#like WHERE WERE THE PETTY LITTLE FIGHTS OVER NONSENSE??

[wongyuuu]

in which mingyu wants to sleep on the couch after a fight

pairing: mingyu x fem!reader genre:  fluff  word count: 540 warning: none

requests are open

“Come to bed”

You leaned on the door frame to the living room, your arms crossed over your chest as you looked at your husband. It was dark so you could barely make out the line of his body, but you were the one who chose the couch, the one who picked the spot it would occupy in your shared living room so you knew exactly where he was.

Mingyu let out a grunt but didn’t move, refusing to follow you to the room but desperately wanting to. The two of you fought and he felt, as silly as it was, that he needed to keep his ground and sleep on the couch for the night. 

The fight itself had been over something so stupid. You asked him to take out the trash, and he said that he would, he procrastinated for a while, then he forgot, then you got angry, and then he got angry because you had gotten angry at him first. There was nothing more stupid. Over the years, you argued over some nonsensical things, but it never got that petty. 

His best guess was that you both had bottled up your feelings for too long and it finally boiled over due to something so trivial as just the trash. He was sure that you knew he didn’t do it on purpose and he wanted to apologize too. And yet, there he was, being as stubborn as he could possibly be, choosing to sleep on the couch, for reasons that he too wanted to understand. 

“Gyu, come on, let’s go to bed. I’m tired and I know you are too” you said softly, trying to get him to soften up “You know that couch isn’t good for sleeping. You were complaining about it yesterday when you took a nap on it”

Mingyu still didn’t move, even though your words had gotten to him. He hugged the pillow over his chest a little tighter.

“You know what? Fine, stay there” 

He didn’t dare to open his eyes but kept his ears alert to know what you were doing. Instead of footsteps moving down the hall and away from the living room, he heard them getting closer to him. A second later he felt the pillow being taken away from his hands, as you pulled the covers up and squeezed yourself on the couch with him. 

“What are you doing?” he finally asked.

He barely fit on the couch by himself so he was sure that half of your body was over the edge. 

“We’re married, we sleep together, even when we fight” you murmured as you dropped your arm over his chest.

“ We can sleep apart, that won’t change anything between us”

You just shook your head, raising your lips to place a kiss on his chin

“It will change something between us, we will start to feel like we can just avoid a discussion and everything will be okay in the morning. It won’t make anything better” 

Finally, Mingyu wrapped his arm around you, pulling you into him and further turning on his side to give you more space.

“Sorry I didn’t take the trash out” he whispered.

He rubbed his nose against yours, making you smile.

taglist: @wonwooz1,   @ryuwonieebae

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#k-labels #seventeen imagine #seventeen x reader #seventeen x you #svt x reader #svt imagine #svt x you #mingyu x reader #kim mingyu x reader #mingyu x you #kim mingyu x you #mingyu #seventeen fluff #mingyu imagines #kim mingyu imagines #kim mingyu #mingyu fluff

[twothpaste]

Ok so we know about Claus and Porky...but what about Ness and Porky in your AU? How did that fall apart and where are they standing now? I havent' read too much into the fic...

Intermission Ness & Porky are the same old story, minus the divine intervention. The fallout between these two has always been one of my favorite parts of EarthBound. There's something so raw and relatable about it - I think most folks've can recall experiences with childhood friends that, in retrospect, weren't so nice. Friendships between kids often drift apart over time, or rupture cataclysmically, or crumble under the pressure of something petty. Ness n' Porky were besties from a young age, but come adolescence, there's this sad realization that they're growing into totally incompatible people. Porky started mirroring his parents' behavior, lashing out, taking on all these manipulative tendencies ('cause his needs simply weren't being met). Taking advantage of Ness' naivete & unconditional kindness. Treating him like a plaything instead of a friend. But around 12/13, Ness was finally getting old enough to grasp the difference between lighthearted teasing & outright maliciousness. He came to understand, the hard way, that no amount of goodwill or forgiveness on his part would get his friend to stop hurting his feelings. The downhill from there's not explosive fights with baseball bats, time machines, and alien spider mechs. It's just the ordinary bitter, jealous, festering sort of fallout that real teenagers go through all the time. More under the cut.

I like to imagine they had a really sweet & genuine bond as little kids. Couple of dorky chubby nextdoor neighbors who probably got bullied at school, but found endless fun & solidarity together. From perhaps too young an age, Ness got the jist that Porky's home life wasn't so great, and wanted to provide his best bud with all the fun and safety he could. And ended up bein' kind of glued to him at the hip. Porky felt that Ness was the only person he was allowed be himself around. He could be confident with Ness by his side, and use that confidence to uplift them both. Because they were so close, a little dependent even, the wound is really raw for years to come. Ness feels a weird sense of responsibility for Porky. Like it's somehow his fault he turned out this way, or like it's his job to protect others from him going forward. Porky feels totally abandoned - essentially betrayed - by his dearest friend. Ness used to always put up with his antics, and then suddenly stopped, and poor little ol' Patrick Minch doesn't understand what went wrong (he does) (he just won't admit it was his fault).

There were a bunch of breaking points. Ness befriended Paula in middle school, which drove Porky absolutely feral with jealousy. He still maintains that she "stole" Ness from him, that Ness is an impressionable little ball of dough who got molded against him by his smartass new "girlfriend." There's also, uh. A nonzero amount of transphobia trickling down from Porky's conservative parents. My Ness spent his early childhood a quote-unquote "tomboy," but he proudly declared he was Actually Just A Boy at age twelve. And Patrick had so much internalized nonsense caked into his brain, he couldn't make heads or tails of it without barfing up Aloysius & Lardna's influence. (Which really hurt Ness, coming from his longtime closest confidant.) Porky's folks were breaking out into divorce and mayhem around the same time, while Ness' family seemed perfect as ever. I think some degree of envy was going on there. Porky's growing consciousness of the stability afforded by Ness' happy home life, versus Ness' growing consciousness of Porky's outrageous wealth. Some nasty tweenaged arguments might've flown in both directions, back then.

It broke Ness' heart to forsake Porky, but he bravely did it and stood by it. By the time they hit high school, the two of 'em were thoroughly cut off. Though Porky still made frequent efforts to fuck with Ness, hoping to snag his attention back… Stealing his stuff, threatening him, leaving cryptic notes begging Ness to come find him in isolated locations. It, uh. Never worked. At least never as intended.

The big thing about Intermission Porky is like… in EarthBound, he Phase Distorts away, becomes an immortal thirteen-forever manchild, and artfully dodges all consequences forever. Here, though, he's granted no such luxury. He's literally just some guy. He's forced to grow up, kicking and screaming. Expected to act his age, just like everybody else. And all the while, he's bitterly comparing himself to Ness. Watching his old bestie grow into a happy, likeable, well-adjusted young adult. Ness maintains jobs & internships. Makes new friends everywhere he goes. While Porky drives away everyone he knows, skirts by on his parents' wealth, runs ill-fated crypto schemes 'cause he's too good for (read: genuinely terrified of) any sort of employment. The bitterness is eating him alive from the inside out, and corroding his sense of self worth, but he'd rather die than apologize or ask for help. So he just sits in his rut, secretly mortified by the progression of time & the lonely mundanity of his plight, taking it out on the version of Ness that lives on in his head. The more I think about it, whatever the hell Intermission Porky is going through might just be canon Porky's worst nightmare. Huh.

Ness, on the other hand, has this huge sad sore spot in his psyche where Porky used to be. Because he's such a hopelessly sappy little dude, he still feels all kinds of pity & nostalgia & loss about it. But he's also grown a spine since his youth. Learned his lesson, for sure. He treats Porky with an excessive degree of caution. Avoids interactions at all costs, and encourages others to do the same. He's got this funny thing where he's normally the most laidback guy you'll ever meet - but if Porky comes up, he instantly becomes uncharacteristically jittery and irritable. There's a bit in Intermission (the fic) (the first one) where he stands up for Claus by confronting Porky - it's the only time I've ever written Ness shouting or swearing. All in all, though, he's recovering mostly peacefully. Learning how to move on & let it go. There will probably come a day when Ness is in his thirties and he thinks back on Porky and he realizes, with a contented sigh, that he's more or less over it. (Which is also, probably, one of Porky's worst nightmares.)

Bonus: Here's a snippet from Hatchback. Ness reflecting on his friendship with Porky (they're like 9 or 10 here).

#ask tag #long #thank youuu #intermission au

[kaiwewi]

im hooked on guilty conscience have some fries 🍟🍟🍟

Aww, and I'm hooked on all the lovely comments and feedback 💖💕 Thank you for the fries!! I shall humbly offer you ~1,000 words of fluffy nonsense - Villain and the little hero bonding over a silly childhood story 😎

Guilty Conscience #9

[Masterlist: Renegade Rescue Squad] [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8]

Synopsis: Villain reads through his chats and ends up sharing an embarrassing childhood story with the hero.

tw: talk about captivity

When the little hero didn’t say anything else and the silence became thick enough to choke on, Villain pulled out his phone and began reading through his chats in earnest.

Henchman had replied to his message with an “On my way”, a “Harper is coming too”, and a thumbs-up emoji; and though he didn’t need confirmation he could still count on Henchman, the gesture did make breathing easier.

As expected, Doc’s messages were requests for supplies.

Supervillain’s message was likely something he didn’t have the stomach for at the moment, so he read through Bax’s chat next…

“Henchman said you're working with Other Villain?! Really???? You’ve lost your fucking mind!!”

“Where r u?”

“I sure hope you’re not ignoring me ”

“Villain wtf”

“Villain answer your stupid phone!!”

“HELLO?! 😡😡😡”

“You little renegade if you don’t talk to us immediately I’m going to make sure you regret every choice you ever made in your damn life!!!!!”

“I swear, if you blocked me…”

“If you don’t call right this instant I’ll tell everyone the slug story”

“Haha! Too late!! We’re all making fun of you now 😈 that’s what you get for being a shit brother”

“F u Slugboy”

He rubbed a hand across his face. Ugh, Bax was angry all right. He might as well start looking for a shovel and dig himself a pit to go die in.

He looked up, caught the hero craning their neck to get a glimpse of his phone, and quickly turned the screen away from their prying eyes. Though not fast enough, apparently.

“Why are they calling you ‘Slugboy’?”

Ah dammit. “It’s… a stupid story…”

Because, once upon a time, he’d been a ten-year-old idiot brat who’d thought it was unfair his older sister got to hang out with her clique while he had to help their mum in the garden. Because he’d felt left out whenever Bax spent time with her teenager friends. And maybe also because he’d had this little crush on her friend Alex.

Fuelled by spite and a need for attention, he’d thought it would be hilarious to steal away with the half-full slug bucket and throw slugs at Bax and her friends.

Well. It had been funny. For all but the 2 minutes it had taken Bax to catch him.

He’d never forget Bax’s cruel smirk as she’d grabbed him and, with her friends’ assistance, dunked him face-first into the slug bucket.

“And that,” he concluded, “is how Bax and her friends came to call me ‘Slugboy’ for a few months. But they dropped it when one of the boys in the neighbourhood picked up on it and started making fun of me. Bax was furious – something about siblings having exclusive rights to bullying each other – and whatever she did to the poor guy, he never even looked my way again afterwards.”

He smiled. Despite the fights and petty jibes, Bax had always had his back when it mattered.

The hero watched him with a sort of eager fascination, like they were actually interested in his silly childhood anecdotes. Or perhaps they merely needed the distraction as much as he did. “The slugs… did you get them in your mouth?”

He cringed. With a shudder and a grimace, he nodded. Oh, he’d had slug slime in his mouth, in his nose, in his ears…

“Yuck!” The little hero gave one of those gleeful sorry-not-sorry laughs. “Did you swallow any? What did they taste like?”

Slimy, bitter, and acrid.

“I didn't, fortunately. But they taste like humiliation,” – a crooked smile played on his lips – “and two hours of retching, with Mum giggling in the background telling me I deserve it.”

He shared a chuckle with the hero, but they fell silent again and the conversation died.

Opening Angel’s chat, he was greeted by the image of a bemused-looking dog with a caption reading “new EMT on first shift: ‘It sure is quiet tonight’”.  Yeah, not only on the first shift…

Next was a picture showing Angel and Supervillain – Angel with his way too innocent-looking face and Supervillain with an uncharacteristic softness to their sharp features – posing on a hill with the cityscape in the background. The subsequent message read “This is already the fifth time we’re hanging out this month! Locations seem kinda romantic? You know, sunsets and stuff… Think they might be into me, or am I imagining things?”

Hm, perhaps Supervillain did look a tad… smitten.

He scrolled to the next message and tsked. Stupid Bax…

“B just told us the FUNNIEST story… Slugboy 🐌 (yeah I know that's not a slug but they didn't have a slug emoji 😒)”

“Wait, made you a meme. Lol check this out”

One look at the image – a slug donning a crudely-rendered digital likeness of the jacket he was currently wearing – and its caption “I didn’t choose the slug life. The slug life chose me” was all it took to make him burst into an odd mix of laughter and tears.

The hero regarded him for a long moment, then asked, “are you like this with all your prisoners?”

His small bubble of merriment burst and he sobered. “Hey, you’re not a prisoner – not mine and not anybody else’s. I can promise you that much.”

“And you expect me to trust you.”

“I don’t expect anything.” But he'd still like them to feel safe.

The little hero gave a thoughtful hum, fiddling with the power-suppressor bracelet Other Villain had put on one of their wrists. With their powers locked away, it was no surprise the hero still considered themself a captive. Unfortunately, Other Villain hadn’t conveniently carried the key around in their pockets, so the only way that cuff was coming off was by getting the hero back to base and bribing Thief into picking the lock.

“Kid, I swear, you won’t be wearing that for much longer.”

The hero glowered, no less torrid than the glare they’d given Other Villain. “Dude, if I choose to trust you and you turn out to be just another useless adult who'll let me down the second I give them a chance, I won't forgive you.”

He nodded, feeling a bit queasy. Since the beginning of the week, he’d only managed to disappoint pretty much everyone important in his life. With a track record like that, what could possibly go wrong…

Well, all the more reason he couldn't afford to screw this up.

Next to him, the hero suddenly began to snicker. “Heh, Slugboy.”

[Part 10]

#whump #hero whumpee #villain whumpee #villain whumper #villain caretaker #comfort #fluff #heroes and villains #hero x villain #villain #other villain #hero #rookie hero #snippet #writing snippet #writing #my writing #writeblr #writers #writers on Tumblr #hero x villain community #whump community #Renegade Rescue Squad #Guilty Conscience #embarrassing childhood story #lol #Slugboy

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

What was the worst thing that a Gull ever did to a Sharpie? (or vise versa?) 

I'd love to see them racing! Or maybe heavylifting championships in the yards

Those are good ideas! I suppose it's possible the railway might condone a "do you even lift bro" competition in the yards; the F.R. did host shunting contests in the early '20s. No promises. But I'll pick a sticky note on that ;)

Hmm. I should clarify off the bat that the degree to which everyone else on the F.R. despairs at this "feud" is a bit overblown; it's kind of my little ongoing joke about how sheltered they are that this petty schoolboy stuff is considered so Disgraceful. Like, for the most part it's just a volley of words. Obviously, words can hurt, but it's all very sibling squabble kinda stuff.

The Sharpies trying to see if they couldn't con the Seagulls into doing some of their work in A Hole in the Net was actually one of the more dramatic stunts in their whole history. It was as close as anyone ever came to sabotaging the others. If you're like "but that's kind of a nothingburger," like, yeah. I agree with you. (That's kind of why it was so fun to make Nobby and Smotes lose their minds over it.)

Every once in a while (not common) a fight breaks out in the yard and you find a Sharpie and a 'Gull locking buffers and getting into a (usually) very stupid, stalemate-y shoving match, and sometimes there's a commotion and lots of whistling and jeering from the sidelines, and a teacher driver or foreman breaks it up, and things settle down for another year or two. The end.

(At one point in the 1920s there will almost certainly be a scene where Coppernob tells Edward that he deserves whatever nonsense the Big Blue Bastards are up to on Sodor because it's some sort of karmic circle-of-life bullshit repaying him for his own class's idiocies when they were young and Edward just sort of gives him a thousand-yard stare and is like Nobby. It's not the same thing. It's not the same thing at all.

Because for all their squabbling and mutual dislike, the Sharpies and the 'Gulls recognize that they are on the same team. There are, like... rules of engagement, and norms of civilized behavior such that even your own class elders will take you aside and ream you out if you cross a line with the other side, and nobody would ever dream of actually sabotaging a rival's work, or rooting for one of their rivals to be scrapped, or insulting you to your face in lieu of thanking you when you help them, or various other horrible rubbish that your average RWS/TTTE/fan-created villain gets up with clockwork regularity.)

The ugliest episode, though. One does stand out. This was back 1892, very early in the feud, before most of the Seagulls and lots of the Sharpies were even made. In 1892 Sharpie 115 fell with the rest of the subsidence in the Lindal mine collapse. At first the four 'Gulls thought this was a hilarious development in their already rough-and-ready rivalry with the Sharpies. They spent a night joking about it. Then, although other engines got them to lay off, they spent the next day complaining about the long delays at Lindal around the rescue effort.

Obviously, this was all an absolute dick move. It is fair to observe, however, that at this point the four idiot children had lived a charmed life and the idea of terror and misery and mortal peril was nowhere on their radar—and all the engines, in those first twenty-four hours, expected that 115 would be rescued. When 115 was finally abandoned the 'Gulls were shocked and the Sharpies were devastated.

The 'Gulls, finally grasping the seriousness of the situation, were ashamed of the things they had said and finally applied to the Copper-Nobs for guidance on how to comport themselves (not that the Copper-Nobs knew; this was all so unprecedented). They apologized and spent the following months trying to make amends. As time went on more and more of the original Sharpies accepted that the 'Gulls had grown up and that horrid night was well in the past. But, as you might expect, there are some that could never forgive this. Of course, those are also the Sharpies who aren't getting into petty squabbles—they were just quietly bitter about it and interacted with the original 'Gulls (and, for some of them, the later 'Gulls) as little as they possibly could.

Again, to the younger Sharpies and 'Gulls this is History and the version of the feud that they carry on is considerably less heavy. Louder, more for show, but it lacks most of that fundamental bitterness of the original classes.

And everyone now understands that there are Standards. Even before their grouping into the L.M.S. sweeps away most of the feud, they call a truce now when things are serious. For instance, 29/61 ensured that the Sharpies did not mock 22/33 after he and his train was stranded on the Leven Viaduct in 100 m.p.h. winds, and the Seagulls were somber when Management began scrapping Sharpies in the '10s and in fact were more sympathetic to (the new) 22 after the events of Springtime than his own clan was.

(The Sharpies after a while felt 22 was upset far out of proportion for an engine that had been forced to halt and gotten a couple of flat tyres out of the deal. The Seagulls had a better understanding of why 22 was so depressed afterwards. As 36 in particular noted, they all knew it was perfectly normal for an engine to have been through the emotional wringer after a shift with Dick Tartt had taken a bad turn!)

#chatter #the bird at barrow central #ttte headcanon #various furness ocs

[altocat]

asking something particularly shippy because sephgen :P

If in a far away near impossible universe, sephiroth and genesis actually get their shit together and talk about their feelings for another, who would break the silence and how would it go?

(cc events can happen or it can be an au where nothing happens, no one dies and everything is good)

CC AU where their little training room incident never happens!

Genesis is the first to say anything. It happens over a petty, stupid argument over the dumbest stuff. And Genesis just kinda word-vomits everything out at once. This, of course, horrifies him and he IMMEDIATELY regrets it. Meanwhile, Sephiroth looks as if he's undergoing some mental space travel because he's completely spaced tf out.

So after that nonsense they end up avoiding each other for days. So embarrassing. When the three of them are together, Angeal is SUPER weirded out because like...they're not fighting??? Or arguing??? Or really anything at all.

He takes Genesis aside and asks him what tf did he DO because he's never seen Seph so out of it. Genesis pretends to have no idea what he's talking about. Stfu Angeal, mind your own business! But eventually, the guilt catches up to him.

He pulls Sephiroth aside a bit later and engages in a patented Rhapsodos-Rarity--APOLOGIZING! Sephiroth only shakes his head and says its fine. Really. No big deal. He's flattered he feels that way. Maybe more than that. Ish. Maybe...

Anyway, in time, Genesis very quickly wishes up to the fact that Sephiroth has kind of been lowkey extremely attracted to him for a while now, in his own offhand noncommunicative way.

I'd imagine it's kind of semi unhealthy for a bit where it's purely physical for a while. They're still extremely messed up people and would probably hurt each other a thousand times over before anything sticks. It's an extremely passionate, but simultaneously bewildering affair in which both parties absolutely suck at giving and taking. And are constantly pissing each other off.

Over time though, it smooths out. And they finally begin to see that maybe they were being stupid about everything. They still like to compete but they've both calmed down. And find time to actually express genuine affection behind closed doors. Sephiroth becomes slightly more relaxed at the idea of accepting that he wants Genesis and that Genesis makes him happy. Genesis gets to be pampered and cherished and soaks up the attention with relish. They become touchingly devoted to each other, while still teasing and trading barbs. They'd probably like to be openly sappier with each other, but they have a public reputation to maintain.

The only real obstacle is Shinra, who would definitely not like the idea that both of their top soldiers are .... entangled with each other.

