#man all i've been thinking about for the past month is pillars and these two losers in particular

[cliaban-rilag]

can a wizard who fails every single athletics check and a paladin who fails every single intelligence check fall in love?

#man all i've been thinking about for the past month is pillars and these two losers in particular #these were supposed to be flat coloured but i was having too much fun shading the clothes #pillars of eternity #pillars of eternity deadfire #poe2 #poe watcher #aloth corfiser #myos art #oc: variel

[roninishere]

Half of my heart.

Obanai Iguro x female reader

Warnings: sadness, regret, depression, more sadness.

Summary: Obanai loved you so much, but his past prevented him front being with you.

||

‘Would you remember?
Would you still think of me the same?
Every December, I've been reminded of things I should say to you, but I'm silent
Give it a moment of silence
In a moment, I've wasted our time
I'm here if you've think I've stopped trying 'cause

‘I love you Y/N, marry me, so I can finally be the man you deserve.’

Those were some of things he should’ve told you, but he couldn’t bring his filth into your life, he had done enough already. He had ruined your life already in his eyes. Giving you hope just to rip it away from you. No matter how many times you told him you didn’t care about his corrupted blood, how his scars didn’t make him the disappointment that he had imprinted in his mind from his younger years, how many times you cried and begged him to stop punishing himself for his traumatic and horrible past.

No matter how many times you told him that you love him and you’ll never another.

‘Half of my heart is still there
I do what I can, but I'm scared
Would you still remember, I swear
It's been too long now
Even if I'm gone now
Half of my heart is still there
I do what I can, but I'm scared
Would you still remember, I swear
It's been too long now
Even if I'm gone now
Half of my heart is still’

The photograph that never left his left breast pocket, reminded him everyday of what could’ve been. Where he left half of his heart. With you when you gave birth to a spilt image of him. Exact; those turquoise and yellow mixed matched eyes, the jet black hair, and pale skin.

Everything he grew to hate about his image growing up, were now so beautiful. His son was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Though he couldn’t be there, but that didn’t stop him from sending gifts for his son who would grow up and live life to its fullest. He wasn’t there in person, but he ensured that no harm would come to the ones he couldn’t be with.

He kept himself away for the two of you.

‘Darling how could I forget
Autumn of the year we met
Know you still have things to say
The difference is I broke us apart
The difference is the same as it was’

You took his breath away the moment he saw you, he just had become a Hashira, you weren’t a Hashira yet, and the Master put the two of you on a mission together. You had the brightest smile and kindest personality that anyone could in the corps. Neither one of you meant to fall for each other how quickly you did. However, before it could blossom into something beautiful and forever, he ripped all your hopes and dreams away.

He’ll never forget how he watched a part of you die that day.

‘Cause it's too
Silent and it's been killing me in silence
In a moment, I've wasted our time
I'm here if you've think I've stopped trying 'cause

Half of my heart is still there
I do what I can, but I'm scared
Would you still remember, I swear
It's been too long now
Even if I'm gone now’

The serpent pillar always felt he prevented you from happiness, to a normal life, until you’d send him letters every six months expressing how happy you and his son were. How thankful you were to have met him, and be with him only for a bit. How you still loved him and would forgive him of all his sins like you always promised. To allow himself to be happy. To allow your son to be happiness to having his father in his life. ‘It’s not too late Obanai, baby, please don’t punish yourself anymore. Come home to us.’

‘Half of my heart is still there
I do what I can, but I'm scared
Would you still remember, I swear
It's been too long now
Even if I'm gone now
Half of my heart is still
There, there, there’

He had talked himself into doing it. He even got as far as to your home, hiding in the shadows until he saw how grown his son was. Had it been three years already? What if his own son thought of him as a monster? Was if his own son wouldn’t want anything to do with him the more he grew up? The two of you were in the backyard; you were grabbing dried laundry with the little boy in your arms who playfully chewed in his fingers.

“Is someone hungry? Silly boy! Those are not food!” You playfully teased as you pulled his hand out of his mouth “hmm, how does totoro kombu sound? Huh Obanai? Shall momma make your favorite?”

He froze in the shadows, not taking another step forward as the little boy screamed out in joy as she chuckled, walking back inside. The serpent Hashira felt the fingers of his dead family dig into his skin, not allowing him to finally step out of the shadows.

You named your son after him, and his favorite was the Hashiras favorite food.

He sighed deeply ‘Forgive me again Y/N, I want to come home, to the two of you, but I’m scared.’ Kaburamaru and him exchanged disappointing looks before walking in the opposite direction of where half of his heart was.

‘Someday, I’ll be back someday.’

||

Part 2!

Oh my god! I made myself cry writing this. I wanna do a part 2, any ideas or inputs? Ahh! I’m so scattered brained haha. I love y’all! Inspired by Half of my heart by Josh Makazo.

#demon slayer #demon slayer x reader #kimetsu obanai #obanai iguro #kimetsu no yaiba obanai #obanai x y/n #obanai x reader #iguro obanai #obanai x you #kny obanai #demon slayer obanai

[magebastard]

wip wursday

thank u @coldshrugs for tagging me im NERVOUS abt this 1

im soft writing an if that may stay unreleased forever bc i don’t know if i will have the willpower to consistently post updates but im done w a prologue and half of chapter 1 and it’s been a treat to write about the most romantic place on earth (a tiny beach town in new jersey) here is a scene that I had to email to myself months ago bc I couldn’t figure out how to configure it into actual code properly but this is the first major flirt scene with the ro im in love w the most currently can you tell I started writing this after re-watching the bear

tagging @mrs-theirin @lalizah @darkspawntaxcollectors @grapecaseschoices everyone truly please I need to read my pals beautiful writing

Huh. You think you'd be wise enough to know when hunger is the culprit behind your bad moods at this point in your adulthood. That cloying, constricting feeling in your gut roils in response to Jordan's good-natured accusation and your lips flatten into a smile of surrender. He snorts. You hop up to sit on the counter across from his work station.

Sticking around after close isn't too outrageous of an ask when he's the one offering to make you dinner.

Damn, but it smells good in here. You imagine it'll get old—the smell of diner food permeating the modest industrial kitchen. But now it's only making you too aware that your last meal was a stale cereal bar nearly nine hours ago. Minutes pass. Jordan bobs his head to the music playing from his phone, speakers echoing where it's propped up inside of a clear, Tupperware tub. You don't want to upset the calm of a man's kitchen closing ritual but it feels like you should say something.

"I'm sorry I snapped. I didn't mean to take my bad day out on you," you finally settle on.

His dark eyes flit to yours for barely a moment. It's not too much but it's a strange intimacy. The last two employees on a closing shift, practically basking in the quietened building. It'd be peaceful, if it weren't so bizarre.

You turn your attention to his hands. Quick and certain, he methodically prepares your omelette with an artful precision. Almost more bizarre than sharing this calm moment with your coworker, is the care he measures into each ingredient, delicately incorporated. The effort is so thoughtful, you try to swallow past the sudden tightness in your throat.

"It's all good. I've been here long enough to recognize that ‘I didn’t take a lunch break’ look on anyone," he finally responds. There's a feint, fond smile on his face and it's impossible to deny the warmth of his handsome features. You smile along.

"You know everyone here pretty well?" It's not a question you really need answered. It's obvious. The guy practically has his head on a swivel for the revolving door of coworkers coming in to update him on their personal lives, which he responds to in kind with questions or anecdotes of his own. If there's one thing you've gleaned from your first week back at the diner it's that Jordan is adored as both a friend and a pillar of the business. He's got a singular kind of reliability.

You don't realize you're still smiling until you catch him staring, his hands stalled over pan and fork.

#myfic #thank u AGAIN #I’m nervous every time I post sth about this but it IS making me focus up more!!!!

[delightfulvoidstudent]

Prompt #12: : Miss the Boat

CW: Discussion of pregnancy, relationships ending poorly.

“Fen! Fen, Fenris, come on!” His stride never slowed, ignoring the calls from behind him. All he’d done to get back, every bribe paid out of his so-called pocket money, the days Hel was covering for him back at the bar, even asking, begging, really, Auberi for the time away from their new fledged company. The risk of it, being here in Ishgard, walking the streets of the Pillars and Foundation, past the Manors of the High Houses where he would never again be welcome. The bite of the cold and snow, the imposing statues of the Fury, the whispers of heretics, all the memories and even the peal of the church bells, and this was what he’d come back to? The soft tenor still called his name, chasing him along paths they’d once walked. No soft contralto joined him, though he could hear the click of her heels, falling behind. 

She was, he reflected, in no shape to give chase. 

It didn’t matter, it certainly didn’t slow his steps, past the Athanaeum Astrologicum, around the corner, into the maze of back-ways and alleys that fed from the Pillars down into Foundation, and further still, dumping into the Brume. His path would not take him so far. He had rooms reserved at the Forgotten Knight for the evening under his new name; rooms he did not think he would use. The Arc of the Worthy always had tradesmen coming and going. It would be a simple matter to leave with a different caravan. His skills were in demand, he could find work for the return trip. It didn't matter that he’d intended to stay a few days. The city guard would take a written notice for the merchant he’d intended to travel with. It would all work out. 

A hand gripped his arm, and only then did he stop, looking down to regard the smaller elezen for long, unblinking moments. The face looking up at him blanched, a natural reaction to the molten gold his eyes turned in their fury. He could feel the set of his jaw, and having seen the expression on his older brother’s face, expected there were lines of tightness around his mouth, edges of the rage that ran deep in their blood. Fenris said nothing, simply watched, waiting, for the other to speak. 

