#i realized shortly afterwards how happy it made me

[eeunoia]

ENHYPEN Series

sinag | psh.

chapter ten

pairings: park sunghoon x reader

synopsis: waiting for a great plot twist in your life, the ruthless and powerful mafia boss park sunghoon forced his way in to it.

word count: 2.6k

warnings: contains harrassment, violence, guns, killings, abuse, obsessive love & other stuff. if you can't take this stuff, feel free to scroll away. let me know if i missed some.

note: there’s a slight change from the original one shot. anyway, please send me asks and reblogs are highly recommended! thank you so much, ily.

eeunoia 2024 © all rights reserved.

“We found these inside her suite room, Boss.”

Sunghoon rests his liqour over the small table near him then pressed his lit cigarette at the ash tray. His toned muscle flex at his every move. He reaches over the small card Icarus was handing him.

With brows furrowing downward, he silently read the printed name of the company you seem to work at. He didn’t utter a word and just plays with it, falling deep into his own thoughts. The name of the place you’re currently employed in rings a bell. A bit familiar. Like he heard it before.

“We also managed to gather some of her personal belongings.” his eyes darts lazily at the things he laid over the table.

Some identifaction cards and also your passport. He licked his lower lip and stretches his arm to grab your passport. He opens it, revealing your information to him. Your name, birthday, nationality... everything.

“You may take your leave. Make sure there are men guarding her floor.” he instructed without sparing a glance to him. He saw him bowing from his peripheral before he take his leave.

The cold breeze blew towards Sunghoon, making his slightly long hair sways beautifully along with it. His eyes are fixed at your picture and his thumb gently caress it, a ghost of smile spreading across his face.

“Aelia...” he mumbled your name for the very first time. “My Aelia.” he added afterwards.

He tilts his head and clenches his jaw hard before fishing his phone from his pocket.

“Brother! I figured you’ll give me a ring sooner or later.” Jake’s voice hints teasing from it.

“You...” he starts, but halts his words.

Sunghoon couldn’t make out his emotions properly. He’s feeling so pissed for his friend keeping something very important to him, but at the same time still overwhelmingly happy after finding you.

“Well,” he can almost hear his smirk from the other line. “did you like my gift for you?”

He threw his head back then heaved a sigh.

“Since when?” he shortly replied, wanting to know more about this sneaky move his friend just pulled. He should’ve known something’s up from how his friend’s been so weird.

“Ever since I tried to sell the company to you.”

Another big and heavy sigh emits from Sunghoon after he realized how long was that. He almost lose his mind searching for you and all this time, his friend knew where you are. He felt betrayed, but a part of him are relieved to know that you are safe.

He flutters his eyes open, brows furrowing hardly at the realization.

“You sold it to me for 10 million? Do you fucking think she’s worth just that?” he seemed insulted like as if he was the one being priced and sold at a lower price. Not that he really sell you, its practically the company but Sunghoon’s being very dramatic.

Jake chuckles finding it hilarious how he didn’t even got mad at him for selling it at a very expensive price. He got offended for taking the interpretation that you only worth that price.

“Dude, I asked for that so I can take care of your girl while you’re busy taking care of some other things.” he finally explains. It made him more calmer, his jaw’s still hardly clenched but at least the idea of beating the shit out of his friend starts to subside.

“Meaning all these time, its you and your money whose taking good care of her. She’s living comfortably thanks to your resources.” he sounded like he’s trying to convince a kid and tricked him into believing that Santa is real.

Sunghoon fell silent, trying to sink Jake’s words inside his mind. He did a good job on revisioning the company and even made it perform well. He’s been updating him about the status of it even though he doesn’t really give much care of it as he was pretty focused on putting the Kwon’s down.

All this time, its not just the company. It was his way of letting him know that his girl is okay and living pretty well.

He draws in a big sigh, totally calmer than before.

“Thank you.”

Jake’s the one silent this time. He was expecting him to appreciate his effort, but not to this extent. He was expecting an earful of curses and death threats from him, but instead this is what he got.

He was amused. Beyond amused how you’ve already started to affect him. He lets out a scoff, couldn’t believe that you have this effect on him. It was just a hunch that you indeed have the potential to soften and tame the monster, but you are powerful. You have this power over him.

“The fuck? Not even a day of meeting her and you’re already under her spell? Who are you? Where’s the real Sunghoon? The real one would’ve cursed me out and will be super pissed at me.”

Sunghoon smirks and rests over the railings of the balcony. His eyes settles beneath the quiet road, it was almost empty as its already three in the morning.

“I am pissed at you.” his stern tone makes it obvious how he means.

“But since you kept her safe 'til this day, I’ll let you go.”

Jake smirks, “Even if your meet up is a little set up?”

“What’s important now is she’s here. She’s really here.” relieve was not the only thing you can hear from his tone. Some are curiosity on what’s about to happen next.

He can think nonstop about the things he wanted to do with you, but first he has to think of how he would explain everything to you. Because from now on, you will live your life with him.

You let out a heavy sigh before grabbing your phone and dialed your boyfriend’s number. Your jaw clenched when you've been directed over to his voice mail. It’s been three days ever since you two talked and you even argued. This is your last night here and so far its so good. Surprisingly nothing bad happened to you, and you don’t want to jinx it at all.

“Hey, Luke.” you said after the beep to leave him yet another voice mail. You didn't know how many you left already but still, you decided to do it again.

“I know you're upset baby. Please let’s talk once I get back there, hm? I love you.” you mumbled and ended it.

You grabbed your coat and key card of your hotel room. It was stressing you out so you wanted to get some fresh air to relieve some stress. It was already late which makes it a bit scary, especially that you're in another city. But you knew you needed some for tonight.

You breath in the fresh air you thought you’ve been needing for a while. You tried smiling as you watch the stars above you shines brightly. You were enjoying your time without even realizing what’s about to unfold.

After finally calming down and clearing your mind out, you decided to head back to your hotel.

On your way, you had this weird feeling that you're being followed. Your heart started thumping fast, specially that there are less people around this area. Terrified that someone really is stalking you, you hurried your steps.

But even before your can reach back to your hotel, you felt a strong grip over your arm. Your heart sank as you open your mouth to shout only to be covered by your captor. He held you firmly then covered your nose with a handkerchief making your eyes grew big and you tried to get away from their grip but it was too late.

The last thing you remember is how you slowly lose your strength, knees falling weakly. The person held you close to him and even whispered things you couldn’t understand as you lost consciousness. In the end, you felt them carrying you.

Sunghoon smiles as he stared down at your unconscious body over his arms. His men opened his car door for him and he puts you inside carefully.

“Have you prepared the hotel room I asked you?” he asks Icarus as he checks if your position inside his vehicle is okay.

“Yes, boss.”

He nods and Sunghoon walks around towards the driver’s seat. He glanced at your side before smiling again, reaching over your face to gently brush away the hairs covering it.

At the arrival to the hotel, Sunghoon parked his sports car right in front while his men's vehicle surrounds his for protection. The staffs of the hotel hurries themselves to stand right in front of it to welcome him. They've been informed about the vip that will stay at the top floor of the hotel, and after knowing its Park Sunghoon they couldn't help but to feel nervous.

After-all, he’s known for his bad temper.

“Welcome Mr. P-Park.” the head of the hotel stutters as he bows along with his staffs.

Sunghoon didn’t pay much attention to them as he asks for his room card. Some of the staff noticed him carrying your unconscious body, tears on the sides of your eyes. Just by the looks of it, they knew you didn’t come here voluntarily.

None of them asked anything about you, nobody even dared to look at your direction longer than fiver seconds.

The moment he managed to get the keys to your room, Sunghoon struts towards the elevator along with Icarus and some of his men.

“Should we tie her hands?” Icarus asks.

Sunghoon’s eyes darted at your wrist. His assistant is already getting ready to tie her when he stopped him.

“No. I don’t want it hurting her wrists.” he says too softly and then sat at the side of the bed to look at your sleeping state.

He wiped off the tears at the corner of your eyes and using his thumb, he caress your cheeks.

“My love, you are finally here with me.” he whispers.

He sighs, “You are so beautiful.” and he roams his eyes over your pretty face. He’s still in trance. Despite being able to hold you and touch you like this, sometimes he still can’t help but to think that he is dreaming.

Scared that this are just his illusions, he somewhat wished not to wake up from this. If it means he will be with you, he don’t want to leave. He wants to be where you are and where he can have you like this.

“Sir, Mr. Sim called saying he needs to discuss something with you.” he sighs and nods his head before standing up.

“Leave some of our men inside the room incase she tries to escape or do something that can hurt her.” he reminds his men before leaving the room.

With a low grunt, you slowly opened your eyes only to be greeted by an unfamiliar room. Your head aches in attempt to recover memories from last night. It was just then you remembered that you were abducted.

Fear spread across your chest as you roamed your eyes around, sitting up from the bed. There are men wearing familiar suits. You’ve seen it before, you just don’t have any idea where.

“W-Where am I? Who are you?!” you asked frantically and tears spreads across your face.

Even when you are crying, they seem to don't mind. They are just standing at the corners of the room, two by the door.

You don’t know how many hours that you’re passed out, but you knew its been a while. Your throat felt dry from crying and screaming. One of them did offered water, but you refused. You’re afraid that they put something in it.

The fact that this is happening on your last day of the trip makes you go crazy. Nothing good really happens whenever you go out of the country. Everything seems to be find until you got abducted by these people. This time, you think this will really be the end of your life.

Dark thoughts starts to occupy your mind. Will they kill you and sell your organs to the black market? Probably. Or put you into slavery. That’s just so awful. A lot of bad scenarious flashes through your mind and it was making you feel much terrible.

The door then burst open, making you jolt a bit. Soon, a man walks inside. His eyes looked at your way and he bows politely which caught you off-guard. The other guys around seems to look up on him so you assumed he have more power than them, so why is he bowing at you?

“The boss will see you in a bit.” Icarus said, informing you about Sunghoon’s plan to visit you.

The boss? Your brows furrows hardly at his statement, but kept your mouth shut. Tears still pool your eyes, cries a little more silent than before. If he isn’t the boss, you can still try to convince him to let you go. You can beg him. Tell him that your you have terrible health so your organs won’t sell good.

“Please let me go.” you begged him softly, eyes glistening with so much emotion.

Icarus stared at you with blank look over his eyes. He sighs and glanced away, trying to talk to some of the men reminding them of what to do next once the boss arrives.

Your heart fell. He didn’t even say anything or even talked to you.

Not long after, you heard the door opening and it revealed some ethereal looking guy. His hair was brushed up and it looked so soft, his face blank and seems like he’s the one in-charge. So much power he holds just by walking inside the room.

You can’t properly describe it. He just have this aura. He’s wearing a suit that perfectly fits him, showing off his model like proportions. It feels so illegal to see him walking here and not on runways.

Both of your eyes met and you are a bit taken aback because he’s very good-looking! His skin was fairly white and his features were beautiful altogether. He’s very intimidating too.

“Did you hurt her?” his voice ringed inside your head. He was asking the guys around but his eyes never left yours.

You gulped and even if you’re feeling very scared and intimidated, you raised your chin up and stared back at him. You glared and clenched your jaw to keep them from shaking.

“No, boss.” one of them answered. As expected, he is the one in-charge.

He nodded and slowly walked closer to you. If he’s good-looking from afar, he’s breath-taking up close. He looked so handsome and intimidating at the same time. Those moles all over his face sure add some charms in him.

“I’ve been searching the whole world for you, love.” He softly mumbled before he raised his hand to caress your cheeks carefully like as if you’re something so fragile.

