#who are meant to be at least somewhat sympathetic no matter how bad they are.

[agnesandhilda]

just watched the first two episodes of cobra kai season six and the introduction of a new superevil korean martial arts master to be the bigger-picture villain to john kreese (who is in himself the bigger-picture villain to johnny and daniel) does not bode well with cobra kai's overall track record with its asian characters

[onepiece-polls]

One Piece Shipping War - Bonus Poll

Not a single Luffy ship got past the second round, so we still gotta decide which one was the most popular of the 2 that made it to round 2.

LuSan art by @supernaturallyginger. Check out the original post here!

CobyLu art by @aroacejay. Please check out the original post here!

Propaganda under the cut.

Propaganda for Sanji x Luffy:

I don't think anyone is gonna bother denying the fact that WCI is literally just the plot of an otome isekai shoujo manga/manhwa. MC (main character) is treated like trash by family except for the 1 dead mom and 1 nice sympathetic supporter that can't do much of anything to help. MC escapes only to find themselves in an even worse situation somewhat of their own making, only to be swept off their feet by the ML (male lead) and saved, full damsel in distress style. Dramatic love confessions, crying in the rain, betrayal from an arranged marriage, it has it all.

Dude Luffy loves Sanji so so much like WCI is the best example and like you don't even really need to see the love as romantic if that bugs you but dudes. The first words out of the Luffys Shadow Possessed Oars was yelling for Sanji. He just loves Sanji so much and Sanji loves him too

The WCI arc in itself is mega SanLu propaganda. Luffy invaded an emperor’s territory, completely crashed a wedding, went up against Sanji’s evil science family, and got nearly beat to death by Sanji himself all in order to get Sanji back. Sanji offered his life to Kuma at thriller bark so Kuma wouldn’t kill Luffy. He pushed himself for 2 years all in order to get stronger FOR Luffy. Sanji feels sorry when he isn’t useful, the whole reason why he used the raid suit those few times was because he was thinking about getting stronger for Luffy, but realized that he didn’t want to become an emotionless monster like his family. Sanji broke down in tears at WCI when he tried to get Luffy to go away by fighting him. And then broke down in tears again when he ran back to Luffy and told him he wanted to go back home to the Sunny. No matter what Sanji cooks, Luffy always likes it and is proud to have him in his crew. Sanji is also one of Luffy’s “wings”, as stated by Robin! They’re both just so sweet and clearly care very deeply about each other.

Luffy saving Sanji on whole cake island got to me

[Insert everything that happens between them during WCI] how could I see luffy yelling about how he won't eat anything and will starve- LUFFY OF ALL PEOPLE- unless Sanji comes back and not ship them at LEAST a little. "Without you I can't become the pirate king" absolutely devastating cinema. Then Sanji laying out everything, in tears, and Luffy accepting it all and just saying, "well that's who you are" poetic. Final wci thing: luffy hearing judges bs about sanji and going "whyd he start listing all your good point" true love. This seems one sided but Sanji is also just as bad. "Which version of me do you prefer" anyone? They care SO MUCH about each other. Also Luffy loves to eat, Sanji loves to feed people, they're meant to be.

*gestures at the entirety of WCI* I mean that’s Love, they are Ride or Die, Luffy cannot become the pirate king without Sanji, whether that means physically because he needs Sanji’s support or just because being the pirate king means Luffy has everything he wants and what he wants is Sanji or both. And Sanji loves him just as much back! He’s his sun he’s his world…Luffy jump and Sanji’s too busy skywalking to bother asking how high. I just love them sm

Oda himself wrote the propaganda for this, Whole Cake Island just cemented lusan as canon. "I can't become Pirate King without you!" <- that's love baby

Propaganda for Luffy x Coby:

The first characters in the series who ever met and the first characters we as an audience met. Luffy is the whole reason why Koby is the character he is now and was the first to experience the “Luffy Effect”. Luffy is happy whenever he hears about Koby’s accomplishments and fully believes in his dreams even when Koby is a marine. Koby holds a very obvious bias towards Luffy (even if he is a pirate) and is the reason he learned to keep an open mind about pirates and the navy and what the meaning of Justice is. Koby’s admiration and flustered nature towards Luffy can definitely be interpreted as a crush. Koby is very ride or die for Luffy even in the face of people drastically more powerful than him (Akainu).

Coby is beyond gay for Luffy and he was the first person Luffy traveled with.

they are cute

Coby literally gets heart eyes and can't stop himself from piping up every time Luffy comes up in conversation that boy is SMITTEN. I don't know if Luffy understands but he knows Koby is one of his and that's good enough for me.

[fallingtowers]

Serious question: do you see Disco Elysium as copaganda because it humanizes cops, despite its brutal condemnation of police work? If so, how do you square that with disliking Succession, which does the absolute Most to critique capitalist structures while humanizing (but not endearing) its characters because, yes, even the worst of the worst are human? This isn't meant in bad faith, I'm genuinely curious!

this got long so i'm putting it under a cut

i've grappled with the question of "is disco elysium copaganda" and, like, no, obviously de isn't copaganda in terms of intent; it's obviously a clearsighted and intentional critique of the police and capital at large. (i've had the same thoughts about the discworld city watch books, another piece of cop media that i like a lot and whose creator by and large seemed like a decent guy, even if pratchett was less of a Hardline Marxist than the za/um folks.)

however, i do think de occupies a kind of uneasy position in the cultural landscape because while, yes, it would be pretty tough to play that game and come away from it being like "wow! cops are great!" a LOT of people came away from it being like "wow! kim kitsuragi so cool! i love hdb he's my little meow meow!" and, at least in some cases, i think it might well lead to those people developing a voice in their mind which is sympathetic to irl cops.

TO BE CLEAR, i don't mean disco elysium Made People Like Cops. i mean it might have made certain people, on an emotional level, without realizing it themselves, more inclined to judge the actions of irl cops somewhat more sympathetically.

that isn't to say that disco elysium has done more bad than it has good -- i genuinely don't believe it has. i just mean to illustrate that talking about this stuff is by necessity a double-edged sword. humans are naturally inclined towards sympathy, and by showing someone's perspective in the way that de or succession do you're priming the audience to, while not necessarily liking that person, at least attempting to understand them.

this is a little problematic especially in the context of succession -- in a television drama, especially one of succession's caliber, we expect intriguing and complicated character motivations. and so we get this web of familial loyalties and obligations and neuroses, while in real life i doubt most rich right-wing media people operate on motivations much more complex than "i want to make lots of money, and if i get [insert minority here] killed in the process that's just a bonus."

"even the worst of the worst are human" -- this kind of ties into the point i'm making. yes, of course, but do we need media that shows this? there are other ways to critique capital without giving the spotlight over to the worst of the worst. no matter how starkly the spotlight picks out their flaws, the spotlight is still on them.

again, i don't think it's like a moral ill to watch succession. i don't think it's a particularly bad show. it's fine! i'm not even trying to argue that it's doing more harm than good -- for all i know, it might have driven home the fact that capitalism bad to tons of viewers who hadn't already internalized that knowledge. i guess all i'm saying is it makes me feel weird when people reblog my joke textposts and tag it with "#this is sooo roman" or whatever.

so, to sum up: is de copaganda? nah, not really, BUT. is succession actually propaganda? nah, probably not, BUT. and the "but" in both those cases is "but, even if you're reasonably certain the media you are consuming wasn't created to actively manipulate you, it is still a good idea to always apply the wisdom of 'i am not immune to propaganda' and think about how it might be affecting your opinions and biases subconsciously"

[spacebatisluvd]

So, I agree with the idea that Horde Prime's behavior towards Hordak is just as bad, if not worse, than his behavior towards Catra and Glimmer. And I'm not going to come on your blog and tell you that you're 'wrong' for liking Hordak more than them, etc. But I will say this: the other reasons why we might like Catra and Glimmer more than Hordak, aside from them being attractive and relatable (which is subjective, I guess) is that they are given more screentime to develop, so there are more chances to connect with them (which is less subjective). Plus, Hordak only becomes sympathetic later, with the reveal of him being an abuse victim, and of his real motivation, much later, whereas Catra and Glimmer start out sympathetic, even if they sometimes do bad things, too. There is also the matter of how they express their emotions: even when they're being mean to Adora or about to make a really bad decision, etc., you can always see the emotions leading up to that. They cry, and they have irises/pupils/more nuanced facial expressions. Catra has breakdown. But with Hordak, his primary default emotions appear to be 1) anger and 2) nothing, until Entrapta shows up. Of course, he has other emotions before he meets her, I'm not saying he doesn't, it's just that to me, the expression of them generally comes out as looking like either anger or nothing, which is not very sympathetic to a lot of people. (For example, Catra is angry at Shadow Weaver for committing child abuse, and feels fear after the purification ritual, but Hordak undergoes the purification ritual and seemingly has no reaction to it afterward).

In terms of Horde Prime specifically... Horde Prime keeps touching Catra and Glimmer against their will, in a very specific way, which is animated so that you pay close attention to it. During this, their facial expressions are like, "Don't touch me!" The show already is very dark sometimes and covers issues like child abuse, mental illness, harmful ideas from Christianity, etc., so I think you are meant to interpret Horde Prime as sexually harassing two vulnerable young women and getting away with it for the time being because he is in a position of power.

(You don't have to answer this, obviously. And I sympathize with Hordak somewhat, in addition to sympathizing with Catra and Glimmer. To me, it's not that he isn't abused, OR that people who don't sympathize are misinterpreting. It just has to do with the order in which events are presented to us, and the way that the characters react/express emotion when something happens to them, among other things).

The funny thing, Anon, is that you’re doing a very good job of proving my point.

I think the show could have done a much better job of building sympathy for the clones and for Hordak. The way the show presents these things is very much meant to make a viewer scared for Catra/Glimmer rather than to build sympathy for Hordak and the clones. That’s my problem—I think they could have easily done both, rather than ignoring one for the other.

It’s kind of upsetting to me that the nonhuman characters aren’t afforded the same care and empathy in the writing as the human (or more human-looking) characters. Especially when you also consider that less human-looking, “ugly”, and/or reptilian characters are always the bad guys in the show. It’s an unfortunately common practice in fantasy media that I find upsetting for a variety of reasons. It has some Unfortunate Implications to say the least, particularly when presented uncritically as it is in the show.

I think your interpretation was the intended interpretation and that’s my main criticism of the writing—for season 5 in particular. You’ve done an excellent job laying out how the way those scenes are presented changes the way a viewer feels about the scenes and the characters.

However…I am going to point out that we do see Hordak cry when he realizes Entrapta is “dead”. And his screams during the actual purification ritual are horrifying. Go rewatch it, if you don’t believe me.

I will also very politely invite you to understand that having a flat affect—Hordak’s lack of visible emotions, even in the face of some truly horrifying situations—is (or can be) a sign neurodivergence. Many people in real life will present in the same way. Just because you can’t see someone’s feelings on their face, that doesn’t mean they aren’t experiencing them. In fact, considering how much time we all spend interacting from behind a screen, I’d say being able to understand the way someone is feeling, even if you can’t see their expression, is becoming a more important skill for all of us to develop.

But��on re-reading your ask, I’m guessing you’re here because of that recent ask about the comic, and not because of my tirade about how Wrong Hordak’s pain is treated as a joke within the narrative, which is the typical source of these sorts of asks. I think you may have accidentally stepped into a well-trodden argument over on my blog. So maybe you’re not aware of my stance on all this.

In any case, you don’t need to explain anything, Anon. As I said in that ask, the characters folk fixate on will vary and will vary for different reasons. My criticisms of the show do not extend to folks who find other characters more sympathetic—your preferences are your preferences, and that’s fine. So long as everyone is respectful of everyone else—and you have been—I really don’t have an issue with anyone.

However, if I said something that made you feel bad about your preferences or like you needed to justify them, then I am sorry for that. That reply was meant more to give the other Anon some support and remind them that they can dip into some Hordak-focused content in our pool if they needed that extra bit of fandom support. (Sometimes fandoms can feel a bit isolating if you spend a lot of time away from folks who share your focus, and I think that’s part of why Anon needed to vent.)

I have a rather formal style of speaking, especially when replying to strangers, so I can see how my reply to that original Anon may have seemed critical of other folks’ preferences. That was not my intention and I do apologize if that was the impression I left you with.

[nishisun]

suna rintaro is NOT a genius.

summary: you loved the idea of soulmates. suna rintaro didn’t. it isn’t that hard to put two and two together to realize that maybe people with different opinions on things don’t belong together.

part 2

a/n: this was literally supposed to be a series, i gave up on it because i just didn’t like the way it turned out. it used to be called “out of my league” and this was the intro. i also renamed it. just emptying drafts!! please don’t get confused with the random timeskip, once again, this was a part of a series i never ended up posting😭

WARNING!!: suggestive themes, mentions of death, idk kinda angsty but tell me if i missed anything

Soulmates. Whatever the hell that means. The idea of soulmates is something I truly don’t understand. It’s bullshit, honestly. It’s all-pervasive.

My mother always told me I'd eventually find "the one.” I used to believe that when I was younger of course. But in my opinion? It’s all cliches. It's unhelpful, and it's certainly not true. Destiny is an excuse for the weak. Why do you think most marriages end in divorce? It's 'cause people who believe they are “destined to be" assume everything will fall into place without any effort. I don't appreciate people pontificating bullshit like that just to make me feel better, especially if they haven't found their "soulmate" themselves. My sister once told me, “People who believe in soulmates are more likely to break up and encounter more difficulty in their relationship, which will lead them to give up on one another eventually.”

I sure do believe that.

My mother is a prime example. Fumeiko Suna, my dear mother. Well, she clearly hasn’t found hers. I found out when I came home after a tedious day of school in 5th grade and found my dear mother on the floor crying, with bruises all over her face and a busted lip.

Initially, I thought a burglar had broken into our home once again, but if that were the case then there would’ve been missing furniture. But there wasn’t.

In fact, the place seemed cleaner than usual. When I ran up to her and asked her what had happened, there he was. The devil himself. My father. He reeked of alcohol, and I could detect his shadow towering over me. It’s funny how that I think of it. I used to fear that son of a bitch. Now, I’m way taller than him, and hate his guts. I turned around to see a faux-sympathetic smile plastered on his face.

He explained how my mother was being “clumsy” and had fell and busted her lip on one of the corners of the kitchen table and when I turned back around to face my mother, she smiled gently and nodded in agreement. She didn’t say anything after that.

It was then I realized my father had beat my mother to a pulp.

Long story short, when I found it was my father, sure, I was frightened. In fact, I remember going into my siblings’ rooms to inform them, they shrugged it off and told me that dad had been doing it for a while now.

Over time, when my dad had found out that I was aware, he didn't mind beating the absolute shit out of my mother in front of all three of us. This was when my burning hatred for that man started. Nobody in the house even attempted to stop him. I did a few times, though. He took all his anger out on me. At least my mom had a break for the day.

I almost pitied my mother. Almost. Maybe if she was strong enough to leave him, then yeah, I’d feel bad. But she still decides to stay with his sorry ass. It’s pathetic. It’s unrequited love or whatever you call it. How could she still love that asshole?

I mean, I’m not even going to lie, I’m an asshole too, but I’m definitely not my dad. I would never want to be him. He’s not someone I looked up to, he doesn’t do anything inspirational. He’s a businessman. He travels the majority of the time, and I’m pretty sure my mom invites men over when he’s gone. I don’t care enough to find out. But if I ever hear some guy rearranging my mom’s guts, I’ll kill him. I don’t even blame my mother. What she’s doing is wrong, she knows it and so do both of my older siblings. But they don't seem to care so why should I?

Who knows why she just won’t leave him. Maybe it’s cause they don’t want to ruin how people view our “picture perfect” family. I wonder what they’d say. “I thought the Suna’s were the ideal family? I guess not.”

My dad would probably lose it if he heard that.

Both my mother and my father are the cause of this broken family of mine. They never fed me or any of my siblings the love we always desired when we were younger. They never came to any of my volleyball games when I was younger. They never applauded me for the little recitals we’d have in class in primary school. They were never even here for most of my childhood. They always put money first and left us with the housekeepers. Hell, the housekeepers probably know me better than my own parents.They failed as parents. I despise them for it. They’re most likely the reason I am the way I am, but to be honest?

I don’t give a fuck.

In fact, I should thank them! Because of how they “raised” me, i’m extremely blunt, which is why people respect me. I use the hatred I have for my family and take it out on people and no, I’m not proud of that. I may be a heartless asshole, but I like that people fear me. The hell? Does that make me a sadist? Either way, people know to never fuck with me cause I’d fuck their shit up. I’ve overheard many people say it’s ‘cause of my privilege. It probably is. Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can buy you many other things.

If my parents were broke, I’d probably be expelled from school by now. Abuse of alcohol and drugs are forbidden on school property. I don’t even take them at school, I somewhat care about my education and health, but sometimes I just need to blow some steam. Even if I did, nobody’s gonna say shit since my dad is the head of Japan’s board of education. How did his ass even get there?

Call me lonely or cynical. Maybe I am. But how is that a bad thing? Why do people need a significant other to rely on? What, a soulmate is just going to turn my life upside down then suddenly bring me happiness? Pfft, I’m gonna need actual proof that shit like that still happens. I’ve only seen shit like that in fairy tale movies. It’s whatever, though. I can live with being alone. I’ve basically been alone my whole life and it isn’t as bad as people make it.

You loved the idea of having a soulmate. The thought of meeting someone who just understood you, accepted you for who you were, and most importantly, loved you excited you. You couldn’t wait to meet your soulmate.

But recently, you weren’t sure soulmates existed.

When your older sister, Akira, came into your room and burst into tears, it frightened you. Your older sister, the one who’d always provide you advice on relationships and how to keep one was in your room sobbing hysterically because hers hadn’t worked out.

“I just can't believe it,” she sobbed.

You couldn’t believe it either. Your sister had recently gotten engaged to her boyfriend of 9 years. They started dating at the age of 15 and managed to make things work out even after high school, and out of all those years of dating, they never broke up. Not even once.

