#y'all i thought i was hallucinating for a while there

[ivy-loves-chocolate]

omgomgomg, resident evil boys with reader who ALWAYS falls asleep on them. Like they could just be sitting next next to each other watching a movie or even at a RESTAURANT and then they feel a weight on their shoulder and reader is just snoozing

AAAAH oh my god I totally love this idea and I also oved writing it. Thank you so much anon for this and I hope you'll like it �� I also do commissions if y'all are interested 💖

Both of you were in the lab late at night, waiting for some results. Wesker was sitting in front of a microscope, analizing a sample, and you were right next to him, completing a report. Only the sound of your keyboard could be heard in the room, as you typed rigorously.

"Hey Wesker," you said, yawning. "How much 'till the results come up?"

"They should be ready any minute now. If you want, go rest. I'll finish around."

"No, it's fine. I want to keep you company."

Maybe you were tired and were hallucinating, but you swear you saw Wesker smile. It wasn't a big one, just a satisfying smirk that appeared on his face.

Wesker paid no mind to you and kept observing the molecules. He liked when you were seeking his attention, and he often would play clueless to your hints just to toy with you. He had a satisdic pleasure to see you sweat over your own emotions and insecurities, especially when they were a direct result of your interactions.

While being consumed by his own ego,

While observing the chain reactions, he felt something heavy leaning on his shoulder.

He peeked over his shoulder and saw your head, which was laying heavy. You were long gone in the dreamland.

"Y/N," he said, but there was no reaction. He noticed that you were in a deep slumber and didn't have the heart to wake you up.

"I told them to go to sleep," he murmured. "They always end up like this."

He slowly moved his arms under your shoulders and knees and lifted you up, heading to the nearest bedroom. That was one of the advantages of working in a mansion.

He slowly placed you on the soft mattress, caressed your head a few times, removing some strands of hair from your face, and left, closing the door slowly behind him. He also left some coffee and a note saying that he would handle the rest of the procedure and to continue your day as usual.

Despite his cold attitude towards you, he cares for you, and he misses you when you're not around. He will never admit that, tho, not to you or even to himself.

Staying up late to complete reports isn't a fun activity unless you do it with somebody you like.

Leon's fingers typed rigorously on the keyboard while you were next to him, helping with the details.

"The fight with the knights was before or after I reunited with Ashley?"

"After... and then you got in the castle to find Luis..."

"Right"

He felt the fatigue and boredom taking over his body, his eyelids closing, but he trespassed to give his body a quick boost so he could take another sip of coffee.

He peeked at you and noticed that you weren't rested either. I mean, you were in the same village, doing the same thing: rescuing the president's daughter, and it wasn't like somebody pated your shoulders and told you to go rest because you deserved it. No, you took a quick nap at home, and then you had to finish the rest of your assignments just like a regular day.

Leon continued writing because he knew that the sooner he'd finish, the faster you could go to sleep.

Suddenly, he felt something heavy leaning over his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw your head resting on him. He looked at you with half-lidded eyes and thought, "this must be nice," and smiled.

He gently caressed your head a few times and then went back to his writing.

A few minutes passed, and you jumped, sending a powerful shock to your numbed body. You immediately regained consciousness and looked around, seeing Leon in the same spot but with a smirk over his face.

"Slept well?"

"Yeah, your shoulder is very comfy," you said, rubbing your eyes.

"At least this is what I can do: provide a comfy shoulder," he chuckled.

You wrapped your arms around his and leaned again over him, this time without falling asleep. He smelt so nice and was so clean.

"Ashley wasn't rescued again until after you killed Ramon," you said as your eyes quickly scanned the report.

"Thanks." He smiled and kissed your head. You stayed glued to him like that until you both fell asleep.

You were having a well-deserved rest in the comfort of your home after long, long months of working. Luis put a film on the TV, bought some snacks, and poured two glasses of wine.

"There you go, love," he said as he handed you your glass and sat next to you.

"Thank you," you said, giving him a warm smile. "It's nice being you with you like this, you know, not being surrounded by dead bodies and viruses." 

"Tell me about it! I can't remember the last time I had a normal night. It's been so long!" 

You were both sleep-deprived and burned out, and you barely kept your eyes open. The ideal date was falling asleep in his arms, but he wanted to do something a little nicer.

The movie just started, and you sat very comfortably in Luis's embrace. His arm was wrapped around your body, and you were leaning on him.

"Great choice, y/n." he said as he kissed your forehead gently. He pressed a long, lingering kiss before moving his eyes to the screen. He loved feeling your presence and the warmth of your body. It eased his soul.

Suddenly, he felt something heavy leaning on his chest. He quickly lowered his gaze and saw that you had fallen asleep.

"My love," he chuckled, pressing another kiss on your head.

He took another sip of wine and stared blankly at the TV. A powerful feeling of sadness overwhelmed him all of a sudden. Maybe he was just tired; maybe all of the feelings he swept tunder the rug were coming out, who knows, but he was sure of one thing: he didn't want to lose you. Luis took a deep breath and tightened his embrace. You were there, and that was what mattered to him.

His vision started to blur, the actor's lines were nonsense, and they talked gibberish. His whole body felt heavy, and in a few moments, he joined you in the dreamland, trying to find you in your dreams.

After a long day of training, you two decided to eat in the cafeteria and talk about the day.

You were sitting next to him on the comfortable sofa, eating leftover cake.

"This is still good," you said, taking another bite.

"I don't know how you can eat that. I've been sitting here all day," he said, making a grimace while looking at the cake.

"Stop being a hater for once and enjoy the simplest things in life. You might die tomorrow."

"That might kill you today."

You scoffed and shoved the rest of the cake into your mouth ostentatiously. He rolled his eyes.

"You can be so stubborn sometimes."

"I know, but luckily for me, you have patience."

You nugged his shoulder, and you caught him smirking.

You began talking about the day, the government, and even random stuff like trends and articles. Krauser was very different when he wasn't on the job. He talked more freely, he swore often, and he even laughed more, but when he did, it was full of satisfaction and life. He meant it.

He kept talking about how the government is corrupted, and you often agreed with him.

"I admire you, tho." He began. "You don't take anyone's bullshit. You fight back."

Silence.

"I know maybe I dumped a lot of things on you right now, but to be honest, I don't trust many people. I also..." he sighed, "...enjoy your presence."

The prolonged silence made him paranoid. Suddenly, he felt something heavy leaning on his shoulder, and when he peeked, he noticed you fell asleep.

"Do I bore you too?" he whispered. "Heh, I guess all superiors have this effect." He smirked and closed his eyes.

He cared about you more than he'd like to admit. He sees the potential in you, and he hopes that some day you will be able to make a change, as he feels it's too late for him due to his age. Because of that, he is harsher with you during training and missions.

He followed you shortly, snoring as he fell deep into the slumber.

He wanted to take you out to dinner, so he chose his favourite bar, where they serve the best steak. The football game was playing in the background, and the people were cheering and clinking their beers. A lot of noise was around you, but regardless, Chris was giving you all of his attention.

You stayed next to him as you two ate. You felt so safe with him, so peaceful. Chris tried not to give too many details about his missions, so he would gossip about what was going on with his team, who fought with whom, and what his superiors told him—the bare minimum.

"Are you sure there's nothing more you want to tell me?" you asked, interrupting him mid-sentence. Even if the tea was juicier than the steak (lots of betrayals, make-up, fights), you felt like he was hiding something.

"Hmmm... yeah, I'm pretty sure. Don't stress too much about it; I'm fine." He kissed your cheek and returned to his plate.

The national team scored a goal. The crowd was cheering and yelling, enhancing the bustle and excitement that was already in the bar.

You didn't notice the noise anymore; you got used to it. Chris' presence was making you drowsier than usual, probably because you also have your stomach full now.

"I didn't expect so many people today; otherwise, I would've cooked at home," he said in a slightly annoyed tone as he was looking around the room. "But the important thing for me is that you fee-" he said in a more cheerful tone, but was cut off mid-sentence again when he felt something heavy leaning over his shoulder. He peeked and smiled when he saw that you fell asleep.

"Look at that; I didn't know it was possible," he chuckled.

Chris remained still, as he didn't want to wake you up.

Everything he does, it's just for you. He goes on those missions just to make sure that the world is one step closer to being safe. He doesn't recognise the line between his own fantasies and reality, but every time he steps out of that door, he goes with a full heart because he knows that every time he comes back, you'll wait for him with a warm meal and a warm smile.

[olivianyx]

RESPAWN SUCCESS STORY THAT I HEARD FROM ONE OF MY TUMBLR COACHES (CUS I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE MOTIVATING FOR Y'ALL)

In November 2023, there was a post that was viral on Tumblr about a user entering the void and time travelled a month into the future and manifested her freshman year final exams score to be a 99% and she's currently living in the future from this reality (which is basically in her perspective and assumption)... Which in turn got a really bad reputation cus people thought she was lying. Actually when I saw that post I immediately messaged her congratulations, and how did she do that. She told me that she actually shifted there and came back cus she wanted to make some changes in her script which even included her dream life so she can shift to a reality where she had her dream life. So when people were coming at her suing her for spreading fake success stories, she was planning to deactivate cus she had a really bad chest pain that day and was feeling like she was high (basically she was planning on respawning, so when I spoke to her on the same day she was about deactivate her account, she said she was having strong delusions, dissociation, and hallucinations about her desired reality and had really bad chest pain and body ache, that's basically the symptoms she expected while respawning. And ig respawned by clinical death which apparently means heart attack/sudden cardiac arrest and got replaced by another consciousness in her place after she respawned, the next day as I messaged her again, she said that her original soul has respawned and this new soul is now here and is now deactivating her Tumblr account.)

This story here actually have me motivation that i myself started working towards my shifting journey. And this month as I posted about manifested many things by not beating myself up with routines, I have high hopes that I'mma respawn to my waiting room too.

She, her name was jade (@juliefiedxd) was really sweet and helped me to heal my depression and anxiety with the help of loa back in November. Yet people were spreading unnecessary drama about her success. People want success stories like these but if they see one, they go 'tHiS iS fAkE' like wtf??

I'm actually really proud of her rn cus she herself was from a toxic ass background. And finally went into the void after 5 years of struggles with her mindset and circumstances. She was a really good coach that did not charge me anything for her coaching. Maybe I might start coaching people for free too 🤭

People, now atleast believe in the law, it's freaking easy! If you need someone to help you, here I am! Hit on my ask button! Stop humiliating people's success stories as fake! They are real Or either they're scripting it to be like that. So chill and focus on yourselves babes ❣️

[gods-perfect-idiots]

Y'all have been so kind and welcoming of my half-baked concepts and unpolished doodles - it has been an uphill battle to fight my own self-judgment and just post my stuff! Anyway, here's another one - this time with more ~spicy memories~ (aka trauma).

The premise for this one: I was thinking about how Logan/Worst Wolverine probably hasn't slept next to someone in years, and how that is partially because he is likely prone to nightmares/sleep terrors and probably gets suddenly violent while still half or fully unconscious - maybe reliving past conflicts, maybe lashing out against his demons, maybe just unprocessed grief and rage coursing through his system when he's sober and has his guard down in sleep.

Here, I imagined him not only getting violent, but also screaming and crying while in this somnabulant state, half-waking in a sudden frenzy of fear and anger, and in the process flipping over on top of Wade and rapidly stabbing him multiple times, through the head and the gut.

Regenerative healing and quick reflexes notwithstanding, I think Wade would be taken aback to be awoken to that kind of sudden attack (not least because I think he sleeps better next to Logan - less jumpy and more restful with his big boy next to him y'know?). But his first thought, even with all six of Logan's claws embedded in his flesh, and horny hallucinations galloping through his skewered brain, would be to comfort Logan and try to bring him back to himself, even while his body and mind struggle to catch up to what's happening.

Continued ramblings and details under the cut lol.

I imagine Logan snapping fully awake and being utterly inconsolable, just collapsing and sobbing uncontrollably onto Wade's chest, blubbering nearly incomprehensibly (a lot of hoarse "I'm sorry"s and "Oh God oh fuck"s) while Wade heals and tries to soothe him with one hand combing through his hair and the other gently stroking up and down his back, trying to make jokes that simply don't reach Logan's grief-stricken psyche.

"It's okay, Peanut, no need to apologize, I'm good already see? That healing factor coming in clutch yet again haha. You do owe me a new mattress though, Mr. Scissorhands - you know how head wounds bleed like a fire hydrant, those pesky blood vessels amiright? Though fully half of all of my blood is a bit further south currently ifyouknowwhatimean... did I ever tell you about the weird response when I get Le Brain Stabbed? I didn't mention it in the Odyssey because, well, heat of the moment and all that, didn't want to stop for an expositional lore drop y'know? Anyway, point is, I get like, *diabolically* horny and hallucinate little cartoon characters to boot, it's pretty wacky tee bee aitch but does take the sting out of a surprise lobotomy so that's something... hey, you still with me, beautiful? Shhh sweetheart, it's okay, you're okay, just let it out, everything's hunky dory peachy keen cupcake unicorn rainbow blowjobs as far as the eye can see, darling honey kitty babycakes..."

But no matter what he says, jokes or not, Logan is just completely unreachable for a while; he just keeps crying and crying into his chest, like he's letting out 200 years of grief and confusion and loneliness and fear all in one fell swoop, his tears mixing with Wade's blood until Wade starts to worry he's getting dehydrated (ever since the time ripper Wade has made it his personal mission to Rehydrate That Old Man - the abs were undoubtedly impressive to behold but also a mark of a deeply desaturated body, and Wade keeps energy drinks and water bottles everywhere now, forcing Logan to drink every chance he gets. Sure, Logan's abs are less defined now, but Wade thinks he's practically started glowing - probably from all the nutrients and hydration, and the constant physical affirmations and calm daily routine probably helps too).

The crying isn't even really about Wade - Logan knows Wade is alive and well, but years of being petrified of hurting anyone he loves, and despite that crippling fear haunting him all his life he still failed to save anyone in his universe, and in fact, not only failed to save them but destroyed their memory by turning around and letting his feelings take over and turn him into (to him) an irredeemable monster, slaughtering anyone who crossed his path until he collapsed from exhaustion. And that haunts him even more, the innocent people he massacred in his supposedly righteous fury... he can't think straight amid the turmoil and all he can do is cling to Wade and cry and cry and cry until eventually he passes out again into a deep dreamless sleep.

It's not the last nightmare he has by any means, or the last time he wakes Wade up with his claws in a frenzied state, but Wade makes a mental note to be prepared so he can wake Logan up from his next half-awake nightmare with something pleasurable instead of painful. (Wade - in a rare moment of self-restraint - doesn't dwell on the whole "brain skewering = horny hallucinations" but he is absolutely BRICKED UP about it and the next couple of times he jerks it, all he can think about is fucking that old man silly until he can't even remember his own name much less the centuries of trauma).

(Spoiler: it works, and over time Logan's nightmares become gradually less debilitating and violent as he starts to associate them with - ahem - more positive feelings and maybe - *maybe* - forgive himself and start to imagine a life where he can be redeemed, can be treated like a good person, can be beloved and cherished and maybe even for a moment feel like he deserves it).

.... sorry this turned into a whole thing but here ya go!

[helluvahusker]

Heyyy I wrote a lil post-mastermind fic for y'all 👉👈

Read on AO3 or under the cut

Stolas had not been sleeping well. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, he was simply too tall for Blitzø’s couch, so besides for his first night on it, when he’d conked straight out due to the stress and exhaustion of almost watching Blitzø get executed, almost getting executed himself, and then instead losing his entire livelihood, powers, and his daughter, he hadn’t been able to catch more than a few unrestful hours a night. 

The New Couch

[Psst! The layout of Blitzø's apartment can be found in this Tumblr post.]

Still, he’d rather die than complain. Blitzø had been relegated to a fucking beanbag chair as his bed and he seemed to be sleeping just fine. He appeared chipper as ever, if a little more subdued and gentler, while Stolas spent all his waking hours struggling to focus through a thick fog. He was taking up Blitzø’s sleeping accommodations and he had nothing to show for it.

It was due to Stolas’s sleep deprivation, that when an enormous crash shook the apartment and he peered over the island to see Blitzø coughing and waving dust out of his face, he was sure that everything must have caught up with him, and he was hallucinating. 

"Ta-da!" Blitzø said proudly, holding his arms open in a dramatic L shape to present his new uh. Couch. It had landed partially on top of the old one, sending splinters and stuffing flying. Well that explained the dust. 

"Why did you get a new couch, Blitz?" Stolas asked, his feathers already ruffling agitatedly. "The one you've already provided me with is fine, I don't wish for you to go into trouble-"

Blitzø waved him off impatiently. "Shut up Stolas, anyone with eyes could see your feet dangling off the edge of that thing. Besides, I was due for an upgrade anyways. I solved the problem by snagging a pullout couch from one of our victim's houses. It has a queen sized mattress all folded up in there, plenty of room for your fancy ass to spread out with room to spare, capiche?"

Stolas capiched. Blitzø had gotten tired of the fact that his bed was not big enough for the two of them and had gotten them one that would be. How silly and rude of Stolas to be accusatory about it.  

“Right,” he said. “That makes sense, yes. But why in Hell wouldn’t you move the old one out of the way first?” 

