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ridingthatd · 3 months

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❝𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐎❞

𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐘 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

manipulative!geto ✘ fem!reader

summary: geto is one of your innocent friends, what happens when you get stuck in a cabin with him alone since your boyfriend gojo can't make it?, will he stay so innocent?

warnings: 18+, nsfw, so much smut, cabin sex, perv!geto, fingering, squirting, nastiness, geto gets what he wants, gojo is your boyfriend, manipulation, obsession.

today is the day. today is the day geto will get what he wants. today is the day geto will get what he dreamed of. today is the day geto gets to live his little nasty fantasy. today is the day geto will finally get to feel your soft, plump body against his- that's if, if only if everything goes according to his plan, and be demanded getos plans will always work.

"ah here you are suguru!" you slowly wave your hand at geto as he makes his way toward your cabin, the cabin where you and gojo have been living for the past few months, he would be lying if he said he isn't jealous of his dear childhood friend. keeping you all to himself. gojo and geto have always shared everything, even the stupid childish dream about living without curses- they both shared it, so what about you? why is saturo so selfish that he can't share you with him?.

part of geto doesn't blame his friend because if he had you. he would split the ocean in half before giving you to anyone.

geto smiles softly at you. waving back, he smiles even wider once he sees the way you're hopping from leg to leg- clearly just as excited as he is to meet you.

"careful y/n don't want you hurting yourself on my watch." he speaks out once he's in a close distance to get a good look at the gorgeous goddess in front of him, cheeks flushed from hopping around, grinning from ear to ear, hair slightly messy because of the cold breeze that's hitting both of you.

you playfully role your eyes "don't worry suguru I'm a grown woman, of course i wouldn't hurt myself in such a silly way like you do." getos cheeks flush remembering the embarrassing moments of him being clumsy around you.

"aw your ears are getting red no need to be embarrassed geto" you say while gently rubbing his ear between your finger tips- trying to rub his redness away. getos breath hitch this little act of yours, you have no idea- no idea what you do to your so called "sweet" suguru.

"im not embarrassed, it's just because it's cold outside" geto mumbles, you let out a little mhm while you move your hand away folding them close to your body, making your breast slightly peark up."if you so say, now get inside don't want you catching a cold on my watch" you say teasingly micking him- now it's his turn to roll his eyes at you.

both of you make it inside the warm cabin, it wasn't to small or to big, it was just enough the perfect size for two new happy couple. it was the perfect size to cuddle and fuck in, if geto was the one with you here- he would have fucked you in every inch of this cabin, print his cock in you everywhere, claim you in every inch so everytime he isn't here, you would remember the way he fucked you in every corner- but today there isn't ifs because he's gonna make it happen, after all he's geto.

you happily sip the last bit of the soup geto has made for both you.

"I didn't know you were a chef suguru- I guess every day the huge brain of yours learn something new". geto blushes a little before snorting at your little comment about his brain "it's nothing special, it's just a soup recipe I learned from my grandpa, that he used to make when I was sick" he says while staring at the way you happily rub at your cute little tummy, that he has noticed grew a little since the last time he saw you- it's not that he minds oh no it makes him more eager to touch you- to squeeze your little stomach while he eats you out, holding you in place by your tummy.

"still it made both of me and my baby happy" you say cheekly not realizing what you just said till geto drops his spoon.

"y... your baby?" geto repeats making sure he heard you right, making you realize what you just said- your eyes widen and you stand up quickly making the chair you were sat on fall with a thud.

"NO- oh god no im not pregnant or anything!" you hurriedly say as if geto thinking your pregnant is your hugest fear, he stare at you confused.

"then why did you-" he was cut off by you "it's just me and gojo been acting as if im pregnant and saying cheesy stuff-" you say as if that makes any sense "I don't know why but it's been gojos new thing to act as if im pregnant so it just rubbed off on me I guess" you mumble hoping the big guy would understand what you mean- you finally got the courage to look up at him, and it catches you off surprise what you see- you have never seen geto with such a dark expression on his face, he was clenching his hand into a fist under the table. you were not sure what to say.

so that's what gojo been up to huh. breeding his lovely y/n. trapping you so he won't be able to have you. the thought of that made geto fume in rage, how many times have gojo fucked you and breed you full with his cum? how many times have gojo planted his seed inside of you pretending to impregnate you? geto won't let this happen, and tonight he will make sure of it. by marking his seed inside of you before gojo gets to steal that from him.

"it's.. it's fine it just got me off guard that you guys would have kept something as big as you being pregnant from me" geto stares at you with sad eyes- he has to keep the innocent act till he gets what he wants, he wasn't entirely lying. it would make him really upset if you guys kept such thing hidden from him.

"no no no no suguru- you know you would be the first person we would tell if that ever happens right?" you say panickly "yea I know".

soon after the sun has disappeared and a gloomy dark weather has appeared- you had always since childhood hated rain and thunder, of course geto knew that- this is why he's here today. this is why he made a specific plan to be here at this time, at this weather, and mostly at a time where gojo wouldn't be around.

you stare at the window as your hear the soft drops of rain starting to fall- you frown "saturo won't make it today with such weather" you worriedly say and of course geto knew that I mean after all it was part of his plan-"yea looks like it".

loud thunder and heavy rain sounds fill the room. under the darkness of this room it lights up each time. after every thunder to, show a glimpse of you and geto laying together with only 1 blanket. 1 pillow. 1 bed.

"im sorry geto-its just... you know i can't handle the thunder" you softly whipser, shuffling next to him. of course again geto knew that, he knew that you would get scared to be alone in your room, he knew that you'd come to him seeking for comfort, and he knew he would give you that with no hesitation.

"it's alright. it's just like back when we were kids right?" geto mumbles shifting to turn around and look at your curled up back shivering from discomfort of the loud thunder. he slowly stretch his arms towards you. fingers itching to feel the warmth of you, once he reachs you- you stiff unsure how to feel about that "geto-" you were cut off by him shushing you gently while hooking his arms around your waist and pulling you to his chest.

"shhhh it's okay. im here everything is going to be okay" he softly rock you against his chest-pressing your whole body warmth against his and god it felt so good to have you this close. finally he thought while pressing his nose against your hair- taking a deep breath of the cherry smell of your hair. finally he thought again. finally he can have you while slowly trailing his nose against your ear going lower and lower. finally he thought once more. finally he can get to mark his sweet little y/n.

"geto-" you breath out once more, feeling your childhood friend press his front against you- gently sucking your earlobe in his mouth, coating it with his warm spit.

"what are you doing-" you gently tug, trying to escape his grasp- not realizing you accidentally rubbed your ass on his already ragging hard on. geto hiss, realising your now spit-covered earlobe from his mouth "careful- don't want me cumming in my pants just yet". you gasp you have never thought such a dirty words would come out of your dark haired innocent friend.

a loud thunder seems to snap you out to reality, you flinch at how loud it was- you couldn't even fully react because geto was already shushing you and gently rubbing your belly. "shhh it's okay baby I know, I know just let me take care of this okay hm? let me make you forget about this- you don't have to do anything just lay close to me while I make you feel so so so good, that you won't have to worry about the silly little thunder hm?"

you were confused, scared, shakey about what's happening this is why you hated rainy days because they always make you go blank- weak can't do anything, you didn't even realize that you were crying until you felt geto licking away a tear that dropped from your eye. his tongue felt warm and wet against your cold cheek.

"aw my little baby- don't cry I will take care of you, don't worry" he gently whispered still soothing your belly the only difference is that his hands are now under your shirt- making skin to skin contact with it. his hand felt so warm and comforting that you simply just sniffle and node to scared and confused to do anything else.

"such a good girl for me" geto mumbles against your neck while slowly lowering his hand from your belly- to your underwear trailing soft circles on top of your underwear.

he can feel your sweet little pussy throbbing under his hand- such a sweet pussy even through confusion your pussy is still so eager for him. he flickes your underwear up and slide his hand under- his groan is muffled by your neck, as he suck on it leaving a redish purple mark covered with his drool behind. he can feel how sticky and warm you were plusing under his touch- clenching around nothing so ready for one of his long fingers to slide right into your warmth.

he starts sucking on your delicate neck drung off the smell of you, as he rubes gentle circles on your clit- you let a whimper, you let out the sweetest whimper he ever heard. it made him go crazy because it finally hits him. he's making you his. he's making you feel good. he's touching your pussy. so warm so sticky so wet, he couldn't help himself from rocking his hips against your ass basically humping your ass while fingering you.

he goes faster. more aggressive- you couldn't help the loud whine that left you. clear warm liquid gushing out of you, coating his finger, he starts to hump you faster he can practically feel his percum soaking through his boxer.

he suddenly flips you into your back- him on top of you, earning a gasp out of you- you finally caught a look at him. he didn't look like the sweet geto you knew, he looked like an animal waiting to rut, his hair is messy, cheeks flushed, drool leaving his mouth and coating his puffy red lips. you couldn't help your gaze going down- he was huge who knew geto could hold such a weapon between his legs.

Impatiencly he slides your shorts and underwear off- he couldn't wait more to take a look at the sweet puffy pussy of yours. once it was free he left out a long groan- head dropping to take a closer look while hooking your legs around his shoulder.

"fuck y/n- look what the sight of your wet pussy do to me" he shakily says palming his dick out of his boxers. he was indeed huge, the long distance between the darkish hair around his base and the top but what caught your attention is the hot pink head and the white percum leaking out of it. it was a breathtaking sight you couldn't deny.

geto is shaking- he doesn't know why. is he shaking from excitement. is he shaking from how nasty he is. is he shaking because he knows it's fucked up or is he shaking because he can't wait to eat the wet creamy pussy in front of him- he doesn't waste any more time and dig right into his meal.

the thunder is long gone. it stopped and the only sound left in this room was the wet, sucking and licking sounds your pussy is geto slowly raise his head, you thought he was finished but the way he holds your eyes tells you something different- he maintain eye contact while slowly spitting, letting the drool leave his mouth and land directly on your clit. this time it was you who couldn't hold out your moan. once he started to suck on your clit again it's over for you.

you squirt all over his face, clear liquid gushing out of your pretty pussy- geto couldn't believe it, but that didn't stop him from opening his mouth and letting all the squirt go directly into his mouth. it's like he's drinking out of a holy fountain of a goddess, and this sent him over the edge- white hot cum spurts out of his angry dick and lend on your thighs.

your body was shaking, you could barely keep your eyes open after this. the only thing you heard before falling into deep sleep was "rest y/n because we're not done yet".

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0oolookitsme · 1 year

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A Messy Day

Type- One-Shot

Verse- Singer!Harry xCeo!Y/n

Word Count- 2.5k

Warnings- I literally never write angst and I guess it might be showing in this fic lmao.

A/N- I just hope you don't absolutely hate this, I just don't have any idea what couples would fight about, what would be a big or small deal for them! I already beg your pardon hahah <3

She doesn't know what she did that made him feel like that. She just cares for him and is in love with him- is that where she went wrong? Because if yes, then this might be the only mistake which will have wounded her so badly that she won't even speak to another human ever again.

She was just helping him calm down before the show, telling him all the positive things that could happen while he was on the stage as he was brushing his teeth. She was just coming onto the point of making memories when he just spat out the toothpaste, rinsed his mouth and went away humming back at her in a dismissive response.

She was left dumbfounded sitting on the bathroom counter, but she brushed it off thinking maybe he was just feeling better now. It hit her in the heart when she saw him rambling to Mitch instead and as much as she tried to cover up her disappointment by thinking that he maybe wanted some relatability, she couldn't help but leave the space immediately to just forget this ever happened.

And she had. Sitting on a wooden chair, she chatted away with the cooking crew to selfishly keep her mind away from the way Harry had stirred-up shit in the over-thinking part of her brain. But she was also curious to know about how it felt to cook at somewhere which isn't the most usual space for cooking and chef-ing around.

She had even befriended the female chef; Charlotte was her name. Charlotte had told her about her nickname often being 'chocolate' to sweeten y/n's mood. Maybe she had just sensed that something was off ...women things? Y/n has no idea.

"Is my soup ready?" Harry's head peeked inside the kitchen area and every head turned towards him except for y/n's as she truly cannot afford tearing up in front of so many people.

One of them chimed in to tell him that it isn't yet but should be in around five more minutes. "Can you bring it to my room, love?" He asked and there's no doubt he's talking to his girlfriend.

"Sure," she mumbles quietly, her back still turned to him. Hearing him pad away without much care about her strange behaviour towards him, she looked up again while inhaling deeply, trying to keep her emotions in control when all she wanted to do was lock herself up in a bathroom and cry.

Only Harry had this much control over her feelings, only him. No one could make her want to just cry this much but Harry, she realized today. No one could pull as many emotions out of her as he could- she knew that since before though. But all she can think of right now is them separating- him leaving her all alone to be specific, and regrets of opening up to him and letting her walls down for him start to fill in.

"You wanna try this and tell me how it tastes? I'm sure you have a pretty good taste," Charlotte pats her shoulders, causing her to blink out of the void.

"Of course," she perks up at the sound of food, getting off the chair. Somewhere inside, she's a lot grateful for Char, so she brushes her hand on her back, trying to let her know without having to say it out loud.

Turning to face y/n, Char hands her a small tea plate while mumbling 'here'. The loose liquid is moving around with ease in the circular utensil, so y/n can tell that it's the soup and not the curry to a dinner they'll be packing for the crew.

She carefully slurps on it and the hot feeling of it against the back of her throat makes her rolls her eyes at the back of head. It brings her comfort. "Fuck, this shit is so very good," she opens her eyes to look at a grinning Charlotte. "You were on the Vogue Magazine labeled as the best chef for a reason, eh?" She compliments the blushing chef.

Just as Char mutters a small 'thank you' Y/n realizes that she might be giving out wrong indications, especially with how close she's standing to her. "Sorry," she clears her throat while backing away a few steps while waiting for Char to pour the soup in a bowl so that she can take it to- oh hell no.

She'll do anything to avoid him right now but seeing everyone busy in something, she has to somehow work up the courage to face him.

Charlotte hums for y/n to take ahold of the bowl and she takes it graciously to feel the heat of the utensil in her palms for a mere while. With the spoon already dipped inside, she moves towards the exit with caution as to not move with too much movement or some soup might end up on floor- and she really doesn't want to increase someone's work in this already hectic schedule.

Taking a turn towards the room of the one and only, she knocks lightly before opening the door and placing her first step inside through the small gap between the door and its frame. Instantly the door is hardly pushed back to close it and she feels the muscles of her foot squish so hard that a hissed-yell escapes her mouth.

