#you can tell someone's weight and relationship status by their voice

[rosesradio]

the espn review for the trilogy shows just how in the gutter some dudes minds get. ralph is either too skinny or they harp on about how ~obese and old~ he is grrrggfhhh /chews pillow

jfsfkjjdf i can't do it anymore. i just.

1.) the karate kid is supposed to be skinny. that's the whole thing. if they started out with a ripped dude half the premise would make no sense.

2.) ralph in kk3 was never even "overweight/obese" (not that it even matters). to me, it just looks like he was finally going through puberty lol. like he has a small frame in his early years and even in tkk 1 & 2 during his early/mid 20s. but timeskip to '93 when he was in naked in new york (chris my beloved) and he has the frame of an adult. kk3 to me was just the in-between period, like he's just a human person who's growing. not to mention he's like an adorable pissed off kitten in that movie so--

3.) you can't even make an argument that he's old, because it doesn't matter. the man doesn't age and he's a good actor, so why not stick him in young roles? as long as he's not kissing costars that are minors (like they were going to do with jessica until they changed it), i don't see the issue. it's not like grease where they were all 36 playing 16 year olds, ralph looked 15 playing a 17/18 year old, and now he looks 40 when he's 60

i dunno, i'm teetering on getting into a Social Justice Thing because it reminds me of a different thing but i will sum it up to say this: i wish men would leave other non-traditional men alone, they'd leave women alone, and they'd stop trying to spread these one-dimensional beliefs on what constitutes as "attractive". some people are different. the movie is a classic because it subverts tropes/expectations. if it contained the traditional things they wanted to see, people probably wouldn't remember it

[hyuuukais]

heyllo :3

can i request reader x chan? reader is overwhelmed but keeps it in because that’s what they see chan doing a lot of the time. but eventually it builds to a breaking point where the stress causes them to completely shut down. chan doesn’t know exactly what’s wrong so it might be cute if he just sits on the floor in front of reader and plays clips from a song he’s working on and asks for their opinion (by basically talking out loud to himself) and then after reader calms down they are able to verbalize they just need a human weighted blanket and to be told they are doing amazing and their efforts are not going unnoticed.

im fine. 🥲

just hold me, tell me you love me

pairing : chan x reader

notes : me vs the long title. anyway thank uuu for being my first request! i hope this lives up to ur expectations and can provide u some comfort 🫶 sending u hugs and love 🫂💙 sorry it's taken a bit long to get back to! kind of was getting this feeling myself and have been unable to write, but i think i'm getting back

warnings : reader is overwhelmed, mentions of anxiety, fear of opening up to someone, reader is called pet names (love, baby), reader breaks down

wc : 1.4k

All week there's been a growing pressure in your chest threatening to spill all over the floor and leave you a mess, lying on the ground with nothing else to give. Give, you've given all you can, and now that you're home, you can't do it anymore. You seek peace in the quiet of your shared bedroom, your boyfriend still at work in his studio.

Your boyfriend, who works hard day and night. Your boyfriend, who's loving and caring and sweet. Your boyfriend, who you're scared to open up to when things get really hard, because he doesn't share with you either. Although the relationship isn't fresh, going on a year and a half, there are still things you don't talk about. You don't want to burden him with your struggles when you've always been able to power through by yourself.

Fisting the sheets under you, you can feel the need to cry in your body, the hollow feeling in your chest and the tightness in your throat, but nothing comes. It's like your body knows you're too tired for even that simple of an action, for even one tear to slip. So instead, you sit the the blanket over you, face peeking out to stare at the wall with tired eyes. You can't sleep. If you close your eyes, you know you won't drift off and wake up feeling better, you'll just lie there for hours.

"Baby?"

Something spikes in you when you hear Chans voice ring out through the apartment, curling into yourself more. He shouldn't be home this early and yet, here he is, calling your name and wondering where you are; you're never in bed this early. Chan continues to call out for you until you hear the bedroom door opening quietly.

"Love?" Chans footsteps get closer, and you can feel the edge of the bed dip with his weight as he sits down. "My love..."

His hand brushes over your shoulder, but you can't face him. When you bring the blanket over your head more, he seems to get the hint, shifting to lean against the headboard next to the statue that is your body, unmoving and heavy. You can feel him fiddling beside you, and soon, a soft melody fills your ears. It's enough to distract you temporarily from the raging storm in your head, focusing on the beats, and when Chans voice comes through, it's like you can feel a sense of comfort washing over you. Although it's not enough to completely take these feelings away, you're grateful for what he's doing.

"This song has been giving me trouble," Chan comments over the music, sighing heavily. "I can't figure out if I like the chorus or not, and it feels like it's missing something in general, but I don't know what. What do you think, baby?"

Unable to answer verbally, but still wanting him to know you're listening, you roll around so you're facing him. He chuckles as you bury your face under his thigh when you see he's sitting cross-legged, the pressure on your face oddly comforting. Chan places a hand on your back, his arm resting behind your head as he rubs small circles over your thick layer of blanket. Another song starts playing after a while, another soft one, too. You relax under his touch, feeling the vibrations through his body as he hums along to this one and makes occasional comments about changes he'd like to make.

Exhaustion hits you like a ton of bricks, your eyes fluttering shut as he keep playing different songs and telling you all about them. Both of you are aware that he shouldn't be playing so much unreleased music, but all Chan cares about in this moment is you, helping you, calming you, loving you. The company will never know anyway.

"Chan," You whisper, voice barely audible. His humming stops and he pauses the music, looking down at your limp form with furrowed brows. Moving your head slightly, you're able to look up at him on an angle, the cool air of the bedroom breaching your blanket cocoon.

"What is it, baby?" Chan moves some hair from your face, leaving this palm to rest on your cheek.

"Can you just-" You clear your throat, one hand coming up to play with the hem of his shorts at his knee to calm you more. "Just hold me, tell me you love me?"

Without words, he shifts down to your level and nods. Carefully, Chan guides you to face away from him and brings you close to his body, your back pressed tightly against his chest. His chin rests on your shoulder, now enveloped inside your blanket as he holds onto you tightly, scared that if he let's go, you'll fade away. The thought of you being in so much pain, whether physical or emotional, is something he can't bear; he can't sit on the sidelines and watch you wither away. Neither of you speak as you lie there for what feels like hours, although it must only be a few minutes. The feeling of Chan's breath on your neck is oddly comforting, your own hands finding his arm around your waist and holding onto him.

Something about the way Chan is holding you, comforting you without the pressure of being asked what's wrong, has you finally breaking down. It starts small, holding back a few tears, but a few escaping despite your efforts. Then Chan shifts closer, pressing soft lips on the skin behind your ear.

"I love you, you know that? So, so much," He whispers, inhaling the scent of your shampoo as he buries his face into your hair. "You're doing amazing, baby, and I mean that. I thought... I thought something might have been wrong, but I didn't know how to go about this. I'm sorry it got to this point, I should have asked. I want you to know you can always turn to me, okay?"

His words have the dam breaking and soon enough, the sobs ripping from your chest have you gasping and hiccupping like there's no tomorrow. You don't register the way Chan tries to soothe you as he pulls you around and into his chest. Subconsciously, you wrap your arms around his shoulders and roll his body onto yours, his head sitting in the crook of your neck. The weight feels nice, grounding, and you can finally hear Chan speaking again.

"Shhh, it's okay, you're okay." Chan whispers into the skin of your neck, one of his hands smoothing back your hair. "You're okay, I'm here, now breathe, alright? Breathe, baby."

He inhales deeply, and you do your best to mimic his movements. It's shaky, but you're doing it.

"Good job, you're doing great," Chan keeps his voice low as he speaks. "Keep breathing."

It gets to the point where you don't need to think about breathing anymore, your head throbbing slightly from the sudden outburst of emotion. Chan's body stays on yours, but he props himself up enough to look at you, his palm on your cheek and his thumb wiping away any remaining tears. You can barely look him in the eye.

All he does is stare at you with those pretty, dark eyes, but you realize there's a dampness under them matching yours. You open your mouth to question it, but he shakes his head, a soft smile on his face.

"I don't want you to be in pain alone ever again." His thumb continues to caress your cheek, even though the tears have dried. "I love you too much to let you go through that. Whatever's going on, tell me when you're ready, yeah? For now, just let me gush about my beautiful partner until they're feeling better."

You can't help the small laugh that escapes you as Chan surges up to pepper your face in kisses, saying praises in between each one. With every kiss, you can feel your face heating up until you try and cover it, but he just grabs your wrists and pulls your hands away. Eventually, he slows down, pressing one last kiss directly on your lips, and settles back onto you.

"Let's stay like this for a while," Chan suggests, knowing you need it, but so does he. "My favourite place is in your arms."

-

─── taglist : @chaeryred @toplinelix @channie-143 @staysinbloom

[killsaki]

aspirations ☆ your boss doesn’t understand why you let unimportant things hold you back when you can do better.

prohero!bakugou katsuki x f!sidekick!reader

3.8k words | old commission <3 | minors dni

cw / tw : cheating (not on reader), toxic relationship dynamics (not w/ bkg), fingering, blackmail, power dynamics.

this is… awkward.

bakugou katsuki feels awkward.

even in his pro-hero status, even with his usual lack of care for others and their affairs, standing at the door of his office, hearing you cry just outside of it... it’s the first time in a long time that he’s been made so… uncomfortable.

you’d come halfway across the country to work as a sidekick at the agency he ran with his old classmate, you were a promising upcoming hero who would surely do numbers once you got the right exposure and the right training. that’s the reason you picked up and moved so damn far from your hometown, from your life, from your boyfriend. at least that’s what you’ve babbled on about to bakugou while the two of you were on patrols.

you were under the impression you’d be working under deku at first and when you’d found out you were going to be working alongside dynamight you’d nearly pissed yourself and gone home, you admitted while slapping his shoulder with a laugh. something which you instantly apologized for and smoothed a hand over where you’d hit as if you’d caused the tank of a man any harm and needed to soothe the pain. you’d admit that he was far from the personality he portrayed for the media and that you’d come to enjoy being around him.

that’s why this was so weird for him. you were always so positive, a clumsy sort of happy. you were always shining, continuing conversations with him even as he shrugged you off, always laughing and tossing some kind of witty remark after he’d tell you to shut up. you were annoying at some point, but you’d pulled your weight during missions and you were a shoulder for him to lean on when he got injuries too severe to keep himself upright. you made the halls of the agency a friendlier place than they’d ever been, even with the kind and smiling hero working just on the other side of the building.

so, who could make someone like you weep like a child?

“you know i get paid in a few days, i can send it back to you.” you speak through a shaky breath and bakugou can’t help but lean closer to the thin wood that separates the two of you. “it’s not like that!” you hiccup, “you’re the one who asked if you could keep my car until i can help you get yours fixed.” the white in front of him blurs as he sorts through his thoughts, who could you possibly be having to explain yourself to? “toru, please. i just want to go to sleep, today was hard enough already.” the boyfriend. “so you really won’t pay for my uber because you’re mad about a picture of me and my boss? a picture of us doing our–”

bakugou doesn’t know why he does it, why he swings the door open and stares at you with such an annoyed expression. but he’s already doing it before he realizes and he regrets it when you jump, cutting yourself short.

“sorry,” you stare at him for a moment, taking in short breaths before you quickly wipe your face, and turn away from him. sniffling as the voice over the other end starts to become intelligible to the hero. “i just wanna get home, i’m just.. i’m sorry.”

there’s a short reply given and then, silence. it takes you a minute, and bakugou stands there waiting the entire time before you pull your phone away from your ear. the screen displaying your wallpaper, signaling that the other person had ended the call.

“i didn’t know you were still here.” you look up at one of the only fluorescent lights left on, blinking away the remnants of water in your eyes.

he sighs, checking the time on his watch before looking back up at you who has yet to spare him another glance. the trains had stopped running long ago, he didn’t need to check the time to tell him that. no, he was just checking to see how fucked up your boyfriend had to be to leave you walking on the streets at the hour, or in the hands of a stranger to get home. and it’s not that you weren’t capable on your own, more so that the guy didn’t understand how much danger it’d be if someone picked up on that pattern and took advantage of you being so tired from a full day's work. he wonders if even you have thought about that. or if that’s what you were thinking about now, as you stand in silence in a way that he’s never witnessed you do before

“i can give you a ride.” he offers and your eyes fall shut, a deep breath making your chest puff slightly and the blonde can’t help but pick up on your relief.

“i’d appreciate that.”

it’s a long, awkward walk out of the agency’s building to where he’s parked his car nearly a block away. the wind is blowing and he couldn’t imagine having to walk home himself like this.

“why don’t you park at the agency’s lot?” you ask arms wrapped around yourself. your voice is still soft but he doesn’t comment on it.

“safer for me not to, i change parking spots every few weeks.” he shrugs.

“you sure do think about everything, don't you, dynamight?” you tease, and it’s like you’re recovering bits of yourself that he can recognize.

“guess so.” he shrugs instead of lecturing you about how you should do the same, another thought too busy working it’s way from his mind to his mouth. “so why are you paying to fix his car while he uses yours?” bakugou lets his thoughts fall off his tongue, and answers your wandering mind that he did overhear most of your conversation.

“i have the job that pays more.” you reach for the seatbelt, buckling it before looking over the console and catching the red eyes that watch you so intently. “why? you looking for a cause to donate to?”

he sucks his teeth and buckles himself in, instructing you to put in your address on the car’s screen. you say something that makes yourself laugh as you lean in to do it, but it goes in one of his ears and out the other. it didn’t make any sense for you to be with someone who didn’t support you fully, someone who didn’t trust you. sure bakugou didn’t know all the details of your relationship– maybe you’d offered it up to him one day when he was too focused on how your eyes lit up to pay attention to what you'd been saying to him. but he wouldn’t know that now.

why would you of all people put up with that?

“are you gonna take me home or should i be fearing for my safety?” you raise your eyebrows to exaggerate a skeptical look, something that the blonde’s face twists up and makes you laugh. but the thought of your tears streaked face earlier appears back in his mind and he decides to let you off without a remark of his own.

“you could’ve just asked for a ride.” he glances over at you once he rolls up to a stop light and his heart feels like, just for a moment, that it stops. the sight of you under such soft red light, lips still swollen from the way you’d bitten them as you calmed yourself from crying, it does more to him than he’d like to admit. it takes everything in him to tear his gaze back to the road once the traffic signal turns green.

“if toru found out i was alone with you outside of work, let alone in your car,” you huff out an unamused laugh and it sounds awful in comparison to the sweet, hearty one he’s grown used to. “he would have a fit.”

“sounds like a real perfect guy.” bakugou doesn’t look at you as he follows the gps and turns the next corner, but he can feel your eyes on him. how they trace from the neons shining off his wristwatch up his toned arms that are littered in pink scars, can feel the heat of your stare when it’s guided to his chin where he wonders if you can see the stubble he didn’t care enough to shave away this morning.

“he’s alright.” you finally respond and it makes the prohero next to you feel ill. “my high school sweetheart and all… i’m sure it’s just a rough patch.”

“right.” it wasn’t his place to meddle into whatever you have going on in your personal life. but you were one to look at the brighter side of things, he wonders if that was something you’d always done or something you forced yourself into. “a rough patch.”

the time of arrival for the destination keeps creeping closer and bakugou doesn’t know why it’s bothering him so badly.

“thanks for the ride home, mr dynamight, sir.” you salute him and he just blinks, making you giggle as you gather your things from his car.

“bakugou,” he takes your cup from his console, despite the passing thought that the colors look nice against the ones of his car’s interior. “calling me bakugou outside the workplace is fine.”

you hesitate before taking the cup, and he hates the smile that creeps up on your face when you finally do grab it from him. why the hell would he say something unprofessional like that?

you skip off with a “goodnight, mr. bakugou, sir.” and head up to your front door without catching the sight of how dramatically he rolls his eyes, or the slight lift of his lips when he thinks about how your voice sounds addressing him as something other than his trademarked name.

and from there, it’s a slippery slope, he comes to realize.

one ride turns into twenty and soon enough he’s sitting in his office chair every night waiting for you to come to tell him that you’re ready to go home.

he finds the same kind of habit forms around your shared lunch break when the two of you are working in the office rather than on the field. you’d always walked past his office, but after a comment on one of those drives to your place, you’d started to welcome yourself into his office to compare lunches. and now he can't seem to bring himself to take a bite until you’ve wandered in and finished your bit.

like now, he sits with the same lunch he’s been eating since monday because he meal prepped this week, and he needs you to come in and tell him how boring it must be eating the same thing over and over. his fingertips pad impatiently at the wood of his desk, you're always in here by now.. now that he thinks about it, you hadn’t come to ask if his coffee was bitter after getting it for him this morning.

his phone buzzing in his slacks pulls him from the thought and throws him into another one.

deku: hey, i know you’re being kind to the sidekick and all… but didn’t you say her boyfriend would be mad if he knew you were giving her rides? you should think about how that would affect her working here.

the blonde sighs and he doesn’t even want to respond to the message. he’s already on edge after starving off his lunch, plus the fact you’re not being normal today, why is midoriya suddenly interested in how your professional relationship affects your at home life?

bakugou: would you rather some villain stalk her schedule and kidnap the sidekick that you requested to come out here?

he types out, and he’s right. he knows he’s right, he’s keeping you safe by picking you up and dropping you off from his car's undisclosed location.

deku: that’s not what i meant

bakugou taps the side of his phone as the three dots come and go as midoriya no doubt types up a paragraph that bakugou will most likely not read. where the hell are you?

bakugou: i’m just making sure she gets home alright.

he sends, hoping it’ll be enough to end the conversation. he locks his phone and places it on the table next to his meal, the meal that, after eyeing the door once more, he starts to dig into. it’s a few minutes before he gets the next notification, but when he reads it, he’s stuck staring at the chair you’re supposed to be in while he finishes eating.

deku: are you sure that’s all it is?