Something about his caress lit something inside your stomach go crazy. It was definitely wrong because he was the one who abducted you and he’s probably a bad guy. Not to mention that you have a boyfriend but for some reasons, you cannot help it. There’s something about his gentle touch and his staring expressive eyes.

main master-list

permanent tag-list: (not yet updated)

@rubyanne @map-of-border @hwangjangmi @love13tter @candewlsy @simpforniki @classicroyalty @bridgebridgebirdiebridge @hime98 @moonsclassyslore @ddeonubaby @yeoungie @acciomylove @mymeloem19 @jvngw0n @dreamjerky @minamoons @clar-iii @herasalvatore @nyfwyeonjun @rcveribin @yizhoutv @one16core @soobin-chois @kyutiepeachy @chareadingpurposes @hwalllllllelujah @solelyenha @90sni-ki @nourhan-8 @nikipedia07 @yangbreads @drunkjazed @axartia @all4haru @sta-rie @purplepuppychild @iceeee @wtfhyuck @tobiosbbyghorl @nikililmj @ayayiiie @aeyeree @heeseung-min @in-somnias-world @psh-pjh @hongshuaknow @rae-blogging

#enhypen #eeunoiaverse #eeunoia #eeunoiawrites #enhypen imagines #yandere enhypen #enhypen fic #enhypen park sunghoon #enhypen sunghoon yandere #enhypen sunghoon x you #enhypen sunghoon x reader

[suteki-gaikotsu]

i have to complain to the void

#skeleton diary #oh god i hate this #last week my best friend and i made plans to visit a science museum #specifically a butterfly habitat #(they're my favorite) #her bringing it up and making plans there on the spot made me so happy #so happy i could cry honestly #i realized shortly afterwards how happy it made me #and remarked to myself how i hadn't felt that happy in literal years #i feel so safe and understood around her #like i don't have to be anyone else but myself for once #and seeing butterflies with her would make me so happy #to be so vulnerable and so surrounded by beauty #it was so exciting #until she messaged me a lil bit later to ask if her boyfriend could tag along #she said it'd make her feel uncomfortable if she did something special without him #keep in mind i have only seen and shaken this man's hand /once/ #it makes me so upset. #the wonder the joy the safety all stolen from me because of this boyfriend #i have really bad social anxiety so feeling so safe around her is a feat in and of itself #having to meet and hang out with a stranger sounds like TORTURE to me #admittedly it's caused me to reevaluate my feelings for her in a very real way #(i'm incredibly smitten but that doesn't mean i'm right for her or that she even has those feelings for me) #but the point still stands!! i don't want this experience ruined by some bozo who's insecure about me hanging out w his gf so much!!! #i'm going to have to switch plans hardcore and soon because i've thought about it enough to know it's not impulse

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hello! I hope my request won’t bother you but can i ask for a funny scenario where Hades, Poseidon, Hercules, and Thor, falling in love with goddess reader who is the child of Nyx and Erebus? Like the reader is the goddess of stars and her hair would kinda flow in the air with stardust and her eyes sparkles like twinkling stars? She’s also very kind and beautiful and that’s why her powerful parents adore her and refuses to let her get married? If you can, can you add Zeus, Aphrodite, and Odin’s reaction to the gods proposing to reader but reader’s parents won’t allow it. Thank you ^~^

-You were the light of your parents, Nyx and Erebus’ eyes, quite literally, being the goddess of stars, you were so bright, so cheerful, and so beautiful.

-Long flowing dark hair that looked to have stars interwoven, sparkling and shimmering in the light, and your eyes twinkled as if you had diamonds in them.

-Your kindness and gentle heart matched your beauty, making you truly a beautiful goddess, inside and out.

-However, with pretty daughters come big responsibilities and your parents had their hands full with the number of suitors coming for your hand since you became of age.

-They had refused all offers, refusing to let you be taken away by any of these other gods whom they deemed not worthy of someone so wonderful as you.

-Still, despite their efforts, a few managed to get by them to you while you were out and about, to approach you with marriage in mind.

-Hades- Knew he couldn’t ask you to marry him outright, as you didn’t know each other, but when he approached you, kneeling down and handing you a red rose, asking for the dance to court you, to take you out on a date. You were surprised that the king of the underworld was vying for your affections but before you could answer you heard, “NO!!!” and instantly you were in your father’s arms, “Nobody’s dating my baby!!” before running off with you. Hades did realize shortly afterward, that you had accepted his rose.

-Poseidon- You were perfect, beautiful, kind, and extremely powerful, no other would do as his queen, and he immediately approached when he saw you were alone for one, “Will you marry me?” you were going to refuse, having heard that numerous times, but your eyes widened, seeing Poseidon there of all gods, stunned that he was asking you. His eyes were soft and kind looking, unlike his normal iciness, and you smiled gently up at him but before you could saw anything your father immediately ran over, throwing you over his shoulder, “Not today!!” Poseidon’s eyelid twitched in annoyance, staring after you.

-Hercules- He approached you with the intentions of asking you to marry him, but as you turned to face him, hearing his footsteps, his voice failed him as his face turned bright red. He held up a simple daisy to you, making you smile softly as his approach had surprised you, but to see the simple gift, it made you so happy. Hercules managed to stutter out a question, asking you on a date, as he wimped out asking you to marry him and you were surprised, as none had asked you on a date before, just jumping straight to marriage. You took his hand which stunned him before you heard your parents, “How dare you hold my baby’s hand?!” your mother hugged you close while your father was yelling at Hercules, who looked a bit defeated by their declination.

-Thor- It was shocking to look up at Thor after he had cleared his throat, wanting to speak with you, but you smiled softly up at him, greeting him warmly. Your kind smile and warm glow made his brain flat line, he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to say as he handed you a red rose. Your eyes lit up with surprise before you took it, “Thank you for this! You’re so sweet!!” He instantly kneeled, spooking you as he took your hand, “Will you marry me, Y/N?” your mother instantly ran over, roundhouse kicking Thor away from you, “No she will not!!” Thor was okay, a bit stunned, as your mother picked you up over her shoulder and dashed off with you.

-Zeus- Approached your parents later that same day after seeing his brother/son try to propose, “May I inquire why you are so against your daughter marrying Hades/Poseidon/Hercules?” your father scowled, “Nobody is good enough for my baby!” Zeus chuckled warmly, stroking his beard, but his aura was threatening, “Are you calling my brother/son not good enough? Who is good enough then?” you ignored the shouting adults as you managed to sneak out, going out to the garden where you saw Hades/Poseidon/Hercules waiting for you with a smile.

-Aphrodite- Your mother was suspicious of her arrival, “Why are you here Aphrodite?” the goddess of love just smiled, “I’ve come to inquire why you won’t let Y/N get married. I saw the proposal of Hades/Poseidon/Hercules and I thought it was cute!” Father crossed his arms, pouting, “Nobody is good enough for her!” Aphrodite, having dealt with situations like this before, smiling, “Then if nobody is good enough, will your daughter be forever alone then? The love of a parent and the love of a partner are very different.” her words made them freeze, realizing this before she tried prying again, seeing you sneaking out behind them, which made her smile, as you went out to meet up with Hades/Poseidon/Hercules.

-Odin- If your parents were intimidated, they tried not to show it, “Why is my son not allowed to marry your daughter?” your father glared harshly, “Nobody is marrying my precious baby!” Odin was annoyed at their words, trying to keep calm, to reason with them, “Then will your daughter be alone for the rest of her life?” Mother flinched lightly, not liking that as your father tried to defend their actions, not wanting you to be with anyone unworthy of you. Odin’s powerful aura shook your whole house, “Are you calling my son unworthy?” the two men glared at each other, the three of them unaware you had snuck out, leaping down from your balcony from your bedroom into Thor’s waiting arms, smiling brightly at him, which made him smile as you snuck off.

#record of ragnarok #ror x reader #ror hades #ror poseidon #ror heracles #ror thor #ror zeus #ror aphrodite #ror odin

[scoops-aboy86]

literally so happy to hear you have wide open asks.... I LOVE the idea you brought up about Steve gaining weight just kinda slowly and steadily because he loves to eat and is tired of denying himself....... and how might Eddie respond to this newly relaxed and bigger Steve?

Hi, hello! Yeah, Steve needs a break, man. Those regularly unscheduled beatings take a toll, he’s just tired. I read something once that referred to him gaining weight after the Upside Down stuff is done for good as his “peace body” and that lives in my brain rent free. 

I hope this answers your question because I kind of got carried away:

Eddie loves relaxed Steve, especially as he unlearns some of his own “jacks bad nerds good” and “popular bad outcast good” dichotomies that he’s built up as part of his armor over the years. Steve, he realizes, is not just a good dude, but a chill dude too. 

Sure, he’s a little fussy about his hair, and sometimes his clothes—complains a little when his polos start not quite fitting the way they used to, although Eddie personally can’t see any problem with that. Steve is just hot, okay? He was hot in gym class in those little green shorts, in basketball games in those little white shorts, and he’s just as hot (if not even prettier) lounging back with a joint in one hand, a soda in the other, and a little sliver of belly peeking out the bottom of his shirt. Because he’s happier now. Cozy. Eddie takes any opportunity he can get to lay his head on Steve’s lap because he has just the best thighs. 

Meanwhile, Steve—who’s only fussing because he’s had a thing for Eddie ever since “dontcha, big boy” launched him into a sexuality crisis last March, and he’s used to getting dates because he looks good, so he wants to look good—just sort of melts any time Eddie leans or lays on him. This has occasionally made him late for work or picking up Robin or the kids, but more often it just means that he asks “Can you get me…” a lot. Which is difficult for him to do! Because he’s used to the idea that he can take care of himself, and he can take care of other people, but why should other people have to take care of him? But he can and has sat still for hours if it means that Eddie gets in a decent nap, or is enjoying the movie that’s on, or whatever. If he has to go to the bathroom, he’ll hold it. Robin teases him that her dad is the same way about the family cat… which kind of indirectly leads to Steve learning that Eddie loves head scritches. (He totally white lies to her and says that Eddie asked him to do that, but actually he did it one time without thinking and Eddie asked him in a slightly hoarse voice to do that again. And then got up shortly afterwards to go to the bathroom, allowing Steve to stretch his legs and take a bathroom break of his own.)

And it’s only a matter of time, what with the gradually waning nightmares as it finally sinks in that the danger is over, the not being on alert all the time, the fact that Steve is no longer a teenager or on any sports teams, the recreational smoking, the metalhead lapcat… Only a matter of time before Eddie settles into place and feels where Steve’s tummy is starting to encroach on his spot. 

It’s after a small party (just the older UD crew) when everyone else but Robin has already gone home, and he’s just high and sleepy and a little tipsy enough to roll over and snuggle in without thinking about it, nuzzling that sliver of tan skin and chest hair and just breathing Steve in with a happy sigh. His body feels floaty enough that he vaguely thinks that Steve must have carried him upstairs to his bedroom, and this is Steve’s pillow or something. 

Steve is frozen in place, eyes absolutely huge, staring across the living room to where Robin is watching this happen from the kitchen doorway with an amused smirk on her face. When Eddie brings his hand up to hug the “pillow” closer, Steve mouths “Help me” at her. 

She shrugs and spreads her hands like, “What do you want me to do?”

He tries to use eyebrow movements and hand gestures to remind her that of the three of them she’s smoked and drank the least, so she should have the functioning brain cell right now, not him. Because he’s pretty crossfaded too, and fairly full after getting the munchies and going to town on the pizza they’d ordered for the party, and now there’s a cute dude cuddling his belly and it feels good and he’s going to have a reaction soon—

“I don’t need to know about that,” Robin shout-whispers vehemently, and backs into the kitchen mouthing “la-la-la-lesbian” and “I can’t hear you.” Steve vows to write her out of his will. Not that he has one, but still.

Eddie rouses a moment later because his brain is starting to catch up to the fact that it’s not fabric he’s drooling on here. When he half sits up he’s face to face with a very flustered Steve, who is chewing on his plush bottom lip and Eddie wants to, like, help him with that. And then he looks down, and probably part of what woke him up, and his nuzzling has pushed Steve’s shirt up a little more than usual, and slo yep, that’s a boner.

They make eye contact. 

“Can I kiss you?” Eddie blurts out, because he definitely wants to and he thinks, based on the boner and the fact that Steve hasn’t shoved him away yet, that maybe Steve does too. 

“You’d better,” Steve blurts back, cheeks flaming, because he already has Eddie’s spit drying on his skin. He’s totally flustered and doesn’t even have time to run a hand through his hair before Eddie is straddling his lap, cradling his face gently in both hands, and drawing him into a clumsy but earnest kiss.