Just as she curses though, the person inside opens the door with a frown on their face. "Couldn't you have waited for me to open the door or at least told me that it's you? I'm literally in my briefs!" He whisper yells at her and a sheen layer of salty water spreads across her sight, making everything look blurry.

Usually, they both would've laughed at their silliness but not right now- not when some shit has already been churned up. They can't even make themselves fake smile at each other.

"Fuckin' shit Harry, no! You tell me to bring you your damn soup and expect a ghost to bring it to you?" She lightly yells at him, letting him take ahold of the bowl now. Just as he turns around to place his bowl on the vanity with a strange face, she runs away. She runs to save herself the dignity she's got and slams the bathroom door once she's in there.

Maybe they could've talked through their fight as he'd slurp on his soup and y/n would chew on some cashews, but there's no way she's going back so instantly now.

He's only been making her feel ashamed of herself since the fucking morning today and she can't bring herself to be vulnerable in front of him anymore for the day- hopefully. Why is she getting so fucking sensitive ever since he has entered her life, she has no idea and it's driving her insane. Maybe it's just her periods approaching but she can't help but accept that it's her Harry, her boyfriend, love of her life and fucking best friend who's made her feel like shit all day.

She looks up, facing the ceiling so that her tears don't slip out.

It all started this morning when she was just feeling generous with affections and maybe he was feeling like an adult, not liking her 'child-like' behaviour. Yep, he had asked her "You're acting so childish today, everything Okay?" when all she wanted to do was make a fountain on the top of his head.

She had laughed it off in the moment, but she just gets it now.

Breathing in and out while her tears get soaked back in, she thinks about every fun memory she can and passes herself a sweet smile in the mirror, waiting till her nose returns back to its normal and she suddenly starts looking pretty.

She opens the door and moves towards his room again, the pain in her foot having been thought away as she knocks and waits for him to open the door.

When Harry does open the door wide enough for her to enter, she slides in quickly, skidding on her socks quickly towards the sofa and picks up her backpack.

"Where are you going?" He asks her in a not-so-sweet-tone when he notices her slipping out of the room quietly and exhales in annoyance when she doesn't reply. All he wants is a quiet-cuddle session with his girlfriend, but she just can't stop talking and acting like a child. He's been waiting all day for her to realize that he's feeling down and needy and wants her warmth. Key word: realize; for her to realize without him having told her anything, not even a damn hint.

He's an adult, he should just spit it out and set things straight in front of her, tell her what he wants but no- he feels like a child who just wants to feel understood, so when she tries to provide him some good company by simply providing him with her love, he decides that she's the one acting childish.

He has no idea why he wants to feel understood; he clearly is by the people who he loves. And that's when he realizes, he is just playing around by not telling what he wants and is getting grumpier when the person he wants doesn't read his mind.

He guesses he's the one on the bad side right now, but that doesn't make him go and run for y/n because he's in his egotistic maniac mindset right now.

So, because his girlfriend ignoring him stroke his ego really bad, he sits down on the couch and finishes the rest of the soup which seems to have gotten absolutely cold by now. But that doesn't mean it isn't affecting the weird sensation on his tongue, which had gotten burnt during the early slurps of the soup.

He starts mumbling incoherent things randomly, shit-talking about everyone else to make himself better.

When y/n's head bobs in through the door again, he's ready to not react to her dismissing him but when she silently picks up her laptop's charger and moves to exit the room again, he bursts.

"Can you not give me the silent-treatment? Maybe just act like the grownup you are and tell me what's wrong?" He picks on her, setting out the words clearly pointing towards him to refer to her. And boy does he shrink on the inside when she scoffs.

But his words continuously fall deaf on Y/n's ears, as they are flooded by the sound of her own heartbeat racing and blood pumping through her arteries while she vigorously scratches that part of her brain internally which is playing the words that spilled from his mouth accidently on repeat; to get them erased from where they seem to have also imprinted themselves.

"Just shut up, y/n!" He had shouted at her when she was in the midst of telling him about a joke on their way here- and it honestly didn't affect her as much as the words he muttered under his breath while turning away from her to face the window instead did. "Don't even know why I brought y' with me. All you've been doing is treat me like a damn child and act childish yourself."

Trust her, she was trying to keep her mind off these moments but this one just won't leave her alone.

"Harry, do you realize who the fuck is being a child right now? It's you! Cause if you really were acting like an adult, you wouldn't need me to tell you what the fuck's wrong."

But it's all a game of better comebacks now, and y/n is not going to back down.

"All you have done today is make my day shit when all I did was try to make yours better. You made me feel fucking ashamed of myself, H." She gritted out the last part, tears brimming up to her waterline again as she tries to blink them away but fails. And she can see the alarm on his face, in his eyes but she cannot give two fucks right now. Perhaps, he realized that he was being a bitch?

"Love- I... I'm so sorry." He gets up, hurrying towards y/n to enclose his arms around her and when she doesn't push him away but continues to tell him about everything he told her that hurt her, he feels a knife twisting in through his stomach. He's just disgusted by himself that he made her cry. The woman he swore to keep happy- he made her cry.

When he hugs her, y/n can't help but feel like this fight is slipping out of her fist and being pushed under the carpet because she just started crying. But maybe this actually isn't as much of a big deal she's making it out to be.

"I know I disrespected you, and I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'm the one who didn't communicate properly and expected you to read my mind," he shushes her, rubbing her back as she wipes her tears away.

At least he set the things out for her to learn what's wrong after seeing her cry, so that's a win. But she shouldn't have to cry to get him to fucking set things out.

She chuckles dryly at this. "You seriously made me think that you were gonna leave me simply because you didn't feel comfortable enough to communicate with me... Also, is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it is clearly not." She says, pressing her forearms on his chest to push him away.

"Lovie- don't be so hard on me, I'm sorry! I didn't realize what I was doing and-and why would you think I'm gonna leave you? Baby that's never happening, you're seriously stuck with me now 'cause my clingy ass ain't gonna leave you, nah." He chuckles, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Her eyes light up slightly at the affirmation but her face is still looking like a carved stone right now. A smile tugs at the corner of her lips but she settles it down by rolling her lips in. "I'm not going to forgive you so easily, H. I won't make a big deal out of this. You were feeling needy and felt that it'd be childish of you to just ask for what you wanted," she stopped to catch her breath. "I may have over-thought it all a little, but it still doesn't dismiss the feeling of me hurt. So, let's get it straight," she stops again to create some suspense as she makes a mischievous eye contact with him.

"First: I'm not scratching your scalp for a week. Second: No kisses till the next show is over. Third, dare you ask me to tell you jokes and lastly, I am not humming songs to you till you sleep because I'm a kid and well, it's adults who sing kids to sleep."

"You did not just make that third rule and say that!"

She giggles as she parts to move out of the room. "Could say the same for every time you opened your mouth in front of me today, Styles."

Going over all the rules in his head, Harry just knows that he indeed truly messed up today.

#harry styles #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x fem!reader #harry styles one shot #harry styles fan fiction #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles smut #boyfriend!harry #harry styles concept

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naluwalker · 15 days

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Yes, I'm here again

Hey, hello, it's me again. Again with more ideas of something I'm not going to write. Again with more Zhongchi, and again with more child rearing. Only this time it's not Naruto.

I want you to understand that while I am neutral towards JK Rowling and all her controversies, the world of Harry Potter is totally different, and the love I have for that series is much more than I can explain.

So in pursuit of my love for Harry Potter and my love for Genshin and Zhongchi, I returned to release my brain bugs.

So, it's the spring of 1985 and a new family has moved into Privet Drive. All the housewives in the neighborhood gossip about the beautiful redhead who now lives at 8 Privet Drive and her mysterious husband.

The cheerful woman visits all her neighbors to greet them with a deep red soup casserole, which she claims is a recipe from her homeland, and introduces herself as Ajax.

Ajax happily tells all her gossipy neighbors about her move from Russia, her new job as an elementary school teacher, and her very handsome and charming husband, who is unfortunately stuck at work due to all the paperwork that was delayed due to the move and how a company will not go alone. The mysterious husband seems to be loaded.

Harry is indifferent until he discovers that his new neighbor is also his new math teacher, and that her children will be his classmate.

While Xiao is silent, surly, and has very scary golden eyes, his sister Tao is boisterous, talkative, and very, very creepy. Harry honestly doesn't know what to do with them, especially the girl who makes fun of him and "the woman who follows him everywhere."

One afternoon while escaping from Dudley and his friends he ends up bumping into Xiao and things don't turn out well... For Dudley. Apparently the older brother has no patience for bullies and idiots.

When Aunt Petunia invites her new teacher and her children over to discuss what happened, which is a subtle attempt to make Ajax look like a bad mother to her children while pushing an angry Uncle Vernon around, things don't go according to plan. what was planned. Because when Ajax accepts, Harry meets the most intimidating man he has ever seen in his short life.

Zhongli Huang, Ajax's husband, is tall, handsome and elegant, and together with his wife they form a beautiful picture that makes Petunia and Vernon fail in every way possible. He doesn't seem very impressed with the situation either and spends the evening subtly criticizing the Dursley couple while devoting all his attention to doting on his wife and children. In every stressful situation, Harry accidentally makes his presence known, and without realizing it, gives blackmail ammunition to the vicious redhead like a shark that smells blood.

With a few mild threats, silent blackmail, and a smile like a grave, Harry finds his life looking up when he finds himself moved across the street to a strange but loving family who treat him with more affection than he has received for as long as he can remember. Zhongli and Ajax are strange in every way possible, and Xiao and Tao are just as prone to acting outlandishly, but the way they sink into his life and heart makes things worth it.

The next few years are warm and happy, the Dursleys avoid them like the plague and Dudley can no longer get closer than six feet without some of his new brothers bristling and attacking like very violent cats. He has also discovered things about her new family, like how his parents treat gender more as a mood than as a real biological thing, or how reality seems to break down around his, but they are things that he has gotten used to and decides to do. That it really doesn't matter how strange they are, your family is your family and that's all that matters.

Then he receives a letter and discovers that he is a wizard, and he is not the only one. Xiao looks at the letter envelope as if there was a bomb inside and Tao waves his as he folds it into a pretty crane, mother and father share tea and ignore everything around them in favor of getting lost in each other's gaze while Harry suffers an existential crisis. The next day they are in Diagon Alley.

Harry ends up accepting magic as he has been accepting everything around him for the last few years, some disbelief, a lot of doubt, and what feels like an instinctive resignation that he can't escape his situation. His parents have given him many options, which include Oxford University in the future, so he just accepts the magic, since his parents seem to be on top of everything and don't mind that their three children are going to embark on what they are It is surely your new life in a magical world. Archons, he can't believe that's a real thought.

Thus, Harry embarks on a new journey away from the family home that has been taking care of him since he left the horrible Dursley home, with only the company of his beloved brothers. Or he was, until he finds out that mother, who is now dad, and father, who is now Miss Zhongli, are teachers at his new magical school.

Once again, he resigns himself to what his life has been like for six years and moves on. Meanwhile, neither Hogwarts, nor Vondermort, nor even Dumbledore know what has fallen into their laps: A very battlesexual former herald, his very permissive divine husband, they overly diligent and surly eldest son, and they mischievously chaotic and eccentric youngest daughter.

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lumine-no-hikari · 3 months

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Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #45

So I got my weeks confused! It is not soup at the place this weekend - it is potluck! Next week will be soup week! And I'm glad someone told me, because I would have felt very silly if I had brought soup!

I am always getting my days and weeks mixed up. Being AuDHD leaves me with a very shaky grasp of time and its passing. The fact that I must experience it in a linear fashion is occasionally very confusing to me. It just seems so arbitrarily limiting and just plain silly; you can bet that I'll be talking to tech support about it once I'm out of my meat-mech!! Bahahahaha! 🤣 🤪 😁

I can't help but wonder if you, from your position at the Edge of Creation, experience time differently than we do. I know you can't answer me, but… what's it like, the way things are over there? How does time and space flow? How do you flow within it? Are all your needs being met? Are you warm enough? Are you doing okay over there? I gotta wonder.

In any case! I am not, in fact, making soup this week! Instead, I am going to see about making a moussaka for the potluck! But I didn't have the ingredients on hand, so I went to the grocery, and as promised, I will write about my adventures and share pictures!

Curious: have you ever been to a grocery store? Does your world even have grocery stores, in the way that they exist in mine? In the media that we have of your world, all I ever see are little shops, so I had imagined that in most towns, there might be separate shops for things like dairy, a separate shop for meat, one for fish, and one for fruits and veggies, and so on. But maybe they have a grocery store in Midgar somewhere? Or maybe even in Junon? They seem like big places that likely act as relatively important trade hubs, so it wouldn't be too out-of-the-ordinary to see a grocery store in those places, right? I don't live over there (obviously), so I wouldn't know.

There is a grocery place nearby that I like to go to, and it takes maybe 5 or 10 minutes for me to get there. It's got a little bit of everything, so it's easy to gather whatever you need to make a meal. In this case, I went for moussaka supplies and some other odds and ends that were written on a list on a whiteboard in the hallway near the front door of my house.

(if you're wondering if I adhered strictly to this list... my brain is always generating tasty snack ideas a mile a minute, I'm utterly captivated by anything that looks new or interesting, and my impulse control in general is poor, so... the answer to such questions is almost always a resounding "NO!" 😜🤣)

Oh! It occurs to me! Maybe you don't know what moussaka is, because it is a Greek dish, and your world doesn't have a place called Greece in it. But then again, your world has pasta dishes, and pasta dishes are Italian dishes, and your world doesn't have a place called Italy. Hm. Well, I'll explain it anyways, because even in my world, not a lot of people know what moussaka is!

It's a baked dish that consists of a thick, tomato-based sauce made with spiced ground lamb in between layers of roasted eggplant slices. The top layer is a bechamel sauce - it's basically what happens when you whisk together butter, flour, milk, egg yolks, and cheese. It's absolutely delectable, and the leftovers are even better, because the flavors will have had time to mingle!

But it's a lot of work, especially if you're dyspraxic like me. It's gonna take me a bunch of hours to put it all together (which is why I usually need a compelling excuse to make it - like a potluck!), and with the stupid rib injury, I'm probably gonna have an even harder time trying to put it together than usual. But that's okay!! The results are always amazing, so it'll be worth it!

But first always comes the part where you get the ingredients. You start with some eggplants (you need 3, but I got a fourth because I know I'll wanna eat some slices as I'm roasting them, hahaha!), a couple of red onions, some garlic, and a lemon. I already have garlic, but I got everything else:

It's important to select a very pale lemon; you don't have to worry about ripening with citrus fruits, so the paler the lemon, the fresher it is, and the more juice it will have.