#Sephiroth #Genesis rhapsodos #angeal hewley #ff7 #ffvii #crisis core #asks #final fantasy 7 #sephcanons #Fluff #Sephgen #Sephesis

[sage-nebula]

Well, it was Penders shenanigans who forced Sega to step in so I don't blame them for watching the comics like hawks.

I don't like Penders at all—I think he's a petty, misogynistic creep and a bad artist to boot—but I think it's reductive to blame it all on him.

First, he wasn't the only writer on Archie who got up to some nonsense back in the day. I won't pretend to be an expert on Archie by any means, since I've only read two issues myself (one where Sonic got mind controlled for an issue and beat up his friends, the other was the Sally/Nicole stargazing one because I'm gay), so everything I know about it, I know via osmosis, mostly thanks to the ThanksKenPenders liveblogs. But I do know that Penders was only the lead writer on Archie for a certain amount of time, and that there were other writers after and I think before him. Penders is the most infamous because of the lawsuits and because he has a chronic case of Can't Shut The Fuck Up Disorder that constantly rears its ugly head on twitter, but he's not the only one that got up to some bullshit in the Archie comics. He's just the most notorious.

Second, while Sega undoubtedly started laying down more mandates once they finally started paying attention to what the Archie comics were doing (e.g. I've heard it was because of that cover with Sonic crying that Sega was like "no, don't show our hero in distress in that way"), it's to be honest standard fare for companies to pay close attention to how their license is used and it's stranger that Sega wasn't paying attention back in the 90s than it is that they are paying attention now. Like for example, Nintendo is notorious for how strict they are with their IPs, but they're far from the only ones. Hasbro has oversight with Transformers and My Little Pony, in both comics and cartoons. Disney controls portrayal of Mickey Mouse in any licensed games that are made. Part of why Voltron: Legendary Defender was such a mess is because of fighting between the writing staff and the desires of the brand executives, so on and so forth. The fact that Sega was so hands-off with Archie is an exception for how licensed properties are handled, not the rule, and my guess would be that there was some sort of leadership change within Sega that made whoever got put in charge step in and fix things.

So it makes sense for Sega to closely scrutinize what goes into the IDW comics, to make sure that it's promoting a positive representation of Sonic and the franchise as a whole. It's what pretty much every other license holder would do when it comes to a licensed work. The sun would burn out before Nintendo would let someone run roughshod with a Mario comic*, and the same with Disney and Mickey Mouse. I think it's fair and just that Sega protects Sonic in the same way, especially since the IDW team has proven that they can still produce very good comics even with the mandates in place.

(*In fact, Archie actually pitched the idea of a Mario comic to Nintendo, which would have been written by Ian Flynn. Nintendo of America approved it, but Nintendo of Japan said no, so the project was scrapped. Nintendo is very protective over their IPs, and I think it's good that Sega has started following in a similar example with Sonic.)

#anonymous #unfortunately not strict *enough* since they made Tom a cop in the movie #when we all know Sonic is antifa anarchist #but c'est la vie. we take what we get #also for the record while Penders obviously did The Worst #one of the stories I know about from Archie that I really really really dislike #was written by Ian Flynn. and I love Ian's work in IDW so like #nobody's perfect you feel me #but yeah Penders is definitely the loudest and most rancid #he's just not the only reason why Sega started keeping stronger oversight

[distopea]

@cantuscorvi​ from here 

All he could focus on was the shape of Raum’s wide shoulders under the whiteness of his shirt. Whether he wanted it or not, there was a fire that had been lightened up the moment he had slapped the mop across his face and chest, provoking sensations he thought that he could fight for so long. Nothing in their confrontation or the bitter words of the pilot could make him think about anything else but the soaped water dripping down his skin, nor the way his shirt was plastered right against his muscles. Nothing. Not even his provocations, his attempt of returning the favor with another well-deserved slap.

It was the sound of the falling bucket that had been working like a bell between them. Mads’ motions were driven by his instincts and reflexes, but his thoughts and mind had left the ship just a few minutes before. He didn’t even anticipate the way Raum flew away from the room, getting deeper inside the lockers to fill the bucket with more water, suddenly so dedicated to his duty. This time, it was that his feet betrayed him. Soon enough he was standing right behind the other one, barely able to refrain his profound nature from the sight presented here.

He wanted him.

He didn’t know why and how, nor for what, but it was screaming inside of his mind like dozens of choirs in the middle of a crowded church. Something in Raum’s attitude, perhaps a way in him that he couldn’t explain, but he wanted him, either to shut him, to bend him down, to touch him or worse. Mads barely said anything, just a little apology for the shirt, but he wasn’t even thinking. He could only face the stubborn and upset eyes of his rival, quite electrical in the middle of this cold room, and he knew, oh too well, that they only needed one push to jump off that cliff again.

Touching wasn’t natural; it was needed. A requirement to soothe his burning soul, a shaky breathing escaping his throat. He was dwelling harder on the impossibility to reason himself, to step away from that mess, to be more responsible than the other one… Because he knew that, out of challenge, pettiness or equal desire, Raum would eventually take the lead. He hated to lose; he wanted to be a part of the game, and win it. Raum’s don’t was nothing but hidden please, and deep down within, even a sailor like Mads couldn’t help but listen to that siren call.

And so, he did; so, they jumped off that cliff. In the nothingness of a river of metal and soaped cold floor, once more, they were colliding like two star-crossed lovers melting in another kiss. Passion was gentle but this time overly suffocating, pinning needles in their pressed bodies, deep until it touched their bones. He didn’t know where and how to stop, or if stopping was an option. He devoured his mouth the way he would need oxygen, only to be pushed away all over again. Raum hadn’t slapped him with the mop but it felt the same. Mads inhaled, lengthily.

“As if cleaning the floor was your priority. Hypocrite… You’re just flying away again!” He snarled, his body immediately crossing the distance again, because it was too painful to stay away, because he couldn’t bear to stop that nonsense once more. He watched the way Raum was gripping that bucket of water before he eventually grabbed it and threw it down in a loud metallic sound echoing against the walls. “Here. All clean now, you happy?” He stated in a long cold stare, consumed by what he had been forced to restrain for too long.

“No.” He said before Raum would try to shove him away again, another step bringing both of their bodies almost glued together. It was his plea, his real apology through the harshness of his voice. He lowered his tone again, his gestures slower when he rolled his fingers around the buckle of his belt, his deep and intense blue eyes focused on his features. “No…” Mads uttered in a soft whisper, expertly opening the other one’s zipper, the tip of his fingers brushing what he had been desperately looking for.

#; cantuscorvi #⌇voice of the navy ( 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙨 | ic ) #⌇journey to the end of the night ( 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙨 | WWII soldier verse ) #⌇the passionate agony of two battling hearts ( 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙨 / 𝙍𝙖𝙪𝙢 ) #tw: suggestive #; I thought I would need more than a night to write this and I got POSSESSED #; oh my lord Rain here we go again 🐽 #; don't say anything about the length I couldn't STOP myself gfuysdgf

[coll2mitts]

#25 The Court Jester (1956)

Happy Halloween! I ran out of creepy musicals, so we're going to instead recap one where Danny Kaye wears a ridiculous looking costume.

Seriously, it looks like he lost a bet.

The Court Jester is a star-studded film that is only a musical by definition because Danny Kaye occasionally sings. It is the most fast-paced, disorienting, silly movie I have ever watched, and I enjoyed every absurd minute of it.

The movie begins with Danny prancing around during the title sequence to hype up the fairy tale they'll be reenacting over the next hour and thirty minutes while also assuring the audience actually read the credit sequence. Which, y'know, whatever you gotta do.

Once Upon a Time, King Roderick the Tyrant, a jolly, smiley old man who massacred an entire family to take the throne, is heading home with a bunch of his homicidal friends. One of his knights is unceremoniously murdered by an arrow with a note tied to it, because I'm guessing a pigeon wasn't available. The Black Fox (think Robin Hood, but way less charismatic), the King's nemesis, sends a (literal) message to warn King Roderick his days are numbered - There is a rightful heir to the throne, and he's an infant that has a distinctive flower on his butt!

This has King Roderick shaking in his perfectly aligned tight seams and the group books it back to the safety of the castle leaving the poor unmoving knight on the side of the road. His advisor, Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone), assures the king this news is nonsense, but the rest of his council (Brockhurst, Finsdale, and Pertwee) suggest the King should form an alliance with Sir Griswold - an alpha male from a neighboring kingdom that is so big and strong he'd send The Black Fox packing. Sir Ravenhurst disagrees, which sends these petty and dramatic queens into a slapping fight which is only quelled when someone suggests they marry off Princess Gwendolyn (my love Angela Lansbury) to Griswold cause she's got nothing currently on her calendar. Gwendolyn reacts to this news by threatening to jump off the building since she is also a petty and dramatic queen. Her behavior is blamed on her handmaiden Griselda, cause there's absolutely no other reason why Gwendolyn would want to marry for love.

Meanwhile, the band of The Black Fox are out in the forest having a grand 'ol time with their in-house entertainment!

They've really gotta work on rebranding cause at first glance I thought they were wearing Nazi armbands.

Hubert Hawkins (Danny Kaye), while a jester by trade, wants to contribute more than singing and dancing to the cause. He's even recruited an entire troupe of little people from the local carnival to free up some of his time to swashbuckle with the rest of them. The Black Fox instead puts him on babysitting duty with a Tarzan swinging Mrs. Banks, which apparently includes flashing the kid's bottom to anybody who wants to pledge loyalty to a royal.

After discovering there's a snitch in the castle, the stunningly beautiful Captain Jean (Glynis Johns) and Hubert, in order to keep the baby with the purple pimpernel buttmark concealed, dress in disguise to traffic the child in a wine barrel to an Abbey. Hawkins' old man shenanigans frustrate the King's knights enough that they don't suspect the pair are involved with The Black Fox and let them continue on their journey.

They take shelter in a dilapidated shack for the night and The Captain's ovaries explode watching Hubert sing the child to sleep with his buttery voice.

And, oh no! There's only one pile of hay they have to share! Maid Jean keeps her cool by telling Hawkins beta males can attract even strong men like her, and Hawkins replies her she'd make a pretty good girl before planting a kiss on her. Jean tries to steer the conversation back to their mission, but Hawkins, seeing now he has a chance, can't take his lips off of her.

"I wonder if she's thinking about other guys..." "There's a secret tunnel under the castle that leads to the King's chambers!"

But wouldn't you know, at that very moment, the King's future court jester Giacomo wanders into the shack looking for shelter. He just happens to be the type of person who would have access to the King and be able to grab the key to the secret tunnel. Instead of recruiting him into the cause, Jean brains Giacomo and asks Hawkins to take his place since he has all that convenient carnival experience.

Back at the castle The King is still struggling because Gwennie doesn't want to marry the Grim, Grizzly, Gruesome Grossy McGrosserson Griswold! Even though he has an unwilling bride-to-be, the King figures if he can distract Griswold with bitches there's a greater chance he'll comply, sending his knights out to grab a cartful of them. Ravenhurst also suggests their new jester might be able to provide some levity, which the king agrees to without knowing that Ravenhurst, in addition to being petty and dramatic, is also a scheming queen and The Original Giacomo was hired because he was a secret skilled assassin!

Unfortunately for Jean, the King's quest for hoes intercepts her baby-concealing wine cart on the way to the abbey and she is dragged to the castle ahead of a bumbling Hawkins. She rendezvous with The Black Fox's inside guy Fergus and asks him to take the surprisingly mute baby to the Jester's quarters in anticipation for Hawkins' arrival. She then steals the key from the King's quarters herself since she has to do fucking everything.

Hawkins/Giacomo arrives a few moments later to the delight of Ravenhurst and Griselda - the former because he wants Giacomo to go on a murderous rampage, and the latter because she convinced Gwendolyn the dude with the pointy shoes is her One True Love in order to weasel her way out of a Gwendolyn's pre-wedding murder-suicide pact.

Hawkins tries to determine which person is an ally by spitting in everyone's faces and unfortunately determines Ravenhurst is his man cause Hubert is dumb as rocks and Ravenhurst keeps giving him the "you're gonna murder the King's council for me" eyebrows.

The King asks "Giacomo" to choose the best wench for him since he assumes this man wearing the biggest feather I've ever seen in a hat is a massive slut who would be able to tell which bitch was quality. He's quickly intercepted by Griselda who, in a quest to save her own skin, hypnotizes him into wanting to fuck Gwendolyn. Fergus witnesses this and is rightfully disgusted.

Jean, barefoot and key laden, stumbles upon Hawkins on his way to get his dick wet and since he has a singular focus, Hawkins pimps Jean out to the King. Excited to be dining with such a beautiful woman, the King ignores the fact it's usually not a good sign if the guards have to physically restrain your date.

Arriving at the Princess's chambers, "Giacomo" lays on the charm hard, telling her they'll run away together. The Princess takes the key to the secret tunnel under the assumption they will meet and flee in the dead of night. The King uses this exact moment to check in on his daughter, immediately uncovers her plan to leave and steals the key back making the last 10 minutes useless. After a brief side-quest where "Giacomo" agrees to murder the council for Ravenhurst, Griselda removes the love spell and erases Hawkins' memory for funsies and to further complicate the plot.

After getting all dolled up, Jean is escorted to the King on the way to dinner only to find out that left unsupervised, Hawkins got himself in a shitload of trouble and also returned the key to the King. He is, however, able to perform well enough to distract the King from the baby in a basket.

Things are further derailed after Griselda poisons the King's entire council during a toast and somehow nobody cares about this except Ravenhurst who thinks that "Giacomo" did it. This doesn't prevent the wedding of her lady to Griswold, however, since Gwendolyn outs her love for "Giacomo" the second Griswold walks through the door. Griswold decides to win Gwen's hand through TRIAL BY COMBAT, which means "Giacomo" needs to be declared a knight to participate.

Ravenhurst, pleased with how his plan is progressing, praises the man who hired Giacomo, who instead blindsides him with, "My guy, this development is cool and all, but I've never seen that dude in my life." They assume Hawkins is The Black Fox for whatever reason, and instead of ratting him out to the king, they advocate for expediting the jester's knighthood so he will be forced to kill Griswold. The knights go out of their way to rig the tests so THE CANDIDATE PASSES, damning Hawkins to most certainly die by Griswold's blade.

Tasked with keeping the mission afloat, Captain Jean attempts to seduce the king to once again steal the key. She succeeds in both turning him on, and then turning him off by regaling the plague that unfortunately killed her family, and like, imagine being scared of catching a contagious virus. Just take some horse dewormer, King, you'll be fine. Jean gets the key and hands it off to Fergus to be sent by bird to the legitimate Black Fox, proving you don't need to send messages by murder.

Hawkins' fears are inching closer and closer to reality as he is incredibly enthusiastically knighted by ceremony. Griswold immediately challenges him to TRIAL BY COMBAT and Hawkins accepts under the assumption The Black Fox will come soon and take his place in battle.

Those quickly shuffling men that resemble a marching band on steroids are The American Legion Zouaves Post no. 29 from Jackson, Michigan. Formed in 1898 as an exercise group, the drill team were famous for moving at 300 steps per minute and being able to launch all 18 of them over a 12 foot wall in 22 seconds. When Hollywood came calling, they initially thought it was a joke until they heard they were scouted based on one of their 5 performances on the Ed Sullivan Show. A group of 200 people saw them off on their flight to film in California while carrying a key to the city to be delivered to Danny Kaye. Their favorite person to talk to on set was Angela Lansbury, which is the most believable thing in the world to hear. Basil Rathbone attempted to learn the steps but apparently was not very successful since it's just as hard as it looks.

Steering back from that tangent, the morning of the big fight arrives and The Black Fox is nowhere to be seen as the secret passage is partially collapsed only leaving room for someone the size of a small child and if only The Black Fox knew of several small child-sized men who could navigate their way through the tunnel and start a diversion... The Black Fox, instead of saving Hawkins' life, decides to change the plan by recruiting Hawkins' acrobat friends (which he could have done at the beginning of this movie) and use them as a distraction to gain access to the castle.

Hung out to dry, Hawkins once again finds an ally in Griselda, whose neck is once again on the line as Gwendolyn declares if Giacomo is killed Griselda will be next. Griselda only knows of one way to kill a man, however, and poisons one of the cups that will be used for the pregame toast, as if pregame toasts were a thing. Problem is, Hawkins is having issues trying to remember which chalice's contents won't make him foam at the mouth and limply fall over.

RED LEATHER YELLOW LEATHER RED LEATHER YELLOW LEATHER UNIQUE NEW YORK UNIQUE NEW YORK

But right before the joust Hawkin's armor is struck by lightning which magnetizes it and oh my god I think whoever wrote this movie was on cocaine what is even happening. Danny Kaye changes out of his disco tunic and belt-I-swore-they-sold-at-Hot-Topic-in-2003 combo and dons his electrified armor to face his destiny. After the toast goes absolutely nowhere since Griswold gets word of the poison, they begin to battle and Griswold immediately knocks Hawkins' block off.

BUT THROUGH THE POWER OF A LITERAL ACT OF GOD Griswold's mace gets stuck to Hawkins' shield and he falls off his horse in defeat. Hawkins spares Griswold's life and is promised Gwendolyn's hand in marriage after The King's mealy mouthed apology about trying to get him killed and shit. This is a short lived victory as Hawkins is quickly outed by Ravenhurst as The Black Fox and Captain Jean as his accomplice. Poor Fergus was caught and tortured to reveal the heir apparent is hiding in the castle somewhere and Ravenhurst isn't about to take his chances at The Black Fox snatching the title of son-in-law.

Captain Jean and Hawkins are summoned before the court with Hubert sporting a surprising amount of chest hair for a prisoner. It's at that moment dozens of acrobats descend on the knights, launching their hilariously mannequin-esque bodies via catapult into the sea.

While The Black Fox and his men overthrow the castle, Hawkins confronts Ravenhurst mono e mono to mixed results. It isn't until Griselda Space-Jam-waters him into having confidence that Hawkins is able to corner Ravenhurst for a small moment to show off his wonderful dissection skills.

Hawkins eventually is able to scream and flail around long enough for the acrobats to launch a Ravenhurst-dressed rag doll into the sea, only to then be confronted by Griswold who wants to take down the traitors. The holy infant is then lowered from the ceiling so Hawkins can once again show off its ass revealing the baby as the true heir. The king is overthrown, Hawkins ends up with Jean, Gwendolyn magically likes Griswold for absolutely no reason, and a literal infant with no capabilities of ruling takes the throne. All hail the holy bloodline.

THE END.

This movie is a plot-heavy non-stop frantic fever dream that is also incredibly charming and funny. While I'm not completely sold on Danny Kaye and Glynis Johns' romantic connection, they play off each other incredibly well.

The whole cast sells the story in all its grand, melodramatic farce. Angela Lansbury, who is disorienting to see with long hair, cracked me up every time she threated to hurl herself off of a turret or murder a maid in order to get her way. Glynis really is our true hero, constantly running around keeping the motley crew on track, even if they didn't let her wear shoes the entire movie. Danny Kaye's facial expressions alone would have been worth more than the price of admission. I've watched this 4 times now and I find something new to giggle at during each repeat.

If you're looking for an evening full of brainless slapstick, The Court Jester more than fits the bill. Let the man in the ostentatious outfit entertain you - it's his job.

Thanks for reading on tumblr!  If you’ve enjoyed this post, please consider helping me fund this project by donating to my ko-fi :)

[chocolatecakecas]

Absolutely unrealistic that Sam and Dean didn't constantly point at some ugly drawing in a book or monster or literally anything and go "hey look that's you". genuinely embarrassing

#me and my little brother could literally never #we're the SAME age difference as dean and sam hm. #like this is the sibling experience its stupid and dumb and means nothing but a classic nonetheless #like is kripke an only child??? it would make so much sense #like WHERE WERE THE PETTY LITTLE FIGHTS OVER NONSENSE?? #like they drive around in a small car with each other every single day or a motel room and they didnt try to annoy the shit out of #each other for no resson other than they felt like it??? unrealistic my little brother could never #all im saying is i cannot imagine my little brother waking me up early and NOT being annoyed at first #bec speaks #sammy #dean winchester #destiel #<tagging to ward from the w*ncesties

[arcanestage]

Their s/o accidentally falls asleep on someone else’s shoulder while they’re around

Magna / Finral / Yami / Langris

Fem!reader

A/N: requested by @winterxisxcomingx MWAH ily bestie 😚 hope u dont mind me adding in langris, my langris brainrot has been wild lately + i wrote it for my own indulgence ahaisbwja

— ✦ Magna

Occasionally, Vanessa would take home bottles of liquor either as prizes she won in a prior drinking battle or from barkeepers that may have sales talked her into purchasing. Nevertheless she would always call for a small gathering with the members of the squad.

You were a little too excited for this month’s mini gathering so much so that you started drinking without the others.

“Someone’s eager,” Vanessa teased as she plopped down beside you. She poured herself a generous amount of liquor then clunk her glass with yours.

“Yeah I wanna be drunk before that dumbass shows up. Wouldn’t want to brood all night,”

Earlier that day, you and your boyfriend Magna had a big petty argument. You sneered at each other all afternoon, refusing to properly talk it out. Because you’ve been pissed the whole day, you were looking forward to let loose tonight.