“Fen, look, it’s not what you think,” the excuse began, the minor son of a minor house trying to find the words, whatever courage he thought he could pluck up in the face of one of the lions of… no, not that, not anymore. Still, having that sort of reputation precede you didn’t hurt, watching the lordling wilt. A man he’d once thought he’d loved. And there, the other of the twin daggers, finally catching up to them. “She’s showing. It’s her first, and she’s still out in public with it, so that puts her at about four, perhaps five months. Not far enough along that the matrons will be gossiping behind their hands to try to get her to stay inside.” Fenris held up a hand, forestalling the next bit of commentary. “I don’t care. I wish you every happiness.” He could feel the twinning ice and ire in his own voice, Shiva and the Fury curling around his heart like the lover he stared at now. “I’ve not missed the boat, here, poppet. That’s yours and you two love ducklings are wed. Or will be. I was just a passing fancy.” Fen shook his arm free. “Don’t think I'm an idiot, minou. I’ve only been gone for three months. This predates my disappearance and is exactly what I think.” Another shake freed him completely from the blonde, and he bowed, deeply, to the woman who, through probably no fault of her own, had taken the only thing worth coming back here from him. Something settled, the last little bits of his belief in love, maybe, as he watched them look at one another. A look he’d thought was his alone. It ground against the shards of his heart for a long moment, grit turning to sand and then dust. 

“I wish you all the joy of him. If you’ll excuse me, I've got a cart to catch and a life to start.” He paused, glaring at the hand that reached for him. “It was not a request.” 

#FFxivWrite2022

[bi-kingdom]

Secret Liasons - Maria Hill x OC

A/N: do you ever go through your drafts and realize past you never posted a whole freaking fanfic idea??? Like, even the tags were added?? I just had it sitting there...there's like 2 or 3 posts even 😂

Warnings: mainly fluff

I've been developing the Avengers initiative for over 5 years now, working as a tech developer. But its a little open ended. I've worked on coding programs, delved into physical engineering, and designed prototypes for numerous weapon designs - it's never a one role place. Erik Selvig had even let me assist him with his Tesseract setup in the lowest levels of the facility.

I never wanted to do much but I found myself rising through the ranks until I'd managed to get my hands on my own lab and freedom to develop at my own pace. So long as the higher ups knew I was working on something.

Those higher ups being, Nick Fury, and one step below him, Maria Hill. She'd been my main manager these past 2 years, and to my annoyance, the most invested in my work. Fury I could handle, the man wanted a new QuinJet draft, fine. Here's a draft, and a little red ink later we've got another. But Hill?

No.

She's more thorough than him, more involved. And you'd think all this time spent together would make me dislike her - and I did - for the first couple months. But there was something about her that grew on me, whether it was her fascination in a project of mine or the sheer amount of boss lady energy she radiated. I couldn't deny the blush on my cheeks when she came in for her weekly progress checks.

From then on it was just a freaking free for all, a damn snowball effect. She comes in with absolutely no idea of her effect on me, making notes on my blueprints and assessing a new prototype.

The base evacuation is bittersweet and I hurriedly shove computer hardware into secure lock boxes for transport, but I know that on the other side of this we are moving to the SHIELD Helicarrier. I'd had minimal input with that build, having only been part of the team working on solutions for solving energy output needs and reviewing the ship's cloaking devices. I didn't want to leave this lab, but even in the midst of a full meltdown evac, I'm ager to see the final product up and running.

I must be among the last of us to evacuate to the tunnels leading to the underground exits, one of the vehicles loaded up with my gear as I gesture for the guards to go ahead with it. I'm right behind them. But gunshots ring in these tunnels and I duck behind a pillar as a truck takes off, an odd man with a staff following behind. Hill chasing after them.

The foundation shakes, knocking dust from the concrete overhead. I jump into a remaining jeep and take off into the fray, my heart racing as the tunnels are filled with others fleeing the facility. Eventually I can see two vehicles ahead of me. Agent Hill in her stand-off with the man from before. I can see light ahead, the light at the end of the tunnel. But the foundation gives way behind me and the dust is like rain overhead. I hit the brake as a boulder sized piece of the foundation comes down onto the engine, my arms covering my head as I lay on the seat, my eyes shut to avoid the dust flying about.

I'm not sure how long I wait before I attempt to move. Pinned to the seat, I kick the door over and over with my foot until the door gives way and I can finally slide out of the jeep. I see a slab of the foundation laying over top of the vehicle, the lights flickering nauseatingly and illuminating my near cause of death menacingly. My only saving grace was where the bed of the truck and the top of the engine held up. The frame of the truck is flattened, the tires shoved under the wheel wells. I was that close - that close to being crushed to death.

I cough in the midst of all the dust, waving away at the air. As I recover, the stone leading towards the exit starts to shift. I crouch against the jeep, my heart hammering against my chest.

But to my relief, I see Hill sliding through a crevice, pushing debris out of her way.

"Holy shit I thought there was an aftershock." I huff, coughing as I continue to taste dust in the air.

"How the hell did you make it out alive?" She says once she's finally through.

"Well I'm technically not out yet." I correct, nodding to the caved in tunnel we're in. "And even then, I almost didn't." Hill assesses the jeep, shaking her head.

"You've got a good kick." She compliments, looking at the dent in the door. I smile at her, running my fingers through my hair as I release it from its bun. There's no need for professionalism right now.

Hill extends her hand to me and helps me up, eyeing the path that leads further into the tunnels. She tries finding a loose bit of stone but shakes her head as nothing gives way.

"We'll have to send in rescue teams, try to get all this stone out." I nod, steadying myself against some concrete. She tilts my head up and I hope to god it's dim enough to hide my blush. She touches a spot on my head, her fingers coming back darker than before.

"And get you patched up." She huffs, leading me out of the tunnels.

On the outside, there's a whole mob of SHIELD Agents rallying around to find survivors. A few paramedics rush over to Hill and I and set to work cleaning us up. I end up with a bit of gauze taped to my forehead and some large bruising but other than that I'm one of the lucky ones that didn't get crushed by the collapse.

I'm deemed fit to transport to the Helicarrier, Hill included on board as the recovery efforts get underway below. She sits beside me, leaning forward and staring at the floor of the Helicopter. I nudge her knee with my own in this cramped space. She tilts her head to me.

"Who was that man?" I mutter, my throat still dry from inhaling the air in the collapse.

"Fury didn't say. But it's safe to say that we're at war." She continues to stare at the floor, leaving me wondering what might be going through that battered brain of her's.

#Maria Hill #maria hill x fem reader #Avengers #agent maria hill #Secret Liasons

[wonderfuldeath]

.o| Horror Island: Jimin. |o.

Warnings : Violence, injury, self doubt, murder, graphic depictions

Please, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi ! ♥

« - Jimin, do you know what day it is today? 

- No, Father. 

- You don't even know the date of your own birthday? » 

The mocking tone sent a shiver down the spine of the little lost lamb the man of God had taken in so long ago. The broom in his hands stopped moving as he stared at the calendar against the wall. His inquisitive eyes searching for any sign that might point him in the direction of this information. A shrug of the shoulder before resuming the big clean-up he'd had in mind, it wasn't a day very different from the others. In fact, Jimin had never celebrated a birthday, so he didn't really see how this year was going to be any different; it was a day like any other, that's all. 

« - Why don't you take your purse and go back to the village? I filled it yesterday. Why don't you spend the day out? 

- Really, Father? You don't mind? 

- If I say so. Come on, hurry up. But come back for dinner, I've prepared something special. Meet me at the temple at sunset. 

- Yes, Father. » 

With a cheerful heart, Jimin hurried to get his things, covering himself in this rather dry early winter, wondering when the first snow would arrive. With light steps, he returned to the village from which he had been cut off for the past two months, surprised to see the streets so bland and the villagers so serious. Jimin had not been born in this village, but had been carried here by the sea nineteen years ago. He no longer remembered his parents, having only kept the family necklace given to him by his father as a gift. He took his time strolling through the almost deserted streets, before taking refuge in the warmth of a store he knew by heart. 

« - Isn't it's little Jimin? What brings you out in this cold weather? 

- Madame Min, did you know that today was my birthday? I've come to buy one of your best cakes, if you don't mind. 

- Oh wait here a second, this kind of thing only happens once a year, I'll wrap it up for you. »  

Impatient as a newborn baby, Jimin looks down at his hands, turns around the store a little, before also picking up some delicacies wrapped perfectly in the leaves of the forest trees. Running a hand through his hair, he turns red when his friend's mother announces that she's giving him a gift. 

« - Yoongi's not at the store? 

- That rascal went berry-picking in the forest three days ago. He hasn't been back since. 

- Oh. Could I go and have a look? Do you know where he went? 

- Come on, don't be silly. Yoongi's big, and he's known the forest for as long as you have. He must have found a place to rest for his nonsense. He'll be back when there are no more berries or fruit to eat. »

And yet, despite his tone, Jimin understood that Madame Min was worried sick, after all, Yoongi had never been away for so long, yes a day or two wandering and getting lost in the woods, but in good camping times. Rejecting the idea that was nagging at the back of his mind, Jimin armed himself with politeness before leaving the restaurant, watching the weather turn to snow. This year it had come early. On his way, he came across no living soul, the lively place was deserted of life, and he was almost relieved to meet a familiar, but serious, gaze. 

« - Hoseok. Does the snow scare everyone away? 

- Snow? Oh Jimin. 

He seemed reassured, as if a stone had been lifted from his shoulders, and came to embrace him cheerfully before looking at him with a paternal smile. 

- We began to think that the mountain bear had devoured you. 

- No, Father wanted me to start my meditation. He's been acting strange lately. It's like he's hiding something.

- Come home, my loving wife should open her arms to you, she's always talking about you. » 

Cheerful, Jimin accepted, following his friend to his big house. The Jung and Ivanovich were among the main pillars of the village, and would certainly never be short of money. Once inside the big house, the pretty but frail Elyzabeth gently embraced him. She hadn't looked a shadow of her former self for some time, but her eyes lit up when she saw him. Even so, he can feel her frustration and disappointment. 

