#kind of disappointing but maybe shes complex

[gay-kurapika]

Got to the part in the TAZ podcast tonight where it's revealed who the redrobe who has been following them is and BRO I didn't see that coming but it's awesome and also so fucking funny

#nice to see you again barold #also...lucretia might be a bad guy #kind of disappointing but maybe shes complex

[lovebugism]

hi angel! I have a little fictober request … can I pls get holding hands for the first time from the prompt list with steve harrington and shy!reader? maybe they’re in a busy place and steve doesn’t want to lose r so he grabs her hand, not realising how ridiculously flustered she gets <3333

ty for requesting angel :D this can be read as a part two to this fic!

summary: steve takes you to a mall in the city in a desperate attempt to spend time with you, fending off freaks, douchebags, and your anxious tendencies alike (shy!reader, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers cw for mentions of anxiety, 3.5k)

fictober leftovers (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

Steve idles between the X-rated horror and thriller sections for several long minutes until he works up the courage to talk to you. You’re a pretty little thing behind the counter, hand in your palm as you scribble into the journal Keith threatened to confiscate from you earlier that morning.

He’s never been this nervous to talk to you. Things are different now. Post-first date, and Steve’s still toeing that wretched line between friends and something more. The puppy love is so painfully mutual, but it’s equally hard to navigate. He can’t come on too strong — not with someone as soft as you — but he’s still got some King Steve left in him. He’s still learning how to be gentle.

With sweaty hands, he walks up to the counter and tries to be subtle about the whole thing. Stealthy, like a ninja. He leans on his folded-up arms and blurts before he means to, “So you’re, like, totally coming tomorrow, right?”

You lift your chin and blink at him with wide eyes. You hadn’t heard him come over, too busy doodling a bunch of nothingness in your notebook. Your stomach whirls at the sight of him. It takes you a moment too long to answer.

“Coming… where?”

“To the mall,” he reminds, then corrects himself with a shrug. “The one in the city— not the shithole we have here.”

“Oh. Uh, I don’t— I don’t know,” you stammer. Steve invited you earlier that week, and you promised to think about it. You did. And you want so desperately to go, but your brain’s too mean, and it just won’t let you.

The disappointment that flashes on his face is fleeting, but you don’t miss it. The hurt softens his features in an unbearable way. It makes your chest ache.

“C’mon,” Steve presses in a gentle lilt. He leans closer to you, eyes twinkling and lips curling. “It could be fun, you know? I mean, everyone’s gonna be there.”

He’s trying his best to persuade you. He has no idea that that’s exactly what’s keeping you from going. Crowds are always stress-inducing, even those of the familiar kind.

“Everyone as in…?”

“Robin, obviously. Dustin, too,” Steve answers, counting on his fingers as he goes. “Max is coming, but Lucas has a basketball thing, so he can’t. And the rest of the little shits are in California, so that’s definitely a plus.”

It’s a dumb joke, but it makes you laugh anyway — a quiet giggle of a thing that makes him grin.

“Uh… Eddie’s coming, too, I think— but don’t let that dissuade you, alright? I promise I’ll protect you from that freak. You don’t have to worry about him.”

You smile because you know he’s joking. You’ve met Eddie a couple times now. He’s always been really sweet to you. Him and Steve just have a strange complex that forces them to be assholes to each other.

“And also, I’m gonna be there. Obviously. So…” he trails off with a wavering smile. So if you don’t wanna come for them, maybe you can come for me, is what he’s really trying to tell you.

“I don’t know,” you repeat, quieter now as you shrink into yourself. You try and fail to meet Steve’s honeyed gaze. “I just feel like I’ll make everything all weird.”

His bushy brows pinch, almost in offense that you’d think you’re anything less than totally perfect. “Why would you think that?”

“‘Cause… I don’t know,” you murmur in a quiet sigh. You don’t want to lie to him, but telling the truth feels so much harder. “They don’t really know me, you know? And I feel like… like I’ll just ruin everything if I’m there…”

It takes Steve a couple of seconds to answer you. He doesn’t know how you could say something that — like you don’t light up every room you’re in. “Well, that’s… that’s just not true,” he argues with a shrug. “They like you. They love you, actually— they just wanna get to know you. And the only way they’re gonna get to know you is if you come hang out every once in a while.”

Your heart flutters. You want to believe him. It’s hard for you to comprehend that anyone could care so much about your presence, so you just nod and don’t say anything further. 

Steve is quick to comfort you, almost like he can read your mind. “But if you think it’s gonna be too much, you could always just stick with me. I’ll fend off the freaks for you, no problem.”

His cinnamon eyes glimmer with honey. He looks at you far too fondly to say no.

—————

There’s six of you crammed into Steve’s 733i. It’s already a tight fit, but it’s more suffocating when it’s full of a million different conversations. Almost all of them are pointed your way. Steve tries to bat everyone off of you, but it’s hard to yell at everyone and drive at the same time.

You’re being a pretty good sport about it despite how anxiously helpless you feel. 

You wring your clammy hands in your lap and try to regulate your bated breaths, nodding to whatever Max is telling you. It’s hard to hear her because Eddie’s talking to you, too. You’re too scared he’ll think you’re mean if you stop him.

You watch Robin reach for the radio, complaining about all the yelling as she turns up the volume. The cheesy pop song is all you can hear. The conversations around you become a monotone buzzing. You feel like you could just about explode.

“Jesus, you guys are acting like you’ve never seen another person before,” Steve shouts over it all, the only definite thing you can understand. “Let her breathe before she thinks we’re all a bunch of lunatics, alright?”

He’s met with a bunch of muffled complaints, but the noise quietens nonetheless.

Steve glances at you in the rearview, a quick check to make sure you’re still okay. You catch him doing it and try your best to give him a smile. It looks more like a wince.

“Well, it’s your fault for finally bringing someone cool around,” Max argues with all her practiced teenaged ambiguity. “I have to spend all day surrounded by freaks— at least now there’s someone halfway normal to talk to.”

“I’m normal!” Steve insists, face twisted in offense.

“You’re a jock.”

“Hey. C’mon, Red,” Eddie scolds, so obviously playful. “Let’s not go throwing the j-word around—”

The brunette boy huffs. “Thank you!”

“—Jock would imply that Steve’s still cool,” the wild-haired boy continues. “Which he isn’t.”

Poorly hidden laughter fills the small car. Steve nods and mutters beneath it all, “Yeah. Okay. Thanks for the clarification, Munson.”

He glances at you again and finds you cracking a halfway sincere smile. He shoots you a light-hearted glare. “Don’t laugh! You’re just encouraging him!”

“Sorry,” you apologize, hiding your giggle behind your fist. “’M sorry.”

Steve smiles at you, silently tells you he doesn’t really mean it. He’d let Musnon make fun of him all day if he thought it meant he’d get to hear you laugh like that again.

—————

You take your first good breath in an hour when you step out of the car. 

Steve shuts it off and gravitates towards you on instinct. His honey eyes are wide as they dart across your flustered features. You see his hands reach towards you, to grab your elbows maybe, but he decides against it.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” you nod, quicker than you mean to. “I’m good.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. I really tried to—”

“I know,” you cut him off with a sweet, still quiet smile. “It’s still okay.”

He sighs heavy, like a deep breath of relief. “Okay. Good,” he hums, almost to himself, nodding with a pink grin you could stare at all day. He would’ve let you, but neither of you get the chance. 

Your friends start messing around, and the chaos melts into the buzzing crowd surrounding you, and you realize the two of you aren’t the only people on earth. Bummer.

You gather around the large map at the entrance of the bustling mall. “Where should we go first?” Dustin chirps from the front of the crowd. His eyes are as wide as his smile. “Game Player? Sam Goody? Oh, look— they have a RadioShack! I’ve been looking for a new supercomm. It’s on the other side of the  building, though, but we can just work our way around, I guess—”

“Jesus, Dusty-Bun,” Robin interjects with a gritty laugh. She stands on the outside of the group, arms crossed over her chest, effortlessly too cool for it all. “Take a breath, buddy.”

“Don’t call me that!” the boy gripes over his right shoulder.

Steve shrugs. “Go wherever you want to. I don’t care.”

Dustin looks to his left, shooting the older boy a glare. “Aren’t you supposed to be the babysitter?”

“You’re fourteen!”

“Well, what if I get kidnapped?”

“No one’s kidnapping you, alright? Trust me,” Steve jokes, only smiling when he sees you trying to hide yours. He puts his hands on his waist and cocks his hip to the side. “They’ll send you right back where you came from. You have nothing to worry about.”

Dustin squints. “Rude.”

“We’ll just meet back at the food court in, like, two hours. And if you don’t get yourself killed, you’ll be fine,” Steve reasons with a nonchalant shrug and a jutted-out lip.

“Oh. Wow. Thanks, Steve. What would I ever do without you?”

He rolls his cinnamon eyes at the boy’s monotone. “Alright, smartass.”

When the rest of the group dissipates, he leans over to nudge your shoulder. It knocks you from your stupor — so deep in your own head you were practically drowning. You blink at him with wide, glassy eyes. “Hm?”

“Do you wanna go anywhere?” he asks with a wavering smile. His laugh is equally forced. “You’re kinda staring a hole into the map there…”

“Oh. No. I was just…” you trail off with a shake of your head. You’re not entirely sure what to tell him, how to make him understand your easily overstimulated mind. “I was just distracted. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. No big deal.”

“Where did everyone else go?” you wonder with a furrow to your brow, noticing the lack of familiar chaos around you.

“Eddie and Dustin went to some movie store, and I think Robin and Max are on the hunt for cassettes.”

“Okay...” you nod with a tremble in your voice. 

You’re still not totally used to being alone with Steve. Your friends are usually good distractions. They fill your awkward silences with something funnier and talk loud when you get too quiet. When they’re not around it’s just… awkward silences and quiet air. 

You get too in your own head, so eager to impress the pretty boy beside you, that you end up putting your foot in your mouth.

Steve doesn’t seem nearly as apprehensive. Instead, he’s beaming at the fact that he’s finally got you alone. He doesn’t have to worry about quieting Dustin when he gets too loud or shoving Eddie away when he forgets what personal space is. It’s quieter with just the two of you — warmer, cozier, easier.

“Wanna go down to the food court?” he wonders, honey eyes sparkling when he looks your way. “I know you haven’t eaten anything yet, so…”

Your eyes narrow, accusing and playful. “How would you know that?”

“Uh, ‘cause I know you,” the boy scoffs like it’s obvious. “I basically have to force you to eat every morning.”

“That’s not true!”

“It so is!” Steve giggles and it’s heaven to your ears, the exact sound of honey. “That’s why I hate not opening with you. ‘Cause if I’m not around to force you to eat the other half of my Poptart, I’m just, like, worrying if you’re withering away or not.”

Your face burns hot. Your heart swells with a similar warmth that borders on painful. You didn’t think he cared so much about you — or that he ever thought about you outside of work or the occasional hangout.

“Fine,” you concede with your arms crossed over your chest, trying not to seem as flustered as you feel. “Let’s go to the food court.”

Steve grins. He follows you in stride when you start to head that way. “Cool. We can go get one of those disgustingly good burgers or something.”

“For breakfast?” you wonder with a light-hearted laugh.

“Yeah! Like, one of those crazy huge ones, you know? The patties are, like, the size of your fist— make a fist.”

You do. You ball your fingers and hold them up between you. Steve holds onto your wrist for further inspection, fingers long and warm and soft. You swallow.

“Bigger than your fist,” he corrects with a laugh. The sweet sound is drowned out by the swell of yelling teenagers. They talk so loudly and over one another that their conversations become a meaningless drones.

Two in particular shove at one another, laughing loud like it’s fun. One of them almost barrels into you — long blonde hair, tight shirt, tighter jeans, and cologne so potent it stings your nose. He just narrowly misses you, mostly because Steve’s there to yank you out of the way.

The boy’s gentle grip on you tightens. He pulls you close until you’re stumbling into his side. With a strong arm wrapped around you, he shouts at the roughhousing teens — “Watch where you’re going, assholes!”

The scrawny boys walk on ahead of you. They seem apologetic, halfway scared at first. When they realize Steve’s not rushing to beat their asses, they chuckle about the whole thing and keep punching each other.

You’re still frozen in shock — not so much of fear anymore, but of how tightly Steve’s holding onto you. It’s an embrace of the firmer kind, a touch so solid you feel immediately safer inside it. You don’t think you’ve ever been this close before. The teenage girl in your heart starts to spin.

“You okay?” Steve asks when the anger ebbs.

“Yeah,” you nod, swallowing tightly and forcing an awkward laugh. “You don’t have to keep asking me that, you know?”

He nods rapidly, then notices how close he’s holding you. Fearful that he’s made you uncomfortable, he uncurls his arm from around you and takes a small step back. “No, I know! I just wanna— I just wanna make sure, you know? ‘Cause I know you don’t like… all this.”

He waves his hands vaguely out beside him.

You’re immediately cold without him holding you. You wrap your arms around yourself to compensate for the lack of him. 

“Yeah, but… It’s not the rest of the world’s fault that I’m scared of everything,” you say with another forced laugh, shifting your weight on your feet. If you could melt into your oversized sweater, you would. “It’s mine. So I can deal with it. I have to deal with it.”

Steve nods, slower this time and with a silent sense of understanding. He steps closer to you and shrugs. “I think the least I can do is make it a little easier on you… And I feel like I’ve been doing the exact opposite of that all day.”

“That’s not true,” you argue with the shake of your head.

His chocolate eyes widen. You’re rarely so assertive. “No?”

“No,” you answer, softer this time as you grow sheepish all over again. Your unsure gaze darts from your dirty sneakers to his twinkling eyes until it makes you dizzy. “You’re actually making it more bearable for me, so…”

“Oh. Okay. Good,” he nods with a smile, breathless because his chest is swelling with pride. He knows the world can be a little much for someone as soft as you. It’s good to know that he’s the exception to all that. 

He gets lost in the way you look at him for a moment too long. He clears his throat and stammers, “Uh, do you still wanna go get food?” he asks, pointing off beside him. “We can find somewhere quiet to eat so we don’t have to deal with teenage douchebags the entire time.”

Your heart lurches into your throat. It’s practically your love language — spending time alone in a quiet space, with no overt need for conversation or people to fill the void. 

You nod, trying and failing to hide the beam on your face. “Yeah. That’d be nice.”

—————

The quiet place in question is a photo booth on the halfway vacant, furthest end of the mall. Closed curtains, small spaces, and entwined breaths. It smells like his deep cologne, your perfume, and a freshly cooked meal. It’s too easy to forget that there’s a whole world outside of here.

You sit twisted on the bench, facing Steve with your burger trays in front of you. You pluck salty fries from the plate with a trembling hand, distantly fearful that you’re not supposed to be eating here. You think being so close to Steve is worth the risk.

“Is this the day you were expecting to have?” Steve asks with a lopsided grin. He takes a big bite of his burger right after and gets mustard on the corner of his mouth.

“No,” you answer, giggling as he swipes the stain away with his tongue. “But not because it’s bad.”

“Hm?” he hums to egg you on. He’s got too much of a mouthful for anything else.

“Mm-mm,” you shake your head, equally nonverbal as you chew on a handful of fry crumbs. You swipe your palms together to dispel the grains of salt. “I’m having more fun than I thought I would, actually.”

Steve scoffs in disbelief. “Spending time with me? Alone in a photo booth? That’s a good time to you?”

His tone makes you self-conscious. You feel a little shameful, like a child, because you don’t need much to be entertained. You get all warm with embarrassment, too. Being alone with Steve has always felt like climbing mountains — something short of an adrenaline rush that makes you think you could conquer the world. Maybe you’re too small in comparison to do the same for him.