Blitzø at least had the grace to look sheepish. “Okay, maybe it was more of a spur of the moment decision. I saw the pullout, I thought it would be nice for you. Look, I’m not a genius like you or Moxxie, you can’t expect me to think everything through. That would fuck up my whole-” he flailed his hands some more. “-thing I’ve got going on.” 

Stolas did love Blitzø’s whole “thing” so he refrained from arguing. It was already done, anyways. 

“If I still had my magic I could help move the old couch away,” Stolas lamented. “I’m so sorry, Blitz. You’ve done such a sweet thing for me and I can’t even repay you.” 

“Hey!” Blitzø leapt towards him, vaulting over the room divider and taking Stolas’s dainty hands in his own. “None of that. You don’t owe me anything, alright? It’s okay, Loonie can help me move the couch when she gets home and I’ll portal the old one away, easy peasy no harm no foul.” 

It was rather odd, Blitzø appeared to be… blushing. Stolas blinked. That couldn’t be right. 

The next second Blitzø got distracted, noticing the novel that was placed open face-down on his kitchen table. “Oh hey! You were reading? That- that’s great, Stols.” 

Blitzø smiled at him so disarmingly, that now Stolas was blushing, quite obviously. 

“Yes, you picked a rather good one, actually,” Stolas said. In fact, it was so good that this was the first day he’d felt up to doing anything other than sitting on the couch staring aimlessly at the TV. Lucky thing, too. He glanced down at their hands, which were still joined, and gave Blitzø’s a squeeze. “Thank you for that, Blitz.” 

“Of course,” Blitzø said, and withdrew his hands, definitely blushing. He hesitated, like he wasn’t sure what to do or say next. That was ridiculous, of course. Stolas had never met anyone, imp or otherwise, who always knew exactly what to do or say in any given instance more than Blitzø did. 

“Did you have a good day at work?” Stolas asked, ready to invite Blitzø to sit down with him so that they could talk until Loona returned. 

To his disappointment, Blitzø’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, I was totally in the middle of a hit! I left M&M stranded in the human world! Fuuuuuck me.” He grasped Stolas’s face gently and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be home soon with Loona, kay? Just hang tight, enjoy your book.” And then with a flash of a portal, he was gone. 

Stolas was left blinking after him stupidly. He raised a shaking hand to his cheek and touched the spot where Blitzø had kissed him. 

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

The second time Blitzø came home, he did in fact have his daughter in tow. Stolas watched, feeling useless, as they worked together to lift the new couch off the wreckage of the old one. He caught Blitzø’s expression of relief as he fished his horse blanket out of the mess, somehow still entirely intact. Once the new couch was clear of all the wood shards and ripped cushions, Blitzø rubbed his crystal and a portal appeared under the old one. They all watched it fall away into an unidentifiable living room, presumably the one Blitzø had gotten this new piece of furniture from, because it was conspicuously missing anywhere to sit. 

“There!” Blitzø clapped his hands together proudly once the portal had closed. “All done, thanks Loony! I’m sure Stolas and I can figure the rest of it out.” 

Loona just shrugged, already halfway through the doorway to her room. 

Blitzø looked up at Stolas, who was hovering awkwardly in the space between the kitchen and living room. “Wanna see if we can figure out how this thing unfolds?” 

It wasn’t too difficult. There was a handle under the seat cushions that, when pulled, somehow expanded out into an entire bed, as promised.  

“I guess we can just leave it out like this all the time, for now,” Blitzø said, rubbing his chin. “Business is picking up. Soon I can probably find us a two bedroom, so you can have your own space. But this’ll do for now, right?” 

It struck Stolas as odd, that Blitzø wasn’t prioritizing his own space. Perhaps he just meant because they were both in the living room. 

“This is more than enough,” Stolas said, realizing he’d almost been silent for too long. This time, he moved forward and took Blitzø’s hand in his own. “Really, Blitz. Thank you.” 

“Oh. Uh.” Stolas couldn’t possibly be imagining, both of Blitzø’s cheeks were turning mismatched shades of pink. The imp swallowed. “Really, Stolas. It’s no problem. It’ll make me feel better if I know you’re getting a good night’s sleep.” 

“That’s so sweet.” Stolas paused. “Darling,” he added, just because he needed to see what would happen. If he was allowed. 

Blitzø’s eyes widened. “I- oh. I- uh. Yeah.” He backed away, pulling his hands in towards himself protectively. “I have to make dinner.” Now he paused, and contemplated Stolas cautiously. “You wanna help?” 

Stolas’s feathers fluffed in astonishment. “Yes!” he said, then tried to tone down the enthusiasm, in case Blitzø found it off putting, like he had so many times before. “Ahem, I mean, I’m afraid I’ll be starting from an almost completely beginner standpoint, but yes, I would love to assist in any way I can.” 

Blitzø threw him an odd look. “Well alright, you didn’t have to use so many words about it. But-” he added, before Stolas could go and get his feelings hurt. “I kinda like that you did. Now get in here and we’ll get choppin’.” 

-----------

Well as it turned out, Stolas wasn’t entirely useless without his powers. He proved to be absolutely average at kitchen-related activities, which seemed to match Blitzø quite well, as he gave Stolas gentle and thorough instructions full of dozens of tips and tricks he’d picked up over the years. 

Still, the imp absolutely bragged to his daughter about how Stolas had helped make the food. 

Even stranger, her reaction had been a borderline-impressed, “Oh shit, not bad,” before retreating to her room.

Stolas beamed at both of them, not because he believed it was anything special but because it genuinely wasn’t bad, and that was good enough right now. He was feeling so proud of his amateur cooking skills that when Blitzø offered for him to come into IMP tomorrow - Stolas had been showing great interest in how his work went, the first real interest he’d felt in days - he almost said yes. Hesitated and thought about it deeply, chewing his lower beak and nearly going cross eyed. 

In the end though, he sighed and looked away and asked for a few more days

Blitzø took one of his hands within his own and held it in his lap until Stolas looked at him. 

“Hey,” Blitzø said gently, “A few days is way sooner than never. I want to make sure you’re really feeling up to it before I drag you into I.M.P.’s mess too. I’m glad you’re starting to feel better, even if it’s not all the way yet. Take the time you need, okay?” 

“Okay,” Stolas whispered, his eyes once again darting away from Blitzø’s. 

Blitzø drew back and started gathering up their empty dinner plates. “You should go change, birdy. Almost time to try out that cozy new bed of yours.” 

“Oh! You don’t want to teach me how to do the dishes too?” Stolas asked, mind short circuiting at the thought of sharing a bed with Blitzø again. But like, in a good way. “I helped make, I should help clean.”

Blitzø considered that. “How about you wipe down the table? Just take a damp rag to it, clean rags are in that drawer over there.” He motioned to the drawer.

While Stolas peered in the drawer, Blitzø got started on the dishes. The actual rule of the house was whoever used a dish cleaned it, but Blitzø usually ended up doing Loona’s anyways due to her dislike of being outside her room. He didn’t mind washing Stolas’s too. 

A long arm snaked around him and Blitzø would have jumped- except he’d been keeping track of exactly where Stolas was, and it felt almost natural as Stolas held his rag under the faucet for a few seconds to dampen it, his stomach feathers brushing the back of Blitzø’s head. No, instead Blitzø found himself frozen, not wanting to disrupt the moment. 

Stolas didn’t seem to notice, stepping away a moment later and turning to wipe the table in long graceful strokes, humming the prettiest little tune Blitzø had ever heard. He spent way longer wiping the table clean than Blitzø would have, but that was probably a good thing. Most of the time Blitzø didn’t even bother wiping the table down until it started grossing him out. 

“What shall I do with the dirty rag?” Stolas asked, his voice barely audible above the rush of running water and the sudsing of soap on dishes as Blitzø scrubbed them. 

“Just leave it, I’ll rinse it and hang it to dry when I’m done,” Blitzø said, glancing over his shoulder. So he caught the look of confusion and then understanding that dawned as Stolas understood that the laundry situation was a whole lot different here than it had been at the palace. 

“Alright.” Stolas’s hand landed feather-light atop Blitzø’s shoulder. “I’ll go get ready for bed, then. See you in a bit, darling.” 

Definitely unrelated to Stolas touching him and calling him sweet things, Blitzø’s hand jerked, and he accidentally sprayed himself with water. Stolas’s hooting little giggles drifted over his spluttered curses as the owl backed away to get ready for bed. 

When he’d finished cleaning everything up and gotten himself into his own pjs, Blitzø tiptoed into the living room, hoping that the new mattress was so comfy Stolas would already be in snoozeland, but no such luck. Instead, it appeared Stolas had deliberately waited up for him. He was sitting up, the edges of his feet still too long and dangling off the edge, and he smiled when Blitzø rounded the couch and entered his line of sight. 

The smile dropped just as quickly as Blitzø headed over to his beanbag chair and curled up in it. 

“What are you doing?” Stolas asked. 

Blitzø looked at him quizzically. “Going to sleep? Why, do you need something?” 

“No! No, I- Well, I…” Stolas seemed to be struggling to find words, frown lines creasing his face unpleasantly. Blitzø’s heart dropped. Fuck, and today had been going so well for him. 

“Is it the new bed?” Blitzø asked. “I’m sorry Stolas, human mattresses are just shorter than you, I wish I could afford a goetia-sized one, but-”

“It’s not that!” Stolas interrupted, louder than he meant to. He just couldn’t tolerate Blitzø being so apologetic, so- ugh. Best to be straightforward about things, even if that hadn’t ended up so well in the past. 

“I just thought that you would be sharing this new bed with me,” Stolas admitted, twisting his fingers tightly in the horseshoe blanket. “I mean, it is big enough. I don’t wish for you to not have a real bed because of me anymore.” 

“That’s really nice, Stolas,” Blitzø said, his voice oddly hoarse, “but I can’t.”

Stolas raised an eyebrow, voice coming out sharper and bitchier than it had in weeks, maybe months. “And why the fuck not?” 

Blitzø shot a nervous glance at Loona’s door before turning a glare on Stolas. “Because I won’t be able to keep my fucking hands off you,” he hissed.

“No one said you had to,” Stolas shot back, lowering his voice to match Blitzø’s out of respect for his daughter. “Besides, you very much haven’t. Why start now?”

The imp’s face went blank. “What do you mean?” 

Stolas made an impatient noise. “Oh come now, we’ve held hands more in the last few days then we did for the entire duration of our arrangement. Earlier today you kissed me on the cheek, and,” Stolas could feel himself blushing, thinking about the vague ghostlike memory of his first night here, “I’m quite certain that wasn’t the first time.” 

A look of regret and longing passed over Blitzø’s face. 

Stolas took it upon himself to draw back the covers invitingly. “Please come to bed with me, darling. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, we can just cuddle.” 

Blitzø huffed, like this wasn’t something he’d been dreaming about for weeks and struggled out of the beanbag. “Absolutely not,” he said, climbing into the bed, settling beside Stolas and pulling the blanket up to his chin. “If we’re doing this, then we’re gonna talk.” 

“Very well.” Stolas reached under the blanket and tangled their fingers together. “Would you like to start or shall I?” 

“I will.” Blitzø’s voice was definitely not shaking, not even a little bit. “I’m glad you’re here and I don’t want you to leave. That’s all. Anything else you want, it’s yours. We go at your pace. Just-” Blitzø’s hand squeezed Stolas’s. The imp wasn’t looking at him, instead staring straight ahead, like he couldn’t bear to be seen while saying something so vulnerable. “-Keep me in the loop about what you’re thinking, okay? I promise I’ll believe you this time.” 

“I promise I shall try to be understanding and reassuring if you don’t,” Stolas replied, his throat tight. 

He understood better now, had had that month to reflect on Blitzø’s initial reaction that dreadful full moon, and now these precious days in Blitzø’s apartment, learning more about just how much they both hated themselves. 

But not each other. They’d both clearly been wrong about that. 

“I am happy to stay with you,” Stolas continued softly, “for as long as you’ll have me. I’ve known for a while now that you’re it for me, Blitz. As long as you know that, I believe everything will work itself out.”

Funny, how optimistic he felt about it. There was something about being called after desperately during a near-death experience, followed by being wholeheartedly welcomed into someone’s home that just… helped quiet all those pesky voices that were always telling Stolas no one could ever love him. 

He’d been ready to die for Blitzø, and Blitzø had been ready to die for him. 

“You’re it for me too, Stolas,” Blitzø said. He’d clearly been following a similar line of thought, because his next words were, “if you ever try to die for me again, we’re going to have a fucking problem, got it?” 

“I understand,” Stolas answered, because that was something he couldn’t promise. 

But neither of them had died. Blitzø had taken care of him instead, and now maybe Stolas could do the same. At least until the next big problem - and there was sure to be a next big problem, whether that be how to get Octavia back, Andrealphus or Satan seeking them out again, or something else entirely - reared its ugly head. 

“Good,” Blitzø said, aggressively snuggling up to Stolas’s side. “Good talk. Now go to sleep.” 

“Yes dear,” Stolas said lightly. He bent his neck and pecked a tender kiss to the top of Blitzø’s head. “Sweet dreams.” 

When he turned on to his side and curled around Blitzø, drawing his knees up to his stomach, all of him fit perfectly on the mattress. He could feel himself melting quickly into sleep, all that tiredness catching up with him. 

Blitzø buried his face in Stolas’s long-missed chest fluff and threw an arm over him, and a leg for good measure, keeping him close.

The bed could hold them both, and nothing was going to keep them apart now. 

[rafyki]

Goth! Nico/ Surfer! Percy AU Part 9!

I'm back!! I hope you missed me as much as I missed posting lmao This chapter wasn't planned honestly, I wanted to write directly their beach 'date', but then this happened and I decided it's gonna be one more chapter before the date - sorry xD I bet y'all are tired of this slow burn, but i promise they're gonna get together soon!

(I hope the texting format is easy to read here on tumblr, but otherwise you can read it on AO3)

Enjoy~

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

You can also read it on AO3!!

~~~

Percy: Ehi, Nico! You have the afternoon shift tomorrow, right? Let’s hang out at the beach again after it?

Me: Percy, hi!

Me: So you really do know all my shift hours, huh?

Percy:  What can i say, Im a great obsever

Me: Huh, are you?

Percy: For important things at least

Percy: so is that a yes?

Me: of course

Me: No need to tell you what time I finish, I guess

Percy: nope 

Percy: 20ish right?

Me: yeah

Me:  see you tomorrow?

Percy: yep

Percy: see you tmorrow! 

Nico had been rereading the conversation for the best part of the previous night, and the first thing he had done after waking up had been checking his phone once again to make sure he hadn’t just made it up in his dreams. He knew the short exchange by heart now, yet he kept staring at it, reading it over and over again. Part of himself was afraid it would disappear if he so much as locked his phone and looked away for a second too long.

Their chance meeting at the beach three days prior still felt like a waking dream, like he had hoped so much for something like that to happen that he had started hallucinating. He wondered if hallucinations always felt so real, if they would let you to feel the water splashing against your legs, the warmth of the setting sun on your skin, or the pressure of a hand holding yours, the touch soft and warm, everything and more Nico had let himself dreaming about for the past months. The way Percy had smiled at him had been so beautiful that Nico’s mind probably wouldn’t have been able to conjure something like it if it hadn’t been real.

Still, it didn’t feel real.

Leo and Jason would have probably blamed the feeling on Nico’s self sabotaging tendencies. You’re allowed to have nice things, Nico, they would tell him.

Was he? Could he let himself hope that he could really have this? His heart was going berserk in his chest at the sole thought.

Percy had stopped to talk to him at the beach, Percy had taken his hand and held it while walking in the water, Percy had memorized his schedule and asked for his phone number; Percy had texted him first and asked him to hang out again.

For important things at least.

Percy had said that. Important. Nico wanted to scream.

His phone's sudden ringing almost made him jump out of his skin. It was Jason’s number, but it was Leoìs voice that greeted him from the other end of the line.

“Hi there, goth boy, so how ya feeling for your date today?”

“Not a date, Leo, shut up- and why are you calling me with Jason’s phone?”

Of course, Nico’s traitor heart stumbled on the word date. It wasn’t, and he couldn’t simply assume otherwise, it would make things awkward, wouldn’t it? And so far nothing had ever been too awkward with Percy - Nico surely wouldn’t be the one to make everything between them crumbling down for expecting too much.

“Not important-”

“He lost his phone”, came Jason’s voice. “Again. By the way, hi Nico”.

Nico rolled his eyes at their antics. “Hi Jason”.

“Anyway!”, Leo jumped in. “How are you feeling for your ‘not date’ then?”

“I hate you, Valdez”, Nico groaned, letting himself fall backward on his bed. His heart didn’t seem willing to stop running like crazy anytime soon, his hands were sweating from anticipation and tension.

“You’re freaking out, aren’t you?”

He put his phone on speaker just so he could set it aside, take a pillow, and scream into it.

Apparently, his suffering was extremely funny to Leo, because his obnoxious laugh came as a reply. “I’ll take it as a yes”, he said.

“Nico, I’m sure everything’s gonna be great”, Jason said. “You’ll have fun, get to know him better, and then-”

“Then you’ll finally date, hopefully”, Leo finished.

Once again, Nico’s heart skipped a beat and did a little dance in his chest. He threw the pillow aside. “What if I make a fool of myself though?”

“Well, your boy has made a fool of himself plenty of times already, hasn’t he? I mean, he knows your schedule by heart”, Leo replied. “So I’m sure you’ll be fine”.

Jason laughed at that, and after a moment Nico joined him.

