#you’re just..home to me. so warm and comforting and genuine and sincere and intelligent

[ohwaitimthewriter]

Ner naak (My peace)

Pairing: Din Djarin x earthling!reader

Warnings: None

Summarize: Din Djarin meets you, an earthling, with no idea of the existence of an outer space.

Words count: 1401

A/n: Enjoy your reading! 

Ner naak Masterlist // The Mandalorian Masterlist

It had been a long and tiresome day. Some things had been done, others had begun, but there was still a lot to do. And your body was making you suffer in places you didn't even know existed. 

It had been agreed to stay there until the repairs were completed. Mando had kindly made a fire and you had taken out warm blankets from your car to withstand the cold of the autumn nights. There was no question of sleeping under the stars. No, you would sleep in your car and Mando would sleep in his ship, but while waiting to share a meal prepared over a wood fire, the cozy aspect of the rugs would do the trick. 

In a way, sleeping near the ship made you feel better. Leaving it unattended for several days might not have been the best idea. Anyone could have gotten close to it and made who-knows-what out of it. And assuming the authorities were already aware of his presence, it was not wise to leave it alone. 

The authorities. You were beginning to seriously question yourself. Why weren't they here? A craft like this certainly didn't go unnoticed when it entered the Earth's atmosphere. And yet they were not here. Why weren't they here? 

You already imagined them preparing plans for an assault, recruiting new soldiers and perhaps even considering a bomb attack. You had a particularly imaginative mind and before it went too far, Mando showed up in front of you with a steaming mug full of hot chocolate.

"You are frowning." He said as he handed you the cup. 

"There's just something not right." You said as you took it. 

You thanked him with a smile and Mando casually sat down next to you. He didn't need to speak, the simple fact that he turned his head towards you to look at you meant he was ready to listen. You handed him a blanket while you tightened yours around your shoulders before going on. 

"You've been here for at least four days," you started. "Not that I'm so bored with you that I'm counting the days but," you joked, "they've seen you. They must have seen you." You explained to him.

"They? Your leaders?” 

"The authorities, the government, NASA, the military, they all know.” 

"And that's what worries you?”

"What worries me is that despite the fact that they know, they are not here. And the question is why?"

"The answer is simple, Razor Crest has a jamming device and it's a ghost for the galaxy." He said, confidently. 

You ponder for a second. Could you really accept that answer as valid? No. You knew it all too well. 

"You're not in the galaxy." You answered, looking down at your mug. "The Earth is teeming with satellites and radars. And those radars are not part of your galaxy. I'm sure they're up to something.”

"You don't trust your government?”

Din did not ask you this question because he thought the Republic or the Empire was more trustworthy. He had asked you the question because he wanted to know more about planet Earth. And that meant understanding how your leaders functioned. 

"How do you want to trust a government that starts wars for a yes or a no? Or when psychopaths are at the head of a nation? You can't. You just can't." You said. 

"Have you known wars?" Mando asked. 

"And we still do." You sighed. "The ones that have certainly had the greatest impact on us are surely the two world wars, but there have been so many, and there are so many more, that I can hardly name them all.” 

"What are these wars due to?” 

"It depends. Because of territories, politics, religions. Sometimes because of dictators." You explained. "We're quite creative." You joked. If you could call it a joke. 

Mando looked at the campfire again. He was thinking. Your dog had laid down at your feet and the child had found shelter under the blanket Mando was wearing. Grogu was cuddled up against Mando and you could see him dozing. 

"It looks like the Empire and the Republic." He said, pensively. 

"What's this?" 

" Two political regimes that give each other a rough ride to take over the galaxy." He explained briefly. 

"I don't even know if I should feel reassured or scared." you said. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Reassured to know that, in the end, the space is not that different and that you could feel at home, and, scared because it's not that different. "You answered, taking a sip of your hot chocolate. "It seems that this is what humans are made for. Self-destruction." 

"I assure you, it's not just humans." Mando said.

And he didn't expect you to choke on your own hot chocolate. 

"I'm sorry, what?" You were astonished. 

You looked at him with big, dumbfounded eyes. Had he just implied what you thought he was implying? Judging by your reaction, you obviously didn't know about any other intelligent species in the universe. 

"It's not just humans fighting among themselves." He repeated, even though he knew that this was not what you wanted to hear. 

There was something pleasing about seeing you suddenly so taken aback. You had taken so well the existence of a distant galaxy, and had accepted his condition of coming from elsewhere so well, you had also practically adopted Grogu as part of the scenery, that Mando was amused to see you so disturbed by the existence of other intelligent life forms. 

"It's probably a stupid question, but, are there really other intelligent species?" You asked him, and curiosity but also disbelief was in your voice.

And something happens that you didn't expect: Mando laughed. Not just a chuckle you'd heard from him before, but a real laugh, genuine and honest. It wasn't a big burst of laughter either, but it was striking enough to distinguish it from a gentle little laugh. 

"Don't make fun of me," you said softly. "I know it's silly and it's almost obvious that there are other forms of life just as evolved as humans, but here we just suspect it. There is a difference between a hypothesis and reality." You explained. 

" Forgive me, the intention wasn't bad." Mando apologized. "You just accepted everything else so well. I didn't expect so much surprise from you." He justified himself and leaned towards you, putting a friendly hand on your shoulder to try to reassure you. 

His little attention comforted you in his sincerity and you automatically glanced up at the starry sky.

"What do they look like?" You asked. 

"It all depends on who they are. They come in all shapes and sizes. It's hard to describe, you have to see it." He said. 

"Some like Grogu?" 

"Grogu is special. It seems that his species is quite rare. Some time ago I was supposed to bring him back to his species." Mando explained.

"What about today?" 

"I'm still looking for them." 

"Well, I can tell you that there are no others like him on Earth" you laughed. 

"That would have been surprising." He said and you could hear his smile under his helmet. 

"I'm sure there are many things on Earth that could impress you." You said.

"Like what?"

And you had to take a moment to think. What could a mandalorian with so many new technologies find surprising? Especially since you didn't know what the galaxy had to offer either. So you chose the most trivial thing you could think of: 

"Hot chocolate!" you said as you lifted your now almost empty cup. 

"The hot chocolate?" he repeated doubtfully. 

« Oh c'mon, I saw your face earlier when I took it out. "You joked. 

"Did you see my face?" Mando insisted, but this time his voice sounded amused. 

"You know what I mean." You said.

He let out a chuckle and then turned his attention to the campfire. The wood was crackling and the flames were dancing in a mesmerizing dance. Between the blankets and the warmth of the fire, you could almost forget the bitter cold of the night. But your hands were well hidden under the blanket. 

"You know what really impresses me?" Mando said. 

And you shook a 'no' with your head. 

"Your capacity for adaptation." 

And somehow you knew that he wasn't talking about earthlings in general, but about you.

[reginaphillange08]

HURTS ME TOO (Matukawa Issei)

a/n : so basically I had a crappy day and I decided to write to kinda cope and take my mind off things and I was listening to hurts me too by Faye Webster and this fic was born LMAO

warnings: mentions of depression, angst then fluff, comfort

summary: after having a rough day at work, you decided to lay down and rest a bit. Your whole afternoon and evening was spent laying down, leaving you in your dark room with your dark thoughts. Mattsun comes home to comfort his favorite person. Idk read it it’s cute

word count: 1024

sfw

Nights like this were not foreign to you. You wrapped up in your blanket, laying on your bed in your dark room. Not completely sure of the time or how long you’ve been laying there. You thought you had your eyes closed, but they were open the whole time. It was just too dark to know the difference. After work, you trudged along to your bed and decided to take a “power nap”. The darkness of your room matched your mood and thoughts. You couldn’t quite put a finger on why you felt so dejected lately. When around your friends and family, nobody would suspect a thing. Your beautiful face is wearing a beautiful smile. A mostly genuine one. That smile could brighten the dimmest rooms. When around others you were okay. Happy and constantly laughing. It’s when you’re alone that everything changes. Left alone with your thoughts you spiral and succumb to your dull and somber mood.

Your boyfriend Issei had come home from work to your shared apartment and saw the dimly lit atmosphere. The dishes piled up, clothes everywhere, and overall silence tipped him off about your current state. Before even reaching the room he knew you were having one of those nights. He took off his jacket and put his stuff down. He grabbed a glass of water and went to your room to see you.

The door opened and you were laying on your side facing the wall away from the door. You didn’t bother to turn around and greet him. His heart ached, he loved you so much, and seeing you like this never was easy on him. That's how he knew it must be so much worse for you. Issei placed the glass of water on the bedside table then got under the covers with you and enveloped you in his arms. He peered over your shoulder to catch a glimpse of you and saw the dull look on your face. He knew tonight was gonna be difficult for you and he was here to provide you with his support. Matsukawa has always been extremely caring and emotionally intelligent. He held you tightly and placed a gentle kiss on your temple. He whispered lightly in your ear “Hey baby, I missed you today”.

His gentle kiss and sweet words and loving touches were always something you held close to you. They filled you with warmth and all you could feel was pure adoration for your lover. You began to think about his patience and the way he cherished you. Your eyes welled with tears as you desperately tried to keep it together.

You wanna be okay. You wanna be better, for him and your family and friends. You wanna be alright but it’s so hard. You fall into these ruts that seem impossible to climb out of. You really are trying. Your tears began to fall from your eyes. You didn't bother to wipe them anymore, you just let them flow down your face. You tried to breathe in but ended up sniffling.

You hoped he didn’t hear you because you didn't wanna upset or worry him any further. But he squeezes you a little tighter and taps your shoulder asking you to turn around. You nodded your head no as the tears streamed down your face. He held his hand on your shoulder “come here my love, it’s okay baby”.

You reluctantly turned around and your tear-stained eyes met with his warm brown ones that you were so fond of. He stroked your face with the back of his hands and gave you a smile. He let you get your quiet sobs out while he whispered “it’s okay baby”. Your tears slowed down and he wiped the remaining ones away. He ran his fingers through your hair as you two faced each other in your bed. He asked “rough day today sweetheart?” The sincerity in his voice always made you feel at ease. You slowly nod your head and finally begin to speak, “yeah it was, I just wasn't feeling great tonight”.

He nods and gives you another tight hug. You took a deep breath, and then he kissed your forehead as he let go. He turned around to grab the water from the nightstand. He gives you the glass and says “have some water baby”. You take the glass and take a few small sips. He takes the glass from you and puts it back on the bedside table. He turns back to you and takes your hands in his and rubs them and plants small kisses on your knuckles.

You take a deep breath and begin to speak again, “thank you so much, I really appreciate everything you do for me. I love you issei”. He gives you a sweet kiss on your forehead and says “anytime baby, I love you more”. When he pulls away you just kinda stare at him. He was so beautiful. His soft curly hair, strong thick eyebrows, his kind eyes, his supple lips. He was your safe space, he was home.

While you look at him in awe of his beauty, he’s reciprocating this. You were unaware of this because you were in your own world, falling into him and getting lost in his eyes. You take your pointer finger and trace his lips, and his cheekbones, and then his eyebrows. With the most gentle touch, you tap his nose before giving him a sweet kiss. You did this quite often, you don't really know why but you both adored it. He held your face, hands cupping your cheeks, he pulled you in and gave you another kiss.

He wrapped his arms around you and the both of you got comfortable. He said “let’s get some rest baby, tomorrow will be better” and gave you a final kiss to your temple. You nodded and said “goodnight baby”. He whispered, “goodnight (y/n), I love you”. You smiled and said, “I love you too”. Sleep took over the both of you while you were enveloped in the arms of your lover.

Tomorrow was gonna be a much better day.

[got-svt]

radio star: a svt social media au

summary: when yn accepts a job at her campus’ radio station her first year in uni, she didn’t expect she’d be anonymously singing stressed out university students to sleep. now, a year and a half in, she didn’t expect that there’d be people trying to figure out her identity either. genre: college au, slice of life, humor, fluff, angst pairing: ??? x f!reader

(masterlist)

warning: please don’t read unless you’ve read/been to part thirty-four !! this is the endgame point so tread cautiously ! but if you have read it or you came from there, then…enjoy;)

part thirty-five: slowly, surely

“Yeah, I’ll go.”

Joshua’s eyes lit up at at your reply despite the fact that he wanted to make it seem like he wasn’t utterly delighted at your decision to join him. He holds the door open for you, trying to make sure the the faint red that flushed his cheeks wasn’t in the least bit noticeable as you walk past him.

It was significantly darker now, not a single trace of the sun, streets illuminated by bright lampposts that lined the path and the faint early evening moonlight. A gentle breeze blows through his hair, buildings towered over the two of you, students excited to make their way home walk past, you run into tired professors just wanting to get some well-deserved rest.

There was always something quite alluring in the way the campus felt in the early evening, shrouded by the eager desire to go out with friends or take a break from academics. It was evident in the excited chatter from a few feet behind you, voices animatedly talking about a movie he had never heard about.

There was a small smile on your lips, and Joshua couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was going through your mind. Were you thinking about him? He shook his head, not meaning to be too presumptuous. Still, he couldn’t help the slight tug on his heartstring sat the thought of you thinking of him — that he could possibly be reason that the corners of your mouth twitched upwards in a soft smile.

Joshua didn’t know what to say, walking side by side with you in the early evening as he lead the way to his favorite takeout place. Your hands would sometimes accidentally brush against his, it took everything in him not to take your hand and hold it in his. He wondered how it must feel, to feel your touch against his. Did your hands hold the same warmth you did? Would it provide him the same level of comfort that your very presence did?

He internally groaned, he shouldn’t be having such thoughts. Not when he promised that everything between the two of you would be paused while you figured your own emotions out. Joshua respected that, of course he did. He didn’t want you to feel any sort of discomfort in being with him, and if he would have to spend the next few months trying to prove to you he was sincere in efforts towards you, he would do so. And he’d do it happily too.

But there was also small pangs of pain in his chest, remembering the hurt he caused you, the one that lead to your blooming relationship being paused in the first place. He didn’t mean to fall for you the way that he did, he didn’t mean to do it so quickly too. Joshua wasn’t the type to fall hard and fast, at least that was what he thought until you came barrelling into his life — all smiles, red cheeks at his attempts at teasing you, and playful shoves at his shoulders. But he also knew you were possibly one of the strongest people he had ever met. Everything you had gone through the past couple of weeks proved nothing but that, he couldn’t help but fall for you more in the process.

And no part of him expected that you would be moonriver either, the person behind the voice he admired for so long. Joshua didn’t know how he felt when he first found out. He didn’t even know he was blankly staring at a wall until Jeonghan threw a pillow at him, snapping him out of his trance.

Sure, he was happy, he was able to meet the person he admired but did it change the way he felt about you — Yn — the person he had gotten to know the past few weeks. Joshua didn’t know anything about moonriver, he only knew her voice. But Yn, he knew her beyond what she sounded like when she sang. Joshua knew her personality — her intelligence, wit, her kindness and sincerity. He actually knew what you looked like — how your brows furrowed when you got annoyed, the pot on your lips when you got sad, the crinkle in your eyes when you smiled. Sure, he didn’t know you as well as other people did, but he was more than willing to learn. 

Joshua loved you, that much he was sure of. No one could possibly tell him otherwise. 

“You okay?” Your voice snapped him out of his train of thought, his gaze shifting ever so slightly to you before going back on the road ahead, “You’ve been quiet all this time. I’m not sure if that’s entirely like you.”

A hand makes its way to the back of his head as he let out a nervous chuckle, “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

You hummed, tilting your head to the side in the process, clearly skeptical of his answer, “Are you sure about that?”

Joshua wasn’t sure how to answer anymore, at least without giving away the thoughts that revealed how strongly he felt for you, so he responded with a question of his own instead, “Is there any reason why you came to our dorm? I appreciate it, but it’s usually me and Jeonghan who would show up to your place unexpected.”

“Oh.” Your voice had gotten much quieter, looking down at your feet, “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Me?” Joshua replied, brows raising up in shock, “What did you need to talk about?”

You opened your mouth to answer before closing it again, the words escaping you entirely. You stopped walking, Joshua moving a few steps ahead of you before he noticed that you were no longer matching his stride. He stopped walking as well, turning to look at you, concern so very clearly etched on his face — it almost made you feel guilty for worrying him. 

