#anyway yeah I’ve had a lot on my mind for what I hope are obvious reasons

[bigboobyhalo]

does it ever drive you crazy that we had people basically saying “I hope this canonically aromantic character who has expressed a disdain for marriage gets forced into a marriage for the sake of my ship, wouldn’t that be funny and romantic?” about q!BBH when the happy pills proposal happened . lol .

#I loooved exploration of the potential forced marriage as a fucked up horror thing . that was fun #because it WAS genuinely horrifying #but there were people advocating for bad to just . legitimately get forced into a marriage because they wanted 4halo to be married #not cute ! not cute at all ! #uhhh #I don’t know what tags to use #neg #<- yeah sure #anyway yeah I’ve had a lot on my mind for what I hope are obvious reasons #and one of the things on my mind has been like . how q!BBH’s identity was treated wrt 4/halo content

[aka-indulgence]

Got a oneshot! Have a fic where Sans rejects your romantic pursuits with a happy twist ;)

CW: Flashback section containing Sans’ ex, where he wasn’t having a good time

(Sans & Gender Neutral Reader)

Sans doesn’t know what he thinks about the whole romance thing after a disastrous start. What happens when a precious friend confesses?

——————

It wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Sans didn’t think much of it when you came that day. Sans would often usually invite you over anyway, though today you were first to ask him if you could visit. Which was fine- he’s never as comfortable with anyone else as much as he was comfortable with you. (Maybe Papyrus, but even then there were things Sans wouldn’t tell his brother because he didn’t want to burden him with problems that Sans would rather burden himself with.)

You were laughing. He always loved it when you laughed.

“so i told him: paper-thin skin? buddy. pal. i ain’t got skin.”

You were in an uproar, slapping your knee. “Oh my god! I’d give the world to see the look on his face,”

“oh yeah. definitely unforgettable. man got so red faced he looked like he was gonna burst. he then stomped out like an angry toddler.”

You were giggling, before the both of you fell into a silence. That was a normal part of conversations, Sans was used to it. Especially with you, the silence was never unwelcome. But this time… something felt different. The air has shifted. Your carefree expression had changed into something more contemplative. He wasn’t sure what it was, then. Or maybe, he just didn’t want to read too deep into it.

You spoke up.

“... Hey Sans? Can I tell you something?”

Why was he nervous?

“... yeah?”

“It’s… um. Give me a second…” you laughed nervously. “Haha, sorry, I feel a little sick.”

Sans’ brows furrowed. “what’s up? you ok..?”

You huffed. “Ok. Yeah. Sorry for ruining the moment? But uh… it’s been on my mind for a while, and I have to tell you. I hope you’re ok with me saying this but. I like you, Sans. Kind of… a lot?”

… Ringing. Sans hears ringing. It feels like something in his soul crashed.

“... Sans?”

Sans wasn’t there. His mind was somewhere else.

“i just… i just don’t know if i like you in that way…”

Her face broke into despair. She wouldn’t look his way. She didn’t even say a word to him.

“w… wait. why are you… where are you going?”

“I can’t be here.”

It was years ago. Monsters had lived on the surface for about a year. She was one of Papyrus’ friends, and their first meeting had been wonderful. It still leaves an ache in his chest when he thinks about it now, how hopeful he was when he met her. She was fun, always got Sans involved in social events, always found her way towards him when he was sitting on the sidelines while Papyrus took the stage.

“hey i wouldn’t recommend the punch.”

“Why not?”

“y’see, i like funny things. and that thing… it ain’t got a punchline.”

“... Are you seriously punning?”

“i think i’m being funny.”

“Hah, that’s so stupid,”

She was laughing. But when Sans thinks about it now, maybe it was a pitying one. Sans wasn’t one to judge, puns didn’t win everyone over.

She quickly became a regular in his life, the first human friend he’s made since the surface, one that seemed more interested in him than his brother. She would even pout and joke when Sans didn’t give her enough attention which was cute, at the time. It was easy introducing her to his friends, with how often she tagged along with him.

She would put her arm over his shoulders, hug him, get so close to kissing but miss… Sans never initiated, but only because he wasn’t much of a physical person to begin with. It was nice to have someone so affectionate with him.

He really liked having her in his life.

And then… came that fateful day.

“I was going to wait for you. But you never asked me out.”

“what do you mean…?”

“I know you’re smart, Sans. I’ve been obvious. I just don’t know if you even like me.”

He didn’t know where this had come from. He was suddenly put on the spot, struggling to give her an answer, an answer that he knew she wanted. But Sans was lost.

“i just… i just don’t know if i like you in that way…”

“...”

She was stoic. She was upset with him, she left him alone in his room after he brought out the games he was hoping to play together. Had he made a mistake…? Was he really that dense? Was he just terrible with commitment?

She… she deserved better.

So he decided to fix it. At least, he thought he was fixing it. Though it turned to be a decision Sans would regret soon after.

He showed up at her door the next night. She hadn’t responded to his texts, his calls. Not even Papyrus’. He felt guilty, like he ruined something perfectly good.

i can’t lose her.

Sans was starting to panic if she maybe had left- then the door opened. Sans soul shook when he saw how her face fell when she saw his face. She was going to retreat back into her room.

“w-wait! please listen to me,” His hand was at the door. “i… i made a mistake. you’re important to me, ok? and i think i want… to be with you.”

His soul sung when she finally looked him in the eyes. There were tears in hers, but she was smiling, and he was happy to have her hugging him again. The tension snapping was a relief. That he saved himself. But even then he wondered… why did it taste bitter to say those last few words?

It… didn’t last long. More and more of Sans’ time was taken up by her, which… should be a good thing. Couples should spend lots of time together, right? But he didn’t have time for his friends anymore. Everytime she went out, he needed to come with.

“Sans, you smell like ketchup.”

“oh… yeah, i put too much on my hotdog.”

“Come on, you need to eat something better. People keep telling me you smell like grease.”

“... really?”

“Yeah. Here, I got you new clothes. Crisp!”

“oh… thanks.”

“Get ready, I’m planning to go at six.”

He was becoming active. He was going out every day, he wasn’t locking himself in his room.

It was for the better, he told himself. She brought out the life in him.

… Sans always thought he was intuitive. He was the best at reading people. He’s the judge. It came to him like breathing.

But apparently, he had been blinded. He had a hard time trusting himself. That maybe his gut feeling was wrong.

“SANS…”

Papyrus had found him alone during a party, having escaped to the bathroom. His sockets had bags under them. His face was dripping with water. He just… needed to rest. Without anyone else around.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

“yeah… i am. just needed to freshen up is all.”

Papyrus looked so… sad. He hadn’t seen his brother frown so deeply, in a way that made Sans feel guilty.

“SANS. I KNOW YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO PROTECT ME FROM YOUR FEELINGS EVEN THOUGH I DON’T NEED YOU TO DO THAT BUT… YOU HAVEN’T LIED SINCE WE SURFACED, AND NOW IT’S BACK. AND I THINK… YOU MIGHT BE LYING TO YOURSELF AS WELL. BROTHER… WHAT’S THE MATTER?”

Sans was getting sloppy. He looked away from him, to the mirror- he couldn’t handle that sorrowful look on Papyrus’ face. All that did though, was force him to confront his own expression. His signature smile wasn’t even there. And Sans couldn’t muster the energy to bring it back.

“I DON’T WANT TO PRY, IF YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT… Could This Have Something To Do With Her?”

Sans should’ve said no. Denied it. Told Paps that everything was fine and he was just… just overwhelmed. But he didn’t.

“i… maybe. i…” He exhaled through his phalanges, staring at the bottom of the sink. “i don’t know if i love her, pap. at least… romantically. i’m… i’m trying paps, i’m trying, i should- she deserves to have someone love her. i want to love her.”

Papyrus finishes his thought for him.

“BUT YOU DON’T.”

“... no.”

Sans felt horrible. He felt like he was leading her on. But Sans really thought that he loved her. He did! He cared for her!

… But not in the way she wanted.

And Sans didn’t want to pretend anymore.

“What did it? Did… did you find another person??”

“no. it’s nothing like that.”

“Then what changed?!”

She was shouting. Sans didn’t like the shouting. She never took kindly to him giving anyone- anything else attention. Sans tried to fix it, at first. He thought he was the problem until he got the messages asking him where he was, why he was so absent.

“nothing has, it was just a lot of little things. i’m sorry. i don’t love you in that way.”

“... How could you say something so horrible!?”

It was a good thing they hadn’t moved in together. She had insisted on moving, and that was one thing Sans could put his foot down about. He has a couple of old shirts and pants at her place from the nights he’s stayed, but nothing he’ll miss much. Lots of them were clothes she approved. It smelled like perfume. Even when he thought he was in love with her he thought moving together then was too fast.

She blocked him. Cut him out. Told her friends how Sans didn’t try hard enough when she put in the effort. Sans was never a crier- but he was in tears, hiding in his room. He would talk about it with Papyrus, but right then, he didn’t want anyone to hear. He wanted to throw his phone, he wanted to scream at her. He loved her! Maybe- maybe he never wanted to date her, maybe, if they hadn’t they’d still be friends but she always just… took too much.

It was nice when Papyrus chose to cut her off, to show support for him. It was ironic, even though Sans was the one she always chased, she always seemed to be on good terms with Papyrus. Even would ask him to put in a word for her after their arguments.

Sans was fine now. No- more than fine. Sans was happy. His time with her being a mere bump during his time on the surface.

Then, not too long after, he met you.

He never realized what was missing until he met you. You gave him space, and you never asked him to change for you. You… you liked who he was, you liked Sans.

After her Sans was afraid to attach so fast but… he really, really wanted to keep you in his life. He might even like you, more than a friend would. But he wasn’t ready to start another storm in his life.

As he looked into your eyes, he felt his soul sink. He wasn’t ready for it to end.

“... i… i’m sorry,” Why was the air so hot? “i… i… hhh,”

“Huh?”

It was a little hard to breathe. Which should be impossible. He’s a skeleton… air… air literally moves through his ribcage. He isn’t… uh… what’s happening?

You were frowning. Oh no. Were you upset?

“S-Sans? Are you ok?”

Sans was gripping the couch too tightly, phalanges digging into the couch cushions, close to ripping them. Beads of sweat were rolling down his skull. He suddenly felt pathetic… panicking over you.

“Sans?”

His eyelights darted back to you, bringing him back to the present. You looked so confused… he felt so guilty.

no… i can’t do it again.

“i… sorry. i don’t… mean to panic in front of you but… are you upset?”

“About what? I’m… Sans, you’re not making a lot of sense.”

He presses a hand to his face, then takes a deep breath. His mind was in a frizzle and he had to explain to you now before he goes crazy.

“sorry, my mind is a mess right now. i… i don’t want to make you sad. but i don’t know if i’m ready for a relationship right now. and it isn’t you, it’s… it’s me. i don’t want to take away your hope or anything but… i don’t know if i’ll ever be ready for a romantic relationship.”

You blinked at him.

“Oh,”

 Sans tensed. Expecting you to explode, or cry, or yell at him, run out the house, hate him, oh god he ruined everything-

“Sans, that’s… ok?”

“...”

what?

“w… what do you mean?”

You’re confused. Sans was too. You shift your eyes left and right.

“I mean… that’s ok. I just didn’t want to make you upset is all, and w… why are you looking at me like that?”

Was he dreaming? His eyelight flashed yellow, as if he could find something. He scanned your face, your eyes, your nose- looking for a shudder, a twitch, even a pulse out of place.

Your face was neutral. Was it just hard to read you?

“you know, you can tell me if you’re upset.” Sans was telling the truth. “i can take it. i’d rather you tell me straight to my face if you are. i… i don’t want to lose you.”

You look startled at his sudden pleading, before giving him a pitiful smile. You put your hands on his shoulders.

“Sans? Can you look at me?” You asked in a soft voice.

It was difficult to look up. He knows you, you’re not the type to yell at him or to curse him for little things. He’d trust his judgment but he’s been mistaken before. Nonetheless, slowly, he tilts his skull up to you. When he does, he sees the determination in your eyes, a fierce yet gentle look.

“Sans. Believe me, I’m ok. You’re not going to lose me if you tell me no. Ok?”

“m… mhm,”

Your serious expression melts a little when you start snickering. “Sans, I… I didn’t even get to finish my sentence. I was about to tell you that I’ll understand if you don’t wanna do a whole romance with me, I’ll be fine! I think it’d be great, and I stand by saying I like you a lot. But, I also like where we are right now, and staying like this is pretty nice too. Just being with you is fun, and whether you’re my friend or my boyfriend, that’s not going to change. So… if you’re ok with staying friends after my confession, I think I’d like that.”

The static of panic started to fade away, and a feeling of calm washed over him. The relief was so potent that Sans could feel his sockets start to sting.

h… heh… i was worrying for nothing.

“yes. god, i’d like that too,” Sans wobbles, phalange wiping his socket. “i was scared that if… if i said no you’d hate me.”

“Pfft,” you snort, before you quickly covered your mouth. “Sorry that wasn’t, I’m not laughing at you. I just want to know what made you think that?”

You bump him gently on the shoulder with your fist. “I thought you knew me!”

Sans snickers, a bit more giggly than usual. “i do! i just have doubts when it comes to romance nowadays,” He sighed. “so… you’re really ok with being friends?”

“Yeah! What’s so bad about being friends anyway? As long as you’re not weirded out by me, if I still get to see you, I count that as a win.”

Sans thought the same thing. He smiled.

“yeah… you’re right.”

It was definitely a win having you in his life.

You go oof! When all of a sudden Sans tugs you into a hug, squeezing you tightly.

“i’m… i’m glad i met you.”

You take him in for a moment, before wrapping your arms around him. You squeeze him back.

“Me too.”

#i used to get really sad reading sans rejection angst fics #then i thought about this to myself #and i feel better :> #sans is cool and i love him uvu #aka writing #angst is a speck in the window and reader deals with it nicely #gender neutral reader

[bedsyandco]

𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 - 𝐭𝐳𝟏𝟏

✰ PAIRING — fem!reader x trevor zegras

✰ SUMMARY — in which trevor tells his gf about a dream (or vision) he had!!

✰ CONTENT — established relationship. just plain old fluff!!

✰ WC — 1K

✰ NOTE — missed my annoying little guy (affectionate) and this was the result. I hope you enjoy <3

You would have never expected Trevor to be the needy one in your relationship. In all your previous relationships, you’ve always been the one who was the most affectionate, the most “clingy.” It was obvious to you now how much more invested you were in those relationships than your previous boyfriends. 

From the first moment you met Trevor, you could see that he had a lot of energy. He was bouncing from person to person, chatting animatedly, and he didn’t sit still once that night. Not until the party had died down and the room was nearly empty. And even then he had sat himself on the couch and talked his head off to the girl that sat next to him. You didn’t mind though, you still found his rambling equally endearing today as you did that night. 

So maybe it shouldn’t have been such a surprise that all that energy Trevor has, directly got invested into you and your relationship the second you started dating. From planning spontaneous dates every other night, surprise love notes in your car, flowers every time he went to the grocery store, hands constantly on your body somewhere, and kisses always being pressed to your skin, it was safe to say gave as much as he received, if not more. 

“g’morning baby,” trevor says, his voice still husky with sleep. he tightens his arms around your waist and pulls your body into his, wrapping both his legs around yours as he presses a kiss to your head.

“good morning trev. sleep well?” you ask, running your hand through his messy strands and he tries to snuggle even closer to you, his head resting on your chest, half of his body covering yours.

“mhm” he hums, pressing a kiss to your collarbone.

it always started like this. a kiss here and there. you knew soon enough trevor would be pressing kisses everywhere, until that wouldn’t satiate him and he’d start getting this mildly annoyed expression on his face. hoping it would encourage you to replicate the kisses on his body too. not that you needed much convincing.

“I had a really great dream. I was sad I woke up for a moment until I saw your face,” Trevor mumbles, tracing your nose, and you smile, pressing a kiss to his head.

“What was the dream about?” you ask and Trevor opens his eyes slowly, lifting his head to he can look down at you, meeting your eyes.

“Actually I don’t like calling it a dream. Let’s call it a vision,” Trevor says and you smile

“A vision?” you question, amusement clear in your voice and your eyes and your boyfriend nods

“Yeah. Dream sounds far off. Vision is something I know will happen one day,”

“Okay. What did you see in this vision,” you ask

“We were sitting on this porch. It was a huge porch, like one of those old big farm house porches you know. And you were wearing one of your big colourful ugly sweaters-“ he says and your gasp cuts him off

“You said you liked them!” you say and Trevor laughs softly.