They’d go on romantic dates on Saturdays and they’d always write love letters to one another every day, just to remind one another of how grateful they were to have each other in their lives. On Halloween, they’d dress up as fictional characters from TV shows and books and take cute selfies and bake a bunch of sweets. They’d invite you to come bake with them, but you would politely deny. You knew they were only offering so you wouldn’t feel left out, which you appreciated.

Of course, they’d argue every now and then, but at the end of the day, they always managed to talk things out. Oh to have a relationship like theirs. They were everything you wanted to have in a relationship and more.

“I really thought he was the one for me, y’know?” No, you don’t know. But that doesn't matter. What mattered was cheering your sister up.

“Maybe he wasn’t ‘the one’ Akira, and that’s okay! People come and go all the time, soulmates come and go all the time as well-”

“You still believe soulmates are real, huh?” she let out a humorless laugh and sniffed her nose, “What If I missed my one shot at love, Y/N? What if I lost my soulmate?”

That’s some deep shit.

Now that you think about it, were soulmates real? Soulmates come and go, yes, you’re aware of that, but even though they leave, it’s always temporary. Soulmates always find a way back to their other half, the piece that completes them.

Your dad never made it back to your mother.

He died in a car crash 5 years ago. Your mother and father had been arguing because she claimed your father was cheating on her since he wouldn’t let her check his phone.

You were 13 at the time. Your sister Akira was accompanying you in your room, listening to them arguing back and forth with one another. There was furniture flying across the room, glass breaking, and both of them throwing curses at each other. You were scared. They never argued in front of you and your sister. They'd bicker sometimes, but it was never anything too deep.

Eventually, your father had enough of your mother’s false accusations, and out of anger, he packed his things and left home. For weeks. It wasn’t until one of your uncles called your mother and broke the news. She didn’t take it very well.

Late 2012-early 2013.

Not many people came to your father’s funeral, his family didn’t like the fact that he and your mother were together, they said your mother was trouble, but your dad still stayed with her, even if that meant it would completely destroy the bond he had with his family. Now that’s true love, you had thought. Only your mother, Akira, the Sunas, your uncle, and you, of course, attended the funeral.

It hurt a lot. It hurt when your mother informed both your grandparents on your mother and father’s side and all they could do is put the blame on her. It hurt how they had claimed you, Akira and your mother were a hindrance to your dear father’s well-being. How could they be so cruel at a time like this?

That was the first time you ever questioned if soulmates were real. Maybe they fell in love at the wrong time? Who knows.

After your father’s passing, Fumiko Suna, your mother’s best friend, was there to help your family out financially. Your mother couldn’t even find the motivating to go to work. Your mother and Fumiko have been best friends since junior high, they’ve literally been inseparable ever since. In fact, after they both got married, they decided to live right next to each other.

Your mom didn’t cope with your father’s death very well; none of you did. But your mom had it the worst.

She would cope with alcohol and clubbing which would always result in her bringing different men home almost every night. You didn’t say much about it, you thought it would be selfish to since that’s what seemed to make your mother feel better about herself, but your sister hated it. She was already 19 and in college at the time, but when she visited and found out that your mother had basically been neglecting you, she was furious.

“Seriously, mom? This is what you’re gonna do while your 13-year-old daughter is in her room having a literal mental breakdown because of your childish behavior?” Your sister had barged into your mother’s room when she thought you were asleep, she was screaming loud.

“You’re interrupting something important, Akira. You know better than to-”

“Oh, shut the hell up mom. You’re the last person on earth to be saying shit like that.”

“Well, if you’re done, you can leave my room now. You’re being disrespectful, and this behavior is not tolerated!” Your mother was screaming now. The man in the bed covering his body under the covers and looking back and forth between Akira and your mother.

“Sakiya, maybe you should hear your daughter out-”

“Not now.” your mother scarcely interrupted the man, eye contact never leaving Akira. “Y/N has never complained about this when you were in college. She knows this is my way of coping, why can’t you understand that too!”

Akira scoffed. “So what, getting fucked by random strangers you find on the filthy streets is your way of coping? Getting wasted every damn night to the point where Y/N has to drag you up to bed is okay with you? Do you even know how much this is affecting Y/N? Did you even bother asking her how she felt? I hate breaking it to you mom, but you need serious help.”

“You selfish child!” Your mother screamed, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her body, getting up from the bed. “How dare you say that to your own mother?”

“I’m only telling the truth! If you’re the mother, then it’s your job to be taking care of Y/N, not neglecting her. When’s the last time you’ve engross in an actual conversation with her when you were fully sober?”

Your mother was silent. She quickly walked up to Akira and grabbed her by the hair and slammed her headfirst against the wall.

“You’ve got a big mouth! Maybe I should wash it with soap like I did back in the day, hm?” Akira was attempting to push her mother away, but she wouldn’t let go of her grip. The man that was still on your mother’s bed was in panic, yelling her name, which didn’t have any effect. He might as well stop.

"Look," Akira mumbled, struggling to get away from your mother's grip, "I know it's been hard ever since dad left-"

“Mom! Let go of her!” You cried from the door of her room.

All 3 adults froze and looked at your glassy eyes, mouths wide open.

“Hey, kiddo, I thought you were asleep?” Akira playfully said, your mother let go of Akira and crossed her arms then looked away from you.

“Well, I can't really go to sleep when there’s a bunch of adults yelling about my well-being,” you muttered incoherently. You quickly wiped the uncontrollable tears off your face and sighed.

“Honey,” your mom started, she walked slowly to you, carefully examined your face, and attempted to hug you, but you didn’t accept the offer which made your mother frown. She stopped walking until she was almost face to face with you and placed a hand on your shoulder gently. “Baby, your sister told me that you weren’t happy. Is this true?”

You looked away from her and stared dully at the floor, subtly shifting your feet, then you softly shook your head “no.”

“See Akira, Y/N is happy. So please stop stressing her out.” Your mother said through gritted teeth, then faced you once again. “Y/N honey, how about I go tuck you into bed, hm? I’m so sorry for the excessive noise that was caused.”

“Mom, how clueless can you be? Y/N looks miserable! It’s unhealthy for Y/N to be living-“

Slap.

Your mother just slapped Akira on the face.

“I know what’s best for my daughter! I am her mother! You are not the one who should be telling me how to take care of my own kid!”

“That’s enough, Sakiya.” a familiar voice said from the door.

“Fumeiko-“

“It’s fine. Sakiya, we need to talk.” It was Fumeiko Suna, your mother’s best friend, also known as your next door neighbor. She had been standing in the hallways the whole time, you didn’t even know she was there. Akira was the one who called her over.

That night your mother agreed to get help for her drinking problem. She was gone for 6 months. During those 6 months, the Suna’s took you in since Akira would be in college and you couldn’t have been more grateful.

You and Rintaro were the only kids in the house, being that you both were the same age and the others were in college. It was okay, they were all very polite, dinners were awkward, you could feel some sort of tension between the family but you didn’t pay any attention to it.

When your mom finally came back, it was awkward at first. She still seemed the same, loving and caring, just sober and free of alcohol. It was nice. You two spent the weekends bonding at the mall, watching a movie, or even getting your nails done. Eventually, she gained your trust back, and you couldn’t have been happier.

January 2017.

“Akira, don’t say that. You may not believe me now, but you are such an amazing person, don’t ever think you’ll never find love again. It’s all about having a positive mindset!” you said, thoughtfully stroking her hair as her head laid on your chest.

“I told you that.”

“You did,” you chuckled, “you should take your own advice.

“Oh, shut up!” you both laughed, and Akira let out a shaky sigh. “Thank you, Y/N.”

“Of course, you don't need to thank me. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

— so this is one of the writings that i wrote in January 😭 it’s been in my drafts and i re-read it once and instantly hated it right after. if there’s any typos please tell me!!

— also i wanna apologize again for putting gmds on hiatus,, i feel so bad 😭 i wanna make it up to you guys but idk how so if you have suggestions pls tell me

[spacingoutzone]

Okay… so… I read Redo of a Healer(manga)…

I ⚠️Warning⚠️ contains discussion about rape and sexual assault |

First of all, no matter what, there is no justification for rape. It doesn’t matter how much trauma the victim went through, that doesn’t give them the right to rape their perpetrator. No one deserves to be raped, period. But, this also a fictional revenge tale that’s meant to be disturbing, and people have the right to explore those themes in writing. That doesn’t mean they can’t be criticized though.

Now, I don’t think the author’s intention is to justify Keyaru’s behavior. He is clearly written in a way that makes him look mad and villainous. Though, that is how some readers are interpreting the story. I feel like the audience isn’t supposed to root for Keyaru, or at least we shouldn’t, but instead to watch in horror and suspense as to what he’ll do next. At least that’s how I’m reading it.

Although the author goes out of his way to depict Keyaru’s perpetrators as violent sexual abusers and rapists themselves, I think this is to trick the audience into feeling confused about how we should feel about Keyaru and his actions. He doesn’t feel like an evil person yet his actions are evil, though the people he’s attacking are also evil. After all, you can’t have a completely hateful main character or no one will read your story. They have to be somewhat relatable and sympathetic. By making victims awful people it makes his disturbing acts of punishment more digestible for the audience.

Keyaru himself states that he’s no longer good, and he takes extreme pleasure in committing atrocities such as, torture, murder, rape, forcing others to commit incest, brainwashing, and drugging people. He also calls his female companions (two of which he brainwashed to love him) his toys and property.

Yes the he is helping Eve and Setsune to achieve their own revenge, but it’s not out of the goodness of his heart, but to use their power for his own personal gain, and for sex.

And GOD! I was rooting for Eve to see through his bullshit, but no, she caved in and slept with him. In her defense, as well as Setsune, she is a victim of oppression and genocide. Keyaru is her only companion and she believes that he wants to support her for her own happiness, but thats not his real motive. What he actually wants is to control the woman around him. He’s manipulating them.

He not only rapes woman physically as a way to dominate and humiliate them, but also mentally rapes woman by brainwashing them into his little toys that he can play with.

Thats his character. He had his entire free will taken from him and was turned into a mindless zombie by his perpetrators. He was violated in every conceivable way both sexually and physically. It’s not just revenge he desires, but to have full control of his environment, including the woman around him. He deals with his trauma by committing the acts done against him onto others. Which doesn’t justify his actions, but explains them.

My favorite revenge stories are when the MC either let’s go of their revenge as they learn it won’t grant them satisfaction but only more pain, or for them to become an absolute monster who’s just as bad or even worse than the person they want want revenge on, and they end up alone or dead.

If all of Keyaru’s female companions turn against him when they realize the extent of his actions, if Keyaru just goes full on villain and becomes more of a monster than his perpetrators, or dies a violent death, then I will be satisfied with this story. He is too forgone to let go of revenge, and there is no way for him to live a happy peaceful life, his urge to cause suffering and pain is his only way to deal with negative emotions. He’s a monster who enjoys raping and torturing people, he does not deserve a happy ending and if he gets one I will hate this story, because that would be such an unsatisfying ending!

Also Freia (brainwashed Flare) has developed a close bond with Setsune, whom is also protective of her. I’m really curious to see what will happen if Keyaru turns on Freia and Setsune protects her, or if Flare gets her memories back and returns to being hateful. Keyaru has contemplated giving her memories back, since he’s still using her as part of his revenge.

Also, I’m really curious to see what he’ll do to Bullet. Flare and Sword mostly beat and insulted Keyaru, but they did also sexually assault him. Afterwards, both their punishments mainly involved being violently raped. Bullet did physically assault Keyaru but he mostly sexually assaulted and raped him. Bullet is his rapist. Like what is Keyaru going to do? What is he going to do? Will his treatment be different because Bullet is a man? I’m guessing he’s probably going to turn Bullet female then torture him, like he did to the last guy.

Am I overthinking this? I do like the story and I’m curious what will happen next, more specifically what horrifying atrocity will Keyaru think of next.

[writingtoforgetreality]

You’re A Winchester? - Part Two (Castiel x Winchester!Reader)

[Supernatural-Masterlist]

Part One

Summary: The case in Wisconsin got complicated. In more ways than one. Cas was not sure what happened to you but you were acting different. He had to find out why. He had to know if he did something wrong.

Words: 4,053

Warnings: language, kidnapping, angst, little bit of fluff?, Sam has the brains, angels are dicks, I feel like this could actually become a miniseries?, Do you want me to continue? I’m not sure…, (Y/E/C) = your eye color

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

The drive to Wisconsin was slow & exhausting. Throughout the long hours, you did some more research on the case. It looked like an easy one, actually. Almost too easy for your liking. But who were you to bad talk an easy hunt? After all, you were still somewhat new to this business. Though, nobody would realize that. If they did not know, they would believe you had been hunting for your entire life.

“We’re almost there.” Cas broke the silence that had been accompanying the two of you for a while. A look out of the window & you could make out the small town you were rolling in. Almost immediately, a strange feeling washed over you. By the way Cas’ body tensed up, you knew he had a similar impression of this place.

“Cas?” you questioned. No way would this turn out to be an easy case.

“Yes, I know.” he soothed your thoughts a little. Something was off & neither you nor Cas could tell what it was. Not yet, at least. The ’78 Lincoln Continental Mark V came to a halt in the parking lot of an old-fashioned motel. Same old, same old. Back in your universe, you had never had enough money to afford an actual hotel so usually, the cheap version had to do. So, not that much had changed.

The two of you checked into a room, not bothering to get one with two beds since Castiel did not sleep anyway. The motel literally looked like every single other one across the country. Same uncomfortable bed, same ugly wallpaper, same ancient furniture. Moments like this, you missed the bunker an awful lot. Deciding to give your brothers a call, you dialed Sam’s number.

“(Y/N), hey! You already there?” Sam’s voice came through the speaker.

“Yep, it took forever.” sighing out tiredly, you plopped down onto the mattress. “I gotta say, though…something seems a little off.”

“As in…?” he inquired curiously.

“We don’t know yet.” your head was put into your hand. The traveling tired you out & you craved a few hours of rest.

“Okay. And besides that? Everything alright? It’s not…weird, is it?” it almost sounded like he was uncomfortable while asking this question.

“Should it be weird?” your eyebrows furrowed at his use of words.

“I don’t know, you tell me.” you could hear the smirk in his tone. That was when the realization kicked in.

“You’re talking about me being alone with Cas?” looking around, you were glad that the angel was still outside, grabbing your luggage.

“I might be.” Sam mumbled, then his voice got louder again. “Look, all I’m saying is take care & uh, use protection.”

“Oh my God, Sam.” shaking your head frantically, there was another sigh from you. “I’ll call when we’re done here. You’re a horrible brother, by the way.” your body was on fire. Embarrassed that now, even Sam called you out on your crush.

“I love you, too. Bye, (Y/N).” the call ended & you fell back onto the mattress. A second later, the door opened & Cas walked in. At least he missed that talk with Sam. Otherwise it would be painfully awkward between you guys.

In the morning, Cas & you went to investigate a family. They were close to the person that had been mysteriously killed & you hoped to receive a bit more background information from them. The couple seemed nice. Wealthy husband being incredibly happy with his beautiful wife. An apple pie life. Like the one Dean wanted Cas & you to have. Obviously, that would never be the case. Not when you were part of this business. Not when you were a hunter. When they offered, you thanked them for the coffee they brought you. Something that Cas could drink as well. The talk was not necessarily helpful. Nothing you had not already found out yourselves. Still, you acted politely towards them. After all, they had been very hospitable. Before leaving the house, you asked if you could use their bathroom. The man showed you the way. This family was not connected to your case, not in a way that helped you anyway. Which meant that you had to do more research. Yay. Finishing in the bathroom, you were confused when the door did not open. Like it was stuck. Rattling on the door knob a few times, you used your other hand to knock on the door. You had to bring their attention to you. But it seemed like nobody heard you. The bathroom was not that far away from the living room area so it did not make sense to you that they did not hear you in there. The lock clicked & you sighed out in content when the man who had lead you here helped you out a second time today. Your warm, thankful smile faltered when something hard hit your head. Darkness met your body after that.

Heavy eyelids opened slowly. The light blinded you & out of instinct, you squinted to avoid it. After a few more seconds, you adjusted to the light. Looking around, you found yourself inside an unfurnished room. The chair you sat on the only piece. But wait. Your wrists were tied to the armrests. Your legs strapped as well. Tightly. Painfully tight. No matter your efforts, it did not move an inch. How did you get here? Where was Cas? Looked like your assumptions about this family were wrong. Because kidnapping was not part of your plan. And you being trapped here changed your entire view of this case drastically. That strange feeling you had in this town was not for nothing. But who were you up against? No vengeful spirts, no demons, no witches. What else could it be?

“Would you look at that, the princess is awake.” the same man from earlier entered the room, a creepy smile adorning his features. It made you gulp. Your heart quickened its pace. You were skilled when it came to fighting but right now, there was not a lot of room left to move around. Which left you vulnerable.

“Aw, honey. You scared her. Can’t you see the fear in her eyes?” his wife followed, that sweet voice of hers erupting the room.

“(Y/N)…Can I call you (Y/N)?” the only response he got was a deathly glare from you. One, that made him chuckle enthusiastically. “The newest addition to the Winchesters. Leaving her universe behind to go live with her brothers.” he recapped the last months for you as if you had forgotten already. “You shouldn’t even be here.” remarking with sympathetic eyes, he walked closer to you. Kneeling down so you were on one level.

“You see…we wouldn’t care much for you. Another Winchester do deal with? Okay, fine. But there’s one thing we cannot accept.” the woman spoke up again.

“And what would that be?” sarcastically asking, looking between the pair in front of you.

“We can’t have you close to Castiel.” the kneeling man finished. Your expression turned into one of confusion. “Don’t play innocent here, sweetheart. We’re not that stupid.”

“You’re angels.” you concluded after piecing everything together. “That case in Wisconsin. It was a trap so you guys could get to me.”

“100 points for our contestant.” the woman fake cheered.

“You know, there would’ve been easier ways to catch me.”

“True but where would the fun be in that? Besides, we couldn’t have you close to those brothers of yours. Too protective over you for my liking.”

“Okay, Mister. But you do realize that Cas is here somewhere & he’ll try everyth-“

“Ah, I’ll stop you right there.” his finger lifted to shut you up. “You cannot reach him here. It’s…how do I say it? Castiel safe.”

