#as opposed to expecting bad and being surprised by good

[soaps-mohawk]

Cherry Red, Crimson Blood

Chapter 7 : Sweet Strawberry

Summary: You're not a soldier, you're just an omega. You shouldn't have to remind them of that, yet you find yourself needing to. Price makes it up to you in the best way possible.

Pairing: Poly 141 x reader

Warnings: Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics, Alternate Universe, a/b/o typical classism and sexism, military inaccuracies, language, angst, panic, fluff, suggestive content, terrible flirting

A/N: Not entirely happy with it but it's done and I can move on from this one. I struggled so much with this chapter omg. Also, I just wanted to make it clear that I am not from the UK, I've never been to the UK, I'm simply going off of prior knowledge and what Google can tell me. So, if there's any inaccuracies, I am so sorry.

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You’re expecting the knock when it comes. You’d been standing in front of your door for almost five minutes, and you get it open almost before he’s finished, hand still raised. He gives no sign that betrays his surprise, if he feels any at all, instead he simply looks you over before turning on his heel and marching towards the door. 

You close your door behind you, slipping down the hallway after him. It’s raining again, though you had prepared for that, flipping the hood of your jacket up as you hurry after Ghost. He threatens to disappear in the darkness of morning, slipping between the street lamps like a specter. It’s not often you get to see the true danger in them, the threats that they pose, the things that make them good at their job. You can imagine how many on his opposing side have been caught unawares by the way he seems to flow with the darkness around him. 

You are significantly less graceful and quiet, feet slapping the wet pavement as you speed walk to keep up with the giant alpha. You can almost imagine the look on his face as you plod along behind him. If your lives depended on your silence at this moment, well, it wouldn’t entirely have been your fault. If he didn’t walk so fucking fast...

He’s at least courteous enough to hold the door open for you, though perhaps that was simply something that was deeply ingrained in him. Manners that become unconscious practice, even when you despise the person you’re with. He leads you down the hall towards the practice room again, unlocking it and flipping on the lights. He empties his pockets and removes his shoes and sweatshirt, before moving to one of the punching bags. 

You can already predict what your lesson today will entail. Your knuckles have almost completely healed since your little fit a week ago. You quickly strip off your jacket and toe off your wet shoes, moving to join him without having to be told. 

“Do you know how to wrap your hands?” He asks, holding out two rolls of hand wraps. 

“No.” You shake your head. It’s not entirely true. They had shown you once while you were with the CIA, but that had been weeks ago and you’re sure you’ve forgotten the right way to do it. Even if you tried, he’d likely sigh and do it himself anyway. 

He lets out a breath, pocketing one of the wraps before grabbing your right wrist. His hands are just as rough as you remember them being the day you punched Corporal Allen, calluses dragging against your skin as he meticulously wraps the fabric around your fingers. You watch him, trying to memorize how to do it in hopes that maybe, eventually, you’ll surprise him and manage it yourself. 

He finishes your hands quickly before wrapping his own. You flex your hands, trying to get used to the feeling of the wraps. They’re not too tight, shockingly. You had half expected him to choke your fingers until they’re purple just because. But, you also know Price will be looking for any mark or sign of injury as soon as he sees you at breakfast. The thought of him laying into Ghost for even a bruise as your stomach twisting, and not in a bad way. 

“Make a fist.” Ghost says, crossing his arms as he stands in front of you. 

You stare at his bulging muscles for a second too long, quickly curling your fingers as your face warms. 

He takes hold of your hand, inspecting your fist. “Not bad.” 

“I did grow up with brothers.” You murmur. 

“Did they ever hit you?” He asks as he turns you to face the boxing bag. 

“Only playfully.” You say, missing the subtle edge to his voice. “Dad would have caved their heads in if they ever tried.” 

You can’t see the way he’s staring at you as he stands slightly behind you, but you can feel his gaze as it lingers for just a second longer than you expected it to. You’re not sure if maybe he doesn’t believe you, or maybe he knows there’s more to the story. You’ve hardly spoken about your family since your arrival, but they seemed to accept the fact that they haven’t been your family for years now as a valid reason.

“Get into your fighting stance.” He finally says, moving around you as you take the stance you had perfected last training session. “Good.” He says, looking you over. “Now throw a punch at the bag.” 

You squeeze your fists, imagining Corporal Allen’s face on the bag before you throw a punch, barely managing to move the bag. 

“Punches like that are what will get you hurt.” Ghost says, extending your arm. “You can throw your weight, which is good. That’s why you were able to throw Allen off his feet. You’re asking for a broken arm, though. Keep your arm flat and facing downwards through the entire punch. Aim with the knuckles and twist your lower body for support.” 

He throws a punch at the bag, the sound of his fist hitting it loud, and you watch the bag swing back and forth violently. He could probably punch through you if he wanted to. Your pitiful punch wouldn’t even stun him. 

He stops the bag from swinging, having you throw repeated punches at it. He fixes your form and technique as you go, teaching you different kinds of punches. Your arms quickly get tired, and you know you’re going to be sore again. Maybe you should take up some weight lifting or something. You could ask Soap to help you. 

You go until your arms feel like they're going to fall off, your shoulders burning. “I can't anymore.” You whine, breathing heavily from the exertion of throwing punches for 30 minutes. 

“You have to learn to push through the pain.” He says, looming over you. “You think in a fight, everyone will just stop because your arms are tired? Or you're a little sore?”

He has a point. 

You take half a step back as he invades your space, leaning down close to you. “If they're out for blood, they won't even stop even as you're bleeding out in front of them.” His eyes are dark, biting into you, speaking volumes of his knowledge and experience. You wonder how many times he's been in that situation, how many times he's had to fight quite literally for his life. He steps away from you, moving towards the center of the mat. “Come on. I'll teach you some combinations.” 

You don't want to follow him. You want to curl up in a corner and nap for the next four hours. You don't doubt he'll find a way to force you, though, so you move to the center of the mat with a sigh. 

He teaches you different combinations, working through them over and over. You're sloppy, mixing up which punch is which, which move means what. It only gets worse as you get more and more tired, but Ghost is relentless. 

Finally after almost an hour and a half of training, he calls it. Your legs are shaking and you can barely lift your arms to unravel the wraps from around your hands. You sink onto the floor, laying out flat on the padding as you try to catch your breath. 

“Come on.” Ghost says, lacing up his shoes. “You'll have time to shower before breakfast if we get back now.”

“Wait. Just gimme a minute.” You breathe, not even sure you have the willpower to get up from the floor, much less the muscle power. 

He lets out a sigh before approaching you, bending down to slip his hands under your arms. “On your feet, soldier.”

He lifts you easily, far too easily. Your legs shake, nearly giving out as you're forced onto them. You pout, ignoring the ache in your bones as you're forced upright. 

“‘M not a soldier.” You murmur. 

“In here with me, you are. You want to learn to fight, you get treated just like everyone else I've taught.” He says, glowering down at you. “Now get your shoes on and let's go.”

Your brows pull into a frown, but you do as he says, slipping your shoes back on and your jacket. You had hoped perhaps he would have a little mercy, given your status and inexperience, but it seems you're not even being awarded that. You know part of it is his revenge for you invading his protective circle around Soap, for kissing Soap in front of him. 

The frown doesn't leave your face as you follow him back to the barracks, having to almost run to keep up with him. 

“You look tired.”

“I am. I had training with Ghost again this morning.” 

“How is that going?”

“It's hard.” You admit, sinking back in your chair. “He's hard on me. He sees me as a soldier, not an omega.”

“Have you brought this up to him?” Dr. Keller asks, crossing her feet as she relaxes on the couch across from you.

You nod. “Yeah. He said I have to push through it, because if I wind up in a real fight, they won't go easy on me.”

“Well, I can’t say he’s wrong about that. But, that’s still no excuse.” Dr. Keller tilts her head at you. “You could bring it up to Captain Price. He is your pack alpha, and he’s also Lieutenant Riley’s. I don’t doubt he’d bring it up to him on your behalf.” 

He would, but you don’t really want to stir the pot in that way. The last thing you need to do is become a tattle-tail. It’s quiet between you for a few moments, Dr. Keller shuffling her papers as you mark a clear end to that conversation. 

“How did you do on your assignment? I see you’re wearing a different sweatshirt this morning.” She says, eyeing you. 

You’re wearing Price’s sweatshirt, the one he gifted you. You’ve been wearing it almost every day, his scent still clinging to the fabric. Your face warms as she stares at you, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah, but...I didn’t ask for this one. Price gave it to me after I told him about where my other one came from. I uh...I kissed Soap. And Gaz.” 

“Oh?” Her brows raise, and she writes something down on the paper. Your face warms even more as you watch her pen move with every letter. You can only imagine what she’s putting down. “Is that something you wanted? I know we talked briefly about it last time.” She says.

You nod. “Yes. I did want it. I...I also...kneeled...with Price...Did a couple times actually...” 

Dr. Keller’s mouth opens in surprise, her eyes shining as she looks at you. “You did? That’s huge! That’s an incredible development! Did you initiate, or did he?” 

“I did.” You say bashfully, sinking back further into the chair. “Both times.” 

Dr. Keller smiles at you, looking almost proud. “This is a big step in the right direction. How did it go? Were you able to relax?” 

You nod. “Yeah. It was nice. He was...gentle. He did it right.” 

“Good. How did you do coming down from it? I know it can be intense and difficult for some omegas.” She asks. 

You shrug. “Fine. I felt it a bit the morning after, but it wasn’t too bad. I fell asleep on him both times.” 

“Oh?” She lifts an eyebrow. “Did you stay with him?” 

You shake your head. “No, Gaz took me to my room both times.” 

“Good. That’s good practice, for when your heat comes. Shows how much trust they have in each other.”

You hadn’t really thought of that. There was a lot of trust involved in omega’s heats. Omegas have to trust their alphas to take care of them while they’re blind with insatiable need, but both alpha and omega have to trust a beta to keep them alive. Your heat will trigger Price’s rut and make him lose control for a while, and it will be up to Gaz to keep you both fed and hydrated. He’ll be the one to help you both afterwards as well.

“Have you started nesting yet?” Dr. Keller asks. 

You shake your head. “No. Don’t feel any drive to either.” 

Dr. Keller hums as she writes something down. “Well, it has only been two weeks. Though, perhaps if you can manage to ask for some things to make your space more comfortable, that might help ease you into it.” 

You chew on your lip, tugging at the sleeves of your sweatshirt. You know she’s right. Until you’re comfortable and feel safe enough, you won’t feel the drive to nest. You’ll need to nest before your heat arrives. Otherwise, it’ll cause issues for both you and Price. 

“When...when should I be worried?” You ask. 

“Hmm...” Dr. Keller looks at her calendar. “If you’re not feeling any sort of drive to nest by our next appointment, then I’d say we may need to consider using some exercises to help jump start it.” 

“Exercises?” You ask warily. 

“All easy things.” She reassures you. “Things like scent introductions, tactile explorations, and some bonding exercises might be helpful as well.” She writes something down on a sticky note. “I’ll explain everything in detail and you’ll get to choose whether you want to do any of it or not. No one’s going to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, alright?” 

Tears prick your eyes at her words, and you furiously blink them back. It’s a little late for that kind of sentiment. Your presence here alone was thanks to a long line of people forcing you to do things you’re not comfortable with. It was easy to get lost in the excitement and the emotions of bonding with a pack, easy to forget that you would never have chosen this place had you ever been given the option to choose. 

You would have gone far from the military, far from this kind of life. It’s your duty to bond with an alpha, but what if you don’t want to? What if it’s all a front, and as soon as you’re claimed the curtains rise and suddenly everything is different? What if Price isn’t as kind as you’ve come to believe him? Just one squeeze too tightly around the back of your neck while you’re kneeling and everything would change. 

How easily he could take everything from you. 

“You want to talk about what’s going on in your head right now?” Dr. Keller asks, breaking the silence between you two.

You hadn’t even noticed you’d been staring off into space, lost in your thoughts. Of course she knows something’s changed. She’s spent years learning the ins and outs of omegas and all the secrets you can only imagine. She’s probably just as in tune with subtle changes as the four well trained soldiers that make up your new pack. Maybe even more in tune with them. 

You shake your head, keeping your gaze on the floor. 

“Remember nothing shared in this room leaves this room. It’ll always only be between us.” She says softly. 

You’re panicking. You can feel the pressure rising within you. You’re like a grenade and someone is about to pull the pin. You’re afraid you’ll spill everything to her, afraid you’ll let out things you’ve successfully kept buried for years and years. Things you’ve left behind, things you’ve had to move on from. Things you can’t afford to let out now. 

“I’d like to be done now.” You silently curse the way your voice shakes. 

Dr. Keller’s brows pull into a frown but she nods. “Okay.” She slips her papers into her notebook before standing. “Let me grab my keys.” 

You stand as she moves to her desk, grabbing her keys from the drawer. She leads you from her office, thankfully staying quiet as you walk through the rain towards the barracks. You’re still panicking, the turmoil inside you probably projecting the sour scent across the entire courtyard but you don’t care. You can’t. 

“Remember, if you ever need anything, I’m usually in my office.” Dr. Keller says as she drops you off at the door. 

You feel guilty as you hurry to your room, shoes squeaking on the tile. You feel bad for cutting the appointment off early, you feel bad for feeling the way you do. Later you’ll be grateful for Dr. Keller respecting your boundaries and not pushing, for following through with her promise and letting you be in control of the appointment. 

Right now you don’t care. Right now you can’t care. You’re too lost in your turmoil, the bitter scent of your distress seeping out from under the locked door. 

“...can ye talk tae me, hen? Let me know yer alright?” 

The soft voice coming through the closed door pulls you out from your burrow under the thin blanket. You blink blearily at your phone, trying to see the time. It’s just a little past the normal time you go to lunch with them. How long have they been knocking on the door? 

“Come on, lass.” Soap’s voice comes through the door again. “I dinnae want tae have tae kick in the door.” 

You force yourself out from under the blanket, pocketing your phone before quickly moving to your door. You throw it open, Soap’s eyes immediately scanning you as you rub tiredly at your eyes. You don’t doubt he’d kick in your door if he felt he had to. 

“Sorry,” You yawn. “I was asleep.” 

His eyebrows raise as he stares down at you. “Ye were asleep? Ye weren’t kidding about bein’ a heavy sleeper.” He leads you from the barracks, crossing the courtyard towards the mess.

“One time, when I was about two or three, my dad took us to some demonstration on base.” You say as you begin walking to the mess with him. “I fell asleep about halfway through and slept through a howitzer going off.” 

Soap lets out a laugh so loud it echoes in the courtyard. “Ye slept through a howitzer?” 

You nod. “Yup. My dad never let me live it down. I heard it all the time. ‘You’ll have to try hard to wake her, she slept through a howitzer once.’” 

Soap chuckles, leading you into the mess. “Ye are a deep sleeper.” 

You shrug. “I did say so. My phone will wake me up though. Alarms, calls.” 

“I’ll keep tha’ in mind.” He says as he guides you through the line, making your tray for you. 

You sit between Price and Gaz as usual, feeling a bit on edge still despite your nap after your appointment. You hadn’t gotten to sleep for very long, not nearly long enough to clear your head completely. You know they can tell, Gaz slowly shifting closer and closer to you, Price’s gaze flickering to you out of the corner of his eye every so often. Even Ghost’s eyes pass over you every so often as they sweep across the mess. 

You wonder if he feels responsible. 

You hope he does. 

Soap walks you back to the barracks after lunch and you spend the afternoon burrowed under your blanket again. You’re exhausted and sore after a long morning of training and your appointment. You wish you could sink back into sleep, let the emotions pass without you having to feel them, but you’re too awake now. Too aware of them as they prickle in the back of your mind. 

Dinner passes without incident, but you can’t ignore the feelings still stirring within you. You feel agitated and on edge, not even pacing your room helping you. You let out a breath before you put your slippers on, slipping out of your door. You make your way down the hallway, turning right instead of left like you would if you were heading for the rec room. The door is cracked open and you pause just before you reach it, suddenly feeling nervous. You shouldn’t really. There was no reason to be nervous, yet you can’t help the urge in the back of your mind to turn tail and race back down the hallway to the safety of your room. 

“You can come in, unless you’d prefer standing in the hallway all evening.” A voice calls from inside the office. 

Your face warms a bit at getting caught, but he could probably hear you coming down the hallway. He could probably smell you too. 

You push open the door, slipping inside before closing it behind you. Price stares at you from his desk as you stand there, shifting nervously on your feet. You feel agitated, on edge still. You’re worked up, and you don’t quite know why. 

“Everything alright?” Price asks, likely picking up on your nervous energy. 

Yes. You want to say, but then you’d have to come up with a reason as to why you sought him out, why you feel so worked up. You could just kneel for him. It’s what you should do, let yourself be eased into a peaceful state of mind. Let him take care of you. 

 “I don’t know.” 

The words are hardly more than a whisper, your voice trembling just as much as you are. Your chest feels tight, your breaths becoming shallow. You're not sure when he got up, when he even moved. His scent wraps around you, warmth encompassing your being as your face is pushed against his chest. 

“I need you to breathe for me.” Price says, pressing your ear against his chest. You can hear the steady thump of his heart, the air flowing in and out of his lungs. 

You close your eyes, trying to match your breaths to his. It's hard, your body fighting your attempt to regulate it. You close your eyes, focusing on the soft fabric of Price's shirt against your cheek, the warmth of his hand on your head as he keeps you pinned against his chest. It's not constricting or suffocating. It's grounding, keeping you from drowning in your own thoughts. 

He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't need to as he holds you there, letting you calm down. You begin to slowly relax, your arms wrapping around his waist, fingers gripping the back of his shirt. 

“Want to tell me what’s going on?” He murmurs, lips brushing the top of your head. 

“I don’t know.” You whisper, still clinging to his shirt. “I’m just...I feel off. Ghost was being hard on me this morning and then I got upset during my appointment and I’ve just felt on edge all day and I can’t relax because I can’t get comfortable!” 

Price tightens his grip around you just slightly. “What do you mean?” 

You huff out a breath, squeezing your eyes closed so the tears don’t escape as the words leave you in a flood before you can stop them. “The blankets aren’t soft enough and the pillows are too thin and it’s too dark and I’m tired of smelling like bland soap!” 

Price hums quietly, squeezing you gently as a tear slides down your cheek. “Then we should do something to fix that.” 

“But I shouldn’t need it!” You cry, trying to push away from him, but he keeps you tight against his chest. “I’m supposed to be a good omega and adapt and learn to be comfortable where I am.” 

“That might be what you were taught,” He says, letting you push away from his chest, but he wraps his hands around your arms, keeping you in front of him. “But things don’t have to be that way. We should have taken care of something like this sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t even think of it. You shouldn’t have had to ask for it.” 

You blink up at him, genuinely surprised by his words. “I...what?” 

“We all have our own little comforts that we keep. Soap sleeps with a stuffed bear. Don’t tell him I told you that.” 

A small smile tugs at your lips at the mental image of Soap snuggling up with a teddy bear. 

“You deserve some comfort too.” He says, squeezing your arms.

“But, it’s not...regulation.” You say. 

“Doesn’t have to be.” He says. “You’re not a soldier. Even then, the only ones going in there are us. The only thing I can’t approve of is painting the walls. Unfortunately the prison grey has to stay.” 

You can’t help but laugh, wiping the tear from your cheek. “I suppose that’s alright. Just...as long as it’s not as dark and maybe a soft blanket or something. That’s really all I need.” 

He hums, staring down at you. You can’t quite figure out the look on his face, something shining in his eyes. “We’ll get it figured out.” He says, squeezing your arms again. 

“Get some shoes on. We’re going on a trip.” 

You look up from your book, staring at Price as he stands in the rec room. He’s dressed in civilian clothes, arms crossed as he stares down at you on the couch. You mark your place in your book, pushing yourself up to sit. It’s a Saturday afternoon, and unlike last week they had the day off, which means you do as well. 

“Are you going to make me hike through the woods for two hours again, sir?” You ask, pushing yourself up to stand. 

“No. We’re going into town.” He says. 