They spend the rest of the night kissing and cuddling and talking on the couch, still a little giggly from their highs and Eddie snagging more things for Steve to eat whenever Steve seems even the tiniest bit hungry, because he just looks so happy whenever he’s relaxed and enjoying his food. And if he sneaks some belly rubs in there too, no one else has to know.

Permanent tag list: @hotluncheddie

#ask #scoops words #i think this is my first anon hurray! #wg steddie #chubby steve harrington

[elenauaurs]

@thehollowwriter I ended up deleting your message in inbox by accident so...

💬 For Diaval!

. . .

Pwetty biwd!”

The small and defenseless baby, with silver hair as shiny as a blade, laughed playfully in the presence of the young imperial guard prodigy—The Prince's wings.

"kaKaKAKAKA! Why do you keep calling me by that silly nickname?" He knelt not too far from the baby, His intention was to match their heights.

The once merciless guard couldn't help but smile every time Lilia's son smiled at him innocently, would his heart have been softened by a simple human baby?

Lilia's voice could be heard in the garden of the small house, talking to Malleus—For some reason, he trusted Diaval enough to take care of this fragile baby.

Every time the raven fae asked why, Lilia would just smile and say he was responsible.

But, perhaps, the truth is that Lilia just wanted the ruthless young boy to learn how to be... Kinder

And no longer lonely

“You grow up really fast, you know?” Diaval crossed his legs, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his face in his calloused hands.

‘Maybe soon you'll start walking around alone”

Diaval's eyes were relaxed—No, his whole body was. This feeling was so pleasant, He missed being able to relax after his intense training sessions.

For a brief moment, he began to remember the first day he took care of Silver… God, he was so tiny and cute! Well, Diaval admits that at first he couldn't help but laugh at how weak Silver was, but that changed, really.

He would never forget the happiness that he felt when Silver smiled at him for the first time and the sensation of taking care of him… Or even Silver’s peaceful sleep after a crying fit that always made Diaval sigh in relief!

Maybe this is what it feels like to have a little brother? It doesn't look so ba-

Diaval!

"huh?"

And suddenly, Diaval's genuine and peaceful smile closed into a grimace, frowning in denial while he could swear he heard a voice in his subconscious that made his whole body shiver—That voice... He knows very well that he belongs to one of his superiors, but... they aren't here.

“Just obey the rules, how difficult it is?"

“Why do you keep making the same mistakes over and over again?”

“If you don’t take your work seriously

you will never be ideal to be at the prince’s side.”

"NO!" He frustratedly pressed his palms against his face, leaving only his wide fearful eyes visible through his fingers—Those simple but cruel words dominated his mind like a distant memory that always disturbs him.

“Biwd?”

Silver stared at Diaval with innocent piercing eyes that seemed to stare right through the raven fae soul as his little hands tried to reach him, who seemed to be so close, yet so far away for a mere baby to reach.

“You… you’re just a baby, I’m just taking care of you because It's an order... That’s all”

Diaval whispered to himself in an attempt to soothe himself, turning his face away shortly afterwards and straightening his posture—His fingers trembled with anxiety and his face seemed tense, fearing the probability of his every movement being closely judged by someone.

He doesn't need affection from a human—So why does he care so much about this child's health?

Worrying about whether Silver will grow up in a healthy environment with lots of love and food? What nonsense.

He dug his nails into his skin, counting on the pain to get those thoughts out of him. Diaval wouldn't sacrifice all the effort he's put in all these years for a baby, he can't lose everything he's achieved—He doesn't want to go back to his old life.

And then, the realization finally hits Diaval as his eyes darted around the small, yet comfortable bedroom—Comfortable sheets, baby toys scattered across the floor, a healthy environment to live in…

I never had these things before

Well, not before I was taken to the castle

That's why Diaval wants Silver to have a happy life so much? It's not possible, he's already overcome it, after all it happened many years ago. But imagining Silver abandoned... It just breaks his heart.

“I'm not really afraid of anyone, but the thought of being forcibly distanced from him..."

“No... Why am I scared at all?”

“I must only protect the ones I love, I shouldn't care what they think.”

“How could I even forget this?”

He took a deep breath, slowly relieving the anxious feeling he felt while banishing any bad thoughts—For now, he just needed to focus on taking care of the baby and forget for a while his castle duties.

Diaval's mind finally snaps back to reality, feeling relief at seeing little Silver standing on two feet...

Wait

SILVER IS STANDING WITHOUT SUPPORT?!?

He lets out a yelp as his instincts kick in to prevent the baby from falling by quickly raising his hands. However, the sign of Silver walking—a little off balance—caused Diaval's body to freeze reluctantly.

He's... He's really walking!

“Y-You...”

“You can do it, Silver! Come!” Diaval stuttered with joy, feeling a chill of happiness in his stomach.

The baby stands still for a while, his little legs trying to get more balance to walk towards the Fae raven, who was waiting with open arms. In a clumsy way Silver slowly took step by step, laughing happily as he took the last step before falling into Diaval's arms and being caught by a tight hug.

If for some reason Diaval ever felt scared before, this moment made him feel— even if only for a moment—the bravest person in the world

“You did it…”

“KAKAKA! YOU DID IT!”

Diaval couldn't help but smile widely as his wings wrapped around them like a warm shield, gently rocking Silver like a winner—If he hadn't been so emotional, he would have denied to death that he was tearing up.

“MALLEUS! LILIA! HE'S WALKING! HE'S WALKING!”

Perhaps, his heart has indeed softened for this human baby

. . .

#diaval corvo #silver twst #twisted wonderland #twst oc #diasomnia #diasomnia oc

[les-lestappen]

lestappen 15 (it's okay i got you) based on ferrari's shitty car and charles having a bad breakdown ?

author's note: is very short but don't worry cause a part 2 is coming shortly and with how shitty ferrari is right now even a pt3 or 4 😀

LESTAPPEN:

Max spotted Charles leaning against a wall,eyes closed and breaths deep in between interviews. He took a step in his direction but he was interrupted by a journalist telling him all about his next interview. By the time she finished Charles had moved and Max couldn't find him, he sighed but his interview was about to start anyway. He was determined to go find him afterwards. Max had a chance to talk to him after he finished his interview while Charles was still waiting to do his last one. When Max approached him he once again had his eyes closed and an almost pained expression. He put a hand on his shoulder and Charles looked up at him with glittering eyes and furrowed eyebrows. "How are you feeling?"he asked, feeling stupid.

"How you would except." He responded in a low voice "Congratulations, good race." He added.

Max felt stupid, he probably didn't want to talk to him, yet he couldn't bear the idea of leaving him alone. "Thank you Charles and…I'm really sorry"

Charles' eyes widened for a second and he looked down blinking repeatedly. Max felt his heart break as he realized he couldn't let Charles breakdown in the next interview.

"Je ne veux pas en parler." Charles mumbled, confirming his theories.

"Yeah sorry." Max quickly said, thinking about something to talk about outside of racing and deciding on something that made him happy: his nephews. He told Charles all about how they were growing up, showing him the pictures Victoria always sends him of them celebrating, even telling him their little quirks and how similar Luka is to him. Thankfully the pictures seemed to cheer Charles up a little and by the time they called him in he even had a little smile.

"Thank you for distracting me Max" Charles said as they both got up. "We'll talk later, yeah?"

"Yeah I got you, I'll wait outside." Max answered with a big smile on his face and a warm feeling in his chest.

#charles leclerc #max verstappen #lestappen #lestappen fic

[virgatowhipped]

Just got home from the Ultra VIP experience, so I'll give you guys a summary of the day:

My sister and I got there around 11am and got in line (we were 18th &19th). Shortly after we arrived we heard Erick shout "Que quienes somos?!" from a hotel window at us, and we all looked around to try to find him 💀 We made friends with the two girls in front of us and after we got our wristbands with our numbers on it, we were told we could leave and be back by 1:45 to line up for the event. We went out and got food with the girls, went back to the venue, and then waited in line again until they let us into the room around 2:30. They gave us food and drinks and the boys came in around 2:45. RICHARD WAS THERE 🥹🥹🥹 They started off singing Reggaeton Lento (Richard and Zabdiel had each other's mics on accident and had to switch when they realized lol). Then they played La Equivocada, Mamita, Plutón, and ended with La Última Cancion.

The Q&A section was next (they had us fill out a sheet with our names, where we live, and our question while we were waiting for our wristbands). They answered 12 questions and pulled them from a bowl randomly, and Chris pulled my question 😭

My question: what's the biggest lesson you've learned over the last 8 years together?

He couldn't say my last name, so I had to help him with it and then he kept repeating my full name and it was super cute 🥺 But his answer was basically communication, and then halfway through, he switched to Spanish because I think he was having trouble expressing himself in English, so idk what else he really said, but it felt so great having him acknowledge me 🥹 (And after reading the question he said, "That's deep.")

And afterwards came the m&g and surprisingly, I wasn't very nervous when my turn came. I gave them their gifts, and then I told Chris, "Remember I asked you what your favorite cake was on Twitch?" He was like, "Oh yeah." Then I told him I tried to make the cake and messed it up, so I bought a slice from the store lmao. But he said thank you, then we took the picture and I stood between Chris and Zabdiel. Then I said thank you to Chris again and we hugged tightly, and he said, "thank you for coming, mi amor, gracias" and he kissed me on the cheek 🥺 Then I hugged Richard and I tried to tell him how happy I was for him because of the baby, but I was so awkward about it, but he said, "thank you, baby" 😭 Then I hugged Zabdiel, and then I hugged Erick, and I told him that I really loved his boots (they were white combat boots) and he said, "Thanks, I love your beanie," cause I was wearing my Déja Vu beanie 🤗

Anyway, it was a short, but fun experience, and I'm so happy I was fortunate to live it 🥹

P.s. Chris, Richard, and Zabdiel all called me baby so I'm 🥲

#cnco #christopher velez #erick brian colon #richard camacho #zabdiel de jesus

[shion-yu]

Wait for Tomorrow

My entry for the spot “Hospital” for @hurtcomfort-bingo. 2,271 words, TW for hospital, chronic illness, discussion about potential death of a parent. Ft. OCs Cliff (toyhouse) and Al (toyhouse), plus their respective partners Elliot and Theo. 

The organ transplant unit reeks of hope and loss. There’s always someone who has just received something new and life changing, a very tangible second chance which is only thanks to someone else’s great sacrifice. There’s a little room that always has coffee and snacks, a room for meditating, a little gym, and a room that’s just for crying in. A huge window stretches across the entire end of the unit looking over the city providing sprawling views of the outside world: a world that people like Cliff needs to stay away from because it’s full of germs that could kill him.

Cliff’s thirty-one. He hoped he’d have more time to delay this, but he’d contracted aspergillosis at Christmas, right before Mia’s third birthday. Instead of celebrating his happy and healthy little girl on her special day, Cliff had been unconscious in the ICU, intubated. He’s only gotten to see her in person twice since waking up and it’s March now. Kids aren’t usually allowed on the unit because of the risk of infection. The doctor had let them break that rule twice, and Cliff knows he should be more grateful for it but he isn’t. He wants more, always more.

He misses his daughter more than he can stand. Elliot visits nearly every day and calls at least twice per day. He sends Cliff plenty of videos but it isn’t the same as being there. He watches Mia say new words only second hand through recordings and he’s not there to clap for her as soon as it happens. He’s not there to read to her and kiss her pudgy little cheeks goodnight. He wants to be there for everything, but instead he’s stuck here in this negative-pressure hallway. It’s a beautiful new unit, nicer and sunnier than any Cliff's ever been on before, and yet it feels like a prison.

He doesn’t realize he’s crying until he feels the couch he’s sitting on dip and Al silently hands him a tissue. Cliff mumbles a thank you and removes his oxygen to blow his nose, coughing into the tissue afterwards.

“Ugh. I hate crying,” he sniffles to Al. Al pats his back to try and comfort him, but doesn’t tell him it will all be okay. They’re both realistic enough to know that’s not always the case. 

“Me too,” Al says. “Hate getting snot in my oxygen.” He smiles knowingly with a humor that only someone experiencing the same thing as Cliff could really muster. Cliff laughs wetly, dries his eyes and puts his nasal cannula back in. He clears his throat and tries to remind himself that things could always be worse.

