was trying to express or what Horikoshi’s intentions towards that story were—I almost immediately jump the tracks into territory that is all but certainly incompatible with what I was “supposed” to take away from MHA as a story.

But, you did ask, so I’ll follow the thought experiment through.  If I were to try and set down to paper an explanation for Deku’s actions from a purely in-universe stance—say, for writing canon compliant post-series fanfic—what would be my explanation?

(Hit the jump.)

Right off the bat, from a cultural perspective, I think Deku is afraid that if he tries to make excuses for Shigaraki, it would be disrespectful to Shigaraki’s victims.  That’s why you get the heroic characters constant harping on about how they can’t forgive the Villains, even though, as adjuncts to the police, “forgiveness” is utterly immaterial to them doing their jobs.  Too much sympathy for criminals, in some peoples’ eyes, becomes indicative of a lack of proper regard for the victims of crime; this is very much a dynamic in play in Japan’s legal system.[1]  Ochaco initially has the same impulse, where she’s terrified that even thinking about Toga Himiko’s human circumstances puts her in danger of forgetting the suffering Toga and the League brought about.

1: That’s a meta consideration, yes, but one that I think the target audience would understand to be implicit in the canon as written, so I’m treating it as a Watsonian detail.

Ochaco and Deku commiserate and ultimately encourage each other to embrace their desire to understand their respective Villains, which leads to Ochaco talking to Toga at some length!  Ochaco must do this because asking Toga these questions if the only way she has to reach that understanding.  Deku does not have to ask, however, because he has a cheatmode to fall back on: the mindscape shared between All For One and One For All.  If Deku thinks too much open communication with Villains risks dishonoring Shigaraki’s victims, well, he doesn’t have to openly communicate.  He doesn’t have to talk to Shigaraki the person at all.  He just has to find that crying little boy in the mindscape again.

I also think it’s notable that Deku very much does stop talking about wanting to save Shigaraki after he talks to Gran Torino.  From that point on, everything he says about Shigaraki becomes about wanting to understand him instead.  Coupled with the idea that he insists upon not forgiving Shigaraki, I get the sense that what Deku wants is not to help Shigaraki at all, but rather to simply bear witness to his truth.  And even that much feels self-serving to me—as if Deku doesn’t care so much that Shigaraki is in pain, but rather that Shigaraki might have a point, that Shigaraki’s pain might be valid.  Shigaraki having a valid point would destabilize everything Deku believes about Heroes and Hero Society, and Deku has, by that point, seen enough that he’s too upright to look away, to “sweep things back under the rug,” so he has to find out Shigaraki’s story to judge it for himself.

The fact that he feels he has the right to judge Shigaraki’s story speaks to the arrogance of Heroes—the same arrogance that leads them to declare their lack of forgiveness as if it’s in some way relevant to doing the job in front of them—as well as a deeply rooted defensiveness: that they must have, and be perceived as having, the moral high ground over those evil Villains.  I think, for example, of the Flamin’ Sidekickers and their cringingly awkward self-justifications to Dabi about their continued association with Todoroki Enji.  Their reasoning has zero bearing on either Dabi’s pain or their own heroic responsibilities to assist in the arrest of a known murderer/terrorist/arsonist, but they feel the need to spell that reasoning out to the child abuse victim/volatile Villain anyway, seemingly for no in-character reason save to rationalize the deep discomfort that Dabi’s video accusations provoked in them.

Heroes must be seen as morally just—this is the whole basis for the authority they’ve been granted to wield their powers against other people.  Best Jeanist talks about this idea explicitly, as does Police Chief Tsuragamae.  Far more damningly, it’s what led to the HPSC using agents like Lady Nagant and Hawks to quietly dispose of anyone that would present a threat to the public image of Heroes and, by extension, the fragile peace that rests on that public image.

Heroes must be pure and righteous, and Deku is just as apt to believe that as any other Hero—maybe even more apt, given that he’s also had All Might leaning on him about the bearer of One For All being the Pillar and the Symbol of Peace.  All this baggage winds up conflicting, however, with the horror and reflexive need to help Deku feels upon seeing the small, crying child within Shigaraki.

