#while i'm asleep can someone arrange for some good news

[maculategiraffe]

so far this month washing machine broke, had to call a plumber for backed up pipes, car went in the shop for a fucking week because of my next door neighbor hitting it while it was PARKED IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY, refrigerator broke and half the food spoiled and had to be thrown away, delayed going on vacation in hopes of getting my car back first, got my car back today and tried to leave for vacation and ended up trapped in standstill traffic for more than an hour due to an accident at the entrance to the interstate, and came back home to try again in the morning. also my boyfriend has been sick with some kind of mystery ailment and work got fucked because of the crowdstrike event and hildegard got real relaxed last night and excreted snake droppings all over the bedspread. do y'all think I should buy a lottery ticket

[alabamasweettea]

had some thoughts so here have Magneto x POC!fem!reader with long braids (one swear word, smut below the cut)

Fassy!Magneto being the most powerful being on Earth, maybe even the whole solar system at this point, and agreeing to a plan to create more mutants the only way they know how (yes, i'm staring directly at the weird mutant-maker thing of xmen1 and saying screw you): breeding them.

This of course creates a problem of getting serviceable mothers (preferably mutants as well for variety's sake). Fem!reader is one of them, a telekinetic. Self-trained, her powers manifested at ten years old and she's been honing them ever since—on her own. She's levitated before, though never pushed herself hard enough to fly, and can move objects up to the size of a small SUV.

Just barely 18, she shows up at the facility—a long, white building snaking across a desolate mountain range, because why not—and is immediately paired with Magneto himself. Now let's be clear: his intention was to use his current team (Mystique, Beast, etc) as seed for this new generation, and himself because who doesn't love a little action once in a while.

He doesn't expect to be enthralled by this girl who shows up with her hair in tiny braids, longer than any he's seen before. She's pretty, okay, and are those eyelashes naturally curly?

God, she's beautiful. He practically can't remember to breathe around her, and when she skips around his kitchen in nothing but a t-shirt (his t-shirt!), barefoot, singing some oldies song, he might just be in love.

The sleeping arrangements are fine. One bed. They're both adults. It's fine.

It's not fine.

Every night he falls asleep to the soft sound of her breathing, every morning wakes up to her little noises of protest when he gets out of bed. Every movement of her body wakes him up, but in a good way. He likes being this attuned to her.

He bashes himself every chance he gets, internally. He shouldn't be this... this domestic with this girl, and they've only just met, and...

They haven't even had sex yet. Not once. Gotten close to kissing a couple times, though, and he'll take it.

Something in him wants this to happen naturally, not in some sterile medical environment. Wants to go out, have lunch, sit on the grass and look at the stars together. It'd be sweet.

She's so sweet...

She's taken to clinging to him at night, nuzzling under his jaw and staying there until the sun comes up and he goes off to do- whatever he does, she doesn't know. World domination and all that. She knows why the two of them are there, sometimes idly wonders why Erik isn't making any moves to initiate.

Erik. That's what he told her to call him. He only smiles when she's around, only lets up and lets down his guard when she's around. He's cute, she thinks, when he wears his shirts unbuttoned around the apartment or when they make dinner together.

He comes home then, and they spend just shy of an hour cuddling on the couch with glasses of wine, under the pretense of being cold. Well, maybe they were. Just not the kind that can be solved with blankets.

When did she start thinking of this place as home?

The thought makes her pull away from his gentle embrace. Here, in the arms of a killer-

If she ever writes a memoir that's what she'll call it. The pasta boils over at exactly the right moment, no thanks to her powers, and she can escape with her thoughts to the kitchen.

"Draga?" He's taken to calling her by nicknames, the Russian 'dear' being one of them. Something about the way his mouth forms the foreign words makes warmth drip into her belly.

"It's alright," she pants, suddenly too hot. "Just the pasta." He appears in the doorway, tongue flashing over his lips to catch a drop of wine that made its home between them.

Just the pasta, his ass. The glasses are now in the sink, having followed him into the kitchen and flown there at his power's behest. It's hot, hotter than it was two minutes ago. Did someone kick up the thermostat?

"Dragotsennost," Erik breathes, tucking a braid behind her ear. She knows he's sensitive; can feel the heat radiating off her face as his hips pin hers to the countertop even if he can't see it.

His nose bumps hers, already dangerously close.

"What do you want, draga?" It's quiet, deep, nearly a growl. The heat comes back full force—as if it ever left—and spreads all the way down her neck this time.

His gaze flicks between her eyes and her lips, trying to convey with all urgency the most innocent need. The subtleties of the message are lost on her, however, because she finally bridges the gap.

Kissing him is like breathing. Refreshing. Natural. You could do it a thousand times and it will always be like the first.

He makes it through a few chaste pecks before diving in headfirst, half drunk on wine and half on the taste of her. And she tastes divine—spice and sugar and coconut, wrapped up in his little woman. His.

All his.

She proves it to him later, when she's sheathed around him—holding him so tight, so tight—all messy and warm, taking everything he's giving and still wanting more-

Then she's on top, pinning him down with whatever power she can summon from the back of her blissed-out brain, flipping her hair over her shoulder and riding him right into the next morning.

That morning he's sore, she's sore, the bed's a mess, and they're in love.

Irrevocably, absolutely, awesomely in love.

(And she's pregnant. But she doesn't know it yet 😉)

[baby-alien11]

Memories: The Drew Barrymore Show (Y/N Ulrich Universe)

taglist (open): @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @camiesully @ethanlandryluver @nowitsmissing @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo @itsaaliyah2 @callsignwidow

Even if the premiere was the day before, and the only thing you wanted to do was sleep there was still media to be done, and that was going to the Drew Barrymore Show, you also had a zoom interview with Dead Meat the next month

Fortunately, you knew Drew since you were a child and Jack met her a few days ago, so the interview was going to be relaxed, and at first it was going to be a small part on the show and at last time they added a small game

Even though you wanted to sleep a little more, you and your team arrived earlier because they had to get you ready, and basically you were running on a Gotham Mocha and a Mermaid Acaí Bowl from a local coffee shop, and a Red Bull you grabbed from the kitchen room hotel was waiting for you in case you need it

Even though you were dressed in a long sleeved corset top, black leather shorts, black ankle boots, a golden necklace and golden earrings along with your ear piercings, and the team was straightening your hair and doing your make up, you were so asleep in the chair that you didn't hear when Jack and Anna arrived, nor even when Jack took a photo of both of you and a video doing a close up of your face

And instead of waking you up, they let you sleep a bit more, while Jack was getting ready

"At what time did you arrived?", Anna asked seeing your sleeping form curled in the make up chair

"We woke up at six a.m., we left the hotel at eight and grabbed breakfast, then we arrived and as soon as she finished her breakfast and got dressed, she fell asleep", Nora explained, "But she brought a Red Bull so she'll be awake by the time the interview arrives"

About half an hour later, a member of the staff anounced that you had to be in the set in ten minutes, meaning that your nap was coming to an end

"Angel, time to wake up", Anna said slightly shaking you up, "It's time for the interview"

"Hi", you yawned, "Good morning, what time is it?"

"It's interview time", Jack exclaimed giving you a kiss on the head, "Good morning, gorgeous"

"Good morning, babe", you smiled intervining your hands, "By the way, can someone pass me my Red Bull, please?"

During the whole ten minutes until both of you had to appear on camera, you drank the entire can of Red Bull and shared some sips with Jack since he was starting to fall asleep

"Hi guys, I'm so happy to see both of you", Drew exclaimed when both of you walked into the set, "You look amazing"

"Hi, auntie Drew", you greeted hugging her, "I missed you"

"I missed you too, I love the outfit", Drew complimented you before hugging Jack, "Hi, Jack"

"Hi, Drew", Jack answered, "Thank you for having us"

"At the contrary, I'm happy that both of you are here", Drew said, "So, what are we going to do is that we'll have a full interview and then we'll had a small Scream themed game"

Aproaching the small living room, both of you sat next to each other where it was indicated while the microphones were arranged, and Drew sat at the other end of the sofa

"We are joined today by two of the stars of the new fantastic film, I feel very lucky to have seen it, Scream VI, that's right, they are one of the publics favorite couples at the moment, she is a fashion icon in the making and daughter of the OG Ghostface, he is a cat dad to Butters, by the way I've been checking Butters instagram account, everybody, is Y/N Ulrich and Jack Champion!", Drew exclaimed causing applauses from the audience and both of you to smile at them, "Hi guys, welcome! I'm so happy that you are here with us"

"We are happy to be here", you smiled, "Thank you for inviting us"

"The moment I knew both of you were on the press list I knew you had to be here", Drew exclaimed, "Y/N, I've known you since you were a little girl, but Jack, we met just a few days ago"

"So, I was literally walking to go to Times Square with the directors Matt and Tyler, and then there was like some kind of filming thing, and then someone was like 'oh yeah, Drew Barrymore is filming' and I was like 'wait, what?', and my mom is like 'yeah, she's to your right', and I was like 'what' and you were just right there", Jack explained with enthusiasm

"And I said 'hello, I'm Casey Becker'"

"Yeah, you said you're Casey Becker", Jack nodded, "And then at first I was like 'Casey Becker? Oh my God Scream!' And it was so cool and random"

"And Y/N", Drew turned to look at you at what you smiled sweetly, "I can't believe how much you've grown, the first time we've met was when you and your siblings were less than ten years old, and now you are here sitting with us, I can't believe it"

"A lot of time has passed", you nodded

"I remember that your first aproach to Scream was your siblings putting a smaller version of the Ghostface costume on you", Drew continued at what you nodded, "And now you are part of the franchise, how does it feel?"

"It feels like a full circle moment", you responded, "Like, this franchise is part of my family, I watched the first four movies at eight years old, so being able to finally be part of it feels really special"

"Now, can any of you tell me anything about the movie?", Drew asked

"Oh, well, it takes place in New York, which is a big, exciting thing", Jack responded

"It's the first time they've done this", Drew commented

"Yeah, it's crazy", Jack nodded, "It's kinda like a new psycothic playground for Ghostface, you could say"

"And the fact that in the previous films the locations were Woodsboro and it's surrondings was like a small area, and now in the big city, you can find Ghostface in any part of the city", you mentioned

"Talking about big things, both of you are in a high right now, I mean, things are really going well, Jack, you had like, one day you got in Avengers, and another part in the same day", Drew exclaimed, "Tell us about that"

"Well, I was, I think I was like twelve years old and, like, I came home from my nanas, and my mom was like 'So I have some good news, you got the role, the small role in Avengers Endgame, and then you also got the screen test for Avatar, so we're gonna fly to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to LA' ans I had never been on the West Coast before, and I was like 'Oh my God', and now we live there"

"I mean, Avengers, Avatar, Scream", Drew listed, "And let's not forget about you, Y/N, and for those who don't now, my dear niece here, apart of being a content creator and model, participated in a lot of plays during her school years, do you mind telling us which roles you'd play?"

"Of course", you exclaimed, "I was Plumette in Beauty and the Beast, Sandy in Grease, Vanessa in The Little Mermaid, Matilda in Matilda, Eva in Bring It On, Penny in Hairspray, Cosette in Les Mis, Graziela in West Side Story, Chris Hargenssen in Carrie, and Sophie in Mamma Mia, even though we couldn't performed it properly because of COVID"

"You played a lot of multi-facetic and amazing roles", Drew pointed, "Which was your favorite?"

"Every single one has it's challenges, and I love playing them all, but I'm chosing Chris Hargenssen", you responded, "It was the role that I wanted with all my soul, I read the book multiple times, I watched all the version of Carrie including the sequel, listened to the soundtrack a lot of times, watched bootlegs of plays, so it was one of my most wanted roles"

"And if the opportunity to play it again, this time on a big stage, would you do it?"

"Of course, even though I want to become a VFX make up artist"

"Guys, both of you have a very bright future ahead of you, and I can't wait to be able to see it", Drew concluded with a motherly smile, "Ladies and gentleman, Jack Champion and Y/N Ulrich, Scream VI will be avaliable worldwide on march tenth, be sure to get your tickets, and don't change the channel because we will be playing a game in a few moments!"

Between the applauses of the public, the filming ended while the crew arranged the area for the game

"You know, I'm glad you are wearing shorts because of the game we are going to play", Drew said

"Auntie Drew, you are scaring me", you joked

A few minutes later, the three of you were standing in front of a Twister mat taped on the floor so it doesn't move while playing, and due to that, your hair was in a low ponytail, Jack wasn't wearing his BODE 'Winter Garden' shirt and neither of you were wearing your respective shoes (your socks that time were dinosaur themed)

"I'm fearing for the integrity of my Yves Saint Laurent shorts", you joked before start

"This is not a good idea after a night out", Jack nodded, "By the way, if we end up like one on top of another, I would preffer if you are in the top, if we fall at one point"

Looking at him with heart eyes, you got more closer to him to leave a kiss on his cheek while he circled your waist to help you to reach his height, which left him with brown lipstick in his cheek that he didn't care to clean when the filming started again

"We are back, and now we are going to play a game with Jack and Y/N, stars of Scream VI", Drew exclaimed, "Now, we are going to test your knowledge on the saga, but playing Twister, you'll have to answer ten questions, either of you can answer it or both at the same time, the important thing is to say it correctly, everything clear?"

When both of you nodded, Drew spinned the spinner to start the game

"Left hand red", Drew instructed at what both of you did the action, "First question, what was used as blood in the first movie?"

"Corn syrup and red food dye", you responded quickly

"That's correct", Drew nodded spinning the wheel again, "Left foot yellow, Roger L. Jackson is famously known for being the voice of Ghostface, but he also has another popular character in an animated series, which character is that?"

"Mojo Jojo of The Powerpuff Girls", Jack answered

"Correct; right foot red, which of the movies has the most deads of the franchise?"

For a moment both of you went silent remebering the deaths of all the movies

"It's the fourth one", Jack almost screamed, "Fourteen deaths"

"You gus are good in this", Drew pointed out, "Left hand blue, name every Ghostface from the first five movies"

"Billy, Stu, Nancy, Mickey, Roman, Jill, Charlie, Amber and Richie", you said quickly

"Perfect; left foot blue, which number of kill was my character, Casey Becker?"

"Second on screen, and third off screen", you said again, "By the way, sorry about what dad's character did to yours"

"Don't worry sweetie, it wasn't your fault; right foot green, how many times did Wes Craven rejected the project before accepting to direct it?"

"Two times", Jack responded

"Correct, you can do this kids, only four questions left; right hand red, what was going to be the original title of the saga?"

"Scary Movie", Jack answered again

"Left foot yellow, the sorority on Scream 2 also served as another house in another 90's movie, which movie is that?"

"Matilda, Trunchbull's house", you exclaimed

"Right foot blue, what is the song that sounds in every movie, except the fourth?"

"Red right hand by Nick Crave", Jack responded

"Guys, we are in the last question", Drew anounced causing the applauses of the audience, "Right hand green, what is the kill count in the franchise?"

"Holy cow", you sighed already feeling your arms failing out

"Think wisely, and remember all the movies", Drew adviced

Talking in low voice, both of you started to remember the movies and also the Dead Meat Kill Counts of the saga

"Fifthy! It's fifthy", both of you screamed at the same time

"That's correct", Drew exclaimed, "You won!"