You blink at him. You haven’t been off base since you arrived, and you figured you probably wouldn’t be getting that opportunity any time soon. “Can I ask why, sir?” 

“We’ve got some shopping to do.” He says simply, turning and leaving the rec room. 

You stand there shocked for a moment before you’re following after him, slipping into your room to put comfortable shoes on and grab your phone and a jacket. You don’t even have a wallet to carry around to make yourself feel better. 

Price is waiting by the door for you, a car parked outside. You’re slow to approach him, suddenly feeling a mix of emotions. He’s doing this for you. He’d really taken your conversation last night to heart and now he’s going to go spend money on you that he doesn’t need to. 

“What’s that look for sweetheart?” He asks, standing in front of the door. 

“You don’t have to do this.” You say, staring up at him. He seems so tall like this, so...imposing. 

“Course I do.” He says, his gaze softening just slightly. “Should have done it sooner. You deserve to be comfortable too.” He says, turning to open the door. 

You follow him out, climbing into the car when he opens the door for you. He gets in the driver’s seat, the car rumbling to life. He drives to the front gate, passing off two ID cards to the guards. He passes one to you when the guard hands them back, the gate in front of you opening. 

“That’s your ID card. Gets you on and off base.” He explains as he drives away from the gate. “I doubt you’ll be leaving on your own, but just in case.” 

“Thank you, sir.” You say, slipping the card under your phone case for the time being. 

He glances at you, a small smile on his lips. “You can call me John, if you'd like. You don't need to be formal when we're in private.” 

“Yes, sir.” You make a face, biting your lip at your automatic response. “Sorry. Old habits.” 

“From the institute?” He asks. 

You shake your head. “My dad, actually. He was a firm believer in respecting authority figures. All ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’ by the time we were old enough to know the difference.” 

“Sounds like my father.” He says, staring out at the road ahead. “Old grizzled military man.” 

“Do you still have contact with him?” You ask curiously. You don’t know much of anything about their families, their backgrounds.

“Not really. Beyond holidays, neither of us really make an effort to talk to the other. After mum passed, there wasn’t much to talk about.” He says. 

“She was the glue.” You say, watching the trees pass by the car. 

“Yeah.” He huffs out a laugh. “As betas usually are.”

“Do you have any siblings?” You ask, curiosity getting the better of you. You know next to nothing about them, while they likely know your entire life story. 

“No,” He shakes his head. “Just me. You have a lot of siblings.” 

You nod. “Seven at the time I left for the institute. Could be more now.” 

“They never tried to keep contact with you?” He asks. 

“Nope.” You turn to look out the window. “The institute didn’t really encourage it either, because we were being prepared to join new packs. That’s hard to do when you still have bonds with your old ones. I think they might have forcibly ended some. I know there were some omegas that tried to keep contact, but it became less and less until eventually it just stopped.” 

Price’s hands tighten around the steering wheel just slightly. You wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t been paying attention. Silence settles in the car as he drives, farmlands passing until the houses start getting closer and closer together. You stare at the buildings as he drives through town, a blend of historical and modern. 

“It’s beautiful here.” You say, watching people and cars pass by. 

“I suppose so.” He says, glancing at you. “I grew up in this area.” 

You turn to look at him. “You did? I didn’t know that. Then again, I don’t know much about any of you.” 

“You can ask us, you know.” He says. “We don’t have to be that secretive with you. At least not about ourselves.” 

He pulls into a parking lot, opening your door for you and helping you out of the car. You slip your hand into his, holding it as you cross the parking lot. You stare up at the store. ASDA. You’ve never heard of it before, though you suppose the stores would be different here too. 

Price drops your hand to grab a cart, the store bustling with people. You hang onto the edge of the cart, staying close to Price’s side. “We’re here for you.” He says, guiding you through the aisles. “Get whatever you want.” 

He’s led you to the homegoods section, your eyes widening at the entire aisle of blankets and bedding in front of you. You try to take it all in, but you feel a bit overwhelmed. There’s so many choices, so many options. 

“Pick out as many as you want. Don’t worry about the price.” He says, before you can protest. “We get paid decently, but don’t have many chances to use it. Let me do this for you.” 

You stare up into his eyes, the sincerity in them, before you nod, turning back to the wall of blankets before you. You study them, running your hand along them to find the softest ones, doing as he says and ignoring the price tags. You settle on a couple soft ones, grabbing a throw blanket as well that you can pack around to the rec room if you want to. He takes you to the pillow aisle, and you settle on a pair of fluffy pillows, as well as a couple decorative ones as well. 

“Here.” He slips a big plush strawberry into your arms before you leave the aisle, your cheeks warming as you look at it. “Makes me think of you.” 

You preen at his words, holding onto the strawberry as you make for the lamps and nightlights, settling on a cat shaped one that will sit on your desk and changes colors. You pick up a few other items before heading for the toiletries, finally setting the strawberry in the cart as you zero in on the soaps and body washes. You smell all the strawberry scented ones, trying to find the perfect one. 

“Why strawberry?” Price asks as you put a strawberries and cream scented body wash in the cart. 

“Compliments my scent.” You explain as he leads you to the shampoo and conditioner. “We had a scent specialist come to the institute one time as an activity. We all figured out what our scents smell like and what notes compliment them the best.” 

An arm wraps around your waist before you can look at the shampoo, pulling you back against a broad chest. Price’s nose presses into your neck and he inhales deeply. He lets out a content hum, his beard tickling the sensitive skin of your neck. “I think you’re right.” 

Your face burns hot as he presses a gentle kiss against the side of your neck before releasing you. You stand there for a moment, trying to calm the heat rushing through your body and focus on the shampoo. You hear him chuckle as you shuffle forward, your face still burning as you smell the shampoo bottles. 

You settle on one, holding onto Price’s arm as you continue around the store, picking up a few other items and a couple for himself as well before heading to the checkout. 

You hold on to Price’s arm as you leave the store, sticking close to him as he loads the bags into the trunk. You can feel the slight tension in his body, the way his eyes scan the parking lot every few seconds. You can’t even begin to imagine how hard it must be for him to relax, especially out in public. How fast his mind has to be running, how alert he is to everyone and everything. A threat could come out of nowhere, could come from anyone. 

It must be exhausting. 

“Hungry, sweetheart?” He asks as he buckles his seatbelt. 

“Always.” You answer, leaning on the center console.

He smiles. “What are you in the mood for?” 

You blink at him. Most of the restaurants you know probably don’t exist in England. “Fish and chips?” You offer, pulling up the one British food you’re confident in naming. 

“Fish and chips it is.” He says, turning on the car. 

“I have yet to have real fish and chips.” You say, settling into the passenger seat. 

“Well, I know the perfect place.” He says, pulling out of the parking lot. 

You don’t have to go far before he’s parking on the street and helping you out of the car. His hand settles on your lower back, guiding you down the street to a fish and chips shop. 

It's too early for the dinner rush, the shop mostly empty and quiet. Price orders for you before guiding you to a table, and you let him sit facing the door and front window. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't have to. They seem so relaxed on base, though you suppose that's the place they feel the most comfortable. You can't even imagine the kinds of things they've seen, the horrors they've been subjected to. 

You don't want to think about the things they've done. 

Your eyes snap downwards as Price's hand slides across the table, closing around yours. You don't want to think about the things he's done with those hands. The lives he's taken, the people he's tortured. Will he ever turn those hands on you? 

They've given you no reason to fear them yet. They've all been kind, polite. Even Ghost hasn't truly given you a reason to fear him, despite his obvious disapproval and hard exterior. 

You know nothing about them. 

You've known them for just over two weeks. You can't possibly have any understanding of who they are, how they express their emotions. What if they get upset? What happens when they get angry? What if you anger them?

“I know this hasn’t been easy for you. Any of it.” Price says, drawing you from your worried thoughts. “I know you were taught to expect this, perhaps not this exact situation, but something like this. Being sent off to some strange alpha to join their pack, bonding with complete strangers. None of us were expecting this either. It’s been an adjustment in a lot of ways, but I want you to know that we’ll take care of you. You need anything, you tell us. You want anything, we’ll do our best to make it happen. We’ll keep you safe.” He lifts your hand to his lips, kissing your knuckles. “I promise you that.” 

You want to believe him. You really do. They haven’t given you any reason to not believe it. 

It’s only been two weeks. 

You continue to talk with him as you eat, making light conversation, getting to know him a bit more. Despite the trickling uncertainty in the back of your mind, it feels good. It feels like a date, something you had dreamed of before you presented, something you had imagined happening when you finally got old enough to start looking for potential mates and packs. 

Of course, back then, you had thought you’d be an alpha. 

It had been expected of you. 

Price has his arm wrapped around you as you walk back to the car, his hand on your hip. It’s possessive almost, and it makes your stomach flutter. Price is the only one you haven’t kissed yet, well, besides Ghost, but you’re certain you’d wind up through a wall if you even thought of trying. It’s almost ironic that Price would be the last, considering he’s going to be the one claiming you, the one you spend your heat with. 

You stare out the window as the buildings fade into farmlands again. The sun is setting, painting the world in oranges and reds. You still feel a bit warm from Price’s possessive hold on you, his teasing in the store. You can still feel the tickle of his beard on your skin, his lips pressing against your neck. 

You jump when rough fingers trail down your arm, pulling it from where it had been resting in your lap. 

“You were right.” Price says as he lifts your hand to his face, pressing his nose against your wrist and inhaling for a moment. “Strawberries are the strongest note in your scent.” He lowers your hand again, lacing your fingers together. “What’s got you all worked up over there.” 

You stare at him, your face getting warm again. Of course he can smell it. You can smell the muskiness beginning to form around the edges of his scent. Desire. “You haven’t kissed me yet.” You say, moving his hand into your lap. “You're the only one that hasn't...well, besides Ghost.”

He huffs out a quiet laugh. “You sound disappointed.” 

You untangle your fingers with his, letting his hand rest on your thigh. “What if I am?”

His fingers flex against your leg, the muskiness of his scent strengthening. “Then maybe we should fix that.” 

The cocktail of scents in the car is intoxicating, and you feel bad for the poor beta soldier at the gate when Price rolls down the window to hand off your IDs. 

Price is out of the car as soon as it's parked, moving around to your side to open the door. He pins you against the side of the car as soon as you're out, caging you in with his arms. 

You stare up at him, head swimming with the musk laced in his scent. You can see his eyes shining in the light next to the door of the barracks. He looks like a hungry wolf, the back of your neck prickling with excitement. 

He leans down, breath fanning your face as he gets closer and closer to you. You press yourself against him, hands gripping his shoulders as he presses his lips to yours. His lips are surprisingly soft, his beard tickling your face. He growls quietly against your lips, pushing you harder against the side of the car. 

You let out a quiet sound in response, hands gripping his jacket. His hands slide from the car to your sides, sliding down to grip your hips. You can feel the muscle hidden beneath his jacket and shirt, the strength that he possesses. He may not be purebred like Ghost, but he’s still every inch an alpha. 

You let out another quiet sound as he pulls away, pressing a caste kiss to the corner of your lips. “Bloody hell, now I know what those boys were on about.” He breathes, leaning his forehead against yours. 

“They were talking about me?” You ask, pulling back slightly. 

“Only good things.” Price grins, leaning down to kiss you again. “Sweet as sugar.” He breathes, kissing you again. “And just as addicting.” He pulls away from you, his hands resting on your waist. “We should get your stuff inside so you can get it all set up. Want me to fetch one of the boys to help?” 

You bite your lip. “Or you could just do it.” 

He stares down at you, something flashing across his face but you can’t quite make it out in the low light. “You’re sure?” His voice is quiet, taking on that soft tone it often does when he speaks to you. 

“You’ll have to eventually.” You shrug. “Might as well start now.” 

He leans down, kissing you again before pulling away, opening up the trunk. He grabs most of the bags, only leaving the pillows for you to grab before he leads the way into the barracks. You open your door, stepping in first before he follows. You dump your pillows on the bed, and he sets the rest of the bags on your desk. 

“Blankets in the wash.” You say, digging them out of the bags, pulling the tags off. 

“I’ll take them.” He says, fishing out his stuff from the bags before taking the blankets from you. 

You switch out your pillows for the softer ones, organizing the decorative ones just the way you want. You squish the strawberry to your chest again, a smile forming on your face before you flop back onto the bed, sinking into the soft pillows. It’s almost perfect, you think. 

“Comfortable?” Price’s voice rumbles in the doorway, a smile on his face as he stares at you. 

“Much better.” You say, sitting up and placing the strawberry in its place. 

The two of you finish taking everything out of the bags, decorating the rest of your room. The posters on the walls, and the nightlight on your desk. It feels far more homey already, and you know you’re going to sleep well tonight once the blankets are out of the wash. 

“Thank you.” You say, looking up at Price. “This really means a lot.” 

“All in a day’s work, love.” He says, pulling you into his arms again. 

You lean against his chest, resting your head over his heart, listening to it beat steadily against your ear. 

You wake up suddenly, yet you’re not quite sure why. There’s no one in your room, your new nightlight easily showing you that. Your mouth is dry, but there’s a line of wetness down your chin. You reach across your nightstand, your phone illuminating the time. 

Just past one a.m. 

You smack your lips, feeling thirsty after the excitement of the day. You’d forgotten to grab water when you left the rec room and you huff out a sigh. You don’t want to get up, but now that you’re aware you’re thirsty, there’s no stopping those thoughts. 

You don’t even bother with slippers as you pad to the door, opening it up. You leave it cracked as you sleepily shuffle towards the rec room, the barracks almost dead quiet this late. You grab a bottle from the fridge, unscrewing the top before drinking a few gulps. It’s cold and tastes divine, soothing the dryness of your mouth. You screw the top back on, closing the fridge before heading back towards your room. 

You turn the corner, still half asleep, nearly yelping as you slam into a chest. You stumble back a couple steps, staring up at the covered face looming over you. You gulp, holding the bottle to your chest. 

“S-Sorry.” You stutter. 

“You’re out of bed.” He says quietly, voice rumbling in the silence. 

“Thirsty.” It’s all you can manage as you hold up the bottle. 

He stares at you for a long moment, eyes flickering all over your face. His chest is heaving, almost as if he had been running before you ran into him. His hands are closed into fists at his sides, knuckles almost white with how tense he is. You think for a moment he might be mad, but you can’t catch any whiff of ozone in the air. Your nose prickles at the scent, but it’s not anger. 

Your tired brain can’t make sense of it, yearning to sink back into the softness of your bed again. You slowly shuffle around him, taking cautious steps, waiting for him to reach out and stop you, but he doesn’t. He simply watches you go, standing there in the hallway as you slip back into your room, not moving until he hears the click of your lock slipping into place. 

Taglist:

@bobaprint @ashy-kit @anunintentionalwriter @mockerycrow @hayleybarnesx @protokosmonaut @fruitymoonbeams-blog @blue-blue0 @hindi-si-ikay @thatonepupkai @redwites @kattiieee @141trash @lothiriel9 @dillybuggg @beebeechaos @konigsmissedbeltloop @kaoyamamegami @idkkkkkkk8363 @wallwriterstuff @smile-child-13 @anomiatartle @dangerkittenclaws @bless-my-demons @mystic60 @evolutionarry @red-hydra @lunaetiicsaystuff @linaangel @codsunshine @thriving-n-jiving @slayerx147 @ferns-fics @spicyspicyliving @cityoffallencrows, @ttsbaby01 @heeheehoohoohahahihi @sleepyoriana @ihatethinkingofnames10, @cassiecasluciluce @darling006 @sheep-from-rad @ohgodthebogisback @willow-sages @scythemood @daniblogs164 @mirzamsaiph 

#call of duty #call of duty fic #x reader #john price x reader #captain price x reader #kyle gaz garrick x reader #kyle garrick x reader #john mactavish x reader #john soap mactavish x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley x reader #poly 141 #task force 141 x reader #omegaverse #a/b/o #alpha/beta/omega dynamics

[facioleeknow]

Valentine's wish ° Bang Chan+Kim Seungmin

Your boyfriends decided to fulfill one of your whishes for valentine's day ;)

Wc: 847 Genre: smut 18+ ONLY

Tw: threesome, voyeurism, masturbation, anal sex, gay sex, mxm, domish reader, down bad seungmin and chan, prostate stimulation, collars, leashes, seungmin and chan are referred to as puppies, top chan, bottom seungmin

Final part of my Valentine's day collab! Thank you @quokkawritesarchive for this awesome collab <3

Having two boyfriends had its perks. It meant double the cuddles, double the love, double the gifts. It also was very interesting in the bedroom; in that case it meant double the toys to play with. And with two obedient little puppies like yours, the fun was way more than doubled. 

If you had told anybody that Seungmin was obedient they would have laughed at you but it was the truth. If you asked, Seungmin would have jumped off a bridge for you. He couldn't even talk back, that was the power you had. It also meant that Chan had double the sass to handle and you could just sit back and enjoy the bickering. But the moment you said something Seungmin immediately stopped, and you took advantage of that way more than you should've. So when they asked you what you wanted for valentine's day, the choice was simple.

Seungmin rarely bottomed when you had sex all together, not that he didn't like the idea but the sassy guy in him refused to let him relax and take it. That didn't bother Chan nor you in the slightest, you wanted them to take everything at their own pace and Chan didn't mind getting fucked, it was a win-win. Nevertheless you couldn't help but wonder how Seungmin sounded or looked when he was being pounded. Would he whine loudly or just lightly grunt? Would he scrunch up his face or go completely lax and let the pleasure take him? Those thoughts made you rub your thighs together more times than you'd like to admit.

Naturally, when they asked so nicely what kind of present you wanted, you had to try and lay on the table the idea. Chan wasn't opposed as you expected, he actually felt rather cocky about it, but Seungmin surprised you. His cheeks flushed red immediately, the blush crept down his neck and under the hem of his shirt. His teeth were clamped down on his bottom lip.

“Are you attracted to the idea, Minnie?” your voice dripped with honey and it was making Seungmin weak in the knees. Your soft hand carded through his short chocolate brown hair.

Seungmin’s puppy eyes were fixed on you, like a prey hypnotized by its predator.

“I..” the boy in front of you started, but the words died in his throat when you started lightly scratching his scalp. He gulped.

“I'll try for you, if you really want to.”

“You're such a good puppy.”

By the time Valentine's day came around, you were all ready. Seungmin and Chan had spent a week prepping with your supervision. Every night you would find yourself staring at your boyfriends, your fingers deep into your sopping pussy while Chan made Seungmin cum all over his fingers again and again. 

By now Seungmin was more than ready, begging on his knees and hands on the bed for Chan to fuck him already. The older boy hushed his pleas and gently pushed his lubed up cock inside him. Seungmin's mouth fell open but nothing came out, his fingers couldn't even compare to what his dick felt like. As Chan started gently rocking back and forth, whimpers and whines started spilling out his lips. They were high-pitched and pathetic. Seungmin's cheeks were a bright red, like his bitten lips. 

You pulled one of the leashes in your hands.

“How does it feel, my love?” you asked the boy that was now slumped on the bed, his cheek squished against the sheets.

“Good, it feels so good.”

“Do you want to feel even better?” 

Seungmin perked up at that like a real puppy and you giggled.

“Yes please.”

“Channie?” The boy was already looking at you but for good measure you gave his leash a slight tug. His hips faltered and he moaned slightly.

“Play with my puppy's dick, won't you?” 

Another tug.

Chan didn't waste any time and bent down, changing the angle of his thrusts. Seungmin gasped and grasped the sheets beneath him tightly in his fists, only to release when his boyfriend's hand came in contact with his dick. The room was filled with half screams and high pitched moans.

“I'm not going to last,” whined Seungmin.

“It's okay baby, I want you to cum,” tug, “Channie faster.”

Chris nodded and started slamming his hips into Seungmin's. His warm and calloused hand felt heavenly against Seungmin's dick. The tip of his cock was hitting his prostate with every thrust. He swore he could see stars around and hear angels sing for him.

His orgasm hit him hard, harder than ever before. His seed spilled on the white sheets under him, making a mess.

He fell down on the mattress, his eyes closed.

A gentle hand carded through his hair, your hand.

“Did you like it baby?” 

“Yes, a lot,” he opened his eyes to look at you.