“Yeah,” you shrug in an inaudible murmur. “I don’t know— I just… I like spending time with you, you know? I don’t really care what we’re doing.”

Steve’s chest swells. From a girl who too often keeps to herself, inherently nervous and incessantly frightened of being a burden, it’s more of a proclamation of love than he ever thought he’d get from you.

“Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page,” he confesses with a crooked pink grin, internally praying his cheeks aren’t as red hot as they feel.

He holds his half-eaten burger out towards you. You knock yours with his, clinking them together like champagne glasses. He takes another too big bite. You go to do the same but get a whiff of the sleeve of your sweater before you can. 

“God, I smell like a teenage boy,” you groan, only half-playful. The nose-burning musk from the kid from before has seemingly stuck itself onto you. Like fruit and sage and wood and vanilla, every scent ever made combined.

“I wasn’t gonna say anything, but you definitely smell like bodyspray,” Steve affirms, scruffy cheeks jutted out from the burger in his mouth.

“I think I’ve been tainted,” you giggle, a quieter sound compared to his boyish laughter. “Thanks for saving me, by the way.”

You’re saying it to be nice, but you watch him get all shy about it when you take a bite of your sandwich. He shifts on the bench, like he suddenly can’t get comfortable. When he rubs his palms on his thighs, you can’t tell if it’s because of the salty fries or because they’re clammy.

“Yeah— I didn’t mean to— I didn’t mean to grab you like that,” he stammers with an apologetic twinkle in his eye and a gaze that can’t quite meet yours. “Just so you know. I was just trying to—”

“Save me?” you interject.

Steve smiles when he sees how softly you’re looking at him. He shrugs. “Well, I was gonna say ‘pull you from the line of fire,’ but sure.”

“It’s okay,” you repeat for perhaps the thousandth time that day. “I didn’t mind. It felt nice, actually— you have really warm hands.”

“That’s ‘cause yours are always ice cold.”

“Well, maybe that’s because you’re not holding them,” you blurt before you mean to. 

You freeze mid-bite, eyes wide in distant horror as your blood runs cold. In a desperate attempt to break away from the awkwardness you caused, you muster a trembling smile. “I’m kidding,” you murmur, halfway hidden behind your burger.

You weren’t.

Steve knows this, too, so he smiles. 

He’d been thinking about it all day, in truth — how he was gonna get to hold your hand without having to stick his foot in his mouth to ask you. Turns out, a series of unfortunate events and an impromptu date in a photo booth was all it took. And he’s grateful. For all of it.

“No, you weren’t,” he teases, fingers as warm as his smile when he wraps them around yours. He holds gently onto your hand — even though it makes eating a little harder, even though your fingers are cold, even though you tremble.

#published by bug #steve harrington x reader #stranger things x reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington #stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfiction #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fanfic #st drabbles #stevie drabble #event: fictober!

[maliland]

RESENTMENT: PT. 2

"how could you lie?" part one angel(s): e-42 miles morales & black fem reader includes: angst, infidelity, homewrecking, depressing themes, & heartbreak (men being disappointments per usual) synopsis: you used to describe your experience with love as one of complexity and simplicity all at once, but after you learn what your boyfriend did at a party with another girl while you were at home and sick, your heart is left with irreparable damage and an abundance of resentment. wc: 6.7k divider by @/cafekitsune a/n: this is gonna be my last sv fic for a hot min (or forever) 😭 savor and enjoy. ik the tag has been dead and you all have been malnourished, so yw! <3 icl, idk how i feel about it but y'all can lmk 🫶 (p.s: before ppl start nothing non-pg ever happened in this fic at any point in time. just kissing. ion get down like that 👍 thanks.)

when you arise in the morning and before you lay your head to rest at night, one thing is always definite: you are human.

humans are imperfect, so they make mistakes. genuine ones. honest ones. you’ve mixed up salt and sugar while baking chocolate chip cookies. you’ve hit your best friend square in the face while trying to spike a volleyball. you’ve missed assignment deadlines, forgotten about chores, and left the grocery list at home, all honest mistakes. a boy pressing his lips to another girl’s, though he has another he calls his own, is not a mistake. if it were up to you, it’d be a crime punishable by execution. between miles and yourself, no mercy was shown for the loyal one of you two, so why should he be granted any? infidelity; the act itself is the murder of the most important, sacred muscle, so why not return the favor?

you know your intentions before you give into the temptation of them. you knew miles knew. he knew from the moment that girl pulled him over to a vacant bedroom. did he think they’d simply exchange pleasantries? even so, why partake in such with someone who clearly has a taste for you? a taste for insulting the one you love most just as easily as she breathed?

these are all questions that would never be answered truthfully. you’d have to make peace with the reality or the only peace you’d know was the eternal kind that followed after death. and to think that you once believed in those stupid children’s fairy tales. miles made you believe that that kind of love could be real life. he almost made you believe you could attain the happy ending you always dreamed about. you were so close to it too. to have your bubble burst like that by the person you love most..? cold. way colder than the shivers repeatedly sinking down your spine.

it was a stupid idea to leave your window open.

the medicine you had taken for your cold had you knocked out in the warmth of your bed and you slept soundly. the chilly air would blow through the curtains now and then. the wind was only a light breeze at first. it felt nice, maybe even comforting, but when night finally fell, the current picked up. you were woken up by an icy blast hitting your face.

you groaned and slowly rose up, pulling the covers off of you before you swung your legs off of the bed. you drowsily staggered to your window and forced it shut, drawing the curtains closed only seconds afterward. you would just have to hope the mishap wouldn’t make you any sicker than you already were. you mindlessly carried yourself back to your bed and submerged yourself under the covers. you grabbed your phone, which was lying face down beside you.

you unlocked your phone and went straight to instagram, tapping through everyone's stories. most of the people you knew were at the party. parties weren't your cup of tea, so you couldn't really say you wished you had gone. you were more of a homebody than you'd like to admit.

you eventually got to miles' story. all he had posted was a single picture of him and his group of friends, and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. seeing your boyfriend happy made you happy. you smiled to yourself before switching to your messages app. you had notifications from both miles and your friends who were also at the halloween party. you opened miles’ messages first.

9:37pm

miles: hey ma (9:37 pm) miles: i know you’re probably sleeping right now, but i wanted to lyk that i got here okay (9:37 pm) miles: i’m with my friends (9:38 pm) miles: ima go now but i love you 💗 i’ll text you soon (9:39 pm)

10:23 pm

miles: yooo just checking in 🙌 miss you a lot (9:36 pm) miles: hope you’re enjoying that nap ❤️❤️(9:37 pm)

you: hey i’m up now 😈😈 (10:52 pm) you: i saw your ig story 🙃 looks like you guys are having fun so i’ll leave you to it (10:52 pm) you: text me later, i love you so much more 💓 (10:53 pm)

you swiped out of your text thread with miles and opened your group chat with your three best friends, sasha, lani, and nae. while you met sasha and lani not too long ago, you’ve known nae for damn near your entire life.

dollz 💘 9:13pm

sasha: how’s my bedridden baby? 🫶🫶 (9:13 pm)

lani: she’s been unconscious for mad long 👎(9:14 pm)

nae: we should ditch this party n go to her place instead i’m BOREDDD (9:16 pm) nae: and what if bro’s dead (9:16 pm)

jana: girl (9:20 pm) jana: she ain’t dead 🤦‍♀️ please. (9:21 pm)

sasha: ofc not (9:23 pm) sasha: nae's right.. this party lowk boring asf🧍‍♀️ can we leave soon? (9:25 pm)

jana: yes 💋 (9:25 pm)

nae: thought you’d never ask. (9:26 pm)

10:57pm

you: y’all i’m up damn! 😭 (10:57 pm) you: is it really that boring? miles seems to be having fun (10:57 pm)

nae: he buggin then cuz it's been like two hours and this party is STILL boring as shit (11:01 pm) nae: i tried to give it the benefit of the doubt but nvm. (11:01 pm) nae: my niece's fourth birthday party was x100 more turnt than this (11:02 pm) nae: i’m stuffing all the good snacks in my purse nd then we outta this bitch 🏃‍♀️ i’ll be in the car y’all (11:02 pm)

jana: bruh🧍‍♀️ (11:03 pm)

sasha: nae beloved, you already put hella snacks in the passenger seat (11:03 pm) nae: so? 🥱 (11:04 pm) sasha: you don’t need no more tf 😭😭 big backed hungry ass (11:04 pm)

you: yes she does (11:10 pm) you: she’s thinking of me, duh (11:11 pm)

sasha: damn you right.. maybe 🤷‍♀️ (11:15 pm) sasha: or maybe she'll eat up all the snacks and i'll laugh in your face and say i told you so 🤌 (11:16 pm)

jana: uh huh... anw girl can we come over? (11:18 pm)

you: i’d say yes but miles is coming over soon (11:21 pm) you: y’all can come over first thing tmrw morning tho 💋💋(11:21 pm)

right as you sent that message, your phone began to ring and you were met with your own puzzled reflection on the screen of your phone. it was a facetime call from nae. you couldn’t come up with a reason why she’d ever need to facetime you from a party when she could text or call. nevertheless, you picked up. you forced yourself up and out of you warmth of your bed, throwing your comforter and many, many blankets off of you.

you answered the facetime call as you turned the knob to your bedroom door to leave, making your way downstairs to the kitchen so you could raid the pantry for food. when nae’s face popped up on your screen, you noticed that the interior of sasha’s car surrounded her, but neither sasha or lani were anywhere to be found.

“hey danae, what’s up?” you said into the phone as you shut the microwave. you'd settled on instant ramen since you were feeling lazy. when you caught a glimpse of your best friend's face on your phone screen a second time, you clocked that she looked worried and that made you worried too. it didn't help that she was dead silent. you raised an eyebrow. “you alone? where’s lani and sasha?"

“something happened,” nae spoke slowly, disregarding your question. her eyes were bolting back and forth between her phone camera and sasha’s car window.

“what?” you shook your head, your eyebrows furrowing in concern. you set your phone down on the counter, propping your elbows onto the surface while you tried to decipher nae's expression, but that got you nowhere.

“i’m gonna send you something. just hold on a sec.”

“nae, what’s going on?” you inquired, a puzzled expression painting your face.

she didn’t reply. you pressed your lips into a thin line and closed your eyes in both confusion and frustration, strings of air passing through your nostrils. whatever nae was about to tell you was obviously nothing good. you didn't anticipate anything but the absolute worst. you opened your eyes again when your phone dinged. it was photo attachment from nae. you furrowed your brows blinked a few times before tapping it, pulling up you and your best friend's text thread. your entire body went limp when your brain registered the monstrosity on your screen. all you could do in the moment was stare in shock. it was a clear shot of miles and arielle at the party making out in some random bedroom upstairs. arielle who wouldn’t quit making moves on miles. miles who would shut down her pathetic attempts every time. arielle who’s always hated your guts without reason. miles who swore on everything that you were the only one he loved. 

it was all so ironic, truly. arielle was dressed as an angel, a sparkly halo hovering above her head as if she wasn’t concomitantly sinning—shamelessly home-wrecking. and you could see it now: the embodiment of your relationship, or the so-called home you and your boyfriend shared. in your mind, it was ablaze and you were curled up all alone inside of it. you were left to succumb to the searing flames, burning to nothing ash while all that you and miles share burned beside you. 

the boy would come home to the walls still burning and in the process of self-purging. he wouldn’t find you, rather the remnants of what used to be you. the ash would slip through his dirty, unfaithful fingers as they trembled in horror. he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. he’d desperately try to grasp you. he’d try to save you and scoop debris into his sweaty palms so he could salvage what was left of you. still, there was nothing. there wasn't a single thing in the universe that could aid the way you felt in that moment.

now, miles would have to mourn you, for he killed you. and he didn’t even know it yet.

your eyes were squeezed shut because they had to be deceiving you. you must not be fully awake yet. the medicine must be making you hallucinate. you were dreaming. you were a hundred percent dreaming. that wasn’t miles. 

how could that be miles?

“i was looking for lani and found… them instead,” nae muttered. “i don’t know if he saw me take the picture, or what. i left to tell you right after.”

you swallowed hard. though a million different thoughts were racing through your mind, none of them came to be verbal. you couldn’t bring yourself to say anything, because what do you even say when something like this happens? would anything you said be enough? would any quantity of words in any given order be able you place the way you felt? unlikely. highly.

your eyes continue you gape at the photo, even though the sight was making your stomach churn. you couldn’t look away. your eyes were fixed on miles' hands on arielle's hips, then her hands cupping his cheeks. nae was still on facetime explaining whatever it was she was explaining, but you weren’t listening. her words were static to your ears. there was a pit in your stomach and it was growing deeper and deeper, your wounded heart subsiding along with it. you set your phone face down on the kitchen counter and began to clutch your stomach. you swore you were going to convulse and vomit from how ill you felt.

“[name]!” nae snapped her fingers into the mic. “yo, you still with me? i’m coming over. i’m gonna call an uber right now.”

you blinked and shook your head, flipping your phone back over and taking a deep breath. you couldn’t just shut down, not now. you had something you needed to confront. someone.

“no,” you sniffled. 

you didn’t even notice the hot tears rolling down your cheeks. you quickly swiped them away with the sleeve of miles’ hoodie. the realization that it was his hoodie you had on made you freeze up again for a few seconds, and then you buried your face in the palms of your hands.

“what do you mean ‘no?’” nae frowned, bringing the speaker up to her ear in case she heard you incorrectly.

your phone dinged three times. in your notification center were text messages from the devil himself.

miles: hey ma, i’m leaving now (11:25 pm) miles: the party was okay at first but it got boring (11:25 pm) miles: i’ll be there in like fifteen ❤️ (11:26 pm)

you just stared at the messages, biting your bottom lip until it began to draw blood as a plea for you to stop. the taste was metallic in your mouth, but your teeth didn’t budge. you didn't want miles over anymore, but it was far too late to tell him to turn around. it's not like he'd check his phone while he was driving, anyway.

“i keep losing you, girl."

you had forgotten all about nae for a second, her voice grounding you back to earth. you exhaled, your breath coming out unsteady. “miles is on his way over. after i talk to him, i’ll call you and you can come over then.”

“okay, babe,” nae nodded with a gentle sigh. 

“do… lani and sasha know?” “no, they don’t,” nae denied. “i wouldn’t tell them before you.” 

you pressed your lips together and silence engulfed your kitchen. you let your mind wander some more. after all this was over and done with, you'd have to explain to all of your loved ones that miles cheated on you. the very thought of having to tell everyone—your family, your friends, your dad—it embarrassed you. you couldn't stomach the very thought, so you exhaled deeply, opting to take it one step at a time. nae spoke again. “listen, if you don’t call or text me in, like, an hour, ima come over there.”

“okay," you nodded.

“remember that you deserve nothing but the best of the best. i love you so much, okay?”

“i know,” you tried to convene a smile. “i love you more.”

you hung up the phone and rid of any stray tears on your face. after nae's face vanished from your screen, you were left staring at you and your boyfriend's message thread. without putting much thought into it, you began to type.