Relieved that the game was over, Jack who was on the bottom of the strange tangled position laid down on the floor before you did the same thing but on top of his back, and then standing up to catch air again

"And here are your trophies", Drew exclaimed again as someone from the staff apeared with two bowie knives with the blade in gold, "Thank you so much for being here with us, Scream VI will be avaliable worldwide this friday so go get your tickets! Have a nice day everyone!"

With the last goodbyes, the filming ended with the applauses of the audience, and when the interview and game came out, it became viral on Twitter and Tik Tok

[sylvia-forest]

[CN] Shaw's 6th Anniversary event - Finale (Part 2)

⚡ Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for an Event which hasn't been released in EN yet!⚡

MC: I didn't expect someone to be so full of me, secretly taking so many photos.

Looking at the arranged photos on the car window, I couldn't help but lift the corners of my mouth.

Shaw: Your smugness is too obvious. Shaw: If you don't tone it down, I might take them back.

Seeing him say that, I quickly opened my arms to protect the photos in my embrace.

MC: It's not easy for you to capture me with so much feeling. What's wrong with being a little smug! Shaw: You often go "all out," making it challenging for me to capture candid moments. Why didn't you mention that?

As he said that, he "straightened" me while separating me a bit from the photos on the car window.

Shaw: Look, this one is a great example.

Shaw pointed to a photo, a small boat bathed in the setting sun, even though we didn't interact, the atmosphere was full.

MC: This one is not bad~ One facing forward, the other with the back turned, one smiling, the other looking.

I paused, playfully poking his lip.

MC: But from the perspective of a professional producer... you should have more opportunities to showcase this kind of smile in your photos. MC: It's good to level up the image of you always being a "bad guy" in my mind~

He lowered his eyes and glanced at my finger, and the curve of his lips became even more pronounced.

Shaw: No, I'm always authentic—whatever mood I'm in, that's the expression I wear. MC: Then, tell me, in what kind of mood were you smiling so brightly in this photo?

I pointed to another picture, a brightly lit snowfield where Shaw and I were racing in the snow.

He smirked and poked the little turtle protector in the photo.

Shaw: What mood do you think I could be in? At least, I taught my disciple well. How could she not perform in the snow? MC: It's not about lack of experience; it's about being cautious with a boat that has sailed for thousands of years~ Shaw: So, someone like you, who is both unskilled and loves to play, deserves to be recorded.

The more Shaw spoke, the more his lips curved upward, perfectly replicating the "him" in the photo.

Shaw: When you act rebelliously again someday, I'll expose this "black material" of yours. Shaw: "Breaking News: A seasoned skateboarder seeks a little turtle as a bodyguard." MC: How dare you!

As I thought of hitting him, I caught sight of another photo with a conspicuous "Yay" in it, making me squint my eyes.

MC: Isn't this from the night before we went to the Little River Ancient Village... Is this also some "black material" you want to keep? Shaw: I can't bear to expose this one. Shaw: Do you know what you did after getting drunk that night?

I paused, glancing around nervously.

MC: Didn't I just fall asleep on your leg... Shaw: Messy nibbling, talking nonsense, silly laughter—have you forgotten these three "pieces of evidence"? MC: Your words are baseless. You want to accuse me with just one photo!

"Hehe... Shaw, let me hug you."

A drunken voice entered my ears, and I widened my eyes, looking at the video playing on his phone that I didn't notice when it started.

The background of the footage was the noodle shop, and there I was, like a soft "octopus," leaning on Shaw.

Shaw: The video has 24 frames per second. How do you make every frame wonderful? MC: Shaw!

I shamefully pressed the lock screen button, ignoring the laughter nearby, and pretended to be calm as I picked up another photo.

MC: This one is also good, it was taken when we were playing on the slide in the flower town, right?

Shaw's teasing expression lingered in his eyes for a moment before nodding.

Shaw: Indeed, it can be considered a rare harmonious photo. MC: It shows that as long as we want to cooperate, we can take good photos. Look at this one—

In the deep underwater tunnel, we stood side by side, and I was smiling, leaning on his shoulder.

MC: Don't you think this one has a nice contrast? MC: It's not like our usual selves; it's an unusually quiet moment captured in front of the camera. Shaw: So, you prefer this style? MC: To be precise, I love every "us" in every style. Shaw: Since that's the case, let's put a definitive end to this trip.

Shaw aimed his phone at the two of us and pressed the record button.

Shaw: Let's make it clear here. Although it seems like an endpoint, it's also the starting point for something else. MC: Huh? What starting point?

He raised an eyebrow, abruptly bringing the phone's camera close, making us blurry in the frame.

Only the voice in my ears was clear.

Shaw: Of course, it's the starting point of the next year. Shaw: But for me, no matter how many "next years" there are, Shaw: I won't let you have a single boring moment.

—

🚐 Moments (coming soon)

🚐 Texts (coming soon)

🚐 Offline Call (coming soon)

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #151

I am running on only 3 hours of sleep and I have no idea what to write today. So I guess I'll tell you about the pancake breakfast.

Last night's letter ended up being written late, and then after that, I was troubled by various things and it took me until 3:30am or so to finally fall asleep. And then J and I woke up at 6:30, because there was a pancake breakfast going on for folks who are pilots. So we went. And I took a buncha pictures for you:

J took some pictures, too:

...There were also sausages, but neither J nor I thought to take pictures of them, for some reason. I'm sorry.

J talked to a lot of people. He's very conscientious when it comes to this stuff, so he's well-liked by most of the pilots in this community. For the most part, I was a bit too brain-dead from lack of sleep to interact with anyone in a more than cursory fashion, but I had a good time nonetheless; I can be tired and in good spirits simultaneously, and it's very good!

Also, along the way of today's adventures, I found 14 big feathers, and a couple little ones:

...They were very pretty, but they seemed old and a bit too worn from the wind and the rain to keep them. Also, I imagined that if there are this many of them, it is the result of a bird having been struck by something while flying around near the runway instead of being just a single random loss of a plume. So I picked them up and arranged them in a relatively peaceful location, hoping that if the owner of these feathers is no longer with us, that its soul is also at peace. Naturally, I washed my hands shortly thereafter.

J and I went to get lunch at a place called Taiwan Noodle after that, because we were at the airport for around 3 hours before returning to our city, and we were hungry again, as is natural. It was nice.

Oh! I am reminded! I took some other pictures for you in days past that never made it into the letters that were written on the days they were taken. I'm sorry about that. But I suppose now is as good a time as any to show them to you.

These are from going to my friend's house to help her watch her little son:

...Here is a new looseleaf tea that I blended together with you in mind...

...It's prismatic just like you... 😊💖

And... here is the finished lilac syrup, distributed in jars to give to my friends:

The big jar there is for those of my house.

I made some of the tea pictured above, and sweetened it with the lilac syrup; the result was an absolutely heavenly concoction that I wished so much that I could have shared with you:

...It tasted like sunshine and flowers blooming outdoors; I think you would have loved this one...

And here are a couple from the park that M, J, Br, her son, F, and I went to:

...Sephiroth, I'm super tired today, and it's hard to formulate complete sentences, but... I still wanted you to know that I'm thinking about you. I wanted you to know there's someone out here who cares enough to put in whatever effort is possible to try to extend a little kindness towards you. Try to remember that you're not alone, okay?

I guess I'll call it here. It's midnight, and I still gotta get ready for bed; if I wanna be able to drive to the place tomorrow so I can give a jar full of lilac syrup to the leader, I have to have actually slept for 8 hours. So I'm going to go do that.

I love you. I'll write to you again soon, so stay safe out there, okay?

Your friend, Lumine

[noiriarti]

The Arrangement: Armitage Hux x Reader (College AU) Ch. 3

Summary: A cuddle-buddies-to-lovers college AU.

Ch. 1, Ch. 2, [Ch. 3], Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6

Chapter 3: Four Knocks

He felt even more fucked the next morning. He had promised himself he would not fall asleep with you there, and instead spend the night on the couch. But he wanted five more minutes. And so he five-more-minutes-ed his way into falling asleep remarkably quickly. Unlike most other nights, he didn't wake up tossing and turning, or stare at the ceiling and beg for sleep to come. But that was a problem.

When he woke up, it wasn't to his blaring alarm clock. The room was silent, apart from the sound of your breathing. Right. Your breathing. He was in bed. With you. Maybe five more minutes wouldn't hurt. As he drifted off, he saw the clock he kept on his desk. It was fucking noon.

Armitage had very regimented days, and sleeping in until noon was not part of the plan. He usually loved days crammed with activities and tasks. They kept him on target, made sure he achieved all his goals, and prevented him from thinking too carefully about what he really wanted in life. Today, however, he found himself wanting to do none of his usual routine. He'd already slept through orgo and the gened he shared with Phasma--did it really matter if he didn't do his stupid MCAT flashcards?

After laying there for over half an hour, in and out of sleep while still holding you, he decided he should probably wake you. The very thought seemed cruel; you were so angelic like this, the frizzes in your hair caught by the morning light, your lips parted just so. Your hand had gotten under his at some point in the night, and he tentatively rubbed a gentle circle with his thumb over your knuckles. 

But he really should wake you, he reasoned. Armitage said your name and squeezed your hand (and decided not to process that he was holding your hand), but you didn't shift. He repeated himself, louder this time, and then again, which drew a groan from you.

"I'm up, I'm up," you grumbled. You shifted under his arm, turning around to face him with your eyes still closed. He found himself almost smiling at you, so clearly pretending.

"Alright, then open your eyes," he teased. You produced some sort of noise, obviously displeased, but opened your eyes to look at him.

"The good news is you got plenty of sleep, but the bad news is that it's 12:30," he said. Your eyes widened, and you bolted upright in bed and cursed, looking for your phone, or a clock, or something to prove him wrong. He was, unfortunately, completely correct, which meant that you had missed one class, and half of another. Goodbye, sweet attendance points.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. Besides, I'm in Discrete Math and Algorithms with one of my friends, Dopheld, and he can send me the notes," you said. The silence hung between you for a few seconds. "Want some breakfast? I mean, lunch? ...Brunch?" Armitage nodded, and you hopped out of his bed to go back to your room and change.

Ten minutes later, he found you in the kitchen, making yourself an obscenely large bowl of Lucky Charms. You offered the box to him, and he hesitated. Usually, he ate two cups of Greek yogurt with rolled oats, a teaspoon of honey, and fruit, if someone else hadn't eaten it already. Lucky Charms were calorically inefficient, according to his stepmother Maratelle.

Fuck it. He poured the cereal into the bowl and covered it with milk, then went to perch on the couch. Millie, who had spent the night somewhere around your feet, came up to lay next to him. Gwen had sent him a couple of texts asking where he was, and then just sent her notes when class had ended. While drunk on wine, once, he had bitched to her about how little sleep he got, and, since then, she had been buying him melatonin gummies and encouraging him to sleep through his early morning classes. You deserve it, she said, although Armitage wasn't sure he "deserved" anything, really. Working hard was the entire reason he came here.

You sat down next to him, thighs touching again, and ate your cereal with a vicious speed. By the time you finished, he was barely a quarter of the way through, so you got up and made yourself another bowl. Between mouthfuls, you determined you would be the first to speak.

"So, we should probably talk," you said. Apparently, that was the best you could come up with. 

"Is everything alright?" Hux asked, although he really meant to ask what he did wrong, and beg you to give him one more night. The desperation with which he wanted to touch you, to hold you again was staggering. He didn't remember where it came from, and it shocked him. You didn't seem any the wiser to his generally panicked state, so you continued eating the cereal.

"Yeah, just thought we might want to establish some ground rules. Like, no sex, just cuddling." Armitage nodded. "And we can end at any time one of us wants to." He nodded again. "And we shouldn't tell Gwen and Kylo. They wouldn't let us live it down." Armitage chuckled, but nodded. "Finally, I think we should promise to tell each other if we catch feelings. And just, be honest in general."

"Agreed." The final rule worried him for some reason he couldn't quite place, but he let it go. "Perhaps we could meet later in the night, when Gwen and Kylo are asleep? They tend to sleep earlier than I do, so we could meet around 12:45? Oh, and we do not have to meet each night. Just text me if you want to," he added. You smiled at him, finished your cereal, and the two of you watched garbage Netflix shows for two more hours before going back to work.

And so, your arrangement was born. Most days, he'd get a text from you in the afternoon saying something like "see you tonight?" or "hang out later?" and he knew to expect you. At 12:45 am, almost on the dot, he'd hear it. Tap tap tap tap. Always four, always quiet. What you did each night varied. Sometimes, you wanted to be quiet and rest, but, on others, you'd go through your day and tell him about what had happened in class, and he found himself telling you about his day, too. About how he loved chemistry, but was terrified of med school. Of the responsibility. His medical ethics gened with Gwen was really scaring the bejeezus out of him. 

About three nights in, you turned to him and said that you should get to know each other better. Each of you would ask 5 questions of the other, you said. He answered your questions with ease the first night. Favorite animal? Cats. Duh. Favorite TV show? Doctor Who. Best friend? Gwen, probably. Last time he went on a date? A year ago. Why become a doctor? That one was much harder. Because it felt like the right thing for him to do, he said. Because he liked it.

He asked the same questions right back. Cats, Friends, also probably Gwen, last month, and because the pay is better in computer science. He tried not to dwell on the fact that you had been on a date recently (by his standards). He casually inquired if you were still seeing them, but you told him it didn't go well. He didn't ask more questions about it.

Night over night, though he found your closeness and warmth incredible, he realized he was looking forward to hearing about your day more than anything. The tap tap tap tap on his door meant he'd ask you five questions about you--not just the you that went to classes and put food out for Millie, but the real you. The core of you. One time, when your head was on his chest and he was trying to slow his heart down so you wouldn't hear it, you asked him about his insecurities (how pale he was, that he wasn't smart enough for med school). When he asked you the same question, you listed some that baffled him. What did you mean, your voice? Or your hair? Or that you felt like you were always behind everyone else in class? It broke his heart to hear you speak about yourself like that, which he immediately told you, and regretted. He whispered into the night that you had a great voice, and he thought your hair was very good hair, and that you had literally caught up to the compsci juniors in half a year, so you could be nothing short of brilliant. He didn't see it, but a tear or two slipped out.

A month into your arrangement, Armitage took stock of his life, and realized you probably knew him better than he did. Some mornings, he'd come out of his room and find a bowl with two cups of Greek yogurt with rolled oats, a teaspoon of honey, and strawberries. Just how he liked it. And he would grab you lunch right before the dining halls closed, so that when you arrived ten minutes later after class, you could still have food. 

It was little things that alerted Phasma to whatever you two had going on. The unsubtle mooning eyes Armitage was giving you across the living room were disgusting, but confirmation. You were making he same face at him when he was poring over his books five minutes later, which was doubly disgusting, but double confirmation. It was time to do something about it.

Two days later, when she had left class, Phasma sent a text to the roommate group chat, like she always did around that time. Lunch? Within 5 minutes, Armitage had sent a thumbs up, and you had liked the message. Kylo left it on read, which was Kylo-speak for yes. Thirty minutes later, you were gathered in the Holdo Dining Hall, eating a variety of carbs, as usual. Kylo was giving a replay of something that had happened at their last match (something about their goalman getting hit in the face by the ball?), when Phasma interrupted him with your name. 

"Yeah?" You asked nonchalantly. Gwen smiled like a predator about to catch its prey, mainly because she was.