Vanessa shook her head. “You two fight over the smallest of things,”

“If only he would listen to me instead of running that loud mouth of his!”

“He’s a man, what did you expect?”

You sighed. “You’re right. Cheers,”

After a while, the other members started walking out into the common room. Magna, Luck, and Asta were bickering probably over nonsensical stuff. When Magna saw you, he suddenly felt tense. He looked away and pretended to mind his own business. Luck then ran off, settling in between you and Vanessa. Magna was alarmed at first but he was reminded of the fact that you two weren’t on speaking terms. He sat on the other side of the table directly across you.

True enough, you were quite tipsy by the time they started drinking. You were pleased with the results: not being able to understand anything that came out of Magna’s mouth.

“How come Y/N’s already drunk?” Noelle frowned. Her and Asta’s presence were needed just in case someone either passes out, becomes too violent, or gets alcohol poisoning. Atleast the sober children are there to help.

Luck tilted his head to look at you. He laughed then poked your cheek. “Haha Y/N your face is flushed! You’re as red as Zora’s hair!”

You snorted. Everything seemed to be thrice as funny than they actually are.

Magna frowned, his grip on his cup tightening as he watched Luck continuously tease you. Magna felt his frustration growing, eating him inside out. His place was always beside you; nobody else could take his place, he made sure of that. But here he is feeling more out of place than ever, not really used to the distance between the two of you. He was used to holding you close during gatherings like this.

Magna grumbled and sunk further into his seat. He was conflicted, not sure how to approach this situation. You on the other hand were enjoying yourself but every now and then your eyes would flicker to Magna. You could easily read him. He always had a hard time concealing how he truly felt thus making his emotions apparent especially to you.

As the alcohol took over your whole being, everything else seemed like a blissful dream. You stared at Magna, attempting to make out the expressions on his face in this dimly lit room but failed to do so. Your senses started to become dull: the conversations around you were whirling into one, and you were starting to feel the gaps in your consciousness.

You closed your eyes and tried nap out the exhaustion. As you whole body went limp, your head slowly fell to side where Luck was. He was startled by the sudden weight on his shoulder but laughed it off when he saw you sound asleep.

It took a while before Magna saw what was going on. When he did notice, imaginary steam burst out of his ears. He was beyond pissed.

“Oi oi Magna looks like he’s about to commit a crime.” Zora said, eyeing him carefully.

Magna scoffed. “No I’m not. I’m just naturally intense as a person,”

“Hey Magna!” Luck called. “Your girlfriend’s tired, I don’t think she’s waking up anytime soon. You should carry her to bed,”

He poked your forehead like he was checking if a wild animal was already dead.

“You don’t have to tell me what to do.” Magna tried to sound playful but it came off as threatening.

“Someone’s in a bad mood,” Zora whispered to Finral who just nodded.

Magna walked over to where you were. His gaze softened at the mere sight of you.

“Y/N let’s get you to bed,”

“Okay,” you mumbled. “Sorry I think I drank too much,”

He ruffled your hair then carried you to your room. As he turned the door knob, you decided to speak up to stop him from leaving.

“Wait, Magna.”

He paused and turned back to look at you.

“Spend the night here,” you weakly pat the empty space beside you.

He didn’t know how to react but he was ecstatic to here those words from you.

“Huh? I thought we were fighting?”

Dense as always.

You rolled you eyes. “Yes but I need cuddles right now dumb dumb. We can just talk about this in the morning,”

He grinned. “If you say so,”

He plopped down beside you, excited to finally hold you in a tight embrace after a full day of ignoring each other. He pulled you closer to him and placed a kiss on top of your head.

“You’re a dumbass...” you mumbled

“EH?!”

“But I love you just as you are. Good night...” you trailed off, finally being consumed by sleep.

Magna felt his heart swell with love. He will be forever grateful for having someone as patient and understanding as you in his life.

“I love you too, dumbass.”

— ✦ Finral

“What an unlucky day!” Magna exclaimed for the 5th time in the last 30 minutes.

You were deployed for a mission in the Forbidden Realm along with Finral, Asta, Magna, Charmy, and Vanessa. Unfavorable things seemed to happen after another, and now a storm was ravaging this part of the kingdom. With depleted mana, energy, and morale you and the crew crawled into a large cave to recover all that was lost.

“Maybe if you stopped complaining and start being of use,” Vanessa poked Magna’s cheek.

Magna grumbled and started to work on creating a makeshift bonfire. While the other members kept busy setting up camp, you were cooped in the farthest corner, teeth chattering and body shivering. Finral tried to warm you up by rubbing his palms together then placing his warmed palms on either side of your hands. You smiled weakly at the gesture.

“Thanks. Sorry... I’ve been quite sickly these past few days,”

“No worries,” he placed your hand on his cheek. “I enjoy taking care of you anyway,”

You giggled. “How sweet,”

“Finral-senpai!” Asta voice reverberated all around. “The bonfire’s set up!”

Everyone sat and huddled around the only source of heat while Charmy summoned her sheep to cook a warm meal for everyone.

“Here’s some soup to help you feel better la~” Charmy flew over to your spot and handed you a big bowl of warm soup.

“Thank you,” you smiled gratefully, each slurp giving you added comfort.

“Y/N, come drink wine with me. It’ll help you keep warm~” Vanessa whipped out a huge bottle from her packed belongings.

There was sheer horror painted on Finral’s features.

“She’s sick, she can’t drink alcohol. Nobody drinks alcohol when they’re sick Vanessa!” he glared, his arm tightening around your waist.

“Relax, I was just kidding.” Vanessa stuck her tongue out.

Magna laughed like a maniac. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!”

“Wow, Finral-senpai’s really protective of Y/N-senpai!” Asta chimed in, the words muffled by the food stuffed in his mouth.

“Of course I am. I’m the best boyfriend ever!” he proclaimed with utmost pride and confidence.

“You act more like a mother than a lover to me.” Vanessa teased.

“What?! I DO NOT!”

You giggled, amused at your squadmates bantering with one another. Ever since Finral got into a steady relationship, the Bulls have been on his tail, teasing him to no end.

To Finral’s relief, the conversation shifted to something else after a full round of talking about his mother-like behavior. He could now attend to your needs.

The Bulls talked nonstop, the topics shifting at lightning speed. Finral actively participated in the discussion while being simultaneously mindful of your movements.

Multitasking at its finest.

When you started coughing and sneezing, Finral’s head whipped towards you, now giving you his undivided attention.

“I’ll fetch you some water Y/N,” he said, placing his palm on your forehead to check if your body was starting to heat up.

“That would be nice, thank you.”

Finral got up and quietly walked to the other side of the room to rummage through the messy pile of bags for his bottle of water. Your head felt a little too heavy without Finral to lean on, the dizziness gradually becoming more severe each passing second he wasn’t beside you. You decided to close your eyes for a bit to steady yourself. You didn’t really plan on sleeping but here you were tumbling towards Asta who sat beside you. Your head plopped on his shoulder, though he didn’t really notice as he was busy chowing down the plates of food Charmy keep serving him.

“Sorry it took so long here’s-- EHH?!”

The color from Finral’s face was drained when he saw you snuggled comfortably on Asta’s shoulder.

“ASTA THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND!” he accusingly pointed at Asta.

Asta was startled with Finral’s sudden outburst. The weight of your head only became apparent to him just now.

“Oh I didn’t notice Y/N-senpai fall asleep,” Asta scratched his head. “Sorry,”

Finral pouted, feeling this discomfort in his chest. Was he perhaps... jealous? No, he can’t be. He shook off the negative thoughts and tried to rationalize with himself.

He sat back down and gently tried to lift up your head.

“Y/N~” he cooed.

You sat straight up, fists up in air. “Huh? What? Who are we fighting?”

“No one, I’m just trying to get you to switch positions. My shoulder is comfier,”

“Oh.” your body relaxed. “Okay,”

You rested your head on Finral’s shoulder. Not long after you were sound asleep again. He stroked your hair and lightly kissed the top of your head.

Vanessa who was half dazed looked at you and Finral with soft adoration. Charmy and her herd of sheep followed suit giving you the same look she gives when she sees any “noms.” Magna on the other hand had mixed feelings. A part of him felt disturbed, as if anything along the lines of love and affection was a bothersome pest. The other part of him was glad to see Finral finally breaking out of his “curse.”

“Mhm, you were right.” you mumbled, snuggling closer to him. “Your shoulder is way more comfier,”

Finral chuckled. “Is it the difference in the bulkiness of our muscles?”

You looked at him lovingly, traces of somnolence still evident in your eyes.

“No. It’s because it’s you, silly! I’m always safe and comfortable with you,”

— ✦ Yami

Yami prided himself as a laid-back and pretty chill man. He rarely panicked or felt tense even in the most nerve wracking situations. Even when you two started dating, he was still as chill as ever. However, he prefers to have you by his side ALL the time.

And so you two were like a package, one never without the other, always going on missions together.

On one particular mission, Yami had to work alongside Captain Nozel of the Silver Eagles to subdue a group of bandits who were terrorizing a small town in the common realm. Yami, out of habit, asked you to tag along.

Nozel offered to take you and Yami to the location on his mercury eagle. The Silver Eagle captain was a man of few words. He wore a blank expression on his face, a cold threatening aura wrapped around him. The awkwardness hung around in the air but of course Yami being Yami decided to break the silence.

“Oi Braidface long time no see! Never thought we’d ever work together in one mission,” he grinned.

“If you must know I dreaded this day, foreigner.” Nozel spoke with no hint of any emotion in his voice. He didn’t even turn to look at Yami.

“Come on show a little enthusiasm will ya? You’re embarrassing me in front of my girl right here,”

Nozel turned to take a good look at you, examining you like you were a specimen under a microscope. After a few agonizing moments, he tore his gaze away from you and continued to look straight ahead.

“I don’t know why you chose to be with the foreigner but I suppose it’s not my place to question it,”

Yami laughed out loud and continued to piss Nozel off for the rest of the flight.

You landed on a cliffside overlooking the town you were tasked to protect. Reports have stated that the bandits appear at sundown and so you waited.

“Y/N, babe, be careful out there alright.” he said as he ruffled your hair.

Yami had always been like this which you found really sweet. You always get agitated during missions, and Yami’s words of encouragement helped you stay focused. But it seemed out of place now given that Nozel didn’t seem like the type to tolerate public display of affection.

“I’m always careful, don’t worry.” you mumbled

“Atta girl,” he kissed your forehead.

Nozel pinched the bridge of his nose. He just wanted this day to end. Just as was about to massage his temples, he spotted the bandits and alerted you and Yami. The three of you hurriedly moved towards the entrance of the village to block their path.

When the bandits realized you were magic knights, they quickly took out their grimoires and started attacking. You barely did anything; Nozel and Yami were captains after all. They easily beat every single one.

The day had finally ended much to Nozel’s delight. All he needs to do was survive the flight home.

While on the mercury eagle, you focused on healing up Yami’s wrist. It was badly burnt by that fire mage he faced off with.

“You’re the one who should be careful,” you teased.

He grinned. “I always knew you were stronger than me,”

“Of course. I’m your girl, arent I?” you winked.

After patching him up he grabbed his communication device and contacted Finral, probably to make sure the hideout hasn’t burned down yet. Even as he yelled beside you, you started feeling sleepy. You wanted to stay awake but you were too tired to fight the exhaustion. You passed out the second you shut your eyes. You held your position pretty well. When the mercury eagle abruptly switched directions, you lost control. Your upper body leaned against Nozel’s back.

He tensed up at the sudden contact. He craned his neck to check only to find your sleeping figure snuggled up to him.

When Yami finally saw what was going on, he instantly dropped the call. He wasn’t the type to easily get jealous but seeing you this comfortable with another made him feel a certain level of discomfort.

“You enjoying being that close to my girl?”

“She fell asleep,” Nozel stated matter-of-factly

Yami scoffed. “I have eyes you know,”

Nozel sighed, not quite happy with Yami’s hostility but at the same time he didn’t want this to turn into a big argument.

“What are you waiting for, foreigner? Come get her,”

Yami gently lifted you from Nozel’s back and into his arms. You were half awake for a split second. Once you adjusted into Yami’s arms, you drifted off to sleep again.

It was silent for the rest of the trip home.

When you arrived back at the base, Yami carried you to your shared room and laid you down on the soft bed. He followed suit, gently wrapping his arms around you.

“Where are we?” you mumbled.

You were half awake, not fully understanding what was going on. All you could see are hazy images of your surroundings.

“Back home, babe.”

“Oh. Okay.”

You paused.

“Cuddle...”

Yami chuckled, pulling you even closer to his chest. “Needy as always,”

Your brain was about to shut down but Yami continued talking.

“You fell asleep on Nozel’s back...”

“I did?”

“Yeah. I was kinda pissed you know? I would have thrown him off but I realized he owned the mercury eagle...”

You can hear him rambling but the words don’t make much sense to you.

“That sucks...”

“I said so much and that’s all you’re gonna say?! I’m hurt babe,”

Yami waited for you to say something but all he heard was light snoring from your end.

He chuckled then placed kiss on your temple. “Good night baby. I love you, you did well today.”

— ✦ Langris

You were well aware of your boyfriend’s possessive nature. He always had his eyes on you, watching you like a hawk. Seeing a man get too close to you is enough to set him off like a detonating bomb. Despite all the threats he’d spew out, he never really physically hurt anyone. His anger was usually short-lived and he’d eventually calm down. You reassuring him would do the trick.

One day, William tasked him to lead a small team consisting of you, Letoile, David, Mimosa, Klaus, and Yuno to patrol by the outskirts of the Forbidden Realm.

Not a lot was going on at the moment, just Clover Kingdom citizens passing by on their way home to their respective villages. By sundown, Langris started to sense an ominous presence that only seemed to strengthen as the seconds tick by. He alerted the members of a possible enemy nearby. He quickly rushed to your side like his body was programmed to.

“Y/N, stay close to me.” he looked at you, the fear evident in his eyes.

As if on cue, the enemies emerged from the shadows, lunging forward without hesitation. After a tough battle, you successfully fended the attackers off, rounding them up to be escorted to prison by other magic knights on duty in the area.

Langris checked if there were any casualties in his squad. He noticed you squeezing your arm hard which meant you were either hiding something, trying to stop a gash from bleeding, or both.

“Y/N You’re hurt,” he deadpanned.

You avoided looking him in the eyes.

“I’m alright. It’s just a scratch,” you shrugged.

Letoile frowned and tried to loosen your grip on your arm. You sighed in defeat, allowing her to examine your injury. She immediately gasped upon seeing the crimson liquid oozing out of your wound.

“That’s no scratch...”

The other members felt uneasy. They knew how protective Langris was of you.

Langris only clenched his teeth and said nothing.

“Vice Captain, I think it would be best if we head to the nearest inn and stay for the night. We should patch Y/N up first so her wound doesn’t get infected,” Mimosa suggested.

Langris nodded. “Alright. Mimosa, lead the way.”

“Yes sir!”

At the inn, you and the members gathered in one room, Mimosa tending to you, and the rest of the members finalizing their mission reports.

After Mimosa healed you with her magic, she asked David to takeover and bandage your arm so she could write her report as well.

Langris walked over to where you were and crouched next to you.

“How are you feeling?”

You smiled weakly. “A bit better,”

“You still look a little pale though,” Langris frowned. “I’ll get you something to eat... David, watch over her.”

“Sure, Vice Captain.”

“He’s scary,” David whispered to you when Langris was at a safe distance.

You chuckled. “He’s alright. Believe it or not, that’s him trying to tone down his emotions.”

David scratched his head. “He has a lot of anger for someone who’s short... Don’t tell him I said that,”

You burst out laughing. When you finally managed to compose yourself, you suddenly felt lightheaded and dizzy. You rested your head on the couch’s headboard, attempting to ground yourself while waiting for Langris to return. You didn’t mean to fall asleep but you passed out immediately after closing your eyes. You didn’t even try holding your position, your head instantly fell and landed on David’s shoulder.

Langris returned and boy, he was not happy. In fact, he was seething. He was always either on 0 or on 100; no in-between’s.

“David! What do you think you’re doing?!”

David jerked in his seat, startled at someone suddenly yelling. He gave Langris a look of confusion, not really knowing what to say.

“Looking after Y/N like you asked,”

Langris’s anger tripled at this.

“There’s something quite wrong with my girlfriend’s head on your shoulder, don’t you think?” Langris clenched his fist so tight his knuckles were turning white.

The other members sensed a fight was about to break out so they scrambled to their feet to hold Langris back. It was a known fact that he let his anger dictate his own behavior like he was its puppet.

Langris’s voice echoed all around the room, the loudness pulling you back to consciousness. Once you finally understood the growing tension that was taking place, you quickly stood in front of Langris and tried to reason out with him.

“Hey I fell asleep and accidentally leaned on him for support. David was just kind enough to let me,”

But Langris was not having it. He still glared at David ready to pounce on him.

You sighed. “I’m tired and in need of rest. Let’s go to our room and get some sleep, please?”

Langris started to relax, his gaze no longer sharp and murderous. The tension in the room had finally dissipated.

Y/N the Miracle Worker has done it again.

You shot David an apologetic look before pulling Langris out the door and into your shared room.

You crawled on the bed and sunk into the fluffy bedsheets. Langris stood by the foot of the bed. He was staring into space, most likely still bothered by the whole thing.

“Langris,” you spoke his name softly.

He snapped out of his thoughts, a faint pink tint appearing across his cheeks. He strode towards the other side of the bed and sat down, his upper body resting against the headboard.

“Sorry I—“ he tiptoed around the issue, unsure of how to address it.

He paused for a moment then began again. “I’m sorry for acting the way I did...” he mumbled, barely audible.

You chuckled. “Come on Langris. Even the gods couldn’t hear what you’re trying to say,”

He scowled. “Okay, alright. I’m sorry for overreacting. There.”

You moved closer and wrapped him in a warm embrace.

“As much as I love you, I don’t want to see you actually kill someone from the squad hm,”

“Tch, then they should stop getting on my nerves.”

You tapped his nose. “You really are something else,”

He blushed. “S-sorry I just... hate seeing men get too friendly with you.”

You tilted your head up, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“I’m yours Langris, you know that.”

“I know,” he sighed. “Sorry I-I love you,”

Langris had only known anger his entire life. You were glad to see him try to experience other emotions. He was also getting the hang of voicing these emotions out.

You lightly flicked his forehead, earning a glare from him. “I love you too. Now where’s that food you promised to get me?”

“Impatient as always,” he chuckled. “A staff member offered to take it up to our room. It would probably arrive any minute now,”

You hummed in response. “Okay. While waiting come cuddle with me!”

He shook his head, amused at how affectionate you are. He pulled you closer and placed a lengthy kiss on top of your head.

#magna x reader #magna swing x reader #finral x reader #finral roulacase x reader #yami sukehiro x reader #langris x reader #langris vaude x reader #black clover fanfiction #black clover scenarios #black clover headcanons #black clover imagines #magna swing #finral roulacase #yami sukehiro #langris vaude #black clover

[lollytea]

There’s Sunshine in Your Smile: Chapter 4

[READ ON AO3]

Hunter had stabbed himself in the foot.

(Not literally, of course, though that would certainly have shown Willow that his vigilance over potential stabbings in her garden was not irrational. However, she probably would have argued that self-infliction was both a petty and nonsensical way to prove a point. Hunter was forced to concede that she was correct in this imaginary debate they were having in his head.)

He hadn’t realized he was hungry until he had scarfed down the last of his food, which was small enough that it wouldn’t have taken long in normal circumstances, unless he wanted to make it blatantly obvious that he was stalling. But Hunter had cut his already brief time in half because he was so thoroughly enticed by a juice box and an abomination goo sandwich.

(“You need to stop calling it that.” Willow complained with a sniff of disgust. This was a side of her that Hunter was beginning to take impish joy in igniting. “I’ll never be able to stomach jelly again if you get that imagery stuck in my head.”)

He took his time with the goreberries and even Flapjack had caught the hint to pace himself. His bird had left the remaining fruit for Hunter and was currently racing Clover over the heads of Willow’s trees. The two palismen had clicked together like magic.

And then, only a single berry remained, its existence a palpable reminder that once it was gone, Hunter had to be gone.

But he couldn’t just leave it there. Now its lone inhabitation on the plate was drawing attention to itself. He had even caught Willow glance down at it.

She knew.

They both knew.

The anticipation was outright crackling from the damn thing and when Hunter finally couldn’t take it anymore, he popped it in his mouth and sealed his fate.

And then, there were no more excuses. No more obligations to tether him here. He had to leave.

The claw of guilt was already digging in deeper, though he knew it wasn’t entirely about the job itself. Afternoon patrol was minimal work at best and totally tedious at worst.

For Hunter, the appeal was the authority it represented, the Golden Guard in all his eminence. And during weeks when assigned missions were scarce, it was his only opportunity to get out of the castle, so it was something he looked forward to.

And now here was this girl and this garden of hers, smiling and shining and melting away all of his devotion to the task at hand. He didn’t care about the gold mask right now. He wanted to stay here, and that was the true source of his guilt.

The title of Golden Guard had been a gift from his uncle, an honour to receive, and something he had promised on his own soul to uphold.

And what was he doing right now? Fighting with himself not to blow it off for the sake of…

Of…

Of something completely insignificant to his life’s one and only purpose.

