#will I put it in drafts? nah

[carbohydratedfella]

Sighs. You know what, since Im already in this hell hole I might as well dig deeper

Image by @/nvmsry

Mike Schimdt x Male!Reader

>> Mike finally gets the comfort he so desesperally deserves. Reader is taller/bigger than him

>> 1500± words.

>> CW/TW: Angst + Fluff. Not proofread 🧍

...

You and Mike had met in the shopping mall, while he still worked as a security guard. You simply needed to find a certain store that was nowhere to be found. Luckily, he offered to show you the way there.

You two decided to chat during that time, he had to look up (literally) at other people quite often, but you just seemed so kind he couldnt help but to feel his face heat up whenever you spoke. Maybe It was just the first signs of exhaustion kicking in, yeah definitelly.

"-oh, by the way..."

You began speaking, pulling out a small papernote with your number written on It.

"...lets keep in touch"

You could see the hesitency in his brown eyes, slightly lowering and looking at it, his hands trembling ever so slightly when he grabbed the paper. Stuffing It into his pockets.

"..sure."

In turn, he decide to give his number to you, and you made sure to memorized It, a bright smile coming to your face that he wishes he could burn It into his memory, and cherish It forever.

...

He held the phone number close to his heart, and at home was always tempted to call you, but at the same time didnt want to bother you with his problems. So he settled for just speaking to your face to face, in the few days you'd show up there.

But then...he got fired. And he at the bottom of well away. Now having a new problem to deal with.

He eventually took the new job the guidance counselor had proposed to him.

The custody battle, the night shift, the possibility of getting evicted. It all started to weight heavily on him. The constant stress made him barely function as a human being, sometimes he felt like rusting machine working endlessly, who will inevitably break down in just a matter of time.

He barely ate, barely hydrated, all his energy essencially came from the few sleeping hours he had, and even that started to feel exhausting, waking up more tired than the night before.

He slumped onto the couch, rubbing his eyes open. Abby was still asleep, good. At this point he didnt even know where his headache originated from, the tiredness, the dehydration, the stress, they all contributed to It. Laying down and trying to calm down his nerves.

He was barely even conscious, or functoning for that matter. He had to calm down, somehow. He shifted into the couch again, and felt a small crumpled paper within the cushions. He imediatly recognized It as the same papernwith your phone number on it

"Ah, how could I forget that?"

He was been ao busy, he barely even realized It had been days since the last time he had spoken to you. With shaky fingers, and a LOT of hesitancy, he decided to call you. Maybe your voice could calm him down a bit, It always did.

"Hello?..."

He asked and called your name, his voice a bit deeper than usual due to his sleepy state. His finger fidgeted with the phone cable, waiting for you to answer.

"Yes, that is him. Who is It?...Mike?"

You asked with a short pause. He couldnt believe It, you recognized his voice imediatly?

"Uh...yeah, just wanted to say hi"

His voice was low and a bit shy, tiredness slipping throught his tone.

Meanwhile your voice radiated energy, and you couldnt help but feel happy to finally hear him again.

"Hey Man! How's It going? Wow its been a long time huh? (Barely a week). Do you wanna hang out or something?"

He almost jumped at your request. His heart stammering and begging him to say yes...but alas...

"ah...Sorry I cant really hang out. I got a night shift and in the morning I have to take Care of Abby n such"

He said in a a apologetic tone, mentally slapping himself on the face for having to say that. He wanted that so badly. So fucking badly. Just the though helped soothe his ache, but he had bigger responsabilities to take care of.

You sighed, It was a bit sad but, you werent about to give up now.

"Oh, its alright. I can just stop by your house instead!"

"wait what-"

"I can even bring some beer!-oh..wait, nevermind, how old is Abby again? Ack, doesnt matter ill just being some juice instead"

He wanted to speak, but his words keeping fumbling with one another with you giving more and more ideas.

"ah-its...its fine really, you dont have to being anything..."

"can I still show up?"

"...I...you know...sure"

He gave you his address and in no time you started heading towards his home.

Meanwhile he was nervous. Heart stammering on his chest. He quickly started to (try) to clean his home. At least try to keep It more tidy.

But when he heard the door ring his heart stopped. You were here. Oh God. Oh wow.

He dusted his clothes and ran his hand throught his hair. Then finally opened the door.

"Hey..."

He said with his soft smile and small wave. Meanwhile your met him with a bright, big one.

"Hey Man! I-oh shit dude you look awful"

His smile faltered, and he looked down at himself

"what?"

You looked down at his face and gently cupped it to properly see his curls and soft brown eyes. But the eyebags he had also were a obvious tell to his lack of sleep.

"when was the last time you slept?"

His face imediatly started to warm up, a bit from embarassement. Were you able to tell that easily?

"I...uhh...been too busy I guess."

The brushes the back of his neck, and looked away

"Do you wanna watch a movie...or something?"

He then asked, eyes darted away while he tried to change the subject. You could read right throught him and noticed something was troubling him, but knowing Mike you knew wasnt gonna just say It to you.

You smiled and accepted the offer, both of you now making your way to his couch to watch some generic dvd he had.

You were seated next to one another, knees barely touching. You attention was more on him than the move itself, and he seemed to be doing the same.

His troubled eyes darting from the tv, to the floor and to your lap, maybe eye contact wasnt his best skill afterall.

You decided to be bold, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him towards you, no space in between you two. He could hear you breathing, the way your chest would rise up and down, and the cherry on top, was when you started to gently scratch his scalp. Any migrains vanishing instandly as he essentially melted on top of you.

God, he could die right then and there and he wouldnt mind at all. The sight made you smile more and you decided to take this oportunity to ask

"Something tells me you havent been "just busy"...are you ok Mike?"

He closed his eyes and tried to push his face deeper into your chest, his hands gently holding onto the rem of your shirt. Mumbling something incoherent to you, something along the lines of "Im fine"

"Mike Im being serious"

You pressed on.

"You look like youre about to pass out. What happened?"

He sighed, and slowly decided to open up to you.

At first, he didnt wanna speak much, to not scared you away, looking away and fidgeting with your shirt, so he started venting about his job...then his responsabilities of Abby. But as time went on, and he began mumbling more and more, he got to some other more personal topics, like his nightmares.

When he opened his mouth to speak his chest felt heavy, dificult to breath and before he knew It, tears started rolling down his eyes.

"S-sorry...I'm bothering you I should sto-"

You shushed him, then wrapped your arms around his waist, and pulled him even closer, towards you lap. Then you gently made his head rest on your collarbone.