“What do you want from me then? You wanna kill me?” though it was hard, you tried to hide how scared you truly were right now.

“I know you’re smarter than that, (Y/N). If we wanted you dead, we would’ve killed you already. Castiel would be after us if we did. We simply wanted to warn you. Stay close to him & you’ll regret it.” his threat was intimidating.

“How do you define close?” it was a legitimate question.

“You know what we mean…This room will be Castiel safe for a bit longer. After that, you can pray to him & he’ll hear you. If I were you, I’d think of a good excuse in the meantime. Don’t forget…one wrong move & we’ll be back. Goodbye, (Y/N).” & with that, the two of them left you alone. They did not tell you when it was possible to send out a prayer. They did not tell you where you were exactly. All you knew was that they were serious. And you should not mess with them. When Dean had told you that angels were dicks, you did not think that was what he was warning you about. Their condition was simple. You should stay away from Cas or you would regret it. And you assumed that these angels were a lot stronger than you could handle. You did not want to die & neither did you want to risk Cas’ well-being. Immediately, you started prayer after prayer. He had to hear it sooner or later. All you could do now was try.

It felt like days passed. Hundreds, thousands of prayers later & still no sight of Cas. Maybe that was your end. All those years of unsuccessful searching for your family only for you to end up in another universe. Reunited with your brothers. And that was how you would go? Not what you imagined your life to be if you were completely honest. You were close to passing out. No food, no water, nothing. Your body was weak. You were weak. By now, every last ounce of hope had vanished.

“(Y/N)?” the last thing you saw before falling unconscious was Cas running to you.

Castiel had finally heard you. Begging for him to help you. To rescue you. No time was wasted. He found you soon after, shocked by the state you were in. Three days ago, he left you out of his sight. He had not stopped looking for you but it seemed useless. Until a small, broken voice appeared inside his head. Yours. Desperate words reached him. He knew he had to act fast. How he had lost you? No idea. Everything went so fast. Before he knew it, you were gone. Of course this family hid more than they let on. The second he found you, a weight got lifted off of his shoulders. No way could he bear losing you so shortly after you got closer. Immediately, he went to heal you. No bad wounds were adorning your body. Just your weakness was present. Yet, you could not stay awake any longer. Cas did not know how long you had been in there but from your exhaustion, he assumed just as long as he had searched for you. Freeing you of the ropes that were holding you to the chair, he picked you up bridal style. Teleporting to your motel room where he laid you on the bed gently. Looked like you were not planning on waking up anytime soon. So Cas packed all of your stuff & got his car ready. He no longer cared about this case. All he cared about was you being safe. And the bunker was the best safety you could get. He could deal with this hunt later.

Sam & Dean had no idea about your state, they thought the two of you were still in Wisconsin. Wrong. And they started worrying like crazy the moment Cas entered the bunker with you in his arms, unconscious. Question after question was thrown at Castiel who seemed to ignore his surroundings entirely. He just wanted to get you to your bed. The entire drive was spent asleep & he knew you would be like that for a while.

Sore. Your body felt sore. Like you had not moved in ages. Like the smallest movement took too much strength. Strength you could not muster right now. A familiar smell filled your nostrils. The sheets welcoming you. These were no motel sheets. No. You were home. How did you make it back? You definitely were not in Wisconsin anymore. Wait a second. There were no angels to hold you hostage anymore. Had Cas heard your prayers? Seemed like it. You could yell for him, for your brothers, but no words came out as soon as you opened your mouth. The hours of sleep you got did not change the fact that you were incredibly tired. Exhausted. Groaning, you stood up from the comfort of your bed. If nobody was here with you right now, then you had to take matters into your own hands. A glass of water. Something. You needed something. Your body made this task unnecessarily hard, though. One step after the other. Small, slow steps & you would reach the kitchen not long after. You got this.

Your walk to the kitchen was cut short when Sam saw you walking unsteadily. Running over to you, he picked you up a second later & brought you to the main area in the bunker.

“(Y/N). Why didn’t you yell for us?” the concern was audible.

“My voice.” creaking out, Sam’s eyes widened in realization. He left only to return a second later with a glass of water in hand. Gladly, you took it from him & enjoyed the cold liquid soothing your throat. Downing the glass, you handed it back to him. In this moment, Dean & Cas entered the room. Noticing you were awake, the two of them jogged over to you.

“(Y/N)? Are you alright?” Cas cupped your cheeks, caressing your soft skin with his thumbs. How you wanted to enjoy this moment. How you wanted it to never end. But your conversation with those angels came into your mind again. You leaned back, out of Cas’ reach. Eyes training down, you hoped nobody would question you.

“Um, yeah…I’m okay now. Just a little sore.” three pairs of eyes bore into you. They knew something was off. Dean was the first one to speak up.

“What happened?” sighing loudly at his question, you knew you had to improvise now.

“I didn’t do enough research. The case wasn’t as easy as we first thought it to be. The couple Cas & I were investigating? Witches. It was my fault they caught me, really. I should’ve been more careful.” after finishing, you risked a look at the three men in front of you. Did not look like they bought your little lie.

“There were no hints of witches there. We would’ve noticed.” Cas argued & you rolled your eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you the one they kidnapped?” snapping at him, your voice was sharp. It was not your intention to sound so rude but everything overwhelmed you. Jumping up a second later, you ran back to your room, leaving them behind dumbfounded.

A soft knock was on your door. Maybe if you kept quiet they would leave you alone. Today was not your lucky day, apparently. Dean opened the door slowly, peaking his head inside to make sure you were not sleeping.

“What do you want, Dean?” you sat on your bed, back pressed against the headboard.

“Something’s wrong.” he noted, approaching you.

“I guess being kidnapped does that to you.”

“Cut the crap, (Y/N).” his voice raised slightly, immediately shutting you down. Your head hung low. “What’s wrong?” now, much softer, he took a seat on the edge of your bed.

“Nothing, Dean.” sighing out, your head was thrown back, eyes closed in frustration.

“I think I know you well enough to notice when you’re lying.” & he was right. There was not a lot of things you could keep from him. Sam did not always tell when you lied to him but Dean could see right through you. “So, let’s do this again…What’s wrong?” his sincere eyes locked onto yours & that was when you knew you could not keep this from him. Not all of it.

“Cas kissed me.” Dean’s eyes widened at your statement. It took you two long enough. But when he saw your features change, he could tell that something about this was bothering you.

“But?” his question followed up.

“But it didn’t do anything with me.” your own words broke your heart but you could not risk it. Could not risk Cas’ safety. “The witches I could handle. Well…you know what I mean. They didn’t hurt me, just trapped me.” fiddling with your hands in your lap.

“What are you trying to say? You don’t like Cas?” Dean was confused. More than once had you let on that you liked the angel & when he talked to Cas about all of this, then he found out that he liked you, too.

“No. I do. Just not how I thought I would.” quieting down, you were done with the conversation for now. “I’m tired, Dean. I’ll join you guys later today, alright?” Dean nodded, stood up & left your room without another word. Though, his mind was running. Something about this entire situation felt wrong. Right now, he could not tell why. But he was sure he would find out sooner or later.

“Cas, man. What the hell did you do?” Dean was livid. For months, you had had eyes for the angel. And now, you told him he kissed you & you did not feel anything? What was going on?

“What?” Castiel was confused. Confused by Dean’s angry tone & by his accusation. Did he do something?

“You & (Y/N).” he pointed out.

“What about us?”

“Seriously? So I have to watch you guys dancing around your feelings for months only for her to tell me that when you kissed her it didn’t do anything with her?” his eyebrows raised, clearly waiting for an explanation. Cas, on the other hand, did not understand a single thing.

“She said that?” the angel’s voice was barely above a whisper. You kissed him back. Before you drove to Wisconsin, it was you who kissed him the second time.

“Yes. So you owe me an explanation before I kick your ass.” there it was. Dean’s protective side. He did not think, when you first came into their universe, that he would care for you on such a deep level. But here he was. And he could tell that Cas broke something in you.

“Dean, nothing happened. I kissed her, yes. But she kissed me, too. I thought we were fine until she woke up & didn’t want me to touch her.” it did not make sense to him. Was all of it a lie? Were you just playing around? He did not think you to be that kind of person. Whatever he did, he had to make it right before it was too late.

Later that day, you risked leaving your room once again. Hopefully, you would not come across anyone. You still had to greet Jack but that could wait. For now, you just wanted a little something to eat. It had been a while since you had your last meal & your stomach was rumbling with protest. Cas’ silhouette was in front of you. Shit, you really were not in the mood to interact with him. Yes, it hurt to know that whatever the two of you started the other day could never be. Before you could turn around & leave again, Castiel faced you. The hurt in his face was present & the guilt set in. He was like that because of you. You were the reason for his pain. And this thought itself hurt you more than anything. His feet dragged him over to you. A little step back from you made him stop. Apparently, you did not want to have him close.

“(Y/N)?” his tone brought tears to your eyes. But you would not let them fall. You could not. “Talk to me, please.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” you were being cold towards him which was uncommon. It was not in your nature to act like that. You were the sweetest soul Cas had ever met. Whoever was standing in front of him right now was not you.

“What did I do?” his concerned eyes locked onto your (Y/E/C) ones.

“You didn’t do anything, Cas. Believe me, please.” your plea was almost inaudible. No longer could you bare looking at him. You would break down in tears.

“Something changed you when you were trapped.”

“Cas, can we not do this right now?” closing your eyes briefly, you let out a sigh to calm yourself down. Leaving him no time for a response, you left the room again. Still no food inside of you. But you lost your appetite anyway.

The next morning, when you made your way back to the kitchen area again, you were glad when you were only met with Sam. His warm smile was welcoming. Something that let you feel at ease.

“Good morning. Coffee?” he offered you a cup & you gladly accepted. “I made pancakes. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” chuckling when your stomach grumbled. Sam handed you a plate & you sat down, quietly munching on your breakfast. At least he did not ask you about the case.

“What do they hold against you?” Sam asked after a few moments of silence.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I did my own research on your case. No witches whatsoever. Though, it was a good excuse, I gotta admit.” your eyes widened. Shit, if he found out what went down then he sure as hell would tell everyone. “Everything leads to angels. They didn’t hurt you. But they told you something. So…what are they holding against you?”

“Sam.” you sighed loudly. “You have to keep it a secret. Please.” staring at the tall man sitting opposite of you, you saw a sympathetic smile on his face.

“(Y/N)…”

“Okay, you wanna know what happened? Those angels threatened me. Said if I stay this close to Cas, I’d regret it. That they’d come after me or Cas. No way in hell will I let this happen.” due to your rambling, you did not notice Cas entering the room. Only when Sam coughed did you look around. What was it with him overhearing conversations?

“(Y/N).” like the night before, Cas approached you carefully. This time, you did not move away from him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I’m scared.” you admitted quietly. While you were a great hunter, you were not sure if you could handle fighting against angels.

“Sam & Dean are your brothers. Jack is the strongest being I’ve ever met & you’ve got me.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t there, Cas. We really shouldn’t mess with them.”

“And you thought it was a good idea to ignore Cas?” Sam chimed in. Right, you had almost forgotten that he was still there. Casting your eyes down in embarrassment, you suddenly felt an arm wrap around your shoulders. It was Cas.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, (Y/N). I promise.” he put a soft kiss on top of your head. You knew that. Castiel would do anything to keep you safe. But those angels scared you so much. You could not live with it if you were the reason of Cas getting hurt. Or worse. Looking up again, you noticed that Sam had left the room during your little interaction. Cas’ hands cupped your cheeks. Barely. Scared that you would not want to be touched by him. You did not move, though. No, you leaned into his touch. Closing your eyes to fully enjoy this intimate moment with him. His lips pressed against yours. Softly, as if your were fragile. When the two of you moved in sync, every little ounce of uncertainty washed away. You knew you could not stay away from him. But at the same time, you knew they would come after you now. This kiss would change everything. Whatever was awaiting you, it could not be good. But maybe, just maybe, if you went ahead & dealt with this together, nobody would get hurt.

~to be continued? (idk just yet)~

Published (03/31/2021) by Cathy

Tags: @vicmc624, @ayamenimthiriel, @teelagurl558, @babymango-writes, @hollymac79, @longinusfilibuster, @insanebot109, @down-down-inanulearan (thanks for your support <3)

[collecting-stories]

The Arrival - Ep. 01 - JJ Maybank

Summary: The pogues (and Sarah) decide to get away from the Outer Banks for senior week though Sarah’s suggestion that they spend the vacation with a friend of hers doesn’t sit well with JJ, who just wanted a week away with friends. Though his opinion of the situation may change his expectation that nothing will go according to plan is truer than they could have hoped.

A/N: This is a ‘they’re just regular teens and there was no gold hunt’ AU. This will be a 5 part story. 

The S’week Masterlist | Outer Banks Masterlist

///

“No.” JJ shook his head, “no, no, absolutely not.”  

“Why not?” Sarah asked, looking back at her boyfriend for support. John B quickly looked away, staring out at the marsh in order to avoid the conversation.

“Why not? Because I’m not spending senior week with a bunch of fucking kooks while they prance around like their in some MTV reality show!” JJ stresses, voice raised. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it stuck up all over the place.  

“It might not be so bad,” Kie cut in, regretting it almost immediately when JJ looked over at her, “you said yourself that we’ve done senior week here...let’s do ours somewhere else?”

“Sure. Wherever you want as long as it’s not a trip to kookland.”  

“You are so dramatic, oh my god JJ. Last time I checked you weren’t exactly rolling in it. How do you propose we pay for a week down the beach?” Sarah pointed out.  

“You got money.”

“You shouldn’t even be going! It’s not like you fucking graduated, this is senior week. For graduating seniors.” Sarah waved her hand to indicate her, John B, Kiara, and Pope.  

“Screw you!”

“Guys!” Pope finally intervened, pushing his best friend back, “okay, let’s cool down.”  

“Can we please just go to the keys? I’m sick of wasting my time arguing. If we’re going we need to leave tomorrow morning...early.” Sarah said, looking pointedly at JJ.

“Hey, I’m always on time!”  

Despite his protests JJ was exactly where he said he’d be on Friday morning at 5:30a. Sitting outside John B’s house, on time and with his bag packed for Florida. He was the first one to arrive, followed by Kiara who’d almost been early if it wasn’t for the half hour argument she’d gotten into with her mom for leaving the week after graduation. As if that wasn’t ritual.  

JJ said nothing, unusually quite and still completely pissed that everyone had been so on board with Sarah’s plan to spend Senior Week in Florida with some friend at their grandparents’ vacation home. He wanted a chill holiday, just the four of them (five because John B couldn’t be separated from Sarah) spending every day on the beach. He didn’t want some kook vacation laying around a pool drinking vodka in crystal light and talking about ‘daddy’s credit card’ and whatever dumb shit else they did on their weekends.  

With the Twinkie packed to exploding with teenagers and luggage John B took the first leg of the drive south. JJ spent the trip sitting behind the passenger’s seat, rolling blunts in his lap and ignoring his friends excitement for senior week. When Kiara nudged his leg halfway to Florida and he looked over she smiled sympathetically at him.  

“It might be a good week.” Kiara tried to sound reassuring, knowing that it was JJ’s idea to go away in the first place and that they had in fact hijacked his plans, “at least the change of scenery will be nice?”

“So far the only good thing about this trip is not being home for a week.” JJ replied, refocusing on his task. He would definitely murder one of them if he didn’t spend the week at least somewhat buzzed. If you asked anyone in the obx they’d tell you that JJ was laid back and chill, a go-with-the-flow, weed smoking, kid who would probably never grow out of his ‘it is what it is’ phase. But that wasn’t JJ at all. Sure, he could hit up a kegger at the drop of a hat but he liked a plan and he liked the plan to consider him as an important factor. Not just another nameless sidekick to John B’s summer. And so far, that’s exactly what this senior week was shaping up to become.  

“It’ll be fine dude.” Pope said, voice low so he wouldn’t draw anyone else’s attention in the van.  

JJ looked up at him and frowned before nodding. What else could he do but nod and pretend that he agreed with anything that Pope said. They were already halfway to Florida and no one cared about his opinion.  

Sometime after that JJ fell asleep, Kiara taking the same case of blunts from his lap and folding everything up into his backpack. By the time Pope pulled the Twinkie into the horseshoe driveway of a house bigger than Tannyhill, JJ had woken up again, rubbing his eyes as he looked out the window.  

“This is the shit I was talking about.” He said.  

Sarah whipped around, hair flying against her shoulders as she glared at him, “for god sake JJ, can you have a good fucking time? Please.”  

John B made a face, pleading with his best friend to chill. All he wanted was a stress free vacation and the fact that Sarah’s friend was willing to let them stay aided his ability to relax. If only it would aid JJ’s.  

You were standing outside on the steps when the bus pulled up, engine cutting in the middle of the horseshoe. Kiara recognized you from school and Pope recognised you from running groceries for his dad. Sarah pulled the door open and jumped out, throwing her arms around your shoulders.  

“Oh my god, you have no idea how much I missed you.” Sarah said, pulling away, “I’m literally gonna kill everyone, starting with JJ.”

“That makes two of us princess.” JJ remarked, glaring at her as he climbed out of bus.  

“Hey,” Kiara called, drawing attention away from JJ and Sarah, “thanks for having us.”  

“Trust me I was just happy to tell Scarlett that her and Kelce couldn’t stay here.” You replied, looking over at JJ, “I’d much rather spend my senior week with you guys.”  

“Flattered.”  

“Hey, you’ve never had to sit around listening to Topper talk about workouts.” You replied, feeling unusually proud of yourself when JJ cracked a smile.  

“Oh come on, you can’t just do a bench press without the proper preparation,” JJ joked, imitating Topper’s ‘bro’ dialect.  

You laughed and nodded, following him to the trunk to help them unload packs. “Hey Pope, my mom said you got that scholarship you were going for?” You mentioned as you grabbed Sarah’s bag.  

“I did yeah,” he smiled, surprised that you knew or remembered anything about it. He definitely considered you better than some of the other kooks on the island but that didn’t make you friends with him. You were just someone he delivered groceries to every once in a while.  