—

the two of you have grown close. that much is obvious to everyone who witnesses you by his side. he wouldn’t call himself fond of you, but he knows it’d be a lie to say he hates your presence, or that he doesn’t mind the absence of it. what he doesn’t understand is why the feeling in his chest is so intense when you walk in for your routine ride home with a blank expression and a single piece of paper in your hand.

“what is this?” he accepts it as you offer, and he’s half expecting it to be some stupid printed-out meme, or maybe even you showing off an email about a magazine cover that you landed. but instead, it’s formally addressed to him as–

“my letter of resignation.”

to say bakugou is confused is an understatement.

“i enjoyed working by your side. it was an experience i am sure will forever remain unmatched in my career.” your voice is shaking. the blonde tries to focus on the words in ink in front of him but nothing seems to register even as he eyes them over and over. “i’m very thankful for the time i was allowed to spend here, please don’t think otherwise. i’ll be sure to thank mr. deku as well for giving me the opportunity since–”

“why are you leaving?” his words come harsh, his face twisted up in a way he’s never shown to you and he’s not surprised when even then you don’t finch much.

“i need to go back home.” is all you let out, looking everywhere but at him.

he sits on it for a moment, that feeling in his chest starts to swell as he realizes the motives behind your actions today, behind this damn resignation letter.

“don’t you wanna be a big name pro?” he discard the paper on his desk as he pushes himself out of his chair to approach you. “so why are you throwing away your best chance— your only real chance at that for some small-town boyfriend?”

your eyes go wide as they tear from the back of his computer monitor to look into his own. the look of offense on your face is prominent but it’s nothing in comparison to the offense bakugou feels.

“it’s so much more than just my boyfriend.” you scoff, eyebrows knitting together. “what would you know?! you’re just my boss, you have no idea what my relationship is like.”

he’s never seen you mad before, you look… good.

“i know you’re sending money back home to cover his expenses. i know you’re paying for everything you have here all on your own.” he steps towards you with each sentence, making you take a step back in time with his strides. “i know he doesn’t check to see if you make it home safe, i know you’ve slept on the floor because you can’t afford furniture and food.”

you might not have told him much about your boyfriend, but he does know that he doesn’t deserve you... not the way that bakugou does.

“i never told you any of that..” your hand feels for the arm of the couch you’ve been backed into.

“you’re obvious.” he shrugs and it’s now that you start to breathe in short pants, your eyes dart to the door— unlocked but closed. then to his chest— he’s big, much bigger than you, stronger than you. “the last thing i would do is hurt you.” he tilts his head and your breathing clams, if only a little.

“sorry, i don’t know what i was thinking.” you whisper, you bring a hand to your forehead as you fall to sit on the arm of the couch. “today has just been... it’s been too much.”

bakugou nods. he hasn’t seen you cry since the first time he cared to listen to you speak. he doesn’t want to see that again, but he’d be bitter if the chance of it was taken away from him altogether.

“but you’ll stay.”

“i– i can’t stay. i’ll lose toru, i’ll lose the house,” you start gesturing around at nothing, voice sounding hollow. “i can’t stay bakugou.”

“if you go there’ll be nothing waiting for you.” he shrugs, grabbing your hands when they freeze. “i have toru’s information already. i’ll send him one of the many pictures you’d decided to take on my phone, while you were in my car.” the words taste awful off bakugou’s tongue but he doesn’t stop speaking them.

“why would you?” he can’t bring himself to look at your expression anymore.

“i wouldn’t even need to say anything then, i think that’d be enough.” you make a choked sound and he’s sure there are tears in your eyes. “so you’ll stay here.”

“that’s not fair.” your hands fall limp in his hold and he finally looks at you, the tears stream down your face and bakugou doesn’t even know what he’s doing anymore.

“your boyfriend’s in the way of your dream.” he swallows, convincing both you and himself but his sure tone never falters. “you can’t do anything for yourself if you go back to him. you can’t accomplish anything unless you’re here,” you blink away the tears, big eyes staring up at him. “unless you’re with me.”

you take in a shaky breath through trembling lips but nod all the same. you lean forward to rest against bakugou’s hard abdomen, your hands falling from his hold as you move. he has to stop himself from letting out a smug chuckle at the way you instantly come to him for comfort, to think you’d almost slipped through his hands.

“i’m tired of thinking about this.” you hiccup and throw yourself back on the cushions with one arm thrown over your eyes. parts of yourself that bakugou could recognize returning once again, only the way your head rolls to your shoulder and the look in your eyes as you peek up at him is something he’s never seen from you before. “help me?”

what you’d been alluding to is made clear when you reach out a hand for him, one that he doesn’t hesitate to take. he doesn’t even bother to speak any other word before he’s pressing his lips into your own, strong arms maneuvering you on the uncomfortable faux leather so quick it makes a loud noise as your skin rubs against it. he nearly moans at the way your arms wrap around his neck, the way they tangle into and tug at his hair while he slots himself between your legs.

the instant you press your hips up against him, he realizes how wrong he’s been. bakugou does favor you, he favors everything about you. he favors the way you talk shit to him, the way you laugh, the way you roll your eyes, how differently you act in interviews versus in his office, and he favors more than anything how you feel pressed up against him.

he all but tears your shirt off of you, and then your pants, both thrown to a grave somewhere on the rugged floor. his hands are rough as they glide down your body. his pads press in between your collarbones down between your breast, round your ribs, and down to squeeze at your hips.

“hurry up,” you whine, bringing your heel up to push at the waistband of his pants.

“always rushin’ me.” he sucks his teeth, but his voice is soft as he speaks.

he shivers at the sounds you make from his fingers gliding along the seat of your panties, barely damp, likely from your nerves— but bakugou can fix that. kisses are pressed to your neck, something much sweeter than anyone would expect, aside from of course you. you, the sweet little thing who saw past the hard shell everyone else encased him in, though he didn’t do much to prevent it.

his thumb finds its way to your clit, pressing circles on it through the fabric and your head falls back against the cushions, small gasps and whines following his every movement. it’s not until you start to push against him that he finally pulls your underwear to the side.

your sounds easily double in volume when he finally makes contact with your heat directly, a few more wet shapes rubbed into your clit before his fingers trail down to your entrance and you pull him by his hair from your neck, forcing him into a kiss while he presses a single thick digit into you. he rolls his wrist, hoping to stretch you a bit more before adding another, but your desperate hands wind into his shirt and he can’t help but give in.

he adds another and scissors them inside you, prodding to find that spot that had your lips parting, mind and body have given up on being able to kiss him as the pleasure takes over you. you’re dripping down his hand by the time you start babbling nonsense, and it’s all he can do to fuck his fingers into you despite the way you claw at his back, how your legs squeeze around him, and your pussy clamps down on him.

and when his name tumbles out somewhere along your nonsense as you cream down into his palm, for the first time in a long time, bakugou feels warm inside, something beyond the heat between his legs.

he lets you hold him while your breathing settles, even keeps his fingers inside you as you come back down to earth. he wants so bad to fuck you right now, to have you cry his name again and again as you make a mess on his cock this time... but he also wants to never let you move from under him, to keep himself wrapped around you at all times.

“i don’t wanna sleep on the floor anymore,” you whisper, and the blonde wonders how your boyfriend would feel if he knew that forcing you to turn in a resignation would lead to you being putty in his hands.

“come sleep at my place.”

you nod against him and, slowly, he helps to clean and dress you before you let him drag you off the couch.

“you’re always so helpful, baku’.” you rub your eyes as you lean against him, mindlessly following him to the car you’d been mistaken to get months ago.

but bakugou will later reiterate his intention were just truly just to help. just like when it came to officially end your relationship with toru, which would happen tonight after bakugou sends the loser a picture of you fast asleep in the same bed as pro hero dynamight—right where you should be.

[inkmonster21]

I have a request for Noa. Where the elders are telling/ pressuring Noa to find a mate now that he is the clan leader. The reader overhears and decides to distance herself so Noa can find an ape mate and also so her heart doesn't get crushed. Noa gets confused 😕 wondering why she is ignoring him all of a sudden. But Noa then overhears the reader crying to Sonna about it. And then he confess? Sorry if that's long. I just wanted to add as much detail as I can think of as some writers like it. Some don't.

A Different Type of Love

I hope this meets your expectations! ❤️

~o0o~

Noa sat amongst the elders, their words carrying a sense of urgency and demand. "A mate must be chosen by next moon cycle," one elder stated, followed by another, "The clan is behind. An heir must be produced by the time of the next season change."

Noa's heart clenched as he listened to their words, the weight of their expectations settling on his shoulders. The thought of choosing a mate and producing an heir suddenly felt like a responsibility he wasn’t ready for.

Noa's thoughts turned to you, his mind unwilling to accept any other option but you. The idea of choosing a different mate felt like a betrayal, a mockery of the love he held for you. He knew in his heart that only you mattered, and the thought of being forced to choose someone else filled him with a deep sense of frustration and helplessness.

Noa's heart ached at the thought of you not reciprocating his feelings. Despite his love for you, you seemed completely blind to his unwavering devotion. This only added to his frustration, fueling the sense of helplessness he felt in the face of the elders' demands. He loved you fiercely, but he couldn’t force you to see the depth of his feelings.

Noa gathered his courage and responded to the elders, his voice firm yet respectful. "I do not think… I am ready to pick a mate," he stated, his words deliberate. "The clan will survive… without an immediate heir." He could feel the expectant eyes of the elders upon him, but he held his ground, determined to hold onto his feelings and wait for you.

The elder huffed in disagreement, the wrinkles on his face growing deeper as he spoke. "These delays are caused... by Echo," the elder stated, his tone filled with skepticism. "I fear." The elder's words hung in the air, implying that the elders suspected your influence over Noa's hesitance to choose a mate. Noa bristled at the elder's implication, knowing that the truth lay in his own heart.

The second elder joined in, nodding in agreement with the first. "Yes," the elder stated, his tone firm. "She is a distraction to you, Noa. You must think of the Clan and the Clan only." Noa clenched his jaw, his eyes flashing with anger at the elder's words. He wanted to protest, to defend you and his own feelings, but he knew that arguing would only worsen the situation.

You stood outside the enclosure, your basket filled with berries, Noa's favorite. Unaware of the conversation within, you unintentionally overheard the elders' words, their voices carrying through the air. You listened in silence, frozen in place as you heard them describe you as a "distraction" and emphasize how Noa needed to think of his Clan instead. Your heart clenched in your chest as the weight of their words sank in, and you felt a wave of guilt wash over you.

You reflected on your relationship with Noa. He was the first one to open his arms to you, to make sure you fit in the Clan. Over time, your feelings for him had grown, developing into genuine love and affection. But now, hearing the elders' words, you couldn't help but doubt yourself. Were you really a distraction? Did you truly get in the way of Noa's responsibilities to the Clan?

Your heart sank as you recalled the hushed whispers you had heard from others, your status as an Echo labeling you as "nothing but trouble." The words echoed in your mind, confirming the suspicions the elders harbored, and fueling your own insecurities. Despite the connection you felt with Noa, you couldn't shake off the feeling that your existence was a hindrance to him and the Clan.

With a heavy heart, you withdrew from the enclosure, distancing yourself from Noa. As you retreated, you hoped that by removing yourself from his life, you would cease to be a distraction, and in turn, please the elders who harbored ill feelings towards you. The weight of guilt and sadness settled on your shoulders as you walked away, leaving behind the connection you shared with Noa.

You began the painful process of distancing yourself from Noa. With each passing day, your interactions with him grew more distant, and the moments you shared together became fewer and farther apart. It broke your heart to pull away from him, but you believed it was for the best. For Noa. For the Clan.

As you knelt by the river, Soona helping you with the task of washing your clothes, you felt the weight of your self-imposed exile. The once cheerful atmosphere felt duller as if your absence from Noa's presence had cast a shadow over your group. Despite your efforts to keep yourself busy, your mind constantly strayed to him, remembering the moments you used to share.

Soona commented on the large pile of laundry, her tone light and playful. "So many clothes!" she joked, trying to lift the mood. You forced a smile, appreciating her efforts but finding it hard to match her cheerfulness.

You gestured towards the large coat you had discovered, its condition wore but still functional. "It will get cold soon. I'll need these to keep warm." You spoke casually, trying to mask the underlying loneliness you felt. Soona hummed in agreement, not fully comprehending the true reason behind your accumulation of warm clothing.

Soona playfully suggested a solution to your warmth problem. "Could just huddle with Noa… for warmth." She joked, her tone teasing and hinting at the connection you and Noa had. You felt your heart pang at her words, the memory of your closeness with Noa still fresh in your mind.

You shook your head, unable to muster a lighthearted response to Soona's jest. The thought of being close to Noa again sent a wave of mixed emotions through you. Part of you longed for the comfort you used to share together, but the other part held firm to your determination to distance yourself from him.

As if on cue, Noa and Anaya made their way through the forest, their presence causing a slight flutter in your chest. You tried to maintain a neutral expression, even as your heart ached to reach out to Noa.

Noa settled next to you, his eyes fixed on your hands as you methodically washed and squeezed the water out of the shirt.

Noa's words cut through the silence, his tone soft but tinged with a hint of hurt. "You have been… avoiding me," he states, his gaze locked on your face. He watched you intently, his expression a mix of concern and pain.

You respond a little too quickly and forcefully, the denial leaving your lips like a defensive shield. "What? No, I haven't," you say, your voice betraying a hint of defensiveness. Noa's expression remains unchanged, a mixture of hurt and confusion evident in his eyes.

He doesn’t miss the defensiveness in your tone, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he absorbs your words. "Your actions… say different," he replies, his voice laced with a hint of frustration.

Noa's words carry a hint of accusation as he lists the missed events and activities. "Missing dinner, missing exploring, missing nest building, missing fishing... you are missing everything." His voice held a mixture of hurt and disappointment, his gaze fixed intently on your face, waiting for your response.

Your words come out as a whisper, your voice filled with determination. "I don't want to distract you," you murmur as you gather your damp clothes. You avoid his gaze, busying yourself with the task of gathering your belongings.

Noa's expression reflects surprise at your statement, his eyes widening slightly as he processes your words. "Why would you… think that?" he asks, a hint of confusion in his voice. His mind races, trying to understand the reason behind your desire to distance yourself from him.

With Noa's question hanging in the air, you don't offer any explanation, simply walking away and leaving the trio behind. You can feel their eyes on your back, their disappointment and confusion palpable in the air.

Noa turned to his friends, his gaze filled with confusion and hurt. "What did I do?" he asked, his voice tinged with frustration. Anaya and Soona shared a look, their expressions reflecting pity and understanding. Anaya attempted to offer an explanation, her tone sympathetic. "Maybe Echo is just stressed." He said, trying to provide an excuse for your actions.

"I should… talk to her." Noa declared his determination to get to the bottom of your behavior clearly in his expression. He started to stand, intending to follow you, but his friends held him back.

Soona chimed in, offering to talk to you, despite the playful tone in her voice. "Let me talk to her," she said, "female to female." Anaya and Noa shared a look, understanding the wisdom in Soona's words and reluctantly agreeing.

Soona entered your hut, the sight of your tear-stained face immediately catching her attention. Her expression softened as she approached, sitting down beside you and offering a comforting presence. "What is wrong?" Soona asked, her voice gentle and filled with empathy. Her eyes were full of understanding as if she could sense the weight of your emotions without needing an explanation.

She reached out, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder, her touch a silent reassurance that she was there for you. "You can… talk to me," she murmured, her words filled with kindness and a genuine desire to help.

Your sigh echoed your heartache, your words hung heavily in the air, your voice trembling as you relayed the elders' words to Soona. "At Noa’s meeting," you said, "the elders said that he needed to find a mate and stop being distracted by me." The pain was evident in your eyes, the toll their words had taken on you clear to Soona.

At that moment, Soona's expression hardened, her anger growing towards the elders for their thoughtless remarks. She knew the bond you shared with Noa and the hurt you must be feeling. "Those elders..." she muttered under her breath, her voice laced with disgust.

Your words trembled with unspoken pain, your emotions finally spilling over. "I don't want to stand in the way," you cried, "but I can't watch him choose someone else... It would break my heart." Tears streamed down your cheeks, the weight of your feelings almost too much to bear. Soona's eyes filled with sympathy as she heard your heart-wrenching confession. She understood the depth of your emotions, the fear of losing Noa to someone else weighing heavy on your heart. She wrapped her arms around you, pulling you into a comforting embrace.

Noa and Anaya, unbeknownst to you, were silently eavesdropping outside your hut, their backs pressed against the walls. Their expressions widened with surprise as they listened to your passionate confession. Noa's smile slowly began to form on his face, his heart swelling at the depth of your feelings for him. Your words poured out, honest and raw, as you described how Noa made you feel. "Noa... he makes me happy," you whispered, your voice filled with a mixture of emotion. "When we're together, I feel seen, understood. Like I'm not just an Echo but my own person. He's kind, compassionate, strong, fierce, and loyal."