“Hunter?”

Willow was watching him intently, apprehension straining her features. He had been silent for a moment too long, and she seemed to know what came next.

But that didn’t stop her from shooting to her feet alongside him as he abruptly stood up.

Hunter had put his metaphorical foot down. Which hurt a little, as it had already been metaphorically stabbed.

“I have to leave.” He announced, a clipped tightness to his voice.

“But you just got here,”

“Yeah. And now I’m just leaving.”

“But--”

“No buts. I did something for you, you did something in return. That’s where it ends.”

Hunter paused in his dutiful march out of the backyard to look over his shoulder at Willow. He nodded purposefully, with an expression he hoped read as sincere as he felt. “Thanks, by the way. To you and your Dad.”

She did not smile at this. Her frown only deepened.

“You can’t just--”

“Captain, I don’t know if you’ve realized this yet, but I’m not the kind of witch who wastes time. I’m not gonna linger around for no reason.”

“What if there was a reason?”

“That being?”

“Um…”

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

Hunter would not let himself entertain the notion for very long, as it would surely weaken his resolve (and burn his traitorous ears) but…

She really wanted him to stay.

“Hunter, just…just wait a second.”

He was caught by the wrist.

In that miniscule beat of total silence, Hunter strategized on how to logically approach his next move. He considered how she might ensnare him once again, and how to avoid falling into the trap.

Let’s see, the first time, when she convinced him to follow her home, it had revolved around the Lump of Hell and Pain. But what had been the turning point where he completely folded?

He remembered how she had looked at him.

And then the second time, when she had insisted he stay for a snack, even when he had pushed against her efforts?

Once again, she had looked at him.

So, when Willow gave a tentative tug and he reluctantly turned around, he refused so much as a glance at her face. He kept his eyes resolutely locked on the spot where she was gripping him, her fingers bunching around the cuff of his glove.

“I was thinking… maybe you could help me with my garden?”

“That’s not a dire reason for me to stick around and you know it.”

“Well…” Her fingers loosened, as she fumbled for excuses. They absentmindedly spidered up his arm. “It’s a scorcher today so it’s really important that all my friends are watered properly…”

Still not dire enough.

“But there’s all this garden and only one me so…”

Her voice faltered, clearly realizing that this simply wasn’t going to work. She couldn’t plead her flimsy case in a way that sounded urgent, and even if she could, Hunter was done playing along with her games today. It was immature anyway.

Willow’s hold came almost completely undone, save for the fingertips that still hesitated to let go and, on the verge of defeat, she sadly drew her hand away. As she did so, her thumb slid a line down his inner forearm, the gentlest brush, a tickle against his skin.

His knees liquidized so fast, Hunter nearly collapsed on the spot. His legs buckled, subtle enough that Willow didn’t notice but mentally captivating enough that he felt a flash of worry for his health.  

Then came her last effort, not even remotely confident in her odds, as she said in the softest voice that ever fell off her lips “Please…”

The sensation in the back of his mind scuttled down his neck, leaving a prickle of goosebumps in its wake.

His answer was instantaneous.

“Okay…”

Well. Damn.

“Okay?” Willow blurted. She had been so certain that this wasn’t going her way, that she didn’t even sound convinced.

She didn’t believe him. He still had a chance to back out. He could leave.

But then, but then, Titan help him, this hopeless excuse for a Coven official….

But then Hunter did such a frantic inventory of Willow’s garden that his brain threatened to overheat from the rapid-fire calculations. He managed to rack up a conclusion regardless.

“It looks like--” He cleared his throat, annoyed with how feeble his voice came out. He shook out the arm where Willow’s touch still tingled, in a gesture that probably looked pointless and ridiculous to the girl in front of him.

But once it no longer felt boneless, he was confident to proceed.

When he spoke again, it was detached and succinct. The Golden Guard. “It looks like you have the ingredients here for a whole plethora of essential goods.”  

With his regained composure, he was capable of finally looking at her.

She was staring at him strangely, somewhere between confusion and suspicion.

Hunter swept a hand across the garden, gesturing from one plant to the next.

“Sleeping droughts, energy supplements, key components for important potions and elixirs, etcetera, etcetera…” He rattled off.

“A lot of your harvest is edible too, thus would be necessary ration in case of emergency. And that’s not even touching on all the rare specimen you have here, the properties of which I’m not familiar with, but would be foolish to disregard.”

Willow’s arms had crossed, her weight shifted to one hip. With one eyebrow raised, he couldn’t recall her ever giving him a more unimpressed look. And he had locked this girl in a cell.

She did not seem to like the Golden Guard very much.

“What are you even saying, Hunter?”

“I’m saying that it’s irresponsible that you haven’t yet registered this garden for official Coven protection.”

Her eyes flared.

“You’re not seriously calling me irresponsible for--”

“But considering its value, it must be sufficiently maintained. And the current heat is concerning.” He shrugged one shoulder, eyes betraying him by glancing askance. “And as you’ve informed me that it’s too difficult a task to handle alone…”

The anger left Willow like a snuffed out green fire.

In a matter of two days, Hunter had successfully become the stupidest witch in the Emperor’s Coven.

And there were a lot of stupid witches in the Emperor’s Coven.

He could not begin to describe the full extent of Willow’s delight, as his brain was already in complete tatters. But all the semblance of competence he possessed was used to register that giddy grin, those crinkled eyes and her unforgettable dimples as she shoved a watering can into his hands and put him to work.

Hunter should be outright furious at himself right about now. But after a moment of staring at the pale green object, painted with flowers, his facial muscles decided that he desperately wanted to smile. And though it twisted reluctantly on his mouth, smile he did.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Willow was chattering away about her limits, (Yeah. Apparently the terrifying force of nature known as Willow Park had limits.) namely that she was incapable of conjuring a spell to water all her plants at once.

She demonstrated with a spin of her finger. A puny spell circle poured a gush of water over a singular shrub.

“Sometimes I wish Luz hadn’t told me so much about her world.” She lamented with a sigh. “I mean, I don’t really. But I also do. Sorry, you probably don’t know what I mean.”

“I know what you mean.”

He wasn’t lying. Hunter had become quite familiar with his emotions torn in opposite directions. (Case in point: Literally everything that had led him to the point of ditching patrol and watering some girl’s flowers.)

“I’m always thinking about that world, how easy it must be to keep a garden healthy.” Willow’s head tipped back to the sky. And then Hunter was reminded that not only did she belong in the garden, she belonged in the air.

She peered at him over her shoulder, one of her pigtails spilling down her back. “Did you know rain doesn’t boil in the Human Realm?”

“I’ve heard.” Was all Hunter said, careful not to splash too much or too little water over the plants he was tending to.

Willow’s eyes slid shut, as the sun bathed her face. “I hope I can see it one day.”

They worked in parallel, Willow seamlessly intertwining her body through the bushes and blooms, (He wasn’t certain how much sentience they had, but they seemed to clear paths for her.) and Hunter methodically stepping from one plant to the next. Start. Stop. Water. Start. Stop. Water.

Every so often, he would steal glances at Willow out of the corner of his eye. He learned that not only did she talk to her plants, but she had a specific routine with every sprout in the garden.

To some she whispered, to others she announced with a royal air and a dramatic flourish, some liked corny jokes, some liked to be fawned over and some liked an affectionate stroke around the petals.

Now, as far as Hunter was aware, plants did not possess personalities. But then again, he would not be surprised if Willow had somehow tapped into some kind of nature mental link, similar to that of a witch and their palisman.

He was pretty sure Terra could do….something like that. He was never explained the specifics, as Terra liked nothing more than to pretend Hunter didn’t exist.

He probably wouldn’t have bought the notion that a fourteen year old girl would have a budding ability akin to a Coven Head. But underestimating Willow’s capabilities with the words ‘fourteen year old girl’ could be a dangerous mindset and Hunter wasn’t dumb enough for that.

Or maybe…

This was also a possibility…

Maybe Willow couldn’t actually telepathically communicate with her garden and she was just odd.

With this perspective in mind, Hunter listened to her babble away to the friends she had grown herself, bright and bubbly. Without making the conscious decision to do so, he wound up watching her.

She flittered around a scalectrica bloom, making a huge fuss over the intensity of its fire stained petals, fluffing them up as though it were a hairdo. The voice she was doing was so foreign from her own soft lilt and so goofy sounding that it may have been solely for her own entertainment.

At this very moment, was Willow demonstrating herself as an extraordinarily powerful witch…or was she just being a kid?

He kinda liked the latter. It was…it was weirdly…

Immature.

No. No, that wasn’t the word for it. Hunter recoiled a little at the use of the word he frequently used to criticize himself in order to describe Willow. It was something else entirely.

(He knew the word. But it would be far too troublesome to let himself think it.)

He didn’t realize he was smiling so wide until his cheeks ached. And though he tried to subdue it, he could still feel it linger on his face as he averted his attention to a cluster of moonflowers.

The sprinkle of his watering can reminded him of rain.

Rain.

Though he had remained tight lipped on the subject from earlier, the concept had been plucking at him.

Belos said the Day of Unity would bring upon an era of pure Utopia. And Hunter truly believed him, and so he knew in his bones that if this supposed era was as wondrous as his uncle had described, then surely, Willow Park would get to see the rain.

He hoped she got to see the rain.

Hunter would like to see it too.

Maybe, though probably not, but maybe, maybe when she saw it, Hunter would be standing beside her.

Though probably not.

He imagined a Utopia would need its Golden Guard, not a dumb boy possessed with childish curiosity. Exploring the new world with Willow likely wouldn’t be an option for him.

And that was a good thing. It had to be a good thing.

Just as he was edging dangerously close to considering how he felt about this whole situation, Hunter stubbed his toe. It hurt a billion times worse than the metaphorical stabbing.

He broke out into a loud string of curses, alerting Willow, who had been in the middle of asking a gallberry bush about the hot gossip between the nearby bloodwheat and fire hedge.

“Whatever you do, don’t talk like that in front of my Dads.” She warned. “Are you okay?”

“No. What even is this and what’s it doing here?” He hissed through clenched teeth, gesturing wildly at the large, battered cauldron that Willow had turned into a makeshift flowerpot. It was overflowing with a crowd of magnificent dragon lilies.

“That’s my leftover cauldron from when I was in the abomination track.”

Hunter’s shock was so pronounced that he entirely blanked on his throbbing toe.

“You were in the abomination track?”  

Willow’s brow furrowed at that, and in a stark contrast to her precocious nature, jutted her lip out in a pout. “You don’t have to sound that surprised.”

“Captain, you eat, sleep and breathe plants. The only way I can picture you raising abomination is if you build them out of bushes or whatever,”

“Oh! That reminds me.” Willow’s lip tweaked. There was a perilous glint in her eye as she shuffled into Hunter’s space and whispered “Wanna hear something cool?”

And.

So.

This was around the point in the afternoon where Hunter gave up.

He let it go. Dropped it. Just completely and utterly abandoned any intention of carrying out the rest of his patrol shift. Nah, nope, nuh uh, it was simply not happening today.

The ever-present guilt, the anxiety, the duty, it all flew to the far corners of his mind, shoved away before it all burst out of him at a later date, (And by the Titan, it certainly would.) because for the time being, something far more powerful had seized control of him.

Willow had opened her mouth and spoke of wild magic.

Hunter often left his window open ajar on hot nights, which had once led to one particular moth fluttering in, bewitched by the heady glow of his wall torch. Predictably, the stupid creature had caught itself on fire.

Hunter had been thirteen at the time. Sure, he had some sympathy for the thing but his first reaction was an eye roll. Surely there was at least an ounce of instinct hardwired into that microscopic insect brain that told it not to get too close to something that radiated burning heat.

Well, as Hunter grew older, he learned that every living creature had its flame. And at this stage in his life, he could admit (to himself anyway.) that wild magic might be his.

(Something he was not willing to admit just yet was that there might also be a second flame, one still early in the developmental stage.)

So. Yeah. Vindication for the moth. Sorry, moth.

“Okay, okay!” Hunter hovered excitedly around Willow as she multitasked between tending to her plants and laying out the basics of a hypothesis.

Flapjack had arrived from above, sensing Hunter’s shot of adrenaline and was now flapping and twittering between him and Willow, basking in the flying sparks of the Unknown(!)

“So, what you’re saying is that they would be able to function entirely independent from the witch who conjured them? So, they wouldn’t require their creator’s magic source at all to survive?”

Willow shook her head, not as jittery as Hunter but clearly enthusiastic. She was grinning ear-to-ear. At some point, she had magnetized so close to him that he could smell the floral scent off her, which was either perfume or a side effect of being a plant witch.

“They would need a daily intake of water but if the transfusion worked and the shrub inside them took root, a plant based abomination should be able to keep itself functional through photosynthesis!”

“That’s the sun, right?”

“Yep!”

“A solar powered abomination? And it grows berries? Ha!” Running his fingers through his hair, Hunter couldn’t help the wired laugh that split out of him. His mind was reeling. “That’s so fascinating! Has anyone ever attempted it bef--”

He stopped short. No, of course they hadn’t. It was illegal.

And for good reason too. It was highly unlikely that sort of experimentation would be successful. It was danger waiting to happen.

Willow had taken notice of his sudden silence. “Everything okay?”

“We….really shouldn’t get too carried away talking about this.” Hunter muttered firmly. It was a reminder to himself, an indisputable truth that Belos had seared into every facet of his mind through an intricate braid of episodes, blood, nightmares and the drip drip drip of that deathly sludge.

“Messing around with this stuff could get someone hurt.”

But when he got all tangled up in his studies of the forbidden, he allowed the reality of it all to slip his mind.

Sometimes it was too overwhelming to unpack just how selfish he was to forget.

Willow was silent for a long moment, He wondered if she was gearing up to argue about this, or perhaps his abrupt rejection of her innocent theory had upset her.

They shouldn’t have talked about this in the first place, and now he had to deal with the fallout of ruining a conversation in which he was actually comfortable.

He didn’t even want to stop talking about it.

Finally, Willow shrugged.

“It guess it can be. Any kind of magic can hurt.” Her tone was nonchalant, conversational.

“But not in the way wild magic can.”

“Well, I’m not really a wild witch. I mostly stick to plant spells,” She placed one hand on her hip as the other dramatically tossed back her hair. Her demeanour was a faux air of chilliness that was so strange on her, that it was funny. “But when I had you in those vines earlier, I could have crushed you like a goreberry.”

Hunter smirked, loosely folding his arms. He subconsciously mirrored her posture, arrow straight and challenging. “You’re way too nice for that.”

“Maybe so.” Willow agreed, that hilariously stoic look on her face. “But if I had made that threat, your first thought probably wouldn’t be how grateful you were that I was using by-the-book magic to kill you. It’d be ‘oh no. Death.’”

Something about her monotonous delivery made Hunter crack up, though he was extremely conscious to the giggles slipping out being a stupid noise, and he made an effort to stifle it with his backhand.

But then his amusement cracked the walnut that was Willow and she burst out laughing too. And of course, once it spread, it became difficult to stop.

“I would not have said ‘Oh no. Death.’”

Flapjack agreed with a cheep, landing atop Hunter’s head.

“Sorry I got it wrong.” Willow cocked her head playfully. “You’re just such an enigma.”

“That,” Hunter pitched a pointer finger, the pad he raised just an inch from Willow’s nose. Her lashes fluttered, eyes crossed. (Something squeezed at Hunter’s heart.) “Is very true.”

Her eyes lifted to rest on Hunter, smile glowing.

That look caught him off guard, brazen and undone. His finger faltered.

A moment earlier he would have second guessed himself, unsure of what to make of it, unsure if he had said the right thing.

Being seen as odd to other people had never bothered him before, it went in tandem with being annoying and he was well accustomed to that. Being liked hadn’t been Hunter’s concern for quite a long time.

But then he met some kids who called him a friend and it was like a door blown off its hinges, a door he hadn’t even known was closed, let alone locked. It had felt like such a delicate thing, having friends, like one fumble could shatter it all.  

But Earlier and Now were two entirely separate realms.

He wanted to say this was surprisingly easy, being here with Willow, but that wasn’t the right word for it. His breath still hitched, he would still open his mouth with only a sputter instead of a sentence, but it was alright. Willow botched her words sometimes too.

And that was okay.

It was more like breathing or falling asleep or the language of quiet whistling that he shared with Flapjack alone in his room.

Natural. That was the word.

This friendship felt natural.

“Do you want to help me sow seeds?” Willow had asked once they finished watering.

How the Hell do you sew seeds?

“I don’t know much about the whole gardening thing,” shrugged Hunter, scratching his cheek. His thoughts snagged on his disastrous attempts to stitch the Golden Guard sigil into his cloak, before Darius had intervened. “Also I’m….not great with a needle and thread so,”

Her giggle was tiny, barely even there, and Hunter wondered how she managed to laugh at him so frequently yet never made him feel like he was being ridiculed.

“I promise it’s easy.” There was something so simplistic and innocent about the way Willow made promises. Hunter had a difficult time doubting her. Which was strange, as it defied everything he knew about promises as complex, sacrificial things. “C’mon, I’ll show you.”

She showed him.

He had found that he quite liked it when she showed him things, even if the Lump of Hell and Pain was involved.

Willow prattled on about the shrubs they would be planting as she spread out a layer of fresh fertilizer. When Hunter shifted to assist her, she drummed two fingers against his wrist.

“Before you do anything, you should lose the gloves,” She suggested.

Hunter’s dumbstruck look made her backtrack.

“I just don’t want you to get them dirty. But if you don’t want to--”

“It’s fine. I’ll take them off.” Said Hunter, far more snappish than intended.

It wasn’t that he had any big grand reservations about the thought of flaunting his bare hands, it was just….it was just weird. Most of the time, he didn’t like looking at them. But he figured it would be even weirder to make a big thing of it.

He pinched the fabric from his fingertips and slowly pulled off his gloves, one after the other.

One wrist was disguised by a branded sigil, though the other spotlit trails of dark protruding veins. He had pale narrow palms that splotched red in odd places, knobbly knuckles that bulged against his long fingers and chipped uneven nails. Lining the edges were faded scars and remnants of blisters.

Naked hands, riddled with faults. Not so different from the rest of him, really.

Hunter’s lip tightened with distaste. They were perfectly standard pair of hands but he would never stop viewing them as sorta pathetic looking.

When Hunter was little, long before he had developed caution as second nature, he had been a recklessly curious thing, who tended to paw at everything he didn’t understand.

He hadn’t understood anything.

This led to a smattering of nicks, bites and burns documented over the years in the glove buried canvas of his skin.

He liked to detach himself from these hands. These scarred, curious hands that had once been small and stupid.

When Hunter lifted his head, Willow snapped hers in the opposite direction, the colour in her cheeks like a dusting of pink pollen, as she plunged her hands into the soil.

Willow’s hands were nothing like Hunter’s. They were small, most of their size in the wide, cushioned palms. Her fingers were short, blunt and practical, with dirt already digging under her neatly clipped nails.

Three cinnamon coloured freckles were splayed across the side of her wrist and Hunter mused, for longer than he should, that if you connected those dots with your fingertip, you could draw a little triangle.

The skin of her hands was drier than the cloudlike softness of her face, and depending on how she fluttered them, he caught one or two peeks of her cracked calluses.

If his bare hand were to touch hers it would be a lot rougher than he originally thought.

Not that he had given it much thought, of course.

By the time Willow’s took note of his staring, Hunter had already cut his gaze away to rake his fingers through the fertilizer. He didn’t know what he was doing just yet but he could certainly make it look like he did.

Willow walked him through the process of planting seeds and yes, her first promise to Hunter had not been broken. It was easy. Ridiculously easy.

This aspect of gardening was swift and relaxing and Hunter didn’t even mind the texture of soil as much as he thought he would. It was soft and crumbly in his hands.

“You know, I always figured plant witches just sprung stuff out of the ground,” Hunter remarked, tracing a useless circle where he had just planted a seed.

“So, Most Powerful Witch in Her Track. What’s the deal with you down on your knees, digging in the dirt?”

Willow wiped back her sweaty forehead and turned a broad grin on him. The only way she could possibly look more in her element was if her ears begun sprouting leaves. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. With a perspective like that, you’d never make it in my track.”

That wasn’t the only reason.

“Enlighten me.”

She hummed thoughtfully, readjusting herself into a more comfortable sitting position.

“This garden was my passion long before my powers developed,” Her gaze pooled with pride as she skimmed across her worlds upon worlds of thriving life. A slight breeze rustled the trees.

“So when I finally started to grow into myself, I had an immediate connection to plant magic. Nobody knew plants like me, nobody loved plants like me and the plants could sense it.”

“But you have magic now. So why do you still have to--?”

“I don’t have to.” She deadpanned, as though it were obvious. “But it’s always nice to put in the extra effort for what you love. I still love plants and they love me. Plus a more hands-on approach enhances our connection,”

Her dimples popped with a smile. “And that in turn enhances my magic! Cool, huh?”

Hunter’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh…Huh. Weird.”

“Weird?”

“Well, it’s just…this is the human way, right? It’s just weird to think there’d actually be value in that.”

“A lot of witches think like that.” Willow said with an exasperated shake of her head. “Which is why nobody believes me when I tell them this is how I got so good.”

“Hey, it’s less competition.” Hunter shrugged.

“I don’t care about that, Hunter.”