“I do like them, baby. They have character,” he says and laughs even harder when you hit his shoulder softly

“Saying something has character is just another way of saying it’s ugly,” you say, pouting slightly and Trevor smiles, his eyes swimming with adoration as he presses a soft kiss to your nose

“You make anything and everything look good. Even sweaters with character,” he says and you just shake your head unable to keep your smile from mirroring his

“Anyway, so you're wearing one of your big colourful ugly sweaters and these white fuzzy socks. we’re sitting on this porch swing, your feet in my lap. There’s this lake nearby, and it’s early morning. And the sun rises perfectly over that lake and I probably would’ve thought it’s the prettiest view I’ve ever seen if I didn’t get to wake up to your pretty face every day,” Trevor says, a look of awe on his face and he gently caresses your cheek and you swallow thickly

“Trevor,” you whisper and he kisses you softly

“Wait, I haven't gotten to the best part yet. We’re sitting and watching the sunrise and I’m telling you something, probably spewing a bunch of nonsense like always, but I’m making you laugh so it doesn’t really matter. And as you’re laughing, the cutest little girl runs up the stairs towards us. And she looks just like me, but God the laugh, that was all you baby. I wish you could’ve heard it. It was like liquid sunshine in a bottle. And we just sat there watching the sunrise together,” Trevor says, his serene expression changing when he sees the tears, you didn’t even know had fallen, on your face.

“Why are you crying sweet girl,” he asks, kissing your tears away and you take a shuddering breath

It wasn’t what he had said that made you emotional necessarily, although it did make your heart clench with the utmost joy to think of that future with Trevor. It was the expression on his face while he relived this dream, this vision, with you. The sheer bliss on his face, the softness of his smile, the adoration in his eyes. The way he so clearly and visibly yearned to have this with you. The confidence in his voice that he knows this isn’t just some far fetched dream, but something that will become reality for both of you one day.

“I love you so much Trevor. There’s no words I can use to make you understand how much,” you say and he smiles softly, kissing you again

“I love you baby. Endlessly. you and your ugly sweaters,” he says and you laughs

“I’m gonna throw those out now,” you say and he gasps dramatically

“You can’t! How are we gonna recreate my vision without the ugly sweater? It’s a crucial piece” he says and laughs as you playfully push his face away.

#trevor zegras x you #trevor zegras x y/n #trevor zegras fanfic #trevor zegras fic #trevor zegras x reader #trevor zegras fluff #trevor zegras imagine

[shujohajohaminnie]

Sooner

Pairing: Seungmin x fem!reader

Genre:Smut, Kinda Fluffy (Maybe)

Content: 18+ Minors dni 

Word Count: 2523

P.O.V: Both 1st and 2nd hope it’s not confusing 

Summary: Seungmin has a big crush on you, You have a big crush on him. Both parties unknowing. Will he tell you after seeing you half-naked? Will you tell him?

A/N: I did re-read it but I probably missed something because I’m tired. 

Afab!reader, Profanity, Slight pet name (2), Use of sir (1), Blowjob, Raw sex

“COME ON DON’T DO THIS TO ME” I whined banging the washer. It’s been three hours into my laundry day and I’ve washed zero loads. My washer would work like normal then spontaneously shut off after ten minutes. I’d unplug it from the wall hoping that it would fix the problem, only for it to run for just a couple minutes then shut off without warning. I’ve put off doing laundry for weeks solely for the reason that I knew I was going to struggle with my six-year-old washer and dryer. As much as I needed a new set they weren’t cheap and unfortunately, money didn’t fall from the sky. Fortunately for me, my second home / best friend's dorm has a perfectly good washer and dryer. I loaded my clothes into my car and made my way to Hyunjin's dorm hoping they weren’t using it. 

“Y/n?” Seungmin looked at me confused as he opened the door, “Hyunjin’s not here” He opened the door wider letting me in. I took off my shoes leaving them by the door, grabbing my slippers from my designated cubby space. “Where is he… where is everyone?” I looked around noticing the silence. “They’re recording in the studio today” “You didn’t go?” “I finished early, Chan Hyung let me come home early 'cause I had a headache, so I came and took a little nap” “Did I wake you… I’m sorry…do you want me to make you a tea, do you want me to make you lunch” “It's fine my headache it passed” “Oh that's good… I didn’t come to see Hyunjin… I came to see your washer and dryer” “My washer and dryer?” “Mine officially gave out… do you think I can borrow yours” “Uh” 

Seungmin hesitated he knew the process of you doing your laundry. You’d always ended up in only a towel as you threw the clothes you were wearing into your last load. You’d take clothes from your first load and take a shower. The reason being you wanted a clean body in clean clothes while also wanting to wash every piece of clothing you had. But what confused him every time was why didn’t you shower right after the first one came out while your other loads were going on, why did you wait until your last one? It didn’t bother Seungmin before, but lately, he’s seen you in a new light. To be completely honest he’s always had a crush on you, ever since Hyunjin introduced you as his best friend to the group he thought you were the prettiest woman he’s ever seen. But lately, his crush has only gotten worse since game night last week, when you were dared to kiss who you thought was the cutest boy in the room. Instead of going for who he thought were the more obvious choices you came straight for him placing a soft kiss on his cheek. Did you really think he was the cutest, did you feel the same way he felt for you? He couldn’t risk seeing you in just your towel and-

“Seungmin?” he was pulled away from his thoughts seeing you looking up at him with those eyes. God how he loved when you begged with your eyes, he’d make you beg for everything and anything just to see those eyes, knowing very well he’d give you whatever you wanted anyway. “You sure you’re good?” “What yeah I’m fine” “So can I use your washer and dryer or not” Say no say no “Yeah of course” Fuck. “Thanks” You smiled hurrying out the door to get your clothes before he could change his mind. 

“Thank you again for letting me wash my clothes here min, means a lot” I smiled placing my hand on his arm as I looked at him. He looked so hot in his grey sweats and black T-shirt. Even the most basic of clothes looked great on him. Truth be told I’ve had a crush on Seungmin for a long time the only reason for my silence on the topic being that I didn’t know if he felt the same. He was so hard to read at times all the time. I often found myself questioning whether he liked me despite the boys telling me he did. They could easily be messing with me, getting my hopes up to make a fool out of myself, But they could also be right. I noticed the way a blush crept on his cheeks after I kissed him at game night last week. Was it because he liked me, or because he was embarrassed in the sense that I just kissed him in front of all his closest friends. “Yeah of course… you know you’re always welcome here…we should give you a key at this point” he laughed placing his hand over mine. What is going on?

What was he doing? He panicked and did what he thought was right, placing his hand over yours. You looked so perfect and made him so nervous he suddenly felt so bold in touching you right back. “I-I’m gonna go take a shower…I’ll leave the door unlocked… just in case you need me” “I’ll keep that in mind” You spoke softly, that perfect smile he loved so much making him feel weak in the knees. You pulled away first, walking toward the laundry room just a couple of doors down from the bathroom. 

It was last load time, you carried your last load in your hands as you passed the bathroom door, the singing stopped, instead it was replaced by moans? You pressed your ear to the door hearing it clearly. Seungmin was moaning in the shower. “Fuck y/n” Were you hearing him correctly did he just moan your name? “Y/nnnnn” that was most definitely your name. You took the moment not wasting a second. You ran to the laundry room throwing the last pile of clothes in along with the one still on your body. You wrapped yourself around your towel heading straight towards him. You opened the door quietly, dropping the towel and slipping in the shower. You see him there stroking his hard cock eyes shut tight, your name still slipping past his lips. “Need help?” He jumped almost slipping on the water looking at your face… not daring to look further down. “Y-Y/n what are you doing here?” “You said to come in if I needed you… well, I need you min. I really need you” You whispered stepping closer to him with that same smile that was guaranteed to drive him insane. You could almost see it, the switch clicking in his head as he quickly grabbed your waist pinning you to the wall. “Is this what you wanted?” he whispered kissing your lips passionately. 

“Yes” I breathed out as he kissed my neck moving down to my chest. He moved a hand from my waist groping my left breast. A moan slipped out of my mouth as the realization hit me like a bus. I was really about to have sex with the man I had a monster crush on. “Are you sure?” He whispered pulling away. “No” I whined as he backed away from me. “No?” “No! I didn’t mean it like that… I want you Seungmin” He groaned getting closer to me kissing my neck once more. “C-can I uh can I” I started not knowing how to phrase the question in my head. “You wanna suck me off?” we laughed at how dirty it sounded despite the both of us being naked in a steaming hot shower. “Can I?” “Y-yeah” “Only if it’s okay with you” “If I’m okay with it… I wouldn’t pass on a blow job from a pretty girl” “You think I’m pretty?” I smiled looking at him feeling my cheeks warm up at the compliment. “I think you're more than pretty, I think you're smart, I think you’re amazing, I- I I like you” “You do?” “Mhmmm” “You have some way of showing it” I laughed kissing his neck slowly, moving lower and lower until I was face to face with his hard cock. It was definitely a shock. Despite Seungmin’s lean frame, his cock was different. He was long and girthy enough that I knew he wasn’t going to have a problem filling me up. The sight made my mouth water. My hand trembled as I slowly wrapped my palm around him. I kissed the tip before I opened my mouth taking in as much as I could, jerking off what I couldn’t. I started with a steady pace looking up to see his face shift into one of pleasure.  “You… you’re uh really good at that” He breathed out pulling my hair into a makeshift ponytail guiding me up and down his shaft. He groaned throwing his head back against the shower wall. I moaned sending vibrations through his dick. “F-f-fuck…that…I UGH I’m gonna cum” I shallowed my cheeks around him sending him over the edge. He groaned shutting his eyes violently as I felt his warm cum fill my mouth. I swallowed getting up to look at him “Y/n I-”  “I like you Seungmin” “Y-You do?” “I do” I smiled stepping closer to kiss him on the lips. “Why do you think I walk around in a towel when I’m doing laundry?” “You don’t do it in front of the others?” “Only if you’re there, Only if I know you’re watching me”. He wrapped his hand around my waist turning us around so that I was against the cold wall. One of his hands let go of me trailing down my thigh and towards my throbbing core. “Seungmin, please… I need you” “I know baby… I know” he shushed me as his fingers drew small circles on my clit. “Oh, my-” My nails dug into his arm as I felt that familiar feeling drawing close. “I’m gonna” “Cum… cum for me” He kissed me hungrily his words alone causing me to go over the edge. I felt adrenaline coursing through my veins sparks flying between us and stars surrounding us. 

He grabbed the back of my thigh guiding me to wrap my leg around his waist. “I’m gonna fuck you now” He breathed out shakily looking into my eyes. “M’kay” I nodded biting my lip in anticipation. “Use your words baby” “Yes sir”. He kissed me once more before he guided the tip of his dick at my entrance. My breath hitched as he slowly sank into me, and as expected I felt full of him as he bottomed out. I closed my eyes at the slight sting waiting patiently for it to turn into bliss. “Are you okay… do you want to stop” “N-no just give me a minute” “I should’ve stretched you out with my fingers first, I just didn’t expect for you to be this tight” he chuckled holding my hand his thumb drawing back and forth on the top of my hand in an attempt to comfort me, and it did. I slowly opened my eyes to look into his. It was always around Seungmin that I felt at ease, surrounded by peace and warmth. “You can move” I whispered letting go of his hand to bring him close hugging him. He thrusted in and out of me planting sweet kisses on my neck and chest. “Seungmin… I’m” He nodded kissing my lips, and he grabbed my other leg picking me up against the wall. Another shock from him, his strength. This new angle causing him to hit my G-spot even better than before. I placed my face in the crook of his neck moaning against his skin, my nails dragging across his back leaving behind red marks. He hissed at the feeling closing his eyes and throwing his head back. 

“I’m gonna cum” he spoke through gritted teeth, and by the way you were clenching around him you were close too. “Cum inside me” “What” “I’m on the fucking pill just cum inside me” You yelled hugging him even tighter. The room was filled with steam and your unholy pornographic moans as you both came down from your high together. He pulled out putting you down and moving the both of you under the shower head. The water washed over the other of you as you stayed in his embrace the both of you catching your breath. You pulled away to look into his eyes. Feeling yourself blushing from his gaze. “What” “Nothing” you smiled hiding your face in his chest. “Did you mean when you said you liked me” “I did” “I like you too Minnie” you laughed hugging him once more. The both of you finished your shower and walked out of the restroom hand in hand with a smile resting on both of your faces. Only to be met with the rest of the members in the living faces mixed with disgust, shock, happiness, and in Han's case wiggling eyebrows and a sly smirk. “FUCKING FINALLY” Changbin yelled walking past us to his bedroom. 

“Sooooo” Chan started his mouth forming a straight line as he looked at the both of us. “Are you guys a couple?” he asked awkwardly standing in the middle of the living room. The other members had already left to their respective rooms getting ready to go out to dinner for the night. Not without Hyunjin marching over to the both of you yelling at the top of his lungs about the fact that you used the ‘nice restroom’. Complaining how he’ll never be able to even look at that door without wanting to puke. Only to be disgusted once more when he saw a careless Changbin walk past the three of you into the restroom to shower as well.  But then there was Chan confused as ever. He had to make sure that both his friend and brother/second youngest were thinking with their heads and not just their. “Yeah” Seungmin answered his previous question holding onto your hand and flashing you his beautiful braced smile that caused you to melt almost every time. “Right?” “I mean we're working a bit backwards… he’ll still take me on a first official date… right?” “YES… yes sorry I uh-” “Well as long as you two are happy and know what you’re doing” “We do thanks Chan” “Yeah thank you old man” Seungmin smiled walking us towards his bedroom. 

Who would’ve known that your closed-off crush felt the same towards you, apparently all of your friend group. If only you would have listened sooner.

Like, comment, and repost if you liked it, The other two pieces I'm m working on should be out this week. Both being requests. Once again don't be afraid to request anything that comes to mind, and thank you to the ones that do.

Until next time. BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

#skz fanfic #skz imagines #skz scenarios #stray kids texts #skz x you #stray kids x reader #seungmin #kim seungmim #seungmin smut

[heyidkyay]

Who can say no to bridezilla? |

Part Five

This one’s a little shorter than the last but what can you do? I can’t believe that this was meant to be a oneshot, a two parter MAX, and has somehow spiralled😭 Anyway, thank you so much for all the love on this series, really glad you’re enjoying it💗

Summary: With no date to your sister's wedding, what are you to do? No worries though, she's already got it covered, well, sort of...

Masterlist

--

Matty. 

I felt my eyes slip closed at the sound of him calling my name. Silently allowing myself a brief second to regain some sense of decorum before I had to face him yet again.

I couldn’t believe how this night had turned into such a disaster. It was the very last thing I’d wanted, alongside the notion that I’d be leaving here tonight having probably lost Matty before I’d ever even really found him. And wasn’t that a thought. 

I inhaled, one.. two.. then turned to him, wearing what I hoped resembled something short of a smile. I didn’t have the energy to argue with him any longer.

He was staring right at me when I mustered up the courage to meet his eye. George was stood just to his left, and he glanced between us both in obvious confusion but there was also a little sheen of weariness to his stare. I silently wondered what he made of all this.

“You two gonna be alright here?” The drummer asked in a low voice, eyebrow quirked upwards in question.

“Yeah, mate.” Matty breathed out an assurance, dipping his chin just the once. “Thanks for, you know.”

George clapped him heartily on the shoulder which shook Matty slightly, the taller man just smirked, “Don’t mention it.”

Then he looked to me, probing for an answer of my own.

I was quick to nod, and gifted him a small but genuine smile in retort. He returned the gesture and I watched him squeeze the juncture of Matty’s shoulder, giving him an odd look I couldn’t quite decipher, before walking away.

Time seemed to sort of still then- not in the crappy romantic kind of way, where the two main characters from some shitty hallmark film suddenly realise all of their mistakes, converse in a parade of silent longing looks, only to then kiss and make up. 

No, it was a lot more awkward than that, unfortunately. 

But not ‘unfortunately’ as in I was actually beyond desperate to kiss him! No. No, I just meant it in the sense that… well, let’s just say that if it was a life or death situation- or something a little less severe than that, Christ- I wouldn’t be so quick to wave away the idea. I just… 

Oh, for fucks sake. 

Now wasn’t the time for it, is basically what I meant!

I sighed inwardly. 

Though, I guess I’d sooner kiss the idiot than have to spend the next however long stood here in this uncomfortable standstill. 

I chewed at my bottom lip, unsure on what to say now that George had removed himself as a buffer. 

I almost wanted to look around for something to distract myself with, but I couldn’t, not when Matty was looking at me with that glum expression of his. The sort a little kid would tend to make when gazing longingly out the car window at the McDonalds you were driving by.

And even though Matty had been the one to call out for me, I still felt as though I’d ultimately been left with the honour of continuing this painful encounter of ours.

Sighing again, I decided to bite the bullet. “Look it’s getting late, Matty... And I’d really like to try and miss all the traffic that’ll hit once this whole thing finally ends. So, can we just leave it here? I’ve had a good night, all things considered, and don’t really mind ending it off on a less than sour note.”

The crease between Matty’s eyebrows seemed to deepen at my words, and he blinked at me stupidly before he made a face. 

“I’m sorry, what? It’s been-“ He glanced down at the sleek wristwatch he wore, “It’s barely even gone nine, and there is no fucking way we’re just leaving shit like it is! Not after all the blatant texting and shitting anxiety I’ve put myself through to be here tonight.” He shook his head, “Nah, we’re gonna have to sort it out now, ‘cause I already know if we leave things be, you’re just gonna end up pieing me off later.”

Now it was my turn to frown.

“Pie you off?”

Matty was nodding away again, seemingly on a bit off a roll now.