‘cool, i’m jus—'

your fingers froze. you couldn’t text miles. he didn’t deserve anything so little as acknowledgment. you repeatedly hit backspace until the bar was blank and shut off your cell.

you sat idly on one of the kitchen stools behind the counter, your instant ramen long forgotten about. in the moment, you were feeling indifferent as a result of shock. still, you knew yourself better. when miles finally confessed his sins, you’d want to scream. you’d bombard him with a million questions at once, only to angrily invalidate any explanation that passed through his adulterous lips. you’d want to burn every handwritten love letter, every piece of clothing, and every gift, because they all meant nothing now.

he was a liar, and he knew it. if you could kill a man and face no consequences, miles might’ve been gone before he even walked through your door.

while you waited for him, you sat there and tortured yourself in thought. you couldn’t help it. was this planned? was this the first time? had he always thought of her like this? did he wish you were her when he was with you?

when you’d exhausted all of those questions, you began to think back to your own actions and behavior as you scrolled up on your texts with him. 

maybe i said something that upset him? but i think he would've told me... right..? or have i been distant? no, that’s not possible. we talk every day. is he bored of me? is that it? am i boring? none of these texts are showing signs of boredom, so what is it?

you'd soon resorted to flipping through the pages in your diary. you were really good about documenting your day-to-day life. if something happened with miles in the past that your brain wouldn’t let you dig up in the moment, surely you would’ve written it there. the pad of your index finger slid across the rough pages as your anguished eyes skimmed the entries. ten minutes in, you still couldn’t find a thing. you'd give anything for a straightforward answer, but you knew it wasn't going to come from miles himself.

when you heard a key grinding into the keyhole of the front door, you slammed your diary shut and jumped off of the stool, knocking it over in the process. you sprinted upstairs to your bedroom, shoving the journal under your pillow. as you trailed out of your room, you closed the door behind you and braced yourself for the worst. 

you shuffled back to the kitchen and picked up the stool from the floor, setting it upright. you caught a glimpse of miles unlacing his jordans at the front door. this was real. 

“hey. i thought you’d still be in bed,” miles grinned as he approached you, spreading his arms for a hug. he wasn’t in his costume, but in a red hoodie and black sweats. he must’ve gone home to change. his costume probably smelled like arielle’s designer strawberry-scented perfume, the one everyone compliments her on. she never shuts up about it.

“hi,” you whispered, accepting his hug in an attempt to seem normal. “i was, but i got hungry. how was the party?”

miles smelled like his favorite cologne, except the scent was unusually potent. it wasn't faded in the slightest like it normally was after he'd been out and around other people. the deplorable amount of effort he was making just to mask the truth infuriated you. it angered you even more that he clearly wasn't planning on telling you anything. if you hadn't seen it yourself, you might've never known.

“it was ight,” he shrugged, loosening his grip on you after a couple of seconds. you hated yourself for wanting to hug him for just a little while longer. he sure as hell didn’t deserve it, but for all you knew, that was the last time you’d be in his embrace. he let his hands fall down to your waist instead and it made you shiver on contact knowing he had his hands on arielle's waist not even a full hour ago. “would’ve been better with you there, y’know. you feelin’ okay now?"

“mostly, yeah,” you responded blandly, your throat tight and your voice fairly groggy. “still a bit tired.”

you didn’t know how to bring it up. this wasn't something you could beat around the bush about. you found yourself deep in thought. so deep to the point where you didn't notice that miles had started talking. you were busy staring off into space with half-lidded eyes, way past his gaze. he clocked it and moved his head so that your eyes were boring into his by force, his eyebrows lowering in concern.

“is everything okay?”

you cleared your throat and gently pushed his arms off your waist, stepping back as you began to blink back tears. there was no easing into it. standing there in front of miles pretending like everything was okay was already bad enough. it felt like you were twisting the knife that he plunged into your chest. eyes glossy, you swallowed hard and batted your lashes a few more times, desperately trying to rid of the tears that threatened to spill.

“i know you kissed arielle at the party,” you barely managed to speak the full sentence, your voice cracking when you spoke her name. “and i’m confused.”

miles’ eyebrows knitted to be one as if this news stunned him. you wished you could hear all his thoughts from start to finish after you spoke. you wanted to know whether he was planning to lie or tell the truth. would he gaslight you or admit to his wrongdoings? you wouldn’t find out now because you didn’t give him an option. this already hurt enough and it would end the same either way.

“nae told me. and she sent me pictures.”

silence fell between the two of you. it felt like it was eating you from the inside. the chirping of the crickets outside and the noise from the refrigerator running slightly compensated for it. not much.

“i just wanna know why you did it. and why her? why the girl that hates me with every last atom in her body?” you broke the silence, shrugging your shoulders. you were hugging your arms, rubbing them in an up-and-down motion as if you were cold.

miles was dumbfounded, guilt painting his features. he couldn’t meet your eyes anymore. you wondered what you would say if you were in his shoes, but it didn’t give you any insight because you knew you'd never do this to him, so you gave up. instead, you stared at the neat middle part in between his two signature braids that cascaded down the back of his head, down to his shoulders. you’d braided his hair only a couple days ago, back when nothing seemed impossible—nothing like now. 

though he wasn’t, miles’ hair still looked clean, freshly done even. what if arielle had redone his braids for him? she did say she was practicing, and she'd made it a goal to practice on him. you mentally cursed yourself for worrying about something as minuscule as miles' braids at a time like this. you didn't want to give yourself another reason to freak, but your brain wouldn’t let you rest. not even in silence. if miles wasn’t going to give you an answer, you’d send him on his way and come up with one by yourself.

“i don’t know why i did it,” he finally retorted.

“oh, word?” you laughed humorlessly. you were trying not to slap the hell out of his shamefully beautiful face. “it happened not even two hours ago. you know why you did it. your memory is sharp, it always has been, so tell me.”

miles exhaled, rubbing the palm of his hand on his forehead. “look, she came onto me while i was grabbing a soda. it was a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing! it didn’t mean any—“

“that’s what they all say, morales,” you cut him off with a scoff. “it didn’t mean anything but somehow you traveled from the kitchen downstairs to a spare bedroom upstairs so you could swap spit without anyone catching you?!” miles tried to speak, but you cut him off again. “were you even gonna tell me? because you came up in here acting like shit was sweet as if you weren’t just making out with the girl you swore i’d never have to worry about, meanwhile, i was home, sick! a fucking cold, miles!”

“i wasn’t gonna keep it to myself. i didn’t wanna hurt you,” miles said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “it wasn’t gonna happen again, i swear.”

none of the words miles spoke were convincing enough for you in the slightest, so you disregarded them.

“did i do something to you? are you holding a grudge about something and trying to get me back?!” you yelled, your voice trembling.

“no, it has nothing to do with you!” he hollered back, squeezing his eyes shut as if he was stressed out. he had no right.

“so then why the fuck would you go and do this shit?!” you were silent for a few seconds, chest heaving up and down while your heart beat out of your chest. your breath was sprinting away from you and you were trying to catch it. "it's bad enough that you kissed another girl, but arielle?"

miles pleaded, “it was a mistake.”

“damn right it was!” you narrowed your eyes to slits. “i can’t believe i trusted you, like, seriously. you’re sick.”

“i let you down, princessa, i know, i’m—“

“sorry?” you finished his sentence, folding your arms. you were far more angry than sad now. “miles, you weren’t sorry when you were kissing her. don’t be sorry now either. you were gonna kiss me with her bright pink lipgloss dried on your lips like it was nothing. you were gonna sit here and play me like i'm stupid. you were never gonna tell me!”

miles couldn’t counter that. he knew you were right, so it was back to uncomfortable silence apart from your hefty breathing and sniffles. miles had never seen you so angry. you'd never seen yourself so angry. there was no one else to blame but miles. you had no idea where to go from there. it was only after you asked the question that you were about to ask on impulse that you realized you should’ve wrapped this up many minutes before.

“is this the only time this has happened?”

miles was hesitant, his eyes growing wider. “yes!” he spat.

miles had a tell—not just his disinclination to answer your question the way he normally would, but also the way his eyebrows would position as if he wasn’t so sure himself. his teeth would clench behind his sealed lips, but you could tell because his jaw was tight and he swallowed hard, and he wouldn’t know what to do with his hands. 

you knew all of this about miles, yet you felt like you were gazing into the eyes of a stranger. 

this wasn’t the miles you fell in love with.

you muttered under your breath, “you know what? i’m wasting your time... and my own. you won’t have an answer that’s both truthful and something i wanna hear. we’re done, you and i. give me the key and get the hell out.”

“mami, come on—“

“nigga, deuces! i said leave!” you snapped as you backed away from him, holding your hand out.

miles dug deep in the right pocket of his black sweats, handing you the key. you flinched when your skin made contact with his. you didn't hesitate to trap the key in the palm of your hand, dropping your arm back down by your side. miles sighed to himself and trudged to the door to lace his shoes back up. you didn't even watch him leave, opting to turn around and battle the tears threatening to spill from your eyes instead. when you finally heard the front door shut, you rushed to lock it. you turned around and pressed your back to the door, face twisted in pure disbelief. 

this was real.

you slid down to the floor and pulled your knees to your chest, your cries echoing through your empty house. you’d never been more grateful that your father was gone for the weekend. miles wouldn’t have heard the end of it. at least now you had time to make up some lie to cover for miles' ass, and it'd be the last damn time.

not even five minutes passed before someone knocked on the front door three times and you sniffled. miles was going to drive you insane. “go the fuck away!”

“it’s me, baby,” a muffled voice said from outside, but it’s one you recognize, and it’s most definitely not miles.

you wiped your tears with the sleeve of miles’ hoodie and stood up, twisting the lock to open the door for your best friend. she was holding a box of pizza in her hand with a tote bag strap over her shoulder.

“you’re early,” you mumbled, one of your hands pressed against the rim of the door.

“i ubered home and got my car. when i got here, i just parked and waited,” nae pushed past you. you closed the door and locked it again, following her to the kitchen, where she set the box of pizza down on the countertop. “you wouldn’t have called me either way. i know you.”

she was right. you weren’t mad at her for being there though. she had always been so good to you.

nae walked over to the dining table and placed her tote bag in one of the chairs. “i brought your favorite type of pizza, and i stopped by the store to grab some snacks and soda. those are still in my car though, so—”

“i don’t think i can stomach anything right now,” you stated as you rubbed your arm. “i broke up with miles.”

saying that out loud felt weird. and final.

“oh, my love,” nae’s brows lowered and she shuffled over to you with open arms. she wrapped them around you and you did the same, sighing into her shoulder. you really didn't want to cry.

it hadn’t been long and you were already over feeling the way you did. you wanted to fast forward to the part where you got over miles for good. as an attempt to console you, nae was rubbing your back in a circular motion. 

“you did the right thing,” she spoke lowly.

you withdrew from the hug and slightly opened your mouth, fixing to ask nae a question only god knew how to answer. “why did he do it though?”

she led you to the couch in your living room and sat you down, massaging her thumb over yours in a back-and-forth motion as your hand stayed clasped in hers. you stared down at your lap, sniffling every couple of seconds and swiping away stray tears.

“boys are just greedy, babe,” she shook her head. “so very greedy. they want it all. there are so many different reasons why people cheat. it’s difficult to pinpoint just one. my random guess is that… miles has issues?"

“issues?” 

“mm-hmm,” she hummed. “internally. maybe he's insecure about himself, i don't know. whatever it is, it doesn’t justify infidelity. you were more than enough, it was him who was lacking."

“i don't get it. i mean, none of this makes any sense… unless i'm blind or stupid, it came out of nowhere. literal thin air. and when i asked, he said he didn't know why he kissed her,” you muttered.

nae sighed. “even if he isn't lying, he still did it.”

“i know,” you nodded. “and i'm sure it wasn't the first time. that’s why i left him.”

“and i’m so proud of you for that,” nae gave your hand a tight squeeze. “walking away isn’t easy for anyone. it takes forever for some people, but you did it just like that.” 

“yeah, well, i kinda had to. it’s bad enough that arielle is gonna rub it in my face until we graduate, and even after that, she’ll probably find a way to .”

“there won’t be any of that,” nae promised. “miles isn’t going to take her seriously—if he even takes her at all. he lost you because of what he did with that bitch. he won’t even be able to look at her without feeling guilty.”

“she can have him, i don’t care either way,” you scoffed. that was a lie. you did care. you cared more than you’d let on if you ever even admit it.

“yeah, you do,” nae raised an eyebrow as if she had effortlessly read your mind. “let yourself feel. it’s how you’ll heal.”

“oh, i’m feeling alright. i’m weighing the pros and cons of murder,” you shakily exhaled, balling up your fists and closing your eyes. “i can’t believe this nigga. seriously.” 

“i’d help you, but i’m not going to jail for him and neither are you.”

you let out a soft sigh, your gaze now fixed on your lap. the tears welling up in your eyes were beginning to cloud your vision. how someone could throw away so many years of loving one another so easily was so far beyond you.

“nae, i’ve been with miles for so long. he’s always been there—i don’t know how to be without him. he’s why i gave love a chance after swearing not to... now he’s shattered my perception of it. the worst part is i should hate him, but i don't. somehow, i still love him and—”

“hey,” nae cut you off. “that’s normal. how you feel is normal.”

you sniffled. “is it?"

“pshh, girl, yeah,” nae assured you, flicking out her wrist. “listen, breakups are terrible. you’re gonna cry and scream. you’re gonna wish you never met him. you’re going to go through old texts, swipe through old photos, and mope in his hoodies. all of that is okay. the worst thing you could ever do to yourself is force yourself not to feel,” nae paused. “if this is who he really is, then it's not your loss. i know it doesn't feel like that right now, but trust me... it just takes time. i don't know how long, but i know my best friend, so no matter how long it takes, you’ll be better than good without miles. i promise." "i'm still gonna miss him," you muttered, sniffling and drying your tears as they fell. nae wrapped her arm around you and exhaled. you sobbed into her shoulder, releasing all the pent-up frustration you'd been concealing in the name of keeping your cool. you'd never felt so inconsolable in your life. "i know, babe. i know."