~~~

Nico expected his shift at the kiosk to last an eternity, stretching on and on to keep him apart from finally seeing Percy in the evening. And, truth be told, the first couple of hours were just like that, long and boring and way too slow.

It changed when his phone notified him of a new text.

Percy: i got work today so im coming to teh beach latr 

Percy: ill meet you at the kiosk!

Nico’s heart was starting to become extremely good at doing somersaults in his chest. There were no customers at that moment, so he had time to reply, his fingers shaking just slightly as he wrote back.

Me: alright, I’ll meet you here then

Me: What time do you finish at work?

Percy: What, you wana learn my scdheule too?

Me: It's only fair, isn’t it?

And so, they ended up texting back and forth for a while and, after that, the time seemed to move faster, the day shining brighter, and Nico’s customers’ smile felt just that tiny bit more honest.

Nico’s internal list of the things he knew about Percy kept growing longer by the minute; he liked to text and wasn’t afraid to double text, his spelling mistakes were so atrocious they left Nico smiling and feeling so endeared it was almost ridiculous.

Nico’s nerves eased with every new text, his heart now beating out of excitement and anticipation more than fear and anxiety. The evening couldn’t come fast enough.

Me: Why are you spending so much time texting me instead of working

Percy: Why, arent you enjoying it :( 

Me: not what I said!

Me: i wouldn’t be replying if i weren’t enjoying it

Percy: :D 

Percy: im on break anyay

Percy:  what abot you, youre also on your phone instead of workin

Me: there aren’t many customers today

Me: no one to buy the same old blue drink

Nico put the phone aside for a moment, hiding his smile behind his hand and hoping that no one would think he was a creepy psycho smiling for no reason. He had every reason to smile. Flirting was easier through text, even if he kept spending minutes on end before forcing himself to press send. The downside of it was that it was way more difficult to avoid it when Percy flirted back.

Percy: aww you miss me?

He wrote and then deleted a reply a few times. He was lucky Jason and Leo weren’t there today to see him being like this or they would have made fun of him for the rest of their lives. 

It was strange. Nico was feeling embarrassed, but in an easy lighthearted way, and that made him feel just that little bit braver. Maybe it was because Percy was willingly spending his break texting him instead of whatever else he usually did; maybe it was the fact that he had the feeling Percy was feeling just like him.

He wrote a reply, looked at it for a few seconds and pressed send before he could overthink it too much.

Me: Maybe

Just then, before having the time to send a second text for damage control, a customer came and Nico had to put his phone down to serve them. His heart kept hammering in his chest the whole time, and his eyes kept stealing glances at the phone, hoping to see it ring. It was taking a little longer than usual for Percy to reply, and Nico didn’t know if it was because he had scared him away or flustered him too much.

When it did notify him of a new series of texts, he was still busy with new customers, and it took him all of his willpower not to make them wait while he checked his phone.

Finally, he thanked and said goodbye to the last customer of the queue, he moved so fast he almost stumbled on his own feet; and when he read what Percy had written, his heart was ready to jump out of his chest and start dancing on the counter.

Percy: me too

Percy: maybe

Percy: goot thign were seeing each other in a couple huors

Percy: cant wait

He read the words, reread it again and then again, once again feeling like they were nothing but a pipe dream. He blinked, and they were still there when he opened his eyes again. 

Maybe he really could let himself hope this time.

Me: me too

Time definitely couldn’t pass fast enough. 

[nightwings-robin]

Some of y'all act like Tim hated Jason when Tim was Robin and Jason was still dead but I disagree.

Not a lot of people do this but I've seen it enough times that it's gotten to bother me a little bit.

Let's take a look at some early Tim opinions on Jason.

Detective Comics (1937) #618

"Just a boy like me... One day I'll be as good as Jason."

This issue came out in 1990, so it's rather soon after Jason died and Tim was introduced (which happened in 1988 and 1989 respectfully). This is what Tim thinks about Jason very early on. This doesn't read as even remotely like hatred to me.

But wait, there's more!

The very next issue shows Tim having sympathy for Jason.

Detective Comics (1937) #619

Tim is noting the similarities between Dick, Jason, and himself. This issue is in the same arc when Tim's parents get kidnapped and his mom is killed. He has sympathy for Dick AND Jason, who both lost their parents. Tim is faced with the same pain and it shows his compassion for Jason.

Now this isn't to say that Tim was unaware of some of Jason's problems and maybe did blame him for his own death a bit, as shown with this panel:

Batman (1940) #455

Tim knew that Jason had times of anger and says he won't let that happen to himself. I don't think Tim is being quite fair here in claiming that he won't let his anger get the better of him like Jason's did, but Tim is hardly the only character to think this way about Jason and, again, this doesn't read as hatred to me. If anything, to me this reads as a character with preconceived notions about how another person died and not wanting to make the same preconceived mistakes as that person.

Is he being a bit harsh and 'holier-than-thou' here? Yes. Do I think this is hatred or some other malicious view of Jason? No.

There is also that time Tim hallucinated Dick and Jason, and they gave a sort of "pep-talk" to him about being Robin.

Batman (1940) #456

These are Tim's own thoughts manifesting through Dick and Jason. I do dislike that he imagines Jason blaming himself for his own death but think about why Tim would think this about Jason. Tim never met Jason. Wasn't there when he died. He only knows what he read and what he was told about Jason from other people. People like Bruce, Dick, and Alfred. And while those three loved and cared for Jason, they also unfortunately reinforced the belief that Jason was responsible for the Joker murdering him. It's not great but it does stand to reason that Tim would think this about Jason.

But it's not all bad stuff. Tim imagines Jason cheering him on alongside Dick:

Batman (1940) #456

Tim imagines not just Dick but also Jason telling him he can do it. That he can figure it out and be a good Robin. I feel like if Tim really did hate Jason, he wouldn't imagine Jason rooting for him.

Tim goes on to imagine Dick and Jason later helping him out with a fight:

Batman (1940) #457

Again, Tim imagines both Dick AND Jason encouraging him during a battle. He imagines that they both want him to succeed as a hero. Why would Tim want Jason's approval if he dislikes Jason? Because he doesn't dislike Jason. Tim respects him enough as Robin to think that he wants Jason's encouragement.

and then at the end when he officially becomes Robin:

Batman (1940) #457

"Dick made it a symbol... Jason gave his life for it. Failing them... what they fought so hard to build... worries me."

Tim sees being Robin as not just carrying on Dick's legacy, but also Jason's. He wants to live up to Jason just as much as he wants to live up to Dick. He wants to be a Robin that both of them can be proud of.

Like none of this says to me that Tim hated Jason. Did he look up to and idolize Jason the way he did with Dick? No, but that also doesn't mean that Tim hated him.

I get the feeling that Tim viewed Jason's death as a tragedy but since they never met, he didn't have any personal feelings about him, only wanting to live up to the Robin name that Jason left behind.

Now I DO think that Tim did eventually end up hating Jason after Jason came back and tried to kill Tim and others multiple times but this post is specifically referring to the time before Jason returned from the grave.

And I guess I should make it clear that I've not read every single comic issue of Tim Drake ever so maybe there are moments that refute my claim that I just don't know about. I'm simply going off of issues that I have read and I've only read Tim's very early days as Robin.

Feel free to disagree and add on if you want.

[edenalieth]

Tricked pt.2

Pairing: pixy!hyunjin x afab! reader — read part.1

Genre: faery!au, based on « the cruel prince » universe, smut, slight angst

Warnings: he’s still short tempered his dad is too, unprotected sex (they're fairies, they struggle to have kids and are immortals, you're not), oral m!receiving, fingering f!receiving, orgasm denial, bit rough/jealousy, y'all are a bit tipsy

Summary: At first, he thought he was hallucinating but he could recognize your delicate gestures, the plump of your lips, your hand engulfed by the stranger’s one and the way his free hand was sneakily brushing over your butt. Who was this asshole ? Rage setting his blood on fire, he couldn’t stop staring at you, making him stumble over his partner's feet. He apologized to the lady he was dancing with and headed towards you. Little did he know that you were waiting for this reaction. 

Words: 4.7K 

A.N: hi, it's cami! im back with the second part of this faery au. it's actually a first for me to write a sequel, i recently read the stolen heir so it helped going back into this universe haha. sorry for the eventual mistakes, i hope you will like it ♡ — 231206

His shirt was barely buttoned up, his hair untied and soaked after swimming with you on the lake and he unconsciously hummed a song on his way back to the manor. He felt delighted by the time you had spent together. Of course, he wasn’t forgiving you for the way you had played with his feelings, the way you made a fool out of him but he would let you go with it, for now. And, after all, it was your secret. Just like the place where you had sealed your passion to. He shivered thinking about how your hands touched him, how your soft lips crashed on his. He let his fingers brush against his lips, his steps guiding him towards the white rocky structure he called his dwelling. 

When the heavy wooden door opened at his arrival he heard his name being announced by the guards and some servants rushing towards him. 

« My lord, what happened to your clothes ? Please, you should wear some shoes and get dressed properly. » urged an old woman called Mona. She used to be his nanny and was always making sure things were perfect for him. Since he grew up, he was seeing her less and less as she was busy directing other attendants. However, she always showed up during important times. Today was no exception. 

Hyunjin raised a brow looking at the fae. He checked his white shirt. There was some green stains here and there because of your little fight. His feet were dirty after walking in the woods. Fine but what now ? Were the guests still here ? Even so, he didn’t care. The high society had seen him in a far worst shape than just being underdressed. And, after all, even a cruel and perverted man like Cardan had been able to access the throne. People would not be shocked for so little. 

The woman clapped twice and domestic servants swarmed over him, dusting his shoulders and feet, handing him a clean doublet and boots. He rejected them, annoyed by all this fuss. « Could you at least tell me why I should do this ? I would like to retire to my apartments. » the black haired pixy grumbled, his tone iron cold, looking at them with no mercy. The old fae sighed, not impressed by his temper. « Your father is waiting for you in his office. » 

His shoulders got tensed and he clenched his fists, the muscle of his jaw suddenly prominent. He pulled the clothes off the hands of a brownie, while an other one was helping him to put his boots on. Once ready, he headed towards the office. 

As usual, his steps were echoing on the empty corridors. In the fading daylight, the last rays of sunshine were illuminating the walls of different shades of blue, making the shadows dance. He stopped at the doorframe, took a deep breath and knocked.

« Come. » his father’s low voice seemed calm, too calm. 

Hyunjin entered the room. He bowed and said « Father. Mona told me you wanted to see me. » 

The place wasn’t really big and quite off-centered from the crowded rooms of the manor. Mountains of books were surrounding the huge oak desk, skillfully engraved with pixies and ivy. The young man was about to sit on one of the armchair facing it but his father stopped him, raising his hand as a gesture for him to wait. « No need, I won’t be too long. »

Hyunjin had difficulties to stay focused and he was trying with all his might to not let his wings buzz. His father was writing on some papers, not even bothering to look at his son. When he finished, he sealed it with blue wax, stamping the coat of arms of their family using his signet ring. Hyunjin had a similar one on his left index. « Today was your last tantrum. » his parent stated. 

The boy scoffed, tapping his feet on the floor. « A tantrum ? Maybe it would not have happened if this incompetent » and he insisted on that word, gritting his teeth « was doing his job properly. He humiliated me in front of the guests. » 

His dad stood up, overlooking his son. « No! You did that yourself and a multiple times! » he seethed. Hyunjin could feel his body getting hot from all the rage he was holding back. Controlling his wings was now a wasted effort and it didn’t go unnoticed. The older man looked at him with disdain. « Look at you. You’re dressed like a peasant and can’t even discipline your emotions. You almost hurt a domestic today, you put on a show during our dinner with the duke and your reputation is well known in Insmire. » he paused, analyzing Hyunjin’s reaction to the statement. He continued. « Get ahold of yourself or I will have to interfere myself. » he threatened. The pixy was fulminating. « I dare you to try. » he spit, his body few inches from his father’s. Not getting the time to react, he felt a loud pain on his cheekbone. His mind went blank, something warm dripping along his face. 

His dad pulled out a tissue from his pocket and cleaned his ring. « A ball is going to be held in four days. This is your chance to show the true values of the Hwang family. Understood ? » Hyunjin didn’t answer. « I said, understood ? ». 

« Yes, father. » 

When Hyunjin came back to his room, he had the urge to break everything around him. He checked himself on the full length mirror, his cheek was red, with some hints of purple and dry blood on the cut. Despite his anger, he could tell this argument made him come back to his senses. He deserved to be respected and feared but he also needed to behave a bit more to reach that goal. Not to be the capricious heir and to be able to surpass his dad. First, he would try to control his emotions. Second, he would avoid people making it harder for him to reach his first goal and having a bad influence on him, such as you. He could tell his heart had soften the second he took interest in you. It started when you arrived at the court and exploded after your afternoon together. He would not meet you the next day, breaking his promise. Nor the other. He didn’t need a weakness. He didn’t need to like you. 

Servants were helping him to get ready. He was wearing an all white outfit. The tip of his boots was covered of dark silver and Mona attached a brooch made of sapphires as dark as the night sky. His cloak, also white, was covered of tiny diamonds looking like the morning dew. His former nanny handed him a mask made of tulle. It wasn’t totally covering his face, just enough to hide his bruise and eyes. He was playing with the ring on his index, adorned with his coat of arms. It represented several pair of pixy wings, intertwined with ivy forming a H. Hyunjin often played with it to relax or, at least, try to. He perfectly knew that you would be here tonight. It would probably be difficult to ignore you, he was scared of your reaction. However, it was a masked ball and maybe you would not recognize him in the crowd. He hoped so. 

Once ready, a knight came to escort him and his family to the castle where the ball was taking place. The great hall was beautifully decorated. Fresh flowers were dripping from the ceiling expertly mixing with the high chandeliers where small fireflies were trapped, diffusing a dim light. The tables were covered with food and drinks going from grilled fish accompanied with a lemony sauce, fae fruits and exotic ones, some mortal dishes and different types of wine. 

A small orchestra was playing and a lot of people were dancing dressed with their prettiest gowns or totally naked. Spotting some acquaintances, he followed his family, greetings several people. Trolls, mermaids, elves. He had to go through this if he wanted to get some freedom from his father’s constant monitoring. Which, after what felt like hours, he got. His mother was busy gossiping with court ladies and his father needed to discuss some serious topic with a duke. Hyunjin wasted no time and decided to join some of his friends he had noticed earlier and took a glass of green wine. The alcohol going down his throat burnt him but the taste of it was incredible. 

« Look who is joining us! What have you been up to ? You didn’t come to Xylia’s party this week. » immediately questioned a young sidhe named Jisung. Him and Hyunjin used to hate each other until the pixy helped him out of a really bad situation. Said situation implying his friend having an affair with a married woman. 

« I’ve been on thin ice with my father’s patience lately… Staying at the manor was my best option. » 

Jisung pouted not truly convinced and took a bite on a fae fruit, some of its golden dust slightly covering his mouth. « Better make up for last time then » he mischievously replied with a smirk, pouring another glass of wine to Hyunjin. The latest smiled and let himself go a little while said Xylia, a nymph who had been interested on the black haired man, came up to sit on his lap. 

« Hwang Hyunjin is finally honoring us of his presence! » she purred, sliding her arms around his shoulders. « Missed me ? » he arrogantly said. « Of course ». She chuckled, revealing pointy teeth, then proceeded to come closer to sensually bite his neck. Jisung laughed and looked at them avidly. It wasn’t the first time he was seeing them acting like this but it surely aroused him. Hyunjin used to love it, playing with Xylia, flirting with indecency, teasing his friend. He thought that giving in to his old demons would help him get you out of his mind but everything seemed bland. The nymph strong flowery scent was overwhelming, his mouth felt furred because of the wine and the sidhe’s reaction annoyed him. 

« Stop… » his voice was barely audible. The girl kept on going, sliding her hands along his torso. « I said stop. » he growled firmly, trapping the nymph’s wrist in his hand. His gaze was icy, giving cold sweat to Xylia. « What’s wrong with you ? » she was visibly offended. The pixy man rolled his eyes « I’m bored staying in your company ». He stood up and went towards the dancing crowd. He heard Jisung trying to convince him to stay and could feel the nymph’s angry eyes boring holes into his back. He didn’t care, now that the alcohol was doing its job he could only think about one thing: finding you. 

How came you didn’t cross his path yet ? Yes, all those masks and textile fluttering all around him were making him dizzy and harder for him to notice you. However, it couldn’t be impossible, right ? Unless you weren’t invited… Unthinkable. Your family was freshly part of the high society, they needed to shine among it to get the recognition from their pairs. Hyunjin let himself be drawn into a waltz, changing partners and spiraling according to his thoughts. Until his eyes finally landed on you. At first, he thought he was hallucinating but he could recognize your delicate gestures, the plump of your lips, your hand engulfed by the stranger’s one and the way his free hand was sneakily brushing over your butt. Who was this asshole ? 