Lucky for the two of you had stopped in front of a bench, the warm orange glow of the lamppost that stood a couple of feet beside it. Joshua tilted his head towards the bench, implying that you sit there with him for whatever it was you wanted to talk about with him. A sigh escaped your lips as he made your way over and sat down, with Joshua following you. He looked at you one more time in concern before sitting, leaving a bit of space between the two of you. 

“You look like you had just seen a ghost, whatever we’re talking about must be pretty serious, huh?” Joshua spoke, offering you a small smile in the process, breaking the silence that once again descended over the two of you. But you couldn’t meet his eyes, still focused on your hands neatly folded on your lap. Joshua’s smile falters, speaking to you in the softest tone he could muster, “What’s wrong?”

“I want to be with you.” You whispered, just loud enough for Joshua to hear. You didn’t know why you were nervous now, not when you practically sprinted to his dorms the second you ended your call with Wonwoo. Maybe the reality of the situation, the gravity of what it meant to finally vocalize your feelings for him was finally settling on you. “I enjoyed the time we spent together, I didn’t want it to end.”

Joshua felt his heart skip a beat, but how come you sounded so dejected when the words left your lips? Why couldn’t you look at him? This was a good thing, wasn’t it? His heart shattered just as quickly as it skipped, voice now as quiet and as unsure as yours, “Why do you seem so sad about it?”

“I’m not sad about it, more scared actually…” You mumbled, admitting your feelings not only to Joshua, but to yourself as well. Feelings you tried so hard to ignore and suppress, making it seem like they weren’t that serious by convincing yourself you felt something else for other people too. 

“What are you scared of?”

“That I’m not going to be enough for you. That you created this idea of what moonriver would be like in your head and I’m going to end up disappointing you. What if you get bored or tired and leave?” You didn’t realize that you had started crying, a few tears escaping your eyes but you tried your best to blink them back. You didn’t mean to sound so dejected, or weak for that matter.

Joshua couldn’t believe what he was hearing, was this the reason you were holding back on being with him? He couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty too, just because he knew that he loved you didn’t mean that you were magically going to know it too. It’s not like you knew how to read his mind. 

His hand makes its way to your face, gently forcing you to look up at him. Joshua felt an ache in his chest at the sight of your tears, not realizing that he had caused you this much pain and uncertainty. “I’m sorry.”

Joshua’s voice broke at the very last syllable, causing you to widen your eyes in surprise. You didn’t expect an apology, let alone one at this level of sincerity. He wiped away your tears with his thumb before it moves back down to his side.

“I’m really sorry for making you feel like my feelings for you aren’t genuine, that I’m with you just because you’re moonriver. Because that couldn’t be further from the truth. Yeah, asking you out a few days after I found out about you being moonriver wasn’t the best move, but believe me when I tell you that what I feel is for you, Yn.”

“Then why did you do it, ask me out when you found out?”

Joshua wanted to come up with a justification, he searched the deepest recesses of his mind for any sort of reason, only to come up empty handed. He didn’t know why he had done it either, in the moment, it just felt right. There was nothing to it other than that. “I don’t know.”

Your face fell, features downcast as your gaze landed back on your lap. Joshua immediately notices and speaks up before another seed of doubt could plant itself in your mind.

“But I do know that what I feel for you and the admiration I have for moonriver are two different things. Yes, I do like moonriver’s voice, but I fell in love with you. I knew I had feelings for you before I even found out. I would’ve fallen for you regardless of the fact that you’re moonriver. How could I not? You’re kind, funny, smart, and absolutely beautiful. When I’m with you, you make me feel like I’m walking on air. I’m constantly afraid my heart is going to beat out of my chest. I know it’s something I’ve said before, but I’ll keep saying it as long as there is still some doubt in your mind about what I feel for you.” 

You didn’t know what to say, you wanted to say something — at least you felt like you should. It’s hard to believe that this was the same man who pranked you in a coffee shop weeks ago, the one you tried to strangle within a few days of meeting him. He was different, no longer flirty and playful, but impassioned and earnest. You thought about the past few days, how he found ways to constantly assure you that he was there for you, looked for ways to make you feel better without you even having to ask for it. 

“Okay.” You spoke, startling him. Joshua was so sure you’d reject him, just because you liked him or wanted to be with him didn’t mean you’d actually do it. You had to think of yourself first, and he understood that. But when you said the next few words, the feeling of heartache that slowly started to consume him started to disappear. 

“We’ll unpause.”

“Thank you,” Joshua smiled, almost breathless. He brings your forehead to his, “and we’ll go at your pace too.”

Joshua knew he was in love with you, he knew that he fell too hard and possibly a little too fast, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was what he felt for you, something he’s sure was more real than anything in the world. The pace in your relationship would have to be slower than most, building trust and having moments of constant reassurance along the way. But Joshua believed in the intensity and the sincerity of what he felt, not minding that he had a long way to go before convincing you. He knew that slowly, but surely, you would come to believe it too. 

And eventually, you did. 

joshua’s epilogue <33

[lesbianlotties]

(i swear) i thought i dreamed her

Andromaquynh Secret Santa gift for @aw-hawkeye-no​ Merry Christmas!!! 🎄❤⚔

(you suggested AUs, "modern, fake dating," and i just ignored the comma and did both lol i really hope you like it!!)

and a lot of love to @thirst-teenth for organizing this event and just being great ❤

Do I know about "fashion stuff"? nope. Do I know about "CIA stuff"? not really. did i completely ignore both just to bring you fake dating fluff and humor, quynh bullying andy, and andy being a complete mess for her? absolutely!!! so here it goes

Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Words: 5975

“Did you hire me to play the part of your fucking bodyguard?”

“No… I’m a humble fashion designer, I’m not meant to know the very best secret agent the world has to offer... I hired you to play the part of my fucking wife.”

Quynh is an Intelligence agent suddenly on the receiving end of some serious threats that demand the presence of one particular special agent. Andy isn't thrilled to play bodyguard, but soon she will find out it might be the very best job of her entire life.

Most times, when Andy had to visit James Copley’s office, she found it amusing. She would tease him for the walls covered in what she called conspiracy theories, and she’d think he looked so small behind his big desk. This time, however, she found the space suffocating, and his presence was nothing short of annoying.

“I don’t work like this, Copley,” she shook her head at him, “I don’t work with Intelligence, I don’t do undercover missions, and especially, I don’t play bodyguard for the rich ones.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” he tried to insist. Copley was pretty much squirming in his seat. Andy was sitting on a chair on the other side of the desk, tense and angry, but she was as confident as he was uncomfortable. “Listen, Andy,” he tried again, “This is the kind of job you need after… you know. It’ll be good for you to stay out of high-risk missions for a while. And, anyway, it’s all I can get for you for the time being.”

She scowled at him, “Is it CIA?”

“Not exactly. Outside work. We call it freelance now.”

“Sure,” Andy rolled her eyes, “What exactly will it be then?”

“I think it’s best if she tells you in person,” Copley had the nerve to smile at her, as if Andy wasn’t going through one of the worst moments of her career and settling for a job she didn’t even want in the first place. Her frown must have conveyed that exact emotion, because the man in front of her had the decency to look a bit embarrassed, if only to cover his amusement. “She asked for you specifically.”

Andy frowned all the way back to her apartment, and her expression only eased when she settled down on her couch, ready to skim through the pages of her new employer’s file. However, she found herself completely engrossed in every bit of confidential information she managed to learn about Quynh. An agent of International Intelligence, linked to every major organization but not committed to any, with an interesting and impressive cover job as a fashion designer turned CEO of her own company with headquarters in Vietnam. The woman was a lethal weapon in designer clothes, designed by herself also, and just the thought of her threatened to drive Andy crazy. Thinking of how she could possibly hold a meeting with the head of the CIA right before a fashion show, and why exactly would she need Andy, a special agent with war experience who rarely wore clothes that weren’t some type of uniform.

Andy could admit she was intrigued by this job and maybe even Quynh in specific. What she wouldn’t ever admit to anybody, was the way that night her mind decided to craft a beautiful, breathtaking, completely unexpected, and detailed dream about Quynh.

--

Andy wasn’t nervous, she would have strongly denied that to anybody who asked. As she stood alone in the elevator that would take her to Quynh’s office at the top of a building that surveyed everything about the woman’s fashion company, Andy swore she was feeling just… uneasy. She wasn’t used to working without a team. She wasn’t used to working in any way that wasn’t direct action against a threat. Worst of all, Copley hadn’t explained much more to her before she left her office. The conversation she was about to have could change everything.

When Andy entered the office, she noticed two things. One, the space was beautiful, elegant, but surprisingly welcoming. Two, she was all alone.

“Hello?” she said, and cleared her throat.

Suddenly, a door at the side of the room opened and from it came out the most beautiful woman Andy had ever seen and wouldn’t admit to that very fact. Quynh was wearing a perfectly tailored white suit and she looked nothing short of magnificent.

“Welcome,” Quynh stepped forward and offered her hand in greeting, “Andromache, right?”

“You can call me Andy,” the taller woman replied, feeling a sense of pride at the way Quynh stared at their joined hands, held for a moment longer than necessary, and took a deep breath when she finally stepped back.

“Andromache, please sit.”

Although she did as asked, Andy had to hold back a frown. “What’s through there?” she nodded at the door from which the other woman had come out of.

“You’re not meant to know,” Quynh replied, sitting down on her own chair. She leaned in forward and rested her elbows on the desk in front of her, then rested her chin on her folded hands.

Andy met her eyes, dark and beautiful, and took a deep breath herself. “Okay. What sort of Intelligence you work for?” she asked.

“Also not meant to know.”

The answer made Andy grit her teeth, but she refused to look away from the other woman’s smug smile. “Fine. What’s my mission then?”

Quynh leaned back on her chest and smiled, “Your goal would be to fall madly in love with me.”

“Okay, you know what-”

“Hey, no, no, I’m sorry!” Quynh allowed herself one chuckle but then trained her face to seriousness when she noticed the other woman’s hand on the chair’s armrests, ready to flee the building. She stood up and walked around her desk to lean against it and stare at Andy. “I’m sorry. Listen, do you… did Copley tell you I asked for you specifically?” she tilted her head in wonder.

“Yes,” Andy nodded, and attempted to relax again on her seat, “Why is that?”

“Because I saw you in a dream,” Quynh grinned.

“Fucking…” Andy mumbled to herself and jumped out of her seat, determined to escape before she said something she could get in trouble for.

“Okay! No! Please… listen,” Quynh reached out and wrapped her fingers around Andy’s wrist, stopping her in place and soothing her temper. They were both standing up then, leaning against Quynh’s desk. Quynh took a deep breath, and talked to Andy with sincerity in her voice for what looked like the first time in the entire conversation. “I heard what happened to you. Betrayal. I can relate,” she met Andy’s eyes, and saw at once how guarded the other woman was, and how intently she was listening, “I got a death threat. A dozen of them, whatever. I believe it comes from someone in my inner circle. Someone that wants me to stop playing with the big names of the CIA and friends. But someone close enough to know where to follow me during my day job.”

When she was done, Quynh had allowed only a hint of fear to show on her eyes, but it had been enough to ease the tension from Andy’s shoulders. She knew, at once, that she couldn’t have refused the job, not even if she had actually wanted to say no.

“Did you hire me to play the part of your fucking bodyguard?” Andy said, calmly, amusement just barely there, but enough for Quynh to notice and relax too.

“No… I’m a humble fashion designer, I’m not meant to know the very best secret agent the world has to offer,” Quynh replied, sending a smile in Andy’s way. Then she sat down on one of the chairs on that side of the desk, nodding her head, inviting Andy to take the other chair. Quynh added, imitating Andy’s words back to her with a teasing grin she couldn’t hold back, “I hired you to play the part of my fucking wife.”

--

“Why can’t I wear my own suit?” Andy called out from inside the bathroom of Quynh’s bedroom. She had silently marveled at absolutely everything about the other woman’s home. Quynh didn’t hold back on elegance and comfort but, just as her office, it surprised Andy with how genuinely serene and practical most of it felt, nothing exaggerated but just a very beautiful place to live. Quynh might play the part of a wealthy CEO, and she might have more power than Andy could imagine, but she remained an intriguing woman.

“Because your suit makes you look like a waiter, Andromache!”

Quynh was also, by Andy’s standards, a little shit.

In response, Andy made it a point to kick the bathroom door. “I said you can call me Andy,” she grumbled, fixing the collar of the very expensive, very unique suit Quynh had chosen for her to wear to whatever event the woman was dragging her to as a grand introduction to the woman she had secretly married during a romantic spur of the moment kind of situation, as they would tell the press.

“You are playing the role of my wife, Andromache, you will have to wear the best of the best I’ve ever designed!”

Sighing in defeat, Andy walked out of the bathroom, feeling personally attacked by the number of buttons her shirt simply didn’t have for her to cover the better part of her torso. However, she stopped in her tracks, a victim of a much more aggressive attack, the sight of Quynh’s exposed back as the woman just finished pulling up her backless red dress. There was a tattoo there that all at once made Andy thankful for her mostly open shirt since she started to feel a little too warm in her clothes.

“Oh,” Quynh sighed when she turned around and stared at Andy. Andy, who made herself believe Quynh was looking her up and down so intently just because she was studying the clothes she had created and already knew perfectly, except for how well they’d fit a tall, irritable, professional, and unfairly gorgeous type of soldier with earnest green eyes that made Quynh feel just a little unsteady on her feet. “You look good,” she finally added, purposefully looking away, very professionally.

“You too,” Andy nodded, looking the opposite way, very seriously too.

It would have been easy for any kind of onlooker to determine that both women were thinking the exact same thing. This job would be entirely much more difficult than they had anticipated.

--

There was a red carpet and a small army of photographers ahead of them. The unfamiliar territory made Andy uneasy, that’s why she was standing so goddamned tense, and not at all for the way Quynh was holding her arm and standing so close, getting ready to step into the spotlight.

“Why a movie?” Andy whispered, genuinely curious and also trying to distract the other woman from the big event ahead of them.

Quynh sighed and turned to look at her with a smile, “I’m a woman of many talents.”

“You produced this?” Andy frowned.

“I did,” Quynh grinned, stood taller, and tugged Andy forward, “Now hush, we are about to go out. Look pretty for the cameras, alright? Do you think you can smile?”

“No.”

Her blunt answer made Quynh laugh wholeheartedly. The result was both women stepping on the red carpet smiling much more genuinely than they would have expected.

All things considered, Andy thought she did a decent enough job playing a fake wife. Although she also tried to play undercover bodyguard and kept an eye out for any remote threat to Quynh’s safety, she could hardly keep her eyes off her own fake wife. She listened intently when Quynh talked about her job, and she smiled when Quynh talked about them. It was difficult to complain about any of it when Quynh looked at her with that perfect smile of hers. She held Quynh’s hand as often as possible too, for safety reasons, obviously.

--

Back in Quynh’s apartment, as both women got ready to sleep, they reflected on the events of the night. The premiere of a movie was an event completely new and strange for Andy, who entertained herself by sharing a constant commentary about everything around her. The cameras captured about a dozen shots of Andy whispering in Quynh's ear, while she laughed happily at whatever the taller woman was criticizing. Even during the movie, they talked to each other enough to be shushed by a stranger halfway through.

Sitting on her bed, Quynh wanted to be embarrassed by how easily she had grown comfortable with Andy, of how much she had enjoyed a little company. But her thoughts were interrupted by the same women they were filled with. Andy came out of Quynh’s bathroom looking almost completely normal, with sweatpants, a t-shirt, and holding her suit folded on her hands, but there was a gun lying on top of the suit. The sight of it was an unpleasant reminder of the one and only reason Andy had been there with Quynh the entire night.

“That was a nice first date,” Quynh smirked, trying to shove down the feeling of disappointment upon remembering she was paying Andy for all of this.