❤︎₊ ⊹

it was late. 3:28am. time had never moved so slowly. you were genuinely considering calling 911 and telling them you were suffering from a heart attack. you were thoroughly convinced that this was damn near the same exact thing.

the moon wasn’t full tonight, but a waning crescent. it reflected you and how soulless and dejected you felt. the moonshine bleeding through your curtains was also the only source of light you would tolerate, the rest of your bedroom completely dark. you lay on your side facing the window, allowing the icy gusts of wind to hit your face. you were practically drowning in a sea of blankets all while still being in miles’ black hoodie.

nae was gone. she’d left about two hours ago, but not before suffocating you in countless hugs and forcing you to eat a slice of pizza and drink two glasses of water, despite your not wanting to ingest anything due to your unwavering nausea. you told her you’d be okay alone. you knew you wouldn’t and so did she, but you wanted to be alone, so she gave you your space and promised to check in on you when the sun rose. you loved nae dearly and you'd never take her for granted. you felt lucky to have such a kindhearted best friend.

you'd been in a 1v1 with your thoughts for a while now. your phone was powered off and shut away in one of your nightstand drawers to help resist urges. you hated that you wanted to call miles, but you did. you wanted to scream at him. belittle him until you just couldn’t anymore. and you wanted him to sit there and watch you do it without protest. you wanted him to be honest and tell you the truth. you wanted him to promise it would never happen again, and then you wanted to curl up under the covers of your bed with him and sob in his arms while he planted kisses on your forehead, apologizing profusely. you wanted him to tell you he loved you until you believed it again.

you couldn’t do any of that—you wouldn’t. it’d mean you have no respect for yourself. it felt like you hardly had any now, so you needed to keep the scarce amount that remained.

your thoughts were blank and sporadic all at once. you’d never been through a breakup, but you had a rough idea of how these things go, so you spent some time mapping it out in your head.

you'd eventually have to meet up to exchange one another's belongings. maybe rio would apologize on miles’ behalf and say she’d always love you. she’d call you a couple times a week. the calls would eventually come slower and grow more infrequent. soon, the calls wouldn’t come at all. even if there was the acknowledgment that rio’s arms were always open for you, they’d still feel closed. you'd treat them as such.

you'd barely eat because you couldn't stomach a single thing. you'd rot in your bed and binge all your favorite movies and shows. you'd go to war with the urge to run back to miles. you'd read old diary entries where you were gushing about how much you loved him and how amazing he was to you. you'd look back at old photos and videos. you'd reread old texts until you were sobbing so hard that you couldn't breathe.

you'd write letters that nobody was ever going to see and all the tears you shed would smudge the black ink and ruin your fancy penmanship. you'd lie to your dad and tell him that your relationship had just run its course and that you and miles needed to work on yourselves. your friends would check in on you, and of course, you'd tell them that you were okay every time, even if that was the furthest from that.

word gets around fast. when this dreadful weekend was over and monday crept up on you, you'd have to return to school and deal with the piercing stares and shameless gossip. you weren't ready for any of it, because now, everyone at school would know you as the girl who got cheated on by her long-term boyfriend for arielle. rumors would spread. words would be twisted and lies would be told, both about you and miles. in retrospect, it was all the more embarrassing for miles, but you still felt utterly humiliated. not to mention that you had no doubt in your mind that arielle was ready to run to his defense, preferably by kicking you when you're down.

sometimes, just for a fleeting moment, you'd forget about it all and your mind would go quiet. your heart wouldn't swell in longing and you wouldn't feel sick to your stomach. it never did last long before the same thoughts you desperately wanted to leave you alone started to pester you again. "but you two seemed so in love!" nosy girls at your school masking their prying motives behind what they thought were "supportive words" would soon tell you. the worst part is that you'd never know how to respond, because you thought you and miles were in love too. he was your sun and you were his moon. how could you so quickly forget that the sun didn't need the moon to shine, it was the other way around? you thought it was and always would be your heart tethered to his, but now you were left with a broken chain and a heartache.

you thought things would be different with miles. you truly did. now you knew that anyone could screw you over even if they crossed their heart. there weren't any exceptions, not anymore. miles proved that you can do everything right and still get done wrong. it wasn't fair. you should've known you weren't exempt from something like this happening, yet you still let yourself believe you were. maybe you jinxed it, or maybe you thought your case was special. maybe you thought this would never happen because you believed you were special. you only did because he made you feel that way.

you were sick and tired of brooding over your misfortune. you rolled onto your back with a frustrated groan and gaped at your ceiling, the cold air from outside still blowing against the side of your face. as exhausted as you were, sleep just wouldn't grant you sanction in its assuaging embrace.

what hurt the most is that you were so sure that you'd bagged a kind of love that was for the books. the kind of love you thought you could only dream about. though you weren't searching for him, the stars sent you miles morales. in your eyes, he was perfect. you loved and adored him, and swore he was your soulmate, made just for you. he was godsent and you never wanted to let him go, until tonight, when you learned that you were never the one who needed to hold on to begin with.

you came to the humbling conclusion that maybe the reason people told tales of faultless love was because real love was far too sickening to bear. it was merely a way to cope. nothing more, nothing less. maybe "happily ever after" had been a hoax all along. all the fairytales you had read growing up always began with “once upon a time”, but your story with miles ended with it, because loving him was easy—once upon a time.

maliland ©

#heavensent 🪽 #miles morales x reader #miles morales x you #miles g morales x reader #miles morales x y/n #earth 42 miles x reader #spiderman #miles morales x black!reader #e 42 miles morales x reader #e 42 miles x black!reader #miles morales #itsv #atsv #across the spiderverse #into the spiderverse #black fem reader

[thesunisatangerine]

playing for keeps – preview

alexia putellas x childhoodfriend!barçaplayer!reader

warning: light angst

status: work in progress

(a/n in the tags) [parts: preview]

The car ride was deafening in its silence.

In Alexia’s defense, she’d done everything she could to fill it: she’d tried asking you about your flight and when that didn’t work, she started talking football. She asked you about your last season, about how you won your league and wondered about how that must’ve felt; inquired about your negotiations with the club and how you felt about returning back to Barça–solicited for the reason that made you inclined to come back. Heck, she even tried to get you talking by mentioning things you used to do or like–things she didn’t know you didn’t do nor like now. 

For every question, you’d given her the same kind of nothing. A yes, a no, or a hum. There was a weight in your chest that exhausted you past the point of exchanging pleasantries and niceness, a seemingly impossible task for the tiredness in your bones, your soul. So you excused yourself, told her it was the jet lag, and you saw the way the light in her eyes dimmed with disappointment, training them on the road with deliberate focus, her lips tightening to a line of silence.

You still knew the language of her face and body–how could you not when they’d carve themselves into the tissues of your mind?–to perceive that she wasn’t entirely convinced with what you just said because maybe, just maybe, you were to her as she was to you: familiar. The thought provided little comfort, made your chest heavier with guilt even, another stone dropped into the pitcher. 

The feeling gave way to another thought, unpleasant in the way it told you what you already knew, ‘Way to treat the person who took time out of their precious night to drive you to your apartment when she could be using that time to rest for tomorrow’s practice. How nice.’

And then, another.

‘Just like how you treated Olivia, right?’

The reminder made you close your eyes from the sting that followed, a stitch torn from its place in a wound newly closed, and you tried to prevent the tears’ impending arrival but the darkness that followed served to rub salt to the cut as it made the fleeting images clearer, the words ever louder.

“I’m so stupid! So stupid…” 

“Go. Please, just go. You won’t find happiness here.”

A touch on your arm startled you back to the present, the jostle from the gasp you let out just enough to make a tear fall, and you found Alexia with her eyes on you, concern and a question reflected in their light.

The car had stopped, parked outside of your apartment complex. 

“What’s wrong?” Soft was the way she spoke the words but the look she laid upon you was even more gentle. Your heart lurched–away or towards her, you weren’t sure–and you ached, and for what exactly, you didn’t know but the question made you reminisce about the old times, back to when you used to tell each other everything.

But how could you tell her about this? About what led to this? When the fire from that night remained in your chest, glowing and waiting patiently as an ember in the night, waiting for the wind to call her name–to set her aflame again?

You casted your eyes aside and turned your head away so you could wipe the tear that fell, before you met her eyes again. You said with a small smile, apologetic. 

“Nothing. I’m just–I’m sorry for being a bitch.”

Alexia regarded you for another moment, eyes tracing some invisible path along your face, long enough that you considered she’d ask you more about why you cried just then. Instead, she said with a half-smile, teasing, “Don’t worry about it. What else is new?” 

Your shoulders eased down a bit.

“Still a smart-mouth, I see. Indeed, what else is new?”

At your response, the both of you chuckled but the pressing silence returned. 

“How long has it been since we’ve played together?” 

Alexia whispered with a wistful tone, brows knitting together at her question as she leaned back against her seat, putting her arms behind her head which pulled the sleeves of her shirt to reveal the tattoo under her arm.

You turned your gaze away, to the unlit window of your apartment.

“Too long.”

“Two years too long.” Alexia corrected you and then she shook her head, “I know you already explained it but I still don’t understand why you went to the States out of all places. Out of all your options, you had to choose the furthest one.”

You shrugged, hunching forward so you could rest your elbows on your knees, fingers clasping together as you twiddled your thumbs.

“You knew I’ve always wanted to see what the league is like there.”

“Right,” Alexia drawled in a tone that told you she was, in fact, aware that she didn’t know–that what you said was a load of bullshit. “So, what’s the verdict?”

‘It wasn’t like home.’

“I can hear your judgment all over your tone.” You replied drily then added, “It was great, thank you very much.”

Alexia laughed and strands of her hair fell to her face which she brushed back with a finger before she sank further into her seat.

“Well, you should tell me more about how you enjoyed yourself, then. Surely, you must have a lot of stories to tell.” You heard the unspoken words, ‘Stories you never bothered to tell me through the phone or during the instances we’d met during the time you were away.’

Still you answered her in your mind, ‘I would’ve enjoyed it better if you were there.’

“Where do you want me to begin?” If Alexia heard the weary sigh in your tone, she made no indication she did. 

“I don’t know. Where do you want to start?”

‘I went away because of you.’

“At this point, we’ll be here all night.” You laughed.

Alexia laughed along. “Just tell me anything then.”

‘Distance didn’t work. You still have my heart.’

You hummed, thinking of a story, easing back in your seat finally and then you began. 

“Well…”

#alexia putellas x reader #woso x reader #ap11 #not proofread #mine #my writing #a/n: #the poll winner is what im currently working on rn #still far from having a solid outline but just figured id give you guys something to hold on to for the time being #also this scene may be subject to minor/major changes in the final copy ✌️ #let me know what you guys think <3

[yurious-george]

For those of you who don’t know anything about Hollow Knight or its upcoming sequel, Silksong, there is some drama of astronomical potential that is going to be hilarious to see how it shakes out.

Three things. First, as you may already know, Hollow Knight is one of those hardcore games that attracts a certain type of cishet “gamer guy”: I’m sure you know the type. They can be more or less overtly bigoted, but either way, they’re all kind of That Guy. Second, Princess Hornet is one of the major characters in Hollow Knight, and the player character in Silksong. Third, every character in the Hollow Knight world is a bug, and aren’t depicted as having sexually dysmorphic traits that humans have: there are no insects with tits in this game, despite being bipedal and anthropomorphic. (Despite that, Hornet is frequently drawn with tits anyway, because the aforementioned demographic is outrageously horny for her. This is important later.)

In Silksong, Hornet is strongly implied to have a rival/deuteragonist, Lace! Not much is known about Lace, except she’s described as sadistic and set up as Hornet’s rival. And gamer dudebros hate her.

Maybe not full on hate, but they don’t like her. “Too mean and dislikable,” if memory serves. If I had to guess, they’re subconsciously picking up on the subtext and being homophobic about it: Hornet is the waifu of many a gamer bro, and between the subtext and Lace’s implied importance in the narrative/sadism/independence/backhandedness, Lace does not have a lot of love in that half of the community.

(As for the other half of the community, the player character of Hollow Knight is canonically agender. There are two canon gay couples within the game, and while not required, completing their side quests is essential to 100%ing the game. Despite being a couple of Cishet Male Gamers themselves, the Hollow Knight team is gracefully supportive of the LGBT+ community, and much of the fan base is LGBTQ+!)

But back to Lace: Lace and her subtext. Lace has insane amounts of wedding and romantic subtext despite only having 2 trailers and a demo’s worth of content. Off the top of my head:

association with white & gold, particularly white roses

Lots of church imagery, especially an emphasis on ringing bells

Lace’s and Hornet’s VAs are both Japanese, and Lace is straight up wearing a Japanese wedding garment while dressed head to toe in white

Visual design and presentation wise, Lace is framed as an equal and opposite to Hornet. Lace is likely to play the rival-won-over role that Hornet had in Hollow Knight, to the point of leaving the arena the same way as Hornet when her first fight ends

Calls Hornet delicious when first introduced. Then says she likes her when Hornet tells her to fuck off

Strongly implied to have saved Hornet in the opening trailer

And, last but certainly not least: the original Silksong announcement, with Lace’s introduction, came out on February 14th.

And that’s just off the top of my head!

I don’t want to get my hopes up, much less expect anything and get disappointed, but in my heart I am hoping gamer bros take the BIGGEST L when Silksong comes out. I hope Lace is complex and engaging and still sadistic. I hope Lace is the Vriska of Silksong. I hope Lace and Hornet have so much subtext it’s practically text. I hope the good end is locked behind a lesbian wedding.

I don’t hope for that last one specifically, but just imagine. Go on, pair off the one character that cishet male fans go “hhhurngh… female character” and draw with massive balloon tits to the character they hate the most. Do it. I believe in you

But seriously: The main character of the most wishlisted game on Steam confirmed in a wlw relationship, effectively alienating half or more than half of the fan base. Hollow Knight: Silksong has the potential to be the funniest lesbian W in the universe and I cannot wait to see how it all goes down.

#hollow knight #silksong #hollow knight silksong #hk silksong #this is Cassandra #hashtag lacenet sweep #long post #lacenet #like korrasami “’we popping the BIGGEST bottles when makorra happens tomorrow”’ w #the 100 crowd

[jovialmoonprincess]

AU: Journey to Redemption (Part 5)

The Storm Within

Coriolanus Snow x Fem!reader 

First Part. / The Winter Ball / Champagne Problems / Frost and Thorns / The Storm Within

Summary: Y/N, a young idealist in Panem, dreams of making a difference in a post-war society. As the winner of the prestigious Plinth Prize is about to be announced, a mysterious woman unveils a grim fate for Coriolanus Snow, Y/N's nemesis. Offered a chance to alter destiny, Y/N must navigate her conflicting emotions and intervene in pivotal moments to prevent Snow's descent into darkness. The story unfolds against the backdrop of complex relationships, past connections, and the challenges of a changing world, as Y/N grapples with the responsibility of shaping an unexpected destiny and challenging the very fabric of fate.

Warning(s): None, enemy to lovers, back in time, destiny, Snow being in love, Snow being Snow, possible grammar and spelling mistakes

A/N: I'm on Wattpad now too, click here to read and vote there: WATTPAD

Y/N was furious; each accelerated beat of her heart echoed her indignation. The news of betting on tributes, Arachne being beheaded on camera, the snakebites on Clemensia, and the final blow was the information that they had bombed the arena with Coriolanus inside. Determined to confront Coriolanus, she relentlessly sought him, even reaching the boy's apartment, a place she had never visited before.

The boy opened the door with wet hair, his chest still exposed with bandages. Y/N couldn't help but notice, especially because Snow was much taller than her. His hair dripped, and droplets ran down his torso. She couldn't help but notice his imposing height and the sight of his wet body. That only made her angrier because, despite everything, he still exerted some kind of attraction over her.

"I've been looking for you," Y/N exclaimed, her voice laden with anger.

"I just came back from the hospital, I'm alive," Coriolanus spoke as if everything were under control, trying to maintain composure but failing to completely hide his anxiety. "I'm getting ready to see Lucy Gray shortly. If you could excuse me…" He was about to close the door when Y/N stopped him, entering his apartment.

Without hesitation, Y/N lunged at Coriolanus, her weak blows against his chest unable to affect the boy but revealing the intensity of her frustration. His warm skin matched Y/N's fury.

"You idiot!" Tears glistened in her eyes. "I can't believe you have the nerve to tell me this! Arachne is dead, Clemensia is poisoned, and when I saw the explosion live, I thought the worst had happened. And you dare to keep thinking about the games? You have no soul?" She was furious with the boy. "Why do you still participate in this?" Y/N demanded, her voice laden with disappointment.

Coriolanus laughed in denial, spitting out words full of resentment. "Y/N, I'm not Sejanus, okay? I know you wanted me to be, and I would too, but I'm not. Arachne is dead, Clemensia is poisoned, and Lucy Gray… well, that's another horrible story. I doubt she'll make it to the Games, and maybe it's even better."

"I don't want you to be like him, Coriolanus. In fact, I don't know why you have this fixation on the boy. He's lost, he's afraid just like you."

"If you came here to talk about him, Y/N, you can leave." He pointed to the door.

"You need to get over this one-sided rivalry with him, Coriolanus."

"Sejanus usurped my position, inheritance, clothes, food, and the privilege due to a Snow. Now he's trying to take my apartment, my place at the University, my own future, and had the audacity to resent his luck in getting the best tribute. I even believe he wants to date you." This thought he had never shared with anyone. It was very intimate.