Rage setting his blood on fire, he couldn’t stop staring at you, making him stumble over his partner's feet. He apologized to the lady he was dancing with and headed towards you. Little did he know that you were waiting for this reaction. 

You had noticed him rather quickly. How could you do otherwise, anyway ? He was shining like the purest gem among the nobles and courtiers. The tulle mask was doing nothing, you could tell right away that it was him by the way he elegantly walked, his dark blue wings, his pearl earring he seemed to never take off from his pointy ears. The second you saw him in the crowd, you almost ran to him, desperate to know why he never came back to the lake. However, you needed to find the right time for it because you weren’t going to be nice and you couldn’t tarnish your family's reputation. He seemed like a different person when it was only the both of you. You thought he had a soft spot for you. What an idiot you had been. You felt betrayed. Maybe it was his revenge for the little play you had pulled on him and it felt like getting a taste of your own medicine. Bitter. 

He had probably used you and would laugh about it with his friends. This feeling increased the moment you saw that beautiful creature devouring his neck and touching him lustfully. You clenched your fists at the sight of it and regretted not cutting his throat when you had the occasion. In the end, he was like any other fae, directed by his impulses. You went to the closest table and grabbed a drink. You coughed a little because of the high amount of alcohol. And this is how you joined the dancers, well decided not to cry over that mouth-of-nectar. He wanted to play that game ? Oh, you wouldn’t loose and seeing him almost crawling in your direction gave you some smugness. 

« Y/N. » he called out, trying to get your attention as you ignored him thoroughly. People were on his way and he started to push them away brutally — getting death glares — as you danced away from him, still in your lure’s arms. Even if his gaze was blurred by the light fabric covering it, you could tell the same anger was burning inside his eyes, the same one you had witnessed when he discovered the trickery you had played on him. Finally reaching the both of you, the pixy stopped, trying to keep his composure. « May I ? » he asked the man, showing his palm. « Can’t you see I’m… » your partner was about to protest until he saw who he was talking to. Hyunjin was giving him a beautiful grin but not a single cell of his body seemed welcoming. « Lord Hwang I… My apologies, the lady is yours. » he sheepishly said. The pixy looked at him leaving and his smile instantly faded once the man was out of sight. You rolled your eyes and tried to escape but he strongly grabbed your waist and pulled you close to him. 

« You suddenly remember me, Hwang Hyunjin ? » you scoffed, annoyed to not be able to detach your eyes from his. He intertwined his fingers with yours, making you twirl. You were stunning in that dress. It was visibly made of a pearly shaded silk where actual pearls delicately dangled on your chest and arms, like rain drops. A similar mask was adorning your face. It gave you a strong aura and suited the hint of purple in your eyes. « Why are you doing this to me, half-blood ? » he whispered in your ear. Feeling his breath against your face gave you goosebumps. 

« D-doing what ? » 

Damn it! You couldn’t help but stuttered and he smirked. 

« Playing with my feelings all the time. » he replied. Oh wow! So, it was your fault. 

« I’m the one playing ? You seemed to have a good time with that freshwater slut earlier. » you spat, unable to restrain your venom. He recoiled, surprised. 

« Are you talking about Xylia ? I actually pushed her away because I wanted her to be you. » he grumbled. You felt his nails digging into the tenderness of your waist, giving you a small ache. « And you think I’m going to believe you after you broke your promise. I bet you told all your friends how you made a fool out of me, letting me think I had won. »

Your words annoyed him and he frowned. This is what you thought and why you were doing all of this, trying to make him jealous and it worked. His wings started to tickle and his mouth was reduced to a thin line. 

« You truly think I’m a monster when you’re the one who started all of this. » he stated calmly. Surprised, you looked at him but you couldn’t say he was wrong… 

« What do you want from me Y/N ? » 

His intense gaze made you look away and you were glad the mask was hiding your cheekbones which were probably red. You weren’t going to say how much his loss hurt you, how addicted you had become after only one day together. You had too much ego for that. Gulping, you came closer to his ear and murmured, « Prove me I’m wrong, prove that you sincerely desire me. »

He put a halt to your dance, weighing the pros and cons of your demand. Accepting would go against his resolutions, yet, it couldn’t let you insult him without giving you a lesson. « Your wish is my command. » he replied with a sly smile. 

Cutting through the crowd, he guided you upstairs. You weren’t surprised to see some wasted people laying on the floor or hearing laughs coming from other rooms. What surprised you is how easily he found the entry of a boudoir room. Must not have been his first time coming here which made your body get tensed. 

It was small and pretty. The furnitures were scanty. An alcove full of fluffy pillows and beautifully crafted blankets overhung by a large window offering a night view of the garden. A meridian couch and a coffee table, few decorations. You removed your mask, wanting to face him correctly. You looked even more gorgeous and he could feel his body warming up. He carefully locked the door and walked towards you, trapping you against the edge of the alcove and himself. The sudden proximity made your core ache. You wanted to touch him badly but he was the one who had to prove something. After all, he accepted the challenge. 

« Well. Tell me Hyunjin, are we going to stay like that or are you actually going to do something ? » you teased. He scoffed, letting his hand run along your thigh and going up your breast to grasp the dangling pearls. He played with it, looking at the light reflecting on it. Your breathe was faint, anticipating. Not bothering to lift his head up, he spoke 

« I will make you mine, Y/N. You will be my thing, my doll and you will never dare to flirt with some idiots ever again. » You frowned. His thing ? You would never let that happen. 

« You’re all blabbering but you dont act much and, most importantly, you don’t own me. » 

What you thought would be a nice time was turning into an upsetting one. This was ridiculous and, despite your aroused state, you needed to leave. Obviously, the young pixy didn’t let you go, pulling hard on the pearls and making the threads holding them break as they fell on the ground. 

« Really ? » 

You couldn’t really tell what he was thinking because of the tulle and you wanted him to get rid of it. Before you could complain about it, he grabbed your butt and made you sit on the alcove. Adroitly, he left your dress up so that your bottom was fully exposed. « I’m sure of… » you couldn’t finish your sentence, feeling his thin fingers sliding down your folds. You gripped his shoulders and moaned on his neck. He removed his hand, looking at your glimmering arousal and said with a husky voice « Seems like your pussy is telling me otherwise. »

You felt tears forming in your eyes. Why your body had to betray you like this ? You bit your lip, sulking. However, Hyunjin didn’t plan to give you any rest. 

« You wanted to know how much I desire you, uh ? » he growled, leaving incandescent kisses on your jaw and neck. You hummed, too concentrated on his touch. 

« Speak. » he ordered. 

« Yes. » 

A smirk appeared on his face as he closed the gap between the two of you. You sighed in relief, finally feeling his lips on yours, it tasted like green wine. You wrapped your legs around his waist, your core meeting the fabric of his pants where you could feel is hard-on. He grabbed the back of your hair, making your head fall backward. He missed your scent, the softness of your skin and he absolutely wanted to ruin you. 

You tried to find some friction but he was holding you back strongly. The tip of his nose brushed against the crook of your neck when you felt his warm and wet tongue tracing lines on it. « Hyunjin, please… »

As an answer, he harshly sucked on your skin. The pain made a small cry escape your mouth. Fuck. He was bolder than the first time, getting comfortable around you. You heard a pop when he let your sensitive take some rest. 

« Satisfied ? » he asked. Oh, he had to be joking right now. 

« Not at all. » you answered, sulking. His laugh revealed his teeth, making him low-key predatory. 

« Always greedy. » he sighed. His fingers caressed the pulsing point of your neck, travelling down to the valley of your breast to finally reach where you needed him the most. He cupped your sex, making you mewl. « This belongs to me. » 

You wanted to protest but the pressure he was applying on your clit was driving you crazy, his thumb forming small eight figures on it. 

« Say it. » You resisted, shutting your eyes and digging your nails into his shoulders. Loosing his patience, he inserted a first digit inside you. You moaned his name loudly and Hyunjin had to take deep breaths not to fuck you raw.

« I-it’s yours. » you panted. 

He dipped another finger inside your dripping pussy. « Again. » 

« It’s yours, I’m yours. » you chocked when you felt his digits curling. 

« See. It wasn’t that difficult to admit it. » he mocked, his lips crashing against yours. You bit on his lower lip, making him grunt, soon met by an iron taste. The black haired man lightly jumped, his wings quivering. 

« Behave. » he whispered. « I’m sorry… I got carried away. » you immediately apologized, afraid that he would stop. Unfortunately, what you feared inevitably happened. After few more pumps, he could notice how lightheaded you were, how your walls were getting tighter. However, he didn’t want you to come around his fingers. You whined. 

« Keep going, please. I was so close. »

« I know. » he sighed. « But it’s my turn now. » He stepped back a little, putting you back on your feet as he was taking your place and unzipping his pants. He looked sinfully handsome. Totally absorbed by the view, you didn’t notice how he made you kneel down before him. His length was right in front of your eyes, precum glittering on its top. You licked your lips. « Suck on it. » 

Another order you gladly complied to. Him towering you like this, in all his glory, was another type of turn on. You delicately seized his dick before giving him some kitten licks. He let out a loud moan, his hands gripping the edge of the alcove, his knuckles turning white. 

« Stop playing. » he huffed. Searching for his gaze, you seductively put his member into your mouth, your lips perfectly fitting around it. Damn it. He would never be able to avoid you after seeing you like that. The sensation of your tongue twirling around his shaft, the delicious pressure every time you sucked on him. Gripping your hair he gave you light thrusts, until he couldn't stop his increasing pace, the tip of dick repeatedly hitting the back of your throat, making you gag. Tears formed on the corner of your eyes and your jaw started to ache so you had to make him stop. Both out-of-breath, he helped you to stand up, your legs being sore from the kneeling position.

« You did amazing, sugar. But don't you think it would be too bad for me not to come inside you ? » he mused, cupping your chin.

« I want you all. » you whined, already lifting your gown up. It made him chuckle, his eyes turning into crescent moons. Wanting to be more comfortable, he finally removed his cloak and mask. You never thought it would make such a big difference but everything seemed more intense now. You could perfectly admire his features, his dark eyes, the mole under his left one. Something was new, though. You carefully approached your hand from the bruise on his face. You frowned and asked « What happened ? ».

He had totally forgotten about it. He put your hand down and made you turn around. « Nothing much, now bend over. » You started to ask more questions but got easily distracted when he unlaced your dress, letting it slip on your naked body. You felt the palm of his left hand applying pressure on your bare back so that your torso was totally flat against the pillows and blankets of the alcove. He cupped your butt cheeks, slightly spreading them to look at your dripping core. You couldn't see what he was doing, only hearing some wet sounds. Hyunjin pumped himself hastily and, without any warning, penetrated you. You being soaking wet helped him a little but you were so tight that it was difficult for him to put his whole length inside. Gripping your waist firmly, he started with light thrusts, growling with any frictions.

The stretch was a bit painful at first, still, you quickly got accustomed to it, your butt trying to meet his hips and loving how he manhandled you. Seeing you so desperate to feel his dick made him salivate. He could see the side of your face as you bit on your lips, trying to muffle your noisy whimpers. You looked so fucked up and gorgeous at the same time. Inch by inch, he finally buried the totality of his shaft inside you, immediately hitting your sweet spot. « Fuck... Y/N... » one thrust, « I told you... » two... « You are meant to be mine. » His pace was increasing as you nodded, unable to create a proper sentence, your hips continuously hitting against the wooden edge of the alcove. The mixed pain and pleasure made you press your legs together, which didn't go unnoticed. Growling louder, Hyunjin bent over you to get a new angle, his thrusts becoming sloppy and slower. You felt one of his hand sliding down your heat to work on your clit.

« Hyunjin... » you mewl on his touch.

Surrounded by your scent and moans, he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle it much longer, going feral as he fed your eager cunt.

« You feel so good. Even better than last time » he praised, probably because this time he was the one dominating. This statement sent electricity down your spine, your walls clenching dangerously.

« Hyunie, I'm really close... » you cried, your voice barely above a whisper. « Hold on for me, half-blood. » the pixy commanded. You simply nodded and grabbed the blankets under you. You couldn't think straight anymore. You were fighting against the threatening wave of pleasure increasing with each powerful thrust, each change of pace. He was doing you good, too good for your own sanity. You could feel his weight on top of you, his arms caging your torso, leaving faint bruises. Wet sounds were echoing in the small room, sounds of your sweaty bodies rubbing against each other, sounds of sinful sex. His breath was becoming hectic and heavier, your walls so warm and narrow that he felt sucked in.

« Fuck ! » shaking over you, he relieved his seeds inside you, coating your core white. The euphoric wave wouldn't stop as he kept feeding his high, throbbing inside you and spiraling into delicious bliss. Unable to hold back anymore, you were on the very edge of your climax when you felt him pulling out. Stunned, you were left clenching around nothing, your core aching.

« W-what ? » you asked, confused. You fell on the floor, too weak to stand up properly. Hyunjin was already dressing himself up, styling his hair and tying his cloak. Once ready, he took his mask and crouched down to meet your eyes. A smirk was adorning his face.

« Consider this a payback for last time. » he said with his husky voice, preparing to get up « Oh! Before I leave, don't forget that I better not catch you in the arms of someone else than me. » he was towering you, looking down on you and your submissive position. He caressed your cheeks as anger was suddenly knocking your brain, your brows furrowed and eyes darkening. Without a word he turned around and left the room. He put his mask back on, satisfied as he heard his steps and your raging scream echoing on the corridor.

[shitposting-fox]

Just finished episode one of The Edge of Sleep and I have... Thoughts

I definitely see the disrespect given to Mark throughout everything. Christ

First things first, the good things. I really love the eeriness of seeing completely empty roads, quiet towns, and only one car on the road driving to the hospital

It plays into the "quiet town = something is wrong" as there's even a lack of animal noises (except the one good boy who was barking)

I love the way they portray the hallucinations- but ESPECIALLY the way Dave just works to try ignoring it and not freak out

As someone with hallucinations occasionally it. It really is how you feel and react when trying to be normal and ignore the shit you're seeing/hearing/etc

While it is dramatized the incorporation of how actual psychotics work to cope with hallucinations was very nice

Also, an AMAZING take on a different kind of apocalypse. Everyone dying for some unknown reason as soon as they fall asleep is such a cool concept

Mateo and both nurses are well played and I really am excited for the next episode

Now for the issues...

I'm sure y'all have already heard about how it is blatantly obvious they're trying to fuck Mark over, but it's even worse when you watch the credits

The whole time he's only credited as "Markiplier" not even his legal name! Whereas every other person has their full name listed

"Markiplier's stunt double" "Executive Director Markiplier" is it really so hard to put Mark Fishbach in the credits????

It's so clear they don't actually care about him, it's a fucking miracle we've actually managed to make it #9 in the US so far. They're fucking him over so bad he had to make an announcement video because they (likely intentionally) released it early

I don't even watch much of Mark's stuff anymore but this is ridiculous. Thank god the fandom has pulled together to make sure they're not fucking him over but it shouldn't have even been an issue in the first place

No ads, no promotion, intentionally releasing early in only one country when most people are at work, etc.

It's awful and I'm hoping that everything goes better from now on

[thebomb-thebird-andtheburntbitch]

Wishing on Golden Stars [8]

Seeking Advice

genre: isekai, slow burn, fluff, hurt/comfort, humor(?)

chapter warning(s)!!!: self-political/romantic dilemmas, canon verse elemental combat, injuries, a dash mentioning of xiao/aether,

chapter w.count: 5.6k

a/n: y'all ready for a situation?

You open your eyes the next morning but it feels like you didn’t sleep at all. Your mind, even while sluggish with the waking hour, wastes no time in flying to Ayato and his words of adoration.  Feeling your body heat up from the tips of your toes to the top of your head, you pull the covers up over your head. 

“I care for you deeply.” 

Did you hallucinate? Did he really say that? 

“I care for you deeply.” 

To you? For you? 

Your kicking legs- from confusion, fluster, embarrassment, and even annoyance- ruffle and ball the covers around your legs and feet. With a force that swirls your vision, you throw your covers off, flinging your arms in front of you to bring your torso to sit up. With a huff, you plant your hands on the sides of your hips staking you in place. 

“Stop worrying about it!” You scold yourself. Then, the look of Ayato’s eyes flashes behind your eyelids that blink. The way he spoke softly and gently held your hand would be hard to dream up- and you’ve had more than one embarrassing dream about Ayato even remotely… loving you. “Stop. Thinking…” Bringing your hands up, you cover your face defeatedly. “I can’t stop thinking about it.” Your voice is muffled behind your hands. You try and blame the moisture on your palms from your hot breath for the warmth on your cheeks. 

With warmed skin, you get out of your futon. The day wouldn’t wait for your fit to end. You were due to start work soon. As you get dressed you hear the morning chatter of the residence and it brings a calm over you. 

Your feet move quickly once you leave your room. Surely, if you get a move on quick enough you won’t run into the Yashrio Commissioner this early. If luck is on your side, the workaholic will still in his office. 

“Y/n!” Happy to hear Thoma’s voice this particular morning, you look over your shoulder towards his call. You suck in a breath when Ayato’s pale hair and professional visage comes from behind Thoma’s shoulder.

