#i wish i had nothing tying me here. i wish i didn’t have hope or determination or pride

[annabelinlove]

No Games (pt.2)

Pairing: Wolfstar x reader (Sirius Black x Remus Lupin x Reader)

Summary: The aftermath of the attack

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: angst, past description on violence, non sexual nudity, language, English isn’t my first language, no use of Y/n, Peter doesn’t exist

Readers note: You wanted part 2, so here it is! I’m sorry for the rushed ending but i have another thing planned and i really wanted to post this on. Lmk if you like it. Read part 1, if you haven’t already and checkout my masterlist. Every kind word is appreciated. Enjoy!

Pt. 1

Masterlist

You’ve spent the whole week at the infirmary and not even for a second were you alone. You had no idea how they did it, but your friends and boyfriends kept your company even thought you were sure they had classes they ought to attend. Whenever you tried to bring it up, they just shushed you and told you it was dealt with. You didn’t know what that was supposed to mean and weren’t even sure if it really was dealt with, but you were glad for the company so you decided to let it go. Regulus himself sent you a card telling you he hoped you’ll recover soon but you were yet to talk to him. You brought it up carefully when you were alone with Sirius, you knew his family was a sensitive topic for him.

“Have you talked to Regulus?” You asked, looking at your beautiful boyfriend who was working on his Herbology essay, his legs on your bed. He looked up from his work and smiled gently.

“Yeah, we met yesterday at the Tower, talked the whole night. That reminds me, he wishes you the best but said he’ll talk to you when you’re out of here, if you’re still up for it.”

He didn’t tell you the details of their conversation, but the small smile present on fis handsome face told you everything you needed to know, so you didn’t bring it up again. You’ve received many get well soon cards, some of them from students you didn’t even know at it warmed your heart. Even Marlene and Mary came to visit you. The whole day you spent with your friends and Madam Pomfrey and at the night, you always shared the bed with your boyfriends, who left in the morning to go to classes but still came back after few hours and this cycle repeated itself for the whole time you were in the hospital wing. It made you forget about the main reason you were even here and considering all odds, you were quite happy in your bubble. When Sunday came, Poppy told you that you were free to go but take it easy, which meant no quidditch and pranks, and to come back Monday evening for her to check you up again. Most of your wounds were healed and the bruises were barely visible, but still, some of them took longer to heal. One wound in particular, the one on your side, was pretty nasty and sometimes still bled a bit. It was sure to say you were glad to finally leave the infirmary.

“You’re ready, pet?” Asked Sirius as he took your bad, with all the cards and sweets that people sent you in his hands, and watched Remus, who was tying up your shoes. You told him you were perfectly fine to do it yourself, but he just waved his hand and kneeled in front of you. Why would you when I can? was his only response.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” You smiled at him and hopped off the bed, taking Remus’s hand as all three of you left the hospital wing. But as soon as you walked down the corridor to your common room, the reality hit you and you stopped to take a deep breath. What if it happens again? What if they pick on someone else? What would happen if Regulus hadn’t come? I’d probably die. The boys must have noticed your sudden panic and stopped as well. Siris stood in front of you and put his hands on your cheeks to make you look up at him. His gaze was soft and full of love.

“I know it’s scary right now, but nothing like that is ever gonna happen again, do you trust me? Do you trust us to protect you?” He asked softly, not breaking eye contact so you knew he was serious. Remus squeezed your hand, to reassure you in your own way. Your timid nod didn’t seem to please them.

“Words, angel. Do you trust us to protect you?” Remus prodded and your eyes shifted to his honey ones.

“I do, with my life.” You responded verbally now, which seemed to please them, as you all continued walking to the portrait, one boy at either of your side. Once in the common room, all of your friends were already there a big barel welcome back hung from the chandelier and you genuinely smiled as they all gave you a big and long hug.

“Now, now, don’t smother our girl.” Remus protectively pulled you to sit on his lap as he sat on the couch and buried his face into your neck, inhaling your scent. “She must be used to it, dating the two of you.” James stuck his tongue out at him playfully and they started to bicker. You felt like you were finally home. With your friends all around you, in the middle of the loves of your life, both of them touching you at all times, you were happy. This is where I belong, you thought. The rest of the day was spent talking, laughing and playing wizarding chess or exploding snap.

“Alright, its time for dinner kids, lets go.” Lily decided, standing up and ordering everybody around like the mum of the group. Your whole body seemed to freeze at that. The thought of leaving you little bubble of happiness to go to the Great Hall was more then unsettling for you.

“Go without us, we’ll just hang in here. Would you mind bringing us something?” Remus spoke up, obviously noticing your sudden anxious state. You both loved and hated how they could read you and knew you like the back of their hands. Nothing would get past them. James nodded before running after Marlene, probably to discuss the upcoming quidditch match. Lily sent you an understanding smile before waving at you and leaving the common room.

“Thanks, I’m just not ready to face them, yet.” You uttered, feeling embarrassed.

“Hey, you don’t have to explain yourself to us. Anything to make you feel the most comfortable, always.” Sirius was quick to argue and attacked your face with small, wet kisses. You laughed as you tried to get away from him. However, during your wiggling around, you accidentally pushed on your sore side and a sharp pain ran through your body. You let out a groan and the boy stopped quickly and distanced himself from you.

“Hey, are you okay? I’m so sorry if I hurt you, darling.” He was quick to speak, looking you up and down to spot any wound reopening and bleeding. You placed your hand on his cheek and smiled.

“It’s okay, just my stupid side. You didn’t do anything, I must have moved wrong or something. It’s fine.” You tried to assure him, but he still looked worried. Remus decided to step in and stood up, holding his hand out for you to take.

“Why don’t we go back to our dorm, hm? You could take a warm bath and relax as we wait for James to bring us something to eat. Then we can cuddle, how does that sound, my loves?” The idea of hot bath has already calmed you and you were quick to take his hand and get up. “Sounds like heaven.” You gave him a kiss and you all went to your dorm.

Well, it was their dorm, but you spent all of your time there anyway. You had your things there and to be honest, you couldn’t remember the last time you slept with the girls in your own dorm. James didn’t mind and claimed he was happy to have someone who’d help him deal with the two idiots. Once inside, Remus drew you a warm bath and even added some bubbles for you. It was nothing like the prefect bathroom, where you sometimes sneaked in with you boyfriends, but at that moment, it was perfect. You slowly undressed, with Sirius helping you, and softly kissing every new scar and unhealed bruise. You daren’t look into the mirror, terrified what you’d see, but right then and there, you felt loved, bare in front of your boys who stared at you with nothing but love in their eyes. Sirius helped you into the bathtub and you let out a content sigh when you sank into the hot water. Remus kissed your forehead and took Sirius’s hand, as they went to leave you alone.

“Stay.” You whispered, giving them your best puppy eyes, that Sirius taught you. Without another word, they both sat next to your bathtub, and you were finally able to relax, feeling every single muscle loosening after what felt like ages. You were all silent as Remus laid his hands on the edge of the tub and rested his hands on top of them, Sirius resting his head on his shoulder. You had no idea how much time has passed, all of you just enjoying the quiet time together, but it was interrupted by James, who poked his head inside the bathroom.

“Y’all good?” At the disturbance, Sirius quickly threw a bottle of shampoo on his head.

“Oi! Get out and stop ogling my naked girlfriend!” He shouted at his friend who put up his hands in surrender. James couldn’t have seen anything, as you were covered in bubbles but your boyfriend’s protectiveness mage you laugh a little.

“It ain’t nothing I haven’t seen before.” He joked before quickly shutting the door as Sirius got up with the intention to punch him. You laughed at that, remembering the few times when you walked out of the bathroom naked, thinking you were alone in the dorm, with James sitting on his bed or him walking into the bathroom when you were showering. Not to mention that all of your friends went skinny dipping into the Black Lake.

“I’m kidding, sorry! Just wanted to know if you’re okay since you’ve been silent for the whole 20 minutes I’ve been here.” He said behind the closed door. At that, Remus put his hand into the bath which has gotten cold already. “Alright, let’s get you out, the water is freezing and you need to eat something.”

Sirius washed your hair as Remus went to get some clothes for you as well as a new bandage and some ointment. After drying you up, he carefully rubbed in on the wounds and bruises as well as some pink scars. You mustered up the courage to look at yourself in the mirror and sucked in a breath. You looked much worse than you thought. Even after almost a full week of being at the infirmary, unhealed scratches could be seen all over your body, numerous of bruises and scars, some bigger then other, keeping them company. Your cheeks were hollowed, and you had dark circles under your eyes. You also looked thinner. Sirius quickly stepped in front of you when he saw the disgusted look you gave yourself in the mirror.

“Hey,” he said as he put some hair behind your ear, “you’re beautiful.”

The smile you gave him was genuine and you stopped thinking about it as he kissed you passionately. They dressed you in some sweatpants and shirt, none of which were yours. When you emerged from the bathroom, you realized that James has already prepared the food on Sirius’s bed, which was the biggest of them all, thanks to a single spell, since the three of you slept on it every single night. You settled comfortably on the bed, under the covers with the boys around you and contently started eating.

“Thank you, Jamie.” You thanked him with a mouth full of mashed potatoes. You didn’t even realize how hungry you were, but it was really no surprise since Poppy fed you mostly soups from various of herbs to help you heal.

“Anytime, sunshine.” He winked at you and started a calm conversation. Mostly between the boys, since you were too busy eating. After dinner, Sirius sat behind you and without a word started to braid your still wet hair. It was your routine, doing each others hair, sometimes Remus’ as well, if he had them long enough. When he was done, you all bid good night to James and laid on the bed.

“Would you read to us Moony?” Sirius asked sweetly, pulling you closer, careful not to hurt you in any way. Remus pulled out his book, The Lord of the Rings, and his calm voice filled the silence. You nuzzled yourself closer to him and quickly fell asleep, his voice fading away in the background.

You were running away from someone, you didn’t know who, but knew they were dangerous. You were in some dark place, when someone pushed you to the ground.

“This is what you fucking deserve, filthy bitch!” The unknown person spat at you as he hit you, pain erupting immediately all over your face. You were suddenly on the floor and someone was kicking you over and over again. Your hands tied so you wouldn’t be able to protect yourself. You screamed for help but an evil laugh was the only thing heard. “Shh, we’re just playing.” And another blow, now into your head. You felt like you were under water and running out of air, not being able to breathe.

“Hey, hey, wake up. It’s okay.”

Unknown hands shook you, but you saw only silhouettes, and green flashes of lights. Suddenly, you had a wand at your neck. You tried to pull away, but couldn’t. The wand suddenly slashed your throat.

“C’mon, wake up darling.”

You sat up quickly in your bed, gasping for breath as your hands flew to your throat. You’re safe, your in your dorm with your boys. It was only a dream. You were shaking like a leaf, only now just realizing that someone was talking to you.

“Breath for me, angel. It’s okay, we’re here. You’re here, you’re in our dorm, with me and Moony, you’re safe. Just keep on breathing for me, please.” You concentrated on Sirius’ words, slowly calming your breath.

“I’m gonna touch you, is that okay, my darling?” Remus said in his soft tone, you weren’t able to speak so you tried to nod, but it wasn’t enough for the boys.

“Please, use your words. I know it’s hard, but try, pet.” You croaked a yes, which seemed to satisfy him and he gently wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a gentle, yet firm embrace. Sirius handed you a glass of water you didn’t even see him get it. You gulped the water like your life depended on it.

“It was just a bad dream, my love. You’re okay.” You were able to calm down, but was still shaking lightly in Remus’ arms.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He whispered as he kept on rubbing small circles on your back. You took a deep breath, trying to remember the dream but it was all hazy.

“I-I was in some dark room or something and someone kept on hurting me. And then-then..” you were interrupted by your own sobs but tried to pull it together to finish “then a wand slashed my throat and I couldn’t breathe.” You cried into his shoulder. Sirius took your hand in is and placed it where your heart is.

“Do you feel that?” He patiently waited for you to nod before continuing, “that’s your heart and it’s beating. It means you’re alive and breathing, my love. It was just a nightmare. Take a deep breath, because you can, baby. It’s okay.”

You felt your heartbeat and started to slow down your breathing, the shaking stopped as did the tears. You pulled out of Remus’ hug and looked at them sheepishly.

“I’m sorry for waking you up.” You just now noticed the darkness of the room and heard James’ loud snores. You swore he would sleep through an earthquake.

“You have nothing to apologize for, angel. We knew the nightmares would come sooner or later.” Remus soothed your worry but his words confused you and you looked at him with furrowed brows.

“Well, at the infirmary, Poppy gave you a sleeping draught every night so you could sleep peacefully, but you didn’t take any tonight. I was just kinda counting on it. It makes sense after what happened.” You froze at his words, you didn’t even think about that.

“Oh, I’ll go and get it tomorrow then.” You sighed, fatigued overtaking of your body.

“No, pet. I know its hard and the nightmares are terrible. Trust me, I know, but you can’t take it for such a long time, it could really mess you up.” Sirius looked at you apologetic, feeling bad for crushing your vision for peaceful sleep.

Your whole face fell down and you looked close to tears again. “But I don’t wanna have a nightmare every night.” You uttered, looking at your hands, picking at your nails.

“And you won’t! Me and Pads will do everything in our power to help you with them, just not through medications, okay?” Remus was quick to reassure you, taking your hand in his so you would stop picking at your nails before they started to bleed. You were too tired to fight with them, so you sighed a small yes and let them lay you on the bed again, squeezed in between them.

“Moony’s gonna read to us again, until you fall asleep, okay?” Sirius said and kissed your nose, but you were quick to protest. “No, I don’t want to keep you up for no reason, you shouldn’t stay away just because I can’t sleep.”

Remus gave you almost a bored look but still looked at you lovingly. “Hey, none of that, darling. Anything to help you. Plus, I ended at quite an interesting chapter, so I’m curious what’s gonna happen next.” And with that, he picked up the book and started to read, just like few hours ago. And just like few hours ago, you feel asleep.

The next time you woke up, it was by Sirius who was leaving wet kisses all over your face. “Wakey, wakey. We need to get ready for classes.” He whispered but still continued to kiss your face. It was Remus, who ushered both of you to the bathroom to clean up (and redress your wounds, of course) and soon enough, you were on your way to the Great Hall for breakfast with your friends.

Everybody was chatting with you the whole time, to help you ease your nervousness, and you were immensely grateful for them all. You stopped in front of the huge door to the Hall, but before you could start to think too much about things, Remus took your hand and Sirius screamed your name to gain your attention.

“Look, look! This is how to make someone your peasant.” And before you, or anyone really, processed his words, he jumped on James’ back, held tight with one hand, the other high in the air as he started screaming loudly. “Go, my slave. Take me to my fine breakfast and DO NOT DROP ME!”

James wasn’t even complaining, pretty used to his theatrics and he ran straight to their places, making a huge scene with Sirius. All of them laughed at their silliness and before you knew it, you were sat at the table, with your back to the Slytherins, and started to eat. All of your friends were distracting you with jokes and you were smiling the whole time. Sirius was still ordering James around and he did everything the long haired boy asked.

“Pass me the juice.”

“Of course, my lord. Is there anything else I could aide you with? Your wish is my command.”

After breakfast, Remus took your backpack and you walked hand in hand to your class. Sirius was, of course, riding on James’ back to the class.You were thankful that you shared Charms, your first class, with your boyfriends, as well as Lily. The worst part was, that the Slytherins were taking Charms as well. Sirius got off James’ back before the classroom and looked you deep in the eyes.

“Listen, and listen to me closely, pet. Me and Remmy are gonna be with you the whole time. There’s not gonna be a second when one of us isn’t close to you, okay? It’s gonna be okay, you’ll be fine and we’ll be always by your side.” He reassured you and you smiled at his thoughtfulness to calm you down. You took a deep breath and Remus squeezed your hand in support. You nodded that you were ready and you entered the classroom. You didn’t look around, your gaze set on your desk. Sirius and Remus were on both your sides, squashing you in between them.

Remus still hasn’t let go of your hand as you squeezed it tightly when you felt the hairs on your neck rising. Snape and Mulicber were here. You didn’t dare to move a muscle, your body in a trance, too scared to even breathe. Both of your boys noticed and they tried to talk to you and joked around to make you smile, but you weren’t able to concentrate on them. You didn’t even notice when the class started, nor did you registered that it has finished. You could feel their eyes on you, the whole time. You knew that Snape was staring at the back of your head, his eyes sending daggers your way, but you were too afraid to look back. To look at him, them.

Sirius had to nudge you that the class was over and you had to go to the other one. You felt like you were sleepwalking as they took your things and led you out of the classroom. But you froze in your tracks as you heard the cold laugh behind you. You knew it was Mulciber.

“Well, well, well. Surprised to see you at school and not the graveyard.” He snickered but before you could do as much as blink, you heard a loud bang from behind you. You turned ground quickly, waiting for some king of danger coming your way, but were met with Sirius pinning him to the wall, his wand at his neck and hand holding his chest so he couldn’t move.

You saw as Snape took out his wand, but Remus casted a quick Expelliarmus and his wand flew out of his hand and his reach. He was stood protectively in front of you, his wand aimed at Snape as Sirius hold Mulciber. You didn’t even know how any of that happened, if was all too quick.

“Say another word to her, I dare you. Let’s see who will be buried six feet under.” Sirius seethed, his voice low and dangerous. You’ve never heard him use this tone.

“You’ve got bodyguards now, heh?” Snivellus snickered at you but not moving an inch. Before any of you could say or do anything, Lily appeared out of thin air and hit him square in the face. Snape fell to the ground, holding his bleeding nose and looking up at her in surprise.