Al is waiting for his second set of lungs while Cliff waits for his first. Al got new lungs fifteen years ago, he says, which was a pretty good run of it. They’re not doing so well anymore, but he tells Cliff that he believes the medications are so much better these days. Al never had any kids, but Cliff can see that Al’s wistful about that fact. He acts almost like a father figure to Cliff while they’re stuck on this ward together, although age wise he’d be more like Cliff’s older brother. Cliff thinks it’s funny - when he was nineteen he did a summer internship with Al’s partner, Theo, at Theo’s law firm. He vaguely remembers seeing pictures of Al back then and Theo mentioning his partner was on the transplant list, but it hadn’t really meant anything to him at the time. He’d just said sorry and never thought about it again. He hadn’t known back then how privileged he was to have that mean nothing to him.

Theo recognized him when he came to visit Al, shortly after Cliff had left the ICU and was moved to this floor. Cliff was being pushed down the hall by Elliot when they heard a voice say, “Cliff Barrows?!” It was then that they made the connection that the new patient Al had made friends with was the same person Theo had once been a mentor to. Cliff mostly remembers Theo as unabashedly gay, something he didn’t think was possible for a lawyer at that time. He looks the same now, Cliff thinks, just a bit older and his hair’s starting to go gray. 

Theo asked Cliff if he ever became a lawyer. Cliff laughed and said, “No, I got sick and became a stay at home dad instead.”

Theo grinned at him the same way he had back when he was a teenager. “A dad!” He exclaimed. “Even better than a lawyer.”

Being a dad was better than being a lawyer, Cliff thought to himself. Being a lawyer was his dream and losing it had been incredibly painful at the time. Now, though, he can see it made way for other things in his life. He got back together with Elliot, they got married, and they had their beautiful daughter. Cliff wouldn’t have it any other way - except for the part where he’s stuck here, now. There’s no silver lining to this part, he thinks.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Al asks him gently. He has a way of saying this that makes it easy to confess everything, but also easy to say no if Cliff wanted to. He’s so calming and impartial. Cliff thinks he feels far better after his chats with Al than he ever did after therapy.

“Mia is going to pre-school in the fall. Elliot’s out visiting a few right now to see which one fits her. Both of us should be there, but it’s only him.” Cliff’s voice breaks sadly at the end of the sentence and he can’t say anything more.

Al nods. “That must be really hard,” he says gently. “I’m sorry you can’t be there too. I’m sure Elliot will make a great choice though.”

“Oh, definitely,” Cliff says. “I know that. But it’s not fair that he has to do it alone.”

“I understand,” Al says. He doesn’t have kids, but Cliff thinks he’s probably the closest person to actually understanding so he nods.

They stay there a bit longer just watching the sunset until they know they have to be back in their rooms at 7pm-8pm for shift change. Cliff doesn’t see the point, because every nurse on the unit already knows them and their details intimately, but nevertheless they insist on bedside report every twelve hours. Sometimes Cliff pretends he’s sleeping just so they’ll do it in the hallway so he doesn't have to hear all the depressing details one more time. He feels like nothing ever really happens, anyways. Sometimes he has good days, sometimes bad. He doesn’t feel the need to summarize further. Either way, he’s been here for months and won’t be going anywhere until they find him a pair of new lungs.

The idea that some poor stranger has to die for him to live bothers Cliff immensely, but since he’s had Mia he no longer questions if it’s the right thing to do. It’s not that he’s no longer morally confused, he is. But he’ll do anything to see his little girl grow up now, his role as a husband and a father the most important things to him in the world.

When Mia was born, that was the first time Cliff was actually happy to be in the hospital. She was so tiny, Cliff asked if something was wrong with her. No, they told him, she was perfect. He agreed. She was absolutely perfect.

Fatherhood suited Cliff far more than he had expected it would, considering his own parents had never been good examples. But as the stay-at-home parent and a perfectionist, Cliff naturally made it his job to do everything right. And in the process, he found he loved every moment with Mia, even the difficult ones. He kept her close to him and was always hyper vigilant about her wellbeing. He read many, many books. And every afternoon he’d tie up Rosie, their rescue dog, to the stroller and take a slow walk down the street. While their home was located in a nice neighborhood in Brooklyn, Cliff didn’t think New York City pollution was very good for either his own or his child’s lungs. However the socialization was important (for both of them) and more importantly, he wanted Mia to grow up to love people. He never wanted her to hide away from society like he had. And he never wanted her to doubt that her fathers didn’t love her and wanted to spend time with her.

He’s nursing a bad headache in bed when Elliot calls him to say goodnight. Cliff answers because he always answers Elliot no matter what. Back when they were younger Elliot barely left Cliff’s side when he had to spend long stretches in the hospital, but with their daughter it had to be different. She’s their priority, not Cliff, and they had promised to give her as normal of an upbringing as possible. Even with a chronically ill dad and famous papa. They had been doing a pretty good job of it, Cliff thinks. Sure she’d spent a lot of her early childhood in recording studios and doctors offices thanks to her dads, but she was happy and loved. That’s what mattered. It’s still what matters, but it’s so much harder when she doesn’t understand why one of them is suddenly nearly missing from their home, only available through video calls each night.

Elliot’s face pops onto the screen of Cliff’s phone. His black curly hair looks long and messy. He has dark circles under his eyes and Cliff’s heart aches knowing it’s his fault that he has to be a single parent right now. Still, his tone is cheerful and he smiles when Cliff answers. Mia is sitting in her chair at the dinner table behind him. “Hey babe,” he says. “It’s all dark, do you have the lights off?”

“Yeah, hang on,” Cliff says. He reaches over to turn on the lights even though they’re way too bright for his aching head. He squints at his family and puts on his reading glasses.

“Headache?” Elliot asks automatically. They’ve been married - been dealing with Cliff’s illness - for way too long for him not to know exactly what to expect. Cliff nods. “Aww, that sucks,” Elliot says. “Here, Mia will make you feel better.” 

Elliot moves around so that Mia is in full view and can see Cliff on the camera. Her face is messy with grains of rice stuck to her cheeks. Cliff chuckles. “Hi baby girl. Dinner’s kind of late, isn’t it?”

“Daddy!” Mia squeals happily. “Rice and chicken and peas.” Cliff assumes that’s what was on the menu for tonight. It’s what looks like is stuck to her hands, anyways.

“I got home late,” Elliot explains, “Haven’t even showered yet. God bless Paula.” Their nanny, always willing to stay later than planned when she needed to. She was brilliant, but Cliff felt sad every time he remembered she was doing the job he was supposed to be doing.

“Lion!”

“Yes, Mia, good girl,” Elliot says, poking the lion on her bib that she was wearing. She laughs. God Cliff misses that laugh. It sounds entirely different in person - in person it’s like he can feel it with his whole body. “Cliff? Hello? Anything new?”

Cliff realizes he’s been zoning out for several seconds and shakes his head. “No. Nothing new. Same old boring hospital.”

“Boring’s not a bad thing,” Elliot reminds him. Yeah, Cliff thinks. He could be in a coma still, that’s true. But he’d rather be at home fostering Mia’s newfound love for lions this week. They talk for a few more minutes but Cliff’s head hurts a lot and Elliot can tell, even though Cliff doesn’t say anything. He and Mia blow kisses to Cliff through the screen. Cliff closes his eyes and pretends he can feel them hugging him.

Elliot moves to the living room for a moment to ask Cliff privately, “Are you okay?”

“I just really miss you guys,” Cliff said. He takes a shaky breath. He doesn’t want to cry again.

“I know,” Elliot says. “We really miss you too. But we never know what might happen tomorrow! Or the next day.”

Cliff nods. He’s not an optimist like Elliot is, but he listens to his husband. It’s the only way he can continue on here when there’s so much waiting for him at home. “I love you,” Cliff says. “Thank you for everything.”

Elliot’s brow furrows in concern. “Are you sure you’re okay? Why are you thanking me?”

“No special reason,” Cliff says, forcing a tired smile. “I just want you to know it.”

“Okay,” Elliot says slowly, a bit puzzled. “Well... thanks.”

“Don’t thank me for thanking you. Then I have to double thank you.”

Elliot laughs. Cliff’s relieved he took that worried expression off Elliot’s face. He doesn’t want to make Elliot worry about him more just because Cliff’s missing home while Elliot is working so hard to hold everything in their family together. “Goodnight, Cliffy. Go to sleep. I love you and so does Mia. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Love you too.” Cliff hangs up and he thinks about tomorrow. Another day of phone calls and the hospital and being far away from his family. He doesn’t know how long he can keep doing this, but he has no other choice. He’s never been so determined to stay alive. Mia’s growing up with two dads, not one, he tells himself. So he’ll keep waiting, forever if he has to. 

#shionwrites #hurtcomfortbingo #oc: cliff #oc: elliot #oc: albert #oc: theo #hurt comfort #angst #hospital setting #whump #male whump #chronic illness whump #hospital whump #medical whump

[theoddcatlady]

The Actors Who Never Removed Their Masks

I must have been six when I first saw the Mask Troupe.  

Yeah, it had to be six, my mom and I were walking home from kindergarten and she was asking me what I wanted for dinner. I probably said something like mac n cheese or McDonald’s, but that’s not important, because it was then we passed the performers.  

They’d monopolized an entire corner of the nearby park and attracted quite a crowd. My mother was definitely familiar with them, with how she grinned from ear to ear and clapped. “Oh, they’re back! They’re finally back! Tommy, look at the people with the masks!”

And by god, there was an assortment of masks. Animal masks ranging from tiger to mouse, along with some more human appearing ones. Currently a zebra was reading out some sort of dramatic monologue while a white lady mask seemed to dab away at nonexistent tears on her cheeks. It all came to an end when the tiger bowled the zebra over and the two had a mock wrestling match that ended with the zebra pulling the tiger’s arm behind his back and not releasing until the tiger cried out uncle.  

The masks weren’t made of any kind of plastic or leather, they were made from wood. They were incredibly detailed and ornate, the actors just tilting their heads in a slightly different position would entirely change their expression from sad to glad to mad. Yes, the animal ones too.  

It didn’t really have my attention so much as my mom, who was filled with childlike glee. At the end of the show she took me up to one of the male actors. He wore one of the human masks, meant to appear as some kind of king judging by the gold crown on the mask’s forehead.  

I’m sure words were exchanged between my mom and the actor, but I was more distracted by the actors loading up a van with all their props. Not their masks though, no, they kept those on. But what really got my attention was the girl sitting in the passenger seat of the van. She was skinny, her stringy hair hanging crookedly by her shoulders, almost like she cut it herself. Our eyes met and she just seemed… sad. I wanted to go up and say hi to her but right before I was about to my mom gently pushed me forward towards the King.

The King knelt down to my level and took my hand. I couldn’t tell if he was happy to see me or not, but he squeezed my hand tightly before standing and walking back to the van. They all piled in the back and the van drove away with the little girl. I never once exchanged words with her, but the memory of her sitting all alone in the passenger seat was burned into my mind.  

My mother passed away shortly afterwards. She was always troubled, so although my grandmother insisted it was ‘just an accident’, I have a feeling she purposefully jumped in front of the train that took her life. I lived with grandmother after that. She was strict and honestly I was glad when I turned eighteen a few months back and could finally get the hell out of her house.  

I moved back to my hometown. I reconnected with a lot of my childhood friends, managed to find a cheap apartment and a decent job while I scrapped up the cash to maybe one day go to college.

It was starting to rain when I saw the troupe again.

It was the Tiger and the Zebra, setting up a small stage in the park. I hadn’t thought about the Mask Troupe in so long, but seeing them again made those memories flash back to the forefront of my mind. Without even realizing it I was walking to the park, standing in front of the stage. I could almost feel my mom’s hand in mine again, remember the warm autumn sun on my face.

I felt eyes on me and I turned around to see another one of the actors. Another human faced mask, but this one gave off the feel of a porcelain doll, with rosy cheeks and ruby painted lips.

But somehow I just knew that gaze on me.  

“I’m sorry, this is weird, but… have you been with this group since you were a kid?” God, I felt awkward asking, but I had to know.

The girl cocked her head to the side before nodding once.

“I think I saw you then. Sitting in the van. You probably don’t remember me-”

She took my hand and shook her head before gesturing to the spot next to me, tugging at her hair afterwards. It took me a second to realize what she meant. “You remember my mom?” I asked breathlessly.  

