#wouldn't be able to tell it's a person if the head wasn't there frankly

[worstloki]

what you need to learn is that anyone can drown themselves in clothing

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Neil talking about the responses to Good Omens Season 2 - from the Neil Gaiman interview with Brian Levine for The Gould Standard (x,x)

BL: The audience that you have built is a very passionately engaged audience. They, frankly, they love you. And one of the reasons they love you is that you fit into what I think of as one of two great divisions in art. There's, or in writing, um, there is: I'm entertained, I'm amused. I may be even enchanted; and then there's this hits me at a visceral level. You understand me as no one else does. You have touched something very central to my experience. And it seems to me that Much of your writing, maybe all of your writing, actually reaches your audience at that latter level. You know. I would say in the former category, sort of my quintessential and beloved example would be P. G. Woodhouse. He amuses me, but I don't feel like he's revealed my inner self at a very deep level. Um, were you aware that you were going to be able to achieve that? Um, that this is something... was it a startling thing when people began coming up to you, who'd read your work and said, this means so much to me?

Neil: Yeah. It was huge. And it wasn't expected. I... if I had a mountaintop I was heading towards, it was gonna be P. G. Woodhouse. Um, I wanted to be a proficient entertainer with a clear prose style who could tell stories. Um, it probably wasn't until Sandman that I found... I started to realize that in order for a story to work, I had to show too much. In order for a story to resonate, in order for a story to matter, I had to let it matter too much. And, and I remember the first people who would start coming up to me and saying, um, you, you know, your, your Sandman comics got me through the death of a loved one. Your death character got me through my child's death, through my parent's death, through my partner's death, through my friend's death. Um, and that left me kind of amazed. I'm like, well, I didn't write it to do that. I wrote it to feed my children. I wrote it to satisfy myself. I wrote it because nobody else had ever written it. And if I didn't write it, it wouldn't be written, but I don't think I wrote it to give you what you've taken from it. And I spent really about 20, 25 years feeling awkward about that. And then my father died, in March 2009, and never got to cry about it. Never... I, you know, I've, I've got on a plane and I went to the UK and dealt with the funeral stuff and organized all of that stuff and came back and go toff the plane and went and did Stephen Colbert's Colbert Report and wearing the funeral suit because and that was all I had with me and carried on. And then, somewhere in the middle of summer, I was reading a friend's script. They'd sent me a script and said, can you look this over? And I'm reading it, and on page 20, the lead character meets somebody, and on page 26 maybe, she's dead, and I burst into tears. And I'm bawling. I am sobbing. It is coming out of me in giant racking waves. And I realized that it's everything that I'd been, hadn't let myself feel, or hadn't been able, hadn't stopped enough to let myself feel, was suddenly being given permission to feel by the death of a fictional person who I'd met six pages earlier, ia script. And I thought that... and it was huge for me, and I thought, okay, that's that thing that people are talking about sometimes, when they come tome and they say, you, you did this. So right now, I'm in this weird, wonderful place where I think a lot of people in Good Omens Season 2 thought they were signing up for the P.G. Woodhouse, and didn't know that, no, no, no, you've, you've signed up for the whole thing. You've signed up for the feelings. You've signed up for the emotions. I... it is my job to make you care and to make you feel and to feel things you haven't felt before. And which meant that the first week or so after Good Omens came out, I was getting angry, furious, deeply upset messages on every possible social medium telling me that I had betrayed people, and it was awful, and they couldn't stop crying, and why would I do that to them, and did I hate them? And they hated me. And then a weird sort of phenomenon happened as people would watch the show again. And again. And now they started to know, okay, this is where it's gonna go, this is what's gonna happen, this is how it works. And they started realizing that they were actually feeling things, and that was good. And that they were caring about two people who don't exist. You know, I made them up, and then and Terry Pratchett made them up, and then, um, David Tennant and Michael Sheen gave them life, and then they get to walk around on a screen and you know they don't exist, but you can cry for them, you can love them, they can make you laugh, they can make you exult, and most important of all, they can make you care. And the number of people who are now writing to me, saying, 'This was so important to me. This has changed my life. This makes me feel like I belong. This makes me feel like I can cope. And it's let me sort of find myself. P. S. I hope you get to do Season Three.' is, is huge.

[evilminji]

You know what I never see explored?

"Not on MY watch!" Superfan Dash Baxter. The young, limnal, quarterback built like a tank and willing to hit like one.

Because let's be real here. Imagine that scenario: Dash, heading to practice with his Bros. His best friends. The team. When? Oh shit! It's PHANTOM! Best day EVER right?

Except it's NOT.

Somethings wrong. He's not as graceful as he usually is. There is no clever comebacks. He looks beat up, man. What HAPPENED? Everyone looks confused when Dash looks around. But before he can call up to him?

Phantom is Shot Out Of The SKY.

Hits the football field HARD. The entire team is already running. Full sprint. It's those fucking GIW. Already driving onto the field and tearing it up. Jumping out, weapons primed.

Phantom's not... oh god, he's not getting up.

He looks hurt. Really hurt. Those bastards are closing in.

Dash's team? Has his back. They're also fans. Friends of his. Not a single one hesitates. They put their BACKS into it and welcome these sick fucks to Tackle Practice. With a follow up of "Taste Your Own Teeth". Amity special, coach would be proud.

But Dash... fuck, he can't wail on these guys AND protect Phantom at the same time. Kwan tells him to go. Throws him his keys. His car is least shit. Dash owes him SO many pizzas for this. First pick on movies for LIFE, man.

It hurts to leave his team behind. His best friend. But Dash has to GO. He can already hear the Fentons closing in. He grabs Phantom, his HERO, and runs for his life.

Barely manages to peel out of there in time. Floors it. Calls Paulina, obviously. She and Star are doing a spa day thing. She picks up because she KNOWS he wouldn't bother her if it wasn't serious. And-!

Oh...

Oh fuck.

In the rear view mirror. The Fentons and GIW just screeched onto the road behind him. Closing distance FAST. What does he do? Paulina he can't... he WON'T hand Phantom over!

And of course she understands. For God's sake, she in LOVE with the guy. He's never heard her sound so scared and furious. They'll get phantom over her twice dead body. She and Star are making some sort of noises, chanting, and...?

Giant Amazons with swords? GHOST Amazons. Suddenly in the road, jumping over his car to attack the cars behind him. Paulina what the FUCK?? She been talking to her Abuela, APPARENTLY. Who's friends aunt's "roomate" was particularly good at communicating with the dead. So OBVIOUSLY Paulina got her to send notes and studied them in secret.

Gotta be able to speak to you future husband's family in their native language. You win brownie points. Gives her a step up. "Not the point"? It's kind of a point! Giant warrior women! Who-?

Paulina made friends while practicing.

Of course she did. Why is he even REMOTELY surprised she chose the giant terrifying Amazons to be beasties with? He's know her for years. He should know better by now.

.....he feels small asking. Hates that his voice shakes. But... but what do they DO, 'Lina?

What he hates even more is the little shake in his childhood friends voice, even though she's trying to sound certain and strong. What they Do? What they DO is Dash drives his ass the her house, gets in her BETTER car, which she is going to load up, and they leave Amity.

She has LOADS of money. All sorts of jewelry. They're very last season. Frankly, she.. she can't WAIT to pawn them if they have too. They just have to drive. Get Phantom as far away from those freaks as possible. Get help.

And? It could go so many ways from there? Paulina LOVES Phantom. How will she reconcile that with her views on Fenton? How will Dash? Seperated from their roles as "the popular ones" and "the crazy people's son". Knowing that... that Danny likes her TOO.

But she's been AWFUL to him. She said so much. DID so much.

Do the even? LIKE each other? Or just the IDEA of each other? The person they made up in their heads.

They're afraid, tired, on the run. But free from school, the expectations of others, the baked in histories of a small town. Who ARE they as people? Do they like each other? COULD they?

I want to believe that Paulina really means it. That no one is at their best in middle and high school. They say and do stupid, mean, shallow shit. Because the world presses and presses and tells them it's all they are worth. Because they don't know who they ARE yet. Because she is a child. Not yet eighteen.

And Danny isn't perfect either. He saw a pretty, pretty face and got distracted by it. Didn't see how HARD she works. How smart she is. How ambitious and brilliant at reading people.

Are they trying to get to an Embassy? To Paulina's extended Family to the south, who would most certainly take them in, and would gladly fight gods for them? Or is this a crossover? Are they going towards other Heros? Older ones?

Is Paulina planning to pull a Lois Lane and Cause Problems On Purpose? Is Dash HAUNTED by "oh fuck, Wes was right." And now knows he's gonna have just... just WALK UP TO THEM. Broad ass daylight. Like "hello, I clearly know your secret identity! Please don't kill me!"?

Whatever the plan? Danny is in the back row of Paulina's once nice, now beat to hell car, bleeding irresistibly damaging acidic ecto-blood all over the seats. Wrapped up like a mummy. Texting Tucker.

The live tweets from Amity are... An Event. A Spectacle for the ages. His parents KNOW now, have speed run their grief STRAIGHT to RAGE, directed that rage at the GIW, and gone to WAR. Once a Fenton, always a Fenton. Jazz was right. "Anti-ghost" sentience testing once a week DID pay off.

Was it a pain in the ass? Absolutely. But results don't lie. He clearly passed. Is clearly sentient, emotional, and their son. All in hard numbers they ran themselves. Will it stop them attack FULL ghosts? Jazz has no idea. But it sure did convince them to put the GIW in a hole and fill it with concrete.

Danny's getting reports of "you SHOT MY BABY!" Being shouted in public. Sam has decided to channel her frustration at being unable to help him into Full Goth Dramatic Shit Stirring. Non-waterproof mascara, disheveled hair. Clutching a picture of him. Dramatic howling and weeping in the arms of her parents.

Apparently now that he's presumed DEAD, the Mansons ALWAYS loved him. Like a SON to them. A sweet, innocent child. Their daughters friend! The GIW are monsters and child killers, they decry.

And the Red Huntress is... Oh, yikes. Yeah he should call her. Val is one more bad thing happening from her villian origin story. At least she... PROBABLY... has killed anyone yet. Note to self: when Danny can actually move torso again, buy Valerie soothing anti-stress...everything. All the things. She responds to stress by punching. Deliver from safe, non-punchable distance.

All in all? My Dash? Needs more Dash! Give the popular kids a chance to prove they aren't just cardboard cut outs! That they can grow beyond the roles high-school and society has pushed them into! Give them some trauma! Why only Danny? Spread the psychic damage!

@stealingyourbones @hdgnj @the-witchhunter @nerdpoe

[nejiverse]

APOLOGETIC KISSES

Rin Itoshi

In which Y/n and Rin get into an argument before bed but the latter can't sleep without feeling his beloved girlfriend Fem! Reader

cw: neck kissing, (s/c) is skin colour

wc: 0.7k

Going to sleep and being angry with Rin was something Y/n really hated. She hated going to sleep right after an argument but he just annoyed her so much tonight.

"Don't talk to me Rin, you're pathetic", she spat, turning her back to him and letting the sheets swallow her.

Rin noticed how she briefly typed on her phone— no longer than fifteen seconds— and slammed it on the counter after she said those harsh words.

But talk about killing with words. She called him by his name. She never did that unless she was really pissed off, like now.

Rin's face remained calm and composed as he ran a hand through his hair, leaning back against the padded headboard.

How did he always manage to mess things up?

His sharp tongue that's how. He couldn't help it though, that was just the kind of person he was— telling it like it is.

But he had to admit to himself that he was out of line this time. He was in the wrong but he wouldn't announce that out loud, he had too much pride to do that.

Just before the ravenette was about to let out a hefty sigh, his phone buzzed. It was a message from his brother.

"Apologise".

Rin eyed his girlfriend from his peripheral vision— or the back of her head at least. She had a habit of complaining to his older brother every time they got into an argument and frankly it was annoying.

He figured that was why she was texting earlier.

He didn't need Sae giving him orders, he was old enough to make his own decisions.

He placed his phone down and laid down comfortably, his eyes facing Y/n's covered back.

It all felt wrong. His hands felt so bare and empty, not being able to feel her warm and gorgeous (s/c) skin beneath his hands, while his torso felt slightly colder, not having her back right up against him.

He needed to feel her.

Rin couldn't help but shuffle closer to her and gently wrap his hands around her body that fitted perfectly against his own.

He took his right hand and put it up her top, resting it against her stomach and his other hand moved her hair away from her neck before he entangled his fingers together with her own supple ones.

He let his lids fall over his eyes and left slow kisses up her neck.

"Don't be mad", he mumbled against her neck.

He didn't expect her to hear him nor did he want her to hear him, what he said was a hope for the morning more than anything.

Little did Rin know she was awake, trying hard to suppress her breaths.

His lips in their casual silent way, told her he was sorry.

His kisses were tender. He kissed her neck with reverence; it's what she deserved after all.

Once he started to trace little shapes against her stomach, her hand twitched against his own and she let out a soft sigh, making Rin stop. He didn't want to wake her up.

Y/n internally cursed herself. She didn't want him to stop at all, quite the opposite in fact.

Slowly, she took his right hand and ran it along her stomach again, urging him to continue.

Rin concluded that she was still in a state of sleep when she did that because if she wasn't, she would've pushed him off herself.

But he was gravely mistaken by that conclusion. When he kissed her neck like that and touched her so lovingly, it made her ponder why she was mad at him and why she even bothered staying mad at him.

Whether she was awake or not didn't really change that fact that he would pepper kisses along her neck till the break of dawn.

He opted to apologise properly in the morning.

Masterlist here :)

a/n: i'm in my Rin era ya'll I have so much ideas to write about

[666writingcafe]

An Overgrown Puppy

Cerberus

It's really lonely down here.

I understand that most people are scared of a giant dog with three heads, especially when it's as loud as I am, but I don't mean them any harm. I can't help that I get excited easily.

Of course, when they start calling me names, that makes me angry. I suppose that's why I'm in this cavern in the first place: too much destruction on my part.

Still, it would be nice to have someone that wasn't afraid of me.

"Look, there's flowers bloomin' all over the place!"

As much as I want to begin jumping for joy, I must remain calm. The last set of people that came down here wanted to hurt me. I ended up with a couple meals out of the ordeal, but I wouldn't want to go through that experience again. For one, they tasted rather vile. It took me ages to get that out of my mouth, and even with that I can still taste them sometimes when I burp. It's rather annoying.

"Look how pretty we are..."

Oh no. Not the flowers.