Saving small crying children is the absolute, innermost core of Deku’s personal framing of Heroism—seriously, he says this nearly word-for-word in Chapter 1!—and so, like Shouji says of the heteromorph riot, it isn’t something he can ignore and still call himself a Hero.  He’s unprepared for that personal brand of Heroism to conflict with the demands of professional Heroism, because he never expected to face someone who was both Evil Villain and Crying Child at the same time.  This is what he wrestles with over the course of his time away from UA and why, ultimately, he decides to use the mindscape as a way of resolving the conflict.

(Note again that I'm talking about my fanfic explanation here. Deku's reasoning is much murkier in the canon because of the canon's late turn towards locking us hard out of Deku's personal feelings and thoughts when they're about anything more complex than chain OFA combo moves.)

Remember that Deku begins the Villain Hunt Arc with a tentative desire to “understand Villains” so that he can perhaps use that understanding to avert or at least deescalate conflicts with them—and then the very first Villain he falteringly tries to understand is fucking Muscular, who shuts him down cold.  Deku never tries that hard[2] to understand a Villain again—Lady Nagant dumps her backstory on him with very little prompting from him, he has nothing but ultimatums for Overhaul, he doesn’t seem to ask any of AFO’s other minions any personal questions whatsoever, and with Shigaraki, he goes straight to the mindscape instead of even attempting a dialogue.

2: Insomuch as you could call asking three invasive, judgy questions in the middle of combat and then throwing in the towel “trying hard”.

My take is that Muscular scared him off of trying to verbally uncover the backstories of Villains—even though Shigaraki is ready to all but hand the first Hero to ask an illustrated history of his grievances with Hero Society, Deku can’t trust that anything Shigaraki tells him will be the unvarnished truth.  Unlike Shouto, he has no one to corroborate the truth with, but unlike Uraraka, he doesn’t just have to make the best of it, either.  He can instead utilize the mindscape, an approach that sidesteps all of the issues that a spoken dialogue would entail:

Getting Shigaraki’s truth via the mindscape means he can trust the answers he gets, rather than having to filter those answers through Shigaraki’s warped worldview.  This allows him to honestly evaluate Shigaraki’s perspective, gauging whether Shigaraki has a real point that Deku has any responsibility to address, some injustice that needs to be corrected independently of Shigaraki being held accountable for his crimes.    

Having decided that—for reasons of justice, All Might’s Pillar mentality, and his own peace of mind—he has to know Shigaraki’s truth, Deku comes to feel self-righteously entitled to that truth.  Thus, even though Shigaraki always seemed perfectly willing to share his thoughts in their previous encounters, Deku can’t take the chance that he’ll change his mind and rebuff Deku like Muscular did.  Using the mindscape takes that agency away from Shigaraki, rendering his willingness to share moot.    

No one other than people with access to the shared mindscape can perceive the interactions happening within it.  This means that, no matter what Deku learns or how he reacts to it in the moment, he doesn’t risk being seen as disrespecting Shigaraki’s victims by prioritizing the feelings and perspective of a vicious terrorist.    

Finally, on a tactical note, the encounter Deku has with Shigaraki in the mindscape during the Jakku battle seems to happen nigh instantaneously.  If he can get his answers at the speed of thought, that means he doesn’t have to specifically draw out his battle with Shigaraki until he’s resolved things to his personal satisfaction.  This is ideal, since Shigaraki presents an incredibly dangerous threat to everything and everyone around him, and Deku’s Hero education has repeatedly emphasized the importance of ending battles quickly.

There's just one problem with all this: Deku is assuming access to Shigaraki’s mind.  And why wouldn’t he?  He got in there without even trying last time, after all!  I assume that’s also why he rolls up to the battle with zero plans of any kind: he doesn’t understand how the mechanics of the shared mindscape work and none of the prior bearers can advise him because it’s a brand-new phenomenon for him as the ninth bearer, so they’re just as clueless about it as he is. 

Lacking that knowledge, he opts to simply take it on faith that he’ll be able to access that mental space again, find the crying child in it, and uncover enough about Shigaraki’s history to render his own judgement of it.  He's the Deku who does his best, after all; if it doesn't work, at least he'll know he tried. The good faith attempt, however it turns out, will allow him to satisfy his own sense of justice while not interfering with whatever temporal justice the adult Heroes are planning for Shigaraki—to which Deku fully believes he must be subjected as punishment for his crimes!—be it arrest or an execution broadcast to the entire world.