Your hand wrapped around one of the leashes, effectively pulling Chan on top of you.

“You've been such a good puppy, you deserve a reward. Would you like to watch Channie fuck me?”

“Yes, please.

#kpop #reader insert #stray kids #stray kids x reader #stray kids smut #bang chan #bang chan x reader #bang chan smut #chan #chan x reader #chan smut #seungmin x reader #seungmin #seungmin smut #kim seungmin x reader #kim seungmin smut #kim seungmin #chanmin #chanmin x reader #chanmin smut #bang chan x kim seungmin #chan x seungmin

[controld3vil]

split

pairing(s): sub-zero/bi-han & reptile/syzoth x reader (seperate) synopsis: shang tsung’s proposition tempted you. his powers guaranteed so you took it. how can they see you now, when you’re going against your morals for yourself? alt: requested by this ask! notes: - reader is gender neutral - anon, thank uu for requesting !! i also wanna mention, im capable of writing for most of mk1 characters :] i should’ve specified on my pinned comment but as long as you read my rules, it’s all good - btw this was such a fun concept to write !!

BI HAN/SUB-ZERO  -> It works in his favor, while Bi-Han struggled to make amends for the well-being of Lin Kuei. Circumstances were failing him - his father, no doubt, created a bad example for him. He could not guide him on the significance of maintaining order on Earthrealm. Your recent habits did not surprise him - you were always a kind-hearted person. You were the one who helped Tomas when he struggled to make a perfect score and who volunteered additional counseling for new Lin Kuei trainees - you were dutiful to follow his steps and to protect Earthrealm.

-> But perhaps on that day, when Shang Tsung turned Bi-Han against his brothers, it made you think twice about what was at stake. Kuai Liang knocks him out and brings him back to the compound in solitary confinement. “Kuai Liang told me you aligned with the enemy?” You questioned, him half expecting you to be furious at his endeavor. The Lin Kuei's Grandmaster scoffs at the mention of Scorpion, his scorned brother, the one to betray him. “He was a fool otherwise - What Shang Tsung offered will lead The Lin Kuei to glory.” Part of Bi-Han’s mind pondered your disapproval of his defiance - you always disliked the mistreatment of power, leaving no justice for those less fortunate. Why you are willing to stand by his stand is unknown to the Grandmaster. -> You do not visit for a few days, and the cryomancer grows wary of your rejection against him. Coincidentally, you were more aligned with his younger brothers, accepting the peace that Liu Kang made - you were never to oppose, even suggesting alternative solutions when issues struck. Liu Kang nonetheless appreciated your advice but never took upon your suggestions. Bi-Han feels enraged by this - you had many skills, faring better than some of his soldiers.  -> The night he escaped the compound, Sektor and Cyrax reassure him of your safety. It was your idea, and Bi-Han feels relief when he encounters you keeping watch. Lin Kuei soldiers – devoted to him and your cause, are by your side, monitoring the site. The Grandmaster drained from numerous hours of inactivity, bolts to you. “I thought you would stay,” Left me – a fear he would never tell. However, you catch it in his eyes, promising, almost pleading for you. “I am by your side, Bi-Han,” you say, interlacing your hands with his. “Never forget that.”  -> Your peculiar habits began bit by bit after the battle with Titan Shang Tsung. With the service of Sektor, Bi-han was able to elevate the Lin Kuei with cybernetic soldiers. He acknowledged this was the more reasonable choice than Shang Tsung’s soul stealers as it was discreet from Liu Kang’s notice. You believed the same - the Lin Kuei required more allies, and building their strength would be a nifty task. The revelation brought you to the masterful sorcerer. Shang Tsung is disingenuous but does not worry you. As long as he did his end of the bargain, you considered - would be adequate. In exchange for control, he could summon you at any time. An easy compromise that you assumed - would not disrupt Lin Kuei’s plans. -> Time after time, you were not like yourself. You felt you had gone through a dramatic shift after inheriting new powers. It was as if you were reborn with greater intention. The things you used to tend for did not feel the exact or vital. Scorpion and Smoke pointed this out when they witnessed you again in Japan. Things have changed — you have changed. They could see it in your eyes and demeanor. You were no longer the gentle and maternal figure they grew up seeing. [ bi-han ]: together, side by side, the lin kuei will fare no better glory. [ you ]: if only kuai liang and tomas understood this.

SYZOTH/REPTILE -> Syzoth is worried about you. Every minute you stand by Shang Tsung’s side, darkness infests your mind. Syzoth had bare witness to the mischievous schemes and understood it would be detrimental for you. Compared to him and everyone else, you were the last person someone would wish to pursue into madness. How should he explain this? -> When Syzoth met you, it was a pure accident. You were gazing through the multiple fruit stands the city had to show. He was performing a show per Shang Tsung’s persistence. To reveal his Zaterran qualities, Reptile continuously did tricks, transforming back and forth between forms. His stunts were not the first thing that captured your stare. But merely his smile - you knew what happiness and joy felt like. From afar, you saw how broken he was. At the end of the night, Syzoth scurried backstage to prepare for the following day. Unexpectedly, you arrived, arms crossed behind your back with a cutely curious expression. “You’re the performer, right? The one with Zaterran blood?”   -> “What does it mean to you? Here to insult me?” His voice is sharp and rigid as he dismisses your presence, shaking the boxes beside his tent. Numerous strangers were keen to spend time with him. Most enjoyed the entertainment he produced. You saw the void Syzoth had, standing out on the podium like a puppet. It was degrading to a living being. You wanted to help him - however, Syzoth rejected it. If Shang Tsung witnessed your compassion, who knows what manipulative excuse he would use?  -> Though it struck him by surprise what Shang Tsung told him the following morning, “A benevolent soul has sent their regards to you and has convinced me to travel with us. I must thank you, Syzoth.” Horror struck the Zatterian as if he had witnessed the most vile crime. His intent was never to pursue you into his mess. Nonetheless, he frets for your safety and what would happen to your mind once corrupted.  -> Your innocence is what kept Syzoth going. In the opaque chasms of Shang Tsung's experiments, you were the one person he could lean on when circumstances had driven him mad. You are supportive and affectionate. And you know the ways and words to console him from his night terrors. While the longer you stayed with him, the more you saw misconduct and depravity. There was an appeal to the sorcerer. Born with little power, you became curious for a better life. Shang Tsung gladly offered and gave you what you considered a gift from the Elder Gods. Like day and night, you were conspicuous with your odd habits. There were times Syzoth questioned your motives, always collecting materials for Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. You were delighted to comply with their requests, even going out of your way to exploit their payment. -> However, one thing he knew that was true was your fondness for him. You deeply cared for the shape-shifting Zatterran. Always there to safeguard him from unwanted matters. All the horrific experiments tormented him. And when they fetch new subjects, the laboratory would be the worst place to reside. The nauseating smell of flesh and blood could never escape him. That is the burden Syzoth must carry forever. You were his guardian angel in some ways. In frantic need, you make all his fears go away. Simply by your presence alone, Syzoth will feel at ease. Where he is near, you are never too far off. You have sacrificed much for him.

-> The two of you looked out for each other. There was no line you would not cross to save Syzoth. Even now, as you two fled the wretched laboratory of his former master, you had suggested killing the Earthrealmers. Which Syzoth immediately brought down, scolding you for how casual you made it sound to be. Johnny, Kenshi, and Kung Lao were not like Shang Tsung. They were deemed trustworthy - for setting him and you free from imprisonment. He knew you meant no harm, simply looking out for his safety and yours. Syzoth hopes one day to change your perspective on outsiders and Earthrealm alike. He believes you would thrive better here at Lord Liu Kang’s sanctuary.  -> Initially, the Fire God had given his friend, Johnny, a questionable look. After he deemed him, you, and Asrah compatible with Earthrealm's cause, you were welcome with open arms. It was the first step for you to contemplate and rehabilitate yourself. He hopes for you to stay away from harm. Syzoth all knew of the toxic threads Shang Tsung had placed on you - he anticipates you freed of them. And to allow yourself to aid people for the greater good.  [ you ]: don't believe all of what liu kang has to say. [ syzoth ]: why? and trust shang tsung instead?

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat 1 x reader #mortal kombat 1 #mk1 2023 #mk1 #mk x reader #mk1 x reader #mk headcanons #bi han #bi han x reader #bi han x you #sub zero #sub zero x reader #syzoth #syzoth x reader #reptile #syzoth x you #reptile x reader #reptile x you #honestly based #reader is kinda evil uhmmm

[tricktster]

how long have you been getting burritoed... i love the thought of you guys being together for five years and you still fall for it every time

Slightly NSFW warning but the full backstory for the burritoing is honestly very sweet and i can take absolutely no credit for it being so.

so it has not been five years, it’s only been five months, but given that my tolerance for being in relationships can usually be measured in weeks, five months with me harboring every single desire to keep this going is saying something. but rest assured the burrito thing has always been a threat in this relationship. lemme explain.

see, i met my boyfriend the most romantic way a person can, in that i hopped on tinder one friday when I was bored and he was the most interesting person that night to ask me to grab a drink with him the following week. I agreed, with every expectation that this was going to be a one night stand situation. This was because I had already concluded I would probably sleep with him since he was hot and funny over tinder/text but also, more importantly, because I had decided to plunge back into the dating world after several years of being resolutely single by having what my roommate described as “a wanton winter,” which is a nicer way of saying that I was here to sleep around without any strings remotely attached. I had every intention of this being followed by a slutty spring, sexually-available summer, and perhaps even a fuckboi fall.

All this to say, I was not looking for an actual relationship when I agreed to “grab a drink” with the man who is now my boyfriend. In fact, even though he was categorically hunky all-round? I was by this point in my wanton winter not even optimistically hoping for a good time. I had recently re-discovered that hunky meant absolutely nothing, and was still haunted by memories of sleeping with an extremely attractive massage therapist who was not only terrible in bed but also read me a very bad poem that he’d written afterwards and started crying about the state of his life at one point and also his mom called like 11 times while he was over. Like, my expectations were subterranean.

Now given this background, i presumed that this guy would follow the established pattern set by every other guy i’d hooked up with during wanton winter; we’d go back to my place, fool around, he’d leave, and i’d get occasional “u up” texts from him for the next few weeks until one of us ghosted etc. so like it was a surprise - but certainly not an unpleasant one! - when he asked (a little nervously) post-hookup if he could stay the night. he didn’t want to impose, he explained, but he had a day shift the next morning and it was really late and his house was 24 minutes away and while he didn’t want to be presumptuous he’d thrown what he needed in a backpack just in case and also he wanted to cuddle and be big spoon.

well. this was a deviation. this possibly suggested more interest than just a one night stand.

ideologically i was opposed to the threat this posed to my no commitments wanton winter lifestyle but given that he was significantly cuter and funnier in person than he’d been online and also that he had just absolutely rocked my entire world for several hours(!!!) i was just like “yeah homie you are more than welcome to stay,” and decided against issuing my standard warning whenever anyone proposes sharing a bed with me that “I do not tolerate people attempting to cuddle me in my sleep well so don’t be hurt when you find me as far from you as physically possible tomorrow, and also you may be kicked in the process of me rolling away, and my toenails are inexplicably sharp so you may bleed.”

and then, you know, suddenly the alarm was going off, and he was extracting himself, unwounded, from the big spoon position that I had not felt the unconscious need to escape from all night, and I was just internally like “haha! i might be in trouble!”

that mighta done it on its own, honestly, the whole bit about him being the sole exception i have ever encountered to my instinctual need for space when i’m sleeping. but he was not done. he quietly got ready while i was mulling this development over in a state of half consciousness, and then? instead of slinking out into the barely-morning, that motherfucker very gently rearranged the bedclothes to actually cover me, gave me a kiss, said he’d text me when he got to work, and then the bastard tucked me in.

he then left me, the victim of the cutest goddamn nonsense that has ever happened after a tinder hookup, to process this unexpected turn of events.

I concluded that I was, in fact, in trouble.

so like… needless to say, that act of tucking me in was the death knell for my wanton winter, as well as my adversarial relationship with the concept of developing feelings. I am an extremely crotchety housecat that doesn’t like to be crowded who has unprecedentedly fallen incredibly hard for a wildly enthusiastic golden retriever, and our relationship is foundationally based upon this man’s desire to make me all snug and cozy before he leaves.

the burrito aspect was merely an afterthought. it’s all about the tuck-in babey.

[leviathanspain]

you NEED to write more for Tom 😭😭😭 like I’ve been thinking so much about age-gap f!assistant tropes with Tom it’s actually insane, like Tom asking you nonchalantly to ride his thigh (or him) in his office 🌸🌸

skin tight

tom wambsgans x assistant!reader

synopsis: tom knows how to push your buttons perfectly, and you let him

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

tom wambsgans was a total asshole. he was arrogant, thought himself to be the hottest piece of ass to ever come out of ATN and you were stuck working for him, bringing him coffee just to never drink it, or to make you run all around the city looking for a bagel that didn't exist. it was an endless cycle, but you found him to be the most tolerable associate of the roy family, and decided that between him and kendall, being tom's assistant wasn't all that bad.

if you ignore the obvious sexual tension of course.

"here is that-" you didn't get to finish your sentence before tom waved you away. you sighed, rolling your eyes as you spun on your heel and stepped out of his office, tossing the scalding cup of coffee into the nearest bin before settling back down at your desk. that had been the third time today that tom had made you get things for him, just for him to send you and it away. normally you wouldn't let this behavior phase you, but it was starting to get to be too much.

there had been a break in your thoughts and you turned to glimpse into tom's office, and found him already looking at you. you gasped slightly in surprise and stood up, knowing that this had been no coincidence.

you kept your head bowed as you stepped inside the office. you could feel his eyes on you, feeling the irritation coming from his gaze. you swallowed thickly, "tom?" was all you could manage, unsure of what to say, especially to him.

"close the blinds," he spoke quietly, not whispered but a quiet, and serious tone. you did as he said, moving to first close the one directly facing your desk. you watched as the life of the ATN office was shut away by the white blinds. your hands shook slightly but you finished the rest. you turned around, silently waiting for him to speak.

he finally did speak, after a minute of unbearable silence.

"now come fuck yourself on my thigh." his words had left you speechless, but you weren't exactly opposed to not doing as he said. you stared at him for a moment and he shrugged, "clearly you've been angry with me. i am giving you an opportunity to release that anger." he spoke cooly, glancing over at his computer, as if this was like any other work conversation.

you waited, thinking.

"okay." you decided, and watched as tom looked up in mild surprise, as if he hadn't expected you to agree. how could you not? not when he's been subtly hitting on you since your employment. tom wambsgans was an asshole, and cheating on his wife had been nothing new at this point. nearly everyone in waystar royco had heard of shiv and tom's marital problems.

tom watched as you walked over to his desk. you were wearing a tight black pencil skirt, so tight that he could see your hip indentations. you leaned against his desk, his thigh next to you. "i need you to pull my skirt up. It's-" you didn't finish, his fingertips grazed your skin as he shucked your skirt up, seeing your lacy underwear peeking out. he looked at you and you remained unmoving, letting him proceed to remove your panties, gently pulling them and letting them slide down your legs.

he patted you to step out of them. you inhaled a breath as his finger ran once over your slick folds. your breath shook slightly but your thoughts were clouded by lust. all you could think about was how good your cunt will feel against his thigh.

tom didn't remove his pants. he was going to let you fuck yourself on his hundred dollar suit pants.

you hovered over him, and his hand found it's way to graze your cheek, brushing your hair back as you finally sat down on his leg, feeling the friction of the fabric against your cunt. you shivered, and tom's hand moved to your waist, gripping it.

you inhaled sharply as your hips began to move.

"i was doing it on purpose." he spoke, eyes glued to the sight of your pussy grinding down on his thigh. tom smirked, "watching you listen to my demands like it was the word of god.." he trailed off and you grunted, "shut up." you whispered weakly, too focused on the pleasure to defend yourself properly.

you knew tom saw you as nothing but his young female assistant, nothing other than someone to fuck. what you were currently doing did not help your image. in his eyes, you were weak, a plaything, a punching bag.

you moaned, unable to hold yourself up, you grabbed onto his shoulder to steady yourself. tom grunted softly, "mmhm, let me hear you baby." he whispered, hand brushing through your hair. it was slightly romantic, and it made you feel uneasy. romance was something that had to be avoided at all costs with tom wambsgans.

you panted, and gripped his shoulder tightly as you felt yourself getting close. he chuckled deeply. "you're so wet, you're seeping through." he loved it, he loved how good his thigh was making you feel. he could only imagine how you would look stuffed with his cock.

you shivered, moaning loudly as you came all over his thigh. tom gripped your waist, and he was smirking, watching as you fell against him. he was warm, the fabric of his suit felt nice against your cheek. even his hand had been rubbing your back.

you jolted up, and awkwardly leaned off. you stood up, deciding to struggle to get your skirt down as he looked at the mess you had made on his thigh. you were blushing red, hot and absolutely bothered. you stared at him, and at your crumpled panties that you had forgotten to slip back on. he followed your gaze and picked them up.

tom stuffed them into his pocket, and scooted back behind his desk. he began to work as if nothing happened and you remained planted, quiet and exhausted.

tom didn't glance at you, "you can go. and don't ever roll your eyee at me again." you began to walk away, "yes, sir."

asshole, you thought silently, letting his office door slam behind you as you walked past your desk, deciding to take the rest of the day off.

#tom wambsgans x reader #tom wambsgans smut #tom wambsgans angst #succession fanfic #succession hbo #succession #tom wambsgans #tom wambsgans imagines #roman roy x reader #kendall roy x reader #lukas matsson x reader #greg hirsch x reader

[patrophthia]

Hi queen, and congrats! I’m in my Sirius era so maybe a fic with him and literally any trope/idea you have (although I have to admit I love e2l)

Anyways, congratulations again 💞

babe i’m always in my sirius era so i GET you and i love e2l so i (hopefully) GOT you too!! and thank u!!!

just kiss already! | sirius black

pairing: sirius black x reader

genre: silly banters, not exactly enemies to lovers but they’re bickering and bantering with each other (except one is in love with the other)

part of my 1k celebration event !

If you had a galleon for every time Sirius Black disagreed with you on something you’d have about just enough to build your own Hogswart. It was all in good fun at first, playful banters between the two quidditch announcers until the quote unquote ‘banter’ made its way into your day to day left rather than it staying within the announcer’s booth. 

“What?” You don’t have to glance at him to know that Sirius had slid into the sit opposing you, not caring that you’ve been saving it for a friend of yours. “What is it this time?” 

You know what he’s going to say by how casually he’d plop himself down. It had started this way, you sliding up to him as naturally as you could as you ask him in aiding you commentate this year’s quidditch matches seeing as the old announcer was your ex boyfriend and you’d much rather die then work with him again. 

And Sirius was popular enough to make people want to listen to what he had to say, plus he’s well aware of the rules in quidditch through his friendship with the Gryffindor’s team captain. He was the perfect candidate then, and maybe you’re regretting your decision now (just maybe). 

“I need a favor from you,” he says easily; a sly smile creeping onto his handsome face when you finally look at him, “I need you to do this weekend’s match alone.” 

“You want me to commentate the final match of this season alone?” You ask him, tone ridiculing. Everyone who knew anything about sport knew how stressful the finals are, and when you’re two teenagers commentating on the school final match with nothing but magic as your helper, you’re going to need all hands on deck. “Do you hear yourself?” 

A hand finds it’s way into his curls, tossing it slightly as he tried to come up with a reply. “I have a good reason.” 

“It better be,” you snickered. “I’m seconds away from hexing your arse into announcing the match with me.” 

“It’s well—” he pauses, seemingly nervous for once. “—I have a date.” 

“That’s your reason?” You scoff, ignoring the weird pang in your chest. Sirius Black is handsome, you know that, the whole school knew that; he’s always been desirable —and, in your eyes, incredibly annoying. So how anyone could want to be with him —despite his good look, and honestly charming personality— is a mystery to you. “You’re missing the match to get your dick wet?” 

He tears his eyes away from you, breaking contact as he looks to the side. “When you put it like that it’s . . .”