Amidst your heartfelt confession, the sound of Anaya's snicker and Noa's warning slap disrupted the silence. You immediately paused, realizing that they were listening to your every word. Your face flushed with embarrassment at their unintentional eavesdropping, your heart racing with a mix of emotions.

Soona glanced out the door, her eyes widening as she spotted Noa and Anaya outside, their expressions betraying their eavesdropping. The two males had been caught red-handed, their surprise evident on their faces. Soona couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at the awkward situation.

She gripped Noa's arm and forcibly pulled him into the hut, Anaya quickly following suit, eager to witness the scene that was about to unfold. The two males stumbled inside, sheepishly looking around at the now cramped space.

Soona pointed at you and Noa, directing both of you to talk and communicate. “Talk to each other… much to say.” She then gave a firm nod of assurance, knowing the importance of this conversation.

With Soona's guidance, Anaya was swiftly escorted out of the hut, his protests falling on deaf ears as Soona whisked him away, leaving you and Noa alone.

You can’t help but feel nervous as you stare at him, your fingers fidgeting in an attempt to keep yourself busy. Your mind raced, wondering just how much Noa had overheard. You could feel your cheeks grow warmer under his gaze, your heart pounding in your chest.

"I’m sorry," you speak, your voice barely above a whisper. He tilted his head, his confusion evident in his eyes.

"For avoiding me?" he asked, attempting to clarify the reason behind your apology. You nodded in confirmation, your voice soft and a little ashamed. "I overheard what the elders said about me," you repeated, referring to the words the elders had spoken.

Noa shook his head, clearly not agreeing with their assessment of you. You tried to explain your motives, your voice growing more emotional. "I was just trying to help," you insisted, "to do what's best..."

Noa’s expression turned from confusion to understanding, his eyes softening as he listened intently to your words.

Noa’s voice gently cut in, his words filled with a hint of frustration. "What is best... is not for you to avoid me."

He took a step closer, his gaze fixed on your face, searching for a sign, any indication of your feelings towards him. He could feel his heart beat faster as he watched your reaction, watching the emotions play across your face. Noa took another step forward, his proximity to you suddenly making the air feel thick and charged.

Noa's voice was soft yet laced with a desperate undercurrent. "I can't think when you're not near," he confessed, his words carrying a weight of truth. He reached out, gently grasping your hand in his as if seeking reassurance and comfort from your touch.

As Noa’s larger hand enveloped yours, the contrast in size and texture was striking. Yet, they fit together like pieces of a puzzle, his hand dwarfing yours in length and strength, but intertwining seamlessly with yours. The connection, both physical and emotional, was undeniable.

You lifted your gaze to meet Noa’s, your eyes meeting his intensely. The depth of emotion in his eyes mirrored your own, a silent understanding passing between you without the need for words.

In that moment, there was a shared understanding, a connection that went beyond mere friendship. Noa’s grip on your hand tightened, his heart pounding in his chest as he looked down at you, his eyes filled with intensity.

Your words broke the spell, pulling both of you back to reality. "But the elders..." you whispered, the weight of their presence hanging heavily in the air.

Noa’s expression hardened, his grip on your hand tightening at the mention of the elders.

Noa’s voice was laced with a mix of frustration and determination. His words came out as a firm declaration, “The elders… know nothing of love.” He stepped closer, closing the gap between you, his body mere inches from yours.

Noa’s words hung in the air, powerful in their simplicity. “I would never choose anyone… besides you.”

His voice was firm, his eyes locked on yours, filled with such intensity and honesty that it left no doubt about his true feelings for you. He took a step closer, his body now almost pressing against yours.

Your actions were instinctive, a natural response to the intense emotions surging through you both. As you pressed your forehead against his, a wave of comfort and connection washed over you.

Noa responded instinctively, his breath catching in his throat. His hand moved from yours to gently cup your face, his fingers lightly tracing your skin.

"Come," Noa said, gesturing towards the door. You furrowed your brow, confused. "Where?" you asked, looking up at him, curiosity and intrigue in your eyes.

Noa's response was a smile, a smile that held both determination and affection. "I'm going to tell the elders... I have found my mate," he stated firmly.

His confidence was palpable, his words filled with a sense of certainty that made your heart skip a beat. With a small tug on your hand, Noa guided you out of your hut, his grip firm but gentle.

As you stepped outside, the cool air brushed against your skin, a stark contrast to the warmth that was growing within you. Noa’s presence was strong and reassuring as he led you toward the center of the camp, his stride purposeful and confident.

The world around you faded into the background as you focused on Noa, on the undeniable connection between you. Noa's grip on your hand was firm, his body language exuding an air of determination.

As you continued towards the center of the camp, Noa’s stride was strong and resolute. The elders could say whatever they wanted, but you both knew the truth. You were his, and nothing would change that.

[porcelainseashore]

Into the Ether (10)

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Vampire! Toreador! Leon Kennedy x Fem! Reader

Summary: At the all-night events cafe you run, you’ve become acquainted with an elusive patron, Leon, though you can never remember the last moments of your interactions together. After a harrowing encounter, a love-hate relationship develops between the two of you as you grapple with your newfound status in a world of darkness and investigate the reasons behind the untimely attacks.

Content & Warnings: 18+ Resident Evil x Vampire: The Masquerade crossover, horror, mystery, romance, slow burn, strangers to enemies to lovers, angst, fluff, eventual smut, swearing, smoking, alcohol, drug references, non consensual blood drinking, blood bond, vampire turning, violence, injury, mild gore, torture, religious themes, minor character death, RE ensemble, VtM concepts.

Taglist: @admirxation @angelstargel @miss-oranje-disco-dancer ❤️‍🔥

AO3 Link

Chapter 10: Devil's Advocate

You woke up again with a start, your face buried against something hard which stirred. Groggily, you nuzzled it, unwilling to fully come to just yet. Fingers sifted through your hair as you felt a chaste kiss planted atop your head. 

Oh.

The events of what had transpired the night before replayed through your mind as you kept your eyes shut, stilling yourself despite the fact that you were pressed right into Leon’s chest. Thank god you hadn’t activated Blush of Life yet and weren’t breathing. You could pretend to have fallen back to sleep a second time and he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Or would he? Did daysleep work this way?

“I’ll head down first and make us a drink, sleepy head.” His voice vibrated through his chest like a deep rumble as he chuckled, kissing your forehead another time before letting go.

Of course he knew you were awake, he’d been at this game for much longer and could spot the signs. The mattress shifted under his weight and the sheets piled as he rose up, your body swaying gently from the ripples of movement. Footsteps pattered across the floor and down the stairs. You heard a door open and the showerhead turn on, the sound of water splashing onto the ground drowning out the racket in your brain.

Clearer thoughts started to form. You kissed him. No, well, he kissed you first. But you kissed back. That had to mean something, right? Or was it just a pity kiss? Then why did you invite him to join you in bed? You had broken your number one rule in just over a week. Go figure.

He went through something harrowing back at the Bakers and you were being there for him as a ‘sort of’ friend. Because friends totally kiss each other. Not once, not twice, but multiple times throughout the course of the night. You tried to remember what it was like, his lips on yours as you involuntarily brushed your fingers against your mouth. It was soft and sweet, everything you wanted—

No, stop!

You felt ashamed for thinking that way. Was this some kind of Stockholm Syndrome you were experiencing? Falling for the man who turned you into what you were? You would have fallen twice then: once when you were alive, and again when you were undead. It was too much to think about first thing in the early evening. The shower turned off.

A few minutes later, you heard someone rummaging through the kitchen cabinets and the clinking of glasses. Drink first, talk later. Just play it cool and act oblivious, like you would when a customer at the cafe tried to chat you up. The greatest irony of it was that Leon had been one of them too.

Making your way towards the counter, you leaned your elbows on it, watching Leon as he poured a bag’s worth of blood into two glasses. His hair was damp and in a tousled mess from being roughly towel-dried. Beads of water trickled down his neck onto his bare chest. You swallowed thickly, realizing it was the first time you’d seen him topless with nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants on. Your eyes trailed across a scar on his left shoulder which he must’ve gotten in his mortal life, over to the gold necklace he wore without fail on a daily basis, noting the cross pendant attached to it. 

A quick glance at his face confirmed that he was still concentrating on what seemed to be the longest drink-pouring process ever. So, you continued to rake your gaze along his athletic build, which you assumed was honed from police training. It traveled from his tapered waistline to his lean abs, finally reaching the hem of his pants that hung loosely on his hips.

“Drink? Or are you too busy eye fucking me right now?” he teased, a smug smile playing across his lips as he slid a glass over to you.

It was just your luck that he’d catch you red-handed. But that didn’t mean you were going to give in. You snorted, narrowing your eyes at him as you brought the rim of the glass to your mouth. “You should put a shirt on.”

“Why? Am I being a distraction?” There was that stupid wink again.

Taking a hearty swig, you allowed the blood to wash down your throat, revitalizing your senses. “You give yourself too much credit for your looks.”

Pointing at his necklace, you commented, “Guess crosses don’t burn you, huh?”

“What have I told you about silly superstitions?” He folded his arms, raising an eyebrow as he feigned a look of being unimpressed. “Only a person who possesses True Faith can use these symbols to damage us.”

“Have you met any of them?” you quizzed.

“Thankfully, no,” he admitted. “They’re rare, but some of them lie within the ranks of the SI.”

Placing the glass back onto the table, you probed further, “Were you religious back then?”

Your question must’ve taken him by surprise, as a range of mixed emotions swept across his face. “Yeah, born and baptized Catholic,” he replied, scratching the side of his head sheepishly.

The memory you’d seen of him praying in the church flashed through your mind. It must’ve been his main source of solace back then. Had it changed since? Where did he find comfort now?

“You still believe in a god?”

He pursed his lips, sipping at the remaining blood in his glass slowly. “Yes, I do,” he finally decided. “But whoever it is, I’m pretty sure they won’t have me.”

Twirling the glass in his hand, he continued, “We belong to Caine now, our Dark Father, as Noddist scholars like to say.”

Whenever Leon talked in this way, it felt like hearing a bedtime story. You wondered if he really believed in all the myths and legends Kindred liked to tell themselves. Turning your back to the counter, you pressed your palms flat on its surface, pushing yourself up so you could sit on it. 

Looking over your shoulder, you met his pale blue eyes. “I never believed in anyone up there,” you stated. “Always thought we’d go back into the earth when we died.”

It was his turn to ask, “Do you fear dying?”

“Not really.” You shook your head. “I think it’s like a comatose sleep from which you never wake up. The thing is whether you suffer beforehand.”

Being able to speak freely about such morbid topics with Leon comforted you in some way, even though you found it amusing how you got there in the first place. 

Discarding his glass, he circled around the counter, leaning his hip against its edge beside you. “I fear it sometimes,” he revealed quietly.

“Are you afraid of going to hell?” you suggested, wondering if it was a form of subconscious religious guilt that haunted him.

He averted his gaze. “For the things I’ve done, yeah,” he answered, offering no further explanation.

Against your better judgment, you reached out to touch his face, though he caught your hand gently in mid-air. Stroking the back of it with his thumb, he raised your palm to his lips, kissing it reverently. “But I won’t drag you down with me,” he murmured into your skin.

One thing led to another, and before you knew it, he had moved between your legs, supporting himself with his arms positioned on either side of your body. Was he doing this to distract you from the can of worms you’d almost uncovered? Would he ever truly open up to you?

For a moment, it seemed as if time stood still, while he tried to read the expression in your eyes. There was your chance — the slim window he had offered you to protest or say anything at all, but you didn’t. You couldn’t even breathe. So much for playing it cool.

Bending forward, he captured your lips in a quick kiss, breaking away to peer at you, as though he was testing the waters. It didn’t take long for him to bridge the gap again, taking your lips into his hungrily, like an animal who’d been laid out to starve in the heat. You wanted him, yet at the same time, you couldn’t. And the latter, more rational side happened to be winning in the ensuing battle.

“Mm—” Kiss. “Um—” Another kiss. “Leon?”

“Yeah?” he slurred, as if drunk on your taste, before kissing you again.

It took every ounce of your resolve to shove him off you by his shoulders. He stopped abruptly, panting through swollen lips and his eyes glazed over in want. Though they soon widened in panic as he saw the look of discomfort written across your face. 

“I-I’m sorry, I thought you—”

“This isn’t right,” you whispered, trying to convince nobody but yourself. You hopped down, pushing away from the table, as you brushed past him, rubbing your mouth gingerly with your hand. “You’ve already damned me, and I feel like I hardly know you at all.”

━━━━━━━━━━━

Back at NEST, you were immediately accosted by Jill, who had been waiting eagerly for your updates on the case. At the moment, things between you and Leon were awkward. It felt like you were back to square one with him, where neither of you dared to say anything to each other. He gave you the space he thought you needed, though you could spot the worry and concern in his eyes whenever they met yours briefly.

In the server room, Leon ran through the information you had gathered from the Bakers, showing Hunnigan the supposed Sabbat hotspots they had marked out on the map.

“Good work, Leon,” she remarked appreciatively, clicking to zoom in on the areas he had highlighted on the screen. “My sources have correlated with the river route too. A bunch of homeless people going missing under the bridges. They’re probably tapping into them as vessels and potential cannon fodder.”

“It’s like they’re baiting,” Leon noted. “Their last attack was sloppily executed—”

“It was a fucking shitshow,” Jill interjected.

“Just seems like they weren’t serious about creating an army,” he deduced. “They just wanted the attention.”

Jill clicked her tongue. “No offense, but when have they ever been organized? They’ve never cared about attracting a lot of attention either.”

“True,” Leon agreed. “But even the Sabbat have their limits.”

Rocking back and forth on his feet, you could sense that he was getting nervous about what he was about to say next. Silently, you prayed that he would keep his word about not revealing Lucas’ involvement in the matter. The Baker family had helped you out and were counting on you to do the same.

“By the way, you were right, Hunnigan,” he started off. “A Sabbat member cast Dementation on them.”

Hunnigan nodded, smiling to herself in satisfaction, whereas Jill piped up, “Any clue as to who this Sabbat member is?”

You felt your throat constrict as you eyed Leon questioningly. He caught your gaze and a flicker of understanding passed between you. The corners of your mouth curled up slightly into a subtle smile, which he returned for a split second before turning to face Jill again. He was going to keep quiet about Lucas’ identity after all.

“A Malkavian,” he answered vaguely. “That’s how the Bakers sensed them through the Cobweb. But other than that, no clue as to who it is.”

Jill cocked her head, scrutinizing his features intently. “You sure?”

He met her stare dead-on with a blank expression on his face. “Of course.”

She shifted her gaze towards you briefly, squinting as she studied your reaction while you tried to remain as calm and indifferent as you could. Finally, she sighed, “Fine, what about Rebecca?”

“We’re working on it,” Leon reassured her. “Her Regent has been creating some complications, but we’ll get to her soon.”

“Listen, do whatever you need to do, Kennedy,” she ordered hastily. “We need that girl.”

Whenever Jill used his last name, he knew she meant it as a threat. Do it, or else. Time was running out, and he needed to make a decision quickly.

After the meeting, he dropped you off at the lounge, asking you to wait for him there while he ‘sorted things out’ with the Tremere Primogen. Before he left, you grabbed his hand, squeezing it as he looked back at you in astonishment.

“Thank you,” you mouthed, acknowledging his earlier efforts in keeping his promise.

You still weren’t keen on what he was about to do with the Tremere, but you could see that he was trying to change.

“Don’t mention it.” His fingers ghosted the outline of your jaw. Perhaps you just needed time and would come round to him at some point. “I won’t take long.”

On his way to the offices, he observed the Tremere Primogen busy chatting with another Kindred. He’d timed it well, taking advantage of when she usually took her breaks to socialize with others roaming around Elysium. Keeping himself inconspicuous, he slinked away from the crowd, continuing towards the more mundane areas of the building. Still, a nagging feeling burrowed deep in his chest. 

Was it really such a good idea for Glenn Arias to take over as Primogen? He would essentially become a mini-dictator among the Tremere of Raccoon City. And no matter how much Leon wanted to avoid internal clan politics, he would have had a hand to play in it. A serious one, with significant consequences that, like it or not, would affect everyone else as well. Was he ready to do that?

Your words came back to haunt him. How many compromises was he willing to make? Would there be nothing left within him at the end? Just an empty shell of a man, his husk dry and withering. He wondered how the elder vampires felt as their humanity trickled away, ebbing into the recesses of the abyss. It was inevitable, a voice told him. You’re only fighting a losing battle, it added.

“What would you do?” he muttered under his breath, closing his eyes and as he imagined addressing his former mortal self.

There he was, the golden boy, fresh out of his training from the police academy. He had everything going for him then, graduating with top marks and being singled out for the fast track detective pathway within the RPD. His idealism and innocence hadn’t yet been tainted — he still knew what was right from wrong. Not this murky gray mess, like sludge he waded through to get to the other side. Each time, sinking a little deeper as the mud shifted under his feet, until he was fully covered in the filth.

The boy in front of him was beaming, his closed mouth smile stretching from ear to ear, radiant like a haloed angel. So close, he could reach out and touch him. His fingers sifted through the specter, the light refracting at different angles on his hand as it moved. For years, he had looked back on his younger persona, calling him names: naive, childish, stupid. He thought he had known better, when in fact, he knew nothing at all.

“You already know,” the figure spoke, his warm palm coming to rest on top of Leon’s shoulder before vanishing into thin air.

Opening his eyes, he took a few steps forward only to come to a halt. He thumbed the side of the file nestled in the inner pocket of his suit jacket, sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth. If this is what it would come to, then so be it. 