Unfortunately for Deku, thanks to his being waylaid by Toga, he turns up late to the battle only to find Shigaraki’s psyche sealed up tighter than an All Might-themed wall safe.  Then, since he never had any kind of plan for talking to Shigaraki, and his own ability to plan things is strictly limited to combining quirk abilities on the fly, he has to wing it until Kudou is able to come up with a plan for him.  Naturally, because Kudou is Kudou, and Heroes’ solutions are tailored to Heroes’ strengths, this involves violent psychic assault.  And why not?  It’s not like Deku believes Shigaraki deserves the mercy of a gentler approach.  Just think of all those people he hurt!

Now, is this all heckin’ uncharitable?  Does it paint Deku as well-intended but blindly self-righteous and ethically timid? Oh, for sure.  And I do think there was a point at which Deku wanted to save Shigaraki in a truer sense—indeed, he’s quite plain-spoken about it in the OFA Mental Conference in the aftermath of the first war!  However, it’s absolutely within his established characterization to run into things that make him uneasy and take the first out an authority figure offers him that spares him the work of demolishing and rebuilding his entire world view.  Look no further than the aftermath of the mall scene. You can draw a straight line from Deku taking Tsukauchi's out (that Shigaraki is just a sore loser) to him also taking Gran's (that killing Shigaraki could be a way of saving him).

That’s the mentality I would lean on to explain Deku’s anemic efforts to truly save Shigaraki in the end: an inherent desire to help people that has been hamstrung by a learned dehumanization of Villains, a repeated emphasis on swift, unthinking action as a Heroic virtue, a culture that regards sympathy for those involved in a crime as a zero sum game, and, last but not least, a psychological complex about the basic nature of Heroism rooted in his fraught childhood.

Deku says he’ll “never forget” Shigaraki. If it were me writing the sequel, “never forgetting” would look an awful lot like, “Following a particularly frustrating day of the Pro Hero grind, Midoriya Izuku opens his eyes at 4AM one cold winter night in his early-40s with the horrible, inescapable realization that what he did as a teenager to a deeply victimized young man barely older than he was himself back then was fucked up in ways he can never repair or take back.  And further that now, not only is he going to have to spend the rest of his life trying to make up for that act, it’s going to be much, much harder than it would have been back then, specifically because he did what he did back then and let the world get away with calling it heroism.”

Thanks for the ask, anon! I hope you find the answer interesting and at least somewhat believable, for all that it certainly isn't tonally in-line with the story's portrayal of its much-lauded protagonist.

   

(P.S. On top of convincing both All Might and Deku to not pursue saving Shigaraki in any concrete sense, Gran Torino also takes partial credit for Nana's decision to abandon Kotarou. Torino Sorahiko might actually be the all-time world champion of convincing OFA bearers that preserving One For All is worth abandoning children to their grim fates. Give him a hand, everyone. What a great and admirable Hero who absolutely deserved to survive all the way to the end of the story and who definitely is not a symbol of all the most jaded and cynical priorities of the old order.)

[dracaelus]

Do you ever just think about how in Batman The Knight, Bruce mentions they promised to not use guns and yet Bruce is the first one to shoot Luka to protect Khoa? Especially considering his small flashes whenever he had to use guns even at inhuman targets? And he still did it?

YES!!! Yes, I do!!!

I went through this specific issue recently and i have so many thoughts, I hope you don't mind me using your ask as an excuse to ramble :)

Bruce was having such a bad time in this issue it's not even funny. Luka just decided to kill the only constant figure in his life at this point, his partner, his bestie, his boy crush, his only companion, and just expected him to sit and watch while he shot him right in front of his eyes, like, bro, right in front of the traumatized by loved ones being shot in front of him boy??? WHY

And of course that happened after months of him relieving this particular trauma repeatedly on account of having to use guns and interact daily with a guy who, bc of his past career, he couldn't help but compare to his parents' murderer. Why not, after all. Just marinate him a bit before going for the kill.

Obviously, Bruce couldn't let Luka just kill Khoa, so he takes the gun, and he doesn't even kill Luka, but taking that shot was such a difficult thing to do in such a stressful situation in which he's clearly relieving his biggest trauma. And like, sure, he made his promise to Luka, but more than that, guns are forever associated with his parents death and their murderer. Bruce very much can't use guns on real people without shaking, trembling, throwing up, yk, feeling like he's putting himself in the shoes of joe chill and feeling so intensely guilty. It’s really his last resort - if it was Bruce’s life that Luka was threatening, he might even have let himself be killed in order to not have to use the gun.