And If the sight didnt cut deep within your heart, how many things have this Man been carrying on his back by himself? No Family members, No aid, heck It was a surprise he managed to keep that within himself for so damn long.

Your arms served as a protective shield and a warm blanket. Your cologne, tho strong, was slowly intoxicating his brain and making him feel safe like in a little cocoon. He closed his eyes as his breathing got better.

"You're too good for me"

He felt calm. Finally. A peacefull slumber slowly taking over his body. And he Fell asleep right then and there.

You chuckled.

"Wow you really havent been sleeping properly huh?"

Gently brushing his hair and whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

Yes he was asleep on you, but it's not like you were gonna complain about It. You made yourself more comfortable on the couch and slowly, fell asleep yourself.

....

Author's note: So this was supposed to be short. 500 words max buuuut... :3

[three--rings]

Okay so I know we're in this big anti-sex cultural moment.

And I know my own personal standards on this issue are way out there. I am a sex first relationship later person. It's just how I roll. So I'm biased.

But I have to say, everyone talks like it's definitely for sure that it was a bad idea for Ed and Stede to have sex when they did.

And honestly, like, I'm not even arguing with that. It was a very understandable time for them to have sex. There should have been some more talking either before or AFTER about how they were both feeling. But it wasn't ideal perhaps.

Still I want to be clear: I don't think them having sex is the fucking problem here.

Ed is overwhelmed and unsure of where he fits right now. He's been through a lot of trauma recently (and caused a lot of course.) So it's understandable why he'd feel unprepared to add sex with Stede on top of it all.

However, they both do very much want to have sex with each other. And when two people are in love and really attracted to each other and really want to have sex, even if they have other reasons why they are holding back from it...well, eventually they're going to have sex. Sooner or later, but probably sooner.

Time in this show is very difficult to gauge, especially this season. So some time has passed between the moonlight scene and the beginning of ep 6. Ed had his leathers back, he's not wearing the bell, things have changed and progressed. It's not the next day. Probably.

We don't get to know how much time it's been or what has been said in between. Ed seems basically in the same place mentally. If not a worse one. Progress is not being made.

It's easy to criticize Stede for initiating a rather aggressive pounce on Ed in the wake of his trauma. But he's clearly not thinking. That's his issue, separate from the question of whether Ed is ready, so I'm not going to get into it. But he does pause, and he looks to Ed for permission, which Ed gives before enthusiastically and passionately joining in.

They both just went through a scary time. They both are seeking comfort in each other. It means sooner comes rather than later in the inevitable 'they're GOING to fuck' race. I know that sentence is a trashfire but let's move on.

Ed is happy in the morning. He's a little nervous, with the breakfast, but he feels good about dumping his leathers. He's come to a decision. Even after he starts to get nervous after Stede talks about their career, he's mostly fine when they go eat. Relaxed, happy about what happened.

And then all the fame stuff starts and he's fine at first. He talks to Jackie and is fine about it until Jackie is like yeah but you have a problem with your man. He talks to Izzy.

Now he's REALLY done a 180. He doesn't see his desired life and Stede's desired life matching up. Stede apparently doesn't understand Ed and where he's at if he thinks they're going to be pirates together now.

This is the problem. This is what upsets Ed. he spirals for hours. He's running scenarios and coming to negative conclusions. He's not valuable or loveable if he's not Blackbeard. Stede doesn't want him if he doesn't fit into that life. He needs to move on. He is panicked and freaking out.

Then he talks to Stede, after already making the decision to leave and go fishing. Like, let's be clear, he doesn't decide that during their fight. He's decided and signed on. He's just saying goodbye.

It's only then that he brings up the sex. He does throw blame at Stede for it a bit, which I think is mostly fair. But he also isn't accounting for Stede's state of mind at the time. They were both off tilt. But he digs into that, and to me, I think he's using the sex as an excuse.

He didn't have a problem with the sex itself. He was happy in the morning and after. Smiling, smug, cute, loved up, having heart to hearts about mermaids and letters.

It was all the life/identity stuff that crashed in that shifted him. But he doesn't know how to talk about that. He doesn't know how to explain it or be vulnerable about his worst fears and self-worth issues.

So he goes on offense and says hey, actually, this is your fault. He picks the issue he has words for, the only one they've actually talked at all about.

Stede is NOT wrong when he identifies Ed as panicking and wanting to run. Stede is recognizing the behavior from himself.

Just like it's not about Ed wanting to fish, it's not about them going too fast. It's about them not communicating about their deepest needs and desires and fears.

They can have sex or not have sex, if they're not communicating it won't work. They could continue fucking like rabbits and have long talks in between sessions and get really really far. Or do what they've been doing which is NOT having sex and also not communicating which can go on forever and they won't get closer to happy.

I feel like fandom has latched on to this one thing as The Problem, because it's all Ed SAID was a problem. But we have lots of evidence otherwise.

I mean, even the conversation...Ed says it's too fast, Stede is like...okay well we can do whatever. He doesn't get defensive even though he's hurt. But that's not good enough, because that's not actually the problem. But at that point Ed really starts running away.

And they start getting more heated, both being sloppy at expressing themselves. (Stede is unfortunately pretty freaking drunk.)

I think they are both very avoidant personalities when it comes to this kind of thing, this kind of deeply personal conflict. Their anxieties keep them from being honest. And so the sex combined with Stede's killing of a man, and newfound fame, that all became a crisis that forced them to confront these issues. I think ultimately probably for the best, instead of not addressing them.

[paddingtonfan69]

can’t belive MARVEL did a faggot/dyke team up before some of you insular FREAKS on this website

[invinciblerodent]

screenshot dump upon ye

[herefortheships]

I noticed someone on Reddit commented something similar to my theory about how Betelgeuse and Lydia are linked (this post I wrote in October) and instead of crediting me they wrote something like "I read someone say...". I didn't think much of it, but was a little startled to see someone clearly referencing my theory without crediting me. I let it go and didn't mind it originally because I thought it was cool that this particular idea about how Betelgeuse and Lydia are linked is spreading. But now I saw a second person post, this time under a YouTube video, about the same theory but saying "Something interesting I read on Reddit about the wedding ceremony". Now THAT annoyed me because the comment on Reddit they are talking about is the one that clearly referenced my post without crediting me.