Y/N was astounded, shocked by the information spilled by the boy. Despite having the height and appearance of a man, he had feelings as petty and low as a child.

"Corio, I know you've never shared this with anyone. But these thoughts and this anxiety don't suit you. I won't judge how you feel, but I want to reassure you that these feelings are unfounded. You need to think better, calmly. About what is real or not."

"Stop with the therapy, Y/N. You're making me feel like garbage." The boy tried in every way to avoid the girl's gaze.

"Maybe because you're acting like a jerk."

"You just assaulted me, came to my house to hit me, and you're still offending me with words. I could call the police." My God, this boy was 10 years old.

"Darling, I used all my strength, and you didn't even feel it." He laughed for a moment, but soon his serious demeanor returned. "If I wanted something with Sejanus, I would have had it already. Also, because I'm single." She spoke sincerely, showing her hand with no ring. "But I don't like him that way." The girl approached him.

"Don't go, I don't know what to do for you not to go." She felt a tightness in her chest, and tears returned to illuminate her eyes. "You can't win the Games, Coriolanus. You can't."

He was afraid, didn't know who he could trust. He could have been stung if Clemensia had written the proposal in his place, and if Lucy Gray hadn't come back to help, he would have died in the arena fire. He hid his head in his hands, confused, angry, and, more than anything, afraid. Afraid of Dr. Gaul. Afraid of the Capitol. Afraid of everything. If the people who should protect him played so easily with his life, how was it possible to survive? Not by trusting them, that was for sure. And if you couldn't trust them, who could you trust? Impossible to know.

"Don't you see, Y/N? Lucy Gray saved my life, and I need to help her win. She needs me. My family needs me. This is an opportunity for us, a chance to get out of this difficult life. I can't ignore that." For the first time, real emotions appeared on Coriolanus's face, as if he were, indeed, fearing the consequences of his actions.

Coriolanus ran his hand through his blond hair, frustrated. "I can't change the system alone. But maybe, if I'm in there, close to the power, I can make a difference. I can change things."

"Promise me that when you win the games, you'll protect Sejanus. Please. Promise me."

The boy was confused; what did Sejanus have to do with the story?

"It seems like you're sure I'm going to win the games," he said irritably. "Because you're so concerned about Sejanus? Doesn't my life matter?" It was never about him, Coryo.

"The problem, Coryo, is that you were the only person who appeared in all the visions, alive, well. Not Sejanus, not me, not even Lucy Gray. It was never about Sejanus, it was about you. I don't want you to become someone despicable." Y/N thought.

"I trust in your ability to survive; you're a Snow above all else. Sejanus is your friend; there has never been a reason to worry about him. Don't think of him as your rival; think of him as a loyal friend." Y/N was so close to the boy she could smell the roses and mint from his toothpaste. "I don't want to lose you, Coryo." She rested her forehead against his. "It's not about Sejanus; it's about you. It has always been about you." Her lips touched his. This kiss was more urgent, like a last kiss. It seemed that both would waste time if they stopped to breathe. Coryo's large hands guided the kiss, and their bodies pressed together as if struggling to be in the same place. Y/N placed her hands on the boy's bare chest and could feel his heart beating at an impossible speed. She didn't want to stop the kiss, didn't want to leave, didn't want to let him go. She wanted to keep him there forever. With her.

Coryo gradually guided Y/N to the sofa, lying on top of her. The kiss was more than just a meeting of lips; it was a fusion of souls, a desperate search for comfort amid the chaos. He didn't intend to do anything beyond the kiss, but he wanted more and more. The girl messed up Coryo's hair with her fingers and made sounds of approval during the kiss. It was as if the two of them fit together like two pieces in a puzzle.

Y/N's body was on fire. Coryo didn't even remember there was a war outside. He could only think about how small and defenseless the girl seemed in his arms, completely surrendered to him.

"You're mine," he whispered in her ear, making her whole body shiver.

"Come back to me, Coryo. Fight, struggle, but in the end, come back to me."

With another kiss, Coriolanus silenced Y/N, and after a few seconds, they separated. Y/N returned to her apartment, hoping that her words and the heat of the moment had touched Coriolanus, prompting a profound reflection on his actions and choices.

_____________________________

Just wanted to drop a quick note to say a massive thank you for all the love, likes and comments on my story. <3

THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE CHAPTER

Taglist: @shari-berri @h-l-vlovesvintage @tea-bobba @daenerysqueenofhearts @commanderfreethatdust @glxzillx

TAGLIST AND REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!!!!

#the hunger games #tbosas #angst #angst with a happy ending #coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus x you #enemy to lovers #fem reader #president snow #tom blyth #coryo snow #lucy gray baird #tbosbas #ballad of songbirds and snakes #josh andres rivera #snow #tigris snow

[emkini]

Consider: showjumping with zukka

Anon you're so fuckin right

Sokka: Grew up riding horses with his family in the Canadian Arctic, so he's very chill and comfortable on a horse. He did a ton of incredibly stupid stunts with Katara as a kid, so when he decided to follow her into competitive horse sports the speed and daring of showjumping came naturally to him. While an extremely competitive guy, he's matured a lot over his short career and makes a point to himself of emphasizing a good time over perfection. Katara is an Olympic medalist in dressage and well on her way to becoming a professional trainer which does not give Sokka an inferiority complex, not even a little bit. well... maybe a little bit, and she and Sokka like to go to fancy events together so they can stand by the buffet and judge people. Like that dickhead Zuko who perpetually looks like he's got a stick up his ass.

Zuko: His family are wealthy breeders, and the pressure to do well in horse sports is immense. Zuko, the family disappointment, has famously delicate nerves in competition and has never achieved the success of his father and sister. This is definitely because he's just naturally pathetic and not because his dad is the kind of coach who hits his students over unsatisfactory placings. The official story behind his scars is that he got them in a riding accident, although some have pointed out it looks an awful lot like something shattered against his face. He acts like a raging impulsive asshole to cover for the fact that he goes into every competition terrified out of his mind, and the facade works so well even he believes it.

Sokka hates Zuko on principle, because he's a rich shithead, and while Zuko initially didn't even notice his existence he is always ready to fight a bitch. No they are not flirting, Katara, they are engaging in verbal sparring. There's a difference.

I have literally no idea how the actual romance starts so uh. y'all can come up with your own vibes for that part lmao

#atla #avatar the last airbender #sokka #zuko #zukka #zukka modern au #showjumping au #ask #anon #atla fanart #em draws #if anyone wants to piggyback off this be my guest I have no idea how to Romance #do tag me tho if anyone does because 👀

[katierosefun]

not to sound like a broken record, but every once in a while i just remember that beyond evil really said that a strained relationship between a parent and child does not necessarily have to be straightforward, in that han joo won clearly despises his father (you sent me away, you’re the reason my mom’s dead, you were never interested in who i was until it was relevant to your career) and yet joo won still has a room in his father’s house (even though you locked me out without a warning) and they still eat dinner (even though you shoo me away when i tried to approach you) and joo won even still gives his father a dozen chances to prove that he’s not an awful person (just tell me the truth, just tell me the truth, and i promise i’ll help you) and even in the finale, you see a bit of that anger and disappointment and pain in joo won’s face and hm something about beyond evil saying that the relationships between parents and child are complex in that no matter how many times a parent kicks at their child, there will always be a tiny, tiny part of the child that still wonders if there’s even a sliver of a chance of a functional relationship--

and you see a bit of that in jeong je and his relationship with his mom too, in that his mother almost obsessively looks after him. she hovers over him, keeping track of his medication and sending him away to hospitals (is it out of love or self-preservation or shame? or maybe it’s all of those things at the same time), and she decides that she’ll protect her son first and foremost, but then the second it’s convenient for her, she tells him that she’ll throw him away. (she doesn’t want to be called “mom” anymore. maybe it’s true that she was only a mom, but isn’t that what every kid wants from a parent. for their parent to be their parent first.) and yet, despite that monstrous moment, do hae won still has a whole breakdown when she realizes that jeong je might truly kill himself, and there’s something pathetic about that (if you truly cared about your child, you would have known the kind of hell you were putting them through) and yet a little tragic too (how come it had to take you that long to realize your child was in hell).

and you see some strains of that with dong sik and jae yi, in that both of them had such beautiful relationships with their parents, and yet there’s something in both their relationships that broke that down. for jae yi, she loves her mother but there’s a small part of her that resents her for suddenly going missing--as soon as you come back home, i’m going to walk out of this shop and never come back. and yet she loves her mother, even with all that resentment and hurt and confusion within her, even before she learns of the truth. (she’s the one who runs over to the morgue every time a new body’s found. she’s the one pestering morticians and prosecutors about where her mother might be. she does this every year, even though she’s angry, deep down she’s angry.)

and then with dong sik, who has so many fond memories of his parents--you see that grief and sadness on his face when he talks about how just overnight, his father was no longer his best friend. dong sik left so quickly after the accusations against him because how could he stay, when his own parents either can’t look at him in the eye or look right through him? and there’s some bitterness there too--and even more bitterness when dong sik visits his mom, scoffing at the idea of being a good son (because he’s not a good son, he’s the son who ran away from home the second he thought he no longer had a home, he cleans his mom’s hands a little too roughly because he doesn’t do that often anymore). of course, dong sik loves his parents, of course, dong sik loves his mom, because he still talks to her (even if she can’t understand him), but there’s that grief underlying it all too. his mom isn’t herself anymore, and dong sik might not get that back, and maybe he’s bitter more at himself than he is at his parents, but at least there’s something there for him to hold onto, at least at the end of it all. and maybe that’s kind of all that someone can do when they haven’t always had the easiest relationship with a parent--the good parts are good, but the bad parts are bad, and maybe that’s as much as anyone gets.

#caroline talks #beyond evil #long post #i'm. listening to family line by conan gray in case u could not tell #i just. HM #the fact that joo won scoffs at his dad's name but still quietly resents the idea of being like his mom #and i think he really wants to be a little more like his dad + he gives his dad so many chances #the fact that jeong je looks so tired whenever his mom comes to him but at the same time that's his mom. he still sounds like a little kid #when his mom says she's abandoning him #even though jeong je's a whole grown adult it's like. MAN!!! #when beyond evil said parent-child relationships are so messy!!

[mamaestapa]

Joe Seeks Advice & Comes Home to Something Nice…

•pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

•series summary: Y/N Y/L/N moved to Cincinnati, Ohio for a new start. Move in day arrives and she discovers something terrible...the apartment complex gave her the wrong lease. Instead of living with who she originally was supposed to, she's now living with the hottest quarterback in the NFL, Joe Burrow. Y/N is stuck living in the same apartment with him for a year...which the two are not thrilled about. However, as time goes on, they realize that maybe this wasn't the worst thing that could happen to them. Will Y/N and Joe stay enemies, or will they find themselves falling in love?

•chapter summary: Joe struggles as practice and seeks advice from his teammates, then he comes home to a nice surprise…

•word count: 2.8k

•warnings: language, mentions of sex, angst, suggestive content, uhhh kind of a cliffhanger? (not really though)

series masterlist

——————————————————

November 17, 2022

Joe's Pov:

"Burrow!" Coach Taylor snapped, "what the hell was that!?"

I let out a frustrated sigh, "Sorry coach."

"Don't be sorry, make the damn pass!"

"Yes sir." I mumbled as I re-adjusted my helmet.

I haven't been my best today at practice. I'm missing easy throws and not making plays that would win us the game—if this was a game, that is. I was growing frustrated with myself and I could tell Coach Taylor was too.

I dropped back to pass the ball, lofting it into the air and hoping it would be a complete pass.

"Shit," I mumbled under my breath. I overthrew Ja'Marr by mere inches. I watched as Coach Taylor dropped his hands to his knees and give me a look of disappointment. Coach Taylor blew his whistle and then groaned angrily. I think if I was any closer to him he would reach out and strangle me.

"Burrow! What is going on!?" He yelled, starting to walk towards me.

I took my helmet off with a sigh. I ran my free hand through my hair that was damp with sweat. I shook my head, "I've just got a lot on my mind."

Zac sighed and put a hand on my shoulder, "You alright Joe?" He asked lowly. That's one of the things I love about having Zac as a coach. Even if he was pissed off at me for missing throws, he always cared about how I was feeling. Zac was willing to help out all of his players and their families in any way he possibly could.

My lips formed in a straight line as I nodded. I can't tell him what's on my mind though.

He sighed and pat my shoulder, "Why don't you take a break. I'll run some defensive drills instead. You get some water, talk to the guys, do whatever you have to do to get out of your head, got it?"

I nodded, "Thank you coach." I smiled gratefully at him and grabbed my gatorade water bottle before jogging off the field. I heard Zac blow his whistle and shout out that they were going to be running defense for the rest of practice as I filled the bottle up.

"Whew," Tee whistled, leaning his arm on the large water jug, "you're havin' quite the day, man."

"That obvious, huh?"

Tee let out a laugh, "Yeah."

I closed the lid to my water bottle and walked over to the sidelines where Ja'Marr, Tyler, and Evan were standing around and watching practice. I let out a big sigh as I stopped next to Ja'Marr.

"What's got you in such a slump?" Ja'Marr asked, crossing his arms and looking over at me.

I shrugged, "Just got a lot on my mind, s'all."

Tyler and Evan nodded, while Tee narrowed his eyes at me.

"What?" I asked, giving him a confused look.

"Well what's on your mind?"

I shrugged again, "Nothing."

"Oh come on," Ja'Marr said, placing a hand on my shoulder, "Joe, man, its not nothin'."

"Yeah," Sam said, jogging over to us out of breath, "last time it was 'nothing', it really wasn't nothing." Logan followed behind him, his chest heaving from the workout Zac had just put them through.

It's true. The last time I said it was "nothing" when I had extremely rough practices like I was having today, I was going through a breakup. The guys gave me great advice while I was going through that, so I'm hopeful they'll be able to help me through my current situation.

"You mad cause you're not gettin' any?" Tee asked, making Ja'marr laugh.

"That's it for sure." He said, the two of them a giggling mess.

I rolled my eyes, "I get plenty, thank you. Unlike you two."

Tyler laughed, "Ja'Marr's alleged baby mamas say otherwise."

A choruses of "ooooo's" sounded out among our group.

"Nah man, you didn't have to go there." Ja'Marr said, shaking his head at everyone's reactions.

Tyler chuckled and punched Ja'Marrs arm, "You know i'm just jokin'. I said mama's, I should've just said mama."

"Oh my god."

Evan shook his head, "Okay, okay. Enough about Ja'Marr and his baby mamas."

"Thank you shooter."

Evan just nodded and gave Ja'Marr a closed lip smile. I fiddled with my thumbs before I sighed and spoke up.

"I need advice."

"What's up Joe?" Sam asked.

"Aren't you two supposed to be out on the field?" Tee asked, pointing between Sam and Logan.

Logan shrugged, "Yeah, but we've got a water break. Make this quick and Zac won't even notice we're gone."

Everyone turned their attention to me.

"It's about Y/n."

"Oooh, now you've got my attention." Ja'Marr smirked.

"Dear god." Sam breathed out. I rolled my eyes at Ja'Marr. He's my best friend but sometimes...he can get on my nerves. Ever since Y/n has been my roommate, Ja'Marr has been talking about her nonstop. Even when she was going out with Evan, Ja'Marr still talked about her.

Logan rolled his eyes too before turning to me.

"What is is about her?"

"I need advice."

Evan smiled, "We can try to help. I've got some experience with her."

Sam looked at Evan with wide eyes. Evan shook his head as a blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Not like that."