« - Jimin. 

- Were you expecting someone else? 

- No, I just... Didn't you hear? »  

He seems to fall off a cliff, hearing the news like a big slap in the face. Taehyung and Jungkook had disappeared two months ago now. He pursed his lower lip, how could this be? And why hadn't Heisuke told him? A strange kind of anger gripped his heart, and he straightened up. 

« - Escaped? Together? They would have told us !

- We already know. But the search was fruitless. 

- Yoongi also went to look for them in the forest around the lake. 

- That explains why he hasn't come back yet. » 

Slowly, Elyzabeth confirms but he can feel Hoseok is much more tense, his gaze serious, yet he remains silent. With no real appetite the three of them enjoy Yoongi's mother's dishes together, before Jimin decides to leave, to let the ailing woman rest. On the doorstep, Hoseok held him back, away from the young woman's curious ears. 

« - Namjoon and Jin went to the temple, where they would have been last seen. You didn't happen to run into them, did you? 

- At the temple? It's been closed for renovation for two months now. Father said something bad had happened. 

- What did he say? 

- Something about an animal falling down the stairs and breaking its neck. No one's allowed down there under any circumstances. » 

Hoseok seemed to understand something, while Jimin seemed to realize it too, putting a hand to his mouth to keep from yelping, he looked at Hoseok as if he'd gone mad, chasing away the dark idea that had just crossed his mind. Something like this could never be done, and even if it was, there were still two of them. 

« - I'll go to the temple tonight. Father's planning to give me my birthday present there. 

- Be careful Jimin, the priest... He's no good to me. If you have any doubts, just come home, okay? It'll always be open to you. » 

Nodding, Jimin strolls through the streets, before coming across the pretty lucky charms in the Ivanovich's store. His purse far from empty he buys himself two of the cutest wooden cats, good luck and eternal happiness. Covering them in his handkerchief, he would offer the lucky one to Taehyung when they found him. It would cheer him up, he was sure. As the sun began to set, he set off for the temple. You had to climb a hundred steps to get to the entrance. Previously a place of mediation for the village shamans, since the ascension of the priest Damarro, the place had been modified for his dreams of height. But Jimin had seen the look on the villagers' faces: they thought he was crazy. And felt sorry for the poor orphan. 

« - Father, are you here ? » 

The darkness of the temple sent a chill down his spine, and for safety's sake he kept the door open, letting the icy night air inside. He thrusts his hands into his deep pockets, looking around for warmth before lighting a torch. Here, nothing seemed to have moved in two months, and his eyes searched for something to prove his father's or Hoseok's claims. The fine red streak on the ground makes him gag, as does the sight of the shoe left on the ground, recognizable by its color; the immaculate white of Seokjin's shoes makes him shudder. 

« - Jin ? Namjoon ? Are you here ? » 

Dread seizes him, as he steps forward cautiously, so as not to slip. The stairs lead down to a sort of vaulted cellar he'd never known existed. And the first thing that catches his throat is the infamous smell. A mixture of infection and rot, making him put his hand to his mouth. The torch turns to illuminate him before his whole body freezes. Seokjin is the first body he sees, the gaping black hole in his belly and the various bite marks almost making him vomit. His eyes fall on Namjoon, looking as thin as an infant. He hurried over to his two friends, heart pounding in his ears and looking terrified, trying to find his words. 

« - What's happened ? You guys... I'm going to get help, I'll be right back. » 

Forgetting the looming threat, Jimin runs out the door, ready to cross the village to announce the news of the accident. But when he reaches the temple stairs, he feels the pressure of the trap against his neck, suffocation gripping him as he feels the rope knot further around him as he tries to free himself. 

« - Don't struggle like that, you'll hurt yourself more than you should. 

Jimin's glimmer of hope lights up in his eyes, reaching out a pleading hand, seeking the support of his silent father. 

- You've been a good pawn, you've played your part to perfection Jimin. I promise you that your sacrifice won't be in vain. You'll become a pillar of my new world, and when I become a god, you'll be able to light me up with pride. »

Jimin's eyes widened, realizing that death would be just what he expected. Trying to tear the rope from his neck, he could only look at the man he trusted, as he suffocated. Making little sounds, trying to breathe again, but just the pressure of the rope and the hell of realizing he was going to die hit him. And the last thing he hears is the insane, demonic laughter of the man who raised him. 

« - Three more, and I'll become a god, and they'll just have to shut up. I'll become brilliant and they'll bow down to me. I promise. » 

                                                                  -x-

« - Taehyung are you okay? 

- Uh? 

- You're crying. »

Bringing a hand to his face, he stares in dismay at his wet cheeks through his barely-begun water, the features of fatigue marking his white face, he runs a hand through his hair before simply nodding. He had hoped that not sleeping would stop him seeing the terrifying images. But now, it was taking him even awake. 

« - You seem different lately. Maybe you should get some rest? Forget this article and get some rest, okay?

- Yes... I'll go home and try to put some things aside, thanks for your advice. » 

He hurried to put his notebook away, not quite sure what had brought him to this nightmarish place. Usually, he'd just had to look at a snapshot of one of the places, yet he hadn't done that for Jimin. Pinching his lower lip, his car door slamming as he gripped the steering wheel, Taehyung was consumed by the fear of finding out what happened next and the absolute need to get to the bottom of the story. 

And so he sets off, not for home, but to discover the truth.

#bts os #bts #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #park jimin #horror #horror island

[kimhargreeves]

Careful-Haganezuka Hotaru x Reader

.Summary: Wanting to spend some time with Tanjiro you head over to the Butterfly mansion. There you find a frightened Tanjiro running away from a very angry swordsmith, and you're left to confront him

I continued walking on my own on a long deserted road, humming to a familiar tune which reminded me of my childhood growing alongside with my best friend. I continued my walk and kept my eyes up front being met with nothing more than trees.

Even if I didn't feel like going out I had to, to distract myself from everything that happened. It's been a couple of months since Kyojuro passed away, my childhood friend. Whenever I wasn't busy, I'd visit his brother and always give him something to eat since his father continues being cold towards him.

The pain of losing Kyojuro was still fresh. I had accompanied him along with Tanjiro and his friends on the Mugen Train. We all weren't strong enough to defeat Akaza.

Since Tanjiro and the rest were wounded, I grabbed my sword and headed out to slash the upper moon. By the time I arrived at a cliff where he was, he cowardly leapt away. I ran back to Kyojuro and held him in my arms until he peacefully close this eyes and passed away.

Since then, I tried to find if any of the Upper Moon were out to kill them all. I also became closer to Tanjiro and his two friends and his demon sister. Strangely enough, they were already like family to me.

Master wasn't happy at all when I disobeyed him on not going with them on the train since that wasn't my mission, but there was no way I was leaving them alone. I would normally be on my own, my crow would tell me where to go and what not but after that I would alone without heading to our homes.

Today I was sent a message by my crow, to head back and take a rest. I gave up, it's been many days since I had been wandering on my own not to mention my sword had broken so I was waiting for my replacement.

I continued walking, getting closer to my destination when I saw a figure running past me. "Is that Tanjiro?" I calmly asked myself watching him disappear.

I felt a dark strong presence near me. I glanced back and saw a familiar figure behind me with knives on both his hands. The figure ran past me towards where Tanjiro left, in a matter of seconds he returned and left while screaming.

"Run, (Y/N)!" He said despite Haganezuka not chasing after me.

I began to follow them and quickly the sunset got darker until it turned to night. "Tanjiro?" I asked concerned over the young boy who hasn't gotten any rest.

"Haganezuka quit following the young boy!" I shouted beginning to get annoyed at him wanting to kill the boy.

"I'm gonna kill him!" He shouted back.

I stared at him incredulously and sighed. "Swords are meant to be broken either way, just hand me my own and leave him alone!" I answered back.

Haganezuka stopped chasing Tanjiro. I grabbed the hilt of my broken sword and began to slowly walk ahead. I glanced up and saw Tanjiro still up on a tree holding for dear life.

People warned me of how complicated this man is and how easily he is too anger. No wonder most people are afraid of him being their swordsmith, I've met many people who complained about him.

Talking to him will surely get to them.

"Haganezuka, quit tormenting Tanjiro." I huffed and saw him glance back at me. He let out a scream.

"What did you say, pillar?!"

I gulped and took a step back. "Young Tanjiro run back to safety!" I ran quick and felt the tall man chasing me. And here I was thinking I could get to him through some talking.

"(Y/N)!" Tanjiro shouted my name and I spotted him falling from the tree and began to chase Haganezuka.

Unfortunately neither of us slept that night. We both panted and couldn't believe that Haganezuka would follow us without getting tired at all.

"Over here!" I heard a voice. We both looked and saw Aoi calling out to us. I felt Haganezuka slowly nearing closer. Tanjiro who was in front of me slowly got closer, I pushed him when Aoi opened the door.

"(Y/N!)" I heard Tanjiro cry from the other side when I pushed him for him to go to safety. I let out a scream when I fell to the floor and felt Haganezuka tackle me

"You're not getting out of this one, Hashira!" He grabbed my shoulders and began shake me. Hei dare he touch me?!

Aha! I remember what one is his bosses said. He's a ticklish man, touching his sides will be the only way for him to relax and fall down. Before he could take hold of my wrists I reached out and started to tickle his sides.

Haganezuka immediately stopped and fell to his side and started to hold his sides and laugh. This is my chance! I got up on my feet and ran ahead and jumped up the wooden fence and finally was safe at the Butterfly mansion.

"I'm..finally.. safe." I fell to my knees feeling too tired. I looked up when I heard someone crying my name.

The little girls came running over to me. I smiled at them weakly and patted their heads, "Sumi, Kiyo, Naho. I'm alright there's not need to worry."