Why not say my blog name or post a link or something? Like I said, the first time I wasn't too bothered because I think it's cool that my little theory is spreading around in the fandom (and hey, maybe someone wrote a similar theory and I just never saw it, after I wrote mine, and maybe that was their source), but now that I saw this second person post about it referencing the Reddit post like it was that person on Reddit who came up with it, now I am bothered.

The person who posted on Reddit wrote "I read somewhere" so it wasn't their original thought, why not credit the source? It might not even be MY post that was their source, who the fuck knows? But I think it's shitty to make a post with someone else's ideas and NOT credit them, and then those ideas keep spreading around from that uncredited post and nobody knows where the theory actually originated.

Anyway, if their source was someone else who hadn't read my post, then I think it's cool that more people are reaching the same conclusions and coming up with the same theories, but whether it was my post or someone else's who inspired that person to post that comment, they should have credited the source of the idea they wrote about.

If you're going to make a post using the ideas someone else wrote about, then CREDIT that source! Because then the ideas just keep spreading around and then the person who originated those ideas is left uncredited and I think that's unfair.

[kiingbiing]

[lycaran]

Apologies for the poor picture quality, my phone camera is cracked. But, anyway, got the Greed Tattoo I posted about a while back, I think it turned out pretty well. The red might need some touch up but honestly I'm happy with it.

[actualbird]

hey so remember the insane 17.1k word long tot fan analyses compilation pdf i made last year “The Journal of NXX Investigation Team Behavioral Studies"

well wanna make a volume 2 of that, with all the tot analyses i made AFTER i made that pdf! but also i want some feedback help on the layout of volume 1, so that volume 2 can be more readable

so it'd be such a huge help to me if u cld answer this short survey i made about its layouting :D

thats all! have a nice day ^w^

[5hrignold]

charlie and pim are so good for me cuz they come from one of the goofiest most unserious things ever which is usually the type of thing that attracts me and usually i just have my fun and put all my cringe into it and it’s fine. but with these two there’s that but they also actually do love eachother . something that’s been said tons of times while talking about the show is that the fact that charlie and pim are best friends and purposely stick together and it isn’t like a “one guy is annoying and the other guy doesn’t like him” situation at all , makes the show better because their friendship being so sincere and sweet just works infinitely better for it than if they didn’t like eachother or charlie just didn’t like pim. and they have currently a handful of nice moments that are just there to establish that they’re good friends and then also 80% of their dialogue together is just them talking normally which like i said. for some reason i don’t know tjats Always the type of thing that pulls me in and just makes me want to make up stuff about the characters and their relationships But here i dont even need to do that myself. its everything i love that’s my point

[nameificationart]

"Lethe"

The Hunter • Manus Dei

"The Hunter from the Boreal Mountains" or so it has been called. Not much is known of this enigmatic hunter, only that it lives alone amongst the trees, is an expert hunter, and that it wear some kind of hand-shaked mask over its right eye.

[faytelumos]

Catch me completely unable to force myself to write even the most exciting scenes in a story.

[crownshattered]

|| Fun fact!!

I named Kristian based off of Hans Christian Andersen~ I've always thought it was interesting that the original author of "The Snow Queen"'s first name was Hans, like Hans from Frozen (and I still wonder if that was intentional). So, for my twst Hans oc, I took the author's MIDDLE name to keep the trend~ But I didn't want it to be too on the nose, so I named him "Kristian" instead of "Christian".

I was so proud of myself and my excellent naming for months before I realized his name makes him seem like he's twisted off of Kristoff instead...

[all444miles]

— JERSEY LUV

— pairing: e-42 miles x black!fem!reader — genre: suggestive, but fluff. — summary: attractive things Miles does that just make you fold instantly. — a/n: this was js in my drafts n i was like "i should post this" while yall waiting 4 my new fic !! the entire time i was writing this I was losing my absolute SHITTT. 😭 Like, i was dead by the first hc. this might as well be those "what's it like dating miles" type shi but i wanted to make it diff, yk? listen to some kind of fold-worthy song while u read this - anyways, im waffling. enjoy, mls !! part 2 part 3 !

MILES MORALES that does not take your attitude. He loves you, yes, but if you do too much or talk crazy, he's gonna put you in your place. It's nun violent, of course, but he may just grab your neck once or twice.

"Chiquita, watch yo tone wit me." "Drop that attitude f'me." "Miss me with that voice, ma."

MILES MORALES that manspreads. that's it. that's all.

MILES MORALES that's always gonna call you by some kind of nickname. He just loves it, and you do too. Princesa, ma, hermosa, the list goes on and on. One time he called you lil mami (if you're shorter) and you actually lost it.

MILES MORALES that always has his hands on you. Your waist, your thigh, your face, everywhere. He just needs to make sure your there.

MILES MORALES that lives for your kisses and always kisses you. Doesn't matter the place, the time, nothing. If he wants a kiss from you, or wants to give you some, it's gonna happen. Especially when you have lipstick/lipgloss on.

"Mi reina, lemme love on you."

MILES MORALES that drives with one hand because his other always on your thigh. It's like his lil resting spot.

MILES MORALES that'll always let you know he misses you, he'll spam you with "i miss you" texts or voice notes w him going on abt his day when you not around ‹3

MILES MORALES that has social media but only uses it to post you. You the love of his life, why wouldn't he let evb else know that?

MILES MORALES that loves to spoil you. You like that pandora bracelet? It's yours. You have a shein cart? Its on its way. He loves to spoil his girl, its his love language atp.

MILES MORALES that always keeps eye contact with you and make sure you keep contact with him whenever yall talking. dont look away if he say sum that makes you fold, he gon grab your chin and make you face him 🤭

"Nah nah baby, don't turn away. Keep ya eyes on me."

quick @ to my boo @laaailuh

© all444miles 2023. do not plagerize, copy, or repost my work in any way shape or form, without my permission.

likes, reblogs, comments and asks are always appreciated !

[sissyisawitch]

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Relationship: Ominis Gaunt x You

Summary: Even though the two of you are not on good terms after a certain event, you and Ominis decide to go and explore Salazar Slytherin's Scriptorium in order to help Sebastian. But you know what they say, danger helps to reconcile… but also to bring out the truth. Alternative : My take on the Scriptorium incident.

Word Count: ~5.5k

Author's Note: Hi! It's been a while... I haven't had much time for myself lately, so I've put writing aside. But summer's here, so I took the opportunity to finish this draft that I've had for far too long. And what better way to come back than with some Ominis fluff? Enjoy!🌞

Warnings: Major spoilers for the "In the Shadow of the Study" quest

“I know no ways to mince it in love, but directly to say ‘I love you.’”