Since I was in the produce section, I also happened to notice that they had starfruit! It's one of my favorites, so I snatched up the best-looking one. For these, it's the opposite - you'll want darker fruits, because, unlike citrus, these ones are shipped not-quite-ripe. Darker means more ripe in this case, and therefore more juicy and sweet.

I ended up needing to take the rest of the pictures after the fact at home, sadly; I would have liked to show you the general pattern and structure of the grocery store that is familiar to me, but for some reason, it got really crowded all of a sudden, and I didn't want to be in anybody's way, trying to snap pictures for reasons that they couldn't possibly understand, which I'm not too terribly keen on trying to explain anyway, especially to someone who is rushing around and likely already cranky and irritable. Yeesh. 😬

In any case! Here are the rest of the ingredients that I got for the moussaka. These are used to make the meat sauce and the bechamel sauce:

We have here some tomato puree in a glass jar and some tomato paste in a tube; this is very convenient, because these normally come in cans, even though we're not going to need all of it. Cans are not resealable, but jars and tubes are! I will use the entirety of the cans of crushed and diced tomatoes, so we don't have to worry about that! We also have some ground lamb, a couple of different kinds of hard Greek cheeses (feta and halloumi) that I will grate for the purpose of incorporating into the bechamel. And we also have a VERY curious kitty named Hunter who wants to investigate my epic grocery store loot!! We'll pretend like his investigations are for quality control purposes, why not? Hahaha! 😄

Speaking of epic grocery store loot, I found a bunch of things that were definitely not on the list, but they seemed really neat, and I wanted to try them! Here's a photo:

Bison is kind of like a cow, but not really. Bison, cows, and buffalo are all in the Bovinae subfamily, in the Bovini tribe, as far as taxonomy on my planet goes; I wondered how it tastes, as compared to regular beef, so I thought to do a small science in order to find out. And venison is what we call deer after it's processed into something edible. I already know what deer tastes like because my father used to hunt, but you don't normally find it in grocery stores. I guess farming deer is becoming more popular. How interesting! It's good stuff, and I've missed the flavor, so I'm excited to use it in something yummy!

I also found a new kind of tea! This one looked potentially like it could taste nice, and it'll give me something warm to sip on at night that doesn't contain caffeine, which is always a plus!

Remember - don't drink caffeine too close to bed! It's bad for your sleep! It impairs the nightly brain-cleaning cycle, and disruptions to that cycle can do very strange things to a person's body and mind! Better to save the caffeine for morning or afternoon use only! Otherwise, things can get really weird!

I also found some of THESE:

So... I know that I said these were really good, but the truth is, I've never actually had them. I've only had the cookie butter that is made from them (yes, that is a thing!), and that cookie butter is REALLY GOOD, oh my stars! Here's a picture:

I assumed that these taste like the cookie butter, and I was a bit disappointed by the biscuit tea, and I also heard of a French tiramisu recipe that uses these instead of ladyfingers, and by all these reasons combined, I wanted to give them a try!

Here is what they look like, and yes, I can confirm that the flavor is practically identical to the cookie butter that I'm familiar with!

...I can already tell that I'm going to have to be really careful with myself around these, holy moly! Ahahahaha~!! I know you can't answer me, but do you have foods like that, I wonder? If there are foods that are irresistible to you, besides the pastas that we know about, what are they? Curious!

I also got some of these:

These are palm-sized balls of mozzarella cheese, filled with thick mixture of cream and very soft shredded mozzarella cheese. These are delightful in ways that I can't even begin to describe to you! If you don't hate soft cheeses (some people do; it's a texture thing and I can respect that), you should definitely give these a try if you ever find them somehow!

Finally, I got some of these to share with everyone in my house and in the various places I go:

I'm already familiar with the dark chocolate ones - they're my favorite kind. But the strawberries and cream ones were new, and they fascinated me as a concept, so I got them! They're a bit too sweet for me, but I know several others who will like them! I wonder if you might like either of these? Hm.

The rest of the things are just ordinary things, but sometimes I get struck by the simple beauty of them. Maybe it's a little weird, haha. But here, I tried to take some good pictures; maybe you'll understand, if only just a little:

I liked to look at the vibrant purple skin of these. Did you know that eggplants in the old days used to be very small and white? That's why they're called eggplants in the first place. I'm not sure why they ended up big and purple as time went on. In any case, I can't wait to slice and roast these; they're going to be delicious!

I know it's just a broccoli. But I thought it was a very good-looking broccoli. The green was a lot more vibrant than what I could capture with the camera, but the shape is good, and its weight is pretty hefty. This is a very good broccoli! I am pleased that I found such a prize; they're not normally this nice!

This is just mixed greens, but I liked the way the colors looked in the sunlight, and I liked the way all the colors blend together. The purple leaves really pop out! This one is especially nice, because usually boxes of mixed greens have a little bit of rot on the bottom, but I got really lucky this time!

These are just tomatoes. But I thought they looked like very good tomatoes. I loved the way the vibrant red of the fruit contrasted with the green of the vine as the sunlight splashed on them! And they smell really good, too!

I like these because I think they taste good (though my husband likes to tease me because he thinks they taste like stomach acid, but then he'll insist on trying whichever one I am sipping from, so I'm not really sure what to make of that, haha)! And they also are just generally pretty liquids that come in very pretty bottles! But you shouldn't drink more than one of these in a day if you don't want a tummyache. Or at least I get a tummyache if I have more than one of these in a span of 24 hours. I wonder if that's normal? Hm.

...Look. I know that maybe all these pictures don't seem to most folks like they're much of anything. Maybe it seems inconsequential in the grand scheme of things; I know that life can be very ugly sometimes. You've seen it. I've seen it. But you know? Life can also be very beautiful if you know where to look, if you're deliberate about which spaces you choose to be in, and if you can learn to find joy in simple and ordinary things. I'd even argue, given how absolutely fucked-up the world can be, that it's essential to find the magic in everyday things. Maybe some grouchy person might try to tell you that grown-ass adults like us shouldn't still have a sense of wonder about things as though we're still new to this place, but... well... they're allowed to be wrong. People are wrong about things all the damn time:

Yes, the fuck I can!! 🤩 To be both is the birthright of any human being; the capacity to have these things in balance is part of what makes us amazing! So I'll be over here trying to be a kaleidoscopic rainbow of bright and awesome and joyful things while also being in touch with the various horrors of this world, no matter what anyone says. Because even if it was the case that I'm wrong for thinking and being this way (I'm not), I'm still happier and more balanced than any grouch-almighty who somehow doesn't have anything better to do with themselves than to try to make me feel small.

Hey!! If I can be doomy/gloomy and sparkly/rainbowy at the same time, then so can you! Heck, you'd probably do a better job of pulling it off than I do, given that epic, awesome brain of yours!

Take good care of yourself, okay? Remember you are loved! And stay safe! Try to find the delight in ordinary things. Treat yourself nice, and make good, kind, and loving choices.

I'm gonna make moussaka tomorrow! I'll take pictures to share with you along the way!! You will receive a moussaka-flavored letter!!! Look forward to it!!!!

Your friend, Lumine

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krys-loves-otome · 29 days

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OC Brain Rot Post #1: Thea and Abby and the Rivals Fight at the Mansion

OC Brain Rot (originally based on this post) is where I basically ramble some about my OCs and what they're up to currently outside of my writings and arts. Basically, these posts are, in essence, brain dumps. Sometimes there might only be a couple sentences and half-formed ideas, others might go into meta involving my ocs and whichever game universe they are apart of.

Most post will be based around my otome OCs but some original ones might slip in once in a while! You just never know where my brain might take me.

I'll also make a big, huge note here that these posts won't be spoiler-free! At the beginning of each post, I'll try and make note of which game and OCs I'll be talking about. Spoiler parts will be under the cut.

For this post, there will be Spoilers below about the Interlude route of Ikemen Vampire, right around Chapters 10 and 11.

Thea and Abby will feature in this rot. Normally, they are two characters that have their own universes. However, I also fall inevitably into joining their universes together just so I can have them both interacting with the boys and being friends (Thea is quite protective of the shy and timid Abby), so I'll also include some thoughts about both of them together in this part of the Interlude route.

Here we go, onto the brain rotting!

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For Context: The Interlude Route in Ikemen Vampire is a transition arc between the first and second acts, right before the act 2 for the suitors are released and two new characters are introduced. MC is stuck in the past because Comte's magical time door is broke and going home is likely an impossibility at this point, unless you want to be lost in the time soup for all eternity. So now, MC is trying to make the best of the change in her plans.

Vlad, still bent on not letting the vision he saw in the future come to pass, revives the rivals to our suitors and they have been terrorizing everyone the past few chapters. Where I'm at currently, Vlad has met with Comte and Leonardo and they tried to talk things out, purebloods to pureblood, but Vlad still refuses to stop his mission and the three part ways.

He then sends the ones he's revived to the mansion in an all out attack. Napoleon and Jean take the most brunt in fighting Wellington and Gilles with Leonardo and Comte assisting them. Dazai and Sebastian were guarding the door while the other non-fighters (Mozart and Isaac) were in the piano room. Theo had gone on his own to face off against Gauguin to get revenge with Arthur following him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, such as going through with the revenge quest he was on.

This is initially where the girls start off in. Vincent is also in the piano room but soon goes out on his own because he also figures that Theo was about to do something stupid and while I initially thought it was dumb of him because he left the non-fighters defenseless (his little info blerb he's the strongest of the non-purebloods and I had many instances of 'why you do that, something bad gonna happen to the non-fighters! Vincent, my love!') but he didn't want for Theo to do his stupid thing, so he goes to Theo and it's sweet (me still thinking it was dumb but whatever, narrative gonna do what it wants).

For Thea, she goes with Vincent after Theo. No risking yourself for your brother nonsense! She cares too much about Theo too, she's gonna stop him. And she knows a little bit about fighting (as stated in this power-scaling reblog I did), so she'll be mostly okay. Theo pulls her to him as he flips the pool table in the game room and all four of them are dodging bullets, currently.

For Abby, she stays with Mozart and Isaac in the piano room, scared as this is some terrifying shit going on! When Vincent said he was leaving for Theo, Abby was very, very scared, numerous things running through her head, all of them not good. Worried for everyone outside fighting currently, for Sebastian and Dazai guarding the door, for Theo and Arthur out on their own, and now Vincent going on his own to find Theo. She wishes she could curl up in a corner somewhere, close her eyes and cover her ears until all of this was over, but she can't, not when all of her friends are fighting right now.

Before Vincent leaves, she does tug on his sleeve, wanting to ask him to stay. She knows how strong he is and wants him to stay with them, but seeing his eyes, how worried yet determined how he is. He was set on finding Theo.

So, in the face of that, all she could do was let go of his sleeve and say "Be careful."

Vincent smiles and gently pats her shoulder, promising to come back soon, with Theo in tow.

Once he's gone, however, Salieri comes after Mozart with a knife and we're back in terror time again. Isaac stays the closest to her, they're both terrified! Mozart shielding both of them. He manages to break the mind control over him with standing in front of the piano, reminding him that he had admired his music in their first lives, what has happened to you to attack another music lover? Things seem to simmer down in the music room because of that.

In the combined universe of both girls, it's relatively the same, Vincent still goes off to find Theo, but Thea goes with him, determined to find Theo and to help him or stop him from doing the stupid thing. Abby still tugs on Vincent's sleeve, still sacred but ultimately lets him and Thea go. They both cared a lot about the younger van Gogh, so who was she to stop them just because she's scared?

And... this is as far as I've gotten with this brain rot. Just a fun little brain exercise to put the girls in the goings on with what I'm playing currently. Hope to be able to share some more brain rots with you guys soon!

#krys talks #krys's adventures in fanfiction #krys's babies #dorothea reid (oc)#abigail clarke (oc)#ikemen vampire #ikevamp spoilers #They also went with Arthur and company when he was going to face against Worth #bc Thea didn't want her boy doing something stupid then either with Abby tagging along bc she saw Arthur from the window and got worried #their boys sure are stupid sometimes #all the boys can be stupid sometimes #that's why they love them of course #their silly vampire boys

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lakesbian · 10 months

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Sorry, I’m the one who asked the awakening question. You posted some thoughts about the start of 1.7 a couple of days ago, so figured you had finished the chapter by this point. Again, sorry about that, I’ll be more careful in the future.

ohh fair assumption. yeah i didn't think he was gonna do it that soon i thought he was going to get into some more silly shenanigans with the gang (rose) first. and also i am the slowest reader on the planet at times due to comical amounts of executive dysfunction and propensity for distraction. it's no prablem. anyway here's my thoughts about their different metaphorical assignments 2 the items as per requast:

the dagger: "war" is an obvious and common concept 2 ascribe to weaponry, nothing much interesting to note about this one. if i really wanted to read into it i could suggest that they went for "war" instead of "murder" or whatever because war/mass-scale conflict is already on the mind due to they sort of just got dropped into the middle of of a magical battlefield + have nukes to cold war w/ on hand.

hourglass: to quote blake, "Something we didn’t have enough of, something dangerous, foremost in our thoughts, with its association to Laird."

dreamcatcher: blake picks like. the most basic-level interpretation possible (dream), whereas rose's "fate" read indicates that fate has already been smth on her mind. i'm not great at reading into rose yet but there is the whole thing where blake actually has a life outside of The Horrors, despite still being fated to experience 'em, but rose exists pretty solely because of The Horrors. i think she's feeling the pressure of fate much more than blake is + is more concerned w/ the future overall than him and subsequently brings it up here

skull: "doom" from blake and "death" from rose are largely synonymous but i Can get something out of this. i've mentioned before that i don't think blake has fully processed the consequences for a misstep--he's aware of them, but he hasn't genuinely processed them imo. he's very "one step at a time" about everything and very prone to making hasty decisions when he feels trapped, immobile, or like he's not doing anything, and he explicitly counts "sitting down and researching" as "not doing anything." every time he wants to make a rapid decision--or just goes ahead w/ one w/o rose's consent--she's the one to express outright fear of death*, whereas he's more concerned with reducing his immediate psychological stressors (i.e feeling immobile). i think this indicates that he's thinking in significantly vaguer terms (i.e "doom") whereas she's extremely concerned about concrete possible outcomes (like Literally Dying if blake runs off and gets himself killed).