I got back to my feet and patted Kanae's head when she looked at me worried. "I'm okay don't you worry." They all followed me inside the mansion and I saw Tanjiro at being taken care of.

"What took you so long?!" Inosuke asked looking at me, still with his boar head on.

Tanjiro must've told his friends that i was around. It's been a while since I've seen them.

"You aren't hurt like Tanjiro are you?" Zenitsu asked with a blush on his face. For once he was acting normally.

I smiled at them two. "Not at all, just tired. How have you both been?"

"Tired."

"Stronger than ever!"

I giggled and hugged both boys, Inosuke was trying to push me back and Zenitsu just melted and smiled. "(Y/N), you made it." Tanjiro said when he entered the room.

"How did you get Haganezuka to let go of you?" He tilted his head.

"Tickling him, don't forget it in case he chases you again."

I was extremely tired but there's a lot to be done. "Rest up now, boys. Food will be done in a few." I slid the door shut and started walking down the halls.

"(Y/N). You should rest up like the rest." Aoi coldly said looking at how tired I looked.

"And don't say that you aren't tired. It's been days since you've decided to come back. I prepared a bath so go and take it, if not I'll rip your clothes off." I hummed and smiled a little at how motherly she sounds.

"Alright." I simply said and left my sword and left to get myself cleaned up. After a couple of minutes I was finally dressed up in a kimono with the small girls who braided my hair and placed some assortments of small butterflies.

Aoi is the only family she has left. I found her many years ago when all of her family passed away, and became a sort of adopted sister that I helped raise.

I walked outside and handed the three boys their meal with Tanjiro who was too tired to eat anything. Aoi turned to me and smiled a bit, "Great! You're all cleaned up."

"Thanks for the hot bath, it helped me relax. Is he still outside?" I asked referring to the swordsman.

"Yup, I gave him the Mitarashi dango you told me to cook."

"Thanks, Aoi." I said again and walked over to where Haganezuka was. I peeked my head out and saw him staring at his mitarashi dango in delight, he still had his mask on.

Kanae wasn't here outside like she usually is, so he could remain outside. "Are you planning to give me my sword?" I huffed crossing my arms.

"Is that anyway to greet your new swordsmith? Need I remind you that you were the one who wrote for me first."

That is right. My previous swordsmith has been very busy and hadn't gotten the time to even start on it for weeks, so I wrote the only man who was available. I didn't receive any letter back, so I assumed he wasn't going it. Until I saw it behind his back while chasing Tanjiro.

"I'm pretty sure we're the exact age..maybe?..Anyways you were the only one available, you could've rejected my offer yet you are here with my sword." I smirked knowing I won. "Come on, give it to me."

"Will you let me eat my precious Mitarashi dango in peace?!" Haganezuka loudly scolded me.

Thinking fast I reached out and grabbed his precious food. "Hah! You're slower than I thought you were." I began to take a bite out of it and heard him freaking out.

"How dare you eat my food you witch!" I tossed whatever I finished down to the plate and glared at him hard.

"What did you say to me?" I held in my anger and continued glaring at him. The man behind the mask lightly jumped when he saw my dark angry aura. That's what I thought.

"You should be grateful instead. I was the one who made this specifically for you, since I heard your friend from back then that this is your favorite meal."

I walked back inside and came with many more mitarashi dango for him. "Here." I placed them right by where he was sitting down and everything fell silent.

"Look, I'm doing this simply because I want to be in good terms with you, so don't get any ideas." I defended myself and hummed when he still didn't say anything.

My eyes landed on his side again, this time he was staring at me intently with that ugly hyottoko mask. I backed up a bit and grew a bit nervous. "W-Why are you staring at me like that? You better not be thinking of killing me."

Haganezuka looked away quickly once he realized he was starting to creep me out. He started lifting his mask up to eat, so I turned away to not look at his face. Though, I do wonder what he looks like.

"Keep your eyes elsewhere." I heard him say.

"What are you ugly under that thing?" I continued to press. I heard a simple growl and knew that it was best to stay silent now until he finish eating.

Couple of minutes went by until he had eaten the entire plate. I heard him place his mask back on and I clapped my hands together.

"I'm grateful that you enjoyed the food." I smiled knowing deep down that he liked it.

The three young girls quickly ran out and back in once they got the empty set of plates and tea cup. After all they were scared of him.

Haganezuka reached down his side and held out my sword with both hands. "Take it brat." I hummed disapprovingly but took the weapon anyway.

I held it and my hands and slowly got it out of its case. I stared down at it for a couple of seconds. "You better not tell me that you hate it! Because I worked real hard on it with extreme care!"

I deeply bowed my head to Haganezuka and felt blessed that he would do this for me. "This is better than I expected, I would love nothing for you to be my permanent swordsmith."

I felt a hard slap on my head and whined when I fell to the ground and held my head. "Quit saying stupid things."

He has a lot of nerve hitting a Hashira! I look back up at him with cold eyes.

"I'm not saying anything stupid! In fact you are the one since you always make people angry at you for no reason."

Deep down I know he's feeling frustrated, because every single client he once had grew tired of his stubborn attitude. He didn't have any client except Tanjiro and now hopefully I will be number two.

I lied to him when I said my previous swordsmith never was on time with my weapons. I wanted to give him another chance since every single swordsmith is important to us Demon Slayers. I made it back to my feet and glared at him again.

"This is the most beautiful well crafted sword I've ever seen. So, it'll be an honor if you would accept me being your second client!"

"Will you shut up..you're sounding like that kid I followed." He said.

"Will you accept me or not?!" I said growing tired because he didn't give me a definitive answer. "I'll break your sword if you refuse me!" I threatened.

"I'll break you in half if you do that!" He shouted back alarmed.

I hummed and smiled wide. "It'll be pleasure working with you, Haganezuka Hotaru." I blushed and saw him looking away yet again.

"When we previous met you also mentioned if I could forge a few kunais, am I right?" I stood back up straight and nodded. I heard him sigh and saw him taking another small box out.

He handed it to me and I eagerly opened it up an examined my new weapon. "Making Kunai aren't my specialty, but I decided to give it a try. Don't you think I made it specifically thinking of what you said!"

I saw inside the box and saw two kunais with a dart rope. I placed the box down and immediately reaches down for the rope, what couldn't fit i wrapped it around my wrist and I tossed and aimed at a tree nearby. With ease I broke a few branches and knew that this would be perfect for me.

"This is exactly what I wanted.."

Haganezuka tilted his head. I realized that I never told him what exactly I planned to do. "Tomorrow I am headed to another mission, with the sound hashira. Over to the Entertainment district, so I really needed this."

Hmm I don't know if even cares about this, but I was still telling him. The tall man got up to his feet and I shivered when I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"I wish you nothing but the best then." He simply said and began to grab his own things ready to leave back to his village.

I bowed again and blushed. "Until we meet again, Haganezuka!" I shouted and saw him slowly disappear. I held both my sword and kunai in hand and lovingly smiled.

Hopefully we will be able to see each other soon. In the mean time I'll try and take good care of these weapons he specifically did for me.

#demon slayer #demon slayer season 2 #hotaru haganezuka #hotaru haganezuka x reader #swordsmith village arc #demon slayer manga #kimetsu no yaiba

[babypandawrites]

Allies, Pt. 12

The Siege of the North, Part Two

Pairing: Sokka x F Reader Warnings: Implications of Death, I think that's all? Word Count: 3,286 Summary: With the Fire Nation waging war on the Northern Water Tribe, you didn't expect things of the past to be brought up, but, when do you expect anything at this point.

Note: And here we have, the final part of Allies :') But don't worry- the story will continue in a sequel 👀 Phew I did not mean for this to take so long, but I was having a really hard time with the end and ended up having to change where the reader was towards the end for me to... actually be able to write the chapter. Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed the story thus far! It means the world to me, really. It's crazy to think about how I've been working on this for four months! I hope you guys will stick with me for the months to come while I write the sequel :') I'll be carrying over the taglist to the sequel since it's the... same story just a different name heh. Let me know if you want to be added or taken off! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and that you all have a great day! <3 Also hi sorry bringing this poll back up bc the results are currently tied!!!

-Navigation- | -Atla Masterlist- -Last Part- | -Allies Masterlist- | -Next Part-

Taglist: @boomeraangin | @brokennerdalert

Eyes blinking open, Y/n slowly came too. Her vision was blurry, and her head was pounding. Faintly, she could hear someone talking, but her head was too fuzzy to make out who it was and what they were saying. Her vision clearing, she could see a rocky ceiling, which seemed… odd. Was she in a cave?

When she tried to sit up, she found that she couldn’t move. Her arms were trapped against her sides, and her legs were bound together. Groaning quietly, Y/n twisted onto her side. Aang was on the ground a few feet away from her, hands bound behind his back. He didn’t seem… present.

Observing the situation more, she noted the figure that stood at the entrance to what she was assuming was a cave. They were still talking, and her head was finally clear enough to make out what they were saying.

“I don’t need luck though, I don’t want it. I’ve always had to struggle and fight and that’s made me strong. It’s made me who I am.”

Struggling weakly against her bindings, Y/n furrowed her eyebrows together. “..Zuko..?”

His head turned to the side slightly, an acknowledgement that she was awake, but he didn’t turn to face her. “Don’t bother trying to get free, I’ll just knock you out again.” He paused for a short moment. “Sorry about that, I just.. I knew you wouldn’t give up. You never have.”

Zuko had… taken her too. Why…?

Grunting, she continued to struggle against the rope, stopping only when Zuko rested his hand on her arm. “What did I just say? Did I knock you in the head that hard?” Sighing, Zuko settled on the ground next to her. “I’d prefer if you didn’t make me knock you out again. You probably think otherwise but I don’t want to hurt you.”