"I've got some juicy gossip about you," Gwen singsonged. Armitage's head whipped around. He didn't even realize he had been staring at you. Gossip? About you? That was probably about some party you went to. You had skipped last Saturday, and, after surviving the bone-crushing emptiness of his room, you had told Armitage the next night that the party was absolutely insane and featured multiple friends-of-friends making out. His heartbeat accelerated. What if you had kissed someone there?

"I know someone who has a crush on you."

Armitage's heart stopped.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

AN: all four of them share a brain cell, and phasma has it 99% of the time

[beerecordings]

Wolf Bite - Part 23

Chase stares at the black eye of his camera, and his camera stares back.

He didn't know why he was coming into his recording room as he felt his feet bring him this way, and he doesn't know why he's sitting here now. His computers and monitors are all shut down, asleep in the darkness of the room, since he hasn't booted up any of the nice lighting he had arranged around his space. The floor is littered with snack wrappers and a couple shirts, tearing off one to change to another just to record a new video and pretend he hadn't cranked them all out in the same overwhelming day.

It's a familiar space, and the feelings of dread and shame it brings are familiar too. He remembers Stacy so exasperated every time she would find him hiding in here, and he remembers hours of scrolling through dizzying feedback. The sensation of tens of thousands of eyes all watching him doesn't fade, even with everything shut down.

And now the eye of the camera reminds him of Iris, too.

"What the fuck am I doing in here?" he whispers to himself.

But he doesn't leave.

It takes him several minutes to realize he's here because he wants to film a video.

That's not familiar. It's been a long, long time since he had any want to film anything, even back when he was still creating on a daily basis.

He boots up his computer uncertainly. He doesn't think he'll actually do anything, but he can at least push the button, adjust the camera, examine his own reflection. He thinks this one scrape down the side of his cheek will scar, but it looks kind of bad-ass, so he doesn't mind.

The camera hums a little as it wakes up. He stares at the image it's sending.

"Hi, everybody," he says, just practicing. "I know I've been gone a while. I just wanted to film a video to say - because I have - I have an announcement. An update? Because things have changed with me."

A lot of things.

"What the fuck, Chase," he sighs to himself, embarrassed even with no one watching. He turns the camera off quickly and the computer follows. Everything goes quiet again.

"I'm just making a video because I wanted you all to know something about me," he whispers to himself. "A lot of things have changed in my life. The biggest thing recently is that I was... bit. Yeah, that kind of 'bit.' I'm a werewolf."

He can imagine the responses already. They kind of scare him, but... he just wonders if he would have felt better with everything that happened if he knew he wasn't alone in it. If he had some friendly face on the internet telling him that this is going to be okay, and that there are good things to all this, really. But maybe he's just making a martyr of himself. Maybe nobody cares, and talking about it will just make more people horrified of werewolves, and what little enjoyment he had in his career will finally be snuffed out for good.

It's been a year and two months since he uploaded a video, anyway, and the rumors of his wife leaving him and his drinking getting out of hand had all burst up like geysers he was trying to hold down with his bare hands, flooding his reputation. Nobody's listening anymore.

A knock on the door interrupts his brooding and he gets up, finding Marvin at the door. Just the smell of him is a relief.

"Oh, what's that smile for?" asks Marvin, reaching out to tug petulantly at one of Chase's stray hairs. "I haven't even told you the good news yet."

"Happy to see you, I guess," Chase admits. "It's too lonely in that room. What's the good news?"

"Someone who wants to see you," he says. Marvin's arm wraps around Chase's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go see our pack."

.

Henrik expects Chase to come through the door first.

Chase feels safe, in his memory. Chase feels familiar. This whole house feels familiar, but it's no longer just their safe space. It's the place that they were taken from.

Does Chase feel the same way? Is it cruel that he wants to know he's nervous too?

The door clicks and Henrik sits up. But instead of Chase coming through the door, it's Jackie.

Oh.

He smells like an Alpha in a way he didn't before. Powerful. Enticing. Dangerous.

Henrik pushes himself away til his back's against the headboard of the bed. Jackie tilts his head at him, resting easily against the frame of the open door.

"I'm just here to talk," says Jackie. His voice is as loud as ever and Henrik jumps. Jackie grins half-heartedly. "Schneep... I'm not going to hurt you."

Henrik seems to have lost his voice. He swallows and shakes his head, pulling a blanket up over his lap. He can still smell a little of his own blood in the carpet from where JJ had bit him and dragged him back to another Alpha. Then again, he can smell chemicals and soap too: someone has tried to scrub the blood out of the carpet, preparing the room for him to come back.

"Can I come closer to you?" asks Jackie.

"Whatever," manages Henrik, though his voice comes out in a croak. "Sure."

Jackie comes to sit on the side of the bed, still looking at Henrik intently. Henrik can't hold his gaze long. He breaks away, turning to look out the window instead, breath skipping in his chest.

"So this is it, then?" Henrik says. "You just - you're just my Alpha now?"

Jackie pauses. "Do I smell like your Alpha to you?"

"Yes. I think. I don't know. I'm not hers."

"I know."

"I'm not," Henrik repeats. "I'm not hers."

"You're not."

"But I don't know if I want to be yours, either," Henrik whispers.

He waits for Jackie to lunge at him, but he just hums and kicks his feet, nodding at him. "We're kind of in a pickle, in that sense."

Henrik laughs weakly despite himself. "Because... because you saved me. And now you feel like my Alpha to me."

"And you feel like pack to me," Jackie replies.

"Really?" asks Henrik in a whisper.

Jackie nods. "Uh-huh. We're bonded. Schneep... I'd never make you stay, not in a million years. I'd let you go the moment you asked. But I want you to hear me out before you go tearing something inside you in half just because she made you scared to be anybody's pack."

"Because it will hurt to leave," Henrik says. "That's what you're going to tell me."

"The choice to leave is yours completely. I won't say a word about it if you go. It'll hurt, but the pain will be your choice, and I'll wish you the best in finding a pack in Germany."

"What, then?"

Jackie straightens, squaring his shoulders. "Just this," he begins. "I don't want any control over you; I need some deference but never submission. I will never put my teeth in you unless we're playing, I will never use force to get what I want from you, and you are free to go at any time. Henrik, all I want is to look after my pack, and you're part of that. You're free to go. You're always free to go. But if you stay -- "

Now it's Jackie's breath that hitches. Henrik watches as Jackie steadies himself, readjusting on the bed, turning towards him.

Then his hand reaches out gently. Henrik flinches. Jackie just scoots closer, and then -

He sets his hand on Henrik's throat, gently. He doesn't squeeze. He doesn't grip. Henrik is frozen stock-still, trembling for a moment, waiting for the pain and the panic to come - but Jackie just holds still.

Slowly, Henrik relaxes.

He remembers the moment when Jackie touched his neck after moving his stuff out of his apartment. It was like this: something that should have been scary and alarming and unusual, but instead, it just feels like protection. Natural and secure.

"I'm going to squeeze a little," says Jackie.

When Henrik doesn't move, he presses his fingers around his throat. Still gentle. Henrik can breathe. The same way that nudity has stopped feeling sexual, this doesn't feel sexual either. They're in human forms, but they're speaking to each other's wolves, making promises he can feel rather than hear: I'm never going to hurt you. You're safe even with my claws around your throat. Even at your most vulnerable, you're safe with me.

Jackie's hand falls away.

"I'll look after you for the rest of your life if you'll allow me," Jackie says. "That's all I want you to know."

Henrik nods, more firmly than before. He thinks that's true. It feels true. It's unbelievable, that Jackie wants him at all - doesn't he know anything about him? About how neurotic he is, how reclusive, how unreachable? - but at the same time, it's true.

It's only then that Henrik senses the other scent in the room, and he looks up sharply. His nose points him to the doorway, and although there's no one in view, he knows he's there.

"Chase," he says, exasperated and fond at the same time. "Are you spying?"

A blue eye and a mess of brown hair appears beside the door. Chase clears his throat awkwardly. "Didn't want to interrupt."

"Come here," says Jackie. "Dork."

Chase's scent flares with relief and he hurries forward, standing beside the bed. Henrik only has to shift in his direction for Chase to read it as an invitation: he lets out a low rumble like a contented Labrador and throws himself over him, wrapping his arms around him and rubbing their heads firmly together. Henrik laughs, louder than he expects, and wraps his arms around him too. Chase's nose presses closer to his neck and Henrik tenses for a second - but again, no bite comes, and Chase's smell is untainted by either fury or despair, the scents that accompany a bite to the throat.

Henrik decides to test his own waters. He sits up and Chase comes with him, expression open and hopeful. Henrik raises his hand and touches Chase's neck, settling his palm around the front of it, almost cupping his chin.

Chase just closes his eyes and lets him. It feels secure to him too, Henrik realizes. It's not just him and Jackie. They all feel like pack.

Jackie rises from the side of the bed, moving to follow the scent of Marvin in the hallway. "Think about what I said," he tells Henrik softly. "Let me know when you've decided."

"What are you two deciding?" asks Chase, the moment Jackie's gone. "Are you okay? It's so good to see you, you don't know how... how scared I was. Truly. Fuck, I'm glad you're here."

Henrik looks at him, pushing a strand of his hair from his eyes. "We were talking about whether I'll stay or go."

"Don't," says Chase.

From the way his scent twists, Henrik can tell they're both surprised by the loudness of his voice, firm as pumice. There's a moment where Chase looks like he might back down, apologize and change the subject, but he doesn't.

"Don't go," says Chase. "You have to stay, Schneep, you have to. We're pack now. Don't go. Stay here with me. With all of us. I'll look after you too. I know you have healing to do, but so do I. It won't always be easy, but it'll be easier together. We'll all take care of each other. You don't have to be so alone anymore. You don't have to leave. Stay."

And when Chase reaches out to touch him - when his hand settles on his cheek and he looks at him with his face full of freckles and a scent like chocolate and pack - that feels true too.

"Okay," whispers Henrik, in the place where their scents meet and everything smells like home. "Okay. I'll stay."

.

It's not the harness that JJ minds.

Sean is good to him, after all, and if JJ didn't want to wear a harness like a pet, he could shift back to human anytime. Sean would be able to certify that he isn't feral, and he could walk out of the apartment as a man, and no one would try to put this thing on him: a neon orange harness and leash with the words 'UNDER REHABILITATION - DO NOT ENGAGE - UNCERTIFIED LYCAN' repeating across its length.

"Sorry, pal, sorry," whispers Sean, looping it carefully around him. "I can't have you out of the apartment without this on. I know, I know."

Sean soothes at him, but JJ's just sitting still, letting him hook it on. Sean won't use it to humiliate him, and if it feels tight, it's nothing compared to real confinement.

He does mind, however, the reactions from the humans around them.

They always take quiet pathways when they go to the park, but today, Sean takes him somewhere new. As they're forced down a street with people bustling around, the throng parts around them in a disgusted wave of movement. Sean keeps his eyes straight forward, leading JJ close at his side, but Jameson knows he can hear it too: the angry rumbles of the people around them.

"Back up, do not let that thing near you."

"... no reason for him to be in the city..."

"Why do we have parks if they're still going to be out in the open like this?"

One werewolf calls encouragement as he passes, but for the most part, JJ can only hear discontent.

"We're only a few minutes away from Chase's," Sean leans down to tell him.

JJ can't tell if Sean actually believes he can understand him, or if it's just his habit to talk to wolves, feral or not, like they're human, but one way or another, he appreciates it. He doesn't feel human in the middle of all this, that's for damn sure.

A mother stops them, cradling her child away from them, and yells at Sean about how it's inappropriate for him to be out here with a feral animal. JJ sits at his side as Sean listens quietly, something twisting in his stomach. No, he doesn't mind the harness, but this...

Don't they know he didn't ask to be like this?

"Ma'am, I'm a rehabilitator, I'm just moving him from one place to another. I wouldn't bring him out in public if he weren't safe to be around. Look, he's perfectly friendly."

Sean reaches to the side and touches JJ's mouth. He parts his jaws and Sean sets his fingers down between his teeth for a moment, tapping at his canines. JJ looks up at him and the mother with big eyes, tongue swiping once at his rehabilitator's hand.

She just keeps arguing with Sean. When someone else comes to her aid, a man much larger than Sean, they turn away and keep walking. JJ's ears are down flat. Jack reaches out to pat them, giving him a fragile smile.

That's when a rock collides fully with the side of his head. Sean gasps, faltering for a second, and JJ leaps up, whirling to find the person who threw it, but he can't pick them out from the crowd. On instinct, he tries to howl - nothing comes out and he feels stupid, useless, inhuman.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," chokes Sean, pulling him hurriedly away. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They push out of the busy part of the city together, JJ pulling him along now, claws scrabbling against the pavement, so hot it's starting to hurt his paws. They come to a residential neighborhood with nice houses and Sean leans against a tree for a second, catching his breath, putting his hand up to his face.

There's a small brown bruise beside his eye. He gets out an inhaler and takes his medicine, rubbing at his head wearily. It's not a bad injury by any means. For throwing rocks, it could be a lot worse.

JJ doesn't feel any better. Someone did that to him just for walking around with a wolf in an orange harness at his side?

He has always had trouble communicating with everyone else around him. Being talked over, being yelled at, being ignored. Weren't things hard enough before this already? Now he's not even human. Is this how he's going to be treated for the rest of his life? They all think he's a monster, and no one's listening to anyone trying to tell them otherwise.

"Hey, I'm okay, I'm okay," Sean is trying to tell him, kneeling down in the grass beside him to grab his face. JJ pulls away from him, tail between his legs and ears flat. He didn't ask for this, for any of it.

"JJ, calm down."

He'll stay like this forever, he's decided. All he ever gets is rejection. What's the point of shifting back into a human? The only person who ever really listened to him betrayed and imprisoned him. He may as well look like an outsider. Like a monster.

Sean's arms pull at him again, wrapping around him and petting down his side, shushing him. JJ whines out a breath of air and hides his head against his chest, licking his paws. Sean pulls his paw away from himself.

"Don't do that to yourself," he murmurs. "You're grooming your fur out. I'm totally okay, JJ. I'm right here."

He hugs him again, squeezing him close.

Yeah. He'll just stay with Sean for the rest of forever. Who needs to be human anyway?

"Poor thing," whispers Sean, stroking his fur. His face presses into JJ's pelt, and for a moment, he thinks he feels wetness there, dripping onto his side. "It's going to be okay, JJ. It's going to turn out somehow. I don't know how, but it will. It has to."

JJ knows he must smell like despair.