The mask might’ve hid her expression but I could feel her smile. 

“She died. About a month or so after that.”

The girl stood still before bowing her head in respect. With that, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a notebook, scrawling out two words before turning it to me.

‘Sorry. Cerys.”

She quickly wadded up the paper and threw it away, it bouncing off the ground. It took me a second to realize what she meant. “Cerys, is that your name?” I asked.

She nodded again and took my hand in hers. We walked together until we ended up at a nearby cafe, where two other masked actors were, the Lion and the Rabbit. It was then I realized each of the masks had a slit where the mouth was, just large enough to allow them to eat.

That was just the beginning of my discoveries about the Mask Troupe. For one thing, they never spoke off stage, occasionally using hand gestures to indicate what they wanted. If that didn’t do it, Cerys would write down one or two words on a piece of paper before throwing it away as fast as she could. Yes, they could speak, but it seemed it was not something they did outside of their shows.  

Cerys ordered me hot cocoa and listened to me talk about how my life had been going since my mom passed. She tugged at her friend’s clothes and drew a line across her forehead. Somehow that was enough for them to understand that I once saw their show and they ended up buying me a dozen pastries to take home.  

When I left, she wrote down her phone number on my hand before hurrying over to the stage that was now set up. I stuck around to catch a glimpse of the show, figuring I’d head home after an act or two.

I stayed for the whole thing. There were skits, plays, jokes… and Cerys sung. And when she sung, I think the world stopped for a second. All I could hear was her. Her beautiful voice, clear as crystal.

I think it’s pretty obvious by now that I immediately got a crush on Cerys. She was just amazing. We hung out whenever I had a free moment and I went to every performance I could. On my nights off, Cerys would invite me to go drink with the troupe. They’d buy all my drinks and I’d learned quickly enough if I wanted one of their attention, I’d just basically call out whatever their mask is, it’d get their attention at least.

I’m not sure how many people are apart of it, but it’s a lot more than I thought. I approximated maybe six, I think there’s easily almost forty people apart of the Mask Troupe. Each person has their own unique mask, and they never take them off. They’re easy to spot around town, I’ll tell you that much.

They also don’t like people recording or photographing their shows. If they catch you, and by god they have a radar for it, all the actors go immediately silent and turn to face the opposite direction. They won’t continue until the camera or phone is put away. I tried once recording Cerys by putting my phone in my bag and turning on record, and somehow they still figured it out. She was pretty ticked at me for a while, and make all the silent treatment jokes you want, I felt pretty bad. I promised never to try that again.  

I made friends with them. They were different, but that was their way of life. After some digging I came to find out they’ve been coming here every few years since the sixties. It’s why people don’t really give a shit when they show up I guess, it’s just… normal.  

But they’re not normal. I knew something was always different. After all, people who always hide behind a mask have something more to hide than their faces, I’ll tell you that.

Although most of the town was cool with them, there were a few hecklers, a few whisperers about how damn creepy the Mask Troupe was. 

One night I was heading back from work when I saw a few of the Troupe- Cerys, Tiger, Rabbit, and Doe, a tall woman with a deer mask who always told jokes on stage. I was about to call out to them and say hello when I saw they were in a hurry to get away from someone- someone who was drunk as hell and being the worst kind of drunk as well. If he wasn’t saying some sort of lewd comment to Cerys or Doe, he was calling them freaks or weirdos.  

It came to a head when he grabbed Rabbit by one of her ears, yanking her down. She didn’t make a sound as she attempted to squirm herself free, but Tiger grabbed the prick’s arm and yanked it away. The women all hid behind Tiger, who might’ve been getting old but he was still one big guy.  

“Did you fucking touch me?” The drunk slurred, and it was only then I saw the bottle in his hand. “Fuck you, ya creepy bastard!” 

He brought down the bottle on Tiger’s head, breaking it. Tiger went down hard, I heard his head crack into the cement. I didn’t think it was so bad at first until I saw the pool of blood forming beside Tiger’s head.

Cerys rolled him over and gasped as his mask tilted. I’d never seen those masks even twitch when they’re doing the most active of scenes, he’d really been hit hard if it was coming off. Her head shook no repeatedly until the mask finally slid off, landing on the ground with a soft thunk.  

In the flickering light of the dying street lamp I saw how unnaturally pale Tiger’s face was. How the skin was uncomfortably moist and wrinkled, like how your fingers get when they’ve been in water for long enough. His eyes were glazed over pale.  

Cerys tried to put the mask back on again and again but it wouldn’t stick, it’d just slip off again. Doe threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs, joined shortly by Rabbit, the sound truly of anguish and pain.  

The drunk stumbled away, holding up his hands. “I… I didn’t hit him that hard-”  

was all he got out before Cerys pounced.  

She grabbed him and with strength I didn’t know she had, slammed him into the nearby wall of a closed mom and pop diner. Doe pinned his left arm against the brick and Rabbit joined her, pinning his right. Both women held him still as Cerys picked the mask off the ground.

“Wai-wait! It was an accident! I’m sorry! What are you doing!? Put that mask down!”

Cerys’ mask grinned eerily in the yellowing light as she placed the tiger mask on his face. The drunk screeched in agony as I saw the edges of the mask glow like hot coals and seal to his cheeks and jaw, his knuckles going bone white as his hands clenched.

Then he went still. Doe and Rabbit released him and the man stood under his own power, looking at the other masked members of the troupe. Rabbit clapped his shoulder and Doe shook his hand, welcoming him into their ranks.

Then Cerys turned and saw me. The only other person on this empty street.

I ran. I ran like hell. I locked the door and hid in my room with a baseball bat, expecting people I thought were my friends turn on me for seeing… whatever the hell that was.

I got a dozen texts from Cerys, none I read. I didn’t know what to do. I was half tempted to high tail it back to Grandma’s, tell her the job didn’t work out and that I needed some help.  

They came for me last night. Zebra, Doe, and the new Tiger. They knocked on the door and waited for me to come out. They didn’t barge in. They just knew I had nowhere else to go.

I didn’t resist as they escorted me to one of the motels they tended to take up whenever they stayed in town. No words were spoken, a silence I usually found comforting with the troupe but now felt was choking me. I was afraid. Were they going to kill me? Or would they make me wear a mask too?

Cerys was waiting outside the door of room 111. Her head was bowed and she looked like a mess, her hair tangled and clothes rumpled like she’d slept in them. I imagine if I could see her face I’d see bags under her eyes, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see under her mask.

She opened the door to the room and I was gestured inside. The door closed behind me and I saw I wasn’t alone.

There was a man on the bed, and it took me only a second to remember the man with the King mask. He was much older now, frail, bone thin with only a few strands of gray hair left on his scalp. The only reason I knew he was alive was because his chest was slowly rising and falling.

“Come in, Tommy. Sit next to me, please.”  

Other than the screaming from the night Tiger died, I never heard one of the troupe speak off stage before. Trembling, I walked over to the bed and took a seat.

“Do you remember me?”  

I nodded before realizing he probably couldn’t see me all that well. “Yeah. You were the member of the troupe my mom talked to,” I said.

The King laughed, which came out more like a wheeze. “You don’t remember who she said I was?” He asked.

I shook my head. “No, did she?”  

“Think.”

I did think. And it took a bit of digging, but given how closely I linked that memory with trauma, it took me a minute before I remembered what my mom said when she pushed me towards the King.

“Here, Tommy. This is your father.”

I almost couldn’t breathe. The King’s shaky hand reached over and grabbed mine, squeezing as tightly as he could. “You’ve grown well. By the time we came back to this town, Valerie had already passed on, and you were with her mother. And well, your grandmother never liked me much. Didn’t understand why we did what we did,” He said.  

“What…” I swallowed, my mouth dry, “What do you do? Are you… are you even you?”

“To an extent.” The King stared up at the ceiling. “I changed very much when I became the King, but so did my father. We all do, once we put on our masks and join the show.”

I squeezed his hand back. “Am I supposed to put on a mask now? So I won’t talk about what I saw? What you did to to the drunk that killed Tiger?”

“We needed a replacement, and his body would do. But you’re not going to put on any mask, my son.” His head slowly turned back to me, and I swear I saw the corners of the mask’s lips turn upwards into a grin.  

“You’re going to be a King. You’re my only heir. And it’s now your responsibility to lead the troupe, to wear this mask, until the curtains close.”

I think I can leave whenever I want. Judging by the heart wrenching wails I’m hearing in the motel room next to mine, my dad just passed away.  

I think I can leave whenever I want. But this is not something I should be running away from.

The show must go on, and it’s my duty to make sure it does.

#my stories

[shirogane-oushirou]

OMG RENNIVERSAY???? HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AGAIN YAYYYY GUSH PASS IF U WANT HEHE 🎫🎫🎫

😭💕💕💕 THANK YOU NIIICK!!!!!!! for both the oushiversary and the renniversary (and honestly all of the time), your tags on rbs make me so giddy and emotional and i'm always so thankful ;w; wah.

i have a hard time expressing just how much ren has done for me this past year so... it's rambling time ksjdnfjk...

[pet death mention] my baby boy cyrus had lost his battle with cancer just a week prior to The Dream. i won't ramble about him here, but he was my biggest support when home life got fuck-y; losing him was like losing a part of myself. [/pet death mention end]

unfortunately i didn't have much to focus on afterward... i was trying to keep busy, but the art parties i'd been attending went on a long hiatus shortly after this, and while i TRIED vrc for a bit i found The Social Anxiety meant it wasn't the best choice for me ;;

and then i had this long, cinematic dream, about befriending and getting flirty with a dorky, fruity scientist from the c.dc (lol. lmao. i would NEVER!!!!! that's the very first thing i changed about him KJASNDKJN) who was fun and goofy and was so so loving to his niece who followed him around everywhere ;w;

and then he did a little villain heel-turn after being infected by a sentient parasite (also lol. lmao. my brain trying to bully me and make me feel bad... but it does it in the form of a cute bisexual man? 🥴). and of COURSE when his niece and i acted afraid of him he did the whole "i'll destroy everyone powerful in this city. and i won't let anyone or anything harm you." thing and i just OOUGHHHH. there's more to it than that, and i don't want to ramble TOO much, but he was so clearly twisted-justice-but-loves-people-so-hard core. that's the good shit ughhh.

and so! according to the document timestamp, i woke up at 5:45am, opened my ipad, went into procreate, and went to town scribbling down a vague idea of his face and mannerisms before passing out again. i KNEW i didn't want to forget this guy; i immediately felt he was special. most of my ocs come from dreams in some form, but he was already almost fully formed. The Ideal. To Me...

and when i woke up for real, i spent the day nailing down his design. and i was Officially Doomed from then on u_u

he's changed SO MUCH in the past year (just the fact that i had to revive his supernatural villain form as a separate AU a few months ago is proof of that KJANSDKJN)... as have i. he gave me someone to focus on as i healed, a reason to continue drawing in spite of the aforementioned art party hiatus, pushed me to join the selfship community For Real, lead to me meeting so many people and making so many friends outside of my teeny tiny a-couple of-friends-from-college circle, helped me appreciate the oc creation process and AUs so much more, pushed me to do monthly art challenges that i haven't done since before i fell ill...

and just... made me love myself more. made me appreciate the things i didn't like about myself. helped me realize the potential of selfshipping in general, to be a tool to see oneself as deserving of love, even if it takes making a fictional character play messenger between the self-doubt and self-acceptance bits of your brain.

i likely would have just stayed in my own little corner -- my quiet little oushirou blog that i didn't have linked anywhere, chatting in stream chats but not talking to any chatters outside of that -- if not for ren. i've met so many people who have similar struggles! different struggles! similar and completely different interests! gone completely outside of my comfort zone and found such a good circle of people who uplift each other!! HELL, my art blog has multiple times the followers as i have here, but they only ever interacted with my umi.neko art LMAO -- here it feels like we all want to support each others' art and writing and other creations and rambles and and and.

and it's because ren gave me a reason to make that step. start tagging things, start following people and reaching out, chatting with people who reached out to me... he's genuinely changed my life for the better. ;w; i don't think i'll ever be able to express just how thankful i am that he came to me at the exact moment i needed him most. i love him so so much rghhhrgh. gripping him in my fist and kissing him all over his face forever and ever. 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