If luck were personified, you would have kicked him into a creek after a rainstorm so he'd be covered in mud from head to each individual, lucky toe.

You have to will your legs to not run away from the Kamisato head's approach. Swinging your arms behind your back, you begin to fidget with your fingers out of sight when the two men come to stop in front of you. 

Ayato looks well rested for what it’s worth. 

“Good morning you two,” you greet. 

“Morning! I’ll start making staff breakfast in a bit, so make sure to be hungry.” Thoma’s chipper personality helps ease your tension, even with Ayato hovering around like some sparkling irritant in the corner of your vision. 

“I’ll get morning chores finished and make sure to show up famished,” you jest along to his morning antics. Still ignoring the pale haired male. Infact, you make it a point to not look over Thoma's shoulder at all.

“Y/n,” you jolt. So much for that, is your passing thought. You recover quickly as you divert your attention back to the commissioner. 

“My lord?” 

“Do not overwork yourself.” You almost roll your eyes. Practice what you preach is what you’d like to tell him, but your words get lost into the void of your thoughts. Bypassing Thoma, he steps more into your personal space and leans ever so graciously to grab your hand. He squeezes it once before letting it fall from his fingertips again- as if he hadn’t grabbed it at all. It was hardly anything, nothing compared to his actions last night, but you still hear ringing in your ears. “You don’t seem like you slept well.” 

“Well… I have a lot on my mind.” You murmur with unfocused eyes. With his close proximity he hears you regardless on if you want him to or not. Ayato chuckles quite bemused. 

“I believe I instructed you that from this morning forward, you need not dwell on that.” You don’t reply to him. There’s no way for you to say anything back without it sounding criticizing or even rejectful. Ayato knows exactly what you’re thinking about and you hate that he does. He also seems to understand that you cannot muster up the words to converse back to him. “Thoma,” he addresses the housekeeper who has been watching with a flustered air around him since Ayato got close to you, “please make sure y/n eats properly today.” 

“Oh, of course.” Excusing himself, Ayato leaves Thoma with you in the halls of the residence. The pyro vision holder looks at you and your far-off expression. “Uh, can I ask? Did something happen between you and Lord Kamisato?” 

“I- uh, sort… of..?” You speak slowly in increments while your brain desperately tries to catch up with your mouth. Thoma reaches out and cradles under your elbow. 

“Let’s go to the kitchen,” he insists. “Afterward, we can go somewhere and talk. Maybe it’ll help sort out your thoughts.” You nod along with his ideas. Maybe it would work. Sitting down with one of the closest people to Ayato and really sorting out your thoughts and feelings. 

For the majority of the morning, you shadow Thoma. It feels reminiscent of the time you spent training under him three years ago when you were first brought under the Kamisato’s care. You make food for the staff and help oversee the meals prepared for Ayaka and Ayato- although you did not serve them like previous days with Thoma. Instead, to take priority for your talk, Thoma assigned that task to other trusted staff members. 

“Alright,” Thoma huffs proudly once you both have your late morning meals in your hands, “let’s go somewhere else. How about out in the garden?” Just as you have all morning long, you nod once again to his idea. 

You both make it out to the small garden of white stones where Thoma sits himself on a rock, you follow his lead and doing the same on another across from him. You both were sitting close enough that your knees were close to touching, but it would make for easy conversation that no one could overhear. You certainly did not want any unwanted ears dropping in.

“Alrighty then,” Thoma starts, placing one of his hands on his knee that wasn’t balancing the small ordinary meal in his lap. “Tell me what’s on your mind.” 

“It’s pretty complicated,” you warn. He dismisses it with a wave of his hand. “Yesterday, the commissioner showed me to small room he has just off of his office.” Thoma nods, like he already knew Ayato was going to let that little space of respite be known. “After that, we talked. About a few things. I was talking about my… my home, and in turn he was helping me process my thoughts.” You slacken your shoulders in a deep sigh and let your eyes fall down to the white pearl-like stones under your feet. If you were barefoot, you have no doubt the morning sun would’ve warmed them enough to bring you comfort to your sore limbs. “Remember when Lady Ayaka found me before the meteor shower started? Out on the veranda?” 

“Yeah, I do. You were pretty out of it. Was it because of what you two talked about?” 

You nod with an affirming hum. “It wasn’t about me though. Well, not really. Like I said, it’s complicated and-” 

“Y/n,” Thoma sternly stops your rambling before you can start. 

“He told me he ‘cares for me deeply’.” Thoma’s chopsticks drop to the stone’s below and you roll your eyes. 

“Woah, really?!” 

You take in a breath and harshly let it blow out between your fingers as you cover your face. You’re careful not to drop what’s left of your breakfast since you don’t want Thoma’s effort into making it go to waste. It was a very obvious sign of distress, but Thoma is still left speechless for a moment longer. 

“I always knew Lord Kamisato had a soft spot for you, but I didn’t expect him to actually express himself. He never lets himself act like that.” Thoma’s hand comes to cup around his chin. You pick yourself up to see his expression whirling with thoughts. 

“You say you knew he.. Uh…” It feels wrong saying that he ‘liked you’. You couldn’t bring yourself to say it for a multitude of reasons. 

“Anyone who was close to Lord Kamisato could at least tell he favored you among the rest of us. Even I could tell.” Your jaw drops. Thoma wasn’t a liar, but there as no way that could be true. “Did you really not know?” He sounds astonished, like you not knowing any better was outlandish. You shake your head. “Hmm,” Thoma hums in thought. 

“What should I do, Thoma?” 

“About what?” 

“Seriously?" You bite. "About this whole situation!” 

“Well, I don’t see why you don’t just be honest with him. You do like him, right?” You jaw drops again. You could’ve sworn your hid your feelings well enough that only Ayaka could pick up on them. Then again, you didn’t account for Thoma in the long run. He was too damn trusting it just slipped your mind. Maybe you let your guard down one too many times. 

“I can’t just admit that, and you know it..!” You hiss. 

“Sure you can,” his easy going tone about something so important was starting to piss you off. 

“Thoma, he’s the Yashiro Commissioner,” you grind. Your hands come up to pull an invisible line in front of you to stress an invisible point. “There’s no way politically that we would work out. The Tri-Commission would throw such a fit about it!” 

“This isn’t about the Tri-Commission y/n.” Thoma’s tone turns stern. Looking him in the eye shows just how serious he was deciding to take this. “If you and my Lord both share feelings for each other, you should be allowed to indulge in them. If you want to be together, then we can worry about everything else after. The Yashiro Commission is strong and so is Kamisato Ayato. It would take a lot more than something like being in love to move the force that is our lord.” 

Hearing the word ‘love’ come out of his mouth made you gasp lightly. 

“Tradition can give way to emotions when it comes to something like this.” 

“Thoma,” you say, “does he really care about me like that? It’s... just hard to believe.” 

Reaching over to your lap, he firmly places a hand on your knee. He smiles at you so contently and truthfully there’s no way you could ever call him a liar. 

“He does; truly he does. I’m really happy for you and for lord Kamisato, y/n. Now!” He pulls his hand away and back to his lap. “Eat up! I promised my lord I’d make sure you eat.” He starts digging into the rest of his breakfast, and soon you do the same. Even if you didn’t have much of an appetite right now.

Romantically interested or not, Ayato wouldn’t let you get away with skipping a meal. Especially on his account. 

You were carrying a tray of tea to Ayaka’s room and as you lift your hand to knock the door slides itself open before you could even connect. You flinch but steady the tray in your arms before Ayaka is ushering you inside with so much haste it’s almost concerning. From the way she plops herself down at her tea table and flicks open her fan to cover her smile, you can already guess what this was about. 

It's going to be an extra-long day, it would seem.

Of course, you should’ve figured Ayaka would hear about it- either from Thoma or her older brother. 

You set up the tea set and at Ayaka’s insistence, you prepare a place for you to join her as well. Taking part in teatime with gossip was something she didn’t often get to indulge herself with since she had to keep up appearances so frequently. With you, alone in her room, she could act like a girl her age and not the daughter of a powerful family. 

“So,” you start after pouring her tea, “whose lips were loose?” 

“That would be my brother’s,” she sounds so chipper. Like she’s over the moon. “How do you feel knowing that my brother cares about you the same way you care about him? I’m sure that’s relieving.” 

“I’d say it’s the opposite. It feels quite… heavy, my lady.” 

“Oh?” She blinks over her fan. “Is there an issue?” 

“I mean nothing harsh by saying this my Lady, but you’re a lot like Thoma.” You pour yourself some tea and take a drink. “He asked the same thing when I told him.” Your throat itches, so you take another drink. The warmth of the steam dampens your nose when you tip the teacup up. “I can’t not worry about it when he’s someone of such high social standing.” 

“That should be the least of your worries!” Ayaka scolds, snapping her fan shut and setting it down on the table next to her teacup and saucer. “The state of affairs regarding the Tri-Commission and my brother’s standing as Kamisato head should not affect this situation. This is a matter of the heart, not the state.” 

When she says it like that, it makes you feel like you've been reprimanded. It was probably the politest way you have ever been called foolish, and also the most long winded. 

“But” -you sigh exasperatedly- “it isn’t that simple either! You know that, my lady.” 

“Oh, away with that,” she waves. “We’re currently discussing your turmoil about accepting my brother’s feelings for you. Right now, we are speaking as friend to friend, not lady and servant.” You swallow as she leaves no room for argument. “The only one making this matter complicated is you.” 

“But-”

“No. No buts.” Ayaka takes her fan and while it’s still closed points the end of it not cradled in her palm at your face. Your eyes nearly go cross-eyed trying to focus on the object so close within your proximity.

For the next hour and a half, you sit as Ayaka gives you a mix of pep-talk, advice, and slight scoldings. You hardly got a word in between her spiels, and you half wish you were quick enough on your feet to just run. But even if you were, she was a swordswoman. No doubt she’d match your stamina and continue her lecture on foot if need be. 

By the time you were finally dismissed, you slide her private room door shut at your back and let out a deep breath that feels like it came from the bottom of your feet or even perhaps from under the recently shined floorboards. 

The Kamisato’s siblings were truly fearsome individuals in their own unique ways and rights. 

Even if you did appreciate it, it didn’t matter how much advice or encouragement you got from Ayaka and Thoma, it still wasn’t enough. It's not like you don't know why because you do; the hollow pit in your gut that has dwelled there ever since you came into Inazuma was why. The pit that swallowed up any sense of ‘belonging’.

You need an outside source of advice, someone who wasn’t from Teyvat to tell you what they think. What they would do in your situation. You need to talk to Aether. 

Writing him a letter asking if he’d be free to stop by Inazuma sometime soon was the only thing you could think of doing now. After drafting it, you take it to the Adventurer’s Guild and ask Katheryn that the next time he came by, if she could deliver it to him. It was a long shot, but worth a try. 

Still, even after all that, a week passes by and you still have not awarded Ayato with any sort of response. While returning to working alongside him on occasion and switching duties with Thoma resumed and became easier again, you still couldn’t bring yourself to say anything in regards to his feelings.

It sucks. You feel like crap for leaving it all hanging in the air like mist, but he had also told you it was fine. So, surely not saying anything at all wasn’t so bad… was it?

You had run out into Inazuma City on an errand for Ayaka when your solo day out gained additional party members.

You don't know by what grace of god granted your wish, but the blond traveler himself with Paimon had gotten their hands on your letter. The duo was actually on their way to the Kamisato estate to find you, but you were lucky enough to run into him in the city. You were so relieved to see him in fact, that as soon as he pulls your letter from his pocket and waves it in front of your face with a cheeky smirk, you throw your arms around his shoulders to hug him. 

“Oh, I am so glad you’re here…!” You exhale into his shoulder as he pats your back. Before you do anything else, you ask the store owner you were still at if you’d be able to leave your goods with them for the time being and come back to pick it up since something urgent had come up. They easily agree, knowing you work for the Yashiro Commission and you’re grateful for their understanding. 

Paying for your held items, you head off with Aether to a quieter area outside the city. It still wasn’t public knowledge that the Kamisato Head confessed to you, and you want to keep it that way. For Ayato’s sake at least. The two of you converse casually as the cluster of shops spread into homes before the path turns from cobblestone to dirt and you’re soon wandering into Byakko Plains. 

You get so into the conversation with Aether that you’re both practically walking the path all the way to Konda Village. Meandering further around and through the village, avoiding kids racing the dirt paths and waving to the elderly folks who’re soaking up the golden hour of twilight. You don't realize the time until you’re at a set of shallow stone steps in front of a stone kitsune statue outside of Konda and gasp as the realization that it was dusk and you had been out all day. Ritou can be seen across the flooded sands between the plains and shoal. 

If you didn’t get back to the estate soon, someone would sic Thoma on you and drag you back like a puppy who got lost. 

“I didn’t realize it was getting late,” you lament, before also realizing you’ve been yapping with Aether so much yet you never once asked him for advice on your predicament which was the whole reason you wrote to him!

Your hands come up to your face, groaning into your palms as Aether watches you, then shares a concerned look with Paimon. Plopping yourseld down on the stone steps, the kitsune looms behind you. Aether follows suit, taking a place beside you as Paimon float around his shoulder curiously.

You have half a mind to invite him back with you to the Kamisato’s, but he’s a busy guy with his own plans and agenda. You didn’t want to inconvenience him. So, what do you do instead? “What would you do, as an Outworlder, if you were in love with someone from this one?” 

“What?” Aether’s voice comes out flat and quick and you have a passing thought that it might be funny to shove some sand into his slack jawed mouth. You also don’t miss the slight rush of red hues that quickly settle into his cheeks. You roll your eyes. 

“It’s not that embarrassing of a question,” you deadpan despite your own warm cheek’s betrayal of your words. Just thinking about Ayato’s confession and your feelings makes you feel like taking a dip in the shoal’s sandy water to cool off. 

“Do you love someone, y/n?” Paimon asks. You’d call her nosey if this was any other circumstance. So, you simply sigh before spilling everything to them about what happened between you and Ayato; along with the advice and encouragement you got from Thoma and Ayaka.

“Sure,” you’re explaining exasperatedly, “I appreciate the support from them, but it’s just not that easy considering my… origins. On top of Ayato being a commissioner? I work for him and it’s not as easy as starting a relationship with someone who… oh, I don't know, works at Yae Publishing or something.” You groan, burying your face back into your palms. Aether pats your back sympathetically and Paimon hangs off your opposite shoulder as a comforting presence. 

“But, you do love him?” Aether’s voice is soft and you can’t bring your hands away from your face. It burns. You nod. “It might not make you feel better, but I think that’s all that matters.” You almost roll your eyes under your palms. 

“Paimon agrees!” She cheers, obviously gearing up to try and lift the gloomy mood. “It’s just like when Chisato and Kamaji tried to get married!” 

“But that whole situation ended up being a big mess though,” you lower your hands finally and look at Paimon with a lifeless expression. “On top of that, they didn’t go through with the marriage proceedings in the end. It was all just some ploy to try and reestablish the Hiiragi Clan’s inner workings under the guise of a blessed marriage.” 

“B-but, they were going to get married because they love each other!” The floating companion tries to save her argument. “Just because they haven’t yet, doesn’t mean they won't! Even Chisato says she’d like to revisit the idea once her position is more solid. So, it didn’t flop at all!” 

“Besides,” Aether finally chipping in with support saves Paimon from another mouthful of words she didn’t know would help or not, “this is still a different situation. Sure, Chisato and Kamaji’s situation was tense, but that was because they’re both leaders in power. So, of course things could get messy.” You stare out at the water that licks the sand, reflecting the last bits of sun that is slowly being washed away by darkness.  “Despite everything else, Ayato on behalf of the Kamisato Clan and Yashiro Commission personally promised that once they finally decide on their union, he’ll once again congratulate them.” His hand stops in the middle of your back and you find it immensely warm. “Nothing is stopping them from being together, they’re just choosing that now isn’t the right time.” 

“You know,” you lightly chuckle as you raise your arms to stretch above your head, “when you want to, you sure talk a lot.” You look at Aether playfully as Paimon floats from your opposite side to join him again. Her smile is wide with her hands tucked behind her back as she bobs, pleased at your change of demeanor. Aether rolls his eyes, albeit in a kindhearted manner. He shoves at your shoulder with his elbow with the same kind manner. 

“I guess,” he starts speaking, but stops as if hesitating. He clears his throat and tries again. “I guess, I just have some… experience? In talking about feelings of the heart.” You blink at him, and if you were back in reality, you wouldn’t be shocked if you had a loading bar above your head before it clicks. Your jaw drops and your latching on his wrist, immediately in his bubble. 

“You like someone!” You squeal. “I want to know!” Were you coming on too strong? Probably. But, you did just finish pouring out your heart and soul to him. Surely he could do the same. The mischievous cackling from Paimon behind his shoulder has him whipping his head around to glare at her. She hides a cocky grin behind her small hands. Obviously, she knows and if he doesn’t tell you, you know Paimon will. “Please! Come on, Aether.” You almost whine to drag it out of him. You're shaking his arm back and forth now making his body rock on the stone steps you both sit on. 