[aris-ink]

Omg the new Yoongi fic is so good! I love the kinks in it. Him being rough and soft fits him so well. The consensual drugging! The way his thoughts get progressively darker while she's asleep omg. It goes all the way up to the fact that he could kill her?! Scary but hot lol... because the trust omg. It's so interesting. His possessiveness! And he even recorded it?! Yes! Is reader ok with being imprisoned by him? I feel like he thinks she's ok with it when she isn't ok with it. (I want to confess this Yoongi fits one of my biggest fantasies about him pretty well...Yandere and possessive omg)

AAAAHHH I sound like a broken record but I love you so much, thank you <3 and like yes, YOU GET ME 👀 lmao

ah! she isn't okay with it. well, yes and no. I mean, Yoongi was right about her and she proved that the moment she chose to drink the drugged shot. she is messed up and chose to put herself in a messed up situation... and I think she was very willing to go for some sort of.. arrangement I guess, keep seeing him after that. but she definitely wasn't prepared to end up imprisoned 💀

but in the state she's in, I don't see her actively trying to escape. Yoongi's perception of her is very accurate, and while I can imagine protests and tears and nasty fights bc she still has some sense of right and wrong, in the end her feelings would win. the weakness would win, bc just like he said she needs someone to take care of her properly. and who'd do it better than Yoongi? he understands her as he's just as messed up. he'd only speed up the process of acceptance by getting into her head.

you're so cute dhdhshsh I'm sorry for the ramble oof 💖 love you sm 💕

[ridiasfangirlings]

Florist x tattoo artist au with Florist!Mikoto and Tattoo artist Munakata

Just imagining Munakata having puzzle piece tattoos everywhere, he looks like the most straight-laced guy but then he has all these tattoos and people are always surprised when they see him. Maybe they initially meet when Munakata needs to buy flowers for some special occasion, like it's his niece's birthday, Munakata wishes to buy her a nice bouquet to celebrate. There happens to be a flower shop near where his tattoo parlor is so Munakata stops there after work, wearing a long coat and covered enough that none of his tattoos are visible. It's late and nearly closing time, which is presumably why the only staff member on duty appears to be asleep. Munakata walks right up to the red-haired man and clears his throat very loudly, Mikoto blinks sleepily like huh someone's actually here this late huh. Munakata pushes up his glasses and states that he would like some flowers, if Mikoto has the ability to do so. Mikoto already finds this guy annoying and he's like there are flowers all over the shop, you can go pick them out yourself right, you're not a little kid. Munakata has his doubts that such a person could even work at this sort of store, like are you even aware of what kind of flowers you sell. Normally Mikoto doesn't bother making flower arrangements himself but this guy is pissing him off so Mikoto takes his time very carefully picking out the rarest, weirdest flowers in the shop and haphazardly sticking them together, handing them to Munakata all 'here, flowers.' Munakata doesn't even mind that he's got this weird bouquet though, just pays and decides to take his leave.

A week or two later Mikoto's in need of a new tattoo and decides to stop at the place near the flower shop. Mikoto's friend Kusanagi actually owns the flower shop and Mikoto's only working there because he couldn't be bothered getting a job anywhere else. In reality while they do sell flowers and all that it's also a bit of a cover for gang activities, Mikoto is the head of one of the major street gangs in the area and responsible for keeping the peace around here. He's got a couple of small flame tattoos and has been wanting more but the last time he went to get a tattoo he was attacked by rival gang members and it turned out the owner of the previous tattoo place was snitching on him. Mikoto figures this new place is probably a better idea, he's never been there but he's been told it's popular. He walks in and the bored guy in glasses manning the reception desk clicks his tongue and tells Mikoto to have a seat and someone will be with him in a minute.

Mikoto's pretty amused when the shop owner comes out and it's Munakata, wearing a short-sleeved shirt that shows off his heavily tattooed skin. Munakata sees Mikoto and pushes up his glasses with an intrigued 'oya,' wondering what brings Mikoto here. Mikoto pulls out a cigarette and he's like 'what do you think I'm at a tattoo parlor for,' Munakata chuckles and says he supposes it was an unnecessary question. He invites Mikoto back and Fushimi at the desk expresses some disbelief that Munakata's handling this one himself, Munakata smiles and says naturally this customer will be needing a particular touch. As they go back to a room Mikoto's still looking over Munakata's tattoos, like he didn't take Munakata for the type. Munakata says that he has indeed surprised many people in that manner, but in fact he considers tattooing an art and it's something which has always fascinated him.

Munakata brings up Mikoto's work at the flower shop and adds that his niece enjoyed the flowers. Mikoto shrugs and says it's just a job, Munakata's all 'indeed' and says it is good his brother is largely unaware of flower language or he might wonder why Munakata brought a bouquet indicating 'I hate you' and 'never speak to me again.' Mikoto smiles widely like huh is that what happened what a coincidence, Munakata assures Mikoto that there are no hard feelings and he certainly will not do anything to cause Mikoto undo pain while giving him the new tattoo. Mikoto's all 'that so, I guess it'd be unprofessional otherwise' and Munakata's like 'of course,' pushing up his glasses again. There is absolutely this air of challenge between them and Munakata asks what kind of tattoo Mikoto would like, Mikoto probably changes his mind right there and decides to go for something more intricate just to see if Munakata can handle it. Munakata is more than happy to oblige and Mikoto ends up pretty sore for a while but even he can't deny that Munakata's skill is above average. He figures he could maybe go back there for something else, just for the hell of it, and meanwhile Munakata's suddenly developed a need for buying flowers in order to study them and improve his art abilities.

[lviste]

*✧･ﾟ Second Lead Syndrome

*✧･ﾟ PAIRING; Diluc x Reader

*✧･ﾟ TROPE; Angst / no comfort, unrequited love, hanahaki disease, implied major character death

*✧･ﾟ A/N; This was just a brainrot i had at 2am so it isnt very good but i wanted some angst so.....

"Y/N, you will be engaged with one of my old friend's son."

When I first heard the news of my arranged marriage, I was dreading the day I would have to meet him. But when I first saw him, I knew that he had me wrapped around his fingers so effortlessly. He was charming, kind, yet cold.

I needed to thaw his cold heart to make this marriage work. I would help organise his house whenever I didn't have a commission and would cook him dinner as I wait for him to come home. Soon enough, he started to warm up to me. He would tell me he loves me as he presented a rose to me, and would come home earlier with another bouquet of roses to have dinner with me. Until recently.

For the past 2 weeks, I have been waking up to a bed that is cold and have been falling asleep without the warmth of my lover. At first, I thought he could be falling asleep in his office or he could went to work early until I found out he didn't come home the whole night. And whenever he came home, he smelt like.. a women's perfume.

I knew I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that. I trusted Diluc. He was the last person I thought that would do this to me. But sometimes he came home with a new hickey on his neck and a lipstick mark on his shirt. Yet I kept the smile on my face, pretending everything was fine and that I didn't know about his affair.

The eyes that used to look at me with so much love, now void of any emotion whenever he comes home. They say "if you love someone, let them go", but it hurts. It hurts that someone else stole his heart in a matter of seconds right in front of me.

I wanted to find him and his mistress, so I made my way to the city. I should have known something was wrong when people stared at me in pity, instead of disgust. It wasn't until I caught them holding hands with each other while walking towards Good Hunter. I recognised that woman. She was the one who worked at Floral whispers and had a crush on Diluc. Donna.. was her name.

I knew about this. I saw all the signs and put them together. So why could I feel my heart breaking? "Diluc Ragnvindr." That wasn't my voice. I looked up as I saw my sister approaching him. This wasn't going to end pretty. "Eula!" I rushed up to them before my sister could do anything. "Diluc Ragnvindr, you are one pathetic son of a bitch." My sister seethe angrily and I knew it was a matter of time before she took out her claymore. "Eula enough, people are staring." I whispered as a crowd started to form around us. "Mark my words, I will have vengeance." She spat out before I started to drag her away.

"Wait- Y/N" He cried out. I stopped in my tracks yet not turning around to him. "i'm sorry." he spoke with the last remaining dignity he had to save this pathetic relationship we have. "You know, I found out about your affair 2 weeks ago. I could smell her perfume everywhere on you and even in our bed. So tell me Ragnvindr, did you bring your mistress into our bed?" I laughed as I turned around to look him in his teary eyes. I scoffed internally at his audacity "I will go back to my parents' house today with my belongings so you can bring your new wife into your house. Listen here Ragnvindr, you were the one who had thrown our relationship away. You tore us apart, not me." I turn around and walked back to the house I called home for 2 years. The house was surrounded with my favourite flowers. That was why Diluc kept buying me roses. Yet-

My thoughts were cut off as I coughed up another full grown rose. it has been 6 months since I found out about this disease. My bestfriend said it was the Hanahaki disease, caused by unrequited feelings. Thats when I knew Diluc never actually meant it when he says "I love you" every morning. Kaeya has been trying to persuade me in getting the surgery but I refused. I rather die then let myself be void of emotion.

Who knew that my favourite flower would soon be the cause of my death.

[ultrastarbee]

Hey bee ^^ can I req an AU about Ran being a Ceo or something where him and reader has to get married (arranged marriage) and at first ran was super mean towards her while reader did everything to make amends (cook for him and stuff) Because he thinks reader was the one who planned the marriage and stuff and then when truth comes to light, the reader was hurt and ran tried making it up to her, along the way he realised he slowly developed feelings and how wonderful reader are ...so happy ending?

It's angst to fluff (you can put nsfw too ^^) , I'm just in a very shitty mood today :')

-penguin

Hello lovely Penguin! I'm sorry to hear about it, hope you feel better soon, honey. I really enjoy writing for Ran, so let's give this boy more love! I guess I'm on the marriage head today? This is the third request I received about this kind of things. It's adorable and you may be getting my first nsfw here. Maybe, maybe? Yeah I did it. Please call all the bees back to the hive, Ran is stealing my tumblr purity help!

Title: A not-so-bad husband Request: sure! Couple: Ran x fem!reader Category: Angsty to fluffy with some smut Content Warning: arranged marriage, couple fight, bad language, nsfw content, condomless sex Word Count: 1.394 Summary: Ran need to marry you so he can be the head of the company. He hates the idea, but does it anyway. Your marriage sucks till he knows you weren't behind this arranged marriage A/N: I liked the way things went here. I like to write longer like this for one character

MASTERLIST  .......  RULES  .......  SERIES LIST

This is not the life you dreamed about. You weren't looking for a husband now, but your father made the decision for you. Before your father retired he made Haitani Ran marry you to be the new CEO of the company. Even if it's an arranged marriage you can try to make a happy life of it, can't you? Not if it depends on your husband. Ran is furious about the marriage, so you wonder why the fuck he accepted your father's proposal? Even worse: Ran is not mad with your father, he's mad at you. As if you wanted to marry someone like him.

You look at your husband sitted across you at the table. He is eating the dinner you made after a fight you two had. Your husband is really handsome with his long dark hair, violet eyes and strong body. Before you two married Ran was always funny and kinda flirty around you, but now he is just serious or angry all the time. You wonder if it was such a shitty deal for him marrying you. Are you so bad for him to make his mood change so much? Even though you are husband and wife you don't do anything as a couple. you two have separated bedrooms, only see each other at night and rarely eat together. "What?" Ran caught you staring at him. You sigh and take your dinner to the fridge. You can eat later without his heavy atmosphere around.

You lean over a wall exhausted of this marriage while some tears run over your face. You are a good wife. You do what you can to make amends with your husband even though you don't even know why Ran is so mad. You too had no choice on marrying him and no one see you complaining about it. Maybe he hated your guts even before. Still eating at the dining room Ran hears you sobbing, but he doesn't move. He knows you are miserable, but he is not happy either. Ran gives you time to recompose yourself and as soon as he can't hear you anymore he takes his empty plate to the kitchen only to find you asleep curled up sitting agains a wall.

"Fuck" Ran knows he messed up. He shouldn't treat his wife like this, but knowing you made such a low move to make him marry you makes his blood boil. Even being so angry Ran takes you on his arms like you were just a small doll and leaves you on your own bed. Ran had never enterd your bedroom before. It was so different from his and smelled like lavender. The place looks comfy. After leaving you on your bed Ran gets closer to your window thinking about closing it, but he stops now watching at the lights outside. At night the city lights look like touchable stars.

You wake up and soon is aware of his presence. Your husband never entered your bedroom before and he even carried you there, maybe Ran's heart is getting softer towards you. The outside lights are flashing on his distracted face making him look even more handsome than usual. "Ran?" your sleepy voice calls him back to the world.

"Fuck off" he closes the window now with the same disgusted face as ever.

"Why are you always like this?" you are so fucking tired of this treatment you decide it's time to put an end to it.

"Why you ask? Well, maybe I like to decide thing for myself!" Ran's voice is dry and low.

"Do you think I don't? I'm so miserable in this marriage as you!" you snap at him and Ran's face grew angrier "I thought we could find a way, but you don't want it, do you?"

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I?" now Ran is screaming over your cynicism. He laughs, but no humor on it "how the fuck can you say that after trapping me on a marriage?".

"Really, Ran? Do you really think I wanted this? You are the least person I wanted to be with!" it's a lie, but it hurts both of you anyway "I will talk to my father again. Maybe he can reverse all this mess".

"Yeah, call daddy to complain about what you chose" Ran is ready to leave your room, but he stops as he hears your next words.

"I didn't choose this, Ran" your voice is full of sorrow "I was happy the way I was living my life, I wouldn't have done this to us".

He left without saying anything more. You couldn't sleep that night and so didn't Ran, that's why he came back to your room. You hear a knock on the door and invite him in. You are sitting on your bed looking at him. The outside lights the only thing lighting up the room.

"Listen, you really has nothing to do with this mess?" Ran's voice is way softer than the last time. You shake your head and he comes closer, sitting by your side on the bed.

"My father knew you were single, so he made the marriage contract" you explain without looking at him "thought you knew".

"No" Ran sighs. He was treating you so bad and now he is so fucking regretful he can't even look at you.

"I'm sorry if I made you mad or uncomfortable. I promise I will look for a good lawyer to cancel the contract with my father" you apologize and Ran's heart gets upset. He is the one who should apologize.

"Please don't" without even thinking much about it Ran holds both of your hands and is now kneeling in front of you "Y/n, please keep being my wife. I promise I will be a good husbad. You deserve a good husband. I can be good for you".

"I would love to keep being your wife, Ran" you touch his face softly.

"I will make up to you, you will see" he smiles to you. How long has it been since he smiled to you? Your heart beats fast looking at him.

You liked Ran even before you two were trapped in an arranged marriage, but the feelings were pushed aside since he started to treat you shitty. Now Ran is on his knees with the most flirty smile he ever showed you. The outside lights painting his face purple, green and then red. Ran lays down his head over your thighs and starts kissing them. He never saw the appeal on nightdresses, but now he understands it. You can't help but look at his focused lustful face. Ran proceeds on licking your inner thighs wich he just pushes aside his way to your pussy. He stops to take some hair off his face, so you hold all of his hair before pulling him to you again. You hear a small giggle. Ran likes how you know what you want and now you want him to be your good husband.

You are short of breath as Ran's tongue goes deeper, but your husband thinks he is funny, so when he feels your grip on his hair tighten he goes back to just kiss your thighs. "Ran, stop messing around" you pant pushing his head away from you thighs. "Don't like the game, my pretty wife?" Ran has his signature grin on, but his eyes are hungry. First he gets you both standing up to get rid of your clothes. As soon as the clothes are thrown on the floor your hands are all over him. You loved his strong body he usually hides under his clothes, but Ran will not waste any more time. Taking you in his arms you are once again on your bed, now laying dow with him kissing you deeply. Slowly sliding his length inside you Ran is careful to know if you are comfortable with him inside, but holy shit you are beyond comfortable. He smiles sinfully watching delight. Your moans are the only thing he cares while moving. Ran's big hands grip on both your sides as he moves even faster. Stronger. Deeply. He takes out cumming on your belly while kissing you passionately.

The outside lights red, purple and green painting both your bodies now. Ran will do his best to keep you happy as his wife.

[starlightxsvt]

Home | k.mg

pairing ➳ businessman!mingyu x female!reader

genre ➳ strangers to lovers, romance, slice of life, angst, fluff, gets spicy at the end

word count ➳ 5.6k (apx)

warnings ➳ cursing, reader is really indecisive, heavy makeout, implications of sexual activity.

synopsis ➳ an attractive stranger visits your cabin for a week with whom you quickly bond, developing some strong feelings in the process; leaving you to wonder if he's worth leaving everything behind.

