#I used to watch these behind the scenes features constantly

[heesdreamer]

TOUCH STARVED

PAIRING ➩ heeseung x reader

SUMMARY ➩ your bestfriend dyes his hair blonde and old feelings start to surface.

WC ➩ 6.7k

AUTHORS NOTE ➩ I recommended listening to I know by Faye Webster Short and simple but I’ve had writers block and just wanted to try to work through it with something easy and comfortable. Thank you for your patience and support NOT PROOFREAD

“Woah.”

“Woah? What kind of reaction is that?” The boy in you doorway had completed deflated after hearing your lifeless exclamation, shoulders dropping in a small sigh as his eyebrows turned downwards on his tired face to glare at you.

It wasn’t a strange sight to see Lee Heeseung standing in the hallway outside of your apartments doorway, even less strange that he was carrying two convenience store slushees, one in his hand and the other tucked neatly into the crease of his elbow. His free hand had just fallen to his side from pushing his hoodie off his head and revealing the only strange thing about this scene.

“When did you do that?” You were instinctively moving your arm up to reach out and touch his hair that he had freshly bleached blonde apparently, shocking you for just a second when he showcased it with an expectant look on his face.

You caught yourself before touching him but he didn’t seem to notice anyways, pushing past you with another sigh and dramatically flopping onto your couch with a grouchy expression.

“It looks nice Hee, just took me by surprise.” You were following behind him and sitting on the couch with a bit of distance between the two of you, watching him curiously and taking note of the ways his features changed underneath the new hair color.

Heeseung had been your best friend ever since you moved into the city a few years ago, frequently stopping at the comic book store he worked at to pick up gifts to send back home to your little brother and eventually, once he had quit for a better opportunity, he had rushed out of the store one day and asked if you wanted to exchange numbers so you didn’t lose touch.

It had become such a casual routine for you to see him, holding small conversations that over time turned into lengthy talks that accidentally held up the stores lines sometimes.

A handful of days contained you stopping by during your lunch break and eating with him behind the register. Heeseung made you laugh harder than anyone you’d ever met and you found that to be even more true once you started seeing him outside of his work.

Two years passed since he quit his job and you’d almost forgotten what it was like to not know him, easily blending into your life and becoming the first person on your call list at all times. Hence why it wasn’t exactly strange for him to be pouting on your couch, disappointed you hadn’t reacted more to the sudden change of his hair.

Heeseung was always the more impulsive one out of the two of you and he constantly seemed to be jumping from hobby to hobby, the perfectionist side of him never letting him stick to learning just one thing. His style and aesthetic had switched about a dozen times since you’d met him and he was never quite satisfied with the posters hanging in his apartment but the hair was definitely a big change, even for him.

“You think it looks nice?” He was looking at you from the side of his eye carefully, still fully attempting to keep up his upset facade but you didn’t miss the fact he was fishing for compliments.

You sighed and shifted on your knees so you were a touch closer to him on the couch, used to his dramatics by now but you figured you’d humor him slightly since he could be sensitive at times.

He didn’t say anything when you moved forward but he tensed a bit when your hand was coming up to touch the brightly dyed hair, your eyes widening in slight surprise considering it didn’t feel completely dead. You were running your hand through his thick hair and trying not to think about how unusual it was for you to be so touchy with him, never really being the type of friends who were overly affectionate with each other.

He hugged you on your birthdays and occasionally touched the small of your back when guiding you through a crowded party or event and you were extremely grateful for his lack of contact considering you definitely weren’t oblivious to how attractive your best friend was.

You’d even eventually came to terms with the fact you positively had a crush on him when you’d first met, something you denied to your friends and family back home whenever they picked up on the smile in your voice at the mention of your new friend and inquired for details.

Being friends with Heeseung was more important to you and it was easy to forget how much you had originally liked him if it meant keeping him in your life, even easier considering he never seemed to toe that line that you nearly crossed occasionally the first year or two.

The line you were carefully skating towards right now with your hand in his hair, close enough on the couch to where your knee touched his thigh for just a second before you were scooting your lower half away a bit to avoid the contact. You didn’t take your hand away however but it moved down to his eyebrows instead, smoothing them down with your thumb and remembering he had asked a question when it quirked up as he waited for a response.

“It makes you look more serious.” You mumbled and he still had an expectant look on his face, like he wasn’t quite satisfied with your answer. “Your eyes look more intense now with your dark eyebrows. It’s sort of sexy.”

He snorted a laugh at that and shook his head in denial, realizing you were teasing him and giving him the answers you figured he was looking for.

“Okay but I am serious about it looking nice.” You were smiling as you spoke and he was watching you closely considering you were still gently rubbing his eyebrow with your thumb, retracting your hand after a few seconds and clearing your throat before changing the topic.

The rest of the hangout went as usual, the two of you sitting on your comfortable couch and watching romance movies that were almost comedies when they got too cringy.

You didn’t notice anything different and Heeseung definitely didn’t offer up anymore surprises as big as his bleached hair but something subtly shifted after he left. It took you a few more times seeing him before you noticed he was acting different, lingering around you closer than normal and reaching out to touch the back of your arm whenever he needed to get your attention.

It was so small you barely registered he was doing it until he was back at your apartment the next weekend, coming in with his spare key like normal but instead of going over to your couch and playing on his phone, he was approaching you in the kitchen and watching you for a few seconds silently.

You raised an eyebrow in his direction when you noticed him staring, rolling up your sleeves midway on your arms before going back to cutting up the fruits you’d pulled out for a snack. “What’s up?”

He shrugged at your question and didn’t immediately answer, leaving a weird feeling of confusion in your chest when he was coming closer and touching his arm against yours from how close he was standing. It was much more difficult to ignore than his small casual touching he’d been increasing recently, a lot more intimate than tapping your knee or moving your hair out of your face.

You hurried up to finish cutting before he could do anything weirder and he still wasn’t speaking even when you were shoving the cut up fruits into a bowl and abandoning him near the counter, hurrying onto the couch and glancing back just in time to see him following behind you into the living room.

It was silent for a few more minutes as you started to flip through the explore page of Netflix and you were just starting to relax after his weird demeanor before he was fixing his position on the couch.

You tensed up when he flipped around so he was spread across the expanse of it, moving his body so his head was resting on your thigh and his arm was dangling off the sofa, fingers grazing the carpet gently as he turned to look up at you. “Can you touch my hair again?”

“What?” It slipped from your mouth faster than you even processed his question and he tensed a bit at the harshness of your tone, almost sounding disgusted underneath all of your shock. You felt a wave of guilt for accidentally being rude, taken completely off guard by his request and the fact he was casually laying on you like it was something the two of you did all the time. You relaxed your shoulders to try and show him you weren’t upset and just confused.

“It felt kind of nice when you touched it the other day… I don’t know you don’t have to never mind, forget it.” He was avoiding looking at you now but not taking his head off your lap, most likely too embarrassed to sit back up and rearrange himself again after just doing it a few seconds ago.

His cheek was pressed on your thigh as he stared at the TV despite the fact you weren’t scrolling down the options anymore and there was nothing for him to be looking at. You watched the side of his face for a few moments, following down his sharp jaw and the way the nearly white hairs fell almost over his eyes.

You were sucking in a breath and touching his hair before you could think about it any longer, feeling the way he tensed underneath your sudden touch before immediately relaxing and practically melting into your lap. You started to pick a movie again despite being completely distracted by how much the two of you were touching and if he noticed you were mindlessly clicking things, he didn’t say anything about it.

“Wait… he asked you to pet him?” Sunoo was jaw dropped from where he sat on your bed, watching you rummage through your closet as you ranted to him about the weird moments with Heeseung.

You sighed and shot him a glare because of his weird wording, not responding for a few seconds and squeezing your eyes shut tight when he was letting out a small gasp of shock and scooting forward on his knees.

Three days had passed since you’d last saw your best friend and you had done everything in your power to ignore your growing confusion about the situation, including not telling anybody about it or worsening the situation by getting a second opinion. That only lasted until you opened your front door to see Sunoo’s smiling face, immediately bursting out into confession and asking him for help.

“Okay not to freak you out but this is totally weird.” He was shaking his head now and watching you intensely, opening your eyes to see his equally perplexed expression. “I don’t know if I’ve ever even seen you guys high five before and how he’s practically a dog on your lap?”

“Can you cut that out?” You aggressively threw a shirt in his direction with furrowed eyebrows after his second rude joke slipped from his mouth. He caught the piece of clothing and raised his hands in surrender but you could tell he wasn’t sorry judging by the mischievous look on his face.

You didn’t say anything after that and you felt a deep disappointment in your chest considering Sunoo had left you feeling even more confused about the situation, confirming the fact that it was definitely strange and out of the ordinary.

It didn’t help that the two of you weren’t just looking through your clothes for fun but you were picking out outfits for a small party at a mutual friends house, a party that Heeseung would definitely be attending and looking for you at considering he’d been texting you all afternoon to check in and make sure you were still planning on being there.

Sunoo did his best to lighten the mood but dolling you up and being overly nice the entire way out of your apartment, taking selfies with you in the back of the Uber and purposely avoiding mentioning anything about your best friend.

He was following close behind you once you actually entered the party, feeling slightly anxious considering it was a bigger turn out than what you had been promised over text by the two boys throwing it. You let out a small sigh and scanned through the crowd, habitually looking for Heeseung even though you were still overthinking everything.

It didn’t take you long to find him considering he was one of the taller people there, laughing near the kitchen with some of your friends but you watched as he continuously spared looks towards the doorway like he was waiting for something. A weird warmth washed over you knowing that it was you he was looking for like always, missing you when you’d entered just a few minutes ago.

You tried to ignore the fact that it was completely normal for the two of you to instinctively find each other so there was no reason for the butterflies in your stomach at his attentiveness. Nothing had changed despite the addition of the small touches and you weren’t going to unbury any old feelings for him just because he was acting a bit clingier than usual.

Still, you made your way over to him swiftly, at some point losing Sunoo in the crowd. You weren’t too concerned considering he was the more social out of the two of you, grateful he had at least stuck with you long enough for you to find Heeseung.

You were approaching him and the other boys and they noticed you before he did, smiles on their faces as they started to greet you casually. This caught Heeseung’s attention and he was spinning around quickly to see you, eyes widened in relief and yours opened similarly in surprise when he hands were falling down onto your waist and squeezing softly.

“There you are, I was getting worried.” His words were casual and he didn’t seem to realize the fact you were completely frozen under his touch.

Sunoo had chosen an outfit that left your waist completely bare and although you were growing use to his simple and fleeting touches, you definitely weren’t prepared to feel his warm hands completely covering the expanse of your bare skin. He either didn’t think it was a big deal or he was doing a very good job at pretending, pulling you closer to him so you were standing in front and he was still holding onto you.

You could feel his chest rumbling against your back as he continued to talk with your friends, thumbs absentmindedly stroking your bare sides and squeezing occasionally whenever you slightly shifted.

You were starting to feel slightly crazy and dramatic, like you were the only one making a big deal out of nothing and overthinking stuff that had no meaning behind it. It wasn’t until you were meeting eyes with one of your friends Jake that you considered the opposite, seeing the way he was looking at curiously before his eyes were dropping down to the big hands holding onto you borderline possessively.

He met your gaze again before quirking up an eyebrow in question, eyes creasing into a small chuckle when you were shrugging and giving him a bewildered look to showcase you also thought it was strange.

Heeseung must have noticed the silent exchange because he was faltering in his words for a second before tugging you back tighter against his chest, clearing his throat over the surprised sound you let out at the sudden jerking movement.

You froze for a few seconds before you were taking a step or two out of his embrace. “I need to go to the bathroom really quick.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” He was rushing it out before he even seemed to realize he was saying it and the rest of the group paused awkwardly at the random offer, completely out of character for him.

You froze with them before quickly gathering yourself and shaking your head in denial, starting to stutter out a reason before giving up and turning around so you could rush away from the awkward situation.

Thankfully the bathroom down the hallway wasn’t occupied and you quickly entered it and locked the door, placing your hands on the cold countertop and taking deep breaths to try and calm your nerves down. You’d already been overthinking the situation and having it confirmed that it wasn’t just you noticing things were changing was positively freaking you out, wondering if he had somehow found out about your feelings for him.

You were glancing up at yourself in the mirror and sighing at the stressed out look on your face, splashing some cold water on your cheeks to bring you back to your senses before you were fixing your hair and opening the door.

You were stopped in your tracks considering somebody was standing directly outside of it, peering down at you with a slightly surprised expression because of the speed in which you swung the door open. He was taking a step back with a small smirk when he steadied himself, letting you pass but not making any moves to head into the bathroom himself.

“Is there a reason you followed me over here Jake or were you just creepily standing outside the door.” Your tone was exhausted when you turned back to look at him and he didn’t seem at all shocked that you spoke to him rather than walking away.

“Just wondering what’s going on with you and Heeseung.” He was shrugging casually but he had a mischievous look in his eyes that you didn’t really trust.

Being friends with Jake was fun and casual, he showed up to events and made them louder and looser but he’d also been there for you countless times when you needed help and weren’t sure who to call, not wanting to constantly bother Heeseung with your problems. Jake was particularly useful when your problems were about Heeseung, letting you drunkenly rant a handful of times about your past feelings for him.

But that didn’t make it any less annoying that he was clearly trying to meddle with the situation, whatever it was. You sighed and took a few steps in his direction, pointing a finger onto his chest and giving him your best attempt at a glare.

“Don’t say anything to him about it, whatever it is will pass and we will all forget about it.” You were trying to sound stern and intimidating but he was still looking down at you with slight amusement, eyes dropping down to your finger on his chest for a second before meeting your eyes again.

“If I told you that I knew, would you want to know?” He was saying suddenly with a raised eyebrow and you froze in place.

“Are you implying that you know why Heeseung is acting so weird towards me?” Your eyes turned down into a glare but he didn’t seem at all intimidated by the threatening tone you’d taken on, smiling down at you and shrugging again like he wasn’t holding crucial information to the most important friendship in your life.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.” He was clearly teasing you and your frustration grew, making a small angry noise and pushing your palm against his chest instead of just the tip of your finger. “Okay okay fine. All I can say is maybe think about something you did that might have made him realize he-“

Your eyes were widening as you listened to him intensely, nodding to try and encourage him to continue once he slowly trailed off in his sentence. You weren’t sure why he stopped talking until you heard a throat clearing from the end of the hallway, turning your head swiftly to see Heeseung standing there and looking at the two of you.

He had a strange expression on his face, one you weren’t quite used to seeing and it took you a few seconds to realize it was anger. He rarely ever was angry, especially around you and you were completely thrown off by the dark way he was looking at you.

Jake seemed to understand the reason for it faster than you and he shifted back awkwardly, getting impossibly closer to the wall. He couldn’t really move away from you much but the slight movement was enough for you to realize what a compromise position the two of you looked like you were in. Your hand was still on his chest from your anger earlier and you were unusually close to him, staring up at him encouragingly.

Your mouth was parting to try and explain that it wasn’t what it looked like but there was no point considering Heeseung was shaking his head and turning to leave, the flashing lights of the party in the living room behind him illuminated his face just enough for you to see the upset clenching of his jaw.

You didn’t bother saying goodbye to Jake, following after your friend quickly even when he was pushing through the crowd and heading back outside.

By the time you managed to get out there he was stuffing his phone into his pocket and standing on the sidewalk near the road, shiny now from the rain that had fallen during the party. He was crossing his arms and you frowned slightly at how cold and annoyed he looked before you were taking a small breath and approaching him.

“Did you get a ride?” You asked him softly and he didn’t seem at all startled by the sound of your voice, barely sparing you a glance out of the side of his eye before giving a curt nod.

You mirrored the movement of his head in understanding awkwardly but you had a small pit in your stomach considering he wasn’t even looking at you, obviously upset about something you didn’t quite understand. It was rare you and Heeseung fought and even more rare that he was genuinely mad at you and not just bickering about something stupid.

He was keeping up his stony demeanor even when you sniffled slightly from the cold and rubbed your hands on your bare arms to try and warm them up a bit.

Eventually you were wobbling sideways while trying to adjust your standing position and you leaned onto him slightly for support, your skin brushing his for a few seconds before you were quickly standing upright and mumbling an apology into the tensed silence. He didn’t say anything still but you spared him another glance and tensed up seeing he was staring at you now, a weird expression on his face.

You were thinking about asking him if he was feeling okay until he was reaching over and touching your arm softly, ignoring the small surprised noise you made and tugging you over so you were stood in front of him again, the same position he had put you in back in the kitchen.

“What are you…” You trailed off when he was caging his arms around you and rubbing softly on your bare skin like you had been a few moments ago, warming you up immediately but also pressing you entirely against him.

Your next few breaths came out shaky and if he noticed he didn’t say anything, standing there like that with you held against him until the car was pulling up. He held the door open for you and scooted inside next to you until his thigh was pressed against yours, taking up the middle seat despite having plenty of room to sit on his own.

A guilty feeling was eating at you again for being so hyper aware of everything he was doing lately. Maybe he had always been this touchy and you just didn’t notice it because you were so preoccupied with denying your feelings for him and keeping your friendship as a priority.

You were watching the side of his face and thinking about this when you started to change your mind. He wasn’t exactly acting normal either despite being the one to start casually touching you.

Heeseung was avoiding looking at you most the time, almost like he knew you’d be giving him that confused stare you’d carried consistently the last few days. It didn’t help that your friend group had also seemed completely thrown off by the way he was acting and that wasn’t nearly as intimate as the way he treated you when you were alone together. He cleared his throat and snapped you out of your daze, diverting your eyes off of him and opting to stare out the front window instead.

You hoped your face didn’t flush too noticeably when he started to stare at you instead, feeling his gaze just as prominent as his leg pressed against yours.

——

It wasn’t unusual for Heeseung to follow you out of the Uber, it wasn’t out of place for him to be standing behind you silently while you nervously dug your keys out of your bag and unlocked your front door.

All these typical things were only unnerving you because of the new added factor, the heavy tension sitting between the two of you now. You glanced behind you right before you turned the doorknob and met eyes with him for a few seconds, knowing he felt it too for sure now and having no more doubts about if he was purposefully acting different.

You pushed the door open and kicked off your shoes, the two of you going about your usual routine of changing into more comfortable clothes, him having his own section in your closest and drawer in your dresser. It was the same as always except for the thick silence, replacing the usual laughter and banter that filled the rooms.

You took a deep breath before leaving your room in shorts and one of Heeseung’s shirts now, pausing in the doorway when he left the bathroom across the hall at the exact same time.

“So-“

“Are you-“

The two of you froze up when you started to speak together. You gave him a small awkward smile before gesturing your hand in his direction to indicate you wanted him to go first, hugging your arms across your stomach when he nodded to try and calm down your nerves.

“Are you and Jake a thing now?” He was asking in a flat tone but you could tell he was still upset from the party, avoiding looking at you directly and clenching his jaw again.

“You’re seriously asking me that right now?” A disbelieving laugh slipped from your mouth at the end of the sentence and this seemed to frustrate him even more, looking at you finally with heat behind his eyes. You shook your head and touched your mouth softly in shock, realizing he genuinely thought that’s what he had seen.

You turned around to go back into your bedroom, assuming he’d follow even though you were clearly thrown off by what he was saying.

He did exactly that and he stood near your desk when you sat down on the bed carefully, watching you and waiting for you to offer an explanation. You didn’t like how intimidating he looked, something you’d never thought about him before, and you slightly felt like you were being interrogated even though he was the one being weird.

“Of course I’m not dating Jake.” You really stressed the words to make him understand but he gave you a disbelieving look, causing a scoff to be pulled from your lips. “I was only in the hallway with him because he was wondering why you were acting so weird.”

It slipped out before you even realized you were saying it and he tensed up at the same time you paused. His eyebrow quirked up in question and you stared at him in embarrassment, knowing you’d have no choice to explain what you had been noticing.

“How am I acting weird?” He proved you right by asking you that but his tone was stiff and it sounded like he already knew the answer without you even needing to say it.

“I don’t know you’re just…. you’re just being different.” You were playing with your hands anxiously and trying to avoid looking at him.

It didn’t help that he was still standing over you and seemed completely thrown off and distant now that you’d brought attention to his behavior. He must have figured you didn’t notice and he was getting away with it, letting out a deep sigh and shaking his head softly.

You stared at him now despite feeling overly awkward, watching the way his movement caused his bright bleached hair to fall into his face and cover his eyes again. Your mouth pulled into a frown softly and you were standing up before he had time to process it, reaching over and pushing his hair back with your hand.

He didn’t say anything as you touched him gently, revealing his forehead again and making sure he didn’t poke himself in the eyes with the ends of his hair.

It was making the situation ten times more confusing for the both of you but you’d already crossed those invisible boundaries multiple times already and you were sick of how high the frustrated tension was, figuring you might as well take this opportunity to be close to him in ways you hadn’t gotten a chance to before.

“I don’t want to fight with you.” He was whispering and your eyes fell from his hair down to hold his gaze, seeing how his hardened expression had practically melted into one of guilt and regret. “It makes me feel terrible, I hate it so much.”

“Then let’s not fight.” You mumbled back to him, keeping your volume low in the delicate air. Your hand was still touching his hair and you softly put some of the longer pieces behind his ear, letting it drop afterwards to land on his shoulder for a few seconds. You gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze before you were stepping away from him again in preparation to sit back on the bed.

His body automatically followed yours like you had a magnet connected to you, taking a step forward to match the one you took back. He didn’t even seem to realize he was doing it, just naturally trying to keep close to you.

You watched him for a few beats to see if he was going to back away and apologize, realize that he was acting strange considering you’d just had a conversation about it. Strangely, he seemed completely clueless to why you had paused and cocked his head to the side like he was asking for an explanation. You waited for a bit more, deciding between two ways you could handle this and eventually landing on the one that caused you to take a deep breath before speaking.

“Did you want to lay with me?” Your voice was coming out fast and strong but your stomach was almost hurting with how nervous you felt, not sure at all where the line had moved to and how far was too far.

His eyes widened at your question and for a moment he seemed to realize how close you were standing for no reason, weird enough that you were even standing in your room in the first place instead of casually lounging around your apartment.

“Like.. in your bed?” He was finally responding after what felt like ten years and you nodded before you changed your mind, shrugging bashfully after like it wasn’t a big deal to you despite the fact you felt almost dizzy at the idea of laying with him.

You took a step to the side so you could move without bumping into him and he watched as you climbed onto your bed awkwardly, scooting to the far left so the side closest to him was available and tucking yourself underneath your big blanket. He was just watching you in bewilderment and you felt a bit stupid suddenly, having just assumed he’d want to lay with you because how touchy he’d been.

“You don’t have to never mind, it’s stupid anyways.” You laughed softly at the end of your mumbled sentence but it didn’t come across as genuine at all, scooting awkwardly on your side more so you didn’t have to face him directly.

Before you were able to look away from him he was quickly snapping out of it at the sound of your retraction, shaking his head quickly and landing on the bed with his knees before you could shut him out further. You tensed as he climbed into the bed next to you and pulled the blanket up so he could get underneath, avoiding looking at your bare legs for the few seconds they were visible before he was lowering it.

The two of you laid side by side for a few minutes in silence and you were quickly regretting asking him to join you considering how awkward it was.

You could hear him breathing, heavily at first almost like he was winded and then calmer the longer you stayed like that. You’d rolled back over fully onto your back eventually and your shoulder bumped into his, settling down into a position that made it so your arms were touching.

It was hard not to wonder what he was thinking about, if he was thinking about anything. Your mind was overflowing with too much confusion but it was completely possible that he was just laying next to you because you had asked and he wasn’t putting as much meaning behind it as you did so instinctively.

Then you felt something pressing against your wrist, flinching away for a second thinking it was a bug or something before your brain registered the warmth of Heeseung’s fingers pressing against your skin softly. You lowered your arm back onto the bed and thankfully he didn’t seem to be deterred by your sudden movement, sliding his hand down your wrist until he could lace his fingers with yours.