Instinctively, I close all six of my eyes. If I can't see them, they can't tempt me, and my mind can remain clear.

Oh for fuck's sake!

That's not my voice. It doesn't belong to the other two heads, either. No, this belongs to someone else entirely.

This was meant to be a solo venture, but nooo. The brothers just HAD to tag along and make this more difficult for me. As it is, I doubt this creature is going to submit to me, anyway. I don't have anything it wants, but somehow Barbatos is convinced that I do.

Barbatos? They know him?

I like him. Unfortunately, he's too busy to take care of me properly, but he at least seemed sad to have to lock me away like this. Still, orders are orders; while the prince is a lot kinder than the king, he still has to worry about the fate of his people, and I've done too much damage to justify me continuing to walk free unsupervised.

Footsteps.

The flowers are still murmuring, so it's not safe for me to open my eyes and see who it is.

Oh. It's you. Hello, Cerberus.

Why are they acting like they know me?

They smell familiar.

Don't be ridiculous. We've never even met them before.

Listen, I know my scents, and I'm telling you, I recognize this one.

Here we go again. My left and right head arguing again. It doesn't help that one can see into the past while the other one into the future. Makes for way too many philosophical conversations that frankly give me a headache.

Then again, they do make sense sometimes. Like right now.

Let him sniff them.

Thankfully, the flowers shut up at this point, so I can finally open my eyes and see this person for myself. They're rather small. Maybe they would make a good appetizer, but chances are, they wouldn't fill me up, so there's no point in even trying.

The being before me extends their hand out towards me, and I lean down low enough so that my right head can sniff it.

MC! I knew it was you!

What's a person from the future doing here? Don't they know that their presence is going to change the timeline completely? They won't be able to return to the same place that they left.

That's a risk I was willing to take.

They can hear us?

I'm a little surprised myself. I thought our connection would be nonexistent here, but I guess you still know who I am. At least, part of you does.

I most certainly do! You give some of the BEST belly rubs and treats ever! Plus, you always come and soothe me whenever I can't sleep. I've missed you SO much, MC. It just isn't the same without you.

Please tell me they don't end up abandoning us. The idea of a good belly rub does sound nice.

No, no, nothing like that. In the timeline that I come from, you're primarily someone else's. I just help take care of you whenever I swing by to visit.

Oh, PLEASE! You're more than a mere caretaker. You're like my adoptive parent at this point. If I knew I wouldn't scare people up in the human world, I'm SURE we'd spend more time together, but as of right now, that simply isn't possible.

I can sort of follow along with the idea this MC being a human and yet appearing like a demon in this moment, but what I don't understand is this: if they don't end up being my owner, then who does?

This guy.

I totally didn't see him walk in. He's rather imposing with his wings spread out like that.

LUCI!!!

"Luci"?

It's short for Lucifer.

"Zephyr, what exactly is going on?" Lucifer asks, frustration evident in his voice. "Why are all of you down here in the first place? This isn't a safe place for you to be in. At all."

"Well, I came under Barbatos' instructions. Can't say the same about your brothers."

"Bullshit."

"You are more then welcome to talk to Barbatos yourself if you don't believe me, but I'm telling you the truth."

"Then why didn't you tell them to go home?"

"Because Mammon wanted to do something that would cause the other demons to finally shut up. He's tired of you all being treated like shit simply because you used to be angels." Lucifer slowly blinks in shock. "Believe me, I had every intention of sending them away, but I also wasn't about to argue with Mammon when he's that passionate about wanting to improve your situation here in the Devildom."

Six more demons appear, but they hover around the entrance, too afraid to step inside. Lucifer turns his head and looks straight at me, appearing deep in thought. It's clear that he's not the same person that my right head recognizes. Not because of his appearance, but rather his personality. He seems way too cold and rigid to love an animal.

Then again, I've heard that sometimes, those that appear that way end up being the ones that care about others the most. Maybe he's just putting up a emotional barrier at the moment, and he'll open up eventually.

"I suppose there's not room for him at your place, is there?" Lucifer finally sighs, maintaining eye contact with me.

"Unfortunately, no," MC/Zephyr answers. "And I don't want him wandering the woods by himself. He could get hurt." Lucifer pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I really don't want to do this, but he seems rather attached to you, and it would be cruel to leave him here without knowing if and when he can see you again." He pauses. "He can stay at the House of Lamentation with us, but he's your responsibility, Zephyr. I don't want to hear you complain about having to take care of him, and you're certainly not going to push him onto one of us. If you can't manage that and still complete your duties as our attendant, then I'll have no choice but to put him back in here." MC/Zephyr nods their head.

"Understood." There's a slight glint in their eye, but either Lucifer doesn't notice it or is simply choosing not to comment on it.

It doesn't really matter in any case, because I'm about to be free of this cave! Oh, to breathe fresh air again!

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan, @anxious-chick, @5mary5, @expressionless-fr

[dsudis]

Adaptive Tea Making

For @domaystic Day 5: Learning Something New.

Dream is human now, and determined to learn how to make his beloved a cup of tea. He just has a small difficulty with time to get over.

___

Hob looked over at Dream, who was perched on a stool at the kitchen bench with his ever-present notebook open to a fresh page, his phone unlocked beside it, and an actual stopwatch beside that. He had a pencil in his hand, freshly sharpened, and a second pencil also perfectly sharpened set beside the notebook.

Hob had secondhand text anxiety just looking at those pencils. 

"Ready?" Hob asked, though surely it was not possible to be more ready than Dream currently was. 

Dream didn't even meet his gaze, his eyes fixed firmly on Hob's hands. "Ready. Please show me, one more time, how to make a cup of tea the way you like it." 

As Dream spoke he wrote on the pristine notebook page: Hob's tea instructions. His handwriting was crooked and crabbed but legible. 

"So--there's water in the kettle already," Hob said, feeling like possibly he was the one being tested. However he made this cup of tea, Dream would continue making this exact cup of tea for him forever. 

Hob was fine with that. Hob would frankly have been fine with continuing to get wildly undrinkable cups of tea from Dream forever, but Dream was determined to learn this particular human skill correctly, and seemed somehow convinced that this time he was going to crack it. 

Hob flipped the switch. Dream turned on a timer on his phone and then wrote down the first two steps: water in kettle and turn on kettle. He also wrote to one side, Phone timer: total length of process and drew a little line beside it to be filled in with a number later. 

They had learned, after Dream had committed a series of frankly baffling tea mishaps including "hot water with no detectable trace of tea" and "oversteeped to the point of activating an immortal's gag reflex through sheer bitterness" and "boiled the kettle dry" that Dream had no real sense of how time passed. It passed how he wished it to pass, in the Dreaming, and even in the Waking he had always been able to nudge reality a bit to make the flow of time conform to his narrative sense or personal convenience.  

Now that he was divested of those powers and operating a human body, the linear flow of time had so far made absolutely no impression on Dream. Hob had had to point out to him things like "if you wake up and it is still dark, it is still night, and you will probably want to go back to sleep until it's light out" and how often meals should happen.  

It was the tea that had made it clear that even telling Dream times when things should happen was not very helpful to him. He couldn't seem to hold the numbers in his head or make sense of them when he consulted a clock. Hob had simply started giving him other ways of gauging the passage of time, teaching him about the sun's position in the sky at mealtimes and when Hob returned from work, and about the activity of people visible from the windows, and which programs on the telly corresponded reliably to morning, afternoon, and evening. 

Hob had spent long stretches of time--most of his life, really--without access to clocks. People nowadays were obsessed with them, and with precise timing for everything, but Dream wouldn't need to worry about being punctual to a work shift or keeping all sorts of appointments. Hob could help him with where precision was needed, and could teach him to get along where it wasn't. 

Tea, unfortunately, was a matter of some precision. When the kettle let out the first gurgles, Hob grabbed the tea canister. "Plenty of times I just use bag tea, but my insufferably posh lover seems set on spoiling me, so," Hob scooped tea into the strawberry-shaped infuser. "This is what we've got in place of a tea bag. Time-wise, either should work the same." 

Dream faithfully wrote down prepare infuser (or tea bag).

"The timing for the kettle will change a bit. A smaller amount of water boils faster. There's a bit over two cups in right now," Hob pointed to the line on the side, "so it takes a little over two minutes." 

Dream wrote down kettle boils and then waited watchfully until the kettle hit its automatic shutoff and consulted the time. Kettle shuts off, he wrote down, and then 2:38 with a tidy little asterisk beside it.

"Infuser goes in mug," Hob narrated. "Pour the water over it, leave about an inch at the top for milk. And start your stopwatch, because this is the bit I couldn't tell you, because I do it by feel." 

Dream started the stopwatch and scribbled down more notes, drawing a little box for the all-important steeping time to be entered. Hob watched the mug, wondering once again how he did know when it was done steeping. He'd tried more than once to describe it to Dream, but none of his descriptions had been at all helpful--as proven by the various disastrous cups of tea--and had only frustrated both of them. 

He wanted to fill the silence, but Hob didn't dare mess this up for Dream, when he was so determined to get this right. Most of human life had come easily enough to him, once he set himself to adapt to it, but tea had thwarted him. Hob was a little worried that Dream was building this up into some kind of epic battle of wills he had to win to Succeed At Being Human. 

Dream looked up at him expectantly and Hob looked back down at his mug, a little worried that he'd gotten distracted--he'd certainly oversteeped his tea enough times for one reason or another--but no, a sniff and a glance told him it wasn't quite there yet. "Almost," Hob said. "Not really a bad cup of tea if you stop now, but not quite." He drummed his fingers, waiting for-- 

"Ah," Hob said, "Now." He reached for the infuser and lifted it out, and the stopwatch clicked at the exact instant it cleared the top of the mug. Hob set the infuser in the sink and then swirled the cup of tea, giving it another sniff to be sure, but yes, that was a just-right cup of tea. He grabbed the jug of milk and looked to see that Dream was intently watching before he poured in a dollop. 

Dream's eyes narrowed slightly and then he nodded and wrote down a specific liquid volume that Hob was sure was in fact precisely correct--Dream's spatial skills were laser-accurate and slightly unnerving.  

"And a spoonful of sugar, because I'm feeling like it today," Hob said. "I do honey sometimes. Sometimes two spoonfuls of sugar." He stirred in the sugar and sipped. "And that's--" 

Dream clicked the timer on his phone and recorded the time, then picked up the phone and tapped rapidly at it. "Tell me that the water should boil about now," Dream said, and held out the phone like a reporter's microphone. 

"Water should be boiling about now," Hob parroted obediently.  

Dream nodded, tapped at the phone again, and said, "Now tell me the tea is ready."  

When Dream held out the phone, Hob said, "Tea's ready, love." 

Dream was startled into a smile at that addition, and asked, "How is it?" 

"Just right," Hob said. "But if you--" 

Dream shook his head, still smiling, and went back to tapping at things on his phone. "These things are amazing, you know?" Dream said. "I thought I would have to learn magic, but these are like little prosthetic memories. If you work out all the steps, you can make it do all these things for you. Well, not for you, you don't need it. For me." 

"I mean, I'd be lost without my calendar and things," Hob said. He'd never thought of technology to solve Dream's difficulty with time. He'd thought it was just more clocks all the way down, there. 

"Watch," Dream said, and then, to his phone, "Computer, making a cup of tea." 

"Acknowledged," his phone replied, because Dream had watched possibly too many sci-fi movies with Hob at what had turned out to be a formative time in his life. "When there is water in the kettle, turn the kettle on." 

Dream mimed flipping the switch on the kettle. 

Nothing happened, since Dream was still a good yard away from the kettle. Reminded, Hob ran some more water into it and put it back. He was sipping his tea again and nearly choked on it when his own voice came from Dream's phone. "Water should be boiling about now." 

"Computer, wait," Dream said, and the phone was back to its Computer voice when it said, "Acknowledged." 

"In case there is more water in the kettle," Dream said. "If there is less, I will be able to tell it to skip ahead when the water boils." 

"Computer, resume," Dream added to the phone. 

"Prepare the infuser, then pour boiling water over it." 

Dream mimed dropping the infuser into the mug, then pouring the water. "Computer, steeping." 

"Steeping," the computer said, sounding slightly stilted like it had had to assemble that word from individual sounds instead of having it pre-recorded.  

"I'll be able to use this for anything to do with timing," Dream said, scratching down more notes in his notebook. "I just have to set the intervals and key phrases, and optionally recordings for specific announcements, and then I will be able to do things that need timing. As long as I have my phone. Possibly I should get one of those watches." 

"That's no trouble, then," Hob said, pulling out his own phone to order a watch to sync with Dream's phone. "And you know I'm always happy to be your speaking clock, love."  

Dream came around the bench and kissed him, curling a hand around Hob's on his mug. "I shall feed you your lines when I need them," Dream said, and somehow it was desperately romantic and made Hob so proud he could cry, knowing Dream knew that Hob would always be glad to help him do things in his own way. 

He opened his mouth to try to say it, his heart almost too full for words, and was cut off by his own voice from Dream's phone. "Tea's ready, love." 

[Now on Ao3!]

[darylsdelts]

IT’S A LOT

This is an old Drabble I wrote on wattpad so I thought I’d post on here <3

Darylxfemale!reader

Warnings: anxiety/panic attacks (reader)

Kinda based off personal experience so it might not be relatable to everyone

Today was supposed to be your day off, the day you usually lay around in your home in Alexandria with your boyfriend, Daryl, although he never really lays around. He's one of those people who has to always be doing something or he'll get fidgety, not you though, you'll happily lie in and stay in your pyjamas all day.

That's what you were supposed to be doing today, but no. Rick had knocked on the front door of your and Daryl's shared house at 6am, he had wanted Daryl to go hunting since the group was running low on food.

You had wanted so badly to lay in bed with Daryl for at least two more hours but Daryl had obviously agreed... it was either that or starve so you guess it's fair enough.

However, you insist you go with him, you usually wouldn't since you're not much of a hunter but the night before was a tough one for Daryl, he was upset after opening up to you about something that is quite frankly nobody else's business but yours and his.

Anyway... now you're treading lightly behind Daryl whilst he leads the way through the forest. He's tired and you can tell by the way he's walking, the way he's talking, the way he's breathing, blinking, sighing, and the way he keeps checking you're right behind him. Nobody else would be able to notice though.

You start to think of all the things that nobody, except Daryl, would notice about you.

Back at the quarry, your anxiety was really hard to deal with but no one ever noticed, you never brought it up or hinted at anything. Daryl had clicked onto your habits from the get go though, things you didn't even notice yourself. For example, he said he could tell when you were thinking too much because you'd clench your jaw repeatedly.