“If you ever come close to her, I will hurt you. And I fucking mean it, Severus. I don’t know what happened to you but it gives you no right to act like an asshole. You are nothing but a fucking scam and dirt. Don’t come close to her or any of us, never again.” She told him, her voice cold and face blank of any emotions. You have never heard Lily use so many swear words in your life, let alone in one sentence.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Mulciber trying to get out of Sirius’ gasp and Remus was ready to send some hex his way, but you stopped him as you laid your slightly shaking hand on his shoulder.

“Wait.” You said quietly but strongly. He stopped and looked at you, his wand still aiming at his enemy.

“Don’t be like them. Let them go, karma will get them soon and better then us.” I said loudly, for all of them to hear me. Remus’ gaze softened but his wand still raised high.

You could hear Sirius growl, not moving an inch, so you walked up to him and took his hand with his wand an out it down. He looked unsure, but wasn’t fighting your touch. You looked deep inside Mulciber’s eyes and when he open his mouth to say something, you spat at him. You could hear Lily gasp, but you didn’t care as you turned around and walked away with your head held high.Remus, Lily and Sirius quickly caught up with you, your raven boyfriends taking your waist and spinning you in the air.

“That’s my fucking girl! You shoved them who has the power!” He hollered, and you laughed. When he set you down, both he and Remus hugged you tightly and you felt the weight lifting off your shoulders.

“That was brilliant, my sweet girl. I’m so so proud of you.” Remus beamed with pride, kissing the top of your head. “I could never do it without you. Thank you, for everything.” You squeezed their arms and quickly went to hug Lily as well.

“That must have been hard for you, I know you two used to be close.” You whispered into her ears. She sighed and let you go, looking into your eyes.

“Yeah, used to. Before he turned out to be such a prick. But I won’t hesitate to protect you from him, or anyone else, no matter what.” She gave you a kind and sincere smile and you knew she meant it.

As you walked down the corridor, with Sirius and Remus nonstop praising you, you felt lighter. You knew it wasn’t the end. The wounds were yet to be healed, the physical ones as well as emotional ones, and the war was far from the end, but you knew you could do it.

With your boyfriends and friends by your side, you were unstoppable.

——————-

Tag list: @quackitysdrugdealer @ill-be-okay-soon-enough @oweninadaydream @noodlesareokah @wings-of-tranquility @oweninadaydream @leafpagesingfan

#marauders era #harry potter #marauders fluff #marauders x y/n #poly!marauders x reader #sirius black x you #the marauders #fluff #marauders x reader #Wolfstar x reader #wolfstar x you #angst #remus lupin x you #remus lupin x reader #sirius black x reader #remus x sirius x reader #angst to fluff #wolfstar angst #hurt to comfort #poly!marauders #poly!marauders fluff

[matchavellichor]

Hi, I hope your day is going well when you read this!! I know you said you were currently taking a slight break from writing due to school, and first of all, I'm wishing you the very best of your studies! But I thought I would send a request just in case you do resume writing fics in the future, but feel free to ignore this! This seems a bit plain, but I was wondering if you could write an ominis x fmc where mc is terribly shy and avoidant to no one but ominis due to her feelings for him? Over time, though, Ominis observes her personality when interacting with other people, becoming fond of her but is left conflicted seeing how nervous she is around him, leaving him to wonder if she hates him or not. Since Ominis can’t see MC staring at him or how her cheeks go red around him, we could perhaps have Sebastian take note of this and act like the typical tease-playing wingman to set Ominis and MC up? It’s a pretty fluffy request, but you can lead it down any road you want, whether it turns out suggestively or not.

A/N: hi!!! tysm for the kindness <3 uni is still kind of hectic at the moment unfort, but i LOVED this idea sm so i decided to write a lil something anyway. ty for the request, hope you enjoy!

Great Expectations

Ominis x f!MC - Fluff - 3k words

Summary: Urged on by Sebastian's insistence that the reason for MC's evasiveness is that she harbors a secret crush, Ominis decides to take Sebastian's advice and find this out for himself.

Tags: Miscommunication, Wingman Sebastian, Clueless Ominis, Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Banter, First Kiss

"Some light reading?"

Ominis can sense the way she startles, nearly dropping the tall stack of books balanced carefully in her arms.

“Oh, uh…hello, Ominis,” she greets as she rights herself, voice oddly tight. “I hadn’t realized you were here.”

“Always am. The library’s practically my second home at this point,” he smiles warmly, making some attempt at small talk.

There’s an awkward pause before he clears his throat to break the silence. “I uh, I hadn’t realized you were such an avid reader yourself,” he tilts his head, waving his wand over the topmost title in her pile. “Ah, and you have taste! Dickens is brilliant. I’d love to pick your brain sometime about—”

“I apologize, if—you’ll um, if you’ll excuse me,” she suddenly interrupts, eyes trained at her feet, before she’s brushing past him in the tight corridor of shelves and exiting towards one of the more populated corners of the library.

Ominis frowns, brows knitting together in confusion and what’s beginning to morph into genuine offense at this point.

“Was it something I said?” he mutters under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ever since they had become acquaintances, any attempts at amicability on his part had been met with brisk dismissals, curt replies, and her avoiding him like the plague. At first he thought her simply timid, but after observing her behavior with the likes of Sebastian or Garreth or any of her other friends, Ominis had been seriously considering some innate character flaw of his own.

He had thought he had made some progress in their relationship at the last gathering they had frequented, a weekend get-together in the Slytherin common room, but it was quickly becoming apparent that he’d been sorely mistaken.

Was he really so unapproachable? Dreadfully unlikeable? Did she simply have no interest in befriending him?

Ominis tries to pretend his ego isn't bruised by this notion, but fails miserably when his brain wanders to more woeful reasons as to why she would want nothing to do with him. His family’s notoriety and the rumors surrounding his person that are frequently pedaled around the castle undoubtedly have already reached her ears.

Filled with a strange sense of defeat, Ominis abandons any of his original plans of reading in favor of sulking in the common room alone. Less than two steps towards the library exit, however, and he’s bombarded by Sebastian.

“Ominis, you sly dog, don’t think I didn’t see you two warming up in the back shelves,” he grins, poking his friend in the ribs and waggling his brows.

Ominis frowns, swatting at the brunette’s hand. “Warming up is certainly not the term I would use. She despises me.”

“Despises you? Are you blind?”

“...Yes?”

“I refuse to believe you’re that blind,” Sebastian amends, scoffing. “Don’t tell me you really haven’t noticed.”

“Noticed what? The way she can’t bear to spend longer than a minute around me?” Ominis grumbles. “Trust me, I’m well aware.”

“Oh Gods, you’re just as hopeless as she is,” Sebastian groans, deeply pained. “She doesn’t despise you, she’s head over heels, Ominis,” he leans in with an all-too smug tone. “Take it from a man who knows the ladies.”

Ominis turns his head over his shoulder as if in search. “And, pray tell, where is this man?”

He receives an indignant smack on the arm. “I’m serious! Trust me, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes. I mean, why do you think she’s always so nervous around you?”

“She probably thinks I’m going to curse her or something,” Ominis mutters. “My reputation isn’t exactly the nicest, Sebastian. Are you forgetting who my family is?”

Sebastian barks out a laugh. “I’m sorry, Ominis, but anyone who takes even a second out of their day to speak to you will know you’re incapable of harming a lacewing fly. Trust me on this, she likes you.”

Ominis pauses for a moment, considering the possibility that had never before crossed his mind before. An involuntary warmth spreads over his skin, surfacing all kinds of unbidden feelings he doesn’t have much experience in handling. Noticing his contemplative silence, Sebastian peeks at the blonde.

“Oh, Salazar, you’re blushing,” he gasps, no small amount of delight seeping through his tone. “You know, for a while I was half-convinced you were incapable of it. Me and Garreth actually had a bet that were half-vamp—”

Ominis scowls, pushing Sebastian’s fingers away from where they were currently trying to prod at his flushed cheeks. “I am not blushing. Look, this whole notion is ridiculous, even for you, Sebastian. She can barely tolerate me, much less harbor some crush on me.”

“Fine,” Sebastian shrugs, feigning acquiescence. “Then flirt with her. See what happens, and if she truly despises you as you say, then no harm, no foul.”

Ominis sputters. “I will not flirt with her, don’t be absurd.”

“Why not? If you already believe she hates you, what do you have to lose?”

“My dignity? My already maimed ego? You’ve seen her in Defence against the Dark Arts, if we’re being realistic I’m probably in risk of breaking a couple bones as well—”

“Ominis, just try,” Sebastian groans, looking ready to rip his hair out. “If you don’t, I’m marching right back into that library and flirting with her for you.”

Immediately, memories of Sebastian’s past trysts with women and the sheer amount of crudeness in even his most tame chat-up lines come to mind. Ominis panics. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, we both know I would,” Sebastian grins, stopping in his tracks and turning back towards the library doors. “Remember that one boiling cauldron line Garreth taught me? I’ll go up and tell her you begged me to use it for you—”

“Stop, stop, alright,” Ominis grits, fisting a hand in the back of Sebastian’s robes to pull him back. He sighs. “I’ll….I’ll speak to her, alright?”

Sebastian claps a hand over his shoulder, pleased. “That’s the spirit.”

//

As much as Ominis would have liked to postpone the inevitable as much as possible, fate was not on his side. He had the misfortune of running into her while on his way to the Great Hall for dinner, and with Sebastian by his side, he would have no chance of escape.

After urging his friend on with not so friendly threats, Sebastian made himself scarce, though undoubtedly somewhere within earshot so he could listen to disaster unfold.

“Just the person I was looking for,” he greets with as much warmth as he can manage, though his nerves are broiling a storm in his gut. “Have you gotten in any good reading today?”

Once again, she seems startled by his presence. “You were…looking for me?”

“Well, yes. I was wondering if I might accompany you to dinner?” he smiles. “Would give me a chance to bore you with my fascination with muggle literature.”

“Oh,” her eyes widen, looking almost excited before it’s washed over with anxiety. “I’m sorry, I uh, I wasn’t…going to dinner.”

“Oh,” Ominis frowns, noting how close they were to the Great Hall. “Where were you heading then?”

“The library,” she blurts out and Ominis tilts his head in confusion.

“But the library’s in the opposite direction,” he nods over his shoulder. “And haven’t you just come back from there?”

“I–I have to go,” she says, suddenly swiveling in the other direction and brushing past him. “Apologies.”

Once again, Ominis is left perplexed, and increasingly hurt. The only thing the interaction has done is given him a bigger headache, her behavior irrational in the face of Sebastian’s theory. Ominis finds himself even more convinced she hates his guts.

As if on cue, Sebastian ducks out from behind a tapestry shielding an alcove, an almost pained sort of grimace on his face.

“That was…bad.”

“Understatement of the year,” Ominis groans. “Do you see what I mean? She clearly doesn’t like me, Sebastian. All I’ve done is made a bigger fool of myself.”

“She’s nervous, Ominis. She was blushing the entire interaction. Look, maybe try being more direct? Girls like confidence! Tell her you will spend time with her and that you won’t take no for an answer.”

Ominis blinks at him. “Are you trying to get my bollocks hexed off?”

“While that would be deeply amusing, no,” Sebastian assures. “Look, she’s clearly just too shy to let herself spend time with you, that’s why she runs away. You can’t give her a way out, hell, incarcerous her if you have to.”

Ominis looks genuinely concerned for any women that have had the terrible misfortune of being the objects of Sebastian’s romantic interest. “How you’ve not found yourself in Azkaban yet amazes me.”

“Oh, shush,” he scowls before suddenly snapping his fingers, metaphorical lightbulb lighting up his face. “I’ve got it! Remember how Sharp gave her detention this weekend for sneaking ingredients for Garreth? Just muck something up tomorrow in Potions, and done! She’ll be forced to spend a whole evening with you.”

“That’s a terrible idea.”

“It’s brilliant,” Sebastian grins, far too proud of himself. “Everyone knows detention is the best place to snog.”

Ominis chokes. “There will be no snogging—”

“Oh, got bigger plans in mind, have you? Ominis, you dirty little devil—”

The tips of his ears burning bright-red, Ominis pushes through the entrance doors to the Great Hall before Sebastian can get another word in, thanking Merlin she’d foregone dinner tonight.

//

While sprinkling some erumpent horn powder in Sharp’s cauldron during a practical demonstration was easier than he’d thought, actually having to go to detention the upcoming Saturday evening was not.

Pacing his dorm room anxiously while he counts down the hours until he has to make his way down to the Potions classroom, Ominis can’t help but be besmirched by his own stupidity at how he inevitably let Sebastian talk him into this.

Like the devil, Sebastian pokes his head through the door, not even bothering to knock. He plops himself down on one of the beds, eyeing the blonde with poorly-concealed bewilderment. “What are you so strung up for?”

“Not helping,” he glowers. “What if she runs away again?”

“Relax, would you?” Sebastian rolls his eyes, standing to walk over and muss the blonde’s hair. Ominis scowls and swats at his friend, but Sebastian is nothing if not stubborn, pulling at Ominis’ neatly folded uniform tie until it drapes messily around his neck.

“Perfect,” he grins, standing back to examine his work.

Ominis frowns, attempting with great futility to smooth his hair back into place. “I look like a delinquent.”

“How would you know?” Sebastian raises a brow. “You look great. Girls like a bit of a bad boy, you know. And after your stunt in Sharp’s class you’re certainly starting to build a reputation.”

“You were the one who told me to do it!”

“I told you to get yourself detention, not cause a minor explosion.”

Waving a wand over his wristwatch to check the time, Ominis’ pulse doubles when he realizes he has to be in Sharp’s classroom in a few minutes.

Before he can talk himself out of it, Sebastian is dragging him out the door, blabbering terrible advice as if he’s sending his friend off to a first date and not detention with a grouchy Potions master.

“—And most importantly of all, compliment her, Ominis. I know you’re not very expressive, but for the love of Merlin, tell her she looks nice,” he practically shoves the blonde through the common room door, adding a final, “have fun! Use the contraceptive charm!”

Ominis is promptly left alone in the dimly-lit corridor, a heat involuntarily rising to his cheeks, praying some greater force will strike him down before he has to humiliate himself any further.

//

The classroom is empty when he finally arrives a few minutes behind schedule, except for where he inevitably finds her scrubbing cauldrons in the back of the room. She tenses when he approaches, but doesn’t startle when he greets her this time. Ominis wonders if he can put it down as progress.

“Sharp asked me to tell you we’re not allowed to use magic,” she nods towards the stack of cauldrons perched on the workspace. “And, um that we’re only to bother him if someone’s bleeding, dying, or dead.”

Ominis nods, pointedly taking the space beside her and dragging one of the soot-covered cauldrons towards him to begin working.

There’s a tension between them that Ominis can’t ignore for the life of him, only the sound of scrubbing to cut through the painstaking silence. After a few unbearable moments, he clears his throat, remembering Sebastian’s advice.

“You look nice tonight,” he attempts, though his voice sounds oddly thick with nerves.

The sound of scrubbing stops. “Sorry?”

“I said you uh, you look very nice,” he attempts with more firmness, though his hands are white-knuckled around the edge of the table to stop himself from bolting from the mortification.

“Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“What?” he asks perplexed, forgetting momentarily a crucial reason as to why the compliment would seem absurd coming from him. “Oh dear Merlin, no, no that’s not how I meant it all.”

“Very funny, Ominis,” she takes in a sharp breath, dropping the brush with a dull clatter into the cauldron before she crosses her arms and faces him, all timidness suddenly replaced by a glaring frustration in her tone. Ominis isn't sure if it's an improvement, but at least she’s talking to him. “Did Sebastian put you up to this?”

“Sebastian? What? Of course not,” he sputters, desperately trying to amend. “I— Look, I’m—I’m sorry. Can I start over? Please?”

She raises an expectant eyebrow.

“You don’t look nice,” he tries, trying to suppress the wince that washes over his features. His only consolance is that Sebastian isn’t here to witness any of it. “I’m sorry, no—that’s not—I meant, I’m sure you do look nice, not that I would…know, but,” he runs a hand over his face, certain that if she didn't hate him before, she certainly does now. “I meant, you smell very nice. That I can tell, you…you smell very lovely, actually.”

There’s a long pause where she simply stares at him before her frustration inevitably only seems to double. “Is this what you find entertaining?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re taunting me,” she seethes. “You obviously know what I feel for you and now you’re making fun of me for it, aren’t you? You’ve been doing it all week.”

“What? Salazar, no, that’s not it at all—”

“Truly hilarious,” she scoffs, shaking her head. “Very mature. Maybe try being more subtle—”

“That’s not what I’m—”

“You can stop pretending you want to hang out with me all the time now—”

“Will you listen? I’m not—”

“Next time, if you don’t feel the same way, then simply—hmpph!”

Despite the blaring alarm bells that should be going off in Ominis’ head for doing something so painfully impulsive to someone who could hex his entire bloodline in the time it takes her to take out her wand, his mind blanks out into a puddle of warmth as he crashes his lips to hers.

She freezes, mouth unmoving against his in the time it takes awareness to seep into her brain and for her to realize he’s kissing her.

To his relief, when the realization does set in, she kisses him back.

She seems to melt just as much as Ominis, her body instinctively leaning into his, hands going slack at her sides before they instinctively come to hold at his forearms where he’s cradling her face so she can’t pull away.

Ominis pulls him towards her, and then, urged on by some coiling heat inside of him he’s admittedly not too familiar with, he crowds her against the workspace. He nearly topples over several cauldrons in his franticness to deepen the kiss, muttering sheepish apologies through heavy breaths, but he’s far too consumed to feel embarrassed.

His lips on hers are clumsy and impatient, and maybe far too hungry for a first kiss, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Her hands come up to thread through his hair, to drag down his scalp, and Ominis couldn’t stop the groan that leaves him if he had all the composure in the world.