You felt a wrench in your heart as you read those few words written by Shakespeare. It was astonishing how a few drops of ink on the page of a book, a simple garland of lines and curls drawn in different directions, could trigger disproportionate reactions. Did everyone else feel the same way, or was it just that you were too sensitive?

Or perhaps it was simply that these damn love stories reminded you that you had not had the right to your own, that the boy to whom you had offered your heart had given it back to you completely mutilated?

Another wrench in your heart.

‘It’s simple and concise for a declaration of love… but at least she had the right to one, and one that had the merit of being clear and direct to boot’, you could not help thinking as you reread your book.

Time had passed, but you still felt it all. The disappointment, the humiliation, the resentment that came with the sensation of having had your feelings played with, the hatred you felt towards yourself for having let yourself be fooled, not to mention the torrents of tears you had shed. But the most devastating feeling was undoubtedly the despair you felt when you remembered that you had absolutely ruined everything with one of the most important people in your life.

Ominis… Sweet, caring, beautiful Ominis… Your best and closest friend. And to think that three little words of love spoken a couple of weeks ago – the same ones you had just read – had been enough to destroy the strong bond between you two.

Once again, it was astonishing how a series of letters, a succession of various sounds, could trigger such a disproportionate reaction and write over months of shared moments of laughter, of little attentions to one another.

“So!”

You abruptly lifted your head from your book – which you were only skimming through – after Sebastian abruptly dropped down next to you on the sofa in the common room.

“Still moping around?”

“Nah, I’m in tip-top form, can’t you see?” You deadpanned, your voice brimming with irony.

“My, my. No need for the attitude.” Sebastian smirked at your feisty character.

Sebastian had got used pretty quickly to this new dynamic. He would have breakfast with you because you were both late risers. During the day, he would sit next to either you or Ominis depending on the class, making sure to maintain an equity. For example, he would sit with you in Defence Against the Dark Arts because he loved duelling you, and he would sit with Ominis in Potions so that he could help him. As for the evening, he would have dinner with Ominis, and then come back to see you once the blond had gone to bed.

In fact, without even exchanging a single word, you and Ominis had concocted a shared custody schedule of your best friend.

Sebastian continued, entirely oblivious to your reveries, “Anyway, I’ve got something to take your mind off things!”

You could not hold back the sigh that left your lips, “Another brilliant idea of yours, I presume?”

“And your presumptions couldn’t be more right.”

Sebastian proudly explained his latest discovery, that Salazar Slytherin had a secret Scriptorium here at Hogwarts. He was evidently determined to explore it, insisting that it might hold answers as to how to heal Anne.

So far, it seemed to be just another of Sebastian’s plans…

“…The only problem is that only a Gaunt knows where the entrance is… So we have to ask Ominis.”

You raised a dubious eyebrow at him, “This… is your brilliant idea to take my mind off things?”

“Oh, come on! It’s important to me! And if you don’t want to do it for me, then do it for Anne! You can tolerate his presence for a few minutes, can’t you?”

As you looked down and pinched the bridge of your nose, another sigh escaped you. It was becoming an unfortunate habit when you were around Sebastian.

You sighed once more, this time in capitulation, “Okay… I’m in.”

When a beaming smile started to tug at the corners of his lips, you immediately interrupted him with a menacing finger pointed at his chest.

“But! You do the talking. The less I talk to him, the better I feel.”

“Deal.” He replied with a mysterious glint in his gaze. “Come on, let’s get this over with. I’ll lead you to him.”

“What? Now?” You exclaimed with wide eyes. It had to be said that you had no desire to go, and that postponing the fateful moment until as late as possible sounded fabulous at the moment.

“Of course, now! Do you really want to do this in broad daylight and get busted by the teachers?”

“When you put it like that… Let’s go.” Without wasting another second, you got up from the sofa with a newfound determination that you had not suspected, but which Sebastian always knew how to awaken using the right words.

After climbing the spiral staircase leading out of the common room, Sebastian led you – if not dragged you – through various corridors of the castle which you were not used to venturing into, and which were very rarely frequented.

If you were reluctantly following, the boy accompanying you was as cheerful as could be. You could tell by the way he moved with haste, his steps almost bouncing. He looked like a young child who had just had one of his whims indulged (and, in a way, he had).

Sebastian suddenly stopped in his tracks and nodded his head towards Ominis who was standing on the other end of the corridor, “Go on, go convince him.”

You turned sharply towards him, giving him a disapproving look, “You said you’d do the talking!”

“Exactly, the talking, which I already did, and it didn’t work. So now, you go do the convincing.”

“Sneaky bastard.” You muttered under your breath, sending him one last murderous glare.

As you approached the mysterious blond, you could not help but analyse him from head to toe. His silky hair was as well-brushed as ever, giving him his typical elegance. He was leaning against a wall, the features of his face impassive, making you wonder what could be going on in that impenetrable, but undoubtedly fascinating, mind of his. Merlin, everything about him was so adorable…

Fuck. You could not go on thinking like that. You had to move on from him, even if it was going to take a colossal effort.

But… that did not mean you had to stop watching him categorically. No, you could continue to observe banal things about him, like the way he suddenly took a deep breath before his shoulders relaxed, while you were only a few steps away from him.

Before you could announce your presence, Ominis called your name.

“U-Um yes, hi… How… How did you know it was me?” You stammered awkwardly, still mentally unprepared to start a conversation with Ominis.

“Your perfume. I’ve got used to it. I could recognise it in a million.” He declared easily, as if it were the most banal thing to say to someone you had recently rejected.

“Oh…”

Upon hearing your long and awkward silence, his serene and composed appearance was quickly overwritten with his own discomfort, “Listen, about last time… I wanted you to know that I sincerely apologise. I should not have avoided you for so long and–”

“Let’s not talk about this, alright?” You cut him short, physically pained just by the memory of your last conversation. “I just want to forget this ever happened… Besides, that’s not what I came to talk to you about.”

“I’m listening.”

It did not take long to convince him to reveal the location of Salazar Slytherin’s secret room, just a few minutes at the most. After all, you knew Ominis like the back of your hand, so it was child’s play to find the words he needed to hear.

But that didn’t mean you kept talking to him afterwards.