Spinning on his heel, he headed back in the opposite direction from which he came, aborting his original plan.

━━━━━━━━━━━

“Excuse me.” Leon wedged himself politely between the Tremere Primogen and her current company, highlighting with a sense of urgency, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but may I have a word with you in private?”

Thankfully, the Primogen was apt at reading between the lines and took his cue, departing swiftly with him towards her office. Once they had settled in at her desk, he handed her the documents that had been weighing heavily on his person all this while.

“Mr. Arias put me up to this,” he proceeded cautiously, making sure to leave out your name, in case this ended up backfiring on him. “He’s been eyeing your position for a while.”

The Primogen let out a hearty laugh. “Of course he has! That scoundrel.” She shook her head, flipping through the pages within the file. “Oh, Glenn… what to do with you?”

Peeling a sheet out from the folder, she lifted it, holding it towards the beam of light hanging overhead as she examined it closely. “Hmm, impressive,” she stated. “Perfectly forged. And I know who the accomplice is as well.” She wiggled her eyebrows in mirth.

Leaning back in her seat, she rested her hands behind her head and continued, “So, tell me. What is it you want?”

“Huh?” He had partaken in many deals of a similar nature before, but for once, he was stumped.

She rolled her eyes in impatience and sighed, “You didn’t just betray Glenn out of the goodness of your heart, did you?”

Actually, he did, was what he wanted to say, but instead, he went with, “With all due respect, ma’am, I’d rather not get involved with Tremere politics.”

“Hmph,” she grunted, clearly unconvinced by his antics. “Well, let’s put it this way. Why did you head over to see Glenn in the first place?”

Smart lady, he thought. She wanted to repay the boon incurred as soon as possible to avoid it hanging over her head.

“I needed to make contact with Ms. Chambers,” he narrated earnestly. “Her expertise would prove insightful in tying up some loose ends we’ve had with the recent attacks.”

At this, she sat up straight, scooping up the bunch of papers as she tapped them triumphantly against the table to align the edges before stowing them away in the folder. “Then, consider it done, Mr. Kennedy.”

He rose to his feet and bowed respectfully. “Thank you for your assistance.”

She waved him off as if it were no bother. “I’ll need some time to take care of… her Regent,” she added slyly. “He’s had it coming though, I can assure you. Now, we’ll finally be able to put an end to this nonsense.”

“Shall we say end of the week?” she suggested, already planning her next steps and penning down the appointment date in her scheduler without waiting for his reply.

Nonetheless, he thought it courteous to do so. “Yes, that works,” he uttered to the blank wall in front of him, while she had her head buried in her notes, scribbling some random symbols on them as she hummed.

“Perfect,” she answered, still not looking up from her desk.

Was it really that easy? He couldn’t believe it, thinking that there must be some sort of trick lying in wait as he shuffled awkwardly out of the office. But there was none. Perhaps he had been wrong about things all along.

━━━━━━━━━━━

In the meantime, you’d been waiting anxiously within your booth, occasionally glancing at the curtains, hoping to see Leon’s face rather than some security personnel coming to escort you away for a crime that was being committed at that very moment. The curtains drew open slightly and a familiar head poked through. Too familiar. You were experiencing a serious case of fucking déjà vu.

“Darling…” her smooth, velvety voice made the hairs at the back of your neck stand.

“What do you want, Ada?” you asked, not caring to mask the mistrust in your voice. With the way your last meeting with her went, you wanted to avoid her at all costs.

She tutted, sildling over to you as you inched away. “You’re beginning to sound a lot like him, you know?”

Him. Your sire. Leon.

“That’s not a bad thing,” you stated defensively.

“Is that so?” she asked coyly. “Where is your sire now, anyway?”

She gave off an air of disinterest, but it was all pretense. You knew she knew. 

“He’s busy.”

She scoffed, picking at her fingernails. “Too busy to teach his childe properly it seems.”

Anger boiled in your veins. How dare she speak about Leon that way? “And you would know better?” you seethed.

This appeared to amuse her as she laughed in your face. “I taught him everything he needed to know, which is the reason he’s still alive,” she countered. “But you, my dear, won’t last a day without him.”

“That’s a lie—”

“When was the last time you fed properly?” Her voice overpowered yours with ease.

She meant through a hunt, not a ready-made blood bag waiting for you in Leon’s fridge, mocking you for being spoon-fed and pampered like the princess you were. You bit your lip, at a loss for words as you diverted your gaze.

“Thought so,” she declared. “It seems to me you haven’t truly accepted who you are, and your sire’s overprotectiveness is going to cause your downfall.”

“Why do you care?” you spat. You weren’t her childe; she wasn’t responsible for you.

Leaning forward, she whispered, “Well, if you must know, he paid a pretty price for you. So, I’d rather not see you make a fool of yourself — and by extension, him — especially when you have such potential.”

Your ears pricked up at her first sentence. Somehow, she had aroused your attention again. Turning to face her, you asked, “What kind of price?”

Evading your question, she followed up with another explanation of her own. “You see, it’s no secret that I’m more of a sire who would throw their childe into the deep end for them to adapt and survive.”

“You mean, what you did to me at the Rose Garden,” you concluded. Had Leon taken you instead, you would’ve been shielded from the elder vampires due to his presence. Would that have worked out for better or worse in the long run?

“Very good, you’re catching on.” She nodded approvingly. “Like it or not, everyone has their place in the hierarchy, and you will never be able to escape Kindred politics. So, it’s time you start learning.”

You wondered where she was going with this conversation. There was a sinking feeling in your stomach that this wasn’t bound to end well, but curiosity got the better of you, and you stayed rooted to the couch to listen.

“There will come a point where you’ll need to make deals of your own,” she forewarned. “Deals that you may not like. Even your sire has had his fair share of them.”

Was she trying to lower your opinion of him? Something inside of you made you want to fight back. “I know that,” you snapped. “But he’s a good person.”

You said it so genuinely that Ada paused for a moment in stunned silence, before she broke out into a roguish smile. A smile that instantly told you that you were clinging onto false hope.

“Are you sure?” she challenged. “How well do you know him?”

They were the questions you’d been dreading, but you couldn’t give up on him. Not now.

“Yes, he is,” you repeated, though it came out more like a squeak. “I know it.” You didn’t. But that didn’t stop you from wanting to believe.

“What is he doing now then?”

“None of your goddamn business,” you barked, biting your inner cheek until you tasted blood. You knew she was trying to rile you up and you needed to get a hold on yourself, but she was relentless. 

“What do you think he did as my lover for over ten years?” She glowed victoriously as if she had won a game of chess. Check-fucking-mate.

“He never told you about the vessel business, did he?”

“What do you mean by that?” you croaked, even though you had an inkling of what it entailed. It wasn’t difficult to guess from the terminology used, but maybe you had a masochistic side that still wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

“There are some Kindred who have an acquired taste, and some who merely want to try something exquisite,” she explained. “If you could afford the best of the best, wouldn’t you too want to partake in it?”

Bile rose to your throat as you protested weakly, “No.” It was all you could utter. You felt the energy drain from your body as you braced for the worst.

“Your sire delivered such vessels to me, in exchange for favors,” she revealed salaciously. “That’s his place in the hierarchy.”

Tears welled up in your eyes as you cast your gaze downwards, clenching your fists as hard as you could to stop yourself from screaming. How could you fall for this worthless piece of shit? To think you even tried to defend him earlier made you nauseous. 

But the final nail in the coffin was when she disclosed, “In fact, he was supposed to make me a delivery, just around the time when he found you.”

Your eyes shot up to meet hers.

“Sad to say, he still owes me on that one,” she added.

It was you. You were meant to be the vessel. Cupping your hands over your mouth, you took in painful, labored breaths. The little world you had idealized for the two of you was crumbling. The room spun and it felt as if your heart had been ripped out of its chest and torn asunder.

“Angel…?” You heard his voice calling out to you, but you couldn’t respond.

��Ada, what did you do?” His tone turned accusing.

“Her sire’s job,” she replied rather matter-of-factly. “Telling her the things she should hear.”

Dashing over to you, he clasped your hands in his. You pulled away, getting up from the couch as you socked him in the gut, winding him. He crouched over, clutching his abdomen and panting.

“Was I the perfect vessel for you?” you taunted, your voice dripping with venom.

A tumultuous storm brewed in his eyes, filled with self-loathing and despair. He couldn’t deny your statement, but it wasn’t the whole story. “You meant so much more to me,” he professed. “Always have, always will.”

“You’re despicable,” you hissed. “You make me sick.”

He couldn’t bear to look at you when you said that. Your hatred for him stabbed deep, carving a gaping hole in his heart. Instead, he directed his rage towards Ada, his face red and puffy as he yelled, “You think you’re so righteous? Tell her what you fucking did to me!”

She smirked at him in response before quietly walking away. Her work here was done.

When he turned back to you, there was a maddened, hysterical look in his gaze. “She blood bonded me and I was forced to do her dirty work!” he exclaimed.

But you weren’t listening anymore. All you could hear was the rush of blood pounding in your ears. “Are you still bonded?” you contested. “Who’s forcing you now?”

His mouth opened and closed like a fish on dry land gasping for air. He had nothing left to say in his defense. There was no one else to blame but himself; he had been the monster all along.

[themulitipurposechannel]

Dynamics: Part 2, <Next!>

For Apocalypse F! Mikey: Now see Uncle Tello content is great and I love it. But consider this, it’s alr everywhere AND think bout Master Michelangelo /Uncle Mi supremacy ✨👀 think bout uncle Mi being the warm/comforting/ steadying presence that Cj clung to when Leo and April are stuck being the sole two pillars of leadership for the entirely of sentient life on earth and Donnie is off doing his mad scientist things(No hate to D but we know our boi has low empathy and tends to get hyper fixated to the point he ignores everyone. Not that he wouldn’t absolutely try for Junior cuz he would but ya know what I mean) which leaves the Mikey cuz our poor Raphie and Casey Sr died early.

Like Cmon guys hear me out Mike alr has Dr feelings and his ole mediator shtick. you can’t tell me that as he grew and matured it didn’t not grew stronger. Plus he defo Leaned into the whole mediator thing esp with the apocalypse cuz someone defo needed to be the calm mediator in the chaos that was the kraang. Plus he was ALR the most mentally/emotionally stable out of all the fam and a child in a chaotic environment (cough the apocalypse cough) is gonna unconsciously gravitate towards that. And mikey being mikey is then absolutely gonna white knuckle his “I’m emotionally healthy” even more cuz we got a kid now. We gotta make sure he grows up with SMTH.

Plus I like to think everyone had diff roles in raising Cj. Eg: Cj spends time with tello if he wants to hang out and blow shit up or wants to brainstorm tangible solutions. but if he needs/wants emotional support or emotional safety he goes to Mikey and if he wants all of the above plus advice in general it’s Leo and Comander April lmao (but 7/10 times it’s Leo). Side note: Before Raph died he and mikey used to tag team M’s role and April’s role was formerly Cassandra’s but welp we all know what happened 😭. Also I just wanna make it clear that these roles weren’t always hard and fast rule. It’s just generally the common status quo but was still subject to change depending on the circumstances cuz ppl are ppl and ppl are complex. Like if Cj was feeling particularly scared for Dee or April’s mortality I can guarantee he glomped them. And they let him.

Edit: In any case, their dynamic is basically all round calm, slow and cozy vibes. Cuz like I said, Mikey was acting as Cj’s living sentient equivalent of a warm, weighted blanket. Plus mystic overuse/cursed aging gave Mikey a lot of chronic fatigue and plus Mi leaning hard into the whole mediator thing rlly made him mellow out esp when he had to be responsible for a kid. So most of their hanging out was either sitting around talking about their day, making up stories bout random objects they found like ‘I bet that cup has a chip in cuz an alligator got it’ ,Cj ranting, mystic training, lots and lots of snuggles or (big shocker I know) Mikey reading to Cj (don’t Judge Cj, he finds Uncle’s Mi voice calming. And as tor Mikey, options are limited when you’re old, physically frail and in an apocalypse) or them reading tgt in comfy silence with the occasional comment of ‘man this character is so stupid’ and ‘I know right!’. Also In the earlier days when resources weren’t so scarce and Mikey had more energy they used to draw on the walls tgt using chalk but well.. stuff like that don’t last very long in the apocalypse.

.

For Past/present time: Once Cj starts to properly distinguish between future and present and feels a little more ready to start properly interacting with P!fam. He starts to build a stable relationship with Mikey. their dynamic is one of more equal standing cuz of the lack of age difference aka the big theme for this dynamic is all abt growing up tgt. This creates a more free and unrestrained dynamic where both feel more encouraged/safe to try new things cuz they don’t have to worry bout any hovering from any older siblings (sorry Leo he tries but even he can’t fully escape the big brother instincts even towards Case. Which is hilarious cuz Cj is the most self sufficient out of everyone XD ) and cuz they don’t have to worry bout looking stupid in front said older siblings if they fail/ being coddled if they fail. Initially it was a very big whiplash for Casey to adjust to the fact that someone he used to look for answers/ be a pillar was just as clueless as he was AND the fact he could freely argue back with said someone due to the lack of age difference.

But once both parties settled in, they have alot of fun just being kids and messing around. Honestly their dynamic is adorable. With Mikey’s more adventurous and more hopeful personality helping Cj start to relax a little more and start acting more like the 15 year old he is. And Cj’s more serious and sensible mindset helps Mikey become a little more thoughtful/cautious as he’s more open to Cj’s criticism cuz it feels alot less condescending than the rest of the fam due to the age similarity.

This dynamic also plays a part in Cj’s adjustment to the past. Due to said adventurous behaviour, Mike always wants to show Cj new things. And his emotionally intuitive nature helps him pick up when Cj is uncomfortable but doesn’t always feel comfortable saying it or can just generally quickly pick up the warning signs of a trigger. So after some trial and error Mikey gets pretty good at knowing when to push and pull Case out of his comfort zone or just out right cancel an outing cuz Dr feelings can sense the ensuing panic attack/ PTSD triggers. Which Casey rlly appreciates. On the flip side, Cj is the biggest advocate (second to Leo) for letting Mikey do his thing cuz he knows what Mikey is capable off and isn’t blinded with older sibling instincts. Which Mikey greatly appreciates. We stan mutually supportive siblings.

And as the youngest, they both bond (mostly Miguel talks, Cj listens oh how the tables turn) over how frustrating it is to see the rest of their family (for Cj it’s him using his experience with F!Fam to relate to P!Mikey cuz the P!Fam don’t rlly baby Casey the same way/the obvious extent they do for Miguel. For Mikey, it’s more they water down info either intentionally/unintentionally or try to stop him from doing stuff cuz they want to protect him. And for Cj, it’s more them trying to be extra subtly careful of his sore spots. Like Legit cuz of Cj, everyone at some point had independently googled ‘how to care for war-torn ptsd riddled relative’ and ‘how to help someone with material insecurity issues’ or ‘how to support someone going thru bereavement’. For once it wasn’t only Mike reading psych stuff lmao) trying to water things down for them like dums dums XD.

They also tag team the rest of their family with the combined powers of their puppy dog eyes and shared status as “baby’s of the family” to get out of trouble/get what they want like the gremlins they are 😂. Generally when hanging out they’re either doing things action driven stuff (a stark contrast to F!Mikey and Cj. Cuz P!Mikey is younger, less traumatised and hasn’t been peepawed) like graffiti (Mikey sprays full on masterpieces and Cj loves spraying colourful doodles cuz he’s delighted to play with all sorts of bright colours and see the pretty art Anglo makes that Cj didn’t have the luxuary of seeing in the apocalypse, so despite the huge skill gap, which is rapidly becoming smaller, they still have fun tgt), skateboarding, playing video games, parkour or Mikey kidnapping Cj to show/get him to try smth he didn’t get to do in the apocalypse, *cough the occasional arson cough* Like I said they’re awesome lmao

On a side note: both Cj and Mikey are very happy to have a cool brother/friend who is the same age as them. For Cj it’s cuz fellow kids were very rare back in his time. Meaning the kids that were round him were either much older or much younger so same age friends is very much a novel experience lmao. As for Mikey, although he does call Cj baby brother( he doesn’t actually enforce that unless in certain situations like Cj in distress or trying to get Cj to do Miguel’s part of chores lmao) most of the time he’s happy to not be alone in his age grp of family/friends cuz it can get a little lonely sometimes. Raph, April and Casey have each other, Donnie and Leo have each other and now Mikey and Cj have each other! Yaayyy

[cienie-isengardu]

There's some people who simply think Bi-Han never really loved Kuai in either timeline. Some people say Kuai adored Bi-Han but Bi-Han simply didn't feel the same way and that their relationship was one-sided, where Kuai loved Bi-Han where Bi-Han...simply didn't.

I don't believe that but I think the writing could use a bit of work here because in story mode Bi-Han's interactions with his siblings are pretty much him telling Tomas he's not one of them and then saying 'btw I let Dad die' to Kuai in some deluded hope that his brother would see his point of view. The only noticable moment he shows concern is when Nitara ambushes Smoke from above when they are scaling the walls and most say that doesn't count because he seems to have kicked that rock at Smoke whilst he was scaling the wall.