“That’s fine. I’ll care about it for you.” He did a sarcastic little spin of his finger. “Less competition. Woo.”

Willow smirked, a teasing glitter in her eye. “Okay, that’s settled. You shan’t tell a soul about the secret of my power, are we clear?”

Hunter set a hand to his heart. “Shan’t tell a—smmph!”

“Ssssshhh” Willow had smushed the pad of her filthy finger against his lips. “I am a soul and you were about to blab.”

“Captain!” Hunter protested. “Stop, that’s gross, it’s—Ugh!”

His face scrunched up in disgust. “Dirt in my mouth, dirt in my mouth, blech, uck,” He frantically spat into the ground as Willow cackled at him.

And when Hunter laughed in response, it was a low warning.

He pounced on her and she shrieked, attempting to bat him away with her flailing hands but Hunter refused to relent until he had successfully gotten her back. Once his thumb had managed to leave a smudge across her cheek, he was satisfied.  

But Willow just could not let him have his win and things escalated. It was all a bit of a blur, actually. Around five minutes of rolling in the dirt later, both Willow and Hunter were caked in the stuff and their faces were stretched into lunatic grins.

Willow had announced that there was no clear winner, only for Hunter to say that while he respected her opinion, she was wrong and it was him.

She responded by flicking another spot of soil at him.

By the time Hunter’s giddy buzz died away and he began to worry that returning to the castle like this would draw attention, Willow had already spelled the two of them clean.

He then proceeded to dirty his cheek two minutes later and all she could do was throw her hands up and sigh.  

The time spun by and the only determination of the passing hours was the gradual droop of the sun. Hunter had decided that once streaks of pink painted the sky, that was his sign that he must leave.  

They continued to chat as they worked, topic fluid as it had been during their morning message thread.

Willow had asked about Hunter’s favourite book at some point and wound up receiving a barrage of information about Ruler’s Reach. It hadn’t occurred to him that she was just asking for a basic synopsis before he had reached the gore dripping contents of chapter 46 in in his page-by-page recount.

He stopped abruptly, figuring that being a fanboy was not the image he wanted to represent, and asked her favourite book in return.

Willow had obliged, eyes alight and happily explained that while she wasn’t a huge reader like Luz or Amity, she had this one beloved novella that had been tucked away under her pillow for years and years and she still wasn’t sick of it, pouring over the memorized words when she had trouble falling asleep.

“It’s not in great condition though. It’s sort of falling apart,” She added with a sheepish smile.

Hunter liked that idea. Willow owning a book with a damaged spine and frayed corners and pages well worn by time.

Just like Hunter.

Maybe, on occasion, they had read during the same hours, vastly different stories for vastly different individuals, and yet everlastingly connected by the same night, the hang of the same moon.

It was a totally dumb and insignificant notion, but Hunter pocketed it in his heart to think about the next late night in that deathly silent castle, as he turned a tattered page and felt the icy bite of being entirely alone.

Willow told him a story pillared on themes of politics, life, and the relationship between witches and nature. It focused on a warrior queen who grew a new kingdom from a forest beneath the sea, only to realize forty years later that she had destroyed the already existing ecosystem that had been there before, and her efforts to undo her hubris.

There were battles peppered here and there, but it lacked the raw emphasis on violence that Hunter’s book had revolved around, which he considered detrimental to his overall review.

He didn’t really get the appeal but Willow certainly did, and he liked to listen to her recite the quotes like poetry, they sounded prettier when she said them then they probably looked written down, her voice imbued with some kind of magnitude that one could only understand if they poured over the pages like she did.

She seemed to care more for the beauty of flowery prose and symbolism than the gaping plot holes. Which Hunter also didn’t get, but she loved it in such a way that he hoped she never stopped loving it.

“Would you, as a plant witch, have a favourite plant, or are you, like, obligated not to?” Hunter asked, once they had pattered around the subject of Willow’s track.

At this point in the afternoon, they had phased out of garden work without noticing. Hunter was now lazing by the goreberry bush, having invented a game of tossing a berry high into the air and Flapjack would swoop in and attempt to snatch it in his beak

He was successful nine times out of ten, though Hunter and Willow still cheered and clapped every time, hyping the little bird into a frenzy.

“Huh.” Said Willow, like Hunter had asked something profound.

“What?”

“I don’t think, for as long as I’ve been alive, that I’ve ever thought about a favourite plant.”

“So, I’m about to witness a milestone.” Hunter said dryly. He quirked a smile. “Cool.”

Willow tutted, winding her arms around her tucked up legs. She plopped her chin on her knees. “Now, that’s just putting pressure on me.”

“Even better.”

“Hmm…” She rocked back and forth as she ruminated, gazing around the expanse of her garden.

“Any day now.”

“It’s a tough question!”

Hunter snorted.

“I think…” She said finally, slow and pensive. “If I were to consider a favourite plant, I would probably just consider my mood and equate it to the language of the flowers.

Hunter clenched a triumphant fist. “So, they can talk!”

This was becoming one of his favourite Willow laughs, where he uttered something that she hadn’t expected and it surprised a laugh right out of her. It made a very pretty jingling sound.

“Not like that. I mean….look at this.” Willow climbed to a stand and drifted past where he was sitting. When she realized he wasn’t making any effort to follow her, she lifted a finger.

“Up.”

Hunter let out a strangled yelp as a plump, fuzzy bloom erupted directly beneath him, successfully launching him to his feet. He was stumbling where he stood, arms thrown out to keep his balance when he processed what the Hell just happened.

“Hey!”

Willow’s giggles wobbled high the air, catching in the breeze.

She led him to a patch of technicolored flowers. They resembled curled up wrinkled paper, all crawling up stems and tight for space. Willow gestured to it all with jazzy hands and a silly little “Ta da~”

“I’ve never seen flowers like this before.” Hunter commented, crouching to his knees for a more thorough examination. “And these are your favourite? In the whole garden?”

“No, they were my favourite plant yesterday. Because that was when I was determined to start my Flyer Derby team. It was game time.” She emphasized, punching a fist into her palm. “And that’s exactly what gladiolus flowers represent. Battle! Strength! Integrity!”

With every declaration, her fist pumped closer and closer to Hunter’s face and if this were anyone else, he would swear he was about to be socked in the jaw.

This new bout of information had piqued his interest, and something was beginning to bubble, to sizzle, to explode.  

“There’s a….a code for flowers?” He asked, making absolute certain that he was hearing this right.

“Exactly! Of course there’s also a language behind plants native to the Boiling Isles and it’s pretty much common knowledge. However, there’s barely any witches who are interested in the meanings behind Human Realm flowers. Which is a little sad because I’ve always found them--”

“Teach me.”

Willow’s prattle came to a staggering halt and she gaped at Hunter like he had suddenly turned himself upside-down. She even cocked her head in an attempt to see him right side up. “You—you’re really….? I didn’t think flower language would be your thing.”

“Are you serious? This is exactly my thing.” Hunter corrected her, grinning.  

There was potential here for something structured and elaborate, which was very much within the realm of Hunter’s interest, and he was so willing to expand on it further that his head was beginning to spin.

“Really?”

“Yeah! I mean, you said so yourself, when it comes to Human Realm flowers, it’s practically a dead language, right?”

“Yeah?”

“So!” Hunter did not recall leaning into such close proximity to Willow until she took an instinctive step back, and when he clapped his hands on her shoulders, he was too filled with enthusiasm to second guess it.

“Just think of the information you could conceal in a bouquet without risk of it being compromised! Secret plans, strategies, all things confidential. It’s a completely untapped method of communication.”

“Hunter, I don’t think the meanings behind plants are detailed enough for that,”

“Then we’ll add to it! We’ll develop it into something more complex, using the already existent language as a basic structure. It’ll be fun!”

He didn’t realize he was jostling her until he caught the glasses sliding down her nose. The sense of something out of place bothered him, so he absentmindedly pushed them up.

Willow’s eyes were blown wide, which was to be expected when he was spitting out so much information at a possibly overwhelming rate. He thus made an effort to speak slower when he opened his mouth again.

“Look, I picked up texting fast and I know I can pick up this too. Just teach me a basic understanding of deciphering flowers, that’s all I ask.”  

At that, Willow’s bewildered face twitched into something mischievous. “And just who exactly would be sending you flowers, Hunter?”

Hunter blinked at her, uncomprehending.

Was she seriously not following him here?

“Who else? You, Captain.”

In what was an extremely perplexing reaction, Willow was so stunned that she blushed pure fire, a strange noise squeaking from the back of her throat.

She turned away from him, fingers gripping the hair from her scalp like she was having some sort of meltdown, before seizing tight on her pigtails.

Hunter stared at her, wondering the extent of her reservations about awesome new forms of language. He had expected her to be a lot more enthusiastic about the whole concept of what was essentially texting but with flowers. Now, he knew Willow loved both those things, so what was all this about?

He inched closer, attempting to peer at the face directed firmly on the ground. This fuss was truly bizarre.

“Captain?” He murmured, voice thick with hesitation.

She chanced a glance up, only to immediately lock eyes with Hunter. He picked up the soft stutter of her breath and the wild flare of jungle green irises, but before he could say anything more, she had shoved him away by the face.

“Ack-- ” Hunter grunted, attempting to pry away the hand that was squishing up his nose.

“Fine, Hunter.” Sighed Willow, and once she finally let her hand fall, he got a clear look at her.

The ghost of a full face flush still blotched in her cheeks but she had regained enough composure to smile. It was that peculiar smile that Hunter had seen touch her lips quite a few time today, and the only emotion he could compare it to was exasperation.

“I’ll teach you some flowers. Maybe we’ll start tomorrow. And…” Her voice lowered, gaze retreating to the ground. “Maybe once you’re semi-fluent, I’ll send you one or two messages. Maybe.”

Hunter guessed that he had failed to disguise how pleased he was, as Willow promptly laughed at the look on his face.

“You still haven’t answered my original question.” He said as he followed her through the garden. Because if there was one thing Hunter was becoming accustomed to, it was following Willow around.

“Which question?”

“What’s your favourite plant? Today’s favourite plant?”

Willow’s footsteps halted. She sucked down on her bottom lip in consideration before fixing a look on Hunter that he could not hope to untangle the meaning behind. Her eyes travelled from his bare fidgeting hands all the way to the stray forelock that dangled over his eye.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

#huntlow #the owl house #toh #toh hunter #willow park

[double-hoe-seven]

AFC Richmond as boyfriends

Here’s a lil headcanon collection of our favorite himbos as boyfriends.

I did it again for the staff (: AFC Richmond Staff as partners

A/N: Definitely didn’t put everyone but these were my top ones and it’s 2 AM so imma leave it here.

Sam Obisanya

The absolute sweetest man you have ever met

Such a softie, very concerned about making sure you’re happy and comfortable with whatever choices you make together.

He always picks the most random times to surprise you with things; showing up at your work randomly for lunch or with coffee/tea, random little souvenirs from his away games.

He’s always putting himself second and sometimes you have to remind him “hey, babe, you can do things for yourself, you deserve nice things too.”

Just, compliments galore with him. He’ll always find a way to compliment you on something.

The most cuddly person ever, he loves public affection (hand holding, piggy backing, hugging, kissing if it’s not raunchy, etc), he really just likes showing you off because he feels like the luckiest man in the world to have you.

He takes his time with your relationship, letting it bloom and grow at it’s own pace.

There aren’t many fights between you, hardly ever, the last “fight” you had was because you couldn’t unanimously decide which dog to rescue. The solution? You adopted both, now you share a one-eyed Jack Russell Terrier named Starro and a three legged German Shepherd puppy named Harry (Pawter. He was so proud at his pun when he showed you the then 3-month old puppy.)

Again, just the sweetest, more romantic man you’ve ever met and ever will meet.

thesexisgoodtoo. hesaverygentleandgivinglover

Isaac McAdoo

Man’s stubborn.

I mean it, he is as stubborn as a mule.

I’M DEAD SERIOUS, he once pouted for 5 days when you accidentally ate the last Rolo in the flat.

But he’s also romantic in a sort of rugged way?

He won’t go shopping with you but he knows what colors look best on you, he knows what styles look good on you, and he has your sizes and shades memorized.

Bear.

Mr. sometimes-crank-teddy-bear over here.

He’ll say he doesn’t want something but he will eat half of your food if given the chance. If you step away from your food to get a drink or something, there will be a good part mission when you get back.

Its a tradition to go on a date the morning of a game, and snuggle up with a movie after the game.

You have had more than a few drunk texts from him, all of them equally funny and full of sexual innuendos.

You don’t address his Rolo addiction. It could be something much worse anyway.

Richard Montlaur

So many visits to the goat farm he was raised on!

He really has to drag you back to London after visiting his parents because you don’t want to leave all the precious goats (and you and his parents get along famously).

You spend alternating holidays with each others families (except for Bastille day, you always spend that either together or with his family.)

There are always roses in your shared flat.

It’s a constant battle over his facial hair.

He has a grudge against the way the English make French pastries.

He has a habit of falling asleep on the couch or in uncomfortable positions and then wondering why his back or neck hurts.

Little spoon.

He’s teaching you French.

This man is a smooth operator, master at flirtation and romance. He’s good at planning romantic dates and outtings.

Dani Rojas

You 100% believe his mom when she says he was born caffeinated.

One of your first dates was a Mumford and Sons concert which was an interesting experience.

Soft boi hours with him. He’s a lil puppy dog.

Does this man ever sleep? Rarely.

He rises with the son and wants to get the day started immediately but he’s mostly letting you sleep in now.

He LOVES trying new things, exploring new places, generally having new experiences.

His absolute favorite thing to do when he’s not training is playing football (or any game, really) with the kids in your neighborhood. They all love him.

He’s a sweet boyfriend, not as sweet as Sam but he’s a close second.

You alternate who plans date night. You split the chores 50/50 but divvy it up if one of you is sick or has more work to do.

There’s so much alcohol in your flat its unreal.

You usually go to sleep before him but he has a bad habit of throwing himself into bed and partially waking you.

He makes the best breakfast most mornings.

And don’t forget the trips back home to visit his family in Guadalajara.

After a long day of training, he loves just laying down with his head on your lap while you run your fingers through his hair.

Jamie Tartt (Season 1)

FUCK NO

Jamie Tartt (Season 2)

On your first date you got drunk and bonded over shitty fathers.

Not that either of you really remembered the next day, you were both too hungover to immediately recall the night.

His love language is kind words.

At the start he needed a lot of reassuring that you did care about him for who he was, warts and all.

He’s slightly awkward when it comes to romantic gestures so most of the date planning falls on you don’t mind.

He still has some high maintenance behavior but he’s working on it and you’re proud of how far he’s come from the prick he used to be.

Your fights are usually over petty shit like where to eat for dinner or what movie to go see.

He will not hesitate to buy your feminine products for you. He knows your preferred brands and sizes and what treats you like when its that time.

He’s good at those rigged carnival games, the many little stuffed animals in your closet can attest to that.

He talks in his sleep. It’s all nonsense.

He has a soft spot for the neighbor’s cat (and cats in general).

Roy Kent

Rugged.

He’s great to snuggle up to.

The man is honest to boot. He doesn’t sugar coat anything at all.

10/10 times he will go down on you if asked. He’s a giver.

He is the heaviest sleeper in the world. You don’t know why he bothers setting alarms.

Phoebe has a room at your flat and spends so much time with you both.

Many nights have been spent reading different books on the couch together.

He has to clean the drains since 75% of it is his.

Fuck is a very versatile word in your home, used daily.

Not the most romantic man alive but he has his moments.

Date nights are usually relaxed and proper but sometimes you can make the old man have a little fun.

He growls at least a dozen times a day, it’s his main response.

Jan Maas

My beloved

My sweet, beloved Jan who can’t/won’t use a filter to save his life.

He’s blunt in everything and sometimes it makes you want to slap him.

Jan is still getting used to English ways and mannerisms.

He has good intentions but sometimes needs a little help with wording.

He likes going on Aquarium dates.

The more tired he is, the clingier he is and it’s too cute.

Once after a game he plopped onto the couch next to you and basically tried to curl up in your lap.

He can make amazing pancakes.

Thats it though.

You’ll do most of the cooking if you value living in a flat that’s not on fire.

He’s a sweetheart though.

Mostly good intentions though.

Doesn’t mind nudity and had to quickly be reined in by the team. Not at home though.

At home he can easily be found lounging in boxers and a t-shirt while he sips coffee.

He knows what he’s doing.

Tag Team: @bdffkierenwalker​

#Ted Lasso #Jan Maas #Isaac McAdoo #Dani Rojas #Roy Kent #Jamie Tartt #Sam Obisanya #Richard Montlaur #AFC Richmond Himbos #AFC Richmond #AFC Richmond Greyhounds #Emotional Support Himbos #I love them all your honor #Jan Maas my beloved #Sam Obisanya is baby

[ghooostbaby]

I can't stop thinking about Feng Xin and Mu Qing actually being in an 800 year dysfunctional romantic relationship in the midst of Xie Lian's return. Mu Qing picked a petty argument right before Xie Lian ascended and then-

Mu Qing thinks Xie Lian hates him, and then Feng Xin is all soft-eyed to Xie Lian, and he's not really speaking to Feng Xin right now and he certainly isn't going to apologize now... so he descends as Fu Yao with Nan Feng, he's as bitchy as possible, he's not really sure WHAT he's doing but he wants to be there with them, he wants to make Feng Xin look bad in front of Xie Lian, he wants Feng Xin to look at him right! now!, he wants Feng Xin to get mad and fight with him, he wants Xie Lian to like him, he wants to see Xie Lian look bad in front of Feng Xin, he wants Xie Lian to be ok and not eat food off the floor, he wants Xie Lian to me mad at him, he wants Xie Lian to respect him. So he's just going to talk brattily about General Nan Yang's enormous masculinity and try to get a rise out of Feng Xin, while Feng Xin is just like so exasperated and perplexed and annoyed. What is going on??? His boyfriend is losing it while their old friend who has been lost for 800 years is returned and he wants to be careful but he also wants to hug but doesn't know if Xie Lian hates them and - why is Mu Qing bringing that up now???

The more oMu Qing tries to dig himself out of this hole, erratically trying to avoid revealing his true feelings by acting like an asshole in case the others DO just hate him while simultaneously trying to figure out how they feel and maybe if they might like him, oh and now his boyfriend (ex?) has a wife and child, that he apparently murdered, and now he's trying to prove his innocence, while yelling at Feng Xin, and fuck does he actually believe I did it -

Meanwhile Feng Xin is sort of on the sidelines, confusedly watching Mu Qing spiral further and further into this war he is having with himself inside in his own little toxic head world where everyone hates him. Feng Xin's confused and annoyed and disgruntled as he is trying to NOT fight with Mu Qing in front of Dianxia but finally he makes him SO mad he can't help it, and now he's in detention - and why is Mu Qing doing this?!?! Babe, you remember that we were spending most of our nights together and going on missions together until you were yelling about me not plqcing my armour neatly when i come over for the night - but really if THAT'S what this is about I am NOT apologizing - oh, the woman I loved 800 years ago had a child by me she never told me about that was brutally taken from her womb as a fetus which turned them both into resentful ghosts?? And Mu Qing is STILL ignoring me? Wait, she's accusing Mu Qing of doing it?!?!?!

When they're on Mount Tong'Lu and Mu Qing yells at Feng Xin about him "abandoning the boss for the wife and child" it's just the sort of nonsensical barb that a lover (ex?) would say when they feel insecure and jealous and spiteful and why won't you look at me like you used to and HOW DARE YOU NOT LOOK AT ME LIKE YOU USED TO and he's jealous, he's jealous of Jian Lan, he's jealous of Jian Lan FOR Xie Lian somehow and now he's YELLING and he won't stop because if he stops feeling angry he'll have to think about how they've probably broken up at some point these last few weeks and be sad that he really wishes Feng Xin would look at him like he used to.

Until finally Mu Qing loses all semblance of his cool and Feng Xin sees his terror of rejection unfurled and waving in the breeze and is like ohhh. And then Mu Qing is leaping into a river of lava followed by Dianxia and he's like, bitch, WHAT- Then Mu Qing is finally telling Dianxia how he feels ... Feng Xin rolling his eyes like it took my boyfriend 800 years to grow the fuck up. And then three of them are running together and Mu Qing says something about it being the first time in a long time they'd done this together and Feng Xin is like Ugggh what about how we've been doing this together for the last several centuries!!!

After returning home from the volcano, when Xie Lian held Hua Cheng till he combusted into thousands of silver butterflies, and his two friends tried to comfort him but failed, they ending up accompanying him to the peak where their old cultivation sect used to train, where he insists on staying until Crimson Rain returns, Mu Qing tries to excuse himself from Feng Xin to walk his own way to his palace, steeling himself for a long life of solitude, but Feng Xin keeps walking steadily behind him. Until Mu Qing whips around, demanding what he thinks he's doing. Feng Xin keeps walking steadily towards him, "I'm coming over." Mu Qing looks perplexed. "But - you forgive me?" "I will when you apologize." "You’re not mad!?" "I am. But ... I want to cuddle." "But what about your wife? And son?" Feng Xin sighs and shakes his head. “Do you want me to go?” All his life Feng Xin kept trying to help, he wanted to be of service, but his help kept making it worse for Dianxia, for Jian Lan, and they didn't want his help, but Mu Qing - this man needs SO much help. He wants it too. Mu Qing turns away and mutters "no” taking his hand, and leads the way home.

horneyyy addendum under the cut:

additional head canon that soon after they both ascended they DID fight nastily quite a bit, giving them the reputation of hating each other for their followers. But as the two gods of the martial south, they did end up having to work together, and both do really care about their followers, so slowly one thing after another happens, and the tension turns into sexual tension, and then somehow they’re spending 800 years flirting with the line of what counts as abstinence for Mu Qing’s cultivation.