#thank you nick kajsndfkjn this got so long again lmao i just. he's changed my life so quickly and drastically. #i was isolated for YEARS before he pushed me into openly selfshipping. i can't get across how important he is to me succinctly ;;; #i don't believe in the traditional fandom definition of 'soulmates' but... according to my views on it he definitely is one for me 🥹 #📌 [ my posts. ] #[ asks. ] #[ oomfies ; nick. ] #[ renniversary. ] #🧃 [ who is in control. ] #🍄 [ lying on the blade of an emotion. ] #pet death - #<- clearly marked; 2 sentences right under the readmore

[aaronpaceluvbot]

the bcb boys as your bus buddy!

before you read: not proofread, reader is not cadence, gender neutral reader, when reading this - the boy in question probably already has a thing for you, i doubt they'd act this way if they didn’t , SOME CAN BE READ PLATONICALLY (i wrote garth as a platonic thing), the boys are listed in alphabetical order!! 

included: aaron + all the boys with routes

wc: 150-300  ish for each boy (except aaron his is 442 to be exact) (you can tell when i start losing steam,  i wrote this in order…) 

summary: your friend decided to sit with her boyfriend! so you’re left to sit with someone else… your options are limited (it’s not like you have like 8 boys who’d gladly kick someone out of their seat to sit with you…) and you decide to sit with…

AARON - 

You gather your things (and your bundle of nerves) as you walk up to Aaron’s seat. No one’s sitting next to him. Perfect. He looks up at you as you stand at the edge of his seat. “Can I sit with you?” You ask sheepishly, waiting to be hit with a cold, hard no. To your surprise, he nods and moves his belongings. You give him a quiet thanks that he reciprocates just as quietly. 

By the time he talks to you, the bus has already started moving. “Were you scared of sitting alone?” He asks, a sly smile on his face. You thought he wouldn’t say anything snarky… You decide to give him a taste of his own medicine.

“Yeah… that sort of thing. You know, I just can’t handle being alone,” you say, looking at him and batting your lashes with a fake pout on your face. You tried your best to conceal the fact that he made you flustered. He rolls his eyes and a small chuckle escapes him as he revels in your antics. 

“Sure you can’t… So you just had to sit with me?” He asks and scoots closer to you. Goddamn you Aaron Pace. You immediately feel your face heat up as he does that. He notices your reaction and his smirk becomes even more prominent. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” He questions, looking you straight in the eye. You shake your head, knowing that you’d embarrassingly sputter out an answer if you were to actually speak. “Words please,” he says, egging you on. 

“Fine. Nothing. I just sat here because there was no one else to sit with. There, happy?” You say, making sure to give him the dirtiest of looks. 

“Very,” he says, chuckling afterwards. “After all, with you around, I guess I can’t handle being alone as well.” You laugh at his comment and let him wrap his arm around you and you rest your head on his shoulder. Shortly after, you fell asleep to the sound of him humming along to the songs he was listening to through his headphones. After not noticing much movement from you other than your breathing, he tries his best to look at you without jolting you. After figuring out that he couldn’t do that, he opens his camera on his phone and takes a look. When he realizes that you’re asleep, he takes a picture of the two of you to tease you with later (and to admire but no one had to know that) and quickly falls asleep himself. There are now multiple blackmail photos of the two of you sleeping circulating the band. 

-

CLARK - 

You internally panic as you realize that one of the only truly viable options left as a bus buddy is Clark. You had nothing against him, in fact you had a huge crush on him. However, you preferred to like him from afar and try to completely eliminate the risk of him hating you. How can someone hate a person they don’t know? 

After realizing that you either had to sit next to Drum or Drummer (you never could tell them apart) or Clark, you picked the obvious option. “Clark, do you mind if I sit with you?” You ask, trying to be as polite as possible so he wouldn’t decline and then subject you to the torture of sitting next to one of Them for a few hours. 

“Not at all,” he says, moving his clarinet case with ease. You never noticed how nice it was despite knowing that he’s had it for a while. You want to comment on it, but you decide against it due to the fact that you thought it would sound weird and bring you to the top of Clark’s hate list. However, he noticed that you were staring at it. “Is there something wrong with my clarinet case?” He asks, raising an eyebrow. You immediately shake your head.

“No, no! I was just shocked at how nice it was, especially since I’ve only really seen the school’s clarinet cases,” you say, embarrassed that you got caught staring. He lets out a laugh. That’s the first time you’ve ever heard him laugh!

“Well, I’m glad that you know how to appreciate true beauty when you see it. If you’d like, I could tell you more about the clarinet inside.” You instantly nod and bask in his presence. His passion shone through his description and knowledge of his clarinet and when he told you the story of how he obtained it, you couldn’t help but want to congratulate him on how far he was able to come. 

-

DOUG - 

You made a beeline to Doug’s seat after hearing the information. He wouldn’t say no to you, right? You stand at the edge of his seat and ask the question - “Can I sit with you?” He nods, but doesn’t move his stuff. You’re confused. Scratch that, you’re both confused. He’s confused as to why you’re not sitting down and you’re confused as to why he hasn’t moved his stuff. To break the awkward silence, you gently and quickly tell him to move his stuff so you could sit. 

He hits you with the age old “Ohhh”. You both laugh as you take the spot next to him. You’ve had a crush on him for the longest time and you knew this was the perfect opportunity to talk to him, but you didn’t know what to talk about. Luckily, Doug had that covered. Well, mostly. He began talking, but you could tell it wasn’t to you. It seemed as though he was talking to himself, but he kept pausing as if he was giving someone else time to respond. You shrug and let him do his thing until he asks you something. “Why’d you want to be bus buddies with me? Everyone else says that I talk too much during the trip which makes it harder for them to sleep,” he says, waiting for your response.

Now’s your moment! You decide to be honest with Doug, after all, he’s not gonna tear you apart if you’re honest. “I wanted to sit with you because you’re fun to be around! You’re hilarious and so kind,” you say, giving him a smile. He beams back at you. 

“Wow, really?” He says in surprise, and you nod. “I didn’t know that fun could be around you! I can’t believe I can make that happen. That has to be some kind of superpower!” You laugh and shake your head.

“No Doug, I mean that you make things fun and that makes people want to hang out with you.” He lets out another “Ohhh” and nods in understanding. He then wraps you in a bone crushing hug and you have a hard time breathing. “Doug… I can’t breathe…” you say. “Oh!” He says, loosening his grip on you. 

-

GARTH - 

After noticing your conundrum, Garth flags you over. You wander over to his seat with a confused look on your face. “Did I do something?” You ask him, tilting your head. He shakes his head and smiles at you.

“No, not at all. I just wanted to invite you to sit with me,” he says, gesturing to the empty seat next to him. He already cleared his stuff from it!

“Oh! Alrighty then!” You say, grinning as you sit next to him. This is the moment that you realize just how skilled Garth is at talking to people. While he did open with some pleasant small talk about the weather and the weekend, the two of you eventually got to the point where you were both discussing some deep secrets and gossip. The bus ride ended sooner than the both of you would’ve liked, but you both agree to text each other more when similar issues arise. 

-

PETER - 

He can’t be that bad, right? You ask yourself as you make the trek to his seat. Surprisingly, the seat next to him isn’t claimed already. He notices you standing by his seat, clearly debating on whether or not you were going to ask. “You can sit with me, you know. I wouldn’t mind,” he says, smirking as he patted the spot next to him. You roll your eyes at him and cross your arms, despite the fact that he immediately knew what you were going to ask. 

“I wasn’t even going to ask that!” You say, sighing at his attempt to be smooth. “But you were!” He says, giving you a look.

“Was not!” You say, still standing in the aisle. The bus driver makes an announcement telling you to sit down so he could start driving. You sigh and finally take the spot next to Peter and he looks at you with a victorious smirk. “You are the absolute worst,” you mutter as you give him the dirtiest look you can muster.

“It’s not my fault that you just wanted to sit with me that badly! I knew my charm would get to you eventually,” he says, smirking. Once again, you roll your eyes at him and this time he notices. “Careful, we don’t want you getting your eyes stuck there!”

“What if I do? Maybe then I wouldn’t be able to see your horrible face,” you say, giving him a look. Sometimes you questioned why you liked him. This was definitely one of those times.

After his horrendous attempt to try and fluster you, he was actually quite pleasant to talk to. The two of you thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the trip as you both talked about both the most mundane things and the most serious things. 

-

POPTART - 

It was as if a lightbulb shone brightly over your head as you got the idea. SItting next to Poptart would be a great idea! You had the biggest crush on the boy and you thought that sitting next to him would be able to help you talk to him. You went to his seat and asked “Can I sit here?’”. He turns his head to look at you, but he doesn’t respond. You stare at him and he stares right back at you. After a painful 2 minute long staring contest, he blinks and then nods. You mumble a quick thanks and take the spot next to him. 

“Normally people would leave once I started staring at them, but you didn’t! That means you really must’ve wanted to sit with me!” He says, grinning. You laugh awkwardly at his comment. “Don’t worry, that was meant to be weird!” He says, bringing a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. This time, you just laugh at his antics.

“How do you come up with this stuff?” You ask, smiling at him. He shrugs.

“I just do.” You leave it at that. The two of you enjoy the bus ride home and you feel glad that you were able to get closer to him. 

-

SAMUEL - 

You decided that Samuel would be the best option considering that one - he’d probably let you sit with him and two - the two of you would most likely be minding your own business. You wander over to his seat and ask him the age old question, but he seemed to have his earbuds in. After noticing your presence, he takes out an earbud and asks you to repeat your question. You do, and he murmurs what seems to be a yes. You take it as a yes due to the sole fact that he nodded while saying so, and you take the spot next to him. 

The ride was peaceful and silent between the two of you for the most part. That was until he offered you an earbud. You graciously took it and listened to his music that mostly consisted of jazz and other relaxing instrumentals. You quickly fell asleep on his shoulder and he didn’t even want to try and move you. Instead, he placed his head on top of yours and decided to fall asleep as well.

-

TOM - 

You make the easy choice of sitting with Tom! After all, he’d be easy to talk to plus he was hilarious. You toddle over to his seat and see that no one was sitting next to him. Perfect! He notices you standing and gives you a smile. “So what brings you here?” He asks you.

“Just wanted to ask if there were any free seats around here…” You say, pausing for dramatic effect. You point out the spot next to his. “Looks like there’s one right here! Mind if I take it?”

“Not at all!” You both laugh as you take a seat. You both excitedly chatted about band and other topics, however it was a later trip back to school and you checked your phone. It was about 11pm. It wasn’t terribly late, however you were extremely tired from earlier in the day and you felt like you were about to crash. However, you just couldn’t fall asleep. You felt your head hit Tom’s shoulder and you felt your lips open and make sounds that you could only assume were words, but you weren’t registering exactly what it was that you were saying.

But Tom was wide awake through this whole thing, especially since he was extremely used to staying up late and binging video games. He let you rest your head on your shoulder and only assumed that it was because the bus took a sharp turn, but then you started mumbling things. He asked you what you were saying, but you kept mumbling. He listened closely to your words and realized what you were saying. You were confessing your feelings for him. He grinned as he realized that you reciprocated them and decided that this could be dealt with tomorrow when you were both wide awake and ready to talk about it. For now, he would just let you be and rest his head atop yours. 

#tom rizzotto #tom rizzotto x reader #bandcamp boyfriend #band camp boyfriend #band camp boyfriend otome #samuel robinson #samuel robinson x reader #aaron pace #aaron pace x reader #peter dang #peter dang x reader #garth dubois #poptart bcb #doug hickey #doug hickey x reader #clark winter #clark winter x reader

[bluejaysandblackbats]

An Oyster's Pearl

Fandom: DC Comics

Summary: Shortly after moving in with Joseph Wilson, Grant Wilson makes friends with a fellow pledge for a fraternity. During this time, Grant grapples with realizations about his childhood trauma, his sexuality, and his relationships with his father and siblings.

Chapters: 7/?