A/N: henlooo~ I finally posted! This has been sitting in my drafts for a while but I didn't really feel like writing for a while, hence the delay. I hope y'all enjoy this piece and please don't forget to leave some feedback! It really motivates me :)

A cool gust of wind blew by as you finished typing your last column, leaving a soothing feeling behind as you exhaled loudly. It was hard to finish this piece of writing for some reason, maybe because you lacked inspiration or maybe because your life had been monotonous for a while or simply, a mix of both. Closing your laptop you stretch your hands and legs, feeling somewhat productive. Humming a tune, you looked out the window to see a Lamborghini come to a halt at the entrance.

It piqued your interest because it's not often that people riding Lamborghini come in this cabin so genuinely you're interested in the visitor. You shifted in your chair, waiting for the man to come upstairs to the reception and sure enough a tall- really tall man dressed in a neatly pressed suit appears into your view, briskly walking towards the reception where Chan stood to greet him. You could not get a good look at his face as he moved around quickly, grabbing his small carry on and heading towards his cabin after the formalities.

You watched his tall frame walking away as you got up from your seat and moved towards Chan.

"Who is he?"

"Kim Mingyu," Chan explained, resting his arms on the reception table." A millionaire, owns a lot of companies. No wonder he looked familiar."

"Oh, really? How long is he staying?"

"He has booked for five days. Said he might extend his stay."

"I see."

"Why are you so curious though?" Chan raised a brow at you, tilting his head to a side.

"Nothing." You shrugged. "He just has different vibes than the other people that come here you know?"

Chan hummed in agreement.

-

There was never much visitors during the rainy season which was both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because that meant the cabin was less hectic and curse because sometimes you are bound to get a bit too bored. You were helping yourself with a cup of tea to somewhat feel re-energised when your newest and the only guest for the week appeared from his cabin, padding through the corridor and stepping into the common kitchen area. You were taken aback for a moment before you composed yourself and smiled at your guest, "Good morning, Mr. Kim. May I help you with anything?"

"Mingyu, please," the tall male replied while scanning the kitchen area. "You're the owner right? What's the food arrangement here?"

"Well, our guests generally cook for themselves or order takeout. When there are many guests I sometimes do the cooking."

Nodding, he hummed before putting in a capsule in the cappuccino machine. You took a seat by the window, tea in your hand as you watched the male move around like he knew this place. Dressed in his pajamas and judging by the fluffy mess that his hair was you assumed he had a good night's sleep.

"I hope you had a pleasant night, Mr- Mingyu." You said to your guest who had whipped out a pan from the cupboard and was making omelette. "Yes, surprisingly so. Normally I have trouble falling asleep but I slept like a baby last night," he casually conversed as he prepared his breakfast.

You smiled, "Well, I'm glad to know that. If you need anything let my staffs or me know."

"Sure. Oh- I didn't get your name though." Mingyu turned to meet your eyes.

"___," you smiled.

"___, okay."

-

"This is gonna be a rainy week," Hoshi said from behind you as he stood holding a tub of fresh soil for the plants in the backyard of the cabin. You sat on your knees, eyeing the plants which needed their soil changed.

"Yeah? Well, good thing there isn't much guests now."

"I think there should be, I mean it's so pretty here during the rain too. People need to look at it themselves." Hoshi complained.

"Well, most people don't like going out in the rain. Pass me the soil, Hoshi. Let's get this finished before the shower starts."

Hoshi handed you the tub of soil as the sky above started growling, full of thick black clouds. It was gonna start raining soon.

Hoshi spoke, "Oh, Mr.Kim, Mingyu you know, asked me about the beach by the marketplace. Apparently he wants to visit so he asked me if I was free to show him around."

"And let me guess, you aren't?" You rolled your eyes.

Soonyoung pouted, "No! Well I would have given him a tour today if the weather wasn't so bad. And my friends are coming tomorrow, so I'll be busy then."

"Wait- you're friends are coming?" You turned, glaring at the boy who smiles sheepishly, "Oh! Um- I didn't tell you? Well they're only staying for a couple of days and it's not like they're staying for free."

"Well, make sure they clean after themselves okay? If I see them trashing all over the place like last time, I'm kicking you out with them." You gave him a pointed look.

"Okay okay," Hoshi rolled his eyes, puffing his cheeks. "Just- take the CEO out on a tour tomorrow for me okay? I haven't seen my friends in a long time."

"Alright, I will...if the weather is good which probably won't be." You sighed, gently removing the old soil.

Hoshi mused about Mingyu, "Bummer for him, he came in a wrong time. It's weird, no? We don't have such guests like him."

"Yeah," you hummed, focused on handling your roses.

-

Hoshi's friend, Seokmin and Seungkwan appeared early in the morning next day as you watched Hoshi vibrate from happiness when he hugged them. You smiled to yourself, laughing at at the antics of your staff as you saw him guide his friends into their cabin. The day was once again filled with dark clouds and raining which occurred every other hour. You and Chan cleaned up and completed some chores as the noon fell.

"Should I cook something up for them?" You wondered as Chan finished cleaning the common space of the first cabin.

"Nah, Seokmin hyung is cooking for them. He's a pretty good cook actually."

"Really? That's nice." You said pulling up a chair to sit down. "Are you gonna join them? Hoshi has been with his friends since they came."

"Yeah, probably. You should join us too."

"No, I think I'm gonna take a nap. I feel so tired."

"Alright."

You watched as Chan climbed down the stairs and stepped towards the second cabin where everyone else was. You were about to head to your room when the CEO, Mingyu appeared in the kitchen.

"Oh, hello."

"Hi."

"I haven't seen you since morning," you said watching as Mingyu poured himself a glass of water.

"Yeah, I woke up early today, went for a jog."

"Ah, I see."

"Couldn't go far though, the weather sucks you know." He said leaning against the kitchen top.

"Yeah. But I heard that it should get better from tomorrow. I could show you around if you want to. Hoshi, my staff, is going to busy for a while so I can guide you around."

"Really? That would be cool." Mingyu smiled. There was a small stretch of silence as you both listened to the rainfall before he spoke, "Have you had lunch?"

"Uh-no."

"Would you like to join me?" He asked "This is the longest time I've been alone and it feels a bit weird," he murmured more to himself than you.

"I mean- I don't mind," you shrugged. "Though I should be the one doing it."

"It's okay. People say I am a good cook," Mingyu smiled, his eyes crinkling.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see."

-

It was weird how comfortable you felt watching Mingyu being clumsy and bump into things as he prepared your meal. It felt like you've been doing this forever- like you've known him forever and you thought to yourself what was suddenly wrong with you. He made small talk as he cooked and it felt easy talking with him- almost impossible to believe that he was stranger. He was friendly and easy to get along with, definitely not a cold and grumpy businessman like you imagined him to be.

Mingyu grinned as he set down the food in front of you- chicken soup, rice and cheese omelette. His eyes twinkled excitedly as he watched you take a bite, waiting for you to say something.

"What are you? A part time chef or something?" You tried not to moan as you chewed because it was that good. Mingyu laughed- a sweet, shy laugh that had his canines showing and his eyes forming crescents. "Thank you. I learned from my mom. I like cooking for myself when I get the time which is not often," he smiled- almost sadly.

"Well, you can cook for me all you want as long as you're here because this is amazing!" You grinned at him, cheeks puffed with food.

Mingyu chuckled softly as he dug in and you both started eating. It felt nice, to talk to someone new and spend time with them, someone other than Chan or Hoshi. It was a nice change- a change you probably needed for a while.

"So...What brings you here?" You asked as you finished your food, setting down the spoon and leaning back into the chair. Mingyu who was still eating, looked at you with a perplexed expression so you spoke, "I mean...we don't generally have guests like you. And it's not even a good time to visit...so I was wondering what brought you here?"

"Guests like me? What does that mean?"

"I mean...rich, okay?" You fumbled, feeling awkward. Maybe you shouldn't have asked. "Like...there are fancier places to visit, you know..."

Mingyu smiled at your words for a moment before he deadpanned, "I'm running away."

"Running away?" You gasped, almost jumping from your seat, "From who? The cops?"

"It would have been better but no, my family," he said, his voice as serious as ever.

"Oh...I see," you fell quiet. It definitely wasn't the answer you expected. You both remained silent for a while as he started out the window, lost in thoughts. "It must have been really bad if you're hiding out here." You spoke softly.

"It has always been," he mumbled. "I just couldn't take it anymore, you know? I desperately needed a break," he spoke more to himself than you. Instead of prodding further, you sat quietly, watching him and listening to his words. Seeing him now, he definitely looks troubled and you didn't exactly have the words to console him.

So you whispered, "Well, I hope it gets better."

-

Later that night, you find Hoshi and his friends and Chan preparing for a bonfire in the front yard of the cabin.

"Wow, you all are really having fun, no?" You said as you fisted your hands in your pockets from the chilly weather. The air was colder than other nights and everyone including you had put on some warm clothes.

"You wanna join us?" Seokmin asked as he stacked logs on top of each other.

"Nah, it's fine. You four carry on," you patted his back as you started walking back towards the cabin and saw Chan and Hoshi coming out with some boxes in their hands.

"Hey! There are marshmallows in the kitchen cabinet if you want.... nevermind," you finished as you saw beer cans and soju bottles in their hands.

"We're gonna get drunk baby!" Soonyoung yelled, grinning like a fool.

"Hyung, you look drunk already," Chan gave him a side look as they trudged towards the bonfire.

Laughing at their antics you climbed the stairs to the kitchen, preparing some hot chocolate for yourself. Holding the mug on one hand you knocked on the door to Mingyu's room, checking up on him since you haven't seen him since lunch.

The door opened revealing Mingyu in a baggy shirt and pajamas, his hair fluffy and messy.

"Hey," you chriped. "Wanted to check up on you. You wanna join the others in the bonfire?"

"Nah, I'm good. I've been watching them from the balcony." He smiled, his pointy canines showing.

"Oh, I see."

"You wanna come in? I've been getting lonely." He offered, moving away from the door to make space for you.

"Uh- I don't mind," you murmured, surprised that he asked you to come in. You tentatively stepped in and it was fair to say that you were surprised to see the room neat and pristine as most guests kept their room messy.

He ushered you into the balcony, which had a great view of your yard and the forest behind. You saw others laughing loudly as Soonyoung acted something out. Mingyu's voice pulled you out of your thoughts.

"You didn't join them?"

"Nah, they can get too loud sometimes," you chuckled, taking a seat on the bench. You eyed an empty mug lying by, guessing that Mingyu already had his fill of hot chocolate.

Mingyu took a seat beside you, stretching his legs and sighing as he mused, "The view is great."

You hummed your agreement. It was indeed. Not only did you have the full view of your yard and the forest, but you could see a vast horizon of the night sky, some stars twinkling through the clouds.

"It's even more beautiful during summer. You can see so many stars that it feels unreal." You told him.

"Then I will try to visit again during summer," he smiled and you were not sure if he was serious or joking. However you replied with a smile, "You're always welcome."

A silence falls among you two after that but it's not uncomfortable, as you both watched the night grow and Soonyoung and his friends got louder.

"Things got really hard for me, you know," Mingyu started speaking, his voice soft as he stared at the mesh of trees ahead. You were somewhat surprised at his words, but you didn't interrupt, opting for him to continue.

"Running a million dollar company was never easy but...it suddenly was unbearable. My parents always interfered in my work and how I run the company but I managed through all of that, really...until..." Mingyu heaved a long sigh, abruptly stopping.

"Until?" You tentatively asked, peeking at him.

"They want me to get married. With the daughter of their business partner. A marriage of convenience, really."

Oh.

You fell silent, watching him as the moonlight dimly lit the side of his face. There wasn't enough light to see his face completely, but enough to see the curve of his face, his sharp jawline and the sad, lost look in his eyes. Your heart suddenly ached for him. Silently you patted his shoulder, conjuring up some words to console him.

"That's ...awful, really. I'm sorry."

"I've never been so mad in my whole life. Can't they just leave me alone? They treat me like a puppet, like my only job is to live for them. I'm so done. " He said, his hands forming fists.

There's a beat of silence as you quietly patted his back and watched your friends get wasted by the bonfire before he chuckled softly, "I'm sorry for dumping all these on you. I just couldn't hold them in you know-"

"It's really fine, Mingyu. I don't mind. It would be nice if I could actually help you," you sighed, retracting your hand.

"Trust me, you are," he said and you caught a smile on his face.

"I suppose you don't have a significant other? Someone you could talk to freely?"

He shook his head. "That is why I came here. Needed to get my thoughts together, away from them. Not to mention I don't remember the last time I went on a vacation."

"And have you got your thoughts together?"

"I think so, yeah." He shrugged.

"What are you gonna do?" You asked tilting your head.

"Stand strong in my ground, I guess. There's no way I'm marrying their business partner, I'd rather die. And if all else fails, I'm staying here. I'm sure you have some type of job for me, right?"

You laughed at his words, "Maybe. But I'm not sure about your skills, Mr. Kim."

"Oh I'm a fast learner, Miss ___."

You both grinned at each other.

That night when you went back to your room, your thoughts were plagued by Mingyu and you could swear you saw him in your dreams too.

-

The next morning is brighter and shinier; the sky relatively clear other than some light clouds. After getting dressed and checking up on Hoshi and Chan who were still sleeping, you trudged through the cabin and towards Mingyu's room, before knocking on it. A fully dressed Mingyu appeared, clad in a white polo and jeans, his hair styled messily. He looked effortlessly attractive, making your heart skipp a few beats.

Damn it, what was wrong with you?

"Hi," you almost missed a breath, your face flushed with warmth.

"Oh, hey. I was about to come to you. I believe you were to show me around." Mingyu grinned, his pointy canines showing.

"And that is what I'm here for, Mr. Kim."

"Great! Let's get going. We'll take my car."

-

After showing Mingyu around for a couple of hours, you both ended up at the beach by the marketplace, sitting on the sand next to each other. The weather was nice; not too hot, not too cold as a light breeze flew by occasionally. Though you could see some black clouds gathering above, it wasn't to rain until evening if the forecast was correct.

"This place is so pretty," Mingyu mused, making you smile.

"I know right. The weather is great too."

You both watched the waves crash to the shore, occasionally wetting your feet as you both relaxed on the sand. There was a silence, a comfortable one as you finished eating the corndog you bought from the market earlier with some groceries. As you finished the last bite, Mingyu turned to face you and asked, "Tell me about yourself."

"What?" A squeak of surprise escaped from you.

"I shared a lot about myself last night. It's only fair I get to know about you too."

"Well..." You pondered. "There isn't much to tell. I've a pretty dull life, unlike you."

Mingyu chuckled, shaking his head, "Does the cabin belong to your parents? Is it like a family business type of thing?"

"No, not really," you smiled softly. "My parents are dead. The cabin belonged to my grandfather."

"Oh- I'm sorry."

"No it's okay. They passed away in an accident when I was a kid so I don't remember them much." You spoke, watching the sea, "My grandparents raised me. Growing up I've spent a lot of time in the cabin and when my grandfather retired he handed the job to me."

"Are they alive? Your grandparents?" He asked tentatively.

You shook your head, "Grandpa passed away a couple years ago and it's been a few months since grandma did too."