Daryl wasn't really familiar with the term "anxiety" even though you reckon he suffers from it more than most people, he would never complain or say anything but you knew.

The last time you had a panic attack was after the prison, when you and Daryl had gotten away. Everything that happened was "a lot", that's the only way you've ever been able to describe the feeling of your anxiety. Daryl tried his best to help but he's never been around someone having a panic attack before and he didn't want to make it worse, he just gently rubbed your back whilst you had to breathe through it.

But that was a few years ago now and you've had a few since then which has allowed Daryl to understand you even better, and he's gotten to read your body language down to a T. There's no hiding anything from him.

As you walk carefully behind Daryl, you feel your body waver for a split second... you convince yourself it's nothing and keep walking.

After a few seconds, a wave of heat comes over you, starting from your head and travelling to your feet. You exhale sharply and rub your palms on your thighs, one of your habits that you didn't notice until Daryl said something.

A third wave comes over you and you start to feel nauseous and the ground feels like it's moving beneath your feet, your tread slows and Daryl notices immediately.

He turns to face you, he looks you up and down and then he slowly walks toward you.

"You good?" His voice is low and gentle, the voice he only uses for you.

"Yeah M'fine" you reply, there's been plenty of times you've managed to pull yourself together and carry on so that's what you're gonna do.

Daryl knows how you are and pushing you for the truth would only annoy you, so he nods and starts to walk more, straining his ears to listen to your breathing instead of animal movement.

You start to realise it's not going away, you get dizzy and faint, you should sit down.

You stop walking and Daryl turns around again, not wasting a second to get to your side, almost pulling you to sit on the ground, he already knows.

You're sat now, staring into space, blinking slow, trying to control your breathing but the nausea stays.

By now, Daryl knows you're fighting a panic attack, all the signs are there, he just doesn't know what triggered it but he also knows that sometimes it could be nothing for you.

From his experience of you, he also knows that it's a hit or miss whether or not physical touch will help or hinder, so he does the same thing he always does, just to check.

He presses the tip of his index finger to yours and when you don't pull away he holds his palm to your palm, you still don't pull away so he takes your wrist and presses your hand to his chest so you can feel his heart beat and his breathing rhythm.

"Breathe like me, sweetheart... you're okay" he keeps his gentle voice as he searches for eye contact which you won't grant him so he doesn't pry.

"Would pressure help you this time, darlin'?" He's assuming you'll say yes, if you're allowing physical affection then that usually means that the pressure will help. The pressure refers to Daryl applying a small amount of pressure to your chest to help ground you.

You don't make eye contact yet but you give a subtle nod, so he knows what to do. He lets go of your wrist so he can move behind you.

He sits so you're between his legs with your back against his chest, he wraps his arms around your chest and holds you to him, his hands putting a small amount of pressure on you.

He kisses the back of your head while whispering to you.

"Yer doin' so good baby, jus' keep on breath in' fer me... that's it, good girl"

His love for you is so evident and you feel it, it helps and your breathing becomes more regular. You whimper very quietly since now the initial panic is over, you feel exhausted. It may not look like much, to anyone else, you just look like you're sat, with your boyfriend hugging you from behind, but inside it feels like so much and Daryl knows that.

"Ya alrigh', sweet girl? Ya feeling a lil better now?"

"Mhm" you reply weakly and your exhaustion is clear.

"We'll stay here for a bit, Mkay?" He lets go from holding around your chest and strokes along your hair line as you start to shift your body so you're facing him.

"Hey beautiful..." he smiles at you and strokes his thumb over your cheek, your eyes are a lil misty and sleepy.

He places his big hand on the back of your head and pulls you into his chest, resting his chin on your head.

You feel so grateful for your gentle man and the fact he knows you so well, you didn't have to say a single thing.

"I love you..." you mumble into his chest.

"I love you more, sweetheart... rest for a bit, I'll protect you" he reassures.

"Can keep going, I'm okay..." you don't want to be the reason you return empty handed.

"Ya ain't swayin' me darlin'... close yer eyes fer me, yeah?"

You groan but do as your told, you know he means it.

"That's it baby, it's all alright"

You feel him gently stroke your hair as you drift into relaxation.

[emeraldelysian]

Poly!ChangLix ✧ Use Your Words

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Pairing: Seo Changbin x Reader x Lee Felix Genre: Smut; Roommates to Lovers Synopsis: When you come back to your flat from a reunion dinner with your friends, all you want is to see your roommates. But when you approach your room, you hear noises coming from your room that have your head spinning. The rest of the night is a blur as the status of your relationship as roommates changes into something more. Wordcount: 3.3K+ Warnings: Reader has F. Anatomy; Uses of "puppy" and "baby"; Hard Dom!Changbin; Soft Dom!Felix; Sub!Reader; Threesome; Voyeurism; Unprotected Penetration (wrap it before you tap it!); Praise Kink; Sir Kink; Slight Degradation Kink; Oral (M. Receiving); Eiffel Tower Position; Very Soft Aftercare

♡︎ follow, provide feedback, or reblog if you enjoyed but please don't repost or translate!♡︎

MDNI, 18+ CONTENT

∘•···············•∘ʚ ♡ ɞ∘•················•∘

Leaving the restaurant, you had a lot on your mind.

It had been a while since you all had met up, not seeing one another since high school. You didn't intend on meeting up so suddenly, but considering you all were in town for the holidays, you decided to meet up with one another at a restaurant.

Initially, you all started off talking about how college and work were going. As you all caught up, the conversation turned from how college/work was going to the inevitable love life questions. Most of them were dating someone now, and some were even engaged.

It wasn't that you didn't want a relationship. But somehow you'd always come up with excuses for yourself. You were just too busy. You wouldn't be able to maintain a relationship at the moment. You had more important things to worry about.

In reality, you were scared.

You had been on a few dates before, but the relationships would all be very short-term, ending before they'd even begun. They'd end up being very toxic very quickly, some being rude and not respecting your personal space while others treated you like you were below them in some way. If there was anyone that got past the first few dates, they'd want to go to bed with you so quickly, before you were comfortable at all.

When the conversation turned to you, you tried your best to brush off the question, mentioning how there were some guys you had your eye on currently but it wasn't your biggest focus right now.

'That wasn't completely a lie,' you thought, as your two roommates come to mind.

Changbin and Felix had been your roommates for a little more than a year now, and frankly, you had little to no complaints the entire time. When you first met them, you were a little intimidated to say the least. And then words came out of your mouth and your mind did not register how they could be so cute whatsoever.

So, safe to say, it did not take you long to fall for both of them.

You didn't quite know their relationship with each other. Despite having caught them not once but twice making out in your shared home, they hadn't placed a label on each other. However, their relationship didn't stop how you felt about them.

Your newfound feelings did not hesitate to become an additional hindrance to your love life as well, as part of you hoped that they'd feel the same way about you. But they never hinted at it; at least, not in a way that you could tell.

The rest of the night at the restaurant was a blur, as your mind started filling with thoughts of the two boys. You couldn't help but start missing them. As soon as you found the opportunity, you let them know that you had an early shift tomorrow and had to leave. With quick goodbyes and hugs, you took your leave.

In your rush, you forgot to send them a message that you were on your way back to the boys. So as you walk in through the front, you smelled the delicious scent of cookies from the kitchen calling your name. You smiled softly to yourself before walking in, finding the kitchen empty but a tray of cookies on the counter. You take one, before making your way to your bedroom.

What you weren't expecting was the sound of grunting and groaning coming from the room. You were reluctant as you stood in front of the door, confused as to what the sound could be. The door was slightly ajar, allowing you just enough room to peak through. You were just about to open the door more before you heard a quiet moan.

"F-fuck Y/N-" You pause, eyes wide as you heard your own name come out of what sounded like Felix's lips.

You didn't move as you heard him grunting to himself, feeling tingles between your legs as you continued to hear him moan. You couldn't help but find yourself looking between the crack to catch a glimpse of him, grinding himself into his hand.

The sight made you wetter, as you watched him getting more desperate for release, his movements sloppier. You moved away from the door and leaned your back on the wall beside it closing your eyes. You let out a sigh as you moved your hand underneath your skirt. You pulled the thin fabric covering your heat to the side before brushing your fingers over the aching center. Your eyes flutter shut as you spread your folds, gently circling your clit as you listened to the sounds your roommate made.

You knew it was wrong, but the idea of Felix touching himself on your bed, groaning your name had your head spinning. You found yourself grinding on your fingers, applying more pressure onto your clit before you heard a voice coming from in front of you.

"Now what do we have here, hm?"

Your eyes open as you quickly yank your hand away and look to your right at Changbin, who was leaning on the door of the bathroom with a smirk. His hair was just wet from coming out of the shower, and the only thing covering his body from being fully exposed to you was the towel wrapped around his waist.

"I- nothing, I was just-" You stuttered, trying to think of some excuse.

Thankfully, he hadn't spoken loud enough for Felix to hear just yet, as he didn't show any sign of stopping. Changbin walked a few steps towards you as you pressed your back up against the wall. He placed a hand on each side of your head, trapping you between him and the wall as he leaned toward you. He held eye contact with you, now so close that you could feel his breath on your lips as he spoke.

"Did I say stop?"

You froze, looking into his eyes. Part of you was convinced that this was a dream. That Seo Changbin, your roommate, was not telling you to keep touching yourself. The gaze he held with yours was firm though, making you feel shy, yet excited. You broke away from his gaze as you tried to look somewhere else.

He moved one hand from the wall, moving it to hold your chin between his thumb and index. He tilted your head one more time to capture your gaze once again. You whimpered as he rubbed his thumb on your chin. The touch wasn't inherently sexual in any way, and yet it had you rubbing your thighs together in an effort to cause some sort of friction to please yourself. That didn't go unnoticed by him though, as he moves his hand once more from your chin to your hand. He holds them up at eye level, and looks at your fingers, still glistening from the actions you had done just moments before.

He quirks his eyebrow at you, almost as a silent way of asking you to explain yourself. You, however, had other plans.

"You can taste me if you want, Binnie." You bite the inside of your lip after the words, watching for his reaction. He looks back and forth between your face and your fingers before shaking his head.

The rejection made you question your behavior, as you thought you pushed it too far. You were about to give an apology before he speaks up again.

"Not yet, baby. I need you to cum for me first." His response was direct and straightforward as if he obviously could not taste you before you had fully been able to release. The thought excited you though, wondering what he would do next.

What you hadn't expected, however, was him leaning back, grabbing your hand, and pulling you to your bedroom. Without any warning, he opens the door.

By now, Felix had heard some whispers outside of the door, stopping his own actions right before you both walked into the room. He glanced at Changbin before his gaze shifted to you, looking you up and down slowly. The gaze made you feel exposed, but not as much as Changbin pulling you in front of him and leaning his close to your ear.

"Do you want to tell him what I saw you doing or should I?" He said, loud enough for Felix to hear. He looked back and forth between Changbin and Felix, confused and a bit worried that he was going to be exposed for his behavior.

"I- well um, I was just- uh," you stutter out a few words in a whisper, "I was listening to you."

His eyes widen as he realizes what you said, blush threatening to creep up his face. You had heard him be a mess for you. How much had you heard?

"Now, now, before you say anything Lixie, let her finish." Changbin placed his hand on your waist, urging you to continue.

"A-and," you look away from Felix's gaze, "I was touching myself."

He stared at you, not believing what he had just heard. He was interested in you for the longest time but convinced himself that you couldn't possibly feel the same way. He also thought he'd be pushing his luck if he tried to pursue you, considering he also liked Changbin. There was no way he could get both people of his dreams.

At least, that's what he thought before he saw you in this state.

Looking back into his eyes, you could see the gears shifting in his head as he processed what he had just heard. Even the look in his eyes had changed from confusion to a teasing confidence that aroused you. It was thrilling, not knowing what was going to happen with the two men.

You stilled as you felt Changbin move from behind you. You and Felix turned to watch him as he took his place on a cushioned seat across the room. His shaft was visibly hard under the towel, with his legs widened slightly as he leaned back into the chair. He looked at both of you with a strict yet fond look. If you looked to quickly, you'd miss the gentleness in his eyes as he gazed upon the two of you, ready to listen to his every word.

His eyes finally landed on you. "Tell him what you want, baby. Don't get shy now."

You look back at Felix, who was still on the bed. He was easily able to read your unsure, nervous look. Wanting to soothe your nerves, he patted on the spot next to him on the bed.

You were hesitant, but the soft smile Felix gave you welcomed you as you sat down beside him. You looked into his eyes as he spoke with a calm and reassuring tone.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, I promise.” He looked over at Changbin as a silent signal to back him up, but it was clear that the latter didn’t need any prompting as he nodded.

“He’s right. If you want to stop anything, just let us know, okay? We don’t mind and we can forget any of this happened.”

Their eyes were clouded with concern as you shook your head at their words. “No, no, I do want this. I just… you guys aren’t just doing this to sleep with me, are you?”

Changbin looked at you in disbelief, not believing what he had just heard. “Of course not. We’ve actually liked you for a while.”

Felix nodded affirmingly as he gently grabbed onto your hand. “He’s right, we just didn’t know how to approach you about it.”

That seemed to calm down your nerves as you listened to their words. You could tell they were being sincere, genuinely just wanting to make sure you were okay with everything.

You let out a small sigh of relief as you reminded yourself that the boys in front of you were different. They were just bits you’d happen to have seen once or twice. They’ve always been open to showing their care for you and they still are.

They watched as you thought about your feelings, patiently waiting for you. Of course they wanted to continue, but only if you were ready to do so. Finally you nod slowly and smile.

“Okay,” you start, “I think I’m ready. Is it okay if we keep going?”

Changbin leaned back again to the relaxed position he had been in moments ago. “Of course, baby. But if you want to stop any time, just let us know.”

You nod again in confirmation, before turning towards Felix. He planted a kiss on your forehead gently, before pulling away. He pushed you down gently onto the bed, hovering over you. Changbin gazed at the space between you two as your lips connected for a kiss.

The way you moaned when your lips parted captivated Changbin, as he stared at the intimate scene before him. He palmed his hard-on as he watched.

The idea of the eldest boy watching you two aroused you, as you moan once again against Felix’s lips. Felix caught the stare Changbin gave you. Realizing the teasing you were doing, he bit your lips just enough to cause you to gasp.

He pulls away, grabbing your jaw so you wouldn’t look away from him, “So puppy, are we gonna make Changbin watch while I fuck you, hm?”

