#just realized how my brain accidentally loves symbolism

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Your daily dose of Nocorro angst, good eats:

I'm not putting in @spicymiilk 's ideas in case he uses them, but dear god I would pay real money for my accidentally mated au to be written thank u.

-Part of me thinks there should be a fucking medieval au type thing where Neteyam is the next prince to take over the kingdom passed down via Neytiri's line. I just love the idea of Spider as a fucking Theon Greyjoy type son of the enemy raised by the family, and that’s why Neytiri doesn’t trust him or some shit it’s so juicy. Can't you all see it now it's so good, the star crossed horror of it all.

-The additional Neytiri/Neteyam parallel that comes out in nocorro. They both have forbidden alien romances, and yet Neytiri wouldn't respect or understand Neteyam's without a lot of work. THE SYMBOLIC T R A G E D Y. We could have a moment of Mo'at being like, "Get it together, I accepted your freak. I even like him better than you now sometimes."

-I am currently deeply obsessed with the bonds Na'vi form with their mates. Every author has played with bonds differently, but I feel like a lot of fics have mentioned this concept of being able to feel each others emotions. The fact that the bond is like, more raw and important in the beginning. So Spider and Neteyam keeping their relationship hidden, being separate and secret would be like almost painful. I am so so invested in that idea I want to know More. Like they Have to be near each other, like touch and shit is essential for a healthy bond at first and they’re just like fucking it up. I want to explore Na'vi bond concepts so bad, with some lovely hurt comfort of nocorro being forced apart at the worst time.

-I even like the concept of them being in a healthy, normal relationship, right? They are newly bonded, and everyone loved and supported them from the beginning or what not. They wanted to get mated before the train raid just in case, and then Spider gets fucking taken lol. Tragedy, they AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE APART, the drama of it all.

-I made that soulmate au post where I did all the different types of soulmate aus I could think of and with the one where they can feel and take each others pain I WENT STRAIGHT TO NOCORRO RIGHT AWAY. There’s something so funny and horrifying about spider getting taken and Jake being like “alright go learn an entire new culture” and Neteyam's like on the ground half dead like “but dad I feel like I’m being brain tortured”.

-Neteyam would be so fucking angsty and reckless at Awa'atlu in this au. He feels all of Spider's pain, so he's terrified and scared BUT ALSO CRANKY. He’s saying slightly rude things to his parents and he’s beating the shit out of Ao’nung before Lo’ak can even try. Man is testy. And he's shit at learning to breathe, he is not feeling calm or patient.

-The soulmate au where you can take the others wounds, imagine Spider taking the bullet wound even after they have a (spider inflicted cause he gets hurt more often) pact to not take each others wounds and pain. Horrifying. I have been wondering about the logistics tho, because Spider's body is proportionally different than Neteyam's, would the wound appear somewhere else on his body that would help him possibly survive? I can't decide.

-Oh my god also a version where they hadn't realized yet they were soulmates. Neteyam's all of a sudden devastated and horrified that he's alive at the cost of his soulmate, one he never got to meet, only to look over and notice Spider keeling over. TRAGEDY. pLS I need comfort fics too.

-There’s enough torture porn in this fandom I’m waiting for my Spider romcom. I want to be surprised by how right things start going for my boy, it's never surprising when all the things go bad all the time for him. I want that fucking fast food nocorro au I got so into. I want my soulmate au but they notice from the beginning so they accept him and raise him or something.

-Speaking of a little modern nocorro romcom (still with plenty of angst tho) I’m telling you I’m right Neteyam is P E A K I can fix him. He clocks Spider and is like “now there’s a boy I can fix (sexual).” His sexuality is will my dick cure him? Yes.

-Spider like, coughs once and Neteyam's like that sickly little loser of a man is Mine now, wow. Wow I am going to Save him and it'll be so satisfying. The man has a savior complex you can't convince me otherwise. That meme like "if I had a lame ass boyfriend I would hype him up so hard," that's Neteyam.

-I've always thought that Neteyam and Spider's problems and fights would always be over Neteyam trying to fix all of Spider's problems. Like Spider is just venting about his dad and Neteyam is like "so I'm on the phone with CPS and we're filing a report" and Spider's like "oh my fucking god I just wanted you to listen??" And Neteyam's like but babe I can fix it.

-Neteyam's GROWTH is him like learning to grit his teeth and literally sit on his hands as he forces himself to let Spider have his own problem instead of Babygirl-ifying him. He's literally Too Pure Too Good For This World in the most annoying way possible, he thinks everything can be fixed but maybe Spider's just gotta be broke, we can't superglue this one back together.

-Then Spider's like what if he won't like me if I'm not broken anyway? And it's a whole other complex and a whole other set of issues.

I hope you've enjoyed this word vomit of terrible angst, I need help and I need fluff.

#thank u to andrei for making sure i got literally nothing done all day #and at one point while we were talking I glanced up at work and noticed one kid had another kid in a headlock #and i'd been letting it happen in favor of this #neteyam sully #miles spider socorro #spider socorro #nocorro #neytiri sully #mo'at #jake sully #ao'nung #avatar #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #we are mindmelding get in

[jay-anxiety]

Tony Stark x Fem!Reader

“Conditions”

Warnings and notes: so incredibly cheesy and cute it hurt my teeth, mentions of previous relationships, Tony has no idea how to express his feelings without being a classic rich boy, fade to black relationship, love confessions, maybe a few changes from past to present tense on accident (I’m sorry ok 😭)

Anyways, enjoy 💕💕

———————————————————————————-

Being a hero and a billionaire was one thing.

Being in love was a completely different monster. One that Tony had no Idea how to fight.

At first, denial ate at his core. He can’t be in love with anyone, he’s a playboy. That’s his thing. But when he found himself in bed with a ten out of ten model and all he could think of was you, that’s when it hit him.

Every time he talked to one of the stunners that had dollar signs or status symbols in their pupils, he found himself disgusted. He never used to, he often used that effect to get what he wanted. He never had any problem being seen as a conquest, especially by women. But, after he had been treated with such humanity and gentleness he got from you, he found himself repulsed by anyone who wasn’t you.

And it’s not even like you didn’t see his wealth and power, of course you did. You weren’t blind nor stupid. The difference was that you didn’t try to benefit from it. The focus you had on him was genuine and you never felt the need to be compensated for your tenderness. That baffled him, if he was being honest.

Tony was impulsive and brash and rude to almost everyone, he knew that a long time ago. But when he spends time with you, even the two of you aren’t alone, he finds himself being nicer. Sweeter. That rough, narcissistic front he gives to the world softens a bit. The anxiety that chews at every muscle in his body loses the sharpness in its teeth. He feels safer, calmer.

You’re behavior toward him certainly didn’t help that. You took care of him, making him meals when he forgot to eat while in his lab, dragging him away from all the chaos to have a simple meal and light conversation. That smile of yours tugged in his heart, the strings nearly breaking, only for you to re-tune him and calm him down with the sweet melody of your laugh. The way you asked him questions that you knew the answers to about his own health, that you seemed to care about more than he did, made him melt into a puddle of vulnerability on the cold tile.

And you were never truly mad at him. He pissed you off to lengths you didn’t know existed before him, but you would never yell or try to make him feel bad when he accidentally did something to upset you. You always took deep breaths and talked it out with him. Speaking softly to him wasn’t something he was used to with anyone but any stretch of imagination. He loved it. He was always on his best behavior with you, he wanted to make you as happy as you could be. He was so incredibly taken by you.

And away from his knowledge, you were just as taken with him. That charm and sense of humor that made you laugh till you cried. That small smile he gave you when in public and that sweet grin he showed you when it was just the two of you made your heart swell. That brain of his was a sight to behold, genius and kind. As much as you enjoyed that entertainer personality he gave everyone, you enjoyed the quiet content the two of you felt when you stayed up late nights with him in his lab so he wouldn’t be alone just as much. The depth in his eyes and the stories his soul had to tell grabbed you by the heart and squeezed, but you find yourself not minding it so much.

All of this led him to the realization that he loved you. Once the realization hit him like a freight train, he pampered the living hell out of you. He never wanted that feeling of being cared for to go away, so he overcompensated. He showered you with gifts, everything that you even offhandedly mentioned would be nice to have, you had it.

And when you got mad at him for it, he felt totally useless.

“Tony! Oh my god, what is wrong with you? I know how much that costed, why would you do that?” You ask, baffled by an elaborate gift that suddenly showed up at your doorstep with a shiny red bow and his dopey grin.

“You said you wanted one, didn’t you?” He’s just as confused as you are. His heart sinks to his stomach as he thinks he might have upset you.

“Yes, Tony. It’s lovely, it is, but you cannot spend that much money on me. I’d literally never be able to pay it back and I’ve done nothing do deserve it,” you cup your jaw in your hands as you wrack your brain about what you could have done to warrant a gift like that.

“Woah there, sweetheart. You’re not paying me back, this is a gift. And you absolutely deserve it for putting up with me for this long. Cant leave ya underpaid for that position,” he uses that charm and self deprecating humor that everyone always loved to lighten the mood. He smirks and sticks his hands in his pockets, trying to hold that calm and collected exterior he always did. In reality, his heart rate and blood pressure are both through the roof and he picks at his cuticles while his hands are hidden.

“Tony, I don’t need to be compensated for sticking around, I care about you. I never ever wanted you to think that was conditional,” you walk closer to him, frantically gesturing with your hands as you sputter. You never wanted him to think that you were taking advantage of him, you loved him even if you were too nervous to say it.

His eyes widen and he fears his heart may have just stopped in his chest. He never saw it that way. He wanted you to stay, he thought the only way that you would love him is if he showered you in monetary affection.

“I just… I thought it would make you happy.”

“I am happy, Tony. With you, that’s all I want. Your gifts are amazing and completely beyond my imagination but I don’t care about that. You never have to pay me for me to love you. I love you because you’re you,” you blurt, not even realizing what you confessed. The words coming out so easily in your shock hazed state, they sound so easy. So natural, like your voice was designed just to tell him so.

“You… you love me?” He’s so shocked he doesn’t even think. He stopped listening after that, and it seems that your voiced affection was all he heard, all he needed.

You freeze, finally realizing what you said. The heat creeps up your neck and you think about sprinting back into your house and crawling under the bed. Instead, you say, “Yeah, Tony. I do.” Your voice is shaking and so are your hands.

That stupid, gorgeous grin comes back on his face as his anxiety turns to elated relief. He walks up to you, so close that your chests almost touch.

“I love you too. So goddamn much,” his hand comes up and rests on your cheek.

The second that comes out of his mouth, your heart tries to escape out of your throat and the heat in your cheeks is near the point of physical discomfort. “You do?”

This time, he doesn’t say anything. But he does kiss you. It’s an Earth shattering, mind altering kiss. You wonder for a moment how you ever survived before without feeling his lips on yours. It feels like that romance movie moment of every girl’s dream and it feels as if you’ve won the lottery. Your hands come up to his chest and you clench his shirt in your fists.

His heartbeat is not any slower than yours as all the love he feels for you spills out of his mouth and into yours. He feels almost pathetic the way he clings to you, but he can’t ultimately bring himself to care. He wraps himself in that unconditional love and affection that you provide and his tortured soul feels healed. Never in his entire life has he felt as content as he does now.

#tony stark #tony stark x reader #tony stark mcu #mcu x reader #tony stark x fem!reader

[1pcii]

SHADAHKNKAS saw u in the notes of some kuina posts and that made me realize that there is simply a bond with kuina and tashigi fans, who may even often be the same fan, because AOUGHHH KUINA I CARE HIM SO MUCH episode 19 literally changed me forever. swords + gender struggles are all you need to hook me on a character sometimes Maybe. the whole greatest swordsman promise... sob. also. something about zoro promising his name will reach the heavens and trans kuina. which made me think.. what if kuina and The trans fear of dying then having your deadname on your tombstone that you can't do anything about because you're dead. kuina dying before they even get to figure everything out and all of a sudden he's just known as kuina forever, and then zoro making a name for himself in kuina's honor or something idk (i like zoro's backstory) (KUINA )

THERE ISS. people who theorise that they are secretly related or the same person or direct parallels are so close to getting it but don't imo (no shade to those theories tho, I just personally find them narratively unsatisfying).

like they are parallels in that kuina is symbolic of the sexism people suffer and tashigi is an adult woman who has come out the other end sword swinging but ultimately so unsure of herself as a result. also the (trans)genderisms, we are all hand in hand 🤝.

MAN KUINAS STORY BROKE ME DOWN ON A BASE LEVEL AND REWIRED NY BRAIN. I had to take a break from reading just to let it soak in it's so good, a swordsmans promise indeed, that scene was beautiful, I love zoro the world's first a accidental feminist <3. zoro carrying on her dream with his will never not have me in hysterics.

FUCK YEA THATS SUCH A GOOD IDEA. I have soo many thoughts about baby!zoro and kuina and trangenderism. egg kuina cis zoro, egg kuina STEALTH TRANS ZORO ABSVDJFBKSHDKDN <333.

little baby zoro looking at his grave with the uncontrollable urge to carve out those letters. to carry and rearrange them and make sure they get back to him in the afterlife spelling 'worlds greatest swordsman'.

trans kuina makes me so emotional because ultimately I don't know if they were canonically trans but it's my FAVOURITE 'what if' for them. they never really got to be anyone outside the dojo masters daughter. the failure of a heir and the girl who beat zoro 2001 times. who would they have been if they got to grow up? come to terms with themselves and unlearned all that heavy, painful biases pushed onto them? as a transmasc who's studying into a (cis)male dominated field myself ik, the feelings of 'betrayal' and 'proving misogynists right' and imposter syndrome and inadequacy issues and perfectionism they might've gone through,,, sobbing my eyes out HE MEANS EVERYTHING TO MEE.

zoros backstory is genuinely one of my favourite parts of the manga idc how 'simple' it was it's still beautiful.