A wave of relief washed over you suddenly, silent confirmation that this wasn’t just two friends laying in bed together.

You felt like your breath had caught in your throat and you absentmindedly squeezed his hand, a sigh of relief being heard from beside you. His thumb was rubbing over the back of your palm and you were fighting the urge to look over at him and see what his expression was like.

“You can say no but..” His voice was coming out low and your head snapped in his direction at the sound of it. He wasn’t looking at you, staring straight up at the ceiling with an almost pained expression. “Would it be weird if.. could I hold you maybe?”

His words lingered in the air and your mouth parted in shock, something he must’ve sensed considering his hand tensed in yours and immediate regret passed over his face.

You didn’t want him to pull away from you just yet so you were acting quickly before you’d fully processed what he was asking and how strange it was. You rolled back onto your side, facing completely away from him and for a second you wondered if his heart dropped thinning you were upset with him for asking you.

Then you were scooting backwards in his direction and glancing over your shoulder waiting for him to take the hint, meeting his gaze finally and watching as understanding passed through his eyes. You quickly looked away, face flushing almost uncomfortably hot and it only worsened when his arm was hesitantly draping over your waist.

He was slow at first, like he was testing to see if you’d push him off or change your mind but when he seemingly decided it was safe he got bolder.

A small surprised noise slipped out of you when he was tugging you back tighter against him, his front completely against you and you felt him tucking his head into the crook of your neck. He breathed in a low sigh of relief and tightened his arm that was around you, instinctively squeezing like he’d finally gotten a breath of fresh air.

You were thinking back to what Jake had said now for the first time since it had happen just a few hours ago, the boy hinting that you had done something that awoken a new side of your best friend.

You wrestled with the idea that Heeseung was potentially touched starved before you ran your fingers through his newly bleached hair so softly, recalling the way his eyes had widened as he absentmindedly leaned into your touched like he was mesmerized by it. It made more sense to you with every passing second now considering the way he was holding onto you so tightly, like he was afraid you’d slip away from him.

“Is it too weird?” He was muttering from behind you and you shivered at the feeling of his breath on your neck.

You were shaking your head and trying to clear your throat to respond to him but you found yourself unable to form any words, overly aware of how close you were and the fact his hand was fanned out against your side.

To make matters worse he started to move again, clearly not content with just holding you against him. His hand was shifting against you and pulling at the large tshirt you were wearing, pausing for a second when he realized it was his but not saying anything about it. At first you were confused with what he was attempting to do but he pulled it up so it was resting near your ribs, leaving your stomach exposed.

You could tell he was propping himself up slightly behind you considering his face wasn’t tucked into your neck anymore and you felt overwhelmingly shy knowing he was looking at your bare skin, his large hand tracing down the dip of your waist and watching the way goosebumps rose to the surface.

Heeseung had seen you in lots of states of undress, walking in on you changing a dozen times and seeing you in bathing suits more than you could count but it felt miles more intimate in your current situation.

You glanced behind your shoulder again at him to find him already looking at you, a look in his eyes that was too loaded for you to want to unpack it right now.

Thankfully he laid back down and shifted his position, tapping you so you could lift your body off the bed a bit and he could slide his arm underneath you. This made it so he was completely hugging you around the middle and because he had tugged your shirt up his hands were left resting on your bare stomach.

Despite the heavy touching and the way he was watching you a few seconds ago, it didn’t feel sexual at all. If anything you almost felt like you could cry from how innocent and intimate the whole situation was. You realized you’d been just as desperate to touch him despite instinctively running from him in fear of what it meant.

Or more realistically, what it didn’t mean for him.

Regardless if he felt the same way as you did, if his heart was beating out of his chest with love and longing that had been buried down deep since you’d first heard him laugh, it definitely meant something important to the both of you.

He was tucking his face back into your neck, moving your hair to the side so he could hook his chin over your shoulder and you could feel his heart beat against your back, anything but still. You placed your hands shakily over his that remained still and warm on your stomach, stroking his knuckles softly and letting yourself stop thinking just for a moment.

#enhypen #enhypen drabbles #enhypen fanfiction #heeseung #heeseung drabbles #heeseung x reader #enhypen fluff #heeseung enhypen #enhypen au #enhypen fanfic #enhypen fic #enha fluff #heeseung fluff #heeseung imagine #heeseung au #heeseung fanfic #heeseung fic

[reiluvr]

Suguru's Morning Routine

hello! this is a new account, just cause i wanted to start somewhere new! requests are open and im still working on everything so...

i'll eventually make a masterlist, once i've posted at least 5 works or so.

this is pretty much 100% fluff even though i'm a hardcore angst girl. just starting off easy. uhhh there's suggestive words but no smut.

just suguru being head over heels for you and toru <3

It's the way Suguru has his alarms set for at least half an hour before the other two ring. He's so used to this routine that he doesn't even really need the alarm, his eyes already open and hands reaching for his phone to turn the alarm off in case it wakes you two up. He turns his body, a smile subconsciously falling onto his face as he observes the mess of your hair. He gently brushes a few strands away from your mouth, fingers tracing your features as he grins.

Once his ten minutes of admiring you are up, his body shifts, neck craning to admire Satoru on your other end. His heart flutters as he watches the constant rise and fall of Satoru's chest, finding solace in watching the "honored one" look so mundane. His smile only widens further as his eyes trail down to observe how your legs entangle with Satoru's, Suguru being the only somewhat normal sleeper. In the quiet of the room, a small giggle escapes him as he thinks back to the beginning of the relationship, how hard it had been to get a good amount of sleep between Satoru's limbs stretching across the entire bed and you're constant mumbling. Now it's only one of his countless favorite things about his two partners.

He alternates between both of you, waiting until the sun has fully risen to quietly get out of bed, humming a soft tune as he turns on the coffee maker, already pulling out countless items from the refrigerator. It was honestly a blessing that Satoru was loaded, because not only did he eat for a family of ten, all three people in the house had very different tastes, leading to grocery weekends being quite hectic. He places three cups on the counter, practically adding only a few drops off coffee to the first one as he drowns it in creamer and sugar cubes. He moves to the second, not even trying to fight the smile as he notices the small paw prints on the side of the mug. He had gotten accustomed to finding cat themed items all around the house once you had moved in. It had been a nightmare listening to Satoru whine constantly about how "those stupid cats mean more than we do, right?" He adds two sugar cubes to the cat themed cup, pouring the coffee and topping it off with whatever nut based milk they had bought that week. By the time he turns to the last cup, Satoru's poptarts have popped out the toaster, so he quickly places them on a plate while he heats up a pan to prepare his own eggs. He quickly pours coffee in his own cup, not bothering with sugar or cream as he takes a few sips, mixing granola into some strawberry yogurt. By the time breakfast is ready, he can already hear Satoru's soft whines from the bedroom, the man already having found something to complain about. He places the poptarts on one end of the desk, placing the granola in the middle, and the eggs on the other end. No one spoke about it, but everyone knew they had an assigned seat.

He takes his coffee with him, leaning against the door frame of their bedroom as he watches. Satoru seems to be clawing at the bedsheets, one hand digging into the bed as the other is wrapped tightly around the bedframe. You stand there, hair a mess and clothes all ruffled, clearly just having gotten up, with one of Satoru's ankle in you hands, desperately trying to pull him out of bed. Suguru rolls his eyes, you'd think after years of living together, they'd be over this dramatic scene every morning. He sighs, placing his cup on the dresser as he shuffles behind you, hands wrapping around your waist as you drop Satoru's leg in surprise.

"For once, could you two just wake up normally?"

He has to suppress his smile as he hears your own frustrated complaints, already talking his ear off first thing in the morning.

"I woke up and he was literally laying on me! So I push him off and he start whining and crying, you know how he is, he's all like "you don't love me" and "I'll just go die, I guess". And then! Suguru, you're not gonna believe this, actually, you will, cause Satoru still acts like he's 16. He pulls me back with him as he's like, "Hey ma". MA? WHY IS HE TRYING TO HAVE SEX FIRST THING IN THE MORNING??-"

Suguru does the only thing that he knows will shut you up, pressing his lips against your own as he silences you, Satoru cackling in the back as you push Suguru away, already on another rant about how you're living with two men who are horny 24/7. Of course, you're just kidding, already back in Suguru's hold a few minutes later, both of you just swaying in place while waiting for Satoru to finish washing his face. (He has a 24 step skin care routine.)

The three of you finally settle into your places, both you and Satoru digging into the prepared breakfast in front of you. Suguru sighs happily, watching as a bit of yogurt sticks to your nose, Satoru pointing it out. He watches as Satoru throws his head back in laughter as you try to wipe it off, only smudging it more. He holds back to urge to tell Satoru not to speak with his mouth full. He watches as you rub your nose red, somehow still missing the smudge. He watches as Satoru finally reaches over, using the edge of his sweater's sleeve, it's Suguru's sweater but he's already accepted he's never getting it back, to gently rub your face, getting rid of the mark. By the time he takes a bite of his own eggs, they're cold. He just smiles and continues eating, a cold breakfast being a small price to pay for enjoying his morning with his favorite people.

#gojo x reader #geto x reader #gojo satoru #geto suguru #gojo x you #geto x you #satosugu #stsg #satosugu x reader #stsg x reader #gojo x geto #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader

[stormhearty]

Pairings: Eris x Reader

Word Count: 3k

Triggers: pining, reader being shot by arrows, mentions of bloodshed and killing

Summary: Eris watched as your body lay still in the large bed, healing from the poisonous arrows that had penetrated your body. The Autumn Heir is reminded that, no matter how much he loves you, you will always be in danger if you stay around him. Now he has to make a choice… whether to keep you in his arms and protect you with his fire or to unlock the cage and let you go free.

Note: Based on this request! Thank you @strangelygreat for your request! I love this so much. I realized that I never really listened to this song in its entirety. The Broadway version, “If I Can’t Love Her” has a similar feel — it has the same longing and distress. But I listened to <Evermore> and of course, I am in love. <Evermore>, Josh Groban’s version more specifically, has such a beautiful pining feeling; I listened to it while brainstorming and writing this song. This is also based on a scene from the manhwa “Secret Lady”, one which echoes this feeling of pining with angst. I loved this scene in this manhwa, and I highly suggest reading it! This will mostly be under Eris’ POV since the song is from the Beast’s POV as well.

I would suggest listening to the song either before reading this story or during, and please do tell me if I could portray the song correctly!! Or was able to portray a similar feeling to it.

Closing the door behind him with a silent click, Eris stepped into the dimly lit room, his steps leading to a familiar bed, one that held a familiar body underneath its sheets. A hand reached out to grab the back of a chair, dragging it across wooden floors, the echo of scraping wood resonating throughout the quiet room. Placing the chair next to the bed, he gracefully sat down, hands gripping the arms of the chair as amber hues stared at the rise and fall of your back.

The room had grown silent after that, the pitter-patter of rainfall against the large windows and your even breathing occupied the room. It rarely rained in Autumn Court, but lately, Eris felt like the weather matched his mood — bleak, dull, and sober. His gaze moved from your peaceful features to the bandages on your back, the blackened blood that seeped through the white cloth.

It had been a month.

A month since the day you had stepped in front of those poisonous arrows, ones covered with ash — ones that were marked towards him — and almost had your life taken away in front of his very eyes.

He watched as your eyes looked up at him, a smile tugging at your lips, the words that slipped from your lips haunting him to this day: “You're okay…”

Eris felt himself stiffen in the chair, hearing the echo of your words through his body. He felt the wood creak underneath his fingertips, his claws splinting the wood underneath them.

He could still see it — how your body slumped against his, that arrow penetrated your skin; how the blood seeped from that wound through your ball gown. He could still smell it — that blood that tricked from the edge of your mouth and onto his pristine clothes. He could still feel it — how your body slowly started to become cold in his warm hands, how your pulse slowed underneath his palm.

The scene was still vivid in his mind — a constant reminder of the dangers that lurked in Autumn Court; on the dangers that followed him. On how every single moment that you lay in this bed, barely hanging into the thread of life — was another reminder to the Autumn Heir that he had started to become selfish — especially when it came to you.

For the longest time, he had restrained himself, his feelings, his obsession when it came to you. You were a fleeting moment — he constantly told himself — one that was not meant to be caged, especially not by him. Not in the political battlefield such as Autumn Court. Not where his brothers waited in the shadows to strike him down every waking second. Not where his father was looking for any weakness to use against him as punishment.

You weren't meant to stay by him, he had concluded.

Eris knew that — from the moment he laid eyes on you, all those years ago.

How you were a breath of fresh air in his suffocating world. You were his haven… an escape from the constant pressures of his Court. He wouldn’t have minded if the world had faded away — all that mattered was you. And Eris knew, oh how he knew, and that very thought was intoxicating and dangerous. All he had wanted to do was to keep you within arm-length, to be able to whisk you away when need be.

But he couldn’t.

“(Y/N)…” Eris murmured your name in the darkness, like a lover whispering sweet nothings.

“I can tell you now…”

Amber hues stared at your sleeping form, unaware of the truth that he was about to spill. Eris knew that the walls listened, his own home against him. But he needed to get it off his chest, to let the world know.

“You were my Goddess for the longest time…”

He shifted slightly to pull pieces of porcelain from his pocket — a broken miniature statue, one that Eris had held onto for all these years. He glanced at the pieces before shifting his hand, to allow them to fall to the wooden floor, the sound barely reaching his ears.

“You were something that I could admire from far away, keeping you at arms distance. Something that I could look at and never touch, never hold. I wasn’t afraid to think of you back then… to wish and yearn for you… To miss you. I never wanted to know who you were, never wanted to know more about you. I was content with just looking.

“But, when I saw you that day… During my coming-of-age ceremony, all those centuries ago, could you imagine — - no… you could never understand how I felt that day.”

You were radiant. A bright light in his dim world. Even in a crowded room, he could spot you from a mile away. You radiated warmth, kindness… purity. Something absent in his world of hatred and betrayal.

A shaky sigh escaped his lips, a hand coming up to run through his copper locks before running down his face, pressing against his eyes to prevent the burn of tears.

“It was the first time in my entire life… I wanted nothing more to do than run.

“You were gorgeous. And for the life of me, I couldn’t look at you without having my heart beat frantically in my chest. I felt like my heart would jump out, for the world to see how much you had affected me.

“Was this love? Was this devotion? Did this shift of emotion mean that I could never be able to seek you out again? That I could never be able to think freely of you? I didn’t know. And I didn’t want to.

“I thought that I would be able to manipulate myself into not loving you. How could I? I didn’t know you… all I had loved was what I could see on the outside. I thought I could manipulate myself into thinking to not fall in love with someone I did not know.

“I had thought it would be easy. I rarely saw you, except on passing occasions… Superficial words of greetings in loud halls. It was fine, for centuries, for me to just silently yearn for you. To allow myself not to hold you tight…”

A broken laugh paused his monologue, his hand dropping back onto the arms of the chair as he looked at you. He shifted out of the chair and moved to sit at the edge of the bed close to your form. Eris reached over, wanting nothing more than to feel your skin underneath his hand — to ensure you were still there… alive. He hesitated, his hand hovering over your back, only to move to gently grasp a piece of your hair. He leaned down and pressed a kiss on that one lock of hair.

“But that night, all those months ago, when you sought me out in the forest, knocking frantically on that small cabin door. You had sacrificed your safety to forewarn me of the assassination attempt by my brother. I knew I had to push you away, I had to keep you hidden from the prying eyes of my father and brothers. For they would know, if I had been a moment too late, pulling you in and hiding you within that closet, they would have known how much you had affected me.

“I knew that I should have let you go that night. I shouldn’t have held your hand and pulled you into that cabin. I should have let you run away from this cage I call my home.

“But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I couldn’t let you go, not when you were the one who sought me out. For the first time in centuries, you were the one who looked for me.”

Fingers dropped that lock of hair, as he settled his elbows onto his knees, hands, once again, pressing against his face as the tears finally broke… cascading down his cheeks in a never-ending river. He cried in silence, afraid that any sob or cry of grief would wake you up from your slumber.

You were finally within arms grasp.

Eris could reach out and hold you in his arms, to press his lips against yours. To love you as he had wanted.

“I couldn’t lie to myself anymore, (Y/N)… I wanted more. I wanted nothing more than to hold you in my arms, kiss you in the dead of night, make you moan my name as we made love… I wanted to drink up everything that you had given me. I wanted your eyes to shine only for me.

“And I regretted it so much.”

Eris felt every regret seep into his body — he regretted letting you into his life, into his world of fire.

“You mustn’t let her lay on her back—-” the priestess hummed out, as the glow from her hands faded away, fixing the bandage to cover the wound.

Eris watched, dull amber eyes staring at your face for any indications of pain. He held you in his arms, your head resting against his shoulder as the priestess healed the wound on your back.

“—-For it may fester with the moisture that can build up. You must lay her on her stomach, to let the wound breathe…” The gentle hands of the priestess ran over the wound, and Eris felt you shift in his arms, your face scrunching in pain. He felt himself growl at the priestess, amber eyes lighting in anger.

The priestess bowed in apology, “—- Her feeling pain is better than feeling nothing, my Lord.” With one last bow, the priestess swept away, passing the Lady of Autumn as the doors closed.

Eris didn’t pay attention to his mother, not when you were shivering in his arms. He sighed softly, bringing you closer to his warmth, letting the fire that breathed under his skin warm you. Fingers ran through your tangled hair, trying to undo the knots that came upon you while you were asleep.

“Why did you let (Y/N) into the Forest House?” Lady of Autumn asked her son, finally breaking up the silence of that room.

It had been a day after the incident — a day after you had taken the arrow that should have taken his life. A day since the priestess worked their magic to try to save you from the brink of death.

Eris had been nothing but a statue, forgoing his duties as the Heir of Autumn Court to just sit in that very room, watching you breathe — as if afraid that if he turned away from your body, you would disappear.

He glanced up at his mother for a moment before he leaned down to bury his head into the crook of your shoulder, the feeling and sound of your breathing calming him, reassuring him that you were still alive in his arms.

“Why did you have to —-”

“Mother…” he breathed out, interrupting her question.

Lady Autumn raised a brow, lips pressing as she allowed her son to explain.

“Imagine there is someone you wanted to protect, would do anything to protect. And you realize… that the person you wanted nothing more to protect was in danger because of you. What would you do?”

Eris shifted so he could lay you back on the bed, gently laying you down on your stomach as the priestess told him to do. He sat at the edge of the bed, tugging the bedsheet to cover your lower half, allowing your back to breathe in the cooling air.

“I would do whatever in my power… to ensure their safety…” she answered him.

Eris ran his hand down your back gently once more before he stood up, his feet dragging him over to the window as amber hues stared out into his Court.

“And that’s what I did, Mother… That night, after I had killed Tharetiur, his blood splattered on the wood of that cabin. After (Y/N) had fallen asleep in my bed, I stepped out into the night, wondering what I could do to ensure she was safe. I couldn’t let her go home, not after running for god knows how long to warn me of Tharetiur’s assassination attempt.

“… I had turned to Drucand —-” Eris’s right hand, one of the few people in Autumn Court he could trust with his life, “—-I asked him, ‘Where is the safest place in all of Prythian?’ I watched as Drucan stared at me for a moment, as if I asked a stupid question, before reaching for the holster of his sword…”

Eris remembered how Drucand pulled that holster from his waist and proceeded to hand him his sword.

“’ Heir of Autumn Court, the first son of Beron and Lady Autumn. The Heir whose blood runs with flames. The safest place… would be in your arms, with your fire and sword in hand.’”

A laugh broke out of Eris, his head shaking at the thought.

“I wanted to send her off, wanted to keep the distance between myself and her… But, I couldn’t. And I started to selfishly think that keeping her by my side, with that sword in my hand, might be the most reasonable solution to ensure her safety. I thought… that no danger would touch a hair on her head, not when I would protect her as my hounds do for me…

“But I failed… I failed, Mother…”

Eris turned around and faced his mother, tears finally breaking through his composure. His voice shook at every confession and every truth he thought knew.

“…It seemed that the Gods and the Mother above had led me to her. Fated us to be together… and yet ripped us apart the moment they thought we had gotten too close. That I had gotten too close to her. It seemed that they used her… her kindness, her warmth, her love… as punishment for me and my discretions…”

Eris believed with his whole being that you were his eternal punishment — for forgetting his promise to forget you, to punish him for yearning for you. Your kiss with death… was his punishment for falling in love with you.

The Heir watched as his mother let out a light sob before rushing towards him, holding him in her arms as he broke — as he finally broke. Eris sobbed, his body collapsing onto the ground in the arms of his mother, his hands wrapping around her as he grasped her shoulders, his body shuddering and breaking.

All because he had failed to protect you.

Amber eyes focused on your body once more, as he slipped out of the memory, the tears drying on his cheeks, determination in the depths of his eyes.

“(Y/N)… I had brought you into my life out of a momentary desire. A want, a selfish want, rather than a need. You were no longer the Goddess that I could bask in your light and warmth. You became a person — a living, breathing person — someone who cried and smiled… someone who showed your heart on your sleeve despite living in a Court that could use that against you.

“You showed me that you were like me, alive. I got to know you, your little habits — how you would bite your nails in concentration, how you would fiddle with the ends of your hair when you were nervous. You were an open book — one that I read so easily and greedily.”

How could he resist falling in love with you?

He couldn’t.

Not when you had accepted his flaws, accepted the darkest side of him — and in the end never turned your back on him. You had stuck next to him, in the horrors of his own Court, sticking out your neck for him every second.

How could he not fall in love with you and declare to let you leave?

How could he just have let you go like that? Not when you weaved your soul into his heart and stole it for yourself.

He couldn’t live without your hand in his, your body next to his own in the dead of the night. He couldn’t live without you.

But yet, there he was, he had been so close to losing you. To the terrors of his brother.

He didn’t regret it.

He didn’t regret the bloodshed that night after Drucand had taken your body from his arms.

All he saw was red, and he had no hesitance in taking Drucand’s sword, using his powers to wrap it in flames, and slaughtering his brothers in front of his father and mother.

There had been no ounce of regret in his blood at the sight of their bodies on those marble floors, blood pooling around them. He stared at his father with a glare, before handing Drucand the blood-covered sword back and taking your wounded body into his arms and striding out.

Eris would kill for you, again and again, if he had to. He would cover himself in blood… a sword in his hands, all for you. He would burn Prythian in flames… all so that he would never lose you again.

It was such a dangerous thought.

You were a dangerous addiction to him.

“(Y/N)… What if…”

There was only one way for him to fulfill his promise — his promise to the Gods, to the Mother.

He leaned over your body, his hand gently running down your leg, over your calf, and grasping your foot.

“What if I would carve my heart out, severing my feelings for you… Would that be enough to protect you and keep you alive from the dangers of my life?”

Eris pressed a kiss against the top of your foot, a notion of devotion from the Heir of Autumn Court.

“If that would be the case… then I would gladly take my sword, and hand you my bleeding heart. To show my eternal devotion and my love for you…”

#acotar fanfiction #acotar x reader #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fic #acotar angst #eris x reader #eris angst #eris vanserra #eris acotar #acotar fandom #eris vanserra x reader #( .inbox request: notions of devotion ) #( .inbox request )

[slayagami]

wedding day with izuku, katsuki, & shoto !