He’s so far gone he doesn’t even care about all the soot they’re getting on each other, too preoccupied with trying to keep his knees from buckling, to press his body even more against hers as if it’s the greatest offense known to history that they’re not physically molded to one another. When he slots a thigh between her legs and she lets out a little noise against his mouth, he thinks he might just collapse.

Ominis skin feels hot to the touch, nerves prickling with want, with the urge to touch and taste and grind until he goes numb. She finally breaks the kiss, panting heavily against his mouth, eyes glazed over with just as much raw need. Though the loss is almost physically painful, Ominis is grateful for small mercies, because he was a few seconds away from tearing through her uniform top.

“You’re…” she swallows, trying to clear the breathlessness from her voice. “Uh, very committed to the bit, I suppose.”

Ominis can’t help the laugh that escapes him.

His shoulders shake, forehead dropping to meet hers, and when he glances back up he smiles, lips still raw and undoubtedly kiss-bruised. She returns his grin, until he can feel her smile against his mouth when he leans down to press his lips to hers again, because he simply can’t help himself.

They barely register the sound of the door to the professor’s office swinging open. Only when he clears his throat do they finally tear apart, and Ominis wonders if it’s possible to drop dead from sheer mortification.

Sharp lets out a long-suffering sigh, as if he’s accustomed to walking in on much, much worse by now and his hardly fazed.

“Just get the cauldrons clean,” he grumbles, grabbing a few texts on one of the adjacent tables. He hobbles back to the door, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. “Bloody teenagers and hormones, don’t get paid enough for this shit…”

He ducks his head out before closing the door, pointing a stern finger in their direction. “And not on my tables.”

#hogwarts legacy #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt x reader #ominis x mc #hogwarts legacy imagine #hogwarts legacy fanfiction #ominis x you #ominis gaunt fanfiction #ominis gaunt x mc #ominis x reader #fluff #hogwarts legacy fanfic

[amyispxnk]

And if you were my little girl

Summary - your dad sucks and you finally turn to Joel for help (summaries are my specialty can you tell)

A/N: SO my dad’s being a little bitchy and making me genuinely want to unalive a little bit, I remembered this song existed, Joel is the father we all wish we had, and here we are. Also I’ve (fortunately) never had to deal with an alcoholic so I’m sorry if it’s not written very well?

Pairing: platonic/father figure!Joel Miller x f!reader (can probably be read as gn tho?)

Word count: 2.3k

Warnings: paternal issues (i refuse to say daddy sorry), alcohol mention, language, angst, comfort, a lot of tears, father Joel, implications of using certain methods to get things you want, verbal/physical abuse, blood

DO NOT COPY THIS FIC IN ANY WAY PLS AND TY.

Part 2 here

You reckoned you had stopped really taking the words in that he tried to threaten you with a long time ago, letting the curses and attempts to break you apart in through one ear and straight out the other. That way you wouldn’t be able to linger on them for too long; it was better that way.

“Where’s the fuckin’ drinks?” Your dad yelled, stumbling around the kitchen and throwing open the shelves in his search, met with nothing but dust. You skated around him as best you could but after he had almost torn apart the wood trying to find the alcohol, he turned to you.

Red in the face, sweating furiously with a look that could definitely kill you. Hands balled at his sides as he took a step towards you.

“D’you hide it again?” He said menacingly, trying to instil as much fear as he could into you, desperate for the liquid relief.

This time, you hadn’t hidden it. You knew better than to try and help him anymore, he couldn’t be fixed and you had to just accept it. When you were younger, when you were more stupid, more hopeful, you had tried hiding it or disposing of it in secret to try and discourage his alcoholism - only to be met with a split lip and hundreds of salty tears spilling from your eyes, only to be ignored and discarded and yelled at and told you were useless before being sent out to go get more. Sometimes without money, him saying that you’d just have to find another way to get it.

You were so disgusted with the prospect of what he was surely insinuating, but thinking about what he might do if you came back empty-handed was somehow scarier to you at the time.

“Fucking answer me!” He snarled, pulling you up by your collar and glaring at you.

“I didn’t hide it- there’s none left, and there’s no way to get any right now. If you just calm-” You began, trying to keep your voice steady and your face void of too much emotion. You weren’t going to let him do anything. He didn’t scare you anymore.

“Well you best fuckin’ find some, you bitch!” He shoved you towards the door, knocking you onto the hard wooden floor in the process and watching you cry out in pain without so much as batting an eye, too fucking stubborn to even feel any remorse since he was always fucking right about everything like he was now.

“Don’t think about coming back here unless you find me it.” And with that, he slammed the door in your face, leaving you outside the apartment door in the hallway.

You let out a shaky exhale, hands raising and covering your face as you furiously wiped away any tears that threatened to spill. Your hands balled up in your face as you hit your head over and over. You had to think of something. No matter how much of a poker face you put on in front of him, you were still terrified deep down, that feeling would never go away no matter how long you’d been putting up with it for.

You ran through all of your usual options, but you genuinely couldn’t think of one that would work today. It was nearly impossible to get your hands on alcohol in the apocalypse with ration cards, without them you had to resort to other means and you couldn’t bring yourself to do that right now.

Just when you thought that all hope was lost, the familiar and far-too-comforting Southern drawl of Joel Miller sounded from across the hallway.

“Y’alright sweetheart?” He asked cautiously. He had heard some banging coming from your apartment and had opened the door to find you standing there, tugging at your hair in frustration and looking like you were about to explode.

You turned to face him, opening your mouth to speak but not really knowing what to say.

How many times had this happened? How many times had your own father terrorised you for any minor inconvenience and blamed you for everything, made you feel stupid and worthless of any attention or love? And how many times had Joel still given you that attention, that love, or whatever it was. Maybe it was love, maybe he was just being nice to you, but you told yourself that’s what love was since you knew no better. Growing up in this world was cruel enough, but without anyone who truly loved you and liked to make sure you knew that every day, nobody to protect you from the monsters - infected and human - that inhibited it, that felt like the worst fate you could suffer.

So were you alright? No. No, of course you weren’t. But you’d say you were just like you had every time, because you didn’t want to bother people with your ‘issues’. As well as numbing yourself from feeling any intense fear or sadness as a result of your father’s endless torment, you also found it incredibly difficult to take pity on yourself. You always felt like your issues were never that real, that your father had a hard life and maybe you should just let him take it out on you.

“I’m..” you began, mustering up a pathetic excuse for a smile as you glanced from his face to the ground in front of your feet, “I’m fine, thank you.”

You knew the exact expression which would be on his face without even needing to look up, having seen it too many times. That one where he looks worried, his brows furrowed as he tries to pick you apart and figure out what the hell was actually going on, slightly angry too as this kept on happening and you still refused to tell him anything. Did you not trust him? Did he do something wrong? He knew he was threatening to people, that’s what he was known for in the QZ. But he had never done anything to you, he’d always tried helping you but you never talked or anything at all with him.

“Do you um- do you have any beer? Any alcohol would be fine really, I just need it right now. I can pay you but I don’t have any ration cards so it would have to be later on unless you could think of anything…” You trailed off at the end, not wanting to say it and give him the option in case he hadn’t thought of it yet, praying he wouldn’t want that.

“Yeah, I got some.” He murmured, before blinking a few times and opening the door to his apartment again, cogs turning in his brain as he still tried to figure out what happened.

“Come in, don’t need ya standin’ there like a lemon.” He said when you stayed fixed to the ground beneath you instead of following him inside like he had very clearly offered when he left the door open after walking in himself.

“Right.” You nodded as you entered his apartment, closing the door gently behind you and watching him as he went over to his cabinets and reached for some whiskey.

You took in his living space. It was clean, organised. The small entryway led straight into the living room which was linked to the kitchen space, a dusty couch in the centre of the room and a coffee table in front of it. A few books were on the table, along with some slightly cracked glasses. You never took Joel to be much of a reader, clearly you were wrong.

There were 2 more doors which were closed and you could only assume that they were the bathroom and his bedroom.

“Hope this ‘s okay.” He said as he appeared in front of you, bottle of whiskey in hand.

“You’re not drinkin’ this all by yourself, are ya?” A smirk appeared on his face as he attempted the light teasing with you, maybe that would cheer you up a bit.

Your expression bore a smile which faltered and faded quickly. If only he knew.

“No, no. It’s for my dad. He ran out so.. Yeah. How do you want me to pay?” You said quietly. Whatever it took, you supposed.

He noticed the dejected look on your face as you looked up at him. So tired. That’s what came to mind whenever he looked at you. Barely an adult and already looking like you were at death’s door whenever he saw you. Exhaustion clouded all of your features and your mind when you trudged up the stairs, down the corridor and up to your apartment door, entering as your shoulders somehow slumped even more.

“Y’ don’t needa pay, sweetheart.” He told you, and you blinked a few times in confusion.

“Really?” There was no way. Alcohol was so hard to come by, and here he was giving you a bottle for free?

“Yeah.” He nodded, making sure you had a good hold on the bottle before letting go of it and pursing his lips as he thought deeply yet again.

“‘F you ever need to talk or anythin’, I’m always here for ya, okay?” He said before you could leave, making you stop with your back towards him as you stood at the door.

“Thank you, Joel.” You whispered before leaving and returning to your own apartment.

After that, you found yourself on Joel’s doorstep a few more times - you didn’t go every time you needed something, not wanting him to think you were taking advantage of his kindness, so sometimes you were just genuinely hanging out with him.

He had some little books and crosswords, stories to tell you, and one time he’d even come across a VHS tape with a movie from the dawn of time on it which the two of you had watched one evening.

You stayed too late and definitely paid the price for it, but it was worth it, you told yourself as you cleaned the blood from your arms and hissed at the sting of a newly-formed bruise.

Then, one evening, it finally fell apart. He threw you out of the house, quite literally, and you were already knocking on Joel’s door before you could realise what you were doing.

He opened the door and you slammed yourself into him, causing him to let out a little cough as he stumbled back, arms tentatively wrapping around you.

“Woah, woah, y’alright sweetheart?” He asked, taken aback by your sudden action.

“Joel, I- I'm sorry.” You choked out, tightening your hold on him and fisting his shirt.

He ushered you gently into his apartment, closing the door behind you and sitting you down on the couch.

“What's goin’ on? What happened?” He said, watching as you trembled, lip quivering as you tried to formulate a sentence without bursting into tears.

You ultimately failed at that. Only managing the words my dad before a pained sob wracked through your entire body and you were crying into your palms.

Joel rushed to your side, pulling you into him and rubbing his hands up and down your back soothingly.

“‘s okay. You can talk to me, tell me what's goin’ on honey.” He told you, pulling back slowly from you to try and make you look at him, frown deepening on his face when he saw how upset you were.

“He- he- kicked me out, ‘cause I didn't- I lost the cards and- he got too angry at me so then- I was mad at him back and he hurt me so I said I didn't want to stay and he-” You stuttered, trying to actually remember what had happened in the first place then explain it as best you could.

His jaw clenched with anger. How could someone do that to their own child? Your father had clearly put you through so much emotionally and physically, and you had done nothing wrong. You were a good kid, and you deserved better than that. He could be better for you.

Your shaky breathing filled the room as he came back to his senses, willing his fury to stop clouding his head so he could focus on what was more important right now - you. He'd deal with him later.

His thumb reached up and wiped a stray tear from your face before he pulled you close again, hugging you tight.

“You stay here, okay? ‘m so sorry sweetheart. I won't let anythin’ bad happen to ya. Y’just gotta let me help you.” He said as you nodded into his shirt, a weak mm-hm muffled by the fabric before he slowly rose from the couch and walked into his kitchen.

He came back with a glass of water, offering it to you. “Drink this.” Your cautious fingers closed around it and brought it to your lips.

“‘s gonna be okay. You can stay here, if you want?” You had come to him, obviously hoping he'd ask you that, but hearing him actually say it gave you relief like nothing else could.

“Y-yes, please.” You said, putting the glass back down on the coffee table as he nodded, helping you up and taking you to his room.

“I'll stay out there on the couch for a bit, okay? ‘til we can sort somethin’ a little more proper out for ya.” He told you, going to find you some clothes that weren't almost completely torn up.

When he returned, he saw you blankly staring at the floor, hands fingering the same strand of hair mindlessly and not even realising him walking up to you.

He sighed, handing you the clothes and placing a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“It'll be okay sweetheart. Nothin’ bads gonna happen anymore, he can't hurt you here.” He assured you, hugging you one more time before he left, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Thank you sm for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated and requests are open 💞

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #joel miller #the last of us #tlou hbo #joel miller hbo #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller angst #joel miller imagine #joel miller one shot #joel miller tlou #joel miller x reader #joel miller smut #joel tlou #joel x reader #joel miller fan fiction #joel miller fic #joel miller fluff #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x you #the last of us fic #tlou #Spotify

[genshin-squabbles-and-wobbles]

May I request this idea that had been in my mind

What if wanderer remembered hypasia and started telling reader all she had done for him and started comparing reader to hypasia. Reader ignores him until this man gets the fact that reader is jealous and mad because of the comparing so in the end he asks nahida to help him make it up to reader

Ty have a good day/noon/night

Yes ma'am! Sorry for this scenario for taking so long, but here it is! I love you and I hope we can marry our pinky toes together and merge in the woods and then we can die as mermaids together, then go to heaven and find each other in heaven, but then I have to fight all of heaven to get to you in the devil's lava bathtub and then we reunite and destroy all of existence but I'm sorry and I love you. :D

Scaramouche was walking with Nahida, as he was telling her his current issue with you. He was annoyed as he didn’t know what to do to get your attention, more so, for you to "get over it" per say.

"I don’t understand this childish behavior she is doing, she is making a big deal out of nothing, like what was I supposed to do?" He complained and sighed.

Nahida stopped and looked at him. "So, to restate what you have told me, you talked about Hypasia to your lover, and she got upset and stopped talking to you? What were you saying about Hypasia?"

Scaramouche looked to the side with his hand on his chin, he had one arm crossed and shifted his hips. "Well, that she and I had shares a consciousness, and that she was the only one who was well attuned of my past, compared to my lover, she only knows it through my words, or well, she doesn’t know it to the extent as he-"

Nahida interrupted him and chuckled. "If I may, interrupted. Haha, do you perhaps not see that your lover, is perhaps...jealous?"

Scaramouche looked at Nahida confused. "Jealous? Why?"

Nahida looked at him with a smile. "Lets say, your lover had an ex lover, but that ex lover knows her very well, inside and out, compared to you. As this ex lover touched her more than you, and knows her better than you."

"I...I woudn't like that, she could leave me to go back to him..." Scaramouche sighed, exposing his insecurities slightly.

"Exactly. That is what you have did to her." Nahida placed her hand on wanders hand.

"But Hypasia was just a follower, not my past lover." Scaramouche argued, trying to understand his mistake.

"Yes, but you have described her in intimate details, and farther more, you have compared her to your lover, as IF Hypasia was your ex lover. Scaramouche, your lover just feels inadequate, you hurt her with how you have been talking about Hypasia, the best thing to do is at least apologize and give her some space. It shows she loves you and cares, so please go forward with that in mind."

Scaramouche looked at her and sighed. He then looked down with his arms crossed, he had a scowl as her realized this was much more complicated then he realized. A part of him wanted to challenge you, and wanted to be resistant and stubborn. A part of him didn’t want to deal with this or take accountability with this.

But the other part of him misses spending time with you and talking to you. He cares and really wants to make things okay again. Two sides tore at him. He just wished this wasn’t something that the great Wanderer haven’t fallen down to, petty things that he had done to ruin his relationship with you.

Later on, Scaramouche walked into your house. Well, no. He walked into your window, as he never uses your door, he would always somehow gets into your house though any other entrances. He had an anemo vision after all, he utilize the ability to fly around. He entered your home through your window, as he walked to your bedroom door and knocked.

Nothing, you ignored. You were on your bed, deep in thought. You were overthinking.

About what? Well of course, your performance as a lover compared to Hypasia. You heard the knock, but ignored it. What is the point of being his lover, when he apparently had a better lover in mind? No point. You closed your eyes and sighed.

Scaramouche sighed and placed his forehead on the door. After a few moments. "Listen...I am...I am sorry for the way I compared you to Hypasia, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I only had you and a few other people in my life, that is why I ended up comparing, but I never meant to hurt you. It was no...excuse of me. I..I love you. And I am sorry...I'll leave you be and give you space...if you need me...I'll be out dealing with business. I won't be coming back until you want me to..." With that, Scaramouche left and stuck to his word.

You widen your eyes and immediately sat up surprised. Pondering for a few moments, you ran to open the door, however, it was too late. He was gone. You stood there in silence, staring at the window he left from. Your arms and shoulders went limp as you slowly started to blame yourself for your emotions and reacting the way you did to the situation at hand.

#genshin headcanons #genshin impact x reader #genshin drabbles #genshin impact #genshin scenarios #genshin angst #genshin fluff #genshin scaramouche #scaramouche x you #scara x reader #scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #genshin scara #wanderer #genshin wanderer #kunikuzushi #wanderer genshin #wanderer x reader #the balladeer #genshin charater x reader #character x reader

[chaosduckies]

Restoration (Chapter 1)

Finally! Finished the first chapter! It’s also my first official g/t story. Enjoy!

Word count: 3,500

CW: Mentions of Death, Fear, and panic attacks (they don’t actually happen)

1- Nathan 

Don’t you wish that sometimes you could reverse time? Whether you never wished to be born, or if you just did something really embarrassing. You want to know what I would do if I could reverse time? Make sure my parents did move away from our little home in the country sooner. We all had loved it. With no loud noises and no people to tell us that we were weird. Just me, my parents, and the most beautiful view of coniferous trees ever. And that was stripped away from us. 

We had heard nothing but the dreadful screams and the cackling in the back of our minds. The only glimpse we had of out new home was the wicked smiles of our torturers. The only thing we were allowed to see were bodies being ripped in half. No longer the sight of the maple leaves turning orange during the fall, no longer the sight of a sunset. Nothing. Nothing but a red, bloody void.