“I was dead nervous, yeah? Like proper fucking nervous for today- to see if it all felt the same in person. Because, from the moment we started talking it felt as though I’d already known you for ages. Like, we just instantly clicked. And that made me so much more wary of whether or not that would suddenly change things between us once we met. But it didn’t. No, 'cause you were just like I’d imagined! All funny and snide, but in the best fuckin’ way. And that gorgeous face of yours was only the cherry on the cake, really. But I reckon I’d've stuck around even if you were a bit of a minger.”

His eyes flickered away for a mere moment, as though he was spatially aware of the utter tit he was making of himself, rambling away but unable to stop. But then they found mine again and it was like he just had to get the rest of it out before he lost the nerve. I didn’t know what to make of any of it.

“I thought this would be a right laugh.” He shrugged forcefully and I could already tell that he was dying for another smoke just from the way his hand seemed to twitch. “I didn’t want to show up to Hann’s wedding all alone, looking like a complete twat. And then your sister offered up this whole idea, and I’d already heard a bit about you- snippets, little things, you know? Just here and there. And I couldn’t refuse. I mean, how could I? Why would I?”

Matty ran a fretful hand through his unruly hair, then scratched at the side of his neck apprehensively. 

I couldn’t seem to find the words to stop him, completely baffled by him, actually.

“The shit I’ve heard… about how you support your mum and your siblings. How you go out of your way for everyone and everything. The utter crap you’ve had to put up with. I mean…” Matty dragged his hand over his face at that, rubbing his eyes before deciding to shake his arms out towards me. “God. We started messaging and you were like- you were just this girl on a screen that I couldn’t stop talking to, or about! And I swear, Ross has gotten so sick of me these last few weeks, mentioning you nonstop, worrying about us finally meeting and all the pulavar of it. I’m actually fucking surprised he hasn’t ended up following through on a few of his threats. ‘Cause believe me, there were a couple dozen.”

My mouth had sort of gone dry by this point. 

I stared back at the man I’d originally thought had given zero shits about me, let alone this night, and openly fish-mouthed.

I’d truly believed it must’ve all been sort of jovial to him. The texts, the date…

But now it was all coming out. And I couldn’t quite manage to wrap my head around it.

“Fucking hell!” Matty laughed brazenly, mouth quirked to one side as he shook his head at himself incredulously. “If he only knew how bad I’d end up fucking this all up.”

“You haven’t.” I immediately replied, my mouth moving before my brain could even comprehend it. And Matty’s gaze snapped back towards mine, his brown eyes wide. 

I cleared my throat slightly, unable to dither my attention from him, unsure if I even wanted to. “I- You haven’t fucked it all up, Matty.”

“I haven’t?”

“No,” I allowed a small smile to creep across my face as I breathed out a faint chuckle. “Not after… whatever that was. Your big speech.” 

Matty groaned, suddenly abashed, and his chin fell to meet his collarbones as his shoulders shook slightly with unrepressed laughter. “I’m a fucking mess.”

I grinned, feeling a little lighter now. “You are, but so am I.”

“How very playground of us, huh?” Matty commented, peering back at me through dark lashes.

“Beyond trivial. A proper cliche.” I agreed wryly, smiling all the while. “Reckon we have some making up to do.”

I watched the way Matty’s face brightened significantly and couldn’t help the sudden rush of warmth that pooled in my chest.

“Oh, yeah? Think we could get it over with quick then? Kiss and makeup- or you could just let me grab you another drink and offer a decent shag ‘round the side of the chapel.”

I snorted, unable to help myself, before rolling my eyes at him. 

Look at that, I thought, we were already back to basics.

“You can offer, but I seriously doubt I’d accept, not after all that manly assertiveness George just displayed.” I fanned myself, feigning a flush at the reminder.

“Oh, leave off.” Matty laughed in reply, swatting my hand away. Though, he slipped his fingers into mine as he did, holding my hand so that he could keep me close. Neither of us decided to comment on it and I smiled quietly to myself as I looked down at where our bodies were now intertwined.

Still, if we weren’t going to acknowledge the whole hand holding ordeal, then I was definitely going to bring up a topic of Matty’s previous ramble.

“So… a rockstar like you still gets nervous then? Feeling a little bit honoured here, Healy.”

Matty casted his eyes towards me, slitted as he exaggerated his irritation. “You’re really gonna lord that over me? Bet you were shitting bricks just as much as I was.”

I shot him a cheeky smile as I chuckled, “‘Course, but I never bigged myself up to be this massive egotistical prat.”

He rolled his eyes at me, the beginnings of a smile tugging at either sides of his lips, then hummed as he shrugged. “Not gonna deny it. The thought was daunting as fuck.”

I grinned, only noticing then that I’d begun to move my thumb against his own. “Oh yeah?”

He grinned right back at me. “Yeah.”

“You know you’re a bit of an idiot for not saying anything sooner, right?” I couldn’t help but mention, and the expression Matty made had me struggling to withhold my rising amusement.

“Uh, when the fuck should I’ve mentioned it? Somewhere between the vows, or would you have preferred me to casually drop it outside whilst we were mid-row?”

The small mention of our earlier argument had my mind wandering again, and so I just shrugged a shoulder at him in reply, casting a glance out at the rest of the room.

I heard him exhale before he reached out to knock the underside of my jaw, regaining my attention. He was closer now, much closer, his nose just a breath away from mine.

“I am sorry, about the shit that happened with Alexa.” Matty told me quietly, and the look he gave me was earnest. “I like the attention sometimes, get lost in it. Didn’t realise what had been going on until you said it.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, staring up into those eyes of his again. They were warm. Like chocolate. 

“Well, as we said, there’s a lot of making up to do.”

He smirked down at me then and I had to hide my face in the crook of his neck when I chuckled.

Once I’d composed myself somewhat and pulled away, my gaze met his again. I found myself enjoying our newfound position, my body flush against his, our hands still linked whilst my fingertips grazed loosely at his undone tie.

“I’m sorry too, I suppose.” I murmured to him, liking the peaceful atmosphere we’d created for ourselves. Like we were in our own little bubble.

But the noise Matty made then surely burst it, it was nothing short of incredible and I could only really describe it as something akin to a squawk.

“You suppose?” He demanded dramatically. My eyes widened in joy.

“Yes, I suppose!” I replied instantly, laughing away, “What the hell was that sound you just made?!”

By some miracle, a slight flush blessed Matty’s cheeks and he had to look away in a casual sort of nonchalance (that was far from) to shrug at me. 

“No idea what you’re talking about, sweetheart.”

I was still giggling.

“No, no, no! You definitely do. It sounded like someone had set a chicken loose!”

“Oh, piss off.”

I was all but cackling now, leaning against Matty to steady myself, but even though I was ripping into him he still held me up, smiling whilst he shook his head at me, marginally exhausted.

“Yeah, yeah. So fucking hilarious.” Matty rolled his eyes before they turned to me with a teasing glint. “That laugh of yours though, definitely outranks whatever noise I just made. Mental.”

I gaped at him, “You really wanna go there? Because if we do, I can promise you now that you’ll be walking away with your tail between your legs, mate.”

Matty grimaced, pulling away from me to lean back, and groaned. “Don’t call me your fucking mate. Feels weird.”

I grinned brightly, chuckling as I tugged him back. “What ever do you mean? Thought we were the best of mates now.”

Matty wrinkled his nose in distaste, and I was just about to continue on with my teasing when he inclined his head downwards so that his mouth brushed against the shell of my ear. I stilled.

“I don’t typically tend to want to fuck any of my mates, darling. Always makes for an awkward situation.”

My breath hitched and our eyes immediately locked as he casually pulled back.

And of course that would be the very moment my sister would choose to make her grand reappearance.

For fucks sake.

—

Part six>

Taglist: @real-actual-human-person @wurldisavampire @partoftheairforce @kurdtbean

#the 1975 #Matty #Healy #x reader #x you #Matty Healy #matty healy imagine #the 1975 imagines #the 1975 band #matty healy x reader #matty healy x you #reader #y/n #imagine #short works #ross macdonald #adam hann #george daniel #weddings #fake dates #parties #humour #fluff #cuteness #angst #flirting #ao3

[smilesrobotlover]

Whumptober day 14- water inhalation

I don’t like this one. Like, I like some parts of it but overall how it was written I don’t like. Oh well. It’s not meant to be perfect lol. It is obvious that I’m getting burnt out with all this writing?

Anyways, warning for water inhalation, nearly drowning, a frickin water monster, and yeah.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The water was dark and cold as Sky swam through it, clenching his teeth around the water dragon’s scale for dear life. The lake he, Warriors, and Twilight were near needed to be investigated in order to find a kidnapped zora, and Twilight was the only one with zora armor. Sky had his dragon scale, but Warriors didn’t trust how it ran out of air until he broke the surface or ran into a bubble. Since they had to go into deeper waters, where bubbles were not promised, Sky supposed it made some sense. But he hated having Twilight go on his own. It wasn’t that he doubted Twilight’s ability, his zora armor seemed very dependable in water, but the way Twilight eyed the water nervously made Sky nervous for him.

“I’ll be back with the missing zora in no time,” Twilight reassured, mostly to himself. “It shouldn’t take that long.”

“Are you sure you’re good to go on your own?” Sky asked. “I know that it’s not armor but my scale has worked before…”

“Sky you were in shallower water, this is deep water. Anything could happen,” Warriors said, and Sky frowned.

“Shallow water isn’t that safe compared to deep water,” he mumbled.

“Well I’ll be fine,” Twilight said. “It’s not the first time I’ve been in deep water. I’ll be back soon, hopefully.”

Sky sighed and watched as he put up his mask and disappeared into the water. Sky and Warriors waited, and waited, and waited until Sky couldn’t wait any longer. It had been hours since Twilight dove into the water, and fear for his friend overwhelmed him. If Twilight was in danger, how would they know? If he drowned, how would they know? Being in water was dangerous, and despite Warrior’s protests, Sky took off his clothes and jumped into the water, with his trusty dragon scale hanging in his mouth.

Sky didn’t know how long he had been swimming. There weren’t a lot of obstacles, and it was overall an easy swim, but it was dark enough and deep enough to make Sky uncomfortable. Thankfully, there were plenty of air bubbles for Sky to use to fill up the air in his scale, so he didn’t worry about running out like he thought he would. So he hoped that finding Twi would be a simple task for him.

Sky stopped by a big rock and gave his arms a moment to rest. He’s been swimming for a while, the pressure of being so deep was hurting his ears, and he could feel his hands begin to get all pruny. But there was no sign of Twilight, so he knew he needed to keep going. Sky eventually found himself in a strange underwater cave, or at least, he thought it was a cave. Nothing about it looked natural, in fact, it looked like a castle that was underwater, rotting away from years of neglect. Sky knew that this was where the zora was being held, and that this was where Twilight was.

When he entered the weird cave-palace, he was relieved at the different glowing algae lighting up the place. He didn’t know how any of it worked, but it helped him see where he was going, so he decided not to think about it. When he entered a more slim hallway however, he noticed that it wasn’t as lit up as the rest of the palace, and it seemed to have been a lot cleaner. That was odd…

“Excuse me.”

Sky flinched and swam away until his back hit a wall. He groaned in pain and looked around. Did he imagine that voice? Is he losing his mind?

“I’m sorry to scare you, turn around.”

Sky spun around and saw— what he assumed was — a zora. He looked at her in surprise, he was expecting the zora to look more like the parella, but seeing this one, they were nothing alike. The zora was in a cage of some sorts, only able to peak out of a small opening on the top.

“Are you a friend of that Hylian?” She asked, and Sky nodded, assuming that she was talking about Twilight. “I thought so. He was here, trying to help me. But when he found a key to open this cage, a monster with tentacles grabbed him! I don’t know where he is, I’m so worried about him.”

Sky felt his heart drop. So Twilight was in danger, and was attacked by some monster that Sky knew nothing about. Just great. Sky had fought Tentalus before, so a tentacled monster didn’t frighten him, but he fought the monster above water, not in water. The idea of fighting something as big as Tentalus in the water scared him.

“I think I may know where the creature took him,” the zora started, “I think the key he had before he was grabbed is around here somewhere. If you get me out, I can help you save him.”

Sky nodded and immediately looked at the ground below him. Lo and behold, he found a big key in the corner. He grabbed it and unlocked the cage, allowing the zora to leave her prison.

“Follow me!” She said before swimming out of the hallway. Sky struggled to follow her, she was definitely built for water, and many times she had to stop and wait for Sky to catch up. His arms and legs were burning, and his throat was painfully dry. Sky just had to make sure that he didn’t cough, or else he’d inhale a bunch of water. He already did that before, and the pneumonia he got from it was not fun. Finally, he and the zora reached an open area, and Sky couldn’t hold back the gasp when he saw a big creature with tentacles jutting out all over its body. Sky narrowed his burning eyes and saw that one of the tentacles was wrapped around something.

Twilight.

Sky felt fear burst through his chest, not knowing if Twilight was conscious, unconscious, or worse. He turned to the zora and gestured for her to stay.

“You want me to stay?” She asked.

Sky nodded.

“Alright, be very careful.”

Sky nodded again and swam as fast as he could to Twilight, but also as quietly as he could. The monster wasn’t moving, so he assumed that it was asleep, and he did not want to wake it up. Sky carefully went up the tentacle that held Twilight, and he felt relief when he saw the mask on his face, meaning (he hoped) that he was still getting air. But his relief quickly melted away when he noticed that Twilight was unconscious. He went up to his and cupped his face in his hands.

Twilight, please open your eyes, he thought to himself, wishing he could say it. Twilight made a strained face, and his eyes began to open. Sky’s fear quickly disappeared when he saw Twilight’s pale blue eyes looking back at him in shock. Sky smiled, then began to observe the situation. Twilight was unable to move in the tentacle he was trapped in. His legs were free, but his arms were trapped, pinning them to his sides. Sky watched Twi try to struggle, but the monster’s tentacles were too strong. Sky dove down deeper, observing the tentacles. He didn’t want to wake up the monster, but he had to get the tentacles to let him go. Sky gently stroked the tentacle, and it squirmed a bit. Sky panicked, but he saw that Twilight was able to get an arm free, and the monster stayed dormant. Sky and Twi made eye contact and they both nodded. Sky continued to pet the tentacles, feeling nauseous at how slimy they were. They squirmed, and Twi was able to get his other free. Sky smiled at Twilight, until an ear piercing screech rang out, shaking the whole building. Sky looked behind him and saw the zora he rescued swimming out in the middle, smiling maliciously at Sky. The zora suddenly melted into strange goop, the stuff floating in the water, and realization hit Sky. Was this a trap set by the puppeteer? Anger boiled in Sky’s chest, but the situation returned to him when there was quick movement besides him. The monster holding Twi stirred, and Sky watched the rancher struggle as the tentacles tightened around his waist. Twilight yelped as he was then dragged through the water, along with the rest of the monster that began to circle around Sky.

Panic surged through Sky when he saw the round mouth full of pointy teeth snarl at him. This thing was not Tentalus. Sky didn’t even know where to begin on fighting it. A tentacle almost hit Sky in the head, and he dove down to get lower, feeling the air beginning to thin out. He looked around for different air bubbles, then at Twilight, who was struggling against the tentacle that continued to squeeze.

Fighting was out of the question. He needed to get this thing to let go of Twilight, then they could escape. Saving a zora was out of the question since the zora was a fake, so all he had to focus on was Twi. An air bubble appeared in front of Sky, and he quickly grabbed it, filling the scale with air again. He eyed the tentacle holding Twi, and tore through the water, dashing as hard as he could into the tentacle. The creature shrieked, tentacles whipping around sporadically. Sky dodged them and rammed into the tentacle again, and again, and again. Sky looked up and saw that Twi was slipping free. Determination flew through Sky and he rammed into the tentacle again, ignoring how the air was beginning to run out. Twi miraculously slipped free from the tentacles, and Sky felt relieved. Now they could finally get out of here. But before Sky could try to swim away, a tentacle slammed into him, and he crashed into the wall. The dragon scale popped out of his mouth, and he involuntarily swallowed water. Sky felt his heart spike as he realized that he had no air, and no way to get air unless he broke the surface. Twilight dove for Sky, grabbing and dragging him through the water. The tentacles made a hole in the wall, and Twilight kicked his legs as hard as he could, dragging Sky through the hole. The monster roared as the two heroes fled, debris from the sunken castle threatening to crush them, but Twi dodged it all, swimming surprisingly fast for dragging Sky.

The hero of skies tried to avoid unnecessary movement, knowing that if he stayed still, then he would be able to preserve oxygen. But he couldn’t help but try to ease the strain that Twi was going through. Sky looked up at the surface, desperation for air clawing at his burning lungs, and he kicked his legs a little more frantically. Twi looked down at him in worry, trying to go faster, but darkness was already entering Sky’s vision. Bubbles escaped his mouth as it became unbearable, but all Sky could do was to kick helplessly. Finally, unconsciousness overcame him, and for a moment, all Sky could feel was peace.

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

When Sky opened his eyes, all he could see was darkness.

Where am I? He thought to himself, trying to move his hand to his aching head, but he felt impossibly heavy. It felt as if all energy was sapped right out of him, and he almost wanted to go back to sleep, but something kept him from doing so.

Am I dead? Was his first thought. He didn’t know why it came to mind, but he tried to remember all that happened before. He had to save Twi, there was a monster, they were in water… did he drown? Sky groaned as he tried to sit up, but he had no strength, and a sudden cough assaulted him.