“It was fun,” Andy replied softly, a little distracted by the sight of Quynh sitting on her bed, wearing silk pajamas, and her hair a little messy. The reminder that they had failed to discuss sleeping arrangements startled Andy like a bucket of cold water falling on top of her. “I’ll take the couch,” she blurted out.

“Are you sure?” Quynh sent a small frown her way.

Andy, already starting to walk away, granted her a smile, “Yes, your couch is unnecessarily large, it’s almost a bed for two.”

“Andromache, is that an invitation?”

“Uh,” Andy turned hastily away from Quynh’s teasing smile, making a beeline for the couch and stumbling a little on her way, enough to drop her gun and whisper “Fuck,” while the beautiful woman making a mess of her thoughts only laughed at her a short distance away.

--

Andy had traveled in the best and worst planes the world had to offer, anything to get to a mission, even if it was at the end of the world. That didn’t mean she liked planes though. The private plane flying Quynh, her fake wife, and her team overseas was impressive, but wasn’t the exception. And, apparently, Andy wasn’t the only one that disliked it.

After Andy took her time making sure the plane and its staff were completely safe, they were getting ready for taking off when Quynh stood in front of Andy’s seat, pointed at the window seat beside her, and asked, “Can I sit there?”

Andy looked at her very seriously for a moment that would have been longer if she wanted to tease the woman that had been teasing her nonstop since they first met but, she noticed the genuine and unusual apprehension in the other woman’s face.

“Haven’t we been married for a full week already?” she answered with a playful smirk, “You don’t have to ask.” She nodded to the place beside her in invitation. There was a part of Andy’s brain overthinking why Quynh, who had known her only a week, would sit beside her, instead of literally next to anybody else in the entire plane filled with people she knew and trusted and had worked with for years. A matter of safety, purely logical and professional reasons, Andy’s mind decided, shutting off the insistent little questions that her mind had about every little thing Quynh did. The problem was, now Quynh’s hand was gripping the armrest between them, and it took everything in Andy not to reach out to her.

“I hate planes,” Quynh confessed, breaking the silence, “I mean, I’m a little fascinated by them but, it just doesn’t feel right to be so far away from the ground, you know?”

“I know,” Andy replied, doing an almost inhumane effort to keep her voice steady even though the plane was starting to move, “If it were up to me we’d still travel on horses.”

That got her a laugh from Quynh. “Okay, that might be going too far,” Quynh said, meeting her eyes for the briefest of moments. She looked down at her lap quickly though, afraid that the other woman would be able to read in her eyes the answer to the question Quynh couldn’t stop asking herself, Why did she feel the need to sit beside Andy?

However, then the plane was leaving the ground behind, and Andy was as tense as Quynh, her chest tight and her logical thoughts nowhere to be found. She reached out in instinct and, without any of them acknowledging it, they held hands tightly the entire time until they were well past the worst of it.

The rest of the trip ended up being uneventful, technically, even if Andy’s heart got little to no rest. She got to witness Quynh glued to her laptop and talking to members of her team, as busy as if the whole world depended on her, and as confident as if she could fit all of it in the palm of her hand. If that wasn’t enough to make Andy’s chest tighten in a whole new way, then she got to watch the adorable way in which Quynh fell asleep for the second half of the trip. Nose wrinkled and little sighs escaping her now and then. The only thing Andy was sure of was that she was in some serious trouble if Quynh didn’t stop being so perfect at everything she did.

When they arrived at their destination, Andy was taken by surprise when Quynh approached her with a shy smile. “I’m sorry, I must be terrible company,” she said, looking up at Andy.

“Not at all,” the taller woman replied sincerely. She was delighted to see Quynh’s smile grow but, when she took a step forward to leave the plane, Andy had to reach out and carefully grab her wrist, stopping her. “I should go first,” she said as an explanation.

“But the cameras,” Quynh frowned, apparently an expert at walking down from planes while being a famous woman, because of fashion, surely not because of her involvement with the CIA and company.

“I always go first,” Andy insisted, but managed a reassuring smile, “for your safety.”

Quynh sighed, accepting the logic. But then, the least she could do was help a little. She reached out and stole Andy’s sunglasses from where they hung by the collar of her black t-shirt. Then she gently put them on Andy’s face, smiling at the result and holding back from moving Andy’s hair off her forehead. Except, she failed at holding back, and her fingers did brush Andy’s hair away, sending electricity up both their bodies.

“Okay,” Andy mumbled, turning away and putting all her effort in not shaking as she walked to the door of the plane, where she was ambushed by flashing lights. She scowled at them, and surveyed the scene, careless of how odd she might look up there, until she remembered she did this for Quynh’s safety. Quynh. Quynh, who had an image to keep. So, Andy turned around and offered her hand to her wife, putting on a smile for her. Quynh was surprised, but didn’t hesitate with the offer and, as she descended from the plane, her smile was more than a little effortless.

--

The next days passed by flying. They were in America, and Andy expected their days to be filled with all the interviews and movies and fashion shows that are included with one half of Quynh’s life. And they were, all of those things happened, but there was so much more too.

In the most random of moments, without consulting anyone but Andy, Quynh would pull the two of them into a different room of the hotel they had checked into, or into a fancy restaurant as often as into an unassuming cafe. There, men in suits would be waiting for them, with questions, answers, new instructions, orders, apologies, or gratitude and respect for whatever Quynh had succeeded at pulling off secretly and while keeping up a whole different life too. A few times, they were men that had actually given jobs to Andy before, even Copley showed up at one point. Once, it was a man Andy had fought against, and it wasn’t exactly the most comfortable meeting any of them had experienced in their lives.

Surprisingly, the other things were more difficult. It was Andy’s job to make sure that movies’ premiers were safe and that no one dangerous could sneak into one of Quynh’s fashion shows. The death threats continued to come just as often, and Andy was getting closer to figuring them out, but she wasn’t there yet. In the meantime, she had to dress up following Quynhs instructions, she had to hold her hand in public, and she didn’t have to put too much effort in smiling whenever their eyes met.

It was mesmerizing, to say the least, watching Quynh work. She was professional, and passionate, a little too honest, but fun and caring and charismatic. She was talented and challenging and so outstandingly beautiful that it was getting increasingly difficult for Andy to deny she may or may not have accidentally caught feelings for her. The soldier attempted to cope by reminding Quynh, at every chance she got, that she didn’t want to be there, hated the fancy clothes, the cameras, and the pretending. The problem was, not all of it was pretending, and the few times Quynh let a little bit of hurt show because of Andy’s words, then Andy had to pretend she didn’t notice it.

There were some things Andy genuinely didn’t notice though. She hadn’t yet learned to see past Quynh’s teasing and humor and find the sincerity hiding under the surface. She still called her Andromache, not so much because she had asked to be called Andy, but because it was an excuse to say her name, to watch her reaction, to be the only one who called her that. When they were in public she called her “wife” as often as possible, not to play some part for the cameras, just because she loved to watch Andy blush. Andy, who was supposed to be an intimidating special soldier but lighted up like a kid whenever Quynh surprised her with the best pastries each city had to offer. Andy was hilariously uncomfortable with the fancy clothes, and adorably clumsy when talking to Quynh’s acquaintances, it never failed to make Quynh’s eyes go soft with endearment. And Andy had no way of knowing some of her clothes were things Quynh had stayed up late to design especially thinking of her.

Two moments stood out from the rest. Two times both women got maddingly close to absolute honesty, to crossing a beautiful line they were both dying to cross but stupidly waiting for the other one to take the final step.

First, there was one special interview in Vietnamese where Quynh felt so comfortable it was a little too easy for her to let down her guard. The interviewer, unsurprisingly, asked her about her unexpected marriage and her mysterious wife. Quynh gave the usual, prepared answer but, with a little bit more prompting, she kept talking.

“What I love about her? Everything of course. Um, the unexpected things, mostly. She makes me laugh like nobody else, mostly without even trying, I just like making fun of her,” Quynh laughed, and her eyes moved around the room for a moment, searching. She found Andy’s face, mostly inexpressive at the moment but still breathtaking, and the language barrier was enough to kick down the last of Quynh’s hesitation. “There’s more too. There’s no one like her, really. She… she’s beautiful, intelligent, so thoughtful, and inspiring, and… she makes me feel safe.”

The interviewer then asked her what she’d like to say to her wife, but Quynh almost didn’t hear him. She was too preoccupied with sudden panic burning inside her because, right at the last sentence she spoke, she stared again at Andy’s face, no longer expressionless, but quite the opposite. Eyes big, lips slightly parted, too many emotions, too much understanding. Quynh wanted to scream at herself for not thinking about the chances that the world’s best special agent would obviously happen to be fluent in a dozen languages that happened to include Vietnamese.

“I’d want to tell her, um,” Quynh stuttered, looking for the right words, the perfect fake smile and laugh to hide behind, “that I don’t completely regret our marriage.” She chuckled along with the interviewer, she went on with the interview, and not once she dared to look back at Andy again.

Then there was the second big moment, save for a hundred little moments, when Andy and Quynh’s little act of pretending was almost brought to a sudden ending. It was a special night after an extremely long and busy day, not just for Quynh, but also Andy, who was closer than ever to uncovering the source threatening Quynh. The result was Andy looking about ten times more exhausted than Quynh had ever seen her, dragging her feet across the hotel suite with her hair messy and bags under her eyes.

“Andromache,” Quynh called her from her place already in bed, “We can share the bed, you know?” She suggested, willing her voice to remain steady even under the stare of Andy’s green eyes filled with surprise. “I can tell you’re exhausted,” she managed a chuckle to lighten the situation, downplay her suggestion, hide her hope, “It’s not a big deal, come on.”

To her surprise and delight, Andy nodded once. The taller woman walked to the bed and nearly let herself fall face first on it, groaning in pleasure at the comfort of the bed and making Quynh laugh adoringly.

They got comfortable in the bed that was luckily big enough to not make it too difficult to keep their distance from each other. Andy was pretty much asleep already, her eyes closed, her features relaxed, and the filter in her mind basically nonexistent. When Quynh wished her a good night, she simply blurted out, “This has been my favorite mission ever.”

Andy’s voice was slurred and deep with sleep, making Quynh’s heart flutter pleasantly. “Why?” she asked with a smile, staring at the gorgeous woman on the other side of the bed. There was a great spark of excitement, adrenaline, and expectation for whatever Andy’s answer might reveal. But she couldn’t deny a sense of comfort, and peace, that covered them both at the moment. Andy could fall asleep without saying anything else at all, and still, it would be a moment Quynh would treasure forever.

“You know, being-” Andy was interrupted by a yawn, which she took as an opportunity to turn around in bed, giving her back to Quynh and finding the courage to finish her sentence before falling asleep. “Pretending to be madly in love with you, that’s easy enough to accomplish.”

Andy was asleep before she got to hear Quynh whisper her name a few moments later. She didn’t say anything else, but just by the way she pronounced her name, so tenderly, adoringly, softly, it would have been enough for anyone to figure out what her real feelings were.

--

Andy hated London. She’d had mostly bad experiences there and still, her dislike for the city was far from her biggest problems at the moment. She was backstage on one of Quynh’s fashion shows and she was scowling at everyone that dared look her way. Quynh was busy, and the models demanded a lot of her time, and Andy, who was totally not jealous of the way that a young and beautiful Nile Freeman who would be the star of the evening stole Quynh’s attention, was getting restless.

It was nearly time to begin the show when Andy managed to drag Quynh to an empty hallway and whisper, with possibly too much force, “We have a problem.”

“Yeah, she’s tall and pretty but she’s been scaring my models with her angry frown.”

In response, the aforementioned frown on Andy’s face deepened. “I told you. I’m almost there with figuring out who’s after you. If something happens tonight, which might happen, I’ll know for sure.”

“Well… great. Can I go now?”

“Quynh,” Andy insisted, “I mean it. Tonight’s dangerous.”

“There have been death threats on almost every city, tonight’s not different,” Quynh sighed gravely, didn’t roll her eyes, but her expression of boredom was enough to set off Andy’s temper.

Worst of all, Quynh tried to step away, which prompted Andy to reach out and hold her wrist to stop her. “I’m saying, I’m not letting you go out there,” Andy said with finality. She was still gentle as always, but there was a new urgency in her hold, it was just proof of Andy’s genuine worry but, at the moment, to Quynh, it looked just a little too aggressive. She frowned when she looked up at Andy.

“You cannot decide that for me, Andromache,” Quynh seethed, “You’re here to protect me if something goes wrong, and I expect you’ll do your job correctly. That’s it, that’s the only reason you’re here, and not to tell me what to do.”

After a short moment that felt like an eternity, Andy replied coldly, “You’re right. That’s the only reason I’m here. Just doing my job.”

It wasn’t until somebody else walked into the hallway to let Quynh know it was time to go, that both women realized how close they had been standing, how hard they were both breathing, how badly they had just hurt each other. Quynh glanced at her assistant and nodded, then she turned back quickly to look at Andy, an apology on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t get a chance. Andy had a perfectly cold expression on her face, the worst part being the fake smile on her lips.

“Good luck,” Andy whispered to her, then leaned in and kissed Quynh’s cheek. It was, by far, the worst thing she could have done to her right then. It was the first time she did it, and the fact that the small kiss was so cold, almost carrying venom with it, it broke Quynh’s heart more than she could have put into words.

Quynh had to leave Andy there, and she had to pretend she wasn’t on the verge of tears as the show started. It proved to be a good enough distraction, but it never quite took her mind off the hurt in Andy’s precious green eyes when she had brought up the purely-work-related argument on their discussion. Quynh thought it couldn’t have been worse, and then came the ending of the show. There she was standing alone on the runway, the models walking away, she was trying to smile for the cameras while the seat reserved for her wife on the first row was devastatingly empty. Andy had left, Quynh blamed herself and, for an instant, she didn’t think it could get worse.

Maybe it was the light, maybe there were tears in her eyes, but everything was a little bit blurry, and Quynh was completely caught off guard when a strong arm came around her shoulders, quickly pushed her down and away from where she had been standing. Then, there were shots. Quickly, one after another, loud, frightening. People started screaming, jumping out of their seats, and running, it was all chaos. However, from her safe place on the floor of the runaway and out of danger, Quynh couldn’t focus on any of it. How could she, when standing in front of her was Andy in all her glory, still holding a gun and staring a little too proudly at the lifeless body of the person that had been hired to kill Quynh, hired by someone Andy had already tracked down and ordered to take down while this all played out.

“Let’s go,” Andy said, offering her hand out to Quynh, and it all felt a little like a familiar dream.

The world was still going mad around them, but once again Andy was able to hold her hand firmly and pull her away from it all, pull her right back to the empty hallway where they almost broke each other’s hearts beyond mending. As soon as they were safe and alone, Quynh threw her arms around Andy, who eagerly reciprocated, holding her as closely as possible.

“I’m sorry,” Quynh mumbled again and again against Andy’s neck until they finally pulled back enough to look at each other like they were dying to do. Quynh still looked worried, but Andy’s face was a perfect reflection of joy.

“Don’t be,” Andy answered softly, daring to touch Quynh again, this time, placing her hand delicately against her cheek, and smiling when she felt the shorter woman lean into her touch. “We got him. Everything is fine now. You’re safe.”

Quynh sighed, “I said some things I regret.”

“It’s okay,” Andy promised, “I was paranoid, and overprotective. I’ve lost people I care about during missions before, but I can’t lose you…”

The earnest look in Andy’s eyes, her sweet words, her tender touch, it was all too much. Quynh didn’t trust words to express what she was feeling for the incredible woman standing right in front of her. As naturally as if she had done it for years and years, she leaned in, and she kissed Andromache, pouring all her feelings, everything she had been holding back for weeks, into that kiss.

Andy kissed her back with matching emotions, and when she pulled back, a small sigh escaped her. She glanced quickly at the chaos still going on beyond the end of the hallway and promptly ignored it all. She rested her forehead against Quynh’s and whispered, “There’s no one watching.” There was no need to act, to pretend, to do anything, or be anything beyond their truest selves.

“I know,” was all Quynh answered before pulling Andy down for another kiss.