“He- um,” there's a furious blush on his face and you wish you had a kamera on you. He’s like a little boy all flustered like this. “He lives in Liyue, so”- he gulps- “so, you may not know about him.” 

What he doesn’t know is that you almost certainly do. Your reality knowledge really gave you that cheat code, but you won’t tell him that. You already have a narrowed list by the nation he’s provided you. You continue to rock his arm in your grasp. 

“I don’t care if I know of him or not. I still want a name!” You see him hesitate. You cannot let this chance slip away, so you remove one hand from his wrist and point directly at Paimon. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll make Paimon do it!” Aether gasps and Paimon floats from him to you, hovering as is silently provoking him. The fairy will float closer to your and cup your ear with her hand as if taunting him and soon he’s as red as a sparked flint before he pops. 

“Xiao…!” He panics, slapping his hand over his mouth. You blink at him confused as he looks around him. Oh- that’s right, the whole ‘call and I will come’ thing. That didn’t seem to happen outside of Liyue though, so Aether’s in the clear if the sigh of relief he let’s out is anything to go by. Though, if the Adeptus had spawned on Narukami Island, it would be comical to try and watch Aether dig himself out of the hole that would be the question of “why did you call me?”. Too bad it didn’t happen. “That’s… his name.” He’s shy. How adorable. 

“Oh! I’ve heard of him actually.” You play dumb. “He’s the Conqueror of Demons right? Ever since Inazuma reopened its borders, we do get Liyue travelers from time to time who mention him and Wangshu Inn.” You chuckle as you finally give the blond some space to cool his cheeks. “Plus, Kuki and Itto know him.” 

“Oh yeah,” Paimon pipes up from your shoulder she still hovers around. “I forgot that Bull Chucker actually has friends he talks to outside of his gang,” she speaks with an uninterested expression and attitude, but you know she doesn’t mean that. Itto is a riot, but she’s just as rambunctious and fitful as him. Those two together at once is a mess of a duo and you know she enjoys every minute of it. 

You stand up first, stretching again as you look up at the sky. The sun’s nearly gone. Just a sliver of light left that stretches out its shadow over the land. Breathing in this air that’s so crisp and cooling and feeling the breeze from the small waves of water that lap at the land in front of you. You look back down to eye level and out towards Ritou, seeing the lighting of lanterns and businesses. Smiling, your decision comes to you. 

“Thanks a lot you two,” you offer your gratitude. “Even though I have some things I don’t want to accept, and things I’m afraid of, I think I know what I want to do now.” Aether stands up with you and crosses his arms in a proud manner. 

The moment was peaceful.

Until it wasn’t. 

From beyond a small hill, there was a charge of electro energy that surges through the ground like a quake of power. You stumble on your feet, Aether as well as his sword materializes in his palm. Paimon panics, flying behind Aether for protection. You look around, not at all prepared to be in the middle of a scuffle and if combat is what that quake meant, you need to get out of Aether’s way. You weren’t a fighter. 

“There!” Paimon’s screech and pointing alert you both to the gaggle of hilicurls accompanied by a lawacurl that had an electro charged axe that was as big as your body. 

“Ah, hell!” You curse. Aether is quick to step in front of you, touching your shoulder in an attempt to kick start your escape route to somewhere safe and outside of range. Hilicurls came rushing wildly at him with lit touches and throwing stones. You yelp as a rock hit your head and you almost huff- they sure have good aim. Still, now is the time to move. 

They had come charging from the plains so your only choice to flee is behind into the ankle-to-knee-deep water of the sandy connection between Ritou and the outskirts of Konda Village.

Water splashes up your ankles and to your thighs as you tried to get far enough away from Aether to keep from distracting him and to also keep your eye on him. Once the battle was done you could check on him and rush back to the city before going home where you were truly safe. 

The water sluggishly sloshed your attempted rushed escape. When you turn to look over your shoulder at Aether’s concerned call of your name, the sand catches your toes and you stumble. Your knees hit the water and your palms sink into mushy, wet sand. You cough as the unexpected stumble shoves water upwards, shooting into your mouth and nose. 

“Y/n!” You hear Aether call you again and you lift your head to wipe the water from our face with your soaked arm. You couldn’t even finish turning your head before surges of electricity slither across the water around you before striking their way onto your body. A scream is choked from your throat mixed with water, pain and shock. The purple energy dances around the water that your twitching, electrified body flumps back into as the sand works to catch you shallowly. The grains feel like nails and the water stings. 

The crackling and hissing of the water covers your ears as your head becomes half submerged under water. The movement and waves active enough to flood your mouth and nose. You choke on the taste and sensation- almost forgetting the shocks still licking at you in vicious intervals.

There's muffling from above the water but you can’t move your body. Frozen in a locked state all thanks to the single, small electro slime the lawacurl had hurled at your turned, fleeing back. 

You think it goes quiet for a moment before you hear something breaking the water. The gurling of the air leaving your lungs under the water is unpleasant and burns. It's terrifying.

You dig your palms under you to push into the sand and give yourself some leverage above water. Enough for your mouth to break the surface and sputter. Water trails out of your mouth with a slick, gross drooling sensation. The sound of something hitting the water again and again and again gets closer and part of you hopes it Aether and not an hilicurl coming to whack you with a wooden club. 

You gasp with a deep, uncomfortable and burning breath when something wraps around your neck to cup your nape and shoulder before quickly lifting your upper body out of the water. You kick your feet, trying to gain ground in fruitless efforts. Hilicurls wouldn't hold you like this, cradle you like this, and you know it. Still, you panic. 

The water that had clogged your ears washes out and you can hear the rushing of the waves and the buzzing of bugs and it’s like your sense were amplified along with the feeling of fabric on your skin. It feels like someone had just thrown you into a dryer with a steel wool sponge. 

You dont know who’s holding you. You imagine it’s Aether, he was the only one with you the whole time. Surely it must be, but somewhere in your frantic and twitching convulsions you grasp onto fabric. Long sleeves that almost feel familiar under your elemental-shocked hands. Aether didn’t have clothes like that, did he? Or, at the very least he surely wasn’t this big. Aether wasn’t a tall individual, but whoever this is… is. Maybe someone from Konda Village had heard the scuffle and rushed to help? You don't know. You can't see- not being able to pry your eyes open and even if you could, you were willing to bet your vision would be disjointed and unfocused. 

“Hnng,” you pathetically make noise. Trying to make words but failing. You continue to struggle, making sounds and still diggin your heels into the sand to try and get away. “Hawu- er,” you swallow. “Hout-” you articulate better, but still poorly. “Hout… ater-!” You kick your feet again, heels pushing your legs that push your hips up only to slam back into the water. You choke on the sensation. Even though the water has all but washed away the electro energy away, it still runs along your skin. “Out!” You scream, hands grasping the fabric in your fingers and yank so hard you almost think you can hear it rip. 

Get me out of the water!

You want to scream more, but your voice devolves into whimpers before you feel yourself being lifted. You all but give up your struggling and kicking and thrashing the moment your body is fully out of the water and you let out a deep breath.

They understood. Thank god.

Slumping into the arms of whoever saved you from that god forsaken torture, you can feel their chest rumbling with words you can’t understand. Probably talking to Aether. A passing thought before you’re too tired to care and with the electric buzz finally fading, you fizzle out along with it.

a/n: if there's one thing about me- it's i will always put y/n in a situation. shocking ik

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[gojonish]

first meetings || ᵗᵃᵏᵃˢʰⁱ ᵐⁱᵗˢᵘʸᵃ

how you and mitsuya met

pairing: takashi mitsuya x fem!reader

content: fluff, lowercase intended, one curse word, idk how old mana and luna are but pretend they're like four here, i'm not a big fan of how i wrote this ngl

note: as y'all can see, i am still in my mitsuya arc teehee

mitsuya didn't believe in soulmates.

he believed love was overrated. especially when seeing takemitchy and hinata be all lovey-dubey, it made him realize how cringy dating can be. besides, he was too busy with toman and his sisters to even think about love. he knew there was a time for it, but he didn't think now.

well, at least until he met you. he still remembers that day like it was yesterday.

~~

it was a sunny day, a little too hot for mitsuya's liking. he decided to take his sisters out to the playground near their house since they had been begging him for days now. he eventually complied, bringing along his sketchbook and pen to draw while his sisters played.

after a while, mitsuya noticed it was getting dark. did time really fly that fast? he looked up from his sketchbook to see his sisters-

where were his sisters?

he could've sworn they were playing on the swings just a minute ago- where could they have gone in such a short amount of time?

mitsuya looked everywhere in the park: the playground, the skatepark, the soccer field- but his sisters were nowhere to be found. he kept calling out their names, but there was no response.

he spent a good two hours looking for luna and mana but unfortunately, he couldn't find them. he sat on the stairs of his house, his head in his arms and tears threatening to leave his eyes. he was panicking now, hesitating to call the cops.

then he heard it.

"takashi!"

mitsuya looked up to see his two sisters running toward him, both with joyful tears in their eyes. they tackled him to the ground and hugged him, happy to be reunited with their brother.

"we're sorry for running away!" luna sobbed.

"yeah, we won't do it again!" mana cried.

mitsuya was so relieved, he thought he was hallucinating. tears streamed down his cheeks and he smiled softly, "it's okay, don't do it again, you little monsters.”

unbeknownst to the grey-haired teen, you were awkwardly standing in front of him, your hand rubbing the back of your neck nervously. that's their brother? he's so hot!

you didn't expect your shopping spree to be interrupted by two little girls asking for your help to find their brother. after many attempts on trying to ask what their brother looked like through their loud sobs, you decided to just walk them around the city until they calmed down.

after they finally eased up (which took almost an hour) you were finally able to ask them where they had come from which they replied with the park. they somehow led you to their house, which resulted in you being in this awkward situation.

the brother was cute, he had piercings and a grey mullet reaching down to his neck. he looked about your age, maybe older, but you weren't completely sure. he had a cute smile, one that made your cheeks heat up quickly.

after about three minutes, the family broke off their embrace. the two sisters lightened up when they saw you and tried to get their brother's attention on you.

"takashi! this pretty lady helped us find you!" mana said, holding you hand and jumping excitingly.

"yeah! she even bought us ice cream to make us feel better!" luna replied, pointing at you and smiling.

mitsuya finally locked his eyes on the girl his sisters were looking at and he felt his world stop. you were so...

pretty. so, so pretty

he's never seen anyone like you. you were ethereal- not a part of this world- an enigma to anyone's eyes-

"hello?"

mitsuya was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard your heavenly voice. "i'm sorry, what were you saying?"

you chuckled, which caused his heart to beat a bit faster, "i just wanted to ask if you'll be alright? i know you must’ve been worried about your sisters.”

mitsuya blinked, "oh, yes! i'll be great- amazing even! thank you for bringing them back.”

"of course, they were so sweet," you smiled and then breathed out, "well, i guess i'll be on my way then."

mitsuya didn't want you to leave, not yet. he didn't even get your name!

"wait!" he called out as you turned away, "would you like to stay for dinner? after that i can walk you home."

you chuckled nervously, "no no, it's alright-"

a stomach growl coming from you interrupted your sentence.

"you know what? maybe i'll take your offer," you laughed, "i'm (l/n)."

"mitsuya, nice to meet you, (l/n)."

you smiled and followed him inside, but stopped when you saw him pause in front of the door.

"hey, can i take you out tomorrow? for lunch or something?" he asked.

"oh, what's the reason?"

"think of it as repaying for finding my sisters for me," he winked, which made your throat dry.

you chuckled, "you really don't have to-"

"i want to."

your heart was beating too fast now, "okay fine mitsuya, deal."

the rest of the night was a time with laughter, jokes, and subtle (awkward) flirting between the two potential lovebirds. the two of you became friends quite quickly and with that, mitsuya’s friends figured out his girl-crush on you quite quickly.

~~

extra!

mitsuya had recently been drawing you, just because he was so mesmerized by your beauty. he loved your reaction when he showed you the many sketches that he drew- and since your birthday was coming up, he wanted to draw a portrait of you as a present. he was currently practicing in his notebook.

mitsuya was so focused on drawing you that he didn't even notice the blonde that came up behind him.

"mitsuya, who's that you're drawing?" chifuyu asked, looking over the grey-haired boy's shoulder. "it's a girl!?"

upon hearing his voice, mitsuya shut his notebook (a little too quickly) and hid it behind his back, "she's nobody! she's just a fashion model i saw online."

"right..." chifuyu eyed him very suspiciously, but then left his area.

mitsuya let out a sigh of relief that chifuyu didn't catch onto his crush. if he had found out, then all of toman would know by now-

"guys! mitsuya has a crush on a girl and is drawing her in his sketchbook!"

oh shit.

[goodnightmemes]

THE WALKING DEAD SEASON ONE SENTENCE STARTERS

❛ Sometimes I wonder if you even care about us at all. ❜

❛ Make sure you got a round in the chamber and your safety off. ❜

❛ Son of a bitch shot me. You believe that? ❜

❛ Look, I ask and you answer. It's common courtesy, right? ❜

❛ Get away from the windows. ❜

❛ Conserve your ammo. Goes faster than you think. Especially at target practice. ❜

❛ There are others. It's not just us. ❜

❛ Folks got no idea what they're getting into. ❜

❛ We are surviving here. We are day to day. ❜

❛ Listen, whoever you are, I don't mind telling you I'm a little concerned in here. ❜

❛ Have you been listening? You're running out of time. ❜

❛ Yeah, whatever. Yeehaw. You're still a dumbass. ❜

❛ You know what the key to scavenging is? Surviving! You know the key to surviving? Sneaking in and out, tiptoeing. Not shooting up the streets like it's the O.K. Corral. ❜

❛ You were chasing a hallucination, imagining things. It happens. ❜

❛ Hey! Y'all be more polite to a man with a gun! Only common sense. ❜

❛ We survive this by pulling together, not apart. ❜

❛ If bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold. ❜

❛ You can't leave me. You can't leave me here. Not like this. ❜

❛ At least somebody's having a good day. ❜

❛ Words can be meager things. Sometimes they fall short. ❜

❛ Nothing bit you? Nothing scratched you? ❜

❛ So that's it, huh? You're just gonna walk off? Just to hell with everybody else? ❜

❛ You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that. ❜

❛ The world ended. Didn't you get the memo? ❜

❛ Toughest asshole I ever met. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails. ❜

❛ They're not gonna say it so I will. You're scaring people. ❜

❛ Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much. ❜

❛ There ain't nothing gonna stop him from getting back here to you, I promise you that. ❜

❛ One wrong move, you get an arrow in the ass. Just so you know. ❜

❛ You come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood. ❜

❛ Them guns are worth more than gold. Gold won't protect your family or put food on the table. ❜

❛ What life I have I owe to him. ❜

❛ I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation. ❜

❛ You're the dumbest son of a bitch I ever met. We walked in there ready to kill every last one of you. ❜

❛ The people we've encountered since things fell apart, the worst kind… plunderers, the kind that take by force. ❜

❛ Guess the world changed. ❜

❛ The people here, they all look to me now. I don't even know why. ❜

❛ Hell with them people. Wouldn't piss on them if their heads were on fire. ❜

❛ Unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end. At least hit a speed bump for a good long while. ❜

❛ Time…it's important to keep track, isn't it? The days at least. Don't you think? ❜

❛ Do not enter the city. It belongs to the dead now. ❜

❛ I know how the safety works. ❜

❛ We start down that road, where do we draw the line? ❜

❛ Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem! ❜

❛ We don't kill the living. ❜

❛ I'm sorry for not ever being there. I always thought there'd be more time. I'm here now. ❜

❛ These people need to know who the hell's in charge here, what the rules are. ❜

❛ There are no rules. ❜

❛ We need time to mourn and we need to bury our dead. It's what people do. ❜

❛ I won't leave again. I promise you that. Not for anything. ❜

❛ You save a grave for me? ❜

❛ It's not about what you want. That sound you hear, that's God laughing while you make plans. ❜

❛ We can't stay here. We both know that. ❜

❛ The most important thing here is we need to stay together. ❜

❛ You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back. ❜

❛ Leave me here. I'm done. Just leave me. ❜

❛ The fever… You've been delirious more often than not. ❜

❛ We can't be here, this close to the city after dark. ❜

❛ You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed. ❜

❛ You know, it's over. There's nothing left. ❜

❛ You don't know what it's like out there. You may think you do, but you don't. ❜

❛ We don't have to be afraid anymore. We're safe here. ❜

❛ I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is. ❜

❛ What's wrong with him? Seriously, is he nuts, medicated, what? ❜

❛ I did the best I could in the time that I had. I hope you'd be proud of that. ❜

❛ We always think there's gonna be more time. ❜

❛ You should've left well enough alone. It would've been so much easier. ❜

❛ I had to keep hope alive, didn't I? ❜

❛ There is no hope. There never was. ❜

❛ What part of "everything is gone" do you not understand? ❜

❛ There's your chance. Take it. ❜

[ralfmaximus]

Recently, StatCounter posted a chart showing that Windows 10's market share is growing, while Windows 11's is shrinking. This flies in the face of what Microsoft has planned, especially given how Windows 10's end-of-life date is looming in the distance. As such, I wanted to do some research into the topic; did StatCounter's statistics get things wrong? Or are people downgrading from Windows 11 to Windows 10? While there's no way to state without a doubt that people are downgrading, I did find people with pain points with Windows 11 that might be contributing to the system's downfall.