You nod at his words, to which he shakes his head softly.

"I need you to use your words for me." His gaze was piercing as he watched your every move pateintly.

"Yes, sir." You whine at his touch. The title made Felix bite the inside of his lips, as he stared down at you.

"Good girl," he mumbled, before flipping you over onto your stomach. You felt him put your hips up, exposing you to the two boys behind you. They could clearly see the wet patch on your panties.

Changbin sighed out a shaky breath at the sight. "Look at how wet she is, and you haven't even touched her yet."

Felix hummed in response, gently rubbing his fingers over your clothed area. You let out a quiet moan, the smallest touch stimulating you. He chuckles at how your body responds to him.

"Do you want me to prep you, puppy?" He asks, still teasing you with his fingers. You shake your head in protest.

"P-please just fuck me, sir. I need you, please." Your cry of need was partnered with the arching of your back as you tried to grind on his fingers more. Much to your dismay, he pulls them away. He takes off his sweats, before lining of his hard shaft with your entrance. He pulls your dress up and moves your panties to the side.

Changbin pulls out his own shaft, slowly pumping it at the sight. It was hard to control himself watching you two, but he knew that it would be a matter of time before he joined himself.

Felix slowly pushed himself inside of you. He waited for you to adjust to his length, rubbing small circles on your hip. Your mouth fell open from the sudden fullness, another moan escaping your throat.

After confirmation from you to move, he leaned down over you, and put his hand on your back, pinning it down to the bed as he slowly pushed himself in and out of you.

Moans fell from your lips with every pump as he fucked you harder.

"You feel so fucking good, so good for me," Felix praised you as his hips bouncing off you at a steady pace, "so tight around me, like you were made for me."

As he pushed himself deeper into you, your eyes locked with Changbin, whose breath quickened as he watched the scene unfold. Changbin couldn't sit still, shivers going down his spine as he pumped himself faster. His movements progressively getting sloppier.

Felix followed your stare toward Changbin. "What do you want, puppy? Use your words."

You found yourself moving your hips to meet Felix as he pounded into you, trying to ease your growing need. But you knew it wasn't enough. You needed Changbin too.

"Please, I want Binnie too," you begged, panting.

Felix let out a small chuckle before looking at Changbin, "Well?"

Changbin stopped his movements as Felix slowed down his own. He moved from the chair, walking towards you until he was right in front of you. He grabs your jaw so that you could look up for him.

"Let's put that filthy mouth to good use."

You mewled in response, but your response was cut short as he pushed his shaft through your mouth. He groaned as he felt your throat tighten around him.

"Such an obedient little slut for us, aren't you baby?"

As Changbin moved in and out of your mouth, Felix began to pump in faster once again behind you. You sloppily reached your arm under you to rub your bud as the two thrust in you. Being in between them quickly had you reaching your limit, with the other two not far behind. Felix quickly pulled out of you as he released.

The three of you collapsed onto the bed, exhausted from the events. You felt Felix move up from beside you, lifting himself off the plush mattress. You pout in protest.

"Don't worry, love, I'm just going to get clean you up, okay?" You nod, closing your eyes as you try to recuperate from everything. Changbin turns towards you, laying on his side as he brushes his fingers through your hair. You smile softly, leaning into him.

"Who knew our cute little roommate was so filthy?" He teased you, kissing your forehead softly. He laughed as you gently hit his shoulder.

Felix came back soon after with the washcloth. "You did so well for us though, love." He gently placed the washcloth on your sore thighs, cleaning them properly. He made sure to gently massage them as he wiped them down, trying to soothe the aching that he caused you.

As he did so, Changbin moved up from the bed. He kissed your forehead and then Felix's, muttering that he'd be right back as he left the room. Felix finished cleaning you up soon after, before looking at you.

"Do you need anything else at all?" He asked, his eyes filled with concern and admiration as he looked at you.

"Ah, you've done so much for me already!" you claim, shaking your head at the question,"thank you for all of this."

"Oh, it's the least I could do, really. Let me just grab you some water-"

"Too late, I already have some." Changbin interrupted, walking into the room with three bottles of water, some snacks, and three sweatshirts and sweats from his own closet.

You both look at him when you see the sweatshirts, to which he simply shrugs, "What kind of person would I be if I didn't let the two people I like wear my clothes? That would just be insensitive of me."

Felix shook his head and laughed, "So, it's not because you want to see us in your clothes?"

"Oh that too, but you two don't need to know that," he winked at you both, teasingly, "Plus, it's not like this'll be the only time we do this. You're both mine."

"We're going to have a next time?" You asked, not hiding the hope in your voice as you said so.

"Of course, doll, don't you remember?" His gaze caught yours."I promised to taste you once you came and you did. I still have to hold up my end of the deal, no? And I'm sure Lixie wouldn't mind dessert either."

[kai29haavertz]

It's About Time

WC: 3.5k

Summary: Your in love with your best friend, but he's in a dedicated relationship. Trouble ensues after a Chelsea game.

Genre: Fluff, light (if you could even call it that) angst, it's really hust two idiots pinning for each other.

fem reader, implied german reader but you can skip over that, it's like three lines referencing it.

Don't think they're any warnings, but it was horribly proofread so just keep that in mind.

The first time you met his girlfriend you didn't know what to expect. 

A part of you wanted her to be the best person possible for Kai. But another part of you, the small part of you that has loved him since you were kids, wanted her to be just even a little bit mean. Because then you could have justifications for your reservations towards their relationship. You wouldn't want to break them up. Even on the off chance she was mean, she made Kai happy. But at least you would have a justification and would feel better about feeling jealous of their new relationship. 

But that wasn't the case. 

When you met Sloane, she was anything but mean to you. She was the sweetest person and showed a genuine interest in your life, and that's better than any of his previous girls. But now you didn't have a reason to be disappointed about their relationship. How could you when she was everything Kai deserved in someone? She’s a gorgeous business owner who lived an hour or so from their hometown, sweeter than spice, and loved football. And on top of all that, his teammates adore her. When Kai invited Sloane to her first Chelsea game as a WAG, where you also met her for the first time, you could tell the boys loved her from the start. And it wasn't all of them thinking she was gorgeous, though some of those thoughts definitely were present in some of the teammate's heads. But regardless, they thought she was the best and perfect for Kai. 

Though after you first met Sloane, Kai of course had to ask for your input. He did that with everything, saying your opinion mattered the most to him. As much as you wanted to be the one in Sloane's position, you couldn't ruin their relationship, so you did the only thing you could do in that situation. 

"I adore her, she's so sweet and I think she's perfect for you." You assured him with a smile that didn't quite reach your eyes. But the lighting was dim at Ben's house so you prayed to anyone who was listening that he couldn't see through the facade you put up for him. You did think Sloane was wonderful, that wasn't a lie. You just wished it wasn't the two of them dating, but you'd lost your chance. There was a hint of something in his eyes, probably gratitude for your approval. He gave you a hug and whispered something in your ear, but you couldn't quite catch it over the loud music. You just smiled it off and hoped that was an appropriate enough response, you weren't in the mood to hear whatever he said. 

About six months later and their relationship is still going strong. Maybe you haven't moved on from Kai but at the very least you're able to keep your emotions in check. 

You’re at another Chelsea game. Only you and Sloane were here on Kai’s side today, which was a little awkward for you. Usually, his sister or mother were here and would act as a sort of buffer for the two of you. Especially since both Kai’s mom and sister have caught on at least a little bit about your slight crush on Kai. Thankfully, neither of them has really called you out on it besides a couple of comments and facial expressions here and there.  

But today it was just Sloane and you, and quite frankly, you weren’t sure what to do. Conversations between the two of you weren’t awkward per se, but they didn’t flow as if the both of you have been friends forever.  

Before the game starts Sloane suggests that you should get a drink with her. You both make small talk at the bar. You ask her about her business and how it’s going, and she asks you about the latest thing you’ve been designing for adidas. Like you said, she tries to take a genuine interest in your life and that makes it ten times harder to dislike them. It’s impossible. She flips her blonde face away from her head and has a more serious expression on her face.  

“So, you and Kai have been friends for a while, right?” The question catches you off guard. What prompted her to ask this? Have you been less stealthy about your crush? Or was she just curious. You had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn’t just asking out of curiosity. 

“Yes, we have. We met in primary school; we started becoming friends a couple months after I moved into the neighborhood. And I guess from there we just formed an unbreakable friendship.” You shrug it off, hoping that’s the end of that. You love talking about Kai but you’re afraid this conversation may soon turn into an interrogation.  

“Oh okay, that’s cute.” Sloane says off handedly and goes back to sipping her drink. It seems like she’s going to give the conversation a rest when a few minutes later she asks another question. “So, nothing has ever gone on with you and Kai?” You almost spit out your drink. You take a moment to assess her really quickly. Her green eyes are looking everywhere but you. You notice her perfectly manicured nails have almost a death grip on her drink and her hand is shaking ever so slightly.  

“Nothing has ever gone on between the two of us, at least not like that. We’ve just been friends our whole lives. No kiss no nothing.” You try to reassure her. She takes a deep breath, and she visibly relaxes.  

“Okay,” she says more brightly. She talks to you a little bit more about some problems she’s been facing with her business; but the game is about to start and neither of you want to miss Kai or his teammates’ play so she begins to meander her way to her seat.  

“I’ll be there in a moment; I have to take a phone call quickly.” She gives you a thumbs up as you start to walk away.  

Truthfully, you didn’t have to call someone. But you just needed one moment to regain yourself before you go out and spend 90+ minutes with Sloane and hope she doesn’t ask you another question about you and Kai. Nothing has ever gone on but the reminder stings sometimes. Especially with all the times you were close.  

 Last season at some event at one of his teammates' houses, you were both a little tipsier than you should’ve been. But it didn't matter at the time, you were both drunk off of happiness that Chelsea had won again, and Kai had scored a goal. You spent the entire night dancing and you two eventually went over to his house and spent the rest of the evening together. Before the two of you fell asleep you were watching a show in his bedroom with you snuggled up to his side and his arm draped over your shoulder. You felt so safe and protected and loved that in that moment, you swore you were going to pour all your feelings to him. He looked down at you and gave the softest of smiles and you were going to say something.  

 Of course the moment had to be interrupted by a phone call from someone. And that was the end of that. You couldn’t find the courage to do it when he got back so you pretended like you were asleep and left promptly the next morning.  

When you had finally composed yourself you returned to your seat next to Sloane and spent the next 90 minutes cheering for your boys in blue.  

The game told the same story as most of the other games this season. A scoreless tie for Chelsea as they continue to fall down the table. Despite it not being the result they wanted, the boys still wanted to go meet up at Ben’s place and hang out for a little bit. You and Sloane get a text from Kai in groupchat with the three of you inviting you to Ben’s place after.  

 Kai: I might be a bit if you two want to drive over, I’ll meet you there 

Sloane: Sounds good! 

“I can drive you over if you’d like. I know you drove over with Kai.” Sloane’s face lights up.  

 “Of course, thank you so much. I adore Kai but he’s going to be in a bad mood, and I’d rather not wait what could be an eternity for him.” You smile at her, and you lead her over to her car.  

 Ben’s girlfriend opens the door for the both of you.  

 “The boys should be here within the hour, make yourself at home, there are some drinks outside.” Laila offers it to you and Sloane. You grab some soda from outside and curl up on the couch scrolling through TikTok, waiting for everyone.  

By the end of the hour the Chelsea boys start to show up. Kai of course goes over to Sloane and says something in her ear before he makes his way over to you.  

“Not the greatest day at Stamford, was it?” He tries and jokes with you. You turn around and wrap him up in a big hug.  

 “Hey, you played amazing today, I’m sorry the score didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to.” You pull away from him, but he keeps an arm around your shoulder as boys start to talk about random things. It’s oddly intimate considering you’re not his girlfriend and he hasn’t let you leave his side yet. As Kai continues talking to Christian you see Sloane out of the corner of your eye, and you realize this isn’t fair to her. 

 “Excuse me, , I’ll be right back.” You get up rather abruptly and all but sprint past Sloane. She looks at you with something sad in her eyes.  

 You walk into one of Ben’s sitting rooms and shortly after someone joins you.  

 “Oh, hi Christian,” you say surprised. He takes a seat next to you. “Is there anything you need?”  

“When are you and Kai going to sort out your problems?” You almost choke on your drink.  

“I- what?” 

 “You heard me; you guys are perfect for each other and yet you always dance around each other,” he stated as you glare at him.  

 “I’m sorry, but where have you been? If he liked me so much, then why is he dating Sloane?”  

 “Because he thinks he doesn’t have a chance with you.” Your jaw tightens a little. This conversation is beyond stupid, and you do not want to deal with it. You go to get up, but he grabs your arm to prevent you from moving. 

“Well, I certainly don’t have one now because he’s in a relationship and no matter how much I love him I will not get in the middle of it. He is happy with her, and I won’t do anything to damage that.” Christian’s eyes widen at your declaration, and you realize what you said.  

 “I um- well,” you stammer incoherent nonsense.  

 “You guys deserve the world and I'm just so tired of you guys dancing around each other.”  

 “But he’s dating Sloane- “you start to argue.  

 “That relationship can’t last. And between you and me, I know Mason is trying to show that Kai isn’t being fair to Sloane,” he tries to reason with you as you slump back down on the couch. “Just promise me, you’ll shoot your shot when the time comes.”  

 “Fine, but if something bad happens I’m blaming it all on you,” you stated to him, and he just shakes his head at you.  

 “You can do that little German, but I can say with almost a 100% certainty that if they break up and you say something to him, the both of you will be so happy.”  

 He gets up to leave you alone for a bit.  

“Oh and little German? You would make a great WAG. But to be fair, you’re practically one already.” He sees your ears go bright pink at the statement and how your eyes shoot down to the ground to avoid his eye contact. He quietly laughs as he closes the door to leave you be.  

****** 

As the party comes to an end after a couple hours, Kai realizes he hasn’t seen you around since you went to one of the side rooms with Christian on your tail.  

“Ready Sloane?” Kai extends his hand to help Sloane up from the couch so they can get over to his place. He leads her to his car and the ride home is tense and someone could cut a knife through the tension.  

 “Sloane?”  

 “Just drive.” She responds curtly and goes back to staring out the window. After a few minutes she puts in her airpods to signal she doesn’t want to talk to him right now. As he pulls up to his driveway she rushes out of the car and punches the code into his garage. He takes a big sigh before getting out of the car, knowing what is probably to come for him.  