--

After all the acting and all the pretending was done, letting down their guard and being honest with each other came really easily for Andy and Quynh. After her safety was restored, Quynh decided to take a small break. One of her jobs, under the spotlight, often required small breaks in some beautiful place. Her other job, under the weight of the entire world, often required her to maybe disappear for a little while. That’s how she found herself in a remote place, in a mostly isolated charming little house, sharing her bed, her life, and her heart, with Andy. They were starting to lose count of the days, just focused on enjoying and getting to know each other.

They were in bed, sitting side by side, their arms intertwined. Andy was finishing off whatever dessert she had brought from the kitchen back to bed with her. Quynh was teasing her for her sweet-tooth, complaining about leaving crumbs on their bed, and leaving little kisses on Andy’s shoulder.

After a while of silently holding each other, Andy broke the silence, humor obvious in her tone as she asked, “So, do I get to keep the job?”

Quynh laughed wholeheartedly and cuddled even closer. “My heart, I am not paying you for this,” she answered.

“Why not?” Andy scoffed, bringing them both to laughs, that eventually turned into kisses, that they wished would never stop.

Eventually though, Quynh pulled back, she looked lovingly at Andy and smiled. “Andromache, I did dream of you,” she confessed, “The day we met, I said-”

Andy couldn’t help but interrupt her with a kiss. She meant to say I know, I was there, I had the same dream, I was yours since before we met, I’ll be yours forever. She might say the words someday, but for the moment, she kissed her. She might confess she looked forward to maybe calling Quynh her wife again some day soon, for real, but, for the moment, she kissed Quynh with all the love she had in her, all the love she had for her.

[lyrebirdswrites]

How did you distinguish between comp het and genuine attraction, if that's something you ever experienced before/while IDing as lesbian? - sincerely, a questioning sapphic! 💛

Hi anon! I have experienced comp het before, and I’m happy to talk about how it felt for me vs the actual crushes I’ve had ^^ I’ll whack it under a read more because my answer involves a lot of rambling about my personal experience.

A quick note that comp het can be different for everyone and I am certainly not the word of god on the subject. Also, I’m asexual, so sexual attraction did not factor into comp het for me, and I previously thought I was bi so I was already comfortable with the idea of me being attracted to girls. That might not line up with your situation, but hopefully my experiences can give you some insight regardless.

Anyway. There was this guy I really liked back when I was in high school.

When I was ‘crushing’ on him, it was pretty cerebral. I was always asking myself questions, trying to figure out how much I liked him and whether I could really see us together. I remember thinking to myself, “well, he’s not exactly conventionally attractive - but that’s okay, that doesn’t bother me, I would never be so shallow as to not date someone just because they’re not the most drop dead gorgeous person in town” (the issue had nothing to do with how attractive he actually was; rather, the problem was that I wasn’t attracted to him and I didn’t know it). I’d ask myself, “do I feel butterflies when I think about him?” And lo and behold, the butterflies would spontaneously appear! So I’d have to assume, “well, there they are, there’s your answer.” When I wondered, “can I see myself with him” the answer was a firm yes - but it was the kind of yes that was firm in order to push down tiny doubts, so nebulous and vague it was difficult to even know they were there at all. Not the kind of yes that was organically certain.

Typing it out like that makes it seem pretty obvious that whatever I thought I was feeling, I probably wasn’t feeling it after all. But what made it confusing was that I honestly, genuinely, really liked this guy. He was one of my best friends and one of my favourite people on the planet. He had a good heart, he was confident, he was intelligent and articulate, we could talk about anything. I cared about him very deeply, and that wasn’t fake. So when I started hearing from my friends that he might like me that way, and when I started noticing things in his behaviour that indicated he might want to be more than friends, it made me wonder - this care I have for him, is that love? Maybe it is. I like him a lot. I like spending time around him. I like that he likes me. If I like him so much, then I want to go out with him, right? It’s called compulsory heterosexuality, but at no point did I feel consciously compelled or pressured - when he asked me out, it was my choice to say yes, and in all that thinking I’d done I came to the conclusion that this was something I wanted. I felt all the warm fuzzies I was supposed to feel right afterward; I rang my best friend the moment I got home and we had a big long squeal about it together.

Except very quickly I figured out that this was not something I wanted at all, because once the initial warm fuzzies wore off and I was actually dating him, the gulf between what was expected of me and what I felt turned out to be massive. The main thing I remember from that relationship is that it felt stifling. Not because he was doing anything wrong or coming on too strong, but because I had fundamentally misinterpreted my own feelings. A hug from him or a hand on my shoulder became something I had to grit my teeth and endure instead of something I enjoyed, practically overnight. Physically, I did not want him near me, because the new meaning behind his gestures made me feel like my personal space was constantly being invaded, like I had to get away. Needless to say, that relationship did not last very long. He was very gracious and understanding, but I felt really guilty about the whole thing. 0/10 would not recommend sorting out comp het by actually dating a guy.

I have had crushes on girls since then, and to me it feels very different. I think the biggest difference is that when I’m experiencing comp het, I wonder if I’m feeling something and then the feelings may or may not manifest; when I’m experiencing a genuine crush, the feelings come first, and then I identify them, however long it takes to do so. That’s not to say that I don’t question whether I have a crush - but I’m not responding to the thought that a relationship might be on the table, I’m figuring out an emotion that already exists, if that makes sense. The angst involved is less do i really like him tho and more does she like me back. I’m not up late at night imagining what it would be like to be in a relationship and trying to figure out if I’d be comfortable with that in the first place; I’m either thinking oh wouldn’t it be nice, or I’m going to bed early because it means tomorrow will come quicker and I can see her again lol. My thoughts about the crush are less self-focused, because I’m too busy focusing on how lovely she is. I ask myself less, and try to prove it to myself less, because it just is.

I do remember that after the whole situation with the boy from high school, I stumbled upon this big long google doc about comp het. If you haven’t read it, I’d recommend doing so - it was helpful for me at the time.

Hopefully this was helpful, anon! I wish you all the best while you’re figuring things out, and whatever answer you settle on, I hope it’s an answer that feels comfortable to you <3

[g--r-e--e-n]

The Crow

A late Mammon x GN!MC for the Max thingy!

Warnings: It obviously talks about a crow, just in case. The ending might seem quite rushed, I'm sorry, it was already too long :(. No spoilers, everything is before the MC's actual arrival to the Devildom.

Loud music echoing all around your house, singing and dancing like a madman through the corridors like it was no body's business, mopping the floor and trying to make something nice out of your free days.

Everything was perfect, just the way anyone would have always liked it. Yet, somehow… It felt empty, bitter, almost painful.

It hadn't been long since you and who you thought was your other half broke up. But you couldn't allow yourself to feel sad, not now.

You're young, you're strong, and you have a lovely future. You repeat it over and over, trying to turn the music louder than any thoughts you may have. It might not be the easiest thing to do, but trying won’t murder you, will it?

Finally there was not a single shadow of dust in your apartment. Not that there was anything before, but it helped keeping yourself busy. Now, finally, you only had to get rid off all the rubbish you somehow managed to collect.

You reluctantly turned off the music and made your way to the bins. Luckily, they weren't too far away: It was a cold, rainy day, and you'd rather stay at home instead of fighting the wind with your little umbrella,your hair a mess and your socks now wet.

Your day couldn't really get worse, yet you started doubting it the second you saw something dark moving in between feral pieces of litter someone didn't care about enough to throw correctly.

For a second you started believing in ghosts and God knows what but,soon enough, you saw a crow's deep black feathers, a painful caw breaking through the air like a thunder.

It was hurt, hungry, wet and cold. You could see how it bended it's right wing, unable to fly, a poor creature begging you with it's eyes, deep as the galaxy, were you clearly saw yourself, wet hair sticking to your face, comfortable yet not too fashionable clothes, eye bags hanging from your eyelashes, as pitiful as the poor bird in front of you, even if your wound was emotional rather than physical.

You didn't think twice before throwing your own raincoat over the creature, knowing that holding it with your bare hands would be rather dangerous.

Soon you headed home, crow surrounded in plastic like some bizarre newborn baby. It seemed to be weirdly docile, given its nature, but you soon learned to give it its space, holding it away from your face, barely able to keep the umbrella over your soaked bodies.

As soon as you get home, you lay him down carefully, keeping an eye on him and slowly getting rid of your wet shoes and reaching your phone.

The bird seemed scared, but it didn't move, eyes staying fixed on yours, its screams sounding more like begging than dangerous.

You soon sent a message to your good old friend Liam. Sure, Google is interesting, but Liam is your neighbor, a vet, and you've known him for years. This is not your first time rescuing feral animal in danger, so you knew for a fact you can rely on him.

Soon, he messaged you back, telling you that he's on his way with a cage so he can take the crow to the clinic. You couldn't help but chuckle, of course Liam wouldn't allow you to take the poor little thing in your arms, knowing how it could reduce your skin to vaguely human-flavored threads.

However, this also left you with a couple minutes alone with this somehow magnificent king of dumpsters. After observing him from a while, you walk backwards towards the kitchen. As soon as you could, you reapeared, hard bread on your hands and a smile on your lips, seeing how the bird stood still. Not that he had much option, of course. His right leg didn't seem too fine either.

Breaking a small piece of bread, you carefully and pretty cowardly throw it at the crow, thinking it would land before him, but being rather amused by the way the creature just catches it ever so quickly.

When Liam came, you had almost ran out of bread, and both the crow and you seemed so engaged in the game of throwing and catching that you barely realized the young man walking into the room, hair wet and a miracously almost dry cardboard box that you supposed was originally meant for holding fruit at the market,

You almost jumped when you heard him call you by your name, but soon your fear turned into a warm and welcoming hug, never minding his cold body, or how the crow ruffled its feathers, wishing it could growl in this pitiful form that barely managed him to caw drily. Something about the tall brunette slowly stroking your lower back managed to piss it off.

"Oh my God, you are such a mess!" Happily, and always positively, saluted you Ian. At times you feel like he doesn't really know when he's not supposed to be sincere, but not wanting to keep your new little friend waiting, you decide to keep your big mouth shut. "So... Where's our guy?"

His bright smile calms you down a bit, but its effects are quickly reversed by how the crow clumsily tries to run away, jumping on its one functional leg, only tangling itself with the raincoat still surrounding it.

Liam gives you a raised eyebrow. "I know I told you not to touch it too much, but a blanket would've been nice, you know?"

You simply shrug it off, not wanting to admit that you got too distracted feeding it to even be a decent human. The crow apparently agrees with Liam, because suddenly it's easy to move around again. You probably thought it was simply a funny coincidence, because, well crows are clever but, as far as you know, not THAT clever.

Who would've thought a poor demon would've gotten cursed by some witch? Not you, or not seriously, at least. As much as you love those sort of themes, reality doesn't allow them to become true.

A crow is just a crow, as clever as it could be. Not more, not less.

“Whatever. Let's do our thing, it's getting so late..." You softly sighted, eyes slowly dancing towards your window, the sky getting darker every second. Too invested in cleaning your bad memories out, you had barely realized how time had passed. Did you even have lunch?

If Liam noticed the brief sadness in your expression, he decided to leave you be, carefully holding the injured crow before leaving him in the cardboard box. The bird moved, cawed, yes, but he didn't seem to put too much of a fight. After all, Mammon might be a fool, but he'd much rather get back to Lucifer as soon as possible, thank you very much. Hanging upside down is not a pleasant experience.

Soon you were silently in Liam's car, the box resting in the backseat. Your friend's warm brown eyes were fixed in the road, but you both knew each other too well. He knew you were having a bad time. You knew he was plotting something.

"You know, after we drop our new son..." He softly said, taking a turn to the right. You braced yourself, both for his harsh driving and the proposal in coming. "We could go to the club, like in the good old days."

You softly laughed it off, even knowing Liam would easily catch the bitter feeling growing in your throat. "You know I'm trying to save my money, Liam. It doesn't grow from trees."

"I mean, technically..." He shrugged, turning now to the left. Even if he was being particularly gentle in order not to turn your feathery friend into a smoothie, you still had to stop yourself from screaming when the car almost ran over an elderly lady. "C'mon! There's a zebra cross like... Eleven meters away?!"

You slightly turned, sighing in relief seeing the crow is still safe.

"What I was saying" Liam continued, much to your dismay "I can pay for you, you know? I'm gaining some good cash now, and I don't have that many expenses. Plus, I'm pretty sure I owe you one from back in highschool."

A faint, but at least genuine laugh was thrown into the air as memories came back. Summer nights lying in the sand, gossiping and laughing, having a good time. "You dummy, that was ages ago! I just... Don't feel like going anywhere crowded."

"What about my place then? I've got some nice cheap booze. You look like you could use it."

He teasingly flashed you a bright smile before finally hitting the brakes and getting off the car. It was hard, but you managed to get out without fainting along the way.

"Well, thank you very much sir. You too look alluring" you sarcastically commented, before going to pick up the crow that stared at you so firmly with its jet black eyes that you felt the void within them could shallow you entirely any time.

Mammon doesn't have the best attention spam, or any sort emotional intelligence, but bring money to the equation and it may just change.

The human was short on money. Something Mammon, of course, understood very well. The human, even if a lowly human, had also saved him.

His little braincells were working hard, wondering if it was right to do what he thought to do. What if you were some terrible person underneath? What if you were a witch looking for a pact?

Luckily, he didn't have much time to drown himself in conspiracies, for soon he wad bring brought to the vet, and, by the way he was moving around, he did not enjoy it.

"Oh, C'mon, buddy..." You softly complained, struggling to hold onto the cardboard while Liam opened the clinic's door, fighting against the key. "I know it hurts. Just... Hold on a little, alright? Be a brave little boy for me"

You smiled at the crow, Liam suddenly laughing his soul off, loud enough for you not to pay much attention at the effect your words had had on the poor creature emiting broken caws.

"Do you always have to do that?" He mercilessly mocked you, finally opening the door and holding it for you, mainly because your arms were too busy, both with the crow and the hard fight against yourself to keep you from strangling Liam. "Come in, leave it on my table and wait outside, alright? Here, get yourself some coffee."

He absent mindedly thew you a coin. When Liam entered the clinic, he was no longer your dear and annoying friend Liam. He was the doctor. And the doctor was very cool at doing his thing, but pretty much useless at anything else.

Useless enough to throw a coin to someone holding a crow.

Of course, you couldn't just drop the guy or get the coin with your mouth like some dog, so you simply stared at him waiting for the realization to kick in. However, to your surprise, the crow threw itself as the coin, with as much grace as a bird with a wounded leg and wing can throw themselves at anything, which is, sadly, not much.

Luckily you did manage to keep him from failing, a soft smile flourishing as you saw him holding onto the coin.

"Please? I want to finish soon, the rum won't finish itself tonight." Liam was now in front of you, slightly surprising you. Trying your best to hide it, you hand him the crow. He simply sighed, struggling a bit to take the coin out from his beak, holding it out to you while taking the crow like a perfect choreography. "There you go."

You exaggerated an angry face as he petted your head a few times, managing to keep the animal in one arm like it was just natural before disappearing after the door.

Liam didn't like having you around while he works, specially if he knows it can involve anything even a bit gruesome. But this time you simply feel the need to be there with the pitiful crow, to help him and bring some hope into his beautiful eyes that seemed ever so intelligent.

The loud caws only made it worse, so you decided to get some coffee into your life.

Coffee at the clinic is bitter and far too strong, but Liam insists it's the only thing keeping him from falling asleep after specially complicated shifts.

You didn't really think twice before chugging it down, regretting it immediately. You were already nervous enough, why add caffeine?

You soon began wandering around the waiting room you knew so well, roaming next to the door to try and catch a glimpse of what could be going on in its guts. Liam is a good bet, but, what if something had gone wrong? What if it was not fixable?

A crow is not something you can keep in your house, is it? What would you do then? The closest animal rescue center is so far away, but perhaps you could take a few days off your obligation. After the whole situation with your ex, it’s very much needed.

Your constant thinking was soon relieved by a softly smiling Liam walking in with the crow resting in the cardboard box, looking all over like it too felt uncomfortable there. Its broken wing had been carefully wrapped in what experience told you was coflex. You couldn’t see his leg, but it must be in a similar situation.