Characters: Grant Wilson, Joseph Wilson, Rose Wilson, Dick Grayson, Slade Wilson, William Randolph Wintergreen, Original Character(s)

Relationships: Grant Wilson/Original Character, DickJoey

Additional Tags: University AU, No Capes AU, Angst, Deaf Joseph Wilson, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Grant Wilson has a Sexuality Crisis, Frat Boy Grant Wilson

Chapter Seven: Sleeping Dogs

The game was probably my best all season. Even my team noticed. I was on fire the whole night, and we won. Afterward, I took my contrast bath and nearly fell asleep in the tub. I shook my head to wake myself and got dressed before walking to the parking lot. Lixin offered to drive, and I nodded. He congratulated me on the game and didn't mind that I was too tired to speak. I took a cool shower as soon as I got home, and we had pizza for dinner. I introduced Rose to Lixin, and in my exhaustion, I forgot to explain that was my new nickname for him. "I'm Ken. Lixin is just what Grant calls me," Lixin explained. Joey and Rose nodded while I sat on the couch, eating dinner and doing my homework.

After an hour or so, I got ready for bed. Lixin showered and followed me. I fell into a sleep so deep I don't think I moved once. When I woke up, my body was pressed against Lixin's, so close I could smell his soap. Lixin woke up before I could move, and we met eyes. "Grant, are you cold?" Lixin whispered. I pulled away and lay on my back.

"Yeah... Sorry. I think I'm still cold from earlier," I lied. To be honest, his body felt so nice against my skin. He slept in a loose, thin fabric shirt and dolphin shorts. My bare chest against the fabric of his shirt made me wish I'd held on a few seconds longer. Lixin fell asleep, leaving me to think, and finally, I admitted defeat and got something to eat. Joey sat at the table, eating a bowl of fruit. "Is Ken sleeping in your room?" Joey asked. I nodded. "Where are you sleeping?"

"Next to him, why?" I questioned. Joey raised his eyebrows and offered me some of his fruit. "You're offering to share your food with me? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just that—. Well, you don't like to touch people. It doesn't seem like something you'd be comfortable with," Joey replied.

"I'm getting there... Lixin's a cool dude," I replied, "Joey, you've got tons of friends... Have you ever—? Nevermind."

"What?" Joey questioned. I shook my head and made myself a sandwich. "Grant, you had a great game today. There's no way they'll turn you down for Tau Psi after that."

"That's nice... Joey, you know how sometimes you'll ask me about my life when I left, and I get pissed off?" I asked. He nodded. "I'm starting to realize why I hate talking about it so much."

"Why?" Joey asked. I didn't answer.

The truth was, I was confused when I left home. I didn't know anything about myself, so I did everything the way Slade would've. I enrolled myself in a military school, and from there, I went straight into the Marine Corps. I did my four years active and four years inactive, but I always felt like something was missing inside of me. When I reconnected with Joey, I thought that emptiness would go away, but he came out to me and made everything so much worse. It wasn't his sexuality that I had a problem with. Hear me out. It was the fact that he seemed so sure of himself. I couldn't say anything about myself with certainty. I think Joey misinterpreted it as me being homophobic, but really I loved that he was happy. I was jealous because I didn't know how to get to that point.

Meeting Lixin made me realize that I never filled the empty space in my life with anything. When I met him, I felt like we clicked, like he was the missing piece. The only problem was I didn't know what that said about me. I never imagined a man would make me so happy. I always thought I'd find the perfect woman and settle down, and that would be the end of things. But Lixin awakened something in me that I didn't understand, and I couldn't shake the feeling that it would change how I defined myself forever.

Joey placed a gentle hand on my wrist, and I looked at him. He saw it. It was written all over my face, and part of me felt like Joey knew everything. He knew things I didn't know. "You see something, don't you?" I asked. Joey blinked hard, but I knew he was withholding something from me. "Joey, please."

"It's not for me to say... You're really messed up about this, aren't you?" Joey questioned. I nodded.

"I've been messed up about this my whole life," I answered. Joey wrinkled his nose and cocked his head. Real confusion. We weren't talking about the same thing. I finished my sandwich and washed my hands and dishes. Then, I returned to bed, and Lixin rolled over and draped his arm over my chest. Once the initial panic subsided, I held his arm in my hands and closed my eyes.

The weight of his arm eventually was enough to put me to sleep, and I had dreams of camping again. Except I was happy. Lixin was there, and we sat on a hill underneath the stars. He turned to me in the dark and ran a finger against my cheek. "Are you cold?" Lixin asked. I nodded, and he leaned over my face and kissed me. On the lips.

I sat up with a start, frightening him awake. I couldn't catch my breath as I tried to come to terms with what I'd dreamt. Lixin touching my arm to calm me down made it worse. I was more confused than I would've been had it been anyone else. I didn't know what to do, so I sat frozen and panting as he asked me if I was okay. I shook my head. He stopped touching me and leaned over the bed to get something from his bag. Finally, he came back up with a bracelet. "Smell this," Lixin whispered. I obeyed and sniffed it. All I could smell was lavender, and my breathing returned to normal. He touched my neck and nodded at me. "You good?"

"Yeah, sorry," I apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Keep the bracelet, by the way. I've got a bunch of them," Lixin yawned.

I turned to him and opened my mouth to tell him about my dream, but I couldn't speak. Lixin smiled at me. "How old are you, Grant?" Lixin questioned.

"Twenty-five," I replied, "Why?"

"I thought you were my age... I'm twenty-four," Lixin disclosed. He shut his eyes and started humming. I lay on my back, and it lulled me to sleep. I wondered if he did it on purpose. I was glad he did. I slept the rest of the night without a problem.

When I woke up for school on Wednesday, Lixin was asleep so close to me that I could smell my conditioner in his hair. I lay there in silence for a while, breathing him in until he took a sharp inhale. "Gotta get ready for class," Lixin muttered, "You wanna hit the bathroom first?"

"No, I'm good. You can go first," I replied. Lixin sat up and dragged himself out of bed, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Joey came in shortly after he left and waved. I waved back.

"You sleep with him dressed like that?" Joey questioned.

"If I drink before eight, will you drive me to school?" I asked. Joey raised his brow. "Hypothetically speaking..."

"You probably shouldn't have a drink before noon. It's not a good look," Joey replied, "Are you alright?"

"No, but I'll get there," I replied honestly.

#fic #an oyster's pearl fic #Grant Wilson #Joseph Wilson #Rose Wilson #Dick Grayson #Slade Wilson #William Randolph Wintergreen #Original Character(s) #Grant Wilson/Original Character #DickJoey #University AU #No Capes AU #Angst #Deaf Joseph Wilson #Fluff and Angst #Romance #Grant Wilson has a Sexuality Crisis #Frat Boy Grant Wilson

[askthepsychic]

Monster Tales 4: A Monsters First Day

Once again, I am at a loss as to how to preface this, so we’re getting right into the story. Shortly after I was presented as Twilights newly adopted daughter, she came to me with a choice. Mentally speaking, I was old enough to make said choice. She asked me if I wanted to continue my education in the castle, or if I wanted to explore a classroom environment. I loved my teachers in the castle, but I knew I needed peer interaction, so I asked to be enrolled in a proper school setting. From the look on her face, I knew I had made her proud with my choice. When the next school term began, I stepped into a classroom for the first time. At first my classmates were a little surprised to see me. I guess they didn’t expect a princess to want to associate with them, but I soon reassured them that I wanted to be there, that it was my decision to be there. My first day went smoothly for the most part. I was even able to use my burgeoning psychic abilities to encourage some of my more timid peers to speak when they knew the answer to a question the teacher asked. They thanked me profusely for helping them be more confident afterwards. The teacher was impressed by how well studied I already was. I thought that was silly, my mom was Princess Twilight Sparkle after all. It was only natural that she had strived to give me some education herself. There was only one area I ended up falling short in that first day. I had wanted to be there, I was happy to be there. But I honestly didn’t realize how shy I myself would turn out to be, having been the sole student in my lessons before then. I promised myself I would work on that aspect of myself, and it wasn’t long before I was able to freely interact with my classmates. I even had friends of my own. And they were truly my friends too. I won’t deny that I used my psychic abilities to avoid those who only wanted to be friends with my title. So my friends were all real friends. And, well, once the others realized I could tell what they really wanted, they decided they needed to be better. Most of them anyways. There were some who were too set in their ways. But those who decided to better themselves eventually were surprised by me asking them if they wanted to be real friends later. Hehe. I’m a little proud of that myself. So that’s a summary of my first days in public school. The end.

#mlp #rey #monster tale 4

[ridiasfangirlings]

Fuse and fushimi get forced to go to an undercover mission together

Imagine this happens like shortly after Fushimi was made third in command and it's why Fuse eventually accepts him, he doesn't necessarily like Fushimi still but he at least respects Fushimi and understands him a little better (and possibly has a secret crush that he refuses to admit is a crush). Like there's some Strain issue happening and Fushimi and Fuse have to dress up as a couple and sneak into a casino together. Munakata chooses Fuse because he thinks he needs someone who can be 'a little bit of a troublemaker,' like someone who is not as pure hearted as the rest of the alphabet squad. Fuse doesn't take that as an insult, he understands that what Munakata means is Fuse might be a bit better at subterfuge than his coworkers – or at least a little better at not being painfully honest – and he appreciates that his King is giving him such an important task. He assumes that when Munakata says he'll need Fuse to go undercover 'as a couple' that Awashima will be going with him, he's less happy when he's confronted by a very irritated Fushimi in a fancy evening gown.

The Strain is holding some manner of high-end party at the casino and Munakata needs Fuse and Fushimi to break in together, the idea being Fushimi will use his skills to win at a few games and then hack into their systems and Fuse will be acting as support. Neither one is pleased by this, though Fushimi's more annoyed about the evening gown and heels rather than caring who he's partnered with (however he does complain about that too, that he 'doesn't need a partner,' and Fuse snorts that he isn't pleased with this either). Imagine they infiltrate the casino and Fuse basically has to escort Fushimi around, Fushimi's in full work mode so he's busy looking for weaknesses in their security while Fuse has this whole running monologue in his head about how annoying this is and why did he have to be paired with this upstart brat. He's also not impressed when they start playing a card game and Fushimi cheats his way to a couple wins, like at first Fuse is surprised that Fushimi's so good at this until he notices Fushimi adjusting his fur stole and realizes that Fushimi has cards hidden all over his body along with his knives. While Fuse isn't necessarily against cheating people who are criminals already he thinks Fushimi should have at least tried to play fair and Fushimi scoffs, playing 'fair' is for idiots and children.

Eventually maybe their cover gets blown, like they sneak off so Fushimi can hack the security system and get caught. Fuse immediately draws the sword he had hidden, intending to protect Fushimi as he was told, only for Fushimi to use his knives to take down the bad guys. Fuse's surprised and kinda annoyed, like is there even a point for him to be here, but then imagine Fushimi actually does get into a spot at some point due to trying so hard to do everything himself. Fuse jumps in and saves him, Fushimi looks momentarily surprised and Fuse scoffs like guess you aren't so amazing after all. Fushimi clicks his tongue and then gives this quiet '...never said I was,' which Fuse wasn't expecting at all – he assumed that Fushimi was the sort of guy who thought highly of himself but instead Fushimi's just very matter of fact about everything. When the mission is complete Munakata praises them both, afterward Fuse admits that Fushimi was pretty skilled. Fushimi shrugs and then mumbles out a 'for before, helping me...thanks.' Fuse's eyes widen and Fushimi just quickly walks away, Fuse takes a minute to collect himself and then scoffs but at the same time he finds himself thinking that maybe Fushimi isn't a total brat.

#Fushimi Saruhiko #Fuse Daiki #FushiFuse #Talking K #I made up that pairing just now it exists now #well I guess it should be FuseFushi since y'know #anyway secret crush happens #Fuse won't admit it but he's part of the harem now

[k---a----i]

Sooo I wanted to share this part of a fic I wrote so here it is! (btw there is a makeout scene so if you hate that stuff do not read and some swaering)

 ​    Ms. Afton (roselle/clara) x Ms. emily (emillie)

Chapter one                

One day Clara and Emillie met up at a cafe.