Terrible right? How could I describe something you don’t even know? It’s not that hard. Just two words. Human trafficking. Where humans are taken away from our home and forced to make entertainment for beings with no hearts. They didn’t care what happened to anything that was below them in the food chain. That didn’t care how a “lesser” being felt. Because who would want to know about how a seven year old cried about seeing their own dad being ripped in half, huh? Who cared about how many times you’ve broken someone else’s bones? Who cared how much you traumatized a kid who used to have their whole life ahead of them? 

That was how I lived more than half of my life. Fearing everything that could and would hurt me. Scared of what would happen the very next day. Scared of the unknown truth that was my life. Even if my mom had kept reassuring me that everything would be okay. Even when my dad was long out of our lives, but never forgotten. Even when she was on the brink of death herself… 

Then, there was a glimmer of hope. And all I remembered were gun shots and my mom screaming and dragging me underneath something. Hidden away from the people that were trying to help us. After my mom had finally realized that those people were there to help, she asked me to go out and get them to come help her. I remembered seeing her bloody leg. I remember her tying a piece of string around to stop it from bleeding anymore. And I remember being scared to go. What was I supposed to do? I was just subdued to years and years of torture and all of a sudden I’m supposed to trust the same people that hurt us? 

The only reason I gathered up enough courage was because my mother had practically begged me and passed out afterward. I couldn’t leave her there to die like dad. And so what I thought would be our imminent doom yet again, was our hope for surviving. The people here helped get my mom to get better, and fixed up my multiple broken bones and wounds. They sent me to a program that taught basic skills before I could be placed into an actual school. Everything was going great. I had my life ahead of me. Then, the papers forcing my mom and I to transfer to a co-ed city arrived. 

Our little utopia was crumbling to the ground. Living in the same city as giants? Hah. No. I’d rather die than be around those monsters again. They’d just hurt us. And for some odd reason, my mom was smiling. Genuinely smiling even after reading the notice. She never looked mad, upset, or even the slightest bit scared. She smiled and cheered that we could have a normal life again. That I could have the childhood I never had. 

I admit, I believed this could be a good change as well. I could be around other people my age. Maybe make friends? And so began this great journey of trying to act like nothing had happened. Like my mom and I weren’t just subdued to torture for the last 8 years. No one would know, and no one would care. 

Today stated off as any normal day. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, ate breakfast. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the first day I was cleared to go to an actual school. After moving away from the hospital and coming over to the co-ed city, I kind of thought this was a good idea. I mean, who’s to say that it’ll tun out like it did in the country? For all I know I won’t even have to go to school with giants. I could just go to an all human school or something. That’s what I was hoping for on the way here. But, now that my mom and I have been here for nearly a month, I’ve learned that wasn’t the case. 

I was going to school with humans and giants. Whether I liked it or not. 

My mom tried to reassure me, saying that there were more rules set up in a city rather than in the country. That wasn’t what I was worried about though. I was more worried about what would happen if I was alone. This was a completely new place that I’ve never been to. Who know’s what could happen? 

The bus came to pick me up and some other younger kids who were laughing at something on their phones. The atmosphere had completely changed. It was thick, and heavy. Maybe it was because it was early in the morning? Or maybe it was because everyone dreaded the day? I mean it was Monday after all. Whatever was making them look so drained and tired was obviously not good. Making my nerves rise like crazy. 

I sat down near the front of the bus, trying to avoid the other kids my age. There was just something about them that had me on edge. It’s not like I didn’t want to to make friends, it’s just that I had to be careful who I place my trust in. Especially when I was going to a school made for people much, much bigger than me. 

It was hard to keep my mind off of the fact that I would be walking along with giants again, but unless I wanted to undergo a panic attack on my first day, it was best to just ignore everyone and everything. At least until I could work up the courage to walk without my legs losing balance or without running away. Which will probably happen today. I’d be surprised if I could go three minutes without freaking out. 

The school was around a ten minute drive from my house. Plenty of time to really set into perspective where I was going. I checked my phone to make sure I would be able to call my mom in case something went wrong, made sure I had my schedule, and soon enough we were all exiting the bus. 

In front of me was a huge building. This was the human entrance to the school. Giants was on the other side so I at least didn’t have to deal with that until later on in the day. Hopefully. Compared to what I was guessing the giant side of the school, the human side was extremely tiny. Overall, the place looked very nice. They had well-kept flowerbeds on the outside with a couple benches outside for I guess when students came here before the doors open. 

When you walked into the building, there were lockers lining the walls up until you reached the doorways to the main classes. People were crowding all over, trying to meet up with their friends or just trying to get to class early. It all felt too much for me. I wasn’t used to being around so many people at once and it was really overwhelming me. Meanwhile, I still needed to figure out where the heck my class was in this mess. Somewhere in this hallway hopefully… 

After wandering around aimlessly for ten minutes, I finally found the classroom, thankfully in the human school. The only problem was that I had all eyes on me. I was not used to this however. One or two people? I could deal with. But with and entire classroom full? It just made my nerves go all over the place, and of course I didn’t show it at all. Staring at the tiled ground and finding the one empty seat on the far left of the class between two girls who both glared at me like I just interrupted their very important conversation about how their makeup looked. I mean I did, but I was too afraid to apologize now that they already hated me. 

Overall, the first half of the day was okay. No one talked to me and I didn’t talk to anyone. Mostly because there were so many whispers and mentions of me that had me thinking they were already talking bad about me. Why was all the attention on me? I was probably the most uninteresting person ever. I even heard someone say that I wasn’t going to last a week in this place, which seemed right if I were being honest. 

The bell rang, releasing us for lunch, and I just followed the crowd that started flooding the halls. I wasn’t hungry. At all. It’s just that I don’t know where I’m going in this huge place. The human side of the school looked really small compared the the giants’ side, but it’s really big inside. 

The cafeteria was shared between both giants and humans. Why was I barely finding this out now? I had zero idea. It would have been helpful to know that beforehand so I could mentally prepare myself, but now I didn’t have anymore time and I was currently standing right in the middle of the floor searching for a place to hide. 

Of course there were human tables nearby, but I had no idea which group of people sat at which. The last thing I needed was for someone to get mad at me over a table. That would be pointless. So, here I was. Definitely not on the human side of the cafeteria, and instead standing right in the middle of a walkway for giants. Can I add on that? I was too frozen in fear to move. 

Sure, there were other humans walking along where I was, but they could actually move. I had no idea how they could when people that were as tall as skyscrapers, some even taller, were walking along with them. I don’t get it! Even more odd, humans were going around the giant tables and climbing into something that took them on top. 

So this place did have commodities for humans. There apparently were elevators that took you on top of the giant table to human tables on top. That only took me forever to figure out at that moment, but that’s what was going on. So everyone was friends here or something? Well, maybe not everyone since there were other humans sitting on their side.

After taking a good five minutes to gather up my thoughts, I finally was able to walk away from being in the middle of the floor and in a corner table where no one was currently sitting. The farthest table away from the giants. And it seemed like no one was going to sit here anyways. I can’t believe that I didn’t run away. I mean I was just frozen in fear, but that doesn’t count! 

  Lunch was loud. Mainly because the giant’s voices were so loud and I hated the fact that no one minded but me. These other kids have been here for who knows how long so I was guessing they were just used to it. It made sense in my head. 

Th day went on. The second half of my school day was mainly in the giant’s side, which I dreaded, but they made a separate hall to get there. One that avoided being stepped on I was guessing. The classrooms here were huge of course, and they had humans on a separate desk all together. To avoid what you may ask? I had zero idea. 

It was going alright until my last period. I had successfully avoided giants all day (To some extent) and then my last period came tumbling down right on top of me. First, there was no desk in the back that had the human-sized ones. Second, humans were taking one of those elevators like at lunch to get on top of a giant’s desk acting like they weren’t just a hundred feet up in the air. Third, but last, the teacher was approaching me. Did I mention she was a giant? 

“You must be Nathan! Nice to meet you!” She had greeted, crouching down and holding her hand out. Did… did she want me to shake her hand. Er… finger? Oh heck. My heart was beating fast as I stared at her outstretched hand. Um. What do I do? And suddenly those same eyes came onto me. Peering right through my body. Again, why did all the attention come to me? 

I reached out a shaky hand, trying to keep my legs from buckling underneath me, and lightly placed my hand over the tip of her finger as she gently shook it. I gulped, expecting for there to be more, but she smiled softly and sadly at me. What did that mean? Should I be worried? What class was this even? I just read on my paper to come to room 135. 

“Hm… now who doesn’t have a human partner?” She turned her head up, looking for any raised hands. I couldn’t see anything. Heck, I could barely even look up. There were still a couple eyes on me, and I couldn’t help but feel the acid from my stomach leave a nasty taste in my mouth. Just a couple more minutes and you can go home. I had to remind myself before the teacher smiled and told me to follow her. I did, just a little ways from her, trying to ignore the stares that were practically stabbing me in the back. 

I couldn’t help but hear whispers again. Where was she taking me. Wait let me rephrase that. Who was she taking me to? By the looks of it giants and humans were randomly paired up for some odd reason. On my way to whoever’s desk I was going to, I couldn’t help but dread this. What if I fell off? What if the person who’s desk I’ll be on forgets I’m there and knocks me off? What if they don’t like me? Questions swirled in my head, but I knew I wasn’t going to get answers right now. 

The teacher stopped, turned down to me and smiled. Was she waiting for me to do something? Oh wait. Elevator, right. Multiple sets of eyes were on me once again as the elevator slowly went up. Nerves built up inside of me. Anxiety. Heck, maybe even a panic attack. I felt dizzy, but I would survive. There was only thirty minutes left of the day. I could survive. Yeah. 

The elevator stopped, opening a little gate to the open desk with a huge journal on it. I gulped, taking my first steps. The first thing I noticed about this guy was that he didn’t look as welcoming as the teacher. He gave me “Quiet Kid” vibes. Not to mention that he was dressed in mostly black. 

Replayed in my mind was the sick smirk and laughter coming from my captors. If this guy got ahold of me I would be dead. I was so sure of it that I tasted the vile in my mouth and my knees nearly buckling right from underneath me. But, I couldn’t help but wonder why he was wearing a nervous look on his face instead of the usual sickening grin. 

“Ryker, Nathan. Nathan, Ryker. I’m sure you’ll both get along well.” The teacher cheered, heading to the front of the class and taking role call. Leaving all alone with someone who looked like he would rip my body in half. Just great. As soon as I had stepped out of the elevator, I was once again frozen with fear. This time at a much closer radius than I would have preferred. Because now I was definitely in arms reach of him. Not something that I’d like to be near.  

My eyes fell to the ground as tears threatened my eyes. Too bad I wasn’t going to let anyone see them. I slowly walked over to the human desk, seeing that it was father from the edge than I had thought and there were railings so it would pretty hard to fall off without actually trying. 

The teacher smiled while standing up from her chair, “Welcome to Human and Giant Interactions for those of you who don’t know. I’m Mrs. Kay. Some people are taking this class willingly, or they just need the credit to graduate, but I would still love to get everyone involved and take this class seriously.” She had explained. What. I don’t remember putting this on the extracurricular format. Then again the hospital did say these kinds of classes would benefit for me. So did they really have to put this class on my schedule? Life really did hate me. A lot. 

This class went by painfully slow. It was mainly just videos on current events with humans and giants, and then Mrs. Kay asking us questions to which only the people on the front desks had answered. Not that I even wanted to answer a question like that. But it was mostly hard to focus when you had someone who could very easily push me off the side of the desk without even trying. I mean, I never once looked behind me the entire class period. Only hearing him flip pages in his notebook from taking notes like everyone else in the room. 

One other thing I had noticed was that rarely anyone had talked. For a class that was supposed to bring humans and giants together, it really didn’t seem like it. Then again, I had no idea wha they really did in this class. Maybe she just doesn’t like talking? Or people didn’t want to get in trouble or something? They were too tired? That would make the most since it was the end of the day. 

It felt like forever before the final bell had rang. I rushed down that stupid elevator thingy and hurried out the doors to the bus stop so I wouldn’t have to dread this until tomorrow morning all over again. 

My mom was still at work, so I just cooked some dinner for myself, made her a plate and stuffed it in the fridge and went to my room. This was going to hard to get through, but if my mom thinks it’ll help then I believe her. I mean, what other choice did I have? 

As soon as I heard the front door open, I saw my mom sighing while putting up her purse. I walked to the kitchen to heat up her dinner, earning a quiet chuckle form her. It sort of made me sad to think that she’ll never smile the same way again. Heck, she can’t even stand it when people touch her after what had happened. But at least we’re both still alive. 

“Smells amazing Nate.” She complimented, using her same soft and broken voice. She grabbed one of the plastic plates from the cabinet and getting herself a cup of tea. 

“How was school?” 

What was I even supposed to say to her? That it was terrifying every second? That I barely even survived the day without going under a panic attack? I couldn’t tell her that. She’d be so worried about me she wouldn’t worry about herself. I couldn’t do that to my mom. 

“It was good.” I put on my best fake smile and made her plate. 

“That’s good. There were no troubles?” 

“None so far.” 

“Thank you for doing this Nate. I just want you to have a normal childhood. I couldn’t have you at that hospital any longer.” She sadly explained, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. 

“I know mom. I’ll be fine.” 

She gave me a warm smile before taking her plate and sitting on the couch with the tv on. She didn’t need to know that I was practically forcing myself to even be around other people. It would put too much stress on her. For now, I’ll just force myself to endure whatever decides to throw itself at me. 

————————————————

And first chapter officially done. To be honest I wrote this just for the fun of it. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually make this a series instead of abandoning it? Don’t know.

#g/t #G/t writing #g/t angst #g/t fearplay #Oc: Nathan #Oc: Ryker #Restoration #my oc’s #Gt #sfw g/t #giant/tiny

[bleucaesura]

STOLITZØ - TWENTY THREE

Blitzø felt trapped. Paralyzed. He’d been racing across a vast emptiness for what felt like hours, chasing a beautiful light, warm and comforting, but it was always just out of reach. Growing further away. And further. And dimmer. And dimmer. And now he stood alone in the void, that distant light completely extinguished, his hope gone with it.

The inky darkness around him began to seep up from below and ooze down from above, and yet he was rooted to this spot, unable to escape.

This is fine. This is what I deserve.

Blitzø felt heavier and heavier as if the dark were a thick tar swallowing him alive, beckoning him to its depths. He felt like he wanted to lay down. Sleep. Join the nothing.

I’m tired… so, so tired.

He didn’t need to lay down though. The darkness was slowly oozing up his feet and dripping down his horns.

Blitzø felt something touch the back of his hand. A light warm pressure.

“Darling.”

Blitzø shivered.

Stolas.

“Blitzø, darling.”

He felt a warm caress across his cheek. He closed his eyes and tried to lean into it.

“Stolas.”

Blitzø’s eyes welled with tears. “F*ck… I miss you… So much… I wish you were here.”

“Darling. I’m here… I’ll always be here. As long as you want me.”

Blitzø began to cry. Satan how he wished he weren’t alone. The darkness had crept up his legs and held the tips of his fingers as his arms had hung by his sides. He could feel a weight sliding down him.

Eyes closed against the darkness, he willed that tiny bit of warmth on his cheek to be real. Convinced himself, at least for these last few moments, that Stolas was truly there.

He took a deep breath, wrenched a hand free from the tarry void that was pulling him in, and clasped tight to the warmth on his cheek.

Blitzø opened his eyes and there was Stolas. Kneeling before him. As bright and golden as the sun. Glowing and warm and absolutely f*cking perfect in this dark place.

“Stolas.”

“Darling.” Stolas smiled at him. Blitzø wanted to reach out and hold Stolas to him. But it was all he could do to break the one hand free and it was currently holding Stolas’s hand to his cheek. Blitzø didn’t plan on letting go of that hand until Heaven burned to dust.

Blitzø’s heart clenched. He swallowed hard to get down the lump in his throat.

“There’s so much I need to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything...”

Stolas…

Blitzø cried inside. He squeezed Stolas’s hand, reminding himself of how it felt. He took a deep breath.

“Please... I have to tell you...”

“What is it, darling?”

“I’m f*cked up. I don’t know how to communicate and I push away the people I care about the most. Because I’m afraid. Afraid I’ll get hurt. Or worse, I’ll hurt them… And I care… SO much about you Stolas… But I’ve done so many shitty things to you already. I don’t deserve you…

“When we were kids my dad told me I’d been sold to be your playmate for the day. Then he said that I had to rob your family in order to help my mom. That stupid pirate game? I was robbing you. ‘Cuz my dad valued money over me. And I’m ashamed I did it.. Because when I got to know you? I had so much fun with you. You were such a nerd about your books and I thought it was so f*cking cute. You were kind. I wasn’t used to that, especially from royals.”

Blitzø paused to take a shaky breath. He couldn’t bear to look at Stolas or he’d lose his nerve.

“The day I crashed your party? I’m so sorry. I wasn’t there for you. At all... I was a piece of sh*t and was only there to steal your book. I remembered you told me it gave you access to the human world.

“I was flirty and aggressive ‘cuz I could tell you were into me. And the absolute trash heap I was, I didn’t care about tying you up, stealing from you and bouncing… But then you went off about how long you’d wanted passion like that… And said you were so happy that the one who wanted you was your first friend… Me. ME. A nobody like me meant that much to you…”

Blitzø couldn’t stop himself from crying.

“I like to pretend that I stayed because it was out of pity or guilt, but really?… Most of me was SO happy to hear that I was wanted. That I made someone else feel wanted. I’d never had that before. I never realized that was something I truly wanted before… That it was something I was ALLOWED to want…”

Blitzø swallowed hard. It was getting difficult to breathe. The darkness was weighing down more and more.