“Sky!”

Sky opened his eyes and was surprised to see Warriors sitting over him. Panic surged through Sky. Did he dream the whole thing? No, no that’s ridiculous he couldn’t have.

“Sky? Are you ok?”

“Wh—where’s Twi?” He croaked, his voice sounding like it hadn’t been used in weeks.

Warriors looked to his side, and Sky noticed Twi curled up and asleep. Relief swept through Sky and he laid back down. So it definitely wasn’t a dream.

“I was worried when Twi came up with you unconscious. Luckily you turned out fine.”

Sky gave a small smile.

“Twi was worried too. He would’ve stayed up with me but… well he’s hurt pretty badly, he needed the rest.”

Sky’s smile melted into a frown.

“How badly?” He asked.

“I think he may have a cracked rib, and his arms are badly bruised,” Warriors explained.

From the tentacles I presume, Sky thought to himself. “Is he ok?”

“Much better than you. How are you feeling?”

“Bleh,” was all Sky was able to say, and Warriors chuckled. “The stupid puppeteer faked the zora kidnapping story.”

“So I’ve heard. He’s done nothing but cause trouble for us, he almost killed you and Twi. But you’re awake now, so we should be fine.

The hero of skies stared ahead. He was awake now, but he learned from experience that almost drowning can do a lot to you. When he had to find the tadpoles for Faron’s challenge to prove that he was the hero, he ended up drowning. If not for Groose who launched himself to the flooded woods, he would’ve probably been dead. And if not for his knowledge of pneumonia, he would’ve died a lot later. Sky groaned. Having to lay in bed while dealing with pneumonia was awful, he didn’t want to experience that again. But unfortunately, the feeling in his lungs and body said otherwise.

“Wait, Warriors,” Sky called out, almost coughing right then and there. Warriors looked at him earnestly. “Do you… do you know anything about pneumonia?”

Warriors frowned, but realization hit his face. “Oh, yes I do, are you ok?”

“I don’t know but, I might have that….”

Warriors rested his hand on Sky’s shoulder. “It’s ok, you boys did the hard work, now let me take care of you.”

Sky smiled and put his hand on top of Warriors with a nod.

“Thanks commander,” he said, before drifting off again.

#ugh just freaking take it I don’t wanna look at it anymore #lol #anyways I’ve been loving the dynamic between sky and Twi #like they’re both the same-ish age so #I think they’d be a really fun duo #not a lot of it here but yeah #also more out of context stuff for lbl :D #who is the puppeteer you ask? #you’ll see ~ #smiles writes #link between links #lbl Sky #lbl twi #lbl warriors #whumptober #whumptober 2023 #whumptober day 14

[kimbappykidding]

Stage San - Part One: Imagine San hearing you like his confident stage character...so he pretends he's like that all the time

Part Two Here

You were a dancer for KQ Entertainment and had caught San's attention pretty quickly. He kept an eye on all the dancers out of professional interest but with you, it was a lot more personal. You were an amazing performer and very attractive. San was stunned when he first saw you dance and couldn't stop staring at you. His members all noticed and teased him about it. They said he should ask you out but San couldn't bring himself to do more than mutter a "hello" to you when he passed you in the corridors. Despite his stage character and performance style San was a huge softie. Sure he was loud in front of his member and when he performed but off stage he was sensitive, shy and nervous around new people...especially stunning dancers.

So he never attempted to start anything with you...until you got brought in as a backing dancer for Ateez's tour. Yunho was apparently feeling sneaky because he spoke to the choreographer and the two of you got paired up. San froze as he heard your names called together and before he knew it you were in front of him smiling. "Hi San, it's so nice to officially meet you". He nodded back "you too, I know we've seen each other around but never got a chance to talk". You nodded "yeah it's been a real shame so I hope you don't mind but I want to take this time to say I think you're an amazing performer". "You do?" San asked stunned and you laughed as if it was obvious "of course! You were actually one of the reasons I applied to this company to be a dancer. I thought if they produced someone like you they must be pretty amazing". San was now blushing, utterly overwhelmed that you admired him. "I...that's very kind of you to say" he smiled and you shrugged "no need to be humble, you're an amazing dancer. The confidence you possess and how you work a stage..." you sighed wistfully "is amazing". San was already buzzing and felt like he was floating all afternoon so when the guys all waved him over after rehearsal excitedly he wondered what else could possibly be going on. "Hey, so how was dancing with y/n?" Jongho asked. San blushed but smiled "pretty great, she's super nice and it was so cool seeing her work up close". The guys laughed at how smitten San was and Seonghwa smirked "well what I've got to tell you is going to make you very happy then". The guys all nodded smiling and San paused "why? What do you have to tell me". Wooyoung grinned "So I was paired with Hyejin who is y/n's friend, they joined the company together so she knows her well. Anyway she told me y/n totally has a thing for you!". The guys all giggled but San just shook his head "yeah she told me she admires me as a performer and auditioned for the company after seeing me perform". Seonghwa nodded "yeah but it's more than that, she totally has a crush on you! Hyejin said she's really attracted to you and thinks you're hot!". San paused "really?" and the guys all nodded. San grinned "wow...". "Yeah apparently she really likes confident guys so when she saw you perform and be all sexy she fell for you". San paused "wait she has a crush on me based on my stage performance?". Hongjoong shrugged "yeah, so?". "So stage me and me me are very different people. I'm nowhere near as loud or sexy in real life". "Hey I think you're sexy" Wooyoung replied and San smiled "thanks Wooyoung, I think you're sexy too". Yeosang frowned "wait what is happening?". Hongjoong shook his head "I have no idea...". "What I'm saying is what if she doesn't like how different I am from my stage self?". Yunho shook his head "nah come on San y/n knows idols put on a character and act over the top on stage, she's a dancer!". "Yeah, plus she spent all afternoon with you and seemed to like you" Jongho added. "You've got nothing to worry about" Mingi said but san wasn't convinced. Luckily an idea was forming in his head. If you liked the stage San then he'd just become that San. The next day San swaggered into training, in a more revealing outfit than usual. He greeted you casually and caught you checking him out. "Like something you see?" he asked with a cocky smile and you blushed "erm yeah actually". San grinned "what a coincidence, so do I" and started warming up. The change in you was insane! The second San started acting like his stage character your crush became super obvious. You began flirting back with him and while on the inside he was dying, stage San just rolled with it and flirted even more. It worked so well that you asked him if he wanted to get a drink with you after practice and he agreed. While you were out together he amped up the flirting figuring that was what stage San would do and after a few hours you were going back to his apartment together. San couldn't believe how well things had gone and smiled as he drifted off to sleep beside you. He woke up suddenly to hear a rustling noise. It was still dark but the bed was cold beside him. "Y/n?" he asked and flicked a lamp on. You were dressed and clearly heading towards the door. You smiled at him "hey San, I was just heading out". "Oh...you don't have to" San said but you smiled "San don't worry I know what this is. I get an idol like you is far too busy for anything more than something casual so you don't have to explain. I'll be available if you want me but of course no strings attached". San felt his heart sink but he didn't want to correct you so he nodded "oh great...yeah we can have something casual then?". "Perfect, this was amazing" you said and quickly kissed him "see you tomorrow" and you rushed out of his room. San collapsed back onto his pillows and frowned maybe acting like his stage character hadn't been the best idea after all....

_______

Part 2 will be out soon! 

I remember when I first got into Ateez, San was the biggest surprise for me because he’s so cool and sexy on stage but so sweet and soft off-stage. I really like that about him and think he’s such a cutie pie. He’s like a husky, really impressive and cold looking on the outside but adorable and goofy on the inside, what’s not to love? 

#San #san x female reader #san fic #san imagine #san x reader #ateez #ateez imagine #ateez fic #ateez x reader #yunho #wooyoung #yeosang #jongho #hongjoong #seonghwa #mingi #kpop #kpop fic #kpop imagine #ateez kpop #kpop ateez #san ateez #ateez san

[stratospheric-bebop]

Some of my thoughts on Cowboy Bebop. Or my ESSAY really, if you WILL!

I’m in the middle of re-watching this entire show again after having watched it (so sporadically) before. I’m honestly a little sad that I couldn’t watch it consistently to begin with. It’s become something so appealing now to me after re-watching, but, maybe that’s just the way it was meant to happen.

It’s funny. Back then I thought this was just another good show out there, just another interesting piece of media I’ve decided to watch and take up. That is would just be another show I could tell people about and go ‘Oh yeah! I’ve seen it! It was good!’ and elaborate no further about it.

But that wasn’t the case.

I really got into this show once I started the re-watch. I’ve not seen the movie yet, I’m saving the movie for a bad day, as per a friend’s request, (he didn’t elaborate any further, but, might as well) and I’m super excited about that. I don’t think I’ll watch it until I finish my re-watch of the show first, though.

But yeah, it’s just interesting. I’m trying to put my finger on what is just so… appealing about this show to me. I have an idea roughly of several things that have been so interesting about this show, but, I’m trying to figure out what specifically has stuck out, aside from the atmosphere, the storytelling, and more. I’m trying to figure out what feels so personalized to me about this show…

A bunch of people trying to live out their lives and live with their struggles, flaws, & pasts while doing it. That’s rather profound. There’s something so resonating about that concept. About learning to co-exist with yourself and to truly be present in your own life, as short and as fundamentally difficult as it may be.

And that concept is summarized very well by the following infamous, notable quote:

YOU’RE GONNA CARRY THAT WEIGHT.

And that’s pretty damn hard hitting.

But that aside, I also think there’s another big theme in Cowboy Bebop.

Risk. Surprisingly. It’s my own interpretation of course, and not gospel (I love everyone’s different interpretations anyway), but, here, just have this as food for thought.

Acknowledging the presence of pain, of processing it, is grief. Something many of these characters already go through with so much of their pasts. That’s seemingly obvious and easy to sort of discern and describe, yes?

But to confront it and welcome what comes next, even if it might be painful, even if it might be challenging… is risk.

Which I think there is a lot to say about this theme, when dissecting the finale and the character’s developments. With Faye, with Ed, and with Jet, especially.

Even if it ended in the ultimate tragedy for some people, ahem. Everyone took their risks. They still got hurt, a lot of the time. Most of the time, actually.

But they still took it. And somehow, this appeared to give a stronger feeling of solace, even if it was painful for these characters, seeing them take the risk of confrontation, of hope, or of anything.

With Spike’s demise, I feel you can even study and see this concept in him as well. To be trapped within your own mind and the past — he really did go to find out if he was truly alive. On a surface level it might just look like a suicide mission, and even Faye contends with testing that concept there in the ending. It’s so gray and there’s so much room for so many interpretations on the ending. But that’s what I love so much about it.

But I like to think he really did truly feel alive. Because on a deeper level, he felt the pursuit was… worth the risk, that this was essential to his good mind of conscience. If he dies, he dies. What happens, happens.

That regardless of the pain he felt that day, regardless of what he lost, I feel he did something for once in his entire life with the fullest bit of intentionality that he had. He did something without being plagued by the past. Without being afraid. You could argue Spike was never afraid, but I’m not sure if I believe that. That’s another essay, but.

This once I feel he took a true risk.

Even if that resulted in his death… the smile that he gives in the end there, feels much more like a victory to me than it does a defeat, for so many reasons.

…

Those are just my own thoughts. But it’s interesting, isn’t it?

I also feel as if Bebop really lines up a lot of harsh realities that parallel real-life, that’s a given I’m sure most media literates can take note of. But you can feel this subtle, slice-of-life type of presence, of hope in little moments, and in the seemingly mundane. Even in a futuristic hell-scape such as this — the characters still experience their own fruits of fulfillment however small they may be, be it special delicacies or winning lotteries.

It has such an allusion to realism with it that I can’t quite describe or place my finger on just yet. That I just… cannot find anywhere else in media. Not like this.

This show is like a puzzle but I love trying to pick apart and interpret every minute of it. It really requires me to think much about it. Kind of inspiring and creatively-engaging really, especially when comparing my own work and stories.

That’s my essay for now, but yeah.

SEE YOU LATER, SPACE COWBOY.

I suppose.

#cowboy bebop #spike spiegel #cowboy bebop essay #faye valentine #jet black #strato-written

[wraith-caller]

Hi, Wraith! Lemme just start by saying that I ADORE your lore posts. Your mind is incredible and I love reading your thoughts, speculations, extrapolations, etc. Which brings me to a question I’m dying to hear your thoughts for: How did Iji die? I’ve been scouring Reddit and any other forums I can find and everything I’ve found is cyclical non-answers. The obvious answer is Black Knives- because their bodies are scattered around him. This tracks because Blaidd, when you find him in front of Ranni’s Rise, is also surround by Black Knife corpses. However, this does NOT track for several reasons. First: Iji is drenched in black flame, a sorcery (power?) used by the Godskins, not the Black Knives. I’ve seen lots of people say it’s probably just an oversight on FromSoft’s part. Altogether possible, but would make me sad and I deeply want to believe it’s intentional. Second: The Black Knives are (were?) RANNI’S assassin’s. While she’s self-serving and stone-cold, she claims to love Blaidd and Iji (and tells you to tell them). I find it hard to believe she’d have them killed. MAYBE if they were only found near Blaidd (in preparation for his coming madness), I could buy it, but I’m not sure I can get onboard as it stands. Now I did find two interesting thoughts. One, someone said the Nox were recruited as the Black Knives and turned on Ranni when she killed her own body, because the plan was only to kill Godwyn and plant one of their own on the throne. I’ve never seen or found anything in my own playthroughs to support or indicate this, but it would make a lot of sense. Two, and I feel that this hinges heavily on one, someone soeculated that Gideon killed Iji. They pointed out that he uses black flame sorceries, and he definitely tries to kill any threats to his ascent to lordship. Anyway, this got WAY longer than I meant for it to be. But IF it’s a topic that interests you, I’d love to hear your thoughts! (And if not, no problem at all!) There’s definitely plenty I don’t know/understand and if I’m incorrect in any of my points above, I’d be really interested in knowing what I’m missing. I feel obligated to sign this, too, since it got away from me 😂😅 -nightingale-ghost-writer

@nightingale-ghost-writer sorry to answer this way, tumblr's not cooperating with answering asks lol. Hi!! Thank you for the kind words haha I'm happy my ramblings are of interest to others! I do hope you really enjoy a ramble bc your question sorta set me off on one here lol

I've thought about Iji's death now and then, and found some of the same answers you did about the black flame effect around his body. It may simply be a mistake by the devs like people frequently say. Especially since, iirc, there's no deathflame animation analogous to the blackflame one left on Iji. It could have been a 'close enough' kind of thing, which yeah I agree would ultimately be disappointing! However someone in this reddit thread had something interesting to point out:

"There's a weird detail, possibly an oversight: if you use a Blade of Death weapon art (for example Maliketh's Black Blade or the Gargoyle's Black Blade) on a troll, the effect looks like black flame rather than the usual red and black flame. I doubt there's a lore reason, but maybe something about how that enemy type is coded causes that effect to appear like black flame, and that also extended to Iji who uses the same model."

I haven't tested this myself, but if it's true, it lends more support to the idea it's just an unintentional effect. However, in that same thread, a few folks point out that Godskins were spotted in various places relevant to Destined Death - in the Volcano Manor and Divine Tower of Liurnia. Rykard has a piece of the Death rune, and Ranni's corpse is on the tower, along with her cursemark. It may be that they are searching for the Rune of Death themselves. Their presence in Farum Azula may suggest they were seeking to free the rune and restore the true power of the Black Flame. So while I still believe it's the Black Knife assassins who killed Iji, I suppose there is room to argue the Godskins have a stake in his death, too, in that Iji stands between them and Ranni.

While the Black Knife assassins worked with Ranni, I'm not sure that they were necessarily under her command. I think they collaborated as they both thought they could benefit from each other. Ranni would get to shed her flesh through the ritual, and the assassins of the Eternal Cities, who have beef with the Golden Order, get to strike down one of the GOs most shining and noble icons and throw the world into chaos. As you've said, they have their own agenda with ushering in the Lord of Night, who may either be an outer god or an envoy/vassal to one. This Lord may also have some connection with Ranni's Black Moon and, strangely enough, the Tibia Mariners who, in Japanese, are referred to as "Night King's Kin"(more info in this Zullie video here). The Mariners hold deathroot and raise up Those Who Live in Death, so I have been under the impression they only came into being after Godwyn's curse spread, which is of course a direct consequence of the assassination.

So while Ranni and the Assassins stood to gain from each other in this plot, their ultimate goals are sort of actually at odds. Ranni, while devoted to her Black Moon, seeks to remove the influence of Outer Gods from TLB and leave everyone to their own devices. Meanwhile, the Nox/Assassins are seeking to deliver a new one to the throne. We see indications of this struggle in Alecto's imprisonment in the evergaol at the Moonlight Altar and, if you are partial to the theory that Miquella collaborated with Ranni, in Ordina. Then there's the further evidence of the Assassins coming for Ranni's group to kill Blaidd and Iji. So I agree, I don't think Ranni had Iji killed. Like you, I could potentially see her ordering them to kill Blaidd, as she knew he'd be fated to try to destroy her. While it is cold and calculating, she does express her sympathy for him. But she is ultimately dedicated to sacrificing everything to achieve her goals. When we do find Blaidd with the dead assassins, he's not saying anything about them. He's frantically denying that he could be a danger to Ranni, as if their attack on him is connected to that. So I do see how people could connect the assassins coming for him with them being ordered by her to kill him.