Once you entered the Scriptorium, you did not utter a single word. Your demeanour, which had been warm and understanding a few minutes earlier, was now nowhere to be seen. Seeing you acting so silent, cold and detached, Ominis must certainly have thought you were unrecognisable. If that was the case, he did not show it. On the contrary, he was always trying to get as close to you as possible, all the while scratching the back of his neck, or running a hand through his hair nervously, as if he wanted to start a conversation but did not dare. For some reason that eluded you, he also insisted that you stay behind him whenever you entered a new room.

The only thing you knew for sure was that he was desperate to reweave the invisible string between the two of you that had been the source of your formerly close friendship. But there was a problem… it was still too early and too painful for you to mend it on your end.

So you simply solved the various challenges you came across, and eventually silently handed the letters you found from Noctua to Ominis, so that he could read them for himself with his wand (admittedly, you wanted to avoid him, but you still had enough compassion left to give him what was left of his late aunt). Meanwhile, you let Sebastian do the talking to lighten the mood (he had kept his promise after all). Everything was going well so far.

That is… until you entered a new room, and the stone door slammed shut behind you three, producing a loud crash that bounced off the walls.

“Merlin!” You cried out in fear.

“Yeah, I think we’re locked in.” Sebastian agreed nonchalantly.

“No! Merlin!” You repeated in panic but, this time, pointing at something on the ground with a trembling finger.

Sebastian looked down, and quietly gasped before holding his breath. Never in a million years would you have imagined that you would stumble across bones, and therefore be confronted with the fact that someone had died right in this very spot.

It was only then that you realised that the three of you were potentially next in line, that there was a possibility you might never get out of this room. At this morbid realisation, you froze entirely. You were unable to move, to think, to speak. It was impossible for you to react. It was as if, in a panic, your body had already accepted its fate and was getting used to the fact that, soon, it would no longer respond to anything.

The silence in the room lasted a second too long, and Ominis too began to panic, “Well, what is it?”

“…A skeleton.” Sebastian said coldly, although the grimace on his face betrayed him and showed that he too was in turmoil. “And Noctua’s last journal entry. She mentions being trapped here – blocked by an Unforgivable Curse.”

Because of the shock, you had not even registered that you had the remains of Ominis’s aunt in front of you.

For fear that your words would be clumsy and worsen the despair Ominis must be feeling, you decided it was better to remain silent and act instead.

Slowly but surely, you approached him. While he had his back turned to you, you wrapped your arms around his slim figure and hugged him from behind. It was not a gesture you would normally have made towards Ominis after what had happened between you two. But in view of the gloomy circumstances in which you found yourselves, you had found the strength to put your resentment aside.

And it had to be said that, underneath your unaffected exterior, you still had a huge soft spot for this boy. Letting him go through this ordeal on his own would simply have broken your own heart, as well as his.

“Ominis…” His name rolled off your tongue by itself.

You felt him stiffen at your touch, and you took in a sharp breath. In your eyes, it was just another rejection. He obviously did not want you by his side, both literally and figuratively. So, in an attempt to protect your fragile little heart, which had mistakenly let its guard down, you decided to let Ominis go.

But he stopped you.

“No. Stay.” He said firmly, though his voice sounded obviously shaken.

He held you back against him by grabbing your hand. He squeezed it, then pressed it against his chest with his own, just above his heart. His heartbeat echoed in your palm. You could feel it speeding up, matching the rhythm of yours, as if they were connected.

In response, you surrendered to the embrace by resting your head between his shoulder blades. However, once again, your touch had the effect of a painful electric shock on him, and he abruptly pulled away from you. This was just another example of how exhausting Ominis could be. He had always acted like this with you: one moment he was giving you hope that he was returning your feelings, and the next he was pushing you away.

Ominis moved away from you to get closer to Sebastian, shouting in a distraught manner, “This – is where she died. This is where we’ll die. I shouldn’t have listened to either of you!”

“Ominis, I’m truly sorry about your aunt. But I know what to do. It’s going to be difficult.” Sebastian replied in a calm, composed voice that contrasted radically with that of his friend.

Sebastian subsequently proceeded to explain his plan, that the Cruciatus Curse – the incantation for which was written on the floor – was to be used to open the next room. Knowing that Ominis categorically refused to be associated with the Dark Arts, and that you were unwilling to learn any of the Unforgivable curses, Sebastian’s last remaining option was to cast Crucio on you.

Ominis stared at him, speechless and dumbfounded, as if he had just uttered the most grotesque of abominations, “Are you out of your mind? Do you even realise what you’re saying? You want to torture your friend? Our friend!”

Sebastian raised his voice to match Ominis’s, “And you, can you think for two seconds? It’s either I hurt her temporarily, or I let her die in that shithole! And us with her! There’s no need to think about it, it’s a no-brainer!”

“And I’m telling you it’s out of the question! I won’t let you hurt her!”

“So what, then? We wait for you to come up with some wonderful solution where no Unforgivable Curse is involved? You know very well there’s no such thing! It’s Salazar Slytherin we’re talking about, you should have expected it.”

Sebastian paused, making the atmosphere even heavier. His tone had subsided, but you knew all too well that it did not mean that his anger had subsided along with it. Quite the contrary.

“You know something? For a guy who likes to control everything to the point of dictating other people’s choices, I think you’re being awfully passive right now.”

Though unseeing, Ominis’s eyes glared at Sebastian, looking daggers at him, “What exactly are you insinuating?”

“That you’re a control freak who’s got no balls.”

“Boys, stop it.” You tried to calm things down as you heard their voices escalate and their words sharpen.

But Ominis ignored you blatantly, to the point where you wondered if he had even heard you, “Oh, really? Do you want me to tell you what I think of you?”

‘‘Just you try!”

“You’ve become a complete nutter ever since Anne has been–”

“ENOUGH!”

Your outburst seemed to be just what was needed to put an end to the two boys’ cockfight. They both turned brusquely towards you, their eyes wide open. It had to be said that seeing you angry was already a rare event, so to see you furious with them was even more staggering.

“Enough.” You repeated firmly, sweeping your eyes over the two boys to make sure you had fully regained control of the situation. “Sebastian, shut up. You’ve gone too far. And you, Ominis, I don’t need you making decisions for me. It’s not your job to defend me.”

You gave Ominis a black look. It was foolish because he could not see it, but something told you that, somehow, he could still feel it. Especially with the double entendre in your words, which implicitly referred to how Ominis had rejected you, as well as all the bitterness you retained from it. It was petty, but you could not help yourself.

You then turned to the other boy, looking determined, “Do it, Sebastian. I’m ready.”