“And then when we… F*ck… Wow, Stolas… Just… WOW… I mean, other than your weird, excessive f*cking dirty talk… I’ve never had better.”

Blitzø shivered and squeezed Stolas’s hand against his cheek.

“Oh. About that… What's up with the vulgar porn monologuing? You’re so prim and proper but then, Christ on a stick Stolas, you become some damn freak when sex is involved… Why the Heaven do you think I gag you so often? The dirty talk freaks me the f*ck out…”

“Sorry. I digress…” Blitzø laughed nervously.

“Where was I? Right… I’m so f*cking sorry, but I only invited you out to Ozzie’s that night because I needed a date to get in the door. I wanted to be able to spy on Mox and Millie’s date.

“Why do I spy on them? That’s a whole other thing that boils down to them having the perfect relationship and me wanting to be a part of it or know what it’s like to be in one. Because hey… spying is a lot easier than finding a good relationship for myself… or something along those lines… At least that’s what my therapist told me before I fired him.”

Blitzø felt like time was running out. More and more of his self was being devoured by the darkness by the second. He clung tighter to the sight of Stolas and the warmth of his hand.

“I’m an idiot imp who doesn’t deserve your attention so I get why you’d be embarrassed of being seen with me. I didn’t expect it. So it hurt. I guess I took your attention for genuine affection and I took it all for granted. But that’s my fault.

“I took things you did out of context. Thought you cared more than you do. But regardless… All the bullshit has been my fault…

“I deserve your offhanded, demeaning, and frankly, casually racist comments… Being your impish little plaything. And called an itty-bitty imp… I’m so far below you, Stolas. I can’t believe I ever thought I could… That I’d ever be good enough… You deserve so much better than me... Than that piece of sh*t wife of yours… Than the life you’re trapped in…”

Blitzø swallowed hard.

“I should have been there to save you from Striker. Yes, Loona is the most important person in my life. But her appointment could have been moved. Her life wasn’t in danger. Yours was. I just had no real idea how vulnerable you truly were or could be.

“When you saved me in the human world you were so powerful. The most awe inspiring and beautiful thing I had ever seen… I didn’t think anything could hurt you… So it broke me when I saw you wheeled into that hospital on that gurney knowing I could have prevented it. I could have saved you. You got hurt because of me. I couldn’t bring myself to show my face because of that. And I was too afraid to see you hurt and in pain. I was so ashamed.”

It was getting harder and harder to see the image of Stolas; the only comfort he had left…

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, for all the sh*tty things I’ve done and said. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Blitzø…”

Blitzø felt the darkness close in all around him. He couldn’t see Stolas anymore. Just a soft glow where Stolas’s image had knelt and the faint whisper of warmth on his cheek.

“Please, Stolas… Stay… Don’t throw me away…”

Blitzø closed his eyes and let the light and warmth disappear.

*****

#helluva boss #stolas #blitzø #stolitz #fanfic #vivienne medrano #vivzieverse #vivziepop #blitzo #brandon rogers

[demelza00]

Long Day

Neteyam x Fem!Na'vi!Reader

Contains: Fluff, reverse comfort

Word count: 402

Ty very much to the anon that sent me this request, I had a lot of fun writing it! Sorry that it's a bit short, hope you enjoy :)

As I sat on the floor, working on weaving a few strings into a chord for a necklace, I heard footsteps near the entryway of my home. Realizing it was probably Neteyam, I set the strings down and stood up, going to greet him.

My heart dropped nearly to my stomach when I saw that his ears were back, and his shoulders were slightly slumped. Clearly something was bothering him, but he didn’t say anything, so I didn’t either.

Instead, I stepped closer to him and held my arms open, as an invitation. He gladly took it, letting out a heavy sigh and wrapping his arms around me, leaning on me. Figuring he just needed to be held for a while, I gently rubbed his back, feeling his braids brush against my shoulder as he dug his face into my neck.

We stayed there for a while, though I wasn’t really sure how long. It seemed to relax him, to just exist together, to breathe in my scent, and I couldn’t deny that it relaxed me as well, though I was still worried about what could be bothering him.

Once he was ready to, he lifted his head up, and I turned to look at his face to see how he was doing. I felt my heart drop for the second time of the way when I saw that tears had welled in his eyes.

“What’s wrong, Nete?” I asked softly, bringing one of my hands up to gently hold the side of his face. He leaned into my hand, his eyes closing for a few seconds, before he sighed shakily.

“I- I’m okay. I don’t want to worry you,” he said, his tone not as confident as it usually was. I frowned slightly at his words. “Neteyam, I am here for you. I am your mate and I love you very much. You can tell me anything,” I assured him. A few tears fell from his eyes, and I gently wiped them away with my thumb.

“I just-.. I just had a long day. I know it’s silly to be upset about, but can.. can you please just hug me for a while?” he asked shyly. I smiled slightly, relieved that it was nothing serious, and nodded. “It’s not silly. I will hug you for as long as you wish, Neteyam,” I assured him, and brought him back into my arms.

-

Feel free to send any requests / input / constructive criticism that you might have, and likes & reblogs are greatly appreciated <3 Hope you enjoyed :)

#neteyam #neteyam x reader #neteyam comfort #reverse comfort #neteyam reverse comfort #avatar 2 #avatar twow #avatar the way of water #pls i love him

[a-stupid-capricorn]

Better than you could aspire to be (Part 2)

So this is gonna follow the reader, and I'm planning on a part 3 lol. Angsty but nothing like death here, gender neutral reader! Part 1 is here!

--

You wake up in a hospital bed, and you look down to see all of your personal items have been taken away. In a hospital dress that had its back distastefully showing, you get up to investigate your surrounding area. You touch a book that you saw, and you open it with the hopes of locating where you are. You furrow your brows when you realise this was where Tighnari was. You see nothing to indicate you were in Teyvat, and you hate the sinking feeling in your gut.

The staff weren't horrible, but when they were talking to you it felt like they took you as a joke. They'd keep making comments about what you were saying the day before, when you weren't lucid, and you were unable to hide your interest in other people possibly finding out about this place. You decide to ask if any of them knew who Tighnari was, and they would give you a weird look before explaining he went missing, gone without a trace.

One night, when everyone else is asleep and resting, someone you hadn't met before hands you a bag. Looking at their ears, you have an idea of who it was. They ask you some questions, and they inform you that the items in the bag were for Tighnari. When you tell them Tighnari was really good at his job, thoroughly enjoying it, you see the massive wave of relief that washes over the person. They tell you that when you next see him, you should give him the bag. You tell them you may not be able to see him again, but they shrug it off and wish you a speedy recovery.

--

You didn't expect to wake up washed up on Port Ormos, and it wasn't in the least bit reassuring that your bare ass was exposed thanks to your hospital gown. Thanking the gods for making sure nobody was there to witness it, you frantically turn to cover your backside, only to make uncomfortable eye contact with a man.

"..."

"..."

"...I think I know who you are." The man breaks the silence. "Follow me."

He doesn't bring up the obvious problem of your clothing, but he gives you some silent support by giving you some paper clips he had handy, aiding you in tying up the gown to cover yourself.

He eventually lets you into his apartment, closing the door and grabbing you some clothes to change into.

"There was a bag that was next to you, before you ask." The man begins, walking you to the bathroom. "Somehow the bag was dry. I haven't checked the contents." He finishes, letting you change.

You don't waste any time, wanting to get your life back on track. The man is sitting, a file in his hand as he reads through it before looking up at you, gesturing for you to take a seat as well.

"Cyno asked for this to be burned, but I managed to take it away without him knowing." The man almost brags. "Are you _? Please confirm your date of birth, your occupation." The man runs through the identifying questions, and he nods as he realises this was, in fact, your file.

"Many people don't remember you, this was not an easy decision to make." The man continues, you growing confused at his words. "'After the successful procedure, this document must be incinerated to remove any and all evidence of this person's existence. As such, those who have memories of the individual will be subjected to various treatments that will render them unable to recall similar memories.'"

You stare silently at the man, who seems to decide it was a lot to process.

"I have a free day today, so if you would like we could get that bag to Tighnari." The man states.

"Sorry, could you tell me who you are?" You ask, hoping you don't offend him.

"Alhaitham." He states. "Honestly, I'm surprised it took you this long to ask me that, but given how we met that's hardly surprising." He stands up, taking the bag in his hands as he looks down. "Let's go."

--

Seeing Tighnari after you last saw him kinda hurt, seeing how much better he was at the role you were in. It felt like you were supposed to be in his ‘original world’, but you didn’t understand why you were back in Teyvat. Alhaitham takes the lead, knowing about your background with Tighnari as he approaches the man.

“How many times do I have to tell you people that I do not intend on joining the Akedemiya?” Tighnari huffs as he spots Alhaitham, and you trailing behind. 

“Here.” Alhaitham states, preferring not to have an argument about Tighnaris current work. “_ told me someone was wanting to give this to you.” He speaks for your behalf, which you are eternally grateful for.

Tighnari opens the bag reluctantly, and he pulls out a botany book from his originating world. Reading the back, he scoffs as he begins to pinpoint how this book would be of any use to him.

“Fictional books are not going to sway me.” Tighnari states coldly, tossing the book at you. You flinch, fearing the speed the book was going, only to hear Alhaitham catch it. “The other items, however, look useful.” He finishes, leaving the both of you without thanking either of you. Alhaitham turns to look at you, clearly struggling to not throw the book back at Tighnari. You nod, silently agreeing that you were done there, and you turn to leave.

“_?” You hear a forest ranger you trained when you were first in charge call out.”I can’t believe you’re here! It’s been ages.” 

How was this person remembering who you were? Did they not receive the same treatment everyone else has had so far? 

“I’m just paying a small visit.” You state, feeling the curious eyes on you that didn’t know who you were. “I trust Tighnari’s been looking after you?” You ask, the forest ranger nodding eagerly. They begin talking about the changes he implemented since you didn’t return, and the feeling of worthlessness builds up violently. 

“Ah, I’ve just remembered I have something I need to complete. Sorry, gotta go!” You say, catching up to Alhaitham. 

The walk back is quiet, and you’re telling Alhaitham about your experience as a forest ranger from your point of view when he puts a hand up, stopping you. The both of you stand in silence, only being disturbed when you hear weapons clashing against each other. Looking over, you see your childhood friend fighting Alhaitham. 

“Cyno!” You call out, causing both people to stop. Cyno looks over, giving you a deadly look as he contemplates your punishment.

“Do I know you?” Cyno asks, his voice piercing you. 

“We’re friends, Cyno. Do you not remember?” You plead, Cyno’s glare growing more intense.

“We have never met before.” Cyno explains, putting away his polearm as he hears people running over. “Watch yourself.” He warns you, leaving you with Alhaitham as some children start to run through the forest to play. 

Alhhaitham doesn’t acknowledge the way you seemed to forget about Cyno subjecting himself to the amnestic treatment, which you are thankful for, but he brings it up when you’re both by yourselves in his room.

You take a few deep breaths to steady yourself as you explain Cyno was close to you before you went over to the other world, explaining you forgot about the fact he didn’t remember you because of what he did after the ritual was completed. You briefly ask him if he knew why the forest ranger who called out for you remembered you when nobody else did. Alhaitham tilts his head, clearly not knowing about the short discussion that happened, and you explain that this person was relatively close to you due to you training them, but adding on the fact you trained other people. Alhaitham takes a mental note of all of this, making sure he would write this all down to document before he forgets. 

Alhaitham turns his attention to the book in his hands, and he gets an idea on how to pass the time.

“Sit with me while I read.” Alhaitham states, you nodding as you sit next to him, him extending his hand so that the both of you could read through the book. 

Neither of you talk, and you weren’t sure if he was going to tell you off for not explaining things to him, but you also knew that he probably didn’t want to be disturbed during his reading. 

--

Over the next week, Alhaitham opts to keep you next to him. Even with his work, he manages to keep you by his side. When you ask him if he had any ideas as to where you would be able to work, Alhaitham responds by saying that you were working as an ‘assistant’. Truth be told, he enjoyed your company. Although you didn’t speak much, you proved yourself by getting the items Alhaitham wanted when he had to finish a paper. 

He asks for you to collect some ingredients for dinner, giving you the mora to do so, and you go out by yourself. Successfully getting the basic components for a nutritious meal, you feel a presence behind you. Turning around, your heart sinks when it’s a member of the Fatui. They try to make you feel guilty for returning to this world, putting a lot of emphasis on Tighnari and even sprinkling in the confusion you must have given Cyno. At one point, they imply that you are simply a very good liar, and thats when they suggest you join their ranks. Your hand clutches your bag, and you try to lose the person by ducking and weaving between buildings. Nothing works, which you partially expected, and you stop in your tracks when you realise your attempts would be in vain. The person starts to close in on you, opening their mouth to continue their attempts at convincing you to join them...

Only for them to fall unconscious. You turn when you hear someone fall to the ground, Alhaitham clearly knocked the person out as they check you haven’t been harmed. After seeing you were alright, he escorts you home closely, turning every once in a while to ensure nobody else was going to harm you. 

“Tomorrow, I have a day off.” Alhaitham states, locking the door behind him. “I think we need to interview the forest ranger that knows about you.” 

#tighnari x gender neutral reader #tighnari x reader #alhaitham x gender neutral reader #alhaitham x reader #alhaitham #tighnari #cyno #angst

[takecareluv]

i’m projecting SO hard rn but i have a rq for you babe!! imagine ur hairdresser cutting ur hair WAYY too short for what u asked for and ur miserable and vinnie is there to be like! it’s okay! u look great☺️ LMFOAOA ty🫶🫶

a.n hi, my love! oh no, we’ve all been there... i’m assuming this is coming from personal experience so i just wanna say i’m sure you look absolutely beautiful babe, don’t doubt it for a second 🫶🏼 also i’m supposed to get a hair cut on thursday and this made me a little nervous ngl haha. anyway, hope you like this & makes you feel better! sending lots of love <33

bad haircut || vinnie hacker x reader

you made a beeline for your car, trying to avoid bumping into as many people as possible.

as soon as you were sat in the driver’s seat, you slammed the door shut and allowed all the tears you had been holding in for the last ten minutes come out.

what a mistake, you thought out loud.

earlier in the week, you were scrolling through instagram when you came across a local hair salon that had slowly becoming popular in your area. you stalked their entire page and were rather impressed with all of the photos they had posted of their client’s hair. not a bad photo in sight. you’d recently been in desperate need of a hair cut and figured why not go to them.

well, you thought wrong.

you knew you should’ve gotten out of there the second you walked in the place and they told you one of their newer hirees would be doing your hair.

now here you were crying the whole car ride home with the worst hair cut of your life. you didn’t even bother putting music on, that’s how upset you were.

in the back of your mind you knew you were probably being dramatic, but as of right now it felt like the end of the world.

once you reached the driveway of your home and came to a complete stop, you grabbed a sweatshirt from the backseat, slipping it on and pulling the hood over your head so no one could see the horrible hair cut.

before you got out, you took a quick glance in the mirror to check that no strands of hair were peaking out of the hood. you also made sure to wipe away any dried tears that had fallen to your cheeks so no one could tell you’d been crying.

but just with your luck, that was the first your boyfriend noticed.

“baby, what happened? are you okay?” he rushed over to you as soon as you entered your shared bedroom.

“yeah, i-i’m fine” you mumbled, trying to hold yourself together, although all you wanted to do was cry and rant about the stupid haircut that probably wouldn’t grow back for who knows how long.

but instead, you kept quiet in attempt to switch the subject.

however, vinnie would not budge, he needed to make sure you were okay. any other occasions you would’ve thought it was sweet, but right now you only wished he would let it go. “are you sure? it looks like you’ve been crying, love. you know you can tell me anything.”

as you thought about it more, you came to the realization that you wouldn’t be able to hide it forever. it would be hard wearing hoods for the next three or so months. meaning, much to your dismay, vinnie would eventually have to see your hair. why not rip that bandaid off now.

“so you know how i had that hair appointment today?” you waited for him to nod before you continued. “well she kind of messed it up… bad.” you sighed as you pulled the hood off your head, finally allowing him to see what had you so upset.

you grew more nervous at vinnie’s lack of response. oh my god, he must think i’m so ugly. he’s probably going to break up with me. i should’ve never gotten this hair cut. so many thoughts were racing through your mind as a single tear fell from your eye.

vinnie pulled you into his warm embrace. “oh baby, no don’t cry. you look beautiful. there’s nothing wrong with your hair. you look just as gorgeous as you did before, okay? you’re still the most beautiful girl i’ve ever seen, you hear me?”

“really? you mean that?” you looked up at him with a pout.

“yes really, sweetheart. i would never lie to you. you are stunning. my pretty girl, always will be.”

you nuzzled your head further into his chest, now tearing up due to his sweet words. “i was so scared you would think i looked ugly and break up with.” you giggled slightly, realizing how absurd you actually sounded.

“what? baby, are you crazy? i could never break up with you. especially over a hair cut. i would be a complete dick if i did that.”

“now c’mon,” he continued, “let’s go cuddle and we can watch whatever movie you want and soon enough you’ll forget all about your hair cut. mkay, baby? how’s that sound?” he questioned, kissing to the top of your head.

“can we order milkshakes too?” you asked shyly.

“of course, sweet girl. anything you want.”

#vinnie hacker #vinnie hacker fluff #vinnie hacker x you #vinnie hacker x y/n #vinnie hacker blurb #vinnie hacker fanfic #vinnie hacker x reader #vinnie hacker imagine

[the-alice-of-hearts]

If you're still taking requests- if not please ignore this- can I plz request either 40 or 48 for Jaytim (Maybe with a hint of chubby jay-) ty for your time!