The falling rock while someone is hanging over the abyss is so popular I can’t even remember a similar scene not using this motif to present the sense of tension/danger. So I guess there is no point in blaming MK1 for going with that visual storytelling choice - though if it was intentional choice of creators to cast a doubt on whether Bi-Han on purpose kicked the rock or not, it is impossible to say. Definitely that moment could be better presented to avoid the confusion, especially since Bi-Han’s foot is clearly placed on the ground before the rock is even shown,

so it is rather impossible for him to kick it on purpose? I mean, the rock would need to start failing before Bi-Han stopped in his tracks, as kicking requires movement of the whole leg and as can be seen,  Bi-Han’s boot was firmly touching the ground while the rock itself appears a few seconds later, like out of nowhere (and in later scene, there is no rocks only snow around Bi-Han's feet, especially compared to where Kuai Liang was standing?) I assume, when Sub-Zero was leaning out, his weight must have caused the loose element to slide, especially since he was the one standing the closest to the edge and once rock slid, he took a step back.

(Yes, I’m that dedicated to do the slow motion rewatch to make sense of what really happened.)

But you know what is more surprising than the rock failing scene? The whole fact that a man who mastered magic and was capable of using his powers to literally fly didn’t use the same powers to save himself, instead panicked and relied on his hands (failed attempt) and knive - and the game subtitles literally describes Tomas' struggle as “panicked screaming”.

So if Bi-Han (and Kuai Liang) rushed over the edge and may accidentally cause a rock to fall, I think him being concerned for a brother who could die is enough good reason to give Bi-Han the benefit of doubt he did not do that on purpose. If he didn’t care, he would not bother to come there in the first place, especially since the enemy was already out there to get them all. Frankly, there is a lot to say about Bi-Han’s claims about Tomas (your blood will never be Lin Kuei), Tomas actually panicking to the point he was unable to use his magic and the fact that Sub-Zero still took him on this top priority mission when he quite likely had more warriors with real battle experience and skills than untested Tomas. On one hand, we could argue Tomas joined because Liu Kang said so, but the Fire God literally not even once acknowledged Tomas in any specific way and as the meeting scene proved, Bi-Han had a say in who is allowed to accompanying him for the mission, as he refused take Kung Lao and Raiden while Liu Kang did not try to force them on him. So I tend to assume that whatever Sub-Zero said about Tomas in regard to his Lin Kuei status did not stop him from including the adoptive brother in his duties. And the falling scene proved he had a point about Tomas’ training and battle experiences (or lack thereof) - even if voiced in a brutally straight up way. 

Generally speaking I think what (and the way) Bi-Han speaks should always be compared to his actions. Tomas not having a true Lin Kuei blood =/= taking him on top priority mission commissioned personally by worried Fire Lord.

That said, yes I agree that story mode should handle better both Bi-Han as character and the whole brothers dynamic but for that the story would need to give them more focus and screen time to establish well written balance between their flaws and virtues instead of the more or less one-dimensional characterization game started with (Bi-Han the angry & ambitious/power-hungry brother, Kuai Liang the honorable “never did anything wrong”, Tomas the loyal sidekick, basically). As the Lin Kuei subplot seems to exist solely to set up the conflict between Sub-Zero’s clan and Scorpion’s Shirai Ryu, I assume that was the authors' goal to achieve, but with such approach to klassic characters can’t say I’m surprised by fandom negative opinions about Bi-Han. 

I can understand the never-ending fan dispute about how much Bi-Han truly loved Kuai Liang, as Mortal Kombat lore is more than three decades old already and we still only got glimpses of their relationship from Bi-Han’s perspective. Considering how many games, books, comics, movies, animations and cards the series spawned in such a long time - and how different media present different “timelines”, it is both impossible and unfair to demand from new fans (or any fans in fact) to be familiar with all possible nuance, details and stories almost forgotten before they will speak their mind. Not everyone has the opportunity, time, energy or interest to expand their knowledge about characters and that is fine, even if we don’t agree with said opinions. I know it is hard to be Bi-Han’s fan, as the man, both as Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot barely gets the proper recognition, be it from fans or source material and this has been happening for many years now - even though he is the first Sub-Zero on whose popularity Kuai Liang grew to be character in his own right. 

I do not have a doubt that Bi-Han and Kuai Liang shared true brotherhood and I’m right now truly tempted to write an essay on why elder Sub-Zero is not - and in fact has never been - inherently evil character and why we should not doubt that Kuai Liang’s love to him is not grounded in some delusioned idolization but for now I wish point out to all doubters this: original Bi-Han and cryomancer Kuai Liang were first and foremost survivors above any simplified fan idea of good or evil nature. The only person that tried to give them a normal (safe) life was a mother and the woman was presumably killed alongside their youngest sister by their own father. Ice brothers were just kids when that happened - and even if the mother somehow managed to save herself and the daughter and hid from Lin Kuei, she was still removed for good from her sons’ lives. They were abducted by their father, brought from America (their place of birth) to China, a totally different land and culture, to be raised in secrecy and isolation from the world they knew. None of them choose to be raised as assassins and as their respective stories showed, Lin Kuei would easily turn against them at any moment if any stepped out of line. In Mythologies, Bi-Han was called the most cunning assassin of Lin Kuei, but in the same game Sub-Zero outright said if he did not fulfill the task, he would be killed for failure. This comes from a man who was openly praised  by the Grandmaster personally and yet his life was the constant fight for survival, the “perform perfectly any impossible task” or “be killed”. If to survive Bi-Han needed to be a cold-blooded person he became one. If because of that he won’t fit into the cozy fan ideas and the silly labeling either “good" or "evil” without taking into account what shaped said character in the first place, then frankly, that is the problem of fans, not Bi-Han.

[mischiefmanaged71]

Let’s Fall In Love For The Night - (8/10)

Summary: Being the eldest daughter of a Duke and Duchess means that Lady Y/N has been prepared for society; to fulfil her duties as the next heir to her family name and estate. However, she dreams of so much more than that, particularly, finding someone she truly loves rather than a political match. Intrigue sparks an idea with the introduction of Tom Bennett, a soldier she meets on a Press tour - forming a new relationship that could either make or break her apart should things turn against her favour.

Pairing: Tom Bennett x fem! Reader

Tom Bennett Masterlist

Her father expected her to somewhat settle after a few days, come back into her normal routine after the argument. Yet, the young woman opted to isolate herself from the regular family occasions. 

The Duchess worried for her daughter as she remained locked up in her room, or beside herself as she spent hours away from them. The young lady spent more time around the estate when the battering at her door became too much. The company of horses was much easier than the judgement and pitiful glances her way.

She brushed Orion’s mane, finding solace in the task despite the heavy weight on her chest. Right up until that fateful day when his voice breached her mind.  Her heart rate picked up at his presence.

“Is there a reason why’ve you been ignoring my calls?”

Y/N breathed deeply, refusing to meet his gaze as she placed the brush down. “I’ve been busy.”

“You’ve never been too busy to answer the phone.” he refuted.

“My mother has been keeping me occupied with things.”

“Like what?”

She sighed, “All sorts. Dinners. Meetings.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that?”

“I don’t have tell you everything, do I?” she saw the hurt in his eyes as he was taken aback. Y/N could see as Tom’s face hardened.

“I suppose you don’t.”

A pause breathed between them. Y/N tilted her head toward the ground, unable to look at him as she spoke the words into the air. 

“I can’t be with you anymore.” her heart twisted in her chest.

Tom’s voice shook at the end, “Why?” 

Y/N fell silent, her throat tightening as she blinked at the burning sensation in her eyes. “My father knows. He caught onto a tabloid photo of us. Together at the beach.”

“So? We’ll figure it out-”, Tom pleaded. 

Y/N shook her head, interrupting him. “-He’s forbid me from seeing you.”

Tom reached for her and she wanted to fall into his arms, desperately. She wanted him to take her away from here and make everything go away. It was a dusty dream she wished were closer. But it was not her reality.

Her voice shook, Y/N finally meeting his glistening eyes. Something twisted inside her at the pained look that twisted his face. “I do not want to do this.”

“Then, don’t.”

“What other choice do I have?”, reciting her father’s previous words, “Everyone expects me to act in a certain way. They’ll ridicule me-cut me off if I don’t...”

They were opposites in that way. Tom didn’t care for opinions, he chose to do what he liked. She didn’t have a choice in the matter. While unmarried, Y/N belonged to her family and house. Everything to her name was because of her family’s wealth and status. Leaving all that behind was not a fickle thing to consider.

“Why? Don’t let them control your life. You’re the one with the choice here.” 

“It’s not that simple, Tom.” she pleaded. wishing it were.

“I realise there are obstacles in the way, but we can figure it out.” he insisted.

She swallowed the tension building in her throat, blinking up at him. He was beautiful. Always a wonderous in her eyes as he pleaded with her to let go and fall into him. It was all she wanted, and yet here she stood and asked him to let it go. To ask him to leave.

“You don’t understand what you are asking for. Being with me publicly would change your entire life.”

“I could care less about what people say about me. You know that I don’t.”

“It would follow us everywhere. not just in public. You don’t understand how deeply these kinds of things run. They will tear me down for this. And you with me.”

“Ill be with you all the same, so its worth it.”

Y.N sighed, “You are the most stubborn man I’ve ever met.” a fondness in her tone. “My parents have held their word on one matter. They won’t force me into a marriage.”

“But?” he trailed off.

“They won’t...support us.” she strained out. “I told him how I felt, and he still wouldn’t move.”

Tom’s hand cupped her face, “Come with me.”

“What?” tears fell down her face, Tom brushing them away with his thumb.

“Come back to Manchester. We can talk more about this.”

Y/N shook her head, “I can’t. They will find out as soon as I leave.”

“You can, you just need to make the decision.” he sighed, “Look- I’ll get another job and find a place. Ill do whatever I need to make it work you. For us.”

She melted under his touch, her eyes falling shut. “You are deploying in two weeks. When will you find time?”

“Whenever I get back.”

Y/N softened at his determination, his care. “I cannot ask that of you.”

“You’re not.” Tom stated, “I’m promising you this.”

Still, she couldn’t, remaining silent in his hold.

Tom’s jaw tightened. He looked down and nodded in understanding. He could feel her tears brushing his hands as he caressed her face. He comforted her as she held back sobs. Y/N felt him pull her into his chest as she whispered apologies through deep breaths. He shushed her quietly, brushing her hair back as she clutched onto his shirt. Despite her better judgement, she allowed it to slip from her mouth.

“Please come back.” her voice but a whisper as she held onto him tightly.

“I will.” he promised. “I always will.”

TAGS

@pearlstiare ​​ @dothrckis ​​ @aemonds-sapphire ​ @padfooteyes ​ @batsyforyou ​ @yentroucnagol ​ @cl-0-vr ​ @viviartsy @h3k3t @arcana-greenleaf ​  @yummycastiel ​ @lauraneedstochill ​ @ladybug0095 @rntrsna ​ @schniiipsel @aemondswifey @caribbeangal @ccosmic-illusion @xcharlottemikaelsonx

[ladyartichokie]

0-44 on the ask game. I'm nosy and even though I know the answer to several of those questions I'm not going to type out every single number individually.

(plz feel free to ignore this ask lol I don't seriously expect you to type all that out even tho I'd read it)

killing you killing you killing you

0: Height? 5'0"

1: Virgin? You know the answer to this

2: Shoe size? Anywhere from Womens 5 to 9

3: Do you smoke? Nope

4: Do you drink? Occasionally

5: Do you take drugs? Nope. But fun fact, I had to take painkillers when I was little and they altered my taste buds

6: Age you get mistaken for? Well when I was like 11-12 I would get mistaken for 16. Now I think most people assume I'm around 18 just because I'm in advanced classes? IDK though

7: Have tattoos? Nay, my liege

8: Want any tattoos? I have mixed feelings on the morality of tattoos, but I know what I would get if I were to get some

9: Got any piercings? Just basic lobe piercings. I'm currently trying to convince my parents to let me get a second lobe piercing

10: Want any piercings? Yes

11: Best friend? Arnold Schwarzenegger

12: Relationship status? Single/married to more people than I can count

13: Biggest turn ons? I'm not answering this. (voice.)

14: Biggest turn offs? I'm not answering this

15: Favorite movie? 10 Things I Hate About You, Much Ado About Nothing, The Princess Bride, The Italian Job

16: I’ll love you if... you don't make fun of me for being excited for something. Or if you tell me something reminded you of me.

17: Someone you miss? My fake grandfather

18: Most traumatic experience? I'm not answering this, bestie

19: A fact about your personality... I'm actually really good at giving advice. I wasn't even aware of this until I accurately predicted exactly what would happen to multiple of my friends/their relationships

20: What I hate most about myself... my pride. I have a massive ego because I'm really smart and I know it.

21: What I love most about myself... IDK man.

22: What I want to be when I get older... A Dominican Sister

23: My relationship with my sibling(s)... They're good! It hasn't always been like this, but we're getting better

24: My relationship with my parent(s)... Always good with my dad, iffy with my mom

25: My idea of a perfect date... Truthfully I don't know. My parents didn't date before they got engaged, so dating has always seemed kind of odd to me.

26: My biggest pet peeves... People who buy crocheted stuff from fast fashion stores. I hate fast fashion in general, but crochet can ONLY be done by a human, so it's basically guaranteed that you're buying the product of slave-labor.

27: A description of the girl/boy I like

28: A description of the person I dislike the most... I actually am really bad at disliking people. Every single person who I've met and started out disliking I eventually came to like for one reason or another.

29: A reason I’ve lied to a friend... uhhh. Boredom? IDK. I used to be a bit of a pathological liar, but I can't think of a recent lie I've told a friend

30: What I hate the most about work/school... bad seminars

31: What your last text message says... The most recent thing I sent someone (you) was "I did read 1.5 books from HTTYD"

32: What words upset me the most... huh, IDK. I can't think of any off the top of my head

33: What words make me feel the best about myself... This one is hard because I'm in this weird phase where I don't want my accomplishments recognized, and compliments in general frustrate me. I don't know why this is.

34: What I find attractive in women... Kindness that isn't wet-blanketness

35: What I find attractive in men... Warmness. Which, granted, sound like kindness but it isn't. (for legal reasons my answers to both this question and the previous one are purely platonic and subject to change)

36: Where I would like to live... a convent

37: One of my insecurities... My weight. I am going to the gym 2-4 times a week now, though, so I'm working on it.

38: My childhood career choice... a nun

39: My favorite ice cream flavor... Cookie Dough

40: Who wish I could be... a better person

41: Where I want to be right now... right where I am (that is, my bed)

42: The last thing I ate... a brownie

43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately... Dobby

44: A random fact about anything... I'm currently trying to figure out how to make a cross-stitch that captures the vibe of No Longer You from Epic the Musical

For the record, you already knew at least half of these so I truly don't know why I bothered doing this.

[sogno-ao3]

thoughts on the illness arc, still waters ch. 39-47

I thought it might be interesting to write down some thoughts about the last arc which just finished--let me know if you'd think this is something that should continue.

--

We open with the New Year--new beginnings and new perspectives. When I first conceived of the story in 2020, I never had much of a role for Ada, but as I've written Tommy and his family issues, she's become a central force in humanizing him and being a physical manifestation of the old Tommy, romantic and without cynicism. Despite Ada's friendliness and Mollie's predilection for being nice to about everyone, Mollie throughout the entire arc has remained detached--while she has no reason to believe that the information Ada tells her is untrue--she can naturally perceive the uncomfortable feeling of agenda.

Chapter 40, Voice, is the first exploration of what their relationship is now like after Tommy realizes that he needs her in his life--but also simultaneously realizing that everything he's done before has pushed her away. How do you get someone like Mollie to fall in love with you, and how do you deal with everything in the backdrop of your tragic romantic history? It's awkward--and he is visibly self-conscious for the first time in front of her, but they eventually share this tender moment, where he connects motherly figures in his life together--his mother, Ada, and ultimately Mollie, which also signals the relative position that he now accords her in his life.

The next chapter is an exercise in subtlety. First, the coughs--Mollie falls ill. Second, the herringbone suit--what Tommy brings into the tailor shop in the very first chapter to get re-tailored, he finally wears out in the open, a sign of the increasing publicness of their relationship. Tommy hadn't thought he would see her at the christening; he hadn't thought that Ada would hire her.

"Didn't expect to see you in there." He was leaning against a pillar, smoking. His coat was open, and I thought the cut of his suit looked extremely familiar, a gray-blue herringbone.

I just looked at him, knowing he would be able to deduce the rest.

Yet, he has the newspaper clipping--he was thinking of her--but just as in Chapter 40, he became anxious, his thoughts tormenting him even as he knows Mollie brings him such precious drops of happiness, and decides not to mention it to her until this opportunity presents itself, and he can't help himself, and he has to ask.

Chapter 42, All Still and Sunday-like, is the hallucination chapter--it starts off rather tame but still odd--Mollie's parents have been doing this forever, how could they mess up something like the weight of packages? The chapter is structured so it gets fantastically more and more unbelievable--culminating in a foreshadowing section where Tommy takes care of Mollie. Mollie also doesn't resist the coddling, and accepts it without question, which brings us to the mini-convalescence arc of Mollie's own.

The following chapter provides much-needed background, but is quite painful--for all the progress that Mollie and Tommy have made, has it regressed?

The title of chapter 44, Fruit, has an important secondary meaning; the effect of consequence of an action--perhaps Tommy's slow work on Mollie has finally borne fruit? She elaborates more on her wants and desires, but as the readers, we know that he has not gotten to the core, but still, she lets him in, even if a little more. He could push more, but he doesn't.