However, since the universe is not over with him yet, and still has some ideas about how to make his day worse, it decides instead to force his hand by making Minhkhoa be the one being held at gunpoint. Thus, Bruce does take the shot anyway in the worst way possible and in the worst situation ever, and literally the only thing that could've been worse would be making him kill someone, so of course,

THEN

MINHKHOA TAKES THE GUN

AND SHOOTS LUKA RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM

MAKING SO THAT BRUCE'S SHOT REALLY RESULTED IN SOMEONE'S DEATH

ONCE AGAIN

RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS TRAUMATIZED EYES

and as if this wasn't enough

HE THEN POINTS THE GUN AT BRUCE

Honestly his biggest crime, I don't care about the murders and other felonies, this moment right here is the only thing he ever did wrong.

Like, can you imagine the level of brain damage bruce was receiving that day?

Khoa went from loved-one-about-to-be-killed to being the one walking on joe chill's shoes. His range, honestly. No wonder Bruce got so mad and then so heartbroken. Crying his eyes out, literally hugging himself. The saddest, most traumatized boy ever

Anyways, bruce still misses him, even after all khoa put him through. Or, as he says, he misses who he thought he was. After their first breakup khoa's image took a lot of damage - bruce really starts to wonder if khoa wasn't just a monster and he was the only one not seeing it. He thinks minhkhoa is sabotaging him, and that he might have killed alfred and his ex-girlfriend.

But of course nothing of this it's true and Khoa manages to undo some of the damage to bruce's opinion of him by trying to warn him about the guy actually sabotaging and trying to kill both of them (he also almost dies in the process, which i'm sure made him seem extra harmless and babygirly to bruce), so i guess that was enough to take away the thoughts of khoa being very likely to kill him one day.

He also offers a justification for the two murders he committed (Luka and master Ouahbi - honestly, what's the deal with all those criminals/ex criminals being both so good at diagnosing people with psychopathy and hating them so much????), and it was good enough for bruce, i guess? Tbh, he was mostly just trying to not think too deeply about it, 'cause he just wanted to have a little more time with him so badly. He would do so many things for khoa, and forgive him for so much stuff. HOW COULD KHOA FUMBLE HIM SO BADLY-

One thing I think about a lot is how in btk #7, bruce’s broken heart is addressed - he only references his trauma with his parents death in the issue, but the last issue ended with him saying his heart was broken bc of khoa so we can infer that he’s thinking about what happened between the two of them too. I find it interesting how this seems to be bruce’s way of dealing with khoa - he doesn't talk about him. Dick mentions it in Batman (2016) #104

And bruce never says a word about what happened between him and khoa to zatanna

I wonder if this is his way of keeping khoa with him. As he says, his heart never heals bc he doesn't let it - and so, he never talks about khoa, he only talks with zatanna about the loss of his parents, and he tells dick some of the bad khoa did to him, but doesn't delve into how important he was to him, or the good times they spent together, or how willing he was and still is to forgive him (tho he ends up showing him this part anyways when he goes to ghostmaker to ask him to coparent batman inc. with him when he first started it). He tells their story in a way that makes it seem like their separation didn't affect him negatively at all - dick only realizes bruce still misses him bc of his super powers of seeing right through bruce’s emotional barriers. But bruce keeps refusing to talk about khoa, or adress the ways in which he is still hurting, so he nevers gets better, and thus, khoa is still with him in a way, if only in wounds he left behind.

I also think bruce focuses a lot on everything bad khoa did to him and tries so hard to not even think about the good parts of their relationship bc the truth is, in his heart, the good outweighs the bad by a lot. Which is the reason why khoa barely has to do anything to win him back every time he comes back - bc despite everything, bruce has always been way too willing to forgive him for everything, and all he really has to do is to come back, and be willing to stay for a little while longer.

[vax-merstappen]

f1 boys as sour songs 💜

listened to sour for the first time in a while and remembered how good olivia rodrigo’s lyrics are. had to pair my favorite group of boys with the songs on a great album. this def got a little angsty because this album is pretty much pure angst so readers beware :)

if you like this, send me more albums to do pls!

Lando Norris

enough for you-

I’m sorry to say it but he would definitely move on for someone who he thought was better than you. I could see his girlfriend trying to live up to his expectations and needs. Lando seems like he would look for “someone more exciting” and the next second he would be gone. Also he seems like he would be oblivious to you trying “so hard to be everything you liked.” He has high standards that would be hard to live up to for anyone. I’m not sure that many people could be enough for Lando and this song is so much about that.