"I'm sorry, you must've been lonely," Mingyu offered, his voice soft.

You shrugged, "Yeah, like I said, nothing interesting going on in my life."

Mingyu hummed noncommittally and there was a few moments of silence before he spoke again, "Was managing the cabin something you have always wanted to do?"

You were quiet for a while as you thought over the question, "No...not really. I've just kept doing the job I was handed to. I haven't really thought about what I want to do."

"Well...I think you should hire a manager in your place and maybe...I don't come to the city and make friends, see what calls for you."

"Yeah, I've thought about it. But I don't know really." You murmured.

"Well, give it some thought. I could help you find a manager. In fact, I could help promote and upgrade your cabin if you'd let me. It'll be a good investment."

You laughed softly, not taking his words too seriously. He was just a guest. He was probably just being nice.

A gust of strong wind flew by, ruining your hair as it poked into your eyes and you laughed when your eyes landed on Mingyu.

"What?"

His hair was sticking in different directions because of the wind and you shook your head with a smile as you reached to pat the hairs back into place. It happened naturally, before you could stop yourself. For a moment your eyes meet as you quickly retract your hand, face heated.

Something was definitely wrong with you.

Mingyu's gaze stayed at you for a while; you could feel his intense eyes on you and you thought maybe he didn't like you touching him. Before your thoughts ran more rampant, he spoke.

"___?"

"Y-yes?"

"Do you...Do you have a home?"

"Home?" You were confused.

"Yes, home. Not like a real house but like a... person. Someone who makes you feel at ease, someone with whom you can be yourself without judgements, someone who keeps you cozy and safe and loved...like a home."

Somewhat taken aback by his words, you fell silent but their depth hit you and you found yourself thinking about it. Do you have a home?

No. No, you don't.

You shook your head, murmuring, "No."

Mingyu nodded taking his eyes off you.

"What about you?" You asked.

"Me neither."

You smiled, "Figures. Because if you had someone you wouldn't have run here but went to them."

Mingyu smiled, a sad smile gracing his lips. It was a somewhat bitter truth, he hadn't found his home no matter how much he looked for it. Maybe that's what he was doing wrong, looking desperately.

"Let's get going. It has started to rain," Your voice dragged him out of his thoughts as he felt small drops of water fall on his face. You reached your hand out to him and he took it, standing up. As you both jogged towards Mingyu's car, your hands remained connected, no one bothering to let go.

-

That night you had dinner with Mingyu again but this time it was you who did the cooking. After enjoying dinner over small talk, Mingyu like the gentleman he is did the dishes as you poured some wine for the two of you.

Sitting on the small table in common space by the window, you both watched the clear sky that had appeared after the shower. You sipped your wine, watching the vast expanse of stars that blinked in the dark sky.

"I think I've to go back tomorrow," Mingyu suddenly whispered, his tone so low you almost thought you misheard him. A bolt out the blue, you looked at him.

"Tomorrow?"

"Mmhmm," he fiddled with the hem of his cardigan as he stared at the table. "I've got so many calls and messages from work. My company won't run on its on, I can be gone for only so long." He sighed.

You didn't offer any words, too shocked to know that he'd be gone tomorrow. What is this attachment you've developed towards him? Why did the thought of someone, almost a stranger going back to where he came from, where he belonged hurt you so much? You didn't know what to label your feelings but realizing that you'd probably never see him again was tugging at your heartstrings.

Should you ask him for his number and stay connected with him? Is there even a point in that? You both live miles away from each other. Or should just take his advice and follow him to the city? Would that even be a good idea? Are you just reading all this wrong?

You were so invested in your thoughts that you didn't realize Mingyu was calling you until he shook your shoulder.

"You okay, ___?"

"Huh? Yeah...it's just, the news is really sudden. I didn't... expect you'd return so soon." You mumbled.

Mingyu sighed, his shoulder dropping a little bit. "Trust me, if I could I'd stay here forever. But...I can't keep running. I need to face my parents, the sooner the better."

At a loss of what to say, you just nodded. Reaching for your drink you took a big gulp, trying to calm your nerves. It's okay, you can do this. He's just another one of your guests.

You stood up, taking the empty glass in your hand, "Well, I better leave you alone now. I'm sure you've got packing to do."

You almost turned away; until a strong hand gripped your wrist and pulled you back, making you stumble towards Mingyu's body.

"Don't. Stay for a while. I don't want you to leave." His voice was soft yet deep and it immediately broke your resolve as you set the glass down and looked into his eyes.

He didn't let go of your wrist; instead only wrapped his other hand around your waist, pulling you closer, leaving just a few inches between your faces. You didn't tell him to move neither did you make any effort to get away from him- you didn't want to. It felt good, comforting as he held you and looked at you almost like you were his whole world. His eyes had so much emotion swirling in them and you were sure yours looked the same too.

"___?" His voice was breathy and it set your heart aflame.

"Y-yes?"

"Can I...kiss you?"

You inhaled sharply as his hold on you got tighter. You couldn't process a reply, overwhelmed with emotion. So you just nodded and Mingyu leaned in, pressing his lips to yours.

It was soft at first, his lips just resting against yours, as if he was testing the waters. When you didn't resist but only pulled him closer, he started devouring you, his tongue prodding in your wet cavern. Moans espaced from you as you kept pulling at his hair almost grinding on him, desperate for more. He was the same, kissing you with so much passion and vigour like you were the last female standing.

You somehow managed to tug off his cardigan between the kiss and when you pulled apart for air, Mingyu panted, "Can we take this to the bedroom?"

His deep raspy voice spread liquid heat throughout your body and you had to stop yourself from pouncing on him.

"Yes please," you breathed. Mingyu stood up straight, his tall and built body intimidating you in the best ways possible, "Oh baby, you don't have to beg. I'll give you anything you want."

Once again your breath was trapped as he picked you up, his hand under your ass to support you. When he dropped you on his bed and took off his tee you realized you were in for a long night. In the back of your mind, you also realized that this would make it even harder to let him go.

-

Next morning you were the first one to wake up as the sun barely seeped through the blinds. If you had to guess it wasn't any more than six am. Mingyu's hand rested on your waist as he remained snuggled against your back. It was so comforting that you almost forgot your reality and went back to sleep, until you remembered what had happened last night. Before you could start overthinking and possibly had a breakdown right there, you ever so carefully removed his hand from your body and scrawled out of the bed, grabbing your shirt and quickly throwing it on. Then you tiptoped out of his room despite the ache between your legs and rushed straight towards yours.

Slamming the door shut, your sat down, head in your hands. You've to now prepare for saying goodbye. Right, you just need to act casual and not let him know that you might have developed feelings for him in the past week.

His words came back to you.

"Do you have a home?"

You didn't have one until now but the realization that you may have found it brought tears to your eyes.

-

You spent the next hours wallowing in your self pity, curled up in your bed too afraid to get out and face Mingyu. Soonyoung dropped by once, knocking at your door and asking if you want breakfast, which you declined. Time slowly ticked away and you watched as the clock struck eleven. You couldn't stay inside forever. You needed to bid Mingyu a goodbye- that is if he hadn't left already. But you were sure he didn't; he wouldn't just leave without any words.

Sighing, you gathered every last bit of your courage and stepped out of your room. Immediately you saw Mingyu coming out from the opposite end of the corridor, the carry-on he brought with him in his hand.

"Hey, where have you been?" He asked, his steps getting quicker to come and stand in front of you.

"Oh- um, I took and shower and then dozed off, sorry," you lied easily, not meeting his eyes.

There was a beat of silence as you both stood in front of each other and when your eyes finally met his, a blush spread across his face like wildfire. The air was heavy with unsaid words and you coughed, trying to get rid of the terrible awkwardness.

"So, you're leaving now?"

What a nice question.

Mingyu seemed to be lost in thoughts as he snapped back to reality and scratched the back of his head, "Oh yeah, right. It'll be a couple hours drive so the earlier I leave the better."

Nodding you motioned your hand towards the exit, "I'll see you out."

Mingyu seemed to have something to say but he pressed his lips in a thin line and started to climb down the stairs, you behind him. Soonyoung, who was standing at the entrance gave you a conspirational wiggle of his brows but said nothing as he watched you follow Mingyu out.

You observed as Mingyu loaded his bag in the trunk, peeking glances at you every other second. When he finished, you spoke, "Well...good luck. I hope you can overcome your problems."

"Thanks. It won't be easy and my dad will probably take away my shares of the company but...I'm done living like this."

You nodded, smiling softly as you crossed your arms against your chest. It suddenly felt cold.

You both gazed at each other, saying nothing even though you've so much to say, as if the silence would carry your unsaid words to him. You were torn- wanting to talk about last night but chickening out knowing it was probably just a fling, a one night stand for him.

"___..." Mingyu spoke but the words died on his tongue. Not trusting yourself to speak, you swallwed the ball of emotions and looked at him with a curious tilt of head.

"...I hope you find what you really want to do. And I hope you find your home too," he said, his words so soft and gentle. For some reason you had a feeling that those were not the words he wanted to say yet you forced a smile and nodded, "You too, Mingyu."

His eyes swirled with so my emotions but you didn't know what he was thinking. He looked pained, just like you but you were too afraid to speak your feelings, scared that you misread him.

When you spoke no more, Mingyu sighed and backstopped slowly, "Well... goodbye, then."

You managed to choke out the words, "Goodbye."

Your emotions overwhelmed you, tears stinging your eyes as you watched him enter his car. Why did it hurt so much? Why did it feel like your heart was being ripped right out of your chest?

His engine roared to life and your stomach sunk. Was this really the right thing to do? Should you just let him go like this?

You made a split second decision that moment, just as his car moved forward a little.

"Mingyu!" You called after him, immediately making him stop the car. He came out, almost in a hurry, an expectant look on his face as you ran towards him. Then you made another split second decision as you wrapped your arms around his tall frame and held tight.

"I like you, Mingyu. I really like you." You mumbled in his chest.

He didn't say anything back but you felt his arms wrapping around you tightly and you stood there in each others embrace for a while. It felt like time has stopped, the warmth and safety of his arms comforting you and making you realize how you would have regretted if you had let him go.

Mingyu pulled back to take a look at your face, his hand cupping your cheeks, his warm but intense eyes on you, shining with love and adoration.

"Say something," you whispered, still unsure.

He chuckled, a light-hearted, carefree sound that made your heart swoon. "I like you too, if it wasn't obvious after last night."

Elated, you pulled his face down and kissed his lips as you felt him grin and wrap his arms around you once again.

"I want to go with you...to the city," you murmured into his chest as he rested his chin on the top of your head.

You couldn't see it but you felt him smirk, "Good. Because I think I found my home."

Your heart couldn't become fuller as you grinned like a happy child.

"Me too."

A/N 2: If you enjoyed reading don't forget to like and reblog and let me know your thoughts!

© startlightxsvt 2021 | All Rights Reserved. Do not copy, translate, adapt, or repurpose any of my works.

[blueeyedgeorgie]

Cancelled-Dream Was Taken

A/N: Surprise bitch. Weren’t we expecting for me to release mcyt fanfics soon? If I didn’t tag my usual @‘s it’s because idk if you’d like to be tagged for mcyt content.

Pronouns: she/her

Word Count: 2.3k+

_________________

"You're so harsh on him!" Her hands sat on the keyboard, staring at the green human that stood on Y/n's computer screen.

She needed to be careful. While this was a heated moment, she couldn't let herself get too loud for multiple reasons. If she got too loud, Dream's stream viewers would be able to tell she was in the next room or they would just receive noise complaints from their neighbors.

"No Y/n! You're too soft on him! He needs to learn that he can't get away with everything. You're setting him up for failure." As the h/c girl listened to her roommate speak, she had to remind herself over and over again; 'This wasn't real.' Dream was mad, not Clay.

This had all been arranged as roleplay. Y/n would be leaving in a few days to go visit some of her family for a reunion, so Wilbur had been the one to think up the brilliant idea of what was playing out now; an argument between Y/n and Dream. The plan was to have Y/n get so upset she didn't log onto the SMP for the next few days, only to come back with a master plan to backstab Dream.

At first, Clay wasn't really on board with the thought of him getting angry at Y/n. They had been together for a little over a year, there wasn't a single moment they had gotten upset with one another. But surprisingly, Y/n had been the one to convince Clay it was a good idea.

The fans knew Dream and Y/n had a close friendship, Dream had always been so protective of her. But when this was going down, they didn't know how to act.

Every time Y/n would glance at her chat, she'd see thousands of comments rising up as new ones appeared. Comment after comment, it looked like the fans were shocked by the way this stream was turning out.

"I'm not setting him up for anything! He's a kid, Dream!" Y/n glanced from the chat,  back at the screen showing her PC game. Standing on her screen was Dream and Tommyinnit, she had accompanied Dream to visit Tommy.

"You're just babying him! 'He's a kid!' Well, he needs to learn to grow up eventually," his voice had been filled with such spite. It felt weird to hear Clay speaking to her like this in such a tone.

For a moment, she stared at the green man before a short scoff escaped her lips. "I can't believe you." With that, Y/n had pressed a few keys, turning her character towards the nether portal a couple of yards away. Before Dream had gotten the chance to speak again, Y/n began to move away.

"Y/n! Come back here!"

She flicked a few buttons, taking a moment to look behind her character to see Dream following. Good, everything was going according to plan. Within the next few minutes, she'd be able to log off and she'd be on vacation for the next few days.

The h/c girl ignored the green man as she stepped through the portal, taking her to Minecraft's version of hell. Almost done, she just needed to find a good spot to stop as she listened to Dream continue to speak.

"You can't keep ignoring me! You know I'm right in this. You know you can't keep defending Tommy. You know Tommy is driving a wedge between us-"

Perfect. Y/n had stopped just on the edge of a bridge, molten lava sat feet below them. If she fell, she'd surely die. "No."

"No?" Dream was a bit surprised to hear Y/n cut him off, but he stayed silent as he was prepared to listen to what she had to say.

"No. No more. I don't wanna hear you blame Tommy for us breaking apart. I want you to listen to me. You've been acting like much more of a dick than usual and I hate it. I despise it. You've changed for the worst because you think you can step on everyone. At this point, everyone fears to tell you the truth-except me. I'll be a hundred percent honest with you, you've been so egotistical, it's really pissed me off. This is your fault, Dream. Not Tommy's. You exiled a child for pulling a prank on a vacation house! Not even George's real house!"

"But-"

"Shut the fuck up. I'm done, but I don't wanna hear you bullshit me. So shut the fuck up."

A moment of silence passed between them as Y/n stared at her screen. Just a few more steps.

And within seconds, Dream had pulled out his netherite sword. With one hit, she was falling back into lava. Y/n glanced at her chat, a look of shock on her face as she read over what a few comments said. A moment of silent tension had passed before Y/n had finally spoken up, removing her from the voice chat she was in.

"Alright guys, I guess that's enough for the day. I'll see you all... later." With that, she had clicked a few buttons, raiding Dream's live-stream as she ended hers.

For the next 20 to 30 minutes, Y/n knew Clay would be busy streaming. So she had decided to take a bit of time to wind down and think to herself.

Get a glass of water.

'Are the fans harassing him in his twitch chat?'

Sit down on the living room couch.

'The SMP fans were always so protective of me.'

Pet Patches.

'Was I too much when I snapped at him?'