┊ ➶ ｡˚ ° m.list ! ┊ ➶ ｡˚ ° mha m.list ! ┊ ➶ ｡˚ ° enjoy !

i. midoriya

ִֶ𓂃⊹ ִֶָ izuku 100% could not sleep the night before

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ would arrive to the venue with you extra early to help decorate and prepare

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ his groomsmen were bakugo, todoroki, shinsou, and iida

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ best man was def todoroki

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ he got ready with his groomsmen, ranting anxiously to ida and shinsou, hoping that the wedding today would go to plan and be everything you wished for

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ right before the ceremony, he stood tall and proud with his back towards you, hands fumbling as he waited for the reveal. you stood behind him, wedding dress shining under the natural sunlight and giving you an ethereal glow

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ you patted his shoulder, giving him the 'ok' to turn around. nervously, he spun his body and locked eyes with yours, green orbs tracing your face that wore natural makeup, down to the beautiful dress you picked months prior after your engagement

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ his eyes grew teary, hugging you tightly and crying into the crook of your neck. hands glided down your back, feeling the silky material, mumbling how gorgeous you looked and how lucky he was to be marrying you today

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ your eyes watered, hugging your soon-to-be husband back and a hand to trace his fluffy locks. you kissed the side of his head, pulling him to look at you. your hand caressed his face, smiling stupidly in love

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ izuku wore a dark green tuxedo. it was almost black in normal lighting, but once the sun engulfed his figure, the tuxedo shone in a marvelous dark green, almost emerald color that brought out his features. his broach on his chest was a pink carnation, and his pin to his tie was silver.

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ he looked so handsome to you, your heart growing warm and in awe. your sweet boy, was finally going to be (officially) the love of your life. through thick and thin, hell and back, in sickness and in health, life and death. your last name was now going to be midoriya

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ not far off, the groomsmen and bridesmaids watched from a distance, taking pictures and videos, bottom lips puckered out from the cute scene

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ you both read your vows in secret, saving you both the tears from your conjoined family and friends in the room. with the say from the marriage officiant, you both shared your kiss as people cheered and cried, clapping to celebrate

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ your first dance was to 'make you feel my love' by adele, you both singing to each other like you were the only ones in the room, crying softly in the lyrics

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ ‘i could hold you for a million years, to make you feel my love’

k. bakugo

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ katsuki is the type to keep a calm face but be so fucking anxious on the inside

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ constantly checks himself out in the mirror to make sure nothing is out of place, black suit hugging his broad shoulders and small waist nicely

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ his groomsmen consists of kirishima as his best man (obviously), kaminari, and sero. maybe midoriya, if it was later in the years and he actually came to terms with him, but i don’t think he would go out of his way and ask

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ he promised he wouldn’t cry, not wanting to be embarrassed in front of quite literally everyone.. but as soon as your song queued the moment you walked in, wedding dress enveloping you in a warm hug with a bright smile on your face, his eyes immediately glossed over

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ of course, he’d try to blink them away and use this time that all eyes were on you to be rid of his water works.

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ his voice was shaky saying the ‘i do’s, but nobody else could tell besides you. i mean, he is your husband (finally)

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ kissing in front of the venue was the least of his worries, he could kiss you all day if he wanted, no matter who was looking. definitely held your waist tightly and pulled you to him, a passionate yet loving kiss being shared between the two of you

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ your first dance was to ‘the only exception’ by paramore, one of the first intimate songs that played in the car at midnight after your date in high school, feeling a strong hold and connection to this song

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ he held you close, swaying to the song with his face in your shoulder, humming softly along the words with you. tears slowly streamed from your face, while a huge and dorky smile was on his. though, he used your shoulder to cover it from his friends ad family, leaving it only for you to see

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ you both had your fair share with love problems. you felt used by others and unappreciated, choosing that being alone was better than trying so hard at love when it never worked

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ and bakugo’s young childhood never gave him the correct sense of love, only deprivation of it. he swore he didnt need to be loved, that he was all he needed

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ until your second year at u.a. when you were paired for a class project, slowly falling into each other’s presence and being. until the trips to his house lasted long after the project, becoming familiar with his family

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ you allowed yourself to try and be loved again, knowing full well that this would be katsuki’s first time, and might not know how he’d react in the long run. but loving him was too easy not to try

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ he tried hard for you. never raising his voice, refusing to let you open any door, bringing you food when he cooked or leftovers he knew you loved. he’d walk you to school, and walk you home, 100% attentive.

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ sure, some acts took longer than others, but you never pushed him to do those things. they were all his choice, his timing, when he was ready and wanted to do so

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ your wedding cake was non-traditional, and you both opted for cake pop to pass around, putting one in each others mouth

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ ‘you are the only exception’

s. todoroki

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ another ‘calm face, malfunctioning brain’ type of guy

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ wore a plain white tuxedo, his undershirt a wine red. his flower combination on his chest being a red and white dahlia

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ his groomsmen were midoriya, kirishima, iida, bakugo, and kaminari

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ almost didn't invite his dad, though you persuaded him to let endeavor come anyways

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ as you walked into the venue, his eyes never left yours. walking down the aisle make him smile warmly, sporadic heart calming down. it felt to him like you two were the only ones on the planet

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ he held yours hands at the front, repeating back whatever the minister had said, thumbs running across your knuckles to calm your nerves

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ a little.. a LOT embarrassed to kiss you in front of everyone, moving to stand in front of you and block the view (except from the bridesmaids and groomsmen)

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ cheeks were flushed pink as you shared your vows in private, tears flowing down on your end. he held your ands lovingly and kissed your temple, reading his to you with a wobble in his voice

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ your first dance was to ‘merry-go-round of life’ from howl’s moving castle. a movie you both favorited. the same movie from your first date where you both laid in the same bed watching from your room

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ you two ball-room danced, smiling at each other like fools at the different music choice that held so much emotion and memories

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ he refused to leave your side the whole night, holding your hands wherever you went and telling you (whispering) how much he loved you

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ he reminded you how gorgeous you looked, eyes never leaving your figure in your dress. he was in complete awe, jokingly asking you to wear it everyday from now on

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ your wedding bands were luxury diamonds custom made, a pink diamonds heart in the center with his silver band matching and complimenting yours (the inside was engraved with your marriage date)

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ your wedding cake is a red velvet cake with white frosting, a cute mini-figure of the two of you at the top and faux flowers at the base

𓂃⊹ ִֶָ shoto dances with his mother in a mother-son dance

#my hero fanfic #my hero academia #todoroki x reader #shoto x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #bakugo x reader #katsuki x reader #bakugo katsuki #izuku midoriya #izuku x reader #Midoriya x reader #izuku fluff #bakugo fluff #todoroki fluff #x reader #boku no hero academia #my hero academia x reader #marriage au #tododekubaku

[dayoldtea]

Joe passionately rambling on about Y/N for six mins and thirty-four seconds video

Pairing: Joe Keery x Actress!Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

Category: Fluff. That's all.

Warning: None

Summary: Steve Harrington and Penelope Carter did not stay together at the end of the fourth season of Stranger Things, and the internet has a lot to say about that. In contrast, to warm the hearts of Stenny's fans, one fan shares a six mins and thirty-four second compilation of Joe Keery passionately rambling on about you, his girlfriend, and coincidentally Penny Carter herself.

"Joe literally pinched himself upon seeing Y/N on set for the first time." Matt Duffer told during an interview with Variety in June 2022. "You remember that, right?"

Ross Duffer, sitting next to his brother, laughed as he shook his head, arms crossed over his chest. "There's no forgetting it." He joked. "They sat next to each other in the script room, and you could just see how nervous he was. It was a really fun thing to watch."

Matt nodded, humming as he did so.

"Yeah, I think that's why we can say that we were kind of prepared for the negative fan reaction regarding Steve and Penny's tragic ending in season four, you know?" He added. "We knew from the beginning that it would be hard to convince the audience that Steve and Nancy should be something when we had Joe Keery in love with Y/NY/L/N since the first time he saw her."

To say that the internet was in mourning would be an understatement.

The fourth season of Stranger Things had premiered some time ago, and for fans of the TV show, that was synonymous with hope. This time, Steve Harrington and Penelope Carter will finally be together.

The development from friends to lovers between the characters was something that fans had longed for since the first season, which unfortunately did not happen. Penelope received a tragic ending in Upside Down, and the scene in which her bloodied body was embraced by a miserably distraught Steve had generated thousands of disgruntled tweets and videos on TikTok — most of them featuring puffy-eyed girls, tears streaming down their cheeks as the scene in question played in the background.

Steve and Penelope hadn't gotten the ending they deserved, but you and Joe were the protagonists of another story, this one being in real life, and knowing that you two had been together for more than four years mended a little the crack left in the hearts of Stenny fans.

One video in particular, accumulating a little over 1,5 million views on YouTube, had been shared by a Twitter account along with the hashtag JusticeForStenny, on the rise since the last episode of the fourth season was aired:

@stennylover: steve and penelope didn't get a chance to be together and I know everyone here is heartbroken about it, but here is a compilation of joe passionately rambling on about yn for six mins and thirty-four seconds to warm your hearts

The video in question begins by showing the title text in white capital letters on a black background, the instrumental of Paper Rings by Taylor Swift playing in the background:

Joe Keery passionately rambling on about Y/NY/L/N for six mins and thirty-four seconds straight.

cut

The first recording shows Joe standing in front of a white background during the Glamour's friendship test, arms behind his back and eyes fixed on the floor. He was wearing a plain black shirt, the length of his hair a little shorter than that sported by Steve Harrington indicating that he was preparing for another role.

"I— I was just mesmerized the first time I saw her, honestly." He shakes his head slowly, his lips curving into a comforting smile. "She was visibly excited to be on set. It was like it was her first time in an environment like that, and it was really adorable to see her so excited about every little thing that happened." He said before looking at the camera, the smile not abandoning his lips. "When we had scenes together— which happened a lot, I used get so fucking nervous." Joe laughed, his cussing censored by a beep. "I was constantly getting my lines wrong because of that, and she's always been so thoughtful and patient about it, you know? Which only made my situation worse, actually." He joked, scratching the back of his neck as his eyes meet the floor once again. "She would always ask me if I needed a break, because, you know, she genuinely thought that these mistakes were because of fatigue or something, when internally I was like, 'Oh, I'm fine, I'm sorry about that, I'm just, you know, thinking of a way to ask you out on a date.'"

The video then cuts to the Wired autocomplete interview granted by Joe and Gaten Matarazzo.

Gaten is holding the styrofoam board while the phrases with "is joe keery" remain hidden under white stickers.

"Okay, so let's see what we have here." Joe hums as he pulls out the first sticker. "Is Joe Keey," he begins, "Y/N/Y/L/N's boyfriend in real life?"

"I love the fact that your first question has to do with Y/N." Gaten joked.

"Yeah, I was about to say that, man." Joe played along, leaning forward with one hand on his knee. "But yes, I am Y/N's boyfriend in real life."

"Title he's most proud of." Gaten punctuated, raising his index finger.

Joe clicked his tongue, a smug smile adorning the corner of his lips. "I mean, my girlfriend is Y/N/Y/L/N." He makes a point of stressing your name as if no one knows. "You don't meet many guys this lucky."

Gaten contracted his face in a fake expression of disgust, shaking his head before looking directly at the camera.

"We are still on a mission to find out how much he is paying Y/N."

The next cut is from an interview of Joe to GQ Spain where he was responding to some comments from fans on the internet.

"Youtube." Joe announced before the edit added a lofi song along with a video of Stranger Things fan comments on a scene of Steve and Penelope in the second season, then focusing on one specific user. "I honestly don't know how Steve doesn't realize that Penelope has a crush on him. Is he an idiot?" He reads as the comment remains on the screen.

The video then turns back to Joe.

"I mean, yeah?" He laughs, the video returning to the commentary session as Joe's lines were added as a response along with a typing sound. "I see a lot of Y/N—my girlfriend, in Penelope, you know? Not just because she plays her, obviously, but also because they're both so smart and have such a gentle soul that it's almost like they're magnetic, so when someone asks me what the similarities are between me and Steve, I make it clear that I'm a little smarter when it comes to girls, because I would never let someone like Y/N or Penelope get away. Thank you."

The video then cuts to an interview of Joe on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Kimmel.

"Can we— Can we talk about Y/N/Y/L/N?" Jimmy asked as he leaned over his desk. The audience whistled and clapped loudly as soon as your name was mentioned, making Joe smile. "I mean, we all love her here, and we know you've been together for years— over three years, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Joe squeaked, shaking his head. "We kind of got tired of just being on screen, you know?" He made a joke, laughing at the thunderous reaction from the audience.

"Man, this is so cool!" Jimmy exclaimed genuinely, causing Joe to nod his head and mutter an almost inaudible "thank you." "And how was the preparation for you two for this fourth season? If I'm correct, the recordings were interrupted due to the pandemic, right?"

"Oh, yes, unfortunately we had that setback and that's why there was a significant delay compared to the other seasons." Joe explained.

"And you two were together during that time?" Jimmy inquired curiously, arching his eyebrows. "Practicing the script together and all that stuff?"

Joe crossed his legs, interlacing his fingers over his lap.

"Well, we did a lot of fun stuff during those months, and of course discussing the script ended up being one of them, but we also kind of took that time to disconnect a little bit, you know?" Joe replied, "We cook together, we write songs together, we learn about gardening on YouTube…" He enumerated with his fingers, "just a bunch of cool stuff."

"Oh, that sounds amazing." Jimmy said in an impressed tone. "Just a couple discovering new hobbies, right?"

"Yeah, but Y/N, she's just— she's just a lot smarter and more talented than me, you know?" Joe said amidst a laugh. "She can act, she can write, she can sing, she can knit, she can read a book about what are the right garden pots for each kind of seed and suddenly become a big Wikipedia on the subject…" he rambled, gesticulating excitedly, "It's amazing. She is amazing. I'm one hundred percent sure she could build a rocket from scratch if she wanted to."

"Wow." Jimmy smiled, exchanging a quick glance with the audience before facing Joe again. "So I guess we can say you're a little bit in love, right?"

Joe blushes, his eyes dropping to the floor before turning to Jimmy. "Yeah, I kind of am."

#joe keery x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harringto x fem!reader #joe keery x you #steve harrington fluff #famous reader

[dottores]

HELIOTROPES

pairing: dottore x fem!reader & segments

summary: the gods were sick and twisted. for five hundred years, he believed he was fated to be alone. he had long accepted it—embraced it, even. that is, until a midwinter night when that elusive red thread finally appeared on his finger. but as much as he wants to ignore it, the pull of a soulmate simply cannot be ignored.

genre: soulmate au, canon compliant for the most part.

warnings: fem!reader, worldbuilding for snezhnaya & fatui & fontaine, unhealthy/abusive households (dottore--locked in closet, mistreatment/verbal abuse | reader--implied toxic stepfather & equally toxic mother who constantly believes him over reader, the slap scene from prev chapter), minor character deaths.

notes: the segment sheet is DONE, this was a rlly fun chapter to write! i enjoyed exploring both of their backgrounds ehehe

THE FAMILY JEWELS

Dottore did not dream. 

He used to dream before he was forced to abandon his original body but even then dreams were sparse and short. If he was lucky, sometimes he dreamt of answers--his mind always on his research even while resting. If he was unlucky, he would dream of fire, red and orange and yellow flames too close to his eyes; he would dream of the day he had received the scars that marred half of his face and his hands. 

But now he was sitting in an unfamiliar home, reminiscent of the estate in northern Fontaine where the Delta segment was focusing on his research. It had to be a dream. He remembered laying down in his bed, he remembered feeling his soulmate’s exhaustion. He had been back in his estate in northern Snezhnaya and now he was here.

It had to be a dream but Dottore didn’t dream so it must be something else.

But what?

He didn’t have time to dwell on the issue, he found himself moving, standing up from wherever he had been sitting and confusion began to itch at him, realizing that something was wrong. He was shorter--stood barely taller than the couch he had been sitting on--and he had no control over his actions. 

He tried to catch a glimpse of himself in the glass of an ebony cabinet that seemed to be storing some sort of antiques but he couldn’t make out his features. His features? Something felt wrong. His hands moved down on their own, smoothing down the cloth draped across his body--loose fitting, softer than anything he owned, it only reached his knees. 

A dress?

There was a strange feeling bubbling in his chest--excitement but it wasn’t his own. He was pacing back and forth and as he turned on his foot for the fifth time, he caught his reflection in the mirror: bright eyes glowing with anticipation, a wide smile. It was a girl, a young one at that--no older than seven. Something warm and heavy stirred, this was of his own.

This was her. His soulmate. He knew it.

Dottore suddenly felt uncomfortable. He didn’t know how to wake himself up. He tried searching for something to read, he tried yelling, he tried blinking repeatedly--tactics that he had used all of those years ago when he found himself dreaming of the unpleasant years he spent back in his village but none of them were successful this time. His body wouldn’t cooperate… or he supposed it was her body, not his.

This was not ideal, he thought to himself as she continued to pace around. He had somehow managed to let himself get attached to the faceless being on the opposite side of the thread, however minimally that attachment may have been, he did not want to put a face to them because he did not want to risk this attachment becoming any stronger. He had to focus on severing the thread, freeing them both of the shackles that this bond placed on them. 

There wasn’t much he could do, he realized. There were no tricks that he could use to wake himself up, he just had to wait this out, watch whatever was going on from behind the eyes of his soulmate. Exasperated, he resigned himself to his fate, instead trying to make the most of the situation and figure out where exactly she might be.

Not to find her, he told himself. 

Or, it was to find her, he corrected, but only so that he could send Lambda off to keep an eye on her. He was the only one that Dottore could trust to make sure that she stayed alive without forming any sort of attachment to her and without even making himself known to her. All of the others would take advantage of the opportunity but Lambda would do what was necessary--he was livid enough over this whole situation and how it has been affecting their research. He would make sure that their soulmate stayed alive and unharmed long enough for Dottore to figure out how to sever the thread. 

“Moooother,” the words left his lips, but the voice was young and happy, a soft singsong of a call that trailed into a gentle giggle. Innocent, sweet, untainted. “I’ve been waiting forever.” 

Dottore felt another emotion that was not his own, this one more familiar to him--a growing anxiety, a creeping sense of doubt as the girl began to look around. He could feel her lips twisting into a frown, the excitement dying as she left the room to go look up and down the halls. Dottore tried to push away her growing distress, instead focusing on the windows that she was passing by as she ran up and down the halls. 

Rolling hills in the distance, snow dusting the thick grass, the skies were clear and there weren’t many trees in sight. Dottore’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, it was very reminiscent of the labs he had set up on the Fontaine border. 

Was she from the Fontaine countryside?

He would call Lambda back from Sumeru to send him to check it out, and order Delta to take his place in Sumeru with Theta. Theta would be livid but Dottore didn’t particularly care about how Theta felt. He had only barely been able to replicate all of the lost research before the deadline Dottore had set for him and Dottore had a feeling that Lambda had done the majority of the work because he had been furious over his research being interrupted. 

Unfortunately for him, it would be interrupted again. 

But where in the Fontaine countryside? Dottore tried to figure it out, irritation growing as she came to a stop in one of the hallways, no window in sight. It had to be somewhere in central or eastern Fontaine--if it were western Fontaine, there would be no snow powdered across the grass, the heat from Sumeru and Natlan melting it before it even touched the earth.

Northeastern Fontaine or north-central Fontaine. It would be easier if he could sic Rho on the job. He would be able to track her down with a general location--they’d have her whereabouts in a matter of a week… but he couldn’t trust Rho to not tell the Gamma segment, and if the Gamma segment knew, he would tell the Iota segment, and the Iota segment finding out was how this whole mess started in the first place. 

“Miss Elyna!” she called and Dottore was moving--or she was, he corrected again--this time down a new hall, lips tugging down into a pout as she tugged down a cloak from a hook. Dottore winced as she pulled too hard, tumbling down to the ground. He could feel the hardwood floors scraping against her elbows. It hurt more than it should’ve, he had gone through worse but he supposed he was feeling what she was feeling, severity and all. Dottore wanted to roll his eyes when he felt her eyes water up, sniffling. 

“They left me,” she said to herself, voice wobbly as she pushed herself to her feet and pulled on the cloak. It was too big for her, dragging against the floor as she made her way to the door. 

Pleased, Dottore realized she was going to go outside, which would give him a better chance of figuring out where along the Fontaine countryside she was living. As soon as she pushed open the door, brisk air met his face. Her nose wrinkled, drawing her hands up into the sleeves of her cloak as she began to make her way out of the house.

The town seemed to be up a rather large hill, a mile or so away from where the estate was situated. She was of noble birth, that much was obvious, only the aristocrats of Fontaine could afford such a large estate with that much property. 

Dottore frowned as he caught something in the distance--dark clouds rolling over the town that she was making her way to, too fast to be just the average storm. Even further in the distance was a sight he could barely make out: a mountain range, large, ragged peaks that were very, very familiar. 

Dottore felt uncomfortable. Again. The storm was not of a natural cause--it was one of the harsh winter blizzards that should have buried Snezhnaya’s capital city, deflected by the Tsaritsa to batter Fontaine instead. His soulmate remained blissfully ignorant of the coming danger, bounding up the hill in the direction of the village, at a pace too slow to beat the imminent storm. He could feel the air around them getting colder, the wind picking up. He could feel the first snowflake sting her cheek, bitter and sharp.

There was a sinking feeling in his stomach--he couldn’t tell if it was his or hers. It was hers, he realized, because she was now looking around nervously, realizing that the storm was about to come down on her and she was too far from the estate to make it back there and she was too far from the town to make it to one of the houses on the outskirts. 

Snezhnayan blizzards were dangerous. They never lasted for too long, especially the ones that were deflected to the south, but they came on fast and they were harsh--the winds were wicked and the snow came down half as ice. 

“Mother!” she called, voice loud, and panicked. Dottore’s heart was racing--or he supposed it was hers, now that the severity of the situation was finally beginning to set in on her. “Mother!”

Fool, he thought to himself, you’re going to fall. His chest felt tight--this was his own, not hers, he recognized--as instead of trying to run back to the estate, she kept going up the large hill, intent on finding her parents rather than trying to get back to safety.

Just as he expected, it only took one strong wind for the girl to trip over the too-long cloak and go tumbling down the hill. She was shrieking but the wind was drowning her cries and Dottore couldn’t do anything but watch, watch through her eyes as she tumbled down the hill, nails clawing against the dirt as she tried to slow the fall. 

Dottore did not do well with these sorts of movements. He felt woozy, light-headed--or maybe it was her feeling it, or maybe it was both of them, Dottore really couldn’t tell. By the time she came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, she could barely even stand up. The wind sent her tumbling down each time she tried to rise, and the snow was coming down hard, whipping around her so that she could barely even see a few steps in front of her and Dottore was suddenly back in northern Snezhnaya, four hundred years prior.

Beta, Dottore thought to himself and he felt sick and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the dizziness or because of the reminder of his first segment and its destruction. He willed himself to wake up to no avail, and he couldn’t even shut his eyes because he was forced to watch through hers as she tumbled to the ground over and over again, trying to make her way blindly through the storm. 

You’re going to get yourself lost, Dottore wanted to spit out, livid, stop moving. But his soulmate was terrified and frenzied, shrieking even though no one could hear her, sobbing for her mother, trying to cover her face with her cloak but she kept getting knocked to the ground, taking facefuls of mud and snow. It was hard to remember that it was the past--that this had already happened years ago as he lived through it himself through her, as he felt her fear and her pain and her panic.

He hated this. 

He hated the lack of control. He hated being forced into this situation. He hated having no choice in what was going on. 

He hated having a soulmate

And he hated even more that there was the chance that she was also dreaming of his past and he had no way of knowing what she could be seeing.

You were sitting by a window. You blinked, brows furrowing softly as you tried to figure out what had happened and how you had got there. The room was unfamiliar--the furniture was a pale wood instead of the ebony dressers that decorated your room and it was small, it seemed to be some sort of living room but it was barely even the size of your bedroom.

You wanted to stand up but you couldn’t and you weren’t entirely sure why. You frowned, trying to push yourself off the windowsill you were sitting at but your body wouldn’t cooperate, locked in place. You felt a bit panicked over it but you couldn’t feel panicked, you didn’t know how to describe it. It was a muted feeling, suppressed--what was more intense was the odd sense of longing tugging at your gut, the weight heavy on your chest. 