#kuina being the greatest swordsman of heaven and zoro being the greatest in hell. and they're besties and everything is good and nice :') #I fucking love him so much it's insane #him and zoro and koushiro are such interesting characters it's kinda a shame all ppl rlly focus on is the mundanity of their death and #how it 'sets a tone' and establishes a sence or mortality for zoro #like those things are important but let's talk about HER TOO!!! #the girl who wanted to be a 'boy' for her dream #who started out in self hatred but could've maybe grown to love of masculinity when exposed to healthy example of it #and I learning the internalized misogyny implanted by his father from within #psii.txt #text #ask #the-neighbours-kid #shimotsuki kuina #<-ooh using the official character tag for organising so if you see this in tag search I have a zero tolerance for ppl calling me or anyone #else a misogynist for having this hc. EPS my fellow transmascs who know what we're talking about #I will just block you #anyway cookie TY FOR SENDING THIS ASK YOU DONT KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE KUINA... SHAKING UR HAND RN THEY ARE SO FUCKING GENDER 🤝🤝🤝 #trans headcanon #trans kuina #trans zoro

[twomiddlefingersforthehaters]

I stopped watching Naruto when I got to the 'Wave arc episode', Idk what was the reason (I forgot), this happened 6 years ago. It was on my 'watch later' list, but it took me three years to re-open it. It happened when I accidentally discovered a fan fiction about Naruto and Sasuke. Curiously, I opened it and it was full of names like 'Sasunaru' , but at the time Idk it had also 'Narusasu'. Idk it was about who was 'top' and who was 'bottom'. But my dumbass brain thought it was 'just' a name, nothing more. After reading it I don't understand why it felt like something was missing even though I hadn't seen (Naruto) in years (but don't forget that I never saw them in their teenage days eps). so I ended up not liking it. I'm extremely Sorry if my words offended any fanfic writers or DJ artists. I appreciate how much effort you all put in there. Then I wondered what made them 'ship' these two characters so much. Idk why I always accidentally find something about 'Naruto'. And that accident was this panel:

And I was like, 'OMG! Whoever this fan artist of N&S they're so fucking talented! This ship has got very talented artists. Look at all those details, there's so much pain and longing in his eyes, like he can't be separated from him. Heartbreaking art!! I love it!!

Then I came to the shocking realization that it was actually drawn by the mangaka himself and was a panel from the manga. My jaw dropped in shock. After that I came to the conclusion, "If I got that much details just looking at that art then there's something big going on there, better read it ASAP." Man! I cried so ugly. The way he gives so much symbolism to his characters and the well-balanced chemistry between them but above all the poetic visualisations… overflowing emotions.... Cant express in words... When I got to ch.698 and Sasuke's monologue I choked up while crying. Naruto completely broke me mentally and emotionally. I still remember my mom asking me, "Why are you so depressed?? Did you read something you shouldn't ?? I think that 'book' is the reason you are like this, isn't it?" yes, 100% these two boys are the main reason. Then I looked for a place to express my love for these two gay ninjas. And I finally found Tumblr. I'm moved to see that a whole family is here, but a little sad that some of them are deactivated (I don't blame them, it's their life, it's their choice. I respect that.) I don't even know when I will deactivate hehe. The forgotten part accidentally reappeared, and that was the best blessing. SNS was my first ship. Even though they are fictional characters, tears well up in my eyes whenever I think about them. My love for these two will never end.

#personal #This is my diary on how I started shipping Naruto and Sasuke

[ramadoodles]

Painting Deep Dive: Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan

Masterlist

I have to confess, the first time I saw this painting, it instantly brought to mind Saturn devouring his son by Goya, comparison below-

I absolutely hate Saturn devouring his son (I cannot express enough how vile I find all of the Black Paintings, but especially this one), so when I saw Ivan, I thought "why is he eating his kid? I mean he was called Ivan the Terrible for a reason, I guess." and proceeded to ignore this painting for the next two years. Then I accidentally landed on the Wikipedia page for Ivan and got blown away by the meaning, so now it's bumped up into my Reluctant Favourites list.

What's this painting about, and why should you care?

"Ivan the terrible and his son Ivan" was painted by Ilya Repin between 1883 and 1885. It's a painting which shows Ivan IV, or Ivan the Terrible, cradling his son, the crown prince Ivan Ivanovich, after he had struck him on the head in a fit of rage.

The most popular story goes that Ivan Senior saw Ivan Junior's pregnant wife walking by in very thin clothing for the time, so he beat her up and caused her to miscarry her child. Ivan Junior grew so angry that he argued with his father, and Ivan senior struck him with his scepter in a fit of rage. Realizing that he had killed the only fit heir for his throne, and also his son, he then gathered him up in his arms and wailed in grief. Ivan Ivanovich died from complications related to the brain injury three days later.

It's important to note that this probably didn't happen in real life. Contemporary sources only record the death of the Crown Prince, not the manner of death or that it was a murder. The first source which mentions this story was published at least 5 years after the death in question. This source was of course printed in a journal and thus spread like wildfire among the masses, cementing this story in the minds of the public. (I love mass media just as much as the next guy, but sometimes I really, really hate it.)

(Also, killing your son with the symbol of your power, thus juxtaposing your two sides as father and emperor, is just a bit too poetic for me to assume it actually happened.)

Why I absolutely love it- On closer inspection, the remorse and forgiveness is shown beautifully. The older Ivan's eyes, the younger Ivan's hand comforting his father, the details like the nosebleed and teardrop (I LOVE THIS TEARDROP OK. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL.) It is just such a beautiful example of realism.

So much detail packed in this one section. Look at those eyes. That blood. THAT TEARDROP. THE PEARLS ON HIS SHIRT COLLAR. THOSE EYES. THIS IS PERFECT OK I WILL NOT TAKE CRITICISM.

Controversies:

As you may well imagine, this painting was not received well by the then monarch Alexander III, due to the painting implying that his ancestor killed his own son. Ivan was banned from viewings for three months after it was first exhibited, and there was significant controversy over the fact that the painting depicted what many considered the wrong sequence of events. There is no concrete proof that Ivan Junior was killed by Ivan Senior, and I guess people didn't like the thought of one of Russia's greatest Tsars being an abusive person and committing filicide.

In 1913, local iconoclast Abram Balashov slashed the painting, leaving three scars on the face of Ivan Senior. This was terrible damage to one of the most expressive features of the painting; thankfully, Ilya Repin was still alive and was able to restore the painting to his original vision. When the painting was again vandalised in 2018, they didn't have Ilya on their side- but thankfully, the damage was less critical, not touching the faces or hands of the figures.

For some context, this is the damage done in 1913 and 2018-

As of now, the painting is in the process of restoration and will someday (hopefully) be exhibited once again.

#art #artists on tumblr #deep dives #paintings #Ivan the terrible and his son Ivan #I will not shut up about this painting for the next three days #that is a threat

[wutheringmights]

I'm very curious about any director's commentary you might have for the latest chapter!

You know I am always down to over explain my writing

Last chapter's flashback was going to go until Spirit and Mask's reunion, but I had to cut it for space. It reappeared here, but it lacks the impact I originally wanted it to have, which sucks

You were supposed to see Spirit hug Mask and wonder to yourself what was going through his head and if he would blame Mask for his predicament, but that! Did not happen!

This chapter also proves that from the beginning, I should have had one of the significant OCs be a general who would represent all of the nobles. I had initially cut that idea in order to a) avoid accidentally implying that the military was bad because of one person, b) show how interchangeable the nobles were to Warriors, and c) give Zelda a bigger role as a symbol of the military.

But look at me! Making up a whole dude to give a speech about lambs.

Speaking of lambs, I stole that metaphor from a homily I heard at church when I was a teen. The priest meant for it to be a lesson about how life's difficulties bring up closer to Jesus, but I always thought the metaphor was super screwed up and I have been saving it for a moment like this

Weirdly enough, my favorite Spirit bit isn't in the flashback but in the present day, when Wind reads his journal

First off, it's the only time in the story we're given Spirit's perspective on something without it first going through Warriors's lens

Second, I've used it to pre-emptively fill in the story gaps for the upcoming plot developments in the flashback. In the past, Warriors never saw everything Spirit did to sort of beat him at his own game. But you the reader will now know going forward that Spirit put a lot of effort and planning into figuring out what to do

And third, there is a very important word choice Spirit uses in his journal that shows how far he was willing to go to beat Warriors, which as far as I'm aware, no one has picked up on yet

Speaking of the present day, that argument the Chain had was a bitch to write

Favorite moments include Hyrule drawing his sword and Time's breaking point being Warriors insulting Spirit

(Also Time only realizing now, in the present, that Warriors was the one who broke Spirit's shoulder all those years ago)

Least favorite moment was Twilight breaking the coffee table. I wanted it to happen, but a part of me feels like it was a little out of character for him

Warriors's conversation with Midna came to me, like, a day before I wrote it. And I'm glad I included it since I love getting these two to talk shop with each other

Lincoln's emotional issues are something I have been dropping as many hints about as I could, but I'm worried it seemed a little forced. My idea was that Warriors was so self-involved that he always assumed everything Lincoln did was to spite him, which blinded him to seeing any real humanity in Lincoln.

I really like that idea, but a part of me is worried that the realization that Lincoln had this deep relationship with Orlanda and this internal conflict about his role in the war now feels forced

I am also half convinced that the black-blood reveal does not work and you're all just being nice lmao

I almost named the present day section of the chapter "The Prodigal Son" in reference to Warriors begging Lincoln for help, but I didn't want to imply that their relationship was entirely fixed

When I was planning out this story, I knew that there was going to be this bit about having to get rid of Warriors's Triforce mark, and I cycled through a lot of different methods of doing that, including burning his hand completely and chomping the whole thing off

I went with flaying his hand because it was the most fucked up

There is a very immediate and dire consequence to Shigeo flaying Warriors's hand. It's a status quo altering level consequence. My original plan was to end the chapter with the consequence, but my 2am brain was convinced it would be better to open Act 4 with it

And my brain is finally unfried enough to realize how stupid of an idea that was

Like the Act system is meaningless!!! And wouldn't starting a chapter with that consequence undermine it's impact??

So yeah I'm now mad at my past self. Plus I now I have to figure out a way to write the consequence as a compelling opener to the next present day section

This wouldn't have happened if I didn't write half the chapter in one day

Goddamn it

#so much of this chapter is a blur #like if you want specific thoughts about most of this you're going to have to ask #I am so happy i'm going on vacation cause I cannot think about doing anything with the written word for another week #me rambling #lu ctb #linked universe #linkeduniverse #ask #anonymous #lu warriors

[bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky]

Souvenirs & Keepsakes | Bucky Barnes x Reader

Hi, friends! I hope you'll all enjoy this quick lil thing I wrote while my students were at lunch. Have a lovely day :)

As always, send any comments, questions, or suggestions my way!🥰

Tag list: @beefybuckrrito, @everything-burns-down, @shadytalementality, @rainbow-unicorn-pony, @mandersshow 💘

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

Hurried hands pulled open drawers and pushed apart hangers in search of your favorite sweatshirt from college. The leaves outside your window turned a tawny color and a chill took up residence in the air. It was time for you to break out your cozy clothes.

But when you searched yesterday, you came up empty. And you came to the realization that when you stowed away your winter clothes last year, you'd clearly put your favorite sweatshirt in the wrong place. It was nowhere to be found and you made it your mission to locate it before the first snowfall.

"Alright, it's not in the hall closet or the armoire in the guest room. Anywhere else you think it might be?" Bucky already thoroughly searched his own closet and dresser, just in case you'd accidentally stored it there.

"Ummm, I don't think so. Sorry to rope you into this search and rescue just for an old sweatshirt".

Bucky's large hands snaked their way up your back and firmly gripped your shoulders, rubbing some of the tension out of your muscles. "Don't apologize. We'll find it, sweets. I'll go check the laundry room just in case.”

Armed with your phone’ flashlight, you disappeared under the bed. Maybe you accidentally stuffed your sweatshirt under there and forgot. The items beneath your bed didn’t provide promise. You counted one pair of old running shoes, a pile of clothes you kept forgetting to donate, Bucky's extra tactical gear, too many stray bobby pins to count, and a medium sized, unmarked black box. It rested almost completely behind the clothes you'd set aside for donation, almost completely out of sight.

"Found it!" It had to be in this box.

You pushed past the pile of old clothes and gripped the box, pulling it toward you. No memories of this nondescript black box surfaced, no matter how hard you racked your brain. Bucky had only moved in four months ago, and you were fairly certain it hadn't been there when you helped him with his things. With a shrug, you wriggled your way out from under your bed.

You turned toward the door, planning on triumphantly showing Bucky that you'd found your sweatshirt, but you instead collided with his massive, muscled body. In your moment of clumsiness, the box flew out of your hands and across the room. As it landed on the floor, the lid fell off and Bucky's eyes widened as the contents spilled out.

A few knives and a strange looking black, mask-like thing tumbled out and came to rest on the floor. Bucky seemed completely frozen as you made your away to the items and examined them closer. A creepy insignia was embossed on the handle of each knife, and when you realized the symbol belonged to Hydra, your heart sank. The mask appeared to have been molded specifically to fit someone's face- Bucky's face. A chill ran down your spine and your hands shook as you reached out to pick up the mask- the muzzle- Bucky had worn as The Winter Soldier.

"Baby, wait-" Bucky almost-whispered as he watched you examine the souvenirs he'd kept from his dark days.

"W-why do you still have this?" you turned to face him, your eyes filling with a few involuntary tears.

Bucky dropped his head for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I can explain".

“Please…”

With trepidation, he made his way over to you and took the mask from your hands, looking down at it with uncomfortable familiarity. "I didn't keep it because I want it", he said. "It's just that... so much of my life was erased. I have almost zero memories, and I'm over a hundred years old". A sad smile flickered across his face as he thought back on the few memories he did have, and you realized that they were probably all unpleasant.

"And most of the memories I do have- I'm not even sure if they're real, sometimes. So much weird shit has happened to me and- every now and then I need a reminder that my um... that my Winter Soldier days even happened, you know? A reminder that I'm not crazy..."

His eyes flicked up to yours, and he instantly smiled. "See, I still have these too," he said, as he reached out and played with his dog tags that had found a home around your neck. "They don't necessarily remind me of the best times either, but... it's something".

You brought your hand up to meet his and locked your fingers together. "I'm sorry, Buck. I didn't mean to assume anything, I just- I really didn't expect to find this under our bed". He shook his head and pulled you in close to him, giving you a tight squeeze. "Don't apologize. This is your place. I probably should've told you I was bringing that with me instead of just squirreling it away under the bed."

You pulled away, and gazed up into his kind, blue eyes. "This is our place now- this is your home. And if you need to keep these things, then keep them, Buck." He brushed a stray strand of hair out of your face and tucked it gently behind your ear. "You know, I keep good reminders, too," he began. "I have a matchbook from our first date, ticket stubs from every movie we've seen together, the 'I love you' post it note you left on the bathroom mirror when you left town for work... I keep it all."

#bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #james buchanan bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #bucky fluff #bucky fic #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x you #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky barnes reader insert #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x reader fluff #bucky barnes x yn #bucky fanfic #bucky fanfiction #bucky x female reader #bucky x y/n #bucky x you #fatws bucky

[1kook]

commercial break ; NINE

this is part of my netflix & chill series!

SUMMARY “I think that, like— me and you? We’re like, totally destined,” you ramble, “you should, like, take my number! And maybe we can, like— Netflix and chill one of these days?” WARNING angst with implied smut at the end!!, flashbacks, low self esteem, alcohol consumption, jk is (implied) a virgin in this, there’s a lil fondling by oc u know the usual  MISC they r soulmates <3, our queen doyeon returns, i tried to use symbolism👁 in the dialogue so yes everything drunk oc says has a meaning hehe RATING m bc alcohol WC 2.2k

NOTES i said once a long time ago that n&c couple were prolly at the same party once but didn't realize so hERE WE GO ! its not proofread bc um. yeah<3

Homecoming week. 

Jungkook doesn’t even think his university’s football team is good, but he had read somewhere that part of the college experience is obnoxiously supporting this team all four years. And well. Jungkook wants to fit in. Frankly, Jungkook feels a little dumb having accepted this invitation from Kim Taehyung from his first-year writing class. He’s only known the man a solid four weeks, probably won’t know him this well once Taehyung finds real friends, ones who suit his outgoing personality, and decides Jungkook is too boring, but Jungkook will make the best of it while he can because, again, he wants to fit in. Badly. It’ll be different this time, he had told himself while getting ready. You won’t be awkward anymore. You’ll make friends. 

And then it’s nearing midnight and Jungkook has spoken to a whopping two people at this party of over a hundred. Not including Taehyung, it’s down to one. Even that had only been to ask where the bathroom was. He feels severely out of place, like he’s both too large and too small to be in this area, to be at this party, so he shuffles into the kitchen when he hears them call for another match of beer pong. He’s actually pretty good at the game, has refined his skills at get togethers with his older cousins. But it’s not like anyone here wants to be Jungkook’s partner anyway. Or even knows who he is for that matter. 

Taehyung had bumped into him a little past ten, had had two girls clinging to his sides when he had greeted Jungkook. One of them had almost looked tempted, Jungkook wanted to believe, brushing her hand against his arm. But he didn’t act quick enough— what would he even have done? what did he even want? —and Taehyung disappeared with both girls soon after, leaving Jungkook by himself once more. 

The kitchen is empty, the drinks long since having migrated to the living area of this huge frat. With a defeated sigh, Jungkook sinks back against one of the counters, setting his lukewarm cup of beer down beside him. He’s buzzed, drank in a feeble attempt to ‘lose himself’ as all the movies claimed. But now all he can feel is a pounding headache threatening to consume him. He doesn’t even like drinking— why did he drink this much? 

He should go home. 

Events like this, parties like this— they weren’t meant for someone like Jungkook. He was too quiet, too shy to let loose like everyone else. He doesn’t do well in social situations, or at least not as well as his therapist had told him he would. He hesitates too much, never speaks when he needs to. Haerim from his freshman basics class had even said so. “You’re quiet, huh,” she had smiled, and when her notebook had touched his elbow, he flinched. She didn’t take it to heart. Just like Taehyung wouldn’t if he left right now. They know how he is. He doesn’t belong here. These types of parties were made for outgoing people, people who lived on the edge, people who weren’t trapped in their own thoughts all the time, people like—

Like the girl who stumbles through the doorway now. “Woooo,” she slurs, and then promptly faceplants into the dirty tile of the kitchen, the same tile littered with sticky footprints and random debris. He can’t even imagine what else is on the floor of a frat house mid-party. Jungkook flinches at the sound of her knee hitting the ground, before rushing over to help her up. 

She’s a giggling mess, eyes half shut by the time Jungkook gets her into a seated position. “Are you okay?” he flounders, hand on her shoulder when she wobbles again, nearly falls back down. 

“Just peachy,” she sings, flashing him a sloppy thumbs up. Her neck isn’t doing a particularly good job of holding her head up and when Jungkook places a hand on the back of her head, she leans into it, blissful smile on her face. She’s really pretty, it makes Jungkook’s cheeks burn when she aims it at him next. “Pucca loves Garu,” she lets him know, eyes finally fluttering open. “He’s a pretty boy.”

Jungkook blinks. He has no idea what you’re talking about. “Huh?” he stutters, glancing back at the bar stool by the counter instead. It’s probably infinitely times better than the sticky tile beneath your bare legs. “I’m gonna stand you up,” he tells you, taking your loud cackle as a sign that you’re okay with it. Jungkook’s been working out all summer, so you’re not heavy in the slightest, arms thrown around his shoulders while he slips his own around your back. Your proximity leaves him drowning in your scent. 

The giggles don’t subside when he sits you down, not even when he begins opening random cabinets in search of a glass to get you some water. He’s had his fair share of experiences looking after drunk people, so he has a pretty good idea of what to do now. However, your sudden bout of commentary certainly doesn’t make it easier. “Isn’t it, like, super cool how the sun and the moon are, like—“ a hiccup, Jungkook settles on tap water “tooootally different beings, but, like— they, like, both maintain the earth?” Your hand reaches for his forearm when he returns, gives him this little squeeze in your excitement. “Like— Like they both have to, like— work together? To keep it perfect, y’know?” 

Jungkook pushes the water into your hands. You’ve got this sparkly sheen to your eyes, the one that most people get after one too many drinks, but it’s accompanied by this childlike wonder that leaves Jungkook breathless when you meet his gaze. “Yeah,” he says quietly. You beam. It’s blinding. So blinding that Jungkook promptly looks away, nudging the cup in your hands. “You need to drink this.”

You frown. “Boooo, so boring,” you huff. It’s nothing Jungkook hasn’t heard before, but it is a little disheartening to hear it from a stranger. He stamps the feeling down, pursing his lips as he gives up on letting you drink yourself. The cup is swiped from your hand and Jungkook tasks himself with making you drink it instead. And of course, like all wasted young adults, you put up a fight. “Ew, what is that?” you spit. 

Jungkook sighs. “Water.” 

At his defeated tone, the exaggerated grimace slips off your face, replaced with a rather solemn expression instead. Jungkook tries to take advantage of it and pushes the cup against your lip again, but all he really accomplishes is sloshing it down the front of your dress. You don’t yelp, but he does. “I’m so sorry,” he panics, sliding the sleeve of his shirt down around his thumb to wipe your chin. 

You let him, head tilted curiously to the side. Jungkook tries to ignore your analytical gaze until: “you’re cute,” you announce, and abruptly send him into shock. 

He recoils, face a blazing mess. “I’m—“ he chokes, swallowing when you wipe your hand down your own chest, leave a glistening layer of water over your sternum and down between your breasts. 

“Cute,” you repeat, downing the glass he had been trying to coax into you like it’s nothing now. With it gone, you don’t waste any time, throwing your hands around his shoulders, fingers brushing through the hair at the base of his neck. You pull him close, so close in fact, that he ends up having to hold the back of your chair to keep from accidentally crushing you with his weight. “Your name, pretty boy?” 

He can’t think. You’re so drunk and smell so good and are just so pretty— his brain short circuits. “Um I’m, uh, Jeon J—“

“Jeon,” you repeat, silly smile back on your face. You’re not technically wrong, so he nods along with a blush high on his cheeks. “Well, Jeon,” you purr, but you’re still so drunk, eyelids fluttering in a rather funny way. “I think that, like— me and you? We’re like, totally destined,” you ramble, “you should, like, take my number! And maybe we can, like— Netflix and chill one of these days?”

Jungkook doesn’t even know what that means, and honestly, he doesn’t really hear you over the thundering of his own heart and the bass in the other room. “Um, but you’re really…” he stammers, leaning back but a finger loops around one of his curls and he gasps when you pull at it. “You’re drunk,” he rushes out, lower lip trembling when your nose knocks against his. 

A soft hum, the sound sending electricity down his spine when you cup his cheek. “But don’t you think I’m pretty?” you murmur, eyes flickering to his mouth. 

“Yes,“ he chokes out, “you’re a very, very pretty girl. But I really shouldn’t—“

“Hey,” you shush, tilting his head just the slightest. Jungkook has never had a girl touch him like this, has never even touched a girl before either, but, well. He really wants to kiss you. And that’s saying a lot considering Jungkook has never kissed anyone before. 

Despite how good it feels, he knows you’re still really drunk. It’s with a decisive huff that he pushes away, hands on your waist to keep you from touching up on him any further. You’re not that strong anyway. And then he’s met with the biggest pout he’s ever seen, an absolutely distraught look on your face. 

Something in him says you’ll cry if he doesn’t explain himself soon, so he launches into it right away. “You’re very pretty,” he says, almost laughing at the way your entire face lights up immediately. “But you’re very drunk.” You huff. “You deserve to be treated like a queen.” Mostly regurgitating something he heard in a motivational video. 

It works. Eventually, you stop being fussy in his arms and settle with a frown. “You’re too nice,” you grumble, forehead on the countertop. He doesn’t see how it’s much better than the floor but he lets you be. “You got a girlfriend, don’t you?” 

At that, Jungkook laughs. “No,” he reassures you, hesitates, and then gently pats your back. Jungkook actually feels you melt under his touch. That sultry look is gone, replaced with this rather tranquil look that he doesn’t quite understand. 

“That was pretty,” you murmur, but Jungkook doesn’t quite hear. 

“What was that?” he asks.

“I said your smile was pre—“

“There you are!” someone hollers from the kitchen doorway, the shrill tone of their voice making both you and Jungkook jump. When he turns around, he’s met with the sight of a rather tall girl angrily stomping your way, eyes a blazing fire, fists clenched by her side. Jungkook realizes only a second too late that she’s looking at him. “Get off of her, you sweaty city-owned dumpster,” she hisses, using the strength of three football players to push Jungkook away. “You make me sick—“

“Doyeonie,” you beam, launching yourself into the angry girl’s arms. Ah. The Help had arrived. 

Said angry girl (Doyeonie?) is still using every mash-up of words possible to degrade Jungkook as she hauls you into her arms, shooting daggers every step of the way. “I can’t believe you would try to take advantage of a poor girl when she’s this drunk,” she spits. 

“What?” Jungkook coughs, cheeks warm. “I wasn’t—“

“Tell it to Campus Safety when I report you, you wannabe, dollar store Rain.” Jungkook clutches his chest at the acidity of her tongue, surprised anyone could be so mean. 

All things considered, this was actually good. Someone who knew you had come to take you to safety, meaning Jungkook didn’t have to look after you anymore. When this Doyeonie turns around, he’s met with your smiley face smushed against her shoulder. 

(It’s weird. He’s a little sad to see you go.) 

“Bye, Jeon,” you giggle, hand brushing down his arm, squeezing his hand, before you’re abruptly yanked away. Jungkook manages one weak wave, cheeks lit ablaze once more when you send him a silly air kiss from the doorway, urging him to catch it. He does, and he feels really silly when he puts it in his pocket, but he can hear your laughter for a second more before he loses you. 

The last few minutes being so hectic, he decides to go home. Parties weren’t really his thing. Jungkook doesn’t think he’ll ever go to one again. 

Until a few years later. 

“You’re, like, really pretty,” you slur, lips against his throat. Another invitation, this time, Taehyung’s birthday. His friend had practically begged him to come, knowing how Jungkook was. In the end, it had been you who had accepted on his behalf. 

“Baby, not here,” he laughs, hand on your shoulder when you try to shove your hand down his pants for the third time that night. 

Taehyung had been ecstatic to see Jungkook here. And then had quickly become annoyed when he caught the two of you making out in his storage closet an hour later. “Bro, don’t be that couple at parties,” he had groaned, locking the door behind him. 

Jungkook had laughed. “I wouldn’t know what ‘that couple’ is at parties,” he reminded him. 

Taehyung rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m sure your girlfriend can fill you in.”

Apparently not. You’ve been trying to kiss him for the past three minutes but keep missing because you’re so drunk. “Just one,” you beg, so pretty but so drunk. The fake lashes you’d worn today make you look like a doll, batting them his way until he’s giving in, slotting his lips against yours. You’re probably going to throw up in his bathroom when you get home, so he should make the best of your kisses now. Jungkook pushes that thought aside as he reaches a hand out to wipe at the sweat accumulating on your chest. There’s something weird about the gesture, like he’s done it before at another party. But that doesn’t make sense; he couldn't have— this is his first party with you. 

“We should, like, leave,” you whisper against his ear, fingers burying themselves in his hair; when you pull on a strand, he nearly moans. “Go home. Maybe netflix and—“ a hiccup that makes him smile “—chill?”

Jungkook kisses your temple. “Sounds good to me, pretty girl.”

Copyright © 2021, 1kook on tumblr. absolutely NO reposts allowed.

#bangtanhq #networkbangtan #jungkook fic #jeon jungkook fic #jungkook smut #jjk fic #jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook x reader #bts fic #mine

[grimfiendfyre]

Moshang AU where as a kid sqh was lonely and didn’t have any friends so he spent most of his time creating characters and stories since he was young, but he keeps having these strange dreams that feel so life-like where he keeps meeting the same person over and over again. He can’t touch anything in the dreams and nobody seems to be able to see or hear him except one boy. As the years pass and he starts writing more and more, he bases one of his big stories on the world of his dreams. Since he was a kid, he realizes that most people don’t have such reoccuring dreams like he does and a lot of people and other kids think he’s weird or something is wrong with him when he talks about his dreams so he stops talking about them and keeps them to himself. He thinks of the boy in his dreams as an imaginary friend that he must have made up out of his own loneliness. 

Meanwhile, the first time Mobei Jun meets this strange boy who appears to either be dead or some type of spirit is when he is a child in the water prison of Huan Hua Palace. At first Mobei Jun is terrified of the spirit thinking it might harm him too, but then he sees the spirit yell at the cultivator who hit him to leave mbj alone and stop picking on someone smaller than him. Imagine small 6-7 year old sqh just trying to kick the cultivator’s shin, but his leg keeps passing through the person’s body like he’s just a ghost or something. Even though sqh is like ‘this is all a dream’ he can’t help but feel bad for this boy in his ‘dreams’ so he tries to comfort the boy and stays with him until mbj is eventually rescued. Does small mbj hold onto the only kindness and comfort given to him in such a terrifying situation after being betrayed by his uncle? Absolutely. From that moment after the Huan Hua Palace incident, every night sqh falls asleep he appears in mbj’s world usually somewhere close by where mbj is. Young mbj and sqh becoming each other’s only friends. I feel like the more time passes sqh starts questioning what is real and what is fake. Sqh warning mbj of assassination attempts. Sqh spying on suspicious members of the court, uncovering schemes and plots against mbj because he can literally follow them and listen in on their conversations without anyone being able to see or hear him. Mbj being able to trust and confide in sqh without having to doubt if sqh may one day betray him because no one else can even see or hear sqh so even if sqh wanted to betray him he physically wouldn’t be able to. But mbj would trust him even if he was able to be here physically and could interact with others because sqh has shown over and over again that he cares for mbj. Sqh telling mbj all his fears, doubts, and insecurities because he thinks this is all a dream so he’s like ‘I feel safe enough to tell him these things’ because he’s not actually ‘real’.