Opting to stay silent, she shuffled in place. He watched her carefully, before awkwardly looking about once she stopped moving. He took in a deep breath, when she started shuffling again. “Are you.. uncomfortable?” Being met with silence, Zuko glanced at Y/n to see she was looking at him with a blank expression. “I can sit you up, if you want.”

Not receiving an answer once again, he let out an annoyed breath. “Conversations usually go both ways, Y/n.”

Still, she looked at him blankly. “I don’t think people typically converse with their captors, Zuko.”

“Well, we used to be friends!” Crossing his arms with a huff, Zuko slumped against the cave wall. “I guess the key phrase is ‘used to be’, isn’t it?” He clicked his tongue, before breathing out a sigh. “I didn’t capture you to turn you in, we could… still be friends.”

Y/n took on a pensive expression. “Then why..?”

“Why did I capture you..?” Receiving a nod of confirmation, Zuko shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t… I don’t know.”

“You don’t… know..?”

“No! Okay?! I just-” Breathing out another annoyed breath, he dropped his head into his hands. “Why? Why did you leave? I thought… I thought we had each other's backs and… and you just up and leave?! Just like that?! No explanation, no nothing!? So why?!” Continuing to stay silent, Y/n grimaced internally at the rise in Zuko’s volume. The more he spoke, the louder he got. It was almost hard to imagine that this was the boy she grew up with.

Zuko scoffed, shaking his head slightly. “Fine then. It doesn’t matter anyways- You’ve chosen your path.” He let out a laugh, one edging on hysterical. “You know, I thought maybe I could sit here and convince you to come back, but I can see that isn’t going to work… The Avatar and his friends have won your favor.” He was silent for a moment, seemingly calming down from his outburst. “Uncle told me that I shouldn’t be mad at you, that I should respect your decision to find your own path. How can I do that when your so-called path is going against me?”

Before Zuko could continue, Aang came too, returning from the spirit world. Attention turned to the boy, when he started to struggle against his bonds. After a short moment of futile struggle, he sat up to face Zuko.

“Welcome back.”

“Good to be back.” Aang spoke with a threatening tone, blinding reaching around with his hands- which were tied behind his back -to try and find Y/n’s wrist. Once he was able to grab onto her wrist, he took in a deep breath and blew Zuko away from them while simultaneously shooting both him and Y/n out of the cave. The two landed in the snow outside, where Aang started to caterpillar crawl.

It didn’t take long for Zuko to get to them, grabbing Aang by the collar and lifting him in the air once he did. “That won’t be enough to escape.”

Suddenly, Appa appeared above them, before landing on the ground. Y/n breathed out a sigh of relief. Katara got off the bison, as Zuko dropped Aang back into the snow. “Here for a rematch?”

“Trust me, Zuko, it’s not going to be much of a match.”

Katara blocked a fireball Zuko shot at her, sending a wave of ice towards him. Once the ice reached him, she encased him in a pillar of ice that she raised high from the ground. When she dropped him, he fell to the ground unconscious.

Sokka jumped off of Appa, rushing over to Aang to cut his bonds. “Hey! This is some quality rope!” He commented, before moving to Y/n to free her as well.

“We need to get to the oasis! The spirits are in trouble!” Aang got up, and ran to Appa, while Sokka helped Y/n to her feet.

Everyone was on the bison, ready for take off, but Aang hesitated on leaving, looking towards Zuko’s knocked out form. “Wait, we can’t just leave him here.”

“Sure we can. Let’s go.”

Y/n shook her head softly. “No, Aang’s right, we can’t leave him. He could die.”

Aang jumped off Appa, and grabbed Zuko to bring him up onto the bison. Sokka watched him with a somewhat exasperated expression. “Yeah, this makes a lot of sense. Let’s bring the guy who’s constantly trying to kill us!”

As they started to fly back to the Spirit Oasis, the moon changed to a blood red, casting a red light over everything. This seemed to affect Yue, who held her head in pain, letting out a groan.

Sokka looked at her concerned. “Are you okay?”

“I feel faint.”

Aang, with a hand to his head, looked at the moon. “I feel it too. The Moon Spirit is in trouble.”

Yue glanced at the moon as well. “I owe the Moon Spirit my life.”

“What do you mean?” Sokka questioned.

“When I was born I was very sick and very weak. Most babies cry when they’re born… But I was born as if I were asleep. My eyes closed. Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me… that night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry- and they knew I would live. That’s why my mother named me Yue, for the moon.”

They neared the oasis as Yue finished her story, to find Zhao there- a bag in hand and Momo on his head trying to stop him from what he was doing. The group got off Appa when he landed, sans Yue and Zuko, ready to fight Zhao and the other Fire Nation soldiers in the oasis.

“Don’t bother!” Zhao held a knife to the bag he had, which must have had the Moon Spirit trapped inside.

Aang dropped his staff, raising his hands in surrender. “Zhao! Don’t!”

“It’s my destiny… to destroy the Moon… and the Water Tribe.”

Y/n glared at the man, resisting her urge to attack him. “You’re insane.”

“Destroying the moon won’t just hurt the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone- including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world.” Aang tried to reason with him, but Y/n wasn’t sure words alone would stop the man.

“He is right, Zhao!” Heads turned to Iroh, as he approached.

“General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?” Zhao spoke in a bored tone.

Iroh lowered his hood. “I’m no traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance.”

Unsurprisingly, Zhao continued to hold his threat on the Moon Spirit, the knife he held at the bag it was captive in not dropping.

“Whatever you do to that spirit I’ll unleash on you ten-fold!” Iroh pointed a finger at Zhao, before taking on a firebending stance. “LET IT GO, NOW!”

After a moment of stillness, Zhao faltered, lowering the bag. He kneeled and released the fish of the Moon Spirit back into the pond. The red light casted from the moon returned back to normal.

Seeing something move in the corner of her eye, Y/n’s attention moved to the right, just in time for her to see a figure sneaking away. Careful not to draw attention to herself, she followed after them, noting that Zuko was missing from Appa’s saddle as she snuck by. He was taking the chance to sneak away, while everyone was focused on Zhao. If she had anything to say about it, he wouldn’t be getting far.

In her pursuit, the moon fell dark, probably thanks to Zhao. It’s not a surprise that he would try and kill the moon spirit, even after letting it go. Keeping her distance and staying as hidden as she can, Y/n continued to follow Zuko- Only stopping when he did. Eyebrows furrowing together, she watched as he shot a blast of flames to a lower area from where they stood- Which was shot at Zhao.

The man stopped in his steps, looking up at Zuko incredulously. “You’re alive?”

“You tried to have me killed!”

He shot several more blasts at Zhao, which he was able to dodge. When he tried to run off in the other direction, Y/n moved quickly to grab her bow and an arrow, shooting it at the ground in front of him. Both Zhao and Zuko were shocked by this, not having noticed her before.

“You tried to have him killed?!”

Zhao’s gaze darted between the two, before primarily focusing on Zuko. “Yes, I did. You’re the Blue Spirit- and enemy of the Fire Nation! You freed the Avatar!” Pausing, he pointed to Y/n. “And her!” His words dripped with venom.

“I had no choice!”

Zuko fired several more attacks at Zhao, while Y/n readied an arrow- though she waited to shoot it until the right moment. Zhao avoided the attacks, removing and dropping his smoking cloak as they subsided. “You should have chosen to accept your failure- your disgrace! Then, at least you could have lived.”

Returning the fire, the two end up in a short exchange of attacks, before Zuko blasted Zhao in the chest, knocking him down. Having seemed to realize Y/n was waiting for the right moment for attack, Zuko glanced at her. “Now.”

Though she didn’t need his signal- In quick succession she fired two arrows at Zhao, one pinning his sleeve to the ground, the other pinning his pant leg. The two jumped down to the lower level Zhao was, landing on either side of him as he struggled to free his clothes from the arrows. Zuko took on a firebending stance, while Y/n pulled another arrow through her bow. They both waited to attack, watching the man carefully.

Finally wiggling the arrow free from his shirt sleeve, he scoffed, looking between the two. “Two traitors working together again, hm? I’m not surprised at this point.”

Y/n narrowed her eyes when the Admiral quit trying to wiggle the arrow pinning his pant leg down free, quickly pivoting on her heel at realization. Twisting to the side, she narrowly dodged the arrow when he threw it at her. This initiated the fight once again, Zuko sending a relentless stream of attacks. Realizing her bow wasn’t going to get her anywhere in a close range fight, Y/n hooked it away onto her quiver, running at Zhao while he traded fire blasts with Zuko. She grabbed onto his arm as he tried to send an attack at the prince, yanking it to the side so the blast shot to the right. He twisted his other arm to send a fireball right into her face, which she was able to duck away from as she released his arm. The momentary distraction gave Zuko the opening to shoot a powerful blast at Zhao, knocking him back a bit.

Unable to keep his attention on both of them at once, Y/n was able to swipe her leg at his ankles while he was focused on Zuko, knocking him down. Not relenting, Zhao shot a blast at Y/n, catching her off guard and knocking her down. She rolled out of the way of another blast, before Zuko helped her off the ground- While firing at Zhao. The two looked at each other briefly, sharing a nod.

Running at Zhao once again, Y/n twisted, ducked and dodged the attacks sent at her, while also giving room for Zuko to send his own blasts at the man. Once close enough, she started throwing punches at Zhao, taking his attention in the fight. The close proximity of the fight didn’t stop him from using his fire, leaving parts of her clothes to be singed. She ducked when he tried to punch her with a blazing fist, giving the opening for Zuko to send another powerful blast at Zhao, knocking him down once again.

He didn’t get up this time, rather looking past the two with a horror ridden expression. “It can’t be!”

Furrowing her eyebrows, Y/n turned to see what he was looking at- The moon. In the heat of the battle, she hadn’t noticed it started to shine bright once again.