Once the bus was unpacked you led the group inside, beginning the tour of the house. You lived on Figure Eight in the Outer Banks and you had a house as nice as or better than the Camerons’ but this house was even nicer than that. Your grandparents had old money and they had used it to retire to the Florida Keys where they really only spent the winter months.  

“There are four guest bedrooms, you can divy them up however you want to, I’m this bedroom,” you pointed to the closed door behind you at the end of the hall. “The master is off limits, it’s my grandparents and they’ll murder all of you before JJ even gets the chance if you step foot in their room.” You instructed, looking over to JJ as you spoke. He smiled.

“How’ll they know?” He asked, looking down the hall toward the double doors of the master bedroom. This house could fit four of his inside of it. He shifted his weight as he looked around the hallway, the art on the wall looked like something he would have seen on a field trip to a museum, ugly and old but a clear representation of their wealth.  

“There’s a camera in their room.”

“Kinky.”

“Ew, oh my god JJ!” You practically gagged, causing him to laugh as Sarah scrunched up her face at the thought of your grandparents using the camera for anything more than G rated. “Moving on!” You continued through the whole house until you’d looped back around, reminding them again that the beach let out right behind the patio.  

Once the tour was over you pulled Sarah away from John B, telling her that you needed to talk to her alone. And truthfully, you did. You hadn’t been lying when you told her that you had turned Kelce and Scarlett away for the week. Kelce had texted you days before Sarah and asked about ‘all of us’ getting together for senior week at your grandparents. You knew what ‘all of us’ meant. Him, Scarlett, Topper, and (despite having graduated two years earlier), Rafe. If Sarah was still hanging out with them she would’ve been there too. That was the senior week Scarlett had always planned for but there wasn’t anything you wanted less in life than spending time with all your least favorite people.  

While everyone else unpacked you led Sarah into the kitchen, “so, I told you Kelce had texted me about them doing senior week here?”

“Yeah, but they’re not...”

“No,” you shook your head, “no I told them I had a full house. But they are here.”

“What do you mean here?”

“I mean they rented a place down the street. Like we can see their house from this house. Topper texted me this morning before you guys got here.” You fished your phone out of your pocket and showed Sarah the text that Topper had sent along with the picture of you out on your deck.  

“Bit stalkerish.”

“Sarah, not the point.”

“Look, it’s fine,” she replied, trying to play off that maybe she actually believed that it was fine, “they can do their thing and we’ll do ours.”  

“Yeah, that would totally be fine. Except your brother is here too.”  

Sarah groaned, “fuck.”

“What’s the matter?”  

You and Sarah turned to find John B and JJ coming into the kitchen, the latter going straight for the fridge and pulling out one of the beers that you had bought before they came down.  You watched as he popped the cap off on the counter and took a long gulp, head tilted back. Sarah smacked your arm to get your attention and both of the boys turned to look at her too.  

“Topper told me that he’s here for senior week. Him, Scarlett, Kelce...Rafe.”

“Oh cool...cool, awesome...so, the kook fucking vacation I said I didn’t want.” JJ replied, grip tightening around the beer bottle. Sarah rolled her eyes.

“It’s fine. It’s not like we have to see them.” John B replied, trying to ease his friend’s mood. He didn’t need this argument to flare up again. JJ had only just started to relax and the last thing John B wanted was for him to be in a shitty mood all week.  

“Except we always do. It’s fucking like...what’s the word?”

“Kismet?” You asked, pulling yourself up to sit on the counter as Kiara and Pope joined the small gathering.  

“What’s kismet?” Kiara asked, shaking her head when John B offered her a beer.  

“Topper and” Sarah waved her hand as if to indicate the rest of the group, “them are here.”

“What is kismet?” JJ asked, leaning toward you.  

“It means fate or destiny.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what it is. It’s my destiny to have the shittest fucking time imaginable because we all had to agree to Sarah’s kook vacation.”

“What is that, your vocabulary word for the day? I’m sorry that I didn’t envision senior week as us sitting around together in a dumpster motel with a bunch of other pogues trying to pretend that we’re not still in the Outer Banks. How dare I fucking plan an actual good vacation that you, oh that’s right, don’t have to pay for!”

“Guys,” Pope stressed the word as he stepped between Sarah and JJ, “can we please just focus on having a good time?”

“I’d have an awesome time if I was anywhere but here!” JJ shoved passed Pope and headed out the sliding glass doors toward the beach leaving the five of you to stand in the kitchen awkwardly.  

“So...” Kiara began, looking around at the group, “so Topper is here?”

“Topper, Kelce, Scarlett-”

“She’s a bitch.” Sarah cut in.

“-and Rafe.”

“Isn’t your brother a little too old to be partying on senior week?” Pope asked, looking toward Sarah. Rafe was at least two years into college by now, there was no way he should’ve been hanging around a bunch of high school kids. “Didn’t he already have a senior week?”

“He’ll probably go on senior week with Wheezie too.” You joked, “anything to party.”

“Honestly.” Sarah agreed. She had a feeling her brother’s intention was for more than just partying. If Kelce had planned to stay with you than it was obvious why Rafe was even coming down in the first place though she wasn’t about to say anything to anyone right now. Kiara, she assumed, knew that you had broken up with Rafe over spring break but she doubted that it was common island knowledge that you had been dating him at all.  

Pope suggested that it was a good idea to leave JJ be, that he’d eventually cool down and come inside on his own, especially once he realized that he had no means to get back to North Carolina. He either came in and accepted that this was the vacation they were getting or he camped out on the beach, either way he was stuck in Florida for the week. Still, you couldn’t help feeling guilty that he was having a shitty time. When Sarah had asked if she could stay with you for the week you had stressed whether it was okay with her friends or not.  

That guilty feeling was completely, so you said, the reason for heading down the beach to find JJ. “I did ask Sarah if it was cool with you guys...coming down here. I know it’s not exactly what you had in mind.” You offered as you sat beside JJ on the beach. In another hour the sun would be completely gone from the sky, the oranges and pinks in the horizon hinting at the coming night.  

“I feel like I should be bitching to a confessional about how much I can’t stand Sarah right now.” He replied.  

“I mean, you could try it?” You teased, moving so your back was to the water and you were facing  him, “alright JJ, tell us what’s got you so upset and try to include a tragic story from your past.”

JJ cracked a smile, meeting you eyes as he put on his best reality show sob voice, “I’m just like, really pissed at Sarah and it totally reminds me of the summer my turtle died.”  

You couldn’t help the burst of laughter as you fell back into the sand. JJ joined in, sour mood getting shelved for another day. He honestly didn’t hate the view or being near a beach, or the incredibly comfortable mattress that he had in the room he had claimed for himself. He was even hesitant to complain about you. Not quite the stuck-up kook that he expected, you’d been welcoming to them since the Twinkie first pulled into your driveway.  

“If it’s Top and them you aren’t thrilled about I don’t blame you. I was definitely looking forward to a drama free week and I feel like that might have just become unattainable. But, we’ll avoid them best we can and focus on other stuff.” You said, trying to ease his upset.

“Other stuff like?”  

“Other stuff like, I got invited to a party down the beach tonight...if you wanna go?” You asked, “I mean who can be sad when they’re drunk?”

“John B...never let him talk to you when he’s drunk.” JJ replied. He stood up and offered you his hand to grab.  

“I’ll keep that in mind.” You said, texting Sarah that you were headed down to a party with JJ.  

The party wasn’t far away and groups of people had already gathered despite it still being early in the night. People who had just shifted from lounging on the beach to the beginnings of what would become a party. It was still in the transition between disjointed groups sunbathing and people getting drunk as you and JJ walked up. He was quiet as you walked through people trying to find somewhere to set yourselves up.  

You weren’t sure if Sarah would really show up with everyone or if she was so peeved with JJ’s attitude that she’d stay away for the night. You kept an eye out for any sign of Topper or anyone else in his group, hoping to avoid them for as long as possible. Maybe the whole week if you were truly lucky.  

Beach parties in the keys were not as good as the boneyard parties you were used to but it would have to do for tonight.  A little less chill and relaxed, people seemed to be forcing the good time as opposed to just letting it happen. The chill vibe that you felt like it should’ve had was non-existent but you weren’t entirely sure that wasn’t just you projecting. Maybe everyone else was already having a good time and you were trying too hard already for the sake of the boy trailing  behind you. People had coolers sitting around with different seltzers, hard lemonades, seagrams, and locos but not a plain beer in sight. JJ complained about the missing keg and you tried to make up for it by offering him a peach Jack Daniels. You took a can of something called Unicorn Swirl, bypassing other people on the beach to sit up on the lifeguard’s deck.  

“This is disgusting, by the way.” JJ mentioned as he took a drink, face screwing up at the overtly sweet taste of the peach. He downed another gulp quickly, trying to trick his brain into not realizing the taste and only getting the alcohol.  

“You’ll be hard pressed to find a keg here.”

“So what I’m hearing is, even the parties are shit?”  

“Not total shit-” you paused to take a sip of your drink, JJ laughing as you almost spit it out. “Oh my god, that’s disgusting!” You gagged at the after taste, holding the 16oz can out for JJ to take, “try it.”

“You just spit it out and you want me to try it?”

“Just...you have to experience it...I can’t even describe that taste.” You replied, taking the peach from him to wash down the taste. “It doesn’t even have a flavor.”

JJ kicked it back, tilting his head and gulping. The sugary taste of whatever flavor they intended it to be made him gag worse than you had and he leaned all the way forward, spitting most of it back out onto the sand. “Holy shit! That is the worst fucking thing I’ve ever had in my life!” He exclaimed, “it tastes like fucking medicine! Why did you make me drink that?”  

“I didn’t make you.” You insisted, taking a sip from his peach.  

“You literally held it in my face and told me I ‘had to experience it’. How is that not making me?”

“Yeah  but I told you it was gross before you drank it so you already knew that.”

“I can’t believe you brought me to a beach party with nothing to drink.” He replied, taking another, smaller sip from the can and pulling a face as he made himself swallow.  

“Why are you still drinking that?”

“Trying to get drunk enough that this whole vacation doesn’t suck.” He shrugged.  

“Hey!” You reached over and smacked his arm, “the whole thing doesn’t suck! I’m super cool, what’re you talking about!”  

“Except you brought me to this party so...not as cool as you think you are.” He took another sip and gagged again, “god I have to stop drinking this.”

“Come on,” you put your peach down and grabbed the unicorn from his hand to abandon that on the lifeguard stand as well, “I know there’s a distributor around here...lets get some real beer.”  

“Sounds good to me, anything but this.” JJ replied, following you away from the crowd of people on the beach.  

-

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[hey-its-nonny]

So, thanks to the lovely @themerriweathermage, i can repost all of my chapters of in between!! Again, a huge, huge, thank you, love. i can’t tell you how happy i am about this.

Chapter one of In Between!

i’m super excited for this!! hope y’all like it!!

note: this first chapter will start out (and maybe end) in Legolas’ POV just for somewhat of his backstory. the rest will be told from your POV!!

~~~

The battle was over.

Burials for the dwarves had come and gone, and while Tauriel was grieving over Kili, Legolas was left with a broken heart over the she-elf in question. He just didn’t understand. Tauriel was supposed to be the one. At least he thought so.

Was there something wrong with him? His father would have told him so. He didn’t understand why it stung so harshly, but he supposed that was the risk you took when you fancied someone.

But, a broken heart didn’t really matter now, did it?

The truth was that Tauriel had all too quickly slipped out of Legolas’ grasp; and there was no getting her back. Like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode in his face, it had only been a matter of time before Tauriel slipped away from him. So, he traveled for months to meet a man by the name of Strider.

At first, Legolas had lost his sense of just about everything. He knew where he was going, but he didn’t want to find his way there. Everything he’d loved had slipped out of his grasp in a matter of weeks, and he had no power to stop it.

That’s what he hated: being unable to change things in his life. He was a prince, for Valar’s sake. Changing things to get what he wanted was quite literally what he was used to. He understood that he was privileged, although his father said he’d deserved every bit of what he got, unsurprisingly. Somehow, though, he felt he didn’t.

Just like he didn’t deserve Tauriel.

But, as his walked on with his thoughts tormenting him every waking second, he bumped into something- or someone, to be precise. While lost in his thoughts, Legolas’ feet had taken him to a small village -somewhere near Rivendell- he guessed, judging by the forests and whatnot.

It was a man. He’d bumped into another man. Upon realizing this, the elf froze, his senses coming back to him quicker than he’d lost them. He murmured an apology to the man, and the hooded figure nodded, quickly turning to go on his way.

Legolas realized he didn’t know where to go next, so he went to ask the man. “Do you know a ranger by the name of Strider?” He called, stopping the man in his stride. “Who’s asking?” He replied, low voice ringing in the almost eerie silence.

Legolas somewhat scoffed. “I am.” He stated, knowing full well what the man meant. He was angry and hurt, so a little sass or sarcasm could be expected from the elf. Who would blame him?

Apparently, you would.

Laying the pile of wood down, you readjusted the strap of your pack as your combat knives found their way into your hands. “Answer the question properly.” You spoke out, causing the elf to flinch. Cute. A fight prior to this meeting had put you in a bit of a sour mood, so any further irritation would only make things worse.

Legolas turned and faced you, eyes slightly narrowed, making it evident he wasn’t in a good mood either. “Legolas of th-“ He started, cutting himself off to correct himself. “Legolas Greenleaf.” He stated, turning to face Aragorn once more. “Now, answer my question.” He returned, raising a brow.

You shared a quick look with Aragorn, a questioning gaze evident on your features. “Strider.” He answered, and your expression phased into a calm one. You never really trusted people easily, and this elf would be no different, no matter how pleasant his face looked. Whenever Legolas heard this, however, he looked a bit embarrassed.

You smirked, leaning against the tree with a quiet hum. Aragorn grabbed both yours and the elf’s attention as he spoke up, removing his hood. “Why are you searching for me?” He asked, hand readily reaching for his blade. The bitter cold made this exchange far more intense than it should have been, but the elf showed no intentions of harming either of you.

The elf cleared his throat, searching for the answer to that question. “I merely wish to follow along whatever path you choose to take.” He said after seconds of silence, bringing down his ego as best he could. “Companionship, if you will.” He clarified, earning a distrustful, yet knowing exchange between you and Aragorn.

You walked over and pulled Aragorn aside, hoping to get out of ear’s reach from the elf. It took a while, but once you both were far enough from him, you whispered, “Are you going to let him follow us?” You asked, nodding in the elf’s direction.

The man huffed. “Perhaps. I cannot fully trust him yet, but I feel that it may be good to have him around.” He admitted, gazing at the leafless trees that surrounded you. You sighed, brows furrowed. “I don’t know if it is a good idea,” You replied, uncertainty and caution churning your insides. “but I trust your judgment.”

“We’ll have to take night watch, though.” You added, earning a chuckle from the man. “Let’s get a move on, then.” You sighed, trudging through the woods with Aragorn trailing behind you. A hopeful Legolas met your gaze, searching for any signs of confirmation. He didn’t get anything, though.

You simply grabbed your pack and firewood, tightened your tunic, and went on your way. Aragorn spoke up one final time, doing the same as you. “We do not stop until nightfall.” He stated, earning a swift nod from the elf.

~~~~

Hours later, you all finally found a resting point in a cave and started a fire, gathered around it in attempts at gaining some warmth. Aragorn had gone to scout the surrounding area, leaving you shivering and alone with Legolas. As you huddled close to the fire, shaking due to the cold, Legolas stood, walking over to the pack he’d brought.

He pulled out a thick cloak, walking over to offer it to you. “Take it. You need it.” He quietly stated, draping the fabric over your shoulders. The warmth was almost instant, and you allowed a sigh of relief to escape your lips. “Thank you.” You smiled, to which the elf nodded.

Suddenly, your curiosity got the better of you. You peered at the elf from across the fire, staring into the sky blue eyes he possessed. “Where are you from?” You asked, trying to pass the time. “Mirkwood, as they call it now.” He answered reluctantly, though he seemed a bit more at ease now. “And you?” He returned, raising a brow as he met you e/c eyes.

You stared at the flickering flames in thought, pondering if you should give the elf an answer. It was only fair. “I don’t remember.” You quietly admitted, a solemn expression on your face. “My parents passed when I was young. I’ve been with Strider ever since. He’s like a brother to me.” You explained, earning an almost sympathetic look from the elf. What were you doing?

You stood before he could offer pitiful condolences and drew both of your knives. “Speaking of Strider, I am going to search for him. Excuse me.” You quickly blurted, gently folding the cloak and setting it down.

You rushed out, internally scolding yourself for such foolish behavior. You searched for Aragorn, wondering what possibly could’ve taken him so long. After a while, you came upon a slight clearing, the silence heavy over the bitter air.

Then, you heard it. Orc voices could be heard nearby, and you assumed Aragorn was with them. You cautiously padded through woods, making no noise as you passed. You counted twenty five orcs surrounding Aragorn, preparing yourself for battle.

Then, quicker than the wind, you dashed towards the orcs from behind and began slashing at them, taking out four within a minute. But, as fate would have it, you got caught in a fight between two particularly determined orcs. “Run!” You ordered, earning a scoff from Aragorn as he faced the majority of what was left of the group.

You took the two down, your worry for Aragorn outweighing your will to survive. Aragorn fought well, taking down the mindless creatures with a certain grace only Aragorn possessed. Just as you thought you were finished, you caught a glimpse of a blade held at Aragorn’s neck.

“Aragorn!” You shouted, cutting down whatever orcs stood in the way as you bolted for you best friend. Amidst the chaos, you were caught again as another group stole your attention. You fought hard, taking the orcs down with urgency. Luckily, however, an arrow was caught in the center of the orcs head before too much harm could be done.

You looked in the direction from where the arrow came and found Legolas standing there. You finished off the rest of the group with both of the boys’ help, panting slightly once it was over. Without hesitation you went to embrace Aragorn, quietly letting out a sigh of relief. “Please don’t do that again.”