“It’s what?” You’re annoyed and he could sense it. “It’s a stupid reason to miss the most important match this season that your best friend is playing?” 

Sirius is quiet for once in his life. It’s the first time you’ve ever seen him this quiet —probably being eaten up by his own feelings, and he looks so . . . guilty you almost almost feel bad for him. 

“You know what?” You say after a while, grey eyes meeting yours once more. “Just do whatever you want, I don’t care. I don’t know why I’m still holding out hope that you’d do the one thing I’ve asked of you to do. ” 

And maybe his date cancelled on him, or James Potter said a few not so kind words about how it’s utter betrayal to not be there for him during the finals; or maybe, just maybe, your words got to him. 

Leaving you more than just surprised to find him already sat at the announcer’s booth when you arrive. You sit down besides him, not daring to look at him seeing as the last time you did look at him, you’d told him that you’ve been expecting something from him and he’s only disappointed you since. 

So you waited until the game start, siding with the team he was naturally opposed to. It was second nature by now, for him to always support whichever team you didn’t (even if it was his own house). 

“It looks like Prongs spotted the snitch,” Sirius says, ignoring you when you corrected him that ‘Prongs’ should be referred to as ‘Potter’ in these settings, “if you’d stop telling me what to do maybe someone would be seeking for you. Merlin, knows you made everyone around your miserable enough.” 

There’s a few audible gasps from the audience, even fewer laughters finding amusement in the word ‘seeking’ being used in a quidditch pitch in entirely different contexts. The audience are used to your banters by now, though those had always been playful without this —this, underlying pretense of light heartedness. 

Sirius had meant something hostile with his words, and every could sense it. 

Which is why the Seekers of each team only stop what they’re doing to look at you when you retorted. “I didn’t ask for you to be here, go be with your date and stop being an ass to me, Black. I’m getting real tired of you.” 

“Of course, you didn’t ask to be here. You only said those things where it’s oh so clear you’re upset with me knowing full well I can’t stand seeing you be mad at me.” His remark is quick, racing out of his mouth just mere seconds after your words. “You’re getting tired of me? Merlin, knows I’m getting real tired of constantly worrying about how you’re feeling.” 

He’s not looking at you, his hands curled up into a fist besides the microphone, clearly frustrated with something. 

You’re scoffing now. “And why are you constantly worrying about how I’m feeling? We’re not friends, Black. I’ve never once asked you to be my friend, let’s not play pretend here.” 

“I’m not playing pretend,” he snaps. “You and I both know that we don’t have to be friends for me to care about you.”

“You care about me?”

“Oh Merlin. Are we really doing this right now?” There’s a shout from the pitch, and the voice so distinct that you don’t have to even look to know that it was the one and only James Potter screaming at you. “Yes. Yes, he does! Now just kiss already and let’s get back to the match!” 

You don’t say another word, and neither does Sirius as the audience waited with bated breath to see whether you’d actually kiss. But, unlike everyone else, Professor Mcgonagall seems to actually have some sense within herself to step in and direct the attention back to the match. 

And if she spotted the two announcers slipping away during the break, she doesn’t find enough sense in herself to stop them from doing so. 

— from bee: i got so carried away this ended up at 1.1k words oops

#sirius black fanfiction #sirius black x reader #sirius black x you #sirius black humor #sirius black angst #sirius black crack #sirius black fanfic #sirius black x y/n #sirius x reader #sirius x you #🧳: my writing #🍰: 1k with patro!

[nonbinaryspy]

Ike/Soren Meta: The Little Things

In (belated) honor of the IkeSoren Week Encore prompt for canon scenes, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite less obvious interactions. These are moments outside their supports/base convos/death quotes/endings that nonetheless feel personal or significant. Some even require variables like other units dying. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but I sure did have a lot of thoughts on it all, so this post is very long.

First up: moments in early PoR that establish their initial dynamic and characterization.

Ch 4

If Shinon is alive (Normal or Easy mode)

Shinon: “All right, Ike. Let’s see how you handle the role of captain. Well? What are your orders, boy? We’ll do what you say, so long as you hurry up and spit it out!” Ike: “I know, I know! I’m thinking! Give me a moment, will you, Shinon?” Shinon: “Bah. Useless! We’d be better led with Mist than this soft, untested whelp.” Ike: “Let’s see…We’re in the middle of the road, and there’s not much cover. Soren and Rhys are vulnerable, so we have to protect them from enemy attacks…Right?” Soren: “That’s a sound strategy, Ike. I can attack from behind your defenses. Good thinking.” Ike: “Do you mean that? Um…all right! Let’s do that then.”

This is obviously meant as a hint to new players, but it’s also introducing the team dynamics when Ike is put in charge for the first time. Shinon is clearly derisive, which makes it stand out more that Soren jumps to compliment Ike, especially when he himself is usually more negative. Ike in turn seems surprised and happy to receive a compliment from him. Shortly before this, we saw Ike doubting why his father would put him in charge and not feeling up to the task, and later in the game we’ll see him expressing how much he appreciates Soren’s bluntness and objectivity because it means he can trust his word. So, Soren’s encouragement in this moment clearly has weight.

Plus, it’s just cute that this sets up the idea of Ike as a tank to Soren, since that plays out in both the plot and gameplay.

I also think it’s neat how this changes if only Ike and Soren are in this part:

If Rhys and Shinon are dead (Hard mode)

Soren: “Ike, do you have any ideas on how you want to approach this fight?” Ike: “Let’s see…We’re in the middle of the road, and there’s not much cover. You’re vulnerable, so I have to be sure you’re protected from enemy attacks, right?” Soren: “Right. Er…sorry for the trouble…but I appreciate the consideration.” Ike: “Sure. All right, let’s do that then.”

Soren is the only squishy mage Ike is talking about protecting, making his response more sheepish. Throughout the game, we see Soren worry about being a burden to Ike, so the idea of Ike having to protect him specifically puts him in a different headspace. Meanwhile, Ike doesn’t turn into a puppy here because Soren didn’t compliment him.

If Soren is forced to retreat in this chapter, this happens after the battle:

Soren: “…Forgive me. I was nothing more than a hindrance.” Ike: “Don’t worry about it. Your health is more important. How bad is the wound?” Soren: “…” Ike: “That bad? Well then, from now on, I want you to be an intelligence officer.” Soren: “What? Are you serious?” Ike: “Are you so opposed to the idea?” Soren: “Of course not! I thought…I…I assumed I would be…let go…” Ike: “Don’t be stupid. An intelligence officer assists with strategy and planning, right? There’s no combat of any kind. There shouldn’t be any problems. I’m sure the commander will approve of the idea.” Soren: “…Th-thank you. I’ll try to bring honor to the position.”

Speaking of Soren being afraid of being a burden, this is the first chance for the player to see a core element of his character, which is how concerned he is with being useful. This is far before he has learned to trust that he will always have a place at Ike’s side. He  joined the company to be with Ike and attain security, so the fact that he expects to lose all of that after being hurt is so sad, but also makes sense given his past and how he’s only been desired for his abilities. Of course, Ike doesn’t realize any of this–he only wants Soren to be safe and stay with him. This is mirrored beautifully in Soren’s Forging Bonds in FEH, where he wonders why his younger self would be summoned when he isn’t useful, and Ike theorizes that it’s more about his younger self’s well-being than his abilities.

Another thing of interest here is that Soren, despite now being referenced constantly as the Greil Mercenaries’ tactician, didn’t actually start out with that job title. At the start of the game, he was their staff officer who was still in training with a different mercenary group. Over the course of the games, especially RD, he grows into his role as a respected strategist (and possibly a legendary one, if Cipher and his other game cameos are to be believed). But here, we see that even in the beginning of PoR, Ike already saw that potential in him.

Ch 8:

Ike: “What about you, Soren?” Soren: “…Ike. I’m not sure what help I could be to you. What place is there for me in a mercenary company, anyway?” Ike: “You are so weird…I’ve always depended on you, haven’t I? I need your tactical knowledge. I need your objectivity. You’re not going to leave me, are you, Soren?” Soren: “Don’t worry. I’ll be here, watching over you.”

I love how crucial this is to establishing their relationship, especially since all of the dialogues I included before this one are optional. This is the first time most players will see Soren doubt his place, Ike express how much he values Soren, and Soren promise to stay and look after him.

It’s also a perfect introduction to the arc Soren has if you do their supports. Throughout their supports, you learn why he feels like an outsider, finally culminating in him shouting “I don’t belong anywhere!” with the expectation that this will disgust Ike, and that Ike will finally reject him. But he doesn’t. That unconditional acceptance finally gets through to Soren, and in his final line in the game, if he has an A support with Ike, he will say his iconic line, “There’s only one place for me to be, Ike…and it’s by your side.” Even the word choice of “place” echoes the dialogue from chapter 8; what place is there for him? By Ike’s side. Asked and answered.

It’s significant that all of Soren’s appearances since then have quoted this sentiment. It’s the culmination of his journey toward acceptance. Without being tied to a specific family, nationality, or many of the other things that shape a person’s identity and understanding of their place in the world, he thought he would never belong anywhere. But Ike’s main philosophy is that a person’s origins don’t need to define them, and his influence allows Soren to accept himself.

Another interesting thing about the above interaction is how much it stands out from the other conversations in this part of the game. PoR gives a lot of early screen time to the Greil Mercs, even though as we’ve seen, it requires a lot of variations to account for permadeath. This leads up to chapters 8-9, where we see them all handle grief differently as they process what Greil’s life and death mean to them. All of this hits hard, but what’s interesting about Soren is that he never says anything about Greil. Instead, we see the above scene where he questions his own right to be there, as well as various scenes in chapter 9 where he hovers around Ike, trying to provide comfort and not knowing how (see below).

In this scene, the other characters are reacting to the idea of Ike taking command. Their loyalty to Greil is being tested as they have to decide whether to follow his inexperienced son. For instance, we learn in this section how much the three brothers owe to Greil for taking them in. But Soren, though Greil also took him in and he seemed to have some basic respect for Greil’s command, didn’t join the group for Greil. He joined it for Ike. So as he says, “We all knew that Ike was going to inherit command of the company, didn’t we? It just happened sooner than we wanted.” It was already a foregone conclusion that he would one day follow Ike–but to him, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll be allowed to, or has a right to. So in the above script, when everyone is chiming in to express their support of Ike’s leadership, Soren instead vents his own insecurities.

Ch 9:

Much has already been said about Soren’s personal journey and how Ike supports him, but I am also very interested in the reverse. Ike is increasingly being forced to take on roles that he doesn’t feel ready for at the same time as having to swallow his sudden grief. PoR is at heart a coming-of-age story, where Ike is coming into his own while struggling to understand the world around him, all while getting a crash course in topics like war and politics. Soren, as someone who is very caring toward Ike but is otherwise cold and pragmatic due to his own traumatic experiences, and who is knowledgeable about many of the topics that Ike is ignorant of, is a key part of this growth process.

As said, chapter 9 especially has several parts where Soren clearly wishes to comfort Ike in the wake of Greil’s death, but has no idea how. Their C support is an example of this, as is their base conversation, which I’ve always thought was incredibly sweet—especially given that Soren’s intent clearly comes through, and Ike is able to find comfort in his presence while reassuring Soren that he’ll be all right. It demonstrates the care and understanding between them.

Another example though, which you might not necessarily see, happens after Soren’s first report if there was a casualty in the previous chapter:

Soren: “And that’s it.” Ike: “Ugh…” Soren: “Ike? Is something wrong?” Ike: “Even though I was aware of the numbers, hearing it in a report like this is…hard.” Soren: “Do you mean the casualties and refugees?” Ike: “Death and destruction are all part of war. My father said that a lot. ‘The first casualties of war are those without strength and those without luck. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Live with bravery, be daring and fearless. Live for those who have died.’ And yet…I can’t help but think if I were more powerful…I could save more people. Couldn’t I?” Soren: “Ike…” Ike: “…Blast!” Soren: “Indeed.” Ike: “Forgive me. I got carried away.” Soren: “No, not at all… Um, perhaps I should…” Ike: “Thank you for the report. I will need more of the same from here on. Keep up the good work.” Soren: “Thank you, Commander. I will do my best. But if I have your leave, I must be going.”

First of all: Can we all just appreciate how funny “...Blast!” “Indeed.” is? It reads like a shitpost comic, but they really just said that.

Anyway, the idea that people can die in Ike’s very first battle as commander, right after he could do nothing to save his father, hits hard here. FE in general, with its permadeath feature and plots, focuses a lot on the weight of individual deaths in war. Given Greil’s past, it’s unsurprising that he gave Ike the advice he did. But it’s equally unsurprising that Ike would find this hard to accept.

As said before, Soren truly does not know how to offer comfort, but his sympathy for Ike is clear. All he can really do is support him with his tactics and objectivity like Ike asked. So it seems significant that this is one of the only times Soren ever addresses Ike formally. Ike is always just Ike to him, even later on when Ike has been named a lord and general. So to me, the fact that he calls him “Commander” here feels deliberate. All this time, Ike has been doubting his ability to lead, and Soren can’t offer personal comfort–so acknowledging Ike’s role as his leader, and Soren’s commitment to supporting him in that role, is the best assurance he can provide.

Next, I want to talk about the middle section of the game, particularly moments that reference the Ike/Soren supports.

Ch 12:

Nasir: I am uncomfortable around dragons. I thought it would be better if I stayed below in my cabin. My apologies. Ike: Now that you mention it, Soren seems to have disappeared as well. Have you seen him? Nasir: Perhaps he's feeling nauseated. For one unaccustomed to sea travel, it's not uncommon. Ike: Right...I think I'll check up on him later.

I’m including this for being early foreshadowing re: Soren’s origins, as well as one of the many times that Ike checks on him throughout the game. Actually, this is an example of something that happens a LOT, which is the game pointing people toward the Ike/Soren supports. Given how important they are to Soren’s arc and that they’re even a requirement for some scenes in RD, that isn’t surprising. It is pretty unusual in an FE game, however, which makes it notable. Sometimes it feels like every other chapter is putting neon signs around Soren saying “This guy has Stuff, and Ike wants to know what, btw.” This specific example is even one that foreshadows RD, rather than anything that is followed up on directly in this game.

Ch 13:

Ike: Soren...About what I said this morning... Soren: Yes? Ike: About the way you phrase things. Soren: I...I ought to apologize for that. Ike: No, don't apologize. I know you. I know it's been bothering you, hasn't it? Soren: No. Well... Ike: Don't take it personally. I'm no better, you know. Your ability to speak plainly the things others won't is part of what makes you brilliant. Others are too bound by courtesy...With you, I trust that what you say is exactly what you think. Soren: Well...yes... Thank you, Ike.

I don’t have anything new to say here re: the things Ike understands and appreciates about Soren and how Ike expresses this. I just love this scene. <3

Ch 15:

Ike: Tell me, Soren, are you all right? Soren: Hm? Ike: Recently--ever since we reached Begnion, in fact--you've seemed depressed. Soren: Is...is that so? How odd. Well, I can think of nothing specific that's bothering me. Ike: Well, if you say so. Ike: So, it's time for the desert! Which is the best direction to enter from? Soren: ... Ike: Soren? Soren: ...Eh? Yes, what is it? Ike: All right, I know there's something going on! Soren: I'm... I'm sorry... I was...thinking. What is it you wanted? Ike: Well, I was going to ask you for directions, but it's no longer necessary. It looks like we're being met.

This is one of the most blatant examples of their supports being integrated into the plot. It follows up on Ike telling Sigrun that Soren’s been depressed, and leads directly into their B support, plus foreshadows their A support by establishing Soren’s reaction to finding out that he’s branded.

Ch 17:

Ike: Hm? Is that you, Soren? You're up early. Soren: Actually, I'm always awake at this time. Ike: Really? Soren: Yes. You're the one who's up earlier than normal. Ike: I want to finish our mission today. I think my nervous energy woke me up. Soren: I understand... The last two days spent searching Serenes Forest for that heron have been frustrating and fruitless. I'm sure he's in there somewhere, but… Ike: I agree. And Duke Tanas's men are still hunting away. They must think the heron is there as well. Soren: The only place left is the forest's heart. That's where we should go today. With luck, we may finally locate our target. Ike: I get the feeling it's going to be a long day.

This, meanwhile, happens after the B support has already been available. This is mostly plot exposition, but what’s significant is that the tone and dynamic are very different than just a couple chapters ago. You can’t tell in text, but they’re smiling in the lines about their sleep schedules, making the vibe very casual and domestic. This is a far cry from just a little while ago, when Soren couldn’t hold a conversation with Ike even while doing his job. This suggests that Soren is feeling somewhat better, and has regained his usual dynamic with Ike–which only really makes sense when you’ve just gotten their B support, and Soren has gotten a lot off of his chest while deciding to keep the rest to himself for now.

Another sweet thing here is Soren’s understanding and sympathetic replies to Ike, which as we saw earlier in the game, he was struggling to provide on a basic level. They’re truly learning and growing together even in little ways.

Immediately after that, we transition into this:

Soren: I believe this is the place where we ended our search yesterday. Ike: I realized something a couple of days ago...Even in this forest, you always know exactly where you are, don't you? Soren: Hm? Ike: How do you do that? I think it's the lack of color, but these woods are starting to look the same to me. Soren: Yes, that's a problem...

This is again foreshadowing lore from their supports by hinting that Soren has better senses than a beorc (personally, I theorize that due to his dragon blood, Soren has above-average spatial awareness and other abilities that help him with navigation–handy for a tactician!) and setting up the reveal that he managed to navigate a forest on his own as a child.

And finally, one late-game scene:

Ch 27:

Ike: The one I seek is behind these doors. Don't follow me. I'm going in alone. Soren: Ike! Wait! I'm going with– Titania: No, Soren. We have to let Ike go alone. The Black Knight is his. Defeating him is a crucial step that Ike must take in order to truly get over the death of his father. Soren: Idiocy! I'll hear no more of this naive nonsense! What if something happens to him? What then? Titania: I think Ike has gained the composure to keep calm and judge whether or not he can match an opponent. If, in fact, he can't...it means he's reached his full potential, and that's all there is to him. We just have to accept that. But I believe in Ike. I trust him. His life is not his alone any longer. I don't believe he's so irresponsible as to leave his companions behind by choosing to engage in a contest he cannot win. Please, Soren, you must feel the same way. Don't you? Soren: ...I don't like it. Sometimes, bravery and good judgment aren't enough. Titania: Commander Greil... Watch over your son.

I don’t have a lot to say that’s relevant to my other points, I just love this scene for how it establishes both Soren and Titania’s dedication to Ike, and what that means to each of them. Shoutout to the Tellius audio CD for showing us what it would be like for them to support Ike in a fight against the BK! (And shoutout to it in general for having some incredible Ike/Soren content, including some adorable casual banter as well as more dramatic moments.)

Radiant Dawn

Honestly, for understandable reasons of scope, RD doesn’t have as much in the category of ‘Ike/Soren moments that are personal but not in supports/base convos/death quotes/epilogues/etc.’ There are a few fave moments I want to highlight though, as well as just a general appreciation for how Soren is constantly referenced as being at Ike’s side, considering what I’ve already said about what that means re: his arc.

Also, shout-out to their intro cutscene where Soren pays no attention to his surroundings as he hurls magic at the enemies surrounding Ike.

Ch 3-3 (base convo)

Ranulf: Soren has even answered some of Skrimir’s more insane requests. He doesn’t listen to a word I say, but when Soren talks strategy, he’s all ears. Ike: Is that why he hasn’t been complaining during the briefings? Ranulf: He says he looks forward to what the little strategist will say next. It looks to me like Soren’s charmed his way into the most powerful position in this army. Titania: I’m glad to hear it. He’s changed, hasn’t he? Ranulf: Yeah, I think so. He still doesn’t say much, but he’s a lot more at ease these days. He used to be completely closed off, rejecting anyone who tried to get close. Like he’d lock himself away, all alone in his own little world. Ike: We all lost and gained something during the Mad King’s War. Maybe it wasn’t a complete waste, after all.