As they get older there are times when sqh doesn’t show up for one or two days in a row and when he does he always appears tired and weary with dark circles under his eyes and his usual round cheeks a bit thinner than they normally are and it makes mbj worried!! (Sqh needing to pull all nighters to finish chapters of his story to get paid to make enough money for rent and food means no sleep). Does mbj worry that one day sqh will just disappear forever and never come back when he disappears? All the time. Does he also wish that sqh could be alive and living here with mbj in his world? also yes. Mbj falling in love with sqh, pining for a person who can never physically stay with him, but it doesn’t stop mbj from pondering the what-if scenarios of them being married, with sqh as his consort. What it would be like if sqh didn’t have to randomly disappear without any warning (when sqh wakes up)? Sqh also falls in love with mbj too, but he’s still in this weird place where he thinks mbj is just his imaginary friend/crush since he thinks this is all still a dream and also what are the chances that mbj grew up to be exactly his type both physically and in demeanor, sqh is like ‘obviously my lonely brain created the perfect man/crush out of my subconscious’. 

I’m also imagining how cute it is for young mbj to excitedly show sqh around the ice palace and mbj feeling happy to see the other get excited over every little thing. It’s odd how some of the everyday mundane things around the place make sqh gasp in excitement, but mbj finds it oddly endearing. Imagine mbj taking sqh sightseeing around the demon realm and going to festivals together over the years both in the demon realm and also some in the human realm. Sqh telling mbj he just HAS to try this or that food from the food stalls at the festival because he can’t do it himself so mbj has to try it and tell him what it tastes like! Can you just imagine sqh whining that he wants to be able to try all these foods and for some reason mbj feels his heart skip a beat when sqh looks at him with a pout. How much he wishes sqh could really be here with him, that he would buy sqh a whole stall worth of food if sqh asked for it, how much he wishes to dress him in his clan’s colors, to know what it would feel like to touch his hand. He imagines it would feel warm since sqh appears to be human, and warmth should be uncomfortable for an ice demon, and yet it is that warmth that mbj craves and wants so badly.

Things change though when sqh arrives in the middle of an assassination attempt that almost succeeds and a knife is about to stab mbj in his unguarded back that’s moving much too quickly and sqh in desperation moves without thinking to block the knife with his body even though it would have just gone right through him, but something changed and he felt incredible pain as a knife stabs him in the shoulder. Mbj only catches the shocked expression on sqh’s face before he disappears, the knife that was in him only moments ago clattering on the ground still stained with blood. Mbj makes quick work of the assassin killing him and cradles the knife like it might shatter or disappear as well. Mbj keeps the dagger without cleaning the blood off letting it dry permanently onto the blade as it is now a stark reminder and symbol that sqh is real and that somehow if he can bleed and get stabbed in his world that means there is a way that sqh can be here physically. That knife is a symbol of hope to mbj and he keeps it with him like a prized treasure. Meanwhile, right after he got stabbed, sqh wakes up abruptly in his bed in his apartment and feels agonizing pain in his shoulder and looks to see blood quickly soaking his shirt from what appears to be a stab wound, but with no evidence that someone had broken in or that he somehow could have accidentally stabbed himself in his sleep. As he is laying in the hospital getting treated for a stab wound, he is internally panicking and freaking out that his dreams are more real than he ever previously thought and that means that whole world and mbj are real!! On one side, hooray that he wasn’t losing his mind like everyone else used to say about him! On the other hand, holy shit that means he has been half existing in another world for most of his life!!

#svsss #moshang #mobei jun #shang qinghua #scum villain's self saving system

[strange-lace]

Misunderstandings

I HAVE FINALL MADE CONTENT FOR MY SPIDER MONKIE AU! And SURPRISE, it’s angst!

Despite his best efforts, MK knew that he was a terrifying image to humans when he dropped his glamor. He loomed over most people due to his size, lower body plated with a dark exoskeleton with long legs which were sharp enough to impale someone without much effort. MK had tried to make it look less intimidating by painting bright little doodles all over his lower body. Soft and precise strokes decorated his exoskeleton with a couple of noticeably lower quality, lines shaky and uneven as if done by a beginner. Yet they were the ones he treasured the most. Particularly the large purple and orange hourglass symbol dead center on his spider abdomen.

"Am I doing this right sweetie?" She asked, long black hair pinned back to keep it clean yet it was still stained with streaks of paint. The same can be said for her worn robe, the faded fabrics speckled with rainbow flecks of paint. Her lips were pursed in concentration as the paintbrush shook in her hands.

It was certainly an image of the feared Spider Queen that few had the luxury of seeing and living to remember it, MK being one of them.

"Yeah mom, you're doing great. Try focusing on where you want the brush to go instead, it'll help smooth out your strokes," he suggested, having to contort a slight bit to see what she was doing. She followed his advice and happily finished the symbol.

"There! Now everyone will know to fear my little spiderling the moment they lay their eyes on him," Spider Queen cooed, putting the paintbrush away to pat MK on the head, accidentally staining his dark hair with the purple and orange paint which had gotten on her hands.

MK held a brief smile at the memory before letting out a sigh. 

Unfortunately, bright colors and cutesy symbols could only do so much against the large collective fear of demons, especially big ones with fangs and multiple legs. Which he was unfortunate enough to find out when fighting a demon who's whole speciality was glamor magic and could see right through him.

"That must be uncomfortable, squeezing yourself into such a small form. How about I give you a chance to stretch your legs for a while?" The demon said mockingly and before MK knew it, he was enveloped in a cloud of shimmering dust. Suddenly, everything was a lot smaller to him and MK was left to clumsily stumble as his two legs became eight without warning. He squinted as the world was now a lot brighter through his four eyes, colors even more vivid than before to the point it nearly gave him a headache.

Yet it all only registered to MK when he heard people start screaming about a giant spider demon.

“Oh no…” He whispered to himself, wincing as his vision cleared only to see civilians running away from him. And while he understood why, it still felt like a stab to his heart to see people terrified of him. The hurt quickly became panic once he hit what felt like a blockade to his magic, preventing him from re-activating his glamor.

MK was stuck like this for the time being.

“This can’t get any worse,” he hissed, freely skittering through the now empty streets now that he wasn’t at risk of accidentally stepping on someone. He was instantly proven wrong when he heard the twin sound of motors headed right him and MK had to dodge quickly to avoid getting hit by Mei’s bike head on and from Pigsy’s truck from crashing into one of his legs.

It just got worse.

"Alright demon, might be best to give up now-!" Mei froze mid-boast, face going pale underneath her helmet. She was soon joined by Pigsy, Sandy, and Tang who looked at what had her so shaken and their own confusion quickly transformed into their own individual shows of shock. Pigsy looked genuinely sick, Tang didn’t seem to be breathing with wide eyes behind his glasses, and Sandy’s entire being seemed to bristle as if to make himself look even bigger out of self-defense.

It dawned on MK once he saw they were all staring at the staff still clenched in his clawed hand.

That he was still holding while in his true form. Which wouldn’t look out of place as part of the Spider Queen’s forces, skin now covered in purple fur and eyes a dizzying bright green. And was still wearing his easily recognizable orange and purple jacket and headband now draped around his neck from the chaos.

MK now realizes that this did not paint a good picture in his favor.

“I… can explain,” he stuttered, wincing at the sound of his own voice: hoarse and deeper to his own ears.

He had no way of explaining this.

“What did you do to my boy?” Pigsy was the first to break the silence, eerily calm yet everyone could tell that his rake was close to snapping with how tight his grip was. Following behind him, everyone else’s shock and horror morphed into rage and MK felt his stomach tighten further and further in fear. Tang’s eyes were hidden behind the glare of his glasses with a stillness to him that made you fear he would strike at any moment before you could react. Sandy’s entire demeanor had changed in a way that made MK understand Pigsy’s past descriptions as him being a feared warrior.

And Mei?

Well Mei’s entire being was wreathed in green and vibrating with barely restrained wrath.

MK stumbled back on his eight legs, feeling incredibly small in the face of his family’s anger despite towering over them.

They didn’t know it was him. As far as they knew, he was just another demon.

He didn’t know if this was better or worse for him.

“We will not repeat ourselves, demon: What did you do to our kid?” Tang demanded with a glare as sharp as knives. MK soon found himself surrounded, breath turning shorter and shorter as his family came closer and looked ready to tear him apart if it meant getting the answers they wanted. Yet he could only see the image of the calabash copies of his family and mentor pouncing at him to prevent him from escaping, countless nightmares of them successfully trapping them in his “perfect” world weighing on his spine.

So it was only natural that he panicked when they all descended upon him as he remained silent, throat closed up in sheer anxiety. It had happened so fast but before MK knew it, he had bound them all in web cocoons without even meaning to. 

Yet he took the opportunity while they were struggling to free themselves to go for the most logical course of action according to his panic-ridden brain: run away, far and fast. He didn’t even know where he was going, all MK knew was that he had to make himself scarce around the city until he could finally use his glamor again. If he wasn't sick from panic, he could almost laugh at the image of himself struggling to balance all eight of his spider legs on the staff as he pogoed through the city.

So it shouldn’t really have surprised to find himself on the beach of Flowering Fruit Mountain, the monkeys scattering away in fear at the sight of him as he created a small crater in the sand.

The following silence was deafening, allowing his thoughts to continue to run wild without anything to focus on. He only faintly realized that tears were running down his face as the mountain breeze gently blew against him, as if trying to offer its own form of comfort as he spiraled. 

MK couldn't stop seeing the faces of his loved ones, his family, as they looked at him with such hatred and rage. He tried to keep reminding himself that it was only because they didn't know it was him, as far as they knew he was a random powerful demon who managed to get their hands on the staff. But tell that to his heart, which felt like it was genuinely breaking into pieces. The pain was enough to put MK to his knees, choking on his tears and grip on the staff tight enough to make the joints of his exoskeleton-plated hands ache.

"Kid? You here kid?" MK didn't even think, he found himself scrambling towards the familiar voice of the Monkey King, desperate for comfort. Sun Wukong grunted as he found his arms now full of a panicked spider demon but was able to adjust his footing before he could lose his balance. He let out a sigh of relief, no longer struggling to hold since he had lifted far heavier people in his long life. Questions died on his tongue as the sound of muffled sobs entered his ears, his successor’s face buried in his fur as if wanting nothing more than to hide from the world.

“What happened bud? You wanna talk about it?” MK was silent for a moment before he gave a garbled response in the Monkey King’s fur. “Sorry, what was that?”

“A demon messed with my glamor, leaving me stuck like this and they saw me. They didn’t know it was me and they saw the staff and they thought… they hated me,” he rambled, a fresh round of tears leaving his four eyes. Wukong remained silent but silently walked towards his home, MK still in his arms.

“Oh kid, I’m so sorry. You know that they wouldn’t be that way if they knew that it’s you. But that definitely explains why Pigsy called me, threatening to eviscerate me the moment he saw me if anything had happened to you,” Wukong gave a smile at the wheezy chuckle MK let out at the image of his boss and father figure calling the Monkey King just to rip into him. Yeah, that sounded like Pigsy alright. “I think I can fix up whatever that demon did to your glamor. Then you can hang out here for a while, if you want, before going back home. That sound good bud?”

“Yeah… sounds great Monkey King,” MK answered before letting out a yawn, now left exhausted now that the anxiety and panic has leaked from his system with the presence of his other father figure mentor there to comfort him. Wukong gave a chuckle, gently placing MK down on his couch and putting on Monkey King: The Animated Series without a second thought. Seemingly realizing that he was no danger to them or their king, the monkeys quickly began to use MK as their personal jungle gym without any fear. That seemed to do the trick, as he was now chuckling at the sight of the little monkey’s looking at the doodles on his exoskeleton with curiosity.

Wukong watched the scene before him with a warm look in his eyes before it quickly hardened as he slipped out of his home for a moment. Pulling out his phone, he gave a deep sigh to calm himself before tapping to call a very specific number.

“Sun Wukong, to what do I owe the pleasure?” A velvety voice answered upon the third ring.

“A demon severely messed up the kid and I figured you’d like to… return the favor,” he answered, voice dead serious.

The line went silent, the echoes of enraged hissing barely audible in the background.

“What did they do to my baby?” Any hint of playfulness was gone in the voice, the Spider Queen enraged to know that someone had harmed her son in such a way to make the Monkey King willing to contact her.

“Messed with his glamor and the others saw him, nearly attacked him thinking he was a demon that had managed to get the staff. He’s fine physically but he’s an emotional mess. All the kid was able to tell me was that they specialize in glamor magic. Think you can work off that?”

“Of course I can, what do you take me for?! But… is he alright?” Wukong smiled, almost quipping about her getting soft over the years but she could very easily call him a hypocrite.

“I have him with me and have everything under control. Just do what you do best S.Q. and I’ll keep in touch, ‘kay?” Everything about him was casual yet the look in the Monkey King’s eyes was nothing but fire that promised he would have burned whoever harmed his kid without mercy, if he wasn’t “retired”.

“Of course, might as well make use of your “retirement” after all. I’ll make sure to make our… displeasure to that foolish demon evident for the both of us. Take care of my spiderling Wukong, otherwise I will figure out a way to make you mortal to end you.” Despite her tone, Spider Queen was only half serious since she knew ending the Monkey King would make MK upset with her. And the last thing she wanted to do was lose her spiderling after searching for him for so long.

“Sure you will S.Q., I totally believe that. But until later, see ya!” Wukong said before hanging up, satisfied but antsy which was typical after every occasion he spoke with the Spider Queen. Walking back inside, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of MK now fast asleep with the monkey’s cuddled around him.

Totally worth it.