“Our little man here has beheaved just fine” Liam said, softly. As much as he always made fun of how you spoke to animals, he was not that different. I mean, he did dedicate his whole life to this, didn’t he? “He should be able to fly in… Perhaps two weeks? It’s not a multiple fracture, which is rather relieving, but who knows.”

You slightly frowned. You did expect something similar, of course, but you wouldn’t normaly expect a bird with a broken wing to be half as lively as this one had been. A part of you admired his strenght, yes, but the other one felt simply curious.

“What about the leg?” you softly ask, bending a bit to see the creature eye to eye, barely saving enough distance to ensure your safety. “It couldn’t walk. What is it?”

“Give it around five or seven days and he will be walking all over” He tried your best to cheer you up, so you decided to at least gift him a little smile. “And he even seems to be eating well, so no need to worry, alright?”

You noded, standing up again to throw the empty cup of coffe in the bin, its bitter taste slowly dissappearing from your mouth as this new, warm feeling took you all over.

“So… Your house, right?” You flash Liam a smile while taking the crow carefuly. It seems to struggle against it for a bit, but soon relaxes. What else could it do?

Liam didn’t even bother to confirm what you already knew to be true, as he opened the doors once again and you stepped outside, the night’s cold air against your skin. Before you even realized it, you were siting in his kitchen, the crow resting on the counter, warm tears on your face, the burning feeling of alcohol down your throat… And dedscending through a rabbit hole of blurry memories and complains.

Trust me, there are many things you regret. But getting ever so wasted is deffinetly within the number ten.

You wanted to keep on with your life, you wanted to do your best, to show yourself you didn’t need any “other half” to be completed. You know, being active and stuff, putting yourself together.

But here you were, laying down in your bed on a Saturday afternoon, staring at your ceiling in pain and hunger, too hangover to even sit up and absolutely obliterate the bird that was screaming so loudly. God, that surely is another big regret of yours right now.

Still, you didn’t have the heart to let it starve, not again, so you slowly roll out from bed, holding your head with your hand, the same clothes you wore yesterday all wrinkled around your body.

“I know, I know.” You complain as if the bird knew what you were saying, too naive to realice he, in fact, was. It didn’t take you long to cross your rather small appartment to reach the kitchen, were you apparently dropped the bird yesterday, not that you remember much about it. You lazily searched for the bag Liam had given you, filled with sunflower seeds and… Crickets?

You look at the bird, hesitating a bit before sighing and walking towards it, leaving the open bag for it to eat and, hopefully, not get your floor too dirty. It seemed to be pretty hungry, as it devoured his meal without a single complain, quicker than ever. After all, Mammon was used to eat before Beelzebub could even dream of stealing his dear fuel.

Oh, how he missed his brothers. What could they be doing? Perhaps they didn’t even realice. Perhaps they were happier that way. He has always been “the scummy second born”, after all, so isn’t it a favour to dissapear like this?

You didn’t quite understand what was going on, but you did realice the way the crow’s eating speed decayed. Before struggling a bit against yourself and your huge headache, you spread your arm towards the bird, not daring to touch it, relieved when it didn’t seem too keen on murdering you, at least by the moment.

“Come here, little guy…” You carefuly stroke his head a few times. It seemed to enjoy it, but you still felt a bit too insecure to maintain the contact for too long. “You will be flying again in no time.”

You soon went to do your own thing, drink your pretty late breakfast, sit by the counter and silently tink of some name for your newfound friend. Little did you know this was but the start of a very wicked story.

The bird, who, to Mammon’s dismay you had called Liquorice, proved to be a rather interesting company, even when he could not move that much for the first few days. You found yourself spending most of your free time playing with him, or even telling him your deepest of secrets, not like he could judge you.

It was relaxing, no façade to be held, not a lie to be uttered. It was Liquorice and you, and it felt perfect. Either way, seeing how clingy he slowly grew to be, it’s not like it was one sided.

In four days the crow could already run around, and it seemed to want to look outside. Of course Mammon loved your company, but he was still worried. A part of him thought it was foolish, that nobody would miss him, but he knew Lucifer far too well.

Seeing how his wing wasn’t still healed, you decided to accompany him to his little walks all over the town’s outskirts, and it seemed to even strenghthen your relationship. You still cound’t be anywhere with people or vehicles, but fresh air was nice enough to make your black and white world broaden a bit.

Days passed by quicker than either Mammon or you would’ve thought, too lost in your little shennanigans to even mind the clock. Soon the crow was able to fly, as you discovered when it leaped from the fridge to the hallway, happily cawing around.

At first it was a happy moment, and you soon sent a hundred videos to Liam to show him how the little crow was doing so well. However, soon both of you had to face a realization: His time here was over.

Liquorice was a wild animal as far as you were concerned, of course, and you did not have the guts to keep him trapped. Not after knowing how that felt. However, something inside you felt uncomfortable with the idea of seeing your house empty again. Mammon, of course, also felt uneasy, but for very different reasons.

You see, for you this all had been helping a very funny crow. But he was a tad more conscious of the whole situation, and trust me, it was putting him through hell. Sure, he wanted to return to his brothers, but… What about this human?

He tried to convince himself this was just him wanting to protect a weak being as a “thank you”, but his lie was too obvious to ignore. He had seen you at your worst, in the nights when you drank alone and talked for hours about someone he simply knew did not deserve you. He had seen you at your best, dancing all across your house when you recieved any good news, cooing at him when he did even the smallest of things, like it was a great archievement you could barely believe. You had hold him close, you had kissed the top of his head, stared for ages into his eyes, not realizing the effect none of your actions had in him. He had slowly started to care, and he was not enjoying that idea, but what could he do?

He’s just a crow, and now that there’s no excuse for you to keep him around, it’s his time to go and dissapear, turning into a vague memory. God, why did he feel so impotent now?

You both struggled against yourselves in silence, until you came up with an idea.

“Let’s give it a day, alright, buddy? Just to see if you still remember how to move those wings of yours”

You showed him an empty smile he could tell from miles apart, but he couldn’t do much about it, drowning too deep into his own feelings.

The following day, both of you stayed at home, playing your little games of fetch, you laughing at how the crow beheaved almost like a little puppy, him silently swooning over the sweet sound of your laughter, almost forgetting the bitterness of the situation until night actually fell and it was time to close this wonderful little adventure.

You were both lying in the living room when night came, exhausted from running around, breathing heavily with a big smile to your face like it didn’t hurt.

“You know… I think it’s time already, right?” You slowly stand up, yawning softly. You didn’t really get too much sleep last night, and you sure as hell needed it. “Time to be free, little guy! Here, come.”

You carefully pick him up, close to your chest. You knew him too well to think he would hurt you, and the warmth was greatly appreciated by Mammon, who snuggled a bit within your embrace, trying to save this moment forever deep in his memories.

Being the avatar of greed, he’s used to the feeling of wanting, and, at times, not being able to. Yet, somehow, it didn’t stop this ugly feeling from blossoming in his now feathery chest. He felt so pathetic like this, so worked up because of a human being.

He and his brothers knew very damn well this wouldn’t lead anywhere nice. What could he do? Even if he managed to stay here, he knows his family can’t take another Lilith, and every second he spends here it’s harder not to fall even deeper for this trap his father seemed to have laid just for him.

Mammon convinced himself it was for the better, and soon did you. When you set him free to fly in the park next to your house, he didn’t even bother to look back as you screamed your goodbyes, the poor people around the park staring at you with a raised eyebrow as you soon deinflated with a big sight, knowing your routine was back to haunt you forever.

And of course, it did. You were back to doing your thing, spending your afternoons either with Liam and his new boyfriend or watching bad movies all by yourself, barely feeling certain melancholy as you found some stray feather hidden in your couch.

Liquorice was gone. Little did you know Mammon was not.

The young boy had found Lucifer as soon as he had left the park, and their little chat had been… Interesting. But at least it didn’t lead to his death, but rather to some extra chores and, finally, the hex coming undone, which meant he could always try to come back, even if he could no longer take certain adventage of your inocence.

Of course he went back to the House and Lamentation, and was made to attend every RAD lesson, but as soon as he was out of sight he was already walking over to your house, “accidentally” bumping you in the street from time to time, always trying his best to hide his identity, knowing you would probably be weirded out by always seeing the same guy around, and how easily his fluffy white hair and glasses could be told from any crowds.

You didn’t really think much of the many faceless guys you happened to encounter, of course. But what really made you ask yourself certain questions was the amount of little things showing up on your window frame, from stray coins to little glittery plastic jewelry. You didn’t want to think too much of it, but thinking it was Liquorice warmed your heart a little, and it was much less disturbing that thinking some random guy was passing daily around your home.

Mammon couldn’t help but swoon over the way you smiled, pressing his little gifts to your chest and looking through the window, the poor demon barely managing to stay invisible and attached to a tree he didn’t trust that much (C’mon, human, what made ya think livin’ on a fith floor was a good idea?), too scared to face you, too scared to leave.

Who would’ve told him it would be you, even if dragged by his dearest (and very aware) brother who would eventually face him, a feather necklace on your neck, smiling unkowingly and turning his little world upside down?

[sodalitefully]

This is the result of me being a slut for demon AUs, and also for Slash’s ridiculously pretty face.  I wasn’t planning to write this 'cause uh it’s definitely got similarities to some of my other ideas and also because I’m not really satisfied with the characterization, but it wouldn’t leave me alone so here it is:

Summary: Slash is a pretty lil incubus who escapes from Hell. He gets roughed up a little on the way out, and Duff finds him lost and hurt on the street in LA. He helps Slash, takes him home, cleans him up, and hears him out. Duff lets Slash stay the night, and he can already tell that he’s going to let Slash stay as long as he wants. Slash latches on to Duff immediately, he’s convinced that Duff is the kindest, most beautiful being that could possibly exist and he absolutely adores him. Duff is crushing hard on Slash, but he can’t fathom why Slash likes him so much, he’s not pretty or exceptional while Slash is stunningly, inhumanly gorgeous. But Duff is compassionate as hell, and he does his best to ease Slash into life in the mortal plane.

Duff finds Slash on his way home from work on a Friday night, Slash looks completely lost and he’s bleeding a little and he’s not completely dressed.  Everyone else is avoiding him in case he’s tripping or crazy or something, but Duff goes up to him cause he seems to be dressed like a rocker (no shirt or shoes, just tight leather pants and some jewelry) so like, solidarity from one wasted rocker to another.  

Duff goes up to him, notices that he’s like, insanely hot but decides not to say anything about it, and asks if he’s lost or something.  Slash shies away and eyes him suspiciously, he’s not used to people freely offering help.  But then something comes running at them from down the street, at first Duff thinks it’s a dog but as it gets closer it’s obviously not a dog, not any kind of animal he recognizes, so he kicks it as hard as he can into a wall and it vanishes on impact in a puff of sour smelling smoke.  That’s fucking weird so Duff looks around to see if anyone else saw that, but the people around them don’t seem to notice anything unusual.  Instead, Duff spots a pack of four more creatures coming towards them.  Slash sees them too, and he changes his mind about trusting Duff – he looks up at him and tugs on his arm, “Please help me!”  

So Duff basically scoops Slash up (he’s way too skinny) and sprints for his car around the block.  He throws Slash in the passenger seat and guns it.  “What the fuck are those things?!” (classic action movie line).  Slash explains that they’re hellhounds, vermin of the underworld, they followed him here.  There’s a lot to unpack there, but Duff starts with the most important question: “Are they going to keep coming after us?”  “Well, they can’t pass between planes on their own, so either we lose them or we get rid of them.”  “How do we get – Oh shit!” The hellhounds are suddenly right in front of the car, half a block away.  “Just hit them! They’ll re-spawn in Hell and they won’t be able to get back!” So Duff braces himself and drives straight through the pack, they disintegrate just like the first one did.

“Holy fucking shit.  Was that all of them?”  Slash affirms, and Duff pulls off the road next to a sketchy little park that’s mostly empty at this time in the evening.  He and Slash get out of the car, and Duff is on the verge of panic, nearly yelling as he questions Slash about what the fuck just happened.  He stops dead when he realizes that Slash looks scared (all big eyes and quivering pout and hugging himself defensively and damn if it doesn’t yank Duff’s heartstrings more than any sad puppy ever has), and immediately backtracks, apologizing and asking more gently for Slash to explain what happened.  

So Slash does, he introduces himself and explains that the hounds won’t come back, they followed him here when he escaped from Hell.  Slash is a demon and they spend a few minutes establishing this fact (he probably proves it by demonstrating that he can shapeshift).  Duff asks if there’s a chance that more will come after him, Slash says he doubts it, he’s a little embarrassed as he admits he’s just an incubus, there’s a million others like him, no one will come looking now that he’s gone.  Duff has a hard time imaging that anyone else like Slash exists in the world.  He asks why Slash escaped and Slash explains that Hell is the worst, he just gets kicked around by more powerful demons (who treat low-level incubi like funny little pets because they’re not very powerful and they look mostly like humans instead of like terrifying demons) and sent off to seduce humans (he’s sick of it: shifting into their ideal, tempting them with whatever sick fantasies they have and then basically drugging them with his demonic power of irresistibility; it’s all-around terrible sex really, they act like they’re in a trance and he doesn’t get any say in what they do).  It occurs to Duff eventually that Slash is basically telling him he had a demon pimp.  

“So... you’re not going to try to steal my soul or something?”  “I don’t make deals, just tempt people.  And I don’t want to do that anymore, I don’t… I don’t really like hurting people.” He whispers the last bit like it’s some terrible secret.  “It’s so violent in Hell, I just want to be left alone…"

“What are you going to do now that you’re on Earth?” Duff asks.  He knows where he’s going with this, and he knows it’s a bad idea – inviting a demon into his own home?? It’s a recipe for disaster, but Slash seems so sincere and Duff rationalizes that he should be fine as long as he doesn’t ask for or agree to any sex.  Easier said than done, because Slash is the most stunning being that Duff has ever encountered in his life and just being around him scrambles his mind a little.  

But Slash looks so lost and uncertain when he admits that he doesn’t know much about the mortal plane and he has nowhere to go, and he lights up with a combination of relief and genuine shock and awe when Duff offers to take him home with him.  

So they get back in the car and drive home, where Duff runs Slash a bath, helps clean up the blood and soot (sure, Slash could probably handle it himself but Duff is firmly in mother hen mode), gives him some comfortable clothes to wear (seeing Slash wearing his softest t-shirt and a pair of tiny shorts is almost too much for Duff) and something warm to eat (as an immortal demon, Slash has never eaten real food before and frankly it’s life-changing – this tastes so much better than dick. He might cry. Duff now understands why he’s so thin).  

When it’s time to go to bed, Slash is uncertain.  He’s been in people’s beds before, though he’s never actually slept in one.  In Hell he had a little place to sleep but nothing like the homes that humans have.  Duff offers Slash the options of the bed and the couch.  Slash cautiously clarifies that Duff doesn’t want to have sex with him? “Oh no, I couldn’t.”  Slash looks confused and a little uncomfortable.  “I mean, of course I think you’re attractive, shit you’re the most beautiful – Uh, but you said earlier that you didn’t want to do that anymore, I would never ask you to.  I didn’t offer to help because I wanted something in return.”  

Slash stares at him.  “Duff, you must have the kindest soul in this realm.”  Duff tries to deflect (of course he doesn’t have the kindest soul that’s ridiculous, all he did was offer a little help, anyone could have), but Slash just looks at him affectionately.  “And the prettiest face.  I might be done with seduction, but with you, I wouldn’t mind.”  Duff can’t even comprehend that Slash of all people could find him beautiful with his scars and his terrible dye job and all the other things he’s secretly insecure about. Instead he focuses on the last thing Slash said, “I wouldn’t mind” isn’t exactly an enthusiastic come on so Duff will stand by his vow not to fuck Slash.  

Duff helps Slash make a little nest of blankets on the couch and then they both go to bed.  In the morning, Duff wakes up first, so he tries to very quietly put together breakfast without waking Slash in the tiny apartment.  They spend the rest of the weekend trying to acclimate Slash to living with mortals – it’s quite a learning curve.  Slash needs lots of help with things, but Duff doesn’t mind at all, and by the time Monday comes around, he feels confident that Slash can mind himself in the apartment for a while when Duff is at work.  Slash is very impressed that Duff has a job and earns money, but he’s also a little nervous to be alone – he wakes up early to send Duff off with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and Duff is entirely distracted through his whole shift.  