Oscar Piastri

driver’s license-

No because Oscar angst based on this song would go so hard. Him teaching you to drive but then you breaking up before you get your license? Sobbing… anyways. I feel like if one of the drivers were to teach you to drive, it would be Oscar. Also I can imagine driving through the suburbs with Oscar. Like maybe this is just my imagination so feel free to disagree with me, but like Oscar and driver’s license makes so much sense to me. Breaking up with him would hurt so bad omg

Max Verstappen

1 step forward, 3 steps back-

He screams an unpredictable lover. Like I could see him getting mad at you over something small but then being literally the sweetest person ever next time you see him. Like the passion and anger he has when on the race track could become a problem in his relationships. I feel like a relationship with him could involve a bit of “do you love me, want me, hate me?” Especially Max when first started f1 fits this, I think he’s matured a lot since then and Max today doesn’t apply as much, but early Red Bull Max 100% gives the energy of this song imo.

Charles Leclerc

deja vu-

The first driver that came to mind listening to this song was Charles. Like I hate to say it, but I see him reusing all of the romantic things he did with his exes with a new girlfriend. He would not be creative enough to come up with new ideas lol, like “everything is all reused.” Also I can see him doing “car rides in Malibu” like in his latest YouTube video and also telling “her you love her in between the chorus and the verse” since he likes music so much. I definitely see Charles angst based on this song.

Carlos Sainz

good 4 u-

Imagining an angry breakup with Carlos right now. He would definitely make you angry when he left and I can see him just moving on as if you never existed and you trying desperately to get him to realize how he actually hurt you. Also his life seems to be going great right now like “you’re getting everything you want” and “your career’s really taking off.” He is the type of guy to get everything he wants while you loathe it from afar. This would make such a great angst fic omg, I need someone to write Carlos with good 4 u right now

Lewis Hamilton

favorite crime-

I hate to say it, but I see him leaving to focus solely on his career. Which would lead to lines like “I watched as you fled the scene.” He would be the one to leave and would be blunt about it, leaving you feeling like a crime scene. Also come on, the line “I crossed my heart as you crossed the line,” is honestly so formula 1 coded and I can see Lewis crossing the line both physically while racing but also crossing the line in a relationship. This man would be so hard to leave and you would have been trying so hard to hold on while he was pulling away from you, like “all the things I did just to call you mine.” Ugh it hurts to say it but that’s what I’m imagining for this song :(

Daniel Ricciardo

brutal-

It’s giving Danny Ric being dropped by McLaren. “All I did was try my best, this the kind of thanks I get?” Like Danny definitely suffered at McLaren and this song screams the angst that must have come from that. Just imagine him blasting this in the car leaving his last day there. He’s “got a broken ego, broken heart” after all that. Could also relate to his hand injury, like with “ego crush is so severe, god it’s brutal out here.” Had to have been brutal for him to get his dream back just to have it kind of crushed again when he hurt his hand. Danny Ric and brutal just fits so well imo

Yuki Tsunoda

happier-

Ok because if Yuki ever moved on, he would be the ex I would want to be happy. But like look at that man, I would be hella jealous but want the best for him in life. It would hurt to be left by Yuki because he seems like such a genuine guy. Simultaneously wanting him to do too well but to not move on just seems like how a breakup with Yuki would go. I know I’m purely going off vibes here, but like come on! I would hope he’s happy but not like how he was with me. Would not be able to let this man go.

Alex Albon

jealousy, jealousy-

Out of the 2019 rookies, Alex has got the worst deal. I can imagine that he would constantly be comparing himself to Lando and George who have both have a lot more podiums than he has. Also having a teammate like Max at Red Bull also must have led to a lot of thoughts about him not measuring up. The line “comparison is killing me” just screams Alex Albon. Out of all of these drivers, he gets the most compared to teammates and the other drivers who joined the grid when he did. If anyone here is jealous, it has to be Alex.

Logan Sargeant

hope ur ok-

Logan absolutely embodies this song and I will die on that hill. He fits the physical description for “blond with eyes of salt.” I feel like Logan has had to “unlearn all of their hatred” more than a lot of other drivers, as he did have a not so great season and received a lot of negativity. I actively hope Logan is ok and that he is able to be happy despite his bad start in f1. He deserves so much better and that is exactly what this song is about.