1) fighting aggressively with with each other in the mortal realm until whoops it ended up getting sexy

2) begrudgingly working together to train and in a sparring session they almost kiss

3) helping each other in the mortal realm where after they fight the ghost they just end up fighting each other oh no now they’re kissing

4) Feng Xin getting hit with aphrodisiacs (oh no!!! again?!!? why are aphrodisiacs everywhere in this world! something must be done!) and calling Mu Qing for help to tie him up but Mu Qing stays to taunt him

5) Feng Xin lying down in Mu Qing’s arms, with his back against his chest as he touches himself and Mu Qing ordering him how to touch himself... Mu Qing whispering degrading things in Feng Xin’s ear and Feng Xin is panting, but it turns Mu Qing on so much he ends up saying affectionate things but that makes Feng Xin lose all control

6) Bratty top Mu Qing, watching Feng Xin’s face open up and feeling the rhythm of Feng Xin’s body obey his hand, feel his breaths and movements get rougher and wilder, the way his face twists in almost pain - before he has time to stop it, Mu Qing is coming to ... “Fuck!” But his powers - they seem to be ok? So this doesn’t count?

7) Mu Qing riding Feng Xin’s face in bed because they decided mouths don’t count!

8) Mu Qing on his hands and knees for“punishment”, Feng Xin doesn’t really want to be a mean dom like Mu Qing asked him to be so he makes Mu Qing ask him politely to be flogged, which makes Mu Qing infuriated but he does beg and Feng Xin gives him want he wants. After Feng Xin is champion of aftercare, even though Mu Qing says he doesn’t care, but he allows himself to be cradled and soothed. He definitely doesn't care or even like this, no, not at all.

9) After they return to Mu Qing’s palace after everything with Dianxia and Jun Wu finally ended, the hold each other and fall asleep.

#fengqing #too many fengqing thoughts i need to get out of my system #mu qing #Feng xin

[dancingamongstdust]

Creepypasta Scenarios - First Meeting Part 2

Hoodie

The area where you lived had a ton of back alleyways that acted as shortcuts in a pinch. They were generally safe but you often got an uncomfortable feeling when using them so you preferred to take the busier roads if you could.

Unfortunately, when you had gone to leave work that day, you had spotted the customer who had been harassing you the entire day. It wasn’t anything creepy but it was over-the-top persistent and you weren’t in the mood to deal with it. You slipped out the backdoor as a result. At least you’d get home sooner.

For the most part, you didn’t encounter anything too suspicious and the light from the streets illuminated where you were going.

The large bins outside the grocer’s home indicated that you were getting close. You sped up and rubbed your eyes blearily.

Ahead of you, a dog was barking from inside one of the buildings. It was a pretty noisy animal and you began peering around to see what the source of its agitation was. Ironically, you ended up bumping directly into him.

“I’m sorry,” you apologised, rubbing your shoulder.

The guy was tall, wearing dark clothing and standing right in the shadows. You could have probably noticed him if you were a little more awake.

He turned and your breath caught.

His face was obscured by a dark mask with red features stitched onto it. His hoodie which originally seemed dark was now illuminated into a soft yellow or orange, stained with a dark substance.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. His voice crackled out, clearly coming through a voice changer of some kind.

“I – I was just taking a shortcut home. I live near here so I thought… I really didn’t mean to bump into you. I’m super tired.”

“Tired or not, you shouldn’t have seen me,” the guy said. “Do you have a phone or a camera?”

Slowly, you reached into your bag and pulled out your phone. “I don’t have any cash in my wallet –“

“I don’t want your money!” he snapped. “I’m not some petty thief, believe me, I have better things to do with me time. Unlock this.”

You did so and he went through it with a gloved hand. He didn’t have a weapon but something in your gut warned you to just go along with it. Nobody covered up everything, including their voice, when they were up to something good. This guy may not be a thief… but the alternative didn’t feel too much better.

He shoved your phone back at you. “Get out of here and don’t breathe a word of this to anybody. Consider yourself lucky that I’m in a good mood today.”

You swallowed nervously. “Thank you?”

“I’m serious,” he warned. “I can let you go just because you seem pathetic enough to not take this to the police but unless you want to catch a bullet in your back, you’ll keep quiet. My boss doesn’t like people getting involved with this nonsense.”

“A bullet?”

He didn’t answer and your heart thundered in your chest. Part of you wondered if he was going to kill you while you ran away but his attention seemed to have moved away from you. You hurried away, holding your breath the entire time. Every time you glanced over your shoulder, the guy remained unmoving.

When you reached your home, you locked the door tightly and slumped against it in exhaustion.

Homicidal Liu

The sunset was beautiful over the graveyard – the only beauty to an otherwise morbid place.

You stared at the purples and oranges dancing across the sky. The wreath pricked at your hands after a while and you stared down at it. Why did you still bother with bringing flowers? Hadn’t it been long enough? Still, you made your way down to the grave and placed them there, not even bothering to read the name on there.

Lately, your graveyard visits had becoming fewer and fewer. Time hadn’t been on your side recently and thus, your precious solitude had to suffer. You relished in the way that nobody really bothered you here.

An orange glow warned you when the streetlights came on. Perhaps you had been there for longer than you thought but this was to be your last visit.

Better to make it count.

Something caught in the wind made you raise your head. A piece of fabric was stuck in the nearby fence, identifiable as a scarf when you ventured closer.

You took it from the fence and looked around for its owner. Nobody was in view… maybe it had been blown off one of the graves? It did seem homemade.

Guessing, you began to place it on a grave when a voice startled you.

“I’m sorry to bother but I think you have my scarf?”

The man was standing far too close for you to have not seen him when you were glancing around but you blamed that on your night vision. He wore dark clothing and seemed awkward just to be speaking to you.

“Thank goodness,” you said. “I was just going to leave it on one of the graves because I didn’t know who it belonged to.”

He thanked you for it, wrapping it around the lower half of his face almost immediately. “That would be a waste,” he said. “Especially to leave it on this one. Thank you for grabbing it.”

A harsh wind blew through the graveyard, carrying with it the smell of an incoming storm. He grabbed his scarf just in time to prevent it from going flying away again.

“Seems like the weather is determined to steal it from you.”

“Far more powerful things have tried.”

You buried yourself further into your jacket and smiled. “I haven’t seen you around before, are you new in town or just coming to visit a new grave?”

“I’m not visiting a grave,” he admitted. “I just thought that this would be the way back to my house… I grew up in this town but only recently moved back and I’m already lost. It’s a little embarrassing if I’m honest.”

“Well, I like to know everybody,” you said. “What’s your name?”

“Su – I mean, Liu,” he said. “Liu. Sorry, I nearly gave you my surname.”

You laughed. “Oh that’s no problem. It’s nice to meet you but I really like your name. Is it Chinese?”

“I don’t know,” he said. He looked around and began walking away. “I really have to go. Thank you for getting my scarf and all that.”

“I’ll see you around,” you said with a wave.

It was only later when you realised how suspicious that entire interaction was. You had never seen Liu before in your life and he was just hanging around in the graveyard? He hadn’t seemed too creepy at least. Maybe you would see more of him in the coming days.

Jane the Killer

It wasn’t that you were unobservant or inattentive toward girls but nobody had really caught your eye until Jane.

She was stunning in a way that few people could ever match with dark hair that tumbled past her hips and soulful eyes. Her walk was always confident, her smile always perfect, and her attention always desirable. Your main regret about life was that you didn’t speak to her sooner – especially when you thought back on what happened not too long after your first meeting.

You organised with your friends to somehow bump into her but instead, you wound up getting treated for a pretty painful bruised hip. Your second plan didn’t work out either and your third never even left the drawing board.

“Just go up to her and say hi. Tell her that she’s beautiful,” your friend encouraged. “She’ll say thanks and then you’ll be able to talk to her.”

“That’s so boring though,” you said. “It’s not like something out of a romance novel.”

Your friend groaned and stood up. “Well, I’m going home. We have like three months left of high school and I’m not going to spend that time obsessing over how to speak to a girl. She’s literally a regular person.”

They were right and you knew that. No matter how you tried to set up a sweeping romance, it probably wouldn’t work out.

So you tried.

And you tried.

Two weeks later, you were about to give up on mimicking a romance novel and it appeared that your friend was thinking the same thing. She grabbed your arm and began to drag you somewhere, muttering about changing the topic. You had a vague idea of where you were going but you didn’t fight too much.

“What if she’s still dating that Woods boy?” you asked. “The older one.”

“They broke up after literally a month of dating. I don’t blame her – those Woods boys are pretty enough but the older one has something seriously wrong with him. And the younger one is always talking to himself…”

“I really don’t care about the Woods’,” you commented.

“No, you care about Jane who is honestly quite weird as well,” they said. “But that is going to be your problem and not mine.”

They dragged you directly up to her group. It wasn’t large – despite Jane’s beauty, she wasn’t incredibly popular due to her associations. Your friend wasn’t the only one who was a little scared of the Woods boys and Jane had hung out with them for quite a while.

“Hey,” your friend said before even letting you go. “You have no idea who we are but my friend here has a massive crush on you. Could you please just say hi so they can get it out of their system?”

You were sure that it was unhealthy to be as red as you were. It felt like your heart was about to leap from your chest.

Jane laughed, a soft and gentle sound. “I’m not really interested in a relationship,” she hummed. “But thank you. That’s very flattering.”

Somehow, your heart sped up still and you awkwardly rubbed your arm. “No problem?”

“Why don’t you join us for a little bit?” Jane offered. “Just because I don’t want to date anybody doesn’t mean that we can’t become friends. You look like my kind of person.”

You stumbled over your words but somehow, your conversation managed to go extremely well. Jane was brilliant in every possible way and you quickly grew attached to seeing her every day. That was why you mourned so greatly when she died.

Jason the Toymaker

The sun was so warm against your skin. You could stay there forever, stretched out on the grass and basking in the sunlight.

“It’s done,” your friend’s voice broke through your daydreaming

You opened your eyes and rolled over to see exactly what they had been working on for the entire trip. After realising the first few times that you weren’t going to get a reaction, you had decided to wait for them to finish working before you tried to have a conversation.

“I didn’t know you could draw,” you said. “That’s amazing.”

The hyper-realistic man was sketched to perfection with a top hat, a fur coat, and a small mouse sitting on his left shoulder. It felt like his eyes could piece into your soul.

“Who is that?” you asked them.

They stared blankly at the image and shook their head. “I don’t know,” they said. “He’s been in my dreams for so long. I think it has something to do with my amnesia. Maybe I knew him once before.”

“He’s a little intimidating,” you said. “I could imagine him to be a ringleader in a circus that’s like a secret cult. Maybe he’s why you lost your memory.”

“Maybe…” they said, tapping the picture. They suddenly shoved it into your chest and stood up. “You keep that. I don’t want it anywhere near me. I need to go talk to my parents.”

You watched them race out of the park in confusion. The man in the picture stared up at you with haunting eyes.

Folding it in half so it didn’t freak you out, you stood and dusted off your clothing. Maybe it would be best if you headed home. It was getting late either way.

Later on, you’d call your friend and check up on them.

About 10 minutes away from your house, the feeling of being watched snuck up on you. It hung heavily around your shoulders like a cloak. You glanced around but saw nobody.

Still, you didn’t feel comfortable leading whoever was following you back to your house. You made a point of walking amongst large crowds and headed for the police station.

They were watching you the whole way.

You sped up. A few people bumped into you and you apologised as best as you could. Your grip on the picture was getting tighter enough for you to tear it. The later it got, the fewer people were on the streets and so you were pretty much alone when you bumped into him.

It took you a few seconds to recognise the man from the drawing.

If you thought his drawn eyes were captivating, they had nothing on his real ones which glowed with an almost ethereal light.

“You’re him,” you breathed.

He stared at you, smile falling from his face in confusion. “Who?”

You shakily held out the drawing and he yanked it from your hands. “My friend drew that,” you explained. “They said that its of somebody from their past. They have amnesia you see.”

He was unmoving as he studied the picture. You began feeling a little uncomfortable and then his gaze snapped to you. “Is that so?” he asked.

You nodded and took a small step away from him. “Maybe you should go and talk to them? See –“ you swallowed nervously. “See if you can help them remember?”

“No need,” he said, dropping the paper on the ground. “Who are you?”

Your name came out as little more than a soft whisper. Something about the entire scenario made you uneasy. His appearance was too unnatural.

A gust of wind came by, picking up the drawing and whipping it away. You watched it go and when you looked back down, his eyes were locked on you.

“Such a pity,” he said. “You would have been the perfect doll.”

Wearily, you took a step backwards. His words made your stomach churn uneasily. “What are you talking about?”

He smiled. It was kind and warm but it only made you more nervous. His eyes looked like they had almost changed colour; shifted a shade darker than previously. “Thinking aloud my dear,” he said.

“About dolls?” you asked.

He tilted his head a little towards you. “I’m going to have to bid you goodbye. It seems I have other matters to attend to.” He brushed past you, stopping briefly when directly next to you. “Consider yourself lucky.”

He was gone before you could even spin around to face him.

Jeff the Killer

Pausing the song, you removed your earphones as quietly as possible and placed them down on your desk. According to the blinking numbers on your phone screen, it was nearing 2 AM. Far too late for anybody to make an excess of noise.

You listened closely. The music had been too loud for you to hear anything and you almost brushed the strange noise off as your sleep-deprived imagination. Until something squeaked like shoe soles on tiles.

In retrospect, you should have immediately called 911 but you didn’t want to sound a false alarm.

The light switch was thankfully directly outside your room. The hall illuminated most of the house when they were on and it steeled your nerves. Your roommate’s door was open, allowing you to confirm their sleeping state, curled up in their bed amongst the piles of mess. They had had to move to the spare room due to a faulty window earlier in the day and had clearly given up sorting items.

You glanced into the apartment’s other rooms before heading to the kitchen. There was nothing odd. The scuttling when you entered the kitchen just suggested that your neighbour’s rat infestation may be migrating.

Making a mental note to call the exterminator, you turned to switch off the kitchen light.

Something slammed into you, forcing your back to collide with a wall. A hand covered your mouth and the overwhelming scent of blood and decay invaded your nose. Something cold and sharp pressed against your neck.

“Shut up and stay still,” the man snarled at you. “I don’t think anybody will appreciate you getting blood in the kitchen.”

Your heart leapt into your throat and your body stilled. The man in front of you was terrifying. His skin pale and mutilated. Eyes far too wide for a normal person and dancing with an insanity that sent chills down your spine.

And his mouth… a bloody smile carved across his face, stretching halfway to his ears.

He studied your face carefully and his expression twisted. “You’re not the right one,” he snapped. The knife moved away from your neck, so he could point with it. “I had this all planned and yet when I came into that room, I found it empty. Why?”

Even if he hadn’t been holding your mouth shut, you doubted you would have been able to formulate an answer. The pounding heartbeat in your ears was nearly blocking out his voice.

He lightly tapped your cheek with his knife. “Not that it matters,” he said. “I’ll just have to adapt my original plan. You’re not the right target but I’m a huge fan of collateral damage.”

A small whimper escaped you and tears welled at your eyes. You didn’t want to die.

“Don’t blubber!” he ordered. “View it as a good thing. You’ll be all over the news. Another victim of Jeff the Killer. Hell, you might even be added to a Wikipedia page or something.”

You could recall that name from the news. Often followed by a lengthy list of deaths and the police chief begging for any information about the murderer.

Jeff stared at you for a long minute before he pressed the knife’s blade to your throat and moved his hand away from your mouth. “Scream and I will remove your vocal cords,” he threatened. “Who are you?”

It took several deep breaths and a flicker of impatience in his expression to give you the ability to talk again. You stammered out your full name as quickly as you possibly could.

He rolled his eyes and tilted the knife so it scratched your skin. A sticky and warm substance ran down your throat in small droplets. “Pathetic.”

“Sorry,” you whispered on instinct. “Please don’t kill me.”

“Why not?” he asked. “You ruined my earlier plans to take out my original target by interrupting me before I could find them. Why shouldn’t I settle for you instead?”

You didn’t have an answer.

He took the blade away from your throat. “If you call the police and report what happened here tonight, I will slice you into little pieces.”

It was almost twenty minutes after he left before you regained any movement in your body. You slumped into a heap on the kitchen floor and started sobbing.

Kagekao

Things had been going missing around your house.

Initially, you had thought it was just due to you forgetting where you’d plopped things because it was simple things. Drinks that vanished, keys turning up on the opposite side of the house, and random spills that you didn’t remember making.

But then it started getting weirder still.

You would make food and pack it away, knowing that you would eat it later, and find it gone. Picture frames disappeared, never to be seen again. Your rug half-unraveled during the night and you found it in a pile the next morning. A candle in your bathroom fell over and, somehow, the curtains on the other side of the house had caught alight.

It was suspicious, to say the very least. You began to think that you had some kind of intruder – once, the news reported that a woman found a homeless man living in her attic and eating her food when she wasn’t looking.

So you went out and bought cameras, setting them up throughout your house.

For two weeks, they caught nothing until one of them ended up breaking. You went to get it repaired and the company managed to recover what it had last seen. Which was nothing on your first glance.

But you were soon to realise, that was only because you had been looking at the floor.

While you were rewatching when you got home, you noticed something. The window was sitting wide open and the camera’s angle only allowed you to see half of it. Right toward the end of the feed, a gloved hand appeared on the side of the window and a slight shadow indicated something climbing through.

So you got reinforced windows and made sure that none were open unless you were in the room.

Things still continued happening.

You were beginning to get really annoyed by this. It was tempting to go to the police and let them just handle it but that was going to be a lot of effort that you really didn’t care for. You didn’t feel like you were in much danger. Nothing had happened in your bedroom.

Your next plan was to set up a trap of some kind. With a hidden camera set up, you made extra food and left it on the counter to see if something happened.

The next day, you watched as a plastic toy of some kind was thrown directly into the plate from somewhere off-camera, breaking it and leaving an absolute mess everywhere.

Still not considering it to be anything dangerous, you just cleaned up the mess and loudly cursed out anybody who was listening. You stalked the house after that, searching every nook and cranny with a bat in hand. The final place was the closet in your bedroom and you peered in, expecting nothing.

When you turned around though, you spotted something sitting in the corner of the room.

It was humanoid with arms twisted into awkward positions and a mask on its face. Half the mask was black and the other white, both sides bearing an unnaturally smiling expression. The creature cackled when you saw it and scuttled out of the door, stuck to the roof the entire time.

A second passed.

Then another.

You pinched your arm hard and waited to wake up. Surely there was no way… I mean, why would… humans didn’t generally crawl along the ceiling? Well, you were quite sure they never did that. You must have been imagining it.

A second laugh corrected you on that.

You swallowed thickly, walked over to your door as calmly as possible and locked it. Then you took out your phone and finally called the police.

Kate the Chaser

The day when Kate was sent away remained very clear in your mind. It was a moment that brought extremely change to your life, mixing up your friend group and sending you in a different direction.

The years has passed and you had never gotten over your best friend. They said that she had lost her mind and you knew it was true. All those games investigating the woods and ghost hunting must have put a toll on her mind. Sometimes, you blamed yourself for all the pranks and you knew that Lauren had similar doubts.

And now she was back.

Lauren and you hadn’t remained close, the entire situation feeling too real with one another. Your greeting was stilted but neither of you wanted to be the first to approach the house.

“Do you think that she remembers us?” Lauren asked.

“If she didn’t then her mom wouldn’t have invited us over,” you said.

You stood in complete silence, staring up at the house. Would you even recognise Kate? The last time that you had seen her was when you were both young children and her face remained at that age in your memories.

Eventually, you gained your confidence before Lauren and you walked over, knocking on the door before anxiety could find you.

Kate answered the door and you forgot why you had ever been nervous.

Time had slimmed her face and shortened her hair. Her eyes were still a gentle brown and the cockiness had faded from her smile, but it was recognisable from your nostalgia. It made you feel warm and known – an aura that you had missed without even realising it.

“Hi,” you greeted.

Kate pulled you into a tight hug and you returned it, clutching at her tightly as though she could slip through your fingers. It really had been too long and when you moved away, she held onto Lauren with the same enthusiasm.

“How have you been?” she asked. “You have to tell me everything.”

The three of you spent the rest of the afternoon having tea and just talking about the world at large. Kate didn’t have many stories from the hospital – she claimed it was because the place had been extremely boring and neither of you pushed to find out more about it. Honestly, it was more comfortable to act as though she had simply moved away.

Lauren had to leave first and you were going to go with her but Kate had looked so down that you remained just a little longer. That was when things got weird.

“I’ve missed music a lot,” Kate sighed.

“Did they not allow you to listen to music?”

She grimaced. “No, they did but often I couldn’t hear it over the static. Its mostly gone away now but it came back last night… it fills my brain and all that I can think of is a way to make the pain stop.”