Oh, I'll tell you why: people are fucking pissed that Microsoft is (1) shoving unblockable pop-up ads onto their desktop and (2) adding AI to stuff that doesn't warrant AI.

Like, who needs AI in File Explorer?

Or a dedicated Copilot™ button that pops open a slow-as-hell panel that allows you to receive hallucinated lies to simple questions? And when it's not lying, its output is the typical LLM homogenized slurry of too-many-words to express simple concepts.

OR COURSE people are going to stop using your shitty product if you continually surprise them with bad "features" nobody asked for.

And Linux users, I love you. But the first one of y'all to chime in with JUST SWITCH TO LINUX gets bopped with a rolled up magazine because many people do not have that choice. Either work requires them to use Windows, or they don't have direct control over their computer. My elderly MIL is not going to install & maintain a fork of Ubuntu so she can play solitaire. It's a nice thought but Linux isn't the solution for some folks.

[sugareey-makes-stuff]

It's that time of turning another year older. These days, I totally appreciate chill days. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to relax and enjoy the small things like a good cuppa, reading some comics or fic, poking at cute crochet things and having some delicious food.

Since it's become a tradition to share fic recs and my heart has been pretty gone on Stiles and Derek for a while, this year I'm sharing 14 Teen Wolf Sterek fic recs that I absolutely love reading again and again. Yes...that was very hard to narrow down out of my...who the hell knows how many bookmarks I have. 😂 Anyway, whether you need a pick-me-up, want something new to add to your TBR, or you really need your fix of our dumb boys, I've gotchu! Make sure to give these authors some kudos, comments and love! [P.S. If folks are looking for their fix of HP fics...I may swoop in a little later this month to make an HP summer reading list. Lmk if that's something y'all would like to see!] Happy reading, and enjoy!

🎈 heart-flower by hoars (T, 4.7k)- Flowers, Soul Manifestation, Flower Romance, Black Cat, mental health, allergic reactions, Suicidal Thoughts, Maiming, Car Accidents, Hallucinations, Courtship

Heart-flowers are a reflection of your heart, mind and soul, if you're a romantic. Scientists call them a reflection of mental and emotional health instead. As long as you're happy or content, the flower is healthy too. But if you're distraught the petals will close or brown. It depends person to person, emotion to emotion. When Derek tells Stiles to take care of it, he means, take care of me.

🎈 A Growl-to-English Dictionary by churkey | @churkey (T, 14.9k )- Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Miscommunication, Derek Hale Leaves Beacon Hills, Derek Hale Leaves, Stiles Stilinski Leaves Beacon Hills, Darkness Around The Heart, Derek Hale Takes Care of Stiles Stilinski, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Derek Hale is Not a Failwolf, He's a Failhuman, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Werewolf Mates, Mates, Werewolf Culture

In which Derek finds his words and Stiles learns to growl.

🎈 One Hundred Miles an Hour in Reverse by suburbanmotel (M, 24.6k)- Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Baggage, Insomnia, Panic Attacks, Depression, Anxiety, Friends to Lovers, Sharing a Bed, Boys Kissing, Blood, Injury, Blood and Injury, Mental Health Issues, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Anal Sex, POV Alternating, Implied/Referenced Character Death

Stiles understands that leaving is hard. He understands because Stiles always understands. Leaving is hard, got it. Check. But late at night, alone in the dark in the quiet with the shadows, alone with his thoughts and his shallow, slightly panicked breathing, he also understands that it’s always harder for the people left behind. * Five years after everything, after everyone is gone, Stiles remains, because someone has to, right? He’s become good at staying, at being ok with staying, because he’s good at what he does and so many people need him here. So, he’s stayed and he does what he’s always done best: he figures things out. He figures things out and he makes lists, lists of spells, lists of magical herbs, lists of people who have left. He also makes lists about himself. Stiles is: the fixer, the writer, the librarian, the keeper of words and memories in Beacon Hills. He’s a healer, a helper and he remembers. He remembers everything.

🎈 Stiles Stilinski, Boyfriend Extraordinaire by MereLoup (G, 14.4k)- Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Meet-Cute, Meet Awkward, Professor Derek Hale, Fluff and Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff, Romantic Comedy, alternate Derek Hale backstory, Stiles Wears Glasses, Derek Wears Glasses, Derek walks with a cane, Disabled Character, Fake/Pretend Relationship, With a twist!

“Beacon County Sheriff's Department, this is deputy Mahealani speaking.” “Oh thank god!” “Stiles?” “I, uh, I need some advice.” “Advice?” “Yeah. So, hypothetically, say you met your boyfriend’s mother and sister for the first time ever. Completely by accident. In the grocery store. And they convinced you to help them make a dinner to surprise aforementioned boyfriend when he got home after work. What would you do?” Danny paused, and then, “Stiles, you don’t have a boyfriend.” “That’s not the point! And I said hypothetically.” “Stiles…what are you doing right now?”

🎈 The Witching Hour by loserchildhotpants | @loserchildhotpants (T, 8.3k)- Radio, Romance, Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Falling In Love, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Alternate Universe - Human, Music, Humor

The radio host AU no one ever asked for but I have written anyway because sometimes when DJ’s play several sad songs in a row, I worry about their mental health and then this AU was born [Or: A radio show brings Stiles and Derek together, even though they've never met before]

🎈 Windows by dr_girlfriend | @drgrlfriend (E, 83.3k)- AU, Disability, Disabled Character, Misunderstandings, Angst, Fluff, Blind Character, Blind Stiles, Eventual Smut, Derek is a creeper, derek has no social skills, In Other Words Canon!Derek, Epilepsy, seizure disorder, Panic Attack, Happy Ending, Alternate Universe, Slow Build, Pack Feels, Slow Burn, Communication, Ableist Language, Demisexuality, Demisexual Derek Hale, Families of Choice, Found Families, POV Derek Hale, Friends to Lovers, Body Dysphoria, Alpha Derek, Derek Hale Deserves Nice Things, Derek is a socially awkward potato, Pack Alpha Derek Hale, Good Pack Alpha Derek Hale

Derek has a new neighbor who won't stop looking. * “You’re blind,” Derek said flatly, the anger draining from him so suddenly he felt almost woozy. His vision cleared, his claws sliding back into blunt fingernails. “Thanks for the memo, genius,” the kid said acidly. “I can still fucking defend myself, so don’t take another damn step.” “Fuck, I...I’m sorry,” Derek stuttered. “What?!” The kid’s brow crinkled. “I mean — what?! You’re fucking sorry!?” His lips thinned into a harsh line. “What, is this some kinda Hallmark movie where you’re discovering the error of your ways because you don’t want to rob a blind person?! That’s fucking condescending, man. I’ll have you know that —” “Just, wait.” Derek interrupted what was apparently the start of a convincing argument as to why he should rob the kid after all, feeling his head start to spin. “This is — it’s a misunderstanding. I’m — I’m not robbing you. You’re — you’re safe, okay? I’m taking three steps back. Just — just let me explain.” “Explain why you came busting into my apartment? Yeah, go right ahead, man, I can’t wait to hear this epic tale.”

🎈 Wolves in the Timber by adeepeningdig | @adeepeningdig (T, 17.2k)- Future Fic, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Feral Derek, Deputy Stiles Stilinski, Hurt/Comfort, Dog Fighting, Rated For Violence, Full Shift Werewolves

Stiles had always thought that Derek would understand, maybe. If Derek had been around to talk about it. He would know what it was like to think that maybe it wasn’t a fluke, maybe there’s something in you, something twisted that pulls blood and betrayal and death to you, like a remnant of your mother’s disease, her monstrous confusion, still encoded in your genes. Stiles still dreams of that day in the loft, the water lapping at his ankles and the dirty light. Derek’s stricken face. He wonders if there are days when Derek wants to tear his own hands off too. But Derek wasn’t around, and now he’s a wolf. So. He’s 28 years old, it’s been years. He’s past all that. He should be past all that. There’s a black wolf panting on the floor of his apartment like an accusation. Stiles knows that there’s nothing that Lydia can say or do. He’s not projecting, it’s the truth, it’s the kinship he’s always felt with Derek, and if he could curl into his animal self, he would, and maybe he would stay there. It would be easier that way.

🎈 Way Back Home by matildajones | @matildajones (T, 14.2k)- Alternate Universe - Human, Kidnapping, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, PTSD Derek, Anxiety Attacks, Angst with a Happy Ending, End Sterek, We like Heather though, getting better

He wasn’t ever expecting to get out of that hellhole, and he always wondered about Stiles. He wondered – even hoped – that he would move on.

🎈 Bones Straining Under the Weight by weathervaanes (E, 15.6k) deaf!derek, Food Blogger!Derek, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe

One of Stiles' favorite things about life is Derek Hale's food blog. He never expects to meet the man in person. * “Derek,” he says again, and the name feels very strange on his tongue. “You don’t mean Derek Hale.” His professor’s eyebrows reach up, eyes widening. “You read his blog?” "Uh. Worship. Would be a better more descriptive word. That is Derek Hale?" Jimmy chuckles. "Good-looking guy, huh?" "You mean to tell me the Food Network hasn't snatched him up to dethrone everyone else from daytime TV." Jimmy smiles a small private smile. "I don't think TV is his medium." Stiles raises an eyebrow. "Shy?" The man laughs heartily at that. "No, I wouldn't say that. He just has particular forms of expression, like eyebrows and chili powder."

🎈 A Healing Silence by HelloWhyTheFuckAmIHere | @insecure-neurotic-control-freak (Not Rated, 36.3k)- Depression, Derek Hale Deserves Nice Things, Stiles is Pushed Out of the Pack, Scott McCall is a Bad Friend, Sheriff Stilinski is a Good Parent, Eichen | Echo House, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Derek Hale & Lydia Martin Friendship, Reunions

Stiles is slowly pushed out of the pack following his fight with Scott about Donovan's death. After receiving a phone number from an old friend, Stiles is surprised to find that it belongs to the one person who may be able to bring him back to himself.

🎈 36 Questions by Leslie_Knope (T, 8.1k)- POV Stiles, Alpha Derek, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Future Fic, First Kiss, Talking, like a lot of talking, Emotions

“So I’m doing my senior psych thesis on friendships,” Erica says, not-so-accidentally elbowing Derek in the ribs as she turns to face Stiles. “How they develop, how intimacy is fostered, stuff like that.” “That’s cool,” Stiles says agreeably. “What’s our part?” “Well, I can’t really tell you the point because that would influence the results. But it’s a set of 36 questions that you have to ask each other.” “Just the two of us?” Derek chimes in, finally, and Stiles sighs. “Okay, dude,” he says, making a face, “could you try not to look quite so offended? Like, my ego’s pretty strong, but come on, man.”

🎈 like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me by allyasavedtheday (T, 8.4k)- Future Fic, Derek Comes Back, Fluff, Emotional Healing, Getting Together, Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, POV Derek Hale, Rebuilding the Hale House, (kind of), Hale Family Feels

Stiles is the only one who hasn’t spoken yet and when Derek looks away from Isaac he finds him appraising him, a look on his face like he’s cataloguing Derek for invisible injuries. (Or injuries that have long since healed, maybe.) He’s older now, obviously, but he’s never lost that shrewd ability to appear as if he’s picking Derek apart with just one look. Eventually though, a slow smile spreads across his face. “Good to see you again, big guy.” Derek huffs a laugh and then promptly bites back a smile when he sees Stiles’ eyes light up at the sound. “You too,” he replies, his voice that strange mixture of resigned and fond that only ever seems to come out when he’s talking to Stiles. * Derek comes back to Beacon Hills almost four years after he left it. Alternatively titled: Derek Hale finally finds some peace.

🎈 Days Like This by rlnerdgirl | @rlnerdgirl (M, 18.8k)- Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Derek Comes Back, Post-College AU, S3/S4 Divergent

Returning to Beacon Hills is a big step for Derek. He's starting his own business, rebuilding his old family home, and enjoying the feeling of being home. When he runs into the Sheriff and finds himself invited to a Stilinski family dinner, it's not nearly as strange as he would have expected, and when Stiles starts becoming a regular part of his new life, it only feels natural. * The first thing Derek notices is that Stiles is taller. The second is that he’s more filled out. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Not living in Beacon Hills doesn’t stop the machine of social media, and it’s not like he hasn’t seen pictures, but it’s different in person. Stiles, now Derek’s height, maybe an inch taller, still has the same wide smile and loose-limbness about him that he did when he was in high school. Between the height and the muscles though, this Stiles wouldn’t make anyone second guess that he played lacrosse. The only thing people would second guess about this Stiles is the fact that he was always on the bench.

🎈 Blind Date With A Book by thepsychicclam (M, 30.4k)- Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alive Hale Family, Oblivious Derek, Oblivious Stiles, Board Games, Meddling Hales, Human Hales, Slow Build

Stiles thought the Blind Date With a Book trend was a great way to drum up business for his small bookshop. He definitely thought it was a great idea after the hot guy kept returning and buying more blind dates with books. Derek didn't know how he kept getting set up on blind dates by his family, or why he kept going on them. The highlight of his night was when the date was over and he could go to the little bookshop in town and buy something to read for the rest of the night. He wanted to read, not date.

[tinycheesecakedetective]

*Addendum: Fading Letters AU pt. 2: White Lily

I'm a FOOL.

Apparently I've lost all sense of time because I've been gone for a YEAR AND FIVE MONTHS. What the heck. Right. My rendition of Swap!Lily, everyone. It would've been out sooner, but I cannot draw backgrounds for the life of me. This had me stumped for a good long while until I just decided "fuck it we ball", and here we are now. I'm just glad it's out so I don't have to worry about her anymore.

Now unlike PV, I thought White Lily didn't need any updates to her look in the AU. I thought she was pretty set and done, but I reserve the right to change my mind in the future. Her design is pretty simple; it's the blind healer outfit but more so tailored to White Lily. Her staff is bound shut, she's cloaked and wearing rags, and most notably, her eyes aren't visible. She's hiding her identity out of shame, in search of something precious to her.

~~~

Quick Rundown: White Lily is stuck in Beast Yeast after falling ill, so Pure Vanilla went in her place at her request. (For more information, click https://www.tumblr.com/tinycheesecakedetective/744518672544071680/im-baaaack-i-mean-i-made-one-post-about) .

After PV became this universe's Dark Enchantress, the other half of him was sent to the Fairy Kingdom. Meaning unlike Canon PV, White Lily found out VERY quickly about what happened to him(or what she thinks happened, all she knows is that he's dead), and she takes the news horribly. She immediately blames herself for what happened and ended up grief stricken over the entire thing, so much so that she hallucinates him calling out to her. Elder Faerie tried her best to console her afterwards, and told her it would be possible to bring him back. She swears she'll do everything in her power to bring him back, but the Dark Flour War starts and she has to head back to Crispia. During the fighting, White Lily debates telling the others about what happened to Pure Vanilla, but she doesn't get to when she sees what looks like PV. She thinks it's really him, but then upon closer inspection she realizes something's not right. In reality, the real PV is wreaking havoc across Earthbread as this universe's DE, and no one knows it. The final battle is upon them, and PV has them against the ropes, their soul jams in his grasp. In a last ditch effort, White Lily attacks full force with dark moon magic and is able to stop him. She realizes who he really is, and while she's shocked, WL instead shows determination. She's part of the reason why he is the way he is, but she wants to set things right.

After the war, WL spent some of her time in Beast Yeast in order to understand how to bring back PV. With Elder Faerie's help, she returned to Crispia in search of the soul gem shards. She becomes a nomad, wandering around the world and only stopping for breaks. Along the way, she meets several cookies and makes a new friend. Her journey comes to a halt, however, when a group of travelers also finds one of the shards in their own quest.

~~~

Got all that? Great, here are a few head canons! White Lily's the one that bound her staff shut. From time to time, she visits the Vanilla Kingdom and gives a small tribute to PV. WL also keeps in touch with Elder Faerie through white butterflies he sends, and he gives her advice and motivation. Sometimes she makes small resting areas, and whenever she packs up a lily is there in it's place.

And that's it for now! If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to ask. Y'all have a good evening!

[harringtonstilinski]

Always The Babysitter - Chapter Twenty-Three: E Pluribrus Unum (Bonus Scene)

Author: @harringtonstilinski​ Characters: Steve Harrington x Olivia Henderson(OC) Word Count: 3,169 Warnings: angst, mentions of blood, steve getting his ass kicked, steve and robin being drugged, italics is steve hearing liv's commentary, tiniest bit of foreshadowing 👀 ?, non-canon hallucinations (not mentioned in story after this), Smut: no | yes; A/N: Hi, friends! Y'all voted for a bonus scene, and I'm here to deliver! Main focus is Steve and Robin's scenes. If you like this bonus scene, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

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Steve’s Pov

As soon as Liv, Dustin and Erica were out of sight, Robin and I were flung through the air to the wall next to us at the door being shoved open. Once we got our bearings, we raised our hands, Russian guards standing in front of us with their guns drawn. Ahh, crap.