 He walks into his house and sees Sloane pacing around the couches in their living room.  

 “Sloane, love, sit down for me, will you?” She just glares at him before she takes a deep breath.  

“No and you know why? Because ever since we started dating you were attached to her hip, and I tried telling myself that it was just my imagination. And for a while I was able to believe that. But every once in a while something would happen between the two of you that would make me think otherwise.”  

 “Nothing has ever gone on between the two of us,” he tries to protest but the look she sends his way silences him.  

 “You don’t love me, and that’s okay. Maybe it took me a while to accept that but now I can because I just want you happy, and if that’s with her that’s okay.”  

 “Sloane, I love you,” he pleaded. 

“No, you don’t, you love her, but you don’t think you can have her, so you settled for me.” She snaps at him, not wanting to be hurt anymore. “It’s time you move on from me to her. And it’s time for me to move on from you. We don’t make sense together; we never did, and it took me too long to figure that out. But it’s not fair for any of us involved to continue with this relationship.” She starts to walk out the door and drops the keys to his and her house on the kitchen counter.  

“Despite the not so wonderful ending I am glad I met you.”  

“I’m sorry it had to end this way,” he admits dejectedly. “I never meant for it to happen like this.” She turns to face him in the entrance. 

“I am too, but at least we didn’t drag it out any more than it needed to be.” She opens the door and takes a few steps outside towards her car. “Oh, and Kai? Please talk to her, you two deserve your happy ending.” She walks into her car and drives off.  

 Kai stands there defeated but knows what he needs to do next 

**** 

It’s late. Almost midnight. And you can’t even begin to fathom who just pulled up into your driveway. Lucky for whoever, most nights you can’t fall asleep until close to 2. A benefit of being a night owl. While walking over you take a peek out your window.  

 “Is that Kai’s car?” You murmur to yourself while you walk to the door that someone just knocked on.  

 You hope it’s one of your friends and nothing’s wrong, not really feeling having to run an errand so late at night.  

 You open the door and sure enough, it is Kai at the front. Eyes cast downward, as if ashamed he’s here so late.  

 “Kai, to what do I owe the pleasure. Come in, I was just moving stuff around in the kitchen.” He shakes his head at you slightly.  

 “Leave it to you to remodel in the middle of the night.”  

 You wink at him playfully. “It’s the late-night tendencies.” He takes a seat on your couch and you finally take a good look at him and see something is wrong. His eyes look bloodshot, as if he’s been crying for the last hour. His right pinky is twitching back and forth, something he only does when nervous. A habit that he mostly grew out of, but clearly not enough if he’s doing it in your presence.  

 “Kai, what’s the matter?” He looks up at you as you slowly sit next to him. He buries his head in your shoulder, and you raise a hand to it and scratch his hair lightly. He sits there and you let him decide if he wants to talk, not wanting to pry.  

 “Sloane and I broke up.” He tells you after a couple minutes sitting in silence.  

 “Oh Kai.” He cuddles deeper into your embrace as you wrap your other hand around your shoulders. You coax him into lying down on the couch on top of you. It’s like the days when you were teens and would watch movies late on the weekends when you couldn’t sleep. He would tease you about being restless but cuddling with him would always make you fall asleep quickly.  

 You move your nails up and down his back to help him relax. “Do you want to talk about it?” You ask after a couple minutes.  

 “In a moment,” he mumbles into your shoulder. “Just wan’ to relax for a moment.” His accent is getting heavier, you notice. You continue to move your hand around his back in a soothing way for a while longer before he finally speaks up.  

 “We broke up because I wasn’t faithful.” You lightly gasp.  

 “You never touched anyone though,” you try to protest but he just shakes his head.  

“Not like that. My heart wasn’t in it, and she realized it.”  

He stays like that for a while longer, you look over to the clock and see it’s almost His breathing hasn’t changed so you know he hasn;t fallen asleep yet. With your heart in your throat, you ask the one question you’ve been dying to ask.  

“Why wasn’t your heart in it Kai?”  

“Schatz-” he starts to protest before you cut him off.  

“Kai, love, why wasn’t your heart in it?” 

He looks into your eyes before he takes a deep breath.  

 "Because I love you,” he admits quietly before his head falls down into your shoulder in embarrassment. “Don’t make me say it again,” he begs softly,softly, and you feel a tear run down your shoulder blade.  

“That’s a shame, because I quite like how those words sound coming off your lips. Especially when they’re directed at me.” You say quietly and his eyes shoot up.  

 “You mean,” he trails off slightly.  

 “Yes Kai, I love you too.” His strong arms wrap around you.  

 “Say that again, exactly like that. Like you mean it.”  

 “I love you, Kai. I don’t think you understand how long I've been wanting to admit that for.”  

“Not as long as me.” He presses a soft kiss to your forehead. “I’ve been waiting since we were ten.” You look at him in disbelief and his gaze locks with yours. He gives a sheepish smile.  

“So, you’ve been hopelessly in love with me since forever and didn’t act upon it until tonight?” You ask incredulously.  

“Thought I never had a chance with you,” he admits with a shrug. “And Sloane said that I should stop dancing around you and find my happy ending.”  

“I am sorry you two broke up,” you tell him with a hint of shame. “I never wanted to get in between the two of you.”  

“I am too, but it was for the best. And don’t worry about it, it wasn't your fault. It’s my fault for entertaining something that could never truly be.” He moves his head under yours and wraps his arms together around your frame, like he was a kid reaching for his teddy bear in the middle of the night.  

“Kai, I love you, but we can't stay like this the entire night.” He pushes you back down as you try to squirm out of his grip.  

 “Five more minutes Schatz, let me enjoy this.” You shake your head but give in.  

 “Fine, five more minutes then we’re moving to my bedroom. We have a lot more to talk about in the morning.”  

 “This is it right? We’re together?” He stares into your eyes, involuntarily giving you the puppy dog eyes. He leans into your touch when you stroke his hair with your hand.  

 “Yes, don’t worry, you’re it for me and I have no intentions of letting you go.” He lets out a shuddering breath at your confession. He leans in for a kiss on the lips. It’s tentative and sweet and slow.  

 “I love you Schatz.” 

“I love you too.” There’s a lot to discuss tomorrow. More reassurances to give on both of your parts. But for now, you can lay peacefully in each other's arms, without any worries.  

[smytherines]

8 and 15 for the fandom ask game :3

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

I would apologize for the essay but lets be real- you knew where this was headed

There's a few things I could say and they're all sorta connected, so at the risk of everyone collectively rolling their eyes, it's the Owen thing. Or specifically the idea that Owen was always horrible/sadistic/murder-horny/ethically worse than Curt in every way/borderline abusive (or actually abusive, in some takes). I think before the fall they were probably on equal footing morality-wise. That they were terrible arrogant bastards who were very deeply in love

It just. No offense to anyone (God I am bad at choosing violence), everyone is free to interpret things how they choose, art is subjective etc, but to me that theory doesn't make any sense at all. The biggest thing people use to support that theory is the tickle torture scene, and frankly that reads as pretty innocent (relative to them) to me

I don't think Curt knew it was Owen until Owen took the hat and mustache off, but to be honest... he should have. Owen did everything short of announcing himself to make sure Curt knew it was him before the gun came out. If my partner was within a foot of my face wearing a fake mustache and a hat, I would be able to recognize him because, yknow, he isn't Clark Kent.

I mean if you know someone biblically but can't tell its them from a couple of inches away... I dunno, maybe Curt has a mild case of faceblindness or something? Owen is good at disappearing into a role but nobody is that good

(I may have put a hat on and held up some felt under my nose and then got right up in my partner's face and said "hey can you tell its me???" And his response was "yes now please go away")

Owen gets right up in Curt's face several times, then he demonstrates knowledge a stranger would not have (I mean who else is going to know where Curt is ticklish and tickle him with a feather), then he outright tells Curt they have personal history together, and then with Oleg still between them he pulls out a gun and the moment Oleg looks away from Curt he shoots Oleg's knees out

We know that Owen talked his way past 20 Russian security officers to get to Curt, and that MI6 didn't tell A.S.S. that Owen was on this mission, and that combined with the feather I think makes a pretty compelling argument that Owen is specifically there to rescue Curt, and that it was most likely not a mission he had time to plan. They end up having to shoot their way out because Curt isn't quick enough to kill the guard before he can hit the alarm, but given that they are so outnumbered and that Owen talked his way in, it certainly seems like his plan was to sneak in and sneak out. So Owen playing along, taking his time to evaluate things before making his move, to maybe learn guard rotations, figure out who is coming and going during interrogations, I mean its not ideal from Curt's perspective, but to me it fits very well with how Owen is characterized for the rest of the scene- pragmatic, more cautious, but ultimately most concerned about getting them both out of there alive, even if Curt has to take a few punches in the process

Also the idea that Owen was there specifically to rescue Curt works so well on a character level because then Owen's rage isn't only about the fact that Curt left him to die, but that Owen wasn't even supposed to be there. That he was only there because he loved Curt and wanted to make sure Curt was okay, that he put himself in significant danger outnumbered in a Russian facility just to get to Curt, and then Curt left him to die. Post-fall Owen having to live with the knowledge that if he had just cared less about this man then he wouldn't have lost absolutely everything and had to go through "the horror of staying alive"

There's also this moment which, to me, reads as just pure relief that he was able to get to Curt and that Curt was alive and well. This little head tilt fucking kills me

But I digress... so, back to it:

I think he is having fun with it during the opening interrogation scene (they're terrible), but from Owen's perspective I don't think he realized that Curt didn't know it was him. When Curt says he knew it was Owen all along and that his accent could use some work, Owen doesn't say "haha gotcha, you didn't know it was me," (which honestly I think he would if he legit believed Curt didn't recognize him because they are both competitive, arrogant little bastards, he does tease him with the whole "sorry to cut you down/lovely afternoon of letting off some steam" thing so he certainly isn't above that) he just says that the accent was good enough to get him into the facility

Owen is the one to introduce them as "two of the world's greatest spies," so I don't think he would consider random Russian guard Oleg to be any legitimate danger to Curt (which, as we can see in the show, he isn't. With the exception of the punch, Curt is able to deflect everything Oleg does to him on account of being a really fucking good spy)

To me, the idea that Owen wanted to hurt Curt or scare him or humiliate him just doesn't fit with the way he is characterized in the rest of a1p1- intervening to get Cynthia off Curt's back, being concerned about Curt's drinking, trying to convince Curt that he needs to relock the safety barricades to limit the blast. In the rest of a1p1 he is very concerned with protecting Curt and getting them both out of there

But also! To me, characterizing Owen as always sorta like that would require me to ignore (or worse-- woobify) the one character in the show that really, truly knew Owen-- Curt. And I'm sure Curt put Owen up on a pedestal after the fall, but I also think if any person alive knew Owen Carvour it was Agent Curt Mega. He might not be in the most stellar mental state during the show, but I don't think he was so far gone that he didn't know who Owen really was. I think, if anything, Curt was in such a bad mental state because he knew exactly who Owen was-- someone who loved him and cared for him and always had his back, and in getting Owen killed he lost that forever

The lines Curt sings in Spy Again, about how Owen would put his drink down and turn his life around, about how Owen wouldn't want to see him like this and would want him to get his life back, I think those are accurate depictions of who Owen was before the fall. I think Curt singing "what happened to the man I knew?" and "you've lost your mind," and not being able to say Owen's name a single time after the reveal is just as telling-- because he does not recognize this version of Owen Carvour. To Curt, this is not the man he knew, not anymore, and that's why Curt kills him

15. that one thing you see in fanart all the time

Oh god I don't want to be mean because the art is incredible and I think all the artists in this fandom are so so talented and I appreciate them so much and I want to platonically kiss their little foreheads every time they bless us with curtwen art.... but every time I see Curt or Owen depicted with blue eyes I start twitching because they both have the most beautiful brown eyes like please guys please 🙏 🙏🙏

[goose-duck]

♡Our World♡ (pt. 1)