Suddenly, water rose up coalescing around the bridge they were on, taking the form of a large fish like creature. It reached out and grabbed Zhao, pulling him off the bridge. He struggled against it, before Zuko reached out to him. “Take my hand!”

For a moment, it seemed like he was going to grasp onto Zuko’s hand, but instead drew back- an expression of hate taking over his features. Zhao was taken under the surface of the water, disappearing. Crossing her arms, Y/n looked at the surface of the water in near disbelief.

Silence lingered in the air, it only being broken when Zuko quietly cleared his throat. Looking up from the surface of the water, she glanced over at him. He took a minute, before speaking up.

“Listen, Y/n… I’m… sorry. For everything. I- Ugh, what am I even trying to say here.”

She raised an eyebrow in amusement. “That you’re sorry?”

“Yes- Wait, I already said that..” He breathed out a sigh, holding a hand to his forehead. Laughing softly, she held out her hand.

“Truce?”

He hesitated for a moment, before grasping onto her hand, a soft smile tugging up his lips. “Truce.”

Tugging him a step closer, Y/n put an arm around his neck, bringing him into a hug. Zuko tensed at the action, but returned it nonetheless.

“We can still be friends..” Mumbling quietly, she broke away from the hug. “But I need to get back to them.”

“I.. understand.” He paused. “Actually, no, I don’t. But… I won’t stop you.”

Offering a small smile, she slipped past him, intending to go back to the oasis. She stopped on the way there, however, seeing that her friends were gathered. Katara waved her over, inviting her into the group hug they were currently sharing. Running over, she joined them, a wide smile on her face.

---

Sea water gently splashed up against the sides of the boat, spraying past the railings. The more Y/n sat with her back against them, her head leaned back, the more the back of her shirt and her hair dampened from the water. Eyes closed, she took in a deep breath. With her terrible track record on boats, she didn’t know that being out at sea could be so… relaxing.

“Can’t sleep?”

She shook her head softly in response. “You can’t either?”

Sokka breathed out a quiet, somewhat tense, laugh. “No..” He paused for a short moment. “Do you mind?”

Opening her eyes to see that he was motioning to the space on the deck next to her, Y/n offered a soft smile. “Not at all.”

Muttering a small thanks, he gave a weak smile in return, before settling down next to her. He sat close enough for their shoulders to press together, the close proximity made her heart race.

Silence lingered over them for a long moment, before Y/n spoke up. “I heard what happened… With Yue.”

Breathing out a soft sigh, Sokka tilted his head back, looking up at the moon. “Yeah… I figured you would.”

“I’m sorry for bringing it up but- I just wanted to say if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always right here.”

“Thanks..” He paused for a moment. “You know, I went to that shop you were working at once when you weren’t there. I was trying to catch you there, that… didn’t work out- Obviously.” He breathed out a quiet chuckle, digging into his coat pocket. “But I did meet that lady you worked for, and she asked me to make sure this got to you.” He held out a bracelet, the one she’d been looking at in the shop before she started working there.

Her eyes widened slightly. “I forgot about that.”

“That’s why she asked me to give it to you. Let me see your wrist.” He tied the bracelet around her wrist, once she held it out to him.

“Thanks.” She spoke with a smile, twisting her wrist slightly causing the stone to glint in the moonlight.

“It’s no problem.” Smirking, he took on a slightly teasing tone. “I didn’t expect you to be a jewelry person.”

Pressing a hand to her chest, she feigned an over exaggerated offence. “Just because I lived in a forest and can fight better than you doesn’t mean I can’t like girly things.”

He looked at her offended. “You cannot fight better than me!” She leaned a bit closer to him, raising an eyebrow. “You wanna test that theory?”

Falling silent, he gulped. “No, I think I’m good.”

They were both quiet, before breaking into a short fit of laughter. Leaning back against the boat's railing, Y/n hugged one of her knees to her chest.

Once again, silence fell over them. After a few moments, a sudden weight was on her shoulder. Tensing slightly, she looked to the side, to see that Sokka had fallen asleep- His head now leaning on her shoulder. She opened her mouth to wake him up, but stopped herself.

Something in her didn’t want to wake him up… The closeness was… Nice.

Letting her eyes fall closed, she leaned her head back, absentmindedly fiddling with the bracelet tied around her wrist. She felt so calm, but still her heart raced, and she wasn’t sure why.

With certain thoughts and memories coming to mind, however, the pieces started to fit together.

And it was in that moment, Y/n realized.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar the last airbender x reader #atla x reader #reader insert #sokka x reader #sokka x y/n #sokka x you #team avatar #slowburn #book one allies

[maskthesimp]

Cold Blooded, Warm Hearted - Malia Tate x Self-Insert

Warnings: mentions of child abuse, general violence and gore, crude language, monsters

If you wish to follow this fanfic more closely (as it will be a full on book hopefully) check my Wattpad in the Pinned post! It just makes everything easier~ XOXO

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Chapter 1: Paths Crossed

"Bring him," a voice rings out, fire crackles as chains gently rattle against parallel stone pillars. Echoes of footsteps ring through the halls, coming to a whisper as they enter an open space, the ground lined with sand, crunching under the small boots of he who entered the ceremony room.

"You, child of Connor, Lord of the West Territories; Here you shall evolve. Shed your skin, accept your heritage and become one of us! Take your first kill, and burn away the weakness that plagues you," the voice continues to boom through the vast space, voices whispering and muttering as the small figure makes it's way closer to the rattling chains, "Are you ready, my child?" The voice booms as a man groans, his chains shake and knock together, the heat of the fire laying ontop of his skin like a blanket waiting leap and turn him to ash, "...I am!".

Two cloaked men, jam their spears to the ground next to the younger figure, and take their place next to the chained man, "It's time for you to evolve," says the left man, "Shed your humanity." Says the man on the right. A chant erupts in the observing crowd, 'kill, shed, evolve...kill, shed, evolve...'

The young, small figure slowly walks towards the rattling chains, and the bare man constricted by them. He looks at his hands as ash red claws crawl their way out of his formerly human finger tips, wine red scales peel back up his arm, waist, chest, neck, and face, amber rings brand his once ivy green orbs. "Kill, shed, evolve," the two men echo, gripping the edges of two stone bowls on either side of the chained man, filled to the brim with molten rock, glowing with the licks of flames. The ash red claws glint in the light of the flames, and swing down, sending flicks of blood to the ground, as they melt into the already red scales of the young figure's hands.

The chant continues, over and over again, 'kill, shed, evolve, kill, shed, evolve..', the first stage having been complete. The child winces in fear and nearly stumbles back, but holds himself steady, as the two men release the heated rocks onto the scaled child. A piercing scream erupts into a roar as flames slither their way across the child's body, when he opens his eyes in agony, the burning Amber rings are replaced by a now cold, blue glow.

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[Beacon Hills High-school, Last Period]

"Hey do you guys wanna study after hours?" Stiles asks, standing up from his seat. "I need to, I have a maths test coming up soon," Malia responds, a slight pout growing on her face as she reminds herself of her least favourite class. "Cool, I'll help you out!" A tall, dark boy stands from his seat aswell, Scott, he follows his girlfriend, Malia, and his best friend, Stiles, out of the classroom. They make their way up the stairs, running into their resident Banshee, and Stiles' girlfriend, Lydia, eventually reaching the doors of the library.

They settle down at one of the central desks, each opening their books and beginning to study for their respective classes. "Ya know, we haven't had anything supernatural happen in the past few months, it gives me bad tingles in my feet, like something is gonna happen soon," Stiles squirms in his seat with his his chin resting in his palm, Lydia agrees with Stiles, "Yeh you're right, it does seem weird doesn't it? Maybe The Beast was the last big bad in Beacon Hills. Seems fitting that our last one would be the first Werewolf killed by an Argent." Scott turns to his friend, somewhat rolling his eyes, "C'mon Stiles, you're being paranoid! Not everything is supernatural in this town, we can go one year without finding a body, or having kidnappings, or giant phantom werewolves tearing people apart!" Stiles looks down at his open book, a concentrated frown on his face, "Yeh I guess you're right.."

The conversation moves on, everyone but Stiles focusing on other things. A few minutes pass, before Stiles pipes up about a new face who's entered the library,with long brown and blonde hair, light denim jeans, and a black jacket. "Who's that? I don't recognise them from the new Freshmen, are they a transfer student?" The person wanders over to the Anthropology section, also known as where the stories on Mythological creatures are, "I think so, I've seen them at the Jujitsu hall, I think they were signing up," Malia answers Stiles' characteristically unrelated and random question. She gazes off at the new figure, watching them wander around, their raw fingertips glazing over the spines of each book they pass, until eventually they stop and open one, setting themselves down at a desk behind theirs. Scott turns to his girlfriend, a confused expression stapled to his face, "Why were you near the jujitsu Hall? None of us have a single class near there." Malia directs her attention back to Scott and her friends, her focus on the new teen broken, "Hm? I find it entertaining, why else?" She says as if it's blatantly obvious, which to her friends; it is, almost confused as to why Scott would even bother asking. "They seem like they're around our age, I'm just surprised anyone is even bothering coming to Beacon Hills High anymore, let alone what appears to be a transfer student." Lydia looks up from her notes, also oddly transfixed by the person, who is now deeply involved in their own selected book, "You sure they're our age, Lydia? They're kinda short, maybe puberty is stuck in traffic for them," a chuckle comes from the group's friends Liam, Corey and Mason as they sit down next to the main four, with Scott's Beta, Liam glancing at them each one at a time as a silent greeting. "No, they likely have some form of Dwarfism, a condition that essentially puts a limiter on how tall someone can grow, although there's hundreds of different types so I can't for sure say which one they may have.." Lydia responds almost distantly, still keeping a keen yet seemingly misty eye on the new kid, everyone taking a glance at her, not at all surprised by her scientific knowledge anymore, before they all go back to silently watching the figure.