But then we get into the matter of why they'd be ordered to kill Iji, and I just can't think of a good one. He's clear-minded, and not fated to betray her in the way Blaidd is as her shadowbound beast. I've seen people claim it's a matter of 'tying up loose ends' but I can't imagine in what way he'd be a 'loose end' given that he's entirely faithful to her. Loose ends are tied up because they pose a threat. What threat is Iji to Ranni and her goals if he is emphatically supporting her to the very end? And then when I think of Alecto in the evergaol, I'm really inclined to believe it's purely a matter of bad blood between Ranni's group and the assassins after the conspiracy was through. It may even be that we led them to her, as her whereabouts were previously unknown until we found her(though you'd hope people would uh check her home before declaring her missing?? lol).

That being said, I kind of like your idea about Gideon's involvement. Some elements of that make sense. I'm not sure how much he knows of Ranni, since he says they don't actively seek her out due to her having cast off her rune. While he generally seems to send lackeys to go do his dirty work, the Carian Manor could be a pit stop he made on the way into Leyndell. He may have somehow or other learned of Ranni's whereabouts, learned she was behind the conspiracy, but what I struggle with is him learning her motivation for it. She reveals this to us only after we've spent some time in her service. So did Gideon suspect her of being after the throne? Would he have known she wanted to rid the world of all the troubling influences of the Outer Gods? If he did, would that be much of a threat to his desire to become a lord? While he wouldn't be an Elden Lord, there'd still be power to be had in a world without the Golden Order. And the power vacuum left in the wake of Ranni achieving her goals would seem like a good opportunity for him to position himself in a leadership role. But I'll be honest, I don't fully understand him and his revelations about Marika's will, and how that effects his perspective. By the end of it he seems to think vying for Elden Lord is a futile struggle and that the whole thing is just a meat grinder that Tarnished are being fed into. So does he even still want that power by the end, if he believes it to be utterly unobtainable? Still, it's not entirely unbelievable that he would eliminate potential threats to that power before he comes to that fatalistic conclusion.

Okay, anyway, I hope all of this makes some sense!! Thanks for the interesting ask and for sharing your theories about this strange little mystery!!!

#war counselor iji #ranni the witch #blaidd the half wolf #gideon ofnir #elden ring meta #wraith meta

[khaleesiofalicante]

arthur's destiny was to die??????? oh dani you are sick, i can't beleive i'm saying this but as a critic of literature, i love your mind and i cannot fucking wait for the chaos in the next chapter. also, have there been hints of arthur's predicament since the beginning? aside from the obvious misdirection that is lance's prophecy, we knew that something had to trigger him to destroy idris, but did you ever hint what that trigger it was and if you did can you share it? i want to see if i am stupid or if it really wasn't obvious.

Ah, there is so much to say here, but i’ll try to be succinct. 

Yes, Arthur’s destiny is to die. This will make a lot more sense in the next chapter. 

The prophecy wasn’t meant to misdirect - not so much as it was misinterpreted. Because, you see, in any story, prophecies mean so many things. You can interpret it in so many different ways. Percy Jackson girlies know what I am talking about. We’ll explore the prophecy a little bit more in Chapter 19. 

Yes, Arthur can see the future. As we know, children/heirs of priunces of hell inherit their father’s power/s. Like Magnus got Asmodeus’ teleporting and max got Leviathan’s water powers. Lucifer, as we know, has two big powers. One is that he controls the pandemonium (because he created it when he fell from heaven) and he can see everything. This is what Ben was telling Lexi in the previous chapter. Similar to the Princes of Hell and Eldest Curses, Lance got one part of David (Demon blood) and Arthur got the other (Angel blood), one of them got one of Lucifer’s powers and Arthur got the other.

I cannot tell you how many fucking clues are in the story (and in my writing) about Arthur’s ability to see the future. I’ve sprinkled it everywhere (carefully) ever since I started writing about it character. Even in IALS! I answered separate asks about these! Hope you can find them!

I tried to be very sneaky about it and always referred to them as ‘dreams’. It’s very in character of Arthur to refer to his visions as dreams because the latter sounds less scary and more romantic. So, every time you see him say something like “I dreamed” and “he dreamt” - we are literally referring to a vision of the future. Some examples below. 

6. One of the bigger/obvious examples was when he rescued Harry. I really thought y’all might figure that out. Because there is no way he could’ve known Harry was in danger unless he didn’t see something that scared him. 

7. We also see many examples of Arthur zoning out and losing concentration when other people are talking (which usually happens when he gets pulled into a vision). It’s often misinterpreted as ADHD, but now we know it was a bit of a Marcus Devlin situation here. 

As for whether I hinted Arthur was the prophecy trigger, I did and I did not. I think many people guessed this anyway - that Lance will only be triggered if he lost someone he loved dearly and I have hinted many times that Lance loved Arthur the most in the world. So, yeah. 

There were some hints that Arthur was going to die. For example, Arthur often mentions that he doesn’t ‘dream’ about certain things - most of these things are things that will happen when he is older (Sex/marriage/university) etc. Arthur never saw himself in the future doing any of this because he dies young. 

There were some clues about Arthur being the strangler too. Magnus often describes the hands as soft and lean and long fingers. I've described this feature in Arthur a lot - David/Lance/Arthur have the same hands.

Also there were little things like this:

There are a lot more, of course. I don't remember most of them. I never 'plan' foreshadowing ahead. I just keep peppering it in while I write because I know what's going to happen in the story way ahead so it's quite easy to tease.

#lbaf #okay now I need to go take a bath I'll be back

[coldfanbou]

TIAM Side Stories: Day Trip

Time for a picnic. A lot of side stories are going to be happening during the time skip just because it provides me with a lot of obvious time where we don't know what happened. Anyway, let's enjoy a trip with Nayeon and the twins.

Length 1.4K

Taking time to relax, you sat on the couch, head back and eyes closed. “Wakey, Wakey,” You hear being called when you open your eyes; Nayeon is above you, staring at you. “Hey, I was thinking of taking Hina and Ari out for some fresh air; want to come along?” 

“Sure, I’d love to take my girls out.” Nayeon has a gummy grin upon hearing your response.  

“Great, I’ll get their stroller.” Nayeon disappears into the house to get the stroller as you prepare, packing a few snacks and water. When everybody was ready, the two of you headed out. Sitting side by side, Ari and Hina carefully looked at everything that passed by. The twins were holding hands; it was more like Ari was holding Hina’s hand. Ari would thrust out her other arm and babble, and Hina would follow her lead in a much quieter voice. You and Nayeon would laugh upon hearing the twins talking to each other in baby speak. 

“Seems like they have their own language, huh Nayeon?” 

“Yeah, it’s adorable.” The two of you watch the way the twins act. Ari is the louder and more energetic of the two, and Hina usually follows along.  As you push the twins along, you see the countryside's beauty and pause to see a solitary tree on a hill in the distance. A small path of worn grass leads up there.

“Nayeon, let me get a picture of you.”

“What?” 

“I want to take a picture of you. Look how beautiful it is here; it’s a perfect place to take a picture. Look over there at the tree; that’ll be the perfect place.”

With a smile on her face, she agrees. “Alright.” As you make your way up, you get in front of Nayeon and the twins to snap a quick picture. “Really? Right here?” 

“Really, Nayeon. You look beautiful, and the twins look so happy with you.” You couldn’t see it, but Nayeon’s cheeks got just a bit rosier. Looking at the picture you took, you focus on the twins. Hina was smiling at you with her free hand reaching out to you while Ari was looking at the area around her excitedly. After a few minutes of walking, you reach the tree.

“Wow, this is a great view.” From the top of the hill, you could see the seemingly endless green fields; some paths cut through the green like rivers with gentle curves.

“Told you so. Nayeon, I packed a few snacks for us. We could have a little picnic here.” 

Nayeon chuckles, a little happy at the idea of this being a date between the two of you. Not that she would say something to you about it being a date. You take Ari out of her seat first, handing her to Nayeon. When Ari saw Nayeon, she clapped her feet together, happy to see her. Ari immediately nuzzled her tiny body close to Nayeon. “Ari really loves you, Nayeon. I hope you don’t rub off on her.” You say playfully. 

Nayeon opens her mouth in shock. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asks before slapping your shoulder. 

“She’ll be way too confident and get herself into trouble. Did Jihyo tell you about how Jisoo hid from Chaeyoung and Momo? Ari will be a thousand times harder to take care of with your confidence.” You pause while you pick up Hina. “ It won’t be all bad, though; she’ll at least have chosen a good role model.” Hina gently places her head on your chest, her small hand gripping your shirt, sniffling a little. “It’s okay, Hina; I’ve got you.” The two babies babbled to each other, and by the looks of it, Ari scolded Hina. Hina was the shy one between the two and would cry easily, especially if separated from an adult for too long. Everyone made sure that Hina was always with someone. Ari, on the other hand, was outgoing. If a stranger were to come up to her, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that she would smile at them. You could leave Ari alone for a while, and she would find some way to entertain herself. Each baby had a favorite member they liked; for Ari, it was Sana, and Hina’s was Dahyun. Those were the members they spent the most time with. 

“Ari, don’t be like that to Hina. You’re going to have to take care of her.” Nayeon says, catching Ari’s attention. The outgoing baby pouts, drawing a laugh from the two of you. As you finish setting up the large blanket, you lay down Ari and Hina between you and Nayeon. You grab a few snacks from the stroller basket and catch the toddlers’ attention. Ari and Hina turned their heads when they heard you pull them out. 

“These aren’t for you,” seemingly understanding; the twins frown at you. As you hand Nayeon her sandwich, her hand holds yours for a second before pulling away. Her fingers rubbed against yours softly. You pull out some bottles for them, and their expression instantly goes from sad to happy. Their little bodies shake with excitement; they kick their legs as best they can and reach out for their bottles. At their age, you didn’t have to hold their bottles anymore; their tiny hands could grip them now. While the babies drank their bottles, you and Nayeon watched the skyline eating your snacks. You pull out your phone and tell Nayeon to say cheese. Once you have it taken, you show Nayeon, whose gentle smile is heartwarming. She carefully studies the picture of you, Ari, Hina, and her lying down and eating. Once she nods, you take a look at the picture yourself; seeing the happy expressions on everyone’s face brings you joy. 

“Nay, thanks for everything.” You say with no warning.

You caught Nayeon off guard with the sudden statement. “Where’s this coming from?” 

“I just needed to thank you, after everything with Mina, you all made such a great effort to help me. So thank you, I felt depressed for a while, but with all the support you’ve given me, I feel much better now. I couldn’t have done all this without you guys, without you.” 

“Oh… well… you’re welcome.” Nayeon’s unsure what else to say at the moment; brushing her hair behind her ear, she tries to think of something. “I just really wanted to help you. You mean a lot to… us. Some of us may not admit it, but we obviously care about you and the kids.”

“Thanks for caring about me, Nayeon.” As you look over, you see that Nayeon has a bit of mayonnaise from her sandwich at the corner of her mouth. You grab a napkin and lean over to her; Nayeon turns to you in surprise and stays still as you gently wipe her mouth. You laugh out loud as you tell her, “Even now, you still can’t eat without making a mess.” 

Nayeon doesn’t say anything for a moment before eventually countering with, “I am not that messy!” You don’t catch sight of it, but the blood rushes to her cheeks, making them beet red.

“How many times did I have to clean up after we had a meal? Oh yeah, every time.”

“Not every time!”

“Most times, and you would always have something on your face.”

“You could just tell me when I do.”

“I could, but the one time I did that, you said just to wipe it away,” Nayeon remembers this moment as soon as you mention it. She covers her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her rosy cheeks. At this point, she could die from embarrassment. 

“I-”

“I have to say, it is pretty cute, though.” Nayeon has to look the other way for a moment as she tries to stop smiling. Ari finishes with her bottle and smacks your leg with it. “Oh, are you two done with your bottles already?”  When you checked the bottles, they were empty. You and Nayeon finish your snack before getting up and putting the twins in the stroller. Once they were in the seats, you gave Nayeon a sudden kiss on the forehead. It was a habit for you to do this whenever you and Jihyo were taking the children out. It was only when you had pulled back that you realized what you did.  “Oh, sorry, Nayeon. I’m just really used to doing that.”

Nayeon waves you off, covering her face so you can’t see it. As the two of you walked back home with the now sleepy children, she thought about you. She thought about how she felt, and Nayeon became resolute that she would talk to Jihyo about this. She needed to; what was once buried was bubbling up to the surface.

[1ivinqdeadqir1]

SHADES OF COOL: Part III

Part Three: La Familia es todo

previously chapters: 1 2

finally, chapter 3 as promised!! I hope you guys enjoy, i need to actually start planning the chapters but... this one is kinda cute at points, lots of fluff... for now!!!

Word Count: 6.5k (oooof they're getting longer haha)

WARNING: Mentions of stalking, parents arguing, Hector being a weird uncle that likes to dunk his nephews underwater... the usual

Friday: 

Your (first person) POV: 

“Are you alright?”

My coworker, Jen, taps me on the shoulder. Her manicured nails are all I can focus on for a few seconds, yet I manage to shake it off and nod before going back to what I’d been doing- staring blankly at my shoes, cigarette between my fingers. 

“Yeah, I guess, just thinking”

Just thinking. A half lie, in retrospect. Over the last few nights, I’ve been unable to sleep- someone somewhere has taken it upon themselves to call at random, going out of their way to make me panic. The idea that the calls are coming from a couple of middle schoolers crossed my mind, yet there was no way for any children to access my number. There wasn’t a pattern or reason for the silence on the other end of the call either, it seemed. I haven’t told anyone about the strange phone calls, not yet, anyway.

As a small child, teachers had told my parents that I was an ‘overthinker,’ and for a while, I figured that was a good thing. Overthinking in itself couldn’t possibly be harmful, In what world would thinking lead to any kind of misfortune? All the grown-ups told you to think about all sorts of things: maths, English, whether or not to say please and thank you. The sky was the limit, supposedly. Now, after twenty-two years I've come to terms with the fact that everything they’d ever said about overthinking being positive, was just bullshit.

“Well, seems like you’re thinking a lot, anything in particular?” Jen leans in like she’s expecting some sort of catastrophic news, something to give the day a bit of a buzz.

In New Mexican daylight, the cloud of smoke that’d left my lungs looked more like steam as I laughed, awkwardly, yet in a way I knew wouldn’t upset her, “no, it's nothing” a lie. “Just getting ahead of myself I guess”

Her lips formed an O as she nodded, eyes wide and arms now folded tight across her chest, “is it a boy?” god, ‘boys.’ why not ‘men’, Jenny? I’m only a year younger than you, for fuck sake. 

“No no no no” she quirked a brow, my cheeks began to grow hot and the sun’s brilliant UV rays hadn’t helped make it any less obvious despite the lies and attempts to hide the truth.

Ever since that meal at El Michocano, we’d talked constantly - or whenever either of us was available - and it felt fantastic. Supposedly, Lalo wasn’t going to be in Albuquerque for long and was only here to ensure things ‘up north’ was running smoothly, to check whether or not Hector’s guys had the restaurant in good shape. Though whenever driving home, past the eatery, I had to hold back the urge to park up, walk in and say hi. 

“Alright,” Jen hummed, stubbing out her cigarette as I did. 

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

It’d gotten to noon, and the lukewarm coffee in my mug had barely managed to keep me sitting upright behind the front desk as I thought about all the other more interesting things I could be doing. Whoever had taken last night's shift had left me to file the doctor's notices. The ones that tell us what medications a person takes and when they should take them. The files changed whenever a medical review was conducted, which means they have to be updated semi-regularly. 

I don’t mind office work, usually, if it has variety. The hours go by and feel like days, the days feel like months and months, years. Which doesn’t help.

I’d rather be on my feet doing something right now. Whenever I have a moment to myself, I drift off only to be woken again by the shuffling of papers or the ring of the phone. I want to cry out of frustration, but thankfully there are only 30 minutes left before someone else takes over.

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

GENERAL POV:  

You work for the 30, sorting through the documentation, signing visitors in, and asking how they are to be polite. Not only because the lack of conversation makes the already ear-piercing silence louder, but because you can’t help but feel a tad lonely. You’d much rather be getting the dinners ready in the kitchen with the others, yet, you were always the one left to suffer until the clock chimed. 

At half twelve you get up, take your things and head to the staff room; grabbing a flask from your locker that you then fill with fresh warm coffee. Straight, black, with no creamer but a touch of sugar to rid the drink of it’s initial bitterness. As you sit on the couch, by the window, you almost feel at peace. You look out at the cloudless blue sky, hills in the distance and debate whether you should go on a walk later, once you’ve rested up.