They hauled us to our feet, essentially dragging us to separate rooms. My only thought as they kept asking me questions and punching me when I gave them my answers was that I was super glad Liv wasn’t here to hear or witness this. She’d be losing her shit.

As they punched me in the face, yet again, I groaned in pain, again thankful that Liv wasn’t here to try and kick the shit out of these Russian assholes. After we confessed our love to each other, my need to protect her increased tenfold. I’m sure her need increased, as well.

Feeling blood dripping from my mouth, I groaned, “That one stung,” before gasping for air.

What I’m guessing is the main head honcho for these buttwipes asked, “Who do you work for?”

“For the millionth time, I work at Scoops Ahoy!” Bringing my head up, I breathed out, “Scoops Ahoy,” doing my best to gear up for the next hit to the face… that didn’t happen. That hit went to my stomach, a pained groan coming from my throat before I yelled out, “What the hell?! ”

Bending over, I said, “Look at my outfit! Look at my outfit! My girlfriend might think it’s hot, but look at it! You think I just wear this?! Think I’m a spy in a sailor’s uniform?” Another punch to the stomach.

I can hear Olivia now saying, “You assholes! I’m gonna kill you!” or “I’ll take his place!” while struggling against another guard.

With a stone face, the head honcho asked with an uninterested tone, “How did you get in?”

Gasping for breath, I was bent over as I grunted, “I already told you,” before sitting up to say, “I told you before.” I gasped for air again, hearing Liv’s voice in my head saying, “Lie again,” before repeating my words from earlier. “My delivery didn’t come, and my friends and I, we thought that it was left at the loading dock, so we went into the room, and it tuuurrrrned into an elevator, and then…”

“You have to be a better liar, Steven,” her voice said.

“And then we dropped and then next thing we know, I open my eyes and we’re in this… wonderful facility.”

“Oh my god. Shut up, Steve.”

“But I swear to God, nobody knows about us, nobody saw us. You could just let us go, alright? And I’m not gonna tell anybody about this, okay? Shit happens, life goes on. And uhh… ice-ice cream. Ice cream, okay? You guys know what ice cream is.”

“They’re Russians, not aliens from space, Steven!”

“Everybody loves ice cream. I don’t know if you have Russian ice cream or if that’s considered gelato-”

“That’s Italians, Steve!”

“I don’t know what’s what, but whatever you guys want, seriously. USS Butterscotch, I mean, you gotta try it. It’s out of this world, I’m telling ya!”

Head honcho and the guy that was repeatedly hitting me just started… laughing? So, I joined in, as well. More nervously, of course.

“I like this guy!” Head honcho said. “USS… Butterscotch.” He laughed again, it turning into a chuckle as he bent down a little, resting his hands on his knees.

All I could do was look at him nervously, scared for what was to come next as the room fell quiet.

“Who do you work for?” he enunciated.

Well, shit. “Oh, come on,” I all but whined, eyeing the other guard. “No, no!  No, seriously!”

Black was the very next thing that I saw as that douchebag hit me in the face… yet again.

~~~

I don’t remember much else after literally being knocked out, but what I do remember next was waking up to Robin’s voice calling out for help. 

“Hey,” I said, groggily. “Would you stop yelling?”

I could feel her relief from just hearing my voice as she said, “Steve! Oh, my god!” before panting out my name. She was leaning back as I was leaning forward as she asked, “Are-are you okay?”

“My ears are ringing, I can barely breathe, my eye feels like it’s about to pop out of my skull, and Liv’s voice is running through my head, but ya’know, apart from that, I’m doing pretty good.”

“Well, the good news is that they’re calling you a doctor,” Robin said.

“Jesus, you two are idiots.”

I looked around the room, which looked liked a… ya’know, a doctors room. “Is this his place of work? I love the vibe.” Robin chuckled as I added, “Charming.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. So, okay,” she said. “Do you see that table over there to your right?”

I turned my head to the left. Don’t ask why. 

“Babe. Your other left.”

“No, your other right,” Robin said.

Turning my head to my correct right, she added, “Yeah, okay. Do you see those scissors?”

“Uh-huh,” I confirmed.

“Yeah, well, I think that if we move at the same time, we could get over there, and then maybe I could kick the table and knock them into your lap.”

Picking up what she was putting down, I said, “And I could cut the binds.”

“Yeah, and we could get out of here.”

“Gotcha. Okay, yeah, we can do that.”

“Yeah.”

“Those morons. They left scissors in here?” I asked, turning my head side to side.

“Yeah, morons,” Robin added.

“Total morons,” I added to my own statement, adding with determination, “Okay.”

“Okay, so, on the count of three, we’re gonna hop.”

“O-okay, good, hop on three. I gotcha.”

“Alright. One.. two.. three.”

We both hopped towards the table, a little happy that this plan was actually working. Robin and I counted to three again, our excitement building at the fact that we were almost to the table… and I was almost to the point where I could hug and kiss my girl again.

Counting to three again, we hopped for a third time… only for our fucking luck to bite us in the ass because we ended up falling, our heads towards the table, our feet towards the door.

Robin and I both groaned at our heads and arms hitting the ground before I heard her crying.

“A bunch of fucking geniuses.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Robin.” Instead of hearing her cry, I heard her… laughing? “Are you laughing?”

She laughed harder before saying, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry. It’s just… I can’t believe I’m gonna die in a secret Russian base with Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington. It’s just too trippy, man.”

“We’re not gonna die,” I reassured. “We’re gonna get out of here, okay? Liv wouldn’t let us die anyway. She’d kill every single Russian down here before they could kill us. Just– you gotta let me just think for a second.”

It was quiet for a moment, my thoughts running through my brain before Robin asked, “Do you remember, uhm, Mrs. Click’s sophomore History class?”

I lifted my head, shaking it a little before asking with an annoyingly curious tone, “What?”

“Mrs. Clickity-Clackity,” she said. “That’s what us band dweebs called her.”

Sighing, I pressed my forehead into the floor, remembering when I was an asshole to everyone, the guilt eating at me in this moment.

“It was first period, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so you were always late.”

Even though we weren’t as close during that time, Liv had ended up scolding me more than a few times for always being late. “Goodness, Harrington. Don’t you own a fucking watch?”

“And you always had the same breakfast. Bacon, egg and cheese on a sesame bagel.”

“I know we’re not close anymore, but you could still bring me a freaking sausage McMuffin!” Since Liv scolded me the last time, every Tuesday and Thursday she’d find a Sausage McMuffin in her locker. 

“I sat behind you, two days a week for a year,” Robin said. “Mister Funny. Mister Cool. The King of Hawkins High himself. Liv being your Queen.”

“Ugh! Don’t bring that up!”

“Do you even remember me from that class?”

“No.”

I didn’t know what to say because… well, I didn’t remember her. I didn’t care about anyone else or anything during high school. Other than the girls I’d bang, being in basketball and on the swim team, or being with Nancy… or being friends with Liv again.

Robin’s chuckle brought me out of my thoughts before she said, “Of course you don’t. You were a real asshole, ya’know that?”

Feeling incredibly bad, I said sadly, “Yeah, I know.”

“The biggest asshole, babe.”

“But it didn’t even matter,” Robin continued. “It didn’t even matter that you were an ass. I was still… obsessed with you.”

I could hear Liv’s scoff as she said, “Everyone was.”

“Even though all of us losers pretend to be above it all, we still just wanna be popular… accepted, normal.”

“If it makes you feel any better, having those things isn’t all that great,” I said, sniffling. “Seriously. Liv can tell you that… even though she… didn’t grow up the same as me.” Taking a deep breath, I sighed it back out as I said, “It just baffles me. Everything that people tell you is important, everything that people say you should care about, it’s all just…” I lightly chuckled before adding, “...bullshit. But I guess you gotta mess up to figure things out, right?”

“I hope so. I feel like my whole life has been… one big error.”

We both chuckled, a smile crossing my face for the first time since yesterday. 

“Yep,” I agreed, a small smile on my face. 

“At least it can’t get any more messed up than this,” Robin said.

“Ya’know, I wish I’d known you in Click’s class,” I said. 

“Yeah?”

“Really. I do.”

“Olivia humbled you,” Robin whispered.

“Yeah. She did.” I smiled a little, thinking of my girlfriend and how grateful I am of her. How happy I am that she gave me a thump on my head when I needed it most. “Maybe you both could’ve helped me pass the class. Maybe instead of being here, Liv and I’d be on our way to college right now.”

“And I would have no idea that there were evil Russians beneath our feet, and I would happily be slinging ice cream with some other schmuck.”

We chuckled, I guess because we’ve accepted our fate.

“Gotta say, though,” I said. “I liked being your schmuck.”

“Uhm, hello?!”

I chuckled lightly at hearing Liv’s commentary in my head. “So did Liv. It was fun while it lasted.”

“It was.”

Our come to Jesus meeting was over at the sound of the buzzer and door opening. We looked up, seeing the Head Honcho walk in with three other people… and then he chuckled.

“Where were you two going?” he asked, brows raised and arms out to his side for a moment.

“Ugh! Just go somewhere, asswipe. You’re kind of annoying.”

He clicked his tongue before the two guards lifted us up, setting the chairs back on their feet. I could see it now; Head Honcho holding Liv back, struggling to get out of his arms. “Don’t you fucking touch them, Russian bastard!”

Head Honcho bent in front of me again as I felt Robin’s head leaning on my neck as he asked, “Try telling the truth this time, yes?”

“He is, you ignorant freak!”

“It will make your visit with Dr. Zharkov less painful,” he continued, stroking the side of my face.

Again, I could see Olivia struggling in my mind, yelling at the doctor. “Don’t fucking touch him, you sick bastard! I’ll fucking kill you!”

Touching a sore on my chin, I winced, once again, seeing Liv in my mind struggling against the guard, her hair all around her face as she cried in sadness and anger. Head Honcho chuckled again before nodding once to the doctor.

I turned my head to watch him walk around me, a big ass needle in his hand, with blue liquid inside of a small vile. Fear started showing through as I looked at it, saying, “Wait a sec, wait. Hold on. Okay! Wait, wait, wait! What is that thing?”

The ‘doctor’ was standing next to me with the needle gun thing as he said, “It will help you talk.” He grabbed my hair and tilted my head to the side.

“Did you even clean that thing?!” I yelled, before screaming at the needle being punctured into my neck, the liquid seeping into my veins.

~~~

After they had done the same thing to Robin, Head Honcho and his pack of bastards left the room, leaving Robin and I by ourselves for a moment. What was weird was that I couldn’t still see Liv, but not hear her in my mind anymore, my brain feeling more fuzzy than ever, almost like I’d smoked a joint.

Robin moved her head against mine a few times, as I just stared at a spot on the wall, seeing Liv every now and again as she paced in front of me. “I’m gonna kill them. I’m gonna fucking kill them.”

“Honestly, I don’t really feel anything,” I said. “Do you?”

“Really, Steven?”

“I mean, I… I feel fine,” Robin replied. “I feel normal.”

“Yeah, I feel-I feel fine,” I agreed, before slurring, “I kinda feel good,” before we both chuckled.

I wish I could say I actually  felt Liv’s hands on my cheeks, but in my mind… I did. “Steve. You’re high as a fucking kite. Keep your mouth closed. Don’t say anything.”

“Wanna know a secret?” Robin asked.

“What?” I asked.

“I like it, too! And I’ve been seeing and hearing Liv!”

“Me, too!” I said, laughing.

“I feel good.”

“Morons! They messed up the drug.”

“Oh… my god.”

“They messed it up!”

As Robin leaned her head back, I tilted mine forward. “Morons,” she said.

Robin and I looked at the door as I loudly said, “Morons!”

“Hey, morons!”

“Moron! Mor–” she said at the same time I said, “Hey!”

“Whoa-oh!” I was still smiling and laughing, closing my eyes for a moment. 

“Oh, no. There’s definitely something wrong with us.”

Amused, I said, “Somethin’s wrong.”

“Ya’think! Fucking idiots.”

That damn door buzzer sounded again, but I kind of didn’t care because of how good I felt as the Head Honcho and the Doc walked into the room. What did grab my attention was watching Head Honcho walking around Robin and I on her side just for him to stop and stand in front of me.

I turned my head after looking at him for a moment, watching the Doc mess with his bag at the table. Whatever he sets down makes Robin chuckle a little as he grabs a freaking medical bone saw from his bag.

“Would now be a good time to tell you that I don’t like doctors?” Robin asked.

The image of Olivia hastily walking around to Robin flashed in my mind, her hushed voice saying, “Robin, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I’ll send you to the Upside Down for a full-ass week!”

“Let’s try this again, yes?” Head Honcho said.

I licked the inside of my tongue, feeling to see if it was still there as I nodded and murmured out something while nodding my head. 

Without missing a beat, he asked, “Who do you work for?”

“Scoops,” I said, looking at a random spot as Robin chuckled, my own joining. “Scoops Ahoy.”

Robin’s giggles were quiet as he asked, “How did you find us?”

I looked up at him, saying without missing a beat, “Totally by accident,” before lightly laughing… again.

He said something in Russian as I looked down for a moment, picking my head back up at the sound of something being open and closed, the Doc making his way back to us. “What is that shiny little toy?”

“Where are you going with that, Doc?” Robin asked.

Even in my high as a kite state, fear jumped through my body as he brought the clipper looking things to my fingers, grabbing onto my fingernail. “Whoa, whoa, hey, hey. Wait! No! Wait! Wait!”

“There was a code! There was a code! We heard a code!” Robin shouted as I jumped and tried to get away from the Doc.

“Code,” Honcho said, walking around to Robin. “What code?”

“The week is long. The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west. Blah, blah, blah. You broadcast that stupid spy shit all over town, and we picked it up on our Cerebro, and we cracked it in a day. A day! You think you’re so smart, but a couple of kids who scoop ice cream for a living cracked your code in a day, and now, people know you’re here.”

“Who knows we’re here, suchka?”

“Uh, well Dustin and Olivia know,” I said, looking off into space.

“Shut. The fuck. Up.”

“Hey, Steve?” Robin said.

“Yeah, Dustin and Olivia, the Henderson’s, they know.”

“Steve!”

“Dustin and Olivia Henderson,” Honcho said, walking around to stand in front of me. “Is this your small, curly-haired friend? As well as your short, curly-haired girlfriend?”

“Oh, curly-haired. Great hair. Small. Kinda like a ‘fro, yeah,” I said. “Where are they?”

“Oh, they’re long gone, you big asshole.” Little did I know. “And they’re probably calling Hopper, and Hopper’s calling the US Calvary. They’re gonna come in here, commando-style, guns a-blazin’, and kick your sorry asses back to Russia. You’re gonna be two pieces of toast.” With the drugs in my system, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah,” I said, matter-of-factly, before Robin and I laughed, Honcho joining in.

It all stopped at the sound of an alarm going off, all of our heads turning to the door. At the sound of Russian’s yelling, I turned back to Honcho and shrugged my shoulders, as if I were telling him told ya so.

Honcho left the room, telling the Doc to stay put… I guess. I don’t know. I don’t speak Russian. A couple of minutes went by before the door slammed opened, Dustin charging through with a zapping device, putting it against the Doc’s chest.

Olivia and Erica walked in after him, my eyes following all of them before landing on Liv’s, seeing her stand between Dustin and Erica, her eyes on the doc that fell to the ground. She turned to face me, seeing my eye bruised and swollen.

“Hey! Henderson!” I said, excitedly. “That’s… crazy, I was just talking about you.”

Sighing, Liv undid the bonds that were around my arms, hands and legs before putting her hand on my cheek. “What happened to you?”

“Oh, my god,” Robin said.

“Get ready to run!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Posted on April 4, 2024

[screamingfrenchfries]

small things i noticed in the new bts teaser

castle byers, s1 will, could be a flashback, could be a vecna hallucination, either way i am NOT PREPARED!!!!!!!!!

these scenes are going to drive me the craziest because i NEED to know what the hell they're DOING what are they TALKING ABOUT. anyways uhh it seems like mike is writing stuff down in the cafeteria? and with the inclusion of the radio im curious if this could be some sort of s3 russian code esque thing 🤔

obviously the first one isnt while filming as theyre wearing jackets/the cups on the table lol. but ohhh this is gonna be interesting.

the fact that these two seem to happen in the same scene/room is sooo soso interesting to me. what's with the Fog??? what the hell happens in there to make it LOOK LIKE THAT??

the running? the looking around?? what is going to happen that they need to be DOING THIS. im SO scared y'all 😭

i actually dont have a lot to say abt this one but a basement scene?? we are so back

byler aside, the connection between rainbows & holly is Actually Extremely Concerning to me, stranger things. what r u doing? what does this Mean. Does HOLLY have connections to the lab/vecna?? 😰

i may have actually gasped when i saw this part. because a nancy and mike bonding scene??? fuck yes sign me the hell up!! but dude this little part is driving me crazy because mike kinda TURNS? i mean it cuts off but he does turn away as if turning to someone else maybe? which if true, is VERY interesting to me....

Now it may be blurry but i thought these reference boards were interesting, maybe someone can identify images despite the blurriness?

so this part is around 7 (🫢) seconds into the video, but i implore u to watch it obsessively like i did to try and see what they're watching. i think it may be a jopper kiss but. idk it is interesting to Me