Okay, so I combined these because they work well together. also, I wrote more than expected... Hope you like it! (and I will always and forever be accepting requests) 40: exes meeting again after not speaking for years au 48: meeting again at a high school reunion au I also wasn't able to get the hint of chubby Jay in there, but know that I personally think he's built like a strongman competitor, so imagine him still jacked, but with that layer of fat that makes him the perfect shape for perfect hugs.

Jason walked off the stage to the sound of Bruce and Dick cheering for him, but his eyes were glued to Tim’s back. The genius had skipped two grades and graduated with Jason, and there he was talking to his best friend. Benard waved at Jason and Jason gave a fake smile that dropped from his face when Tim turned to look at him. The younger man quickly turned away, but Jason could see the hurt in his eyes. He had done that, but he couldn’t regret it, not when they had both worked so hard to get where they were going. Jason was going across the country to study creative writing and stage management at CalArts and Tim was headed to MIT for medical engineering, and Jason couldn’t hold him back. Tim needed this, he needed to focus and get through the hardest degree program he could possibly choose, and Jason wasn’t about to have any free time either. College was going to be murder, and no matter how much Jason wished that he could stay with Tim, they just couldn’t risk the heartbreak. He couldn’t risk the heartbreak… 

---

“You sure about this?” Artemis asked. “There’s nothing that says you have to go to your high school reunion.” 

“Yeah, not like I went to mine.” Roy laughed. 

Jason shook his head and kept packing. “You both are terrible influences. They want me to give a speech, I kinda feel like I have to.” 

“I thought that you were going in hopes of seeing your high school beloved.” Kori pointed out and Jason winced.

“What?” Roy flipped over and stared at Jason. “You think he’ll be there?” 

Jason shrugged. “Maybe? It’s not out of the question at least.” 

“This the guys you’re head over heels for?” Artemis asked. 

“Okay! Everyone is about to be kicked out of my production if we don’t stop!” Jason slammed his suitcase shut. “No, I don’t know if he’ll be there, yea I hope he will, no I didn’t write my speech about missed opportunities because of him, that’s the prompt that was given to me by the committee.” 

“Good luck my friend,” Kori whispered in his ear as she hugged him tight. 

“Make sure someone records you, I wanna see the speech later!” Roy smirked at him. 

“I leave for the airport after practice. So let’s go please.” Jason started leading his idiot friends out the door. 

---

Jason stepped up to the podium and smiled. “Well, we made it.” His former classmates who showed up laughed softly. “Look, you all got enough speeches out of me in high school, so I’m gonna make this short and sweet.” 

He took a deep breath and then stilled. Tim was standing there staring up at him, and he looked just as beautiful as the last time that Jason saw him. 

Jason cleared his throat. “So, as some of you may know, I am now a big fancy stage director of a theater here in Gotham. Shocker I know.” He paused for the light laughter before continuing. “There’s something huge about getting to do the thing that I wanted to do so badly all through school, but there’s something to be said about missed opportunities. I know, it’s not really the thing most people talk about, but I know that each and every one of us sits at home at least once a week and thinks about something that we regret not going for. Not quitting a dead-end job, not applying for something we know we could have gone for, saying no to an opportunity, saying goodbye to someone you loved.” He glanced at Tim who was still listening. “There are so many moments of regret that we can be filled with, so here’s my advice to you. Think about your missed opportunities, look at each of the ones you can change, and go for them. I know, not that much of a speech, but I mean it, go ahead and take the chance. Thank you all, and as a reminder, it’s an open bar, so drink up!” He held up his glass in a toast to the room. 

Jason wandered away from the stage accepting congratulations from his former classmates and trying to make his way to where he last saw Tim. 

“Jason!” Brad called out to him and Jason went over. 

“Good to see you man, what are you doing now a days?” Jason asked. 

“Well, I married Ashley and we have a kid on the way, I’m actually working at your old man’s company now.” Brad motioned toward one of the tables where his now wife was sitting and talking to some of the other women at the reunion. “How are you man?” 

“Livin the dream,” Jason laughed. “Just making it through.”

“Oh! That’s Bernie, I better go say hi.” Brad said his goodbyes and rushed off.

Jason continued in the direction where Tim was but by the time he made it through the crowd he was gone. 

A voice that Jason was worried he would only hear in his dreams came from behind him. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me.” 

Jason turned around and saw Tim standing there. He licked his lips and took a step closer to Tim. “There’s nothing more that I want.” 

“I saw your last show, the production of Newsies was amazing.” Tim commented. 

“I didn’t know you were in town.” Jason couldn’t help himself, he took another step toward Tim. 

“I was visiting friends.” Tim smiled. “When I saw the article about you being the stage manager I couldn’t help myself, I wanted to get close to your passion again.” 

“Oh, where are you living now?” Jason asked, he couldn’t uproot himself, but maybe Tim wouldn’t be too far away. 

Tim’s eyes lit up like he was about to tell Jason a big secret. “I just finished up a big project in Texas, so now I’m moving back to Gotham. I knew I couldn’t leave the city forever, but I needed to have my foot in the door first. I signed my new lease last monday.” 

“You’re back?” Jason whispered. 

“Gotham is my home, where would I be without her?” Tim responded. “So, do I get to know what regret you’re gonna try to change?” 

Jason nodded. “Tim, if you’ll have me, I would love to take you on a date, and maybe many more after that. I never stopped loving you, and breaking things off just because we were going to live on opposite sides of the country was the most idiotic thing I have ever done. Please, let me try to make things right.” 

Tim leaned in and pulled Jason forward by his lapels. “Kiss me, and it’s a date.”

#alice writes #my writing #jaytim #anon request from a while ago #but I finally have the writing spirit back!

[reputayswift]

we never painted by the numbers, baby, but we were making it count; you know the greatest loves of all time are over now?…I knew you, leaving like a father running like water, and when you are young they assume you know nothing—but I knew you’d linger like a tattoo kiss, I knew you’d haunt all of my what-ifs, the smell of smoke would hang around this long, ‘cause I knew EVERYTHING when I was young, I knew I’d curse you for the longest time (chasing shadows in the grocery line) I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired, and you’d be standing in my front porch light, and I knew you’d come back to me you’d come back to me and you’d come back to me and you’d come back…50 years is a long time Holiday House sat quietly on that beach, free of woman with madness (their men and bad habits) and then it was bought by me ;)…I can see you staring, honey, like he’s just your understudy, like you’d get your knuckles bloody for me, second, third, and hundredth chances (balancing on breaking branches) those eyes add insult to injury…I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace, and so the battleships will sink beneath the waves, you had to kill me (but it killed you just the same) cursing my name, wishing I stayed, you turned into your worst fears, and you’re tossing out blame, drunk on this pain, crossing out the good years…and I’m still a believer (but I don’t know why) I’ve never been a natural (all I do is try try try) I’m still on that trapeze, I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me…please picture me in the weeds, before I learned civility I used to scream ferociously any time I wanted…back when we were still changing for the better, wanting was enough (for me it was enough) to live for the hope of it all—cancel plans just in case you’d call and say, “meet me behind the mall,” so much for summer love (and saying “us”) ‘cause you weren’t mine to lose…they told me all of my cages were mental, so I got wasted like all my potential, and my words shoot to kill when I’m mad (I have a lot of regrets about that) I was so ahead of the curve the curve became a sphere, fell behind all my classmates and I ended up here…“DON’T CALL ME “KID”! DON’T CALL ME “BABY”! look at this IDIOTIC FOOL that you made me,” you taught me a secret language I can’t speak with anyone else; and you know DAMN WELL for you I would RUIN myself a million little times…time, mystical time, cutting me open then healing me fine, were there clues I didn’t see? and isn’t it just so pretty to think, all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?…the master of spin has a couple side flings (good wives ALWAYS know)—she should be MAD should be SCATHING like me, but no one likes a mad woman…only 20 minutes to sleep but you dream of some epiphany (just one single glimpse of relief to make some sense of what you’ve seen)…will you have me? will you love me? will you kiss me on the porch in front of all your stupid friends? if you kiss me will it be just like I dreamed it? will it patch your broken wings?…our coming-of-age has come and gone, suddenly this summer it’s clear: I never had the courage of my convictions as long as danger is near (and it’s just around the corner, darling, ‘cause it lives in me, no I could never give you peace), but I’m a fire and I’ll keep your brittle heart warm if your cascade, ocean wave blues come, all these people think love’s for show (but I would die for you in secret)…my best laid plan, your sleight of hand, my barren land I am ash from your fire, stood on the cliffside screaming, “give me a reason, your faithless love’s the only hoax I believe in.” don’t want no other shade of blue, but you, no other sadness in the world would do…I want auroras and sad prose, I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet ‘cause I haven’t moved in years, and I want you right here

#long post #sowwy… #tays takes #folklore #taylor swift

[herrmannhalsteadproduction]

Honesty. Horrible, Horrible Honesty. (Chapter One)

Summary: This is Part Eighteen of my series A Herrmann/Halstead Production. It is an AU where Christopher Herrmann's mom had an affair with Pat Halstead resulting in a baby. The series follows this OC character (Rebecca "Bex" Herrmann) as she grows up and gets to know her brothers and the various Chicago teams. It is very much an AU, just to underscore that. It doesn't follow the same timeline and characters will follow different paths.

Click here for the Series Rundown where you can find the links to read all of the previous installments (which I highly recommend you do so that this one makes sense.)

Rating: Teen and Up

Relationships: Christopher Herrmann & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Original Female Character, Will Halstead & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead, pre-Greg 'Mouse' Gerwitz/Original Female Character, Will Halstead/Connor Rhodes, Assorted OC Couples

Warnings: Referenced Domestic Violence and Threatening Behaviour (these are warning tags for a brief scenes with Ty), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, A Brief Scene of Violence, Mild Injury, Swearing, Characters Working Through Trauma, Repairing Relationships, Fluff, I Swear There are Funny Bits Along with the Emotional Bits

A/N: To underscore my previous note, this is an alternate universe so things have unfolded differently. This will not follow the canon arcs exactly by any means. But I hope you'll still enjoy it!

Chapter One

Will

It’d been two weeks and Bex was still unwilling to have any kind of in-depth conversation about what happened with Mouse.

Will knew she was talking with Emery about things, but Emery also had her own stuff to work through. He just wished that Bex would lean on him a little.

The way she let him lean on her.

Instead, that stubborn Halstead streak was coming out strong and she was determined to talk about anything but.

“And I told Emery that you can’t leave out that fourth cheese, but she didn’t believe me so we made two mac and cheeses and now she’s agreed to bow to my superior judgment on all things cheese-related,” Bex said as they ran along their usual path in the park with Kol trotting along between them.

How she managed to have enough breath for a five-minute-long mac and cheese diatribe while they were running was beyond him.

And why had no one saved him any of said mac and cheese?

He knew the two of them were having a hard time, but that was just rude.

Will made some kind of noise of agreement that seems to fulfill his side of the conversation well enough for her to move on.

“Oh! And my car should be ready by tomorrow,” she said. “Which is perfect timing because Emery’s going back to work next week and I want to be able to drive her so she’s not alone.”

Someone had smashed one of the windows of Bex’s car the other night while it was parked outside of Molly’s. A nasty surprise to walk out to. It had clearly been rifled through, but luckily it hadn’t been stolen.

Or maybe unluckily. It would’ve forced Bex to get a new car at least. Of course, then they’d probably just be stuck with Tin Can 3.0.

One problem at a time. “Was Jay able to track down any security footage with a good view?”

Bex shook her head.

“Nothing,” she said. “But he’s still convinced it was Ty.”

They all were. Will wasn’t happy with the implications of that and neither was Jay.

“There’s nothing to link him to it so Jay’s hands are tied.” Bex blew out a frustrated breath. “I wasn’t leaving anything important in there anyway because let’s be real, the Tin Can is easily breeched at the best of times, but I’m being extra careful now.”

“You think he’s trying to find a way to get to Emery,” Will guessed. It made a terrible kind of sense.

“He can try, but he’s going to have to get through me first,” she gritted out.

“Hey,” Will reached out for her arm, slowing down their pace. “Promise me if you see him, you’ll call 911. I don’t want you getting hurt.” Kol let out a little boof. “Neither does Kol.”

“I’m not stupid, Will,” she said, shrugging him off. “Of course, I will.”

He hoped so. Problem was, people never really knew what they would do in a dangerous situation until they were actually in it. Fingers crossed, Bex wouldn’t have to deal with that.

“Good,” was all he said as he picked up the pace to keep up with her. “So, we’ve talked about my work, your work, how Chris and Cindy and the kids are doing, Faith’s new haircut, my latest date with Connor, Ethan’s new hair cut, the mac and cheese fight, and your car.”

“Yup,” Bex said, popping the p. “Oh, you know what we haven’t talked about yet—”

“The Mouse situation.” Enough dancing around. Will was putting it right out there.

“Actually, I was going to say setting up another play date with Kol and the kids,” she said, keeping her eyes firmly on the path in front of them. “They’ve been begging me non-stop.”

“Of course, we can do that.” Will was not going to stand in the way of the mutually growing love affair between Kol and his niece and nephews. “But it’s been two weeks and things aren’t getting any better. It’s time to talk about it. You can’t keep running away from this Bex—”

“Yes, I can!” In the blink of an eye, she sped up and Will did too, trying to keep pace.

Kol panted as he practically dragged Will along in pursuit, having way more fun than either of them.

“Oh, my god,” Will gasped out. “When did you get so fast?”

“That’s on you! Running was your idea!”

And then she just…friggin’ booked it, speeding off down the path, disappearing from sight.

He slowed down and tried to get his breath back, peering down the path as if he might still be able to catch a glimpse of her, but she was gone. “Seriously? What the fuck, Bex?”

Kol sat back and barked at him.

Right. Language. They should not have started that joke.

“I’m sorry, but you saw that, right?” Kol tilted his head with a whine as they both stared at the space Bex had previously occupied. “We’ve got to figure this out. Soon.”

Kol sneezed and wandered over to the grass to roll around.

“Good talk,” Will sighed. Looked like the plan was up to him.

***

Bex

Bex slowed down to a walk once she was sure Will wasn’t on her tail.

The Mouse situation.

Yeah, no shit they had to talk about the Mouse situation, but not in the way Will was expecting.

It had been two weeks and it was still radio silence from Mouse.

The first week, she could understand. She didn’t exactly feel like talking to him then either.

But he’d been dodging her calls and texts all this week and that—

That would not stand.

How dare he give her this big speech about not wanting to ruin their friendship—not wanting to lose her—and then turn around and cut her off.

Why?

What was the point of breaking her hea—of hurting her—

What was the point of any of it, if he was going to let things fall apart anyway?

It’s like he was actively working on making his biggest fears come true.

And that—that scared her.

She remembered the Mouse of a few years back. If felt like ages ago, but it really wasn’t.

If he kept isolating himself—cutting himself off from the people who loved and supported him—she was afraid of what that would do to him.

Well, she was not going to let it get that far. He’d forgotten who he was dealing with.

Bex Herrmann didn’t let people get left behind.

That’s what being a family meant and Mouse just needed to be reminded of that.

The good news was she now had an incredibly long walk home in order to figure out how.

*** WILL: YOU BETTER TEXT ME BACK THE MINUTE YOU GET HOME WILL: I NEED TO KNOW YOU’RE ALIVE

BEX: alive

WILL: You are a menace WILL: love you WILL: hope you’re okay

BEX: sorry BEX: love you too

*** Will

He huffed down at his phone in frustration.

It hadn’t escaped his notice that she hadn’t said anything about whether or not she was okay. Whatever. Anything she said would be a lie anyway.

“So, let me get this straight,” Connor said, clearly fighting back a smile. “She just took off and left you there?”

“She was so fast, Connor!” He scrubbed a hand through his hair, growling at Connor’s chuckle. “It’s not funny!”

“It’s a little bit funny,” Connor countered and fine, maybe in an hour or two it would be a little bit funny, but not right now.

“She bottles stuff up and it’s not good,” he said. “I’m worried about what’s going to happen when it becomes too much for her and everything explodes.”

“Hey,” Connor said, stepping over to rub a comforting hand over his arm. “We’ll help her through it, okay? Anything you need, I’m there.”

“Thank you.” Will leaned down to rest his head on Connor’s shoulder.

“But seriously, how far did she get?”

Will’s head snapped back up. “All the way home! On foot the entire way! Stop laughing.”

*** Bex

Despite her long trek home and an almost as long shower, Bex still did not have a plan.

She couldn’t figure out the best angle to tackle things from.

Pancakes.

That would help her think.

Emery ambled into kitchen, drawn out of Bex’s room by the scent of breakfast-y goodness. “How long was your run? You’re home so late,” she said.

“It’s a long story,” Bex waved off her questions and slid a plate of pancakes in front of her instead.

“I still don’t know how you guys get up so early for a flippin’ run,” Emery said. “I could never.”

“It started out against my will,” Bex said, sitting down with her own plate. “Because of my Will.” She laughed a little at her own joke and Emery rolled her eyes with a smile. “But I don’t know…I don’t mind it so much anymore? It helps clear my head. Usually.”

Emery nodded knowingly. “Still nothing from Mouse?”

“Not. A. Thing.” Bex stabbed at her pancake. “How about you?”

“Trying not to freak out about going back to work next week,” Emery sighed. “I don’t want to deal with the questions and the looks, you know? Kind of rather stay in the nice little bubble of your apartment.”

“As long as you want, you know that.” Bex nudged at her leg with her foot. “Whatever you need.”

“How about a time machine?” Emery grumbled.

Bex pointed her fork at her. “Yes, please. I need one of those.”

“Nooo!” Emery sat up straight in her chair, eyes going wide. “You know what we really need?”

“No,” Bex said. “But I’m excited to find out.”

“A meet the boyfriend brunch,” Emery said, lowering her voice into a conspiratorial whisper.