You decide against it, instead choosing to drink your coffee and play ‘snake’ on your flip phone. Lalo hadn’t messaged you for a few days, you figured he was busy and hadn’t let the fact he was quiet phase you at all. Though, you were beginning to miss him the tiniest bit. Outside of work you’d only ever interact with a few close friends and the few family members you had left living locally. Grandma and Grandpa often invited you over for dinners, asking how everything at work had been and if there was anything interesting going on in your life; you always gave the same answer. Despite the love you had for your job, the regularity and routine were repetitive and you had actually mentioned it to the higher-ups to see if they could do anything about it. They hadn’t gotten back to you yet, a message in its own right. 

Your breaks were an hour long, yet you wished for longer as without realising you’d again fallen asleep where you sat- much to the dismay of a few coworkers that stood by the countertops. 

“Jesus, she looks like shit” 

“Maybe she’s on something, doped up like Ms Smith was a few days ago… that’d be fuckin’ ironic, don’t you think?”

A laugh came from the side of the room, you stir, and the phone in your lap fell to the floor. 

“I don't think you know what the word ‘irony’ means and how to use it… I think you just mean funny.”

By the time the break was over, and one of the workers manages to rouse you from your slumber, your coffee had been reduced to dishwater. You yawned, placing the mug down on the short-legged table a few feet away from where you sat. Straightening out your uniform, you smile faintly, remembering that fortunately, your time at the desk was up for today… no one liked desk duty unless Marjorie had organized the files overnight.

You reach to pick up the flip phone and head out into the common area where residents sit on either couches, loveseats or regular chairs. Most of them were doing their own thing, knitting was (of course) popular alongside reading, yet idle conversation flowed aplenty. Personally, you liked to read and watch tv, or maybe supervise the occasional card game. 

“Good Afternoon, Hector” you nod in his direction, smiling as his dark eyes follow you across the room. You decide to sit with Pearl and Lola, two women that often stuck to themselves- hardly letting strangers into conversations. 

“You know, Pearly, it’d be a lot easier to- ”

The old woman looks up, blue eyes wide as a grin crosses her cheeks. She motions for you to sit, and you oblige willingly. “Afternoon, ladies” you look at what they’re doing, knitting squares for a blanket of some sort, one where all the different patterns will be joined together upon completion.

“Afternoon, dear” 

You nod, pulling back a chair and carefully sitting, grabbing a ball of yarn and some knitting needles from a plastic wallet. Your grandma had taught you how to knit, she’d sit with you as a child on her lap and instruct with her soft-spoken voice. The memory warmed you, you wished to go back to a time like that. When nothing really mattered and everything was trivial. Your childhood felt rushed compared to that of your peers, with your parents constantly arguing it was hard not to grow up earlier than others. Most of your classmates had normal lives, with normal parents that loved each other. Sure, they fought but from what you gathered the arguments would only last an hour or so, whereby they’d apologize and make up. In your head, you wondered why you’d never been able to have that, what you could’ve possibly done to deserve such a rough childhood. Grandma said that it hadn’t anything to do with you, though on occasion it sure felt like it. 

“Sweetie, are you alright?” Pearl's hoarse voice breaks you from your memory, and you nod again. 

“Yeah, just thinking is’ all… memories and all that” you smile at the old lady who returns the gesture, her hands moving quickly, knitting perfectly without even having to look down for a second to see what was going on. 

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

Simon (the man who was currently working the front desk)  calls your name, and you look up at him now standing beside you. At this point, you’d managed to make a start on a decent enough scarf - One to fit a toddler perhaps- and get into a rhythm similar to that of Pearl and Lola’s.

“Yeah?” Your lips curve up sweetly at the man, now feeling more awake than you had earlier. He swallows thickly, his right hand in his pocket as the left cups the nape of his neck. A bead of sweat falls from his brow, and you subconsciously tilt your head to the side as it does. 

“There’s a man here to see you, Lalo Salamanca, I think he’s related to Hector” 

You scoff, “well no, Sherlock, he’s related to the other Hector Salamanca that lives here” 

Pearl grimaces and Lola simply purses her lips together as if she’d just placed a sour candy in her mouth. Simon's brow furrows and his posture stiffens, he’s standing taller than he had been and his left hand had dropped to the side. You laugh, quietly, so as to not disturb anyone else in the room. 

“I’m only kidding, Si’, I’ll be right out” 

The man nods, still looking rather uncomfortable as he shuffles out of the room and into the lobby. Pearl and Lola chat with one another as you begin to pack everything you’ve used up. “Take care of that for me, ladies. I’ll finish it later on once I’m done outside” 

Pearl acknowledged your request with a wave of her hand, Lola busying herself with a row she’d accidentally messed up. 

Now halfway across the room, you stop by a window to straighten out your outfit and brush your fingers through your hair. You’d undoubtedly look more worn than the last time you’d seen him in person, probably a little older because of that. Fucking private line calls. 

Just… smile, you tell yourself over and over again.

Stepping out into the hall, you clasp your hands together “Mr Salamanca, a pleasure to see you again”. You hated formalities as much as the next person, but you’d get a hit to the nose if someone were to hear you addressing a resident's family member so casually. You weren’t sure why that was a rule, perhaps because some could interpret that as special treatment, whilst others may just deem it inappropriate considering. 

He opens out his arms dramatically, calling your name “been a while hm? I thought something had happened to my favourite worker.” You chuckle under your breath, nervously, as Simon awkwardly shuffles behind the desk watching your interaction. 

“It has I’m afraid, I’ve been busy” that was a half lie, though you imagined he could simply infer that based on how tired you looked compared to the last time you’d spoken. “Family stuff as well, you know how it is haha…” that part was true, your mother had been visiting a lot more recently and she’d made a fuss about it, talking about your father and how he’d been drinking himself into an almost comatose state. She was being theatrical, as always. Your dad didn't drink that much, though you knew he'd been going to the local bar more frequently, you had a school friend that worked there. 

Lalo nods, knowingly, as if he's aware “Aye, but it's good you're there for them” you shrug, picking at your sleeves as your cheeks grow warmer. You wished Simon would just sit and get back to work. Why did he have to stand like an idiot? “La Familia es todo, no?”

You nod, your hands now clasped at your front, it was nice to see him- he looked gorgeous, the cotton sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. You loved how flamboyant his clothes were. “That's right”, he grins and slaps a hand on the desk countertop, making Simon jump.

“Anyway, are you on your break yet? I think we should go out somewhere right now”

You swallow and glance around, fingers running through your hair as Lalo waits for an answer. Simon shuffles again before sitting down, getting back to whatever he had been doing before lalo entered. “I- wait a second” you press a hand to his arm and usher him to a vacant hallway, far enough from the desk so Simon wouldn't hear.

“I had my break about an hour ago, aren’t you here to see your uncle?”

At your question, he laughs whilst brushing some of your hair back with his hand. His smile was so… adorable. Whenever his dark eyes slightly scrunched and his cheeks lifted you wanted to just pinch them hard. “Bebita, I visited my uncle yesterday, you must’ve been on a break then… I would’ve said hi, but..” he sighed, you couldn’t help but watch his chest as it rose and fell, “work, it’s a pain in the neck but I’m heading home soon and quite a few things have happened since we last saw each other..” he looks down at his feet for a split second, as if he were thinking. For an instant, you have the urge to reach out and take his hand in your own. 

You go to open your lips to speak, but he cuts you off enthusiastically in a breath. “so, I figured I'd give myself the day off, and have Nachito man the ship for a few hours without me!”

“So… you want me to hang out with you today while you’re on your day off?”

“Exactamente, mi Amor, how long is the remainder of your shift?” he touches your shoulder, and you feel the rough texture of his palm through your linen work blouse. 

“Well, I finish at 9:30 tonight… I’m taking over a friend’s shift” Jen, as always, was going partying with her boyfriend- asking, no, pleading with you to take over the few hours she’d miss.

“I’m sure you can skip this one, besides, you won’t get into trouble for leaving a shift that isn’t yours, right?”

You shrug, unsure. What he says makes sense, you really had stuck your neck out for Jennifer again- no one would notice if you left, right? You could talk to Simon about it if he had a problem, though based on how he’d acted around Lalo you doubt that he will say anything. 

“I guess… I haven’t got any other clothes but these, though”

Lalo hums, “That doesn’t matter, Princesa, we’re not going anywhere special tonight”

You blush, wondering what on earth he meant by that. Did he mean there’d be other nights out? Or was he just talking generally? The silence between you is broken by him, as he begins to walk toward the exit.

“Wait, i-” you flush, straightening out your hair “can you wait for me outside? I’m gonna go grab my things from the break room”

Lalo chuckles and nods, lips pursed together tight as you pace into the staff room, making a b-line toward your locker.

You don’t have much with you- a shoulder bag and a knee-length trench coat. In your bag, you kept all the necessities, though always managed to cram a book in there for good measure. Unfortunately,  the count of monte Cristo took up most of the room, though it was invigorating and despite the added strain to your shoulder you didn’t mind carrying it with you.

You slipped into your jacket, letting it swing open as you quickly combed your hair and applied strawberry-flavoured lip balm. Once ready, you checked the time on your phone and walked back out into the hallway, shoes thumping against the tiles. Simon looked up as you pulled the door, clearing his throat.

“Oh- could you sign me out at 6:30 tonight, Si? I’ll buy you breakfast on Monday if you like. eggs and bacon from Loyola’s, right?” practically out of breath, your lips curve up when you smile at him warmly, lashes fluttering as he nodded. 

“Thanks a bunch!” the warmth of your cheeks leaves as you rush outside, eyes scanning the parking lot, before eventually landing on Lalo. He was leaning against the passenger side, his left arm slung across the side of the car’s roof, his right close to his front as he glanced down at his phone.

You try your best to hold back the foolish smile that’d been begging to tug at either corner of your lips for the last few seconds, and make a few quick steps toward him, hands behind your back once you meet his side. 

“Hello, miss me?” you teased, poking his shoulder. He shrugged his broad shoulders and smirked, stepping aside.

“Like a desert misses the rain”

You laugh a little, clutching the worn leather strap of your bag as he opens the door, motioning for you to enter with his tattooed arm. “ after you”

Sliding inside, you roll your back against the leather seat, wishing your car was as comfortable as this. Lalo makes his way around the front once you’re buckled up, pulling himself into the driver's side. You glance his way, staring for a moment, watching as he snakes the seat belt across his body. The way his biceps contract and relax, and his shirt tightens around the muscle-

“You know, it’s rude to stare, right?” 

You look away, down at your knees as he laughs, the engine purrs to life and the sound of upbeat Latin music reverberates against the metal frame, which he then turns down a tad.

“I-” you hesitate, picking at loose threads on your shirt, “I don’t know what you’re talking about” 

He huffs, pointedly at your discomfiture, as he begins to reverse from his spot. You redden when he places an arm against the back of your seat, pivoting his torso to look through the rearview.

“I’ll have to come back later to pick up my car, you know…”

He smiles down at you, faintly. “Don’t worry about it, you don’t work weekends, right?”

“Well, no, but I might need my car tomorrow…”

Lalo hums and you keep your eyes pinned on him, though occasionally look out past the windscreen “I’ll come with you to pick it up” he glances over your frame as you move against the seat, knees pointing in his direction as your small hands trace across the leather’s texture. “Alright, that sounds alright”

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

The car ride is reasonably peaceful, the sound of the music drones as you perch your elbow on the window frame and lean against your palm. You tap your feet along to the music, loving the rhythmic quality. It made you want to dance.

Lalo took notice at a red light, smiling to himself as you continued to pat your foot against the interior carpet, your fingers now drumming against your leg to the beat. It looked like you were playing an invisible piano. “Like the music then, Princesa?”

You turn to face him, eyes half-lidded. The low vibration of the car had slowly been lulling you, the fatigue from earlier caught up. “Yeah, it’s nice… hey, can we go for a walk in the park and get some ice cream?” you’d been craving the sweet treat since last night, when you’d actually been in a similar position to now, driving home past a small ice cream shop you adored as a kid.

He furrowed his brows, hitting his fingers against the car wheel as you leaned in without realising; he hadn’t actually made a plan of where to take you, he didn’t really know many good places around here, only the ones Ignacio had recommended. “Sure, what park?”

“There's a nice park a few minutes from here- it has a lot of well-kept flowerbeds and a pond”

“Wow” he draws out the word, “sounds like a… pretty average park, querida”

You frown, digging through your bag to whip out your flip phone, “it's nice, you probably haven’t been there yet is all.” he stops for a moment, dark eyes meeting your own as he scoffs, playfully.

“I’m only playing, querida.” his voice is low, and his accent lingers on his words as he speaks. You love it, he’s gorgeous and you don’t think you’ve ever been in the presence of a man as perfect as him. 

You scowl, brows creasing as your hands move to place your phone back in your bag, he matches your stare and your smile. Laughing, he continues to drive much to the delight of the man sitting behind his Chevy Monte Carlo. 

“This almost seems too good to be true” you whisper to yourself, still leaning against the edge of the window as Lalo pulls next to the park, the green gate framing it lined with bunting and art projects kids from the local schools had made. 

Back when you started working at casa tranquila you’d come here at the end of the day and take a walk around the small pond. You weren’t sure why you did, you could’ve just driven straight home, but you didn’t.

You’re pulled from the memory by Lalo when he swings the door open and steps out, the sound of gravel crunching beneath his feet leads you to unhook your belt and smile as he rounds to your side.

The older man reaches out for you to take his hand and you do with as much grace as you’re able to muster up. “Thanks, I've been a bit… tired lately”

He quirks a brow and you huff, straightening out your outfit and tucking your locks behind your ear as he pries “tired? Work got you busier than usual I’m guessing?” he places a hand against the small of your back, leading you through the entrance. You hardly notice his touch at first, thinking it’d just been the breeze, but when you do, your cheeks warm and the hairs on your arms stand to attention. “I-” you hesitate and look down at your feet as you both take slow steps around the path panelled with strands of grass along the edge. You take your lower lip between your teeth, peering up at him. He was listening, carefully, intently like he actually valued what you were about to say. Daniel hadn’t been like that, not near the end anyway.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, chica” 

You nod, and he thinks you’re sweet when you stutter and are unable to find the right words. That changes when you reach the pond in the centre of the park, where a paddle of ducks surveys the waterfront, happily accepting breadcrumbs from a few children and their parents. You tell him how much you love birds, how great you think it is that they can fly away whenever shit gets too crazy. He makes a joke about how it must suck to be a chicken then, and you laugh sincerely for the first time today. 

You walk quickly to a bench that overlooked the park beautifully, beckoning him over. You swear you see him roll his eyes, but he does so comically and then sits beside you, legs apart with his hands knit together between them.  “You know what, I hadn’t been anticipating a trip to the park today, but its a lot nicer than what I expected… lots of kids running around and lots of,” he takes a deep breath “lots of ducks”

you tilt your head “ yeah, you haven’t seen ducks before or something?”

He snorts, shoving your knee away from him with his palm, gently. “Well obviously I have, I’m just saying, well, actually I’m making an… observation” his hands move back to where they’d been a moment ago, and you beam at him stupidly before looking back at the lake, relaxing against the wood that right now feels like the most comfortable place you’ve ever sat. 

“Lalo?”

He glances over you as you shuffle around, “Yeahhh?” 

“Tell me about Mexico, what’s it like? I’ve always wanted to visit” you rest your cheek against the ball of your wrist, hooded eyes set on his as he moves his torso to face your body.

“Well, like most places depends where you go, I guess” 

Dissatisfied with that answer, you poke his forearm “c’mon, be real with me now, what about where you grew up?”

“Wow, I feel like I’m under interrogation here, Princesa, shouldn’t I have a lawyer present?” you laugh at his joke, and he smiles, finding it funny how you have no fucking clue what he’s been up to here, what he and Ignacio have been up to, in-fact, under everyone's unsuspecting noses.

“Well,” he sighs, gesturing with his hands as he spoke “I grew up in Michoacán, where my uncle raised me and my cousins- you know Hector well enough by now, he’s… macho,” you nod, showing him you’re listening as he talks enthusiastically about his family. It warms your heart, and he hates the way you look at him, that innocence in your eyes. He hates it but fucking loves it. “Oh god, you have no idea, Mija, you should’ve seen him when he was well,” he claps his hands together, startling you for a moment.

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, oh god when we were kids, I talked back to him - I was a… cocky like that, as a kid,” you giggle, muttering a ‘yes’, egging him on to continue the story, and he does so with as much energy as before.  “He dunked my head underwater, like fully in there and.. Oh god you’ll love this” he laughs at the memory, and so far you have no idea what to expect. Seeing Hector immobile in his wheelchair, it was hard to imagine him young looking after his nephews, but even harder to imagine the elder dunking a child…

“ he held me there for a minute, I thrashed around for a bit, gave him a show and then went as stiff as a board, and uncle hector he- he grabs me by my shoulders and yanks me out of the water basin,” he places his hands on your shoulders, shaking you slowly as if to imitate young Hector.

“And fully panics, absolutely craps his pants- whilst I'm there playing dead, he goes to call for help when i splash him and run off into the garden” you can’t help but laugh with him as he continues on, telling you how Hector went all red like a tomato- so embarrassed by his mistake, how he had been fooled by a 7-year-old Lalo. The way he moves his arms and gestures as he talks, the enthusiasm and performative aspect of his personality gave you butterflies, hearing him talk about his family, he really loved them. He struck you as the type of guy that’d move heaven and earth for people he cared about. 