Your gaze moved on its own from inside the house to back out the window. You couldn’t help but notice how the window was bolted from the outside--less like trying to keep people out of the house and more like trying to keep someone in. You felt uncomfortable suddenly, but again, it was a muted feeling, one that you couldn’t seem to feel strongly no matter how much you felt like you should.

There were kids outside, across the dirt street, lounging in the lush grass. They were smiling, happy, making the same motions you would when you pulled at your string and you felt even more alone, sad--you felt sad and you didn’t even know why.

You looked away, down to your lap, and then you felt confused because you realized, slowly, that you were not in your own body. You were wearing a pair of loose shorts--a thick rough material that felt icky against your skin, you were used to the soft silks and cottons that you usually wore. Your legs were stick thin, the bones protruding through the skin. Your knees and shins were bruised and scratched up and your hands were small but rough and calloused.

What…?

“Zandik,” you heard an unfamiliar voice call. Your head turned, but you weren’t controlling it. Again, you felt alarmed, and again, you couldn’t really feel alarmed. Instead, there was an anxiety pooling, one that you weren’t in charge of. You looked to the side--a woman was standing there, tall with pale blue eyes and dark hair. “Why are you watching them?”

“You never let me go outside,” The words were leaving your lips but the voice was not your own, it was that of a boy--a young one at that--quiet and vulnerable, loneliness echoing in his tone. “Why can’t I go outside? I want to explore. The other kids go exploring all the time, I see them.”

“Zandik, come away from there,” the woman ignored his pleas, pressed together tight as she watched him--you? you thought to yourself, confused at the whole situation. “You’re going to make them uncomfortable. We don’t need more rumors going around.”

“I want to go outside and explore,” the boy was adamant, his words edging on desperate. “I hate being stuck in here all day, I want to go out. I want to explore. Why don’t you let me out?” 

“You know why, Zandik,” the woman had not one ounce of sympathy for the boy and the hurt that you might have felt personally at the harshness, he felt tenfold. You could feel yourself sniffling--he was sniffling, you corrected, his lip wobbling and his vision going blurry. 

“I don’t get it,” he said, voice cracking, the telltale sign of a meltdown in most kids but he seemed to be controlling himself, somehow. You had never seen a kid mature enough to hold back their tears and wails. “I don’t get it, you keep telling me they don’t want me outside because of my soulmate but that’s not fair. I’ll get my mark soon, why are they being so mean? I just want to go out and explore.”

Oh, you realized suddenly as you finally began to feel tears track down your cheeks and as the boy finally let himself cry. This was your soulmate when they were younger. 

You had heard rumors of this, you read about it in some of the books in the palace’s libraries. There were certain half-stages or rare effects of the bond that soulmates could experience, some called them mutations, others called them extra blessings. There were rumors of people not being able to see certain colors until they met their soulmates, rumors that some had two different eye colors--one of their own and the other to match their soulmates, and then there were dreams. Dreams were a frequent mutation, be it seeing each other’s past through the dreams or it being a shared space for them to talk to each other in. 

You assumed this was the former. 

And suddenly you were angry. The woman, who must be his mother or caretaker, was watching him coldly even as he cried. She made no attempt to console him, no attempt to calm him down or reassure him, not even a single word or action of comfort. She watched him cry with empty eyes, unmoved by the tears. It was hard to only be able to watch--you wanted to scream at the woman, you wanted to slap her, you wanted to comfort the crying boy, but all you could do was watch it happen from his eyes, feel his distress.

“It has been over five years Zandik,” the woman said, tone void of any sort of empathy for him. “No one has gone this long without receiving their mark. It is a bad omen for the village, you are a bad omen--they say the divine have cursed you. They do not want you around and if you continue testing your father’s patience, he will stop advocating for more time with the village elders. Do you understand?” 

He was crying, hard, and you could feel him shaking his head. “I don’t understand. I do-”

The glass behind you shattered and the boy didn’t have any time to react before a rock flew past him into their house, shards of glass cutting through the skin of his cheek and his arm--shallow cuts, but you could feel the warm, thick liquid dripping down his cheek. He had stopped crying suddenly, stunned by the sudden pain and the loud sound of the glass breaking. 

The woman was staring down at the rock in the middle of their small living room, making no move to get a wet rag to help Zandik clean up. You could hear the kids laughing as they ran away--evil little demons, you thought to yourself, personally aggrieved by the situation.

“What was that noise?” 

A new voice--male, deep, and Zandik was forced out of the state of shock, heart-racing and nerves returning, this time way more intense as he looked at the woman, “Moth-” he began, voice dripping with anxiety but he didn’t even have time to finish the word before a man had made his way into the room. 

He was tall, taller than your father was with wavy blue, fair skin and sharp red eyes. He was intimidating, you weren’t even really there and you could feel your nerves beginning to heighten… or maybe it was just Zandik’s emotions forcing themselves onto you, you couldn’t tell at this point. But the man, his father, was livid, his lips were twisting in an ugly sort of fury as he stared at the broken window.

You thought he would storm outside, yell at the kids who had thrown the rock into their home and hurt his son but instead, he was moving toward Zandik. Your stomach dropped as you felt yourself--him--trying to scramble away, unintelligible, panicked babbles spilling from his lips but his father’s legs were longer, strides too big for him to escape. 

He leaned down, a large hand wrapping around Zandik’s thin bicep and you winced at the bruising grip he had on him as he yanked him to his feet so hard that the boy went stumbling. “How many times do I have to tell you-” his father started to spit out, cutting himself off as he dragged Zandik through the small room and toward the hall. 

“Zakai,” his mother began, following Zandik and his father, exasperated and maybe even a bit nervous.

“Stay out of this,” his father said roughly, turning down another, smaller hall that led to a single door at the end of it. 

“No,” Zandik was panicking, desperately trying to rip himself out of his father’s grip. “No, I don’t want to go in the dark room. I don't want to go in there.”

He went ignored, flinching as his father yanked open the door and a sharp pain flew up your back as he pushed Zandik into the room--the closet, you corrected, horrified. It was a small space with no windows and barely enough room to sit comfortably, and his back hit the wall hard before he crumbled to the ground.

“This is for your own good,” his father told him. “It’s hard enough convincing them to let you remain in the village as it is. If you continue to give them reasons to want you gone, I’ll have no choice but to concede.” 

“I didn’t even do anything,” Zandik choked over his words, you could barely make out his father’s face now from how much his vision was blurred with tears. “I was just sitting there.”

“They don’t even want to look at you, boy,” his father hissed, grabbing Zandik’s cheeks and squeezing them together hard. “They see you a monster, do you understand? The same type that rose from the damned lands and razed our villages  to the ground--those cursed people had no mark either, you know? Are you like them? A monster? Cursed? Are you? Answer me!”

“I’m not!” Zandik shouted, pulling his face from his father’s hands. “I’m not!”

“Then prove it,” his father snapped before slamming the door in his face, drowning the small, enclosed room in darkness and leaving Zandik in there alone. 

In an instant, the scene warped--another dizzying sensation that had Dottore sick to his stomach. Gone was the ferocious wind and the snow pummeling his soulmate’s small body, gone was the panic and the fear. Instead, it was replaced with beams of sun warm against his face, a bubbling excitement that was overwhelming any sort of irritation he might have had. 

She was older now. He caught sight of her reflection through the window that she was running past--still young but probably closer in age to the Iota or Gamma segment. She looked happy, she felt happy. It was a far cry from what she had been feeling before and it was giving Dottore whiplash as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on. 

She was clutching something to her chest--a flower, purple hydrangea--and there was a hop in her step. From what he could tell, she was making her way to her family’s estate from the town. There was nothing in her field of vision that could give him any hints as to narrow down where she might be.

But it was warmer, and he remembered how the mountain range encasing Snezhnaya’s capital had been visible in the distance when she had been walking to the town. It had to be a town along the Snezhnayan border--central Fontaine, most likely, considering the positioning of the mountain range and the warm weather. Central and western Fontaine frequently dealt with waves of heat drawn in by Sumeru’s desert and Natlan’s fields of magma while northeastern Fontaine rarely ever got warm, surrounded by the mountain ranges of eastern Snezhnaya and northern Mondstadt on both sides, it was pretty much a pool of cold air… and he couldn’t see any mountain ranges to the south, so it had to be central Fontaine.

But central Fontaine was large and he had no way of knowing where exactly the town could be. It was somewhere up by the Snezhnayan border in the western sector of central Fontaine, yes, but dozens of towns could match that description, more than that even. Fontaine was littered with small towns in its countryside, even without adding in the city’s population, Fontaine was the most populous of the seven nations. 

Lambda’s issue, Dottore told himself as she finally got to the front doors of her family estate, pushing it open and stepping inside. He had more important things to worry about than her location, he had narrowed it down far enough that Lambda would be able to figure it out.

“Mother!” she called loudly, making her way down the halls. Dottore could feel how happy she was--it was strange. He had felt her happy a million times before but now it was as if he were feeling it himself. It wasn’t that distinct muted feeling he had learned to decipher from his own and locked away. It felt like it was his, it felt like he was happy and he wasn’t sure he had ever felt like that before.

He didn’t like it. He felt warm, at home in a way that he usually only did in his labs and even though he knew, realistically, that these were not feelings of his own, he didn’t like the way it was affecting him. 

“Moooother,” his soulmate repeated, louder this time, but it lacked the singsong lilt it had years prior before the storm. “Moth-”

“What is it?” an unfamiliar voice asked, sharp and cold, interrupting her call. Dottore felt the change in mood instantly, the giddiness replaced by hurt, smile fading for just a second, and Dottore felt livid, murderous, but even that was displaced because he was feeling her own emotions more strongly than his own. 

His soulmate turned to face the other direction, where walking down the side hall toward her was a taller woman that looked just like her, although her eyes were sharper and her lips were pulled down. 

She shifted uncomfortably on her feet and Dottore could tell that she was bothered by the woman--who he assumed was her mother--and her coldness. 

Despite the discomfort, she still managed to smile again, “I made a friend down in town,” she said, excited. “His family owns the flower shop. He gave me a flower.”

Irritation pricked at the back of his mind, he pushed it away.

“That’s nice,” she did not sound interested. He could feel his soulmate’s smile falter again--the irritation grew, developing into subtle anger. “You were supposed to be back for lunch.”

“He was really nice,” his soulmate continued, perturbed but trying not to let it show. Dottore wanted to roll his eyes, he had no desire to hear about a childhood crush. “And guess what? You’ll never believe it! His soulmate, she’s up in the north too.”

Dottore felt her mother’s change in demeanor instantly. His soulmate remained oblivious, giddy, and excited. He didn’t have to look in the reflection to know that her eyes were shining and her smile was wide, he could practically picture it on his own. He felt tight, having a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.

“How do you know that?” her mother asked, icy. 

Blissfully ignorant, his soulmate looked down at the flower she was holding tight to her chest. “We talked about it, he said he was going to go north to find her one day and I asked to come with and-”

Her head snapped to the side, hard, and a painful, stinging sensation spread across Dottore’s face. At once, Dottore felt a wave of emotions all at once--only one was his own and that was rage, rage at being slapped, at her being slapped--but more predominantly, he could feel her shock and he could feel her distress. He was reminded of the day all of those years ago when he had gone to meet Pantalone for the first time when he had been cut off mid-sentence by a slap on her end. 

Her mother grabbed her face hard, squeezing her cheeks together, and Dottore was livid--he wanted to rip his face out of her grip, grab her by the throat, and force her off but he couldn’t, he couldn’t control anything because he was stuck in his soulmate’s body, watching it all happen from behind her eyes. 

The worst part was that he didn’t even know if he was angry because it felt as if he had been the one slapped, or if he was angry that she had been slapped.

“How many times must I tell you?” her mother spit out. “No one can know. No one, you and I, your father and Miss Elyna, they’re the only ones to know of your thread. To everyone else, you have no soulmate. How many times must I tell you?”

Dottore was taken aback. So taken aback, that he didn’t even register his soulmate’s response—something along the lines of a stuttered ‘but he was nice, I trust him’, but it only infuriated her mother even more.

To everyone else, you have no soulmate. 

Why? 

Were they able to figure out who he was through the words? No. That wasn’t possible, this was right after the beginning of the second stage. She hadn’t received any words from him at this point. 

Then it had to be something else. His location? Was Fontaine so anti-Snezhnaya already? 

They had expected it considering their archon’s stance on Celestia but how was it even possible? The Hydro Archon should have no way of knowing the plans of the Fatui but Dottore wasn’t sure what else would turn the deity against them like that.

… unless there was a spy. But even then, they should know that if that was the case, Arlecchino had implanted one of her spiders into Fontaine’s court.

Dottore was frustrated as he was forcibly ripped from his thoughts, drawn back into the situation at hand. Her mother was still going on, and his soulmate was still quiet, but she was crying now, silent tears spilling over her cheeks.

“… and your stepfather was right. Ever since he came into our lives, ever since the twins were born, you have taken every chance to act out or put our family at risk. Getting yourself lost in that storm after you told him you didn’t want to join us in town, refusing to show up for your siblings’ birthday, constantly talking back, and now this-”

“It’s not true,” she hiccuped, trying to pull away from her mother only to fail. “I wanted to go to their birthday, he never told me where it was, and I wanted to go to the town but he left me, and-”

“Enough!” her mother shouted and his soulmate flinched. “The lying is getting out of hand, all of this is getting out of hand. Do you understand how much risk you just put our family in? Your siblings?”

“I didn’t mean-“

“I will handle this,” her mother spit out, voice dripping with venom, “but this is the last time. The next time you act out of line, you will be living with your father indefinitely.” 

She left her standing there, alone, and the happiness from before was gone, leaving her as cold and empty as Dottore felt normally. Her flower lay limp at her feet, and she made no move to pick it up. 

Dottore didn’t like it.

She didn’t move for a long time, not until another figure came into the room—another woman, with dark hair and kind gray eyes, who let out a sigh when she saw her standing there alone, tears still tracking down her face.

“She doesn’t mean it, little one,” the older woman sighed, patting his soulmate’s head gently as she kneeled to pick up her flower, placing it back in her hands. “She loves you, she’s just scared.”

Dottore wasn’t so sure about that. Resentful and angry, he wasn’t sure he had ever felt such a visceral desire to kill since his days as a Fatui recruit when he was volatile and ready to snap at any given moment. He hated how a person he didn’t even know managed to draw out all of the worst aspects of himself, the aspects that he had killed and carefully tucked away a very long time ago.

“I don’t understand,” she sniffled, rubbing her eyes. “I hate it here. She’s so mean, and she always believes him over me, and he hates me because of father, and he’s always trying to leave me out and he tells her that it’s my fault, and she believes him.”

“Love is blind,” the woman murmured softly. Dottore wished he could roll his eyes. “Your mother never thought she’d find her soulmate… now that she has-”

“It’s not fair,” his soulmate interrupted, shaking her head and turning to face the woman. “Miss Elyna, he’s a liar. He’s a liar and he hates me. I didn’t even do anything wrong. And I have no friends because of my stupid soulmate and I finally make a friend and I’m not allowed to, and I always get in trouble when I don’t even do anything. I want to live with father. I hate it here.”

Dottore thought he should be offended--stupid soulmate, he thought to himself, irritated, but he couldn’t be offended because he was intrigued, trying to piece together what exactly she meant by the fact that she had no friends because of him. He was clueless as to Fontaine’s stance on those that never received a mark… and if that was the issue and she had to pretend she didn’t have one…

“You cannot go live with your father,” the woman, Elyna, sighed. “You are bad enough at hiding your bond here in the countryside, your father is still living in the city. You will have all eyes of the court on you once you’re there, and if you slip up once…”

Confirmation that it was Fontaine, he already knew it but it was good to have it confirmed—only Snezhnaya and Fontaine had courts. 

“It’s not fair,” she was melting down, shrieking. Dottore could barely even see through her eyes because they were blurred with big tears. “It’s not fair, I don’t want to hide it. I don’t want to. Do you know how mean people are because they think I don’t have a soulmate? They call me cursed, they say Celestia rejected me.” 

“Are you like them? A monster? Cursed? Answer me!”

Dottore felt cold but more than that, he felt something heavy in his chest. He didn’t know what it was, he didn’t want to know, so as always, he pushed it away. Instead, he found humor in the situation because he thought it was all ironic—he was persecuted for not having a soulmate, and she had to pretend she didn’t have one to avoid persecution. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, he spat at Celestia’s wicked sense of humor. 

“… hate me either way, so I might as well-”

“Enough,” Elyna hissed. “You can’t speak like that. It is not a matter of hate, it’s a matter of freedom and imprisonment, life and death. Your father sent a letter warning your mother that Her Excellency was becoming even more extreme in her position on Snezhnaya, you have to be careful.” 

There had to be a spy, Dottore realized. Someone leaking information from the higher levels of the Fatui to other nations—this had to have been nearly a decade ago. How had they gone so long without knowing?

He would have to bring it up to Pantalone, he would be able to work with Pulcinella and Arlecchino to weed out the rat.

“He lies to her,” his soulmate cried harder after being scolded. Elyna wrapped her arms around her and Dottore felt uncomfortable, claustrophobic. He wanted to yank away but his soulmate appeared to have no intention of doing that. “Who lies to their soulmate? If he loved her, he would love me. I didn’t do anything wrong, I was nice to him.”

“Hush now,” Elyna said gently. “You-”

“No, it’s not fair. None of this is fair. Soulmates are supposed to be good and he’s not. He ruined my life, and my soulmate is ruining my life, and none of it is fair. I have no friends, I just want friends, and now mother is going to ruin that too. And if father cared about me, he’d want me to live with him but instead, he makes me live here with them.”

“It’s safer-”

“I don’t care,” she shouted.

My soulmate is ruining my life, he echoed in his head. 

Bitterly, he thought, well that goes for both of us but at the same time, that heavy feeling returned and this time, he couldn’t bring himself to push it away. 

You were running. He was running. Your heart was racing, beating outside your chest as you slammed into a tree, stumbling past it to continue in whatever direction you were running in. It was so hot, it felt like the air around you was suffocating you; it felt like your mouth was stuffed with cotton. You couldn’t tell what was going on--you felt panicked, frantic, as if you were fighting for your life against an invisible enemy.

Invisible. 

As soon as the word crossed your mind, an explosion rocked the earth beneath you, sending you flying ten feet forward, slipping on wet, mossy rocks, and rolling down a steep hill. You hurt, your whole body ached, branches dug into your skin, rocks scraped against your face--ordinarily, you would have given up, the pain too much for you to handle, but somehow he kept going. 

You felt him push himself to his feet, you could feel blood tracking down his arm and the side of his face, but he didn’t cry nor did he falter. Wheezing for air and eyes wide and wild, he continued.

Something large was behind him, large and metal with a glowing orange and gold orb in the center of its head--a ruin guard, you realized, horrified. You had heard there were a lot in southern Fontaine, on Sumeru’s border, but they couldn’t traverse the mountain ranges and vast rivers and lakes that littered central Fontaine, freeing the north of their destruction. 

But you had studied them. You had studied ruin machines for a long, long time once you began receiving words from your soulmate and had access to the palace’s extensive library. You received odd words like chaos cores and circuits and bolts and oculi that you learned were associated with the old, destructive technology. There wasn’t much information on them and you thought that in itself was telling. The Hydro Archon censored any material that could be interpreted as fostering dissent against her rule, or the heavens, expunging the history that she didn’t like. 

You wondered what exactly was it about the ruin guards that she wanted to prevent the masses from learning.

Zandik gasped as the ground beneath him trembled again--the ruin guard had caught up already, heavy steps tracking after him. You could hear a whirring noise behind him and you knew it was going to let out another blast of energy in his direction. Your throat felt swollen with anxiety, or you supposed that was his anxiety, but he was focused ahead. You could see a village in the distance, in a small clearing of the dense forest he was running through.

He didn’t cry for help, he didn’t scream, and you remembered the last dream of his life. You wondered if he didn’t call for help because he knew no one would answer and you felt sick. 

The explosion didn’t hit close to him this time, veering off into a tree, and Zandik spared a glance behind him to see the ruin guard falter as it skidded on wet rocks, the same ones that Zandik had slipped down. He let out a shaky breath and you could feel his relief as he made a break for the village. 

The ruin guard did not stray too far behind. 

When he got to the village, the people were oblivious. Some spared him looks, mostly of irritation and distaste, but most ignored his presence. 

Zandik made no effort to warn them of the imminent danger and a part of you hesitated, uncomfortable, a foreboding feeling bearing down on you as you realized what might be about to happen. 

He kept sprinting through the small village, past a small bakery, and right through a crowd of people who cursed him for his interruption. He was running somewhere specifically, or to someone, you realized as he set his eyes on a woman you recognized from before: his mother. 

She looked angry but more than that, she seemed distressed, grabbing Zandik’s forearms as he nearly crashed into her at full speed.

“Where have you been? Your father and I-”

“We have to go inside,” Zandik said, voice little over a wheeze. “We have to-”

He didn’t have a chance to give any further explanation because at once, there was a massive explosion, one that shook the ground beneath the entire town as the ruin guard finally set its target on the villagers. 

Zandik turned his head, eyes wide, and you wished he would look away because you felt sick to your stomach at the gory scene before you. The blood, the fire, the screaming--every single one of your senses felt overwhelmed as catastrophe met the peaceful town, ravaging the unexpecting villagers.

But as much as you felt sick, you realized, slowly, that Zandik did not feel that same horror that you did. You wondered if he was in shock… you wondered if it were something else. He stared in the direction of the destruction, lips parted, unable to draw his gaze from the ruin guard as it prepared itself for another attack, energy swirling around the orange and gold orb. People were running, calling desperately for family members and friends, trying to hide behind houses and wells to escape the onslaught. There was blood. There was so much blood and so much death, and it was readying to attack again.

But he felt no guilt. No fear. No shame.

There was only satisfaction… awe. It was subtle, bubbling beneath the surface, but it churned your stomach. You told yourself that you didn’t know the whole story, that you didn’t know the extent to which the villagers had put him through hell--you hadn’t even scratched the surface with that previous event in his life you had dreamed of but-

“Zandik, Zandik,” it was his mother screaming, tearing him from his trance as he watched the ruin guard and forcing you from your thoughts. She was shaking him violently, fear stretched across her face. “What happened? What did you do? What did you do, Zandik?” 

“It followed me,” his voice sounded hollow, void of any sort of emotion. “I went exploring.”

“You brought it back here?” his mother was on the verge of tears and Zandik remained unmoved, standing there limp as she continued to rattle him around. “You stupid boy, they’ll kill you. They’ll kill you.” 

“Not if it kills them first,” you wondered if he intended to say that because you felt a jolt of surprise that was not your own. 

His mother stared at him, horrified, but she jolted as a figure grabbed her arm.

His father.

There was an unreadable expression on his face. “Inside,” he said, voice brusque and cold. He grabbed Zandik by the arm, dragging him inside after his mother and slamming the door behind them. 

He felt empty. You didn’t like it. It made you uncomfortable, it made you sad. You didn’t think anyone should feel like this, much less your soulmate. Even as his father let go of his arm, Zandik just stood there, gaze trained out the window much like how he was years earlier, watching the kids lay out in the grass--except this time, he was watching as they ran for their lives, screaming for their mother and father, hurt and bleeding. 

You didn’t know how long he stood there watching the horrors outside. Eventually, they managed to destroy the ruin guard, and as the sun set in the distance, they began to collect the dead and the wounded. Every now and then, you could hear his parents shouting at each other: “They’ll have him burned! We have to do something!” and “They already thought of him as one of the heretics from the cursed land. There’s nothing left we can do for him without us meeting the same fate.”