The man returned the embrace, and you pulled him along back to the cave, grateful he was still alive.

~~~~

You sat at the campfire once more, both of your companions sound asleep a little bit away from you. You watched the flame climb the air, relishing in the warmth it provided you. Then, you remembered the cloak Legolas had given you, and you picked up the soft fabric.

You wrapped it around your shoulders and sighed, making sure to keep an eye on the entrance to the cave. You made it a point to thank Legolas for saving Aragorn, unsure of what you would’ve done if things had turned for the worse.

At the end of the day, Aragorn was alive and well, and you had another companion to get to know. Legolas saved Aragorn’s life, and that was all that really mattered to you.

Maybe the elf wasn’t so bad after all.

~~~~

ugh this SUCKED, but it’s done! i’ll probably edit it later, but i just wanted to post it.

@elvish-sky is the only person on my tag list at the moment i think?? pm me if you want to be added, otherwise i won’t remember lol 😂 hope you enjoyed it!

~~~~~

[carewyncromwell]

“We were dreamers not so long ago, But one by one, we all had to grow up. When it seems the magic’s slipped away, We find it all again on Christmas Day...”

~“Believe,” by Josh Groban

x~x~x~x

The Ravenclaw VS Hufflepuff match was one for the ages. With a final score of 320-10, it was one of the most decisive matches in Hogwarts history, let alone one of Ravenclaw house’s greatest triumphs -- and all of it was because of the combined efforts of Seeker Cho Chang and Ravenclaw’s Chasers, led by their Star Player Robert Bellamy. It put Ravenclaw well on its way to winning the Quidditch Cup for a second time, and it also made Robert once again the talk of Ravenclaw house. People latched onto the idea of him using echolocation to signal to his fellow Chasers where he was on the pitch and began to say he could fly faster than any bat, whether a real one or one from Ballycastle. 

And yet, despite all of the praise and fawning he received, just as Cecelia said, Robert shrugged all of it off. 

“All of us train more than just our eyes,” he said with a shrug. “And besides, signaling would’ve meant nothing if Roger and Randolph hadn’t been good enough Chasers to toss the Quaffle to me blindly -- and if Roger hadn’t been a good enough Captain to lead our team, to begin with. Not to mention Cho catching the Snitch in the middle of that fog -- that’s infinitely harder than anything we did...”

Atticus @cursebreakerfarrier​​​​ couldn’t quite understand how Robert could be so determined not to accept praise for his abilities when it was so clearly warranted...but even so, he found himself smiling every time he heard him respond with such modesty. For as flippant, rebellious, and devil-may-care as Robert was, he wasn’t full of himself. It was a rather endearing quality. 

When December arrived, the student body got into a predictable tizzy about the upcoming holidays. Atticus, as always, found himself grumpier than usual due to the noise. He’d never really liked Christmas even as a kid, and at Hogwarts the season only served to make him more surly. Atticus recalled, however, that Robert was one of those people who got obnoxious around Christmas -- it had always irritated him before, whenever Robert would sing Christmas carols loudly at the top of his lungs while helping decorate the Ravenclaw common room. And this year was no exception. The Star Chaser helped smuggle a tree up to Ravenclaw Tower, hung garlands and clusters of holly all over the Ravenclaw commonroom, and greeted and said goodbye to absolutely everybody with “Happy Christmas,” and on the morning of December 8th, the very day he no longer had to dress all neatly like Atticus, he pulled out his old red-felt Santa hat and wore it every single day for the rest of term.

Atticus was frankly done, and the holiday break hadn’t even started yet. 

“Aw, come on, Lestrange!” said Robert one day after Potions, giving the other boy a light punch to the shoulder. “Lighten up -- it’s Christmas!”

“So you keep reminding me,” Atticus said dully. He tried to bury his nose in his copy of Moste Potente Potions, but Robert wouldn’t drop the line of conversation. 

“Well, I wouldn’t keep reminding you if you cheered up a little,” he said with a grin. “Do you always have to be such a Scrooge around this time of year?”

“Do you always have to be so happy about it?” Atticus shot back. “...What’s a ‘Scrooge’ anyway?”

“A character from A Christmas Carol,” Ceci explained with a small, amused smile. “It’s a Muggle book -- it’s a lovely one too: you’d like it, Atticus...”

“Better have Rob read it aloud for you, though,” said Barty with a big grin. “No one reads it like Rob.”

“A Christmas Carol is a masterpiece of literature -- all I do is treat it accordingly,” Robert said offhandedly. He shot Atticus a wry smile over his shoulder. “Though I suppose if it’d help you actually get to sleep at a reasonable hour for once, I could always read it to you as a bedtime story, Lestrange -- ”

“No thank you,” Atticus cut him off crisply. 

Her face appearing rather sympathetic, Ceci lightly bumped her arm against Atticus’s as they walked.

“Are you staying here for the holidays again, Atticus?”

Atticus nodded. “The library’s always nice and quiet, over break. It’s a good time to get some extra work done...”

Robert’s light-hearted expression faded -- something almost guilty passed over his face. 

“...Mm...”

His black eyes drifted away, off toward the far wall. Barty offered both his best friend and Atticus a smile. 

“Well, uh...maybe we can do some work over break together, then, Atticus,” Barty offered.

Atticus stiffened like a startled cat. “Huh?”

“My parents are taking a trip to visit my aunt and cousins in Normandy,” Barty explained sheepishly, “so I was thinking of staying at Hogwarts over break too! Don’t reckon much of anyone else in our year will be, so maybe we can hang out a bit over break, if you’d like...”

Atticus truly couldn’t think of anything he’d want to do less. Knowing it’d be incredibly rude to say so, however, he forced an uncomfortable smile. Ceci, however, jumped on it.

“That’s perfect!” she said. “Maybe you and Atticus can do some extra research, Barty.”

Atticus blinked in confusion. “Research?”

“About our dreams,” said Ceci eagerly.

Barty nodded. “One thing all of our visions have in common is that we all look older, right? You said that the guy in your dreams kind of looks like me, but older -- and Ceci, Rob, and I all see each other looking older too. But when we looked into Divination, all we really got was a lot of vague preaching -- ”

“You mean utter rubbish,” Robert inserted with a smirk. 

“So Robert was thinking,” Barty pressed on, “if this is some kind of future sight we’re having, maybe we can find out what’s causing it by studying Time-centric magic.”

“And what better person to help us with researching something in the library than Atticus Lestrange?” Ceci said with satisfaction, taking both of Atticus’s shoulders from behind and giving them a light squeeze.

Atticus, however, didn’t look so sure. “Well, thank you, but...I’ve already read every book in the library about Time Turners -- and I don’t think there’s anything in there that might explain what’s going on...”

“Every book?” prompted Ceci, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yes,” said Atticus. “Well, except for the Restricted Section, but...”

He trailed off, noticing the wicked look that Ceci and Robert exchanged before they both glanced at Barty.

“Except for the Restricted Section,” repeated Robert, his lips spread in a broad white smirk.

Barty grinned -- his expression was perfectly angelic compared to his cohorts, and yet it was determined.

“Atticus,” he said in a very soft, but perfectly fearless voice, “mind if I join you on your evening Prefect rounds, over break?”

And that was how Atticus Lestrange got roped into sneaking into the Restricted Section of the Library after dark on Christmas Eve with Barty Gilbert. 

Atticus had been very wary when he lingered in the hall outside Ravenclaw Tower as planned, waiting for Barty. He knew his father most assuredly wouldn’t approve of this, and even despite that, he dreaded the thought of willingly spending time with his school rival. It didn’t matter how pleasantly the Gryffindor acted around him, or even how fond Atticus was becoming of his best friend -- Atticus didn’t like Barty, and that was that. And he absolutely hated the thought of getting into trouble just because he was roped into working with him. 

Unfortunately Atticus was so uptight and stiff while waiting around that he nearly had a heart attack when Barty’s disembodied voice whispered in his ear. 

“Sorry!” Barty whispered quickly. “I’m sorry -- I was really trying not to sneak up on you, but Filch is around that next corner...ack! Here he comes!”

He threw some sort of translucent cloth over Atticus’s head, prompting the other boy to crouch down so it covered both of them. 

The crabby Hogwarts caretaker, Argus Filch, rounded the corner, raising his lantern and looking around. His beady eyes glided over where Atticus and Barty were standing, narrowing suspiciously, before he trudged away.

“Andskotans djöful,” Atticus swore under his breath. 

He was clutching at his chest and breathing very heavily as he turned to gawk at Barty over his shoulder. 

“You have an Invisibility Cloak?”

Barty grinned sheepishly. “My parents own several robe shops. I figured one of their stock going missing wouldn’t be the absolute end of the world...”

He adjusted somewhat so that the fabric wouldn’t drag on the floor.

“Come on -- let’s get to the library.”

Fortunately the two managed to get into the Restricted Section without incident. Once they were positive no one was in the Library to catch them, Barty stood watch under his Cloak by the door, his wand over his chest, while Atticus combed through the shelves of books, his own wand lit and held aloft so he could scan the titles. The two didn’t talk much -- the discomfort congealed between them as Atticus tried to keep his eyes on what he was doing. 

“Anything promising?” asked Barty.

“Not yet,” said Atticus shortly. 

Silence returned. After another moment, Barty spoke again.

“Atticus...may I ask you something?”

“What?”

“In your dreams...do you see bad things happening?”

Atticus paused. Then he slid another book from the shelf and opened it, flipping through the pages. 

“Not really. I don’t see much of anything, I think -- at least, not that I can remember. It’s...feelings, mostly.”

“Feelings like you know something’s wrong? Like, even if you can’t see what happened, you feel so much pain and sorrow that you know it’s bad?”

“Sometimes.”

Barty nodded, turning his focus back out into the blackness of the Library. 

“As far back as I can remember,” he said very softly, “I’ve had this dream where I was trying to reach someone. I couldn’t ever see their face clearly, but I just knew, somehow, that the person was in trouble, and that I had to help them. But no matter how fast I tried to run to try to get to that person...my vision would black out and I’d feel like I was frozen still, unable to move at all.”

He bowed his head, his eyes cast into shadow. 

“...I would wake up screaming and crying at night, when I was little...all because I couldn’t reach that person in time. Because I knew that, because I didn’t move fast enough...that person was dead.”

Atticus’s hand had stilled on the book he was flipping through. His eyes were wide upon the page, but clearly weren’t taking in any of the words printed there. The memory of his own mother trying to comfort him after he woke up crying about a pair of red eyes and warm arms rippled over his mind. 

“When I got to Hogwarts,” Barty said lowly, “my dreams became a little clearer. I still didn’t know where I was or what I was doing...but this person who I’d been running to try to save, my whole life, suddenly had a face. A man with black eyes and curly hair...just like my best friend.”

He looked up at Atticus, his face incredibly serious. 

“I don’t know why you’ve seen someone like me in your dreams, Atticus,” said Barty, “and I know you don’t like me...but I could really use your help, in getting to the bottom of all this. Robert is my best friend in the whole world. He’s the first person who became my friend solely because of who I am, rather than who my family is. If I lost him...if anything bad happened to him...”

A dark, miserable shadow passed over his face. 

“...I don’t know what I’d do,” he whispered.

Atticus looked up at last. His blue eyes were rather uncertain. 

“What about Cecelia?” he asked. “Didn’t she become your friend for who you are?”

Barty’s eyes softened as his face flushed lightly. 

“...Ceci means everything to me. We’ve known each other forever. But her family only engaged with mine because we had money...and my parents only let us play together because her parents would bring her over. Our parents encouraged her to play with me because my parents reckoned she’d be a ‘good influence’ on me...might help me come out of my shell some...”

“Well, I suppose they were right,” muttered Atticus. “Now you’re the hot-shot Dueling Champion and Dragon Tamer...Hogwarts’s Golden Boy...”

The last words came out before he could stop himself and he immediately looked away, his insides prickling with discomfort. 

Barty, amazingly, only smiled weakly.

“It’s easy to be brave when you know you’re doing the right thing,” he said, “when you’re standing up for somebody or trying to calm an animal that doesn’t know any better. When you’re fighting, or protecting, there isn’t any thought -- you just do. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

He looked down again, his shoulders falling slightly.

“...But when you’re around people...trying to figure out just what to say, to tell people what you mean...or even just how much to say, when you know not everyone means you well...well, that’s not so easy. You feel like the whole world is watching you, and judging you, no matter what you say...even if you say nothing at all. But at least when you’re quiet...people can kind of just see what they want to see...”

Atticus frowned. Barty had always been rather soft-spoken compared to witty, sassy Robert and sociable, amiable Ceci, but he’d never really taken the time to conclude that Barty was actually shy. 

“I’ve always envied Robert that way,” admitted Barty, offering Atticus a small smile. “He’s never at a loss of what to say. When you and he go at it, bantering like you do...I can tell you like each other, but there’s just such a charge there -- like the eclectic lamps Professor Burbage has in her Muggle Studies class!” He beamed a bit more broadly. “It’s so cool.”

Atticus stared at Barty for a moment, unsure of what to say. Then, after a moment, he looked back down at the book in his hands.

“...Thanks,” he said at last. He could feel his ears burning again.

Barty, however, only smiled, his blue eyes very understanding and patient as he returned his focus to the dark Library again. 

Atticus glanced up at Barty without raising his head, considering him for a moment. Then, with a swallow, he spoke again.

“...I...used to wake up crying too. When I was little.”

Barty looked up, taken aback.

“I used to dream about this person with red eyes,” said Atticus. “He’d be squeezing my shoulders -- almost as if he was afraid to touch me at first, but then gently, purposefully. Then, as he held my shoulders, he would start to laugh...but even though he was laughing, I would hear the sobs. I could tell he was crying...crying in grief and joy and something else altogether...but so much pain. A kind of pain I don’t think I could ever know...”

Just remembering the heartbreaking sound made Atticus’s throat clench and his eyes well up with traces of tears. He wiped them quickly from his eyes with one hand. 

“My mother used to comfort me, telling me that it was just a dream, that nothing in it could hurt me,” he said lowly. “But she never needed to say that -- I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. He was the one hurting.”

He swallowed. The lump in his throat was painful. 

“...I didn’t have the dream as much, as I got older -- just time to time, around some of the other weird ones. Maybe I just don’t sleep long enough stretches to dream as much anymore,” he added as an afterthought. “But when Bellamy and I got paired for Binns’s oral report...well, that feeling came back, out of nowhere...and again, when you, Ceci, and I were watching the match against Hufflepuff.”

Atticus forced himself to meet Barty’s eyes at last.

“I don’t understand this whole thing at all...but I want to know why I’m feeling these things, and I want to know why you, Ceci, and Bellamy see what you’re seeing, too. If that’s what you want too...well, then it’s only practical that we work together.”

He offered a weak smile of his own. Barty was definitely taken aback, but within seconds, his face had lit up with a warmer, more determined smile and he nodded.

“Mm-hmm.”

From that day on, Barty Gilbert and Atticus Lestrange had made peace. 

Unfortunately their night in the Library proved fruitless, research-wise. Not even Dark or restricted magic could explain the kinds of bizarre, fragmented visions the four students were experiencing. And so Atticus returned to his dorm that night feeling very disheartened. He was less so, however, when he awoke out of a restless doze in the Ravenclaw armchair Christmas morning to the feeling of someone holding his shoulder and lightly shaking it.

“Atticus. Atticus.”

Atticus blinked sleepily up at who’d woken him, to see a familiar, shyly smiling face framed by auburn hair.

“Happy Christmas,” Barty greeted gently.

Atticus shook his head rapidly, trying to orient himself. 

“W-what? Gilbert, what -- what are you doing in -- ?”

Just behind Barty, Atticus could see both Ceci and Robert grinning from ear to ear. 

“Surprise!” said Ceci brightly. 

“Happy Christmas, Lestrange,” said Robert, his black eyes dancing with mischief.

Atticus looked around at all three of them, perfectly bewildered. “But -- but you -- you two went home for Christmas -- how did -- ?”

“Rob and I took the Floo back!” Ceci explained. 

“It was Rob’s idea,” said Barty. “I thought I’d keep the whole thing quiet, until they got here.”

“I couldn’t change my plans and stay for my whole break, since I have to be at home for Christmas Eve church service,” said Robert, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, “but well, the thought of you being stuck here all alone...”

His eyes drifted up to the ceiling. 

“‘The school is not quite deserted,’ said the Ghost,” he recited from memory, “‘A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still.’”

He returned his gaze to Atticus seriously. 

“A Christmas Carol,” he added as explanation. “It’s part of why Scrooge ends up hating Christmas so much -- he wasn’t allowed to go home for the holidays to see his family, so instead he stayed at school all alone, with nothing but his books for company. I know this whole season isn’t your thing and all, but...it just seemed rotten, to leave you and Barty alone.” 

Barty beamed at Atticus. Atticus, on the other hand, was too overwhelmed to respond. He felt like his throat had gone very dry, all of the moisture instead moving up toward his eyes. 

Robert and Ceci had put their holidays with their families on hold for him. Yes, Robert said it was for him and Barty, but he’d been thinking of Atticus and how lonely he’d be. No one had ever done anything quite so kind for him before, and it made Atticus feel like his heart was flooding. 

“...You...” he murmured, “...but...why?”

Ceci laughed. “Why do you think? You’re our friend, Atticus! We wanted to spend Christmas with you!”

Atticus’s heart swelled. 

Friend. He was their friend?

He looked from Ceci to Barty to Robert -- his black-haired dormmate smiled, his black eyes sparkling as he nodded in agreement. 

The tears that had been prickling at the sides of Atticus’s eyes actually leaked through, escaping down his cheeks, as he smiled back. He quickly wiped them away, his smile gleaming as he looked up at the three of them.

“...Thank you,” he said at last breathily. “I...I don’t know what to say...”

Ceci brought her arms around Atticus in a sideways hug. “Then don’t say anything! We have presents to unwrap! Come on, come on -- Barty, Rob and I put ours under the tree before we woke you...”

Atticus felt a bit guilty that he hadn’t thought to buy any presents for Robert, Barty, and Cecelia, but he honestly hadn’t expected that they’d want to get him anything. But sure enough, all three of them gave marvelous presents -- Barty gave Atticus a book on Dark creatures; Ceci gave him his own leather-bound copy of A Christmas Carol; and Robert gave him a beautiful bookmark carved out of wood into the shape of a Phoenix and painted brilliant shades of red and orange. The card enclosed said,

Ceci helped me paint this for you. Hope this little turkey can keep you company in the Library. 