Killer x Reader

Killer from One Piece comes to our world and meets u :D

Pt 2

~~~~~~

I was at work, not doing anything really, my boss has me working security at an empty court house. The place smells bad and has a rodent problem, but it's quiet so I don't mind. I was on my phone, writing a One Piece fanfiction. I love One Piece, it's always been my favourite anime. It was made before I was born in 2005, but my mother loved it so I often watched it with her as a child and I fell in love.

As I continued to write I heard a strange sound and saw a headache inducing light in front of me. I had no idea what I was looking at but it sure as hell wasn't normal. I get headaches easily due to a head injury so I wasn't even able to look at the light to see what was going on…to be fair I doubted a person without a head injury would've been able to either. My ears start ringing and my head feels light but not in a good way, the radio feels like it's blaring and I can't keep my eyes open. I was starting to get worried with this strange light, it wasn't coming from anything in the room, it was just there. I hold my head, trying to stay conscious as it feels like my head is exploding.

Suddenly it all stops and there's a man standing in the middle of the courthouse. I recognize him immediately, Killer, from One Piece. What the hell? Why is he here? Am I dead? Is this heaven?? Maybe it's hell…why would it be hell, he's my favourite character..? As I continue to ask myself questions with no tangible answer he turns his mask covered head to me, “hey.” he says, almost in a questioning tone but it sounds more like he’s just trying to get my attention. I quickly snap out of my thoughts and look up at him, “hi.” I say meekly, still confused and even a little scared, the lingering effects of my headache making it hard to keep my eyes open, all lights still bothering me.

He doesn't come any closer to me however he does turn his body to face me, “where am I? Did you do this?” he asks sternly, demanding an immediate answer with his tone. I get scared, I think he's really cool, but I wouldn't doubt he'd make me regret living if he thought I did this, “no…no! Nuh uh! Not me! That sounds really suspicious…uh…it wasn't me, I swear! I do however think you're in a different reality…” I say, trying to sound as normal as possible and quite frankly failing to the largest degree. He relaxes a bit, realizing there's absolutely no way I could have done this. He then sighs again, “another reality? What makes you think that?” he askes, sounding almost stressed, definitely worried and confused. “I mean…your name is Killer, right?” I say, almost unsure despite his appearance. It’s not a common name, if its his it'll be obvious who I'm talking to. He looks stunned, I may not be able to see his face but his body language is more than enough to tell how he feels. “yeah. That's my name.” he somehow seems less trusting of me now. He continues, “how’d you know that?” it's a good question to ask, even if I know he's from an alternate reality it doesn't explain how I know his name. I start sweating a bit, this is getting stressful, “because…um…uuuuhhhhhhh” I start panicking so I just make a weird noise and freeze up.

I stop with my stressed groan and just sit there giving him a very obtuse look. He crosses his arms and I'm sure under his mask he's giving me a look too. This has got to be one of the worst shows of my lack of social skills ever. He sighs and relaxes his body, “I'm not gonna hurt ya” he says, trying to reassure and calm me down so I'll talk. I start trying to stutter out my words but I make no progress, some weird squeak coming out of my throat instead of words. I begin to get annoyed with myself and sigh dropping my head onto my desk, “fuck.” I mumble under my breath. He walks over to me, causing me to quickly sit upright to get further away without looking rude. He notices this action isn't just me sitting up, it's me being afraid. He backs up a little, holding his hands up. I mumble out an apology, “s-sor-fucking…ugh…sorry.” I try to calm myself and speak with more conviction however it doesn't work very well, I sound as pathetic as before, but I've got a calmer look on my face. He nods at me, silently acknowledgeding and returning my apology.

I sigh for the millionth time, still trying to collect myself. I begin trying to explain in terms he’d understand, “I know your name because you're from a book in this world…the author drew you on the cover of one of the books. Does that make sense? Do I sound crazy? Who am I kidding of course I do…especially now that I'm talking to myself…” I start rambling towards the end, changing from talking to him to myself. Killer seems to be a little concerned with whatever my problem is but he understands my explanation. “you sound a little strange, however this whole situation is strange so that's not a big deal.” he responds, reassuring me I don't sound completely deranged. I nod at him, an awkward smile on my face.

I ask the question that needs to be asked, “so what now?” he hums, “I need a place to stay, would you be okay with that place being with you?” he asks politely, he's giving me room to back out but I'm sure he more than knows I'll say yes, either out of pity or because he's a character from a book I like. I nod at him, “yeah, yeah, that's okay, we can do that…uh…yeah.” I squabble out at him in response, trying to hide my excitement. He looks around, “is this your house?” “no, I just work here” “ah, it smells weird” “no kidding, it smells like old people” he seems to hold back a laugh at that…right, he doesn't like his laugh…hm…I wonder at what point in the story is he from..? “hey, Killer..?” I ask tp get his attention, he looks at me, “hm?” I take in a nervous breath of air, “what's the most recent event that’s happened in your life?” his body language screams confused, “what? Why? Shouldn't you know, you've read whatever book I'm from.” I respond quickly, “oh, uh, just so I don't spoil the future potentially” he nods, “Kid and I just left Wano.” he states calmly. “ah…okay…don't read the book or anything then.” I say a little quieter than my previous words. “oh? Okay.” he says, presumably giving me a strange look under his mask.

I sit there for a second before striking up a conversation again, “I'm here for a few more hours, then I can take us to my house.” I inform him. I'm lucky, not many people can afford a house nowadays, many struggle even with an apartment, I'm just lucky my grandparents left me their house. Killer nods at me, he doesn't seem to mind that he’ll have to stay at the courthouse for a few hours. I wonder if that's because he probably does a lot of just sitting around on a pirate ship…they have no internet or anything on one of those…though he'd have people to talk to, at this job it's just me…sometimes I wonder if it'll drive me crazy. At least I have him to talk to now, even if he is a man of notably few words, at least someone's listening and I don't come off as completely nuts.

He seems fascinated by the radio I have on. It makes sense, snails do this stuff in his world. My old school radio from the 80’s definitely isn't a snail. “whatcha thinking about?” I ask, not wanting to just assume I know what he's looking at. “this thing…what…what is it?” he sounds relaxed with me now, however I still sounded skittish. “oh, it's a radio, it's an old one from the 80’s.” I say, then I realize ‘the 80’s’ is probably something he's not gonna get and I mentally slap myself. “a radio? The 80’s? What year is it?” he asks sounding a little distressed again. “a radio works like a snail and its the year 2024.” I respond nervously. “oh.” he says, sounding very perturbed. I try to change the topic, finding the atmosphere is getting uncomfortable, “want a cookie? I bought one at Tim’s earlier.” I hold out a chocolate chip cookie to him. He takes it from me, “thanks.” he then turns away, presumably to eat it. I debate telling him I've already seen his face in the book or not but I decide not to for now, I'll let him show me if he wants to.

After he finishes the cookie he turns back around, “it was good…tell Tim it was good.” He seems to have assumed ‘Tim's’ is a small personal restaurant or maybe a friend, that tracks, in his world it probably would be. “Oh…uh…I can't…it's a restaurant chain.” “A restaurant chain?” “Yeah.” “What's that?” “Corperate business?” “Nope” “ugh” “sorry” “no, don't..I…ugh…it's like if I restaurant had some power in the government?” “Oh…alright.” That was a bit awkard, but I did enjoy hearing his voice a bit more, it's nice, the sub and the dub, he's always got a beautiful voice. I get a bit ballsy and tell him that, “you've got a nice voice.” He turns his head to look at me, seeming to check if i was telling the truth. After a few seconds of stunned silence he responds with an awkward, “thanks.” he then stands there for a few more seconds, thinking about something, “what's your name?” oh right, I hadn't introduced myself, “oh…Y/N.” he nods, “it's nice, suits you.” I giggle a bit, “thanks, picked it myself.” “you did?” “yeah.” “why?” “my old name didn't ‘suit me’.” “ah, I get that.” “you do?” “kinda.” “I belive you.” “thanks?” “you're welcome!” I enjoy the quick conversation, we seem to have a deeper understanding of each other now.

A few hours later and me and him are talking like long time friends. He's still got some walls up, but we're able to just chat, it's nice. I realize it's 5:00pm and I can go home so I start closing up. “what are you doing?” he inquires. “closing up so we can go home.” I respond, flicking the lights off, “can you help me with teh blinds? Some of them are hard to reach.” he nods and gets up, going to a window and twisting the thingy to close the blinds, he continues until they're all closed. “anything else?” he askes, willing to help me further if I need it. “The chairs out front, they're such a pain to bring in…I bet it'd be easy for you.” I ask, giving him a small sweet smirk. “why?” he asks. “why bring them in or why do I think it'd be easy for you?” “both.” “there's gonna be a hurricane, I don't want the chairs to blow away. Regarding the other thing…I think your eyes work well enough for that one.” he lets out what sounds like a scoff and a laugh, “yeah, I can see that.” I giggle a bit, “nah I'm so strong.” “sure, buddy” it feels like he's smiling behind his mask so I smile back. He then nods his head and leaves to bring the chairs in for me.

When he comes inside I ask him to close the door behind him, telling him we'll be leaving through the back door. He closes the door behind him and walks over to me packing up my work stuff, “I have the next two days off so we can spend some time together and I can teach you some basic stuff about this world so it's easier for you to be here.” “alright, sounds good.” he says, picking up my monster energy drink and looking at it a bit strange, “uh, weird drink branding…what is it?” “just an energy drink.?” “why do you need that?” “I've got no energy…also it tastes good.” “why do you have no energy?” “anemia.” my answer is so blunt it seems to stun him a bit before he nods and gives a small hum of acknowledgment. “think you can hold it for me? My hands are full and I gotta be able to lock the door.” I ask him, he once again nods at me. I then head for the back door, unlocking it so we can leave, then locking it behind us once we're bothe out.

“which way to your house?” he inquires. “huh? Oh, right. You don't know what a car is..” I respond sheepishly. “a..a what?” he seems confused, which is the obvious emotion one would feel in this situation. “those things that have been going past the building all day.” “do you live in one of those?” “no, but some people do.” “why mention them then?” “they're a mode of transportation.” “I see.” I then walk over to my car, a small orange car, nothing special, “this is my car.” he looks at it like it's the strangest thing ever, “it's very orange.” “I wanted it to be easy to find.” “you definitely can't miss it.” I giggle in response. I then think for a second…will he fit? Probably…he'll just have to move the seat back. He seems to be thinking the same thing, “will I fit?” he asks, his body language seeming a little worried. “yeah, just put your seat back…wait…no…I'll do it for you.” I unlock the car, putting my things behind my seat in the back. I think walk around to the front passenger seat and get in, pushing it back for him. Instead of getting out and walking around the car like a normal person I just climb over the center console and sit in the driver's seat. “alright, get in, buddy boy!” I say casually. He gets in, seeming to snort under his breath a little at my antics. He closes the door, thank the gods that's obvious enough that I don't have to explain it.

I put my seatbelt on then I look at him in anticipation for him to do the same thing…he doesn't. “uh..um…you see that thing above your right shoulder?” “the metal thing?” “yeah.” “what about it?” “pull on it.” he pulls on it. “put the metal bit in the red thingy” I point at it and he does it. I hear the click and nod, “that's a seatbelt, you gotta wear it in cars for safety.” he nods…he does a lot of nodding. “You can handle being on a ship…so…uh…you probably won't get car sick, but tell me if you feel sick, okay?” I ask him, giving him a lightly worried look. “I will.” he responds, turning his head to look at me. I start the car and his breathing seems to stifle a bit before he calms down. “you good?” he nods at me, “yeah, just wasn't expecting that.” I nod at him, takinga page from his book and not saying anything further. I then start driving, he doesn't seem too worried about this, given he's on Kid’s crew I imagine he's dealt with worse.

Once we get to my house and parked in the driveway I unbuckle my seatbelt and look at him again, hoping he caught onto that. He looks at me awkwardly…clearly he didn't get that. “push on the red thing you put the seatbelt in” I whisper to him as if someone else would hear. He awkwardly nods and does it. I then get out of the car, him following soon after, still holding my monster…he's been holding it this whole time…oops. I grab my things from the back seat and walk up to my house, unlocking the door and walking in, giving Killer a gesture to follow. He follows behind me, closing the door when he gets inside. My house opens to a small space with some stairs upwards. I kick my shoes off and walk upstairs. He follows suit, however being a bit less aggressive about taking his shoes off, opting to slip them off rather than just violently kicking them off. He follows me up the stairs that leaf to the living room, kitchen and a hallway. I set my stuff in the kitchen on the counter by the back door, he sets my drink down there too. “thanks.” I say giving him a soft smile when he sets my drink down. “you're welcome.” he says. I'd half expected to just get a nod but this is nice.

I walk more into the center of the kitchen. “I'll give you a quick tour!” I say with some slight enthusiasm, he nods in return, watching as I walk back over to the back door, “this is the back door…obviously…” I then turn to the right, “this is a washroom.” I turn to the right again, “closet.” he nods at me and watches me slide on my socks back into the center of the kitchen, “kitchen!” I do a large enthusiastic gesture like this is some grand show. I then walk over to the left where the dining room is, it's just a table on the other side of the kitchen counter, “dining room…” I then wonder into the room next door that funnily enough doesn't actually have a door, not from this side at least, “den area.” he follows me into the room, observing it a bit and seeing some things that tip him off that the town he's in is near the ocean.

I then open the folding wooden door and walk through. He doesn't immediately follow, he's looking at a shelf beside the door, it has my graduation picture and pictures of my friends and two of my cousins. “who are these people?” he points at a picture of me and two boys as kids. “oh, that's me and my cousins.” “ah” “why do you ask?” “kid kinda looked like you.” I giggle at the irony of the kid actually being me. He seems to look at the pictures like he's looking for something. “you good?” “huh? Oh, yeah.” I seem to have caught him off guard. I give him a look, one that says ‘what are you looking for’ before shaking my head and continuing with my tour. “This is the living room!” I say enthusiastically, diverting his attention completely away from whatever he was thinking. He looks around in here too, noting how it's more vacant than the well decorated den.

I then go down the earlier mentioned hall, “there's a bigger washroom over here..” I point at the first door on the left, “and every other room is bedrooms. Mine is that one” I point at the last door on the left, there's only four door down this hall, meaning the other two are guest rooms. “the one with the queen size bed is the last door on the right and the other one has two twin beds. He nods at me and goes down to the room with the queen sized bed. He hesitates to open the door, “go in” I encourage. He opens the door and looks I side. He looks at the room like it's the ugliest thing he's ever seen. “something wrong?” “red, green and yellow…um…everything?” “yes?” “why?” “because it is.” he looks at me like there's something wrong with me. The rest of my house looks normal except for this guest room…I couldn't be bothered to fix it because I'm not in there often so it looks like how my grandparents had designed it.

“My room’s right across the hall if you need anything.” I say with a friendly tone. He nods at me and despite his judgment of my guest room he thanks me for giving him a place to stay anyway. “we'll deal with the clothes problem tomorrow, I think you'll be okay for tonight, right?” he nods, “yeah, I'll be okay for now.” I smile at him, “wanna see my room?” “sure.” I open the door to a relatively normal room, a bit messy and there's some One Piece related things but it ultimately looks normal. Why does it looks normal? Because there's a room I haven't shown killer yet. It's got my gaming set up and all my merch from different things i like…it's also got a washing machine and a drier. “nice room.” “thanks.”