After a while Stiles stands up, and begins making his way towards the new kid's desk, but not before Scott questions what he's doing, "I'm gonna go talk to them! Every time a mysterious new student shows up something happens, what if we have another Liam? Another time bomb?" Stiles points out, accidentally taking a small dig at their friend with I.E.D, "Hey! That was Scott's fault, I didn't come here as a wolf!" Liam retorts, glaring at Stiles with a frustrated gesture, "Well technically you got yourself tossed off the side of a building, so it was sorta your fault," Mason pipes up, "That was the wendigo's fault! Not mine!" The Beta reminiscences over the time he got bitten by Scott, when he fell off the hospital roof after he was hunted by a hungry Wendigo. "Alright enough! I'm going to talk to this kid and see what their deal is, okay?" Stiles eventually interrupts the debate, settling to try and conversate with this strange new face, "Who's to say they're anything at all? You don't need to be suspicious of every new person ya know," Malia points out to Stiles, shrugging her shoulders, "listen I always trust my gut, they transferred to Beacon Hills High even after everything that's happened here, and oh look! They're reading a book on supernatural creatures! That's not suspicious at all!" The skeptic says sarcastically, before stumbling over to the desk the young figure is sitting at.

He sets himself down clumsily, glancing between the person and their book, "So..a fantasy lover?" Stiles awkwardly asks the stranger sitting before him, he looks up from his reading in an almost panicked state, suddenly closing his book most of the way, "Oh um--..Hi, yeh, just studying for History," They let out a small, awkward chuckle before introducing themselves, "Cael by the way!" They reach out, shaking Stiles' hand as he too introduces himself, "So, you a fan of Mythology too, huh?" Cael attempts to break the Ice a little, worried that his social anxiety was showing, "Yeh," Stiles stares at the back of Cael's chosen book, somewhat zoning out while reading the title; 'The Extensive History and Physiology of Dragons throughout History'. "So, you're a dragon lover aswell then?" Stiles questions the kid's taste in History so Cael explains their history project, "Pff no, I have quite the distaste for them in fact, the history project is to study a part of any culture that we fear, whether it be real, religious, or historical events that took place in a Country's past," he awkwardly shifts in his seat, explained away by his discomfort with the Winged creatures depicted in his selected book, "So, what makes you dislike them so much, just scary? Or a separate reason..?" Stiles lightly stares at the androgynous figure sitting across from him with suspicion he hopes isn't noticeable, "Because they're the most scientifically realistic, in most cases," he responds with a deadpan and almost cold stare. Stiles' mind starts running wild with theories on every word Cael spoke, the way he said them, and other meanings of what he could've meant, his gut giving him more feeling than ever that Cael wasn't who they said they were.

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[Scott's House]

"Scott I'm telling you! This kid is shifty as hell! I checked with some of the people in his class, and they don't have a history homework even close to what he described!" Stiles points out his evidence for Cael's lying, showing his continued distrust for the young lad, "Maybe he just wanted to learn about Dragons, people have interests, Stiles!" Scott argues with his friend, while he watches him rummage through his desk, clearly searching for something, "Why would he lie about something like that? What's the point of lying about an interest in something such as dragons? Why not tell the truth, unless the truth is something you wish to keep hidden?" Stiles finally appears to find what he's looking for, he holds up a hard drive that Scott recognises, the Bestiary that used to belong to the Argents.

Stiles plugs in the Bestiary to his computer, and loads up the index. He scrolls down to the Dragons section and look through it for a while, reading some useful parts out loud; "Much like other shape shifters, dragons appear as human...Dragons have various species among their communities...they have a similar hierarchy system to ancient Kings and Queens of the English Empire..." Scott looks over Stiles' shoulder, silently reading along with him, "Stiles you should head to bed, it's late and we can talk more tomorrow. Listen if something is up with this kid, then we'll eventually find out, but other than a natural interest in fire breathing lizards, he hasn't acted suspicious in the slightest." Stiles turns his spinning chair around to face Scott, "Scott, he said he hates dragons and has a fear of them," Scott's face sinks with confusion, he asks what the skeptic is talking about and Stiles responds, "Whenever I was talking to him, he said that he had a really bad fear of Dragons, when I asked why all they said was because they're the most likely supernatural creature to be exist, is that not in the least bit suspicious?" The Werewolf stands up properly, thinking in silence for a few seconds, "Scott you didn't trust me with Theo, or when I realised I was the one who wrote Kira's name on the chalk board, I just need you to trust my gut this one time!" Stiles begs his friend to go along with his hunch, but Scott seems to be somewhat distant, until he snaps his head up "He could be a hunter! Maybe he's not a supernatural but a hunter!" Stiles claps his hands and points a praising finger towards his best friend, "Yes! Now you're following along! That explains why he was researching dragons, he wasn't studying them for himself, he was trying to figure out ways to defend himself or--"

"Kill them.." Scott quickly interrupts, his gaze sinking to the floor, "That's it, tomorrow we inform the rest of the Pack, and we find him. We'll question him, if my hunch is right and he's a hunter, then he poses a risk to all of us. Including any humans who are involved with protecting the supernatural, aka me! I only have a metal bat to protect myself so it'd be nice to have a heads up on this guy!" Stiles retorts with a snarky undertone, Scott nods his head, agreeing and saying goodnight to his partner in crime before heading home, the last thing he needs is his girlfriend climbing through the window to find his room Scott-less.

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#scott mccall #lydia martin #derek hale #stiles stilinski #liam dunbar #teen wolf #teen wolf fanfiction #self insert #self ship #malia tate #fanfic #self insert fanfic #canon x self insert

[kiyoominous]

starburst matchup 

exchange with @haikyuu-matches​

hello! thanks for doing this with me, i think it's such a cute idea! i hope you don't mind that i've went with a more narrative approach with this matchup, i have never done one in my life D: 

you have been matched with komori motoya! 

falling for you!

komori met you at a community volleyball club. he doesn't visit too often, with the responsibilities of his own high school club, but he likes to play when he can. one particular day, he entered the community centre and saw you in all your 5'6 glory. the last time he came, he didn't see you in the crowd of familiar neighbourhood faces. you stood further towards the back of the hall, fidgeting with your fingers. this image looked all too familiar to komori, the cousin of a particularly standoffish ace. a sympathetic pang in his chest and he walked over to you, smiling as your eyes met his. 

you both traded names and he noticed that you were a little quiet. that was okay, he could talk around that. and he did, asking you questions and trying his hardest to make you feel comfortable. taking glances at your face, he saw the corners of your mouth turn upwards and noted that it was working. 

was it weird that he was enjoying it? 

komori doesn't remember too many things about that day. the volleyball match was fun and he remembered doing a really good receive. the rest of his memories from that day were filled with you. you and your shy smile, you and your dark chocolate eyes, you and your cute jokes. sure, you could've been the same as every other girl he's met in his life but there was something so discernibly about you. something so outstanding that he felt couldn't be matched. he couldn't put his finger on it so he made it his mission to finally put a name to this feeling. 

he found that the second he mentally declared his manhunt to define his thoughts on you, he was seeing you everywhere. he spotted you at the convenience store, he bumped into you at the dog park and he saw you at school. he saw you at school? komori was mildly surprised to see you in the cafeteria of his school, which was your's too. you weren't all too shocked, you knew about him through volleyball monthly but you didn't want to tell him that you did. 

five minutes of conversation and he discovered that you were both in different classes. no wonder why he never saw you around. or perhaps he did but he never took notice of your sleek black hair. he was always accompanying sakusa anyway so he didn't really notice anyone outside of his club or his class. 

somehow, someone mentioned the upcoming exam season. you declared your conflict with standardised testing, he proclaimed his struggle with revising content in return. it became very obvious to komori that his chance to understand you more intently was here; he could ask you to study with him! talk about killing two birds with one stone. you agreed to his plan with a gentle smile and he felt his heart flutter. was it the satisfaction of your agreement or was it something deeper? 

he decided that the answer would come to him later, not now. 

after the much anticipated study session came another one, and another one, and then studying morphed into free time. and then free time morphed into a weekly friday night hangout. unbeknownst to him, one of the beloved friday nights would become a vehicle for his romantic epiphany.  

komori enjoyed this turn of events. as much as he wouldn't admit it out loud, komori realised that he enjoyed your presence too. maybe a little too much. every second he spent with you, he felt his heart racing faster than it ever did after a volleyball match. it didn't help that your accidental touches made it accelerate even more. he didn't think that was even possible. it was impossible to not drink in the sight of you. the glow of your face, your silky dark hair, your gleaming brown eyes. perhaps you might’ve found them boring and painfully average but he thought you were the prettiest person he’d ever had the pleasure of perceiving. 

his fixation on you extended past your outward appearance and dove right within your mind, your heart, your very soul. he loved the sound of your laugh, the noise was melodious to him. he loved your sense of humour, all of those puns and dad jokes were right up his alley. hearing them made his heart flutter even more. he loved your hardworking nature, your love for the rain, the passion you put into everything you adored. 

he loved you. 

komori saw your widening eyes in his vision and suddenly he was brought back to the cold of your living room, back to the dark of the midnight sky, back to where he was sitting right now; next to you on the timber floorboards. the neon light of the television reflected on your pretty face, the movie playing on the screen long forgotten in favour of you. 

the realisation that he said that out loud hit him right in the chest and he felt like he was going to pass out. komori felt the air enter his lungs again when he heard you reciprocate loud and clear. 

you loved him too. 

the relationship dynamic!

you're both the most entertaining pair to be around, the gemini/leo combo makes for a fun relationship. 

the two of you are one of those couples that people want to be around, wishing to stick around to laugh with you and just see you so in love. 

with your mom friend energy and his dad friend energy (which i know he just has), you both become the designated parents amongst your friends. whether its a blessing or a curse, that's up to them to decide. 