Ana is another example of a character not going exactly where I had first planned her. At first, I thought she would be a good friend to lean on in the lonely hospital, but then Nurse Evans and the warden came to naturally fill that role, and Ana...? I find Ana to be a tragic figure, really--she's controlled by her mother, she wants her family to regain their status, and she's trapped in a weak body; in some ways, her obsession with birds is this expression of how she wishes she was free, but in some sense, she's still content to observe them from afar until something moves her hand. Uncharacteristically, our sweet Mollie seems to dislike her from the very beginning, but is this really uncharacteristic? The role reversal between Tommy and Mollie continues to play itself out, and their shared, immediate dislike of Ana serves to show that they are two sides of the same coin, even if their own sides, on the surface, look vastly different from each other.

Chapter 45, Biscuits, makes the case that perhaps that not all progress is lost despite the intrusion of the illness, and Mollie begins to understand even a little of what it is that she does for him:

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the drone of his voice. It was easier than I thought; soon, the words no longer made any sense; they were just clouds of sound, no sense of plot and direction. It was more pleasant to be on the receiving end than I had imagined; is this what he experienced every night? Is this why he insisted on this singular extravagance…?

The chapter culminates in Mollie coming to terms that she does enjoy his company, and for once, he is the patient one on the other side, and she's the one who has to rise to meet him.

In Chapter 46, Byzantine, Tommy's best wingperson, Ada, comes back to haunt Mollie. Finally, everything is laid out in the open for Mollie and she has to face the agonizing truth of where she stands, where she could stand, in the eyes of various Shelby family members. Polly is correct: to marry a Shelby is to marry into a family, and Tommy and Mollie have been in their own world for so long, and as they take even the smallest steps to be out in the world, there are so many societal and familial things that must be considered, to be overcome. Even if they do love each other in the end, can they even be together despite everything else...?

What he wants most in the world, to spend time with her, and so Mollie's test is cruel to him. He wants to make her happy, but he doesn't want to leave, but in the end, he chooses to listen to her, even as she refuses to do something for him in return. Mollie of previous chapters would have acquiesced, would have asked him what he wants--after this interaction, she becomes keenly aware of her upper hand.

The last chapter in the arc, Chapter 47, Eyelashes, was another one of those incredibly difficult things to write. The point of the entire arc is to show the progression of friendship between Mollie and Tommy, and I knew I wanted to end with something that resulted in Tommy finally letting go and a moment of joyful levity between the both of them. I've always considered Emily Brontë to be one of the original e-girls, and while the Brontë sisters did write literary masterpieces, they also were a bit silly and dramatic at times. Mollie and Tommy are not naturally serious people, but due to the circumstances that brought them together, their respective histories, they have become people who are naturally cautious around others. And so, from chapter 1 to chapter 47, we finally see the walls being broken down from both sides, and we can perhaps glimpse the beginning of Mollie starting to ponder her own feelings.

Mollie has always seen Tommy, but she's never truly looked at him. A lot of details, like his neck, his eyelashes, the creases below his eyes--they're new to her. She notices them, but at least right now, only those creases, she does deign to call beautiful.

The last item that I knew I wanted to include was continuing the pivot in Mollie's outlook and agency with her own life. Continuing with the last chapter in which she refuses Tommy the favor, we see Mollie growing more assertive, and she thinks:

I was ready to go home, ready to leave this state of purgatory, and finally take control of a world that had slipped away from me in this structured garden, tendril by tendril.

She knows that it's all been a fantasy world, that the true world outside has never stopped even if she's been cocooned away, and if she wants something, she'll have to seize it herself.

[artificialqueens]

Between Two Lungs (It Was Released) (Sasha Colby x Anetra) - Athena2

Summary: Anetra weighs her options. She could try to find a doctor who will do an expensive surgery that her insurance likely won’t cover, that will remove her memories of Sasha. She could be cured if Sasha returns the feelings of love for her. Research tells her some cases have resolved by getting over the person, so she can just stop loving Sasha. The problem is, Sasha isn’t someone you can just stop loving. (Hanahaki au) A/N: So I’ve surprisingly never done a hanahaki au, though I’ve wanted to for a while. This idea popped into my head and wouldn’t leave until I wrote it. Thank you so much to Writ for encouraging me to do this when I just had one scene idea, for helping me with my mini-spiral, and for looking it over. You are truly amazing and I can never thank you enough. Please comment if you like, it means a lot!! Title from Between Two Lungs by Florence + the Machine (Also the flower info I got is from wikipedia so if anything is inaccurate please suspend your disbelief)

Anetra lays the flower on the florist’s counter. Five silky petals, dark pink with yellow at the centers. The intersection of the petals stares at her like an eye, questioning why she coughed it up last night.

“How did you get this?” The florist asks. She seems almost suspicious.

“You know what it is?” Anetra asks instead.

“Yes, it’s a plumeria. Really nice color combination, too. They don’t occur naturally here. You could try to plant one, but it’s difficult. The closest place you could get one is Hawaii.”

Anetra’s blood runs cold despite the sunny warmth of the flower. “Um, a friend brought it back for me,” she says, and then she runs out of the shop, her chest constricting with what she fears might be another flower.

A pretty pink flower that grows in Hawaii.

Well, Anetra thinks, shit.

—-

Anetra scrolls through internet entries on plumerias with shaky fingers. They’re native to Hawaii and other warm climates, and require lots of sun and warmth to thrive. Plumerias symbolize positivity, and are the flowers used in Hawaiian leis. She reads that in Hawaiian culture, they can also be worn in someone’s hair to indicate their relationship status. A plumeria over the right ear means someone is available, over the left ear means they’re in a relationship.

If Sasha had one in her hair, it would be over her left ear.

But not for Anetra.

—-

Anetra weighs her options.

She could try to find a doctor who will do an expensive surgery that her insurance likely won’t cover, that will remove her memories of Sasha. She could be cured if Sasha returns the feelings of love for her. Research tells her some cases have resolved by getting over the person, so she can just stop loving Sasha.

The problem is, Sasha isn’t someone you can just stop loving.

—-

There’s a fourth option, but she won’t think of that one.

—–

“Hey, Anetra,” Sasha greets when she gets in the door. She’s at the stove, and the scent of butter and blueberries hovers around her.

“Hi.” She clears her throat to hide the hoarseness in her voice. Just a few petals since the first flower, but her throat has been sore regardless.

“I passed this stand selling blueberries, and I really wanted pancakes, so I made breakfast for dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.” Anetra smiles despite everything. “You make the best pancakes.”

“They’re just pancakes,” Sasha says, but she can’t hide her smile.

“Yeah, and they’re the best.” Anetra joins her by the stove, holding up the plate so Sasha can add the last pancake to the steaming stack.

The pancakes go down easily, and seem to neutralize the worst of that aching weight in her chest.

——

She doesn’t know how to make herself stop loving Sasha. Honestly, she doesn’t know when she started loving her in the first place. In some ways, it seems like she’s always loved Sasha, like her heart has always known her.

They met when Marcia introduced them, and Anetra found that Sasha was every bit as beautiful as Marcia had promised. It would have been easy to hate her for that if she was anyone else. But Sasha also delivered on being just as sweet and kind as Marcia said she was. She spent hours volunteering at a trans youth center. She greeted all her friends’ problems with open arms and a listening ear, had seen countless shirts stained by tears. She would spend hours shopping with you to help you find the perfect outfit. When she went walking, peoples’ dogs ran up to her like she was some Disney princess.

When Anetra’s lease was up and the landlord was raising the rent for the renewal, Sasha said that she had an extra bedroom and would love a roommate, where Anetra learned that in addition to being beautiful and kind, Sasha could be goofy and ridiculous, would get so into her singing in the shower that she’d splash water everywhere. She made Anetra feel like they had a little family, just the two of them.

Maybe the night the first flower came up was when the love officially started. Nothing special happened that night. They made dinner together and folded clothes with the TV on in the background, and Sasha was so tired she accidentally put on one of Anetra’s sweatshirts, then went to bed early. Anetra intended to follow her, only to end up hunched over the garbage can with a weird tickle in her throat. She expected to throw up, only to cough, chest constricting in pain, until a flower tumbled on top of the tissues in the garbage, bright pink shining against the white.

Plumerias take a long time to grow. Maybe the seeds were planted from the moment they met, nourished by Anetra’s love, and that night was just the first bloom.

—–

The first day Anetra coughs up two flowers at once—gasping for breath, clutching to the sink with white knuckles—is the same day she gets home and finds Sasha wrapped in a blanket on the couch, wine glass in hand, eyes red even though she’s not crying anymore.

“What’s wrong?” Anetra is next to her in an instant, eyes searching for ways she could be hurt, any tell-tale signs of what’s wrong—

“Leah and I broke up,” Sasha says quietly. “It was mutual. We just—things just weren’t working. I don’t think we were right for each other, deep down.”

In some perfect fantasy rolling in Anetra’s head, Sasha would lean over and give her a kiss and confess the love that would save Anetra, take away the flowers killing her from the inside. Instead, Sasha stays where she is, her shoulders drawn tight, and Anetra aches, aches for the hurt Sasha is feeling. “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t think so. I usually know my feelings, but I don’t…I don’t know what I need or what I’m feeling right now. Everything just feels confused and messy.” Sasha sighs and begins playing with her hair, one of her only nervous habits.

“I think it’s normal to be confused about feelings sometimes. Especially after a breakup.” Anetra has never been as good with emotions or words as Sasha is. Sometimes she thinks too long about how exactly she wants to say something, and it grows too late. Sometimes she avoids her own emotions so long that she doesn’t know what to do when someone has them out on their sleeve. “How about a hug?” Anetra asks, because she knows her arms are always enough.

Sasha nods. Anetra opens her arms, and Sasha sinks into them. She pulls Sasha to her chest, her head settling right over the flowers burning in her lungs.

—–

All things considered, they aren’t the worst flowers she could be coughing up. They’re not anything huge like sunflowers; the petals grow to about four inches in length. They’re soft and rounded, no hard roots or vines, no thorns like roses would have. They’re often used in perfume and carry a sweet, fragrant scent, usually the first thing Anetra notices when her head stops spinning and she can breathe again. It figures that even in this sickness, Sasha is still making things as easy as she can for her.

Plumeria leaves are thick and leathery and can grow up to a foot long. Anetra is hoping the sickness applies only to flowers.

—–

Anetra had thought, in some desperate way, that it would get better now that Sasha was single. Now that there’s a chance of her returning Anetra’s love, however small it might be. It seemed like a blessing from the universe for her to magically become available. Instead, it gets worse. The dizziness, the constant shaking in her hands. The squeezing in her chest that takes longer to go away. It gets worse, because Sasha isn’t in a relationship that’s keeping her from loving Anetra. Now, Sasha’s out of her relationship, and she still doesn’t love Anetra. There’s no excuse any more, no rationale. Sasha just doesn’t love her, and that’s it. That plumeria shifted from Sasha’s left ear to her right, but it’s done nothing to ease the pain blooming inside Anetra.

Just being around her is starting to hurt, a fist squeezing around her chest. Just seeing her smile is starting to rob Anetra of more and more breath, like the flowers are growing in response to the sun that is Sasha.

She’s done her best to hide it around Sasha and her observation skills, smothering her coughs and hiding the pain. It’s tempting, sometimes, to tell her the truth, let Anetra’s feelings blossom like the flowers, and see if Sasha returns them. But it would be worse to know for sure. To be outright rejected, and have that option struck from the cure list.

One night they’re getting dinner ready and her throat is on fire, tingling with flowers ready to emerge. She runs to the bathroom and just has time to get the water running as a cover before she bends over and surrenders herself to the porcelain.

The flowers taste bitter on the way up, though still tinged with that sweet scent. Three flowers land in the sink; the most in one go so far. Red this time, a dark, angry red. She’s wondering if the flowers normally change colors when she realizes the red is dripping off the petals and turning pink in the water, that the bitter taste is still in her mouth.

Blood.

She waits for the spinning to stop and lifts her head. Blood drips down her lips to her chin, the red dark and scary against her face that’s about as pale as the sink. It makes her look like a vampire in some horror movie, and she would laugh if it didn’t hurt so bad.

“Everything okay?” Sasha asks when she gets back, throat raw and mouth still bitter even after rinsing.

“Yeah.” It doesn’t even sound like a lie. “Thought I had something stuck in my throat, you know? Figured you didn’t want to watch me hack up a lung in the kitchen.”

“Definitely not, thank you.”

Funnily enough, Sasha does always like to have flowers in the kitchen. The lack of oxygen must be getting to Anetra’s head, because part of her wonders if Sasha would want flowers that tore her insides apart, that would drip blood all over the counters.

—-

There’s no conclusive report on how long the disease lasts. An average seems to be about three months, but some people manage for a year. Anything longer is practically unheard of.

Anetra’s done taekwondo most of her life. If there’s one thing she has, it’s stamina and endurance. The ability to continue on through soul-deep rejection and bone-deep exhaustion and pain.

In other words, those flowers are going to have to work for it.

—–

One morning she wakes with the sheets kicked to the bottom of the bed, sweat soaking the collar of her T-shirt. Her whole body is on fire. Her cheek burns against the pillow, but the worst is the burning in her chest, unrelenting no matter which way she turns. There’s no way she can do anything but lay here today, and she texts Sasha to say that she’s sick.

There’s a knock on the door not a minute later, because of course Sasha is too good, too caring, to not at least check on her. “Anetra, can I come in?”

“Yeah.” It’s faint, scratching at her throat, but she doesn’t have the strength to be louder.

“I just wanted to see if you need anything before I go—shit, you’re really sick.” Sasha’s hand rests on her forehead, and the flowers twitch inside. Having Sasha this close is like being near a fireplace, and she’s already in flames. Anetra winces, and Sasha tears her hand away. “Your fever feels really high. Are you sure you’re okay? I can stay home if you want.”

“‘M’ fine.”

“Do you want Tylenol?”

“Please.”

A minute later, Sasha is back with two pills and a glass of water so cold it makes Anetra’s teeth chatter. The pills burn her throat, and it makes her cough violently into her arm. Sasha rubs her back through the coughing fit, and Anetra just prays that a flower doesn’t come up, because if Sasha sees her coughing up a flower, her concern might finish Anetra off right here.

“Text me if you need anything, okay?” Sasha lays a washcloth on her forehead. It’s cold, but it does nothing to tame the fire burning through her.

“I will.”

“Get some sleep. It’ll make you feel better.”

Anetra holds her breath as the burning worsens, waiting for the door to close—then the garbage can is in her hands as she spits blood and flowers into it. One of the flowers has a thin stem attached now, like it’s coming from deeper inside her.

The day passes in a haze. Pink flowers. Red blood. Brown hair. Hazel eyes. She can’t tell the difference between reality and dreaming, because even her sleep is just a blur of color like a watercolor painting. The scent of the plumerias follows her there too. Anetra stares at the ceiling and tries to breathe through the pain winding around her chest. She imagines the plumerias knotting themselves into a lei around her ribcage, squeezing her bones in a noose of sweet flowers.

In the heat pouring off her skin, the day melts around her. Finally, after what feels like both hours and years, there’s a knock at the door, and Sasha’s voice. “Are you hungry? I brought soup. It’s your favorite, from that Puerto Rican restaurant you told me about.”

Sasha comes in with a takeout container and a spoon. The restaurant is one Anetra mentioned maybe twice, half an hour out of the way of Sasha’s commute, and Anetra can no longer tell if the heat in her face is from the illness or her love. They’re one and the same, aren’t they? She manages to eat the soup, and when she coughs up three more flowers that night, the soup somehow stays down.

—–

“Do you think this is okay for a coffee date?” Sasha asks, smoothing her orange blazer.

“It’s perfect. You—you always look perfect,” Anetra manages around her dry throat, tingling with that feeling that’s become too familiar.

“Even in my pajamas with the french fries on them?” Sasha teases.

“Especially then.” Anetra forces a smile as Sasha leaves.

Anetra manages until she’s out the door, but then she can’t even get to the bathroom before she doubles over, squeezing her eyes shut against the gray spots darkening her vision. Sweat runs down her neck, a return of that fever from before. She coughs and coughs in the living room, the flowers fluttering down at her feet. But something feels wrong—wronger than the wrong that’s been plaguing her for seven months.

She tentatively reaches toward her mouth and feels something much thicker than the flowers, and her stomach drops as she pulls at it. She pulls until she feels completely raw and empty, like she ripped all her insides out, until she sinks to her knees in a shuddering heap.

In her trembling hand is a plumeria leaf the length of her forearm, spring green and streaked with violent red.

She has to be reaching the end, then. There’s simply no way her lungs can take that many more leaves sprouting inside, the love taking deeper and deeper root by the day. She imagines plumeria branches bursting through her skin, turning her into a tree that managed to survive where it shouldn’t have solely because of love.

Her movements are slow as she cleans up the flowers. She doesn’t count them, but there’s enough for a floral arrangement. She buries them in the kitchen garbage when the door suddenly opens, and it’s enough to jolt Anetra back into the world a bit.

“Sasha?” she asks in disbelief. “What are you doing back so soon?”

“I need to talk to you.” Her jaw is tight in that way it gets when she’s tense or nervous, and Anetra immediately ushers her to the couch.

Sasha takes a breath. “So, I left, and then I stood in the lobby for ten minutes, trying to talk myself into going on the date. But I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t go through with it because…because I realized I’d just be thinking of you the whole time. Because I love you.”

Tears flood Anetra’s eyes, and she loses what precious little breath she has left. When Sasha wipes the tears, she thinks her rib cage might be expanding to make room for the branches.