Zandik didn’t react to any of it--there was a vacuum where his emotions should have been, a cavity where his heart should have been. He felt cold and numb and you couldn’t tell if it was because he was in shock over what had happened and what he had caused, or if it was because he truly did not care. 

It seemed like an eternity when the shouting finally began again, you could see the torches lit outside, the crowd of survivors in front of his home. They were angry, bloodthirsty, out for vengeance, and still, Zandik remained apathetic, standing in the same spot. 

“Bring the boy out, Zakai,” the man at the head of the crowd called loudly. “You can’t protect him anymore.”

Neither his father nor mother responded but the words broke his stupor. Finally, he turned to face his parents and you could feel a bit of anxiety start to pool in his stomach as if he were finally realizing what was about to happen.

You were starting to realize it too and you wanted to throw up. 

“The Celestial gods have turned their backs on us for harboring a heretic. We have faced famine, drought, plague, and now this, all within the ten years that abomination has resided here. Our wives, elderly, children were slaughtered because he brought that monster from the cursed lands to our homes. If we don’t do something about it, it will happen again and again and again until we’ve atoned.”

“Zakai,” his mother whispered, shaking her head.

No way, you thought to yourself, horrified, as his father refused to meet her gaze, looking away from both Zandik and his wife. You could feel Zandik’s stomach drop and you could feel the fear begin to settle in his stomach.

“Zakai, you can’t,” his mother said desperately. “It was an accident, they’ll-”

“Enough,” his father responded quietly, and finally he looked at Zandik, only for a moment before he made his way to the door. “There’s nothing else we can do for him. It’s time to let go.”

When you woke up, you knew you had dreamed of your soulmate. You could remember the pain, the shock, the loneliness, and that terrifying sort of satisfaction he felt after he had accidentally led the ruin guard back to his village but you couldn’t remember anything that mattered and it made you want to cry. 

Cursed, they called him, you could remember that but not his name, not the place he had been living, not the faces of the people that had been in the dream, not even his face--you couldn’t remember any of it. It felt like a distant blur, something you could picture but all of the distinct features were smeared into something you couldn’t recognize and you were frustrated. 

Two and a half years. You had two and a half years and then you’d finally be able to get some answers out of him. 

You stared at your forearm, waiting to see if his word would change, wondering if he had dreamt about you too. 

Dottore was livid. He bit back a string of vile curses as he paced around his bedroom. He had dreamt of her. He knew it. He could remember it—he could remember her fear, he could remember her anger, he could remember her desperation. He could still picture the vague memory of her smile, and the way she felt as everything came crashing down around her, but he couldn’t remember anything of importance.

He knew he had figured out where she was. He knew it. But every time he tried to think back on it and remember, he was met with a frustratingly blank slate, an answer that was on the tip of his tongue that he couldn’t figure out.

The gods were fucking with him—again—and he was sick and tired of it. He could picture them laughing at him, mocking his situation, jeering at his failure. 

He tried to take steady breaths. He tried to calm himself down. None of it worked. He felt like he was in his late twenties again, unable to control his wild emotions and bouts of anger after being cast out from the Akademiya. 

He braced his hands on the edge of his desk, leaning over it as he shut his eyes and tried to settle down, counting slowly—an old tactic he had used back when he had first been brought into the Fatui. It worked, albeit slowly, but it cleared his head enough so that he could think.

What could he remember? 

A winter storm. A warm summer. A large estate. He could remember what had happened in the dream—memory? He could remember her getting lost in the storm, an unwelcome return to a past he tried to forget, and he could remember the argument with her mother, the slap.

She had to hide her mark, he remembered, eyes widening a bit. A winter storm. A warm summer. A large estate. Having to hide her mark. The answer was on the tip of his tongue, again, but again it dissolved before he could capture it. 

He let out a heavy, shaky breath—running a hand through his hair as he returned to his pacing. 

There was something else. He had figured something out beyond just where she was located—something important—but he couldn’t remember what. 

Squeezing his eyes shut, he inhaled, turning his mind to a different subject, something else to focus on before he destroyed half of his room in a fit of rage. 

Her. She must have dreamt too, and if her dreams were anything like his, it must’ve been of his childhood. 

Dottore suddenly felt uncomfortable, gaze drifting down to his forearm. No one knew of his past—no one besides him and his segments—and he liked to keep it that way. It was a history he had left behind, a name and a face that had died centuries before that he did not want unearthed.

He only hesitated a second before he rolled up his sleeve, intent on trying to get an idea of what she might have dreamed about his past through whatever word passed to him through the bond. 

And he stared—cold, empty, the rage returning but this time it did not burn, it froze. It froze everything, all of the emotions that had been rattling his body, any desire he might have felt to try to locate her, and most importantly, whatever attachment that might have grown in the past thirteen years as he was faced with the word that had haunted him his entire life, branded on his forearm as a searing accusation from the one person that was meant to be his.

His body moved on autopilot as he shuffled through his desk to find the notebook he had kept of all of the words passed onto him. Once it was in his hand, he took two long strides to the opposite side of the room before flinging it right into the fireplace, watching the flames engulf it before leaving his room and making his way down to his labs.

Cursed. 

rbs appreciated!

#dottore x reader #dottore smut #dottore x you #genshin x reader #genshin smut #genshin x you #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact smut #genshin impact x you

[lilacmingi]

GRINCH AU

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or my works

Pairing: Grinch!Jongho x Martha May Whovier!fem reader

Word count: 2,428

Note: I was rereading this one and I forgot how much I loved it 😭 I took a different route and put Y/n in Martha May Whovier’s place while also putting my own twist on the story and adding my own scenes. Christmas is in 3 days so thank you all for your love and support for the Christmas imagines series! I’ve loved reading your reblogs and comments! I hope you all enjoy this one and have a Merry Christmas!! 💚❤️ Reminder: This imagine is from Wattpad so there will be no continuations or extra parts

Years ago when you were still in school, you had a classmate who stood out from the rest. His name was Jongho.

His messy, green hair stuck out from the other Whos and the sour look constantly etched onto his features was one everyone talked about. He kept to himself most of the time, staying seated in the back of the classroom, not paying attention and not speaking to anyone unless spoken to first.

You felt bad for him. Part of you always thought he liked being by himself, but another part of you thought he might enjoy some company. So, one day you approached him.

"Hi." You greeted.

His uniquely-colored bright green eyes met yours.

"Hi." He returned, his tone short.

"I'm Y/n."

"I know."

"What's your name?"

You already knew his name, you'd heard it during roll call before, but you wanted him to introduce himself.

"Jongho."

"I like your hair." You complimented.

The sour look on his face fell just a bit.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Were you born like that?"

He nodded.

"That's so cool."

"It is?" He asked, bringing his hand up to touch his viridescent locks.

"Yes. I like it a lot. It's very unique."

That was the first time you'd ever seen him smile.

"Can I sit in front of you?" You asked him.

He gave a small nod in response.

After that day, you started talking to him, saying hello and asking how his day was going. You were unaware of how much Jongho appreciated that. No one had ever showed him kindness like you had. He was used to being ignored, so all this attention from you was new to him, as was the warm feeling in his chest.

Christmas approached and Jongho wanted to do something special for you. He remembered you mentioning during a recent conversation about Christmas that you liked angels. He didn't have the money to buy you one, so he did the next best thing.

He stayed up late, rummaging through his adoptive parents' kitchen, taking anything he might be able to use for his little DIY project. It took him nearly all night, but once he was finished, he knew his hard work had paid off and he couldn’t wait to see your reaction.

The next day, you walked into the school dressed in your most festive outfit. As you headed towards your classroom, someone ran up beside you, catching your attention.

"Y/n!"

You turned to see Taehyun, a fellow classmate. He always kind of got on your nerves. He was cocky and often bullied other people, especially ones who weren’t snobby and rich like he was, which you didn't like at all. Not one bit.

"What do you want?"

"I got you a present." He grinned, pulling out a necklace with huge diamonds on it.

It was ugly. However, your mom always told you to be grateful, so you thanked him.

"Put it on." He held it towards you.

"Maybe later."

"Come on."

You knew he wouldn't leave you alone, so you  gave in, holding your hair up and allowing him to clip the necklace around your neck.

You weren't aware of this, but Jongho, who was on his way to give you your gift, had seen you with Taehyun and hurriedly hid behind a nearby wall. He peeked his head around the corner, watching as Taehyun clipped a flashy necklace around your neck, the dozens of diamonds sparkling under the fluorescent lights in the hallway. He felt his heart sink as he turned his back on the painful scene and walked off.

Taehyun gave a thumbs up of approval at the necklace before heading to class. As soon as he was out of sight, you pulled the gaudy thing off, shoving it into your bag. It was the ugliest necklace you had ever seen. It looked like something an old lady would wear and it was far too big for your tiny child-sized neck.

You continued down the small hallway of the school and into your classroom, acting as if nothing had happened. When Jongho saw you walk in, he sat up straighter. He noticed you weren't wearing that ugly necklace he saw Taehyun put on you moments earlier, which made him feel a bit better.

You walked over to the seat in front of his, which you'd been sitting in for the past few weeks, placing your backpack down.

"Hi, Y/n." Jongho greeted you.

"Hi, Jongho." You smiled. “Are you excited for Christmas?"

"I am." He nodded. "I have something for you, by the way."

His tone was soft and he seemed a little nervous.

"You do? Like a present?"

He gave a short nod as he started rummaging around in his backpack. He pulled out an object and handed it to you. You glanced down at the flashy item, observing it carefully. Once you realized what it was, you gasped.

It was an angel made of what appeared to be kitchen appliances, small gems, and pieces of stained glass.

"You made this for me?" You asked, unable to believe he would go to such lengths.

Unlike when Taehyun gifted you that necklace, you didn’t have to fake your gratitude for Jongho’s heartfelt present. It was stunning and best of all, made by him.

"I did." He nodded.

"It's so beau—"

Before you could finish your sentence, Taehyun walked up, cutting you off.

"Really, freak?" He scoffed. "This is the best you can do? This is just a pile of garbage."

Before you knew what was happening, Taehyun snatched the angel from your hands and threw it on the ground.

Jongho looked down at the present he worked so hard to make that was currently in pieces on the classroom floor. Much like this now destroyed gift, his heart was shattered.

"Taehyun!" You shouted at the boy as you dropped to the floor, picking up the pieces and setting them onto your desk.

You didn't even notice Jongho rush out of the room until he was already gone and out of sight.

You turned to glare at Taehyun, mustering up all the anger you could. Without thinking twice, you grabbed the necklace he gifted you from your bag and shoved it into his hand.

"I don't want this." You told him.

That was years ago; you were probably eleven years old at the time. You never forgave Taehyun for what he did, but that didn't stop him from trying to constantly win you over.

Jongho never came back after that day. You didn't know what happened to him until about three years ago.

There were whispers in Whoville about a "scary" green-haired man that lived on Mount Crumpit, the ominous, snow-capped mountain that loomed above the town. You knew immediately that it had to be Jongho, though the Whos didn't call him that, they referred to him as The Grinch. You weren't sure why. Perhaps it was because of that sour look constantly plastered on his face. If that were the case, he hadn't changed at all.

Every night, you found yourself gazing up at the monstrous mountain, wondering what Jongho was up to and if he was doing okay.

"Nothing's stopping me from seeing him." You voiced your thoughts aloud.

You were in the midst of planning a Christmas party, though you weren't sure if anyone would show. The Mayor, aka Taehyun, was having a party the same night. You only invited two people, but Taehyun's Christmas parties were always the talk of the town, so you weren't even sure the only two friends you had would show up.

You sighed, turning your attention back to Mount Crumpit, a brilliant idea popping into your head.

The next day, you set out on your own, climbing up Mount Crumpit, a Christmas party invitation clutched in your hand.

It took an agonizingly long time for you to reach the top, and by that time, your fingers, toes, and nose were completely numb. Despite that, you approached the door that was nestled in the mountain, giving a few knocks on the weathered wood.

Nothing.

You tried again.

Still nothing. Just the sound of the frigid wind whistling as it blew past, whipping strands of your hair around.

You knocked once more, only to get the same result. You then resorted to plan B and moved closer to the door.

"Jongho?" You called out. "It's me, Y/n. I don't know if you remember me."

You paused for a moment in case he happened to hear you.

"I'm not sure if you're in there, but I'm having a Christmas party on the 25th. I'd really like it if you would come. I'd love to talk and catch up."

You paused for a moment before continuing.

"I never knew what happened to you all those years ago. I only recently found out where you've been hiding. Truth is, I miss you. I'd like to see you again."

You took the invitation and slid it underneath the door.

"I'll just leave that there." You stood up. "Goodbye, Jongho. I hope to see you soon."

You started your descent down the mountain, hoping that Jongho heard you. If not, the invite had been delivered and it's in his hands now.

Inside the mountain stood Jongho. He heard your knocking, but ignored it, thinking it was some dumb kids trying to prank him, but then he heard your voice. Your sweet voice that was always laced with kindness.

He shot up from his chair, hurriedly scurrying towards the doorway. Your voice sounded so gentle and comforting. It was nice to know you hadn't changed. He listened intently as you spoke.

"I don't know if you remember me."

What? Of course he remembered you. You were the only person who bothered to pay him any mind. The only person to show him any sort of compassion and kindness.

He wanted to speak, let you know that he was there and he was listening, but for some reason the words were stuck in his throat.

"I'm not sure if you're in there, but I'm having a Christmas party on the 25th."

His face scrunched in distaste at the mention of the obnoxiously cheerful holiday. After he ran away all those years ago, he held such bitter feelings towards Christmas. He despised it, hated it. The holiday was ruined for him. He was humiliated that day in front of you and couldn't bare to be in that classroom any longer, so he ran out. He didn't even think about how that would make you feel. Truthfully, he thought you forgot about him. Everyone else did... for a while, anyway.

Three years ago, he returned to Whoville for certain items he couldn't obtain himself and, even with a disguise, people seemed to recognize him. After that, people started harassing him. Kids—mostly teenagers, would dare each other to go up to his home and knock on his door. It was annoying and he wished people would just leave him alone.

Except maybe you, of course. Though Jongho shut himself off from everyone and had a hatred for every Who in town, he had a fondness towards you. You were the one and only exception.

"I'd really like it if you would come. I'd love to talk and catch up."

His eyes widened upon hearing that.

You wanted to catch up? As in talk? To him?

There was a strange feeling in his chest as he thought about you wanting to spend time with him. It was a feeling he hadn't felt for at least ten years.

He listened as you said your goodbyes, watching as an invitation was slid under the front door. He waited a moment before he walked over to take the invite. Even though Jongho hated Christmas, he had to admit, the invitation was pretty. Inside was the address of your home along with the date and time that the party would take place, all written in your beautiful handwriting.

His fingers unconsciously traced over the letters before turning to his dog, Max.

"What do you think?" He asked the animal. "Should I go?"

The dog barked in response.

"Yeah, but I don't have anything nice to wear."

Max barked again.

"I know I don't have to dress nice, but it's for Y/n."

The dog only stared at him.

"Fine." He huffed, throwing his arms in the air. "I'll go find something. Just stop nagging me, will ya?"

Your party was a bust so far. It was nearly time for it to start and no one had shown. Just when you were ready to give up, there was a knock on the front door, making you perk up. You hurriedly went to answer it, surprised to see who was standing on the other side.

"Jongho?"

His uniquely-colored green hair was neatly pushed back, showing off his insanely handsome features and round face. He wore black slacks, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and a red vest that fit his body snugly.

You were rendered speechless as you looked at him. You didn't mean to stare, but you didn't expect him to show, not only that, but he looked incredible.

You had a crush on him back in school. Part of you thought that would go away, but seeing him in front of you proved that your feelings for him hadn't gone anywhere.

His eyes stayed glued to the the ground as he fiddled with his fingers. You fought the urge to hug him, afraid it would be too much, especially after not seeing him for so many years.

"I can't believe you showed up." Your eyes drifted down to a small scruffy-looking dog sitting by Jongho's feet. "And you brought a friend?"

"This is Max." He told you, his voice quiet.

"Why don't the two of you come inside? You're just in time."

Upon entering your house, Jongho found that he was the only one there. He saw a table with four plain gingerbread houses sitting out along with icing and other candy decorations as well as a decently-sized spread of food.

"I thought you were having a party." He spoke up.

"I am. I invited a couple people and you, but they were no-shows. Probably at the mayor's party." You gestured to a gaudy invitation on your coffee table.

"Is that from..." Jongho trailed off.

"Yeah." You rolled your eyes.

Jongho couldn't hold back the sour expression on his face.

I still can't believe that jerk managed to become mayor of Whoville. He thought bitterly.

Jongho walked around, keeping his hands shoved in his pockets. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed and out of place, even though he was the only person in your house. It wasn't you—you hadn't changed at all. It was the fact that it had been so long and he hadn't really spoken to anyone since running away. He wasn't sure how to initiate a conversation, let alone what to say, so he resorted to looking around.

You began going on about what all you had planned for the party as he wandered around.

"I have food if you're hungry. Max is welcome to have some too. I also have different activities to do if you get bored. We can decorate gingerbread houses, make our own ornaments, or have a Christmas movie marathon." You listed, not knowing that Jongho's attention was elsewhere.

His eyes gazed upon the massive Christmas tree in your living room, as he looked at the glittering lights and decorations adorning the branches, but that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the angel that donned the top of the tree. His angel. The one he made for you.

"So." You clasped your hands together as you approached Jongho. "What first?"

You stopped when you saw him staring at something. Following his gaze, you realized it was the angel at the top of your tree.

"You kept it?" He asked, not taking his eyes away from it.

"I did."

"I thought it was broken."

"I fixed it."

"I can't believe it."

"That gift meant a lot to me. You ran out before I could tell you, but it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." You stared up at the decoration. "I love that little angel."

Jongho was about to speak, but was stopped by a sudden knocking at your front door.

"Maybe we have some company after all." You beamed, going to answer the door.

Your smile dropped immediately when you saw Taehyun standing at your doorstep.

"What are you doing here?" You asked snappily.

"You're not at my party. Didn't you get my invitation in the mail?"

"I did."

"Then what are you doing here all by your lonesome?" He inquired, tilting his head.

Jongho didn't have to see the guy's face to know who it was. He clenched his fists, making his presence known as he stalked up to the doorway to stand beside you.

"She's not alone."

Taehyun's eyebrows raised as a look of amusement colors his features.

"Oh, I see." He scoffed. "You're busy spending time entertaining this freak."

"That's enough." You snapped. "Don't you have a party to get back to?"

"I can spare a few minutes."

"There's no need. I don't want you here."

"I'm the mayor. I don't have to listen to you." He spoke, trying to push past you and force his way into your home.

Jongho stepped forward, protectively pulling you behind him as he stared down Taehyun.

"She said leave."

"I'm not afraid of you." He scoffed.

"Leave. Now. I'm not going to tell you again."

"What are you gonna do about it?" He taunted. "Go hide in your little cave again like you did all those years ago?"

To your surprise, Jongho roughly shoved Taehyun away, causing him to stumble back and fall into the snow. He landed with a grunt, glaring up at the green-haired boy beside you. At that point, Max had scampered over to the front door to see what was going on and had started growling at Taehyun.

"Don't you dare bother her again." Jongho snapped before slamming the door shut.

He then turned to you, his expression softening.

"Are you okay?"

You nodded. "Just annoyed with him. Thanks for sticking up for me like that."

"It's nothing." He shrugged.

You knew he was just being modest.

"I have to admit, I've been wanting to do that for a long time." He added, making you chuckle.

"He definitely deserved that, and more." You locked the front door, before turning back go Jongho. "Now that he's gone, we can get the party started. What do you say?"

He only nodded, seeming a bit bashful.

You put on some Christmas music and immediately began preparing hot cocoa for you and your guest. Once that was finished, you urged Jongho to participate in at least one of the activities you planned. He decided on ornament decorating.

As the two of you decorated your ornaments, you talked about what had been going on in your lives, you more than him.

"You know, the day you ran off, Taehyun got me the ugliest necklace." You cringed at the memory. "I don't even now why. I guess he was trying to win me over. That boy is relentless, always has been it seems.”

Jongho knew which necklace you were talking about, but pretended he didn't.

"Do you still have the necklace?" He asked in an almost hesitant manner.

"No." You shook your head. "I gave it back to him after he broke your gift to me. I hated it anyway. It was the ugliest and gaudiest thing I'd ever seen. It looked like something an old lady would wear."

Jongho couldn't help but smile knowing you gave the necklace back to Taehyun. Not only that, but it was clear how much you disliked Taehyun, and that gave him a confidence boost.

"Y/n, I wanted to tell you this earlier before we were interrupted, but knowing you pieced together that angel gives me this warm feeling in my chest. I'm not really used to it, but it's a good feeling. The last time I felt like this was in school when I was spending time with you."

You were surprised by this confession, his sweet words making a warm feeling of your own spread in your chest.

"You approached me that day and spoke to me. No one had ever done that."

"I just thought you needed some company."

"Deep down, I think I did." Jongho stopped to get a look at his ornament. "I think I'm done. Sorry if it looks bad. I don't usually do stuff like this."

"Let's see it." You leaned over.

Jongho's cheeks got warm at your close proximity. You didn't notice as you were too busy looking at the ornament he decorated.

He painted it green and added red swirls on it. It was simple and a little messy, but cute nonetheless.

"I like it." You smiled.

"You do?"

You nodded.

"You wanna keep it or do you wanna hang it on my tree?"

"I wanna hang it." He answered quietly.

"We can hang them together. I just finished mine." You showed your ornament to Jongho before the two of you placed them on the tree.

"Aren't you glad you did that?" You asked.

He nodded. "It was fun."

Jongho was beginning to feel himself become shy again and started having trouble looking you in the eye without getting flustered. You were so nice and so pretty.

"Y/n." He called out, keeping his eyes on the tree for a moment, trying to gather his nerves.

"Thank you for inviting me."

"I should thank you for showing up. If you weren't here, this would be the most boring party ever." You chuckled.

Jongho started to speak, but you cut him off.

"You wanna dance?"

"Oh. I... I don't really know how."

"It's easy. Follow me." You took both his hands, pulling him into the living room, Max following behind. You placed Jongho's hands on your waist before wrapping your arms around his shoulders. You couldn't help but notice the faint pink tinting his cheeks.

"So this is how you stand, then you just sway back and forth, or you can take small steps left to right and slowly go in a circle. Whatever feels right."

"I'd like to just stay in one spot."

"Alright." You smiled softly, the two of you swaying side to side.

You studied Jongho's features, taking in every perfect detail of his face, your heart thumping wildly in your chest. You only turned away for a moment, seeing that Max had made himself comfortable on the couch. You let out a chuckle before resting your head on Jongho's shoulder. He seemed a little tense at first, briefly making you worry you had overstepped, but he soon relaxed.

You weren't sure how long the two of you danced for and you didn't really care. You were just happy to be reunited with Jongho.

"Y/n." He spoke up, his tone gentle.

You hummed in response, pulling back to look him in eyes.

"I'm going to say something that I've wanted to say for a long time and you can say no. I won't be upset."

"What is it?" You inquired.

"I really like you. I have from day one."

You were too stunned to speak. You had no idea.

"Okay. I've made you uncomfortable. I'll let myself out."

"No." You spoke up, abruptly. "I like you too, even way back in school. Seeing you tonight made me realize that my feelings towards you haven't gone away at all. In fact, I think they've gotten stronger."

Jongho seemed equally surprised at your confession as you were at his.

"You're serious? This isn't a prank or anything?"

"No pranks." You shook your head.

Caught up in the moment, Jongho pulled your face towards his, catching himself just before his lips touched yours.

"It's okay." You whispered. "Go ahead."

That's all the confirmation he needed before he smashed his lips against yours, capturing them between his own in a full-fledged kiss. You were dizzy for a moment, not expecting him to go in hot and heavy—not that you were complaining.