Ranulf’s commentary on Soren’s growth here is great, and of course we have seen how Ike’s support enabled it. It also just says so much that Ike thinks the war wasn’t a complete waste, after all he himself lost and all the horrors he witnessed, just because Soren is more at ease. Especially if you pursue their supports in PoR, Ike spends considerable energy trying to help Soren feel better, so it makes sense that this is still a priority for him.

Ch 3-7

Micaiah: You are so… cold. It’s like you’re cloaked in frost. Is there even blood in your veins? Soren: There is. Blood very similar to yours, in fact. Blood that teaches us what it means to be rejected and alone. Micaiah: Your heart is frozen, but I feel a warm core trying to melt through that ice. I see… You have someone you cherish very much. Someone you rely on.

3-13

Micaiah: Yes, and you would know. There’s something very different about you, too. Your energy feels so…ancient. You and I seem to have so much in common. Soren: That doesn’t matter in the slightest. The only thing that does matter is that you are a dangerous adversary. You are also in Ike’s path, so it falls to me to remove you. It’s almost a shame. Farewell, Maiden of Dawn. Micaiah: So, you fight for someone, as well. So very much alike… But I will defeat you. I will protect the ones I love!

The parallels between Soren and Micaiah and their relationships, as well as other characters (Hi, Zelgius), are their own fascinating topic. The whole convos between them are great, but I’ll just highlight that it says a lot that Micaiah can read Soren’s heart and sense Ike’s impact on him. Especially when you combine it with Ranulf’s observation, it brings home the influence Ike has on Soren. His first reaction to recognizing Micaiah as a kindred spirit is to focus on the idea that they’re both alone, but she immediately calls out that this isn’t entirely true. Given how determined Micaiah is to protect her loved ones, stemming in part from her own experiences with being branded, the fact that she can recognize that in Soren also speaks volumes.

Ch 3-8

Soren: Our options are profoundly limited, Ike. It appears our only other choice is those caves up ahead. Ranulf: Caves? Oh...yeah, those are the Kauku Caves. We don't want to go there. It's a complex maze, full of lava and ash. Not exactly a place you'd want to rest. The legends say that, through the caves, there's one exit that leads to Gallia, and another exit that leads to Goldoa. Whatever the legends say, though, the fact is that it's suicide to go in there. We don't even have a map! Ulki: However, the more you hens carry on, the closer the enemy advances on us. They're now less than a day away. Soren: If the enemy catches up to us in this forest, we will certainly die. The caves are known to be dangerous, so Begnion may not pursue. Even the most formidable natural hazard isn't as deadly as an intelligent, living enemy. We must go to the caves. Now. Ike: All right, Soren. I trust you. Let's move out for the caves.

Here’s where my analysis ends. I just…Ike hears how deadly this volcano is, hears Soren say that’s the safest place to be, and then immediately orders the large group of people he’s responsible for to enter it because if Soren says he’ll be safe in the volcano, then he’ll be safe in the volcano.

;_; “The Devoted” indeed.

(If you read this ~2k of script and ~2k of analysis, thank you and I hope you enjoyed! Happy IkeSoren Week Encore, everyone.)

#ikesoren #ikesoren week encore #aisene #ike fire emblem #soren fire emblem #soren #tellius #long post #ikesorenweekencore

[yuzurins]

# to tell you the truth

12 — meeting, number three?

smau masterlist ∗ previous chapter ∗ next chapter

“chigiri, you’re late.” 

you tap your foot impatiently as the person in question (who also happens to be project leader) quickly runs up to you. 

he splutters out a quick apology as he catches his breath. “i’m really sorry! my class was held back longer than i expected.” 

sighing, you uncross your arms and go over to help hold the project stuff he was carrying. 

chigiri looks at you with pleading eyes. “please don’t be mad.”

“it’s fine, just tell me–” you quickly glance over to the person standing beside you. “i mean us, ahead of time if you’re going to run late.”

he grins and does a quick bow. “yeah, sorry!”

“let’s go.”  you nod back, before turning and walking in the direction of the campus library, leaving the other two behind. 

chigiri gives a look to rin, as if to question him “what happened?”, but much to his disappointment, rin returns the same look back.

“so?” the redhead starts.

“nothing happened.” rin rolls his eyes. “she came here, glared at me, and then we just waited for you.”

“you waited in silence for 15 minutes??”

“yes.” rin replies, but he doesn’t make eye contact. chigiri notices this but lets it off when he notices you leaving the building. 

“suspicious.” he raises a brow. “but let’s go before we get left behind!” 

rin picks up one of the bags that chigiri had brought and motions for him to go first. 

“how chivalrous of you.” 

“shut up.”

though the tension was high at first, it became less awkward faster than anyone had originally expected it to be. as top students, work ethic had a bigger influence than past grudges, and you weren’t going to let all your previous hard work go to waste. before you knew it, you actually forgot you were working with the itoshi rin, the one guy who can ruin your mood in a split second. 

but you can’t lie, seeing rin’s talent for art made you feel envious; he really was good at everything (though you would never admit that).

“you know, i think we actually make a pretty good team.”

you blink. “what?” 

“i mean, look at how productive we’ve been!” lightheartedly, chigiri laughs, without any fear of the potential hole he’s about to dig himself into by starting this conversation. “it looks like we might actually finish this today.”

seeing as how relaxed the he was, you reluctantly put a smile on and decide to humour him. “yeah, we should totally do this again.” 

“what-“ rin almost chokes on his water in response to your (meaningless) joke, which surprises you as you expected only a scoff from the boy. however, it seems like hes the dense one here, because he for one can not tell when the slightest tone of sarcasm is being used.

on the other hand, someone does take advantage of your sarcasm. “oh? i’ll take you up on that!”

you glare at the red haired boy, but to no avail are you able to get him to evoke his proposal. “i thought you said we might be able to finish this today…?”  

chigiri raises his brows and smiles. “we still have to decorate!”

he’s really pushing it.

a sigh barely escapes your lips before he follows up in attempt to ease your growing irritation. you couldn’t help it, after all, chigiri’s making an obvious attempt to get you to spend more time with rin. 

“well i mean, it’s early anyways. i think we can get this over with today.” though just barely noticeable, you notice him starting to sulk, and you just slightly begin to feel bad for him.

“whatever.” you close your eyes. “can’t say i’m opposed.” 

chigiri’s face starts to light up, and he jumps out of his seat, a bit too eagerly. “really!?”

he’s excited, you’re not too sure why, but that all ends as you tell him, sternly, “except since you said so, we aren’t leaving until we do finish.”

dejected, he slowly falls back into his seat. “everything?”

“everything.”

a light chuckle comes out of the boy sitting across chigiri. you nearly miss it, but it’s too memorable for you to not notice; as if your ears are accustomed to this sound from hearing it more often than you’d like to remember.

your eyes shoot towards the direction of the laugh, and rin freezes from all the sudden attention. he realizes quickly that your gaze is pressing for an answer, but in all honesty, he himself doesn’t even know how to respond. 

“what?” he splutters. “there was something in my throat.”

you squint your eyes at him, unconvinced. “just so you know, ‘desperate for grades’ me and ‘regular’ me are not the same.” 

“am i supposed to feel threatened by that?” he questions, amusement growing in his tone.

“yes.” you reply immediately. “in case, you know, you think i actually tolerate you now or something.” 

“i’m not delusional.”

you raise a brow. “you sure about that?”

there’s a pause before another word is spoken. you notice the slight shift in his demeanour as you watch rin process your words, hastily open his mouth after. but instead of uttering a rude remark, he closes his mouth and looks away, clenching his fist. 

confused, you look towards chigiri, but he’s as clueless as you are.

the productive atmosphere soils, and the awkward tension that inevitably trails you and rin around returns once more. 

it’s only the sounds of typing, writing, and your wondering thoughts that fill the study room.

why was he getting offended after a joke that he started himself? was it something you said? was it how you looked at him? did he get self conscious because it’s true? or offended because you were extremely off? you wouldn’t know. 

you don’t understand rin at all, and after hearing such from not just rin, but reo as well, you’re well aware that that’s a fact. 

“so,” chigiri speaks up after what feels like a millennia. “how much research do we have left? can we start decorating the display?” 

“i’m practically done, did you bring the stuff?” 

he nods, walking over to take all the arts supplies out of the giant bag he brought. 

“rin, how about you, are you ready?” chigiri asks, but all he gets back in response is an irritated glare. 

a frown adorns your face as you pity chigiri for having to deal with rin’s childish attitude due to your rivalry with the latter. it made you feel responsible for brightening up the atmosphere, even if it wasn’t your problem at all that rin couldn’t handle a joke. “it’s fine, we can start without him.”

but the response you had believed to be the most harmless one (which was avoiding the problem), turned out to be the worst one yet. 

rin slams the papers he was holding down onto the table beside his laptop. he lets out a deep sigh and turns to look at the two of you. “no. i’m not.”

“‘kay,” chigiri starts, before slowly sitting down and flashing you a quick glance of alarm. “i’ll look over everything again, just let us know when you’re done.”

this won’t do. 

you absolutely hated the fact that rin was being a selfish prick right now, but despite your opposition, it would be too much for chigiri to handle this guy alone. which is how you came to the conclusion that it was time to bring out the fabricated extroverted version of yourself deliberately prepared to deal with awkward situations with strangers. you just had to mentally prepare to delude yourself by erasing every single interaction you had shared with rin, and all the feelings of resentment you held towards him. easy… right?

it was going to be a long, long, day.

notes: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE SHITTY CHAPTER T_T i just wnated to lyk that y/n is an extremely unreliable narrator and that everything written in their perspective is only what they deduce from the environment around them!!!!!! please enjoy and i will be definitely doing better with the smau posts instead of written chapters lMFOA

pairing ∗ itoshi rin x f!reader

synopsis — all you wanted was a peaceful and productive uni life, but despite your pleas, your plans start crumbling when the star of the football team, itoshi rin, begins to beat you in every aspect possible. as you confront the inevitable, what happens when you uncover secrets behind an unforgettable event from the past?

taglist 1/2 ∗ send an ask / comment to be added or removed

@kitorin @rinsque @jleijl @rintosei @strawberrypockybox @beanxiv @ode2rin @h4nman @hanmastattoos @kaitfae @idk-bro-gay @piichuu @wishiknewwhatiwasdoingwithmylife @invictax @chaosinanutshell @exatse @kirameki-kumo @xoxojisu @mellozhi @certaindreampost @limerence-lu @nutsinspector @kawaii-angelanne @rroxii @saesins @anngelllla @anurst @y-sabell-a @hellothere9597 @evilenchantresss @msameikanevaeh @saesofficialwife @reiners-milkbiddies @f1yh1gh @celioderso @amenial @wooasecret @kascar-chronicle @izonoi @biaonww @blissblossom @sereniteav @1lovestrawberrymilk @hearts4itoshi @yeojeolmi @arxliana @janbannan @leeyzhuo @kiritokunuwu @geombyu @jiaspoon @yunxbin @p3achiee (if your name is in bold it means i can't tag you)

#❝ to tell you the truth . . . ❞ #itoshi rin smau #blue lock smau #bllk smau #bllk itoshi rin #bllk x reader #bllk x y/n #bllk rin #bllk fluff #blue lock rin #blue lock x y/n #blue lock x reader #blue lock x you #blue lock #itoshi rin #itoshi rin x reader #itoshi rin x you #itoshi rin x y/n #blue lock itoshi rin #rin itoshi #bllk x you #bllk imagines #rin itoshi x reader #rin x reader #rin x you #social media au

[casuallyawkardd]

hello dear, how are you?, could you write a picture where miguel discovers that you are learning spanish to show that you care about him, if it doesn't go well. thanks for the attention ☺️☺️

After my trip, I'm a little tired and sunburnt, but it was all worth it! Ngl, imma be needing to write something wholesome after the shit I've been writing so here you go 😂😭

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x GN!Reader

Warnings: fluff that is all, also I'm still not fluent in Spanish so feel free to correct grammar/spelling

For Miguel, he thinks you're ignoring him. You're blowing him off to go do something else and when he tries to pry you tell him to 'quit being so nosy.' He's already annoyed, so he doesn't pick up on your teasing tone.

In reality, you've been trying to learn Spanish to surprise him. You don't expect to be fluent anytime soon, but some simple phrases and a few terms of endearment are a good start. Those moments when Miguel is talking to you and thinks you're ignoring him, are actually you listening to your Spanish lessons. Whenever you're 'blowing him off,' you're just sitting in your room practicing your pronunciations.

Lyla catches wind of what you're doing before him, overhearing you at HQ when you thought you had found a quiet place to practice. She even offers to help you out and you gladly take her up on the offer. You had had one too many dreams of the Duolingo owl in the corner of your room as it was. Little do you know that your nightmares only now come to life, though that could just be you being dramatic.

Unlike the little, green owl app, these lessons talk back. Sometimes it feels like she critiques you too harshly, especially when you practice writing in Spanish. You wanted to be able to put cute, little notes around his platform. Her shrill voice reminding you when and where to put the accents on letters and that you have to add upside down exclamation and question marks at the beginning of a sentence wakes you up in the middle of the night. However, Lyla is also extremely helpful at the same time. Teaching you the more 'casual' way to say certain things, as opposed to the generic, robotic responses you had been learning. Even some swear words because why not?

The day finally comes when you're ready to reveal your little surprise. Miguel is reluctant, back to you as you try to get his attention.

"Oh, so now you have free time?"

It's a bit endearing that he missed your presence, you say as much. 'Yo también te extrañé, mi amor.' I missed you too, my love.

His head snaps in your direction, confusion written on his face. Slowly, he steps towards you, eyeing you as if expecting you to say something else. Which you do. 'Quería sorprenderte aprendiendo español. ¿Es eso mala?' I wanted to surprise you by learning Spanish. Is it bad?

Everything clicks into place and he's sighing in relief, grasping you by the upper arms to pull you in for a kiss on the forehead. He holds position, letting the kiss sink in before pulling away, running his hands up and down your arms.

"Agradezco el gesto, de verdad. Gracias amor." I really appreciate the gesture. Thanks love.

You ask why he was giving you the cold shoulder moments ago, Miguel sighing heavily before explaining his side of things. How he had assumed you were ignoring him and that he might've gotten a little bit salty about it. You laugh, realizing your mistake. '¡Soy embarazada!' Miguel's smile drops a little after that, looking like he's trying to keep it just for you.

"Yeah, you definitely have some more practicing to do, cariño."

Tags: @prettylittlebrowngirl @khaleesihavilliard @leahnicole1219 @edgycatx @graysonshaven @qiaipia @3zae-zae3 @melovetitties @jebsoxnoshansk @thedevax @erissco @its-carlerrr @muimui06

#miguel o'hara #reader insert #miguel o'hara x reader #spiderman 2099 #spiderman across the spiderverse #spiderman 2099 x reader #miguel o'hara headcanons #miguel o'hara x you #x reader #anon ask #lovely anon

[likeabulldigidigibombombombom]

sorry i think fake dating for felix not arranged marriage

Title: "Boyfriend"

This is a great request TYSM😻😻😻

I’m hoping that you’re a girl because I’m better at writing for fem readers

If you're not I'm so sorry💀

Pairing: Felix x fem!reader 

Trope/Genre: Fake dating, fluff

Warnings: They make fun of each other a lot, Felix is a bit of an ass for shits and giggles, its fine though because he can do no wrong, bad flirting, some suggestive comments at the end so MINORS DNI, Ignore my non-american English (It’s because I’m not from america🙀)

Felix is not an idol in this fic. 

1,634 words 

Summary: Your Mum assumes that you have a boyfriend. Since you are desperate for approval, you invite a friend to the family reunion to pose as your boyfriend. Shit gets wild. Turns out it was for the better.

For years, you’ve never been able to find a relationship anywhere. Guys weren’t interested, girls weren’t interested, absolutely no one has ever been interested in you romantically. Growing up, this wasn’t a problem, since your parents didn’t want their “Sweet little girl” to be dating. But you were getting older, and your house was slowly getting lonelier.

One day, your parents called you to organize a family gathering. “Oh and also!” Your Mum stated. “You can bring a date. I’m sure you’ve found someone by now! Hasn’t your best friend gotten a partner?” You sighed. “Yes Mum, all of my friends are in relationships now.” “So, when are we gonna meet him?” “Meet who?” “Your boyfriend, I’m sure you’re just hiding him from us because you’re scared of our reaction. I’ll assure you, we aren’t judgemental at all!” You rolled your eyes as your Mum kept talking. “Bring him to the family reunion! It’ll be fun!” As you were about to interrupt, your Mum continued. “Oh no! I have to go pick up something from the shops before it gets dark! I love you! Bye!” 

You pressed the hangup button. Your brain started to spiral. ‘How am I gonna do this? There’s no way I’m going to be able to find a boyfriend in time.’ Your eyes lit up. ‘What if I don’t need an actual partner? I just need someone to pretend to be my actual partner!’ You thought about all of your friends, trying to think of one that was single. Your brain instantly went to Felix, a friend who you didn’t know extremely well, but you knew him well enough that you’d be able to ask him for this favour without it being super weird. 

Both of you met at a bus stop. It was raining heavily. Sadly, the stop didn’t have a shelter so you stood there under your little umbrella. Felix was in the same situation as you, except he didn’t have an umbrella. He was getting drenched. When he let out a small “achoo” you decided that you had to work up all of the courage in your body and ask if he wanted to share an umbrella. His eyes lit up and he smiled. You thought it was the brightest smile in the world. His eyes looked like two perfect crescent moons. He stood under your umbrella and you started talking. The bus was 30 minutes away and you were both taking the same bus. Conversations between you two flowed easily. When he got to his stop, you exchanged numbers.

 You’ve hung out alone and in groups a couple of times with him and he at least knows what your family dynamic is like and how expecting your parents are. That is the reason why he wasn’t surprised when he was told to come to your house because of an emergency and he was told that he was now your fake ‘boyfriend’. 

“So when’s the family reunion?” “October 6th” “Oh I can totally come to that! This is gonna be fun.” “Fun? You know that we’re gonna have to make up stories and kiss and cuddle and shit right?” “I’m not totally opposed to that.” “Well that’s because you’re super cuddly, I’m not like that.” “Well, you’re gonna have to pretend now!” “This is annoying, thanks for helping though. You’re like, an insanely good friend.” “I’m not just a friend anymore” He made kissy faces at you and you felt your face heat up. “You suck.”

When you arrived, Felix grabbed your hand. You felt butterflies flutter around your stomach. He rang the doorbell. “You’re blushing.” “What?” “Never mind!” Your Mum swung open the door with a fake smile plastered on her face, her smile quickly became genuine when she saw your hand interlaced with Felix’s. “Oh my gosh! Hello! Come in! What’s your name?” “My name is Felix! Nice to meet you.” He and your Mum hugged as she led you into the kitch(ive😨)en where you and your other family members sat around plates of food.

You and Felix were being bombarded with questions at the speed of light. He was mainly the one answering them, since he was better at making up answers. You just sat there and wondered how this fever dream happened. “Felix?” One of your Aunts spoke up. “Hmm?” “How long have you and Y/N been dating?” He looked at you with a smirk and you realised he was gonna say something that would fuck up the rest of the conversation. 

“A year.” He replied. Gasps could be heard from around the room. “And you aren’t living together yet?!” Your grandma asked with a horrified look on her face. “We’re actually moving in together soon, she’s packing right now.” “Are you moving into her house or is she moving into yours?” “She’s moving into mine since mine is bigger.” “You need to tell us your address once Y/N moves in! We would love to visit. We can also help you pack!” Your Dad said. Felix’s hand was sitting comfortably on your thigh as he looked at you evilly. ‘This is gonna go badly’ You thought.

Once you and Felix got into his car he immediately bursted out laughing. “Oh my god, they actually believed it!” You spoke up. “Why did you say I’m moving into your house?” “For fun.” “You suck. I’m actually gonna have to move in with you now because my parents want to visit.” “I’ve been wanting a roommate.” 