“I think that’s why it didn’t work with Leah. Why I felt so weird about it later. I think I’ve loved you all along, and it just…it took me a while to realize it. I think it took so long because in some ways, it feels like I’ve always loved you, you know?” Sasha takes another breath, rubbing her knee. “Anyway, maybe you don’t—”

“No,” Anetra says quickly. She needs to get her words right, and she needs to do it now, before she sprouts branches. “I understand what you mean. The truth is, I feel the same way. I love you too. I have for a long time.” Maybe it’s her imagination, but she swears the air in the room gets lighter, gets into her lungs easier. She hadn’t realized just how hard she’d been fighting for every breath lately, until she takes her first unobstructed one.

“You’re not just saying that?” Sasha asks softly.

Anetra takes her hand and squeezes with whatever strength she has. There’s no way she can let Sasha doubt her. Not when Anetra’s love for her nearly tore her apart. “I’m not just saying that. I love you, Sasha. I really do. I love you when you flood the bathroom dancing in the shower. I love your laugh and your smile and everything about you.”

“I love you too.” Sasha throws her arms around Anetra, and the tightness around Anetra’s chest isn’t painful anymore; now it’s coming from Sasha’s embrace, not the ring of plumerias. She can feel her chest lightening, like the flowers are dissolving, can feel that faint dizziness always hovering at the edges of her vision clearing itself up. It wasn’t too late. She’s still here. She’s still here, and she’s going to give Sasha the love that burned inside her for so long.

“Give me one second,” Anetra says. She runs to the kitchen and uncovers one of the plumerias. It’s the only one that somehow avoided her blood, and she carries it back to the living room.

“Anetra, how did you get that?”

“Please don’t ask.” Anetra takes the flower and gently slides it above Sasha’s left ear before pulling her into another embrace.

[nightsidewrestling]

D.U.D.E Bios: Wanda Ott

Damien's Second Princess Wanda Ott (2020)

The second daughter of Damian and the first child of Damian and Nicole, Wanda's an unfortunate case of a childhood without sight. Wanda still manages to live a relatively normal life, sure she can't drive or do things that require sight, but that's where her beloved husband Heath lends her his eyes, and usually his hands too. Wanda's the kind of person who can hear a single second of someone talking and tell you exactly who they are, granted she knows them and their voice of course.

"You don't need sight to live a full life."

Name

Full Legal Name: Wanda Maple Ott (Neé Lum)

First Name: Wanda

Meaning: Possibly from a Germanic name meaning ‘a Wend’, referring to the Slavic people who inhabited eastern Germany. In Polish legends this was the name of the daughter of King Krak, the legendary founder of Krakow. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by the author Ouida, who used it for the heroine in her novel ‘Wanda’ (1883)

Pronunciation: WAHN-da

Origin: Polish, English, German, French

Middle Name: Maple

Meaning: From the English word for the tree, derived from Old English ‘mapul’. This is the name of a girl in Robert Frost’s Poem ‘Maple’ (1923) who wonders about the origin of her unusual name

Pronunciation: MAY-pal / MAY-pul

Origin: English

Surname: Ott (Lum)

Meaning: From the given name Otto, which is the Late German form of ‘Audo’, originally a short form of various names beginning with the Old Frankish element ‘aud’, Old High German ‘ot’ meaning ‘wealth, fortune’. (Lum: From Old English 'Lum’ meaning 'Pool’)

Pronunciation: AHT (LUH-mb)

Origin: English, German (English)

Alias: None

Reason: N/A

Nicknames: Wan

Titles: Mrs, Ma'am

Characteristics

Age: 35

Gender: Female. She/Her Pronouns

Race: Human

Nationality: British

Ethnicity: White

Birth Date: July 15th 1985

Symbols: None

Sexuality: Straight

Religion: Christian

Native Language: English

Spoken Languages: English, French

Relationships Status: Married

Astrological Sign: Cancer

Theme Song (Ringtone on Damian and Vi's Phones): Damian: 'Thank You' - Dido. Vi: 'Fill Me In' - Craig David

Voice Actor: Amanda Abbington

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Bodmin, Cornwall, England

Current Location: Bodmin, Cornwall, England

Hometown: Bodmin, Cornwall, England

Appearance

Height: 5'6" / 167 cm

Weight: 150 lbs / 68 kg

Eye Colour: Blue

Hair Colour: Blonde

Hair Dye: None

Body Hair: N/A

Facial Hair: N/A

Tattoos: None

Piercings: None

Scars: None

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Clean

Illnesses/Disorders: Blind

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Allies: N/A

Enemies: N/A

Friends: Rosaleen O'Sullivan, Oneida Rhydderch, Haf McFarlane, Olwen McDermott, Gertrude Rhydderch, Llinos McConell

Colleagues: N/A

Rivals: N/A

Closest Confidant: Heath Ott

Mentor: None

Significant Other: Heath Ott (36, Husband)

Previous Partners: None of Note

Parents: Damian Lum (61, Father), Nicole Lum (56, Mother, Neé Yap)

Parents-In-Law: Hank Ott (66, Father-In-Law), Marie Ott (67, Mother-In-Law, Neé Gump)

Siblings: Viola Nye (41, Half-Sister, Neé Lum), Ulysses May (38, Half-Brother), Tristan Lum (32, Brother), Xavia Lum (29, Sister), Sullivan Lum (26, Brother), Yasmine Lum (23, Sister), Roger Lum (20, Brother), Zella Lum (17, Sister)

Siblings-In-Law: Kestrel May (Ulysses' Wife, Neé Coy), Quentin Nye (42, Viola's Husband), Gardenia Lum (33, Tristan's Wife, Neé Day)

Nieces & Nephews: Adam Nye (21, Nephew), Paulette Nye (18, Niece), Benjamin Nye (15, Nephew), Olivia Nye (12, Niece), Charles Nye (9, Nephew), Earl May (18, Nephew), Jane May (15, Niece), Flint May (12, Nephew), Imogen May (9, Niece), Daisy Lum (12, Niece), Vance Lum (9, Nephew)

Children: Magnolia Ott (15, Daughter), Laurence Ott (12, Son), Naomi Ott (9, Daughter)

Children-In-Law: None

Grandkids: None

Great Grandkids: None

Wrestling

Billed From: N/A

Trainer: N/A

Managers: N/A

Wrestlers Managed: N/A

Debut: N/A

Debut Match: N/A

Retired: N/A

Retirement Match: N/A

Wrestling Style: N/A

Stables: N/A

Teams: N/A

Regular Moves: N/A

Finishers: N/A

Refers To Fans As: N/A

Extras

Backstory: Wanda lost her sight gradually, going blind by her 12th birthday. She and her husband were childhood sweethearts, meeting before Wanda lost her sight and marrying 8 years after she lost her sight.

Trivia: None of note

[ophelia1231]

Tsumugi Aoba x Reader

birthday gift from ex-boyfriend

Synopsis - today is your birthday But no one came to celebrate for you other than your ex-boyfriend Tsumugi Aoba.

Theme – ex-boyfriend,birthday,nostalgic,parting again, sad ending :(

word count – 626

You are a good person who always works hard. even on your birthday You still work hard and don't ask for many gifts from the idols you work with, especially from the Unit Switch you are producing. However, many acquaintances and Yumenosaki student came to happy birthday and gave little gifts.

Even so, it's bad for you. No one is available this evening for your birthday party. No one promised and confirmed that would go because of their hard work.

You buy a small piece of cake. from the convenience store as your birthday present instead of waiting for others to celebrate with.

But someone enters your room. He rang the doorbell for a moment. you happy to see someone come. You got up and opened the door.

But you'd be shocked when the person you were waiting for was Tsumugi. The idols of the units you produce. And he's the ex-boyfriend you broke up with last month.

He smiled as gently as he did when he was still your sweetheart. You remember his smile and warmth like a microwave from him. Tsumugi was just as busy as everyone else. but for the old love and the unforgettable relationship So he takes his free time to come here and be with you.

" What's up, Producer-san? my favorite ex-girlfriend. "

Tsumugi said softly. His face was adorned with his iconic smile and glasses.

You feel guilty when you see him treat and talk to you like this. You don't think you should leave him at all. But it's too late to start over.

Why is it so hard to apologize?

Tsumugi handed you a box wrapped in a beautiful pattern. Its weight is light. The young man smiled and spoke in a gentle voice.

''Happy birthday. I intend to make this gift for you. after break up We don't have a chance to talk face to face again. If you miss me, please look at my gift, producer-san ~''

You can't wait to open the gift box from Tsumugi. When you unpack it, you find a thin notebook.

You slowly opened the notebook. and almost sobbed again at the sight of the old days of you and Tsumugi. Since his 3rd year in Yumenosaki That's when you started dating him. and has a small caption A daily diary written about you. Ironically, the day this paper stopped recording was the day you had a really serious argue with Tsumugi.

when opening the next page you couldn't find any messages. And possibly this is the end of this diary. The day you broke up with Tsumugi

You turned to look at Tsumugi and your eyes filled with tears. He smiles to you in status ex-boyfriends and idols you produce.

You realize and think it's not too late to start over with this guy.

'' Tsumugi-kun, can you become my sweetheart again? I'm sorry for the past.'' You said while sobbing.

''Sorry, I used to love you very much. But it wouldn't be possible. Because now I have a new girlfriend. And don't blame her at all. it's my fault But we will be friends and i forgive you Producer-san''

You almost collapsed. This birthday is a lonely day. Even if you want to get Tsumugi as a birthday present But when he meets a good person You don't want to be a third person to interfere with their love.

You just smile at him reluctantly and say congratulations.

Before Tsumugi tells you happy birthday. hope you are very happy. he is very worried about you But when you say it's alright He finally said goodbye to you and left the room. Leaving only a small cake, silence, and a diary that was a gift from Tsumugi.

[xxblossomx]

☠︎Ｔｈｅ Ｓｈａｄｏｗ☠︎

“Zero, Zero Uzumoto.. Don’t forget it.”  

💀BASIC INFO💀

Full Name: Zero Aries Uzumoto  the Known as: Demon Prince of the underworld, darkness, Dreams, Night, and Shadows.

Nicknames: Shadow and Prince of darkness

Age:  

Human: 24-27

Demon: 793

Gender: Male  

Sexuality: Straight  

Birthday: March 23, 1293

Zodiac: Aries

Religion: Pagan

Species: Full Blooded Demon

Powers: Demon Abilities

Nationality: Greek, German, and British

Ethnicity: White

Languages Spoken: Greek, English, German, and Latin

┈     ┈     ┈     ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟     ┈     ┈     ┈

💀PHYSICAL APPEARANCE💀

Height: 6’0  

Weight: 140  

Hair Color: Black  

Eye Color: Black but changes to red  

Skin Color: Pale or Tan  

Battle Marks(Scars, missing body parts, etc.): Battle scars all over his body.

Tattoos: The only tattoo like is his curse mark.

Clothing Style: Dark themes, shirts, pants to boots.  

┈     ┈     ┈     ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟     ┈     ┈     ┈

💀PERSONALITY💀

Overall: His personality is a bit bumpy, considering he mostly is to himself all the time. That’s because it changed after the age of eight and he hid everything away. He had a dark aura around him, his tone is cold or straight forward; rudely to be more specific. He lacks the personality of caring or any other good ones that others tend to show off. He does show cruelty, just only when he is in battles or fights. He lacks the trust for others and tends to tell others, “You can trust me, but I will not to you”. He has rudeness and can be blunt and truthy honest. g

Positive traits

Brave

Responsibility

Self-disciplined

Honest

Neutral Traits

Sarcastic

Low-Profile

Serious

Stiff

Negative Traits

Aggressive

Rebellious

Cocky

Judgmental

Greatest Fears: Unknown

First Impression: It’s Eh, He can be really bad for a first impression  

Once you get to know them: Chilled but still shows his rude side  

Default Expression: Angry look  

Extrovert, Introvert, or Ambivert?: Ambivert

Habits: When Angry, He’ll fight anyone or hurt anyone in his way. Doesn’t think before fighting nor speaking.  

Pet Peeves: Unknown  

┈     ┈     ┈     ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟     ┈     ┈     ┈

💀SPEECH💀

Prefer Voice Actors: 

English: Mix with Daniel Southworth, Clifford Chapin, and Ivan Jesso.

Voice Description: Dark, somewhat deep but not too much. Scruffy but clear.

Most used phrases/words: Swear words mostly  

Slang the use: None  

Swearing?: Yes  

Do they think before they speak?: No  

Do they worry about accidentally offending someone with their words?: Nope  

Humor: No  

┈     ┈     ┈     ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟     ┈     ┈     ┈

💀INTERESTS💀

Likes: Swords, wolfs, darkness, fighting.  

Dislikes: Rude humans, demons, his grandfather

Favorite Food: None

Favorite Animal: Wolf and Hawks

Favorite Color: Black, Red, and dark blue

Hobbies: Fighting and killing demons

┈     ┈     ┈     ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟     ┈     ┈     ┈

💀MISCELLANEOUS💀  

Song that fits character’s personality: Unstable – Chaotica

Song that fits character’s story: Bury the Light – Casey Edwards ft Victor Borbo: Virgil’s battle theme from Dmc 5

Social Media Account they would have and what type it would be: Instagram – Photography of himself and dark aesthetics

Typical Hours of Sleep: Barely sleeps.  

Worst nightmare they’ve had: Tends to get nightmares but doesn’t always remembers them

Best Dream they’ve had: None

┈     ┈     ┈     ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟     ┈     ┈     ┈

💀LIFE💀

Occupation: Moving assassin/avenger  

Thoughts on occupation: None  

Dream Job: None  

Education: Fully educated from his father and mother

Past Relationships: Only relationship was with his parents.  

Current Relationships: None, but soon has a strong love relationship with Sakura.  

Family:  

Father: Damien Cerberus Uzumoto  

Mother: Ava Helena Uzumoto.  

Grandfather: Kratos Lucian Uzumoto

Hometown: Greece  

Current Residence: His remodeled family home

Room/Housemates: Akara, Jace, Zash, and Riza. (Two ocs I haven’t finished yet)  

Financial Status: None  

Source of Money: Jobs for hire  

Health: Good, but tends to get badly hurt.  

History: 

Birth/Childhood: 

Zero was born in the year of 1293, On March 23rd; three years after the holy war that covered the world in darkness and death. His parents were Damien and Ava Uzumoto. Ava gave birth to him at their family home somewhere hidden in Greece, the only known other that knew about him was Lilith Melania. But too much of their shock, Zero’s grandfather; Kratos knew Zero. After the birth of his grandchild, Kratos took the book of the curses and placed a curse on Zero. His parents saw the curse as a good used to hide the sword of sealing, blending into the curse itself. Since the curse was known to be “uncontrollable”, it was sealed. Zero would be Ava’s only child due to the risk of herself. After he had fully grown up at the age of three, he started to be trained by his father. He also would soon meet Akara whenever her or her mother would come over. Zero saw himself in her but as a female counterpart. Ava was very upset since he was too young to know his true self. 

Damien, however, made it his choice to make sure that Zero was fully ready in case Kratos came. When Zero was little, he was very outgoing and bright, he was a child after all. At the age of six, Zero was very curious of his hand that he removed the seals. When he did so, the curse immediately became active. Young Zero lost himself in the darkness from the curse and lead himself out of control. However, since he was at home; his parents immediately came to stop it. Zero never ever take the seals off after that. Two years later, life soon went downhill. His grandfather Kratos came to end his parents and himself. Kratos soon faced off with Damien while Ava ran with Zero to hide him away. While she hid him, Kratos was on his way to her. He had banished Damien to the underworld for life.  

Ava then left Zero and headed out to find Damien, to which she meets Kratos in the hallway. Zero, however, didn’t want to hide. But instead, soon chased after his mother. He soon appears behind her as he then witnesses her death. While Ava dead, she placed her spirit into the balance orb and sent to Zero’s heart. Afterwards, it became a blur. After he had awoken, Kratos was gone, and his home was burning. He was able to stop that. He then was able to get together his mother's ashes, placing them in something; soon burying her. Afterwards he went into a deep depression and quietly hid away for five years. 

Pre-teen/Teenage/Young Adult: 

Zero, who is now thirteen; came out of hiding and started to train himself. His father had left behind his weapons, Demon weapons that were made by demons. Even at a young age, he was able to control the weapons easily. The weapons were known to be demons themselves, Chaos and Oblivion; twins. Zero let them choose any animal that they wished to be. Chaos took up a black wolf with red eyes and Oblivion, a white wolf with blue eyes. Chaos could speak and Oblivion was muted. All three would be close as he continued to train with them. During this time, he started to show signs of PTSD and insomnia.  

Zero trained to use his telepathic skills to teleportation. By the time he was at the age of sixteen, he knew every ability he had. Zero not only worked on his powers, but he also worked on his body. He worked out with exercise to build up his strength, so that within six months his body was fit. After his training, he started to find leads on his grandfather, but he didn’t leave his family home until he was eighteen. When he got that old, he stopped growing and aging. By that time, Zero had built up his rage and anger inside, cutting every other emotion out. 

After leaving and following up on leads to leads, he would soon meet Zash and Riza. The two were close, making them married. Zash was good at finding information for leads and would have his contacts if they didn’t them for him. Which was good for Zero, since he pretty much was bad at finding leads due to his introverted self-style. Riza was much of a problematic demon, considering she was a succubus. But she was faithful to Zash, but she did tend to flirt with others as a joking matter. It annoyed Zero. All three were then together for a few or more years, soon leaning towards meeting Akara and Jace.  