“Yes.” Bex smacked a hand down on the table. “YES!” She grabbed her phone. “I’m gonna text him.”

“Will?” Emery peered at her screen.

“Psssh, no,” Bex scoffed. “Connor.”

“Oh, yeah, no, that makes way more sense.”

***

Will

He and Connor managed to meet up for an afternoon coffee break, but judging by the grin on Connor’s face when Will found him at the cart…he might be regretting that soon.

“Bex texted me,” Connor said in lieu of a hello.

“Okay…” Will said slowly, waiting for the rest of that definitely-going-to-raise-his-blood-pressure sentence. “And?”

“I’ve been invited to brunch at your place on Saturday.”

Oh. That wasn’t so—

“So Bex and Emery can meet me,” Connor said, rocking back on his heels, grin returning in full force.

What. “Why are you saying it like that? Bex has met you,” Will said, not following this at all. “She knows you. Emery, I get, but—”

“She said she has to meet me as your boyfriend. It’s a ‘meet-the-boyfriend’ brunch.” Connor looked entirely too smug for someone doing air quotes.

“Jesus Christ.” Will scrubbed a hand over his face. This day.

Connor wrapped an arm around his shoulders, bringing him in for a squeeze. “I’m meeting the family already,” he said. “This is amazing.”

“All of this was a mistake,” Will said. “We should break up.”

“Too late. I RSVP’d.” Connor shrugged.

He should never have let Bex and Connor cross paths. Huge mistake.

Now to add Emery into the mix…

Will shuddered. Even with Kol on his team, he’d be outnumbered and he wasn’t too sure he could count on his dog not to switch sides.

Then his pager, his blessed, amazing, wonderful pager went off.

“Gotta go,” he said, escaping the line and any further disaster brunch talk.

“See you at brunch, boyfriend!” Connor waved after him.

Maybe he could move before Saturday.

***

>Saturday, brunch time&lt;

Bex

The apartment door opened and Bex and Emery hustled out of the kitchen to greet their guest.

Will had gone down to meet him at the front door, rudely banning either of them from accompanying him.

Connor stepped forward, leaving enough room so he didn’t crowd her, and held out a hand to Emery. “Hi—”

Bex jumped in to handle the introductions. “Emery, allow me to introduce you to Dr. Handsome McBeardface. Dr. McBeardface, this is my friend Emery.”

Will let out a deep sigh behind them.

“Nice to meet you, Emery,” Connor said solemnly as he shook her hand.

“The pleasure is all mine.” Emery tilted her head thoughtfully. “Now…may I call you Handsome?”

“Sure.” Connor grinned at her. “But my friends just call me Beardface.”

“Oh, my god.” Will turned to thunk his forehead into the closest wall. “You all know his name is Connor.”

Bex laughed. Two minutes in and brunch was already the best idea ever. “Who’s hungry?” she chirped.

They headed to the kitchen and got set up around the table, easing up on teasing Will in order to have a proper chat.

*** Will

Will couldn’t stop smiling.

Despite the ridiculous amount of teasing he was currently—and for the foreseeable future, if he was lucky—being subjected to, he loved to see how well Bex and Connor got along.

His…boyfriend? Did you still say boyfriend when you were in your thirties? Partner felt a little too serious for where they were at and all of the other options felt ever more off so apparently they were going with boyfriend.

Obviously he wanted Connor to get along with Jay and Chris and his gang, but knowing he had the Bex seal of approval? Bex who was not only his sister, but arguably…his best friend too?

That meant something.

He was also kind of loving how well Connor fit into their space. He’d been a bit nervous, bringing him through the door and waiting to see his reaction. Their apartment definitely a few steps below Connor’s usual standard of living.

Not that Will thought he’d be rude or anything, but he’d been waiting for…he didn’t even know what. A cataloguing gaze or something? Some sign that he was taking note of the wear and tear of the place.

But no, he’d admired Bex’s art and their collection of books and settled right in. Connor even looked softer here, sharper edges relaxing as he let himself get comfortable.

Yeah. Will was loving this.

***

Bex

Everyone at the table let out groans of satisfaction after stuffing themselves silly on the massive brunch she and Emery had cooked up.

“That,” Connor patted his belly with a heavy sigh. “Was delicious. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Our pleasure,” Bex said with a grin as she started clearing the table and Will hopped up to help. “We should do this more often! I love brunch.”

“We’re brunch people now,” Emery agreed.

“I’ve always been a brunch person,” Connor said, shooting a grin at Will who just rolled his eyes.

“Why does that not surprise me,” Will said, snatching the plate from in front of him. “Rich people invented eating meals at weird times.”

“Do you have sources on that?” Connor tilted his head in question.

“Let’s be civilized,” Bex tutted at them. They didn’t have time for whatever weird little flirting ritual these two had going on. She had plans for this get together.

“Okay, now that food is done, I was hoping to pick everyone’s brain about something,” she said as she and Will returned to the table. “Connor, I’m assuming Will has filled you in on the Mouse situation?”

Connor and Will both froze, exchanging a small look. “Yes?” Connor said slowly. “I’m sorry. I hope that’s okay?”

Bex waved away his concerns. “Relax, Beardface. You’ve been part of the gang since before the two of you got together and really, you’re going to end up knowing everyone’s business sooner or later. Whether you want to or not.”

Connor absorbed that for a moment and then nodded. “That makes sense. What’s up?” He leaned in to listen attentively and Bex ignored the ridiculously cute heart-eyes that Will gave him for that because they did have important things to discuss.

“So, Mouse has been keeping to himself for the last two weeks,” she began. “Jay says he’s been going to work, but he’s been dodging invites and skipping Molly’s. He hasn’t answered any texts, including mine.”

“This is the part of the Mouse situation that you want to talk about?” Will asked, staring at her intently.

“Yes, Will,” Bex said firmly. “I’m worried. The last time he closed down like this was when he was doing drugs and we can’t let him go back to that place. Not if we can help it.”

Now wasn’t the time to be delicate about it. Bex didn’t want to assume that Mouse was in danger of breaking his sobriety, but she also didn’t want to let him cut himself off from everyone either.

“I know he’s spiralling right now.” She was so it was a pretty good guess anyway. “We need to find a way to show him that we need him in our lives as much as he needs us and that everything’s okay.”

Will narrowed his eyes at her. “And you think that’s accurate? That everything’s okay?”

“This is a speaking it into being situation, if you know what I mean.”

“What is it, exactly, that you need from us, Bex?” Connor asked over Will’s muttering.

“Ideas. Brainstorm,” she said. “I need to figure out the best approach for…forcing him to hang out with us again. Essentially.”

“You could give him space and try processing your own feelings first,” Will said.

“Serious answers only,” Bex said, slicing a hand through the air. “Giving him space is just giving him the time to disappear. We’ve been over this. Next option.”

“Be aggressively normal around him,” Emery said and Bex gave her a little half-nod head wiggle for that.

“Definitely a good strategy for when I’m actually around him,” she agreed. “But he needs to stop dodging everyone for that to happen.”

“Confront the issue head on,” Connor suggested. “Have an honest discussion about the fact that you both want to remain friends, but it’s impossible to do that without actually seeing each other again.”

“Again, good idea,” Bex said. “Need to actually have him be in my presence for it to work.”

She steepled her fingers together and pressed them against her lips as she thought. The other three sat quietly, hopefully working on actual plans of action.

Because that’s what she needed—an actual plan of attack. Some way to force Mouse to listen and bring him out of his self-imposed bubble so he could see that everyone was still there for him.

Even if she had to drag him out of his apartment to do it.

Oh, hang on…

“New plan,” she announced and everyone sat up at attention. “Are you guys all free tomorrow afternoon?”

Emery and Will nodded while Connor thought it over for a moment. “Yeah, I can be free.”

“Okay, great.” Bex nodded, planning solidifying. “I’ll let you know the details soon, but keep that time free, please.”

“You know what you’re going to do about Mouse now?” Emery asked.

“Absolutely,” Bex said, ignoring the dubious look Will was shooting Connor. This was definitely going to work.

“I’m gonna kidnap him.”

***

Will

After a little bit more discussing and not a lot of clarification, they agreed to leave it in Bex’s hands. She knew Mouse better than any of them so no one had much room to argue.

Will just hoped she did actually know what she was doing.

“You look like you’re thinking some heavy thoughts there,” Connor said as they made their way out to his car.

“Sorry.” Will shook his head. “It’s this whole Bex and Mouse thing. I know I should respect Bex’s boundaries and let her handle this how she needs to. It’s just—”

Connor had a disturbingly knowing glint in his eye. “You want to meddle.”

“I want to meddle! So badly!” Will exclaimed. “It’s torture watching her go through this.”

“I know,” Connor said, pulling him into a hug. “It’s hard, but you’ve got to let her work through it at her own pace.”

“Her own pace which apparently involves kidnapping,” he groaned. “You better show up tomorrow. I refuse to go through whatever is about to happen on my own.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Connor laughed, leaning in for a good-bye kiss and Will forgot all about his current frustrations for awhile.

***

Bex

Bex had eighty-five-ish percent of a plan. She had a good idea of where they should go for their group activity, but she knew there would be push back.

She needed help getting the gang together.

And she knew the perfect person to help her.

BEX: How would you like a chance to clear your life debt to me?

ADAM: IT’S A LIFE DEBT NOW?

ADAM: Seriously Bex? WTF

BEX: Would you like to be square or would you like to complain some more?

ADAM: …

ADAM: …

ADAM: I’m listening

Click here to read Chapter Two. Click here to read Chapter Three. Click here to read Chapter Four. Click here to read Chapter Five. Click here to read Chapter Six. Click here to read Chapter Seven. Click here to read Chapter Eight. Click here to read Chapter Nine. Click here to read Chapter Ten. Click here to read Chapter Eleven.

Please see below for two further author notes.

Click here to read Honesty. Horrible, Horrible Honesty. on ao3:

And here is the tag list (let me know if you wish to be added or removed):

@sorry-i-spaced, @iunnowatuwant, @thegirlwhowishedeveryonelived, @ivyalmighty, @thewannabewriter, @lexhalstead3, @multifandomgrl08, @foxes-and-cats, @sensitivemallysix, @thebewingedjewelcat

Author's Note #2:

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has been reading this series. I think I've said this before, but I started writing it when I was feeling super stressed and needed an outlet. This has become such a fun place for me and all of you are a large part of that. Thank you to those of you who have been here since the beginning and those of you who are new (and taking a chance on a somewhat long series). Thank you to those of you who leave such lovely and amazing comments! I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you to everyone who leaves likes and reblogs and thank you to those of you who lurk - I sense your presence and I'm happy you're here.

Sorry to get smushy on you, but I'm just Like That.

Author's Note #3:

I'm going to be back on deadline soon so updates are going to slow down. I don't want to go on hiatus like I did last time so at some point in the near future, I'll have to move to once a week updates. I figured that's better than no updates and I'll try to post on a consistent day so you know when to expect the new chapter. I'll let you know when we're moving to that format.

Thank you! :D

#A Herrmann/Halstead Production #one chicago #chicago fire #chicago pd #chicago med #jay halstead #will halstead #christopher herrmann #oc character #rebecca 'bex' herrmann #a herrmann/halstead production #alternate universe #not canon #not beta read #angst #emotional hurt/comfort #working through emotional trauma #repairing relationships #fluff #family feels

[pokemon-explorers-comic]

Commission for Taren14, that is also a follow-up to another piece they commissioned, thet also provided a big, fat story for this;

“You sure you were giving it all you had?” Leo asked as he rubbed his bandaged cheek where Ty’s last punch had hit him in the face. “Felt like you held back on that last punch.”

“I could ask the same about you,” Ty replied with a smirk of his own. “Your punches felt like wind. “Oh, stop it you two,” Blitz laughed. “You don’t need to act tough for the rest of us.”

Roxy giggled from where she sat next to Leo. “Are all Fighting-types like this? I bet if you two hadn’t dropped you would have kept going!”

“Probably,” Blitz said as he rolled his eyes. “Leo’s never been one to give up easy.”

After the so-called “friendly sparring match” that Leo and Ty had both partaken in hours before, their final punches had seen both team leaders knocked unconscious. Upon their awakening, they’d agreed to call it a draw, and both teams’ focuses had turned to bandaging them both up. Along with a bandage on his face, Ty had had various parts of his arms, legs, and chest wrapped up. Leo was bandaged similarly, with a bandage on one of his hanging sensory bundles and across the bridge of his snout.

“Says you,” Leo jeered back. He looked over his shoulder and frowned. A fair distance away from the rest of the gathering, where Leo, Blitz, Ty, and Roxy sat on a log and a stump around a campfire, Hector sat curled up with a book under the shade of a tree. “Hey, Hector!” Leo called. “You sure you don’t wanna be over here with the rest of us?”

“O-oh, no, I’m okay!” Hector called back. He unwrapped a vine from his bulb and waved it. “I…I’m not a fan of fire.”

“You sure?” Blitz asked. “Might get cold tonight…”

“He’ll be fine,” Ty said. “Hector’s tougher than you think.” He glanced at Leo and indicated him with a lazily-pointed finger. “Unlike this guy…”

“Oh, spare me,” Leo snorted. “If I were a Lucario I’d have knocked you flat!”

“That reminds me,” Roxy said suddenly. “Leo, what’s that little crystal you’ve got around your neck?”

“Oh, this thing?” Leo slid his paw underneath the tiny crystal that hung from a cord around his neck. He lifted it up slightly, watching the firelight play along its glassy surface. “It’s nothing, really. Just kind of a training tool.” He turned his head to look at Roxy and smiled. “Since I’m a Riolu, my Aura powers aren’t really all that strong yet. So when I’ve got some spare time I focus on this, to try and make them better.”

"Really?” Ty asked as he looked at the small gem. It gleamed in the firelight, casting a small spot of light on Leo’s face. “Huh. Didn’t think Riolus had that problem too.” He looked at one of his hands and slowly curled it into a fist. “Wish I could figure out what my problem was. I know I can do it, I’ve done it before, I just can’t…do it on command.”

“You’re farther along than I am, then,” Leo said. “But we both probably just need to keep trying. We’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Hope so,” Ty replied.

“So,” Blitz said. “You guys are leaving town tomorrow, right? Where’re you headed next?”

“Hector wanted to go to some place called Atloge,” Roxy said.

“The Electric-type town?” Blitz asked. He raised his eyebrows and whistled. “Sounds interesting! Never been there myself though.”

“What about you guys?” Ty asked as he looked back and forth between Blitz and Leo. “Any plans?”

“Probably back home,” Leo replied. “We’ve been away from Gentle Glade for a pretty good while. Might as well get back there and say we completed our mission.”

“I’m gonna miss you guys!” Roxy said. She threw her arms around Leo and smushed her face against his in a big hug. “It was so fun meeting another team!”

“I’m glad we got to meet you guys, too!” Leo replied as one of his eyes was smooshed shut by Roxy’s head.

“Maybe we’ll meet back up on the road sometime!” Blitz said. “We might even get on the same mission!”

“Sounds like a good time,” Ty agreed.

“Write to us in Gentle Glade if you get the chance, Ty.” Leo added. “Maybe if you ever come by, you and I can have a rematch.”

“Oh? You want me to kick your butt again?” Ty asked with a wink and a grin. “I’d be up for that.”

“In your dreams!”

“Yeah, I’ll make you dream!”

Blitz shook his head and rolled his eyes as Roxy and Hector giggled. Leo & Blitz belong to Taren14  I get Ty, Hector & Roxy, they're MINE

#pokemon #pokémon #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon comic #mystery dungeon #sneasel #pokemon fanart #pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon comic #bulbasaur #tyrogue #riolu pokemon #riolu #pikachu

[qiangweirosa]

I don't share a lot of fandoms with you, but i do like your writing so I’m going through your fics like a middle aged dad being introduced to his child’s blorbos. I wouldn't be opposed to reading some x readers from you if you wanted to entertain my request in the future, but i also won't push you to write sth you don't want to. If you don't want to do that, then could i humbly ask for some Chie x Yukiko? I love them sm i just want the girlies to get to be silly together without any murders in the background, they deserve that

-★🐶

routine

relationships: yukiko/chie tws: none wc: 617 (its a short drabble, my apologies) extra: ty for the request!! thats so sweet of you, im really glad you like my writing that much. i've never written for persona 4 before despite it being my favorite persona game, so i hope i did these two justice! not beta'd so there might be mistakes

Life in Inaba could be so boring.

It was always the same routine: wake up, go to school, sit through class, hang out around town and go back home. And Chie hated boring routines.

Sure, it wasn’t all that bad. She liked being with her friends at school, even though she sometimes wished Yosuke would never open his mouth again - still, she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed their company. Unfortunately, she didn’t enjoy it enough for boredom to spare her.

Chie kicked the ground with her shoe. Her hands played with her jacket, stuffed in its pockets as she aimlessly walked around town. She didn’t really know where she was heading - honestly, anywhere would’ve been better than doing nothing. She really hated doing nothing.

She had thought about texting Yu to come hang out, but he unfortunately bailed on her to hang out with another one of his countless friends - seriously, how many friends did he have? - so Chie was stuck on her own.

She walked for what seemed like an eternity; she had probably gone all through the town by now. Every now and then she spotted someone she knew, yet nobody seemed to be free enough to quell her boredom. When she finally stopped, she found herself in front of a building; raising her head, she recognized the Amagi Inn at first glance.

…Well, she had considered calling up Yukiko to hang out. She just wasn’t sure if she was working today and didn’t want to bother.

But Yukiko wouldn’t mind if she showed up, right? Of course not!

And with that assurance in mind, Chie walked up to the door and rang the bell. The door was soon opened by one of the Inn’s houseworkers - her eyes lit up in recognition when she saw Chie, and she quickly ushered her in.