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #mk #sun wukong #spider queen #pigsy #tang #sandy #mei #spider monkie au #my writing #fanfiction

[sharkbait77]

The Singer (Marcus Pike x f!reader)

Chapter Three

Warnings: Mention of food/alcohol, language, pure fluffy fluffiness (I'm such a softie I'm sorry 😭)

W/C: 4.2k

A/N: Notes at the bottom! And I'm running out of gifs to use of scruffy faced Marcus. I'm gonna have to shave him soon 👀 I hope you enjoy our soft boi in this chapter! 🥰

Just as a reference if you need help understanding the different formats:

«Phone conversation on their end»

Thoughts

Text messages

Song mentioned:

Chapter Two | Chapter Four

The Singer Masterlist

Gif by me! Yes it's Teresa but it still fits & I only care that it's his hand lol

«Oh my god, I'm melting!» Celina yells in her phone enthusiastically. You giggle as you wait for her eagerness to calm down.

You had barely taken your shoes and jacket off after getting inside your apartment when you immediately dialed up Celina's number to tell her about the night. You feel like you're having an out of body experience. Sure, your heart is still guarded and unfortunately, you'll most likely have your doubts throughout the relationship, but you truly feel like this could go somewhere. You want to give yourself that chance and allow Marcus to help heal your heart, maybe doing the same for him in return.

"So he's picking me up on Saturday and I'm freaking out a little," you say and chew on the skin around your nail beds.

«Why? Don't be! Just treat it like how you did tonight!» She encourages.

"But it's a legitimate date this time, I have to do my hair and makeup perfectly and find the perfect outfit and-"

«Girl, have you seen your closet? You have nothing but perfect outfits!» She teases and you chuckle, lowering your fingers from your mouth.

«You don't need to try to be perfect hun, just be yourself! Be the girl he has already seen in front of him.» You smile at her heartfelt words. «I bet he's already in love with you!»

"Okay, you're not helping!" You laugh, placing your hand on your forehead. "I'll talk to you later, I'm going to try and get some sleep. I'll probably be calling you on Saturday so I can freak out some more."

You say your goodbyes and hang up, sinking yourself into your couch and smiling widely. Your head is buzzing from a sugar rush, but you can't tell if it's because of the pancakes or because of Marcus. You walk to the kitchen to make some sleepytime tea, hoping it'll relax your nerves enough for you to get some shut eye.

* * * *

You take a shower and climb into your comfy pajamas and the tea works its magic as you relax on your plush bed, surrounding yourself with pillows and your soft blanket enveloping you in warmth. Your eyes get heavy and you feel yourself on the brink of sleep when you hear your phone vibrate on the nightstand. You try to ignore it, but it vibrates again and you figure it's Celina probably sending you a funny video. Your curiosity gets the better of you and you reach over to grab your phone, the brightness from the screen stinging your eyes from the time they had adjusted to the darkness. You blink a few times until you can see the screen clearly.

555-9057: Hi Dulce :)

555-9057: Made it home. I had a great time :)

You bite your lip and smile at the messages on your lock screen, heat flashing through your head seeing him call you the nickname you gave yourself in his phone. And just like that, you're wide awake again. You unlock your phone and before you can type a reply, he sends another message.

555-9057: It's Marcus btw

Marcus groans to himself as he sends that last message. What the hell was that? Of course she knows it's you. Dumbass. He watches the screen and holds his breath when he sees the text bubbles pop up and he waits nervously for your reply.

Dulce💋: I'm glad you specified! Right after you dropped me off another guy took me out for dulce de leche pancakes and I also penned myself as Dulce in his phone 🤭

He chuckles out loud in the quiet atmosphere of his apartment, the sound bouncing against the walls and reverberating around the living room. Damn, she's good.

555-9057: Okay okay you got me, don't have to be so mean :P

So he's a classic emoji kind of guy, you smile as you make a note and file it in the little 'Marcus Pike' folder in your brain. You hit his phone number and tap the plus symbol to make a new contact in your phone. For some reason, you find yourself struggling as you try to figure out what to put his contact name as.

Agent Cutie

Nope, delete.

Agent Pike

What are you, his secretary? Delete delete.

Marcus

Should I put an emoji? Which one? Can't be a heart. You are seriously overthinking this.

Marcus Pike

Yeah, okay. I guess.

Me: Why did it take so long to get home? Do you live far?

Marcus Pike: It was about 30 min from your place :) not too bad

Thirty minutes?! Great, now I feel bad.

Dulce💋: Wth if I had known I wouldn't have let you drop me off! 🙄

Me: Don't worry about it! I was more than happy to ;)

Shit shit shit I didn't mean the wink! Why are they right next to each other?! Do I say something? Oh god, way to go, you ruined it.

Dulce💋: Then I'll give you gas money!

Marcus takes a breath of relief when he sees that you sidestepped his accidental wink emoji. After he catches his breath, his phone chimes again.

Dulce💋: And I won't take no for an answer 😉

Okay, there's no way she sent that by accident. Is she flirting with me? Do I flirt back? Why are my hands so sweaty?

Dulce💋: It's time for bed, those pancakes made me sleepy 😴 good night Marcus ☺️ See you Saturday!

Marcus smiles to himself and he anticipates seeing you on Saturday. He sends you another text and walks to his restroom to take a quick shower before climbing in bed.

Marcus Pike: Can't wait :) good night!

There's no way you can sleep now, but you said good night for his sake; he had a long day at work, plus he took you out and then had a long drive home. You know he must be tired. Your heart races as you scroll through your short text conversation, rereading the messages and giggling softly.

Did he mean to wink? It was probably an accident, considering he types out emojis instead of using the newer, more convenient ones. You just couldn't help but send one back, though; hiding behind the screen helped you to flirt openly with him. You roll onto your side to face the TV on your dresser, turning on a true crime documentary and letting it eventually lull you to sleep.

* * * *

Saturday comes around quickly, much to your delight, but as you wander around your room looking at the many outfits you laid out on your bed, your dresser, even on your couch, the nerves set in fast. You pray to whoever’s listening that you don’t seize up when Marcus picks you up. Which is in fifteen minutes. You already have your hair and makeup done, all you need is to pick an outfit. Simple in theory. Just pick one! You chew your lip nervously out of habit before stopping as soon as you realize you probably just messed up the red lipstick you had applied earlier.

You rush to the bathroom mirror and sure enough, there's a bare spot on your bottom lip and the lipstick has transferred to your front teeth. You groan in frustration and grab a makeup wipe to carefully remove the ruined lipstick and you brush your teeth again until it's all gone. You reapply the same shade of red, pleasantly surprised with yourself that it came out better than the first time. You take a deep breath and try to calm down, telling yourself that the first outfit you land your eyes on will be the one you wear. You count down from three in your head and enter your bedroom.

Okay, maybe not that one. You decide to close your eyes and try again. When you open your eyes, they land on a different outfit. Not that one either. You sigh harshly through your nose. Why is this so hard? You walk over to your nearly empty closet for the umpteenth time and your eyes catch on to a dress hidden in the corner that you had surprisingly missed before. This one.

It's a spaghetti strapped, black, bodycon dress with a lace overlay, flowers printed on the fabric throughout. It hugs your body in all the right places, reaching down to your knees, and you take a look in the floor length mirror next to your dresser as you put on your black, open-toed heels, smiling brightly as you feel confidence shooting through your veins.

Adrenaline gets mixed in as soon as you hear a knock on your door. Five on the dot. You grab your black cardigan and purse off the couch and open the door, your breath taken away by the handsome man in front of you. He's carrying a box of chocolates and it fumbles in his hands, nearly falling once his wide eyes see you. He looks at you from head to toe, making your heart race as you feel heat rushing over your body in line with his gaze and you shift your weight from side to side anxiously.

"Wow," he says breathlessly, unable to say anything afterwards.

"Wow yourself," you smile, looking over his own outfit: a navy blue suit and a black, button up shirt underneath, paired with black dress shoes. He slicked his hair back and cleaned up his beard slightly. He really is a gorgeous man.

"Uh," he stutters and glances to the box in his unknowingly tight grasp. "These are for you," he smiles shyly as he hands you the chocolates.

"Thank you," you say, giggling at the indents his fingers made on the sides of the box and you turn around to leave them on your entryway table.

You turn back to face him and see his eyes look up quickly and you wonder if you just caught him staring at your bottom. Your suspicion is confirmed when his cheeks flush pink. You laugh softly and he holds his arm out to you.

"Ready?" He asks and you can hear the nervousness in his voice.

You nod and link your arm in his, letting him help you down the stairs. You're starting to love the way his arm hugs yours as you walk and the warmth of his body mixing with yours. Your footsteps even sync up together in a slow cadence. He walks you to his car, letting you hold your weight with his arm as you slowly lower in the seat, your movement restricted by your tight dress and high heels.

You thank him once you're seated, buckling your seatbelt, and he walks to his side, sitting down and starting the car. You notice the radio is on this time, playing at a low volume, and you think to yourself that he probably only forgot to turn it on last time.

The aura is tense in the car, both of your nervous energies dancing in the air together to the music. You try to think of something to say, resorting to looking through your mental file of basic conversation starters. The weather? No, too basic. Say something about the music. No-

"You look really beautiful," Marcus finally breaks the silence. Your head snaps up to look in his direction and you share a smile, thanking him and returning the compliment.

He takes his eyes off the road for a couple of seconds to look at you with a soft smile and turns his attention back to driving straight. He would keep his eyes on you if he could, but he'd rather not get into a car accident and ruin the night. So he just waits patiently until the next moment he can steal a glance. He takes a peek at you while you're stuck at a red light and he sees you picking at your cuticles nervously. He rubs his clammy palm on his pant leg, hoping to dry up any sweat present as much as possible. Before he can think twice about it, he reaches his hand over to grab yours.

Your heart jumps in your throat from the action and you look down in shock at his large hand covering yours completely. The blood rushes to your cheeks; his hand is rough from work, but soft and gentle enough that it's not uncomfortable. And warm. So warm. You stop picking your cuticles immediately, now memorizing the fine wrinkles in his hand and the ridges on his knuckles.

"Are you okay?" He asks, not moving his hand from your lap as he starts driving again.

"Yeah," your voice makes an embarrassing harmony, splitting in two different octaves from disuse. You swallow some saliva to lubricate your vocal cords and try speaking again.

"I'm just a little nervous," you admit.

His hand is still resting on top of yours; you're not sure if you should open your hand up to face your palms together and hold his hand as well. Alas, you take too long to make a decision and he pulls his hand away to grasp the steering wheel, bracing for a left turn.

"Please don't be nervous," he smiles with his pearly white teeth and it only makes you more nervous. How is he this handsome?

"It's just me," he adds as he pulls up to the restaurant, putting the car in park and removing the key from the ignition.

"'Just you'?" You quote him inquisitively. He nods and you shake your head with a small chuckle.

"What?" He chuckles with you.

"It's not 'just you' though, is it?" You reply softly.

You wonder if he's uncertain of himself and his ability to make women — i.e. you — weak in the knees. He seems oblivious to it and it makes him all the more charming to you. You see his eyebrows furrow and before he can ask what you mean, you turn to open the car door.

"Wait," he tells you, rushing out of his seat and over to you to help you out.

You wanted to manage it yourself, but you know you must look ridiculous with how bad you're struggling to get out of the car. He chuckles at the sight once he's on your side and he holds his arm out. You hold onto his forearm tightly and pull yourself upward as he lifts you as well until you're firmly planted on your feet.

"Maybe this dress wasn't a good idea after all," you giggle.

"I think it was," he flirts and you look away as you smile shyly.

You walk together up the steps to the front of the restaurant and Marcus apologizes for not warning you about the stairs. You tell him not to worry and though you can feel the ache in the arches and heels of your feet, you don't complain. He holds the door open for you and you walk in, your eyes instantly catching on the glimmering, crystal chandelier hanging in the waiting area. The lights are dimmed in an amber glow and there are pillars with intricate carvings and vines wrapped around the stone throughout the entirety of the establishment.

You gasp to yourself; this place must be expensive. How did you go from pancakes at grandma's house to a fancy, Italian restaurant like this? Your ears catch the sounds of a violin, but it's too close to just be playing from a speaker. Sure enough, you look further into the restaurant and see a man in a suit playing a violin. A live violinist?! Marcus joins your side again and notices the look of astonishment on your face.

"What's wrong?" He asks and you jerk your head to look at him, not even realizing he was standing next to you.

"Marcus, this looks like it's going to be really expensive."

You whisper in his ear so you don't offend any of the staff members and the height from your heels allows you to reach his head a little better now. The hot breath from your mouth tickles his ear and a bolt of arousal shoots down his spine. He laughs it off and leans his mouth to your ear in return.

"I like to make a fuss," he says, the deep tone of his voice giving you goosebumps. "Don't worry about it," he says in his normal tone as he stands up straight again.

The maître d' greets you two as you walk up to the host stand and Marcus gives the man his name for the reservation. The maître d' informs Marcus the table is not quite ready yet, adding that you're welcome to wait at the bar. Marcus looks at you to get your opinion; you say yes and Marcus lightly places his hand on the middle of your back, guiding you as you walk over to the bar top together. You take a seat in the soft barstool; it's easier to sit on since it's basically at standing height. Marcus removes his hand from your back to take a seat, his fingers gliding against the delicate lace of your dress across your spine and you shudder. Thankfully, it goes unnoticed.

The back of the bar is riddled with an assortment of different liquors, both American and Italian, and they're resting on lit up shelves. You look at the drink menu and your mouth opens in horror at the prices listed. This is definitely too much money. The bartender comes your way and Marcus orders a campari and grapefruit juice, immersing himself fully in the Italian culture. You say you'll stick with water and excuse it as you not feeling like drinking tonight. Marcus doesn't question it further.

The two of you comment on the decor of the restaurant, mainly the paintings hanging on the walls, and you mention that you love the lilies resting in the painted, ceramic vases and Marcus takes note of that fact. A waitress walks up to you and Marcus to let you know your table is ready and he finishes the last of his drink and stands, offering you his hand this time instead of his arm. You smile as you take it, your heart thumping in your chest as you let him guide you while you both follow the waitress.

The restaurant is bustling; heavy sounds of conversation and cutlery clinking on plates as you walk through what seems the entirety of the restaurant until the waitress leads you to a small, private patio. A round table is seated there, covered by a red tablecloth and adorned with a single, tall candlestick, burning a light glow. There's a cylindrical basket full of bread sticks and two water glasses, condensation running along the sides and onto the cloth. Marcus pulls your chair out for you, helping you to sit and scooting you in and sits down across from you. You hang your cardigan and purse on the back of your chair and take the menu the waitress is holding out to you.