When Duff gets home, Slash announces that he missed him, then starts excitedly telling Duff about his day: It was so quiet, he’s never experienced that before! There were animals on the TV for a while before it changed to people talking about things! He looked out the window for two hours and at one point he saw a man drop his sandwich across the street and it reminded him of Hell!

Over the course of that week, Slash has no trouble keeping himself entertained when Duff is out.  He systematically attacks Duff’s music collection, takes up guitar, starts writing down notes about humanity in a little notebook (Duff finds it open one day, and reads a couple hilariously endearing entries).  He also discovers porn, and is immediately obsessed with it.  So many ways to have sex, and he gets to choose what to watch or look at whenever he wants!  Duff soon learns that Slash has very diverse and somewhat unusual tastes in erotica.

But when Duff comes home, all of Slash’s attention is on him.  He loves to tell Duff about his day, and is completely engrossed in whatever Duff has to say in return.  He continues to candidly compliment Duff, usually something along the lines of being extremely kind and intelligent and beautiful, and Duff continues to deflect cover up his insecurity.  Slash is completely open about his adoration of Duff, but Duff can’t even begin to accept it, so he just pretends it doesn’t exist.  Meanwhile Duff is at least a bit in love with Slash but still convinced that he’s not ever going to do anything about it.

Eventually, Duff’s friends are wondering why they haven’t seem him for almost a week.  Duff brings Slash along to the bar and introduces him to Axl, Izzy, and Steven.  The guys all give Duff a look when they meet Slash – How did one of us ever manage to land someone like that?  Slash gets along well with Duff’s friends; he’s still working on the whole acting-like-a-human thing and they can tell when his behavior is a little off, but they trust Duff’s judgement so they try to be welcoming.  

Duff, however, is not having a good time.  Sure, it’s nice to see Slash doing so well, but all of the insecurities he’s been repressing over the past week are resurfacing all at once.  Just standing next to Slash in public is stressing him out, he can’t stop imagining that everyone around them is judging him, thinking that Slash is way out of his league.  He’s certain he wouldn’t mind so much if he wasn’t so helplessly gone for Slash – now he’s also worried that Slash will realize that there’s plenty of people in the world who are way better than Duff.

Duff excuses himself to the restroom, and a minute later Axl follows and corners him by the sinks.  “Where the everliving fuck did you find this kid? And why the fuck are you just sitting there like a stiff corpse when he’s all over you??”  Axl has always been a confidant for him, so Duff starts to explain how he’s been feeling over the past week, leaving out the bit about demons and hellhounds.  “Duff, you dumb fuck, it’s obvious to anyone with two working brain cells that Slash thinks you’re God.  Enough of this you-don’t-deserve-it bullshit, just make your move!"

They return to the table, where the rest have paid off their tabs and gotten ready to move on to the next bar of the night. “Sorry for keeping you waiting,” Duff says, ostensibly to the group but mostly to Slash.  Then, with his heart pounding and palms sweating, he leans in to give Slash a completely casual peck on the cheek.  

Slash lights up like the sun and immediately latches on to Duff’s arm and leans his head on his shoulder.  He doesn’t let go for even a second as they hit the next bar, and the one after that, and then finally head home and curl up together on the couch.

(holy shit that was way longer than I thought it would be. tagging @fan-with-issues. have a good night folks.)

[smuttymess]

bts astro soulmate reading | for mary

sign: cancer sun | pisces moon | virgo rising

lover: min yoongi | soulmate: kim taehyung

This reading is for Mary, a fellow NYC moot and a huge fan of our sunny J-Hope & Taehyung’s general gorgeousness. I had a lot of fun with this one as I am on a huge Taegi kick right now, so I hope you enjoy <3

Still waters run deep for you, sensitive Cancer. With your sun in Cancer, your super power is intuition. Your strength comes in your emotional intelligence, which you are tapped into at all times. This is only intensified by your Pisces moon, which allows you to feel things on a deeper level than most people. Your compassionate, empathetic nature is felt and appreciated by others, who often seek you out for advice or a shoulder to lean on. You have a strong tendency to get swept up in your emotions and impressions, longing to retreat into your fantasy world and away from the harsh realities of daily life. Luckily, you are blessed with a sharp Virgo rising, which you are allows you to harness your emotions and and utilize them to problem-solve and move things forward. Your reserved and stoic Virgo rising is your outward facing persona, protecting the vast tenderness nestled just beneath. In this way, you sort of have the best of both the dreamy, fantastical world of your mind and the sound, earthly realm which you physically live. 

More than anything, you want emotional security and stability in your relationships, whether professional, platonic or romantic. Your colleagues know you as the get-things-done team player, which means you are highly valued in the workplace. In your intimate relationships, you find balance in both giving and receiving care, and you are exceptionally good at both. In the past, you may have had a fondness for fuckboys in the past (Aries and Libra - here’s looking at you!) who knew how to fuck you but not treat you well. As you get older you truly seek that healthy balance of all things in your romantic relationships, understanding that your emotional range is a gift to be admired, not taken advantage of. While you are certainly attracted to those brooding artist creative types, typically try to stay away from people who cannot give you that sense of emotional security in the long term.

When you meet Min Yoongi at an intimate listening event, his eyes dark eyes fixed as he sips his whiskey, you initially brush him off as just another work-obsessed idol fuckboy rapper your friends warned you about. Your reluctance quickly disappears after he engages you in conversation, pleasantly surprised by Yoongi’s genuine nature and way with words which are simple and deliberate yet profound. A true Pisces with a moon in Virgo, Yoongi has an air of mystery alongside with a sense of both intensity and calm - an intoxicating combination draws you in. There is no doubting your mutual attraction - he can see right through you to your natural delicate inner world. He is one of the few in the zodiac who can match your emotional intelligence, and in that moment he sees everything that you want. By the end of your conversation, you are buzzing with arousal - and not just because of the drinks. You can practically feel his smirk on your body as you add your number to his contacts before he slinks away backstage.

The relationship you have with Yoongi is, at its core, purely emotional and highly physical. It is not even a full month before the initial hardness of your persona melts away and you’re sneaking out of the office to spend time with him. Spreadsheets and menial work tasks seem dull in comparison to evenings spent in the studio with Yoongi fucking you in his work chair. You tend to be relatively traditional in bed, sticking to what you know works and works well, but Yoongi makes sense an almost spiritual endeavor. Through his unabashed sensuality and love for pleasure he is able to bring out an even deeper, kinkier side of you that you haven’t previously explored. You are not the biggest fan of casual relationships, but with him you feel a sense of trust that allows you to fully let go and access a different side of yourself. Only Yoongi could have you acting out of character and answering 1am texts. I have been thinking about you all day. Come to the studio.

Beyond the physical, you two connect emotionally and fall for the beauty of each others’ minds. The Pisces in him all at once sentimental, artistic and sincere in his approach to life and how he thinks about the world. A broad thinker, he does not shy away from impassioned on social justice, philosophy, and society at large - and in being with him, your entire worldview expands, too. But what hooks you is how this operates in tandem with his Aries in Venus, which makes him direct, purposeful and in-charge. This is reflected in his lyricism and music, which he shares with you during long weekend afternoons and late nights in bed. Though you meet Yoongi at a point in his life where he is more career-focused, he proves to be the ultimate lover during this time: providing the hot sex and deep compatibility you crave from a partner. Despite the relationship fizzling out over time, you are happy to know you can look back on this time as a positive experience.

Months later, in a rush to work, you are more than embarrassed when you clumsily run into a stranger, effectively spilling your entire latte in the process. You are instantly reassured by the strikingly handsome face and warm smile that greets you as you scramble to your feet. There is a moment of pause, a purely magnetic pull between you - almost as if you have both met in another life. Tae is an old soul, with a wisdom way beyond his years, and your intuition signals that this is someone who you want to get to know. A prolonged conversation ensues, leading him to ask to see you again - perhaps when he is not covered in coffee. While he slow and trepidatious when picking romantic partners in the weeks that follow (you date for months before becoming official) by the time you do there has been a deep friendship there that is not easily broken. You grow to adore the complexity of his personality as he does yours. Both highly intelligent and social, you are drawn to Tae’s ability to charm a crowd or play it cool as he chooses to. In your relationship it play and create a fantasy for you to enjoy as easily as it is for him to focus on the little details, making sure your affairs are in order. This type of balance, which you try to achieve in your own life, is ultimately exactly what you need in a partner. 

Existing on opposing sides of the zodiac, the term opposites attract aptly applies to your relationship with Taehyung. While he brings spontaneity, whimsy and structure to your world, you help him explore his tenderness and romantic side that exists beneath the surface. As many of his exes could tell you, one could spend a lifetime trying to crack Tae’s emotional code, and it is really only you that is up to the task. Initially, you definitely struggle with the nature of his lifestyle which takes him away from home fairly regularly, and as much as you admire his hustle you can’t help but long for more time with him. With his sun in Capricorn, Taehyung is a caretaker and he values steadfast, hard work. He is relentless in pursuit of his goals, and while he does not expect you to be the same, he does require an understanding of the grueling nature of his profession. This force you to build upon your independence, 

You are far from neglected in this relationship, however. As noted, you need stability and that links directly to reassurance. While Tae is not always physically there, you know that he is always just a phone call away - anytime, anywhere. Thanks to his Aries moon and Sagittarius Jupiter, you also have a freak on your hands. While he absolutely wants to care for you and provide, that desire is not limited to the finances. While he is away often he makes sure to let him know you are on his mind. On your lengthy conversations over the phone, Tae can often sense the neediness in your voice, his tone lowering into a seductive growl as he coos into your ear. He adores making you beg for him as he riles you up from his hotel room, knowing exactly how to make you tick. When Tae takes the drivers seat, you are more than welcome to hop on for the ride. You could get off to his voice alone, your focus waning as he talks through all the ways he wishes he could touch and please you. Ah, so you miss me? Show me just how much, baby. I want to see you - all of you. Yes, he has a folder of your very tastefully taken nudes on his phone, and he adores every single one of them.

You enjoy following his pace, loving nothing more than reuniting after his days and weeks away for work. When he is home, you likely don’t leave for days on end - why would you, when you have everything you need right here? Your home, likely off in the countryside or by the sea, serves as safe haven for the two of you to retreat into at the end of a long day, a place where you can truly be yourselves. You and Tae are both homebodies at heart, and the sanctuary you establish together reflects your fondness for simple comforts and little luxuries. Equally kind and loyal with high moral capacities and integrity, your opposing traits overall complement each other in tandem with your shared fundamental characteristics. Together you act as true partners and best friends, the world you create together described as nothing short of magical. 

[themisanthropiclycanthrope]

ok your prompts are incredible! in case youre still doing them: merlahad au, they're at uni and harry is a posh little thing for the first time independently on his own and merlin is his punk roommate/next door neighbor who will surely be the death of him and harry is constantly torn between suing and kissing the guy

Thank you, my anonymous friend (: I’m glad you’re enjoying them, because I’m having a blast writing them! And I am indeed still doing them.

I got a bit carried away with this. Consequently, there are many words beneath the cut, or head to AO3 if you prefer.

Also, I have taken liberties with many things. Please forgive me.

It was little wonder Harry’s knock wentunheard considering the racket issuing from his roommate’s bedroom.  

Or perhaps he was just being ignored.

He rapped again, harder, pounding hisirritation into the thin wood.

That got a reaction. The door opened toreveal the unimpressed face of the young Scot known only as Merlin.Incongruously, he was holding a screwdriver, and for a startled moment Harrythought he meant to use it as a weapon. Much to his relief, the man merelyraised an eyebrow.

“D’ye want something?”

He was shirtless, but still wearing hisleather jacket, which was frankly ridiculous. And rather distracting. Harryforced his gaze to remain on the kohl rimmed hazel eyes.

“Would you mind awfully turning that noisedown just a fraction? I have an assignment to finish.”

He received a look that implied he must bemad. Whether for wanting the music’s volume lowered or for spending his eveningstudying he wasn’t sure. He remained resolute, unwavering under the force ofthe glare, until one shoulder hitched in a shrug and the door was slammed shutin his face.

To be fair, the music was turneddown, but Merlin may have taken the suggestion of a fraction just alittle too literally. Harry sighed and returned to his books. Maybe he wouldeventually develop an immunity to irritating music.

If the past few weeks of warfare were anyindication, it didn’t seem likely.

Harry had not expected, upon hisreturn home, to be assaulted by the deafening sounds of The Clash and theeye-watering sight of a room full of questionably attired young people.

If he were being honest, he wouldn’t havesworn this particular cacophony could be attributed to The Clash—it all soundedmuch the same to him—but he was certain that the thick fug of smoke wasnot all of tobacco origin.

“Merlin!” 

He shouldered his way through the crowd ofbodies, ignoring the comments thrown at his back, until he located hisroommate. Merlin was sprawled across the sofa, long, tartan-clad legs stretchedalong its length, Doc Martens propped up on the opposite arm. The vest he worewas sleeveless, and Harry was momentarily diverted by his bare arms and the computerprogramming manual they held aloft, until someone jostled into his back and heremembered that he was angry.

“What the fuck is this?”

“Oh, Harry.” At least he had the decencyto look mildly guilty. “I thought you were out for the night.”

“Change of plans.” The words hissed outthrough clenched teeth. “Who are all these people?”

“Friends,” Merlin said vaguely. “Peoplewho needed somewhere to go since they seem to be unwelcome most everywhereelse.”

And there was good reason why, Harrythought unkindly. But he didn’t have the energy for a battle. He was tired andjust wanted peace and quiet after his disaster of a day.

“You’re welcome to join us.” 

“Thank you, no,” Harry declined stiffly,turned on his heel and stormed off, dodging a Mohawked couple attempting todevour each other, and sealed himself in the relative sanctuary of his bedroom.

A little less than an hour later, blessedsilence descended on their rooms. Curious, Harry risked emerging from hisbedroom and found their tiny space empty of unwanted visitors. Stranger still,the ear-splitting record had been replaced by the soft sounds of a guitar.

The door to Merlin’s room was ajar, justenough of a gap for Harry to see the bed and the man sat cross-legged upon it,a cigarette dangling between his lips, guitar cradled in his lap. Harry wasknocking on the doorjamb before he’d even made the decision to do so.

Merlin acknowledged him with the briefestof glances and continued to play. Harry didn’t recognise the song, but it was aworld away from The Clash. Gentle and melodic, almost melancholic.

Realising he was just standing there inthe doorway like a fool, Harry finally found his voice. “Where did everybodygo?”

“Home.” Merlin’s gaze returned to Harry,guarded. “I suppose you want me to stop playing?”

“No,” Harry said quickly. Tooquickly. Merlin looked surprised, his eyebrows shooting up, and then he musthave seen something in Harry’s face because the corner of his mouth ticked upin a smirk. Harry schooled his expression back to bland disinterest. “It’s avast improvement on that usual shit you listen to.”

“If you’re just going to insult my tastein music, you can fuck off.” There was no heat behind the words, just a playfulteasing. “Unless there’s something you wanted?” 

Harry forced his tongue not to supply theanswer that immediately came to mind and instead managed, “I was going to makea cup of tea and wondered if you’d like one.”

Merlin was still smirking, damn him. “Aye,that’d be grand, thank you.”

Harry scowled down at the page ofscribbled numbers in front of him. He had to get his statistics sorted, but allhe’d managed was to turn it all into a jumbled, nonsensical mess. Mathematicshad always been his downfall.

He was so busy fuming at his calculator thathe didn’t notice Merlin coming up behind him, not until he felt warm breathtickle his ear. He almost leapt from his seat.

“Here.” Merlin leaned closer, touching hisfinger to a row of digits scrawled amongst Harry’s workings.

“What?” Harry stammered intelligently.

“You’ve got your data sets muddled up fora start,” he slid his finger down the paper, “and is this supposed to be thestandard deviation? You’re calculating it incorrectly.”