When you got home, he asked if he could stay over and discuss everything further. You hesitated, but you realised that you really needed to set some ground rules, so you let him stay. “You’re so scared of PDA it’s funny, it’s like you think you’re gonna fall in love with me if you hug me.” He said. “I’m not afraid of hugs, you’re just annoying.” “You are so mean.” “Says the guy who purposely screwed me over in front of my family” “Are you actually mad at me? I’m so sorry we can stage a fake break-up if that would make you comfortable! I didn’t mean to annoy you-” “Felix, it’s fine! Chill. I can move in with you and we can stay in separate rooms. Even though it’s a huge fucking process just for my parents to think that I can get bitches.” “There’s one problem with that.” “Oh no, what is it this time?” “There’s only one bedroom.”

4 weeks later

You were sitting in the living room while Felix brought you some hot chocolate. Living with him wasn’t as bad as expected. Some days he slept on the couch and some days you slept on the couch. Felix’s shitty flirting wasn’t ever too much of a problem, because he made up for it with his sweet personality. You had spent one night playing board games with him, and you looked at him and he looked perfect. Like everything you ever wanted, until he made you pick up eight cards in UNO flip. Your parents had come over a couple of times to check on you and spend time with Felix. They liked him more than they liked you honestly. He was kind and charismatic which made his parents fall in love with him. 

“You know what we should do?” Felix said. You put down your phone and took a sip of your hot chocolate. “What? “We should practice kissing.” You choked on your hot chocolate as Felix affectionately rubbed your back. “What?!” You yelled. “You seem too scared to kiss me, and I don’t want to break any boundaries. So I thought we could practice for the first time in the privacy of our own home.” “Oh.” “Are you okay? Do you not like kissing? It’s obviously fine if you don’t, I just think it would be a good way to sell our relationship” As Felix took a sip of his own hot chocolate, you said, “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

It was his turn to choke. You laughed at him and he looked at you with wide eyes. “You’ve never kissed anyone?!” “What do you mean by that?” “I mean, someone who looks like you has never even kissed someone?! You’ve got to be kidding! I mean you’re super hot, cute, pretty, and stunning. How has no one kissed you?!” You blushed at his words, earning a smile from him. 

“I don’t know, I guess I just haven’t found the right person.” “What if I’m the right person?” He moved closer to you and his pinky interlaced with yours. “Can I kiss you Y/N?” You nodded. 

Your eyes closed as you felt soft lips meet yours. You could feel his heart beating in his chest, which was comforting because you could tell he was as nervous as you. He brought one of his hands up to your head and started to play with your hair. It was so cute. He was so cute. Everything about him was cute. The kiss was gentle and short, but you didn’t want it to end. He pulled away, and his face was flushed. “You’re so fucking cute.” You said. “I was gonna say the same to you.” There was a pause in the conversation until you spoke up. 

“You have really tiny hands.” You held his palm next to yours and laughed at the difference. “That’s true, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to use them.” He smirked at you and the tips of your ears turned red. “Stop flirting with me or I’m gonna start thinking that you actually want to be my real boyfriend.” “Maybe I do.” 

That night, when you complained about how uncomfortable the couch was, Felix offered to let you sleep in his bed with him.

 You took the opportunity immediately.

Author note: Thank you so much for the request! I loved writing this so much! Like always, constructive criticism is wanted! If you liked this, please follow me for more fanfics like this one <3 Thank you!

Masterlist

#skz imagines #skz headcanons #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #stray kids x y/n #felix x reader #straykids fanfic #stray kids x female reader #lee felix x reader #felix x y/n #likeabulldigidigibombombombom

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS: 🍀 TYCHE: Goddess of Fortune and Luck 🎰

Author's note: Hello everyone! In lieu of posting the major gods demigod headcanons, here is the minor gods version!As usual these headcanons will contain what it's like being claimed and what it's like for the respective god and cabin, followed by a small story between you, the reader, and the respective demigod of that god. Thank you for reading and please like and reblog! [PJO MINOR GODS DEMIGOD HEADCANONS MASTERLIST] Disclaimer: To new fans or strictly TV watchers of the PJO series, future spoilers for the entire PJO series books will be referenced. Read at your own risk.

When you get claimed, you literally feel like you won the lottery. Which in this case is being claimed by Tyche. Four leaf clovers begin to grow underneath your feet, there is an acorn in your pocket, there are hummingbirds and cardinals flying around you. 

“May the odds be in your favour”, these words are either a blessing or words of dread when a child of Tyche says it to someone. 

You have at least a lucky item. Every child of Tyche has a lucky item that ranges from conventional symbols of luck or your personal item. 

There’s word that items belonging to a child of Tyche are lucky but someone tried to take one without them knowing, and it only brought them really, really bad luck. By the time people figured it out, and they were told to give it back lest the bad luck actually kills them. All tokens belonging to children of Tyche are only lucky if consensually and explicitly given. 

On the other hand, the Aphrodite cabin and a few other romantics/literary folks out there do find it absolutely endearing at the story how one time, a daughter of Tyche took a lock of her own hair and gave it to a guy who was about to enter a competition, and won in her favour. It was like something straight out of a story about a medieval lady and her knight. 

Fortune favours the bold. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. You’ll get the luck and the reward, but at what cost? Everyone around you’ll balance you out and get all your bad luck.

I wouldn’t say the Nemesis cabin are your parallels nor are they your enemy or ally. Their mother’s domain is a disruptor of Fortune, bad and good, so Tyche has a connection with Nemesis. How this applies to you will depend, but let’s just say it’s not uncommon to have a child of Nemesis having a presence in your life. They’ll balance out the Luck basically. Which is why the Nemesis cabin is paired with the Tyche Cabin in Capture the Flag; to keep things fair for the other team.

When Palamedes offered the first set of dice that he supposedly invented, and given Tyche deals with chance, it’s not uncommon for you to own a set of dice. It can be a traditional set of dice, but as time goes on, it’s not surprising when children of Tyche start carrying around DnD dice. There is much debate if a child of Tyche is only allowed to carry one D20 ever. 

Never play Poker or bet against a child of Tyche. Even if you do play, DON’T BET. It’s a general warning to never bet because it’s not healthy and can be very risky, but against a child of Tyche? Prepared to lose in ways you didn’t know you could even lose. 

Children of Tyche often have skirmishes with children of Nike. Who will win? Absolute Luck VS Overwhelming Victory? This also brings in the fact that the Tyche Cabin and the Nike Cabin are to never ever be put on the same team. In the early days post-Titan war, all games and especially Capture of the Flag have been won by them in the most absurd, improbable way ever. Good thing at that coincidence, not only Artemis and Mr. D were watching, but also Hestia during that time because no one expected to see a flying catapult of burning artillery heading straight for the opposing team that was basically like mini meteors. One of said large shrapnels hit the lava wall, which caused a lava spill that headed for the opposing team, and also by extension, also the home team. Percy Jackson had to kick into overdrive using all his power to summon the water to absorb the impact and take out all the fire. The Demeter kids, Dryads and Satyrs were also not very happy, which made Mr. D unhappy. The Apollo cabin is still re-stocking their supplies from the non-lethal casualties. The Athena and Hephaestus cabins are still doing repairs and renovations. Good thing the Tyche children have a lot of money; probably for these reasons. 

When you get claimed, you can hear something like the sound of winning the lottery. There are dings, and ringings, while birds are flying around you and four leaf clovers are sprouting underneath your feet. You then saw a girl with fierce almond eyes look at you as she made her way over to you.

 “Hi! You must be the new child of Tyche!” she said while approaching you. 

“Um, yeah I am! And you are…?” you asked a bit hesitantly. 

“I’m Chiara Benvenuti, daughter of Tyche and cabin leader of the Tyche cabin! Nice to meet you!” 

You introduced yourself to her as she looked around a bit suspiciously before guiding you away towards a direction, leaning close to you as if to whisper something. You were confused what she was doing before she spoke, 

“Do you have a lucky item?” she asked quietly. 

You stared at her for a moment before I clicked. “Oh! Oh yeah, yeah I have it. Wait, do all children of Tyche have one?”

Chiara nodded, shaking her charm bracelet. “Yeah, every child of Tyche has a lucky item or an item significant to them that it acts as if it’s a lucky item to others. As cabin leader, I need to tell you to keep a good eye on it or keep it out of other’s hands.”

“Wait why?” you asked as you were approaching the Hermes cabin. 

“Back during the early days, when everyone was still adjusting to the minor gods’ demigods, someone once took a child of Tyche’s item, which turned out to be their lucky item. Instead of bringing them luck, it brought incredible misfortune that just got worse and worse and started to affect everyone else. Ever since then, all lucky items belonging a child of Tyche are kept close.”

“Oh…wow” you said as you began to sweat incredibly. “Then uh, I better hurry back to the Hermes cabin then-” you laughed nervously.

“Go, go! I’ll wait for you!” said Chiara, but was laughing though. 

You rushed over to the Hermes cabin, some of the native cabin members greeting you and asking you what the hurry was about. Then when you said you were claimed as a child of Tyche and went to get your lucky item, everyone immediately paled and the cabin was in chaos as they were all patting themselves down and were dumping your stuff onto your bed, hands raised up in mercy. 

You just stared at them all, realising that the children of Hermes had stolen some of your stuff without your knowledge and you only knew because they were relieving themselves of their stolen work like it was acid because they knew about the children of Tyche incident, that your cabin leader just told you about. You looked at your missing stuff, your bag that actually had your lucky item, before looking at them and slowly said, “Where’s the rest of them?” 

Chaos further exploded as the children of Hermes started yelling at the others to relinquish their spoils while some others ran out of the cabin to get the other children of Hermes outside to be extra sure. Bit by bit some of your other stuff came back, but they were very minor things like a chocolate bar or something. Still-

The cabin was still in chaos and you couldn’t help feeling a bit satisfied and giddy at the sight before you. You saw another camper and one you recognized as Damien White, the cabin leader of Nemesis, come in, confused as they carefully navigate between the crowds, just barely missing two campers going at each other when one realised they had stolen the other’s stuff. The two made their way closer to you and you recognized the other camper as your bunk-mate and growing friend, as you both arrived at around the same time. 

“What’s going on?” they asked as Damien didn’t seem fazed. 

“Oh, I got claimed as a child of Tyche just now and when they found out, they started to giving back my stuff and I may have eluded that some of my other stuff is missing-”

Damien let out a cackle and nodded, as the other camper seemed confused. “Nice” before he gestured to the other camper, “Is this your stuff?” when they nodded, he grabbed it and made a move to leave, “I’ll take your stuff back to the cabin first. Take your time saying goodbye” 

You looked at the other camper as Damien walked back into the chaos and out the door. “Wait, did you just get claimed too?” you gaped in surprise. 

“Ah yeah, just got claimed by Nemesis” they replied. 

“Wow, what are the odds!” you said before the two of you begun to share your experiences with your claim. Eventually with your belongings all accounted for, you bid goodbye to the Nemesis child, promising to catch up later, before bidding the Hermes cabin. You pretended you didn’t see the sigh of relief from them as you giggled. You only made a few steps forward, seeing Chiara first and you went to tell her you were done till you saw her arguing with Damien White. The two were heated as people were watching them. 

You went to see what was going on but Damien and Chiara were yelling and arguing with each other so fast, their foreheads practically touching as they were in each other’s face. You stood behind with your stuff, fiddling with it, unsure what to do but at the same time you weren’t that keen in getting whatever that mess was. With the possible thought of a cabin war on the horizon, you steeled your nerves to get in between them until you saw a guy with brown hair and blue eyes touch your shoulder stopping you. 

In shock you turned to him as he gave you a sun-filled smile, and your nerves turned hot, before he gave you a wink. “Don’t worry, I got this” he reassured before sauntering over with a finely sung hum before clapping to gather their attention with the beat. “Alright you two lovebirds, that’s enough~”

“Who are you calling lovebirds?!” Damien and Chiara yelled and turned their heads towards the boy in perfect synchronization. Their temper immediately peaked and dropped as they blinked and looked at the boy in surprise. “Wait, Lester?”

“Hi! How are my two favourite child of Nemesis and Tyche doing?” greeted ‘Lester’ chirpily. 

“What are you doing here?” asked Damien. 

“Well, I was here to visit and lo and behold, then I find out you two are arguing with each other as usual. While not an uncommon scene, you two better stop before you worry your new siblings into thinking they have to participate in a cabin war” said Lester with an amused grin. The two cabin leaders blinked in realizaiton before their eyes turned to their respective siblings. 

The new child of Nemesis walked over as Damien and Chiara were off being a bit embarrassed as Lester winked at you. “Don’t worry about them. They do this all the time but they hardly hate each other as you might think” he said with a teasing tone, before he looked at the two of you. “But really, the chances of a child of Nemesis and child of Tyche being claimed on the same day and being so close to each other…I have a feeling the two of you could be a great pair.”

“Wait, why?” you asked confused. 

“Nemesis is a disruptor of fortune, bad and good, and Tyche is connected with Nemesis because of it. As you can see,” he gestured to your cabin leaders, “This also extends to their children.”

“Wait, how do you know this for sure? Who are you?”

“Ah, I forgot my manners. “My name is Lester Papadopoulous, nice to meet you.”

#percy jackson and the olympians imagines #pjo imagine #pjo imagines #pjo #pjo fanfic #pjo x reader #pjo reader insert #demigod h/cs #demigod headcanons #demigod imagines #demigod imagine #demigod reader #tyche #tyche cabin #child of tyche #chiara benvenuti #chiara benvenuti imagine #chiara benvenuti imagines #damien white #lester papadopoulos #pjo fic #pjo spoilers #the heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians imagine #percy jackson and the olympians spoiler #minor gods

[sweet-demiboi]

Billy Hargrove x Russian!Male!Reader

Part 3 (pt. 1 and 2 on my masterlist -> making Billy question his sexuality)

Warnings: the word slut is used, but not in a degrading way, also Billy is maybe a little OOC because he's really happy (lol, poor guy), there is no reference to smut, Billy only puts his hands on your ass while making out (because it's hot okay), so it could be read as asexual (depends on what you're comfortable with) and poc, Ig, also you have two moms because I said so, you and Billy are smoking together (again), there's one mention of your hair being long enough to tie it

Summary: You and Billy have your first date at an Italian place. You connect over various topics.

Needless to say, you were all fidgety in your last class (physics, another one of your absolute favorites). You weren't used to your own behavior at all - never had you ever felt such excitement before. Sure, you had been excidetly waiting for school to end so you could make out with a cute boy behind a police station (for the extra-excitement). But you had never had an actual date before. So, there was your perfect reason for playing around with your pencils, wobbling your knee and looking at the clock every five minutes.

The bubbly feeling inside your stomach only grew stronger with the more time that passed, and you happened to be the first to make your way out of that goddamn classroom. You didn't exactly run down the hallways but you were walking noticeably faster than everyone else you crossed ways with, which made you remind yourself to stay cool.

You rounded a corner and found yourself to be standing in front of one of the mirrors in the boys' bathroom. You tied your hair to a small ponytail, you had always liked that. Next, you washed your face with some cold water and also refilled your waterbottle. You took a few gulps to calm yourself and also: hygenie. Then you made your way down to the car park, where you assumed Billy to be waiting for you.

You had been right. There he was, leaning against his camaro, cigarette between his lips - you thought of him to be incredibly sexy in that particular moment.

"Thought you had forgotten it already", Billy greeted you. You could see how some of the tension left his posture when he had seen you walking closer.

"Would never forget a boy with such a nice ass", you smiled at him, he grunted but couldn't hide the small smirk settling onto his lips.

"Sorry, I'm late", you apologised, just to make sure he wouldn't feel bad or forgotten or something like that.

"No problem", he mumbled and gestured for you to get inside his car, which was an offer you gladly took. It smelled like smoke and leather inside there - you weren't opposed to that circumstance.

"You will have to pick where we eat. I don't know the city that well, yet", Billy started the engine. Immediately there was some metal music playing, you weren't bothered by it, just didn't expect to know any songs.

Your backpack sat on your lap. Some of the students outside looked weirdly at the two of you, but you decided to not be bothered by it.

"If you can even call it that. 's basically nothing more than one big street", Billy huffed "There's only one place worth going to"

You looked at him expectantly "For pizza", he said "It's nothing big" - "I love pizza", you answered "Really? What's your order?", you shrugged "Nothing in particular. Mostly I let the staff surprise me. How about you?"

"Funghi", he answered "Mushrooms on pizza is a must." - "We could argue about that", you answered "Or you could walk", Billy smirked, his look to the side meant he wasn't serious, he wouldn't actually throw you out.

"I know that song!", you cheered when Cherry pie by Warrant came on. Billy chuckled and you both sang along to the lyrics. It didn't sound good at all, but neither of you cared, which made the situation a whole lot more comfortable.

"Didn't think you'd like any of my music", Billy admitted when the song was over "Just don't know most of the songs", you replied "But I like your tapes" He smiled at that "Are you not used to people liking it?", you asked, confused. "Nah, not really", Billy shrugged "'s fine though - people I don't care about aren't sitting in my car" You chuckled at that. "So, you like me" - "Maybe" In this particular moment Billy could've almost been described as playful.

You continued your banter and eventually trailed off to other topics, like your homecountries California and Russia. You didn't even notice at first when Billy stopped the engine in front of a restaurant.

"We're here" - "Oh, that was quick", Billy locked the car and then showed you the way inside. It smelled like tomato sauce, wine and bread - a very comforting smell for you, you were used to it as your moms had taken you out to an Italian place every second sunday. It was one of the few places for queer people, the government didn't know about it, so its prices had been horrendous but you had still loved it there every single time.

When you were seated, Billy looked at you smugly "So", he let his eyes wander over the upper part of your body slowly and delicately, taking his time in admiring you "Tell me something about you, pretty boy, that's what dates are for."

"As you know I'm from Russia. It's cold there and the people aren't particularily nice. Uhm, it's very different than from here, but I never had a date there.", you showed a small smile "So, that's a point for America."

You ordered you drinks and food at the same time, so you couldn't make sure if Billy actually blushed again or if it was just the lighting. "How about you?"

"I'm from Cali. Obviously, you already know that. It was much nicer there than here - warm climate, more real friends, the beach... I could go on definetly, but the only point for Hawkins would still only be you."

You definetly blushed when he said that, which made Billy smirk "Wow, that's really cute. Tell me more about California." The following stories made Billy's eyes shine brightly, he started subconciously gesturing with his hands and there was a smile following every sentence of his. You swore, you could've listened to him and stared at him until the restaurant closed.

"So, you want to go back when you're done with school?", you asked, he nodded, the pizza was put before you (Funghi for him and veggies for you) "It's the only place where I want to go. This here is no home for me" - "For me neither", you smiled bitterly at him "Then what made you leave?"

"Several things. Shitty government, climate, homophobia, my mom got a job offer... so, we're here now." - "Do you want to go back to Russia when you're done with school?"

You shrugged. That was a good question "Don't know yet, I guess." Billy only nodded "I would like to get to know California though. Sounds really nice from your stories"

He smiled at you "We could go there in the holidays if we can afford it."

"I could pay gas money. Would get enough if I got a job." - "I have friends over there we could sleep at theirs." - "And a wonderful roadtrip through America", both your eyes were glowing with joy now, and you continued planning the trip for the whole dinner.

You were done with your pizzas when it got dark outside and asked the waitress for dessert. she served you some cherry pie, which you shared, grinning. "Deal?", you asked "Going on that trip in the holidays?" Billy smirked "Deal" You high-fived across the table and went on to pay.

When you stepped out of the restaurant, it was chilly and wind blew around the corners of the small city. "Do you have any cigarettes?", you asked "Mhm", Billy gave you one, your fingertips brushed briefly over the other's, making you grin.

He didn't look away from your eyes when lighting the cigarette between your lips, making his eyes glimmer with the reflection of the flame. "Thanks", you whispered and were mad at society for not being able to kiss him right here. There were still some people who could see you.

Billy took a drag from his own cigarette now "I had a really nice evening" - "Me too" - "To be honest, I can't remember when I laughed so much in one day", you smiled at him sympathetically "I'd kiss you right now if I could" - "I'd kiss back" You smiled at each other in comfortable silence and got back into the car when you were done with smoking.

You directed him to where your house was, metal in the background of your conversations. "Can you stop here?", you asked "'course", Billy parked the camaro at the side of the street and turned your way.