You both thank her and she leaves, stating she'll be back soon to take your order. You marvel at the privacy Marcus planned for you two and you take a sip of your ice cold water, reveling in the relief washing through your dry throat. You flip open your menu; the options are minimal and are all expensive. You immediately scan for the cheapest dish: a $30 plate of chicken cacciatore. You feel guilty; you never want Marcus to break his bank trying to take you on a date. You glance at him and wonder why he would do all of this just for you. Did he really think you were that special?

You find yourself missing that little pancake diner and the time you shared there. There, you only felt the budding emotions consistent with a high school crush, but in this moment now, it's real life and mature adult feelings and you feel it much stronger in this environment. Marcus senses your mood change and leans forward to ask if you're okay, but he's interrupted by the waitress. You order the 'cheap' chicken cacciatore and he orders the tajarin al tartufo. Whatever that is.

"Why did you order the cheapest dish?" Marcus asks once the waitress leaves.

"Because I wanted to," you give him a sly smile to convince him otherwise, but he sees right through you, giving you a look of disbelief. You sigh.

"Because Marcus, it's too much money," you say sadly. "I mean, how much was it to get this private patio set up?"

"That's not important to me," he shakes his head. "This is our first proper date and I wanted to make it special."

Damn it. Why is he so thoughtful? And so damn cute?

"It's not that I don't appreciate it, I'm blown away by this, but I'm just... I'm not used to it," you pull your lips into your mouth slightly, mindful of your lipstick.

"Is that why you didn't order a drink?" He asks. You give him a lopsided frown and shrug your shoulders, your expression answering him instead of your words. He sighs and tilts his head to the side.

"I don't want you to worry about how much everything costs when you're with me; let me spoil you. You deserve it."

Let me spoil you. You deserve it. His words float around in your head, your eyes filling with fondness at the thought. You didn't think you deserved to be spoiled; your ex made sure of that much. It's exhilarating to say the least; this man you barely know ready to do anything for you at any time. But you like it, and you think in time, you could learn to love it. Learn to love him. You blink wildly and you inconspicuously shake your head at that last thought.

It was definitely way too soon to be thinking like that and it scared you that it entered your mind at all. It must be the ambiance of the restaurant. You think about how you should protect yourself in case this takes a wrong turn and you debate on placing that in the priority spot in your mind. Marcus can see you fighting your own thoughts and he tries to lighten the mood.

"I also might be trying to impress you for real now," he smiles.

You chuckle and shake your head. Marcus thinks to himself how beautiful you look under the moonlight that's shining through the glass awning above your heads, face lit up by the glowing candle. He can't stop his mouth from saying what he wants to say, not in this romantic atmosphere.

"I think you're a wonderful, beautiful woman and... I really like you," he adds, reaching across the table for your hand and you let him hold it, tangling your fingers with his.

You're positive he can feel your pulse through your fingers or hear your heart pounding, the blood whooshing in your ears muffling any other sounds from coming in. As much as you want to protect yourself, the look in his eyes only draws you in and you can't hide the truth from him or yourself, your confession spoken out loud for the first time for you both.

"I like you, too, Marcus." He smiles happily at you.

There must be something in the water here.

"Do you think it would be okay to keep this up?" He asks, meaning the dates, and you can't stop your head from nodding yes and you give him a sweet smile.

Marcus lets go of your hand, letting his rest in front of him and you take a deep breath, trying to shake your nerves from the exchange that just took place between you. You grab a bread stick and attempt to take a small bite; you and Marcus laugh together as your small bite accidentally turns into a big one, the stick breaking in the wrong place and leaving a large chunk of bread hanging from your mouth. Of course, leave it to something awkward happening to you to break the tension. But anything to see his face come together in joyous laughter.

* * * *

"Thank you again Marcus, that was actually very delicious," you say while Marcus begins the drive back to your apartment. "I see why it was so expensive." He hums in agreement; his smile hasn't left his face since the restaurant.

You listen closely to the new song that comes on the radio, trying to make out the tune until it gets louder and you realize it's "At Last" by Etta James.

"I love this song," you say under your breath. Marcus hears you and turns up the volume slightly, earning a bright smile from you. You look back out the window and sing the lyrics softly.

At last, my love has come along,

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song.

Marcus's heart races as he listens to the lyrics being sung by you and they hit a little too close to his heart. You don't realize at first the meaning behind them, only enjoying singing along.

At last, the skies above are blue

My heart was wrapped up in clover,

The night I looked at you.

You now realize the words are identical to how you feel. You wonder if you're falling too fast for Marcus. This was only your second date and there is still so much to learn about each other. You have a whole past to open up about, which will be a defining moment for your relationship. But as you look over at Marcus and you feel the tender organ in your chest beating fast, you think to yourself that it can't get much better than this. What's the harm in trying?

Chapter Two | Chapter Four

The Singer Masterlist

A/N: Okay just wanted to explain what Marcus ordered if you're interested! *DESCRIPTION OF FOOD/ALCOHOL COMING UP* I'm not an expert so correct me if I'm wrong! According to Google:

Campari is an Italian bitters made of fruit & herbs & you usually mix it with juice or club soda (hardcore Italians drink it straight up) & it's a pre-meal drink

Tajarin al tartufo is an egg pasta, made with more egg whites than traditional egg pastas, & topped with white truffle. Idk it sounded fancy & expensive 😂

Also, here's their outfit inspos! Just a couple of things I described differently like his shirt being black & her dress having lace instead of mesh.

Ofc Marcus in this suit 🥵 I copied the description lol

TAG LIST:

@hnt-escape @winter-fox-queen @giselatropicana

#marcus pike x f!reader #marcus pike x you #marcus pike x reader #marcus pike #marcus pike fanfiction #the mentalist #the mentalist fanfiction

[kuroosweakness]

Hiii! How are you? I hope you are doing good! I just wanted to request something:) So like I had 3 surgeries in my life and they were all on my belly and now I have scars there. How about Ushijima, Iwaizumi, Sakusa, Atsumu and Bokuto accidentally seeing their scars and then they are like asking about them. You don't have to take this request if you are uncomfortable with it!!

ushijima, iwaizumi, sakusa, atsumu, and bokuto with their s/o who has scars from surgery 

a/n: hii thanks for asking about my day :) i’ve been doing alright...i tried recording what we’re supposed to record for my strings orchestra but i just...imma wait until i practice more lmaoo. how has your day been?? three surgeries? wow...i can’t imagine how strong you must be. ( @ myself who is scared of flu shots :’) i hope this can make your day <33

ushijima: 

- “scars? did you get hurt?” 

- you look over at your boyfriend who’s looking right back at you with a concerned look. realizing that he’s talking about your surgery scars, you tell him about your surgeries and how they formed scars on your belly 

- “oh...do they hurt?” he’s very thankful your surgeries were successful. he’s now more aware of your scars and avoids bumping into your belly, just to make sure you don’t get hurt 

iwaizumi: 

-  “...is your belly okay, y/n?” iwaizumi asks out of the blue one day as the two of you are sitting on the living room floor eating takeout 

- you quickly chew your food and swallow, “yeah...why do you ask?” 

- he puts his food down and looks at you, “when you were reaching the top of the cabinet, your shirt lifted up a little and i saw scars” 

- oh...so he saw... you explain your surgeries and the scars that they left to your boyfriend who nods along to your words

- “you’re alright now, right?” he’s just concerned for you and wants to make sure you’re feeling okay. he’s very gentle with you and often stares at your scars sometimes, out of wonder 

sakusa: 

- “y/n, i want my hoodie back. you already know there’s a no eating rule when you wear my clothes. take it off and give it back” 

- “sakusa...no need to be so mean about it,” you sigh as you begin to tug at the bottom of his hoodie. as you pull his hoodie off, the bottom of your shirt lifts up a little and sakusa sees your scars 

- “...y/n, why do you have scars on your belly” 

- while you’re explaining to him he’s just intently listening. he doesn’t think it’s a big deal. he doesn’t see a problem with your scars but doesn’t love them neither, you’re just you. he doesn’t ask questions, what you tell him is what he knows, he doesn’t push it 

- “put the hoodie back on, you looked cute” 

atsumu: 

- he likes rubbing your belly so much that you’re surprised he doesn’t know about your scars yet. one day, he was just scrolling his phone on one hand while his other hand was rubbing your tummy slowly in circles when his finger grazes your scar and he’s like ? 

- he just rubs his finger against your scar over and over again ...what’s that on y/n’s belly...

- you see his (・・?) expression so you sit up and explain to him about your surgeries and the scars 

- he’s like “ohhhhhh...surgeries?? what for? thank god you survived” 

bokuto: 

- i think bokuto has noticed the scars on your belly before but never had the heart to ask you about it...he finds them really fascinating. like he just want to inspect them closely and know the back story 

- so one day in mid-cuddle session, bo asked, “y/n, can i ask about the scars on your belly?” 

- once you explain to him, he’s like :’D “three surgeries?? wahhhh” 

- “can i maybe rub my hand over your scars?” bokuto is literally in love ?? he finds your scars as a symbol of how strong you were/are and they’re so ...special to him 

- a must-protective-y/n-at-all-costs switch turns on in bokuto’s brain 

#haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu hcs #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu comfort #bokuto x reader #atsumu x reader #iwaizumi x reader #sakusa x reader #ushijima x reader #iwaizumi scenarios #iwaizumi hcs #ushijima hcs #ushijima scenarios #sakusa scenarios #sakusa hcs

[ectogeo-art]

omg i want to hear about romulan embassy siskarak

WIP ask meme

Omg, yes, thank you for asking, I’m so excited about this one!!!! :D The fic idea appeared to me fully formed as soon as I saw this post by @the-last-dillards about how in a scene cut from “The Wire”, Sisko mentions that he and Curzon were at an embassy on Romulus when Sisko was about Julian's age, and dillards speculated that it would be funny if Sisko and Curzon happened to be there at the same time as Garak was on Romulus posing as a gardener. Most everyone else who saw that post was like "lmao Curzon/Garak <3" and while that is extremely funny too, the Sisko/Garak implications are soooo much more interesting to me personally.

I think Sisko would be an interesting parallel-but-not-quite to Julian. I feel like young Sisko would be similarly bright and passionate and idealistic, which we KNOW is a type Garak is attracted to, but unlike Julian, Sisko would NOT put up with Garak’s bullshit mindgames, he would NOT find Garak inherently charming.

And then there’s Garak, still young, on top of his game, feeling confident and powerful and indestructible (but ultimately just Tain’s pawn... he’s been indoctrinated to love Cardassia unconditionally and hasn’t really had that challenged in any way yet).

They would both find each other extremely grating. Sisko embodies everything Garak hates about the Federation, so Garak would want to take him down a peg, make him sink to Garak’s level. Sisko would be infuriated by Garak’s duplicitous and condescending nature, but maybe Garak also keeps saying things that are juuuust provocative enough that Sisko can’t seem to help arguing back against his points (and Sisko really doesn’t get how that’s somehow turning both of them on...).

So that’s the gist why I’m obsessed with the potential for this pairing during pre-canon in general. Now onto the fic itself! Juuuust in case I never get around to actually writing this, here’s my detailed plan for the romulan embassy siskarak fic:

Sisko and Curzon are on assignment at the Federation embassy on Romulus. The Federation embassy is holding an open house next week. Sisko offers to help cook the food for the event, because he has an idea to incorporate ingredients from other cultures into his jambalaya recipe to Symbolize how cultural exchange can lead to amazing new technological advances and/or art and/or political alliances (or idk, whatever overwrought metaphor an excited young Sisko decides is galaxy brain levels of diplomacy). Curzon's just like “hell yeah, sounds great, kid! go for it!”

So Ensign Sisko (or whatever his rank is at that point idk) asks around at the other embassies nearby for ingredients native to their homeworlds. They give him some recommendations, but he’d have to replicate or import the ingredients. But then he gets to the Cardassian embassy and they have this beeeeautiful garden, overflowing with native Cardassian produce. Sisko asks the gardener there (Garak) if he can possibly use some of the vegetables for his jambalaya of interplanetary diplomacy.

Garak is instantly annoyed by how performative and insipid Sisko’s project is... but Garak knows he has to play nice and hand over the vegetables. He also knows how much he doesn't want sisko rendering these vegetables he's been diligently tending into tasteless inedible garbage that an unrefined Federation or Romulan palate couldn’t possibly even appreciate... So he smiles politely, and offers to show him the proper way to cook it. Tonight. In Sisko’s quarters.

Garak internally justifies this unnecessary dinner date by deciding that it will be a good opportunity to scope out the inside of the Federation embassy. And so what if he’s also getting a little riled up thinking about all the delicious arguments he might have with this headstrong and attractive Starfleet officer? So what if he kind of wants to figure out what he has to say in order break Sisko’s composure? What he can say that would make Sisko, despite his self-satisfied demeanor of peace and acceptance and understanding, angrily slam Garak into the wall hard enough to trigger the pleasurable rush of the implant...?

Meanwhile back in sisko POV... Sisko gladly accepts, actually quite eager to learn more about cooking, and a little curious about this strange Cardassian gardener who seems a little bit interested in him. (He’s not annoyed by Garak yet, because all he’s seen is his mask, his poker face.) Curzon’s taught Sisko everything about diplomacy and how to be a Starfleet officer and how to be a person, and sisko looks up to him in a bit of an unhealthy way. Sisko knows that the easiest way to impress Curzon is to score with an alien. Sisko’s maybe a little curious to see if that’s what Garak is interested in, so that Sisko will have something to brag about with Curzon.

[sidenote: idk where Jennifer is in this timeline (but also the canon timeline of when Curzon and Sisko were off on adventures that included banging twin alien chicks and getting falling-down-drunk together seems inconsistent with the canon timeline of when Sisko and Jennifer met lolll)... anyway, maybe bennifer are on a break bc of the long-distance while he’s on Romulus, and/or bc she maybe doesn’t particularly like the influence Curzon has had on him and they very recently got in a fight about it.]

Okay, so now it’s that night in Sisko’s quarters. For now let’s just gloss right over the (presumably horny as hell) scene about the chopping and stewing and seasoning of the vegetables—during which the arguments (and resulting tensions) between them build and build, from little things like vegetable chopping techniques to the fundamental paradigms of their worldviews and senses of morality—and let’s fast forward directly into the middle of their fight about whether the federation sucks more than the cardassian empire: Garak out of nowhere just starts undoing his shirt while saying something inflammatory questioning the federation’s true commitment to cultural exchange... Garak basically implies that Sisko is a hypocrite who has been arguing for ideals he doesn’t believe in if he doesn’t want to bang Garak RIGHT NOW...