*i think death will probably seem like one of the more pleasant things that could've happened to them later on but i digress

coin: this one is p straightforward. while they obviously both have the same shitty family, blake is a man who subsequently didn't actively fight for the inheritance as a child, so he already doesn't have the same negative association w money rose does. in addition to that, he already absconded from his family when he was 17, and after time spent being homeless + being in very poor financial shape even after he gets an apartment, he associates the idea of money significantly more with positive emotions and good luck than with the inheritance. rose, however, never left home like blake did + was a girl who was expected to fight for it. she witnessed firsthand everything the promise of the money did to the family. hence: blake associates money w/ fortune, rose associates it with ruin.

rose: this one is. exceedingly straightforward, to blake a rose means his grandmother + rose (family), to rose a rose means herself. adding this one to my brain soup alongside padraic's rose metaphor and stirring but i'll need more data points to write anything coherent. I Am Remembering though.

also someone wanted to know my thoughts on maggie so far. i don't really know anything abt her i only saw her for 2 seconds but i think it's so fucking funny that wildbow made Her the part of pact that gets referenced in worm and not blake. like blake is so sopping pathetic that despite being the protagonist he doesn't even get a feature when his own damn book is being easter-egged somewhere else. sorry blake you're just not personable enough. maggie is all plucky and charming and says things like "drat." all you do is stumble around cursing and bleeding. you don't have being a YA protagonist in you.

#ask #pact time

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ravendruid · 1 year

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#36 with Vaxleth?

Sorry for taking so long. My brain said no more writing last night. Thank you for the prompt, I hope you like it <3 Fun thing that I learned while writing this: according to Google, a group of Dragons is called a Thunder. 36: Feeling bad when the other is having a hard time

Vax woke up one morning, only to find it impossible to leave his bed. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this. His entire body ached as if he had fallen off a cliff, his clothes were damp and stuck on his skin, and he could not understand how it was possible for him to feel so cold when his skin was burning hot. He tried to get up, but his legs felt like rocks, and he wasn’t sure he could even lift his arms past his chest, so he had no other choice but to stay laying down, staring at the ceiling.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, Vax gathered he had fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes, he found a worried Keyleth staring at him, holding a cold, damp rag against his forehead.

“Hi. How are you feeling?” She asked softly, helping him sit up.

“Great.” Keyleth frowned at his lie.

“Pike tried a couple of healing spells, she said you should feel better tomorrow. Eat.” She pushed a bowl of soup into his hands and rinsed the rag in a second bowl on his nightstand. Vax knew better than to disobey, so he slowly brought a spoonful to his lips and opened his mouth wide, while giving Keyleth a look of I’m eating. The warm liquid felt nice on his sore throat and he was happy to find he had regained mobility in his body.

Seemingly relieved with him, Keyleth started to pick up things around his room, putting away clean clothes, cleaning up the mess of papers on his desk, carefully setting the Deathwalker’s Ward on the dresser, next to his belts, and even taking the time to brush the feathers on the armor. Vax smiled as he saw Keyleth brush a finger along Simon as if she was petting him.

Keylet’s anxiety was burning in her chest. Vax had only fallen ill a couple of times ever since they met, and this was the first time since… Well, ever since everything happened. All of a sudden, a thunder of four dragons ravaging cities and killing thousands of people seemed nothing compared to the idea of losing him, even if she knew deep down that it was just a common cold, that he wasn’t going anywhere – not yet.

“Keyleth.” Vax called her, setting aside the now empty bowl. He saw the shadow of a thought disappear from her eyes as she picked up his hairbrush and walked toward the bed. She needn’t ask, he used what little strength he had within himself to turn his back against her. She needed this more than he did, he knew that and she knew that as well.

A wave of calm spread through his body as her hands made contact with his hair, pulling ever so softly on the piece of leather tying his hair behind his head. Soon, the hairbrush made its way through his long dark hair, unraveling any knots it might have had. Once she was satisfied with the smoothness of Vax’s hair, Keyleth used her slender fingers to part it three ways and started to braid it, tying it with a piece of green ribbon at the end. By then, Vax felt a different heaviness to his body as the weight of his eyelids threatened him.

“I’m sleepy.” He announced in a soft voice, returning his back to the soft pile of pillows. Keyleth nodded and, without a word, crossed to the other side of the bed and laid down, facing him.

“Here.” She whispered, opening her arms to him. Vax laid down and curled up against her warmth – not that he needed any more warmth, his body was radiating enough heat as it was – as she wrapped her arms around him. She smelled like herbs and flowers today, he gathered she must have been working in her garden earlier.

Drifting off was an easy task within her embrace, so he was already out when she kissed the top of his head, and so, he did not hear her whisper I love you, Vax, nor did he feel her drift off into her restful sleep.

#critical role #cr fic #vox machina #vaxleth #prompted #asks #this gave me feelings #I must go cry now

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headcanonsandmore · 1 year

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(Accidentally) In Love, Chapter Three

Summary: After discovering that everyone at Yaz's wedding will be assuming them to be a married couple, Tegan and Nyssa must work out a plan of dealing with the situation. However, maybe the best way of doing things was staring them in the face all along...

Read on FFN. Read on AO3.

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‘Jovanka-Traken?’

Tegan’s brain seemed to shudder to a halt.

This couldn’t be happening. No way in hell could Yaz have sent their invitation under that assumption. No way would she have believed for a second that Tegan and Nyssa were anything other than platonic best friends and roommates. It wasn’t possible. It just wasn’t possible.

And yet… the invitation was labelled as such, bold as brass.

‘I…’ Nyssa said, softly, as she turned to face Tegan. ‘I think Yaz believes that we are… a couple.’

‘Y-yeah,’ Tegan stammered, probably looking as gormless as she felt. ‘I… I suppose she must have gotten that idea.’

‘I mean, I understand that it was a running joke amongst the faculty staff, but I never thought anyone actually believed it…’

‘Agreed,’ Tegan said, quickly. She gave a quick snort of laughter. ‘I mean; you settling for me? C’mon, that’s just unreasonable.’

Nyssa frowned at her.

‘I would have said it was vice versa, personally.’

Tegan stared at her, unable to construct a response that didn’t seem like an incomprehensible gasp of confusion.

‘Er… thanks,’ Tegan eventually managed. Her usual ease with speaking her thoughts seemed to have flown out the window.

What the hell was going on with her today? It wasn’t as if anything had-

Tegan’s mind was suddenly ablaze with memories from the previous day. Of walking in on a half-naked Nyssa in the bathroom when she herself was only wrapped in a towel. Of Nyssa feeding her chicken soup. Of Nyssa demanding that Tegan remove her top and then washing her back.

Of Peri’s phone call.

Oh, god.

Tegan’s stomach bubbled with nerves. What was happening to her? Nyssa had barely been living here a day, and Tegan was already overthinking every interaction. For goodness sake, it was surely normal for platonic best friends to do that, right? Right?

But now Tegan’s mind was full of the image of Nyssa, almost half-naked, face flushed as she stared at Tegan, wrapped in a towel in the bathroom. That hadn’t felt platonic by any stretch. And neither had the feeling of Nyssa washing her naked back with a flannel. The thought made Tegan tremble and quiver.

Oh, god; Nyssa had sat on her vibrator!

Oh, no.

‘Er… Tegan,’ Nyssa said, slowly, and Tegan was pulled back into the present. ‘You realise that, at the wedding, we’re going to have to pretend to… be a married couple, yes?’

Tegan’s heartrate seemed to increase as her brain processed Nyssa’s words. She bit back the smile that threatened to burst from her lips.

She had to admit, the idea of being married to Nyssa made her very happy indeed. And she would have to pretend to be Nyssa’s wife for the wedding?

She turned around and began to wash up her mug, partially to give her hands something to do, and partially so that Nyssa couldn’t see her face.

‘That’s fine,’ she said, trying to make sure her voice sounded as even as possible. ‘It’s not as if we aren’t close anyway, so we just have to act as we normally do, and no-one will be any the wiser.’

‘That’s true,’ Nyssa said, coming to stand beside her to dry the dishes with a tea-towel. ‘I’m sure no-one will suspect anything. It won’t cost us anything other than a little dignity.’

‘Pretty sure I used up all my dignity yesterday,’ Tegan chuckled. ‘That bug really left me reeling.’

‘You sure you’re feeling better?’

Nyssa’s voice sounded strangely… even, as if she was deliberately not putting too much emotion into it.

‘Yes, why do you ask? Urgh, did I drool on you after I dozed off? Sorry, I have a habit of doing that when I’m asleep-’

‘No,’ Nyssa interjected. ‘Not at all. Er… do you remember much about yesterday evening?’

‘I remember us watching “The Sound Of Music”,’ Tegan replied, shrugging. ‘Although I must have dozed off because I don’t remember much after about halfway through the film. I think that tea made me really woozy.’

‘O-oh.’

Out of the corner of her eye, Tegan could have sworn that Nyssa’s face suddenly became very sad, but a second later, it was gone. Probably just a trick of the light.

Tegan poured the water out of the washing-up bowl, while Nyssa packed away the breakfast things she had just dried.

‘Okay, I’m going to catch up on my emails,’ Tegan said, patting Nyssa companionably on the shoulder. ‘Fancy a walk later? We do have the day off, after all.’

‘Sounds lovely,’ Nyssa replied, smiling widely.

Tegan smiled at her in return, and left the kitchen. She then entered her own room, and closed the door quickly but calmly behind her. There was a five second pause.

Then her face turned bright red.

She had to pretend to be married to Nyssa.

Oh, god, this was amazing, this was wonderful, this was-

Definitely not what Nyssa had wanted.

Tegan cursed her own obliviousness. Nyssa hadn’t asked for any of this. She saw Tegan as her best friend. It wasn’t Nyssa’s fault that Tegan was in love with her-

Tegan startled.

What? Where… where had that revelation come from?

Since when had she been in love with Nyssa? Well, yes, she had always cared deeply for Nyssa; they were best friends, after all, but that was different, surely. It was different to care deeply for your closest friend than to care for someone that you loved romantically.

But… maybe that dividing line wasn’t as clear-cut as she had once thought. Love wasn’t simple and it wasn’t clear-cut. It was… complicated and messy.

Rather like Tegan herself.

Tegan sighed. It really wasn’t fair, was it? Nyssa had been her best friend for years; for all that time, Tegan hadn’t had to overthink anything regarding the two of them. They were close. Yes, very close, but that was normal for best friends. So much so that she hadn’t thought there was anything strange with suggesting that Nyssa move in with her.

But now… but now…

The idea of playing the part of Nyssa’s wife sent her heart racing and turned her brain into a puddle of goop. Oh, Tegan knew that it would only ever be pretend but, if she didn’t think too much about it and didn’t go overboard, Nyssa would never suspect that Tegan would gladly marry her for real as well-

I’d marry you in a heartbeat…

Tegan stumbled where she stood, as her brain offered up a memory from the night before. Of Tegan cuddled up to Nyssa on the sofa, and of a conversation about Nyssa never being married.

You’d be an amazing wife… lucky sod, whoever gets to be with you…

Tegan pushed her fist into her mouth to stop herself letting out a shriek.

What the hell had she said? That certainly wasn’t normal platonic behaviour from one friend to another.

Nyssa’s question from earlier swirled in her mind. Nyssa had remembered; she had remembered all of it; all of the mortifyingly honest things Tegan had said to her. How Tegan would gladly marry her if she had the chance, how amazing Nyssa was to Tegan, how she would be immensely envious of anyone lucky enough to marry Nyssa…

Tegan sat down on her bed, and put her face in her hands.

Oh, god, what was she going to do?

An hour later, the two women left for a walk. It was a fairly sunny day, and flowers were beginning to bloom in the spring weather.

They decided to head towards a park a few miles away. Norwich had a few dotted around, and the two women had often found themselves walking through the various green spots dotted through the city.

‘Nice to get outside again,’ Tegan said, as they entered the park through the main gates. ‘Bit of fresh air always helps me think.’

‘I agree,’ Nyssa replied.

A football landed on the path in front of them. This was followed by a small boy, no older than six years old. He was wearing a bobble hat and a t-shirt bearing the strip of some football club (Nyssa could never remember which was which).

‘Is this yours?’ Tegan said, bending down to pick up the ball.

‘‘s,’ the boy said, shyly.

‘You need to be careful with it,’ Nyssa said, kindly. ‘You wouldn’t want it going into the road and getting run over by a car.’

‘‘s.’

At this point, two women appeared.

‘Charlie…’ one of them chided. ‘Are you bothering these ladies?’

‘No, he’s fine,’ Tegan chuckled, passing him the ball.

‘Thank you,’ replied the other woman, before turning to Charlie, who was presumably her son. ‘Now, what do you say to the nice ladies?’

‘Thank you,’ said Charlie, grinning before running off back to the pitch.

The two women chuckled. Tegan wrapped her arm around Nyssa’s.

‘Oh,’ said one of the mums. ‘I hope we grow up to be like you two.’

‘Best friends, you mean?’ Tegan asked.

‘Yes, but married too. You two are adorable together. Anyway, sorry about the ball,’ replied the other mum. ‘Interrupting your date and all; have a lovely time.’

And the two women sped off, arms linked, before Tegan and Nyssa had a chance to correct their misconception.

‘That was…’

‘Yes,’ Nyssa said, softly. ‘I suppose we do come across that way.’

‘Huh…’

Without warning, Tegan’s hand slipped into Nyssa’s.

Immediately, Nyssa’s pulse quickened. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck standing up. What was Tegan doing? What did this mean? What did-

‘Nys? You okay?’

Tegan was staring at her with a strangely neutral expression, as if trying to gauge Nyssa’s reaction.

‘O-oh, yes,’ Nyssa stammered, blinking quickly. ‘I’m fine.’

‘You sure you haven’t caught that bug I had?’

‘Definitely not.’

Best friends did hold hands, surely? Nyssa had never really had a best friend before Tegan; most women her own age tended to find her a little off-putting and too bookish. So maybe this was a normal thing for two older, single women to do?

Nyssa wasn’t sure whether she wanted it to be or not.

Because, while she did absolutely love Tegan holding her hand, she also hoped that maybe it wasn’t just a platonic thing. That Tegan meant this as a sign of something more.

Oh, it was a forlorn hope, to be sure. It wasn’t possible that Tegan would ever see her the same way.

But Nyssa found it hard to feel too sad about that, at least while Tegan was holding her hand.

Nyssa smiled to herself, enjoying the feeling of Tegan’s fingers intertwined with her own. If Tegan didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, then maybe Nyssa could ignore the guilt in her own heart for just a little while. Even if she knew that Tegan probably meant it in a purely platonic way.

Probably.

And the possibility that Tegan didn’t just mean it that way was enough to kindle the small hope in Nyssa’s heart.

After arriving back home, the two women sat down on the sofa, cups of tea next to them. As Nyssa took a sip, Tegan turned on the television.

‘Isn’t this that programme from the seventies?’ Nyssa said, staring at the screen.