“Oh god, Lalo, your uncle and my grandpa would get along… swimmingly”

He breathes out, leaning back against the bench as you talk “yeah, maybe” he admired your optimism, how you thought someone like Hector would get along with your gramps- the naivety of your 22-year-old mind. The fact you hadn’t a clue what he did was hilarious, he wondered whether or not you were like this with all the men you went out with. 

“So, tell me about your childhood then, querida” 

You freeze and purse your lips together, the point of your shoes drawing loose circles in the dirt path.

“Well uh, my parents argued a lot when I was a kid, so I spent a lot of my time with my grandparents… they’re nice…pretty much raised me, honestly.” you pause again, looking at the pond remembering all the arguments you had to listen to, you understood nothing at the time but looking back on it now in retrospect was frightening. “There were good times, I think, I just can’t remember them very well…”

Lalo glances at you, his expression unreadable as he places a hand on your shoulder- patting twice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry” 

You laugh and stand up from the seat, shaking your head “no, don’t worry about it! It's fine, honestly, shit happens” you wondered why he hadn’t mentioned his own parents, but refrain from prodding that wound open. 

“Well on that note, shall we head to that parlour now? I don’t know about you but ever since you mentioned it in the car…”  he stands up and begins to walk around the other side of the pond, close to the railing. You take a few quick steps after him, hands in your pockets as you both make your way to the exit.

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

The car ride from the parlour is quiet, and you shuffle your feet against the carpeted floor, knee bouncing as Lalo keeps his eyes on the road. Unfortunately, the parlour was closed. They shut early on Fridays according to the sign in the window, much to your dismay. Lalo wasn’t too bothered about the lack of ice cream, he wasn’t really a big fan though he’d been wanting to get around whilst he was here, maybe try a few new things- like rocky road, whatever the hell that was. At the change of plans, he figured he’d just drive around for a bit, maybe go and get something to eat.

You as of now rest against the window, snoring lightly. Fast asleep. 

It was amusing, though made sense. You looked exhausted. 

It took him 30 minutes to find your place without direction when it could’ve taken 15, yet he hadn’t a problem with driving around. besides, he had nothing better to do. Ignacio had last called him at 12, giving him some information on Fring. He’d make sense of it later, probably had something to do with Werner Zeigler and that ice box he was supposedly building. 

As he parked up beside your house, your phone started to ring, loud- rousing you from your sleep. He watched as you groaned and pulled the flip from your bag. It looked a lot older from where he sat, the bag. The leather was worn and one of the metal clasps had fallen off. He saw the book popping out, how many do you have in this little house of yours, and where do you keep them?

“God, not this again…” 

He tilts his head, and you whine into your palm- looking like you were going to start crying. You muttered something beneath your breath, but he couldn’t quite catch it in time.

“Everything okay?”

You shake your head, he doesn’t notice but his grip tightens on the wheel as you do. “Tell me” this obviously was what you’d been worried about, what you hadn’t wanted to mention at the park earlier.

“I-i keep getting these weird phone calls, there’s quiet beeps on the other end and nothing else- and when i wake up in the morning there’s all this…” you sniffle, eyes brimming with tears- you feel pathetic, crying in front of a man you hardly know “ weird stuff outside my house, I'm not crazy Lalo I swear I think someone’s stalking me- or after me, something like that, I've been getting this weird stuff for a while now and- and-”

You press your face into your hands, and he sits there unsure of what to do as you sob quietly. Your phone stops ringing for a moment. He goes to open his mouth to ask a question when it rings for a second time. The same private number. 

“Give me that,” he takes the phone from your lap, and for a split second you want to tell him to stop, but you don’t. Because you want him to protect you. 

“Hello?” when he talks this time, he doesn’t sound as sincere or friendly, actually pretty pissed off as he inhales through gritted teeth, stifles a laugh and snaps the phone shut. “Maldito cabrón… fucker hung up on me.” 

Your hands fall into your lap, and you look up at him, cheeks stained with tears. He sighs and snaps the phone in half as though it were nothing. “L-Lalo what the hell?! That’s my phone, everyone I need is on that” 

He shrugged and tossed both halves into the backseat. 

“I’ll get you a new phone,” you go to open your mouth when he cuts you off, his rough hand pressed against the back of yours “do you have any idea who it could be?”

You shake your head again, he suspects you’re lying and gives your hand a reassuring squeeze. “You don’t have to be afraid”

Your eyes flicker toward him and then back down at the hands on your lap. 

“My ex, Daniel, he was pretty weird- a pretty possessive guy and i- I don’t know if he’d go as far as stalking me but... I wouldn't be surprised, you know?” Lalo nods, asking if there’s anything he can do for you now. You lift your shoulders and let them fall, your eyes were swollen and cheeks flushed- still a little embarrassed from the meltdown.

“Can… you stay with me for a little while, please? Just so I can sleep a little” you sigh, sniffling as he squeezes your hand again “I don’t want to be alone, god knows what he’ll do if he knows I'm with another guy, maybe he’ll…”

“Listen to me, he won’t do anything to you.” 

He steps out of the car and moves to your side, helping you out similarly to how he had at the park- though this time you handled it a lot less gracefully. 

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

It’s now 1:00 am and you’re sound asleep beside him on the sofa, you have been for a few hours, actually. He’d gotten himself comfortable and turned on this old-school black-and-white movie with cowboys and guns. The kind hector was obsessed with watching. You stir from your end of the couch, and he shifts to give you more room. The blanket draped across your frame is soft, and for a moment he finds himself running his hands across the top. Earlier in the park, he actually enjoyed your conversation, he liked when people took an outside interest in his life. People he knew, people that knew what he did would ask questions but were never really genuine about it. Their kindness was always conditional, and he sometimes wondered if he could trust anyone other than the handful of family members he had left.

He looks at his watch, 1:24, he better get going. 

Lalo reaches out, lifting the blanket up to try and get to the inside pocket of your shirt- where you had put the keys to your home upon entering. Though before he could, you sat up abruptly, your head almost hitting his as he’d been half leaning over the top of you.

“Lalo, is everything okay?” you rub your eyes, appearing so small and innocent as you do. He nods his head, yes, and you smile, taking his hands in yours. You’re half asleep and have no idea what you’re doing, but he lets you hold him like that for a second before slowly pulling back and manoeuvring off the sofa. He hears a whine, which makes him chuckle, you’re funny when you’re tired. If he could stay he’d tease you about it, but now he had some other things planned, he had texted Nacho and asked him to pick up a new phone for you, and managed to find your ex-boyfriend's full name whilst you were out.

“Querida, I have to go now”

You huff, sit up properly, and swing your legs over the side of the couch. The metal of the keys jingle against one another in your pocket as you stand, almost falling over. 

“Easy, kid” you laugh, voice hoarse with sleep as he follows you to the front door.

Your home is only on one level, there are no stairs, which for you is great. Had you been alone in a story house, you’d probably fall down the stairs or hell, maybe even fall up the stairs after seeing him to the door.

“Thank you for staying with me Lalo, you’re such a sweetheart..”

He sighs, brushing off your compliment as though he’d heard it a million times before.

“Esta Bien, my friend has gone to get you a new phone, I’ll have him bring it here tomorrow morning” he tussles your hair, you whine again and try to flatten it, still trying to make yourself look pretty for him. 

“Alright, wait uh, Lalo will I…” you swallow, and he notices your hands bunch up the fabric of your shirt, “ will I see you again, before you leave?”

You sound almost sad, and he wants to just squeeze the life out of you. How adorable. You’ve talked to him twice in person, yet somehow you still manage to get upset at the idea of him leaving…

“Of course, bebita, we can arrange something soon, no?” he opens the door and walks out, you follow him in a few small steps and grab ahold of his wrist.

“Yeah, when everything is better” you stand tall and press a kiss to his cheek, lingering there for a moment. Your lips are soft, and he wants to take your face in his hands and kiss you hard- but he doesn’t. He reminds himself you’re just a girl, a woman he met a few weeks ago as you let him leave.

He sits in the car for a few minutes after you’d locked the door, staring at your home from the curbside. Once you turn the lights off, he pushes on the gas and speeds off into the night.

Daniel, who do you think you are?

ahhh thank you so much for reading i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, if you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see happen next please let me know in the comments xx

#lalo x reader #lalo salamanca x reader #eduardo ‘lalo’ salamanca x reader #eduardo 'lalo' salamanca #better call saul x reader #tony dalton x reader #better call saul #lalo salamanca

[takeshitakyuuto]

Trigun Book Club update volume 2/3/who knows

One more week until Trigun Maximum! Then my volume numbers won’t be off :’)

I feel like every time I sat down to read this time around, I got interrupted. Anyways, this is a long one, so buckle up

Ch 13. get his ass cobbler-san

Yaaaaaay ice cream on Vash! Me too me too!

Quite the introduction for Mr. Collarbones

I’m sorry that it’s just kinda funny to me whenever characters call Vash by his full name. That’s Mr. ヴァッシュ・ザ・スタンピード to you

Knives! Your reputation precedes you

I love when Vash puts on his shooting glasses and immediately my spotify switches to FFXIV battle music

Okay so maybe I kinda spoiled myself probably not really, since the beginning I’ve had the question (that the reader is obviously supposed to have) of why does Vash have such a big bounty on his head, but I saw someone say that he’s the Jesus character of Trigun and like. okay question answered I know enough about Christianity to fill in the blanks here, anyways with that it mind it’s really interesting to see how Vash mentions that his goal is to send Knives to hell

This guy kinda reminds me of that guy from Yu Gi Oh. Kaiba? Yeah Kaiba

12 pieces of coin, twelve assassins, twelve disciples. im making big brain connections here (joking)

There’s a ...head in that bag? [insert “so no head” gif]

Ch 13.5 [I think this is an extra chapter] i like the little background we’re getting on Vash and the visuals with him standing over the mass amounts of crosses like a graveyard is really cool

Alright cut it out Nightow we don’t need to get weird here

Even though I rarely read manga digitally anymore, I feel so spoiled with how much manga is published online nowadays. These very obvious scans of paper volumes is so much harder to read, I’m sounding out like half the words I read

You know that chapter of Kino’s Journey (okay I know you don’t bear with me here) where Kino goes to that country where everyone is obsessed with this one guy’s painting of tanks and they’re all like “it says so much about war and society” and then Kino meets the painter and he’s all like “nah I just think tanks are really cool”. Yeah that painter is Nightow

Which is more elegant, this girl’s dress of Vash’s coat tails?

Has Vash always worn an earring? Have I just never noticed? I see but don’t look? How coquette

The interspersed English that Nightow uses always adds a bit of humor. I’m not even a translator but sometimes I think about what I would do with those bits. Would I keep it to make extra work? Would I translate it into a different language that’s more commonly understood than Japanese but not English (such as Spanish)? Translations are weird man....

Vash has the best pouting face of all time

Okay sorry I said a lot in that chapter but I don’t think any of it was serious. Not that that was a very important chapter anyways, other than the bits of world building we got at the very beginning

Volume three! Ch 14. Omg I see that big cross in the cover. Do we get to meet Nicholas Wolfwood himself? God I hope I’m right and he’s the one with the cross because I’m blasting this post for the Trigun Scholars to see. Blease be kind I know so little

Seems like this volume or at least this chapter is going to be a lot of Vash vs Kaiba

So we’re seeing Rem’s death scene and how it displays her love for humanity, sacrificing herself to save some, even if she can’t save everyone. And seeing that Knives has been a bit fucked from the beginning huh. And why Vash hates him so much (cue Losing My Religion by REM playing in the back)

Vash is typically painted as an angelic type of character (thinking back to chapter nine[?] with the angel/plant they met on the sand steam) so having him depicted more as a devil character is really interesting. They even called this his true nature, although that could just be this villain character giving him shit. I’m excited to see how Vash’s character is fleshed out in future volumes and how these seemingly two sides of him create a whole

Ch 15. I don’t know (yet?) if Knives’ plan was to kill Rem along with a bunch of humans but damn. backfiredddd

So this spirit/angel urging Vash not to kill must be Rem right? Since he said that if he kills here, she’ll be gone for real? I’m taking this to be more of Vash’s memory of her and not a literal angel or spirit

Ch 16. I was totally about to rag on them for having all this insane technology and Meryl still having to use a typewriter but then I remembered that this series is from what. the 80s? Earlier? Honestly who could’ve imagined the technology we’d have in just twenty years from then, it’s insane.

Oh that’s cool! Vash is called “Humanoid Typhoon” right? It’s usually written as 「人間台風」which literally translates to human typhoon but at the beginning of this chapter, Meryl calls him 「人間災害」with furigana instructing the reader to read it as “humanoid typhoon” (same as with the other times), however this translates to “human disaster” rather than typhoon

One coin part down, eleven to go...

We’ve finally officially established that Vash has a prosthetic arm, I was wondering when that was gonna happen

First of all what is Vash carrying with him second of all holy shit that panel of the person(?) nailed on the cross

That thing was set up specifically for him? Is this another one of the twelve assassins? I feel like I’m gonna get bored of this set up real quick if it continues on like this

oh man I’m struggling with the blurriness of this volume, I keep messing up さ and き in the furigana and if anything’s got a dakuten I’m a gonner

Ch 17. I bet these poor citizens see someone in an over the top ridiculous outfit and just think to themselves, aw man this bitch is about to blow up the city again. Good thing I renewed my insurance last month

Yaoi proportions are back!

Having the guy who’s pissing you off rip out his own still-beating heart with his own bare hands is pretty badass ngl

Is Kaiba (okay I know his name is Legato but this is funnier) trying to bring about the apocalypse or something? Or rather eradicate enough humans to be able to live peacefully, whether that means all humans or just the ones he considers “evil”? Right now he’s giving me a lot of Light Yagami vibes

Ch 18. Cross guyyyyyy hell yeah. You know, maybe you wouldn’t collapse in the street if you didn’t carry a big ass cross with you everywhere. Just food for thought

Wolfwood speaks in Kansaiben???? Help I’m falling in love it’s my one weakness in this world

I’ve decided that I never want to see Wolfwood written in katakana ever again.

Wolfwood just needs to say あかん and ホンマ and I’m already head over heels

I really like Wolfwood and I promise it’s more than just the Kansaiben! I love how nice he is and he seems to be able to read people pretty well and also he’s kind of a dork. But the Kansaiben helps too

Ch 19. Omg the one guy who I was immediately like 🫵 yaoi proportions ended up being Hornfreak. Yep that’s just how it is

Isn’t it so fun when words you learned from anime pop up elsewhere? There’s “human trafficking,” which I learned from Yona of the Dawn

Oh? It’s Dominique not Dominic? That explains the かしら. Honestly I do like Nightow’s style of “I can’t tell what gender this person is”

Nightow also really likes drawing Vash ass up this is not the time for a dirty joke

Oh my god hes going super sayan also oh my god im so stupid i just closed out of my trigun tab trying to switch jfc

Ch 20. The cat stepped on my laptop and flipped all the images omfg I am having such a time trying to read today oh my god I can’t get it back I guess I’ll just restart my laptop for now? holy shit

Yeah okay closing out of the site didn’t help, restarting my laptop didn’t help, all files were flipped, but luckily someone suggested clearing the cookies for that site and it actually worked. I am so bad with technology. What a ridiculous day.

I’m gonna be honest I don’t know how you all can read this in English, I could only figure out who was speaking based on the fact that Legato used だ where Wolfwood would’ve used や

Lol jump for your coin bitch (Vash I love you but it’s funny I’m sorry)

Wolfwood’s 「ちう」is causing me so much stress. What the hell does that mean, boy. Luckily I have friends in high places (Japan)

I’m so obsessed with the fucked up angel imagery here in Knives’ rebirth

Please no romance between Meryl and Vash please no romance between Meryl and Vash please no r

Guy who only reads shoujo manga: I’m getting a lot of shoujo manga vibes from this (no but really, there’s a bunch of artistic choices in Trigun that I mostly associate with shoujo manga, but I think it has more to do with the age of the manga. Probably Ikeda Riyoko’s influence)

Knives is such an overdramatic bitch, I love that

Angel Vash! The inherent danger of the divine! Although a god can be kind it can also be cruel! Power can be used in many ways and thus is its danger!

We’ve finally established that Vash and this power that Knives brings out of him is the reason why July Town was destroyed. This is probably also the reason why he’s got such a high price on his head

Also really enjoying the implications that these human forms aren’t Vash’s and Knives’ “true” bodies

Extra chapter. Thank god he didn’t shoot the egg oh my god. The irony of consistently taking the lord’s name in vain so much here (term used ironically but also because what else can I say) while reading Nightow’s bible fanfiction just now hit me

I admit it, I totally skimmed that. In my defense, it’s past midnight.