The brown-haired boy nodded and positioned himself in front of you. He raised his wand in your direction and concentrated.

“Crucio!”

A bolt of red light came out from the tip of Sebastian’s wand, and hit you square in the chest, right in the heart.

“NO!” You heard Ominis’s voice protest.

Was it really Ominis though? Maybe you had just dreamt it. You could not be sure, for every single one of your senses was overstimulated by an electric shock running through your body, and causing you to collapse to the ground on all fours. It was brutal but manageable, you thought.

Little did you know, that was only the preamble. The worst was yet to come.

Rapidly, every muscle in your body contracted, including those in your chest and throat, preventing you from breathing. The spell slowly left you suffocating, while the pain took care of absorbing what little energy remained in your body. It was as if a billion needles were sticking into every inch of your skin, sinking deeper and deeper with the aim of piercing your soul and finishing you off.

It seemed to you like this hell lasted for an entire hour, even though you were confident Sebastian would never let you endure this kind of torture for more than a couple of seconds.

And then it stopped. Though the remnants of the curse remained.

You had suspected that such a cruel curse was not going to leave you alone so easily. Still, you were not prepared for how agonising it felt.

Your ears ringing. Your vision fogged with black spots. Your anarchic breathing. Your body crumpling to the ground, inert. And all of this because of the lack of oxygen. All your senses were rendered nonfunctional, leading you to believe that you would remain in this state for the rest of your life.

“Are you alright?” Sebastian asked you with genuine concern in his voice, to which you nodded silently, your strength gradually returning.

Of course, Ominis was unable to see you, and began to get upset, thinking that you were still unresponding, “Of course not, Sebastian! Do you really think anyone can be alright after receiving the Cruciatus Curse?”

You wanted more than ever to say something to shut Ominis up. Or was it to reassure him? Probably a combination of both. Either way, the reality remained the same: you were still too weak to utter a single word. Your vocal cords were still paralysed from the agonised screams you had let out.

Thankfully, the door opening put an early stop to the boys’ bickering.

“It worked!” Sebastian exclaimed and immediately entered the room to explore it, leaving you alone with Ominis.

Ominis had no idea what to say to ease your pain. Unfortunately, he had already endured the Cruciatus Curse himself – and at the hands of his family to boot – so he knew how you might feel. However, no one had ever comforted him, so he had no idea what words would be likely to soothe you.

But if there was one thing his beloved Aunt Noctua used to tell him, it was that words come from the mind, and gestures from the heart. And it was always better to speak from the heart.

So Ominis let his heart guide him.

He knelt down beside you, and helped you to lie on your back, so that you would be more comfortable. But to your surprise, he did not stop there. He made you rest your head on his thighs, then stroked your hair with a hesitant hand. It was only after a moment that he spoke again.

“Can I be of any help?” He whispered, as if afraid of disturbing your repose while you were recuperating.

“H-Help–” Your weak voice got caught. You had to cough a couple of times before you could start again. “Help me stand up, will you?”

“You should take your time and lie down for a while. You just went through a lot–”

“I’ll survive.” You cut Ominis off abruptly, in a clearer but above all more irritated voice. You had had more than enough of his constant mood swings towards you, where one moment he could not be more doting on you, and the next he was acting as if he had never met you.

Ominis remained silent. You did not get the impression that he was hesitating over his next words, but rather that he was taking the time to digest how you had harshly refused his advice.

“…If you say so.”

“You know, I’m tougher than you think.” You kept the same cold, distant tone.

While he kept the same nonchalant and stoic tone, “I know.”

“Good.”

An awkward silence settled in, where you could do nothing but contemplate the ruins of your friendship. Where once stood a fortress of shared complicity and happiness, now remained only the vestiges of two acquaintances who were unwilling to rebuild what they had once known in the past.

To put an end to this heart-wrenching moment, you headed for the next room, without adding a word. Ominis followed suit, guided by his wand which pulsed red light at its tip.

“Guys? Care to lend me a hand, or do I have to explore this room all alone?” Sebastian called out without ceasing to rummage through Salazar Slytherin’s belongings.

You were about to answer when you suddenly saw Ominis stride resolutely in front of you. The frown on his face was unmistakable, as were his tense features.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve asking us for help! Not only did you just cast the Cruciatus Curse on your friend, but you didn’t even have the presence of mind to ask me if I was all right after finding my aunt’s bones!”

Ominis’s anger only seemed to have the effect of amusing Sebastian, “I thought it was stupid to ask someone if they were okay when it’s obvious they’re not.”

“It’s a question of common sense, Sebastian! If you had any, you would have realised that it would be best for you to lie low for a while and fend for yourself.”

“Excuse me for not being perfect. Not everyone can be a saint like you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Sebastian.” Ominis visibly cringed upon hearing his friend’s words.

But it only made Sebastian’s smirk grow wider, “For once, you’re right. I’m being ridiculous. You’re far from being a saint, because if we’d listened to you, we’d be rotting in the previous room, and we’d be letting Anne die too, since you’ve also given up on the idea of curing her, just like everybody else.”

“Don’t start that again. You know perfectly well I haven’t given up on her, or else I wouldn’t be here having this nonsensical conversation with you.”

Sebastian’s arrogant smile fell, “Oh, stop it, Ominis! We both know you’re not here for Anne, but you’re too shitscared to admit it to yourself. Which goes to show, even when you’re already blind, you can still be blinded by fear.”

“SHUT UP!” Ominis roared in a deeply enraged way that you had never heard before, to the point where it made you recoil. “You’ve gone too far this time, Sebastian!”

Still frightened by the turn this argument was taking, you decided to intervene, “Guys, please don’t start fighting again. We’re all on edge and–”

“Come. We’re leaving.” Ominis announced sternly, holding out his hand for you to take.

“W-What?” You stammered, bewildered.

“You heard me. Are you coming, or not?”

You had never heard Ominis give you or anyone else an order in this way. Confused as to where this excess of chauvinism was coming from, your instinct advised you to go with the flow. You took his hand – not without shooting Sebastian an apologetic glance – and let the blond boy guide you out of the Scriptorium.

Except that once outside, he continued to drag you through the corridors, towards what you recognised as the direction of the common room. Holding your hand so tightly to the point where it was almost painful, he walked ahead of you at a run.

“Ominis, not so fast.” You requested, but your plea fell on deaf ears.