When they met, Akara was a traveling witch and providing medications for humans or anyone that needed it. Jace just so happened to be with her, since they both came across each other on their paths. Akara was a skilled witch who knew how to use a sword, she was basically like him but female. Jace was a fighter, he would mostly do club fights where others would be between with money. Zero wasn’t much for a bigger team or having more than two, but he would grow to them afterwards.  

Adult/Current life: 

Since Zero was older than everyone, he still hid away from them. He would move through the shadows to keep himself hidden from anyone. He was now twenty years old in human years, but in demon; much higher in numbers. That's only because he stopped aging at the age of 18. He was fully struggling with PTSD and insomnia; he completely stopped sleeping due to nightmares. Zero thought he would stay hidden for a long time but soon was found by four others. He was shocked since they could find him but then again, they were demons themselves. He became shocked when he saw Akara, whom he had forgotten about. Zero wasn’t a save from before though, so he was different than he was as a child. He wasn’t much for the team up, but they wouldn’t take a nod for answer. 

Zero was in fact stuck with them. At this point, He didn’t care if they all joined him for job-for-hires. The more demons are together, the more power they are together. Zero was with them for about a few years or more, it’s unknown since he doesn’t count how long, nor they don’t. All five then soon found leads on Kratos and follows it to where their new-soon-to-be friends are. As it turns out, Kratos was looking to start a war or anything to get rid of the humans. Zero, long with his group, Sakura, and her group teamed up to end Kratos raging. During that, Zero would start showing her feelings for Sakura and she does too. 

During the battle against Kratos, Zero would learn that he could control his curse by placing his mother’s half Chao orb into it. He must consume the darkness, even if it overtakes him in the process. To which, he would soon also learn that the sword of seal was in that same curse. This information was given by his father, Damian, as he would show up for the battle to support. Damian would soon also tell his son that the other half of the orb was in the princess; Sakura. Knowing that Ava has been with Zero and Sakura the whole time, bright him at ease from the pain he went through.  

┈     ┈     ┈     ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟     ┈     ┈     ┈

💀Other💀

Weapons: Twin despairs: Chaos and Oblivion

Chaos: Demon of Chaos, form of a wolf or sword. Blade is black and handle red with black leather wrap. Moon emblem under wrapping.  

Oblivion: Demon of Oblivion, Form of a wolf. Blade is dark blue and handle is same blue with white wrapping. Sun emblem under the wrapping.

Other weapons: Few Daggers, bow and arrows, and hell chains.

Stats (10 of 10)  

Confidence: 4/10

Strength: 10/10

kindness: 4/10

Self-Esteem: 1/10

Neatness: 1/10

Agilify: 10/10

Persuasiveness: 4/10

Gullibility: 6/10

Luck: 6/10

Dexterity: 9/10

Constitution: 7/10

Intelligence: 5/10

Temper: 10/10

Wisdom: 5/10

Charisma: 4/10

Abilities:

Telepathy: Zero can telepathically talk to his demon swords aka Chaos and Oblivion. But there is a disadvantage when oblivion is in animal form. 

Oblivion takes up a wolf form, thus as the same length of telepathically reach. Oblivion also is muted, so thus telepathy is he way of talking. 

Chaos can telepathically talk to Zero at a good length close to a mile, about three miles. Chaos can however telepathically talk to oblivion since their connected to each other.  

Teleportation: Zero can teleport through darkness, meaning he can simply walk through the shadows. As well as make portals of darkness and go through them to get to a place. But he barely uses this since he prefers the shadow moving.  

Dream Walking: Zero can appear into dreams, but he can not do it by teaming with other to dream hop. When he sleeps, he just gets sent to dreams of someone that is connected with his or similar of his dreams.  

Healing: Zero’s body can heal on it own, but the healing can do so much. After a wound is healed, it’ll become a scar. Also, if a weapon is still in him like knifes or etc. The wound will not be healed and will bleed out. In same cases, if a wound looks deep that humans tend to dead from. Those wounds will take a long healing process for Zero, so he is unable to fight or etc.

Magic: Zero barely uses magic but when he does, he uses the dark arts or mainly the flames of underworld. Since his blood is of his father’s, he is able to use the fires that burns sinners in the underworld. Zero can only use about 40% of those flames, so he mainly used it to cover his swords or throw the flames at his opponent to distract for a chance to hit them with his swords.  

Strengths:

Zero’s body can self heal after being wounded but will leave scars. He has good reflexes and can sense danger is coming. His battle skills are good, but can have some flaws.  

Weaknesses:

His body may heal, but only after the weapon is removed from him. If it’s still in him, he’ll bleed out. His curse that rests on his right hand is useful but it can kill him. Since it was given to him after birth, its core purpose is to hurt him. 

The curse is mainly a demon curse that is strong for anyone to have, including Zero himself. There is a way to control it but it has not been found. Another way Zero can be killed is if the sword of sealing is found and used in battles against him. But due to it being the full sealer for his grandfather, it is hidden away until it’s ready to be found.

[junisfics]

1:44 AM* — Eren Jaeger

Pairing: Fuckboy! Eren x Reader

Word Count: 1.8k

Summary: You and Eren's relationship status has always been up in the air... but you'll always be the one he texts in the middle of the night looking to get his dick wet

Content: Unestablished Relationship, Mutual Pining, Love Confessions

Content Warnings: Smut/ Nsfw 18 + (Breeding Kink)

minors can read, but please don't interact (like, comment, reblog)

you hear your phone buzz a few times beside you, vibrating and shifting around on the wood of the nightstand as you turn yourself over to grab it.

‘come over’ ‘y/n, please’

two messages from eren jaeger. 1:44 in the morning. and although his messages were vague, you knew exactly what he wanted. it was the same thing he always wanted.

you sigh, unplugging your phone and rolling over to your back. if you were to scroll up, all the messages ever sent between you two would mirror the ones that were sent only moments ago. and even though you hated how he was using you to his own satisfaction, you could never tell him no. 

‘now?’ you reply, but you already know the answer.

‘yes’ ‘need you so bad’ 

his response sends butterflies erupting in your stomach and makes your face grow hot. you know it was a manipulation tactic, saying ‘you’ instead of ‘it. he had handfuls of other girls that would be more than willing to fulfill his late night needs. but it still makes your heart swell, it makes you feel special.

you slip out from under your sheets, swinging your legs over the side of your bed and tugging off your sweatpants and panties to replace them with pretty baby blue ones and a pair of light grey cotton shorts. you do the same with your tee-shirt, trading it for navy, straight-bottomed sweatshirt that was your dad’s in college.

you take a moment to brush your teeth before slipping on some shoes, grabbing your keys, and getting in your car to drive halfway across town to eren’s complex.

over time, eren has used his living-alone situation very much to his advantage. he’s also used his good looks to his advantage. so whenever he wants, he finds a girl, brings her home, and fucks her senseless until she comes crawling back for more.

but as much as they beg, eren almost never ever gives them seconds. and up until his sophomore year in college, there were only five other girls that he’d gotten with more than once. and until he met you, there was no one else who was consistently getting with him.

you had met him at a party, fucked him in his car, then expected it to be a one night stand type thing. but not even four days later, an unknown number had texted you asking to meet up again. and it was eren.

and ever since that party over a year ago, the hookups were consistently inconsistent. sometimes eren would want you twice a day, everyday, for a week straight. and sometimes he would go a month without messaging you.

and it made you so happy but so hurt at the same time; to have to go without him, someone you've fallen so badly in love with, for so long hurt terribly, but to always have him coming back for you made you swell with pride.

the moment you rap your knuckles against his door, it's swung open. and behind the door stands a shirtless and visibly flustered eren. his face was blushed red and his chest was heaving with every heavy inhale he took.

the moment he can get ahold of you, he does. eren grabs your arms and yanks you inside, only to close the door then press you up against it with his lips on yours.

you can't help but giggle against his lips, "well, hello to you too"

but eren responds by leaning down to grab your thighs and wrapping them around his waist, pressing your back up against the door and kissing you harder.

as surprising as it was, this wasn't new. eren has his moments where he would just want a quick fuck and that's all, he'd skip the small talk and just bend you over.

you can already feel his cock hard against the inside of your thigh, pressing through his sweatpants and grinding against you. you wonder how long he was like this before he texted you...

you let your hands come up to hold his face in your hands as you kiss him back, matching his desperation. your tongues are already sliding against each other, licking into your open mouths and swallowing down and escaping moans.

he was so desperate, so so desperate, you could almost feel his body trembling with arousal and desire. his grip was borderline painful, fingers digging into the soft flesh of your thighs and his teeth were knocking against your own. it was so rushed, so primal.

he pulls you off the door, still holding you against him and his face still in your hands as he blindly finds his way to his bedroom and drops you onto the bed, your back hits the mattress

eren crawls over you again, taking your neck in his right hand gently as he kisses you once more.

he grinds his hips against yours, sliding his clothed cock over your cunt, dragging the weight of it over your clit until you're whimpering at the sensation.

his left hand slides lower, down your torso and to your hip to grab ahold of your waistband.

"off, off now." he mutters, pushing at the fabric until you aid him in sliding it down your thighs.

once your shorts are off, he pushes his own pants just below his hips and frees his cock. he had went commando, no boxers, no briefs, no nothing under those sweatpants.

and once again you're wondering, 'how long has he been like this' and 'what was he doing before this'... but you know the answer.

his fingers on one hand nimbly grab the inner crease of your panties, pulling them aside while the other hand braces by your head as he slides the head of his cock through your accumulated arousal.

he only lets it slide over your clit a few times to watch you twitch beneath him before he brings it back down to your entrance and pushes inside you with one steady thrust.

"fuck me," he spits, head dropping forward to watch the way your hips tilt into his thrust. his hand beside your head hastily grabs the hem of your sweatshirt to push the waist of it up past your tits before coming back down next to you.

"oh my god," you whine, your right hand coming up to grab the wrist of his now planted hand, your other holding your sweater up your chest for him.

he could fuck you stupid every goddamn day of your life and you'd still never get used to the feeling of his cock filling you.

his arm shakes under the pressure of holding him up, and really only then does it hit you how badly he needed you.

"how — how long were you like this?" you breathe, circling your hips against his, your clit grinding against his pelvis.

"so fucking long. you have no idea what you do to me. 'was thinking about fucking you all day — god. m'fucking hand wasn't enough." he grunts, pulling himself out of you real slow, savoring the your cunt grips him, "the others weren't enough... needed you."

you can only let out a shaky moan at his response. it made your entire body run a degree hotter than it already was. never before has he so openly voiced his thoughts about you outside of sex, never before told you that he's thought about you while jerking himself off.

he slides his cock back in again, a low groan bubbling up from his throat as he does so. he'll never get over the way your body shakes as he reaches his hilt.

"yeah?" you encourage him to keep talking, wanting to hear him admit it again — needing to hear how much he wanted you, was desperate for you.

"fuck, yeah. you're the only one who takes my cock so well, they — god — they don't squeeze me the way you do." he groans, jaw dropping open as he finally picks up his pace

every thrust he takes he slightly increases his speed until his hips are slapping against yours and sending your pretty tits back and forth.

eren doesn't know where to look. he's stuck between watching your face melt in pleasure, watching your pretty little cunt stretch around his cock, or watching your pretty tits bounce in front of him. god you were so perfect for him.

"'s why i keep coming back to you," he pants, his free hand taking your jaw in his grasp as he brings his forehead against yours, "wanna be inside you forever, wanna see your stupid pretty face forever, wanna hear you beg for me forever."

"eren —" you cry, so overwhelmed both physically and mentally. you look into his beautiful jade eyes, watching his pupils dialate with lust — love — as he continues to fuck himself into you

"want this pussy to be mine, 's gonna be mine, y/n. you're gonna be mine." he says, his hold on your jaw growing tighter as he keeps pushing into you over and over and over.

"please, please — wanna be yours" you choke out these pathetic broken sobs that make eren's hearth ache so wonderfully. there were tears swelling on your lash line.

it was pathetic how wound up he's got you in minutes, but the way he's filling you, the way he's talking to you... it's all too too much

"love this cunt —" he breathes, eyes flitting to watch himself fill you, "love your pretty tits, love you. god, i love you — fuck — let me fill you, 'need to fill you, let me cum inside please."

your heart hurts. it hurt so fucking bad but so fucking god. it was all caught in your throat, swelling and choking you up.

you can only nod in his hand, those tears drip past your lashes and stream hot down your cheeks, "please, please cum inside, fill me up. make me yours, eren, i love you — 'always loved you"

your voice is raspy and you can barely hear yourself, but eren hears you. eren hears your confession and it sends him over the edge, and with a low groan, he pushes himself to the hilt and spills his release inside you

"god, yes," your moans are broken as you cum around his cock, squeezing him so nice and milking him of everything he's got

and your release is more than physical. it feels like a dam has broken over, been flooded and poured out to him. you were holding it in for so goddamn long and it's out.

eren holds you against him, holding you so tight because now he's got you.

JUNISFICS © 2021

[animeyanderelover]

Hi l Can Order Prompt 108 for Mito Uzumaki

I'm at my final countdown in my holidays...

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, control, strictness

Prompt 108: “You are mine!”

The silence was nearly strangling you the further Mito decided to play the quiet game with you. There was no sign of stress or displeasure on her, she looked as dignified and serene as ever. Even the way she lifted the fine and handcrafted cup and blew air on it to cool down the hot tea inside made her only look more noble and elegant. There was this feeling of being untouchable on her. Her status as an Uzumaki who held down the nine-tailed fox and her close relationship with the Hokage and his little brother only added to this superior feeling she was often giving others. Even you couldn't help hut gulp slightly as you felt the nervousness nagging on you. It wasn't like Mito was arrogant but rather that the differences between you and her were as clear as the sky on a cloudless day.

"Say (y/n), I thought that you had already rejected this friend of yours a while ago. So why did I hear from one of my clan members that they still try to persuade you because they still don't know about you being in a relationship with someone else?"

She didn't raise her voice, she didn't glare at you, her voice was perfectly smooth and flawless. Yet you felt like a child that had been caught by their mother doing something that was forbidden. Her black eyes were pointed at you and she might as well have lit you on fire with the way your whole skin started to heat up out of embarrassment, shame and the uncomfortable tension. All of this only counted for you though since Mito held herself proudly and majestically as if the tension didn't affect her at all.

"We-well...you know...I-"

No words could leave your lips as your brain failed you. It was truly astonishing how much simple words could render your capacity useless like this as you were left opening and closing your mouth like a fish, no words forming on your lips.

"The Uzumaki clan has finally accepted you as my partner with the help of Hashirama and Tobirama so there is no need to keep it a secret any longer. The news will break out very soon yet I was willing to give you time to tell your family and friends about our relationship so they wouldn't be caught off guard by the official statement. But you haven't told any of them. Why is that?"

Once again your brain suffered from a short cut as you wanted to hammer your head so it could help you coming up with an answer. The truth was that you had genuinely tried to tell your close circle of dear ones but what you hadn't expected was how hard it would actually be. Up until now you had only struggled with the Uzumaki clan who hadn't approved of the love Mito held for you and vice versa. You were plain and common and had been able to totally understand where they were coming from since their clan was special, you could still understand it to this day.

Up until recently you had been forced to not mention to anyone about your relationship with the woman whilst she was working things out with the Senju brothers and together they had finally won the eldest over. You had expected the news to be easy to tell to your parents and to your friend who had made countless moves on you for the past few weeks.

Announcing that you were together with Mito Uzumaki was unexpectedly hard though and maybe it was because that name weighted so much, not only on your tongue. She was a big deal in the village and that made you hesitate to tell your own family. (f/n) on the other hand was a case where you felt too guilty that you were in a relationship with another and soon to be engaged. They had been by your side and known you way longer than Mito yet you had never once felt the same attraction and adoration for them. Lying to them for the last few months had been difficult yet you knew that you had been watched back then.

"It is...harder than expected to tell my family and (f/n) about us. You're such a important figure in the village, I don't want them to feel flustered and nervous." you finally managed to spit out with difficulty, kneading the knuckles of your one hand with the fingers of the other hand nervously in your lap.

"Are you ashamed or insecure about being in a relationship with me? Or can't you bring yourself to tell them, especially your friend, that you're my lover?" Mito instantly shot back, causing panic to flare up inside of you though her words weren't entirely wrong. That's why you didn't instantly reply. It was all the reply Mito needed though.

"Telling them now would be less of a shock then waiting until my clan makes it official. It'd only shock them more and your friend would be espeically hurt by it. You must be aware of that yourself."

You were. You definitely were but your heart just sank whenever you faced your parents or (f/n) since you knew that none of them would have seen it coming that you'd be the one Mito Uzumaki fancied.

"If you can't do it yourself, I can do it for you."

Your offer caught you by surprise and at first you wanted to ask her if she was joking but she had already sounded way too serious and one look at her facial expression only confirmed it more.

"You shouldn't do that! You don't have to!" you replied quickly, waving your hands nervously.

"All of them are going to find out very soon about us anyways and if you want it that way, I'm fine with that too. I'm just saying that letting them know now will be the smaller shock than letting them find out with the whole village. Especially your friend should know so they don't have unnecessary hopes. It'll only crush them more in the end. You are mine!"

There was this hint of strictness in her voice as she said the last sentence yet there was no sign of agitation anwhere in her tone or body language. You knew that her last statement was final though as you didn't have much of a say anymore. You were hers.