‘The Two Ronnies? Oh, yeah,’ Tegan said, chuckling. ‘My Aunt Vanessa used to watch it all the time. It was pretty good, if I remember correctly.’

At that moment, a young woman appeared on the screen, wearing only a small bikini and a wide grin before disappearing off-screen again.

‘Yes,’ said Nyssa, a little tersely. ‘And I’m sure that the inclusion of random scantily-clad young women had no impact whatsoever on your enjoyment of the programme.’

‘Nys, I was a teenager!’ Tegan exclaimed. ‘I’d only just realised women were hot; of course I couldn’t help but enjoy it.’

Nyssa sipped her drink, frowning.

‘Oh, my god,’ Tegan said, chuckling. ‘You are jealous, Nyssa Traken.’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Nyssa responded, crossing her arms. ‘I just would have thought that, as a feminist, you would be more aware of objectification when it came to depictions of women on television at the time.’

‘I was. I just also happened to be a hormone-filled teenage lesbian.’

Nyssa huffed, letting out a small snort that bounced a few curls of her bushy hair.

‘Oh, Nys; it was half a century ago,’ Tegan replied, putting an arm around her friends shoulders. ‘Besides, I’m sure you probably looked at women on telly with a certain eye. Maybe not a leer as such, but-’

‘I did not leer at Felicity Kendal.’

‘Who mentioned Felicity Kendal?’

Nyssa’s face turned red, and her pout grew deeper. Tegan tried to bite back the chuckle, but it was no good; Nyssa was just too cute when she got grouchy like this.

Also, Tegan had to admit, the idea of Nyssa being even a little jealous of women that Tegan had admired was pretty darn alluring. Kinda hot, now that she thought of it.

‘You had good taste, though,’ Tegan eventually managed. ‘Felicity Kendal is pretty wonderful; have you ever seen “Rosemary and Thyme”?’

Nyssa huffed for another second, before promptly giving up, rolling her eyes and smiling.

‘Oh, very funny,’ she said. ‘But no scantily-clad young women; not at our time of life.’

‘Definitely not,’ Tegan replied, grinning before Nyssa’s side a quick squeeze. ‘I’m more into older women now anyway-’

‘Tegan!’-Nyssa’s face turned pink as she giggled-‘Don’t make fun!’

Tegan let out a cackle, which seemed to die in her throat as Nyssa’s eyes latched onto hers. Both of them went very still. Tegan was suddenly aware that her hand was still cupping Nyssa’s hip, and that their legs were pressed up against each other, and that Nyssa’s breath smelled like peppermint-

‘T-time for lunch?’ Nyssa said, quickly.

‘Y-yeah,’ Tegan stammered, as both of them got to their feet. ‘I worked up a bit of an appetite whilst walking.’

The two of them headed into the kitchen, Tegan’s heart continuing to race.

What the hell was going on today?

‘Er… Tegan?’

‘Hm?’ Tegan grunted, looking up from her plate, having just finished her sandwiches. Nyssa was looking over the table at her. ‘Something wrong, Nys?’

‘No, nothing’s wrong,’ Nyssa said, smiling softly (Tegan ignored the quickening of her pulse). ‘It’s just… well, do you think people will expect us to be… physically affectionate? At the wedding, I mean?’

‘I suppose,’ Tegan replied, carefully. ‘But that shouldn’t be difficult for us; I mean, holding hands is something we’ve done before.’

‘Well, yes; but… well, will we be expected to kiss?’

Tegan’s face automatically turned red.

‘W-what?’

‘I-I just mean…’ Nyssa stammered, her own cheeks turning pink. ‘It is a wedding, after all. Married couples do often get lovey-dovey at these events. It may well be that we’ll be expected to do so as well.’

‘O-oh. I see.’

‘Yes. I have a… suggestion, of sorts.’

‘S-suggestion?’

Nyssa nodded.

‘What I am suggesting is we… practice, for want of a better word.’

‘Practice… being lovey-dovey?’

Nyssa nodded, cheeks flushed. Tegan stared at her. Where the hell was this coming from? And what did this mean? Was Nyssa implying that she wouldn’t mind being lovey-dovey with Tegan, or that she simply wanted to avoid suspicion during the wedding celebrations?

Oh, Tegan hoped it was the former. She really did…

‘D-do you want to-’

‘Only if you’re happy with it,’ Nyssa said, quickly.

‘So… practising?’

‘Practising.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Er… shall we…’

The two women moved into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Tegan’s heart seemed to be threatening to burst, and she was quite sure that she was sweating through her shirt. Oh god, oh god, oh god-

‘Tegan?’

Nyssa was staring at her. Tegan wet her lips nervously.

‘Do you want to-’

‘Would you prefer to-’ said Nyssa, at the exact same time.

Bollocks.

No, this wasn’t supposed to happen like this! How would it look if they behaved like this as the wedding? People would suspect something was off immediately! Poor Nyssa had suggested this, but she was looking so flustered and awkward that it broke Tegan’s heart. The poor woman clearly wasn’t sure how to navigate this situation, and it was causing her a great deal of confusion.

Tegan leaned forward and, without a second thought, pressed her lips to Nyssa’s in a gentle, quick kiss. It lasted for barely a second. But, good grief, Tegan was already regretting ending it as their lips broke apart.

Nyssa blinked, her cheeks turning red.

‘O-oh,’ she stammered, looking rather flustered.

‘Sorry,’ Tegan said, quickly. ‘Was that… too much?’

‘Not at all,’ Nyssa replied, a small smile playing on her lips. ‘Can… can you go a little slower?’

‘S-sure…’

Tegan pressed their lips together again, and this time Nyssa angled her head slightly to better kiss Tegan back. Without thinking, Tegan wrapped her arms softly around Nyssa, making sure not to press too roughly against her.

Sure, it probably wasn’t anything that would end up in a romance novel, but it comforting, sweet and infinitely tender.

Just like Nyssa.

Eventually, their lips parted and Tegan slowly removed her arms from around Nyssa. The younger woman’s face was wreathed in a wide smile.

‘Oh…’ she said, faintly. ‘That was… oh…’

‘Too much?’

‘No; it was just right. You’re a wonderful kisser, Tegan.’

‘Oh… t-thank you,’ Tegan stammered, her own mouth stretching into a shy smile. ‘So are you, Nys.’

Nyssa’s cheeks flushed pink again. She looked so adorable that Tegan had to hold herself back from swooping in with another kiss.

‘Might I… offer a hypothesis?’ Nyssa asked.

‘You may.’

‘Well…’ Nyssa said, a little flusteredly. ‘It seems to me that, aside from the kissing, we already act like a married couple anyway. I mean, those people at the park certainly thought so.’

‘I suppose we have always been very close,’ Tegan replied, grinning. ‘But, I mean, we don’t have to kiss if it makes you uncomfortable-’

‘Oh, not at all!’ Nyssa said, quickly. A huge serene smile blossomed across her lips. ‘That was… rather wonderful. I mean, I’ve nothing to compare it to but…’

‘Wait, hang on…’ Tegan said, slowly. ‘Nys, was… was that your first kiss?’

Looking a little embarrassed, Nyssa nodded.

‘It… never really happened,’ Nyssa said, quietly. ‘But… oh, I am glad it was with you, Tegan; I wouldn’t have wanted it to be with anyone else.’

‘Oh, Nys…’ Tegan replied, softly. ‘That means the world to me; thank you.’

The two of them smiled at each other.

‘Cuppa?’

‘Oh, yes please,’ Nyssa replied, sweetly. ‘May I have-’

‘A spot of milk and no sugar,’ Tegan finished, smiling. ‘Of course you may.’

Tegan headed into the kitchen and set the kettle going. Over the noise of the kettle, she replayed the events of the previous half hour in her head.

I wouldn’t have wanted it to be with anyone else.

Tegan put a hand to her lips, trembling slightly.

Oh, god.

The next week passed like a moving train, and the last day before the wedding weekend arrived. The actual wedding ceremony would be taking place on Saturday morning, while everyone would be arriving at the venue on the Friday evening, to help with the decorations and get checked into their rooms. The reception would then be taking place throughout Saturday afternoon and into the night.

Neither Yaz nor the Doctor were especially religious, but they had agreed to the traditional after-wedding feast (Walima) that Yaz’s relatives had recommended. Tegan had never been to a Muslim wedding before, so she didn’t know what to expect. However, she did know that it would be a wonderful celebration regardless.

Tegan stepped out of her room, a small wheeled suitcase trailing behind her. Nyssa was stood by the front door, her own suitcase neatly at her feet.

‘All packed?’ the young woman asked.

Tegan nodded.

‘Should be an… interesting time.’

Nyssa smiled nervously, as Tegan put her shoes on and grabbed her car keys.

‘So,’ Tegan said, reaching out and squeezing her friend’s hand. ‘ready?’

‘With you? Always, Tegan.’

The venue was just under an hours drive away, in a wonderful rural part of Norfolk. The sort of venue that including several small halls for the wedding ceremony and receptions, as well as accommodation chalets for guests. It had been a while since Tegan had been to a wedding, but she found herself getting excited as they finally arrived in the car park, and trundled their cases towards the main block of buildings. Along the way, Nyssa’s hand slipped into Tegan’s, although neither of them said anything about it. It just felt… right. As if it was the most natural thing in the world for them to do.

Tegan tried not to think too much about her heartrate accelerating as they entered the main hall. The combination of the summer heat and Nyssa’s fingers intertwined with hers was definitely having an effect.

It was a nice hall, she had to admit. There were already lots of tables laid out for the reception, with balloons being blown by a large crowd of Yaz’s relatives.

‘Knew. It.’

Tegan felt her face burn as a crowd of people stormed up to them. Sure enough, it was a large section of the university staff, led by Peri, who was grinning a defiantly smug grin.

‘Oh, god,’ Tegan said, her face burning. ‘We’re at a wedding; don’t you have better things to do?’

They all ignored her, instead cooing over her and Nyssa’s intertwined hands.

‘Knew it,’ Peri said, grinning at her colleagues. ‘Didn’t I tell you that I knew it?’

‘Oh, leave them alone,’ Graham said, and Tegan shot a quick glance of gratitude his way as he approached from where he had been helping with the balloons. ‘They’ve got a right to their privacy.’

‘Exactly,’ Nyssa said, softly. ‘I know this might seem a little exciting to you all, but it’s… normal for myself and Tegan.’

Tegan bit back the smile that was threatening to spread across her lips. Oh, dear. She tried to ignore the guilt that bubbled in her stomach. She knew that it was wrong for her to like this so much, but she couldn’t help it. The idea of her being married to Nyssa was too wonderful not to adore.

‘Oh, Tegan, Nyssa; hello!’

They both turned. Yaz was hurrying their way, pulling the Doctor along by the hand. The young Yorkshirewoman was grinning from ear to ear, and was wearing her traditional t-shirt and jeans, albeit without the normal leather jacket.

‘Hi!’ Tegan said, as Yaz gave both of them a one-armed hug. ‘Thanks again for the invite.’

‘Yes,’ Nyssa agreed, nodding. ‘We consider it an honour.’

‘Thanks,’ Yaz said, grinning and squeezing the Doctor’s hand. ‘It means a lot to me -to both of us- for you to be here. I dunno; it… it feels right, you two bein’ here ‘n all.’

Nyssa’s eyes sparkled with tears, and she gave a weepy smile. Tegan squeezed her hand, ignoring her heart beating just a little bit faster.

‘Er… Yaz?’

‘Hmmm?’

‘Can I have a word?’

Yaz nodded. The two of them left Nyssa to chat to the Doctor, who started going into detail about her latest invention (the Doctor worked in the university’s scientific research department), to stand over in a gap in the crowd.

‘Yaz,’ Tegan said, slowly, leaning against the back of a chair. ‘Your invite said that…that-’

‘Ohhh!’ Yaz exclaimed, eyes widening. ‘Sorry; I weren’t sure which name you ‘ad in front of the hyphen. Did I get it t’wrong way round?’

‘Er…’ Tegan faltered, feeling her cheeks flush slightly. ‘No… not as such.’

‘Then what’s the issue?’

Tegan was about to open her mouth, about to fully explain exactly what the misunderstanding was, but something stopped her. Maybe it was the guilt that it might be another point of stress for Yaz right ahead of her wedding. Or maybe… maybe it was the fact that Tegan honestly liked pretending to be Nyssa’s wife.

Whatever it was, her mouth refused to play ball.

‘Actually; I was wondering how you managed to get it sent to the right address. Our post has been a bit spotty lately.’

‘Oh, Ryan told me your flat’s address,’ Yaz said, brightly. ‘Thought it might get it to y’ quicker; Nyssa only moved in a little while ago, right?’

‘About a week, yeah,’ Tegan said, privately suspecting that Ryan had probably giggled a lot whilst mentioning it to Yaz. ‘Congratulations again, by the way.’

Yaz smiled, looking over the hall at her fiancée who was, by this point, already constructing out of the odds-and-ends in the many pockets of her raincoat. Nyssa and the others looked on, nodding as the Doctor rambled in what, to Tegan, seemed like gibberish technobabble.

‘Thanks,’ Yaz said, softly. ‘God, I’m so lucky. But I best get back to ‘er before she starts blowing things up. Again.’

Tegan smiled, as Yaz hurried over, relieving Nyssa (the only one of the lot who seemed to remotely understand the Doctor’s lecture), who then hurried over to Tegan. The two older women then headed over to the main reception area. Tegan turned to Nyssa as they walked.

‘You okay? The Doctor didn’t chew your ear off, did she?’

Nyssa smiled.

‘More than okay, Tegan,’ she said, reaching out and squeezing Tegan’s hand. ‘And, no she didn’t. It was actually quite fascinating.’

‘I’ll take your word for it. When that woman starts mentioning Nitrogen synthesisation, my brain gives up.’

Nyssa giggled.

After getting the keys to their accommodation, the two women headed back out of the main building and over to the chalets. They were all single-story wooden huts, in a cosy Scandinavian style. They then continued along until they located the one that had been assigned to them. Nyssa pushed the key into the lock, and they entered.

‘Oooohhhh,’ Nyssa said, excitedly. ‘What a lovely place!’

Tegan had to admit, she agreed. The place was very “oooohhhh”; a cosy, comfy place without being stifling in the summer heat. Soft furnishings adorned every other surface, and a large bookcase was set in pride-of-place in the centre of the living room.

‘Nice!’ Tegan exclaimed, as they began to check through the rooms, having left their suitcases in the living room. ‘Wow, Yaz and the Doc really knew what they were doing, giving us this one. I wonder whether they made sure it had a bookcase because of how well-read you are.’

‘Oh, stop it,’ Nyssa said, giggling as she playfully swatted Tegan on the arm. ‘I’m not that literate.’