The colour drained from your face as you stared at her. You didn’t know much about what happened to her but you had thought she would be okay now.

Realising it, Kate hurried to reassure you, “I really have recovered,” she said. “My hallucinations have faded and my medication keeps my emotions in check. You really don’t have to be scared of me.”

You stared down at your cup awkwardly. “I’m not scared of you,” you reassured her. “You’ve never done anything to me.”

She nodded. “It will be alright, you’ll see. I’m ready to get back to a normal life with my friends and not have to worry about that ghost stuff ever again.”

Laughing Jack

It was on your leg…

The glare you fixed the small child with could wilt plants. It didn’t care though and merely clutched at your clothing with a happy smile. “Come play with me?” it asked. “I can introduce you to all my friends!”

“How old is she again?” you grumbled at your friend.

Your friend laughed and ruffled their cousin’s hair. “I had an imaginary friend when I was 10. She’s only 6, she’s still at the stage where they’re a big deal.”

The child was oblivious to your conversation and reached out her arms. “Come on. The parents are being boring. I have candy that my friend gave me. We can share it.”

“I agreed to come along to your family get together to keep you company,” you said to your friend. “You know I don’t like children. Babysitting really isn’t my forte.”

All you received for your complaining was laughter.

By the time you had the 4th teddy bear had been introduced, you were done. Why did one kid have so many toys?

“Now which one of your friends gives you candy?” your friend asked. “Because if it’s from Princess, I don’t think it’s edible. What if she secretly puts glitter in it?”

Expected to play along, you sighed. “Unless it’s glitter from rainbows because then it’s got magic powers and allows you to fly.”

The child liked your thumb-sucked statement because she jumped up in excitement. “I don’t get it from Princess. Jack gives it to me! But if Princess can make me fly, I want to have that kind of candy instead!”

“Which one’s Jack again?” you asked, eyeing the line of toys.

“He’s not here right now,” the child said, biting her inner cheek. She turned in a circle. “Sometimes he hides in the cupboard though!” She ran over to her cupboard and pulled the doors open. “I don’t think – OW!”

She reeled backwards, clutching her cheek. Both you and your friend immediately jumped up and ran over to her. A tiny slice mark ran across the side of her face. It wasn’t anything serious, but she was sobbing as though it would kill her. You presumed a small edge on one of the boxes in the cupboard had been the cause.

“Do you want me to take you to mom, so she can kiss it better?” your friend asked. “Your new best friend can wait here and make sure all your toys are safe.”

The child nodded, and she got led out of the room. You rolled your eyes at the sensitivity and reached into the cupboard to push the box out of the way. A clawed hand reached out of nowhere and grabbed your wrist tightly.

Before you could even shout, it lifted you off the ground by your arm and a second hand had wrapped around your mouth.

The monster’s body appeared out of the closet.

It was a clown. Easily 7ft tall and comprised of monochrome colours with a sharp, pointed nose and long, greasy hair. Its black lips spread into a smile, revealing pointed teeth and a sickeningly sweet breath.

You writhed against its grip, trying to scream or do anything but it was insanely strong, and it just laughed at your efforts.

“How mean,” it purred, leaning in close to your face. “You ask who I am and then, when I appear to you, you insult my appearance. Awful etiquette. Your parents should be concerned about how rude you are to strangers.”

You strained your memory to think about what you had been doing before it grabbed you but the adrenaline was clouding your mind. What had you asked? You struggled more with the lack of memories.

The clown shook its head. “I haven’t revealed myself to somebody so old in a long time. You should be flattered but instead you choose to try and kick me. This is why I don’t do this. Children are far more polite.”

He released you suddenly and you landed hard on the ground. It winked and disappeared, right as your friend and her cousin returned.

“You met Jack!” the child shouted excitedly, pointing to the candy lying next to you.

You shoved it away from you as quickly as possible.

#creepypasta #scenarios #hoodie x reader #marble hornets #homicidal liu #jeff the killer #jane the killer #jason the toymaker #kagekao #x reader #jeff the killer x reader #laughing jack #kate the chaser

[thatoneitaliangirl]

Oh my gosh could you write a childe x reader thing 🥺🥺 I wanna just have some sweet angst with a happy outcome somehow 😔

I may have gone a bit overboard- At this point, I feel I'm literally incapable of writing anything under 1,000 words. So sorry this took so long, I had to take a break from writing to work out some things with school. A bunch of nonsense and stuff lol. You didn't specify gender, so I wrote the reader as female, only cause that's what I'm used to working with. I apologize if that's not what you wanted. I can always whip up something for ya with your preferred pronouns! But I'm not sure if I'll make it this long . . . I honestly don't know how I even did this, like this is a feat I feel. Anyways, I hope Childe isn't too OOC in this. I'm not the best when it comes to writing angst, so I hope you like it! And just as a little explanation beforehand, I read up that Childe joined the Fatui when he was about 14, became a Harbinger at 18, and is considered a young adult. So in this fic, it's assumed that he and you are at least 20 years old just so the timeline adds up and stuff. Also, despite how long this is, Childe isn't in it as much as you probably wanted- I have a tendency to write more about the reader than the characters. It's something I'm trying to break, but I was just so proud of this. I hope you like it! Anyways, happy reading!!! ^^

Childe x Reader Angst

Plot- Reader and Childe have been together for years when Reader finds out that Childe killed her sister when she was young.

Word count- 8,864 (I'm so sorry)

Warnings- Mentions of death, sadness, bad writing, possible suicide at the end(But just mentioned as a fear), swearing, and cringe 'funny' moments cause why not.

The wind blows through your hair as you sit atop a ledge overlooking Liyue Harbor. Today is your younger sister's birthday, and for the past six years, it's been nothing but a reminder of your failure. You were supposed to take care of her. After your parents passed away, you were all she had left, and she, you. But you were just a kid yourself, hardly capable of raising a child.

You bite your lip and look over at all the families walking about, having fun. It brings a smile to your face knowing at least some people can be happy on this day. She wouldn't have wanted doom and gloom to be her only remembrance. The sun in the sky is warm, beaming down on your skin. You've fought many battles for the Adventurers Guild during your time living in town, and are proud to say you've survived. Even escaped a few sparring matches with Childe relatively unscathed.

You win every time, but it's no surprise given he lets you win. That's one of the many things you love about him. He tries to put you first in most situations as much as he can with his job. And it's the little things like letting you win a fake fight that makes you feel like you're floating.

Your relationship is practically plastered on every notice board in town with how affectionate you are to each other. Not a soul in Liyue can look at you and not know you are the Harbinger's lover. But you're okay with that.

Taking in a calm breath, you hop down and glide your way to the docks below.

"Good morning, _____! Nice weather, isn't it?" You smile at the young girl as she approaches you. You've known her for a while now, and have come to consider yourself friends. She seems a bit nervous though.

"It certainly is. Are you okay, Chen?" Her smile drops and she grips onto her arms.

"Can I ask a favor of you? It's rude of me, but I'm desperate!"

"It's fine, what's the matter?" The young girl sighs.

"My brother borrowed a loan from Northland Bank last month and the payments were due two days ago. He told me he was going to pay it back . . . He hasn't been home since. I just thought that . . ."

"You want me to ask Tar?" Her eyes snap up to yours.

"Will you? Please? I'm just so worried about him! I told him not to take that loan, but he never listens to me." You put your hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"It's okay. It's no problem at all! I was just headed there anyway. I'll see about your brother for you." Young Chen sighs in relief and reaches in her pocket.

"Here, I want you to take this as payment." You shake your head and push her hand away.

"No, I could never!"

"I insist! My mother gave this to me when I was a kid," She opens your hand and places a small coin in before closing your hand around it.

"She told me travelers would give these coins to people who did favors for them and that they grant wishes! Though I'm sure that's just a children's story; I was never able to get it to work." You give the coin a look, hesitant, before slipping it into your pocket.

"Alright, I'll accept. Thank you!" You wave goodbye to Chen and head towards the bank. Childe spends most of his days there, what he does, you have no idea. It's a mystery. The most you get out of him is 'business' which, yeah, obviously you do business. But it's understandable. The Fatui are a questionable lot, and not many people in Liyue trust them.

The Qixing keep a close eye on them as well, though you're sure even they hardly know what goes down under the 'bank' façade. Sometimes Childe comes home with cuts and bruises, claiming they're from training with his comrades, and while you don't buy that one bit, you play along. No need to add to his stress. If he thought you needed to know, he would tell you. No doubt about it.

Walking up the many flights of stairs, you nod to Vlad who lets you in.

Lucky for you, the first face your eyes land on is the exact one you came looking for.

"Tar!" He immediately looks over in your direction, smiles, and dismisses the Fatui agent he was talking to.

"Well, if it isn't the most beautiful woman in all Teyvat. Come to steal my heart?" He pulls you into a hug and kisses your cheek.

"No need, I already have it," You pull away, giving him a smile.

"I actually came here to see you."

"I'd hope so! Who else would you want to see?" Rolling your eyes, you grab him by his hand and lead him to his office.

"I have a favor to ask of you," The joking atmosphere surrounding you turns heavy as you hold his hands in yours.

"As you know, today is . . . Very important to me. I was wondering if you could get off early tonight? If not, it's okay though. I don't want to trouble you or anything." Childe chuckles and pats your head.

"I know what today is. I already requested an early leave this morning, but they haven't gotten back to me yet. If we're that backed up, I'm not sure I'll be able to," Your face falls a bit, but you smile. He made the effort to try and get off early without you even asking.

He places his hand onto your face and rubs his thumb over your cheek.

"But I promise to make it up to you. If I don't get back too late, we can go up to Mt. Tianheng and watch the lights at night. I know you like to do that when you're upset." The kind smile on his face is only magnified by the gentle look in his eyes. He's always been soft with you, even before you got together.

It was always an odd sight for people to see the two of you interact before you were a couple. He always regards people with the same jokester attitude, especially those he has to keep an eye on. But when he's with you, he may joke around, but is always much more concerned for your wellbeing.

"Thank you, Tar. I really appreciate it." He smirks and laughs.

"You appreciate it, huh? How much?" You roll your eyes again and give him a kiss on the lips. Childe smiles into it and tries to make it deeper, but you pull away with his lips chasing after you.

"Easy there, tiger. Save it for later, huh?"

"So, there's a later?" You lightly smack his chest and pull away from him as he laughs.

"Get back to work, Tar." You turn to leave but stop in the doorway.

"Oh, before I forget, I ran into Chen earlier," The look in Childe's eyes shifts slightly, but you barely notice.

"She mentioned that her brother stopped by here about two days ago, and was wondering if you knew where he went after? He hasn't been home since and she's very worried."

He ponders for a moment before his eyes light up in realization.

"Now that you mention it, he did say he was headed towards Lingju Pass. Don't know what for though." He shrugs.

"Okay, thank you! I'll be sure to pass it on." You exchange words of love before you leave.

After speaking with Chen, you decided to head towards the countryside. Your conversation with her went about as well as you expected. She seemed distressed and unsure of the information you gave her, but any criticisms were held as she thanked you and left. You hope that she'll be okay and that her brother comes back. Archons know, you understand what it's like to lose a sibling.

You take in a deep breath.

The air in Liyue is unlike any other. Once you leave the city and all the warm bodies, it's nothing but gentle breezes and the smell of earth. And the occasional Hilichurl, but you can easily take out a few to preserve the peace.

Walking along a random path in the sand, you reflect.

When you and your sister were young, you would often take walks like these while your parents were arguing. Despite only being a few years older than her, you actively chose to take on a more nurturing role. But after your parents died, you realized just how hard it was to provide for the two of you.

You knew how to use a bow to hunt, but not well, and even though you had your mother's catalyst, you didn't have a vision. Sometimes just showing it off and pretending you had a vision was enough to scare off petty thieves and weak Hilichurls, but it was only a matter of time before that wouldn't be enough.

Unfortunately, that time came all too soon.

The two of you had found an abandoned campsite and you decided to rest for the night. Your sister and you were headed to Mondstadt in search of a distant relative who you believed could help you. But during the night, your sister got thirsty and you were all out of water in your canteen. So you heading out to find a lake close by to fetch some, only to return to see a dark figure escaping into the night and your sister, laying in the tent, unmoving.

You were only a few hours walk to the city.

Sometimes you wonder if you had kept going that night, maybe whoever it was would have never even crossed your path. Your cries for help were heard by knights close by and they gathered your sister. Everyone in the city was welcoming and understanding, and the church gave her a wonderful service.

But nothing could mend the hole in your heart. Thankfully, the family member was able to take you in and trained you to become a knight. But that's not what you wanted. You wanted to find the person who killed your sister. And after completing your training, you left for Liyue and gained your Cryo vision along the way.

You summon your catalyst and flip through the pages. It's strange how magic works and how everything interacts with your vision. Before you, this weapon served your pyro vision-wielding mother. After you gained your vision, all the spells changed to fit the cold rather than the heat. You sigh and close the book. Sifting through it is just going to make you more sentimental. The sky above begins to turn shades of orange and pink as the sun goes down, so you decide to head home.

"I know you did something!" A loud voice yells, not too far from you.

"Chen?" You whisper to yourself and make your way around to see her at the edge of town, yelling at a Fatui agent.

"Calm down, miss Chen. We don't know what you are referring to." She balls her hands into fists, her face twisted in anger.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about! Lingju Pass? He hasn't set foot there since our father died. How dare you make up such lies!" You decide to make your way over to try and calm her down. She's obviously upset, and you know that Fatui agents aren't well versed in the ways of 'feelings.' In fact, most of the ones you've met have all been quite stoic and unconcerned.

"Are you calling the Fatui liars, miss Chen?" You stop, Childe stepping out in front of the other agent.

What is Childe doing out here?

"You Fatui lie about everything! Everyone in Liyue despises your presence here, and this just proves to me how low you people actually are. What did you do to my brother?!" She reaches up to hit Childe, and you run up to her and grab her by her arms. You know she can't hurt him, but if she tries she could get into some serious trouble.

"Chen, listen to me, you have to calm down." She looks up at you with tears streaming down her face but shakes off your grip.

"No! I refuse! He knows something about my brother, I know he does!" She looks at you with pleading eyes.

"Please, _____, tell him. Tell him to tell me where my brother is!" Chen sobs. Tears start to form in your eyes.

"Chen, I'm sorry, but Tartaglia doesn't know," You look up at Childe and are taken aback by the look in his eyes. His eyes are dead, angry, violent as he stares at Chen. He waves his hand, and two Fatui agents come from behind and drag Chen away.

"Let go of me!" She struggles as they hold her arms and pull her through the dirt path. Chen glairs at Childe, digging her feet into the ground to slow them down.

"You're a monster, Harbinger! A monster!" You continue to stare after her as she's dragged away. What just happened? You've known Chen and her brother since you moved here. What could have happened to make this poor girl act like this? You jump when Childe places his hand on your shoulder.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." He wipes the tears from your cheeks and smiles his normal, dashing smile. Nothing like the look he was giving Chen just a moment ago.

"Sometimes those awful rumors spreading about the Fatui make people act irrationally." You look him in the eyes as he holds your face. His eyes are soft and caring now, just how he always looks at you.

"Do you know what happened to her brother?" You ask softly. His eyes darken a bit, but his smile never faults.

"_____, my love, are you questioning me now too? Come on, you know none of that stuff is true, right? I work at a bank, not much else to it." He answers, his voice joking, but there's this undertone you can't quite place and have never heard before. You force a smile and hug him close.

"Your right, I'm sorry for asking. I'm just so concerned for Chen and her brother. Do you know where they're taking her?" He hugs you back, tight, and kisses your forehead.

"I think you should just leave it be for now. Go home and get some rest. I should be getting off work soon, and we can do what I promised. How's that sound?"

"Good." You lean up and give him a kiss. His voice drops low as he whispers in your ear.

"I love you, _____. Don't ever forget that."

And he leaves before you can reply. A chill goes down your spine as you watch him leave, and it's not from your vision. You've never seen Childe like that before, even when he interacts with the Traveler. It made you freeze in place, made your blood run cold, and had your heart beating faster with fear all at the same time. That was Harbinger Childe, not your Tartaglia. You rub your hands along your upper arms to calm yourself. You never want to experience that again.

Taking a deep breath, you reach into your pocket to grab your handkerchief, but pull out the coin Chen had given you instead. All it does is remind you that once again you failed to protect someone you cared about. Poor Chen is scared and afraid, and you're positive that Childe's reaction did not help her any.

But as you hold up the coin, you notice a faint glow emanating from around the outer edge which turns the intricate patterns into Liyuian Characters.

'Let the truth be revealed.'

What does this mean? You remember Chen telling you the story of the coin, but it was just that. You've never heard of any coins gifted by travelers before, and it definitely wasn't a common folk tale.

You shove it back into your pocket and rush home.

The sun is almost fully down, and the stars begin to light your way as you walk hastily down the path. Once your house is in sight, you pick up the pace and run inside.

The glow from the coin is brighter now, illuminating your darkening house. How does one even make a wish on a coin?

"I want to see the truth, but I don't know how," The glow of the coin shifts and changes colors in your hands, giving off an almost mystical wave of magic you've never felt before. Whoever made this coin had to have been powerful. You take a deep breath and look at the coin with determination.

"Show me the truth!" The glow envelopes you and when you open your eyes, you're shocked at what lays before you. The dark figure that haunts your dreams at night looms over your dead sister, red-stained blade in hand and a mask over his face.

You step closer, the classic mask of the fatui on the hooded mans' face making his eyes glow white in the darkness. His stature is much smaller than yours, and his outline seems to be that of a boy. At the time it would have been easy for you to confuse him with a man, being he would have been taller than you. But now that you're an adult, you can clearly see his youth. He smirks and laughs down at your little sister's body while whipping the knife on his sleeve.

"You should never have crossed the Fatui." Your heart drops as the young boy removes his mask revealing ocean blue eyes. The eyes of your lover that you adore on the face of the person that you've despised for years. A woman appears next to him, the same woman you've seen him speak to on many occasions but have never spoken to yourself.

"Good work, Tartaglia. You've proven yourself useful to the Tsaritsa after all. But your job here is not done," Childe looks up at the taller woman, his face determined.

"The other daughter has left to fetch water. Unfortunately, there are too many knights around on patrol to take her. Dispose of the body, and return at once." Childe bows to the woman and she smiles wickedly.

"Yes, Signora. Anything for the Tsaritsa." She leaves, and Childe begins to wrap up the young girl's body in a blanket. He stops suddenly, lifting his head up as young _____ approaches from over the hill. Childe smirks, fixing his mask and hood back on properly.

"Until next time, _____." He says and begins to run.

You gasp as the light invades your sight again and you're returned to the present. Your heart is beating a mile a minute and your breathing begins to pick up. The realization is overwhelming, and the shock is preventing you from crying.

Tartaglia was the one this whole time? It can't be, it just can't! You love him, and he loves you, he says so all the time. Has he lied to you this whole time? Has he just been keeping you close to screw with you before breaking your heart and killing you? That coin has to be lying. There's no way your Tar would ever do something like that, especially to you! He tells you everything. There are no secrets between the two of you.

Right?

The clock on the wall says that it's seven-o-clock, usually when Childe gets off of work. You don't want to be here; you can't be here. How can you face him after seeing that, even if it was a lie? You quickly run up to your shared bedroom and grab your adventuring bag, filling it with few essentials.

Where will you even go? There's nowhere in Liyue where Childe can't find you. Even across Teyvat, the Fatui have eyes and ears. You just need some time to reflect, get your barrings, and confront him. If you'll confront him. This has to be some kind of joke, or lie placed by some unknown power to question your love for him. There's no way he could have-

"What are you doing, _____?" You gasp, started by Childe suddenly behind you, blocking the exit to your room.

"Tar, you scared me!" You say shakily, holding your bag close to your chest. He smiles his usual caring smile at you, but all you can see is the smirk he held while staring down at your little sister.

"Sorry, my love. I got off of work early like I said I would. Is that why you have your bag?" His ocean blue eyes dart down to your bag and back up to you again. You subconsciously grip the bag tighter, Childe noticing.

"N-No. I accepted a commission last minute." The lie slips out like acid on your tongue.

You've never lied to him before, and it feels wrong. But you have to get out of here. Every alarm bell in your body is screaming at you to run as fast as you can away from the man you love.

His brow furrows a bit with concern and he takes a step closer to you, but you take one back.

"This isn't about what happened today, is it?" He sighs and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, it's just I don't like it when people falsely accuse me of things. I kinda slipped into Harbinger mode for a sec there." He laughs, again trying to come closer to you, you step back.

"Are they false though?" The question falls from your lips before you realize it, and Childe's eyes widen in surprise.

"_____, you can't be serious? You know I would never lie to you-"

"How do I know that, Childe?" You've never called him Childe, and it shows from the shock on his face when you do.

"What are you going on about? I could never-"

"Get away from me!" You yell at the Harbinger, tears finally falling from your eyes. There's no way you could be near him like this, knowing that he could have . . .

"Why? I love you, I won't hurt you." You try to steady your breathing as he slowly inches closer, treating you as of your a wild animal he wants to tame.

"You don't love me." You shake your head, gripping your backpack with white knuckles.

"What?" The question comes out as a whisper from the man's mouth in disbelief, hoping he didn't hear you properly.

"You don't love me!" You say one again, louder, confirming what he has hoped wasn't true.