“How dare he speak to me like that, and insinuate things he has no knowledge of? After everything I’ve done for him! He truly deserves to be left alone; it would surely teach him a valuable lesson. Although… if he was left unsupervised, I’m afraid he’d do even more stupid things. I don’t know what more I can do to get him to listen to reason– What am I saying? It’s not my duty to keep an eye on him. He should just fend for himself for a change!” The blond Slytherin kept rambling, spiralling out of control.

At this stage, nothing and nobody could stop him from getting worked up over Sebastian. He was so consumed with his anger that he was completely oblivious to your distress at walking, your legs still suffering from the aftermath of the Cruciatus Curse. You found it hard to keep up with his rapid pace without tripping over your own feet.

“Ominis–”

What was bound to happen did happen. Your legs gave out, and you found yourself on the cold, hard stone floor, which was undoubtedly going to leave several bruises on your skin. A blush of embarrassment crept up on your cheeks. The only good thing was that the sound of your fall had startled Ominis, who stopped and turned towards you.

He came dangerously close to you, “Pardon me if this is improper, but I can’t let you go on like this.”

Next thing you knew, you were off the ground, lifted by Ominis’s strong and protective arms. He held you securely against his chest, and with a newfound reflex, you wrapped your arms around his neck.

Your blush intensified, but this time it was because of your racing heart. You were speechless, taken aback, and mind going blank at the realisation that one of your dreams – to be in Ominis’s arms – was coming true, but not in the right circumstances.

“I’m sorry. I was too worked up to notice you were having trouble walking. I should have paid more attention to you.” He apologised as he resumed his walk.

Once in the common room, you thought he was going to put you down at the bottom of the stairs leading to the girls’ dormitories, so that you could go and rest, but instead he went and settled himself on one of the leather sofas opposite the fireplace, the exact same one where you had been sulking a couple of hours earlier. He sat down, cradling you in his lap, while his arms tightened around you a little more, as if he feared you might suddenly decide to break free of his embrace.

Assuming you were going to stay in that position for a while, you rested your head on his chest. You could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ribcage. Your best guess was that he was still on edge after what had happened with Sebastian.

Trying to soothe him, you murmured, “Don’t be too hard on Sebastian… He’s only ready to do anything to help his sister.”

Ominis let out a long, fed-up sigh, before replying, “And can’t you see that this is precisely the problem? He’ll do anything – even hurt you – and I can’t let him.”

“He hasn’t hurt me, Ominis.”

A frown was beginning to form between his brows again, “Oh really? Because receiving Crucio was a pleasure cruise for you?”

“He had no choice.”

“We always have a choice. This time it was Crucio, but what will it be next time? How do I know he won’t cross the point of no return?” Ominis raised his voice. He got so carried away with his anger that he failed to notice that he had started stroking your thigh with his thumb.

“He told me he would never hurt me.” You answered in an unwaveringly serene tone.

“And yet he already did. He’s a hypocrite.” He snarled. “Actions speak louder than words.”

You quirked an eyebrow, “Does this apply to you as well?”

“What do you mean?”

“Here you are, caressing my thighs after carrying me in your arms, and yet you still claim to see me as nothing more than a friend.”

Caught in the act, Ominis’s hand froze, as did the rest of his body; he even seemed to be holding his breath. He pressed his lips into a thin line, as if trying to seal them shut, for fear they would say something that would put his life on the line.

“Come on, Ominis. Now’s the time to tell me what you really think, don’t you think?” You said, giving him the last little push he needed to confess everything.

“…All right. I lied. Of course I have feelings for you… How could I not? You’re so considerate and graceful… But those feelings come with fear. Fear that you’ll be disappointed in me, that you’ll realise I’m nowhere near good enough for you, that you could find a thousand men better than me. But what I’m most afraid of is being with you. Because believe me, darling, if one day I have the honour of tasting your lips and your caresses, I know that I’ll never be able to live without you ever again.”

For the umpteenth time that evening, Ominis blew your mind in ways you had never imagined. And the worst part – or rather the best part, given the circumstances – was that he had no intention of stopping there. He had so many feelings in his heart that begged to be verbalised and brought to light.

“You made me want to get up in the morning again, if only to hear your voice for a split second. Before I realised it, you hadn’t just become more than a friend, you’d become my reason to live.”

With infinite delicacy, Ominis took your dainty hand in his, feeling the warmth of your skin against his. Slowly, as if to prolong this magical moment, he brought your hand to his lips and placed a light kiss on it, full of tenderness and respect.

“You are both my greatest desire and my greatest fear. Don’t you see how illogical this is? You’ve made me lose control, and I happily let you. I hope this is proof enough of how enamoured I am of you.”

Although you had regained your composure and your vocabulary, you still kept quiet, but this time it was on purpose. You had a very specific idea in the back of your mind.

“I’m begging you, love, say something.” Ominis’s trembling voice implored.

You replied, without the slightest hint of what you were thinking in your tone, “Actions speak louder than words, Ominis. Your words, not mine.”

Ominis did not need to be told twice, although he did take his time to make sure he did things the right way. His hand, which was still resting on your thigh, was trembling from the torrent of emotions running through him. With his fingertips, that same hand skimmed the contours of your body, and moved up to cup your cheek, sending shivers down your spine at the same time. You closed your eyes to savour the contact and understand a little better what the boy in front of you was feeling.

With his thumb, he sought out your lips, before tracing them to fully appreciate their voluptuousness. He felt the smile that had just appeared on your lips. Encouraged by this sign, Ominis leant towards you, his heart beating wildly. As he drew closer, your breaths mingled.

At last, your lips met, timidly at first, then with a passion that had been held back for far too long. This kiss was a moment suspended in time. The world seemed to stop around you, giving way to the magic of that perfect moment.

And suddenly, all the Shakespearean love stories you had ever read seemed derisory. Mere words of love were not enough, were no longer enough, now that you had tasted the unctuous proof of love from the handsome, touching blond boy who electrified your skin with the slightest touch.

Who needed a trite, dull ‘I love you’, when you had the loving touch of Ominis?

[skipper1331]

Suitcase // Alessia Russo

a/n: found this in my drafts lol

rummaging through your closet, you looked for your clothes, debating what you should pack. Whether it would be warm or not, the weather forecast most of the time not right, especially in another country.

Finally after what seemed like hours (what definitely felt like forever for Alessia, who was sitting on couch annoyed) you were finished with packing and zipped your suitcase. As you tried to lift it off the bed, you noticed that it was heavier than expected, which my cause an issue at the airport. But that was a problem for later, right now you wanted to relax the last few minutes next to your girlfriend.