Harry turned to look at Merlin inastonishment, belatedly realising it was a mistake to do so when he found hisface mere inches from Merlin’s.

“You know where I’ve gone wrong?”

Merlin arched a brow, indignant. “Did youthink I was here just to party and drink?”

Harry felt his ears burn with guiltyembarrassment. “I didn’t mean to imply…”

With a dismissive huff of breath thatgusted over Harry’s cheek, Merlin shrugged it off and straightened back to hisfull height.

“I could run it through my computer foryou.”

The offer took Harry by surprise. “Thatcontraption in your room?”

Merlin looked amused at that. “Aye.”

And so Harry followed Merlin into hisbedroom, and for the first time really took in the extent of the machine andits components. It had claimed all of Merlin’s desk and most of his floor,which considering the size of the room only left just enough space for the bed.

“Where on Earth did you get this?”

“I’ve been working on it for a while now.I purchase the parts whenever I can afford them.”

“You mean to say you built this yourself?”

“I’m not just a pretty face.”

Harry cleared his throat. “Evidently not.”

He watched as Merlin tapped away at thekeyboard, inputting his data and entering commands. He explained what he wasdoing as he went along, but Harry became hopelessly lost after the firstsentence and merely let the Scottish brogue wash over him.

Half an hour later, he was presented witha printed sheet, his data and results set out neatly—and correctly.

“This is perfect, thank you.”

Merlin smiled then, soft and genuine andwith none of the menace that usually infused his smiles.

“My pleasure.”

By the time Harry had roused from sleep,the phone had stopped ringing. He heard Merlin’s voice in the living area andassumed he had answered the call, quicker to the mark than Harry as he’d morethan likely been awake fiddling with his computer.

Curious by nature, Harry wrapped himselfin his dressing gown and went out to see if it was anything important. Midnightphone calls never heralded anything good.

What he found was Merlin hunched on thesofa, looking oddly vulnerable dressed in a jumper instead of his typicalleather and with his usually artfully arranged shock of dark hair a dishevelledmess. Worse still was the look of stunned shock on his face.

“Everything okay?”

Merlin blinked several times, raised dazedeyes to find Harry. “My da’s dead.”

“Oh.” Harry felt a sharp stab of sympathyand sat down beside Merlin, driven by an overwhelming urge to provide comfort.“I’m so sorry.”

Merlin shook has head. “Don’t be. He was abigoted bastard who couldn’t abide the thought of his disgusting queerof a son living under his roof. I hadn’t spoken to him in years.”

There came the sudden realisation thatperhaps the two of them weren’t so different after all, that despite theirstarts in life being poles apart, they were now treading the same path. AndHarry understood why Merlin had been left so shaken by the news.

“But he was still your dad.”

“Aye, he was.”

In Harry’s experience, Merlin was anexpert at holding his emotions in check, in presenting only the face he wantedpeople to see, but at that moment Harry could see every conflicting feelingwritten plain in his eyes.

“Will you attend the funeral?”

“I don’t know.” Merlin’s hands, normallyso still and sure, flexed and curled against his thighs, the only physicaloutlet of his inner turmoil. Harry wanted to reach out and take them, hold themtight. He didn’t, thinking it too forward. “I think I want to. For my ma ifnothing else.”

“I’ll accompany you, if you’d like.” Harrycould provide moral support, whatever Merlin needed.

Merlin looked at him in surprise, eyesbright as he processed the offer. “Maybe?”

“Just let me know.”

Merlin managed a watery but sincere smile.“Thank you.”

Decorum be damned, Harry clasped Merlin onthe shoulder, squeezed, providing whatever strength he could, and when Merlinleant into the touch, Harry gathered him into a loose embrace.

Merlin didn’t cry, but they sat thereawhile, Harry holding Merlin against his side, Merlin’s head resting againsthis shoulder.

“You’re late.”

Harry had put in some extra time at thelibrary but couldn’t for the life of him recall an appointment he may havemissed. “Late for what?”

“Dinner.”

“You made me dinner?”

“Aye. Now sit down before it goes cold.”

Harry did as he was told, mildly astounded,hanging his coat up before taking a seat at their little table. “What’s this inaid of?”

“It’s an apology.” Merlin set down a platefor them both and sat down, motioning for Harry to dig in. The table was inproportion to the rest of their rooms, and as such their knees bumped together,legs tangling into an arrangement that was not altogether uncomfortable. “I’venot been a very considerate roommate, and I’m sorry. I thought you were justanother of those posh fuckers who don’t think someone like me belongs here.”

“Of course you belong here,” Harryinsisted. “You’re fucking brilliant! Look at that computer of yours. I don’tunderstand that in the slightest and yet you’ve built it from scratch.”

Ever modest, Merlin blushed a little atthe praise, then gave a soft chuckle. “And I don’t understand those dead bugsyou seen to love so much.”

There wasn’t much Harry could say to that.He laughed, buoyed by the mischievous glint in Merlin’s eyes as he teased andthe food, which was really rather good. He polished the lot off, and when hemade to rise and clear the table, Merlin waved him back down and collected thedirty plates himself.

Harry relented with a smile. “I supposewe’ve both been guilty of misjudging each other.”

“Aye, we have.” Merlin put the plates inthe sink and returned for their glasses. “But you’re a decent man, Harry Hart.”

“You’re not so bad yourself. Fashion sensenotwithstanding.”

“Oh, you don’t like my taste in clothes?”Glasses in hand, Merlin straightened and turned toward Harry, a gleam in his eye.“Could’ve fooled me.”

With Harry still seated, his eyeline wason a level with Merlin’s crotch, his ridiculous tight trousers leavingabsolutely nothing to the imagination. Harry rolled his eyes, hopingdesperately his blush was undetectable.

When they’d tidied—Harry having given inand insisted upon drying the dishes—Merlin bade him goodnight and set off forhis room.

“Wait.”

Merlin turned back, waiting expectantlyfor Harry to continue. Harry, meanwhile, floundered a moment as he realised hehad indeed spoken aloud and was now required to elaborate.

Battling down his trepidation, the verymuch alive butterflies fluttering in his stomach, and approached Merlin withall the confidence he could muster.

“What do you say we don’t call it a nightjust yet?”

Merlin’s gaze was searching, hesitant ashe sought confirmation he had understood correctly. Perhaps he feared a trick,or maybe just his own misunderstanding. To dispel all uncertainty, Harryreached out and ghosted his fingers over the back of Merlin’s hand, felt theminute tremble as Merlin swallowed and weighed the situation, making his choicewith an endearingly shy nod. 

Then, suddenly, the smirk returned,pleasure and promise all in one. “Aye, sounds good to me.” 

Harry grinned brightly, heart leaping ashe tangled their fingers together and tugged Merlin toward his bedroom.

If this was the truce, Harry didn’t regret the war.

[rememberstilinski]

plans || thomas (the maze runner series)

word count: 2118

warnings: none

prompt: “do you ever think about us, what our future will be like, our memories?”

author’s note: this has been posted before on my old blog, but this is my imagine. so repost! also there is some austin mahone lyrics in here ;)

Relief took over all of my body today. We were finally safe. Safe from the cranks, from the scorch. Most importantly we were safe from WCKD. Our group made it to safe haven. The Right Arm. I'm sure everyone prayed it was a real place, but I don't know if anyone besides me thought it was real. Thomas was the exception, there was no doubt that he thought it might be real.

Brenda had been scratched while we were still in the scorch and she passed out when we arrived. I was really hoping she was okay. She's a really good friend and I'd hate to see anything bad happen to her. A doctor recognized Thomas and I when we arrived. She said that Thomas was the source of all they done. That this was all his plan. Without him, this wouldn’t have been possible.

“I'm happy to see you two found each other.” Mary said with a warm smile to Thomas and I. I was sitting next to Brenda, holding her hand for comfort even though she was asleep.

“Me too.” I smiled at Thomas. He smiled back at me before Mary inserted the needle into his arm vein. He winced as it went in. I tensed up a bit. I don't like seeing people in any kind of pain. Especially Thomas.

“Do you have any memories from before the Maze Trials?” Mary asked us.

“I do, but she doesn't.” Thomas said to her. Mary just nodded, the smile still on her face.

“I've always been rooting for you two.” She said. “Always hoped that you guys made it back to each other.”

“Why is that?” I questioned.

“You and Thomas had such a pure relationship in an impure world. You're good for each other.”

“Yeah, we are.” Thomas muttered, smiling at me. Mary continued working on Thomas and Brenda as we all sat in a comfortable silence. Mary eventually told us of why she wasn't with WCKD anymore. It was an honorable story and I knew we could trust her.

She left us alone in the room with Brenda waiting for her to wake up. Brenda woke up about ten minutes after Mary left. “Hey. How you feeling?” I asked her. My hand going to her forehead to feel for a fever. Thomas smiled at my act of care for our new friend, but I didn't see.

“Better.” She rasped out, smiling at us.

“That's good.” I smiled. “I'm gonna let you and Thomas talk for a bit.” I said. I stood up from my seat walking around the bed. I stopped at Thomas and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

I exited the tent and looked around for someone I knew. I spotted Minho, Newt, and Frypan sitting in some rocks on a small hill away from camp. They looked really cold, so I picked up some blankets and brought them along with me. I walk over to where they were and a chorus of hellos immediately greeted me by the people I call family.

“Hey, guys!” I grinned, looking between the three boys. “Whatcha doing?”

“Freezing our asses off.” Minho said, practically freezing.

I laughed softly. “Well, it's a good thing I brought these!” I held up the big, warm looking blankets. Their faces lit up like christmas trees when I raised them in the air.

“Ah! You're a life-saver!” Fry cheered. He stood up and took the three blankets, handing them to Minho and Newt, and then keeping one for himself.

Newt brought his hands to his face before blowing warm air into his palms then grabbing a blanket. “You're the best!” he said, smiling happily as he was covered in the warmth of the blanket.

“What about you?” Minho asked, concern. “Aren't you cold?”

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. “I'm good. I have a coat on.” I folded my arms over my chest looking around. I saw a small overlook and thought it looked peaceful. I enjoyed being around these guys, but I wanted a few minutes of solitude, something I haven’t had in what felt like weeks.

“I'm gonna go wait for the sunset over there.” I told them. I pointed to the overlook, causing them to turn their heads and look over.

“We'll be here.” Newt said, smiling softly. I smiled back and started making my way towards the overlook.

When I finally got to my destination, I stood looking out across the land that was around me. The atmosphere was so much different than the Glade. For one, the environmental surroundings were totally different. The Glade was full of greens. A whole bunch of trees, livestock, rich, green grass.

Out here, however, was dry. It was a desert. There were a couple tumbleweeds rolling across the flat land. There were big boulders all over. There's millions of shrubs covering the surface of the earth in this particular area.

I even felt like I could breath out here. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, exhaling with a look of content plastered on my face. I opened my eyes back up, the smile still in its place on my face. We may have lost people trying to get here, but there's no better place I could be right now.

My only hope was that we would stay this safe for the rest of my life. I wanted to spend my life safe and happy with the people I love and care about. I'm happy to have Newt, Minho, Frypan with me. And Thomas. If there's one person I could keep with me forever, it's Thomas.

Thomas. He's the love of my life. He's perfect in everyway. He's caring and protective. He's so sincere and ambitious. If Thomas wasn't like that, there's no way I would even be alive. Hopefully going to the paradise would be a good thing for us. Hopefully we could build our relationship from where we are now. I've always had plans for us, but I'd never thought they'd have a chance of coming true.

The only memories I have from before the Glade are of having plans with someone that meant a lot to me. That was why it meant so much to me to get out of the maze. I hoped to find this person and make my hopes come true with him. And now I've found him. Now, I have my chance.

I continued waiting for the sun to set. The sun had gone further down. I thought it was beautiful how the sun dies every night, just to let the moon live and not be burned by its flames. The sky had started turning a lilac color. The red of where the sun was setting on the horizon meeting the blue of darkness that the sun’s absence had brought to the sky.

Lost in my thoughts, I was startled to feel a blanket covering my shoulders, right after feeling a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders. Once in the person’s arms, I relaxed, already knowing that it was my boyfriend. I smiled in content once again, happy to feel his radiating warmth on my body.

“What are you doing, beautiful?” His smooth as honey voice whispered in my ear. I brought my hands up to his and he laced them together.

“Just thinking.” I murmured. Thomas moved his head so that his mouth was right by my ear, his chin in the curve of my shoulder. I heard his soft breaths, and smelt the pleasing somewhat vanilla smell he had on his body.

“About what?”

“Us.” I continued looking off into the horizon, seeing the sun slowly move and rest for the night.

“All good things, I hope.” Thomas chuckled softly. I let out a breathy laugh, my content smile still intact.

“Do you ever think about us? What our future will be like, our memories?” I asked him.

“Yeah. I've always thought that we would end up together. I even remember us before all this happened, from before the maze. I remember that we used to talk about our plans, everything we wanted to do together.” Thomas said, his voice happy of the memories.

“Tell me some?”

“Well, we wanted to run away from WCKD, but it was to risky of a plan, so we stayed there together. I remember us talking about getting married someday. We wanted children, two boys and a girl.” He laughed softly before speaking again. “I wanted our boys to be older than have our little girl, so they could protect her.”

I smiled, giggling at the thought of having two sons as protective as Thomas is. “Of course you would want that.”

“What?” Thomas said in defense. “I don't want our daughter getting hurt. She'd be just as pure as you. She'd get all of you in her personality. Your kindness, your genuine caring towards others, your intelligence. She'd be perfect just like you.”

It all suddenly clicked. That's everything I want. Everything he just said; it’s everything I want. Children. A husband. A family. A family with Thomas. A future. I turned around in his arms so we were face to face. “That sounds perfect, Thomas. Let's do it.”

His hands cupped my face as I wrapped my arms around his torso, wrapping the blanket around us both. He raised his eyebrows, shock seemed to take over his face. “Right now?”

“Whenever you want.” I smiled. His shocked expression grew into one of happiness.

“Let's go! Let's find someone who'll marry us! And when we get to paradise we can find ourselves a home, we could start our family. Maybe even get a dog!” He rambled, his eyes wide and full of enthusiasm. I laughed as eagerness.

I pulled him for a kiss in an attempt to get him to calm down. Thomas wasn't usually like this. Sure, he was happy. But I've never seen him this enthusiastic about anything. He groaned as the kiss intensified.

Thomas’ hands moved from my face to my waist, pulling me closer than I already was. My hands went up to the back of his neck, tugging at the soft brown locks. Our lips moving in a deeper motion.

I pulled away for air and looked into his warm eyes. Our foreheads leaning against each other, noses nuzzled together. “That was a great way of telling me to shut up.” Thomas mumbled. I smiled big and started giggling. My small hands moved from the back of his neck to his covered chest. He smiled and placed a quick kiss on my lips.

“I was being serious though. Let's find someone who'll marry us, and if we can't, we'll get Frypan to marry us.” Thomas shrugged.

“Good idea.” I laughed. “I want to do it. I want to marry you.”

“God, I'm so lucky to have you.” Thomas mumbled. He stared at me admiringly. I looked at him the same way. Looking across his face, connecting all the moles and beauty marks in his face. I was mesmerized by the way his light honey eyes pierced mine. All of his love in the way he looked at me. That was my favorite look and I hoped I'd see it for the rest of my life.

I brought my hand to his face, running over the very small scrubble on his sharp jaw. “I so in love with you, Thomas.” I breathed out my words.

“Let me do this the right way. I love you, Y/N. If there's anything I see clearly, it's how much I'm completely and utterly in love with you. I'm yours, baby.” Thomas whispered, his hand running through my hair. “I want you to be mine forever. Will you marry me?”

“I think you already know my answer, my love.” I smiled. Thomas crashed his lips onto mine in a passionate touch. All our soul and emotion going into this one touch. This love we have is something that I've been searching so long for a feeling like this. It’s pure happiness to say I actually have the only man I've ever loved in my arms. He's the one I've waited my whole life for. At least he's the one I've waited for as long as I can remember.