Happy Christmas!

Robert

Atticus was amazed when he learned that Robert had actually carved the bookmark himself by hand. Apparently Robert had used some of the leftover wood from the trunk of the tree he’d smuggled into Ravenclaw Tower to make Atticus’s bookmark -- he’d also used some of the branches he’d had to trim off to make Barty a carved picture frame and Ceci a pretty wooden heart pendant she could wear as a necklace. They were all a little rough around the edges, but the effort showed through, and it warmed Atticus’s heart to think of the amount of work Robert must’ve put in to make his presents. 

The whole day put Atticus in such a good mood that he even encouraged Robert to read aloud from his new leather-bound copy of A Christmas Carol, so he could hear it. The request made Robert’s dark eyes light up more brightly than Atticus had ever seen them before...and indeed, when Robert finished reading the beautifully written, emotional novel with such warm sincerity and articulated poetry that evening, Atticus had to admit -- it was a very, very good book. 

[peaceoutofthepieces]

Sink Or Swim

tag list: @cleocc @feeling-kinda-so-so @hopelessromanticvirgo @dreamy-slytherin @adora8 @lockerfivethreefive @painfully-oblivious @poeticinemaa @jjustonemorething @saraben00 @wedarkacademia @coolguyssyndrome @hischbabe @suckerforsobbe @tayspots @starmansander @theah0lt @zoenneforever @invisibleme @chibibanane

~^~

Wednesday, 19:29

Song: Moglii - Face 2 Face

Jens is getting pretty used to running away to his room as quickly as possible. Dinner has become something of a chore—more so than it used to be. He answers polite, careless questions about school and the boys and his plans for the week. He teases Lotte until her pouts give way to giggles. He eats his food in the most respectable manner he can manage, without making it obvious that he’s trying to escape as quickly as possible. He’ll give an excuse about homework, and being in his final year means it works every time. He slips away from the idle, opinionated comments and ‘jokes’ and it allows him to exist in his more familiar chill state. Families are normally stressful. He’s intimately familiar with this concept, considering Robbe’s many nights at his side in an attempt to get away.

It’s nothing beyond the usual. At least, there doesn’t seem to be anything specific that Jens can pick out.

But the weight on his chest is unfamiliar and uncomfortable, and it creeps in slowly through dinner and lingers heavily now. He doesn’t know why it’s there, and most frustratingly, he can’t figure out how to get rid of it.

He could message the guys. Robbe, though he’s probably with Sander. Moyo, though he’s been having enough trouble of his own with his mother. Aaron...he probably won’t go to Aaron.

A week ago, that would have been his options up. A week ago, he didn’t know Lucas.

Now, he’s staring at his messages with the boy and running through possible conversation starters. It’s a similar feeling to that of the weekend, but also entirely different. He can probably consider Lucas a friend now. He’d messaged him on Monday after school, making sure he’d liked the Broerrrs, that they hadn’t already scared him away. They’d had lunch together again yesterday, all of them, and Robbe had invited Lucas to join them at the skate park after, which he’d hesitantly accepted after receiving no protest from the others. Jens hadn’t seen him today, though he’d done his best to try and catch him after school. It should be fine to just message him. Normal enough.

He just doesn’t really know what to say. It also doesn’t feel the same, when Jens can’t actually talk to him. He realises that’s what he actually wants, to hear Lucas’s low tones teasing him, to drag a smile out of him, to fall into their easy banter that works as an effortless distraction. It doesn’t matter, if he doesn’t actually talk about the weight on his chest. He knows that seeing Lucas would lift it.

Which is why, before he even realises what he’s doing, he’s tapping the video camera in the top corner of the chat.

He bolts upright on his bed, eyes widening as the phone rings on, calling Lucas, as Jens can only watch on, in shock of his own hands. He hadn’t meant to do that. He really, really had not meant to do that. Not when he doesn’t know if his hair is a mess or if there are stains on his hoodie or if his face is blotchy in the dim glow of his ceiling light.

Why do I care about that?

He should hang up. Send Lucas a quick message to say that it had been a mistake, maybe allow that to start a conversation between them. It’s been ringing too long for him to expect Lucas to pick up anyway. He’s probably busy. Maybe even still having dinner. Jens should just hang up.

His thumb hovers over the button, and then the tone goes off on its own and he sucks in a breath, thinking the time had run out. Only, that would have taken him back to the chat, and not be showing him a shaky black screen.

The realisation washes over him slowly that Lucas has answered.

His face comes into view rather abruptly, the screen stuttering before centering on a confused smile and pretty blue eyes.

Pretty?

“Hey?” Lucas is running a hand through his hair, somewhat hesitant, but he doesn’t seem annoyed or even displeased. There is a tiny smile. Jens may not be entirely stupid. He may not have messed up that much.

“Hey,” he says, resisting the urge to fix his own hair. “Sorry for just...calling. If it’s a bad time I can—“

“No, you’re fine,” Lucas interrupts softly. “I was just in the other room and didn’t hear the phone. Is everything okay?”

Jens nods, watching the wrinkles form in Lucas’s soft green shirt as he settles onto his bed. “Yep. Or, well,” he hesitates as Lucas watches on, tilting his head at him. Jens sinks back against his pillows, sighing. “I don’t know.”

Lucas’s brow furrows, but he nods slightly. Effortlessly understanding. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t really know what there is to talk about,” Jens admits. They lapse into a moment of silence as Lucas smiles patiently, tilting his own head back against his pillows. The angle should be unflattering, but he looks no less delicate or put together to Jens. It is simultaneously better and worse, seeing him. “I just felt kind of...I don’t know, I just wanted to talk to you, I guess.”

It’s strange to admit, and he feels heat creep into his cheeks, and he doesn’t quite understand what’s wrong with him. He’s not usually someone who is nervous to speak to new people. But Lucas makes him nervous.

And still, the ease he brings Jens overshadows it.

Lucas’s smile widens. “I’m honored. And grateful.”

Jens’s own brow furrows now as his own worry creeps up. “Is everything okay with you?”

Lucas sighs, rolling his head to the side before picking it up with a small shrug, and Jens decides he’s glad he hadn’t just texted him. “Yeah, sorry. I’m still just adjusting, I guess.”

Of course. It’s weird, but Jens keeps forgetting this little fact. For some reason, it’s easy to forget that Lucas is only a new citizen in Antwerp. Jens just gives him a sympathetic smile and nod. “At least now you’re not just hiding out in your room the whole week though, right?”

“Yeah,” Lucas nods back, smiling, gaze having gone soft again, and Jens is a little thrown by the exaggerated thump his heart gives in response. He hadn’t realised the stress has been building up so much anxiety. “I have free reign of the apartment usually anyway, so. I’m not really hiding out.”

“Your parents aren’t there?” Jens’s brow furrows again.

Lucas gives him an easy shrug. “My dad works late.”

Jens notices that he doesn’t mention his mother, and he doesn’t bring it up either. “Ahh, okay. Mine does too, sometimes. Other times, I kind of wish he’d work later.”

For a moment, Jens wonders if that’s the wrong thing to say. If it’ll only upset Lucas further. But the boy only gives a quiet huff of laughter and a nod in understanding. Clearly in agreement. For another moment, Jens is tempted. He has the sudden intense desire to somehow curb Lucas’s own obvious weight. He’s tempted to do something stupid, like suggesting they meet up so he won’t be alone. As if he’s even lonely, and Jens would be an acceptable cure. He’s tempted, until he reminds himself that he’s probably overstepping by calling Lucas in the first place.

Then Lucas says, “I definitely prefer your company.”

He’s still wearing that small, soft smile, and the pressure on Jens’s chest eases exponentially at the sight of it. “Yeah?”

Lucas hums, smile widening as he makes himself comfortable. “I mean, you definitely look better in a bathtub, but…this will do.”

“Oh?” Jens laughs. Lucas hums again. “I just wasn’t sure you could handle that, but it can be arranged.”

He wiggles his brows, and Lucas stifles his own laughter. Jens catches the flush that creeps up his neck, though. “Probably necessary, really?”

“Lucas Van der Heijden,” Jens says, aghast. “Are you suggesting I smell?”

“Maybe just a little dirty, no?” He wiggles his brows now, and Jens snorts.

“Okay, well played, well played.”

Lucas grins, and Jens grins back, and he feels like he could float.

[onepiece-polls]

One Piece Shipping War - Round 2 Side C

Lusan art by @supernaturallyginger. Check out the original post here!

Propaganda under the cut.

Propaganda for Sanji x Luffy:

I don't think anyone is gonna bother denying the fact that WCI is literally just the plot of an otome isekai shoujo manga/manhwa. MC (main character) is treated like trash by family except for the 1 dead mom and 1 nice sympathetic supporter that can't do much of anything to help. MC escapes only to find themselves in an even worse situation somewhat of their own making, only to be swept off their feet by the ML (male lead) and saved, full damsel in distress style. Dramatic love confessions, crying in the rain, betrayal from an arranged marriage, it has it all.

Dude Luffy loves Sanji so so much like WCI is the best example and like you don't even really need to see the love as romantic if that bugs you but dudes. The first words out of the Luffys Shadow Possessed Oars was yelling for Sanji. He just loves Sanji so much and Sanji loves him too

The WCI arc in itself is mega SanLu propaganda. Luffy invaded an emperor’s territory, completely crashed a wedding, went up against Sanji’s evil science family, and got nearly beat to death by Sanji himself all in order to get Sanji back. Sanji offered his life to Kuma at thriller bark so Kuma wouldn’t kill Luffy. He pushed himself for 2 years all in order to get stronger FOR Luffy. Sanji feels sorry when he isn’t useful, the whole reason why he used the raid suit those few times was because he was thinking about getting stronger for Luffy, but realized that he didn’t want to become an emotionless monster like his family. Sanji broke down in tears at WCI when he tried to get Luffy to go away by fighting him. And then broke down in tears again when he ran back to Luffy and told him he wanted to go back home to the Sunny. No matter what Sanji cooks, Luffy always likes it and is proud to have him in his crew. Sanji is also one of Luffy’s “wings”, as stated by Robin! They’re both just so sweet and clearly care very deeply about each other.

Luffy saving Sanji on whole cake island got to me

[Insert everything that happens between them during WCI] how could I see luffy yelling about how he won't eat anything and will starve- LUFFY OF ALL PEOPLE- unless Sanji comes back and not ship them at LEAST a little. "Without you I can't become the pirate king" absolutely devastating cinema. Then Sanji laying out everything, in tears, and Luffy accepting it all and just saying, "well that's who you are" poetic. Final wci thing: luffy hearing judges bs about sanji and going "whyd he start listing all your good point" true love. This seems one sided but Sanji is also just as bad. "Which version of me do you prefer" anyone? They care SO MUCH about each other. Also Luffy loves to eat, Sanji loves to feed people, they're meant to be.

*gestures at the entirety of WCI* I mean that’s Love, they are Ride or Die, Luffy cannot become the pirate king without Sanji, whether that means physically because he needs Sanji’s support or just because being the pirate king means Luffy has everything he wants and what he wants is Sanji or both. And Sanji loves him just as much back! He’s his sun he’s his world…Luffy jump and Sanji’s too busy skywalking to bother asking how high. I just love them sm

Oda himself wrote the propaganda for this, Whole Cake Island just cemented lusan as canon. "I can't become Pirate King without you!" <- that's love baby

Propaganda for Sanji x Usopp:

PLEASE they are so great for the needs love/gives love dynamic because it goes both ways.

My fav somewhat rare pair. I specifically love on skypiea when Sanji sacrifices himself to save Usopp from Enel. (And of course the scene when they wake up from their injuries holding hands!!!!)

It is simply the best Sanji ship I’m afraid

Consider: they cute

[vkookjamz]

⋆☽Kitten☾⋆

|| Prologue. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

| 𝐽𝑢𝑛𝑔𝑘𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑥 𝐶𝑎𝑡-𝐻𝑦𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑑 𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 |

"𝘉-𝘉𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭..?"

𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘬'𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯. 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦..

---------------------------------------------------

Y/n's POV

It had been about an hour or so after breakfast, the rest of Bangtan and you were in Jin's black truck driving out to the mall.

Tae suggested to head out shopping for you some proper clothes after everyone finished a very awkward breakfast and got ready.

Perhaps he wanted a little something from Gucci for himself since you saw him grab his own wallet humming Gucci Gang before he walked out the door-

You were excited to go, not that you weren't used to it. Now you wouldn't have to worry about keeping up with the guys since- you were human. Well, somewhat at least.

Jin was driving with Namjoon in the passenger seat beside him, swiping through his phone listening to music.

You sat between Hoseok and Jimin in the second row, while Jungkook, Taehyung, and Yoongi sat together in the back.

"Why is it I have to sit in the back?! I called shotgun" Tae complained with a whine crossing his arms.

"I'm oldest and it's my car so I say who sits where" Jin shrugged glaring at Tae through the rearview mirror, who was glaring back.

"But it's not fairrrrrrr Namjoon always sits in the front! I always get stuck in the back!"

"Aish Tae-" Namjoon was cut off.

"Taehyung shut up. You've been complaining the past twenty minutes and where you're seated isn't gonna change" Jungkook seemed even more irritated than before he'd left the dorms.

"Jungkook don't say what I'm meant to say- but yes Taehyung, what he said" Jin nodded with a hum, focusing his eyes back on the road.

You bit your lip feeling your ears hang low in a small wave of sadness at Jungkook's aggressive mood.

"Hey Jungkook-ah don't be so grouchy you're making y/n's ears go down and look gloomy.." Jimin spoke glancing at you next to him.

Smiling softly as he spoke, he reached to give your head a pat sweetly to cheer you up. "Oh wait- her ears!!"

"What about them Joon? They are up now don't worry she's happy" Hoseok beamed, joining Jimin in stroking your head.

Namjoon shook his head and sighed waving off Hoseok's attempt to reassure him. "No I mean we need to hide her ears, and face actually- "

Your ears once again hung low. What was the problem with them- and your face too?? They were probably ashamed.. "Is something wrong with me??"

"Ah Joonie you're right- No y/n, it's just that we are used to going out in public with cat you- not half cat you-" Jin explained after seeing your worry.

Tae let out a quiet sigh muttering, "Hybrid... "

Jin whipped his head to look at the younger in the backseat, who was now curled up "HUSH TAEHYUNG-"

"Don't feel bad or worry princess- it's just for your protection and so nobody will start any rumors about all of us with some girl- which happens to be you" Namjoon finished, giving you a smile.

Suddenly you jumped squeaking as a grey beanie landed in your lap, having been thrown to you from behind.

"Wow what a generous way to hand something to her" Yoongi's words laced with sarcasm.

Turning around, you sat on your knees facing the back row to see a head shaking Yoongi and a mid eye roll Jungkook.

Why was he so grumpy- He'd never spoken so rude to Taehyung before, and now throwing things at you?

Before, he would coo your name and give you things when you wanted- sometimes you didn't even have to ask. Jungkook would just randomly treat you with thoughtful gifts.

Although it didn't seem like that sweet caring side of him would be present any time soon.

He reached up to hand his black face mask, both of your fingers brushed against each other softly in the process of you taking it gently from his grip. "Just wear my hat and mask to hide yourself until we get there and I'll buy a new one for you"

Unknowingly, you had begun to purr, causing Jungkook to lick his lips at you, quickly returning to his grouchy state. Leaving you to turn back around putting on the hat.

'Aish Jungkook.. '

Sighing, you let go of the cold interaction turning to look at Hoseok with a fresh cheeky smile as you cupped your face.

"How does it look Hobi??" squealing in his own excitement at your cute appearance, he returned your smile by sharing his own brightly.

"AIGOOOO Y/N-AHHH YOU LOOK SO PRECIOUS!! Yah Jimin-ah! Look how cute!!" reaching out, Hoseok squished your hands against your cheeks with his own so you made a puffy fish face.

Continuing to giggle playing along with the two, having Jungkook watch jealously the entire time.

~Time Skippy~

Jungkook's POV

I mentally sighed watching her, she seemed so happy and playful with Hobi and Jimin.

Why couldn't I bring myself to be that way with her too? It's not that I'm really angry at her..

Just- everytime I look at her.. No. Stop it Jungkook. She's your baby girl. Don't think like that!

"You're not good with girls at all are you Kookie?" turning I faced Yoongi who wore a slight smirk.

I huffed shaking my head looking the other way. Why is he still testing me? I already told him everything.

*flashback*

"Because she's mine".

The older raised his eyebrow slightly then crossing his arms. Pursing his lips he looked at Jungkook in an inquisitive state of mind.

"She's not an object Jungkook, she's a living thing with a mind of her own. Also, if you care so deeply for her still, why is it you've been acting like you're absolutely disgusted by her very presence?"

Jungkook sighed rubbing his fingers against across forehead, taking a seat back down on the couch. Placing his head into his hands running his fingers through his now messy hair.

Yoongi had never seen the boy so stressed. Without permission he sat beside him, resting the sides of his elbows on his knees while cupping his hands in front of him.

The younger kept is gaze averted down, "Hyung.. I just don't know how I feel about her. Or if I'm even supposed to, and I get so frustrated because all I want is to understand.. "

"Jungkook-ah, I of all people understand how you feel towards y/n. I saw it in your face when I decided to test your nerves" Yoongi chuckled earning a frown from the boy beside him.

Jungkook sat up properly, looking back at you with the other members. All laughing and having pancakes.

Giving a sympathetic smile, Yoongi rested his hand on his shoulder. "Kook you really need to talk to her. Soon. I see her ears droop more and more by the second with the way you keep treating her"

"I'm afraid- I'm afraid I'll mess up with her and I don't want that.. In the end.. I just want my y/n happy.. But I feel if I try anything it'll be wrong or hurt her" Scrunching up his face the other male, he turned to look at the girl along with Jungkook.

Yoongi sighed sitting up as well, giving his maknae's shoulder a pat while clearing his throat.

"Right now you're not off to a good start, but for now just try and NOT be a dick to her. You don't have to try anything. Just be her appa again" Jungkook nodded slowly pursing his own lips.

Yoongi stared carefully at Jungkook for a moment, his own thoughts keeping him at a loss for words. But deciding to leave to let the other to dwell on what he'd said.

The younger watched as he left, meanwhile he stayed sitting for a bit longer. Observing you.

You were precious to him.

Your smile was as bright as the full moons light, soft and subtle but it could shine through even the purest darkness.

Your laugh contagious to everyone else around you.

You were perfect.

But could he still be your appa..

When he wanted to be more..

*end of flashback*

With a groan I leaned my head back against the seat, only to quickly sit back up upon feeling my pocket vibrate.