Walking in the living room, you sat down next to Alessia, leaning into her as you wanted to spend the last 20 minutes together before you‘d leave for about a week.

"Lessi, can you help carry down my suitcase in a few minutes? Please" you asked, pecking her cheek "it weighs a bit more than expected"

To your surprise, the striker didn’t even look at you, continuing to stare at her phone with a scowl.

"Pleasee?" you tried again, nudging her.

"I? Your suitcase? carry it down? for the vacation where you're going without me? Nah, you have the strength and the muscles. Just do it yourself, you'll do just fine." she replied, looking at you for a brief moment before her attention was back on her phone, annoyance radiating off her body.

Where was that coming from? This morning everything was just fine; kisses in bed, you made breakfast together, more kisses here and there and now this kind of behavior?

"Wow, Alessia?" you were shocked, standing up, "I was just asking if you could help me, you know I have some trouble with my shoulder"

"Can‘t help you, you also need to do it yourself when you‘re at the airport and and and"

"Is that what this is about? Because you‘re not going? I literally asked you if you wanted to join. Which you declined!"

"Because you know I have training!" she replied angrily, also now leaving the couch.

"Oh my…Alessia, this is ridiculous!" You walked towards the front door, the young lioness following you, watching silently as you put on your shoes. "I’m going to leave now. And you better grow up in the time I’ll be back or I won‘t come back" you snapped, grabbing the suitcase and walking out of the door as the blonde was about to reply.

"Hey, wait." Less followed you once again, stopping you before you could lift the suitcase, "I‘ll carry it down" her voice was gentle, very quiet.

"No, thanks. I‘m capable of carrying it on my own." you felt a sharp pain in your shoulder as soon as you had lifted it of the ground yet you tried to hide it.

"Baby, please, I’m sorry. I can see that your shoulder hurts." she quickly took the suitcase, putting it on the ground before she grabbed your hands, "I’m sorry. I really am" she whispered, resting her forehead on yours, "I didn’t mean to lash out. I just- I will miss you so much" you could see regret in her eyes, even confusion about her sudden outburst - that wasn‘t like her.

"Oh, Lessi, I’ll be back before you even know but i will miss you too, i always do"

Alessia had been thinking about this day as soon as it came up. It wasn’t that she minded you going on a holiday but the thought of sleeping seven nights in a bed where you wouldn’t be in was stressing her out. And seven nights of bad sleep wasn‘t good either as a professional athlete. Besides, she loved you too much to ever want to spend a day apart.

"Forgive me?"

"Already have."

You pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

"Now let me carry your suitcase down and then I’ll carry you down!" the girl said with a wide smile, already hurrying down with your suitcase. Ready to carry you down the stairs like in those romantic movies.

No doubt in my mind that the blonde would text and call you every day till you were back in her arms.

[revelboo]

Hii! You don't have to respond if you don't want to, I just wanted to say that I've just recently found your blog and I love it! The writing style is amazing, and I adore your stories 💕

I'm really a fan of your Armada Starscream and Seeker trine stories, and can't wait for their updates! Do you plan on working on them soon?

(I'm not sure if you have a posting schedule, and I don't really want to annoy, so sorry (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠))

Nah, you’re fine. I need to update both probably. I don’t really have an update schedule, I just have 20 or so drafts at any given time at this point that I poke at in my down time.

Even If It Kills Me Pt 7

Armada Starscream x Reader

• Lying flat on his back on his berth and staring at the ceiling, he tries to figure out what had gone wrong. Possibly it was deciding to carry you with him and to let you sleep on his chassis since you’re always shivering. It was a practical decision and that’s all. You were cold. At some point Runway had left his berth and crawled up on him too, though, waking him. He hadn’t had the spark to shoo the mini-con away. Maybe that was where he’d made his mistake. Because now there’s a human sprawled on him, face and an arm across his neck mesh. Runway’s head on the small of your back. Sonar somehow ended up draped across his helm, a ped dangling against his cheek. And Jetstorm is lying on Runway’s legs. All four of them using him as their nest. And strangely, he can’t even be mad about it, because it’s oddly warm. Almost a feeling of belonging he’s not felt in a long time.

• Warm, you stretch and something against your back warbles and throws an arm across you. One of your adult ‘kids.’ Because even though they have their own berths, somehow you wake up tangled in a pile of mini-cons hogging your blankets every morning. Figure it’s that you’re their size so they’ve adopted you as one of them. Fingers brushing against something warm, you open your eyes. Head tipping back as it takes you a minute to realize you’re staring at Starscream’s chin. That you’re sprawled on him along with the mini-cons. Sitting up Runway chirps a protest, trying to drag you back down.

• “Hey,” you greet him. Little face reddening, he watches you lay a hand on Runway’s head. “You make a pretty good bed,” you add. Is that supposed to be a compliment? He has no idea how to respond. Isn’t about to say that he’d liked the feel of all four of you curled against him. That he likes having you and the mini-cons about instead of being alone with his thoughts. That he’d recharged better with the beat of your heart to focus on. No, he can’t say any of that. Ever. Venting roughly as you slide off of him and the min-cons follow to trail after you with unhappy chirps. Not at all surprised when Runway grabs the back of your shirt before you get too close to the edge of the berth. Sitting up, he picks you up and sets you down on the floor, and patiently also moves the mini-cons down one by one even though he knows they can get down on their own. But they like the attention, actually reaching to be picked up like sparklings. Because you’re ruining them fussing over them all the time even if he can’t make himself out a stop to it.

• Stretching, you turn to find Starscream watching you with a frown. Like you’re a puzzle he can’t figure out and it bothers him. “You were cold. That’s all,” he mutters, sitting back and looking away. You were cold and he’d noticed and down something about it when he didn’t have to. There’s no figuring out what’s going on in his head. The only thing you’re sure of is how uncomfortable he is in dealing with you. Unable to tell if he doesn’t care for humans or if he’s just that awkward and gruff all the time.

• “Thanks for putting up with me.” Wings flicking, he vents at you. Always thanking him for doing necessary things, like you think you’re a burden. He doesn’t really understand it any more than when you insist on treating the mini-cons like sparklings. Like your sparklings even though he’s told you that they’re adults. And they’re not exactly helping, seeming to love the attention. Standing, he tries to ignore the warmth in his spark as you smile at him. Knows he’ll let you sleep on him again. You and the mini-cons. Because you’re all his to protect and care for and it’s a new fragile, feeling. Like home.

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