“what about that room you walked past earlier?” “what room?” “the door in the kitchen?” “oh.” that's the door to the room…guess I'll have to show him. I signal for him to follow me and I open the door, theres wooden stairs that lead to an open space. I walk down and he follows. Once we get down there and around the stairs he sees many One Piece and other interesting merch items, he also sees my PC set up and a landry machine…he then sees the figures I have of him and he barely contains his laughter. “your laugh is beautiful, however, do not.” I look at him with shame and embarrassment. He struggles to hold in his laughter, snickering under his breath but calms himself and nods. “it's…great.” he tries to tell me, “don't lie.” “it's amazing.” “Killer.” “Y/N.” we stare at each other for a bit before I start laughing and he does too, he clearly is embarrassed by his laugh but can't stop it so I reassure him, “your laugh is so lively, I love it!!” I continue to laugh about my tragic obsession being on full display. He continues to laugh but gives me a genuine thankful smile for my compliment, it's like he's never heard someone say they love his laugh. Maybe he hasn't, but I love it, I do, I really do and I can see he knows it. Even if I can't actually see the smile on his face his body language changed instantly after I said that, he was calm with me anyway but it seemed like any lingering concerns melted away.

Once we both stop laughing we go back upstairs. He offers to make supper since he's gonna be staying with me for a bit and I have to break the news that I have practically no food in my house. He seems confused at that…why did have nothing here? What do I even have? “what do you have?” he asks. “uh…” I'm not even too sure myself anymore. I open the fridge to see milk, orange juice and bread. I then open the freezer, there's microwave steamed buns and some ice cream…and a frozen chocolate bar for some reason?? What the hell was I doing?? I then go to the cupboards, there's bearpaws and goldfish crackers. “um…sorry?” I uppologize confusedly, unsure if he'd be upset with me.

He just pats my head, seemingly feeling bad for me. “I won't take your food tonight.” he says kindly, walking off to the guest room, probably to sleep so he doesn't feel hungry. I feel bad that I have no food…I don't have the money for food…Killer doesn't seem upset with me, but he seems worried, he feels bad for me and my lack of food. I sigh and go to my room too, I didn't even get to show him the TV or my phone but maybe that's for the best for now…give him some time to think about what he's already seen. I go to my bedroom, not to sleep, but just to play games on my phone for a while. I'll wait for him to come talk to me if he wants to tonight and if not then I'll see him in the morning…presuming he's still here in the morning.

[tss-whumper]

That sounds awful; I'd love to read it. (But maybe someone could comfort him at the end? Remy? You like Remy and Roman together, right? Right? /lh)

(okay this is ridiculously late considering that i wrote this fic at christmastime and now it's february, but here is the long-awaited sequel to christmas when you're alone!)

(cw -> attempted solitary confinement, panic attacks, mentions of emotional abuse)

word count: 1.9k

The wafting scent of Christmas dinner made Roman's mouth water, but he couldn't bring himself to summon any food. A part of him didn't think he deserved it. After all, he had been stuck here, locked in his room with a magic seal for almost ten hours now.

Usually, Roman wouldn't keep count, but it was one of the only things keeping him from going insane.

With his powers, Roman was typically able to sink in and out of any room in the mindscape, but when Janus made the magic seal at his door, it prevented his ability to do that, rendering him trapped in his bedroom, where he almost thought he could sense the walls starting to close in on him.

The laughing and chattering outside never stopped, and it was driving Roman mad. Why did they sound like they were having so much more fun when he wasn't there? Before he knew it, more tears were sliding down Roman's cheeks as he reflected on the dreadful morning he'd had.

It just wasn't fair. He had tried so hard. Everything he did was in spite of his abilities and personality. Despite being the ego, he did nothing but care for other people. Despite being insecurity, he let the other sides dig at him over, and over, and over. Every single thing he did sitting down at that Christmas tree was unnatural, and that meant that it took so much effort. But nobody seemed to care. In fact, it was almost like they made a game out of trying to break Roman, shattering his attempts at being good and obedient.

It was like they didn't want him to succeed.

The prince curled in on himself in the bed, and he was starting to sob so loudly that he grew hoarse from how much energy it was taking. But the tears kept coming, causing his body to spasm unnaturally. He was trying so hard not to choke on his own tears that he didn't even hear the signature sound of somebody rising into his room.

"Come on, girlfriend. You gotta breathe."

When a gentle hand touched Roman's back, the prince immediately flinched away, expecting an unfriendly touch. But when he smelled a very overpowering coffee-scent and saw that the hand reaching out was sunkissed tan like his instead of pale like the other sides', fear gave way to confusion.

"Sleep?" Roman whispered, "What- what are you doing here? It's only 5pm. It's not time for bed yet."

"Please. Call me Remy. And I wanted to come by and see if I could join in on the festivities," Remy said, "Even bitches like to have fun sometimes, right? I don't know. They let me hang out, but...it didn't seem like they actually wanted me around, you know? And when I saw you were missing, I asked around. Nobody gave me a real answer. So I thought I'd investigate for myself. And here we are."

And now, Remy leaned in, and he took off his sunglasses, propping them up on top of his head. He gazed at Roman with those shockingly sharp gray eyes, eyes that sought truth.

"What the hell did they do to you?"

Roman shuddered as the question was asked. It was strange and unfamiliar, as his tongue flailed to come up with an answer. Frankly, Roman wasn't used to being pitied. He wasn't used to his side of the story being heard out without being ridiculed or dismissed. And because of the events of the morning, Roman couldn't bring himself to tell and risk getting punished again.

"It was my fault," he whispered, "You should go back with them. I'm supposed to be alone. I'm...supposed to think about what I've done."

Roman expected the weight on the side of his bed to lift, and he expected Remy to sink out the moment he was dismissed, with an air of relief. Thank God he didn't have to deal with the whiny little prince anymore.

But no such thing happened. Remy only stared, and he crawled onto Roman's bed fully, his gaze never faltering for a second as his mouth pressed into a tight line. Roman could feel the rage emitting off him in waves, and the feeling made him shudder.

"What you've done?" Remy practically spat, "What did you do?"

Roman judged Remy's tone as an indication that he was angry with him. So words spilled from the prince, in a desperate attempt to correct anything wrong he might have done to vex Remy. He couldn't have somebody else hate him. He just couldn't.

"I was bad on Christmas," Roman whimpered as he held back his tears, "I was bratty, I got the others the wrong gifts, I was insensitive, I- I wasn't grateful enough for my gifts, I cried. I cried and I ruined everything, and- maybe I never should have been there to begin with. Maybe I'm the problem and I need to just- stay here. Out of the way. I never should have left my room to begin with, I-"

"Girl. Girl, calm down. Please."

Remy's gentle tone cut through Roman's hysteria as he hugged the prince tightly, attempting to ground him with his limbs. Trying to use his body to let the panicking side know that he was still on the ground. He wasn't floating away. He was here. And he mattered. His words mattered. Roman couldn't help but lean into the touch, starved of comfort and human decency.

"Please," Roman whispered desperately, "Please don't leave me, I can't be alone again, I can't. I'll do anything, I'll do anything you want, I'll never cry again, I'll never speak again. I'll make you anything you want, I'll be anything you want. Just please- please-"

"Oh, babydoll..." Remy hugged Roman closer, starting to rub circles on his back. Roman could feel the rings on his fingers, but it was comfortable. "Babydoll, please, stop. Stop talking about yourself like that. You don't have to do anything to keep me here, you don't have to pretend to be something you're not. I'm your friend. I want to help you no matter what."

Roman winced.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry- I'm sorry-"

"No. None of that, honeybun. Please?"

Remy gazed at Roman with such earnest eyes, Roman couldn't tear his own tear-filled gaze away. This was so different from what he was used to. Why wasn't Remy yelling? Why wasn't he laughing? Why wasn't he taking Roman away, why wasn't he rolling his eyes? This felt like the stuff of fantasy, something that Roman dreamed up. He stayed silent as he stared at Remy, trying to drink his presence in fully. If it was a hallucination, Roman was sure as hell going to try and enjoy it.

"You're not going to say sorry when you didn't do anything wrong. That's not gonna happen," Remy said carefully, holding Roman's trembling hands and squeezing them, "You're spiraling. You're panicking. That doesn't usually just happen to a person, especially someone like you. You're generally mentally okay, you're usually doing fine. But lately...things have been so off. And I think I know why."

Roman couldn't help but tense up, terrified of what Remy was going to say.

"Why?" he whispered, purely because he felt like he had to.

"Those bitches out there are abusing you."

"What??"

The word burst out of Roman before he even had the opportunity to control it. His mouth hung open and he felt like his entire world had turned upside down with that statement. He tried to rush to defenses, to tell Remy that it wasn't abusive to help Roman become a better person, that he deserved it, that the others would never abuse anybody.

But he couldn't speak.

Roman couldn't say a word because deep down, he was wondering if Remy was right.

None of this felt right. Instead of a person, Roman felt lately like a caged animal at the zoo. Trapped, stuck, mistreated, dirty, forced into humiliation so people could gawk at him and laugh. No matter what he did, it was always wrong. No matter how hard he tried, it was never enough. Was that really how life was supposed to be?

"Honey, do you really think it's fair that you got locked up on Christmas day?" Remy murmured, "Or that instead of a nice present, you got a book about fucking manners? The other sides out there told me everything, or rather, as much as they wanted me to tell. I'll bet there's so much more that's so shameful that they couldn't even say it. They know what they're doing is wrong. They know they're hurting you beyond repair, and they don't want to admit it because they don't want to lose their toy."

Roman flinched, and Remy shook his head quickly.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to say you're a toy. You're not. It's just- they treat you like one. They think they can break you over and over with no consequences. But that's wrong. There's gonna be consequences. I'll make sure of it."

"You can't," Roman said immediately, his eyes growing wide and desperate, "Please. They'll hate me. They will, I know they will. They'll think I pushed you onto them, they'll think I'm using you. I can't get punished again, Remy. Please. You don't get what it's like to be trapped here alone."

"You're right, I don't," Remy said, "But you shouldn't be able to get it either. Nobody deserves to be locked up like this, especially on Christmas. I know you can be a bit...rambunctious, Ro, but you're a good person. You're good, Roman. I know that. And I think you know that too."

"I-..." Roman deflated. "I don't know. No matter how good I try to be, it's just not good enough for them. And what's the point of goodness if it doesn't help the people around you?"

"That's the thing, babydoll, you are helping the people around you," Remy reassured, starting to gently run his fingers through Roman's thick, curly auburn locks. "Virgil hasn't taken off those shoes. They fit him perfectly. None of them had to take on the burden of decorating the house, or arranging the gifts to look pretty, or setting the table with milk and cookies. That was you, honeybun. That was Roman. Nobody else. The Christmas magic doesn't come from anybody else here. It comes from you. No matter what they have to say about it, you created all this. Without you, this holiday wouldn't be in the mindscape at all."

Roman opened his mouth to speak, but he was just overwhelmed. He started to smile, almost deliriously. It felt so good to be seen, to be recognized in such away, to get attention that wasn't bad. And Remy was somebody that Roman had always admired. Confident, cool, sassy, always able to stand up for himself, no matter what. Remy was the type of person that Roman wished he was more like. And here he was, helping him, reassuring him, telling him how much he mattered and showing him what made him special.

Roman couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present than that.

"Thank you," he whispered, "I'm sorry. Merry Christmas. I...should have gotten you a present."

"Hmm, I know a present you can give me," Remy said with a gentle smirk, "Can I have a magic hug from my magic boy?"

Roman laughed breathlessly and threw himself once again into Remy's arms, relishing in the endless warmth that the man gave, marveling at how he always managed to smell like a warm, fresh cup of coffee sweetened with honey.

"You're magic too, Remy," Roman whispered, curling up closer to Remy and hiding his face in his chest, so Remy wouldn't see how his face went red. "You helped me believe in Christmas again."

(i hope this was some nice food for my rosleep shippers! also i'm sorry this is literally a month and a half late. uh...things happened! but i'm sure a bit of christmas magic is great no matter what season, right? thanks for reading!!! and feel free always to put in an ask if there's anything else whump writing wise you wanna see from me!)

[ten-shi-fandoms]

"Let's die together."

___________________

Cw: Nagito Komaeda x Reader, Gender netural reader, Reader is suicidal, double suicidal, mentions of derealization, jumping off a bridge, mentions of a past trauma, mentions of bad habits (it's left vague), ending is vague, post-game, angst no comfort, 3rd person pov

______________________________________

It was weird..

Everyone noticed how weird (Y/n) had been acting these past few days and frankly it made everyone nervous.

Usually the (h/c) haired individual would at least talk to everyone but it seemed recently the only person they talked to was Nagito.

Everyone at one point tried to get Nagito to tell them what was wrong with their (h/c) haired friend but funny enough he didn't say a word.

He was even able to completely change a conversation whenever it got brought up.

It was strange.

Nagito had always held (Y/n) at high regard and when they got together (albeit a shock to everyone who thought (Y/n) could do better), everyone knew they were in good hands.

Nagito wouldn't hesitant to ask one of his former classmates for help whenever anything went wrong with his (h/c) headed lover.

Simple things like them feeling sick he would ask Mikan, or if they wanted a certain food item in particularly that wasn't available he would ask TeruTeru.

He even asked Hajime how to know if he made (Y/n) upset.

So why was he being so secretive about the (h/c) head's recent attitude?

In truth it seemed Nagito himself was also acting weird (weirder than usual).

He was less talkative, he even cut down on his hope talk and self degradating.

It freaked everyone out.

What was going on?

While most worried about their (h/c) haired friend, Nagito didn't.

He knew what was wrong and he knew he just needed to be their for his love.

Recently (Y/n) had begun to spiral.

Spiraling back into some old habits they had back he first met them.

Bad habits that Nagito at the time had tried his best to help with.

But it seems that his help wasn't enough lately and it hurt a bit.

He tried everything he could.

From praise and validation, to cuddling and kissing, even to trying to let them take their frustration out on his body however they wanted..

And yet nothing worked.

As the days continued (Y/N) seemed to be spiraling farther and farther down a rabbit hole until Nagito heard something that made him pause in the middle of wrapping up a wound he recently received.

"Let's die together."

It came so naturally from (Y/n)'s lips as if it had been waiting them to slip for a long time.

Nagito glanced over at his (h/c) haired lover who sat idly beside him staring uninterested at the wall infront of them.

"My hope, are you saying you want to commit a double suicide with a piece of scum like me?"

Even though Nagito spoke with happiness almost glee at the thought the (h/c) head didn't glance at him only nodding to his words.

Nagito's expression brightened a bit before it dulled. You seemed so empty.

Like you were looking for something that no one else could find.

Like you were falling in a endless pit that sucked you up whole.

Nagito finished wrapping his wound and wrapped his arms around (Y/n).

His hold was surprisingly firm around their form, which caused them to look at their white haired lover.

Nagito's eyes spiraled.

His greyish green eyes stared back into (Y/n)'s (e/c) ones.

"I would love to commit a double suicide with you! If a piece of trash like me can fulfill that wish I'm sure it would feel everyone with the hope to overcome us!"

Once more all the (h/c) head did was nod, their voice soft as they shrugged off Nagito's touch standing up infront of him.

"Alright then. Meet me at the bridge right before sunset don't be late." Before Nagito could say another word (Y/n) walked away from him leaving him alone in Mikan's quiet office.

Right before sunset (Y/n) sat on the edge of the bridge right infront of the railings.