"Oh," said Sam, "I was about to say, when did that happen?"

Evan chuckled, "Yeah. Y/n and I never got there, we agreed we're better off as friends."

Logan smiled, "I'm glad y'all are on good terms."

"Me too." Evan said with a smile, "Now enough about Y/n and I. Joe," he gave me a look, urging me to continue.

I sighed, "I don't even know where to begin."

It's true. I don't know where to start because there is so much that I need advice about.

"About a week ago, I brought this girl over. We were, you know..."

Ja'Marr smirked, "Gettin' it on, hell yeah."

"Yeah..." I trailed off, "It was really good, but she looked just like Y/n. I let my thoughts wander and I accidentally called the girl Y/n."

"Oh."

"Yikes, Joey."

I sighed, "I know."

"You said Y/n’s name during sex!?" Ja'Marr asked, mouth gaped open and eyes wide in shock.

"Yeah, yeah I did."

"Damn Burrow."

"Hey, hey, it's fine." Sam said, "It's not a big deal that you wished it was her."

"I never said-."

"Oh but you implied," Tyler said, cutting me off. I rolled my eyes. I wanted advice about the situation, not to be chastised about it.

"I never implied-."

"Yes you did." Tee and Evan said in unison.

"You did say she looked just like Y/n-."

"And you said you let your thoughts wander, meaning-."

Everyone was cutting each other off and I was growing annoyed.

"Okay, fine! I did wish it was her!" I snapped, causing the guys to stop talking and some of my other teammates not involved in conversation to look over at me.

I continued, "I wanted nothing more than for her to be Y/n. All I could think about while I was on my date was Y/n. Hell, even when Y/n was on dates with Evan I wished she was on dates with me. I wanted to be the one she worked out with, I wanted to be the one she posted on her story. I want to be the one she thinks about late at night, and I want to be the one she smiles about anytime she talks to her friends. Y/n is always on my mind and when I'm at the apartment with her I'm the happiest I have ever been. She's kind and she's funny. She can be sassy, but her sweet side never fails to put a smile on my face. She is absolutely beautiful on the inside and outside, and I," I laughed airily, "I've never had these feelings before and I don't know what to do about them."

The guys looked at me with wide eyes and amused looks on their faces. Ja'Marr suddenly grinned and held his hands out to Tee.

"Pay up, bitch!"

"What the hell?!" Sam asked, a confused expression on his face.

Tee sighed and placed a twenty dollar bill into Ja'Marr's waiting hands.

Ja'Marr chuckled happily, "I knew it."

"Knew what?" I asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"That you," Ja'Marr pointed at me, "are in love with Y/n."

I felt my heart drop. In love? Yeah right. I'm not in love with her...am I?

I scoffed and crossed my arms, "I am not in love with her."

Evan smiled, "Joe, buddy, I think you are."

I rolled my eyes. Yeah my confession may sound like Im in love with her, but I promise I'm not! It's just a little crush.

"It's just a little crush guys."

Logan put his hand on my shoulder, "Joe," he said, a smile tugging at his lips, "I've been in love with my Macee for years. I know what love looks like and sounds like, and you my friend are in love.”

I sighed, my shoulders falling in defeat. They're right.

I am in love with Y/n.

"What do I do?"

"Ask her out?" Tyler suggested.

"Confess." Evan stated.

"Walk into the apartment shirtless, she can't resist you if you're naked." Ja'Marr winked.

"Marr, be serious just for once, please."

Ja'Marr threw his hands up, "I am being serious! It's true, no girl can resist him, trust."

All of just shook our heads at his suggestion. There's no way I'm doing that.

"You know," Logan began, "Macee and I were sort of in the same situation as you and Y/n are. We started off as friends and I always knew I loved her, but I didn't know how she felt. One day when we were hanging out alone, we talked for a bit and then I just kissed her. No warning, just smashed my lips against hers. She kissed back and the rest is history."

I smiled softly as he talked.

He continued, "You cant be afraid to make a move Joe."

Sam nodded, "Logan's right, you can't be afraid to make a move. If you don't make a move you're just going to be miserable man."

They're right. If I don't say something to her or act on my feelings soon, I'm just going to be miserable. Even if feelings aren't reciprocated, at least it'll be out in the open, right?

I nodded and smiled at the guys, "I appreciate the advice guys, thanks."

Logan nodded, "Of course. Good luck." He patted my shoulder before putting his helmet on and running back onto the field. Sam did the same.

I let out a sigh as I watched the defense finish up todays practice. I could only hope talking to Y/n about my feelings is as easy as Logan makes it sound.

~time skip~

I parked my Benz and went up to the apartment, ready to shower and get something to eat. Practice was extremely long today and I was just ready to relax on the cou-

Holy shit...

There she was. The girl that's been on my mind all day at practice. Sitting on the couch, eyes glued to the Tv. But it wasn't her watching Tv that made me lose concentration. No, it was that champagne pink silk nightgown she was wearing. I sucked in a breath, not realizing I was even holding it until Y/n snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Hey," she smiled softly, "how was practice?"

I swallowed thickly, "Uh," I shook my head slightly, trying to find words, "it was good."

It definitely was not good.

"That's good." Y/n said, standing from the couch. My eyes trailed down her body as she stretched. The nightgown fit her like a glove, making the curve of her hips and swell of her breasts pop. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her as she walked into the kitchen, hips swaying naturally with every step she took. Y/n looked absolutely stunning right now.

"Joe?"

My head snapped up and I blinked, face growing red as Y/n chuckled at me.

"You good?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yeah," I let out a soft laugh, "I'm great."

God Joe, keep it together.

Y/n walked into the kitchen. I decided to follow her. She held up two frozen pizzas and turned to me as I stood in the entrance of the kitchen.

"Which one do you want?"

I shrugged, "Doesn't matter. Whichever one you want."

She put the boxes down and narrowed her blue eyes at me. She crossed her arms in front of her, holding them against her body. Her cleavage popping as her arms made contact with her body. I couldn't help but glance down as she stood in front of me. I know what you're thinking, but I cant help it, Y/n is so beautiful.

"Did something happen at practice?"

I shook my head no. Something did happen at practice. But she doesn't need to know that, not right now.

"Are you sure?" she asked, cocking her head to the side, "because you seem, I don't know, weird?"

I pushed my bottom lip out and kept a straight face as I said, "I'm good."

Y/n nodded and pulled her arms away, turning around so she could prepare the frozen pizza. I watched as she moved. She looked so graceful even though she was just making a frozen pizza. As she turned around to put the pizza in the oven, my eyes were drawn to the white lace that lined the neckline of the nightgown. My mind ran wild seeing her in it. I could feel myself growing more and more aroused as the thoughts came into my head.

Oh god, not now.

I felt a blush creep up my neck as Y/n started making her way over to where I was standing. I immediately covered my lower half with my duffel bag. She squeezed past me and threw the pizza box away, her hip brushing against my thigh as she walked by me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Thank god the guys aren't here right now...I would NEVER hear the end of it.

I walked into the kitchen, dropping my duffel bag and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. I decided to get a cup and fill it with ice. Y/n was standing by the cabinet that had the cups in it. I sighed and made my way over to the cabinet, careful not to hit her as I reached for a cup. Just as I grabbed the cup, Y/n turned around. 

Both of our breaths hitched, Y/n’s mouth hung open slightly as her eyes momentarily fell to my lips before snapping back up to stare into my eyes. We stared at each other intensely, so many unspoken words shared between us just by the look in our eyes. You could feel the tension between us as neither of us dared to make a move.

Just kiss her Joe, man up and DO IT. Do what Logan said, just make the move...

Our bodies were inches from each other, if one of us just moved slightly, they'd be touching. I watched as Y/n took a deep breath before she began to lean in, I doing the same. With our faces inches away from eachother, she closed her eyes-

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Y/n snapped her eyes open and the two of us backed away from each other. I cleared my throat and Y/n let out a breath, smoothing her night gown before she got the pizza out the oven.

"Sorry," she breathed out, "I uh-."

"I'm going to shower." I said, my lips forming in a straight line.

She nodded, "I'm going to call Macee back."

With that the two of us left the kitchen and went out separate ways. I locked the bathroom door behind me and let out a deep sigh. I ran my fingers through my hair and then dragged my hands down my face.

I had a chance and I didn't take it.

Who knows if I'll ever get a chance like that again.

I smiled to myself though as I thought about a bright side to the situation. I don't know if it's just me, but, it seemed like Y/n wanted to kiss me just as much as I wanted to kiss her.

hey loves!!

joe finally being honest about his feelings?😱 we love to see it

i am SO sorry that this chapter has taken me so long to finish!! i've had a lot going on lately and i just haven't had much time to write. this chapter was very underwhelming and not great, so i deeply apologize for that. BUT i promise the next one will be much better :)

these next few chapters are going to be an emotional roller coaster so GET READY

i hope you're all doing well and thank you again for all of the love and support you've all shown me on this book. it means the world to me🤍

tags:

@jackharloww @ilovejoeburroww @dandelionwrites8 @ijustcrypretty @sinners-98-world @a-moment-captured @stainednailpolishremover @spookystoner @xoxokiaraaxoxo

#joe burrow #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow x y/n #joe burrow x you #nfl #welcome to the jungle #joe burrow imagine

[elusive-mayfly]

If there was one thing Nai never thought would happen, it's that he'd have any empathy towards a human. When that happened, the new "it will never happen" thought was that he'd fall in love with them. And when that happened too, it was already too late.

Nai's a complex man with many thoughts stored away in his mind. He's tactful. Nothing happens without having deliberately been thought out.

The Great Fall was mentally his undoing. He believed he was doing the right thing. He believed he was giving not only himself freedom, but his brethren. It didn't matter what stood in his way, he would face it and he would be victorious. And when his actions presented fruitful, there was no turning back.

He did what he set out to do. A chain of events were presented to him and there was no other option. A never-ending battle was presented to him and he was the crux. That never bothered him.

What did bother him was when he extended a hand to Rem, his own mother, she chose them instead of him. Whether or not Nai admitted it, he loved Rem in his own way and having her reject them was the nail in the coffin: if his own mother chose the monsters over her own sons, she was also a monster.

And when Vash chose the monsters immediately after, that was enough. The sacrificial act of saving them was not appreciated. That was proof enough that Vash had been manipulated and was too far gone, at least at that point. In time, Vash would come around. In time, Vash would open his eyes... just like Nai did. It was inevitable.

Nai hid his sorrow, burying it deeper and deeper until it was just a fragment of a memory. He might not have even realized he held that grief.

Whatever lingering feelings he had were a waste of time. The love he held for his brother was what drove him to continue, but other than that, he didn't need these useless human feelings. Was he disappointed Vash didn't immediately side with him? Yes. But it would all be rectified eventually, so why process those emotions at all? Nai would always protect his brother.

But that disappointment in both Rem and Vash's rejection would fester in ways he didn't realize.

The fateful day you two met, these disappointments came to light. It doesn't matter how it happened, or what happened at all. One act of kindness or empathy and Nai was immediately hooked, much to his dismay.

He was starved for some kind of positive reinforcement and he would continue to seek it out whether he realized it or not. He was crippled beneath the weight of your actions and surprisingly... he didn't want it any other way.

He spent a long time denying it. You were a human and therefor you were the enemy. He could kill you if he really wanted to... but he never did.

Eventually, he began feeling... empathy for you, something he never thought were possible. Was it an eye-for-an-eye mentality? Because you showed him kindness, he felt like he needed to do the same? Maybe not to the same extent, but...

Maybe it was the looming threat of your rejection. Nai had cared only for two people in the past and they rejected him. Could he handle being rejected again?

He wouldn't give you a chance to reject him. Ever. You want to live? Done. You want an apology? Begrudgingly, it will happen. You want attention? It will be done. You want... love? ... you can have it.

At first, he just believed you were the exception. All humans are disgusting abominations... except you. All the humans needed to die... except you. It took him a long time to accept that your empathy towards him was what made you human. Your humility towards him is what made you human. Your forgiveness towards him is what made you human. And maybe humanity wasn't... all bad...

Maybe a small part of his ideology was wrong.

Maybe.

Begging him to leave everything behind was excruciating. Asking him to give up everything he had worked for and everything he believed was asking him to give up every part of who he was. You were asking him to tear down a century of growth in the (possible) wrong direction. The humans needed to be punished for their misdeeds and he was the messenger. To deny the messenger the act of delivering justice was, in his mind, cruel.

What convinced him was the conceiving of your child. Neither of you knew if you could conceive until it happened. But when it did, there was no denying that he already betrayed his cause. Plants would always be superior. Plants would always deserve more. And humans were a product of destruction, and deserved just that...

... but the middle ground, this child of both plant and human blood, was such a beautiful sight to behold...

And the thought of killing you or the child was something he could not do.

How do you rid the planet of an entire species save two people? Because if you make the exception, where is the line drawn? Humans were filled with flaws such as hypocrisy, and Nai could not fall to these weaknesses else he become exactly what he despised.

So what do you do when you feel you are forced to give up your life's purpose? You find a new purpose.

And finally, the tale of Millions Knives was over. Gone without a trace. The looming threat of his return would always be present, but people could finally breath a sigh of relief... at least for now.

There wasn't a bone in this man's body that knew how to live a domestic life. When you don't need to eat, you don't cook. When you don't need to sleep, you don't dream. There were many things he felt were expected of him that he could not bring to the table. How do you provide what you have not had provided to you for over a century?

Running away from his problems would never be an easy answer. He was forced to lay down a lot of his pride and ego to be able to fit into this... quaint life that he never wished for but so desperately wanted to keep.

But he can learn. If a mere human could do it, so could he.

Eventually, he got used to lying beside you during the night. Despite not needing it, he would sometimes sleep... but most of the time, he'd lie awake and think many a thought.

Did he regret his actions? That was complicated. What he did was for the plants. For his brother. He would never regret his loyalty. He would never regret his beliefs.

But something would always gnaw at him knowing to hate all humans meant to hate you and his child, and he couldn't bring himself to do that.

He would never be able to take back what he had done, and in truth, he didn't want to. Whether that painted him as a villain or not didn't change his mind. He could never adapt a new line of thinking, not entirely.

You knew this. And he knew you knew this.

But the one thing he didn't know you knew... is in the middle of the night when the whole household was supposed to be sleeping, Nai would sneak out of bed.

Maybe it was a need to feel a connection to something he had lost. Maybe the child called to him in a way you couldn't hear. Something drew him from your side during the dark of night that begged him to hold your child.

And with the infant in his arms, the two would glow in the small nursery. The communication between plants that you could not hear but could see. It coloured the room with a dull blue light and lingered in your mind as a beautiful and comforting scene.

Nai would never tell you he did this. And as your child grew and eventually forgot these kindred moments, he would never tell them either. But the message he was trying to convey would always ring true: he would always protect his family.