I pulled my phone out of my jacket sighing as I unlocked my screen to read the message I had been sent.

My eyes widened slightly with my brows raising along with them, my face contorting into a confused frown as I finished reading.

Thankfully no one could see my first frantic reaction, having been shielded thanks to my black bucket hat.

"Yah, Jungkookie we're almost there so be sure to grab your bad" giving a nod at Tae's words and pat on my shoulder, I slipped my phone back into my pocket letting out a heavy sigh as Jin pulled in a spot to park.

But that message..

"We told you to get rid of her. It's only a matter of time before you see what monster is curled up at your feet"

Who the hell kept texting me. And why is it always about my y/n..

I'd blocked the number each time I received a message. Which wasn't often but still. If it was some sort of prank the joke was long dead.

Soon y/ns smiling face poked from behind her seat as the others were getting out "Jungkook-appa! Are you coming?"

I would try and talk to her. I would put my own deep desires aside. Because in the end it wouldn't matter if I couldn't keep her safe.

"I'm coming kitten.. "

A/n: Sorry if this is a little sloppy, I wasn't sure how to lay it out on here the way I originally did on wattpad~

-ⓙ

[twisted-imagines]

Sup! Can you write headcannons about silver and a s/o with insomnia if you’re not busy?

Yay! First requests! Hehe I'm happy~

A small scenario and general headcanons are coming your way, precisely because I have a lot of free time right now~ There's not much information on Silver right now, but I tried my best. Thank you veeery much for requesting, I hope I was able to write this piece to your liking. Please enjoy!❤ (You can also send me anonymous asks now, in case any of you feel more comfortable that way.)

Silver and a s/o with insomnia

There it was again. Your mind was buzzing with thoughts like a beehive again, despite your body being near it's limits after the long day. Even though your eyes were hurting as if they were thrown at least a kilo of sand at, you still couldn't close them and rest. Instead you were looking at the face of your dear boyfriend, quietly sleeping beside you. You spent your free day together, mindlessly walking through the college grounds, eating at cafeteria, watching birds at the square, listening their joyous songs and just enjoying each other's company. It was a perfect date, you couldn't help but smile a little remembering it and how Silver almost fell asleep several times. You used to be offended, it made you question whether you were that boring, but with time you learned that there was nothing malicious behind it and started to admire this trait of his.

Maybe you were even a tad bit jealous of it, as you lay in the bed in his room, where he invited you to absentmindedly at the end of the day. He didn't lie, about how he wouldn't attempt anything, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillows, which left only you wide awake and unable to sleep.

Silver was very pretty like that, you had to note: his chest was rising in steady rhythm; soft lips, you kissed them today plenty of times, permitted only the quietest of snores out; his face completely relaxed. If you didn't know better you would think a silverhaired angel was sleeping near you. Your restless mind grew quiet just a bit observing Silver, but that wasn't satisfying at all, not if you wanted to get up to your classes tomorrow. You signed crestfallen, and shifted for ninth time that night to try and find a better pose, that would hopefully allow you to sleep.

Maybe it was the sound of your distress, the movements on the bed or his own intuition, but Silver woke up from his dreams to see you frowning and fidgeting, clearly not sleeping at all.

"Hey, [Name], are you asleep? "

His voice was nothing more than a whisper, but your eyes snapped open instantly, and that's when he knew something was wrong. Still groggy from waking up at the middle of the night, the boy moved closer to you, his hands slowly hugging you to his chest. You felt a warm peck on your forehead.

"Why 'r u 'wake? Nightmare?"

His words were slurred, said in a sigh, but they held comfort and care like none other.

"Can't fall asleep. I have nights like that often."

Your own words sounded harshly to your ears, not like your boyfriend's feather light questions, who grunted in response to let you know that he heard what you said. For a few moments there was a complete silence, and you, somewhat sadly, thought that he had fallen asleep once again, but instead Silver rose up together with you. You could see how he was struggling to chase away the sleep and it definitely didn't sit right with you.

"What are you doing?! If you wake up right now, you may not fall asleep later!"

You whisper scolded him, since it was not in your plans to make one more person suffer from lack of sleep that night.

"Heh, believe me, that's the least likely to happen with me of all people. "

With you in his firm, but gentle grip, Silver sat on the bed and looked curiously at the clock on his nightstand.

"Wow, it's already so late... Early? If you hadn't fallen asleep by now, remaining in the bed won't help. Let's go~"

The boy yawned before getting up and taking his coat from the chair. To your unvoiced question "Where to?" he replied:

"Outside. I remember reading it from somewhere, that a walk and fresh air can help sometimes. Come on, give me your hand."

The warmth of his hand encompassing yours, and his caring worlds nearly made you, so tired and frustrated, cry, but you followed his lead out of the room and to the hallway.

It was considerably colder there; not enough to make you freeze, just to freshen up a little, not to mention the cozy coat that Silver has thrown on your shoulders when you exited his room. The Diasomnia dorm was a different sight at night, still as solemn and majestic, with mysterious atmosphere, but the magic curling at the empty corridors, crawling on the floors, slipping around the corners, evading the green light of magical lanterns was almost palpable. Were you alone, you would scramble back to the room, the oppressing aura of the dorm was too much for you, and that meant something coming from the person, who lived in the infamous Ramshackle dorm. But with Silver at your side, your hand in his, you felt more at peace, not as fearful of descending further into the darkness of Diasomnia hallways.

When the boy stopped walking and moved to open the window, you understood where you had been led to it. It was a spacious balcony in one of the towers. It had a spectacular view, allowing you to take in the image of dorm grounds at night.

You could never imagine it to be so grandiose under the moonlight. The scenery looked straight out of a fairy tale. You neared the window in awe, your tiredness and bad mood were taken away with the heavy blow of wind. You shivered a little, but soon felt warm hands embrace you from behind. Silver's torso was against your back, and his chin was resting on your shoulder. He didn't say a word, most likely slowly falling asleep, just like he always did when he peacefully held you in his arms. You were his haven, a person who brought peace to his heart no matter what, with whom he could always feel himself comfortable and relaxed and he genuinely wanted for you to experience it too.

"Does it happen very often?"

His question was nearly carried away with the wind, before you heard it thought the state of serenity you were currently in. A deep sigh escaped you.

"Almost every night. Even if I fall asleep fast, I wake up at night and just wait for the morning, it's impossible to return to sleep. It's very tiring..."

It pained him to no end to see you so distressed, he couldn't bear to see his loved one hurt. He asked you a few other questions, determined to pry more details.

He made a resolution to learn more about the ways he could help you, maybe about remedies not traditional to you, especially in the field of magic. If he, a wizard from the Diasomnia, couldn't help you, surely an immense mistake was made in the dormitory's description, and it didn't hold the most proficient at magic personalities. Silver hugged you even closer placing a kiss to your temple. His voice was like a lullaby in your ear.

"When you're in pain, or struggling with something, I want to know about it. So, please, from now on, tell me about it, okay? I want to help you in any way I can. I'm your boyfriend after all."

His last replica embarrassed you to no end, even more than the following kiss to your cheek. So cheesy, yet so sweet, you didn't manage to keep yourself from laughing out loud. Compared to how nonchalant he sounded before, you could hear how bashful Silver became right away. You wanted to see his face so bad at the moment, but he prevented you from turning around, tightening his grip even more.

"Suddenly laughing like that...Was it so funny to you? Geez..."

A thud at your shoulder inspired an even funnier picture in your mind of a white cat burying it's head in it's paws. Nobody said anything anymore, relishing in the presence of the other. Calming melody of the wind and Silver's warmth started to lull you bit by bit. Your eyelids became just a bit heavier, mind pleasantly silent for a change.

"Think you can rest now? Not like you have left a lot of time, but it's better than nothing."

You heard Silver's voice and nodded. One way or another, tomorrow will be a hard day for you, but this impromptu walk improved your mood quite a bit.

"Sure. Let's head back. But before that-"

Silver, who was half-asleep at that point could only smile at the feeling of your lips on his.

"Thank you, Silver."

The boy in question only grumbled, before his weight started to slowly slide down on you.

• No need to mention, how exhausted you were, after Silver refused to wake up at any cost and you had to drag him back to his bed. You fell asleep from the complete lack of energy that night, and while it was not what Silver intended, you were able to survive at least to the end of morning classes.

• The boy himself was present at his own classes only on physical level, though nobody was surprised enough by that sight to question what he was doing at night. Gladly, he recovered enough energy to spend it on something he swore to do last night - learn more about your insomnia.

• He browses through books, internet resources and goes as far as asking Malleus and Lilia about the ways he can help you.

• While he does gain a lot of useful(and a few misleading ones from Lilia) advices, he still integrates some classic habits to his routine with you: he prepares beverages like hot cocoa or milk for you, cuddles and massages you when you stay at his room.

• He doesn't mind you shifting in bed or causing some noise when you sleep together, but he's also not best at keeping you company at night time, even if he sincerely wants to sometimes.

•He tries to help you with your studies as much as he can, searching for his old notes or revising the material together with you. Though it sometimes leads to you reading and explaining your exam themes to a completely clocked out Silver... You don't hold it against him.

• While he's your complete opposite in sleeping routine, he's very sympathetic and worries about you. Silver is completely understanding of how you may not have energy for anything at times, your health takes priority to him.

• If he notices your insomnia getting worse he won't shy away from using the spells Malleus shared with him. As long as it's of any benefit to you, he's not going to withhold it. But those are still drastic measures, and he discusses it with you prior.

• Being the one awake most of the time, you help him to stay conscious at crucial moments, and search for him, when you suspect that he has fallen asleep somewhere he shouldn't and he's thankful for that.

[marvelousstevetony]

Hi! I was just wondering if for the emotions prompt thing, you could do insecure Steve. With Steve being nervous about Tony thinking he is gross when he’s sick? Maybe he’s worried because another avenger in the tower was sick and Tony seemed disgusted by it... so Steve assumes Tony will feel the same about him? If that’s too specific, feel free to do whatever with insecure :) Thank you for your writing! :)

Ahh, anon, it’s not too specific at all! This prompt is so soft and so so sweet. I’m sorry I’m taking so long to answer these prompts, but I’ve beens super busy lately. I hope you see this and enjoy this little ficlet <3

3.1k, steve/tony

***

“Don’t you think you’re being a tiny bit… overdramatic?” Bruce asked cautiously.

“What? This?” Tony gestured to the medical mask he was wearing, as well as the plastic gloves and the disinfectant spray he held defensively in front of him. “Absolutely not.”

It was Friday evening and the entire team was gathered, for once, which could only mean one thing — team movie night. It had become a routinely thing for them, and every movie night seemed the exact same. They always watched something different, but everything else was just like it used to be.

Well, almost everything.

During the first couple of movie night, every team member had found their regular seat. Nat had quickly call dibs on the large armchair closest to the kitchen. Bruce had claimed the second armchair that stood on the opposite side of the sofa, and though Thor was often off-world doing off-worldly stuff, he would usually sit in the bean bag whenever he was at the Tower. The sofa was occupied by Clint, Tony and Steve; Clint in the end closest to Nat, Steve in the other, and Tony was squeezed in between them.

It had been like that since they established team movie night, but this time, Tony was going to break the tradition.

“Tony,” Steve sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please, just sit down.”

Steve tapped the empty space in the sofa next to him and sighed yet another time when Tony grabbed a spare chair and put it next to Bruce.

“I am,” Tony said as he sat down in the solid, uncomfortable seat with a thump, “sitting down.”

“Tony,” Steve said again, this time with an exasperated tone.

Tony just quirked a brow and eyed his usual spot with disgust. “You’re dead wrong if you think I’ll sick next to patient zero over there.”

As if to prove Tony’s point, Clint wrinkled his nose and coughed harshly into his fist. Steve looked sympathetically at the archer and scooted over, filling the place Tony normally would. “Then we’ll switch seats,” Steve said persuasively.

Tony went quiet, gaze flickering between Clint, Steve, the empty seat next to his boyfriend and the wooden stool he sat on. After a few seconds of deliberation, Tony seemed to have made up his mind.

“I guess that’s… negotiable,” he drawled, but he had already started moving towards the sofa, and when Steve lifted his arm for Tony to fit under, the brunette cuddled in close. Steve smiled in victory and pressed a kiss into Tony’s soft, messy hair.

Tony sighed contently against the warmth of Steve’s body, suddenly feeling sleepy, and he let his eyes fall shut. Just a few seconds later, however, Tony took a peek at Clint through narrowed eyes.

“I’m keeping the mask and gloves, though.”

***

The next morning, Tony was called to an SI-meeting in Tokyo. He and Steve had only been together for about two months, officially dating at least, but Tony was already in so deep that he couldn’t picture not sleeping next to Steve for an entire two nights. Steve had chuckled at him and kissed his pout away, wishing him a safe flight.

On Monday, the day Tony was going to be back in New York, Steve woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose. His head felt fuzzy, like it had been stuffed with cotton, and his vision seemed to blur when he sat up a little to quickly.

He reached for his phone, then blinked rapidly and turned down the brightness, his sensitive eyes still not fully adjusted to being awake. When he could see somewhat clearly, he saw a message from Tony.

Good morning, handsome. Can’t wait to see you tonight. Might be late for dinner but I’ll be home before bedtime. xx

Steve smiled, looking forward to being cuddled up in bed with Tony after a couple of nights of sleeping in a bed that was far too cold and far too large despite Steve’s super-soldier sized body. Then, suddenly, a cough rattled through him, and Steve bent over a the waist with the force of it, and he was left wheezing slightly.

It felt familiar; Steve could never forget feeling this way, this fatigued and feeble.

He was sick and he internally cursed Barton, positive that he’d spread his germs during movie-night. But then Steve remembered that he was the one to voluntarily sit next to his cold-ridden team member and basically placed himself directly in the risk zone.

Steve sighed heavily. Maybe he should’ve taken a page out of Tony’s book and worn a mask.

***

“uhhTSCHooosh! Ugh, excuse mbe.”

“Bless you,” Natasha said, an off-hand comment as she continued looking at mission files, but she nudged the tissue box closer to Steve when he kept sniffling into the cuff of his hoodie.

Steve grabbed a tissue and scrubbed at his nose with it, sighing a stuffy thanks into the material. He blew his nose quietly to stop the sniffles, but it only seemed to intensify the lingering itch. He could feel it burning all the way from the back of his nose, but it seemed stuck, leaving him with teary eyes and a series of false starts.

“h’ehh! ehh- snff! Uh- h’uh!”

Steve’s breath caught, the itch now filling his entire head, and he shook his head uncontrollably, trying to impede the sneeze, or coax it out, it didn’t really matter. All he wanted was to get rid of the irritation, one way or another. And after a few seconds, the tickle grew stronger, his nose twitched violently once, twice, and then he drew in a sharp breath.

“uhhhISH’uhh! huhHIISHHoo! USHHiew!”

Steve sighed, satisfied when his head was cleared from the buzzing sensation, but he felt bleary and snuffly after the forceful sneezes.

“Geez, Rogers, you’re a mess.” Natasha looked up from the files with a concerned expression. “Bless you.”

“I know… sorry,” Steve said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think I picked up Clint’s cold.”

“You think?” Natasha raised an eyebrow and smirked, but it was good-naturedly and her eyes were kind. “From what I can tell, this seems worse than what he had, though.”

“Yeah, I, uh, snff! I don’t think I’ve had a cold this bad since before the serum.” He tried to recall when he last felt like this, like he might pass out from exhaustion, even though he hadn’t moved all day, but he just remembered the times when Bucky had taken care of him before the war. “I’m alright, though.”

“Sure you are, tough guy,” Natasha grinned as she stood up and dipped down to squeeze Steve’s shoulder as she headed towards the kitchen. “So, what kind of tea do you like?”

***

“Sorry, Cap,” Clint said, sounding genuinely apologetic as Steve recovered from a coughing fit.

Steve shook his head and swallowed a sip of water from the glass Clint had given him as soon as he’d started coughing. “Not your fault,” Steve croaked, his voice raspy.

Natasha took a bit of her apple and leaned across the kitchen isle, glaring at Steve with examining eyes. “I still don’t get it. You were fine last night.”

Steve shrugged and ran a hand over his face. “I guess it just hit me all at once.”

Clint just hummed, and Natasha frowned, but didn’t say anything for a while.

“I think I might go to bed,” Steve announced after a few moments of quiet. Natasha and Clint exchanged a look Steve was too tired to even try to interpret what meant. He pushed his chair back from the table and stood up, crossing the kitchen to put his glass in the dishwasher.

“Bed? It’s 7:30, we haven’t even had dinner,” Clint pointed out.

“I’m not really hungry. I think I just need to lie down a little,” Steve said and smiled tiredly, trying to look like he was still a functional human being even though he was sick, but failing miserably with his bright red nose, watery eyes and slumped posture.

“You sure?” Natasha asked. “We can make soup for dinner, it’ll be good—”

Steve shook his head. “Sorry, I’m just not hungry… thanks, though. Really.” He smiled at them again and walked out of the kitchen, turning left around the corner.

“Uh, Cap?” Clint called out, confused. When Steve’s head popped back into view, he continued. “Your rooms is the other way, pal. You sure you’re okay?” Clint’s tone was light and jokey, but behind it was a thick layer of concern.

“Oh, yeah… Yeah, I’m just going back to my old quarter.” Steve pointed a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the room Steve had slept in before he officially moved into the penthouse with Tony.

“Why?” Natasha asked, also confused.

“I, um… Tony’s coming back tonight and I just… God, it’s so stupid.” Steve chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I just don’t want him to see me like�� like this. Everyone saw how disgusted he was when Clint was sick, and now I’m the one who’s all gross and germy and…” he trailed off as Clint and Natasha looked at him with soft expressions.