The first time they met was a rainy, miserable Wednesday afternoon when Emillie is trying to convince herself she will take a walk after her last class of the day. But she’s too distracted by her upcoming exam to focus on walking, so instead, she wanders around campus for what feels like hours before finding herself standing outside Clara's room. She knocks hesitantly on the door, hoping she doesn’t sound too rude and that her friend isn't busy or something like that but she still can hear faint footsteps approaching. The door is pulled open shortly afterward by a smiling and slightly disheveled-looking Clara. 

"Emillie!" Clara exclaims with a grin. "I didn't expect you to be here today."

"Sorry," Emillie mumbles. "My class finished early this morning, so I thought I'd just take a walk or something. It's been a while since we hung out, I guess."

"No worries," Clara replies. “Come on in, I was just talking to William.

"You don’t mean William Afton right?" Emillie asked.

"I do. He is bugging me about child support.” Clara replied.

"What does he want?" Emillie asked.

"He heard I was going to college and getting my life back together. Unlike him who I think may or may not have stared to do things he may reqret to cope with the divroce he doesn't want me to have a better life than him so he is trying to put me 10,000 dollars in debt."

Clara explained with a sigh. She was annoyed 

"You know what that is so something he would do" Emillie muttered. She had never met William Afton, but from all of the stories that Clara told her, William definitely wasn't someone you wanted to get on your bad side.

"How are you and Henry doing?" asked Clara.

"He still can not get over the loss of Charlie,and the divorce is affecting him badly," Emillie replied.

"That sounds like him" repiled Clara with a sigh

"Btw what did you come here for I know you said that you came from a walk but was there like something you wanted to ask me?"

"I..I did want to tell you something,"  repiled Emillie.

“What is it?” Clara asked curiously.

"I like you. A lot" confessed Emillie.

There was an awkward silence as Clara tried to process what Emillie had just blurted out. Her face turned bright red and she was unable to utter any words. Emillie started to regret telling her. She thought about leaving Clara's room without a word when Clara finally managed to stutter out a reply.

"I..I like you too," she responded. Emillie was relived to get this off of her cheast and she was really happy that Clara felt the same way she did.

Then Clara leaned in for a kiss hoping that Emillie had the same idea. Then they kissed. Their lips were soft against each other. They felt as though their hearts had stopped beating and everything had frozen around them. For several moments they stayed in that position, enjoying each other's company until the feeling of being watched made them both turn their heads toward the source of a noise. Clara immediately pulled away from the kiss.

"Who--who's there?" Clara asked loudly.

"It's me, William...Afton." William Afton called from behind her.

Clara's head whipped around so quickly that it gave her whiplash. As William Afton stepped into view, a shocked expression grasped on his face. He then began to cuckle loudly.

"WILLIAM!!" The two women yelled, realizing what had just happened.

"What are you doing with my wife?!!?" yelled William.

"No...nothing." stuttered Emillie.

"William, we have been divorced for five years, let me live my life!" yelled Clara.

Suddenly, Clara turned to look at William Afton one more time and then proceeded to give him the middle finger before walking away towards where Emillie stood. Then she and Emillie start to make out right in front of William's face.

His eyes bulged out even further as his mouth dropped open. He looked at Clara who was now laughing maniacally.

"You're such an asshole, you know that?!" William shouted.

Emillie and Clara continued making out in front of William. William stormed out to go take out his anger. About 30 minutes later.

“That was nice but I have to get to class,” Emillie sighed.

“Ok have fun, come back to my place after class the kids will not be home till tomorrow they are at a sleepover,” Clara replied. 

“I will be there around nine if that is cool,” Emillie told Clara.

“That will be fine,” replied Clara

Emillie went to class but then after class, it was 8:30 so she took a 30 min nap. When she woke up she headed right back to Clara’s house.

“Hello, is anyone home? asked Emillie

Behind the door came Clara! Clara gave Emillie a quick kiss and then welcomed her in.

“ Hi, the kids are gone till tomorrow so do you want to spend the night here?” Asked Clara “Sure why not,” replied Emillie.

They hear a knock at the door. “Come in, it is unlocked!” Clara shouted.

“Hi mom, hi Emillie,” waved Michael.

“Hi honey, what are you doing at home?” asked Clara.

“I forgot my phone,” replied Michael.

“ Oh, and can I bring some friends over after the party?” asked Michael.

“ Sure why not, well go get your phone and get back to the party,” Clara replied.

#fanfic #fandom ships #Ms. Afton (roselle/clara) x Ms. emily (emillie) #five nights at freddy's #fnaf

[blackboujeebeauty]

Prepare Yourself For The Promise

The promise is a gift that comes from within. Whether you have made a promise to yourself to become healthier, being more consistent at something, moving to a new location, becoming the CEO of your own company or walking away from a situation that no longer serves you It is your own personal journey, but it doesn't mean it's all about you. Preparing ourselves to receive these promises that we make will take inner self work, getting out of our comfort zones and re-evaluating the energy and environments that we surround ourselves in.

Patient and Purpose

Patience and purpose are two different things. Patience is the ability to wait for something, while purpose is the reason why we wait. They both play an important role in our lives, but it's important to realize that they're not interchangeable.

Using my own personal life experiences as an example. I made a promise to myself that by the age of 22 I would leave my full time job in the medical field to become the manager and measurer of my own time, success and financial opportunities. I had the vision inside of me to expand my brand, businesses and eventually move to a new state for better opportunity and happiness. The idea of getting up everyday sometimes 7 days a week if I decided to work over time and going to a job that I knew I did not see myself taking on as a career and dealing with an environment that did not fulfill me and secondly began to physically drain me by experiencing migraines, stress and a feeling of disappointing myself every time I had to put on my uniform became really distasteful but in order to walk away from what had been my main source of income and allowed me to live the life that I did, I had to learn how to prepare myself for what was to come. I made this promise to myself at the age of 19 but at 22 I was able to achieve it(3 years). I made the promise to myself that I would move to Georgia from the age of 15 and at the age of 23 I did it (8 years). I was able to achieve both of these promises by remembering my purpose, and having patience with myself.

Out With The Old In With The New

A key component in any personal journey is letting go of energy that is non effective or serving to us to allow new energy to flow into our lives. Have you ever let go of someone or a situation and shortly afterward you started to experience something good come into your life that you didn't think to be possible at that timing? That is energy, it is important to know when it is time to let go. Sometimes we want to hold onto that person(s) or situation so tightly that we have a death grip on it not realizing that, that is what is holding us back from receiving something greater. Whether it is a toxic friend, family member, partner, job or habit you have to let it go in order to flourish.

Don't Be Afraid To Give Up The Good To Go For The Great

"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great"-John D. Rockefeller

Once you know what your purpose is, you have to find a way to make it happen. It won't come easily or on its own—you have to work on it consistently and with an open mind. Things don’t change overnight, but if you keep moving forward in faith, one step at a time and take things day by day eventually your vision will become reality.

Ask For Help

✨Ask for help. The truth is, we all need it from time to time—don't be afraid to ask for support from a trusted individual.

✨Be open to receiving help. You may find yourself in a position where you're the one offering the assistance or guidance, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't accept it if someone offers it first! It's easy to forget that accepting help doesn't make you less capable; it makes you more aware of your own limits and strengths.

✨Be open to giving help when asked. When someone asks me how they can improve their writing, I do my best not only try not answer with "You just need more practice," but also give them specific tips based on what I've learned from my own experiences as an editor and writer myself—and this kind of encouragement goes both ways! You never know how much encouragement could change someone else's life until it happens.

Put The Past Behind You, It's The Past

The past is not who you are, but rather who you were. It's not your future, and it certainly isn't your friend or enemy—it's nothing at all but a chain of events that we either allow ourselves to stay chained to or free ourselves to embrace the possibility of a better reality. We cannot revisit the past and change how something turned out but we can control how we allow it to affect us going forward. It is very easy for us to use situations that have happened in our past as a way to excuse why we think we cannot do something differently or go for something that we want. Doing that we are limiting our capabilities by counting ourselves out from the beginning. Our past is filled with lessons that we are supposed to learn from to take into our future. That if a similar situation arises or we see others going through something that we have experiences we are prepared to handle it with wisdom and knowledge.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

The Promise you make to yourself is a time for reflection and contemplation. It’s a time to step out of your comfort zone, try new things and learn from them. It’s also a time to let go of what you don’t need in your life anymore. The first step to becoming a change maker is simply to take the first step. You don’t have to do anything more than that—just start doing it, and then watch what happens. An example of this is saying that you want to go to the gym this week because you want to get on a path of exercising frequently and taking care of your health. The week comes and you push it off for the next day, and then the next day until you never end up going because now you "don't have the time" or you have "something better to do'' You may be scared and hesitant, but if you stay where you are at, nothing will change. I recently saw something that stood out to me on the internet and it said "Everything is a risk, doing nothing at all is a risk" Staying in a complacent energy is a risk because that leads to procrastination followed by stagnation. With the end result being you going back to that promise you made months later when now the circumstances have changed

Stop Playing The Main Role In Other's Stories

You have to be a priority and not an option to someone else's, especially yourself. We have to learn how to stop making others misfortunes our own. In doing that we neglect our self and the things that we need to work on to make us better because we want to help everyone else first. Also we could be absorbing other's energy if it is in a constant negative state that will leave an effect on us. Sometimes we are quicker to forgive others than we are to forgive ourselves. Why is that? Being kinder to ourselves in the way we prioritize our health and aspirations, how we speak about ourselves and how we present ourselves can be more motivating to those around us than we know.

Overstimulating Our Minds

In our modern lives, we overstimulate our minds more than we know. Our brains crave stimulation because it's what they've been trained to do since birth. We are always looking for something to entertain us, distract us, and fill the void. The problem is that this type of mental stimulation can be addictive and cause anxiety and stress if it goes unchecked for too long.

It is important for us to know when it is time to put our phones down, shut off the screens and unplug from the programming, illusions and distractions that social media and entertainment platforms have made us become almost enslaved to. We always wanna know what is going on with everyone else's lives instead of focusing on what is right in front of us. We live in a time that we want everything to come to us right away. We crave instant gratification from strangers, We need to see instant results or we think something is not working and then we move onto the next thing that we think will give us what we want without realizing that things take T I M E.

These tips will help prepare you for the promise ahead! This too shall pass!

✨Be patient: Patience is what builds our character and transforms not only the relationship that we have with ourselves but with others. Patience is what keeps us from quitting in those moments where we feel like giving up. It also reduces stress and anxiety which will kill our spirits and minds if we allow them too. Patience is what puts us on the path of success.

✨Be confident: The future can seem like such an impossible feat that many people give up before they even begin their journeys toward achieving their goals; however, if we're committed enough not only in our hearts but also in our minds—to ourselves firstly as well as others—then there's no limit on what we can accomplish! So don't let fear keep us from reaching out into the unknown...let confidence and faith guide us forward instead.

✨Be prepared: Where do I start? Do I need help getting started? Who will assist me along my journey? How much free time do I have available each day/weekend? How much resources will I need financially? etc.. Answering these questions can help you to create a plan. Having a plan is a great place to start. Writing this plan out and having it easily accessible to you is even better. This will allow you to construct how something will get done and then you can have a step by step execution.

✨Be Grateful. Expressing gratitude will take you a long way. Everyday that we open our eyes is us having the chance to do something that we did not do before towards our promise. Even when it may seem like things may not being going our way at that moment having a grateful heart will allow you to see the blessings that surround us everyday. When you get in that car, bus, train, airplane and make it to your destinations safely that is something to be grateful for. Having another chance at life everyday is something to be grateful for. Having your mind, sight and health is something to be grateful for. It is important for us to be grateful for the things that just get through each day.

I hope this guide has been useful to you. The things that we want in life do take some time and effort, but seeing them fulfilled is such a gratifying feeling. The promises that you make to yourself is an exciting journey that can be difficult at times but worth it in the end if you allow the lessons that you learn along the way build your character and wisdom . And remember: no matter what happens during your own personal journey, you are not alone! Please feel free to reach out on any of the BlackBoujeeBeauty platforms for any questions that you may have. I appreciate all of you beautiful beings!

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#blackboujeebeauty #blog post #blackgirlswhoblog #personal development #elevation #self care #success story #mindset #transformation