#Knives headcanons #Millions Knives #Knives x Reader #Knives x You #Knives x Y/N #I got into Trigun knowing I'd be simping for one plant #I didn't sign up for both #Someone PLEASE take one from me #Cause otherwise I will just rant about both of them endlessly and I can't live like this man- #I CAN'T BE SITTING HERE AT THREE IN THE MORNING WRITING STUPID KNIVES FLUFF #But on the other hand y'all liked the glowstick boyfriend? Have two

[ackerifle]

Okay but what about those AU’s with Levi being a Marleyan Warrior? I’m curious what your take on that kind of yan Levi would be like. Especially if like maybe he has a s/o who was kinda like in a situation like Annie (being used by a parental figure for status but like unlike Annie she wasn’t good enough to become a Warrior so maybe marrying her off to one would be the next best thing?)

homecoming!

yan. honorary marleyan levi ackerman x fem warrior candidate. reader

+ CW. — au: canon reversal & arranged marriage, abuse of power & authority, coercion, darling lowk has an inferiority complex, implied: past parental abuse, extortion, statutory rape & non-con; i apologize this req has been completed so late, but i do love this concept; not proof-read.

it was rare for the intermittent zone to be busy, and even rarer for its streets to be overcrowded with civilians. the bustling sound of lively cheers, applause, and other such joyous ovations could be heard throughout the city of otherwise gloomy vacant side streets and industrial buildings. men and women gathered in large for the occasion, with their hands reaching towards the heavenly sky, and their hats and coats being tossed into the air. some children could be seen sitting on the back of their father’s neck to gain a better view, and some children could be seen holding onto their mother’s hands as they pointed towards the center of attention, innocently claiming how they wanted to ‘grow up to be like them!’ one day.

the open horse-drawn carriage eased its way down the road, in no particular hurry, as the citizens of the liberio intermittent zone celebrated in the soldier’s stead. there were four of them sitting on the carriage, four honorary marleyan’s who waved cordially and offered charming smiles to their grand audience. each of them; erwin, hange, mike, and levi, were undeniably brilliant, talented and exceptional— even during their grueling training years, gifted even. their graduation was well-deserved, and perhaps they were owed even more for their sheer importance to such a crucial advancement for the populace of marley’s eldian’s. they were great, but none of them were you.

you had made the cut for warrior candidate, but not for honorary marleyan. it was devastating, really, but not as devastating as it was for your parents. even if you had truly given it your all, it wasn’t good enough, much to their dismay and disappointment. when the first official advertisement from the marleyan government had been released, entailing a recruitment that would reward honorary marleyan citizenship (at the cost of eldian youths being indentured into the military), your parents were quick to enlist you.

hard work was nearly never paid off, the more you pushed, the more they expected; and you could only ever recall them feeling an ounce of satisfaction when you had informed them you had become a warrior candidate. training was not solely done under the marleyan government’s surveillance, your parents had played quite an involved role in your betterment. and honestly, the feeling of being hit by one of them was much worse than any marleyan commandant could ever hope to achieve.

“hey— hello, hey!” the familiar voice struck you out of your bitterly reminiscent trance, eyes set on the sight before you. the carriage had come down far enough to fill the space in the street in front of your section. even though you stood behind quite a few people, lined up like a sardine as you were shoulder to shoulder with those around you, hange still managed to spot you. you wonder if they were looking for you, “hi~!”

their voice was obnoxiously loud as they drew out the high-pitched greeting. the brunet grabbed a hold of erwin’s shoulder, who sat to the right of them, and aggressively shook him to the point you feared his brain may have hit contact with his skull, and he would fall unconscious. when he steadied himself, they pointed in your direction, and the commotion caused the other two honorary marleyan’s to look your way as well. raising their hands, both out of respect and peer pressure from their enthusiastic peer, they offer polite waves. and upon doing so, the people standing around you clamored with much more ferocity than beforehand, followed by more tumultuous hollers, even waving back to them, but you knew they were all waving at you.

hesitantly and undecidedly, you lift a shy hand to wave back, ultimately determining it would be rude to ignore them, especially after hange had gone out of their way to scout you out. an enviously curt smile creeps it’s way onto your lips, eyes first landing on erwin, the apple of the marleyan government’s eye, and moving onto hange who was still energetically waving their hands, then to mike who acknowledged you with a faint salute, and lastly to levi. he sat at the left end of the carriage, closest to the road where you stood. he made no effort to wave to you, to smile like the other honorary marleyan’s — even if they were evidently fake — but he simply stared. you felt small under his scrutinizing gaze, that is until you observed that he wasn’t making eye contact with you at all. it was your hand, or rather, the ring that sat prettily on it.

and in an instant, you covered your fingers with your other hand, grabbing the ringed hand and lowering it with a resentful leer. the corners of levi’s lips pulled into the start of a grin, but he had enough self control to not showcase such a foolish smile to such an enormous crowd. tersely turning your heel, dropping your head with a raging combination of shame, embarrassment, and jealousy, you stormed through the mass of liberio’s residents.

“don’t take it to heart surname, it’s nothing personal.” as the ship awaited the honorary marleyan’s arrival down to the docks, you found yourself in conversation with commander shadis. there is a part of you that hates him for not promoting you, it is humiliating to be the only warrior candidate of a crew of five that wasn’t selected. even if you know you’re responsible for your own shortcomings, including the ones that can’t be helped, “i don’t.” you lie.

shadis looks down upon you, discerning whether or not you mean what you say. he watches only briefly, your focus is elsewhere. eyebrows knitted and lips pursed, you study the ship floating peacefully atop the relaxed waves. this would be the vessel that delivers marley’s finest eldian warriors to heaven, and you could only have the privilege to see it depart. turning towards shadis, you open your mouth to speak, but his eyes just barely look past you, and he raises a palm. the commander promptly steps beside you, avoiding you like you’re a nuisance, and you follow his direction, turning around before your eyes fall onto the blond honorary marleyan standing only a few steps away with his arms courteously folded behind his back. eyeing shadis as he places a welcoming hand on erwin’s shoulder and leads him down the docks without so much as a goodbye, you sneer with green eyes.

“hey, name! name!” you stumble forward as the sudden force of someone’s body engulfing yours from behind overwhelms your sense of stability. an arm slithers around your own shoulder, lodging an arm in the forefront of your neck, dangerously close to your throat. their other arm makes its way around your torso, squeezing playfully before shaking you violently. it makes for an awkward hug, and there is only one person who does this, “hange, you’ll kill her.”

turning your head to the left and being met with hange’s face concerningly close to yours, you lightly push them back by the bridge of their glasses. they cry out something about how you’re too cruel to reject their sappy farewell, pulling you closer every time you push them further away, holding you like a rag doll. peering down at you, to your right is mike, and you only truly pay him mind when he roughly pats you on the back once hange detaches themselves from your body, likely with more force than he initially intended, “don’t you two have a mission to go on?” you mutter under your breath, sucking your teeth and looking up at mike with a raised brow.

“that we do.” he nods in agreement, closing his eyes with a sigh, and prying hange’s limbs from yours. they exaggeratedly whine and complain about how the operation won’t be the same without you there, ruffling your hair until it’s unfixably messy, to which you stare blankly at them, “we’ll miss you.” hange speaks seriously, holding their head in their palm with their other hand secured to their hips. mike, once again, bobs his head in agreement, but gives you a knowing look. you think they pity you, but you pity them more.

“i’ll miss you guys too.” wincing at how your voice wavered with uncertainty, you avert your gaze, and avoid looking them both in the eye. when the silence lingers for two seconds too long, your eyes curiously sweeps towards them, and they’re both already looking at you. hange’s grin grows wider, and you’re lucky enough to dodge their arms this time, reaching out to pull you into one more embrace. you swivel them around by the shoulders, retracting your hands for only a moment before placing them on hange’s back and shoving them into mike, “ugh, go! go! before i seriously start crying or some shit.” the latter part of your sentence turns into a whisper, but it does not go unnoticed by hange, nor mike.

howling and cackling all the way down the incline from the pavement to the docks, hange yells out a— “he’s really rubbing off on you!” over their shoulder. pinching the bridge of your nose and despondently shaking your head, you avoid dwelling on the mention and focus on hange and mike’s figures that fade as they board the ship. once you’re content enough to take your eyes off of them (and allow your poor heart to stop beating), you make your leave.

“and to think you wouldn’t say so much as a ‘goodbye’ to your husband.” blinking owlishly, you’re torn on how to greet levi. you may have seen him throughout the day, but you hadn’t properly spoken to him since the two of you had been wed. and quite frankly, you don’t believe he deserves a farewell, not after what he had done during your wedding night. dissociative memories and unsavory imagery flashes in your mind, causing you to frown; and you are still unsure how you will civilly converse with him now. you’re indecisive, but that’s okay, because levi is not.

draping his arms over your shoulders and wrapping them behind your neck, his left hand drops to your upper back while his right hand supports the crown of your head until you’ve been angled perfectly for him. and he kisses you, hard. you go limp in his arms, refusing to reciprocate the kiss with your eyes wide, and painfully self aware of the people ogling and gawking at you two. levi nips and bites at your bottom lip, like a needy cat, and you press your lips together, sealing them shut, and instinctively, your eyes follow, screwing shut as well. he is displeased with how stiff you are, drawing back entirely, only for him to harshly place a hand on either side of your face and yank you towards him. and despite how brutish and difficult he is being this time around, levi kisses you softly. he’s being gentle, he’s being sweet.

and you are weak to this kind of love, and he knows. so inevitably, you give in, you give him what he wants, momentarily leaning in to return the kiss before pulling away. levi allows his hands to rest on your cheeks for a while longer, studying you intensely. his eyes make you nervous, always had, and continue to, and you nervously bring one hand to sit atop his own, slightly leaning into his touch. levi’s eyes follow your movement, and he is no longer cupping your face, but rather, holding onto your hand and bringing it to his lips. he places a chaste kiss to the ring on your finger, before lifting his head and kissing you one last time, but he does not let go of your hand.

“i love you.” your gut wrenches and heart tightens, constricts even, “i know.” perhaps if you had met levi under a different pretense, one where you and him were not deployed as soldiers before the two of you had even turned ten, and you were not in the midst of a war that threatened your family and nation, you would have found his love romantic. would have liked it, even. because you believe he wouldn’t behave like this, in a way that you don’t like.

“i will come back for you, so take care of yourself and don’t do anything stupid.” he glares at you almost accusingly, like you had done something wrong, like whatever levi had been thinking of at that moment had come true. you only nod, and levi sets his hands on your shoulders and reels you in until his mouth hovers beside your ear, “and don’t you dare think of cheating on me, i’ll do unspeakable things to you.” intimidation, levi’s personal favorite way to remind you of your tight leash. but unlike many fraudulent men who attempt to keep their wives from leaving them, levi has the strength to back up his claims. and you would prefer a marriage without broken bones.

swallowing thickly, you let out a shaky exhale, “of course not, i would never.”

and you don’t, not for the five years that levi had been away were you involved with another man, not once. although you admit, you would have been unfaithful had it not been for his psychotic uncle breathing down your neck all the time (you still wonder what levi desperate measures and what leverage he persuaded him with considering what low regards levi held kenny to), and his absolute godsend of a mother who you had been insistent on taking care of. the latter of the two was the ackerman who you found yourself interacting with the most, kenny wanted little to do with you, lest he suspected you of cheating— which led you to believe he was keeping frequent tabs on you with how often he would abruptly appear on your doorstep to confront you once kuchel had gone to bed. but kuchel, kuchel was an angel.

her circumstances were unfortunate, often bedridden due to her illness and age, but she was so caring. you had known her for a long time, prior to becoming a warrior candidate, when you had first enlisted. you felt envious even back then, when you watched your fellow trainee’s go home with their families. but kuchel was memorable, when she noticed you had been walking down the streets of liberio’s intermittent zone by yourself, she approached you with her hand in younger levi’s, and asked where your parents were. naïve as you were, as any child was, you were honest, and she was mortified.

thus, kuchel would walk you to your home every evening when she came to pick up levi, and she was surprised that levi not once opposed your presence. if she didn’t know any better, she would have presumed he actually looked forward to it. and over the years you had stopped seeing her, she had fallen more ill, and it had turned into only levi walking you home.

it was blatantly obvious what was going on, and kuchel has a difficult time looking you in the eyes these days. you speculate that maybe she feels guilty for letting her son have his way with you, for allowing it to go on for so long and ignoring the telltale signs (giving you half-withered flowers he found, following you when you told him not to, darkly confessing his pre-planned future with you to her). but in reality, sometimes, she doesn’t believe she deserves your care. but you’ve forgiven her, she knows because you stay, and she is forever grateful for you.

that is why she doesn’t stop you when you badmouth her brother in her presence, why she doesn’t stop you when you throw out every item that reminds you of her son, why she doesn’t stop you when you cry and scream about how you hate to be here, how you’ll find a way to legally unbind yourself from this unwanted marriage. but that is also why she doesn’t tell you that the ship has docked at the moor five years later. the honorary marleyan’s had returned, or rather, he returned. only him. you come to find out that levi had been the sole survivor of the four warriors, that erwin, hange, and mike had all passed along the way. and you don’t know who you feel more sorry for, for yourself, or for him.

“i missed you.” you know, you know levi’s missed you with the way he marks you. and you think you’re going to pass out. it’s hot, and you think he’s trying to kill you, suffocating you under his weight as he slams his body down onto yours when you try to crawl away. like he’s attempting to become one with you, levi’s hand holds yours, and he pushes onto your palm with such force, it feels like your wrist will snap. but the worst part is when he leaves marks all over. your lips are swollen and bloody, but so is your neck, and your breasts, your stomach, and your thighs. they aren’t sweet, they blemishes are full of teeth indents and blood, they’re red and sore, and they’re certain to bruise.

levi sighs quietly, “won’t you say something?” gasping for air, you weakly shake your head. but through the delirium and euphoria, levi notices. he takes his hand from yours, and cups your face, lightly grazing his thumb — that was hazardously close to your eye — across your cheek. and although his lips have ravaged and conquered every bit of your exposed skin, he continues to kiss you. but this time, he’s nicer, he’s merciful. first it’s your cheek, then your nose, your jaw, your forehead, your cheekbones, your other cheek; “please, i want you.”

you squirm beneath him when he persists. you place your palm flat against his bare chest, and his heart drums against your touch, “you do— hah, you have me.” levi collapses onto you but doesn’t stop, and you catch your breath, panting in hopes your chest will stop aching. you know you can’t give him anything more, not when he’s already relentlessly taken from you, “i know, i just… i needed you to say it.”

#ackerifle #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere attack on titan #yandere aot #yandere aot x reader #yandere levi ackerman #yandere levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x reader

[opal-owl-flight]

I'm going to pretend that your 3 and 4 were too busy/not mature enough at the time to be in love/develop those feelings back before 4 left.

They were just coworkers having fun, being more than coworkers (friends!), and making memories.

But when 4 came back, those feelings became so much more complex. And things only got worse and harder to understand as 4 and 3's relationship as coworkers and friends became strained, between 3's desire for 4 to surpass them and 4's self-loathing.

3's attempt at fixing things only made things worse, as those feelings became love for a friend, someone important, but not a romantic kind JUST yet. 4 was someone they couldn't bear losing. In their attempts to protect them, they invalidated 4's own feelings (which I'm pretty sure you covered), which resulted in the fight.

I think it would be safe to say that it was when 3 realized how much of the problem they'd inadvertently contributed to, that they also began to love 4 more than as a friend. But it's a bit hard to notice that when you're getting your face mashed up.

Post hospital stay, 3 finally realized that love and became super gay for 4, as seen by the inner 3 reactions.

As for 4's journey, it was very similar in that it wasn't until they were smashing 3's face in that they realized, in those moments with their hands covered in 3's blood, in the moments that they spent with them in the hospital, that some of their own feelings might be turning to love.

Of course, the main feeling during the fight was anger and then horror, but shit happens.

Sorry for the way too long ask, but I've loved your 4 and 3 comics (8 and 4 were super emotional as well, and I greatly enjoyed those ones) and just had to share! ^^;;

You got a lot of it right! Though, the gay doesnt come til after Project Piranesi/Oceanic Labyrinth -- 3's "I love you" in Break is a platonic one, a feeling they held ever since they met, and a feeling that never went away even when they parted.