It didn't seem like 30 minutes had passed when Clay had walked out of his streaming room, only to find Y/n on the couch with Patches in her lap. "Hey, N/n." "Oh, your stream is already over?" Y/n smiled, pulling herself out of her thoughts as she scoot over, giving Clay room to take a seat right by her.

"Yeah, did you lose track of time or something?"

"I must've. How did the chat react after I 'died'?" She smiled up at her boyfriend as he wrapped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer into his embrace.

"Everyone was filled with joy that you died."-Y/n playfully swatted at him. "Okay, okay! I got a few chat messages of people bashing me for it, but it's fine."

"Well, it's a good thing the chat wasn't completely littered with hate. How was it after my raid?"

"Honestly, not that bad as you expect. Like I said, just a few comments. Nothing bad, I just ignored it." Clay placed a hand on Patches's head, gently scratching her, followed by the animal beginning to purr.

"Good to hear, anyways... I'm not ready to pack. Do you think we can procrastinate?" The h/c girl let out a huff leaning against her boyfriend. "How?"

"I was thinking a bit of movie binging, cuddling, and ordering dinner?" A cheeky smile spread on her face as she spoke.

"It's like you read my mind."

The couple had made it through three movies, by now it was later at night. The sun had set and they had already door dashed some food. By now they were in the middle of watching 'The Empire Strikes Back.'

'I love you.' 'I know.'

The iconic moment between Hans and Leia had been interrupted by the sound of Clay's phone buzzing. "Why is George calling?"

"What?" Y/n was a bit curious herself. Considering the timezones, George should be asleep right now. Pausing the TV, she turned her attention to her boyfriend's phone.

"Hey Clay."

"What's up, George? Isn't it like early in the morning for you?" Clay raised a brow, moving his phone so Y/n would be able to see George as well.

"Yeah, I had to stay up to fix a YouTube video I need to get out today. I was about to go to bed and I checked Twitter-"

"Oh no." Clay made a short joke, only to be cut off by his friend.

"I don't know if it's trending for you in America, but you might as well look."

"What's going on?" He swiped up, taking him to his home screen so he could click on the little blue bird app. Y/n had grabbed her phone from the coffee table, opening up the app as well. "#Cancel Dream... #Y/n... #Dream SMP"

"Is... is Clay getting canceled for killing me in Minecraft?" Y/n scrolled through the tweets involving the hashtag 'Y/n.' She could see plenty of people defending her, but making it much bigger of a problem than it actually was.

"Oh, hey Y/n. But yeah, he is." George chuckled awkwardly, scrolling through his Twitter app as well.

"This is so fucking stupid."

"It really is. So we might as well get this cleared up with the fans as soon as possible. Do you want me to tweet something, or do you want to?" Y/n looked up at her boyfriend, it looked like he was thinking.

"Yeah, I'll tweet it. Don't worry about this, Y/n."

"Alright, whatever you say," she replied, pulling a blanket over her as she waited for Clay to finish typing his response.

"Here's what I'm gonna say: 'I can't believe you guys actually think me and @(y/n) are in an actual fight in real life. We have been good friends since forever, the fight was only roleplay. I love that you guys are so protective of Y/n, but no one's actually upset.' How's that sound?"

"I think that's good," George hummed softly.

"Yeah, I doubt you'll stay 'canceled' once you've explained to them it was all part of the SMP lore." The h/c girl smiled up at her boyfriend with a small nod.

"Alright, I'm gonna post it. George, I think you should go to bed because you're half asleep already."

Y/n turned, looking at her boyfriend's iPhone. "Go to sleep, Gogy!"

"Alright, alright... I'll talk to you guys later." The call had ended with Clay and Y/n saying goodbye to their friend while George simply yawned to them as a response.

As soon as the call was over, Clay looked at the response to his tweet. It didn't seem to be going too well. There had been a few fans who understood what was going on and responded with a paragraph as an apology for the misunderstanding. But most replies had been telling Clay he was bullshitting the fans or that he wasn't being honest.

"I'm sorry, Clay," his girlfriend had huffed as she read through the responses to his tweet.

"Honestly I'm just a bit pissed off. Literally, any time someone tries to 'cancel' me, it's over something stupid. I'm not a bad guy, it just feels like some people just don't want to see me succeed." Clay had excused himself to grab a glass of water from the kitchen.

It hurt Y/n to hear how upset her boyfriend was. He never got too upset over things, but seemed to take a small toll on him. "Hold on. Let me say something." The h/c girl couldn't be asked to post multiple tweets of her response to hate sent towards Clay over the internet. So what was better than a short video that could be posted to the blue bird app?

"Um, hey guys. I'd just like to make this quick. Stop sending hate towards Dream. The fight was roleplay and nothing more. I'm gonna be busy for the next couple of days so Wilbur thought of a good idea to help build SMP lore with me and Dream and we both agreed to the argument. Now stop sending the green man hate, or I'll commit war crimes or something-"

Y/n had been interrupted by the sound of Clay letting out a small giggle. "What? What did I say?"

"Nothing, just keep going with your video."

"Whatever, I'm cool. No matter what Dream says. Anyways, I'll speak to you all later." Y/n had hit the red button again, ending her video. Within seconds, the video had been uploaded to her Twitter account.

Placing her phone back down on the table, Y/n approached her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I'm really sorry about the hate, Clay. I love you."

"Don't apologize for something you can't control. I love you more." The brunette held his partner close, accepting her hug. Y/n always loved his hugs, she always felt so safe in his embrace.

The rest of the night had been spent with more cuddling and more Star Wars movies. Hours had passed before Y/n had even thought about the Twitter situation again. But for some reason, she had decided to look at the app again tonight.

It was 2 in the morning by now, Clay was half asleep. His head laid in the h/c girl's lap as she brushed a hand through his hair, her free hand opening up her Twitter app once again.

It had been a bit of a surprise to see a couple of trending hashtags had changed so quickly. What was trending now was #Dream, #Y/n,#(ship name), and #Dream's Laugh. This had to be about Y/n's short clip she posted. And by the looks of it, people had stopped acting so harsh towards Clay. But instead, they had decided to focus on the fact Dream and Y/n were hanging out together. Not to mention the fact Dream and let out a stupid little giggle because of Y/n. People had been apologizing to him through Twitter for being so hard on him.

"Babe."

"Hm?" Clay mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Pretty much everyone is apologizing to you over Twitter for being hardasses."

"Hm, that's good to hear."

"You're really tired, huh?" Y/n paused her scrolling to look down at her boyfriend.

"Yeah," He continued to mumble, followed by a short yawn.

"Alright, time for bed, babe." Y/n smiled to herself, beginning to carefully move away from Clay. "I can pack tomorrow and we can laugh over the stupid bird app tomorrow after you've gotten a good amount of sleep."

"I still can't believe Twitter tried canceling me over roleplay."

"I can't believe you got uncancelled by shippers."

Taglist: @notphilosopherstudentblog

[sunnysviolin]

I'm sorry but I have a desperate need to ask of something...happy Mari lives content...

I'm stealing this for two of my favorite people Muse! You and the lovely @ksenya-and-the-artistic-cucumber Happy birthday dear take some more Mari content for you!! As for you Muse, well you know how much I owe you, so take some okay writing.

So there's a bunch of different ways this could go down, but I think I'm going to go with the idea that Sunny and Mari never have their fight in the first place. 

Mari sees Sunny is losing his passion and his stress is increasing. She sees that he stops sleeping. She sees that she’s pushing him, and before he can push back, she intervenes. 

It’s a really simple question, just a single change. She asks Is everything okay? The answer she gets is not simple. 

She gets back Sunnys stress, his anxiety, his fears of just not measuring up. How could he measure up when he has her for a sister? He couldn’t even consider being better than Mari at something, so all he can hope for is a close second, and he can’t even manage that. Of course, Sunny doesn’t really say any of that, he just cries in her arms and tells her that he isn’t good enough. Mari figures the rest out on her own. 

She holds her little brother tightly to her. Her precious darling little brother, her sundrop, the light in her life. She keeps him close, and she thinks. She thinks, and she thinks, and she thinks, because Mari is a thinker. Mari is a thinker, and Mari is a planner, and all of her plans just got thrown out the window as Sunny has a full on anxiety meltdown in front of her. None of them matter.

Mari cancels their performance four hours before they’re supposed to go on. Her parents are aghast, their friends are confused, and she refuses to say why. Mari isn’t really used to keeping secrets from them or her parents, but it’s Sunny. For him she will keep secrets. Besides, the concert doesn’t really matter does it? What matters now is Mari has to adjust her plans. 

Mari knew her parent’s plans for her. Ivy league, Harvard or Yale, then law school. Become a star lawyer, open your own practice, or become AG. No matter what she had to live up to her great potential, she had to be someone. That’s why she had to be in school every night, that’s why she had to take all these extracurriculars she didn’t even really like all that much. That’s why she had to be the head of every club, why she had to stay late and wake up early. All of this to achieve some unnamed goal of significance. To Be Someone. 

After that night, Mari isn’t sure she wants to be someone anymore. Not if it’s tearing her away from everything she loves. She keeps Sunny’s secret, but she tells Hero hers. She’s always encouraged his secret dreams, and now he take the opportunity to encourage hers. That she is already somebody, at least to him and their friends. To Sunny she is someone. 

Mari and Hero run away together after they graduate. Well, they don’t really. They just sort of do. They tell their respective parents that they in fact aren’t going to the far away prestigious colleges that they were expected to go to. Hero will not be a doctor. Mari will not be a lawyer. They’re staying local, at a tiny local school that has no pomp or circumstance, and, eventually, they are going to open a bakery together after they get their degrees. 

Needless to say neither set of parents is thrilled at this. Mari’s parents are even less thrilled, because she’s taking Sunny with her. 

Sunny needs her. Sunny needs someone who reminds him that he isn’t her shadow, but his own person. That he has talents. That he has skills. If their parents won’t do it, she will. They’re furious, they argue, and for the first time Mari argues right back. 

Yelling at her parents for the first time is a thrilling terror, but at the end she has a packed car, her boyfriend in the driver’s seat, and her brother asleep in the seat behind her. All through the drive to their new apartment she continues to check behind her, a part of her mind so sure that none of this is actually happening. Sunny is a gangly awkward fourteen year old, and as he sleeps he slumps against the window. Watching him rest settles her, and she grabs Hero’s hands and squeezes it. 

As much as she already raised Sunny, actually raising Sunny is a shift. She and Hero work part time jobs to afford college and providing or the three of them. Eventually Sunny convinces her to let him take one too. They’re all tired, and they’re all overworked, but they’re happy. They’re so stupidly happy. 

It takes time, and it takes arguments, and it takes a lot of stubbornness, but her parents eventually accept that she is going to follow her own path. That there isn’t anything in the world that will get her to waste her life just to make them happy. When she graduates from school (valedictorian of course, with Hero as the beaming salutatorian) her parents graduation gift is the promise to help her get a loan for her bakery. 

She and Hero start designs and plans, but they just need one more thing. Together they walk down the street, past statues of religious figures that seem to watch them, and they knock on the bread twins door. Bowen answers, and the couple asks to come in. 

They present their idea to the twins. The four of them together open up a new bakery. The twins initially say no, they want to continue their parents legacy, but Mari and Hero persist. Not only can their parents come in on the bakery, they will finally get out of the grocery store and into their own place. 

Not even a full two years after they graduate, Mari is putting the finishing touches on the first batch of cookies for their store window. She pulls them out of the oven, a sinfully sweet aroma surrounding her. She places the tray on a cooling rack and steps out from the back to look at the store front. 

Bowen and Daphne are carefully arranging loaves of bread in an artful display, while Hero and the kids finish cleaning up. Hero is wiping the glass of the display case to give it a good shine, while Basil and Sunny sit at the counter and watch Kel and Aubrey bicker as they always do. 

It’s not what was expected of her. She knows that the whole world probably thinks she’s wasting her potential. But as she watches Sunny laugh and watch Kel play keep away with the broom from Aubrey, she can’t help but think that this life is far better than any potential for more. 

[dapandapod]

Hehe I'm gonna spam you

33 with lambden? 🥺 Lambert being hugged for the first time ever, or the first time in a very long while (since he last saw Aiden)

33. the hug from that one person who is allowed to hug you

Feel free my sweet! This accidently got a bit sad, with all the canon pains I could fit into it, but not as sad as it could have gotten. But there be hug!! And thank you @kuripon for doing a beta read for me, you are the best! Enjoy <3

Warnings: Canon typical violence and swearing, implied loss of Aiden but not to worry, no permanent harm will come to my boy. Take care!

Send me a hug prompt! On Ao3! Hug collection here

Lambert doesn’t have a good relationship with skin to skin contact. One way or another, it has always connected to pain.

Be it in a past life, where his father took out his rage and disappointment in the world on those he was supposed to love the most.

Be it the place that didn’t let him protect his family and put him through torture he barely survived.

Be it by the hand of a lover, who would accept coin to carve another mark into his skin.

There is no logical reason to let anybody close enough, not for a quick fuck or even a brotherly clasp of arms. There is nothing to gain from another body against his, except for the most temporary of sensations.

Lambert always took pride in his honesty. He doesn’t fear voicing his thoughts, the feelings he is told he doesn’t have. There is no point in softening his words. The one thing that Lambert appreciates most from others is their respect and their truth.

Many people don’t like Lambert. Too many sharp edges and blunt words. But someone he could never get rid of was Aiden. He is a Cat witcher, and there are enough jokes about cats and dogs to understand where this is going.

Aiden isn’t scared off. Aiden doesn’t leave. Aiden doesn’t take it personally when Lambert is fed up with all the bullshit around him.

It is… odd, and strangely comforting. The one person that can match him step for bloody step, the one man who can turn a prank into a crime.

Lambert isn’t shy with admitting his thoughts. Maybe he doesn’t tell Aiden to his face that he is the best man he has ever met, but it’s a near thing.

But not as near as Aiden keeps standing, sitting, sleeping next to him. Young witchers could fall asleep mid wrestle and still not be as close as Aiden is at all times.

At first, Lambert loathes it. Skin on skin contact, then you have let them too close, and by then, you are already dead. A hand on the back of his neck, by his elbow. Shoulder bumps, knees pressing together, clapping on the back.. it never ends.

They spend a lot of time together, however, and Lambert more or less gets used to it. He allows it, sometimes even initiating the touch.

But winter comes and Aiden is called away. It is too late in the year to make it to Kaer Morhen, so he is stuck. He finds a town big enough to flit between taverns and inns without raising too much suspicion, but he hates it.

Some people fancy a taste of danger and more than once, Lambert has to fend off people approaching him for a quick roll in the hay.

This is when he realizes he has changed. Their hands stray, yes, more than he has ever allowed hands to stray without a reason before. But it doesn’t feel right, and he doesn’t want them in his bed, or himself in theirs.

Come spring, Aiden’s hand on his shoulder is a relief, his shoulder against his back as he laughs too loudly.

Come spring, Lambert learns a new way to show affection. The word in itself makes him shiver in distaste, but he can’t find any other word that fits well enough.

Come spring, Lambert is crawling out from some mines infested with Endrega warriors with a big gash in his leg. When he wobbles, he thinks Aiden means to catch him, but instead of steadying him and then letting go, Aiden steps into his space.

He is too tired to protest, the toxins clouding his mind and adrenaline making his hands shake. Aiden drops his sword and then guides Lambert's head to lay on his shoulder. Gently, he pries Lambert’s own sword out of his white knuckled grip, and he arranges them around his own hips.