‘More than I am,’ Tegan cheeked, smiling. ‘You’re a proper little nerd, Nys.’

‘You say that like it’s a bad thing.’

‘Oh, no; I think it’s cute-’

They both stopped talking because, at the moment, they had entered another room and both their gazes fell on the bed.

The double bed.

Tegan’s face seemed to flush bright red. What the hell was everyone playing at? A double bed? How were they supposed to-

‘O-oh.’

Tegan turned. Nyssa’s delicate pale skin had turned a pretty shade of pink.

‘I’ll doze in the chair, Nys,’ Tegan said, quickly. ‘I don’t mind-’

‘Oh, no you don’t,’ Nyssa replied, just as quickly. ‘I know how bad your back can get; I will doze in the chair.’

‘With your neck trouble? Not bloody likely.’

‘I’m fine, Tegan; I’m younger than you-’

‘Four months doesn’t mean much-’

‘It does when spinal issues come into play.’

The two women stared at each other, before both letting out a giggle.

‘Truce?’

Nyssa chuckled.

‘Okay; we probably should have realised they would give us a double bed since they think we’re married.’

‘How the hell did we miss that?’

‘I think we got distracted by all that practising.’

‘Well…’ Tegan said, a little shyly. ‘You are rather distracting, Nys.’

Nyssa’s cheeks flushed pink as she smiled.

‘Oh, now you’re just flattering me.’

‘Well, given the lack of other options, we are going to be sleeping in the same bed, so I suggest you get used to me finding you distracting.’

The two women laughed. Tegan couldn’t help but feel her stomach bubble slightly at the thought of sharing a bed with Nyssa. But it wasn’t with the same tension that might have happened if they were both young women. It was more… a sense of happiness based on the comfort of knowing the other person so well. They were both well past the stage of butterflies-in-the-stomach, after all. And that was okay.

Besides, Tegan thought, sharing a bed with your best friend could be fun. Even if she didn’t see you in the same way you saw her. Nyssa was Tegan’s closest friend; even if she didn’t love Tegan romantically in return, Tegan knew that Nyssa loved her in that deep, platonic way that came from their long history together.

And, really, was that such a bad thing, in the end?

Nyssa had to admit, she hadn’t been expecting to share a bed with Tegan that weekend, but she certainly wasn’t complaining.

Especially when Tegan had blushed prettily after seeing Nyssa in her nightie. That had been rather enjoyable to behold. Tegan was normally so confident and straightforward, that is rather a nice change to see her so shy. And all Nyssa had to do was put on her nightgown.

Not that she had deliberately chosen her most flattering blue-and-silver nightgown to wear this weekend, of course. Definitely not.

Nyssa knew that, at their age, physical appearances were less of a big deal than they would have been if, say, they had both been in their late adolescent years. But that was okay. And Tegan had clearly reacted to seeing Nyssa in such a way, regardless.

After they had both climbed into the bed, Tegan had started doing a crossword in the paper, whilst Nyssa caught up on reading “Persuasion”. She knew that Anne Elliott and Frederick Wentworth would eventually admit their repressed feelings for each other at some point towards the end of the novel, but the romantic tension was growing more intense with each chapter. Honestly, how could two people be so clearly in love in each other without noticing the others feelings?

Maybe Nyssa was just wishfully thinking.

Tegan covered a wide yawn behind her hand.

‘I’m gonna get my head down,’ she said, turning to Nyssa, who had put her book down. ‘Night, Nys…’

Without warning, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Nyssa’s cheek, before quickly placing the paper on her bedside table and lying down, facing away from Nyssa.

‘G-goodnight,’ Nyssa stammered, feeling her cheeks. ‘Er… any reason for the kiss on the cheek?’

‘Still practising, aren’t we,’ came Tegan’s mumbled response. ‘Got to make sure no-one suspects.’

‘And you’ve turning away now because…’

‘Face burning bright red, yep.’

Nyssa chuckled. Oh, Tegan really was very straightforward when it came to these things.

‘Well, that makes two of us,’ she said.

Nyssa paused for a moment, before leaning over and pressing her own lips to Tegan’s cheek.

‘Goodnight, Tegan.’

‘Night, Nys,’ Tegan said, through what was clearly a smile she was trying to restrain.

Nyssa found herself quite unable to restrain her own smile as she sat back up. She then dimmed the lights, so that she could still read without disturbing Tegan.

Tegan’s breathing began to become very slow and relaxed, as the Australian fell asleep.

Nyssa smiled again, enjoying the feeling of being so companionably close with Tegan. This wasn’t especially romantic, at least not in the Hollywood sense, but it was achingly romantic in a very down-to-earth way. There was a deep sense of gentle comfort that came with it.

Eventually, her own tiredness got the better of her, and she removed her reading glasses. She then placed the bookmark onto the page (she was almost at the conclusion of the romantic arc), placed the book itself on the bedside table, turned off the already-dimmed lights, and nestled down to sleep. Funnily enough, she had been expecting to not sleep easily whilst sharing a bed with Tegan. But this didn’t happen at all. Instead, the warm feeling of being close to the person she cared about gave her such a sense of peace that she was dozing off within minutes, accompanied by the sounds of Tegan’s gentle breathing barely a few inches away.

‘Snakes… oh, no, snakes…’

Nyssa opened her eyes, blearily.

Tegan was turning from side to side, her brown furrowed and her expression scared. The older woman was clearly having a bad dream. Tegan had admitted a few times in the past that she had never liked snakes; in fact, Nyssa suspected that it was one of the reasons she had moved from Australia in the first place. Norfolk wasn’t exactly known for having a wide selection of venomous wild snakes.

Nyssa sat up slightly in bed, pushing her long bushy hair out of her face. A moment later, Tegan’s eyes shot open, and she looked around, scared.

‘Snakes…’ she gasped. ‘There were… snakes.’

‘No snakes, Tegan,’ Nyssa replied, gently.

‘I… oh…’

Tears flooded down Tegan’s cheeks, soaking the pillow beneath her head.

‘Sshhhh,’ Nyssa said, cuddling up and putting an arm around the Australian. ‘It’s okay… you just a nightmare, Tegan…’

‘S-sorry,’ Tegan mumbled, weepily. ‘Being silly…’

‘No,’ Nyssa whispered, making sure to keep her voice as tender and gentle as possible. ‘You have nothing to apologise for, Tegan. Nothing at all.’

Tegan wiped her eyes, looking miserable. The tears were staining Nyssa’s nightie, but she didn’t care a jot. All that mattered was that Tegan knew Nyssa was there, and would always be there when Tegan needed her.

‘Dunno why I had a nightmare,’ she muttered. ‘My brain can’t stand the thought of me being happy.’

‘It’s alright; I’m here, don’t you worry.’

Tegan gave a watery smile in the half-light of the room. Her eyes seemed to slip closed.

‘Thanks, Nys…’ Tegan said, sleepily. ‘I love you...’

Tegan’s breathing became slow and quiet again.

Nyssa stared at the women in her arms, her own heartbeat accelerating in confusion and shock. How on earth was she supposed to sleep after that?

Oh, Tegan was so sweet. She had likely meant it in a purely platonic way, but she did not realise what the force of those simple three words were for Nyssa. For Nyssa, they were everything. The sun, the moon, and the stars. The planets of the night sky, and the universe itself.

‘I… I love you too, Tegan,’ Nyssa said, softly, barely an inch from Tegan’s face. ‘Oh, I love you so much. As both your friend and -I’m sorry- but I can’t help but feel my heart ache for you. I’m… I’m sorry but I can’t. And I know that you don’t mean “I love you” in the same way I do…’

Nyssa felt tears drip down her cheeks. Oh, she couldn’t bare it. It hurt so much. She loved this woman more than she felt able to ever-

‘I do,’ said Tegan.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading, everyone; hope you enjoyed it. I couldn't help but sneak in a little reference to "practicing" (those who have followed me for a while probably know what I'm referring to) 🤣😂

Stay tuned for the final chapter!

#'(accidentally) in love'#tegan/nyssa #nyssa/tegan #doctor who fanfiction #tegan x nyssa #nyssa x tegan #tegan jovanka #nyssa #nyssa of traken #indestructible #heathrow scientific #tyssa #background thasmin #peri brown #graham o'brien #yasmin khan #thirteenth doctor

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thorntopieces · 9 months

Text

Attempt at explaining the LoZ timeline soup

Every time I look at the Loz time-crossword-puzzle (credit to this video by Chase Kip for the term) I just get more and more confused. ToTK did not help on that front.

But I had a thought - and I haven't watched many theory videos on the timeline after ToTK came out, so it is very possible someone has already discussed this exact idea. In that case, please ignore this post lmao.

Second disclaimer: I haven't played a lot of ToTK yet simply because I haven't had the time. I know a bit of the lore from watching others play it, but uhhh ... don't expect perfect accuracy.

I'll put this under a read more, because who knows how long it's going to be and how many shitty illustrations I might have to add in. I also have like,,, no proof of my idea except what popped into my brain.

Update: 750 words and two images under the "keep reading". Image IDs are provided. No grammar checking has been done.

Basically, my thought is that the entire timeline as we know it, y'know, this one:

[Image ID: picture of the Legend of Zelda Timeline depicted on page 69 of The Hyrule Historia. It shows the typical timeline split after Ocarina of Time into the Downfall, Adult and Child timelines. End Image ID] Source

Yeah, I think this timeline still checks out. Obviously, the version I'm showing here ignores some games (most importantly, my favourite: A Link Between Worlds) but that's alright.

Basically, my thought was that if we take all the fun new games that just ruin whatever remnants of timeline we had left (read: BoTW, AoC, ToTK and Hyrule Warriors) and uhh. Let's create a semi-pocket dimension with them. All of those exist together in their own fun little loop now. Imagine the original timeline as a bed and we just drape my fun BoTW-AoC-ToTk-HW blanket over the bed. Let it lay on top.

At the top of the bed, by the pillow is Skyward Sword. We let Skyward Sword play out and BAM! They're working on establishing the Kingdom of Hyrule on the Surface. At the same time we can have Rauru (the King, not the Sage) and Sonia establish the Kingdom of Hyrule on ... well, the Surface. But since BoTW-AoC-ToTk-HW is a blanket laying on top of the bed, these two Kingdoms of Hyrule don't really interact.

And so the established timeline moves as normal, like we have the Minish Cap and Four Swords and everything is going great. But Ah! Actually Everything Isn't That Great because now we've got Hyrule Warriors happening on the blanket. A big war requires big help, yeah? Well, so what I failed to tell you is that this blanket is ... kind of in need of repair. It's got some thinner areas in the weave here and there and a couple of actual holes. Time kind of doesn't really progress during this war, so let's say that the Hyrule Warriors war lasts ... from around ish around the start of Ocarina of Time through the bottom of the conventional timeline (after Spirit Tracks, Four Swords Adventures and Whatever Is At The Bottom of Downfall).

The holes in the blanket are where we get the interdimensional travel through. Young Link? Yeah he was just temporarily dragged through a hole in the blanket from OoT/MM to aid in this war. Twili Midna? Same thing, just snatched out of the Twili Realm. Ravio? Sure! Snatch him up too. During the time where they're fighting in the war, time doesn't really pass in the normal timeline, and they probably don't remember much of the war afterwards once they've been returned to their original time and place. Think of it like a full body, skill and personality scan of them being done and that copy being dumped into Hyrule Warriors.

And then peaceful times happen and an indeterminate amount of time happens after Hyrule Warriors. Maybe because time passed so slowly during it (a couple of years at most, I think someone said 7 once?) while the normal timeline progressed by thousands of years, it's now catching up and a lot of time passes. Then we get AoC.

Well, you see, this blanket is actually quite fucked. We're getting closer to the bottom of the bed and this blanket has been mauled. There are now two strips of blanket, not just one cohesive blanket. On one side, AoC happens and everything is great, and on the other, BoTW Link falls in battle and takes a long feckin nap. Then he goes and does Breath of the Wild, gets a moment of peace. Then, ToTK.

And bam, we're back at the top of the bed with Skyward Sword and ToTK and it starts all over again.

Makes sense? Eh, probably not so much.

How about a (shitty) visual depiction:

[Image ID: a low-opacity image of the IGN Legend of Zelda timeline. There is handwritten text on top of the image. Between Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time is written "Tears Of The Kingdom + Peace Era" in dark blue. All the other games are encircled in a dark-blue outlined square. Inside this square is written "This Is All Just Hyrule Warriors". At the bottom of the square is a cutout, where a mini timeline has been drawn. The timeline splits into two. The left side says "AoC" and the right side says "BoTW" and then "ToTK". End Image ID] Original Image Source

Anyways, those are my silly little thoughts.

#the legend of zelda #loz #loz theory #botw #totk #vio's headcanons #my ramblings

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filteredrays · 1 year

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so one of my goals for this year is to Actually Finish Video Games and in service of that i think it's a good idea to write down what i'm currently playing, what i'm planning on playing, and what i've dropped (if anything) once a month just so i can keep track of it all so here we goooooooooo

Currently Playing

FINAL FANTASY VII (1997)

honestly i've been trying to finish this one for a long ass time-- it's an iconic video game and i'm one of those freaks that actually likes turn-based (or, in this case, pseudo turn based) combat (hi f/go) and i personally want to see where the plot actually goes before i dive into the remake and such. currently just past Kalm. using The Reunion retranslation patch as well as a couple of other mods to make the game actually play at a decently modern standard! widescreen! 60fps battles! it's nice. here's cowgirl tifa and sephiroth walking like he just shat himself.

Planning to Play

Elden Ring (2022)

while i did technically start this game, i haven't gotten very far and i don't think that's going to change much for a little while. yes i'm putting the biggest game of last year on the backburner for the biggest game from literally 25 years ago, sue me. i'm also not that good at soulslikes so this is probably going to be the biggest challenge and the one that takes me the longest, even though the next two entries are literally visual novels.

Mahoutsukai no Yoru (2022)

waiting for physical copy to come in so i can actually read it. haven't read a visual novel since i did the MM translation of the fate route of fate/stay night, and i'm interested in seeing what mahoyo has to offer, being the type moon nut that i'm slowly becoming. as excited as i am to rip into this one, there's one other visual novel that i'm planning on reading this year, one i've been meaning to read for a long, long time....

Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (2007-2010)

people have literally been telling me to read this since the witch-hunt translations finished up way back when, but this will be the year. 2023 will be the year i finally read umineko. i've kind of intentionally not spoiled anything of it for myself, somehow, and i plan on keeping it that way, but it's hard not to be aware of the golden bitch i mean witch at this point. i've had the game on steam for a while and will finally pull it out of the backlog at some point after mahoyo.