Dull (e/c) eyes stared at the ground, that seemed the dance with droplets of water.

It was raining.

The rained looked beautiful against the ground. Small droplets collected on the ends of their (h/c) colored hair.

The sound of footsteps took their attention away from the gentle rain.

The (h/c) head looked up, (e/c) eyes meeting green almost grey eyes.

"I made it, my little hope" yeah he did, Nagito actually did even with the blood dripping down a few scratches that were most likely due to his 'bad' luck.

(Y/N) stood up, holding their hand out towards Nagito to take.

Nagito grabbed ahold of (Y/N)'s (s/c) hand intertwining his fingers with theirs, a act he only begun to believe made him less filthy.

(Y/n) carefully moved over the railing of the bridge helping Nagito stand on the ledge.

Beneath them was a river. Under the sky it looked endless.

Suddenly (Y/n)'s hand tightened around Nagito's causing him to looked at his lover.

"You know, this month has been rough. It reminds me of something that happened a while ago. It was a very unsavoury predicament. I thought I got over it but I guess not.. It's made it so hard to want to live as of late.."

Nagito only nodded deciding to stay silent as his lover talked.

They had mentioned a event to him before. A event that left terrible scars on them. They might not have been physical but the mental scars always hurt the most.

Slowly (Y/n) turned to look at Nagito, their eyes almost sparkling like the water below, a small snile on their face.

"I'm glad that if I die I get to die with you." Nagito's eyes widened.

He always told (Y/n) that he would die if they told him to. That he would take his own life if it brought you pleasure. Yet here you were. You were telling him you were happy to die with him.

Why?

Why would like to die with a waste of space like himself?

He couldn't think anymore when he felt a gentle tug on his hand.

"Let's go Nagito. Let's say goodbye to this hopeless world and be reborn in one full of hope. One thats suitable for you." Nagito didn't even think before he nodded, a small smile gracing his own features at (Y/n)'s words.

"Yes my hope, let's go."

With hands intertwined (Y/n) jumped first pulling Nagito along with them.

They were laughing. (Y/n) was laughing.

Laughing so happily that it made Nagito chuckle at the beautiful sound.

Soon soft lips crashed against Nagito's, both hands intertwined with his as (Y/n) kissed him so gently he felt as if he would melt.

As the water enveloped their bodies, making it's way into their lungs Nagito smiled happily.

The darkness was quick to close in.

The air in both their lungs leaving as water replaced it.

It was suffocating.

But it felt good.

The red hot feeling of water forcing it's way into them, their lips never parting until the last few air bubbled begun to dissipate.

___________________________________________

"Do any of you know where Nagito and (Y/n) went? I haven't seen them all day." Hajime looked up, his eyes locking with Naegi.

Naegi was right. Hajime didn't they he'd seen the two since the afternoon prior.

Hiyoko shrug stuffing a piece of candy into her mouth as she leaned against Mahiru.

"Who cares about those freaks? They'll show up eventually, so stop worrying about those-" before Hiyoko could finish her sentence Mahiru shoved another piece of candy into her mouth.

"I agree with Hiyoko, those two are probably off somewhere sleeping like last time." Soda chimed in.

Yet why couldn't Hajime knock off this feeling that something bad had happened..

Oh well.

Guess, it was just his imagination.

[soapssuds]

out of character, Xiao x Female ! Reader

Turning on the game, she couldn't help but to get a tiny bit excited, and it was for good reason too. Just recently, she had managed to pull xiao on rerun banner. To be completely honest, she never thought she could get him especially since she missed his first banner. (Though, she only missed it because she didn't start playing the game until a few months ago during Childe's second rerun...)

And, of course, there was the fact she was a f2p. In other words, she couldn't and probably wouldn't spend money on anything that the shop had to offer. Though, she was tempted to ask her parents every so often for playstation money .. but she would be too embarrassed to admit as to why she needed it.

"Finally," she said with a sigh in her voice. The screen finally loaded and her Xiao was standing by a Statue of The Seven. I think I'm still in Liyue....

"Well, whatever .. I may not be able to level Xiao up right now, but I did manage to get all of his ascension materials. Along with some good artifacts, but .. it's only thanks to the co-op players that joined me a few weeks ago. They are the true heroes."

She sheepishly smile at the screen as she started to move Xiao around. Jumping down a cliff face and opening the glider. She maneuvered him so he wouldn't get any fall damage.

B E E P

B E E P

B E E P

She glanced over at her phone as a frown crossed her face. Setting down her controller, she plucked up the device and opened the screen. Her mood taking a turn for the worse.

"Why does this always happen ...?"

Looking at her messages, she decided to ignore the person and turn off her phone instead.

Lately, school hasn't been the best for her. She was recently placed in a team project with two other people. And these two people were dead set on her doing all the work, and frankly ... it was tiring. They bullied her constantly, and she didn't want to tell someone of her troubles because she didn't want to seem like a burden or even a disappointment. Which was why she decided to tough it out and continue to tell them that she already did her part, but

as she said

it was tiring.

Grabbing her controller once more, she just sort of sat there for a few seconds. Blankly looking at the screen. If it wasn't for those two, then her school life would be better. It would be way better.

"I shouldn't cry about it ...or whine, or wish for something better. It'll all be over soon. I'm sure of it."

She failed to notice how her Xiao looked at her for a brief second before going to an idle animation.

She got back to playing as she was before.

.

.

.

"Ow, ow, ow," she winced as she sat down. Her game already loaded and Xiao was waiting by a statue as he was the day before.

"It hurts so much," she wheezed as she tried to take in any air available. But it was proving hard to breathe.

Lifting up her shirt, she looked at difference in pigmentation in her (color) skin. Bruises.

Her two teammates didn't like how she talked back, so of course they would resort to physical abuse in the ways of bullying.

"I just ... I just," she couldn't finish her sentence as the tears started to pool at the corners of her eyes.

"Are you alright, y/n?"

Dropping the hem of her shirt, she snapped her head to the screen.

That was .. that was Xiao's voice-

She looked at the character. When she had loaded the game, he was facing towards the statue, but now he was facing towards her. And she didn't remember touching the controller before looking at her bruises.

Y/n...

That was another thing, she didn't put her name as Y/n in the game she put it as Lumine 'cause she didn't know what name to choose when first starting the game. Of course, she could have always changed the name at any time, but nothing ever came to mind.

"Are you alright?"

He asked again.

Looking around the living room, she made sure her parents or sister weren't around. The last thing she needed was for them to see her talking to her tv screen.

Seeing no one, she looked back at Xiao. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was looking at her, seemingly waiting for a response.

"No?"

She was still trying to figure out if this was real or not.

"Those were bruises, right? Who gave them to you? Was it those so called teammates you have to work with for school?"

To say she was flabbergasted was an understatement. If this was real, then he knew more about her than she thought.

Was he always watching over her when she turned on the game?

If that was the case, it made her feel .. less tired than before.

"Well, they-," she thought for the right words, "they were the ones who did it, but how do you know about them? Or even about the project?"

"You talk more than you realize."

That's kind of embarrassing, she thought to herself.

"Oh... uhm, sorry about that."

"It's .. it's fine. Hearing you is the best part of my day."

She couldn't stop a blush forming against her (skin color) cheeks.

"I-," she collected herself so she could smile, "thanks, Xiao."

Nodding, he turned back around, but before resuming his usual state, he turned his head slightly to give her a side-eyed stare, "remember, Y/n. If you ever need me .. just call out my name. I'll be there."

She hoped he would be.

[jesncin]

5 days long anon again. Yeah, it took a while because I kept reworking and trying to find the right words. words are hard. Plus anxiety. Constantly worrying if it would be right or sound right. Right now I'm riding the high of "it WAS fine!!" so I'm feeling more confident in sending this.

The whole "oooh superhero lied to someone how bad" when it's about their identity? One thing I clipped from the previous ask was talking about how of course a hero should not disclose their civilian ID because that would put any family or friends in danger. A reporter SHOULD understand that! Or at least a kind one. Of course Clark wouldn't be going around telling people if only because he wants to keep his parents safe. Yet you can't look me in the face and tell me that the Kents wouldn't be leery about telling people their son's origins as an alien regardless of when the story is set because technically? Illegal immigrant baby. Illegal immigrant alien baby, whom any spooky group (military/research/???) might want to get their greasy mitts on. I can see that kind of worry leaving marks on him too, even though he is trying to be kind and good.

Maybe it was "too soon" but Kal-el is talking to someone he's grown to know as both Clark Kent and Superman. Who he feels he can take that risk with. And with something... not small, exactly, but not as harmful to his life as he lives it on Earth? It's not quite a test of trust because that would be too calculated for it but it is something more honest and raw and the little voice in the back of the head going "do you understand? do I understand?".

"I've had to justify fanon to canon" is... odd. Have you had to with the Martians or is it specifically your take on Lois? I admit I haven't been able to read all the comics and random sketches yet but everything I've seen has been built on the trend of compassion and care whether it is for it or in spite of it. ...and sexy abs. (Rudy.)

Run out of steam/focus so hope you have a good night again.

Hiya 5 days anon (Here I am responding now after the strike)! And no worries, I appreciate people taking their time thinking of what to say.

Right! Even without any Superhero-level fantasy stuff- irl journalists write under pseudonyms or protect the privacy of the people they're interviewing all the time (Lois did this in Girl Taking Over!!). This notion that reporters are Kantian "Lying Is Always Bad No Matter What" people is frankly a caricature. Fun for silver age shenanigans, but not if you want your story to have any sort of depth. And yeah! Clark is an illegal immigrant baby. It shouldn't take much imagination to see why he and the Kents would want to keep that a secret (alas some stories think otherwise- I can't help but call the emotional intelligence of the characters into question at that point).

Yeah! I don't imagine Superman telling Lois his Kryptonian name as something pre-meditated, it's very spur of the moment trust. The idea is that he's not ready to disclose his civilian identity yet, but he is trusting Liando with something far more personal.

It's mostly been my Superman stuff. I don't post my Martian art on twidder especially since well. I've always gotten one or two racist comments on my Clois comics but the Private Interview comic just unleashed the floodgate for racist comments. If I get that much heat for a cishet interracial couple, you can imagine how gross people would be to my Martian stuff. There's a portion of cape fandom that just doesn't understand fanon or interpretations and are vehemently against any sort of change. So I get silly comments asking me to justify the change ("Why is Lois Black??") or backhanded compliments hailing me as "the exception to racebends". It's annoying, but in the end the comic really wasn't for them. It's for people like y'all who get it! (like Rudy)

Thank you and good day/night!

[fat-bottom-demons]

Possum

This is part one of a little Lester Sinclair x Reader series I'm starting.

I haven't written in a long time so it's not the greatest, so please bear with me. Feedback is very appreciated <3

Content Warnings/Notes: Lester stares at reader a bit, "pretty" is used to describe the readers name, reader is body neutral and race neutral. The next chapter will have more Lester

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

The warm humidity hung in the air as you fanned your face lightly. The sun was unforgiving today as you looked out the window next to you. Today was day two of a heatwave that wasn't due to end until next week. The loud and rattly hum of the small and outdated air conditioner was welcome, although it did little to cool you down. The air that blew out of it was only slightly cooler than room temperature and the force was weak, but it was better than nothing. Sweat clung to the back of your neck and periodically dripped down your back. You couldn't wait until you could have a cool shower at home. You hoped that it wouldn't give out til your shift finished. Looking out at the fuel bowsers you were surprised they hadn’t exploded from the sun exposure. You looked away as you heard your manager walk into the room.

“How are you going out here? Haven’t melted yet?” he said with a grin as he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

“It's been a bit busy, but not too bad. Lots of people stopping in to buy ice creams and stuff. Do you know if anyone will be coming out to check out the air conditioner soon? I'm sweating like a pig here.” you said with an exasperated pant. Tommy wasn't a bad manager or person for that matter, but he was cheap. He cut corners as much as he could if it meant saving a buck or two. You had only been working here for just over a week but it was easy work. You were often left to your own devices, Tommy usually staying in his office out back unless it was particularly busy.

“Electrician is set to come out Friday if he has time, but it should be right til then. It's supposed to rain tonight anyway so that should cool everything down” Tommy said as he walked away to check prices on stock.

You looked at the clear sky and doubted Tommy's prediction of rain. You also doubted that the air conditioning would be fixed before the summer ended. 

 The sharp and tinny sound of the bell above the door snapped you out of your thoughts.

A rather short and equally dirty man walked to the counter while fishing in his pockets. The once white singlet he wore was stained and damp from sweat. Dirt caked his worn jeans and his skin. A green corduroy cap sat on his head, stray hairs sticking to his forehead. The smell radiating from him was strong and was quite frankly putrid but you tried not to let it show. 

“Can I um, get thirty on uhh, pump two I think?” he said distractedly with a strong Louisiana drawl as he plucked out a few crumpled bills from his deer skin wallet. He looked at you for the first time as he handed you the money. You thought you could hear his breath hitch, but over the sound of the air conditioner, you couldn't tell. He looked around the store as you opened the register, but his eyes quickly settled back on you. 

“Real hot out there ain't it? Haven't had a summer like this in years, I thought I was gonna burn up out there. Probably able to fry a egg on the sidewalk” he laughed showing a (surprisingly) full set of yellow and stained teeth. He gave a toothy grin as he leaned on the counter as you rang him up. If he was worried about you noticing him staring, you couldn't tell. His warm brown eyes were going over every inch of you as you got out his change.

He leaned closer to you to look at your nametag on your chest. Even after he had read your name his eyes still lingered for longer than they should have.

“Real pretty name, suits ya”

“Oh thanks, my parents gave it to me. Do you want your receipt?” you asked as you handed him his meager change. He gave a big laugh as he straightened his hat that hid his sandy blond hair. 

“It ain't like I'm gonna need it. I'm hardly gonna return the gas am I?” he said with sparkling eyes and a strong laugh.

You gave a small laugh as he walked to the door, leaving dirty boot prints behind.

“Try to keep out of the heat if you can!” you called after him.

Your thoughts were interrupted as Tommy began to spray air freshener around your counter.

He gave you a happy looking smile as he walked back to his old filthy truck. He gave you a small wave as he got in, which you returned. You didn't want to risk being rude of course, no other reason. Besides, you were told to be friendly with the customers.

“Does he come in often?” 

“God I hate that guy, hasn't he ever heard of deodorant? Stinks up the whole place, and he ruins my floor too.” Tommy exasperated with a sharp tone. 

“Yeah usually comes in a few times a week, sometimes we don't see him for a while though. Fucking weirdo” Tommy said with a thinly veiled layer of disgust.

“Guess you didn't see all the bones and crap hanging from that piece of shit truck. He reminds me of the hitchhiker from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” Tommy scoffed as he went to his office. 

“He didn't seem that weird, he didn't cause any trouble at least. He was nice. '' You said quickly, feeling you should defend him for some reason. Sure the guy wasn't exactly the cleanest guy you'd ever seen in your life, and he did stare a bit, but you found him sort of cute, like a possum.

The air felt soured from Tommy's unnecessarily rude words. You kept yourself busy for the remaining few hours of your shift. But your mind was elsewhere, thinking of possums and brown eyes.