Aiden puts his arms around Lambert's shoulders and back, pulling him close to take most of his weight.

“Neat, huh?” Aiden says, voice low and calm. “A trick I learned from a prostitute in Vizima a few years back. She called it an embrace.”

“I know what a hug is, Aiden,” Lambert snarks, heart doing all kinds of acrobatics in his chest. He can’t decide if it’s all the potions, Aiden's proximity or if he is just dying, but something is up.

“Have you ever had one?” Aiden asks knowingly, and that shuts Lambert up. “I find it calms you down a bit after you get used to it.”

“Hmm.” Oh no, he sounds like Geralt. “Fuck.” Better.

“I know, right? I didn’t trust her at all, and rightly so it would turn out, as she sent the witch hunters on me after I paid, but that embrace really did wonders for my blood pressure.”

“You have perfect control of your blood pressure.”

“Exactly.”

Eventually, they have to let go. There are unnerving sounds of movement still in the mines, so Lambert decides to drop a bomb on their asses, and hopefully close the entrance well behind them.

After that they have to go collect payment, find a room, or at least a place to camp for the night. The innkeeper claps his hand on Lambert's shoulder, and it is not only because of the bruise that he makes a face and pulls away.

They do manage to get a room, just the one, but with two beds at least, not the kind they have to share with four others.

With no more potions clouding his mind, and no more enrega warriors crawling about, Lambert sits on the edge of his bed, fiddling with one of his daggers. He feels restless, even a little nervous, and he can’t stop thinking how for the first time ever, being close to someone made him feel safe.

“Hey, Aiden?”

Aiden turns around, his face cleaner now but his hair still standing in every direction. When their eyes meet and Aiden smiles, Lambert knows he is fucked.

“Yes, Lambchops?”

“Could you show me that hug-thing again?”

Aiden’s smile widens, but he doesn’t tease, doesn’t say anything, just stands in the middle of the room, arms open and leaves it to Lambert to come to him.

So he does. Lambert uses the exact same pose as hours before, letting his head drop to Aiden’s shoulder again.

They stand in silence for a long time, and Lambert’s body starts to settle. He realizes he wouldn’t let anyone this close. There are people he trusts with his life that he wouldn’t let hold him like this.

Just like everything else with Aiden, the Cat witcher has to push it. The hands on Lambert's back and shoulders start to move. Small circles, little squeezes. It feels nice.

“You know, this works lying down too. We can sleep like this,” Aiden offers.

“Flirt,” Lambert mutters, but doesn’t let go.

It is hard for Lambert to disassociate skin to skin contact with pain. If a witcher lets his guard down too much, that witcher will be no more.

Hugs, or as Aiden insists on calling them, embraces, are rare, often after a rough contract or a near death experience.

The worst part is not having to endure the pain to get that one rare treat.

The worst part is losing it.

The first time Lambert ever initiates a hug is when he finds Aiden again, after many long, cold, and lonely years. He is a different person, a little broken and rough around the edges.

Lambert has never loved him more.

[puckngrind]

Leave Her Wild: chapter 3 - N. MacKinnon

Summary: MacKenzie heads to Washington and cashes in her bet with Nathan.

Warnings: swearing, fluff and stuff

Word count: 2,565 (swear they will get longer)

Series masterlist / Puck ‘n Grind’s masterlist

Washington.

The two texted back and forth over the week. Mostly randomness with a splash of real life. A friendship was blooming with the text conversation but what else could come of it? Neither one seemed to want to touch the subject. Kenzie wasn't even sure what to make of the attention from Nate. She threw herself into work as she normally would.

MacKenzie spent a few days in Colorado Springs for work but took advantage of her time off by hiking the Garden of the Gods. She was was halfway through Palmers trail when she feels her phone and decides to stop for water and take in the view plus check her phone thinking it was work. She laughs to herself realizing it was in fact not work.

Nate: how’s Colorado Springs?

She snaps a picture of her view and sends it.

Kenzie: gorgeous as always

Nate: holy shit are you hiking alone?

Kenzie snaps a selfie where you can see she’s alone and sends it.

Kenzie: don’t worry not anything too dangerous today. Lol

Nate: ok… not worried. Anyways, thought maybe dinner could be in DC since we will both be there next week.

Kenzie thinks about it and starts walking again. She realizes dinner out of town may in fact make things less awkward.

Kenzie: depends on my schedule but that should work

Nate: good. Enjoy the rest of your hike.

MacKenzie did just that. One thing most people knew about her was she loved adventures and trying new things. She rarely goes to the same vacation spot twice. Always wanting to try new restaurants and really only frequents Gus’s place in Denver. She liked to be free which drove her mother insanely crazy but MacKenzie didn’t seem to care. Her dad was her biggest supporter. Constantly sending her wanderlust Instagram posts after she taught him how. At least her mom had home in Kenzie’s brother, Cameron. Cam was doing everything he was expected to do including recently proposing to his high school sweetheart which Kenzie thought was dumb as seniors in college. His life was his life that was for sure, well and maybe their mother's life too. She couldn't control Kenzie which meant Cam got all of her energy.

The flight to D.C. was a breeze but busy would be an understatement as MacKenzie met her client at the end of the week. The demands were insane in the time frame. She spent almost all weekend in her hotel room working and talking with her team back in Colorado.

Nate: would you want to come to the game? I have tickets.

Kenzie: I would love to but I don’t even know if I can do dinner I’m so swamped

Nate: you need to eat right?

Kenzie: I mean, yeah. I’ll order in

Nate: how about you come to my hotel, we have an amazing restaurant here. You can work and eat

MacKenzie thought it over as she looked out her window. Walking the block and a half to Nathan’s hotel tomorrow night seemed doable. He had a point that she needed to eat and could work while they ate. It would complete their wager from the card game in the same instance. Wondered if Gabe or one of the other players would be around to ensure the dinner happened. MacKenzie thought she wouldn’t have the awkwardness of it feeling like a date this way. Plus, she wanted to try the restaurant out since last time she was in town and another client mentioned it. Mosi was all for the dinner when she called ensuring Kenzie her condo's mail was indeed checked. She thought this was the perfect arrangement and MacKenzie couldn’t find a reason to say no. Thinking Nate would already be at the arena for the game she sent a text.

Kenzie: Yes, to dinner at your hotel if you are still up to it after the game

She starts typing away again and laughs when the ping is almost immediate.

Nate: Perfect. I'll text you when we are back on the bus.

MacKenzie decided to turn the game on while she worked. She normally would have something on as background noise while she worked. She knows she can get lost in work and wanted to make sure she knew to pack up her laptop and such waiting for Nathan's call. She hears his name and looks up to see him score with less than a minute left. The Avalanche was already been leading but that goal ensured their win. She decided to change then couldn’t decide if she should pack up her work yet. “How sure how much time would he take between the game and the bus?” Kenzie asked her reflection. She texted him nice game to see if he would respond. He did a few moments later so she packed up slowly. Kenzie walks down to the street turning to head over to his hotel, humming to herself trying to not over think this very simple dinner. She slows down as she sees the charter bus in front of the hotel. Fuck.

"MAAAAC! Good to see you!" Gabe's voice comes booming out of the bus with some others chiming in as the stepped off the bus. MacKenzie awkwardly smiles at the team and then catches Nathan out the side of her eye. He’s staring at her as he walks down the step.

"Did you walk?" Nathan looks down at MacKenzie puzzled.

"Well, hello. Nice game. And yes. Just two blocks." MacKenzie pulls at her loose curl and then slides her finger down her messenger bag.

"Ready for dinner? I see you brought your work." Nathan taps her bag with his knuckle. MacKenzie nods and follows Nathan into the hotel. She awkwardly stops and he realizes it. “Whatcha doin’ there?” Nate walked back so he was standing in front of Kenzie.

“Isn’t the restaurant that way?” She points in the direction of the sign she stopped next to.

“Yes but they deliver to the room and I’d rather change into sweats and let you work in comfort.” He pulls at his tie. “Less eyes too. Come on.” Nathan placed his hand briefly on MacKenzie’s lower back to lead her to the elevator.

“I normally take the stairs.” MacKenzie looks around Nate for the steps.

“My room is on floor 12 and I just had over 20 minutes of ice time. Can we please take the elevator?” Nathan looked into MacKenzie’s questioning eyes.

“Fine. You have a point.” She smiles but gets lost calculating if that time is high or low for him.

They make their way to Nathan’s room. MacKenzie is surprised how nice it is. She’s not sure what she expected but it wasn’t this. Nathan’s suits neatly hanging up. Sweats sitting in his open luggage next to the closet. She realizes he hasn’t moved from behind her.

“Everything okay?” He moves to grab a pair of shorts and shirt.

“Yeah. Just not what I was expecting. You literally live out of suitcase don’t ya?” She watches him take off his suit coat and gulps at how his shirt is sticking to him.

“Some trips it feels like that. This one we won’t be home until the 26th… then a home stand with a few games on the road… and I’m boring you. Set up wherever you want and I’m gonna go change then will be right back.” He heads to the bathroom shut the door softly.

MacKenzie stares at the uncomfortable looking desk chair in a moment of indecision wanting to be set up so she’s working when Nate returns, she decides the bed was a better option for her to sit. Getting out her laptop Kenzie starts typing as soon as she hears Nate opening the door. He smirks when he sees Kenzie on the bed and moves to the desk to find the menu. She cannot help watching him. His muscles easily seen in the shirt and shorts he picked. He hikes up his pant leg exposing his thigh. Kenzie coughs focusing back on her work again.

"Here it is." Nathan turns around and walks towards MacKenzie handing her the menu. She stares at the menu then her finger lands on a cheeseburger and fries. Nathan moves to the other side of the bed, sitting to call in the order. He hangs up and starts to move.

"You can stay here. That chair is horrible looking." MacKenzie looks over at Nathan and he stops moving then looks down at his feet before swinging them up and adjusting to sit on the bed.

"Thanks." He looks over at her screen. "So what exactly do you do?"

"Simple description... I am a social media consultant." MacKenzie giggles. "Speaking of... your social media..." "Is non-existent." Nathan finishes her statement.

"Yeah, only two posts. That’s shocking for someone your age. Nate, do you know how you could amplify your earnings post career?" MacKenzie moves her computer and shift so look at him. He rubs the back of his neck and rotates on his hip to look at her better.

"Yeah. No, yeah. I get it. Just not my thing but you looked at my socials?" He bites his lip.

"I did after we ran into you at the bar post-game. Would've felt funny giving you my number if you had a girlfriend." MacKenzie admits.

"No girlfriend. So did you say you watched the game?" Nate changes the subject which Kenzie made a mental note of.

"Background noise while working. You can turn the tv on now or just talk to me. You scored." Kenzie looks over at Nathan.

"Empty netter but yeah. Nice win." Nathan says softly. The knock on the door stops their conversation. "Oh, dinner!" Nathan pops up and answers the door.

Dinner was delicious. The two shared backgrounds such as where they were from, college for MacKenzie, boarding school and early days of hockey for Nathan. They were laughing at each other's stories which lead to both laying on their stomachs watching a video for MacKenzie's work on her laptop.

"Kenz... Kenzie. Wake up!" Nathan whispers and MacKenzie's groggy self pops up and lands on Nathan's naked torso.

"Holy fuck!" She yells out. Nathan's hands steady her.

"Hey." Nathan backs up and bends to look her in face. Panic written all over her face. "You okay? We fell asleep talking." He looks at her.

"Why didn't you wake me? What time is it? Fuck. Sorry. I'm on a schedule." MacKenzie pulls away and looks for her bag realizing Nathan plugged her computer in at some point.

"It's 6:30. We just slept. I sleep shirtless and, uh, must've taken it off in my sleep. Sorry, should've put in on before I woke you. Hold on." Nathan moves to the other side of the bed and throws his shirt back on. "Let me call you an uber." He grabs his phone.

"I can walk. I don't have a meeting until noon so I'm fine. Thank you." MacKenzie points to the bathroom and Nathan nods.

She stands in front of the mirror for way too long just looking at herself. Pinches her cheeks and starts ranking her fingers through their loose blonde curls making them manageable enough to put up in a high ponytail. She grabs Nathan’s toothpaste and brushes her teeth with her finger.

“Well, Mac. This will have to do.” She bobs on the balls of her feet to psych herself up. Returning to the room she notices that Nathan had changed and slipped on some shoes. “Whatcha doin’ Nate?”

“I’ll walk with you. I wanted to grab coffee from down the street before we leave for the airport.” He grabs his wallet.

“You don’t have to.” Kenzie whispers as she heads to her bag.

“I don’t, but I wanna.” Nate smiles at her. She notices those soft eyes again. Almost gray but then again blue.

They head out of room to the steps. MacKenzie took a deep breath not realizing she was holding it until they got to the door.

“Why good morning you two!” Gabe’s voice comes from around the corner with a bag and coffee in hand.

“Mornin’” Nate answers and pushes the cross walk button.

“Glad to see you Kenzie.” Gabe nods and starts whistling while heading back to the hotel.

“Don’t mind him.” Nate breaks the silence after crossing the street.

“I’m assuming he’s thinking you got lucky last night.” MacKenzie tries to control her racing heart.

“I’ll talk to him.” Nathan assures her. She stops and looks up at him.

“Did you want to?” She puts her hand on her head not sure she really said it out loud.

“What?” Nathan stops and looks at her confused.

“Did you want to sleep with me?” She looks to see if anyone could hear her.

“No. Well… damnit. Hi. Let me start over.” Nathan looks deep in her eyes and cups her face.

“Go ahead.” She’s not sure if the words actually could be heard or not.

“I like you. You are easy to talk to. In the short time I’ve known you I’m constantly wanting to know more. I’m just bad at dating.”

“Why do you say that?” She moves closer to him without thinking.

“I’m not romantic. Plus my job isn’t the easiest for most of the year to maintain a healthy relationship. Plus, there is those who just want me for what I could give them.” He drops his hand to her hip. She sees his chest rise and fall.

“Who says you aren’t romantic?” MacKenzie questions.

“Every girl I’ve dated.” Nathan grumbles. This makes Kenzie laugh. “Well, they have.”

“I like you too, Nate. You intrigue me.” She feels the heat in her cheeks.

“So to answer your original question, yes. I would very much like to be physical with you but I also want to date you. Like not to fuck it up by…” She stops him by pushing herself to her tip toes to softly kiss his cheek.

“Well, saying all that is a start in how not to fuck it up.” She smiles at him. “Let’s get me back to my hotel then we can visit this whole dating thing when you return to Denver.” She starts walking and he quickly grabs her hand to walk with her.

“Here we are.” He stops at the doors of her hotel. “So, I’ll see you in two weeks, Kenzie.” Nathan drags out the two while contorting his face.

“It’s not that long plus you will be busy and I have this plus another project to finish before then.” She rubs the back of his hand with her thumb realizing how large his hand was in comparison which could crush her hand if he wanted. “Thanks for dinner Nate.”

“Can I?” He starts and gulps. MacKenzie watches his Adam’s apple bob. “Can I kiss you?” He asks with a quiver in his voice. She nods her head yes. Nate brings his hands up to her jaw holding her face up while he leans in pressing his lips to hers. Kenzie kisses him back and cannot remember a first kiss quiet like that. He releases while sucking in a deep breath.

“I…” Kenzie touches her lips.

“Well, see you soon Kenzie.” He kisses her forehead then turns quickly to head back down the street leaving Kenzie wanting more.