He couldn't even catch the look in your eyes, because you had already leaned over and kissed him. Your hand was in his locks, the other supported your body weight, so you wouldn't fall onto him. Billy though pulled you closer intentionally, which made you squeak and fall onto his chest "Jerk", was the only thing you could say, as in the next moment he pulled you in again. For the first time in your life, the slight taste of mushrooms wasn't bad.

You let his tongue lick over yours, his hands on your back and ass, sliding in your back pocket. Your own fingers messed up his hair, not caring. Billy did either not mind or not notice, because he couldn't think about anything else except kissing you. Your breath hit each other's wet lips when you parted, only millimeters apart.

"There's something I wanted to ask you", you confirmed "What's it?", Billy had a smirk taking over his features slowly. "Do you want to be my... ugh, I don't know what it's called.. slut?"

You knew it was called boyfriend. You definetly knew. And Billy knew that too.

"Yeah, I wanna be your slut."

You both chuckled when you went in for another deep kiss, again, filled with tongue and wet sounds, touches all over your bodies and skin contact making you lose your mind.

"So", Billy's hair was ruffled up and he looked absolutely gorgeous "Do you want to be my slut?" - "I definetly do", you answered, sealing it with a last kiss before you got out of the car. You smirked at him and waved him goodbye when Billy drove past you, he had the biggest grin on the lips and threw you another kiss.

The butterflies in your stomach went completely feral by now, making you smile and giggle like an idiot. Billy Hargrove was your boyfriend and you were his. You hadn't known that you could want that. But now, you were really happy and Hawkin's one point leveled up to more than Russia ever had.

#gay #pansexual #lgbt #trans #ftm #queer #bisexual #male!reader #stranger things x male reader #stranger things x male!reader #billy hargrove x male!reader #billy hargrove x male reader

[leatherbookmark]

the "boo hoo people who think their favourite villain character is misunderstood and a victim are weak, stupid and cringe, REAL villain fans embrace the fact that their faves are assholes with no redeeming qualities like NORMAL people 🙄" thing is not only very annoying but it also only works when the characters are actual, cartoonish, moustache-twirling villains who do Evil Acts because they Love Being Evil. but is it used towards fans of such characters? nah, of course it's not. it's used towards fans of antagonists or anti-heroes, no less complex than the protagonists, often misunderstood and ostracized by society, often with goals and motivations that are entirely understandable even to a modern audience.

and it's like. god you're such a loser for insisting this half-orphan raised in poverty who desperately longs for a better life and does horrible things for his father hoping against everything that he'll be loved, who just wants to be safe and respected and recognized for his achievements, is not an one-dimensional twisted sadistic motherfucker of a villain. just shut up and admit he's a piece of trash who gets off to hurting others. you're not even a villain fan, a real villain fan would accept their fave is irredeemably evil! lmao!

a coupla years ago -- maybe more than a coupla -- you'd have people sooooo terribly exasperated with the ~trend~ of such misunderstood antagonists, like why can't we have normal villains who are just Evil, why does every bad guy have to have a tragic backstory, it's so cliche and stupid and-- ok buddy, but why are you so opposed to compassion? why do you want shit to be black and white all the time? why are you so upset at the idea that you can't expect people to do good and be kind if they've never known goodness and kindness?

rarely -- at least i don't really remember, but then i don't keep up with popular media -- the antagonists people (ugh!) Feel Bad For is a rich ceo who wants to make money because profits good, more profits now. they're usually either poor and/or marginalized or, if rich and privileged -- abandoned, misunderstood and/or shunned by their family/peers/everyone around them. it's honestly more surprising to me that someone Wouldn't feel at least a little bad for, idk, a prince who always lived in his more popular brother's shadow, unable to get true understanding and affection either from him or from anyone else. but no, "cool motive, still murder, also he's a literal prince so he has no right to complain". okay then!

#shrimp thoughts

[lieslab]

We'll keep this love in a photograph

Summary: You're dating I.N, but after taking a new job opportunity, things between the two of you crumble.

Pairing: I.N X gn reader

Genre: Right person, wrong time angst

Word Count: 1.4K

_ _ _

How did it end up like this?

You asked yourself that question over and over again while you flipped through the photo album I.N gave you for your second anniversary. The honeymoon phase caused you to take photos of every little moment the two of you shared. 

Selfies with the two of you making funny faces. Teeth bared, wide eyes, with your hands frozen in fake claws. Tongues out with peace signs. Selfies with stolen kisses and bunny ears. Selfies where the two of you posed with your favorite snacks from the convenience store. Every date you had, you took, at least, five photos. 

The sunset picnic, the zoo, the movie theater, a fancy restaurant you never went to until I.N showed you. As you flipped through the book of photographs, every photo reminded you of a certain time period. The two of you were glued to each other’s side whenever you could be. 

At least, at one point in time, you were. That honeymoon phase faded away eventually. You knew it was a possibility, but you never expected it to turn into this. The skinship slowly became less and less. The hour long phone calls turned into a half hour and then drifted into fifteen before they stopped all together. 

Frantic text messages filled with bad pick-up lines, emojis, awful jokes, and reminders of admiration disappeared. It was nobody’s fault, really. Unfortunately, life seemed to pull the two of you in separate directions. 

You started a new job six months ago. A job opportunity you had been raving about for months. Every time it popped up, you hesitated to take it until I.N talked you into it. You were always passionate about your line of work and career driven. The only thing stopping you from applying to the job was Jeongin. 

While he worked all day, you’d be sleeping at home. When he came home, you would be getting ready to leave for work. By the time you’d get home, he’d be getting up and around for work. The clashing of schedules meant time away from your boyfriend and you didn’t want that. 

You dreamed of that job deep down, but you didn’t want to sabotage the relationship that brought you so much joy. Jeongin knew how much you wanted this job and how much you hated your old one. After you broke down crying one day after being screamed at by your old boss, he insisted the next time the job offer came around, you had to apply. 

And so you did. You spent nearly an hour perfecting your resume and another hour creating a cover letter and a reliable list of references. You had more than enough experience in the field, so it wasn’t a surprise when you were called in for an interview. 

One interview turned into a follow-up. The follow-up led to a job offer. There wasn’t any time to hesitate and you accepted it immediately. While beaming, you were wrapped in a hug by Jeongin and he congratulated you with your favorite bouquet of flowers. 

It was all working out at first. Sure, you didn’t see each other much, but you did what you could to make it work. You planned your dates for the weekends. It worked out perfectly until it was announced his band was going on another world tour. 

You were thrilled for him. He put his blood, sweat, and tears into his work. He loved seeing his fans and he shined brightly on stage. You were happy for him, thrilled even. It was a hard good-bye, but you knew he’d be okay. 

He was gone for nearly three months and when he got back, things between the two of you were different. You lived together and you saw each other, but there was a large rift. Both of you were pretending it wasn’t there, but it was. 

Make-out sessions lost their fiery passion. When you slept in your bed, the two of you slept on opposite sides of the bed as opposed to curling up together. The occasional breakfast in beds the two of you made for each other, they stopped one day, and had yet to remake an appearance. 

The ‘I love you’s’ were empty and the spark was gone. The tour was the final nail in the coffin. You knew it. He knew it. Nobody wanted to address the elephant in the room. You hadn’t taken a photograph together in weeks. 

You felt hollow as you flipped through the photos. The two of you knew you were putting off the inevitable. You had both grown used to the separation when you were away from each other. Sure you missed his presence and he missed you, but you already barely had the time to see each other as it was. 

Jeongin walked by the bedroom and paused as he caught a glimpse of you sitting on your shared bed. A dull ache filled his chest when he realized you were skimming the shared photo album. He swallowed his nervousness and took a few steps into the room. 

“I can’t remember the last time we took a photograph together.” 

You didn’t glance up when you heard his voice. Your eyes lingered on a strip of photos that were taken in a photobooth in the mall. The photographs had been taken two weeks after you started to date. Your hair was longer and Jeongin’s hair color was blonde instead of brown; proof of a different comeback, different time, and a different era. 

“I can’t either.” 

He padded over to the bed and slipped on the edge beside you. He gently placed his head on your shoulder. You didn’t complain and continued to flip through the pages one by one. The memories rippled through you both and cut bone-deep. The aching and nagging feeling of what once was. 

“Jeongin?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Do you ever miss us?” You flipped another page and swallowed the lump in your throat. “The couple we used to be.”  

“I miss us every single day.” 

Your voice trailed into a whisper. “What happened to us?” 

“Life happened, I guess.” 

“Do you regret telling me to take that job?” 

He shook his head. “You’re the happiest I’ve ever seen you when it comes to your career, so no. Sure I miss you a lot, but you’re happy, and that’s all I can ask for. Happiness looks good on you.” 

The corners of your mouth turned up into a small smile. You flipped through the last of the photo album in silence. You wondered if he could hear your pounding heart. Could he see the gaping wound that sat in it? The empty jagged hole that was the shape of him? Did he feel it too? 

“I think it’s time to admit that we’re not the right people for each other,” you finally got out. 

“Part of me doesn’t want to let you go.” 

“We’re just hurting each other even more by playing pretend.” 

“I know.” His eyes burned while he tried to keep the tears away. His rapid blinking didn’t do much to hide them. “I’m really going to miss you far more than I already do.” 

You nodded in agreement. You felt so many things. You didn’t want this to end, but there was no fixing it. You adored your job and he loved his. Your co-workers had become a second family and he felt the same way about his band members. 

“Can we try again in another life?” 

“In another life, I’ll always be yours, I promise.” 

A comfortable silence filled the room again as you slowly shut the photo album. You closed your eyes for a moment soaking up the weight of his head on your shoulder. Sure the two of you could be friends, but you might never be this close again. Your eyes reopened when he moved. 

He grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and unlocked it. You raised an eyebrow at his actions. “What are you doing?” 

“One more selfie before we go?” He glanced over at you with a soft gaze. 

This was the man you fell in love with. Darkened eyes that turned into pools of honey in the sunlight. A smile so large that it caused your own smile to appear. His loud laughter caused your heart to beat quicker and a soft-hearted nature that radiated a calm serene sense of peace.

You nodded your head, “one more selfie before we go.” You gave him a small smile that was met with one of his own. His lips pressed together in a thin line and his dimples appeared. His eyes crinkled and he seemed happy you obliged. 

He held up his phone for the final time and the two of you posed. 

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

If you want to be tagged on future stories, let me know. Requests are open.

#stray kids #stray kids fanfic #stray kids drabbles #yang jeongin #i.n skz #i.n x reader #i.n stray kids #skz imagines #kpop fanfic #fanfic writing #skz angst

[goldrushenthusiast]

Analysis on Snow and Lucy Gray’s relationship, as requested by @mym00nagedaydr3am :).

They definitely loved each other, though their reasons for it may have been out of their control, and it wasn’t true love. That’s the best way I can put it.

Coriolanus Snow- he talked about how he had thought about his future wife before, and how nobody but Persephone the cannibal was really that appealing to him. In drops Lucy Gray. She immediately captured his -and everyone else’s- attention, and in the first thirty minutes of knowing him she saved his life and his reputation. That definitely leaves a mark.

Coriolanus is drawn to things that are unlike the ordinary. We know this because of how he reacts to Katniss and Peeta’s fire costume, and how he reacts to a bunch of their stunts in general. I’m not as huge a hunger game fan as bosas though, so I can’t speak much on that. But, I do know Coriolanus thought (rightfully) about how people from district 12 were “stunted, joint swollen, and always died within the first 5 minutes.” (the beginning of chapter 2). He was surprised by Lucy Gray because she was clean, she had makeup on, and she made an excellent first impression (saving his life & reputation).

This was only amplified further by the fact that Lucy Gray sat down with him, and stood up for herself by demanding he believe she could win it. Coriolanus didn’t see that coming. He fully believed that his tribute would be terrible, and the shock of her not being so gave Coriolanus a bit of a boost in falling in love. He expected the worst, got the best, and the room in the middle had to be filled with love.  

I’d mention how Coriolanus also sees Lucy Gray as his property, and how he’s been raised with that mindset, but tbh that whole “she’s mine, she belonged to me, blah blah blah” part of their relationship is just so weird and off-putting, though it does make sense for his character. Lucy Gray would not be having that though, lmao. 

Now, Lucy Gray- she had just gotten out of a bad relationship, and her ex having sentenced her nearly to death is a great way to move on quickly! 

Lucy Gray likes courage, and bravery. I can’t find any exact quotes at the moment, but Lucy Gray did thank Coriolanus for protecting her & the covey from Mayfair when he killed her at the hob even though it was hard for him. The act of even showing up to the station, how it was a test to see how willing he was, also proves this. 

Lucy Gray also values family, above all else. She tries to make goats milk for Maude Ivory to “bring a bit of happy into her life.” She says the only thing she would miss would be them when she left district 12. Coriolanus accepts her family, and her “crazy” stories about them not being really district fairly quickly. She definitely appreciated that.

Not going to lie, at the beginning, Lucy Gray probably was only flirting to intrigue Coriolanus. In chapter 25, she says “Sure, I flirt with anybody. It’s part of my job.” I believe she still has this mindset when she arrives at the capitol. She is used to living by her charms (and voice), and so that’s exactly what she does. Coriolanus actually treats her with respect, and as a person, opposed to the other inmates & their mentors, so he also leaves quite the good impression on her. 

Their relationship in district 12 takes a different turn, though. At the beginning, it’s fine. She is overjoyed to see him, and finds it very romantic. “You found me.” “You knew I would.” things like that get said to each other often in the beginning. But soon things change. They have the fight about their dads being killed by the other, which I believe is fundamental to their relationship. Lucy Gray thinks that capitol people are all terrible, and by the way Coriolanus jumps straight to defense tells her a lot about him. 

Of course, they make up (and out), and Lucy Gray is very appreciative of how Coriolanus treats Maude Ivory and his “clear” devotion to his friend. I’m quite sure Coriolanus’ relationship with Sejanus was actually quite a bonus point in their own, so when she realized that Coriolanus betrayed him, she realized he could betray her too. 

That’s another thing about Lucy Gray. Trust. She never had it with Billy Taupe, and she thought she had it with Coriolanus, but she actually didn’t. It’s very important to her, so when she realized he had lied to her, she couldn’t just move on from that. 

That’s another one of the most interesting aspects of both of them. How quickly they fell out of love, and towards hate and murder. When Lucy Gray realized that Coriolanus killed Sejanus, and that he’d have no qualms about staying in district 12 now that he got rid of the guns, she knew she had been betrayed. When Coriolanus realized Lucy Gray knew, he easily started shooting at her, albeit not before trying to at least talk. This goes to show how they were both raised. Coriolanus to fend for himself, Lucy Gray to think about what her relationships with everyone around her mean and represent. 

Coriolanus also says that he was “beginning to sympathize with Billy Taupe.” This clearly shows that the second that his relationship with her was over, that he could no longer benefit from it, he turned on her. He said “hell no!” and got out of there with a mind that only amplified what he now thought of her. Vicious, cutthroat, and manipulative, all things he also was. Coriolanus’ victim mindset is also very interesting tbh. 

In the end, I’m very sure Lucy Gray lived. She’s smarter than a lot of people give her credit for, especially Coriolanus (until the last few pages). They wouldn’t have worked out long term, due to their differences in what family meant, what the capitol meant, and just in general how different they were, but just them being together probably changed both their lives. Coriolanus’ for the better, Lucy Gray’s for the worst, which actually represents a lot of what happens in their other relationships (Snow lands on top, Lucy Gray is forgotten.) 

That just made me remember! Lucy Gray’s ballad! A stroke of GENIUS writing. How Lucy gray mysteriously vanishes in the blizzard, how her parents don’t realize how far she is gone until it is too late, how she leaves no trace except in the middle of a BRIDGE, because that’s what they were to each other. A bridge to the other’s life. I might have to make a separate post about this stupid ballad, but yeah. 

If you read this all THANK YOU!! It means a lot :). If not, I don’t blame you, this is probably my longest tumblr post so far lol. I just find this whole book so fascinating. 

#ballad of songbirds and snakes #bosas #suzanne collins #hunger games #hunger games prequel #me posting abt hunger games??? #told yall i love this book a lot #Coriolanus/ Lucy Gray #coriolanus snow #sejnaus plinth #lucy gray baird

[ariainstars]

How to Portray Real Love - and How Not to

Warning: long post.

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

To anyone who loves this movie:

I will not apologize for what I am going to write. It’s my own take, yes, but in my opinion all of this ought to be obvious to anyone watching the movie.

I will not refer to André Aciman’s book, not having read it.

I am Italian and I grew up in places like we see in the movie. I’m not denying that the way it’s shot and the general atmosphere are often gorgeous, but that was not sufficient to convince me that this movie is romantic, probably because I’m used to it.

What This is Not: Grooming / Sexual Predation

Reading up reactions to this movie, I have stumbled often over criticism about the age gap between the two protagonists. In my opinion this is beside the point: we are speaking of 7 years, not of a generational gap, and Oliver is still a student. Elio is mature for his age, and after some initial reticence, he approaches Oliver by himself over and over. His family knows and encourages (or at least doesn't oppose) them, and Elio has more than one opportunity to say no, which he doesn’t take.

Oliver is not a predator. He’s confused, but that’s not because he doesn't feel the attraction between himself and Elio: he simply doesn’t understand it.

Elephant in the room no. 1: Oliver is a bad person.

Oliver comes across as irreverent and self-absorbed. He does not respect boundaries, does not knock on doors, does not fit in with the lifestyle and customs of his hosts, only occasionally he does things that will make people think well of him. Early in their acquaintance he expects Elio to tell him what he is going on in his head but doesn't do the same in return (he never does, even later); his entire behaviour seems to be aimed at irritating and challenging his surroundings.

There is no depth in Oliver, no creativity, contrarily to Elio who already composes at age 17; somehow Oliver seems to know that he is the inferior one. At times he is downright offensive to Elio, for no reason at all, like he wasn’t a guest in their house. Oliver moves around in a foreign place like everybody owes him; he does not wonder, question, ask for explanations. He plays with Elio’s youthful insecurity, who is still hardly shaving and feels in the shadow of Oliver’s allegedly superior manliness. It is not surprising that to Elio he soon appears as some kind of handsome, unreachable prince.

Oliver is the kind of person who manages, on purpose or not, to convince the people around him that he is someone special, irresistible, and that being his friend or lover is a privilege. Elio falls for it, and Oliver picks the fruit of that attraction. Oliver does not love Elio because he does not love anyone, being too busy with thinking of himself.

At first Elio doesn’t like him; he notices that although Oliver never shows regard for anyone, he gets away with it. Elio’s family and friends fall for his self-assuredness and expect him to befriend Oliver. Piqued by the fact that Elio is the only person who is wary around him (with good reason!), Oliver repeatedly behaves in a way that frustrates Elio, repeatedly invading his private space, ignoring his limits, alternating insults with niceties, giving him attention one minute and completely ignoring him the next. And he never seems scheming picking at Elio’s insecurities whenever he gets a pass: it’s like second nature to him. He doesn’t do it because he loves Elio and doesn’t want to admit it, because he’s scared or something like that; he does it because he can, and because it works. He wants Elio to look up to him the way everybody does. After a while, the insecure Elio gets obsessed with wanting the older man’s approval.

Oliver starts a relationship with Elio knowing that the younger man has a girlfriend; he doesn’t even ask about her, whether Elio broke up with her etc. Oliver seems to believe that Elio owes him his undivided attention. By keeping their relationship a secret, Oliver makes the hapless Elio his accomplice. Even if he wanted to or if he would slowly begin to suspect that something's not right, he couldn’t talk to anyone about it. No one would believe him anyway, since everybody thinks the world of Oliver.

Oliver humiliates Elio, who by then is his lover, when he finds out about the peach: he laughs at him, not with him. (Why was Elio masturbating anyway, while he was in a sexual relationship?) When they are in Bergamo Oliver starts partying with random strangers on the street (with a woman!) when Elio is about to be sick: an observant lover would have noticed it before it was too late. Although they live under the same roof, he never sleeps in the same bed with him but gets up earlier, even when they are sharing a hotel room. He never tells Elio what is making him refrain from intimacy.