I need him in my life. He's my necessity. Thomas is the only thing I'll ever need. When it comes to him, I'm addicted. He's my own personal drug, and at this point, no rehab could fix it.

[astormofships]

Pick Your Darling: Jenna

“Love me, love me. Say that you love me. Fool me, fool me, go on and fool me. Love me, love me. I know that you need me! I can't care 'bout anything but you..“

Ship name

Drenna

Meeting

Prior Hogwarts, when your parents wanted to be steadier acquaintances with the Malfoys.

First impressions, the way it used to be before it became romantic

Awww, two kids meeting for the first time. It was all chic, proper and all. Draco kissed the back of your small hand as you blushed but smiled anyway and said hello. Afterwards you began a conversation as the adults sat to drink a cup of tea. Draco mainly showed off his good manners and knowledge of wizard history but that's how you discovered a mutual interest: sports. Playing mini Quidditch was your duo's thing.  One of Lucius' favourite memory would be seeing his son play “Momma and Papa witch and wizard conquering the world” with you. Slytherin is the most disliked and feared house in the castle. Many stories are told about its students, specially by Gryffindors. Those people seem to believe all snakes are Death Eaters in waiting, which is false. Hogwarts is said to be a second home when you begin your first year, and if there is a house who truly holds this familial atmosphere, it's Slytherin: indeed, fraternity is one of its traits. Otherwise how would Tracey Davis, a half-blood, survive among them? Elitists were presents and known, but not all in the house were like them and that's what mattered. So even though you were growing up and more certain not to share your ancestry's beliefs, the other students of the house did not disown you. Remaining on friendly terms with the blond, he even helped you train to earn a place in the Quidditch team. Hard work rewarded you with the position of Beater although it lasted only a year, but you were not upset. It was a good experience and homeworks kept pilling up so any minute of free time counted to relax and spend time with your friends. Later when the light won against the dark, he did his best to restore his honor and image, to take the just and right path. To say he was more humble than before was obvious. But he bravely faced the world in his attempt of reconstruction. And you were this bubble of... respect. A good example and influence. He was kinder in your company, you made him want to be less of his former self, the one who was proud of his shameful flaws. His confident appearance was something you had always admired, same for his intelligence and wit. Slowly but surely, the bond grew. Affection, care, respect, loyalty, hugs...  if you two could become one sometimes, you'd do it. Whatever happened in life, at the end of the day, solace could be found in the company of the other.

Who took the first step

Both. You were a lover and did not want to conceal your emotions. Draco was more careful but when he was certain, orchestrated a plan to declare his love. Watching movies about stars and wars in your house, comfortable on the couch when it truly clicked that what you were chilling against were not the cushions but Draco himself.

Who approves, who disapproves

Your family and friends would, if the young man did not join Voldemort's ranks. Yes, they could imagine he hardly had the choice to truly decline the offer but it was a worrisome fact nevertheless. They wanted a man providing all the safety in the world. The Malfoys' reputation was tarnished.

Narcissa and Lucius would actually focus on their son's happiness. His mother would like you, truth be told. There would be a special bond between the two of you. She liked that you loved her son very much and would move mountains to keep him safe and happy.

The Purebloods who aren't in Azkaban or dead and are still as conservative as Salazar himself.

The best friend and the one you get along with the least

Maybe Pansy Parkinson, when she isn't spreading her venom in your presence. You have a lot in common if you forget the blood-purity mentality and how you disagreed. Girly stuff, talks, secrets? Together. She is the princess and you are the mom.

If you protect people, who will do the same for you? That is Blaise Zabini's role. *The friend pretending to hate your bad jokes or sincerely not enjoying them one bit.

Difference isn't always bad, therefore I think you and Luna would make interesting but genuine and ride or die friends. *That one pal who will ignore you to death if she didn't get the joke or would just offer her input to make it a decent one.

You and Dean Thomas would bond after the war. You'd have a soft spot for him, seeing that he was the one who later introduced you to music bands like Panic! At The Disco and My Chemical Romance. He was lucky to be a Muggle Born and right to be proud of it. Not only his blood status didn't make him a lesser person than those preaching purity, but at least he got the best of both worlds. You were glad to count him as a friend, and a dear one at that! *The friend who actually likes your jokes and openly admits it, sharing another while he is at it. Polite, fun-loving, respectful, brave, supportive and loyal, smart... that guy is by far the best Gryffindor you have met.

Merlin's beard. Can you imagine yourself having a conversation with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger? Hurt feelings, annoyance... yep, they'd all be mutual. Ouch.

If somebody else fancies one of you

Pansy was interested by Draco during your Hogwarts years.

Blaise might have fancied you for a year but got over it.

The best and the worst

Being childhood friends

Playing Quidditch or going to see a match together

Eye and hair colours are opposites but you reciprocally adore those differences

He doesn't mind that you are not a chatterbox, if there is something important you need to share he knows you will speak up

Draco enjoys being fussed over

All the gifts

Being each other's first true love

It's so cute and deep

Faithfulness

His family and yours are friends

Narcissa is Draco's favourite person in the world, so It warms his heart to know you get along

You're similar, both childish so none gets really put off by this although arguments happen

Teaching him new ways, showing him how tolerance is actually a great thing

Exploring the muggle world together. When you finished your seventh year, you felt the need to get away from the wizarding world for a while which explained how you were familiar with this one too. He'd not be very enthusiastic but it would be a distraction and knowledge gained

He loves listening you play the piano, for music soothes the soul does it not

He can be secretive, it would be a source of doubt and feed your insecurities

Draco appreciates his alone time and vital space, and occasionally you might grit on his nerves by being too present

Different types of humor

This young man is too cold and/or aloof, honestly

He knew he was not worthy of you

Hogwarts Houses

Malfoy and Black are ancient and proud Pureblood families of Witches and Wizards. All  (okay, almost) were sorted in Slytherin, and Draco was not an exception. Cunning and power, he was and longed for.

That was hard to chose, honestly. The most difficult part. I admit seeing one of your request on another blog and it said that you were a Gryffindor xD But I'll go with Slytherin. You seem to know what you want, especially when it's in your hands already and would fight for the people you love or possessions you do not want to lose. There is a determination to you. Losing a battle doesn't mean you lost the war, and you know it. Slytherins know it.

Seven Deadly Sins and Virtues

Draco? Well, duh. Pride, of course. The way he speaks of his name and family legacy is no mistake. There's Envy too, how he often resents Harry for all the (un)wanted attention he gets. But this guy is intelligent, knows how to behave in society and got more than correct results at Hogwarts. Not to mention the mission given by Voldemort in 6th year, how he tried to make the Vanishing Closet work and all. All of these could refer to Diligence and Patience.

Jealous, craving affection, childish, always wanting more and more... you, dear Jenna, are Lust. Informations said that jealousy was a characteristic of wrath, and being childish could lead to tantrums and not reasoning calmly. Therefore we can add Wrath to the list. But being a ball of affection, care and protection as well as good intentions gets you the virtue of Kindness.

Who is the sun, who is the moon

An evidence! Warm, loving, protective and inclined toward music, you are the sun. Yes, that and the piano mention was a subtle reference to Apollo in my head, so it helped making the choice although it wasn't difficult to begin with. Moody and nurturing might as well be the moon however... but not this time.

Elegant, cold, boastful, mysterious and fretting, Draco is the moon.

Endgame or not

No. War changes people. Your relationship begun after that but I don't think he'd be patient enough to deal with your jealously and highly emotional moods. Giving a solid chance, sure. But time was valuable, the Slytherin alumni was aware of that. He didn't need a second mother and never was he fond of people clingling to his arm. Usually, the best prevailed the worst. But in the end, I think that sometimes people just fall out of love and that's what happened. Do not fret! He knows you are a great person yet simply not the one he belonged with. To say your heart was broken is an understatement.

Who I truly ship you with regardless of the request’s details

At first I didn't know when this ship was in progress. But you know what? A pairing including Luna seems intriguing, now that I dwell on the possibility. And now, I don't know if Dean should only be a platonic option or not. He'd be a wonderful partner. But he might be in love with Seamus, so yeah. Maybe Blaise, after all! Yes, yes. Totally Blaise.

[xivu-arath]

okay going for a couple i ask about less often: barry/kara, caitlin/ravage, SOUNDWAVE/ravage, and. okay fine ill be obligatory, the superfriends

barry/kara

thingsthey do together in their spare time: hang out, prank each other, goout for lunch together... they’re the most alike in temperament andcan also meet up at each other’s place in seconds at any time, sothey spend a lot of time just unwinding from heroic stuff or talkingout their problems.

onephotograph they’ve hypothetically or canonically taken together:they have so many photos tbh - especially deliberately goofy onesjust to poke fun at each other

oneunspoken sentiment from my character to yours: “No matter what youdo, you’ll always be a hero, Kara.” not that it’s v unspokentbh

waysmy character shows affection for yours: listen it’s hard to prythem away from each other at any given moment. there’s lots ofbumping shoulders or slinging an arm around her exuberantly andleaning against each other and all the hugs!!! literal puppies tbh

onerelationship good end: best au where barry can just have cisco vibehim over whenever and they hang out and he drops in like... at leastonce a week to go out for ice cream or team up to take someone down.

onerelationship bad end: barry goes back to his world, createsflashpoint which is what triggers mon-el showing up. Regrets are had.

mycharacter’s general thoughts on yours/a relationship ramble: karaalways has barry’s respect and admiration – he thinks the worldof her, of how empathetic and compassionate she is, how loyal, howfucking brave. she has so much faith in people, and itinspires and awes him whenever he witnesses it. he also just adoresher for being... bright and cheerful and dorky, and empathizes withher anger and loss, and... just thinks she’s one of the best peoplehe’s ever met and he’s very lucky to have her as his friend.

caitlin/ravage

thingsthey do together in their spare time: I think they mostly talk –they’re both too guarded people to really spend a lot of timeunwinding together, and when ravage really wanted to relax he’djust go stealth out by himself, but... in the spare moments betweenrift research, or when resting or tossing around ideas, they’d justshare fragments of where they’ve been, what they’ve done.

onephotograph they’ve hypothetically or canonically taken together:caitlin has taken a few photos only to find herself in an empty roomand quickly caught on to the No Camera rule.

oneunspoken sentiment from my character to yours: “You deserved betterthan this. I’m sorry, even if I had to do it.”

waysmy character shows affection for yours: fleeting moments of honesty,talking willingly about what Cybertron was like, grudging shows ofrespect or admitting that sometimes she might even have a good idea.as long as it doesn’t go to her head, that is...

onerelationship good end: if ravage hadn’t leaked all the rift info,he might have stayed in touch and even if they couldn’t find a wayoff of denny together, he could have begrudgingly – and thenslowly, less so – started helping her and barry, just sort ofeasing into handling tech and comms stuff since it’s not like youcan trust organics to do it, right?  

onerelationship bad end: their relationship continues to fray after theleak and ends up... almost hostile on both sides. the next time theymeet, he’s a little too goading and caitlin loses her grip on herpowers for a moment, long enough to make him feel threatened, andafter that... well, she never sees ravage again

mycharacter’s general thoughts on yours/a relationship ramble: ravagehonestly does respect caitlin. for all that she’s human – orwell, metahuman, whoops – she’s the kind of person he’dnaturally work with well. efficient, intelligent, focused on doingwhatever task is at hand... he’d admit that working with her hasbeen far better than trying to dig up information and work all thisout on his own. thus he does genuinely regret hurting her too, but...it wasn’t a personal decision. to him, it had to be done, and hethinks that maybe, she might even be able to understand that. too badthey’d had a bonding moment right beforehand, but...

soundwave/ravage

thingsthey do together in their spare time: given their specific abilities,soundwave and ravage probably low-key gather information and keeptabs on everyone around them even in their spare time. but they dodefinitely try to relax, recounting missions when they were separate,hanging with the rest of the cassettes... ravage tends to be thesounding board for decepticon philosophy sessions, not that he minds.soundwave is also the sole person that ravage is 100% comfortableacting cat-like around – not even megatron is someone he completelyrelaxes around, though he’s definitely in second place – sosoundwave gets to put up with ravage draping himself on him andforcing him to stay still for fear of disturbing him, or casuallygetting in the way just to be obnoxious.

onephotograph they’ve hypothetically or canonically taken together:soundwave is the One Person who’s allowed to take photos of ravageand thus has like. hundreds.

oneunspoken sentiment from my character to yours: “You will always behome to me. I’ll come back.”

waysmy character shows affection for yours: all the casual physicalaffection which he’s so incredibly sparing with otherwise. opensincere honesty, because even if soundwave can tell what he’sthinking anyways, it matters to say what he means, just because hecan.

onerelationship good end: the djd never show up? megatron and soundwavemeet and talk out their differences and ravage never has to choosebetween them?

onerelationship bad end: the dying of the light remains canon

mycharacter’s general thoughts on yours/a relationship ramble:megatron might have been the leader the decepticons needed butsoundwave is more than a decepticon, more than a leader or lieutenantto ravage – he’s also, no matter how the war changed them,undeniably a good person. ravage took a chance to be kind to someonelost and suffering, and soundwave paid back that kindness and trust athousandfold. soundwave is, apart from the cause itself, theunwavering anchor to ravage’s life, the only home he has everneeded, and while he can no longer express the significance of theirbond in words alone, he doesn’t need to.

superfriends

thingsthey do together in their spare time: they do some measure ofsparring bc if sasuke is involved, some kind of training isInevitable. but honestly they do a lot of chill stuff, trying outhobbies and hanging out and watching movies or planning parties –all the sorts of things that sasuke and ratchet had absolutely noexperience in, and that kara is... driven to try to give them.chances at what a normal life feels like, even when their lives willnever be any kind of normal.

onephotograph they’ve hypothetically or canonically taken together:they have a scrapbook okay there are so many. the most recent are allstarring uzume bc none of them are used to having a pet and sasuke is100% more okay with being photographed if his cat’s in the picture

oneunspoken sentiment from my character to yours: there’s three ofthem so I’m just going to stick with how much they love and carefor each other??? which admittedly kara at least is quite. open aboutbut less so for ratchet and especially for sasuke haha

waysmy character shows affection for yours: ratchet and kara arenaturally inclined to be affectionate already, even if ratchet’s onoccasion unsure or overwhelmed and needs some time to work throughsome sentiments. sasuke is... v touch-averse most of the time and hasjust been gradually getting more comfortable with expressingaffection at them – they know how rare it is, so him letting karatake his hand or clasping ratchet’s shoulder is an effective methodof showing he cares and is engaged that he knows they’ll value.it’s... really sappy. he also likes to encourage their banter bypurposefully exaggerating his own disdain or disinterest andteasingly shut down suggestions to then make them more determined todo it. by now they’ve probably caught on but it’s still justthis... fond habit he has

onerelationship good end: just. best au. it’s even in the name!

onerelationship bad end: mmmmm do I have to... but I guess like.okay sasuke does the whole reveal of the rinnegan and kara especiallytakes it... really harshly because of her history with being gaslitand lied to and the ensuing fight ends with sasuke leaving the team,both for her and ratchet to cool down and figure out how they feeland because he’s... guilt-ridden and angry with himself and wellaware that he has no excuse for this. that’s when a rift takes himback and kara and ratchet get to deal with both their v valid angerwith being lied to and deceived and the ensuing loss ofsomeone they loved. I hope you’re happy now!!!

mycharacter’s general thoughts on yours/a relationship ramble:sasuke... really fucking cares about these two. like kara is 100% theperson he trusts the most in denny’s world and he’s so gratefuland pretty damn bemused that he’s actually one of ratchet’sguardians, that ratchet looks to him as an example to follow. hequite often doesn’t feel he deserves the affection and trust theyshow him, because of how he’s treated his past teams, and there’sa lot of... parallels between naruto and sakura and kara and ratchet– ones he often draws and dwells upon a lot. ratchet and kara areundoubtedly good, warm people and he can’t help but compare himselfand feel how much he’s lacking, which is a particular hurdle thathe’s going to have to get over one day. until then tho, he valuesthem so much and wants to avoid past mistakes like... letting hisjealousy eat him up and make him do something he regrets. oh wait!!!