Your hands found their way to Jongho's brightly-colored hair, running your fingers through it and feeling it's softness. A gasp left you as Jongho's hands lightly squeezed your waist before he snaked his arms around you, pulling you flush against him.

The kiss seemed to last forever yet not long enough at the same time. Jongho pulled away, looking a bit flustered. You cupped his cheeks, lovingly stroking them with your thumbs.

"I want you to stay." You blurted.

"Stay?"

"Yeah. With me. Here. I don't want you to go disappear in that cave again."

Jongho didn't have to think about it for very long. It was either live in a nasty cave and be alone, forever having conversations with his dog, or live with you in your cozy home getting to see you every day. The choice was obvious.

"Okay." He agreed.

"Really?"

He nodded. "I'll get to be with you all the time, plus I can protect you from Taehyun when he starts bothering you again."

"I like the sound of that." You grinned, leaning in to kiss him once again.

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

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[mysteriouslybluepirate]

hi bestie saw ur post and im kinda curious about this since it's something not a lot of ppl are talking about next to ed's arc and izzy's death and all— what do you think about how they handled stede in the finale? I felt like a lot of the "incompetent wannabe pirate" jokes undermined his progress this season and also him deciding to stay at the inn with ed felt odd as he expressed he wanted to be a pirate and sail the sea. just wondering what other people think about that

[Oct 31, 2023]

Before we get into it, you are allowed to enjoy this show! My past (and next few) responses WILL be negative, but you aren't wrong for agreeing or disagreeing with most posts. Thanks to all the people who have already sent in messages! I can't wait to respond!!

I am an Izzy fan first and foremost, but how a show handles it's protagonist says a LOT about how it handles it' characters overall!

TLDR for this post: In any character-centric media, explore your characters as characters first. Develop your plot around them and their arcs. Don't treat an ensemble cast as faceless props for the story you're trying to tell. Stede's arc is weird because Stede is shoved in places where it feels like he doesn't fit anymore.

Creating a narrative focused on central character conflicts can work. This is how S1 was written. Stede and his actions directly lead to revealing truths of the world that push the plot forward. This worked because I'd argue the strongest part of OFMD overall is its characters. S2 misses out on this strongest aspect by only referencing its characters when it needs something from them.

S1 We went from Stede killing a guy-> The Act of Grace. S2 Stede tells a guy he shouldn't be an idiot and leave behind a calling card -> burning down the Republic of Pirates and killing Izzy. S2 doesn't feel as tied to Stede's arc of growing into a pirate. But Stede isn't the only person this has fucked over.

Each crew member has their role established from S1, we fans know how they work as a family. But in S2 most of the cast can be swapped out interchangeably unless its something that features this side character NICHE (Wee John in drag being good with fabrics, Roach being a cook).

Sadly, by focusing on the larger Zheng vs. Military arc, a story our characters BARELY caused, the audience misses out on potential character development. Instead of our characters facing the consequences of their actions, our favorite side characters are used as faceless narrative tools. This is largely why the crew was abandoned this season unless they had a romantic side plot. Seeing The Revenge sail off in episode 8, it feels like we barely care about them at all anymore.

As seen from @the-buttspie 's comment, even Stede's arc isn't left out of the firing range. His characterization in episode 8 is constantly thrown back and forth between 'Captain doing his best' and 'Village idiot' if the scene needs it.

Analyzing WHY I started to dislike Stede post episode 4 is FASCINATING, and I feel that digging all the way back to the beginning is a smart way to look at his character growth this season.

FRAMING: Stede's early story get's fucked over pacing-wise because his storyline happens side by side to that of Ed/Izzy.

Any dramatic moment is cut short to show just how much the other crew is NOT about to die. Every time I watch S2 with a new person, for episodes 1-3, they'll comment on how much they don't care about Stede's plot. Which is not a thing you'd want for your protagonist in a season of TV that's only 8 episodes long.

Stede goes through a really strong arc from S1 to the start of S2. For the first three episodes of S2, he puts the needs of his crew before the needs of himself. Literally making sure his crew is safe before going down to see Ed's corpse. I genuinely enjoyed how Stede stepped up for his family. How he doesn't blame the Revenge crew for killing Ed, realizing that yes. Ed is the love of his life and also a man who has seriously hurt so many people.

Eps 4-5: From that we see him trying to talk it through with Ed. While both of them aren't telling the whole truth, it's a good start! We're midway through the season, so we should expect things to get fleshed out more soon.

Until Stede decides 'I'm going to bring a man that tortured my family for 80+ days onboard less than 24 hours after my crew voted him off' Yes. Stede loves Ed to a stupid extent, but this starts the trend for Stede to be dangerously selfish this season using his power as captain to overwrite the want of his crew, a habit of his that partially gets Izzy killed.

I really enjoyed Stede in episode 5, and for me, this felt most like the Stede we recognize growing into a real Captain with hints of who he was. I think it says a lot that Stede still misses his layers and silks. That he craves the softness he used to have in the form of that cursed jacket. But as soon as Izzy is like 'you idiot, please listen to them, they will mutiny' Stede gives it up!!!! He's grown. He's listening to Izzy, he's talking with his crew! This episode did the one thing I wish the season did more of, show the reunited crew just living their lives.

This is where Stede stands out, it lets him be a bit more of a leader to the crew. Let him find his groove again. I loved it!!

Now: Killing Ned Low.

Stede choosing to kill Ned Low is the first time Stede killing someone counts. Yes, he burned down the ship French ship. But this is the first time the audience is supposed to care. I think this moment WAS in character and a really important moment for Stede. He chose this. This wasn't up to crew vote, Ned insulted Ed so fuck him, he deserves to die. Ned walks the plank, also referencing historical Bonnet's tendency to do the same thing.

This is where both Ed and Stede make an in-character mistake, having their first time after the rush of 'oh shit, I'm still alive, and I'm hurting and you're here too'. They don't regret their first time, clearly, they both enjoyed it, but both of them can't ignore what fueled it. Stede has had 3 episodes to re-establish himself with his crew, and now has very little time for the rest of the season with them to show off his growth. That's why, after the party, we don't feel like this show is showing off a family anymore. Even when reunited, they barely feel like a united front.

But from this point on, I personally feel that Stede should have toned down the humor a bit and act like he did in episode 3. Well, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself so-

Episode 7: Stede enjoys being popular, following in Ed's footsteps. He holds his ground against Ed, and overall this feels like a natural progression of his arc from episode 5. He knows what he wants in life and Ed not communicating is genuinely frustrating for him. Him being heartbroken and trying to fight Zheng like she's Izzy is one of the few callbacks I feel that works. As it compares a Stede who was supported by his crew, to this Stede who feels totally alone. I loved Stede this episode, only to be disappointed by-

Episode 8:

Where Ed is allowed to have his silly moments in private, I feel that Stede fluctuates between silly and serious WAY too much for us to take him seriously. Stede's response to Ed telling him he loved him being 'I know' also felt off to me.

"You're not a dick, life's a dick" This line is frustrating to me as it's Stede's response to Ed apologizing. Genuinely apologizing for his actions in the previous episode. This could have been a moment for us to feel like Stede and Ed were a united front but Stede's constant joking and not taking shit semi-seriously. Yes. He feels more comfortable around his family which is amazing.

But I can't help but point out how Stede chooses to go along with a plan the rest of the crew doesn't like. What NARRATIVE purpose was there for Stede trying to sell the captain? He has money, clearly. With the loot they still have, and a future alliance with Zheng.

Stede fucks up. His choice a plan that gets Izzy killed. The writers sacrificed Stede being a competent Captain who cares about his crew into what is described as a 'suicide mission' to push Izzy into his rushed death. A disservice to both characters.

ONTO:

Stede abandons piracy

I'm not shocked they did this, not after the other flubs of the episode, but I hate that it wasn't a conversation held between Ed and Stede.

They could cut the stupid joke about Ed being bad at fishing at the beginning and have these two idiots talking about their issues. Maybe establish that, yeah, piracy is a lot, and they deserve to settle down and get to know each other. Even if they return to the sea, this frames it as Ed finally finding peace and Stede getting pulled along, going against his character growth this season.

I'm surprised that they're setting this up now and not at the end of Season 3. Hell, I used to think S3 would be focused on Ed and Stede avoiding/faking their historical deaths. Given all the bullshit they'll have to clean up to wrap up all the loose ends established this season- S3 will be VERY Ed/Stede focused, I think the crew will still be inserted in without care or arc. Characters like Jim and Oluwande will be prioritized as they are in a relationship before our nonromantic characters like Wee John and Frenchie.

Stede and Ed's relationship, the driving force of the plot, still falls flat because after everything it still feels like puppy love. They've spent at most two months in person together, and two weeks in a serious relationship. I don't really feel convinced that they actually love each other. Ed still doesn't know that Stede was kidnapped at the end of S1, or why he struggles to talk about his feelings. Ed still hasn't talked about why he feels he needs to leave piracy, or his issues feeling like he doesn't belong anywhere in life. Their habit of running away the MOMENT things get hard just makes me not care about them.

I blame the size of the Izzy fandom on the fact that if you don't buy into the leads, there's almost nothing left here to sink your teeth into. The moment the show seems like they'll talk about it they hard pivot.

I hope S3ep1 happens after a LONG time jump. I want these fuckers to be snippy like two people snowed into a cabin for months. Sick of each other and bitching back and forth like no tomorrow. S3 is about genuinely breaking down their walls. Until then, I'll stick with Izzy, the Canyon, and his depressing version of this reality.

#stede bonnet #I'm a bit worried this post will reach all the Stede fans directly and they'll feel attacked. Please don't feel that way! #I genuinely enjoyed where he was going until episode 8 where Stede seemed emotionally distant the entire episode #I just wish Stede had more impact to his own central story #ofmd critical #ofmd meta #ofmd season 2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #stede bonnet critical #IDK if thats a tag #stede critical #? #ofmd s2 finale #ofmd s2

[earthnashes]

Woops guess who started watching Gargoyles with the squad in my discord server :)

We only watched the episodes the show first premiered with (the “Awakening” episodes) but holy shit I forgot how much I LOVE this show.

The animation is absolutely gorgeous and so fluid, and there’s so much nuance to them! Little things, like Goliath constantly using his tail as a means of attack, or how he is animated to be so careful when handling Demona or Elisa. And how differently each character moves; I love how Lex is often on all four whereas everyone else is predominantly standing upright. And how Broadway walks with a lot more weight than the rest of the cast given him being a BICC BOI.

And don’t get me started on the animalistic traits the Gargoyles exhibit man. I’ve always loved that, when something that isn’t human shows behaviors and actions that aren’t human, like the Gargoyles running on all four or when surprised they perk up like a dog listening for threats. It’s so cool, and sells the idea that while very intelligent and sapient, the Gargoyles still operate somewhat on instinct (or at least moreso than humans do).

The way the scenes were shot were crazy too man, especially the creativity of the transitions and particularly how they handled the compositions and direction of the climbing and flight scenes. The action also is top notch man.

And the voice acting, the sound mixing. GAH DAMN. Every character has an excellent voice; I already knew that but hearing it again just really hit it home just how much the character’s voices fit them and the tasty skill behind the actors themselves man. Not to mention the personalities; I forgot how often Elisa pulls wise cracks, I love her. ;w;

As for overall sound, all of it slapped, but a thing I absolutely love that a lot of other media that feature monsters in them don’t do often is backing the vocals with more feral/animalistic/inhuman sounds to really bring the point home that these things aren’t human. Like, Goliath’s cry backed with a lion’s roar, or the cat-like snarls Demona hisses out, or the whale-ish groans and bro I’m a fucking SUCKER for that shit.

But yeah! Just wanted to gush about the show a little bit. It was so fucking good, we were eatin good when it aired back in the day cuz jees. The quality and effort is crazy. I’m excited to watch the rest of the series and uhhhh ya’ll may have to see a few doodles from me for that there AU as we go. owo

[gogogodzilla]

Chapter 7

Summary: You venture to the Eden Club and consequently go into credit card debt ✧ masterlist ✧ ao3 ✧ wattpad ✧ ✧ previous chapter ✧ next chapter ✧

You hastily pulled up to the Eden Club, eyeing the other cars in the parking lot. You spotted Gavin’s car parked near the back, good, he made it before you. The puddles rippled from the rain, reflecting the harsh purple lights from the Eden Club sign. You checked your appearance in the small mirror on your visor, the hastily applied concealer doing very little to hide Gavin’s handiwork. You shoved your keys into your pocket, taking a deep breath before exiting your car.  

Your stomach churns as you enter the club, scantily clad androids strike alluring poses, some pressing their hands against their glass cases. It felt wrong. These androids were just kept in glass enclosures until some humans decided to do what they wanted and then return them to their cages.  

Still, a small part of you wondered if Connor was capable of… this. He was the most advanced, after all. You flushed, tearing your gaze away from the androids.  

You entered the club, watching as some androids grind against the various poles while others stood idle in their tubes.  

“See something you like?” Gavin questioned, smirking as he walked toward you. Your cheeks flushed noticing the small purple marks littering his neck. 

You wrinkled your nose, “This… doesn’t feel consensual.”   

“Yeah, just some perverts trying to get their rocks off,” Gavin agreed before motioning for you to follow him. 

“Sorry, about, y’know,” you trailed off, gesturing to your neck. 

Gavin snorted, “It‘s alright, sweetheart, I know you can’t help yourself.” Your jaw dropped and you shoved him slightly, attempting to hide the blush that crept up your neck and cheeks.  

 He led you into one of the rooms where the victim was spread out across the bed, one of the silk blankets being used to cover his naked form. Chris was already there taking photos of the crime scene. A deactivated Traci rested across from the bed, thirium coating her cheek and her stomach, leaking from the various cracks in her torso and face.  

“He must’ve hit her pretty hard,” you mentioned, kneeling down to inspect the Traci.    

Gavin exhaled heavily from his nose from the other side of the room but went silent as the door slid open. You pivoted, eyes widening as Connor and Hank slowly entered the crime scene. “Lieutenant Anderson and his plastic pet,” Gavin snarled, “the fuck are you two doing here?” You sent Gavin a sharp look from your place before pushing yourself up.   

Connor met your eyes briefly before turning to Gavin, “We’ve been assigned all cases involving androids.” His reply was curt, his eyes constantly drifting in your direction.  

“Oh yeah?” Gavin questioned, bobbing his head. “Well, you’re wasting your time,” he turned his attention back to the victim, “Just some pervert who, uh, got more action than he could handle.” Gavin let out a laugh at his own joke, and you rolled your eyes.  

“We’ll have a look anyway, if you don’t mind,” Hank replied.   

Gavin scoffed, “C’mon let's go… It’s, uh, starting to stink of booze in here…” Gavin shoulder-checked Connor on his way out, Chris trailing behind him and the door sliding softly closed. You scowled at Gavin as he passed, eyes practically burning holes into the back of his jacket.   

“How you holding up, kid?” Hank’s eyes softened as he turned to you.  

“I’d be better if I wasn’t staring at a naked corpse right now,” you acknowledged, a tight-lipped smile gracing your features.  

“Fair enough,” Hank conceded, his attention returning to the victim.   

Connor leaned down next to the victim, “He didn’t die of a heart attack, he was strangled.” Your eyes flitted over to the Traci next to you.   

“Yeah,” Hank agreed, “I saw the bruising on the neck. Doesn’t prove anything though.” You moved over to look at the victim’s personal belongings scattered across the table, flipping through his wallet.  

Connor knelt next to the Traci and examined her. You watched from the corner of your eye as Connor swiped two fingers across the android’s lips, collecting some of the thirium before he brought it to his mouth.  

Hank gagged, “Argh, Connor, you’re so disgusting… Think I’m gonna puke again.” Whereas, you had a very… different reaction. You don’t think you’ll ever get used to that.  

“The only way to access its memory is to reactivate it,” Connor continued, gently opening the Traci’s abdominal cavity.  

“Think you can do it?” you grilled, sidling up next to Hank.  

Connor sighed, “It’s badly damaged… If I can, it’ll only be for a minute, maybe less.”   

“Let’s just hope it’s long enough to learn something,” you replied, watching as Connor connected the two wires in her abdomen.  

The android shot up, breathing heavily as she crawled away from Connor, her back reaching the wall. Fear graced her features as her eyes flickered between the three of you. Connor slowly stepped forward before crouching down, his hands out in front of him.   

“You were damaged, and I reactivated you. Everything is alright,” Connor explained, his voice steady.  

“Is he,” the Traci paused, looking over at the corpse, “is he dead?”   

“Tell me what happened,” Connor leaned in.  

The Traci was nearly in tears, “He… he started hitting me… again and again. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t. It was like he was enjoying it.” You balled your fists, this fucker definitely got what he deserved. Her LED spun yellow as Connor continued his interrogation.   

“He wanted to play with two girls… That’s what he said, there were two of us…” the Traci breathed, her LED blinking a rapid red. You wanted to intervene— Connor was scaring her.   

The Traci’s jaw went slack as she shut down, a small whirring coming to a stop. You bowed your head, your heart ached for her. It wasn’t fair.   

“So, there was another android… It’s probably long gone by now,” Hank surmised.  

“No,” Connor trailed off, “It couldn’t go outside dressed like that unnoticed… It might still be here.” Connor was still, and you could practically see the thoughts racing inside his mind.  

“I’m gonna go ask the manager a few questions about what he saw, let me know if you think of anything,” Hank sighed before leaving you and Connor alone in the room.  

“Do you think you could find a deviant in a place like this?” You questioned, scratching the back of your neck.  

“An eyewitness is necessary, someone must have seen the Traci leaving this room,” Connor said. You noticed how he rubbed his fingers together, somewhat of a nervous tick. Connor marched towards the door, and you followed, keeping your distance. You listened in on Hank’s conversation with the manager, who’s just about the slimiest human being you’ve ever met.  

“Doctor,” Connor called, venturing over to you and throwing a thumb over his shoulder, “can I borrow you for a second?”   

Hank raised his eyebrow, “You got this?” 

 “Yeah,” you replied, “I’ll let you know if we find anything.”  

Hank nodded, letting out a sigh of relief, “Good, I think I’m gonna head home— my head is pounding.”  

“Get some rest, we can take it from here,” you assured. You turned back to Connor, who was patiently waiting for your response, “Sure, what’s up?”

Connor led you over to one of the glass tubes, the android inside sending a seductive gaze your way as she pressed her hands against the glass.  

“Could you rent this Traci for me?” He asked like he was requesting a ride home or five bucks for lunch.   

Your eyes widened, your ears turning a deep shade of red, “We have better things to be doing right now.” Other than each other, a small part inside of you whispered. You squashed that thought, now is not the time.  

“Please, Doctor,” he begged, “trust me.”  

You heaved a sigh before pressing your palm onto the display. “I don’t know how I’m gonna explain this to Fowler,” you grumbled, watching as the glittery, half-naked android stepped out of the glass tube.   

“Right this way, you two,” she purred, eyeing you and Connor. He intercepted the android’s arm, gripping her bicep and the skin on his hand peeling back.  

“What’re you doing?” You asked as you watched Connor’s eyelids flutter.  

“It saw the deviant leave the room… A blue-haired Traci. We have to hurry before their memory resets,” Connor stressed, moving to find another android.  

“What am I supposed to do with her?” You whined, the android tugging gently on your hand.  

“Tell it you changed your mind,” Connor called, already interfacing with another android. You rolled your eyes before turning to the android.  

 “Sorry, love, I can’t right now; I’m with him,” you paused, quickly correcting yourself, “well, not with him, but y’know.” Your words died in your throat as your brain scrambled to think of an excuse. You settled for gently pulling your hand out of her grasp. 

 You followed Connor as he makes his way through the club, letting the various androids off with an apologetic smile and some poorly made-up excuse.  

 “I better get reimbursed for all this money I’m spending,” you grumbled, renting one of the androids in the blue room.  

 Connor fluttered his eyelashes before removing his hand from the android’s forearm, quickly moving on to the janitor android and interfacing with him. At least you didn’t have to pay for this one.  

 “I know where it went! Follow me!” Connor exclaimed, an excited glint in his eyes.  

 You followed Connor down the Staff Only hallway. Your breath quickened, nervousness and excitement mingling inside you.  

 “Wait!” you called out to Connor, causing him to halt before stepping back, allowing you to pass. “I should go first,” you said, pulling out your revolver and throwing a look at Connor over your shoulder. You hoped he would have your back this time. You took a deep breath before slowly opening the door to the warehouse. You inched into the warehouse, Connor following closely behind. 

“We’re too late,” you mentioned once you determined the coast was clear, jogging over to the open door to the loading bay. The rain was falling steadily, erasing any indication of where the android could’ve gone. 

 You turned, taking in the room before you. Several androids in stasis mode stood around the warehouse. You peered at the disassembled androids on one of the tables, your nose wrinkling. This was wrong. Humans just used the androids until they broke and then disgarded them like they were nothing.

You flicked through the racks of clothing, “Hey, Connor, I think I found one in your size,” you smirked, pulling out one of the skimpiest bikinis you’ve ever seen. Connor held your gaze pulling his two fingers away from his mouth from his crouched position on the other side of the warehouse. You turned away, quickly putting the bikini back on the rack.  

You surveyed the rest of the androids as you slowly made your way over to Connor. He grabbed your hand, causing you to freeze. You met his gaze and his eyes slid over to focus on a group of androids. You gave him a slight nod, understanding his silent signal. The deviant was nearby. Connor stopped in front of a Traci before another Traci lunged at him, pushing him backward.  

“Don’t move!” you commanded, drawing your weapon. Instantaneously, another Traci charged at you, the force enough to send you careening into one of the supports. The Traci rushed at you, grabbing your shoulders and slamming you back into the support. Your head hit the pole with a sickening clang, and you grabbed the Traci’s arms, trying to pry them off you. You met her eyes. She was scared, her LED flashing a brilliant yellow. You wondered if you shared the same look in your eyes. 

 She pulled you away from the pole, forcing you backward, her grip tight on your shoulders. You stumbled back, landing on the examination table. You barely dodged the Traci’s fists as she brings them down onto you, the speed of her attacks surprising you. You hear a clatter behind you as Connor and the other Traci topple over a stack of crates and into the rain. The momentary distraction is enough for the blue-haired Traci to clock you in the jaw before hurrying after the other android.  

You let out a groan before rolling off the table, legs unsteady as you chased after them. The rain pattered against your skin, as you grabbed one of the Traci’s arms. They both shoved you into the brick wall, the force causing your gun to slip out of your grasp. They joined hands before running towards the chain link fence.  

The deviants scaled the fence impossibly fast, but Connor was faster. He grabbed one of the Traci’s shoulders, ripping her away from the fence. The other Traci was down in an instant, aiming ineffective blow after blow. The two Traci’s grabbed Connor by the arms, shoving him back into the ground. He rolled before righting himself, cradling your discarded revolver.  

“Don't!” you rush forward, time seeming to move in slow motion. Connor hesitates and it’s long enough for the Traci to charge towards Connor, sending her heel into his chin. He lands, splayed out on his side, the gun skidding out of his reach.  

You crouched next to him, gripping his shoulder. “You alright?” you murmured, reaching out a hand. He nods, taking it and you both stand up. Your heart skipped a beat when he didn’t let go.  

“I knew I was next,” the Traci started, her voice wavering, “I was so scared… I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t…” You clenched your fist, yeah, that sick fuck deserved it.  

“I just wanted to stay alive… get back to the one I love,” the blue-haired Traci continued, linking her hand with the other Traci. Your gaze flickered down to you and Connor’s joined hands before returning your focus to her.  

“Come on, let’s go,” the other Traci urged gently. The blue-haired Traci’s eyes softened, before sending you a knowing look. The two Traci’s climbed the fence again and disappeared into the night.  

You gently pulled your hand away, looking up at Connor, whose LED was rapidly flashing yellow. “You did the right thing,” you reassured him before taking your gun from his hands. He looked down at you, perplexed.  