"_____," Childe tries to come closer, but you shove past him and run to the front door. Before you can grab the handle, Childe grabs you by the shoulders and spins you around.

"Please, _____," His eyes are glassy with unshed tears as he gazes into your own.

"Tell me what I did to make you think this way?" You sob, hands pushing on his chest to break free but failing. You can barely breathe as the sobs rack through your body.

"You-" Trying to get the words out only makes you cry harder as the realization hits you. All the rumors are true. The Fatui are evil, conniving, and uncaring. They kill, pillage, experiment, torture, and don't care about who they have to step on to get their way. And your boyfriend, the love of your life, the man you wanted to marry and start a family of your own with, is one of them.

"You killed my little sister!" Your hands ball into fists and punch his chest as hard as you can, but in your state, you have barely any power.

"My baby sister is dead because of you! How could you?" You managed to get out through your tears, finally breaking down in the arms of the man you've despised for years.

Childe stares at you, unbelieving. He pulls you into a tight hug, crying on your shoulder, continuously apologizing. Never in your life have you seen Childe cry. Even when talking about how much he misses his family or his country, the farthest he gets is a sentimental smile and longing. Never have you thought you'd see him cry either. It's almost enough to make you forget that he's practically admitted to the murder.

He killed your only sister. How do you know he's sincere with his tears as he holds you close and begs you not to go? You've seen him lie before, never to you, but if he kept this secret for so long, what else has he been hiding? But none of that matters right now. The man you've been searching for years for, who you wanted to kill with your own bare hands, is the same person holding you so tenderly now.

How could you forget the countless nights you've woken up from nightmares of that boy coming to kill you and finish what he stared, only for Tartaglia to wake you up and hold you close, promising that he'd protect you? Every year when you mourn your sister and confide in him about how you were going to find that monster no matter what it took, did he fear you'd ever find out and kill him?

Is that why he kept you close for so long, to make sure you'd be too weak for him with love to ever even try? How can you love someone who killed your sister? It's easy to just assume you'd hate him, but for some odd reason, a little voice in the back of your mind is telling you to trust him and love him like you always had.

Another voice is telling you to end his life with no mercy and finally bring your sister to the peace she deserves.

Gathering up your strength, you manage to push him off of you.

"_____, no," He's in a state you've never seen before, face wet with tears, nose running, eyes puffy. But, he doesn't try to pull you back in.

You swiftly grab your bag and leave the house and Childe behind.

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

"_____," Your cousin John calls your name, pinching the bridge of his nose. He watches as you continuously use your vision to destroy training dummies.

"You continue this and the knights aren't going to have anything left to train with." You stop temporarily to glare at him.

"I'm training."

"So it seems." He watches as you continue your 'training.'

"You know, this doesn't seem healthy. I'm no doctor or anything, but, maybe you should, like, not?" You sigh irritated and cross your arms.

"Not what, John?" He gestures to the broken wood pieces scattered around the courtyard. You roll your eyes.

"I'm doing no worse than the average rookie knight!" John nods, leaning up against the wall.

"Yeah, yeah, except no. Why? Thank you for asking, cause your not a rookie and you're upset, at what? I don't know because you refuse to tell me. All I know is that my cousin is back after being gone for three years and the-," John looks around before stepping closer and lowering his voice.

"The Fatui in town have been eying us up everywhere we go. What the hell happened while you were in Liyue?" You bite your lip and message your wrists. The tips of your fingers have begun to turn purple from the cold, but you hardly seem affected. John pats you on the back and leads you inside the knight's headquarters.

"Look, I know we were never very close, and when you lived with us, we barely spoke, but I'm here now. We're not kids anymore, _____." The two of you sit down in the library. The three years you lived with your uncle and cousin were your worst. They treated you nice, but you were grieving and took it out on them and many training dummies. It seems you've done the same again.

"I'm sorry, it's just . . ." What happened with Childe months ago is still fresh on your mind. You haven't seen him since you left that night, and you aren't sure if you want to. You're conflicted. You thought coming back to Mondstadt would help you clear your mind and help you decide what to do, but you can't, and it's frustrating.

Despite how hard you've tried . . . You still love Tartaglia with all of your heart. But you can't forget what he did. You could never forgive him either. You've held hatred for this man for six years now, and every waking moment has been used to devise a plan to find him and kill him. But you can't kill him; not when you still hold these feelings.

If this was his goal, then he succeeded. You know he knows you're in Mondstadt. As John said, the Fatui have had their eyes on you since you showed up. You wouldn't be surprised if they all have you listed as a threat. After all, being one of their high-ranking officer's vengeful lover with intent and reason to kill would put anyone on a list.

But, with that said, he hasn't tried to contact you. No letters, no passing of words, hell, no carrier pigeons. He's extra enough to do that. And this has caused you to feel even more upset. Cause you still love the man, and there's some hope still there that he meant what he said and he does love you and the fact he hasn't done anything is killing you.

"_____, you good?" You snap out of your daze and nod.

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"You seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Please, what's going on with you?" You decide it's best to tell your cousin the truth.

You explain to him the situation. How you fell in love, what life was like for you the three years you were gone, the coin, and finding out the killer's identity. John looks at you in shock.

"Wow, that's a lot. And this is why you came back?"

"Yeah, I know. I should have come back sooner to at least visit, but," John cuts you off and waves his hands.

"No, you're fine. I mean, it would have been nice to see you, but that's irrelevant right now. You found out your boyfriend, a Fatui Harbinger, was the one that killed your sister, and you're here? Doing what? Destroying Favonius property?" You agree hesitantly.

"I mean, when you put it like that, it sounds odd."

"No, _____, odd is an understatement. Why are you here? You should be getting answers, slapping people, storming Snezhnaya! Actually, don't do that last one, that could get us in a lot of trouble."

"True," You agree.

"Honestly, I don't know what to do. Do I confront him? I mean, if he did kill her, which I'm about 90% sure at this point that he did, do I get revenge? I've wanted to for years, but I know that I could never kill him." John takes your hand in his and speaks with sincerity.

"You love him, I get that, but you can't let that get in the way of things."

"No, I mean, I literally couldn't kill him. He's a beast in battle, and could probably end me without even blinking. I've seen him take on multiple ruin guards in seconds, like, he's on a whole nother level." You sigh and put your head in your hands.

"But even despite that, I do still love him. At this point, I feel the best thing to do is to just move on. Go my own way and let him go his."

"And what about your sister, huh? Just gonna forget about her?" You look at him questioningly.

"Look, you need to at least get closure. Obviously, he doesn't want you dead, because you would have been so by now. I can't even tell you how many times the Fatui could have nabbed you, gagged you, and sacked you since you've been back."

"Gee, thanks John, that really makes me feel better about the situation." He rolls his eyes.

"Talk to the man, _____. There will always be a home here waiting for you to come back to." Maybe your cousin is right? If Childe did want you dead, you know damn well he has the power to have made it happen. But how would you even react when you see him? The only way to find out is to get it over with.

With newfound enthusiasm, you jump up from your position and slam your hands on the table.

"Alright, I'm gonna go! I'm gonna talk with Tartaglia and I'm gonna punch him at least once!"

"That's the spirit!" A series of loud shooshes sound around the library and you slowly sit back down.

"Sorry!"

You and your cousin John devise a plan over the next few days. You're still unsure about this whole thing, but with encouragement from John, you gain the confidence you need to push through.

In the end, you decide the best thing to do is to sneak out of Mondstadt without any Fatui seeing you. It's still dangerous to speak with him, and the two of you decide the safest thing is to get him unprepared and off guard. If he's not expecting you, he has no time to plan. Not that he needs a plan to kill you, he could just do it. But still-

As the sun seeps down past the hills and flatlands of Mondstadt, John and you make your way out of headquarters and down to the main part of town.

"You know what sounds so amazing right now? A tall mug of cider from Angel's Share!" John exclaims and grabs your arm. The two of you practically run towards the tavern, gaining looks from the other citizens.

"Cool it, John," You whisper yell to him as you head inside.

"You wanna actually look suspicious?" He laughs, sitting down at a table in the back.

"Sorry if I'm not good at being convincing. Dad always said acting would be my downfall."

"When would you ever have to act to be a knight?" He shrugs his shoulders.

"Right now?" Okay, he has a point. Merely minutes after you sit down, two Fatui agents walk in after, taking a table far enough away, but close enough to keep you in their sights.

"Don't worry, _____," Your cousin says, noticing your worried expression.

We'll get you out of here."

John waves his hand and gains the attention of Master Diluc as he's walking around the tavern.

"We'd like two Valberry Whiskey's please!" Your cousin asks loudly and winks. Diluc rolls his eyes and heads towards the back of the tavern, getting the 'drinks.'

It was a miracle and a half that John was able to convince Master Diluc to help you. But John said he owed him a favor. For what, you have no idea. Not even a second later, a young bard runs over to your table and slams his hands down.

"What did you just order?"

"Uh," You look to your cousin for guidance. The drink was simply a code, not an actual order.

"Valberry Whiskey?" The young bard looks at you in amazement. He's clearly drunk, but the sheer excitement in his eyes seems to sober him up enough to eagerly rush to the bar counter.

"A new drink! And Diluc didn't tell me?!" His shouts of joy gain the attention of the entire bar.

"A new drink?!"

"One not on the menu?"

"Master Diluc!"

Your cousin and you share a look as the crowd goes wild, rushing towards the front bar and to the back looking for Diluc to inquire about this new drink. The few Fatui agents that had followed you in stand up from their seat to get a better view of you and John. John grabs your arm and pulls you into the crowd, the Fatui agents desperately searching for your whereabouts.

"This way, _____." He pulls you farther and farther away from the Fatui till you feel another hand grab you and pull you out of the back entrance to the tavern.

"Hey, watch your hands, buddy!"

"Would you rather still be in there then, _____?" You smile nervously up at Diluc, who's handing you a bag and cloak.

"Things didn't exactly go as planned, huh?" The redhead smirks and crosses his arms.

"I knew that bard would be in here tonight. Drunk off his ass, he wouldn't be able to resist the call of a new drink item." You laugh, pulling the hood over your head.

"Thank you, Diluc." He gives you a rare smile and nods. You begin to walk off but stop, looking back at the tavern owner.

"Hey Diluc, what was the favor for?" Diluc sighs and pinches between his eyes.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

__________________

The journey back to Liyue is a tiring one. It seems a lot closer than it actually is on the map, but heading to the main harbor is always a task. Thankfully, you're able to make your rations last the whole trip, and as you enter the harbor in the wee hours of the night, you smile at the familiar buildings. You may have only been gone for a few months, but this was your home for the last three years.

Your home with Tartaglia . . . You pull your hood farther down your head and try to remain in the shadows. Despite the time of night, the area is still bustling with people. Merchants making deals, ships delivering goods, the whole nine yards.

You flatten yourself against a wall as a few Fatui agents walk past. The place is absolutely crawling with Fatui, even more so than usual. Could it have something to do with you? You doubt it. Harbinger or not, Tartaglia could get in serious trouble for using Fatui resources in such a way.

You carefully slide through cracks and crevises, branches and bushes, trying to stay out of any Fatui sights. Eventually, you find yourself on the outskirts of the city, not far from your shared home. It surprisingly takes a lot from you to not run straight for it. You miss your house. You miss your bed. You miss Tartaglia.

But now is not the time to get sentimental!

You still need to confront him about what he did. And depending on his answer, one of you may not make it through the night. You keep yourself stealthy as you enter the house from the back. He's not home, which is good. But the place is in disarray. Furniture turned upside down, plates smashed against walls, everything caked in dust. It's hard to believe he's been living here if he even has been.

If that's the case, you may have to go looking for him. You look around the house at the disaster. He may have been trying to look for something; maybe a clue to what you had planned or something to use against you.

With that in mind, you run up the stairs to the master bedroom and open the closet. You fear the worst but are surprised to find your sister's belongings still in place.

Surely he would have found them in here.

The bedroom isn't as bad as the bottom floor, though still a mess. The bed is unmade, with a small pile of your clothes on your side of the bed, and his clothes on the floor. All of your things, besides the clothes, are still neatly in their places. Pictures of you and him together that were once on the walls are now on his nightstand, face up and smudged with fingerprints.

"What the hell happened here?" The sound of the front door opening startles you. Could that be Childe? There's no way he's living like this!

Footsteps move across the floor, into the kitchen, into the living room, and slowly up the stairs. Whoever it is, your about to face them.

The door opens slowly, almost torturously so. Soon, the sunken and sullen face of your lover is in your view, and even faster, your on the floor with a knife made of hydro to your throat. Your hood continues to obscure your identity as Childe pins you down.

"Bold of you to break into the home of a Fatui Harbinger! What did you expect?" With the pressure from the knife digging deeper and deeper into your skin, you freeze the hand wrapped around his holding the knife, and kick your leg out. Childe falls over, dropping his weapon which shatters on impact. Before you can get your bearings, he's lunging at you again. He grabs you from behind and holds you in a chokehold.

"Your fast, but you'll never be fast enough!" You gasp for air, holding onto his arm as it's wrapped around your neck. He's trying to kill you, you know he is. All the times you've sparred with him, you knew he was holding back, but he's definitely not this time. Even so, his hold on you is weak. Weak for him, at least.

You rear your elbow into his stomach as hard as you can knocking him back and you summon your catalyst. As he said, he's faster than you, but before he can get back, you place a wall of ice between him and yourself. It's not enough to hold him back for long, but enough to catch your breath. He laughs as he can hear you choking, attempting to regain your oxygen.

"You think this little wall will stop me?" He attacks the wall with his fist, making a section crumble. Your breathing is fast, but you can't seem to gain enough breath to speak. As he crumbles your wall piece by piece, you pull back your hood and lean on the bedroom wall behind you. Finally, he lands the finishing blow and the ice dissipates in a gust of cryo magic. The crazed look of bloodlust vanishes from his face the instant he sees you, hand on your throat, and your breath heavy.

"___-," He can hardly finish his whisper as he lets out a shaky breath. With the tense atmosphere suddenly calm, you're able to regain your breath and look up at the man. His skin a pale and his eyes are dull. He has large dark circles under his eyes and he looks a bit thinner than normal.

"_____," He manages to get out, still shocked you're actually here.

"Are you okay?" You shake your head.

"You haven't seen me in months and that's the first thing you say to me?" He rubs the back of his neck and looks down, ashamed.

"I didn't know it was you. I'm sorry if I hurt you." You can hardly believe what you're seeing. He seems broken, utterly defeated. If he hadn't fought you just now, you'd assume he'd fall over with the breeze.

Looking at him now, it's hard to believe he's the same man that killed your sister.

"We need to talk." He nods, refusing to meet your eyes.

"You need to tell me the truth, Tar," He takes in a shuddering breath at your words.

"All these years, I've been beside you. I've stood up for you, I've loved you. I told you all my darkest secrets and nightmares. Not once did I ever lie to you."

Tears come to his eyes just as they do yours. He bites his lip to prevent the tears from falling. You step closer to him, dropping your cloak, and put your hands up to his face. He flinches away from you but relaxes when your palms cup his cheeks and he finally looks you in the eyes.

"Over the past few months, I've thought long and hard about what I wanted to say to you. And no matter what scenario I came up with, I could never tell if I was doing the right thing. But, even though I carry some semblance of anger, I know that what I feel for you is real. And with that, I still hold hope that you feel the same and it wasn't all just a lie."

He grabs your hands, the tears now falling one by one down his pale cheeks.

"I swear to all the Archons that I love you! I never lied about that!" You hesitate for a moment, blinking away your own tears.

"And though I don't want to, I believe you," You rub your thumbs across his face, clearing some of the tears.

"But I need you to tell me everything." Tartaglia closes his eyes. He never dreamed in a million years he'd have to tell you this story. He'd hoped that you'd live in blissful ignorance for the rest of your life with him. But the gods had another plan for him and you, and he prays that at least one of them will let him keep you. Even if that's a selfish request.

"I joined the Fatui when I was young. I was constantly trying to prove myself to Signora and the Tsaritsa that I was willing to do anything they asked me. I still am," He looks at you with regretful and sorrowful eyes as he recalls the past.

"Your parents had fled Snezhnaya when you were born, because of a debt they racked up with the Fatui. When they were found in Fontaine, it was revealed that they were working for a group of rebels intent on infiltrating Snezhnaya. It was my job to take you and your sister to use as leverage on your parents. But, your sister fought back," You release his face and look away, finding it harder to keep eye contact with him.

"I wasn't as skilled as I am now, and I panicked. But La Signora said I did a good job. I didn't know that your parents had already been killed by the rebels, and neither did the Fatui. Not until after we had left you. At that point, there was no reason to continue after you. But you were never forgotten about. And when you came to Liyue, I was instructed to keep an eye on you," Childe lifts his arms up and places his hands on your shoulders.

"But I never expected to fall in love with you." You look into his ocean blue eyes and are overcome by the warmth they hold for you.

"The day I met you, I could feel it, and I tried so hard to forget about it, but you were just so . . . Amazing, and beautiful, and kind. I never expected that from you. You never once judged me or ridiculed me, even though you knew who I was. I thanked the Archons every day that you came into my life, and I prayed that you'd never find out what I'd done."

A sob breaks through as he wipes the tears running down his face. All the years you harbored hatred for this man, you never once thought about what he could have been going through. It's true that this doesn't excuse his actions, but to know that he truly regrets what he did brings you some kind of closure. In the end, revenge would have never made you feel better. Your sister wouldn't have wanted that.

You love Tartaglia with all your heart, and in this world, it's better to forgive than to let it eat away at you any longer.

"Tartaglia," His name comes out as a whisper with your breath, but he hears you loud and clear. The fear of rejection in his eyes tells you everything you need to know as you carefully speak to him.

"I forgive you." He cries, pulling you to his chest and you hug him back. Unfortunately for him, you weren't finished.

"But, I need some time to think about this. I love you; I never stopped loving you, and I always will," You pull back and smile at him before gently kissing his chapped lips.

"I'm going back to Mondstadt, but I'll be back. You just need to give me some time." He smiles as best he can and nods enthusiastically.

"I'd give you all the time in the world if I could." He moves to kiss you again, but you put a finger up to his lips to stop him.

"Save it for later, Tar." He laughs, looking back up at you with bright eyes.

"So, there's a later?"

(A little something extra. It doesn't quite fit to be an ending, but more like an epilogue just tying things together I guess lol.)

___________________

You sigh as you sling your bag over your shoulder. It's been a good few months back in Mondstadt after your reconciliation with Childe, and you've decided it's time to go home. You've kept in regular contact with him since you've been here, writing letters to each other like new lovers. You found the whole thing quite cute, despite the circumstances. He's been regarding you with caution, taking things one step at a time, and never pushing you past any limits you set. You're grateful for that.

"You sure you wanna go back? You can always stay a bit longer, just to give yourself a bit more time to think it over." John says, arms crossed and head down. You two have grown closer over your time spent here. It's a shame to think you were so caught up in your misery to be blind to the best friend you could have had. And it's tough to say goodbye, now that you've grown attached.

"I'm sure. You don't have to miss me too much, ya know? I'll be back to visit, and I'll write every week!" John huffs.

"You better, or I'm coming over there and kicking that Fatui's ass for keeping you away! I don't care how many ruin guards he can take on!" You laugh and pull him into a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you." He hugs you back, holding you tight.

"Yeah, I know." You roll your eyes and wave goodbye to the family you didn't realize you had.

Once back in Liyue, you get settled into your home with Childe. Thankfully, he cleaned up the mess he made while you were gone. He had said he was so distraught at the thought of you leaving him, he trashed the place in anger. Not anger from you, but anger at himself. He was afraid you'd think he was a monster, that he was heartless, and that you'd never want to see him again.

He was relieved when he heard you were in Mondstadt. There, he could keep an eye on you. One of the things he was afraid of was you doing something to yourself due to the pain of it all . . . If you did that, he wouldn't know how to cope. And when he received word that you had disappeared from Mond, well, he thought that fear had come true. But in the end, things worked out. You could never forget what he did, nor do you want to. It's something you have to live with, just like he does, and it's up to you to put it aside.

You know there are many things he's done that he's not proud of. Many things of which he promises to tell you when he's ready. And you'll be there to listen as he spills his heart out to you.

You take in a breath of air as you enter the harbor, smelling the salty water of the ocean and the wonderful herbs being brought in from traveling merchants. You'll never get over these smells.

"_____!" You look over your shoulder, surprised as Chen runs over to you. You haven't seen her since the incident outside of town.

"Chen! Are you okay?" She smiles and hugs you.

"I'm doing great! My brother and I have been selling a lot more of our goods since he's been back, and business has been booming!"

"Your brother?" You tilt your head.

"Yes!" She nods enthusiastically.

"He did go to Lingju Pass as Childe had said. It turns out, he had a buyer out there but didn't want to tell me in case the deal went south. I overreacted. . ." She puts her head down in shame.

"All the rumors about the Fatui got to my head, and I assumed the worst. But Childe went out and found my brother for me. Can you please tell him I said thank you? Also that I'm sorry. I really owe him one."

You pat her on the head, relieved.

"Of course, Chen." She reaches into her pocket and pulls something out.

"For payment-"

"No!" You shove her hand away.

"Gotta go! I'm late to see Tar!" You sprint off, leaving a confused Chen in your wake.

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