Oliver destroys Elio’s creativity by commenting negatively both on his composition and his impassioned love letter; we never see the young man making music or writing again. Shouldn’t a person in requited love feel inspired and happy and want to sing and play all day long? That he gives up on his interests already foreshadows the deep depression Elio is destined to fall into.

Viewers who love this movie like to argue that Oliver is so distant because he’s afraid of hurting Elio or shy because he’s in the closet. But it’s plain to see that Oliver knows exactly what he’s doing. He just doesn’t understand why because he’s not the kind of person who second-guesses himself. He’s controlling a power play with a younger man, probably because he doesn’t know how to have a genuine relationship with anyone. And Elio is too defenceless against him. When his mother comes to pick him up at the railway station and his voice breaks on the phone, it is obvious what a child Elio still is interiorly. He didn’t grow up through this relationship. He didn’t know what he was getting into and then had to pay the full price for another man’s egotism.

As the movie comes to a close, we can see that what he and Elio shared did hit Oliver harder than he had expected, but not enough for him to change, or only to reflect about it. Oliver is not aware of what he’s doing to Elio; to him everything is fun and games while to Elio it’s a life-changing experience.

Elephant in the room no. 2: Elio is not in love, he’s hooked.

Elio begins to imitate Oliver like a younger brother would do with the older - he smokes, wears a Jewish symbol on a chain, he has sex with Marzia only to prove a point because he knows Oliver had sex with Chiara. After a while, he gets obsessed with wanting the older man’s approval, for him to see him as an equal instead of an annoying boy he can either ignore or boss around.

Being both intellectual and highly sensitive, Elio believes that the more experienced and seemingly more mature Oliver must know the answers to life’s most burning questions; which Oliver doesn’t, as much as Elio wishes he would.

There isn’t the slightest sign of genuine love coming from Oliver; he only takes. Elio, being a giving, honest person, falls into a trap. Oliver has caught Elio and also half a dozen other people in his net, but he never had the slightest intention to put his roots down and actually like anyone back. Oliver’s attitude towards Elio is avoidant, but that is not because he wants to prevent him or himself from getting hurt; it’s because he doesn’t want to get attached and have to face the consequences.

In the scene where we first see Oliver interact with the family, he says at breakfast that he shouldn’t eat an egg because otherwise he’ll eat two, three, and more until they will have to roll him away. This already shows what kind of person Oliver is: he doesn’t know when to stop. Elio mistakenly believes that this lack of restrain, this want of limits is a sign of superior maturity and self-assuredness. He won’t realize to the last that in truth this attitude shows nothing short of a total lack of responsibility.

Elio says so to his father once: he does not play poker. Oliver is a poker player through and through. Despite the poetic request to “call him by his name”, Oliver remains shrouded in mystery. He does not change; while Elio wakes up, both sexually and emotionally.

There also is the symbolism: the dying fish gasping its least breath with eyes wide open (symbolizing Elio), the bronze statue, beautiful but cold and lifeless (symbolizing Oliver). The connection is made by the fact that both tokens come from the water.

All Oliver wanted and expected was to spend a good time in Italy with no strings attached. Which also is why we hardly see him working and studying, the way he’s supposed to. After all he did to Elio, his final revelation that he has a girlfriend and is about to marry her is only the coup de grâce.

Elephant in the room no. 3: Elio’s father is a fool.

I couldn’t bring myself to admire Elio’s father for what he said to his son, presumably wanting to comfort him: that “it had been a particularly beautiful thing between them”, and “he wished he would have made such an experience.”

How does he know what happened in detail? Does he know what is in these two young men’s hearts? Does he know about the humiliations Oliver inflicted on Elio? Probably not, but in any case, Oliver has given him no reason to believe that he’s a good person the way he claims.

We did not see father and son interact at all before this scene. All we learn is that both Elio’s parents expect their son to be nice to their guest and to befriend him, and that they don’t mind if there is more than friendship. We never learn whether Elio’s father loves him and cares for him (at least his mother shows affection from time to time). Imagine needing to have your entire world and happiness destroyed just so your father will finally give you some attention and kindness.

Elio’s father never changes his mind, even when he learns that Oliver is getting married. A caring, responsible father would have opened his son’s eyes about the fact that he was used and then discarded. I have no clue as to why any queer person would want their parent to do anything like that to them, leaving their heart open to bleed.

Add to this that he does not ask whether they used protection. The movie is set in 1983, and the first AIDS wave struck in 1981. Papa Perlman doesn’t seem to mind that his son might have caught a horrible, incurable disease, all that matters is that his son had sex with another male. Yay. (Maybe he believes in the adage that true love exists only between members of the same sex, who knows.)

I guess this little speech is meant to be politically correct. Woe if you dare to see the dysfunction in a relationship when it’s same-sex.

Elephant in the room no. 4: Elio did not need Oliver.

When we meet him, Elio is well-educated, living in a beautiful place where he also grew up, he has a supportive family, enough free time (they even have servants), he’s healthy and serene and he has a girlfriend. He’s intelligent, well-learned and creative.

When we last see him, he’s devastated, staring into the fire and crying for minutes on end.

Oliver is not “only” a sexual predator. He’s a textbook manipulator, the sexual part isn’t even what it’s about. Manipulators may want money, sex, attention from their victims or a combination of these, but what they always want is power. They rejoice in the knowledge that their prey is ready to do whatever they want at their command, that they can’t live without them, at least not happily. Oliver would have taken anything Elio gave him and crushed it, not just his sexuality. Just imagine the pain Elio must feel now every time someone says his own name, or when he goes to his “special place” by the creek! He can’t compose, play the guitar or write any more, because everything reminds him of Oliver. And all of the time, Oliver had the chance to either avoid a relationship with him or to let go once he had left him; but you need some basic common decency for that.

Oliver realized quickly that Elio, though younger, is much better than he is, healthier, smarter, more accomplished, more innocent, honest and kind-hearted. Oliver took all that, used it or destroyed it and left Elio in the shards of his former self, no longer in a position to enjoy the things and the people he used to love, tortured additionally by the knowledge that Oliver is about to marry someone else, i.e. that Elio apparently wasn’t good enough for him. Elio ends like a modern Pygmalion, crying about the fact that all of his love could not bring the object of his adoration to life; hence also the parallel between Oliver and the statue.

Elephant in the room no. 5: Elio is not gay, he’s bisexual. (Maybe.)

Elio has a girlfriend when we first meet him; it is also hinted at that before Marzia, he was with Chiara. No sign of a boyfriend anywhere. No sign even of some brotherly male friend to whom he might feel unconsciously attracted.

Elio enjoyed his first sexual experience with Marzia, we hear him cry out “That feels so good!” He then starts an affair with Oliver, but nothing suggests that he likes it any better. Yes, he keeps sleeping with him, not with her; but she didn’t manipulate him for weeks into believing that without her he would be missing out, the way Oliver did.

If Oliver was a woman of 24 years who would seduce Elio, dragging him away from his girlfriend, and then dumping him to marry another guy, everybody would call her a heartless bitch. In this case, Elio’s supposed sexual awakening supersedes everything else. Which is probably the main reason why so many viewers insist that there was nothing wrong and unhealthy between them. The relationship between Elio and Oliver can’t have been sick and dysfunctional, because Elio apparently “needed to realize that he's gay (or bi).” Never mind that he was traumatized for life.

In the end, Elio is alone; Oliver has left him for good, and he can’t go back to Marzia. Had Oliver not interfered Elio might have missed out a nuance on his sexuality, but he wouldn't have had his heart broken, and he would have a girlfriend who is a sweet and kind girl, never manipulates him and even offers him friendship and comfort after he dumped her for no reason (after having taken her virginity no less).

Part 6: Elio Always Had a Choice.

Elio wasn’t forced to do anything. He sought Oliver out repeatedly and never actively said “no” to him, except for his heart-wrenching protest during the infamous peach scene. Maybe he wants Oliver to single him out being a victim of his own vanity; however, his personality is not explored enough for the viewer to come to a fair conclusion. We mostly see him react to Oliver, not act on his own.

Since the focus of the movie is on the Elio / Oliver relationship, the landscape the story takes place in is idyllic, the music is beautiful etc., as a viewer one can easily assume that Elio chose Oliver of out “love”. Did he?

Obsession is not love. When feelings for another person are so strong that there seems to be no escape, it doesn’t mean they are soulmates, that it’s fate or anything like that. Healthy love is a choice; love only exists in freedom. When one partner (or both) is in mental chains, his mind revolving around the other, something is very wrong.

I already wrote that while his character is manipulative, Oliver is not an actual predator. If the victim has the chance to escape and does not take it, there is a large part of responsibility on the latter’s part, too. It is not enough to say that Elio is “only a teenager”. At seventeen, a person knows what they are doing and what they want. They may not be aware of the implications and the consequences, but Oliver and Elio’s parents didn’t know either, so it’s useless to say that age makes the difference.

Part 7: Culture Clash.

Italy and Elio’s family welcome Oliver with open arms; they let him live in their house, let him do whatever he wants, invite him to come back next year, encourage his feelings for Elio. Oliver never opens up. He does not speak about his thoughts; he never mentions that he has a girlfriend at home. Only in the end we learn that his family seems to be very bigoted. Which is of course awful, but as a viewer I couldn’t feel sorry for him. This is something that in all fairness he should have told Elio from the start, before playing fast and loose with a young man who was obviously smitten with him.

Oliver is a consumerist, diametrically opposed to the deep soul of Elio, a young man who grew up surrounded by nature, in a house and near cities that feel timeless. Oliver tells Elio once that his family had welcomed him like he was a son-in-law, but this only shows that Oliver has no clue about Italian mentality; else he would know that it is second nature to most Italians to be welcoming and to make acquaintances part of the family quickly. That he believes they did so specifically with him only reflects his arrogance.

On a side note: in Italy the paragraph against homosexuality fell in 1890, and this movie is set almost a century later. And Oliver was introduced to an elderly gay couple who are friends of the family, emphasizing that Elio’s family doesn’t have the slightest issue with same-sex relationships. So, we are not speaking of star-crossed lovers. Had he wanted to, Oliver could have moved to Italy leaving his bigoted background behind, finding both a better family and a partner who would do anything in his power to make him happy. But that would also have meant having to give up on something, and Oliver is not the kind of person who would accept any kind of sacrifice, not even for his own sake. He will rather see to it that the price for his choices is paid by someone else.

Part 8: Attitude Towards Females.

The way both Oliver and Elio treat the women in their lives is downright awful. Oliver flirts with Chiara and in return, Elio soon brags how he “almost had sex with Marzia”. It is clear enough that they only do it when the other is watching; they do not care about the girls, both only want to show off their sex lives.

Sex has no real value for Oliver; he tells Elio that he should better “try and fail with Marzia than not try at all”. He does not consider that having your first time and be in an actual relationship is serious stuff. It ought to be something two people do together, not a challenge of sorts.

Although with Marzia it’s the first time for both of them, Elio obviously does not care for her - he did not even recognize her voice on the phone and did not react when she told him she didn’t want to suffer because of him. His next thought is that he wants Oliver, not her. He even has sex with Marzia all the while watching the clock for the appointment at midnight Oliver gave him. (What for, anyway? Distraction? As a training object?) His obsession with Oliver makes him selfish and false. And Oliver has tied his invitation to another insult, “Grow up.” Elio is seventeen and he has sex with both a female and a male within the course of 24 hours. Why - out of pique, to prove Oliver that he is indeed grown-up and that he is not ‘too scared to do it’?

Oliver does not offer Elio or his family friendship; he does not even call or write a postcard from his home to let them know that he came back home safely. Ironically, it is Marzia who offers her friendship and comforts the heartbroken Elio, although she would have every reason to resent him. She is more mature and responsible than both Elio and Oliver although she is Elio’s age. Which makes his behaviour towards her only feel more unfair; but I guess viewers must expect her to accept that because what she and Elio shared was not the alleged “true love” he had with Oliver.

A few months after Oliver went back home, we learn that he is about to hurt the next person - a woman with whom he will start a loveless marriage. (We learn that he was in an on-off relationship with her for years, which fits the picture perfectly; Oliver would not want to miss out on anything.)

Elio’s father gives a monologue that reflects his marriage in an awful way: apparently it does not make him happy because it makes him feel like he missed out on the experience of “real love” (whatever he believes that is). His wife is a good person and a good mother and does not deserve to be dismissed like that.

Conclusion: This Is Not a Love Story.

There may be different ways of interpreting it, but this movie is not about love, i.e. honest, deep feelings and commitment for one another. It isn’t romantic or poetic or tragic. It’s about a lot of pain that could have been avoided.

Oliver is not a groomer who takes advantage of a younger and less experienced guy. If Elio was a few years older, Oliver would still be a bad person. Consider that no one seems to realize what an egotist he is, including the many adults he meets! Piqued by Elio’s resistance, Oliver would certainly still try to make a pass at Elio, except that if the latter was older, he would be more mature, and possibly also have, by now, a secure attachment with Marzia (or someone else). I do think that a relationship between a 17-year-old and a 24-year-old could work well, provided both are honest and loyal persons. What makes this story problematic is not grooming or sexual predation on Oliver’s part. It is the relationship itself between these two that is utterly dysfunctional; which is, I daresay, what actually makes so many viewers feel uneasy about it the way I did.

Real love looks different; it does not only leave pain and “what if”s behind. Oliver sweeps into a foreign family and culture like a storm, takes what he can, and after him the deluge. While Elio is changed for life, Oliver just runs off to the next best thing, still not ready to change, take responsibility, or at least apologize for having used a younger man for an affair before agreeing to a socially acceptable marriage with a woman.

The musical theme of the movie is “Mystery of Love”. Why? Fantasizing about someone you never really get to know because they never open up to you is not love. How can there be love without honesty, loyalty and trust? Elio never grows beyond the first phase of a romantic relationship where you still idealize the other, instead of seeing them for how they truly are. And Oliver doesn’t even reach that phase.

We are supposed to feel for Oliver and Elio them because they are “star crossed”; I can’t bring myself to do that. Oliver is too immature to be honest with Elio and to keep him at arm’s length to prevent him from hurt; while Elio is not grown and strong enough to stand up first for his own self-love, and then for his feelings for Oliver. He does not even confront him when he tells him he is about to get married (which also implies that he will not come back). Not for one moment seems Elio to realize that he was betrayed, used and dumped. Instead, he keeps believing that he missed out on something that could have been wonderful.

If you are in a problematic relationship, there are only two options: either you renounce because you don’t want to make the other unhappy, or you fight for your love. Nurturing false hopes, allowing love to make its way into the heart of a naïve, well-meaning young person and then let him fall like a hot potato is the last thing anyone ought to do. Oliver doesn’t trust anyone, while Elio’s trust in him, after his initial hesitation, is infinite.

When Oliver tells Elio on the phone that he forgot nothing, it only makes Elio suffer more. A mature, caring person could have told his former lover to get over him, and that he was grateful for the time passed together. There is not gratitude in Oliver’s words; he ties Elio to him again, knowing that the younger man would be his at the lift of a finger. During the phone call, he does not even have the politeness to ask how everybody is doing. As usual, it is all about him. Oliver may be the victim of his family’s bigotry, but I cannot bring myself to feel with someone who is so utterly selfish and irresponsible. At least now that it's clear that he’s not coming back, he should have the decency to let go.

It is certainly true - as Elio’s father said - that it’s better to accept one’s pain than to turn away from it. But: the easiest way to unhappiness is holding on to something (or someone) you can’t have, respectively that never existed in the first place. Elio never gets over his feelings and they make him suffer still decades later, proving that the brief happiness was not worth the pain. What Elio feels at the end is not the normal heartache everybody goes through after a break-up: he’s traumatized because his budding personality was crushed and he has nothing to hold on to or to look forward anymore.

I wonder why this movie is called a love story. There is mutual attraction, fascination, erotic tension, but all of this doesn’t add to love. I see no reason why anyone should love someone like Oliver, and I can’t understand why Oliver does not love Elio back, who shared everything he was with him.

This movie may be interesting, but in my opinion it’s not romantic at all and I see no reason to sigh and wax poetic about it like 95 % of the audience seems to. If anything, it’s a warning to not confuse obsession and idealization with actual caring.

I wonder why the LGBT+ community does not hate this movie.

I have often heard in conservative circles that gay men are supposedly straight until they meet someone who is older and experienced who seduces them and “makes them gay”. I always found this to be a narrow-minded prejudice, and thought that any queer person must find such an idea insulting to say the least. But this is exactly what is being portrayed here. And almost no viewer, queer or straight, seems to have the slightest problem with it. On the contrary, almost everybody gushes on how romantic this story is.

~ * ~ * ~ *

Red, White and Royal Blue (2023)

Of course, this is a modern fairy tale and it’s set in an alternative universe. Let me just point out the differences to the above-mentioned movie, and why this is a much more genuine portrayal of romantic love.

Since the story is about the son of a female US president who is running for her second term and the offspring of a conservative British peerage family, the conflict goes without saying; there is no wondering about what is making their relationship difficult.

Alex, once in a same-sex relationship, embraces his bisexuality wholeheartedly. He does not fall into a crisis and does not mess around with some girl. He knows that Henry is who he wants. It is abundantly clear that Henry is special for him because with him he’s head over heels in love, not because he’s the first guy he makes sexual experiences with.

In this movie there is also a cultural clash between a Texan American and a British peer, but there is nothing offensive about it; usually it’s just played for fun, like when Alex doesn’t know what a maypole is and Henry teases him about it.

How much wiser and more to the point is Ellen’s reaction: she simply tells her son that “such a relationship will define his life”. Yes, it’s kind of embarrassing that she asks him whether they used protection, but at least it shows that she cares for his safety.

Side note: all women in this movie are treated with respect, not looked down upon, used and discarded.

Alex does not make Henry feel bad about his accomplishments. He admires him playing polo, he loves listening to him when he plays the piano, although Alex can do neither.

When Henry comes to visit Alex in Texas, he adapts by wearing casual clothing, drinking, singing, playing, swimming. He’s just himself and there is nothing of his usual detachment about him, on the contrary, he obviously feels happy with the chance to just be a young man like any other. Compare this to Oliver’s attitude of haughty superiority in his host’s place, behaving like he was a prince everyone must look up to (which he isn’t, contrarily to Henry).

These men are both adults who know what they are doing; none shows off as being superior and they never come across as selfish and mean. Initially Henry is detached and stiff-necked, while Alex pettily takes offense at something that happened years earlier; but all of that quickly changes through the dynamics between them. The two young men open up, become more relaxed and much more themselves through being together. Since they started as rivals, they know each other’s faults and never for a moment fall into the trap of idealization. Their connection is much more genuine and intimate than Oliver’s and Elio’s although technically, they spend less time together.

Their relationship is also much more fun; Alex and Henry banter, tease one another and laugh a lot. Being in a long-distance relationship they write each other e-mails and texts, and they have conversations over the phone still when they’re barely friends. They talk about personal issues, they keep eye contact, their hands touch, they hug outside of sexual contact, they sleep in the same bed whenever they can. The power dynamics between them are healthy, and it is made abundantly clear that the basis for their relationship is honest, trusting friendship.

Shortly after having started an actual relationship with Henry, Alex plunges into his Texas campaign; he wants to use his influence as the president’s son to do good for other people. Henry’s philanthropic work and his overall influence inspire Alex to do more for his fellowmen, too.

When Henry panics and runs in the face of a declaration of love, Alex confronts him right away. Alex is willing to fight for his love. He „flies across an ocean and storms a f…ing palace“, in his words, to tell Henry he won’t give up on him.

As they say goodbye at the airport both gift one another what means most to them - ring and key. Alex until then never took his key chain off, not even when he was swimming or having sex. Alex’s last virtue is patience, yet he is willing to wait.

In the end the shy, introverted Henry says, “I will no longer be the prince of shame and secrets” finally confronting his worst fear, that his subjects may no longer like him.

Which is where we reach the bottom line.

„Real love“ is not defined by how deep, desperate and or romantic your feelings are.

Real love makes you a better, stronger and more mature person.

Red, White and Royal Blue is an actual, real and inspiring love story. Call Me by Your Name is a slap in the face.

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