The relationship strained bc 4 went off and experienced hell in college. She developed a self loathing, and took a break from there. SHe hoped that 3 would be able to fix the issue bc hey...they always know what to do with her (her thought here is "Make me a perfect agent, continue what youve been doing before")... but that didnt happen.

3, now the Captain, taken off the field and directly responsible for the lives of the agents, has become more battle hardened and strict in their duties. They drill the agents to make sure they dont suffer what they did (falling to Tartar specifically), done out of a place of care and love. Theyre scared, really, they feel all this responsibility, add the fact that they dont like acknowledging that they may not be able to save everyone like they usually do before (due to their disability).

They heard 4s pleas and tried to turn her to what she wants. Maybe more. They knew shed surpass them. Its inevitable.

They only wanted her to be the best self she can be. Protect her -- they finally got her back, theyre not losing her again -- even if their methods only served to strain their friendship further.

A huge misunderstanding of 3s motives leads to bitterness from 4. They were her best friend. Now theyre...just like everyone else in college. Disappointed in her (no theyre not). She strived to be whatever perfection they wanted from her. Maybe if she got there, shed stop hating herself. If she got there, maybe theyd love her again (they always did, if...not expressed properly).

Leads to the duel after 3 forced a Leave on her, yada yada.... they make up for lost time after, hanging out as friends again until 4 is confident/feels supported enough to return to agent duties.

In those further duties, 4 starts growing. Finally growing in the right direction. Her confidence swelling to be almost the same as before she went to college (but not completely). I think tje romantic feelings start here? Not sure yet. But its def after time spent together as pals and supporting each other through several of their internal struggles (4 and her self-image, 3 and their limitations)

The Captain's right hand.

The confession likely happens after 4 saves 3 from some situation in Project Piranesi! Consider it a knight saving her monarch from danger.

Thank you sm for the ask! Im glad I managed to get most of my points across in the comics wehe

#opal owl hoots #splatoon #agent 3 #agent 4 #captain 3 #agent 12

[fancyfade]

Williamson continues to disappoint in batman and robin 2023

Like (spoilers. also CW child abuse)

I respect the general intention behind the talia portrayed as putting limits on damians instructors in the league and not being portrayed as a 100% abusive monster. It's necessary to show that, though obviously the best option would be for her not to have been portrayed as involved in raising him as an assassin at all.

But Williamson has previously done half assed al ghul retcons that went nowhere, often while later portraying them in a more unflattering manner in a way that makes me question if he was actually trying to fix writing in the first place.

He also just... is a huge fan of making damians abuse I guess like more "conventional", or more immediately obvious to see, which I don't like. Like whenever he writes damians instructors their always telling him he's not good enough or being extremely harsh in ways he needs to be saved from.

But like... previously in tomasi and gleasons writing, we see damian told that he is great. It's not unwarranted - he is incredibly talented and he works hard and does impossible feats. But i feel like if Williamson wrote those scenes he'd rewrite it for damian to do something incredibly impressive and then people come in and tell damian he sucks anyway and needs to be better and that is so NOT THE POINT. Like his childhood can be abusive... and he was treated like the heir who was going to take over*, he was not insulted a bunch, he was told he was great (while he also demonstrated capability).

Like I'm reminded of how horrocks wrote cass and david's dynamic compared to puckett (link). Where when Cass reflects on her childhood with David while Puckett writes her, she often is portrayed as happy. Even when he shoots her to keep her on her toes. She doesn't see anything wrong with her childhood! Horrock portrays their dynamic with a much more "typical" take on an abusive dad and abused child, with cass being touch starved and sad.

Williamson takes a complicated situation (raising a child in such an extreme way to kill people is abusive, but he also was supported/encouraged vocally by his family and told he's awesome (not unwarrantedly, he does demonstrate being awesome)) and then flattens it into something that is more palatable and obvious to the reader. There were these mean guys who insulted Damian and hit him or wanted to throw him to the wolves. It just sits so wrong with me to flatten a complex situation that is not immediately obvious to many people what's wrong with it into a more stereotypical situation

In terms of Talia I feel like... it is not making things worse, and maybe trying to be a little better, but it's still working off foundations that are so OOC it's hard to imagine. Like yeah realistically Williamson can't retcon Talia raising Damian as an assassin without DC editors approval probably, but given the rest of his writing I really doubt he would try to do that anyway. No matter what, the major complaint ("she raised her child as an assassin") is still there

*going by new 52 onward stories, pre new 52 was kind of unclear and I could see some arguing for Williamson's interpretation... but also pre new 52 would not have had Talia present at all (just while she's being villainized)

#batman and robin 2023 #dc comics #tuesday spoilers #spoilers #child abuse cw #damian wayne #robin #talia al ghul

[riddles-n-games]

Why do you think avery and Jameson’s characters/Jameson’s story felt off? It feels off for me, too, but I can't put my finger on it.

Hoo boy, where to start? This feels like peeling wet paper from wet paper. Also, sorry this took so long to make. I was constantly putting it off because I felt like I kept not knowing how to continue this review at times so I really hope this doesn't disappoint.

Spoiler Warning: The Brothers Hawthorne Discussion

Plot-wise, first off, it felt like we spent a lot of time with the set up to get to the Game and usually JLB spends a very minimal amount on that before we jump into the riddles, puzzle-solving, clue finding portion of the story as shown in the last three books. Then when we get to the actual portion of the plot which is dedicated to the Game itself, the running around Vantage feels like it was all so quick and you don't even get to take it in because we're already at another part with a new clue that by the time you feel settled in, the Game is done and Jameson is the winner. So, I think the concern with the story on that front is the fact that she wanted us to have an element from the old books that we're comfortable with so we can continue experiencing that thrill we're used to, just from Jameson's perspective because this suits him to a T. And she's right. This is the Hawthorne brother we've come to associate with all these high risks, high stakes, riddles, puzzles, complex games, etc., etc. It's just her approach didn't feel right; she spent more time on one thing than the other, the set up vs the climax as a result of said set up were disproportionate and this would probably be as a result of the dual pov. We never had a dual pov before in the series so where one story feels completed, the other didn't. Had Jamie's story been one whole book on its own, she likely could have made everything in the plot more evened out, especially the part we're anticipating most: the Game.

Also, from what I can see, Grayson's plotline does serve as the typical storyline we see in TIG, THL, and TFG in terms of set up and execution of actions after the build up. But it also must have been thought out better because there was pressure from the fans to redeem Grayson after the events of the last book. To be fair, JLB may have also planned it out that way in the first place. It's just disappointing to read through a book with the one brother I wanted to see in his best element because he fit this script the most having his storyline cut off seemingly abruptly. I know it's easier for her to come up with stuff for Grayson because he's still underdeveloped but she should have taken more care of Jameson since he is already developed. It causes inconsistency and on her part, looks like lazy writing and that she didn't even want to write his story. Most complex story she's written, my ass. If she wanted to just write Grayson's story then she could have done that, it would be believable enough that she just wanted to leave Jameson untouched because of the work she put into him rather than taking back all the good stuff we've seen come out of him by the end of TFG.

Now, with Jameson's character development, I think that the problem was the dilemma he was facing with his mind being "ordinary" compared to that of his brothers. I don't think I minded that part that much but when I review how he acted in the original trilogy versus how he was in this one, this problem kind of abruptly seems to show up, even with the flashbacks where this was demonstrated to be a topic of interest. Maybe JLB should have created some kind of set up for his character having this problem in the first books like she did with his lack of father figures issue which clearly makes him sensitive and his desperate need to win. These were things that had an origin and were portrayed appropriately in the book with a somewhat satisfying conclusion. This one just felt like it was there and the issue was quite quickly resolved so it kind of just makes itself appear as something that could have been easily ignored. He also falls short on sounding like a human being because she has made his mentality and personality so one dimensional and basic that a robot has more complexity than him. We get it, he's hungry for more almost all the time! But that's not all there is to him. And as a Jameson girlie, I feel like she made it so much harder for us fans of him as a character and the chosen love interest for Avery to give reasons as to why we liked him. I mean, back in 2022 and throughout 2023, I don't know how many little analyses and rants I came across that projected the goodness of his character. Now what am I supposed to justify? I was hoping we'd get that deserved deep dive to see what else drove him besides the obvious and what did we get? Just an endless loop of what we already know and have seen.

On the topic of Avery and Jameson as a couple in this book, uh, I think that JLB could have done a better representation of it from Jamie's perspective than the way she did in TBH. They had some pretty great moments like their problem-solving sequences, the getting ready scene before the opera, the little stuff like their hand symbols to signal to each other, Avery comforting Jameson, and Jameson confiding in her the secret of what happened in Prague. However, I found the way that JLB described Jameson's thoughts towards Avery a little too out of character. I get it, there's nothing wrong with him being physically attracted to his own girlfriend, that's definitely part of it but it felt too lusty and not the way he seemed to view her from what we saw in the last three books. I mean, even Avery wasn't quite so lusty towards him. The flirtatious components weren't what I was hoping to see especially after his many swoon-worthy moments from THL and TFG. Honestly, regarding my opinion on this, there's a recent post by @elif-in-wonderland that summarizes my thoughts for me perfectly.

There, that concludes my current thoughts on the book regarding Jameson's side. If I do end up having more opinions to share, I will be sure to make a continuation to this in a follow up post. Thanks for the ask!

#jameson winchester hawthorne #jameson hawthorne #avery kylie grambs #avery grambs #averyjameson #the brothers hawthorne review #tbh spoilers #the inheritance games rant #the inheritance games #the hawthorne legacy #the final gambit #the brothers hawthorne #tig #thl #tfg #tbh #thank you for coming to my ted talk

[terrietont]

Monty was done dirty in Security Breach and SB: Ruin

They did Monty dirty in both Security Breach and Ruin

He was so antagonized by both the game and the fandom even in the beginning, just for not being Bonnie.

What was the point of monty if they were just going to make him as a catalyst for the random absence of Bonnie? I genuinely don’t understand the story direction of what they were even going for with him if they were just gonna utilize him as a “evil replacement” beastly thug.

Monty’s design and mannersisms could be utilized for so much more than just “We wanted to make a new guy instead of Bonnie” and then make the entire fandom shit on this new guy for being the alleged evil killer of Bonnie (which I honestly don’t even think Monty is responsible, at least not with his control)

Unless they’re just going in a really lukewarm direction and just like “yep Monty bad cause Bonnie is gone” with no nuance or reason, just that “he’s selfish” and not that it was mimic, Monty possessed by afton etc etc. and all the other more interesting ways you could develop the “murder” case of Bonnie. I really hope they weren’t just gonna be like “Yeah Monty bad, the end” Because that would be such a let down. Giving Monty no misunderstood complexity but just a ruthless brute is just kind of disappointing… why even make Monty a thing if they were just gonna create an irredeemable brute?

It seriously just seems like Monty was intended as a fandom punching bag rather than an actual character because “Bonnie better” even Steel Wool doesn’t want to keep him in the band or have him even be coherent at all.

They quite literally wrote him in to not be loved by anyone in the story. Freddy never says anything remorseful about Monty’s claws (maybe that’s because Gregory didn’t directly say it was Monty, but still it still feels like he didn’t give af). Cassie doesn’t acknowledge him as anything more than “that weird Monty thing” when she was like “Poor Chica what happened to you?” When Chica is also partially animalistic at that point

Monty gets no remorse or development in universe, apart from a niche group of fans outside the game story that wish we had more of him and something added to him like Roxy, and even Chica. Roxy was misunderstood, tragic and turned out to be a lovable fierce protector and friend much like Freddy but with a bit more edge and tragedy combined. Chica although she is too far gone in Ruin, she still had some sense of being partially friendly if even for a second, but Monty? Nah he’s always been bad even before the virus… lame.

They just gave Monty the middle finger for simply existing in the first place even before all the Bonnie stuff came out and honestly as a fan of crocodilians it’s disappointing. And then he was completely tossed aside as Bonnie’s murderer with no added explanation or mystery. What?

Can we not have a single fictional crocodilian/reptillian that ISN’T “evil villain” coded?

Monty made me realize how dirty Reptiles are done in fiction.

#monty fnaf #security breach #fnaf security breach #montgomery gator #monty deserved better #glamrock monty #security breach ruin #Reptiles are done so dirty in fiction

[mooshs-crack-headcanons]

Getting all soft thinking about the rare occasions of Link actually speaking verbally out loud to Zelda.

At one point it did bug her, ate at her, felt that his silence was a way of him mocking her failure to her role while he seemingly had everything figured out and held everyone's praise - including her father's. However, that was way before Link had actually explained his reasoning to her, the weight of the world being on his shoulders and felt it upon himself to commit to a silent vigil not to disappoint the people of the kingdom that he knows is heavily relying on him. That alone changed how the princess viewed the knight.

Now, even moreso after the Calamity, she doesn't mind. Link has ways of communicating outside of verbal speech in ways of nods, points, and his own unique form of sign language she's very much well picked up on understanding! She even likes to think she's the most expert on said sign language, a badge she wears in prideful honor.

Link is a very good listener and it helps he very much enjoys hearing the princess talk, especially about her research, he can listen to her for hours on end about scientific things that he'll admit he's not the most knowledgeable about to where at some points Zelda could be rambling about something he has no clue what even is but he still enjoys listening to her either way because it's her and talking about these things makes her happy! So he'll just nod along and sign very simple questions that relights the princess' excitement even more as she'll go into further detail about whatever and Link is just left like: :)

On the rare occasions Link does actually speak he is very soft spoken, especially pre-Calamity. Honest to Hylia Zelda nearly fainted the first time she actually heard him. One of these instances I like to think was definitely after the spring of Courage, granted it wasn't the first time I think Zelda has heard him but I feel like it was one that was definitely most impactful.

Just Link helping her out of the spring and they sit at the foot of the water for a bit, Zelda probably crying and still cursing at herself saying so much damming things about herself like she's a failure, a burden, and ect and then just out of nowhere:

"You're not a failure." Or something along those lines, just something to try to get through to her that she isn't all those cruel things her father or some gossipers said her out to be. She is so much more than that and he knows it, and he needs her to know it too.

So it's obvious given the fact Tulin seems at least a few years older than he was in breath of the wild and Riju as well seems definitely taller than she was previously shown as well that at least two or so years minimum have passed since that game, so everyone is going to go through some kind of change before the game starts and Zelda's new haircut seems to be one of them. I think it's very unlikely we'll actually see the actual hair getting cut in game and it'll realistically just be left as an unspoken thing but that just leaves room for speculation and headcanon!

That being said... Link vocally telling her point blank after maybe just one day out of the blue coming home from Kakariko Village visit (they lived together in the Hateno house, Nintendo can pry that from my cold dead hands) the moment she walks through the door, now with her hair now considerably shorter;

"You look breathtaking." Then he goes right back to whatever he was doing inside the home before she arrived leaving Zelda speechless at the doorway just: 🧍🏼‍♀️

Zelda's a bit awkward, she doesn't know how to address it but it makes her feel... giddy. Maybe she didn't know how she felt about the haircut at first when Impa presented her the mirror to check it how it turned out, at first it was a complex motion - a symbolic action that she was finally ready to leave the past behind and work towards a brighter future, but even still she had this swirling in her gut on the ride home. But now? She adores it, she's reassured of her choice. She is ready. And she's glad to have her beloved knight at her side to live out that future.

No matter what future hardships that are to come.

Coming out of writing retirement just to ease my zelink brainrot. Hope you guys are proud 🥲

#the legend of zelda #breath of wild #the legend of zelda tears of the kingdom #zelink #zelink headcanons #tloz link #tloz zelda #zelink fanfiction #mine