Chie was left in the entrance as the house worker rushed to get Yukiko. She awkwardly looked around, waiting patiently - as patiently as Chie could. Still, Yukiko came speed walking soon enough, throwing her arms around Chie’s neck in a tackling hug. Chie stumbled from the sudden force and fell on the ground with a yelp, Yukiko still on top of her.

“Wha- Yukiko, you can’t just jump on me like that!”

Her girlfriend laughed.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was so happy to see you here, I couldn’t stop myself!”

Chie blushed. She couldn’t possibly stay mad when Yukiko said stuff like that, especially with that huge smile on her face. She sighed in defeat, returning the hug until Yukiko decided to get back up.

Yukiko dusted off her clothes before looking back at Chie - her casual clothes, by the way. So she wasn’t working today. She smiled; Chie smiled back, the reaction coming naturally.

“What brings you here today?”

Chie shrugged, her gaze wandering around as she danced on one foot.

“Oh, not much, really… I was bored, and, uh, I guess I just ended up walking here instinctively? What I mean to say is- I wanted to see you.”

She mumbled the last part, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment. Hearing Yukiko giggle only heightened her blush, and she looked away, trying to hide her face from the girl who was currently definitely laughing at “how cute she was”.

“Oh Chie, you’re so cute!”

Knew it.

“Stop it, don’t say that…”

She heard more giggles, before Yukiko approached her and grabbed her arm, effectively pulling her after her.

“Come on, let’s do something together then.”

Yeah, Chie hated the routine that came with living in Inaba. But hanging out with Yukiko could never end up as a routine to her; she always appreciated every moment spent in her company.

#my tumblr requests #persona 4 #persona 4 golden #yukichie #yukiko amagi #chie satonaka #chie x yukiko #chie persona 4 #p4g #p4 #persona #p4 golden #persona 4 yukiko #persona 4 chie #fanfic #fanfiction #-★🐶

[ticklystuff]

A Fatui Reunion

a/n: hewwo anon ty for the request! this was supposed to be a drabble but it went on longer than i was planning hahaha also i didn’t put ler!capitano unfortunately but i hope it’s okay ahh

word count: 2350

summary: childe gets bullied by the harbingers y’all already know what happens

---

"Well well, if it isn't our baby harbinger?"

A shudder crept down Childe's spine at the sound of the familiar voice, knowing full well who it belonged to. He turned around to see Dottore standing a little too close for comfort, greeting him with a courteous smile as he shuffled a few steps back from that unsettling smirk. Past interactions with the scientist were something Childe would describe as anything but pleasant.

"And which Dottore clone do I have the.. pleasure of interacting with today?" Childe uttered with whatever confidence he could muster, a far cry from his usual self.

Dottore let out a hearty chuckle and Childe couldn't help but laugh himself out of nervousness. "That's no way to greet your Uncle Dottore," the older said with an amused smirk, taking a few steps forward with open arms. "Now come, give me a hug, why don't you? You've been gone so long that we've actually started to miss you."

Childe slowly backed away from Dottore and his unnerving offer, already having experienced his tricks in the past. Being the youngest of the eleven harbingers, it wasn't too uncommon for the others to mess with him, bullying Childe as they pleased. He glanced around the room, looking for an easy way out and spotted Arlecchino chatting with Columbina at the other end. His options were short, so he swallowed his pride and shot the two women a pleading glance in hopes of rescue, but only Arlecchino noticed, responding with a smirk and dismissive shrug that lacked any shred of pity, leaving Childe to fend for himself.

"Well, as much as I would love to catch up," Childe started as he side-stepped away from Dottore, just barely dodging the hug, "Pulcinella and I had agreed to meet up and I really should get going." It technically wasn't a lie. After arriving in Snezhnaya, Childe had planned on spending time exclusively with his family, holding no interest in mingling with his colleagues, but Pulcinella had reached out, wishing to reconvene and catch up. "Why don't we just catch up another ti- oof!"

In his attempt to escape, Childe failed to notice the approaching figure, wobbling on one leg after colliding with the other. Once he caught himself, Childe took a look at the figure, eyes widening he was met with Pantalones' unsettling smile, a signature of his. When did he even get here?

"Ah, Tartaglia, just the person I was looking for." Although his smile never left as he spoke, the daggers from his creased eyes easily sent a shudder down Childe's spine. "I have some questions regarding your... business expenditures."

"Ah, Pantalones, I've already sent you the itemized re-"

"Just from a quick glance, you've exceeded your monthly allowance... many times," Pantalones cut him off, taking steps forward with each step Childe took back. "You wouldn't happen to be pilfering the money for your own personal funds, would you?"

"O-Of course not!" he stammered unconvincingly. The money was meant for spending time with Zhongli and getting as close to the funeral parlor consultant as possible for the gnosis, nothing personal, was what he would tell himself every time he bought the older man dinner. 

This did nothing to sway Pantalones as he continued to make his way with the menacing grin still on his face. Panicking, Childe looked over at Arlecchino one last time, practically begging to be saved, but she instead pointed at her colleague mockingly, gesturing for Columbina to observe as well. The third harbinger put her hand over her mouth in amusement as the two women laughed together, clearly entertained by Childe's current predicament. Seeing as how no one would be coming to his rescue, Childe attempted to turn on his heel and make a bee-line for the door, yelping in surprise when a pair of arms swiftly wrapped around his upper-body from behind, holding him close.

"There's that hug I've been waiting for," Childe heard Dottore speak from behind, his voice laced with mischief. In his attempt to escape from one, the other had completely slipped his mind, and now he had to deal with both. He frantically struggled in Dottore's arms as Pantalone approached the two, clearly amused by the situation.

"You won't mind if I just take a quick look through your pockets, right?" Pantalones said, raising one of his hands and giving his fingers a wiggle for Childe to see, sending the youngest into a state of alarm at the realization of what was about to happen. He protested and wiggled around, but Dottore held his grip. "If you're innocent, there's no need to worry."

"Guy, come ohohohon, dohohont- nohohahaha!" Childe had already dissolved into giggles before Pantalones could get his hands on him, a familiar sound most pleasing to the others. 

Although the Harbingers were a feared bunch, behind closed doors was a different story. Childe would hardly regard them as friends or even acquaintances, but messing around was a regular occurence amongst the group, usually at Childe's expense. "Games" like stealing Childe's mask and tossing it to each other like a frisbee while Childe helplessly ran around the room were a common pastime. Other examples included stealing and hiding his scarf before he had to make the long trek back home, dumping slime condensate down his boots before he could put them back on after training, handing him salt when he wanted to mix sugar into his coffee. 

None, though, could compare to the gang tickling that he was often subjected to. Tickling was actually something he was quite accustomed to growing up, being one of the middle children of his family, but from his harbinger "family", it was absolutely brutal. Dottore and Pantalones were the repeat offenders, often teasing him about it to embarrass him, while Signora, Columbina, and Sandrone cooed from the sidelines, their infantilizing remarks insulting to his ego. Scaramouche and Arlecchino were the absolute worst, however, because they did not hold back nor did they have a sense of when too much is too much, usually tickling Childe to the brink of tears. Their reasoning to justify the tickling was because Childe was just the most ticklish, but Childe wasn't even sure if that was true because none of the others ever got their fair share, not that he'd ever attempt at getting back at them out of fear of receiving more tickles.

"Surely, that excess mora had to go somewhere, right?" Pantalones said as he continued to search through Childe's "pockets", his fingers prodding and poking at random areas around Childe's upper body, creating a mixture of giggles and yelps from the youngest.

"Maybe he spent it on the fancy makeup," Dottore sneered as Childe shook in his arms, referring to the red eyeliner that Childe had decided to use for today. "Or maybe... our baby harbinger has himself a girlfriend."

Pantalones tsk'd at the thought. "My my, I certainly hope you're not using the Fatui's funds to court women, Tartaglia."

"Nohoho! I-I'm not!" he denied through his laughter, shaking his head as his colleagues continued to bring up his imaginary girlfriend. It technically wasn't the truth and he wasn't even sure what his relationship with Zhongli was at this point, considering how things ended in Liyue.

"Hmm, I'm not sure I believe you," Pantalones tutted, scribbling his fingers along Childe's sides to evoke a stronger reaction compared to the quick little pokes from before. "The blush on your face practically gives it away."

"Hey, Pantalones."

Childe panted as Pantalones pulled away at the sound of his name, finally allowing him a breather, though Dottore still held tight. He looked up to see Arlecchino and Sandrone standing beside the three of them, having forgotten about the two during his ordeal.

"Make sure to check thoroughly," Arlecchino said as she walked up to the three, giving Childe a quick pat on the tummy. He protested with a whine as Pantalones and Arlecchino eyed him with a smirk, knowing full well what Arlecchino was referring to.

"Oho, you're in big trouble now," Dottore sneered from behind.

"W-Wait, guys guys gu- ehehahahAHAHA! Nohohoho! Wahahaha!" His face burned bright red as Childe was thrown back into another laughing fit, Columbina and Arlecchino's giggles mixing with his own as the two seemingly mocked him. Despite sufficient protection provided by his many layers, Childe could still feel Pantalones' fingers pressing even through his winter coat, targeting the sensitive area that was his tummy. To make matters worse, Dottore started weaving in his own tickling, drumming his fingers incessantly along Childe's upper-body, all the while utilizing his impressive strength to keep Childe in place. More irksome, though, were the tufts of air that Dottore would blow into his ears, lightly grazing his skin in a way that didn't create a strong reaction, but was enough for Childe's ears to twitch and for him to snap his head in response, clearly amusing the doctor by the way Childe could hear him snicker. He kicked his legs out as this was the only form of movement afforded to him and whined through his laughter, but this did nothing to deter the main source of tickles as Pantalones continued to prod and pinch at Childe's lower tummy and bellybutton, continuously filling the room with his high-pitched laughter.

Due to Childe's laughter echoing throughout the room, the group failed to notice Capitano and Pulcinella's arrival. The sight of his favorite being bullied by the others was not something Pulcinella would stand for and the older man was soon to Childe's rescue, pulling the younger away from the others.

"Shoo, shoo!" Pulcinella slapped away at Dottore and Pantalones, forcing the doctor to release the youngest, snickering to himself when Childe quickly put himself behind Pulcinella to create some distance between the two. "We are Harbingers, not children!"

"Ah, fun's over," Dottore retorted with a shrug when Pulcinella slapped at his arm. He stepped to the side with the others, giving space for Pulcinella and Capitano to talk.

Childe sighed with relief once freed, grateful to have been saved by Pulcinela and Capitano- wait, Capitano?!

"Capitano, sir! H-How are you?!" his voice nearly cracking towards the end with his mind racing a mile a minute. Somehow, his face felt even hotter than when he was being tickled, warming his body despite the Sneznhayan cold. "Err, sorry for all the noise! We were just playing a little game and they were just really excited to see me back, I guess."

Childe managed to keep up the nervous smile, despite the anxiety coursing through his body. Interactions with Capitano were rare and often resulted in nothing meaningful, despite Childe's best attempts at capturing the other's attention. Oftentimes, Capitano had his own business to attend to, seldom present during group meetings or times when the other Harbingers decided to mess with Childe, so of course, the one time that Capitano finally takes notice of him is when he's being tickled silly. The mask hid his true expression, but Childe couldn't help but imagine the judgmental look underneath, making him want to shrink into his coat.

"My boy, what has gotten into you?! Apologies, sir, he's usually not like this," Pulcinella huffed, fussing over the youngest harbinger as he urged him to fix his demeanor for Capitano. "C'mon, Ajax, chin up and stand straight. Capitano didn't come all the way to see you like this."

It took a moment for Pulcinella's words to register, but once Childe realized what he had said, his eyes brightened and the corners of his mouth began tugging into the smallest of smiles that he had to hold back from becoming an excited grin, a total one-eighty from before. Capitano actually wanted to see him?! "Pulcinella has spoken highly of you during your time away," Capitano said in his usual monotone voice, though this did nothing to sway the elation in Childe's eyes. 

"Attaining the status of a Fatui Harbinger at such a young age is no small feat after all," Pulcinella spoke up, a tinge of pride present in his voice.

Capitano nodded before continuing. "Yes, it's a commendable achievement. I would like to extend an invitation to spar with you one of these days. Your strength has piqued my interest."

To say he was starstruck was an understatement. Not only did Capitano finally acknowledge his strength, but he was even being invited to a sparring match. Childe could feel his legs shaking again as lightheadedness began setting in, but he managed to utter out a response despite the whirring range of emotions. "I- Yes! I accept! I'd be honored to spar one day!"

"Very well," Capitano said with another nod, "though, if you're unable to handle multiple foes at once, then I'm afraid you'll need more training."

Childe could hear snickers from behind as he realized what Capitano was referring to, but he resisted giving the others a glare. "Yes, I-I'll practice more."

"I have high expectations," Capitano spoke, before turning to Pulcinella. "We should be off."

"It was nice seeing you again, Ajax," Pulcinella squeezed Childe's arm reassuringly, turning to the others before speaking again. "Make sure to behave."

Childe watched as the two walked out the same door they came through, listening to their boots echo down the hall. The previous events still took a moment to process; in his dumbstruck state, Childe failed to notice Dottore and Arlecchino step to his side, hooking their arms around his own and holding tight when he did his best to pull away. Pantalones and Columbina soon joined the two, stepping in front of the group.He already didn't like where this was going.

"Congrats on your planned sparring match," Columbina said with a playful giggle.

Pantalones matched Columbina's small smile. "We're all so happy for you."

"But Capitano mentioned you might need some... extra training." Arlecchino winked as she poised her free arm close to Childe's side.

"And I believe baby harbinger agreed," Dottore remarked with a snide grin. "Why don't we help him with that?"

"Guys, wait- nohohoHAHAHAHAHA!"

#childe #dottore #pantalones #genshin impact #tickling #arlecchino #columbina #i struggled writing this one so much #mainly bc of having so many characters to write #never again lol

[no-gorms]

I just reread HAHH again last night (how is it possible that the fic gets better every time I read it?? <3) and I have two questions: 1) how does the moving in conversation go the next morning after Steve's nightmare and 2) do stevetony end up getting married in this 'verse and if they do, who proposes given the tricky history they have in this area? ty!!

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AHh thank you, that is awesome! <33 Okay I'm gonna answer your first question here, but the second one will have to wait for a bit, I'll do that tomorrow. Set after the Half Agony, Half Hope timestamp, established relationship Steve/Tony.

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When Steve goes to his room to fetch his jacket, Tony is there.

Now, Tony being in Steve’s room isn’t cause for comment these days – he spends more time in the main building now anyways – but what’s unusual is that Tony is carrying a handful of his shirts, still with their hangers in, and is standing in front of Steve’s wardrobe.

“What?” Steve says.

“We’re going to have to do something about this.” Tony tosses his shirts at the bed, and waves a hand expansively at the wardrobe. “It’s nice, I like it, but can I break a wall somewhere? No one’s on this side, right?” He suddenly registers Steve’s befuddled expression, and says, “You asked me to move in.”

“I did?” Steve adds quickly, “Wait, yes, I want that, I’d love for you to move in, but… I asked you? When?”

“Last night. Did we not…?” Tony scratches his chin. “Right, I slept in. Anyway, yes. You, um. You said it feels more like home when I’m here.” He looks uncertain for a brief, awful second, but it disappears the moment Steve smiles and starts walking towards him. “Okay, that’s good to know.”

“That’s great, thank you.” Steve takes Tony’s hand and presses a quick kiss by the thumb, which makes Tony clear his throat self-consciously, as though he isn’t well used to that. “Wish I could remember – oh. I had a nightmare, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. That happen a lot?”

“Sometimes,” Steve admits. “Doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s really intense. It feels so real.”

Tony nods sympathetically. “Like a flashback?”

“No, it’s…” Steve trails off, just as the sleep-hazy memory completes itself. “The nightmare’s about you.”

“Me?” Tony says, surprised. “You dream that I get hurt?”

“No, I dream that you’re not there.” A shiver moves up Steve’s spine, though the nightmare feels far less urgent in broad daylight. “It’s as though by pretending that you don’t exist, I made it that you don’t exist, so by the time I wanted to look for you… there’s nothing to find. I’d search and search and search, but no one’s ever heard of you.” Steve realizes that Tony’s stepped a little closer, their arms brushing. “It’s awful.”

Tony hums thoughtfully. “Is it awful because you can’t find me, or because you are the one who made me disappear?”

Steve’s breath catches. “Both. Both are – it’s…” The sentence can’t complete itself, lodged in the thick of Steve’s throat.

But Tony’s moving again, coming to plant his feet in front of Steve and wind both arms around Steve’s waist. Tony’s hold is usually lazy and gentle, but right now his touch is firm, as though he’s trying to lift Steve right off the ground. But the purpose is clear – he’s providing a grounding sensation. Evidence through touch that Tony is right here.

Of course Tony would know to do that. Steve returns his gaze, marvels all over again that through their years apart, his memory could never properly recall the intensity of Tony’s dark brown eyes.

“I’m real,” Tony says. “I’m here.”

Steve exhales. “Thank you.”

“So that’s what you meant,” Tony says slowly. “Thought it would be something I could make fun of you for. Oh well.”

“I’m sure I’ll give you more material for that,” Steve says.

“True.” Tony squints up at Steve. “Want to make out for a bit?”

“I actually need to leave, Sam’s waiting for me,” Steve says, eye catching the jacket that he came for. “But uh. Can I hold you for a moment?”

“We’re already holding—” Tony exhales when Steve pulls him into a hug, complete with burying his face into Tony’s neck. Tony relaxes right into it, with a small sigh that sends tingles down to Steve’s toes. “That kind of holding. Yep, this is awesome, too.”

#scaramouche answers asks #anonymous #scaramouche writes superhusbands fic #verse: half agony half hope