And then they bang, And it’s a mess, and they HATE each other, and it’s really hot. Or at least, that’s the idea. ( @delicatetrashstranger volunteered to help write the E-rated part, for which I am very grateful, lol.) In the end, the weird space jambalaya burns while they are going at it, and everything is ruined and smells terrible, and Sisko doesn’t even WANT to brag about this one to Curzon, because he is not proud of how he let Garak get under his skin. Garak maybe experiences A Consequence of some kind that makes him realize he can’t recklessly throw himself at Federation hotties (like... maybe something Sisko says makes him question a Truth he was certain of, or maybe this fling has jeopardized his assassination plans somehow, or maybe there is a close call where he almost reveals something personal about himself, or almost accidentally leaves behind his underwear, which is where he keeps some of his sci fi Spy Gadgets, lol idk).

The end!

Hope you’ve enjoyed this summary of my fic... I hope I actually write it one day XD (If anyone feels inspired by any aspect of this and wants to run with it, PLEASE DO! Also, if, like me, you desperately Need this fic to exist, feel free to let me know that you’re excited about it! My brain is all garashir all the time, so any WIP that’s not garashir sometimes needs to be helped along by external motivation lol.)

#siskarak #my fic #wip ask meme #ask game

[ninjastormhawkkat]

Alliance Swap Au: Other Characters

In my first post for this au, I mentioned which ally of Wordgirl is swapped. Some of this involves a swap of powers. It will also involve a swap of personality. Here is the outline for each characters.

Victoria and Violet:

I noticed that Victoria does have some good qualities despite her overall villainous character. (That is definitely her parents fault.) One thing I noted is that Victoria does have somewhat of a dependable character and she is smart enough to realize her situation and mistakes (when her ego is not in the way). In one episode (I forgot the name) Victoria was willing to work together with Wordgirl to get Wordgirl’s powers back from Victor. Even though Victoria’s main motivation was to not be out-bested by her brother, she did prove dependable in helping Wordgirl out. In this au, I increased Victoria’s better qualities. She is a loyal and dependable best friend to Becky. She still acts brash and is somewhat brutally honest, but she will acknowledge her flaws and sincerely apologize when called out for her bad behavior. She is sassy and will throw hands to protect her friends, even when she doesn’t have to. (Tobey and Becky often have to pull her back to keep Victoria from getting hurt or worse.) In this au, Victoria has a single ponytail, regular hair ribbons that are blue in color. She wears a light blue shirt with a grey jacket. Her skirt, shoes, and socks are the same as in canon. Victoria likes Pretty Princess (not to an extant as Becky). In this au her parents are corporate people. (Idk the jobs) They are better than their canon selves, but are a little distant due to how busy their jobs are. They do love their children and want the best for them (not pushing them to be the best always) they just don’t have the time to spend with them as they want to. Victoria’s parents do let Victor and Victoria stay with friends or a good babysitter when they are extremely busy. The Best’s home is not as extravagant as in canon and the rest of the family are dressed more normally and comfortably. (They are still an upper-class family, but look like a normal family to everyone else.) Instead of Art, Becky and Victoria take music class together. (Becky is still terrible.) Victoria does not have her powers. Victoria is sensible in this au, but does try to become a superhero because it looks awesome. “Violet Superhero” happens a little differently, but Victoria does not take the mantle anymore because she realizes she is not cut out for heroics and leave it to the professionals. She and Tobey are still fans of Wordgirl, neither are easily fooled as the rest of the city. (Victoria’s hero outfit is same as canon.) Victoria is basically sassy mostly and does have General Smoochington, but treats him like a loving pet in this au and is definitely a lot more caring toward him. 

For Violet, I decided to twist her good qualities and make them corrupt. This was based on the villain from Wander over Yonder, Dr. Screwball, and how he wanted to make everyone laugh, whether they wanted to or not. Violet in this au wants to live in a world where everything is all sunshine and rainbows and everyone is happy all the time. She thinks that everybody is a winner and it is not fair when someone gets a trophy when another person doesn’t. Violet was raised in an environment by her mother where everything and everybody needs to live in peace and harmony and those who don’t need to be shown the error of their ways. Ex. In the introduction episode for Victoria Best, Violet gets upset when Victoria earns a lot of trophies (not every trophy like in canon). So she takes them to “teach her a lesson” about humility. (In this au, Victoria earned her trophies because of her hard work.) Violet also gets upset when she sees how Wordgirl treats the villains even though she is just doing her job and treats them the same as canon. Violet does get mistaken for Wordgirl and does try to take up the role of Wordgirl just to prove that Wordgirl is doing a terrible job and she should become a hero to be more sympathetic to everyone. (Her hero outfit is “The Framer”). Her powers are similar to Victoria’s. She has pink eyes when she uses them to move and levitate stuff. Violet paints and shows everyone her painting which puts them in a hypnotic trance which keeps them in a peaceful state until the control wears off. (If anyone has watched the Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated episode “When Walks Aphrodite” it is similar to that.) 

Tobey and Scoops:

I sorta did the same thing as I did for Violet and Victoria in this au. There are no interest or ability swaps for these two.

Tobey in this au is just an avid, albeit a little too energetic, inventor. Tobey is head of the media/technical club and is in charge of the media stuff used in school such as electronics used for classrooms and organizing technical special effects for school events. Tobey still dresses the same, but acts like a lovable nerd. Both he and Becky have crushes on each other, but the boy is oblivious as heck that Becky has a crush on him. Becky is not as lovey-dovey as she is in canon with Scoops when expressing herself towards Tobey in this au. Tobey has no idea that Becky is Wordgirl until the “Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers” episode. Tobey still invents robots for fun on the side. 

For Scoops, you remember how I made his character in my Morally Gray Wordgirl au? Well he is a lot worse in this au. He is still a reporter and a part of the Daily Rag (not head reporter). In this au, Scoops will do anything to get a Scoop, even sometimes aiding villains or helping to cause incidents to just get a great story. (Since Tobey is not a villain in this au, I have Dr. Ape Brains taking over most of Tobey’s canon roles with some shifts to other villains.) He is obsessed with finding out Wordgirl’s identity and causes an incident where he messes with Tobey’s Robots which cause them to go on a rampage at Becky’s home and a few other instances. Scoops does not mean to get people hurt, but he is too focused on “getting the BIG scoop” to notice. He does get punished by his parents. Canon outfit.

Eileen and Rex:

Now I chose to swap these two because they are both similar in personality. The both have childlike curiosity and are equally energetic. They both tend to ignore what others tell them and seem to think they know what they are doing. 

In this au, Eileen is a alien superhero from the planet Gigantian. She can control her size changes and is super strong. She can’t fly but has incredible stamina and dexterity that allows her to leap high in the air. She still has the baby talk (kids on Gigantian talk like a baby until their 13.) This annoys the heck out of Becky. Steven now has to deal with two energetic superheroes. (Sarcastically) Lucky him. Her hero name is Giantess. Her hero outfit is a pink mask. She has a suit style similar to Kid Math’s, but the main colors are pink with purple gloves, boots, and a cape. Her insignia is a mini green person in a strongman stance with black radio wave lines surrounding the person which symbolizes Eileen’s growth and shrinking abilities. Her secret identity outfit is the same as in canon. Her hairstyle as a superhero is in a ponytail while her secret identity has her canon hair and bow.

Rex is a kid villain known has Math Whiz. He treats everything as a research study. Rex does believe every day is his birthday which entitles him to do anything he wants all in the name of research. In the introductory episode for Eileen (changed for this au) Rex takes Squeaky for a lab rat and obliviously ignores Squeaky biting him all the time for release. When he doesn’t get what he wants he uses his powers. Rex is able to project holographic math monsters of various sizes that either protect him, steal for him, or attack anyone that bothers him (on command). These monsters may be holographic but can hurt someone physically. They look like math numbers and equations, have sharp teeth, cartoon eyes and arms, and are mainly white in color with a blue hue that surrounds them. Luckily, the amount of math monsters Rex is able to generate depend on his level of entitlement. If he is greedy for one thing or if it is for small reasons, he can usually generate one monster. Even if he is able to generate multiple math monsters at once, it takes a lot of energy out of him so he can only do it a few times.  

Rose Franklin and Chazz:

Recently, I decided to do a character change swap for Rose Franklin. I originally picked Katy because she was friendly and apologetic with Toby like Rose was with Scoops. Writing this post, I began to think about how Chazz was in the episode where he was being a bad influence for TJ. Since I have Scoops being a villain in this au, why not do the same for Rose. In this au, Rose acts like a cool girl/bad influence which impresses TJ and he develops a silly crush on her (which then ends when Wordgirl gets him back to his senses). She has an outfit and attitude similar to Chazz’s, but adjusted for a girl. Rose in this au is called Roe. 

Chazz in this au is a laid back, but intelligent kid who uses focuses on environmental science. The “News Girl” episode is retitled “Science Boys” for this au. In this au, Chazz accidentally insults Tobey by saying building robots isn’t really a helpful science as it would make people too dependent on robots. (Tobey is immediately upset and ready to throw hands because NO ONE insults his robots. Becky holds him back before Tobey does something stupid). Chazz in this au is called Chad Hudson. He moved to Fair City with his mom who is the new Forewoman (idk what a female foreman is supposed to be called?) for the Power Plant. Wordgirl and Mouse Ace stop the energy monster from destroying the plant and giving Chazz’s mom more work. In this au, Becky takes Chad to natural places along with technical places to get him more comfortable with the city and to ease the issues between him and Tobey. (Tobey does make friends with him in the end.) Tobey during this tour gets upset when Chad creates environment experiments that are beneficial for the civilians and villains. Ex. he creates an organic, environmentally friendly, gel that is great for Chuck’s bread skin and helps the grocery store manager to grow more head hair which he talks to Chad about profiting in his store. Chad figures out Becky’s identity the same way Rose does because this guy is smart. He plans Becky’s exposure as a major science project because her identity and life is a great scientific study. Steven is doing work stuff when Becky calls him to help her fight the bad guys so Steven is not on the tour with them. Steven finds out about how Chad discovered her identity after Becky tells him. Steven, after Tobey, confronts Chad (Tobey’s talk is similar as Scoop’s talk to Rose) and he basically explains the importance of keeping Wordgirl’s identity secret (acting as an adult) and also sort of threatens Chad (Two Brains’ canon character is showing). Luckily Chad, at this point, had already decided to not reveal Wordgirl’s secret and do something else for his project.He is from now on scared of Becky’s dad. It also takes a while for Steven to fully trust him.

Everyone else is pretty much the same for this au. Steven and Becky are neighbors to the Botsfords, TJ is still a fan of Wordgirl with Johnson as his sidekick (I decided to not bother swapping them for the au), and Miss Powers is still an evil alien (I couldn’t find anyone for her or Colonel Gigglecheeks). I don’t have any ship ideas for Victoria or the rest of the characters in this au. Except for Tobecky.  

(Another thing I forgot to mention in my first post about Squeaky is that the mouse sometimes travels with Becky in her pocket. So he does come with her to school sometimes. He usually sticks with Steven in the lab. Squeaky is kidnapped as was Bob in the “Birthday Girl” episode and is put in a girly dress which he despises with every fiber in his being. He also escapes the “Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers” mind control and helps Becky because his body was too small for the button to stick on well.) 

So that is my Alliance Swap au for Wordgirl

#wordgirl au #alliance swap au #wordgirl #violet #scoops #becky #Steven Boxleitner #kid math #eileen #victoria best #tobey mcallister #rose franklin #chazz #power and personality swap

[achaoticeternal]

the 1 // d. malfoy

DRACO MALFOY X MUGGLEBORN!READER folklore/evermore series masterlist

Summary: he couldn’t see past one thing, and because of that, he left. but it could have been fun, if he could have been the one. Word Count: 2.9k Warning: Blood Prejudice. Angst. Lost love. A/N: it is implied that the reader is not in slytherin but a house is not specifically mentioned.

It’s funny how the simplest things one sees in their everyday life can bring back a spiral of memories - good or bad. Green apples, paper airplanes, and the combination of silver and green were now forever tainted in your mind. It was silly that something as human and simple as blood and family had to be the downfall of what was thought to be a love that would last a lifetime. And however hard you would try to cast away and thoughts or feelings or symbols of him, memories always had a way of persistently reminding you of what was no longer yours and possibly was never yours...

Hogwarts, 4th Year

September welcomed you with the last tastes of summer warmth before winter came stalking back, only to bring the tundra with it. It was the year of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and a year of making new, international acquaintances with the women of Beauxbatons and the men of Durmstrang.

Your summer had been less eventful than that of your peers whom a great majority had attended the Quidditch World Cup and some even experienced the Death Eaters return. Rumors had been around about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returning and which wizarding families would side with him. Of course, house and blood prejudice played a part in it all, but you managed to look past all of the controversies in the wizarding world. Over the summer, you had grown into yourself and blossomed into a beautiful witch who was very bright for her age. Others around the school had noticed as well, including the men from Durmstrang that created competition for the boys of Hogwarts.

However, with it now October, none of them caught your attention yet as you walked back to your seat in the arena with Hermione after leaving the Champions Tent to check in with Harry, whose name had unfortunately spouted for the Goblet of Fire. Today was the first challenge of three, and you had done your best to be supportive of your friend.

“Hermione, please calm down. Harry will figure it out, he always does,” You glided down the steps in front of her, looking for your fellow Gryffindors.

“But a dragon! This challenge is unbelievably foul! And that Daily Prophet woman has made this all so much-” As Hermione rambled on, she paid little attention to her feet and accidentally stepped on the back of your heel.

The misstep along with the shock had caused you to lose your balance and begin to take a tumble down the steps. As you felt gravity pull you down and prepared yourself for the inevitable pain with it, a pair of arms and a masculine frame had caught you before the disaster could occur.

“Careful, (y/l/n), we can’t have you harming that beautiful face. It would be quite a shame if you took a nasty tumble down the stairs,” he spoke, his tone a fine line between flirtatious and condescending.

“Oh, I-” The boy helped you balance yourself on the steps again, and you finally lifted your head to meet the eyes of your savior, “Draco.”

“Are you alright, (y/l/n)? Not to frightened by the dragons, are you?” His grey eyes peered back up into yours as you were slightly taller than him due to the steps of the stairs.

“No, no, of course not,” You shook your head softly and smiled to the boy, “Thank you, Draco.”