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE (2021)

the same game on here twice, waow. as troublesome as modern square enix is, i played through the bombing mission in this twice already and was enthralled pretty thoroughly both times. having a Vague Gist of what happens in ffvii and knowing that there's potential for this remake to suffer from Tetsuya Nomura Syndrome makes me wary, but i'm interested in seeing what the plot of this one actually winds up being, even if it winds up sucking shit and tarnishing whatever reputation ffvii has left at this point.

of course there's gonna be some mindless games to take the edge off and it's not like i'm going to abandon fate grand order at this point, i just Definitely want to get through at least these five games, maybe? this isn't even considering any games that are coming out this year, just the things that i've either played in the first couple days of the year or have been thinking about playing for a while now.

something about old video games has just been grabbing my attention this month, because i think roller coaster tycoon 2 is gonna be the game i play when i just need to turn my mind off and watch numbers go up. or down. probably down.

anyway i'll probably do this once a month or so, just to keep my thoughts more properly organized instead of just sloshing around in the primordial soup that is my brain. if you've read this far, thanks! hashtag mahoyosweep

#ramblies #like literally this time #j's gamebox #yeah that's what i'm gonna call this for now

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fluffallamaful · 1 year

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Continuing that earlier ask:

Dream has been tickled into submission by about five very angry server mates hellbent on making sure he isn’t able to so much as lift a finger. He’s dizzy and stuffy-headed, he’s still giggling a bit, at one point he started to straight up sob because of it all, and all in all he’s just wrecked. And so Sam carries him inside and he protests quietly, shakily, but he can’t do anything about it.

All he can think about is what they’re gonna do next. They were fine with treating him like a doll for all that time, but before he inexplicably dropped to the prison floor Quackity and Sam had promised to kill him. And everyone’s been acting so weird, and they just subdued him with tickles of all things, and he doesn’t even have the energy to try and predict what the hell is going to happen next with these people. More tears stream down his face, and he spirals.

And then Sam settles into the nest he’s already set up, and settles him onto his back, upper body looming over him so that they’re nose to nose.

“P…Please,” Dream manages. He has no choice but to throw himself onto their mercy. (He already knows he won’t get any.)

“Shh…shh…” Perplexingly, Sam’s eyes are soft. He settles on top of him like a weighted blanket, nuzzling the top of his head and cuddling him close. “The others’ll be here soon,” he murmurs.

And they are.

Bad comes first, carrying with him a whole pot of stew that he settles on the floor, doling out a bowl. “It’s good,” he promises, and then he feeds it to him bit by bit. He wasn’t lying, and for the first real meal he’s had in around eighteen months it is amazing. The taste alone sends fresh tears down Dream’s face.

After he’s done eating — he’s allowed to finish a full bowl, and is even offered seconds — Sam carries him to a room he doesn’t recognize. It soon becomes clear that it’s a communal bathhouse, where Sapnap and Quackity soon join them in the warm water. (Sapnap is smiling at him like he used to, like they’re still brothers.) (Why is this so confusing?) And they chat, and they laugh and they splash each other playfully as Sam huffs and rolls his eyes and massages Dream’s scalp. And afterwards, they all go back to Dream’s room, where George is already waiting.

Dream feels a lump in his throat at the sight of George. There’s so much he wants to say, and he can’t say any of it. His lip wobbles.

George huffs. “C’mere, stupid.”

____

He breaks down soon afterwards, crying and asking what the fuck do they want from him. Why is it hard to move, why is he here? What changed?

And through a long-awaited discussion, Quackity finally is able to explain to Dream that — sometime within the thirty minutes between Techno’s escape and Sam’s return to the cell — two years had passed for everyone else on the server. And now they’re back, and they want to try again.

It’s too much for Dream to really understand, so he just keeps crying. He’s had a long couple of years.

babbyyyyy :(((( it just would be so unbelievably confusing for him. and i forget that in this AU he’s not actually injured, it’s just like, his body suddenly doesn’t work. so he wouldn’t even be able to blame it on missing limbs or anything :((

(disxussik belwo)

🦙🦙🦙…

the little whimpered plea :( like he’s just so scared and always predicting the worst :( who can blame him :( but then oh gosh he gets his soup 😭 and his bath 😭 and his cuddles and FINALLY AN EXPLANATION

the image of him sobbing in gogy’s arms while quackity tries to gently explain everything that had happened :(( like with sap patting his back, sam curling up beside him, and bad and gogy each holding a hand :(( (and yes i’m staring at the comfort tickles ask you sent as well im so excited AH)

also omg the bath splashes :(( also it would be cool coz dream would be able to move a little better in water right? like it’d be kinda like water therapy? my brain is going a little nuts at the idea of dream being able to wrestle better in the water. water tickle fights mayhaps?

🦙🦙🦙…

#llama asks #soup the destroyer #Soups Locked-In AU #lee!dream

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genesv · 1 year

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overly nice closure message to someone who was abusive

Thank you for allowing me the space I asked for.

I hesitated responding to this, but feel I should clarify something that feels oversimplified and speak my truth.

It’s not only about how consistently you respond. The hot/cold thing feels like a symptom of something else- a pattern of jumping to the worst conclusions about me or how I perceive you, and then reacting as a way of defense mechanism. A few concrete examples of a pattern from my POV: (I don’t presume to know your inner thoughts. This is just how I’ve experienced our interactions)

- Grad show, when you told me that you thought I “hated” you the whole time even though I was not thinking about you at all. Was very surprised by this, because I’d been going through a lot and was engrossed in my personal problems (major surgery/life-changing diagnosis/family legal troubles/family eviction from home of 20 years/interviews/real cancer scare, etc. just to give you an idea). In fact, I’d only thought of you fondly as one of my friends and assumed we weren’t talking as much because you were just as preoccupied as me. I racked my brain to think of an interaction that would lead to that and came up with nothing. I brushed it off then but it made me wonder when more signs started to show. “Hate” is a strong word to describe a relationship, especially when nothing noteworthy happened. If you believed I hated you, were you preemptively hating me while I was blissfully unaware? What will make you think I “hate” you again?

- Small things like suddenly getting angry and even snapping at me when I say or do things I think are innocuous, e.g., when I invited you to Fair HQ to hang. Told you that I was finished with a soup we were sharing and you didn’t have to get spoons for us. I was only trying to save you the trouble of getting spoons when you didn’t need to, and was pretty confused when you didn’t believe me and suddenly became angry and a bit condescending. Then you went right back to normal after, and we never addressed it afterward which also left me feeling uneasy. Sometimes I get the feeling that there’s anger and aggression bubbling underneath the surface for things I don’t see and expect.

- All the sudden 180s in our conversations where you’ll ghost me when I say something that I think are normal things to share with your friends. Brushed off a couple times until it began to feel less accidental, and started to wonder if there was a pattern forming. I unintentionally anger or trigger you -> you stonewall -> you feel better/start needing companionship -> and the cycle continues. Or you accidentally ignore me -> you think I hate you -> you start treating me differently

I feel I’ve tried to show you that I think of you as a friend, and every time I make a “misstep” that I’m not even aware of, I’m suddenly unwelcome/even an enemy. It makes me feel that every small interaction with you is tiptoeing around a small bomb. Did I say the wrong thing? What did I do wrong?

If you’ve felt that efforts to reach out have been one-sided, it’s because I’ve been cautious about interacting with you. I feel that the last few years have been and continue to be tumultuous, and my mental health has come to require a lot of trust, gentleness, stability, and transparency in my relationships.

I also want you to know that I genuinely have zero ill will towards you. I feel that both can be true at the same time: We can be decent human beings trying our best who are worthy of dignity, compassion, and respect, and not be a good fit mental health-wise right now. I still root for you because I know and relate to your story and the battle scars you have from the toxic environment we both came from. I think of you as a gorgeous badass who’ll do great things in your life and career.

I hope you know that I’m being honest and transparent with how I feel, because I still relate to you in some fundamental ways and know I’d appreciate the honesty, esp. if I'd hurt someone unintentionally. I hope you understand that my decision to create more distance between us comes from a place of necessity for my mental health and not out of a place of hatred and judgment for you

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dyk3-on-a-byk3 · 2 years

Note

let me know what you think of crane wives if you finish!

i think sunshine blorbo would like soups, although they’ll prefer stews. spooky blorbo eats crusty bread on a daily business unless sunshine blorbo shoves actual good bread down their throat kfkfjf

this one might need some context real quick.

first thing to know that i think that sunshine and spooky blorbo are a cute couple.

second, sunshine blorbo is purposely a mysterious figure, as they are the part of inciting incident that made this, creature, that is a frankenstein from sunshine blorbo and spoopy madness monster. aka they technically don’t exist and service as a “we need to hurt as many innocents as possible. boss, who we doing dirty tonight?”

the timeline is incredibly wack as we only get time frames for when things happens.

so, sunshine has the unfortunate luck of being either being around 40-50 or in their twenties when they died in canon. which makes things weird for the ship as spooky is confirmed to be in their 30s when they died about 3-5 years later

what makes thing stranger is that sunshine was hired young and was hired in 2003 or 1980s as the timeline says that both are true which wouldn’t make sense

and people are always weird about age differences. which is fine, i see it. it’s alright if they don’t want age difference.

but they then proceed to bash on the ship. even though age difference only happens if they believe sunshine is in their 40s.

it’s like they don’t understand that some people has different thoughts about the timeline.

they don’t stop to think that “hey, what if these people have different ideas on the lore and are only working off of aus?”

and it’s strange hill to die on considering both parties are functionally blankslates that exist as information for the main story. as well as the people who like the ship always have both of them somewhere around the same age or are playing with aus that don’t dabble with how old everyone is.

my apologies as this got really long. i just needed to release this.

on a lighter note

ramen is really good! though i’d say sunshine and spooky blorbo would order rice dishes instead of noddles. they would be enamored with the fish cakes bc they have only 5 braincells between each other and 3 of them are stressed and the other two are always on vacation

what aus or just general brain thoughts do you associate with your blorbo? whether that be cyperpunk, slice of life, or simply just a orchard of peaches!

another apology as i’m really bad with asking about things because i have a lot of things to say and i feel like i’m talking too much or have no clue how to continue the conversation when i get a short answer

-reblog mutual anon

ooh I like these blorbos alot!! they sound very cute :]]

also for the question I don't really associate my blorbo with aus so I'd put them in a lil pumpkin patch (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)

and don't apologize I love it when people rant to me about this kind of stuff it's very nice :DDD

I'm gonna call my blorbo moon blorbo from now on btw

#aaa this is so fun!!!#sorry for the short responses my brain is mush currently lolol #and the crane wives are pretty good!!!

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5raysofsunshine · 2 years

Text

I Don't Want To Be Alone Anymore - Emily Prentiss x Fem Reader

Hi friends! This fic is for @sweetprentiss 's birthday bingo, filling spots "it's not as bad as it looks" and "love confession". It's hurt/comfort with a dash of angst, but don't worry there's a happy ending! Hope you enjoy! :)

Description: Set after Minimal Loss (4x3). After Emily comes back to the east coast after being stuck in Utah for two days, she calls to tell you she's okay but confesses she's been hurt. She argues that she doesn't want you to see her, you argue back that she needs to stop pushing you away. When she finally let's you come over to see her, something unexpected happens.

Rating: Explicit, but only because there's a couple F bombs and other curse words. Tw and cw for bodily harm and aftermath of a physical fight, but if you've seen 4x3 you'll know what to expect.

Word count: 4,006 (this is the longest fic I've written so far!!!)

Tagging @ssaagentemilyprentiss @themoontaxi @sweetprentiss @dalexandriag16 @its-soph-xx (if you want to be tagged in my fics lmk by asking and/or filling this form out)

---

The melodic tune of your ringtone catches your attention while you're in your car, stopped at a red light. You reach over the center console and dig around in your bag to find your cell phone. With a flick of the wrist the phone flips up and you press it to your ear, holding it between your head and shoulder as you move the steering wheel to make a left turn. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Emily says through the phone.

“Hi baby!" You happily exclaim. You hadn't heard from your girlfriend in two days and were starting to get worried. When Emily is out of state on a case she at least tries to call you once a day, even if it's only for a couple minutes, just so you can hear her voice. That didn't happen this time.

Usually Emily will mirror the tone of your voice, happy to hear your greeting. But she doesn't, she sounds a bit anxious instead. “Sorry to call, I know you’re at work.”

“Oh, that’s okay! I’m actually on my way back to the office now. I had a late lunch. Went to Saggio’s, that Italian place with really good gnocchi soup. You jelly?”

You hear a very small chuckle on the other side of the line, “Very.”

“Are you still in Utah?” You ask as you attempt to parallel park your car outside your office building. Emily had to travel to Utah for work. She said they were just going to interview some people and gain intel so they could build a stronger case, the details of said case were kept hidden from you for the most part so you only had a very vague idea of what Emily was working on. Before she left, she assured you that she’d be in and out of Utah, but you assumed by Emily's radio silence that her assignment must have gotten more complicated than originally planned.

“No, thank fucking god." Emily says, "We landed back in Virgina about two hours ago.”

“Oh good! How’d it go?"

There's a moment of silence before Emily answers your question. “Well... we were hit with a lot of... unexpected trouble.”

You frown at Emily's response as you shit off the motor and sit back, wanting to wait a few minutes before you have to walk across ice covered pavement to return to work. “Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that, honey.”

“It's..." Emily sighs harshly, "it's alright babe. I just wanted to call so I could hear your voice. I’m sorry I couldn’t call you earlier, I was... tied up. With the case. Had to deal with some really fucked up people who made things so much worse then they should've been. But-um... anyway, I wanted to let you know that I’m okay.”

“Oh... okay.” You say hesitantly. Redflags are beginning to fly around in your brain, your curiosity tempting you to ask Emily what happened over there, because you can tell that something is wrong. “I was worried when you didn’t call, but I just figured you were focussed on work, so I didn’t want to disturb you. But I’m so glad you’re back! Just in time too! I was starting to worry that I’d have to tell my parents you weren’t going to make it... again.” For the past couple weeks you’ve been trying to arrange a time for you and Emily to have dinner with your parents, since you and Emily have been dating for a little over six months and things might be getting a little more serious. Somehow, Emily has managed to get pulled into work at the last minute, causing you to have dinner with your parents alone or not at all, but hopefully the fourth time’s the charm. “I can’t wait to go to dinner tomorrow! I talked to mom this morning and she said, and I quote, ‘I can’t wait to finally meet that gorgeous girlfriend of yours.’ Are you excited or what!” The grin on your face is so large it makes your cheeks hurt. Sadly, it doesn't stay on your face for very long.