“C’mon, I’ll give you a ride,” you offered, smiling as some of the tension eased off of his shoulders. 

“Are you alright, Doctor?” Connor questioned as you headed back into the club, eyes flicking to the bruise blossoming on your jaw.  

You sighed, gently touching the tender flesh, “Yeah, just another bruise to add to the collection.” Connor was silent as you led him to your car, cranking the heat as soon as you got it started.  

You watched him out of the corner of your eye as you drove, his silence worrying you. His LED hadn’t moved from the consistent yellow since the confrontation with the Traci’s.  

You pulled into the parking lot of your apartment building, not sure where else to go. It’s not like you could take Connor home— you would if he had one. Connor followed you as you led him through the lobby, your shoes leaving wet footprints from the freshly fallen snow. The elevator ride was quiet, the one time you wished it wasn’t.  

“Welcome to my humble abode,” you joked, shrugging off your coat once you entered your apartment. You headed straight for your cabinet, pulling out your liquor of choice and popping the cap off. You felt Connor’s eyes on your back as you pulled open your sliding door and crossed the threshold onto your patio, the crisp air shocking your lungs. 

You leaned against the railing and took a swig from the bottle, the burn distracting you from your racing mind. The soft crunching of snow behind you cued Connor’s entrance. He joined you at the railing, “You shouldn’t be out here for long without the proper attire.”  

“Do you get cold?” You questioned, ignoring Connor’s suggestion.  

“I can detect temperatures and my biocomponents can’t function at certain temperatures, but, no, I don’t get cold,” he answered. You scoffed before taking another swig, must be nice.  

“We’re not making any progress on the investigation… The deviants have nothing in common,” Connor huffed, crossing his arms.  

“We’ll figure it out,” you hummed, concentrating on the contents of your glass and the way they warmed your aching heart.  

Connor gingerly tugged on your forearm, turning you to face him, “You seem preoccupied, Doctor, is everything alright?”  

“Why didn’t you pull me up?” Rage pulsed through your veins, bolstered by the liquid courage you just downed, and your grip tightened on the bottle in your hands.

Connor hesitated, wetting his lips before replying, “I… made a mistake. I prioritized my mission over your life.” You balled your fist, but Connor kept talking, “I’m sorry, Doctor.”  

You yanked your arm away, returning to lean on the railing and glaring at the skyline, “Do you really mean that? Or are you just saying that because your program is telling you to?”   

“I am programmed to do a multitude of different tasks, Doctor, but lying to you is not one of them,” Connor replied tenderly. You hadn’t even realized you were crying until Connor lifted his hand, delicately wiping your tears away. You leaned into Connor’s hand, this scene seeming oddly familiar.   

“Did you know that emotional tears have a different chemical composition than other tears, which means that they stay on one’s face longer, which will, in turn, motivate other humans to provide emotional support?” He said as he withdrew his hand. 

You let out a choked laugh, “Are you feeling motivated to provide emotional support, Connor?” The weight of what you were implying was lost on your intoxicated mind, the liquor finally doing its job. 

His LED flashes yellow before returning to its usual calm blue. “Very much so,” he finally replied. 

You hummed, your mind going fuzzy and your question already forgotten. 

“For some reason,” he repeated, “I have the urge to provide you with emotional support.” 

You smirked, your words beginning to slur slightly, “Maybe you’re more human than you though.” His LED flared yellow, and you frowned, guilt already gnawing at your insides. You went too far.

“Let’s get you inside,” he changed the subject, noticing how you tried to hide your shivering form. You nodded, allowing him to lead you through the sliding door and into your living room. 

You situated yourself on your couch, cheek pressed against one of your throw pillows. The liquor bottle clinked against your wooden floors as it slipped from your hand. “Will you check on Hank? He didn’t look too good at the Eden Club,” you asked Connor as he sat at your feet, gently removing your shoes. 

“Yes, I will go check on the Lieutenant. Although, he will probably not be very happy to see me,” the side of Connor’s mouth quirked up, and you found yourself grinning.

Your eyes began to droop and you smashed your face farther into the pillow. “You should get some sleep, Doctor,” Connor suggested before standing and gently draping a throw blanket over your relaxed form. You heard Connor’s voice as he whispered a “goodnight” before sleep overtook you. You secretly wished he stayed.

#detroit become human #connor x reader #rk800 x reader #dbh connor #dbh rk800 #hank anderson #no y/n #reader insert #criminal analysis #hank and connor #gavin reed #chapter 7 #reader gets their shit rocked

[michaelluiscostello]

Lucifer Morningstar x Male Reader

The bass was a physical force, vibrating in his chest. Strobe lights painted the crowd in fractured bursts of neon, blurring faces into a pulsing, anonymous mass. A male sat alone, perched on the edge of a velvet booth, a half-empty beer sweating its condensation onto the sticky table. The nightclub wasn't his scene, not anymore. He used to revel in the chaos, the shared energy a drug he chased until dawn. Now, it felt like a foreign language, the laughter too shrill, the music a relentless assault.

He nursed his drink, watching the parade of smiles flicker past. Couples swayed close, limbs entangled, oblivious to the world. Groups huddled, jokes erupting in bursts of laughter. A lone woman danced like nobody was watching, eyes closed, lost in the rhythm. A pang of envy shot through him, followed by a dull ache of loneliness.

He wasn't supposed to be here. Tonight was supposed to be with them, celebrating a closed case that broight him nothing but pain. The reservation at the quiet Italian place, the whispered jokes - all replaced by this sensory overload. Instead, he sat alone, their absence a palpable weight in the booth.

He pulled out his phone, the screen filled with missed calls and texts. Many from his coworkers asking where he was and why he hadn't shown up. He scrolled through, each text, trying to ignore the constant incoming calls. He turned his phone off, shoving it into his coat pocket before taking a long swig of his beer.

Unbeknownst to the male, a figure was watching him from the bar, eyeing him up and down as if trying to analyze his every movement. The figure let out a low hum, their fingers tapping against the bar counter top in a slow methodical rhythm. A wave of curiosity overtook them as they continued to stare, completely ignoring the desperate women trying to talk, or the constantly changing music and lights.

The figure stood, their hands reaching up to dust off their sleek black suit as they walked through the crowd and towards the booth. A devilish smirk adorned their sharp features as the sat opposite of the male, clearly catching him by surprise.

Raising a eyebrow, the male went to speak but was quickly shushed by a question. "Tell me, what is it you desire?" The voice was smooth with a clear British accent. It'd caught the man off guard, his contorting into one of confusion as he stumbled over his words. "Excuse me?" He stammered.

The figure chuckled, once again asking the same question and once again getting the same response. "Heh well then, I'm Lucifer Morningstar owner of LUX." Lucifer offered a kind smile, quickly realizing his charm wasn't going to work, the same way it didn't work on detective Decker.

Both men sat in an uncomfortable silence, neither saying anything until the other male spoke. "Lucifer as is the one who follows detective Decker around like a lost puppy?" He chuckled, his tone joking and somewhat playful.

It'd hit Lucifer, this man was a new detective at the precinct, someone he'd only crossed paths with a handful of times in the past. He looked different, he didn't seem as bright and hopeful as Lucifer remembered him being. "And you're the new detective." The other male only nodded as he chugged the last bit of beer in his bottle.

"Yeah, that's me." He whispered. Lucifer could hear the change in tone, hear how it seemed to hurt to say it.

Lucifer cleared his throat, running a hand through his jet black hair before standing. "Can I offer a drink? Perhaps in my penthouse?" It didn't take much convincing for the other to agree to what Lucifer had asked, something that surprised the devil considering he thought it'd be much harder.

The two made their way through the crowd and into the elevator, both standing beside one another as the doors closed and the music faded away.

Lucifer stepped into his penthouse once the elevator doors had opened, the male following close behind him. "Nice place." He mumbled, Lucifer only humming in response as he walked towards his home bar.

The devil pulled out a bottle of wine, a bottle of tempranillo he'd been gifted not long ago. He poured two glasses and handed one to the new detective who gladly accepted. "So, detective shouldn't you be celebrating?" Lucifer leaned against the counter, his eyes fixated on the detective in front of him.

"I'd rather be drowning in alcohol then celebrate a pity promotion." The was an air of sadness to the males voice, one that left Lucifer wanting to pry despite the feeling he shouldn't.

As the moments past, Lucifer ushered the detective to his couch a glint of curiosity in his eyes. He cleared his throat, setting his drink on the glass coffee table before turning his attention towards the other male who'd already done the same the moment they sat down. "I maybe the devil darling, but I still care when people hurt," Lucifer hummed. "What's the matter?"

It was as if those simple yet thoughtful words flipped a switch inside the detective, his once cold demeanor suddenly shattering into a million pieces. His eyes held emotions only he could understand. "You ever feel like people only care because of who those close to you are?" His voice was soft as if it was made of porcelain.

Those words dug deep into Lucifer's heart, a feeling he knew well. "At first, but I've made a name for myself, separated myself from them." He flashed a small smile.

The detective leaned back against the back of the couch, his head resting against it as he stared at the ceiling. Lucifer sat closer, mimicking the others movements as he waited for him to speak.

It was quiet for awhile, both basking in the alcohol and absence of the dim lights along with the sudden yet welcomed storm outside. The crackle of lighting lit up the detectives face, allowing Lucifer to catch a glimpse of the fresh tears running down his reddened cheeks.

Both men turned towards each other, their faces mere inches apart. "The only reason I'm here is because of my father, I never wanted this damn job.....or the decline its brought me." The detective mumbled, his voice breaking.

Lucifer hesitated, his mouth parted slightly before finally speaking. "Then tell me darling, what is it you truly want?" It was clear it wasn't all because of what was just said, it was something deeper, something Lucifer could possibly give.

The male took a deep breath, somewhat realizing what the devil was asking. "Temporary bliss......a moment to forget everything, someone to help me forget what this job has done to me."

Lucifer knew what he meant, it was clear the moment he'd seen the pain in the detectives eyes when they first locked.

A look was shared between them, before Lucifer pressed his lips against the detectives. The salty taste of tears stinging his tongue.

The kiss was broken as Lucifer stood, offering a hand to the other male and leading him towards the bedroom, their clothes being discarded in various places on the way.

Lucifer crawled over the detective, the dim light of the room illuminating their faces. His large hands roamed the others body, his fingers tracing an old scar causing shivers to run down the others body. It wad quiet, but it was a comforting silence as the devils hands roamed the others body, familiarizing himself with each imperfection he could find and feel under his touch.

Their lips moved in sync until they parted for air, only to return to the intimate bliss of their lips against one another's. Their body's lay flush against one another, their erections rubbing against each others in a low rhythm.

The detective arched his back at the feeling of Lucifers hands against his inner thighs. The silence now replaced with the soft moans from both men as Lucifer slowly pushed himself in.

Their moans filled the dim room along with the soft patter of their skin against on another's after each slow ans rhythmic thrust from Lucifer.

Lucifer's mind was flooded with the scene before him, the detectives face full of pure pleasure and bliss. It sent chills up his spine hearing his own name melting off the others lips mixed with whines and moans.

Both men moaned as they reached their climax. Lucifer gave a satisfied hum as he stared at the detective below him while pulling out.

The two men laid there silently, both basking in the moment of temporary bliss that enveloped them both. "We should do that more often detective," Lucifer chuckled.

"Who am I to argue with the devil?" The detective chuckled in return.

#writers on tumblr #writing #gay men #gay #fanfic #x reader #x male reader #original post #my writing #my post #not safe for minors #minors dni #18+ only #queer #queer fanfiction #gay fanfiction #lucifer morningstar #lucifer x reader #gay x gay #mlm writing #smut #18+ content #18+ account #short story #oneshot

[magnoliacharmed]

Introducing.... Thunderstorm!

This is a series featuring Sting & fem!Reader. The prompt for this was an anonymous request I received. Thank you again, anon! This is gonna a lot of fun for me to write. It’ll be seven chapters and will hopefully be completed soon!

[Also available on Archive of our Own!]

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4

Summary:

After debuting as the newest member of nWo, you begin to develop a tumultuous relationship with Sting. Your newfound fame and problems in your personal life threaten to creep into your in-ring work. Kevin Nash tries to maintain the peace between you and Sting before everything falls completely apart at WCW.

Tags: 18+, enemies to lovers, angst, eventual smut, heavy alcohol use, implied/referenced drug use, additional tags to be added

September 1996

The cheers… the cheers were always deafening. You had gotten used to the lights beaming down on you, flash bulbs popping away, pyrotechnics shooting off behind you… but the cheers. It sent such a crazy rush of adrenaline through you every single time. No matter what kind of mood you were in, as soon as you hit the stage and heard the people scream for you, that thousand watt smile spread across your face in an instant. The cocky demeanor was present as usual from your expression to your stride. You turned your face into the nearest camera and winked. Knowing your voice was mostly inaudible over the crowd, curse word laden praises about yourself tumbled out of your mouth. The urge to make a kissy face at the gigantic lens was strong. You could feel like the star of the show as much as you wanted, but you knew you weren't.

It was another taping of WCW's Monday Nitro and you were once again walking out onto the mat with the members of the New World Order. You stood close behind the group almost as if you were their reinforcement. The positioning was always funny to you. If it came down to it, there was no way you could physically defend these giant men in a fight with your strength alone. Eric Bischoff enjoyed the optics though, comparing your role in the group to WWF's Chyna in D-Generation X. When he excitedly mentioned this in an effort to convince you, your stomach twisted up inside. Matching up to Chyna was a hard bar to cross. She looked like she actually could kick some ass. You on the other hand? You understood immediately that you were not an enforcer. You were essentially eye candy with a little fight in you. A very feisty valet. A tricky sexpot. Sure, you had a few moves that'd get you out of a tough situation but trained wrestler you were not.

There was no way you could ever get used to all this. Not when it had become such a massive part of your life in a short amount of time.

---

June 1996

When your friend Kevin Nash invited you to a taping of Monday Nitro you shrugged your shoulders. You had to admit that it wasn't something you were dying to see, but it gave you an excuse to dress up a little and party. He gave you and a friend the best seats in the house. The two of you pre-gamed pretty heavily before arriving. Cheap vodka settled in your lower stomach with the promise of providing a good time. Screaming fans in the arena helped you get amped up too, a frenzy quickly building around you as the show started. It didn't take long for you to notice how often the cameras kept focusing on you. One appeared so often you began to wonder if the smarmy cameraman had a crush on you. He constantly aimed the lens at your chest, pissing you off to the point that when he returned to zoom in on your breasts, you pointed a finger at him and grabbed his wrists up to put the camera on your face instead. A few harsh words drunkenly fell out of your mouth to him while you snarled. You then reached over the barrier to maneuver him to face back to the ring, accidentally giving him an even better view down your shirt in the seconds before he turned around.

Kevin watched the whole scene play out with a smile. Your reaction was the exact reason why he invited you. In the week after the show, Bischoff was shocked when a good chunk of the fanmail they received mentioned your name. Hardcore fans were wondering who the hell you were and casual watchers praised your outburst. Backstage, the other wrestlers kept asking Kevin to tell them more about you. He kept his mouth shut even though it was difficult. The plan slowly coming to fruition in his mind would make the silence all worth it.

"...Yeah, so they love you. Everyone keeps asking about you."

A few weeks after the show, Kevin's voice crackled over your house phone. Wherever he was it was loud. Thumping music and the voices of partygoers moved all around his voice.

"Are you in the club? Don't you have a show tomorrow night, man?"

"I can handle myself. You should come out with us sometime. You party harder than any of these fuckin' guys."

"I sincerely doubt that, Kev." You laughed. You were standing in your kitchen, leaning against the wall as a pot of water bubbled on the stove behind you. You'd known Kevin since middle school. Even with you moving away late in high school you stayed close friends. By the time you were able to reconnect in person he'd mentioned in passing that he was a wrestler for the WWF. He seemed very casual about the whole thing, probably because he'd always managed to fall into physical labor jobs due to his size and height. The WWF was just another gig as far as he was concerned. Eventually, he called you up again and said he was now with WCW. From the little you knew about wrestling it seemed to be a choice that made sense. WCW's programming was getting grittier with storylines that were aimed more at adults.

Kevin returned your laugh. "Okay, maybe not. You remember that time you killed--"

"The whole bottle of tequila? Of course, that was nothin'." You waved a hand in the air dismissively.

"Exactly. You can roll with the best of 'em. Which is exactly why…"

You sighed into the handset. Here he goes again.

"...you should join me in WCW. Give me one good reason why you won't."

"I can give you a few! One, I'm no wrestler. I can barely pick up a heavy box, what makes you think I can slam someone into a mat? Two, I don't want all that attention. Three, it sounds tiring. I can keep going."

"One, you don't have to be a wrestler. You can be like Ms. Elizabeth. Two, the attention isn't that bad, you get used to it. Sometimes it's even kinda fun. Three… yeah, you'll be tired. I can't lie about that one. It's worth it though, I'm telling you. The money's not bad. Aren't you tired of working at that beeper place?"

"Hold on," You set the phone down on your counter to check on the pot of water. As you turned the eye down on the stove and grabbed up your spaghetti, you stared into the rolling bubbles below you. What was that saying about the frog jumping into the water? It jumped in and right back out because the water was too hot. Although it wasn't quite the same, maybe you could jump into wrestling. Make some TV appearances and a little bit of money, then jump out before it got too, too hot. Your appetite vanished and the spaghetti no longer had any appeal to you.

Returning to the phone you were surprised Kevin was still there. You didn't understand why he was talking to you on a dirty club payphone when he could've been enjoying himself.

"Eh, Beeper City pays the bills. I like it fine. But you know, my little appearance on Nitro gave me a sales boost that week. I sold so many of those damn things the next day. My commission was crazy."

"If you come on the show every week, you won't have to worry about just 'paying the bills' on stupid pagers."

"What if I like my stupid pagers?"

Kevin scoffed into the phone at your stubbornness. Sometimes it made him laugh and other times it drove him up the wall.

Your lips pursed in thought. You'd been on the phone with him for a few minutes now and the same song was still playing in the background. The living room in front of you was so drab. You didn't see the point in decorating. Why decorate when you were barely "living" in it anyways? Nothing in the run-down apartment felt like it was truly yours. Your own life hadn't even felt like yours in recent months. You woke up, sold beepers, came home, drank 'til you fell asleep, then got up again the next day to do it all again. Sometimes you interspersed that riveting routine by going out to see a movie or a concert. It was no life to live.

You huffed nervously at the waiting silence on the other end. "Fuck it, Kev. Tell that Bischoff guy I'm in."

---

Mid October 1996

Your life changed faster than you could blink your eyes. Suddenly you were hitting different cities every week with your face on televisions across the nation. You got a little training before your debut. It was mostly just the basics, like how to fall properly and defending yourself. Your beeper job didn't do much for you in the way of exercise so even the little bit of work you put in at the gym wore you out and toned you up. Kevin was impressed at how fast you caught on. After Bischoff was satisfied with your minimal in-ring training, he explained the New World Order to you. You actually started to get excited about being in a group of rebels after spending so long being a boring stickler. Kevin introduced you to the rest of the crew with enthusiasm. Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall seemed happy to have you around. nWo was truly a boy's club though, and you weren't crazy enough to think your addition would change that. You drank and partied with them after shows but left when they started getting a little too wild. You were happy to have Kevin with you to stick by your side when you felt like an outcast.

The first time you walked out onto the mat with the group, ratings jumped the same way they did at your first audience appearance. You would've liked to think the ratings spike was because people were so excited to see new talent. After rewatching the taping a few days later you realized it was because of another slimy cameraman's angles. He zoomed right in on your ass while you climbed in the ring. The tight black shorts you wore had bunched up while you climbed in. It all made sense that there was an increase in cheers when you had gotten between the ropes. You shook your head in anger while watching it. The game is the game, you thought. The better you played it the more you could control it. You let the overly exploitative camera angles slide because you knew it would lead to good ratings and better checks. Kevin nodded in approval when you vented to him about it, sympathizing with you on the outside and smiling on the inside. Everything was working out.

Over the next few months your popularity shot up. In addition to your body doing you plenty of favors, fans loved the way you played off the rest of nWo. When they were in the ring you screamed from the sidelines in support of the group. You hit your rivals with steel chairs and innocently readjusted your shorts to distract them while they got pinned. The crowd screamed their heads off when Kevin would launch you like a rocket into the ring to knock someone down or latch onto their back to beat away at them.

After a few months of this routine you began to get fully comfortable with your persona. There was no need to fake it 'til you made it when you really had made it. People began to recognize you in public. They clamored around you for autographs and pictures together. To go from scraping by on quotas and commission, wondering if you'd have enough for a cheap six-pack of beer then to having more money than you knew what to do with made your head swim. Looking in the mirror at yourself was no longer an arduous task. Your eyes sparkled with new life and excitement. The hard work in and out of the ring sculpted your body in ways you never dreamed.

Your heart didn't feel like it was on the verge of jumping out of your chest. The deep simmering hatred for your life that manifested in your deepest reaches like snakes slithering around each other had finally subsided.

The world was yours.

"Can you move?"

Your eyes refocused themselves on your surroundings.

The girls smushed by you near the dirty bathroom sinks looked annoyed. You'd been standing there staring away at yourself after washing your hands. You gripped the cold porcelain of the sink to keep yourself steady.

"Oh shit. My bad," You stumbled out of the crowded bathroom. The girls immediately pushed forward to take advantage of the newly freed up mirror real estate. The brightly colored lights in the club dragged around you, little tails following them like shooting stars. The tight dress you were wearing suddenly felt a little oppressive. It was cute when you'd put it on earlier in the night but after a few hours of drinking it felt like a straitjacket around you. Your eyes were marbles clacking around your skull. You scanned the dance floor and bar looking for a familiar face. With little warning besides a shadow looming over you, Kevin appeared behind you.

"I was wondering where you went."

"Got a little lost in the bathroom."

"Don't tell me you've had too much to drink." Kevin glanced down at his watch while he laughed at you. The hands on it glowed a soft neon green around the purple illumination that hung in the air. "It's only 12:45. Kinda early for you."

"I just need to sit down."

Kevin placed his hands on your shoulders and pushed you forward to the nearest barstool. You plopped down on it and laid your head in your hands. Somehow you managed to miss Kevin ordering two beers and widened your eyes in shock when one appeared in front of you. The condensation on the bottle cooled your overheated skin down. The bubbles popped warmly in your stomach.

"So you know Sting right?"

"Huh?" You'd swung your body around to face the dance floor. You couldn't help but to clench the beer bottle between both hands, using it like an anchor. If you spun around again to face Kevin you were pretty sure you were gonna float away like a balloon. The marbles knocked to the side of your face to catch him in your peripheral vision.

"Sting. Steve."

The image of him appeared in the forefront of your mind. His spiky bleach blonde hair and colorful face paint made you giggle. Wrestling is so ridiculous, you thought. Your inner voice sounded pretty smashed. You hoped you didn't sound like that out loud.

"I don't know him. Why?"

Kevin finished off the last swigs of his beer. He raised up his hand to summon the bartender again. This time a glass of clear fizzy liquid was placed in front of both of you. You slammed it down with instant regret. The gin burned your throat and the bitter, medicinal taste of the tonic made you heave slightly.

"Alright, that's the last one for you--" Kevin grabbed the glass and beer bottle away from you. The music had gotten even louder in the last few minutes. It thumped in your head, bouncing around with vigor. "Scott came up with an idea for him. He's dropping the surfer thing and he's gonna do his facepaint like Brandon Lee in The Crow."

You covered your mouth at a little burp that escaped. "Kinda morbid, huh?"

Kevin shrugged. "Maybe a little. But it'll be cool. We're leaving all the corny shit in the past now."

"He makes anything he touches lame. If Bischoff wanted to leave the corny shit behind, he'd get rid of Sting."