“Steve, if you think Tony’s going to break up with you because you’re sick then you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought,” Natasha said, voice somewhere between sincere and exasperated.

“… I’m too tired to take offence to that,” Steve sighed. “I’m not worried about him breaking up with me, he’s not a monster… he’s coming back from Tokyo and he’s probably exhausted, and he definitely doesn’t want to have to deal with… all this.” Steve made a vague gesture to his face and completed his sentence his a sniffle.

He sniffled again, and as if on cue, his nose twitched. Holding a fist loosely in front of his face, he jerked to the side and let out two throat-scraping, congested sneezes.

“hrruuushhh! Hrrushch!”

“Bless you,” Natasha and Clint said in unison. Steve acknowledged the blessing with a nod and reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumbled tissue to sniffle into. He looked absolutely miserable, his nose chapped and raw, cheeks flushed from fever and his eyes were glazed over and completely drained from energy.

“Look, Steve… I’m positive Stark won’t mind, and if he does, then that’s his problem. It has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with his own messed up mind, okay?” Natasha’s eyes were wide, and her eyebrows were drawn into a frown that said do you understand? It softened, though, when she watched Steve duck his head and his lips curl upwards.

“Thanks, you guys,” Steve mumbled in a small, fond voice.

“You sure about that soup, though? Or tea, tea would also be-“

“Not hungry,” Steve repeated, almost sounding sorry. “I’ll head up then. And, uh, thanks… again.” He smiled faintly and walked out of the kitchen. A few moments later, the two spies heard the ding! that sounded form the elevator heading for the penthouse.

***

“Honey, I’m home!” Tony called out as set down his briefcase before toeing off his shoes and loosening his tie. He sighed contently at the mixture of the relief of being home and the thought of finally getting to cuddle up next to Steve. When his boyfriend didn’t answer, he called out again. “Steve?”

Looking at his watch, Tony frowned. It was barely 10 pm, which was a lot earlier than the time usually went to sleep. He went to check the bedroom anyways, but the bed was empty and unmade, which… that was odd, because Steve always made the bed.

He wasn’t in the bathroom either, so Tony went back to the living room, and… oh.

On the sofa, lying in a nest of pillows and blankets, was Steve. One could only guess at how Tony had missed that when he walked in, but he was tired and jet-lagged, so he excused himself. He went over to examine the den and smiled adoringly down at Steve. His face barely peaked out from the cocoon he was wrapped up in, but Tony could clearly see the relaxed expression on his face.

Groaning as he sat down next to the sleeping soldier, Tony rubbed a hand up and down what he thought to be Steve’s arm. He couldn’t quite tell, though, through all the layers, but he kept smoothing his hand over the blankets until Steve’s eyes slowly fluttered open.

“T’ny?” Steve rasped.

“Hey, you,” Tony said, smiling. “What are you doing out here, hm?”

As Tony’s hand moved towards Steve’s cheek, the soldier drew back. At Tony’s bewildered appearance, Steve explained.

“Don’t— uh, you probably shouldn’t touch me. I, umb, snff! I have a cold.”

Steve blushed, and the pink tint to his cheeks wasn’t from the fever as much as it was from embarrassment. He glanced at Tony, then turned his gaze away when he felt Tony’s eyes locked on him. He drew even further away from Tony when he felt a well-known tingle in his nose, nostrils quivering and face crumbling before he stifled two sneezes into the blanket.

“huh-NGxtt! Hnngt-Ngxt!”

“God bless you,” Tony murmured and placed his hand on Steve’s cheek even though Steve had told him not to. “Why didn’t you tell me you were so sick, honey?”

That was… not quite how Steve had expected him to react, but he melted into the gentle touch, too selfish to flinch away again.

“I didn’t, uh-huh! s-sorry, hh-! H’ushoo!” He sneezed more freely this time, curling away from Tony. “Excuse mbe, SNFF! I didn’t want to bother you with it.” He felt kinda silly saying this, especially after seeing Tony so… not bothered at all.

“God, Steven, you could never bother me,” Tony said as he ran a hand through Steve’s sleep-mussed hair. “How long have you felt bad?”

“Just since this morning… been tired all day, though, so I thought an early night would do me some good.”

“Why aren’t you in bed then?” Tony asked, looking at the massive pile of blankets.

“I knew you were coming home, and I-I just thought it’d be better if I slept out here so I wouldn’t disturb you.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Disturb me,” he said incredulously. “Why would you think that?”

Steve felt himself go shy. “Because I’m all… icky and gross and— and I know you don’t like germs  and all that, so.”

“Please, Steve, I don’t care about that. You’re sick, there’s no way I’m not taking care of you.”

Steve thought his heart might have doubled in size with emotion, warmth flooding in his chest as Tony soothingly stroked his forehead.

“Sorry,” Steve said. “You just seemed at little… twitchy when Clint was sick, so I figured…”

“I know. Maybe I was a little overdramatic… Only a tiny bit, though,” Tony smirked and Steve chuckled.

“Well, look where it got me.”

“Hm… I’m sorry if I seemed insensitive, and I’m even more sorry if I made you feel bad for being sick. Friday was just… long and exhausting.” Tony sighed. “I promise you, I don’t mind one bit of this.” He leaned in closer to Steve, pressing a kiss to his forehead and letting out a concerned noise at the feel of burning hot skin against his lips.

“You need to get out of these. You’re burning up.”

Steve whimpered in protest as Tony tugged at the blanket. “But I’m cold.”

“You’re running a fever, Steve… We need to get you some medicine and into bed, okay?”

Steve nodded and slowly sat up straight, feeling woozy at the shift in position. Tony steadied him and helped him to his feet, bringing an arm around Steve’s waist and guided him towards the bedroom.

“Sorry I’m so sick,” Steve murmured, slumping onto the bed and started pulling his hoodie over his head, leaving him in his sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

“Shh, don’t apologize,” Tony cooed. “Get comfortable, I’ll be back in a second.”

The comforter was cool when Steve’s shifted underneath it, feeling good against his feverish skin and sent shivers down his spine. He leaned back into the pillows, head resting comfortably, and closed his eyes with a quiet moan.

Steve wrinkled his nose and rubbed firmly at it, trying to impede the building itch, but within a few seconds it became too strong, and he pulled the collar of his t-shirt over his mouth, waiting for the inevitable sneezes.

“Hh… eh! Heh’CHushh! TSS’hhuh! snfSNF! Hh’tsh!” He released his grip on the tee and gave a little ticklish cough, muttering under his breath, “Jesus.”

“God bless you, sweetheart.” Tony emerged from the door, carrying an overloaded tray. “Good thing I brought tissues.”

“Along with half of CVS,” Steve sniffled and smiled softly.

“These are essential, Steven,” Tony defended and sat down on the bed. “Tissues, Tylenol and de-congestants, some… other thing I found in the cabinet, tea…”

“I think I’ve had enough tea for a lifetime,” Steve admitted, but he reached out and grabbed the steaming cup anyway.

“Sick people can never have too much tea,” Tony said, putting his hand in Steve’s hair and massaged his scalp gently.

Steve sighed, feeling tension he hadn’t even noticed was there bleeding out of him, and snuffled into the tea. The steam made him able to breathe through his nose again, but it left him sniffling and it made his nose run. He gratefully accepted the tissue Tony offered him and handed over the cup before blowing his nose.

Tony hummed sympathetically when blowing his nose made him cough, and Steve went a little bashful at the attention. “Sorry…”

Tony shook his head, wanting to tell him not to apologize for what felt like the tenth time within the hour he’d been home, but instead he snuggled closer to him, wrapping an arm around Steve’s broad shoulders and placed a soft peck into the messy, blonde hair.

They ended up putting on an old 80’s movie in the background while Steve took the medicine and finished his tea. After that, they cuddled up, Tony telling him about his trip to Tokyo and the SI-project they were starting, but before Tony got to the part where he got off the plane in Japan, Steve had dozed off, his head resting against Tony’s shoulder.

[witchcraft-in-wonderland]

Rockabye Royalty (One-Shot)

-------------------------

"I dont care! Just get out of my house! I'm not taking care of a stupid baby!" Virgil's head rang with the sound of his boyfriend's yells. He hadnt meant for this to happen. He'd been on the pill, there was hardly a time when he wasn't. Erin had promised to keep him safe, he'd promised that nothing was going to break them apart. Yet here he was with fury in his eyes, holding a stick with two lines on it.

"Erin you promised! You said you werent going to leave!" Tears were pouring from Virgil's eyes, his chest was tight, he could barely see straight.

"I never promised anything for a baby!." And then Virgil was on the sidewalk, leaning against the building with his head in his hands. He couldn't go back inside to get his things, that was for sure.

"I'm so sorry. . ." He whispered, holding a hand to his stomach. They were supposed to be a family, they were supposed to be happy together. He was only twenty, he couldnt take care of a baby.

Virgil waited for himself to calm down, staring up at the sky in the hopes that no one would look at him.

When he finally calmed down he made his way to the nearest hotel he could find, he supposed it was lucky he'd always remembered his friend's advice of keeping the large bills in bras, Erin had always hated looking at those. Virgil pulled out a few before walking inside, covering up with his hoodie so it didnt look strange.

"How many nights can this cover?" Virgil said to the woman at the desk, placing a few twenties on the counter. He bit his lip, not really expecting an answer.

The woman looked him up and down, a sympathetic look in her pale green eyes.

"Stay as long as you need sweetheart, I'll cover it for you," Virgil let out a sigh of relief, he felt like he was about to start crying.

"Thank you thank you thank you-" he stopped himself from adding anymore thank yous at the last minute.

"Do you need anything special in particular?" Asked the woman, Virgil scanned for her name tag, Mrs. Evans.

"I uh-" he paused, shuffling his feet. He wasnt sure this would count as special arrangements or get him turned away. Subconsciously he pulled his hoodie further over his stomach.

Mrs. Evans' eyes widened, a look of realization dawning on her face. She ducked under the counter and thrust a key into his hands.

"Here you go, room 13, and dont you worry about meals or anything, it's all free," she pushed a few magazines toward him, a quick scan of the covers showed him a few job opportunities. Virgil merely nodded, scooping up the magazines and rushing off to the room, he heard Mrs. Evan's making a call in the distance, she sounded worried, he felt a twinge of guilt in his chest.

The room was larger than he'd expected for only having one bed. There was a tv, multiple appliances, including a coffee machine, and of course, a bathroom. Virgil sat down in the couch at the corner of the room, opening the blinds slightly before holding his hands to his face.

"Oh gods what am I going to do for clothes? I cant go looking for jobs yet! I wouldnt even be able to stay that long!" He didnt really know who he was talking to, there was no one else in the room.

He got an answer to his question a few days later when what seemed to be a trash bag full of clothing showed up on his doorstep. He picked up the card attached to it, but all that was there was the image of a heart bursting into flames, with a crown around its middle. Virgil shrugged and dragged the clothes into the room. It was mostly hoodies and overly large t-shirts, but there were a few outfits in an appropriate size as well. He set to work on hanging them all up, ignoring the pain in his stomach.

The real problem started a few months later. He'd been laying on his bed watching the tv and flipping through a magazine when he felt it, the baby was coming.

He didn't think he'd have time to get to the hospital, but he remembered an offer Mrs. Evan's, or Cassira as he knew her now, had made a few days after he'd gotten there. He buzzed the front desk quickly and in a matter of minutes, there she was.

Virgil didnt remember much else, if he was being honest with himself he'd probably passed out. When he opened his eyes he was laying in the bath tub, a mess of towels and a pair of underwear and sweatpants discarded on the floor. He blinked a few times, and then he heard crying.

"Shhh, shhh, it's ok little one,look, daddy's awake, its ok," Cassira was holding something swaddled in Virgil's hoodie, she passed it over to him and he held the small child in his arms.

"Its a girl," Cassira said, not putting much emphasis on the last word.

"Hi," Virigl said softly, looking at the mini version of himself swaddled in the jacket. She had the same soft face, and the same purple and green heterochromia, though her hair was a more jet black color, like Erin's. She smiled as she looked at Virgil, letting out a laugh somewhat like wind chimes.

"You let me know if you need anything," said Cassira. Virgil nodded and watched her leave.

He sat there for a while, watching the bundle in his arms with a fond smile on his face.

"I think we'll call you, Olivia," Virgil said, holding her close.

It took him a few minutes to finally get out of the tub, clean up, and redress himself, all the while keeping Olivia safe.

About six years had passed, Virgil was working full time at a retail job, the only thing he could get while he was working on a degree in Education. When he wasnt working or studying, all of his time went to Olivia. While they were still living at the hotel, Virgil had finally started earning enough to pay for her clothes and schooling and at least a few toys. He was looking into houses as well, he couldn't live in Room 13 for the rest of his life, even if it was free.

Virgil watched Olivia play with a rubik's cube he'd bought her as he wandered the aisles of the shopping center, uncomfortably aware of the people around him.

"Remus I'm just saying! It's not that bad of an idea!" Virgil stopped the cart just moments before a tall man with dark crimson hair and green eyes walked out in front of it.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Virgil growled.

The man stopped "Remus I'm gonna have to call you back," he said, hanging up the phone.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"And who is this little princess," the man turned his attention to Olivia, who was sticking her tongue out in concentration over the colorful block in her hands.

"'m Olivia," she said quietly, giggling.

"And we were just leaving," Virgil said, anxious to get out of the aisle. Whoever this man was, he didnt want to be near him for to long.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but Virgil was already pushing past him.

But that wasnt the last time he'd meet the man. The two started seeing each other at nearly every store, on the way to the movies, and eventually, at the hotel itself.

"Ok, can you just admit you're stalking me like some freak or are you just going to act all innocent every time we bump into each other," Virgil said, covering Olivia's ears.

"I'm not doing it on purpose!" Said the man, Virgil took a step back.

"Wait- I didnt mean-" the man paused for a second, looking at his hands.

"Look, I'm not intentionally trying to meet up with you, though you seem like a nice guy, my name is Roman Prince-Duke, I run a modeling agency with my brother," Roman said, tapping his fingers together.

"Oh?" Virgil raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I wasnt taking pictures of you! I mean I'd like to- but like as a job! Not in a creepy way!" Virgil's face went red. This seemed to catch Olivia's attention, as she finally stopped fumbling with his hoodie strings to look over at Roman.

"Daddy's gonna marry a prince," she whispered, causing the blush on Virgil's face to grow even further. Roman let out a small chuckle, covering his mouth.

"Ollie that's not how it works sweetie," Virgil said with a laugh.

"So how much would I be paid? What are the requirements?" Virgil asked.

"Fifty dollars per photo, and you get to make the decision on outfits used and pose adjustments," Roman said.

"Alright, I'll bite," Virgil said, if he was honest, he'd do anything to get out of his current job.

It was about a week before he could finally make the shift. He'd decided to bring Olivia with him to the building. It was large and ornate, posters of attractive men and women were smiling down at him. But it was different, the people in the photos were dancing, singing, they were acting like people. Virgil pushed the door open, snatching Olivia out just before she started spinning it in circles.

"Daddy look!" Olivia pointed upwards towards a fountain at the center of the room.

"I see it Ollie," Virgil said, smiling. He walked to the front desk, where a short man with light brown hair and round glasses was typing away at a computer.

Virgil was about to open his mouth before the boy looked up, and noticed Olivia.

"Oh my gosh look at you! Arent you just the cutest thing!" Olivia giggled as the man ruffled her hair.

"You must be Virgil then? Roman's been absolutely raving about you," said the man.

"Did I hear my name Patton?" Roman said as he walked into the room, and then he noticed Virgil.

"Virgil! Lovely!" He clasped his hands together.

"Come with me, Patton can take care of Olivia while we're at our meeting," Roman said. Virgil stood there for a few seconds, looking between Patton and Olivia before finally letting go of her hand. She rushed behind the desk and stood on her tiptoes to stare at the computer.

Roman's office was covered in decorations of mythical creatures and outfit designs. In the center es a desk with two large and comfy looking chairs in front and behind it. Virgil sat down in the one in front, watching as Roman made his way to the opposite one.

"So, first things, you seem to be more into comfort yes? Overly large sweaters, t-shirts, sweatpants, that kind of thing?" Virgil nodded.

"Anything you absolutely wont do? Any aversions to skirts? Dresses?" Roman continued.

"As long as it's not form fitting and you cant see anything on my chest or below my waist I dont care," Virgil replied. Roman nodded and wrote something down.

Virgil had been at the job for about two months when he noticed the changes. He'd already known that he thought Roman was hot, but now Roman seemed to want to be around him more as well.

They went out for ice cream after photo shoots, Roman came with Virgil to pick out a new house, if Virgil needed a break Roman would let Patton watch Olivia so they two of them could have spa days.

Virgil had been suppressing it for a while, he didnt want to believe he was falling in love again, or that a boy was falling in love with him. He was afraid, afraid Roman would become the new Erin. But fate seemed to have other plans.

They were relaxing in a hot tub, Virgil's back pressed up against one of the jets, head resting on the outer rim.

"Virgil, I've been planning on this for a while, and I think now might be the best time to tell you," Roman spoke softly, but Virgil could still feel his limbs tense.

"You can say no if you want, I wont mind, but I think- I think I want to go on a date with you, like an official one," Virgil looked up, clutching the edge of the 'seat'.

"Well- I uh- I mean you're very nice but I-" Virgil could feel tears forming in his eyes.

"Oh no no Virgil- dont cry- I understand, you dont have to, we can just be friends," Roman pushed Virgil's hair out of his face, worried evident in his eyes.

"I-I do want to be more than friends- but I-" Roman's eyes widened suddenly, his hand instinctively moving to Virgil's side, his thumb brushing against Virgil's stomach.

"I wont, I swear, you have my permission to chuck me off a building if I do," Roman said, earning a laugh from Virgil.

Virgil wrapped his arms around Roman's neck, pressing their foreheads together and smiling.

"Then yes, I will date you," and Roman pulled Virgil into a kiss that would only be rivaled by the one they shared ten years later, with Olivia by Virgil's side, and her girlfriend by Roman's, as Virgil finally realized he'd found the man who would keep him and his daughter safe for as long as the family lived.

----------------------------------------------

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