“Wow, that’s uh... I’m-uh... I’m really sorry to do this Y/n, but I don’t think I can make it.”

“Again?" You ask, already frustrated because this dinner had already been rescheduled for the third time already. You open your car door and step out, slamming it behind you as you begin making your way towards your office building. "Emily, I thought you didn’t have to work this weekend?”

“I don’t, I still don’t. But I have to stay home and rest for the next couple days.”

“You have to stay-?" You quickly realize what Emily means. Something happened in Utah. Something bad. "Wait, what happened? Are you hurt?”

The silence on the other side of the line gives the answer away before Emily starts talking, “Yeah... I got roughed up a little. But I’m okay though, I’m okay. I just..." Emily's voice trails off. Your heart is racing, panicked by the idea of Emily getting ‘roughed up’ by anyone. From time to time since you two started dating, Emily has mentioned incidents when she would get hurt out in the field, but it wasn’t something she liked to talk about with you. Even while you’ve been dating, if Emily came home with a couple bumps and bruises, she would tell you to stay away and give her space for a day or two. She claims that she doesn’t want you to deal with the aftermath of a bad case, that she preferred to handle it on her own. You knew it was just Emily’s way of shutting you out, her fear of being vulnerable, her fear of you not being able to handle the bad parts of dating an FBI agent. You hope this time she’ll let you see her, let you be with her as she recovers, but you’re doubtful. And that frustrates you.

You can't help but lose your patience with her. "Just what, Emily? What's going on?"

"Y/n, I don’t want to meet your parents when I... I have a black eye, and a bruised jawbone. And a lot of scratches on my hands and arms.” Emily says, sounding embarrassed.

You stop in your tracks and immediately regret losing your patience, your frustration dissolves and is replaced with shock and concern. “Oh my god, baby! What?!”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine! I'm okay! Calm down!”

You can't calm down. Your eyes are wide in panic, your chest is tight. Even though you’re two feet away from your desk, all you want to do is turn around and walk back to your car so you can rush over to Emily's apartment. You have to see her, you have to see your girlfriend. Your poor bruised girlfriend. “Are you home? Can I come over?”

At this point your coworker who sits across from you is awkwardly glancing at you, trying to figure out why you’re so shaken. You wave to them before sitting in your rolly chair, trying your best to ignore their look of concern. Your only focus is listening to Emily's voice.

“No, no Y/n. I don’t want you to see me like this. I don’t want you to...” Emily keeps talking, but you stop processing what she says. Mainly because you’ve heard it all before. You’ve heard all of the excuses and defensiveness that come out of her mouth when she’s like this. And you’ve had enough.

“Well, Emily? That’s too fucking bad. I get that you want to protect me from all the big bad scary shit you go through. But if we’re gonna make this relationship work? Then you’re going to have to stop trying to shut me out. You have to stop thinking that I’m gonna take one look at you and be like, ‘Oh, this is too much for me, nevermind’ and leave. You know that’s not what I want to do Emily, you know that all I want to do is be there for you. We’ve been dating for how long now, over half a year? How am I supposed to get used to you coming home to me after getting hurt out in the field if you won’t let me see you? How am I supposed to make this work if you don’t want to let me be there for you, like good girlfriends are supposed to do!”

“But Y/n, I-” Emily tries to argue, but you're not having it.

“No, don’t 'Y/n' me. You don't get to keep hiding yourself away every time you get hurt, Emily. Especially now when I haven't heard from you for two days. Every time you’re gone, I wait for you to come back, and then when you come back you don’t want to see me. It’s bullshit, Emily.” You say defensively. Your co-worker clears their throat, causing you to look up at them with an awkward grimace on your face. They awkwardly grimace back at you. Slightly embarrassed, you sink down into your desk chair.

“I know, I know it’s bullshit, Y/n. But this is what being with me is like. My job takes a toll on me, and when I have bad days, bad weeks, I just- I don't want you to be subjected to that. I just wanna be alone. You have to understand.”

You can't help but roll your eyes at Emily's words. She still doesn't seem to understand that the whole point of being in a relationship is to support each other through the good and the bad. And when it comes to Emily, there’s always gonna be something bad. You try not to blame her for that, you know that she loves working for the FBI, and you’re always so proud of her for kicking criminal ass and protecting innocent people. But it seems to still cause a strain between you two, especially when Emily refuses to let you near her when she’s in physical and mental anguish.

"Oh I understand, babe. Totally understand. If you really want to be alone, then fine. I’m not gonna stop you. I’ll just tell my parents that they’ll have to give up on trying to meet you because this relationship isn’t going to progress anymore than it has since you don’t want me around.” Tears are building up in your eyes and your chest is so tight you’re struggling to breathe. You know you’re being slightly unreasonable and dramatic, but you don’t care. You need Emily to understand how frustrated and hurt you feel.

Emily sighs heavily, her breath blowing into the receiver and making a loud sound that makes you cringe slightly. "Please, baby. Don’t do this. I’m sorry. I understand you’re upset, I understand why you’re upset with me, but I don't want to fight with you. I've been punched in the face and kicked in the ribs and I’m very very worn out. So please, I'm really sorry... Okay?"

Taking the time to acknowledge that Emily is trying to talk to you despite having gone through something traumatic, you nod and try to center yourself. "I'm... sorry too,” you say begrudgingly. “I'm sorry, I know you're in pain and I'm just making you more upset and that’s totally unfair.” You’re genuinely sorry, and you want Emily to know that you’re not angry at her. You can never truly be angry at her. Frustrated to the point of crying? That’s a different story. “Listen, I just want to see you. I want to make sure you’re okay. Please, Em. Can I come see you after I get off work? Or... do you want to be alone tonight?” You ask, acknowledging that Emily might still want space after whatever she's been through, even though you’re internally begging on your knees that that’s not the case.

“No, no-um... you can come over.” Emily says, “I’d love to see you.”

"Yeah?" Her answer surprises you and makes you feel instantly better about the whole situation. You’re sure Emily is uncomfortable with you seeing her in whatever condition she may be in currently, but this is her trying to prove to you that she wants to let you in, that she does indeed want you around even after a really bad case. This is a tiny but also huge step in the right direction.

"Yeah. I’m sorry for shutting you out, you don’t deserve that. I don’t want you to think that I don’t want to be with you. Because I do, I really do. I really missed you, Y/n." Emily says warmly, the way she says your name makes you melt just a little.

The corner of your mouth perks up , “I missed you too, Em. I’ll see you in a couple hours, okay?”

“Okay. See you soon.” Emily replies.

After you hang up the call and put your phone down on your desk, you glance over at your coworker. They look back at you and shake their head slowly back and forth, “I have no idea what that was about, but if you wanna grab a cup of coffee real quick to spill the tea, I’m down.”

You chuckle and roll your eyes lightheartedly, “No tea needs to be spilled, I’m pretty sure you heard enough anyway.”

They turn back to their computer and nod, “Hmm... fair enough.”

---

When Emily first opens the door to greet you, it takes you a couple seconds to recognize her. It nearly brings you to tears as soon as you see the dark colored bruises and the butterfly bandage holding the cut on her chin closed. Her skin looks more pale and pasty than usual. She’s wearing a large hooded sweatshirt and leggings, trying to hide as much of her body from you as possible. You’re not sure what you were expecting to see when Emily told you she was hurt, you thought you had prepared yourself enough on the drive to Emily’s apartment. But after seeing the black eye and the bruising on her jaw and neck, you suddenly realize how wrong you were.

“Can you come inside please? I don’t want anyone else to see me like this.” Emily pleads, her eyes nervously glancing from side to side. You can tell that she’s embarrassed by her appearance.

You quickly snap back to reality, having realized you’ve probably been standing there for a good thirty seconds just staring at her like an idiot. “Oh my god, yes. Sorry. I’m- I’m sorry.” You quickly step inside the apartment and take off your coat.

Emily smirks, “You have snow in your hair.” She reaches her hand up to your head and ruffles your hair before smoothing it out, combing her long fingers through it. You can’t help but stare at her face, your eyes locked on the blue and purple bruising around her left eye. Emily notices of course and backs away, “It’s- um... it’s not as bad as it looks.”

This is when you finally speak up, “N-not as bad as it looks? Emily, I- Who did this to you?”

Emily huffs and begins to walk away from you, “I don’t want to talk about it, okay? All you need to know is that the guy who did this to me is dead now and we saved a bunch of people. I did my job.”

You follow her into the living room, observing the way she’s walking stiffly and with a slight limp. Your mind is racing with a million questions you want to ask, but you know that it’s better if you don’t. Emily sits down on her sofa and holds her head in her hands. You slip your shoes off your feet and approach her slowly, joining her on the sofa. You make sure to leave some space between you two, not wanting to crowd her. You can’t imagine what Emily is feeling, what’s running through her mind. You want to help her so badly but you don’t know how. You don’t know what to say. You’ve never been in this situation before.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so so sorry that this happened to you.” You say, fidgeting with your hands because you’re scared to reach out and touch her. “I know this is a stupid question but... is there anything I can do? To help make you feel better?”

After a few long seconds Emily lifts her head and tilts it to the side to look up at you. You notice the tears right away, which triggers your eyes to tear up as well. She sniffles and wipes her nose with the sleeve of her shirt, “I don’t know. I’m... I’m sorry.”

“No, honey. Please don’t apologize, you don’t have to-”

“No, I need to apologize. I need to tell you this before I lose my nerve, so please, just listen to me.”

You nod your head, crossing your arms over your chest. Emily takes a deep breath in and rubs her palms against the top of her thighs. “Okay. I know that when I’m upset or hurt, I usually just want to be alone. And I tried to pull that crap earlier today, but... I really didn’t want to be alone. I was just really freaked out and letting my insecurities get in the way of us, again. Y/n, I don’t- i don’t want to keep doing that to you. I don’t want to be alone anymore, you know?” Emily's brows furrow as chews on her bottom lip to stop it from quivering, her demeanor changing to show her sudden determination as her tears begin to subside. “I don’t want to keep pushing you away when shit like this happens. I know you just want to be there for me and support me, but I don’t... I don’t know how to let you do that Y/n. I don’t know how to trust that you won’t get scared and run off when things get rough. When not seeing me for days at a time is too hard for you, when seeing me like this is too hard for you.”

You begin to speak, “Emily, I-” But you’re quickly cut off by Emily saying something that you definitely weren't ready to hear.

“I love you.”

All you can do is stare at her with your mouth agape, eyes wide with surprise. This is the first time those three words have been said out loud. You figured you were going to be the first to say them, coming close a couple times in the past few weeks before stopping yourself out of fear and doubt that Emily wouldn’t say it back. But now here you are, being told that your girlfriend, Miss Emily Prentiss, loves you, for the first time ever.

“What?” You ask, dumbly.

“I love you, Y/n.” Emily repeats, “All I could think about when I was in Utah getting my ass kicked was, ‘Oh my god, if I don’t make it out of this alive, Y/n’s not gonna know that I love her. She’s not gonna know how much I want to be with her for every free moment I have. She’s not gonna know, and she’ll be left alone.’ And that only made me want to do everything in my power to get through that stupid fucking disaster so I could come back to you. Even if that meant you seeing me all scratched up and bruised.”

Emily scoots closer to you and reaches up to tuck your hair behind your ear, cupping your face and rubbing her thumb across your cheek to wipe away the tears you were unaware you were shedding. “I know being with me isn’t easy, baby. I know my career makes things extremely difficult and stressful for us. I know I make things difficult and stressful for you. And I am so deeply sorry for letting you think I didn’t want to be with you, that I didn’t want you around, that I didn’t care about you and our relationship. Because I do. There are gonna be times like this where I’m gonna get really hurt out there, or you’re not gonna hear from me for more than a day because something bad happened at work. I’m sorry if that scares you, it scares me too. I want you to know that no matter what happens to me, I’m going to try my best to make sure that I don’t leave you alone anymore. I need you to know that I will always want you around. That I want you to be here with me when I’m upset, even when I’m hurt. And I’m going to do better at being there for you when you need me too. Because you matter so much to me, Y/n. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you in it. I love you so much it scares the hell out of me because I’ve never had a partner like you. I’ve never truly cared about a partner like I care about you."

You’re barely processing Emily’s words because you’re so overwhelmed with conflicting emotions, but you can tell by the way Emily’s eyes are boring into yours that she’s being very serious about how strongly she cares about you. How much she loves you.

“I’m really sorry that I told you that I love you for the first time like this. This probably wasn’t the right time and I-”

“I love you too!” You exclaim to Emily, smiling awkwardly as you try to stop yourself from crying.

A massive grin grows on Emily's face, her eyelashes flutter. “Yeah?” She asks sheepishly.

“Yeah." You say reassuringly, nodding a lot and mirroring Emily's elated expression.

You both gaze at each other, reveling in the significance and sweetness of the moment. The impulse to give Emily a big hug and kiss begins to make itself known, but you stop yourself before you make a move. “God damn it Emily, I want to kiss you so bad but I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Oh come on! Don't worry, I can take it. Come here, kiss me, please!” Emily pleads as she pulls you closer to her face by the collar of your sweatshirt. Your two smiling mouths meet and your whole body relaxes. Any tension that you had in your shoulders, any tightness in your chest, dissipates as Emily's lips move against yours. You wrap your arms carefully around your girlfriend’s chest, making sure not to squeeze her ribs.

Suddenly a thought pops up in your head, a reminder more like. "So. I hate to bring this up right now. But um..." You mumble against your girlfriend's mouth. She begins trailing kisses down your neck so you can continue speaking. "I should probably call my parents and tell them that dinner is-"

"I think we should still go."

"What? Babe, no!" You shake your head, accidentally bumping your jaw into Emily's nose.

"Ow!" Emily says, her hand shooting up to hold her nose.

"We're not going! Your face is broken!"

"So? I know this dinner has been pushed back more times than you'd like, and I'm sorry about that. Let me make it up to you. Let's do dinner tomorrow. Your parents can come here so we don't have to go out, I'll have Rossi give me a recipe to make. Come on baby, I want to meet the parents of the woman I love. Even if my face isn't as gorgeous as your mom says it is."

You chuckle at Emily's reference to your mom, "Oh my poor baby! You're still gorgeous to me even with your boo boo eye." You coo in Emily's ear before pressing butterfly kisses all over her face. "I appreciate you wanting to do that, Em. We'll talk about it in the morning, okay? Right now, I just want you to keep kissing me."

Emily's lips land on yours once more and she smiles against her mouth before mumbling, "Mmm... fair enough."

#iv's birthday writing challenge 2022 🎂#emily prentiss x reader #emily prentiss fanfiction #emily prentiss #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds #5rays fics

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