Final thoughts: Having officially finished up the original trilogy, that was pretty damn good! The ending was great (yes, I know there’s much more to go) and quite bittersweet. The pace really picked up for me in this last volume. My only main issue was just friction between me and the genre, which is no one’s fault but my own. I could definitely do for less action scenes, but again, my favorite genre is the “nothing happens” genre. I’m really excited to see where Trigun Maximum takes the series, especially in the ways that these angels/plants are developed. I’m also excited to see more of Knives and Wolfwood and especially how they both interact with Vash, since they obviously have extremely different perceptions of him. I’m not quite sure where the plot is going to go from here, since it seems like Vash took Knives along with him in his disappearance, but I’ll follow Nightow wherever he leads us in this series. What I’m not looking forward to is having to read more of Nightow’s handwriting. God. Even so, somehow it’s still not the worst I’ve seen from mangaka. Oh, also, there was significantly less of that black cat than I expected. I’ll just assume it comes back in Maximum. And (sorry these thoughts are so unordered) wow the art was so stunning, especially there at the end, that I definitely have half a mind to pick up the physicals for my personal collection. Especially with a fanbase revival due to Trigun Stampede, I’d be more shocked if it’s out of print than if it isn’t. Oh and one more thing, we went through three of the twelve coin assassins. Does that mean that we’re going to go through the other nine in Maximum? Also, I’m not quite clear on why Vash has to collect the coin fragments like this is Dragon Ball (disclaimer: never seen or read any of the dragon ball franchise). Was mystical object collection just a trend back then? What’s going to happen, or supposed to, when Vash gets them all? Hopefully this will become clear as the series continues.

#trigun #trigunbookclub #i wanted to make today #as in the day i finished this #a day for finishing all the manga volumes im currently reading #but yeah that didnt happen #後でね～

[01rocketboy01]

It’s a Date  (Steven Grant x GN!Reader)

While drawing in the museum, you get pleasantly interrupted by the cute museum worker.

(NOT MY GIF)

Just a short little blurb to stretch my fingers. Enjoy!

Sorry for the short descriptions, I’m kinda short on inspiration right now, so please send me requests I am begging

Also I edited this for like two minutes max so if there are any mistakes please let me know! 

Trigger Warnings: Donna is like kinda mean I guess?? 

You climbed up the wide museum stairs, walking through the front door. You had been spending a lot of time there recently, ever since your artistic pursuits had taken a strong interest in Egyptology. 

Taking a seat in front of one of the exhibits, you took to sketching the towering sarcophagus that resided behind the glass case, its eyes staring resolutely forward. It was a relatively quiet day, which you enjoyed, as the peace and quiet helped you concentrate on your personal project you had begun. A few people milled about, looking around at the different exhibits. Every once and awhile someone would come to look at the sarcophagus, standing in your field of view. You didn’t mind, as none of them hung around too long, but were nonetheless relieved when they walked away. You quickly absorbed yourself in your work, not hearing someone walk up next to you. 

“The afterlife was very important to Egyptians, y’know? I mean, I suppose that’s obvious, I mean, no one really engraves things like that on their coffins anymore.” 

You jerked your head up, startled at the sudden voice. 

“Oh, sorry! Sorry! I-I didn’t mean to give you such a start. You’ve just been here for awhile, and I didn’t know-” The man stumbled to explain his interruption. You had seen him in the museum on your previous visits, and he had always seemed to catch your eye. His hair was a dark brown, and his curls hung gently over his forehead. His dark eyes were large and apologetic, and a awkward smile flourished across his face. He was adorable. A small, shiny nametag had been pinned to his front pocket: Steven. 

“No, it’s alright. I’ve just been drawing. I’m doing a bit of a personal study on Egyptology.” You hadn’t talked to him before today, your nerves always stopping you from introducing yourself. He had always seemed socially awkward and nervous, so his interjection had caught you off guard. 

“Well, it looks very nice.” He motions to the drawing in your sketch book, laughing awkwardly. 

A embarrassed blush creeped up on your cheeks as you folded your hands over your sketch book, covering the drawing. “It’s not much, I mean, just a rough sketch really.” Now it was your turn to smile awkwardly. 

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude. I just thought you’d like to know. Not that you should care what I think or anything!” 

“Well, thank you anyway.” You smiled, standing and extending your hand. “I’m (y/n).” 

“Oh! Um, I’m Steven.” He motioned to his nametag with one hand, taking your hand with the other. His grip was firm despite his nervous exterior, and his hands were warm and calloused in your grasp. Your palm felt cool when he let go of your hand. 

“Stevie!” A stern blonde woman called out, standing in the doorway to the room. “Lunch is over, get back to inventory!” 

“Coming, Donna!” He called back to her. 

She looked between the two of you, sighing. “I hope he’s not bothering you. I keep trying to tell him he’s not the bloody tour guide.” 

“I actually think he would make quite a nice tour guide.” You smiled, watching the redness rise in Steven’s face. 

She rolled her eyes, walking away. “Inventory, Stevie! Now!” She threw over her shoulder. 

“I should probably go.” Steven spoke, his hands fidgeting. He hesitated to turn away from you, as if he had something else to say. 

You felt a rush of confidence, and before you could think about it, you found yourself asking; “Would you like to get coffee sometime?”

Steven seemed surprised, but a smile quickly grew across his face. “Coffee! Yes, coffee sounds great.” 

“Are you free this afternoon?” 

“Yeah, actually, I get off work early today, around four o’clock.” 

“I’ll meet you here then.” You grinned excitedly. “I know this great place just around the corner.”

“Alright!” He smiled brightly. “See you then?”

“It’s a date, then.” You said resolutely. “Now, I won’t keep you any longer. Your boss seems like she’s not the most patient person.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Steven smiles, turning and walking out of the room. You followed after a few minutes, heading out of the front of the museum to get lunch. You were smiling like an idiot the entire time, and you couldn’t wait to learn more about the adorable museum worker. 

Please send me in some requests!!

#moon knight #moon knight x gn reader #moon knight x male reader #moon knight x reader #moon knight x female reader #steven grant x reader #steven grant x male reader #steven grant x gn reader #steven grant x female reader #x reader #marvel #steven grant

[panravenc]

relaxing, chosoyuki.

type: one-shot.

character(s): chōsō, tsukumo yuki, tengen.

warning(s): none.

a/n: anyways this is the second to last chosoyuki one-shot lol is in canon universe so yeah. all fine. enjoy it i guess

love y'all,

—pau.

As days pass by, Chōsō's only reassurance of his brother's status is the fact that he knows he would feel it if Yūji were to die. It's not something he likes to dwell on, aware his little brother has survived without him there for years, but it nags at his mind, sometimes.

Yuki shoots him a look, and he relaxes his frown. His heart skips a beat, again, like it tends to do whenever his companion comes into the picture. It's getting worrisome.

"So," she starts, making him look at her. He notices Tengen doing the same a few meters away from them. "Go Fish?" And, as if to emphasize her point, she waves the deck of cards in her hand.

Tengen sighs―not that Chōsō blames them, considering how many times they've played―but shrugs and nods anyway. He does the same, and soon enough the three of them are in a circle.

The dealer's Yuki, this time. Seven cards each, and the game starts.

"Yuki, do you have any threes?" Tengen asks, and Yuki clicks her tongue, annoyed at their accuracy. She gives them two cards and looks away when they recite their thanks, throwing the first book of cards to the floor.

"Lucky bastard," she mutters, although a smirk has taken its place in the curves of her lips.

Tengen chuckles. "Hm, I've always been."

Chōsō is, as always, completely lost with the treatment Yuki gives Tengen, and the cordial one she receives in turn. Mostly because both sound mocking and he just can't deal with the amount of passive aggressiveness combined.

After Go Fish, they play Thirty-One, War and Garbage, all games Yuki's taught them during the long hours of waiting. Apparently, even richii mah-jong and shogi can get boring. They've played karuta, too, much more than any other game, but after the blonde had found a disregarded classic card deck, they've been switching it up a bit.

Chōsō's playing another round of go with Yuki when they hear a triumphal shout from a few meters away.

"Old man! Are you okay there?" Callous, maybe, but Chōsō likes that about Yuki, too.

A scoff follows. "Indeed. I just found an old friend of mine."

Tengen comes into view with a bamboo flute, and Chōsō cannot fathom, for the life of him, how that's supposed to be an old friend of theirs. There's no cursed energy coming from the flute. Maybe Tengen's years are getting to them.

"Pfft," Yuki laughs. "You should be careful what you call friend, old man."

Tengen doesn't bother replying immediately, but rather, walks around until they find a cushion to sit, and once their ass is sat, they go: "Once you reach my age, there aren't lots of friends left, and you start viewing life differently. A young one such as you could never hope to understand, and it's my hope you never do."

Chōsō's never been much for the philosophical life, but he has to admit, Tengen does sound wise. However, he still can't understand the fact they've just called a flute their friend.

"Stop it with the crack, or whatever you're smoking, your health isn't what it used to be," Yuki snorts. "Better not risk it even more."

Tengen sighs, but doesn't answer the obvious provocation in her voice, and Chōsō admires them more for it. He's not sure that he would be able to ignore Yuki, no matter the circumstances involved.

The moment Tengen starts playing the flute, the world seems to stop. Chōsō's never heard a more beautiful melody, nor one more peaceful. He crosses eyes with Yuki, who scoffs and rolls her eyes in a way that lets glimpse the fondness she hides for the Barrier Master.

It makes Chōsō's heart skip.

It's strange. But, as seems to be the case whenever Yuki's involved, it's not a bad kind of strange. He likes the way she makes him feel, even though he still feels alien in his own body when he realizes it. He likes the kisses they share, and the smiles she gives him afterwards, and how he cannot get enough of it all.

And, most of all, he thinks he likes her. He doesn't know how yet, or if he has the capacity for something deeper, more meaningful, but at the moment―he's enchanted, and he's found he quite likes it.

"I win." Yuki declares, a bored tone in her voice. "Chōsō, come on, you haven't paid attention the last round, have you?"

Chōsō can't deny it. "I have been distracted, that is true. It is repetitive to play the same game for such a long time."

"Ah, you're right." She shrugs, and they both stay silent for a few moments, Tengen's melody in the background. "Hey, come here for a second," she commands him, and he goes, curious. "Let me play with your hair for a bit."

Chōsō doesn't say no, and positions himself just in front of her, heart rate rising up when her hands start undoing his hairstyle. "Sure."

It's fascinating, how her hands gently swipe through his hair, detangling it, playing around with it ever so carefully, her movements carrying a tenderness he hadn't known she was capable of.

And it's strange and alien, how despite how fast his heart is racing, and how much there's an energy coming from him demanding to just do something, this is the most relaxed he's ever been.

Chōsō's never known peace. He's let himself dream of it, often in moments of solitude, and the image in his head has always been of him and his brothers, all together in an outing, free of responsibilities and cults and wars; just them, together in a time when they can laugh and joke around, and play in the forests without sorcerers trying to pull them into their tedious conflicts.

This couldn't be more distant. He's not with his family, barely with two people who, despite their friendliness, he's met fairly recently; he's not outside, surrounded by nature, but rather in a closed space controlled by one of its residents.

However, at this moment and time, with Yuki playing with his hair, and Tengen's beautiful flute composition hanging in the air, he stops for a moment and knows, just knows, that this is peace. The first taste of it he's ever got.

This would be the perfect moment for an attack, Chōsō thinks. And maybe that's true, or maybe that's just his paranoia acting up the moment he lowers down his guard. Still, he doesn't let it ruin the moment.

"What's got you smiling?" Yuki asks, curious.

Chōsō's got nothing to hide, so he tells her. "I would like to share this moment with my brothers," he says. "They should experience peace like this, too."

Yuki hums, but doesn't respond, and Chōsō opens his eyes, unaware of when he'd closed them. He turns around and looks at her, and for a moment, the smile in her face strikes him like lightning on a storm.

You're beautiful, the words come to his mind without meaning to. Yuki's always been beautiful, aesthetically speaking. Blonde hair and magenta eyes, her features seem to be carved from stone, scars only adding to her person, at least from his point of view. But that's something he's always known.

Why does it feel different, now?

He wants her to keep playing with his hair. Chōsō wants her to keep her hands on him, in whatever form they might do it. He wants to keep her close, and keep admiring new ways to see her.

"Would you share me, too?"

Her tone indicates she's, again, playing around with him. Asking him a question that hides a joke only she's aware of, and it grates him, not to know what game she's having so much fun with, but he's also become used to it. She does it often enough, after all.

This time, though, the question gives him pause. Would I share you? With who, with my brothers?

Imagining Yuki playing around with Eso, Yūji or Kechizu is one thing. Imagining her getting into their space like she does with him, kissing them in the corners of their mouths, teasing and somehow, at the same time, not teasing at all, it's different. It gives him so many conflicting feelings: because he would like them to know her, of course, but the moments he considers theirs, the new feelings arising in his chest because of her, those he doesn't want to share.

"I would like for you to know them," he answers, thoughtful. "But I would not want you to become for them what you have become for me."

An amused chuckle leaves her mouth. "And what have I become for you, pretty boy?"

He knows the glint in Yuki's eyes is because the answer he's given her has let some of his true feelings show, but Chōsō can't find it in himself to feel ashamed about it. Doesn't understand why he ever would.

"I do not know yet," he's honest, as always. "But I would like to discover it."

Because it's weird, but interesting, and it's starting to feel like being reborn again. Like he's living for the first time, even though he's always been alive.

"I see."

He wants to keep being by her side. Even though it's silly, and they're only here because they could be attacked at any given moment, and they definitely shouldn't be relaxing out in the open.

But Tengen keeps playing the flute, and Chōsō closes his eyes, Yuki's ministrations on his hair pulling him under. He's aware the world's not so kind to let him live in this peace forever. That the conflict's escalating and he's not guaranteed to come out of it alive.

But, for now, this is a piece of heaven he'd never thought he would know. And it's enough.

(It has to be.)

#pau writes #jujutsu kaisen #choso #tsukumo yuki #chosoyuki #tengen #as always they're third-wheeling in the background #i fucking love 'em guys what can i say

[localplaguenurse]

Ngl I forgot dottore can shapeshift(which is weird because scaramouche lore rarely slip my mind) so anyways now I can officially say dottities are Canon and anyone who says otherwise will have to pry dottities from my cold dead hands as my ghost haunts their very existence.

I’m just saying Dottore would look good in drag also I just remembered what I wanted to say about gingko trees

So the title Gold As The Gingko Trees

Gold- soft precious metal

Ginkgo trees- common symbol of longevity

Ok besides the fact that gingko leaves are golden so ha ha gold as the gingko trees ha ha get it? Gold? Like the leaf?

Next soft and precious metal aka gold, soft and precious should be obvious it’s wifey, but metal? Well that’s obviously their connection to Morax, who is the god of geo, commerce, mora, and ceo of being broke as fuck certified Amber lord with sexy eyes.

Gingko trees. Longevity. Another dot that didn’t connect until yesterday after I got shampoo in my eyes, well there’s two meanings here. First is wifey’s marriage to our ceo of terrible money management, they’ve been married for let’s round it off to 4000 years for simplicity sake and yes yada yada immortals change slow, but seriously this man and his wife are in a committed relationship for 4000 years if that isn’t longevity of a relationship and the love of one person to another then idk what is. Next Wifey’s lifespan, now I don’t remember the specifics because if I go back and read it again now the words are gonna get jumbled up and ao3 doesn’t support my accessibility settings unless I download the fic which btw can I download your fics and put them in my emergency food folder in case ao3 goes down again anyways so I’m going purely off memory here but after Morax did the sexy bite of 87 but it was consensual unlike the bite of 87 and certainly one less death. Wifey now shares the same life span (or in my personal opinion “live longer” as in Morax would erode first before wifey just because he’s so much older and therefore have more bad memories to erode him and maybe one day I’ll tell you more about Morax eroding away but this is not the ask for it rn) oh my god tumblr is lagging if this gets deleted I’ll hurl okay so yeah second meaning of longevity is that wifey gets to live longer

So yeah other than the surface level meaning of the title I also love the more deeper meanings this has and oh my god I have to conclude this before I get forced out of the app and also I went brain to fingers with no filter so excuse any mad ramblings in between

Tldr I love the effort you put into this fic have a fennec

Love is stored in the fennec fox ears.

I love your take on the title a lot! Honestly the only problem is that in canon the two have only been married for 2000 years, but that’s still a long ass time, and let’s be honest, those two would still be hand in hand when the sun explodes if they’re lucky to live that long. You hit the nail on the head with the longevity thing, but it’s also because of this one story I read about six ginkgo trees in Hiroshima. The place had been nuked, but six ginkgo trees had survived and from what I can see, are still going. They can live up to 3000 years. That’s why I had that part at the end where Zhongli tells Childe about how ginkgo trees are a symbol of hope and strength, and how they fit wifey very well. They’ve been through a lot, and they still prospered.

So the thing about wifey’s lifespan is that they’re sharing it with Morax. I didn’t focus too much on what that actually means beyond wifey will live past their human life expectancy so long as Morax is alive. It’s mainly because the specifics weren’t super important at the time, just served as an explanation for why wifey’s still around in canon time, and so I could avoid the whole “immortal outlives lover” trope because I told myself I was gonna end this nicely. I need y’all to know though that I’ve been very tempted to write something for when Zhongli begins to erode, but I have a character sheet to make for a Strahd campaign and a divorce fic chapter to get to. So yeah, maybe I’ll save it for another ask :)

Dottore would look good in drag but do you know who would look great in drag? Pantalone. I take no criticism, argue with the wall, he would be a glamourous bitch.

#ask #as gold as the ginkgo trees #ivy!