Kevin was getting tired of sighing at you all the time. For all the years he'd known you he could count on one hand the people you disliked. Usually you had a good reason for not liking them and he was on your side when it came down to problems or arguments. The few times Sting had been brought up around you though, your face twisted up. The subject would get changed when you'd made a cold comment about him. Sting stayed to himself and was a good worker. There wasn't even any opportunity to have a problem with him! Whatever your issue was with him, Kevin needed to fix it ASAP.

"Seriously, what's your issue with him?" Kevin looked at you with annoyance in his eyes. It was easier to get the truth out of you when you were this drunk. With the way you were slurring and the slow movement of your irises he knew you were pretty fucked up, but not as fucked up as you'd gotten in the past.

You took the chance and swung your body around to face your friend. Luck was on your side since you didn't immediately vomit all over him.

"I think he's a jerk."

"Yeah, I can fuckin' see that. You don't even know him that well! How could you think he's a jerk?"

"I just have a feeling he thinks he's a big shot. Bischoff hasn't been able to stop talking about him and it's driving me up the wall. 'Sting, Sting, Sting!' What about us, man?"

Kevin couldn't help but to laugh at your misplaced anger. You never could see the bigger picture in life. "Sting doing this new gimmick is good for us. It's gonna be great. You thought we were on the moon now? Just wait until next week, we'll be in the damn stars. Don't be such a mark for yourself. He needs us just as much as we need him." Kevin grabbed your arms and shook you playfully.

"Shake me again and I'll throw up right in your hair."

A big laugh left Kevin's lips as he helped you down from the stool. Thank God you had a day to recover from the inevitable crazy hangover you'd have in the morning. The cool air of the night hit your face abruptly. After being stuck in the sweaty club for what felt like hours you were grateful for the rush of wind blowing your hair around you. You felt grounded to the Earth again. Maybe Kevin was right. Sting was probably a nice enough guy. It'd be better if you all got along for the sake of the show. The drunk part of yourself hated when you got rational. It was such a buzzkill!

A cab pulled up in front of both of you. Kevin opened the door up for you, then pushed you gently down into the seat. You looked up at him with bewilderment as he told the driver what hotel you were staying at.

"What the hell man, aren't the rest of yall coming back too?"

"You drank as much as me and you're a foot and a half shorter, almost 150 pounds lighter. You need to take your ass back to the hotel and sleep it off so you don't act like an asshole tomorrow. We've gotta go to the gym and I need you up and ready for it."

"Booo! Booo, Kev!" You gave him a limp thumbs down as he closed the cab door. He was right and that was annoying. The cab pulled away with a jerk leaving Kevin to watch it turn into nothing but a little yellow dot in the distance.

#sting #sting wcw #steve borden #sting fanfic #sting x reader #kevin nash #wcw #world championship wrestling #wcw fic #wcw fanfic #wrestling fic #wrestling fanfic #wrestling #magnoliafanfic

[dreamsandscenes]

My Top 5 Male TVDU Characters

It took me a while, but since I did my top 5 female TVDU characters a little while ago, here’s my top 5 boys. *While number 1 & 2 are pretty locked in, the other characters do shift around in my ranking some times*

NUMBER 5 - MARCEL GERARD

Marcel is one of the most well adjusted vampires in the whole TVD universe (TVD, TO & Legacies). It’s like he was born to become a vampire. While he’s definitely done bad things (as all vampires have), he has a good heart. Despite being a vampire, he still has some morals and rules he abides to, such as his rule to not hurt kids. He can be kind and charming, while also being harsh enough to take down people who threaten him. And unlike a lot of other vamps, his kindness can actually be genuine. Personally, I would’ve liked to see the writers use him more and give him better storylines in the later seasons of The Originals, but that’s just one of my many issues with the writers/showrunners 👀

NUMBER 4 - STEFAN SALVATORE

I loved watching Stefan’s whole ripper arc; seeing him struggle with that dark side of himself, and all the while, just wanting to be good. Ngl, he had a tough time throughout the show. The writers loved throwing trauma at him. From being manipulated by Katherine, being kidnapped and used by Klaus, losing Elena to his own brother, finding out that he lost a child with Valerie when he was human, and then dying on his own wedding day; this man did not catch a break. That being said, he was a caring, (mostly) selfless person, and he deserved better. Paul Wesley killed this role.

NUMBER 3 - DAMON SALVATORE

I know some people won’t like that Damon is higher in my ranking than Stefan, but it’s only by a small margin. The Salvatore brothers were kind of neck and neck for me in my ranking for a while, but what made Damon just get ahead? His humour. That was one of his redeeming features. I always enjoyed his one liners and jokes. He didn’t always take everything seriously. Did he do terrible things to other characters? Yeah, I don’t deny that. I feel like Damon is one of the few vampires, especially in season 1, to show the lack of morality and humanity that vampires have, which I think is important because let’s be honest, vampires are not supposed to be cuddly, sweet angels. For the most part, Damon is not a nice person, but when he cares about someone (Elena & later Bonnie for example), he tries to be better. He doesn’t always succeed. He fails a lot in fact, but he keeps trying.

NUMBER 2 - ELIJAH MIKAELSON

His entrance into TVD is one of my highlights from the entire show. He had me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what he did next in season 2 of TVD. I loved watching the juxtaposition between him being the honourable gentleman, and the vampire within that contained the horrors behind the red door. Watching him put down his enemies with his sassy, yet classy comebacks was always funny. All of his romances were great (Daniel gillies could have chemistry with a tree). A lot of his scenes with Klaus in The Originals were particularly good; not just because of the wonderful acting, but also because watching their complex relationship, full of love and resentment, play out on screen was entertaining. My eyes were glued to the screen whenever he appeared in TVD.

NUMBER 1 - KLAUS MIKAELSON

My all time favourite character in the whole TVDU. Klaus was one of the few characters who was well written, had consistent characterisation (his personality/hopes didn’t randomly change between TVD & TO like certain others 👀), and went through some decent development over the seasons. I adored his scenes. If there’s one thing I love, it’s complicated villain characters and Klaus fit the bill. I think a big reason why I love this character so much is because he was played so wonderfully by Joseph Morgan. And while he is my fav, I don’t deny that Klaus did awful things constantly, some times for no reason other than he was bored or being petty. He WAS a villain. That being said, even when he was doing bad things, I couldn’t help being interested in his character and enjoying the drama of it all.

#the vampire diaries #TVD #tvdu #tvd universe #the originals #marcel gerard #stefan salvatore #damon salvatore #elijah mikaelson #klaus mikaelson #my post #ranking

[qnewslgbtiqa]

Kristen Stewart is queer af on cover of 'Rolling Stone'

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/kristen-stewart-is-queer-af-on-cover-of-rolling-stone/

Kristen Stewart is queer af on cover of 'Rolling Stone'

Kristen Stewart wanted to do the “gayest fucking thing” for her Rolling Stone cover.

In the cover story for the March issue, Stewart talks about her desire to flip gender roles with her photoshoot.

“If I go through the entire Twilight series without ever doing a Rolling Stone cover, it’s because the boys were the sex symbols,” she said.

READ MORE: Guns, sex and mullets in Kristen Stewart’s queer thriller

“Now I want to do the gayest fucking thing you’ve ever seen in your life. If I could grow a little mustache, if I could grow a fucking happy trail and unbutton my pants, I would. Guys — I’m sorry — but their fucking pubes are shoved in my face constantly, and I’m like, ‘Ummmm, bring it in.’”

The photos feature a mullet-clad Stewart wearing a jock strap and basketball shorts, and has quickly gone viral.

  Kristen Stewart, Rolling Stone’s March cover star, just wants to “do the gayest thing you’ve ever seen in your life.”

After more than two decades in the spotlight, she knows who she is — and what she wants.

Cover story/Photos: https://t.co/c7jbLK5gpd pic.twitter.com/ljbryy9L6x

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) February 14, 2024

Go behind-the-scenes of Kristen Stewart’s Rolling Stone March 2024 cover shoot.

See the full version on TikTok: https://t.co/0HVYy6EcHG pic.twitter.com/h1RdpAGTqz

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) February 14, 2024

Kristen Stewart talks ‘Love Lies Bleeding’

Stewart stars in the upcoming steamy queer thriller Love Lies Bleeding alongside Katy O’Brian. She told Rolling Stone that as a queer actress, she’s happy the film doesn’t rely on clichés.

The actress sees the role of gym manager Lou as a return to her “first setting”.

READ MORE: Watch the trailer for Kristen Stewart’s queer ghost hunting series

“It is a really weird, kind of moving return to form in some way. Kind of like who you are when you’re 11 — physically, the clothes you choose to wear — before you’ve just been pummeled by male expectation,” she said.

While the androgynous photoshoot has left right-wing transphobes aghast, Stewart bolding embracing her queerness has been welcomed by fans.

Kristen Stewart on rolling stone making all the queers horny and the worst straights furious….a beautiful combo

— Bec Shaw (@Brocklesnitch) February 14, 2024

save me jock kristen stewart pls save me pic.twitter.com/iEGElyCf1W

— laura (@comcswim) February 14, 2024

Just saw the Kristen Stewart rolling stone shoot pic.twitter.com/9FII81sFAC

— tay ☆ (@222hexes) February 14, 2024

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, and community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

#kristen stewart

[bogusboxed]

Boxtober - Day 7: "What's Your Favorite Scary Movie?"

Day 7: -Brian Thomas X GN!Reader “Check that again, are you sure?” x "Movie Marathon"

-I do not own "Brian Thomas" and do not take credit for him.

-

You had been cuddled against Brian’s side as you both went on a movie marathon. It’d been a few hours since it started, and you two had no plans to quit. Both of you were extremely comfortable, and you were determined to finish the last few movies in the queue. The TV screen was the only thing that emitted light in your shared house. As its lights rapidly change color every so often, they constantly flicker whenever something intriguing happens. They made your eyes hurt, but you couldn't manage to focus your gaze anywhere else. Okay, maybe your eyes darted between the screen and Brian a few times, but other than that, you were glued to the screen.

You could occasionally feel Brian’s grip on you tighten whenever a more gruesome scene took place. Brian ensured you that he was there for comfort if you needed a second from the screen. He always felt you had a weak stomach. Which was/wasn't true, but either way, he protected you. Like now, he had his arm behind your back with his hand lazily resting on your waist, ready to pull you in whenever he felt it was right. You tried to ignore him to focus more on the movie, but your partner always found a way to distract you from the blaring screen. Not that you minded. You liked having to hear his commentary or answer a random question he asked you about. You enjoyed watching these movies for hours, especially with your boyfriend. And currently, you two are watching the first Scream movie. You both picked at the clichés that were intentionally sprinkled throughout the movie. Even if it was a horror movie, you both still found a comedy angle in it thanks to Brian.

"I don’t get why you like this movie so much." Brian shifted comfortably, making sure he wouldn't mess with you too much. "Because it's a slasher classic, "you squinted at him for even attempting to attack any of the slasher movies. He looked down at you, having the corners of his mouth twitch into an unwanted smile. He sighed as he sat patiently waiting for the climax of the movie to arrive. You both already knew the ending and how the story would progress. But, it didn’t stop you from enjoying the film. "And now,'' She's dead," you called it out, as one of the murderers killed one of the characters. Her scream was fake as she flopped to the ground, staining her clothes in an unnaturally bright red. Brian sighed as he listened to you go on with your slasher theories and callouts. He really liked hearing what you had to say about the movies. It's probably why he loved watching them with you so much.

The show began to show its filler scenes, more commonly known as their duller and more boring scenes. You both became bored, and the boredom was making you both tired. And to distract you from that, Brian sent you on a side quest mid-movie. "Hey Reader, could you go make us some popcorn please?" He smiled at you as he loosened his grip, letting go completely. You looked away from the movie screen and at him. Your side felt weird as it had already gotten used to the sensation of his hand. You said, "Yeah, sure," as you scooted off the couch, leaving your warm spot vacant. You stood up and became dizzy from watching that screen all day. You walked your way cautiously through the dark house, patting down unfamiliar territory. As you finally made your way to the kitchen with some trial and error.

You switched on the kitchen lights desperately to see something clearly without having to solely rely on instinct. The kitchen lights lit the entire room with no warning, blaring into your eyes, which had gotten used to the dark. You blinked your eyes rapidly to adjust to the sudden light. You grudgingly forced yourself into the kitchen, going toward the cabinet you knew featured the popcorn you needed. You crouched next to a certain brown cabinet as you swung its door open slowly. You were met with various snacks and boxes. And with the plethora of snacks, you still managed to not need any of them. To find your popcorn box, you moved bags and boxes over to the side. The box had been stuck in the back of the cupboard. You jammed your hand inside the box, grabbing one of the many popcorn bags inside. You then used the counter above the cabinet to pull yourself up. You slowly looked around the kitchen for your shared microwave you bought a few weeks ago. You walked to the microwave, tearing open the plastic with your teeth to reach the brown bag inside. It left a buttery residue on your lips as you opened the microwave. The door sprung open as you tossed the brown bag inside. You shut the door while making sure there wasn't anything else inside. Afterward, you pressed some buttons on your microwave to ensure it would pop in less than four minutes.

When the bag began, you heard a loud and constant ringing come from the landline. You hadn’t used the landline much, only to schedule an appointment or two. Which was shown by the apparent dust gathering on it. But, here it was ringing loudly. You made your way urgently to the phone as you pulled it off of the receiver and placed the cold plastic against your ear. One of your hands cautiously gripped it as you spoke. "Hello?" you muttered to the phone as you still inventively watched the popcorn, which was still rapidly popping. "Hello," a deeper voice said on the other side of the line. "How are you?" the other voice asked you enthusiastically. "Who are you?-’ ‘Do you have the wrong number?"  you asked them assuming they may be calling the wrong person. They paused for a moment, either checking the number or thinking about what to say.  "Oh, sorry I do." the person responded, apologizing quickly. "It’s fine," you reassured the other person. "Bye," you said, returning the positive energy and hanging up the phone. You swore you could've heard them say something else, but it was too late anyway.

After you ended the call, you rushed to your popcorn, which had been popping for a little too long for your liking. As the microwave door sprung open again, steam rushed out of the microwave, relentlessly toasting your face. You then took it quickly out of the microwave, which resulted in a burn on the tip of your finger. "Fuck!" you cursed under your breath as you quickly dropped it onto the counter. You held your hand for a moment before the phone rang again. You aggressively picked it up and answered yet again. "Yes?" you came off a little ruder than you intended. It was just because, you were so annoyed by the little things that keep happening. "Hello," the same voice came back on the speaker. "Is this some sort of prank?" you almost hung up again, feeling a little bad for brushing them off so quickly. But, before you could abruptly hang up, they spoke again. "I just wanted to talk." their voice came off quickly, trying to keep your attention. You sighed heavily, really not wanting to deal with this. "You wanna play a game?’ ‘A game of trivia, unless you were thinking of something else?" their question was direct, yet still open-ended. "I’m really not in the mood right now." you pushed them away again, trying to be polite but letting them know you weren't feeling it.

"Are you with anyone?’ ‘or are you home alone?" they asked directly, completely ignoring your input. As you processed the question, you instantly got a negative vibe. Who was this person and why did they think they had the right to say something like that? The house and the room you were currently in felt wrong. The kitchen felt like it was closing in on you or the roof was going to cave in on you. You felt something in your gut to hang up and go back to Brian, but you didn’t. "Yeah-’ ‘’I'm with someone,' 'I'm not alone." you answered them, inhaling the air which now smelt of buttery popcorn. They didn't have the right or deserved to know, but you weren't going to say no. You didn't trust them, and you did it for your safety. "Is he near?" they were pushing it. You could immediately feel your face tense up. "Yes, he’s in the same room as me.' 'But, I never told you there was someone here." you caught them as you heard them chuckle lightly. "Are you two together?" they asked you another weird question that you didn't feel comfortable answering. "Look I don't know who you are, but these are weird questions to ask someone you don't know." you stood up for yourself. You could hear the heavy breathing on the line and it made you cringe. "Well?" they were persistent and wanted an answer. "We are now, are you done?' 'Please go find someone else to prank." you answered the original question, as you could hear them back from the phone. You should hang up. You really shouldn’t be playing into this person's antics.

"Aw, what a shame.’ ‘You look so nice today." you could feel the frown coming from their side. "What?’ ‘What-’ ‘I’m hanging up,'" you felt fear and adrenaline shoot into your system. How did this person know what you looked like. They pushed it before, but this was too far. The other person creeped you out so much. Why did this person even have a clue about what you looked like? And they were saying that as if they knew who you were. "Wait-’ ‘we still have a game to play-"  they spitted a word out but, you had no intention of doing this. "No, I’m hanging up.’ ‘Don’t call again or I’ll actually call the cops." your finger was right next to the end call before, they snapped out on you.

"Don’t hang up, Reader," they yelled at you firmly as you stopped all movement. How did they know your name? "W-what the fuck?!" you exclaimed. Why did they know your name and why were they doing this to you? Were they watching you right now? Did they have bad intentions for you? You could feel your heart being internally squeezed as your breath quickened. "Let's play a game," they said loudly from the other side. "A game of trivia," they laughed lightly, as you were still frozen up like a deer in headlights. "Why do you know my name?"  you muttered. "I don't think you're the one who's asking the questions." they reminded you who had the upper-hand. Everything going on felt exactly like the movie you were watching minutes before. "Okay, what do you want?" you caved, not knowing what else to do in the situation you were stuck in. "What's your favorite scary movie?" they asked you as you couldn’t manage to think clearly at the moment. They were threatening you moments ago. Why ask such a coy question now? " Uh, um, the one with Michael Myers ’ Halloween!" you managed to give the person an answer as you felt an ounce of tension drift away from you.

"Ooo, I love that! ", "Good choice.' ' Next question, did you lock the front door?" they praised you and then ruined it instantly. Anxiety spiked like never before as you looked around you, fearing to see someone other than, yourself. "Huh? 'What-'What are you talking about?’ ‘Of course it is!" you panicked, as you remembered Brian was the closest to the door. “Check that again, are you sure?” they repeated their previous line again making your stomach turn. “What do you mean-’ ‘It’s my house of course I know if it’s locked or not?’ ‘What are you talking about?” You wanted to hear an affirmation from them. But, the person on the other line hung up suddenly, leaving you with an open-ended question. You dropped the phone to the floor as you raced to the living room. As you got into the silhouette of the living room, you called out for Brian, but you got no response. You felt your soul shatter as you looked for anything of his. You then looked at the front door to see it wide open. You felt your heart drop as you slammed it shut from the whirling winds outside. You panted aggressively against the oak door. You needed to call the cops. But, you felt someone was behind you.

Two hands were soon slammed on either side of your head as you squirmed in your spot, hitting or kicking whatever you could. You saw the two black leather gloves that were keeping you in place while the intruder was pressing on your back. You hit them violently, but they didn’t let up. "What the fuck did you do to Brian?" you yelled angrily as you heard a faint giggle. "I'm right here!" the person behind you hugged you. But, they didn’t sound like Brian. He turned you around but, still pinning you against the door, he caged you within his arms. The man had a black ski mask on with a red frown imprinted on it. You could hear him panting just like he did on the phone.

"Voice changer," he smiled proudly as he pulled off his mask. Brian’s dirty blonde hair flopped onto his face as his hazel eyes glanced at you innocently. As if he hadn’t been missing for an hour. "Brian." you stared him down as he brought you in for a hug. "I was just testing you" he smirked into the crease of your neck. "I was legit about to call the cops," you said, still frozen in fear. "You bitch," you said as you kicked him in the balls to show him how much pain he had caused you. " Fuck-" he shifted uncomfortably, lessening his grip. Your kick had him gasping for air. But even with this attack, he managed to fully support your frame as he chuckled. "You think you’re so funny." you let him absolutely smother you in his touch. "I am," he said as he drew back, gently lowering you to the ground, even though you were only a few inches off the ground. "And your popcorn is now soggy and burnt," you told him as he laughed but gasped, pretending to be upset. You sat down on the couch, sending him to the kitchen to get his popcorn on his own. He cuddled you much harder after that and apologized a good dozen times. For the rest of the night you made him stay by your side and whenever something slightly off happened the both of you went. You were going to get him back for that, but even after that night. You still feel watched.

-

#brian thomas x reader #brian thomas x you #brian thomas x y/n #creepypasta x you #creepypasta x y/n #creepypasta x reader #fictober22 #fluffober #hoodie x you #hoodie x y/n #hoodie x reader

[sweetlyocs]

MIDZY Presents: Areum Loving Chaeryeong for 3 Minutes and 58 Seconds

“You’re a cutie baby, baby”

Behind the scenes of ICY mv, Areum was watching Chaer do her scenes, each time that the director called cut she would coo over her. Areum would pinch her cheeks and speak to her, MIDZY loved seeing her constantly dote over Chaeryeong and make sure she was enjoying herself for filming

“You know I love you”

During a radio interview the girls were asked what was one of their most impactful moments with another member, and Chaer mentioned how Areum would sit with her and remind her how much she was a valued member of the team. When she was speaking, Areum was seen sitting next to Yeji wiping tears as Chaer got emotional and gave her a heartfelt thanks

“If you have nothing nice to say, don’t mention my members”

Areum was never shy about her upbringing and her family, often excited to share memories and photos. When she was doing a vlive, Areum was speaking about fond memories with her family and members when she mentioned how she loved to bring Chaer with her on family visits. As she was reading comments, MIDZY saw her face drop and her roll her eyes, she simply scoffed and announced that she would be ending the live due to ‘rude and unjust comments’ and then sent a message on bubble that she wouldn’t be interacting as much with MIDZY until they learned to respect her members. Fans shared screenshots across SNS where featured comments attacking Chaeryoeng for going back home with Areum

“Ya! I’m your unnie not your slave”

There are many moments when you see Areum mothering the girls, editors made a mini compilation of her aspirated expressions as she followed an over excited Chaer picking up after her - yet she would scold the others if they made her pout and told her to clean up after herself

“Yeah, she’s my baby”

Areum featured on The Manager, where it was seen that she spoke constantly of her members. When the scene played of Areum getting worked up, they asked who called her after she answered the phone with a cute ‘my baby hello!’. Smiling, she mentioned that no matter what is going on, whenever she gets extremely upset, Chaer is the person who always appears to her. She always claims that Chaer is her miracle in her idol life

“If you want it, Unnie will get it for you”

When the group was visiting a theme park, Chaer kept getting attached to but the girls were constantly saying that she could only get one thing to take back because she already owned so many trinkets and plushies. MIDZY favourite clip of the two that day was Areum whispering that whatever she wanted she could have because her unnie would get it for her  

Areum supporting Chaeryeong

Many longstanding MIDZY fans are aware of how run down the group can get with constant hate and people telling them that they wouldn’t amount to the fame that their labelmates have. MIDZY notice that no matter what, the oldest is always there in the background cheering them on and encouraging them to constantly do better and allow for mistakes. A fan favourite moment would be from when Areum was monitoring a practice for Chaeryeong’s feature stage when the young girl kept getting frustrated with herself. The elder made her sit and speak out everything that she felt was going wrong and then used the examples to instead show her how she was improving so much. After the performance Areum was seen standing and yelling out cheers for her member, many seniors watching with fond looks

“She’s my person”

Chaeryeong was doing a vlive when she was asked how she liked being an idol, she mentioned that life was hard but she loved being with her members. She said how no matter what was happening a very big constant in the biggest moments was Areum. Chaer went on a four minute spiral about every moment that Areum was there to witness and she even mentioned how she wants to be with her for the rest of ITZY and beyond

#areum.itzy #itzy scenarios #itzy oc #itzy extra member #itzy 6th member #itzy imagines #itzy #chaeryeong #kpop extra member #kpop female addition #kpop oc #kpop!au #female!kpop #female!oc #kpop!oc #kpop!addition