As if on cue, Hermione had invaded the private moment between you and the Malfoy boy, “Excuse us, Malfoy, but we would like to go sit with our friends before Harry enters the arena.”

His gaze broke off to glare at Hermione, “Oh yeah, you catch quite a view of him cowering away from the beast. I bet he’ll forfeit the challenge five minutes in.”

Draco’s entire demeanor had changed from a strange kindness to a smug arrogance as he sneered at the Granger girl. You didn’t want anything more to come from the encounter, so you caught Draco's attention again by lightly fixing his hat that had become lopsided, “Thank you again, Draco, but we should really be getting to our seats.”

His eyes flickered back to you and his features softened again, “Well if you feel like joining me in cheering for Krum, there will remain a seat open for you.”

With that, he allows the pair of you the breeze past him as he returns to his seat. A warmth stayed persistent on your cheeks as you made your way next to Ron, who looked quite disgruntled.

“(y/n), what was that back there?” Hermione questioned as the pair of you took your seats,

“What happened? Harry say something?”

Before you could speak, Hermione replied, “I accidentally tripped (y/n), but Draco caught her before she could tumble down the steps. Which I guess is somewhat lucky, but he flirted with her.”

“Malfoy?!? But he-,” Ron looked at you, both quizzical and worried, “Did he do anything? He jinx you?”

“Um... no,” You looked between the two of them, lost in their confusion.

“But Malfoy can’t stand muggle-borns, even if they are kind or pretty as you, (y/n),” Ron wrinkled his nose at the thought.

“That’s just it,” Both yours and Ron’s attention snapped to Hermione, “I don’t think Malfoy knows that you’re muggle-born which probably is in your favor, you saw how he looked and spoke to me.”

A canon erupted, signaling that Harry would enter the arena in only a moment. The shock of it all had left you confused, “it was probably just a one-time encounter. Let’s just watch Harry, and let that just blow over.”

With that, the three of you cheered for the Gryffindor boy and mostly forgot about your encounter with Draco. Sure, the memory of it would continue to puzzle you and keep you up at night to only be lost in thought. Yet, December rolled around quicker than anyone expected and with it, exciting news.

Along with the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the tradition of the Yule Ball would fall on the eve of the winter solstice. Many girls around the school were already gossiping about dates, dress, and dancing even though many of their male colleagues seemed to be quite opposed to the event. That was until the school announced that the Weird Sisters would be playing a set at the ball.

Of course, the main chatter was who the champions were taking to the Yule Ball because every girl wanted Cedric or Viktor to ask them and every boy was lining up to ask Fleur. Yet poor Harry couldn’t seem to catch a break-even in finding a date for the night. But Hermione would be quite the talk of the town once everyone realized that she was Viktor’s date for the ball, and he had taken a further interest in her. The pair of you chatted as you walked towards your classes together - she was going to the astronomy tower and you were going to divinations.

“I still can’t believe you snagged Viktor Krum! I mean I’m not exactly surprised with both your beauty and brains-”

“Oh stop that,” Hermione blushed and tried to quiet you down, “Who are you going with? I know that you’ve been asked at least five times today!”

As she showered you in compliments, you saw the flash of platinum blonde hair breeze past the pair of you with a few followers trickling behind. It was undoubtedly Malfoy and his crew who were also headed to Professor Trelawney’s class. 

“I haven’t said yes to anyone yet,” you admitted timidly.

“What?!? You have to be kidding me, (y/n). I know at least half the Durmstrang boys would love to be your escort for the night-”

“I-I know that, Hermione,” you flushed as the pair of you paused on the stairs, “I’m just... waiting for the right person.”

“Alright, just make sure you say yes to him. Or else I fear Harry or Ron will ask you,” You bid each other goodbye and separated to your designated classes.

As you made your way up the north tower to try and make it to class a few minutes early. Even though other students may have found her strange and overbearing, you knew that she was deep down a kind lady who wished the best for everyone she crossed paths with. Yet before you could make it up much further, you felt a light tug on the hood of your robes.

“Oh!” you jumped slightly at the shock.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you, (y/n),” Michael Corner smiled as he glanced up at you, “do you have just a quick second?”

“I do, but let’s step into the window sill so that we’re out of the way,” you suggested. He stepped over onto it first, before offering his hand out to you, “Thank you.”

Few students passed by the two of you and up into the north tower, there was still 5 minutes till classes started but you still hoped to be early enough to snag a seat in the front.

“Well, how can I help you, Michael? Did you get my notes from Cho? I asked her to pass them onto you, but I can make you an extra copy-”

“No, no, she passed them along to me. Thank you for that. Potions is sadly not my area of expertise,” He smiled as a little blush dusted his cheeks, “I actually was wondering if you had a date to the Yule Ball? And if not-”

“(y/l/n)!” you heard Draco call and quickly hurry up the steps towards you, “Thank Salazar I found you before classes started.”

Draco paused next to you, giving you the kindest eyes before his gaze turned towards Michael. His expression changed into that of one mixed with jealousy and disagreement, “Corner, shouldn’t you be out in the greenhouses. Why don’t you leave (y/n) alone before someone gets the impression that a Ravenclaw is going to skip class.”

Michael glanced at you then over to Draco before disappearing down the stairs. Before he completely vanished from your sight, he looked back up at you with a very apparent look of disappointment in his eyes. Draco now took the spot where Michael was previously and held your right hand in his.

“(y/l/n), I don’t know if you realize but you are quite a wanted woman recently,” Draco smirked, his grey eyes flickering across your face as if gathering information.

“I guess so... I mean with the ball and everything, I have gotten plenty of proposals.”

“So I’ve heard, but you’ve yet to say yes to any of them, or so I’ve heard.”

“Correct again. I haven’t given my word to attend with anyone, but I did promise a dance or two to a few gentlemen,” you tried to analyze the situation as best as you could, but Draco remained unreadable to you. He also knew how to put up a good front.

“Well, (y/n), I am hoping that you’ll give me the pleasure of being my date to the Yule Ball, and hopefully, you will allow me to take you to Hogsmeade in the next few weeks,” his face had softened as he waited for a reply, his smugness and confident stance faltering under your gaze.

“Draco, are you asking me out? As your girlfriend and to the Yule Ball?”

“I figured- you know... two birds with one stone.”

“I would love to be your companion to the Yule Ball,” You beamed at him, “and your girlfriend.”

That day had long passed now. So had the Yule Ball and your entire fourth year. Now you were at the end of your fifth year and Draco no longer treated you like a prized possession, let alone sparing you a glance. 

At some point in your relationship, the sweetness of being in love ended as he began expecting behaviors and ideas from you that you never expressed before. He still held Slytherin above every other house and expected you to treat those not in Slytherin's house the same way he did. He wanted your attention and affection at every second, instead of allowing you to be with friends and he rarely ever returned affections either. But the worst behavior that Draco partook of that crossed every line for you was the blood prejudice. 

He held being part of the Sacred Twenty Eight to a higher degree than necessary in all aspects. There was a difference in being proud of your bloodline and then being prideful of your bloodline. And the Malfoy family very much fell into the pride of being Pureblooded Wizards. 

That was when a puzzle really clicked into place for you. Yes, Draco had loved you for you, but he also needed his parents to love you. He tried to pressure you into a perfect little box that he could wrap up and present to mummy and daddy. You understood why he felt the needed to continue being the perfect Malfoy, but you couldn’t understand why he thought it was okay to pull you into it. His parents would never accept you for one reason. 

“I don’t understand this, (y/l/n). we took a break just like you asked and it has done nothing. I know you still love me, so let's stop this ridiculous behavior. My parents want to meet you again. Mother loved you and I’m sure this time father will...”

“No, Draco. I don’t want to go back to the Manor,” You shook your head and took deep breaths.

“Well, that’s odd, but we can go to your estate-”

“No, can’t you listen-”

“The Three Broomsticks then, but please, I need you-”

“No, Draco, you aren’t listening to me,” tears threatened to spill as you felt your heart begin to shatter. You had never lied to Draco, but the truth about your family had never come to the surface.

As far as it concerned the Wizarding World, the (y/l/n) Family was also a part of the Sacred Twenty Eight Pureblood families. You understood the confusion and had to explain it to many of your friends and professors. But now Draco had to know the truth, even if it meant he wouldn’t be yours anymore.

“I’m not whoever you’ve painted me out to be,” your bottom lips quivered as you took a deep breath, “I’m not exactly who you think I am.”

Draco’s whole body dropped, “what do you mean?”

“Yes, I am part of the (y/l/n) bloodline, but I’m also a muggle-born.”

“No, that doesn’t make sense.”

“My grandparents had five children. My two uncles, my father, and my two aunts. All of them great wizards, except for my father who had no magical abilities - the only one in our family. He married my mother, who is a muggle. However, I am a witch.” you confessed it all, praying that he would understand. Maybe he would love you enough to glance over this fatal flaw.

“A squib? Your father is a squib and you never bothered to mention it!”

“It wasn’t that important I thought, because I’m still a member of a Pureblood family! I thought that you would see over it because it’s such a small hiccup.”

“I- no, I can’t just look over it. You know I can’t and you know I won’t,” Draco glared, looking at you with the same disdain that his father had when speaking of muggles.

“Draco, please. We can lie and just paint over this. I’ll even get my family to lie, but I don’t want to lose you. I’ve never felt like this with anyone, ever in my life,” A few stray tears managed to escape your defense as you begged him.

“(y/n), we both know who my parents, who my family, who we are associated with. I can’t risk it and neither can you.”

“I love you, Draco. And everyone knows it.”

“I love you too. And hopefully, you will get it through your head while I can’t love you anymore.”

During your sixth and seventh years, you never spoke to Draco, let alone offered a glance in his general direction. He shattered your heart after you had thought you had found your person, your soulmate if you will. The only thing the shocked you was that he never mentioned or let lose the dirtiest secret of your family. It wouldn’t have changed much but still have hurt you enough in many social circles.

Even after the Battle of Hogwarts had passed, you still hadn’t made up with Draco and even Harry Potter, his schoolyard nemesis, ended up coming to terms. All your friends were engaged, married, or dating. You had also tried, but nothing ever came of anything you attempted to pursue. The spark you once had with who you thought was the love of your life never reappeared with anyone else.

However, you heard from the newlywed Potter’s that Draco had married - an arranged marriage - but married nonetheless. To Astoria Greengrass who was two years your younger back in school. Both purebloods, caring for their family lineage. The news had come to you at the end of another failed relationship and felt like a ton of bricks on your chest.

No, the Malfoy prejudice was in no way your fault. You had done everything you could to salvage the relationships and love him unconditionally. But sometimes you wonder...

if one thing had been different, would everything be different?

#mattie writes #folklore/evermore series #Draco Malfoy #draco malfoy x reader #draco x reader #draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy fanfiction #dracotok #hp tiktok #wizarding world of harry potter #wizarding world x reader #ron weasley x reader #fred weasley x reader #Harry Potter #harry potter x reader #hp imagine #hp #tom riddle x reader #slytherin #hufflepuff #ravenclaw #Gryffindor #slytherin!reader #hufflepuff!reader #ravenclaw!reader #gryffindor!reader

[starry-nocturne]

💋 — kissing 💃 — dancing 🍼 — taking care of children 💌 — romance/flirting

Ari came here with the big questions and I'm here to deliver 😤💖 My girl is demiromantic and a mess and I love her v much thank you

★ [ Muse skillset symbol meme ]

Send an emoji to learn how good/bad my muse is at that particular skill!

💋— kissing

Absolutely freaking awful at it. Bad. Just plain ol' bad. She has never kissed anyone in her life so she just?? doesn't know how kissing works? First of all the concept of platonic kisses (cheek, forehead, etc.) doesn't really exist in her and the very few people she's acquainted with enough to have received any of those can tell that she's just. Nervous and anxious and anything but comfortable so she’s always at the receiving end.

Nowww romantic kisses is where it is at. Ryo is currently 18 years old and firmly believes that pressing your lips against someone else's already counts as a kiss per se so she's like. "Oh, I can do that". "It can't be too hard!". WRONG. She can't even do that. She has never ever kissed anyone so I’m confident on her first kiss being an absolute mess because she’s just genuinely confused. No one told her there’s so much stuff in kisses? Wait wait you mean there’s more than just like. Pressing your lips against your s/o’s?

Someone save this innocent creature lol

💃— dancing

Answered here!

🍼 — taking care of children

I think it would depend a lot of the kid but she would probably struggle quite a bit at first. Kids are really honest and straightforward and she's not the best when it comes to keeping people entertained either. But! I think she would make a really good big sister with a bit of practice. Putting aside all the confusion at the beginning because *holds kid* what do I do with this I don’t want to deal with this as soon as the learns the ropes then it’s done! She might be a bit on the strict side because that’s what she was raised in but I feel it wouldn’t be too hard for them to get on her doting side either. After all, she knows what growing up in that kind of environment does to you in the long run so she wants to be a good influence, somehow. She doesn't have much patience, though :')

💌 — romance/flirting

On a follow up to the kissing one, you can already guess my answer: in a 1 to 10 scale she's at a glorious -1. Can't flirt even if her life depended on it, even if her actual soulmate showed up on her doorstep she would go ???. It just. It's bad, really really bad. It takes her ages to realize she might have romantic feelings for someone and when she does she just... doesn’t act on it. It’s not like she’s expecting the other part to do something either but rather this feeling of “What we have now is good enough for me, so what’s the point of trying further”.

She’s bad at complimenting people too. Shang Li’s “You fight good” sounds to her like a proper compliment and,, no. Please no don’t flirt like that just don’t. I think that the only chance you might get at seeing Ryo try to flirt properly is getting told she can’t flirt. Especially by her partner. Do go with a "You don't flirt because you don't know how to flirt lol" to her and she will try. Whether it's good flirting or (not nearly as) bad flirting really depends on. A lot of factors. Including whether her brain has registered that she is indeed flirting and wow isn't she like. Too close to the other person. Suddenly her heart starts beating a bit too fast and as soon as blush hits her cheeks, it's game over and she'll die out of embarrassment and anger over being embarrassed by something so silly.

Ryo is more of an accidental flirting with people. Every once in a blue moon she will say something genuinely nice to another person and when asked about it the answer usually goes along the lines of "Because you're important to me" / "Because I care for you" as she stares intently at them in an absolutely accidental romantic setting and doesn't realize a thing about what she just did. Absolutely fucking dense as long as she enjoys being next to the other person.

#leo; asks #tldr; she has zero romantic experience and it's an actual mess at it #she just needs someone that will explain romance to her