the two of you are constantly on the same wavelength. 

it’s never too loud or too quiet with komori, just the right balance of both. 

he loves your sense of humour and thinks you’re one of the funniest people on the planet. it helps that he’s absolutely enamoured by your puns and dad jokes. sometimes he’ll shoot one right back at you just to hear you laugh. 

you both like poking a little fun at each other, giving teasing remarks or sarcastic quips. 

komori cares so much about you. 

he understands your need to recover in social situations and gives you the time that you need. he’s willing to be the pillar you run to whenever your social battery’s running low. 

though he admires your hardworking nature, he won’t hesitate to stop you if you overwork yourself. he always encourages breaks and offers to do your work for you if that’s what you need. not necessarily a nagging type of person but if he needs to take physical action, he’ll do it. it’s mostly just him stealing your laptop and pulling you into his lap for a cuddle. 

he doesn’t hesitate to remind you that you don’t have to be a people pleaser. an understanding man, he knows that it’s hard to just get over it so he tells you that he’ll be with you every step of the way, always giving you a gentle reminder of how cool you are to him and that you can say no. 

komori wants to be the shoulder you lean on whenever you’re facing something you don’t like. loud noises? he’ll hold you close and rub your back, telling you that it’ll all be okay. confrontation? he’ll confront them for you. injuries? he’ll keep an eye on you to make sure that you’re never going to be hurt. on the off chance that you do earn a wound, komori will ensure that you’re fixed up as soon as possible. he has a whole mini first aid kit on him specifically for this reason. fear of losing? he’ll always remind you that your efforts mattered more than the results and give you a kiss on the top of your head. the unknown? he’ll waddle through the unknown with you. he’s scared of it too but he won’t tell you that. violence? he’ll cover your eyes and guide you away with strong, gentle arms. 

he loves indulging himself in all of your interests.  

on lazy days, he’ll sit with you and take turns reading a book to each other out loud. sometimes it’s a whole novel, sometimes it’s a manga you’ve picked up from the library. he thinks it’s cute seeing your eyebrows furrow while you concentrate on the words in front of you. 

the study dates don’t end. whenever one of you is struggling with a subject, the other visits to be their personal tutor. it ends up being you a lot of the time, since komori loves your studying method. 

komori loves to read your writing. there are days where you go over to his to hangout and sit in silence. he adores that he can be that relaxed around you and lounge around on his phone while you sit up with your laptop propped on your lap. you’re always writing up a draft of a new creative piece whenever he glances at your laptop. he graciously offers to be your beta reader and indulges in every word you’ve typed. komori thinks that your writing style is so beautiful. 

one day, you told him that you like the french language and he spent a week trying to learn how to say ‘i love you’ and maybe a couple of other phrases to surprise you out of nowhere. when he saw your shock, he giggled and wrapped his arms around you. from that moment on, he would occasionally whisper je t'aime into your ear. he loves you so much omg. 

you play sports together. it doesn’t matter what it is; be it volleyball, tennis or soccer. you’re both a power duo in every game you play and everyone’s scared to play again the two of you. it helps that your boyfriend is one of the most notable liberos in japan. 

komori likes watching anything with you. sometimes when you’re both too tired to go out, he’ll set up his tv to watch whatever you’re in the mood for. one day you might catch up on my hero academia. another day you might be sniffling at a romcom. he likes romcoms more than he’d like to admit but he tells you about this guilty pleasure to appease your love for the genre. 

you mentioned to him once that you liked handwritten letters and komori made it his personal mission to write one for you personally once a month. they’re always so heartfelt, a clear reflection of him and his emotions towards you. he enjoys writing them as much as he enjoys the expression on your face when you read them. 

he seems to be the greek mythology enthusiast himself so he loves talking to you about it. and by enthusiast, i mean that komori was one of those kids who owned the whole entire percy jackson series. since the most that he knows about greek mythology is whatever is written in the percy jackson books, he lets you sit with him and educate him on the extensive lore of the gmcu (greek mythology cinematic universe). 

he loves hearing you talk about astrology and gets into it himself. he can’t help it, especially with the bright smile you hold on your face whenever you talk about it. when he first found out about your astrological compatibility, he was over the moon. the grin that he had on his face was so big that you thought that it looked like the moon itself. he’s downloaded co-star and reads his and your horoscope sometimes. 

date idea! 

komori decided to take you to a cat cafe after you mentioned the idea of it to him once. it’s a very him thing to do, to remember something you’ve told him offhandedly once and immediately make something big out of it. 

the second you step in, your eyes glimmer with delight as they land on the multitude of cats in the vicinity. you don’t even look back to him at once, swerving your attention to the cafe’s residents. at least you’re holding his hand still, he thinks. maybe he’s a little jealous but hey, the visible joy on your face beats his concern over being prioritised after felines living in a cafe. 

after what seemed like hours of cat-petting, you both sat to order, the food arriving in a pleasingly timely fashion. the lunch items were delicious, the desserts were divine but komori was even more drawn to the soft look of adoration on your face as you stared at a calico cat that frequently passed by the two of you. 

this might’ve been his best date idea yet, he thought. 

#starburst matchup #haikyuu-matches #hikari's writing!!

[scoundrels-in-love]

I've dreamt about you (nearly) every night this week

The hour is too late, Jaime is too shirtless much on their videocall and Brienne's fantasies run away from her at mention of 'pillowtalk'. Also on AO3. Part of Braime Monthly Madness/Mutual Pining March.

She misses Jaime.

It’s frustrating to admit, but true nonetheless. While Brienne does enjoy the vibrating, ever-changing air of her profession, she discovered early that she needs at least a few reliable things in her life to keep her sanity and happiness. Working out on specific days, a call to her father at least once every two weeks, even if she has to keep it brief, a lengthy brunch with Sansa and (or) Margaery once a month or more often if their schedules allow it though they text and call each other plenty, are part of her subtle routine. 

Somehow, Jaime has become one such pillar of stability. Snuck his way deeper and deeper into her weeks with a wink and takeout box as he comes over for a movie night, with surprise visits to her set when they don’t share it. Embedded himself in countless ways that leave tiny holes through which blankness presses through, now that he’s gone for the third month, doing promotions for his newest movie and shooting a reality show in Dorne. 

It’s not the first time they’ve not seen each other for a while, but this is certainly the longest in the last two years. And so, she is lying in her bed, staring at her ceiling and trying not to think of how much she misses his voice and laughter, and definitely not about the photos of him shirtless on beach that had been plastered all over yellow pages and Weirnet that he had the gall to forward to her with a cheeky comment how he can’t let her forget how handsome he is.

(As if she could, as if her dreams aren’t often invaded by his smile, the warm light in his eyes that’s one spark from incinerating, his breathy laughter in her ear, his hand slipping lower ... )

She finally wrestles all the images away and feels sleep beginning to blur the edges of her thoughts when her phone begins buzzing. Her sleepy frown dissolves at Jaime would like to start a videocall.

It’s a little later than their usual calls, but she accepts. If she’s got to end it soon, at least she can do so after smothering some of her insatiable longing. “Hey Jaime,” she starts, but whatever was meant to follow dies on Brienne’s lips.

Jaime’s reclined on a pillow and he must be holding the phone with extended hand, as she can see most of his exposed chest, almost glowing in the warm light of lamps. Because he’s shirtless. And grinning at her in a way that’s a mix of faux innocence and glee, as if he knows exactly how her stomach leaped or maybe knotted up - she’s not exactly sure but it definitely did something. 

“It’s hot in here,” he offers as an explanation and she hopes she hasn’t been silent for as long as she thinks she’s been. She’s also utterly unconvinced and drops the phone to the side, much to his immediate protest, to shift her pillows so she can do this more comfortably and with less double chin inducing angles. Like seeing her face in the corner of the screen, compared to all, well, that, isn’t enough of a reminder that her fluttering longings aren’t meant to survive the frost of reality. But the one time she tried to turn off her camera, Jaime protested so loudly it almost convinced her he misses her face, too.

“It’s 11pm, Jaime, don’t you have early filming tomorrow?” she asks when she’s settled, trying to avoid looking at anything but his face, though it’s hard when the screen is comparatively small. Isn’t his arm getting tired?

“No. Besides, I just need to tell you what nonsense Lysa Tully pulled today - you know there’s no one else I’d rather complain to.”

She wants to joke that it’s because he has no other options anyway, but doesn’t because it’s true. Jaime cannot call his siblings to joke about the latest nonsense on set, Bronn would only ask for dirty parts, Addam’s probably predisposed with something of his own. Even Elia and Lyanna are not exactly available these days, enjoying their family holiday. Though he has found tentative friendship with some of her friends and co-workers, it’s not the sort for such late night talks. And in truth, there’s no one else she’d rather speak with after a long day, either. 

So, how can she deny him this? “Fine, I’ll bite. What did she do now?” 

One story turns into another and an hour later, they both have shifted to be laying down more comfortably (thank the gods, now she can lie to herself that she’s unaware how he’s shirtless beyond the frame). The conversation putters out bit by bit, replaced by warmth and sleepiness. Or perhaps it’s the first, the sense of safety, that brings about the second. 

“We should do pillow talks like these more often. In real life, too.” 

Suddenly, she feels quite awake. And thankful the dim light hides the blush burning across her face. 

There is no way his word choice is deliberate, but the want goes from thawed and simmering on low fire, to molten steel in a flash. It’s not just the images of him sweaty and mussed up that her brain unhelpfully provides based on his post-training looks, it’s also basking in warmth of his grin, discovering if she likes to be genuinely held afterward, the softness of his voice and his hair as she would brush it out of his face, trace hand down his stubbled jaw that has left a pleasant burn across her--

The word holds too much promise, if only in her mind’s definition. And not one she can clarify with Jaime.

Especially since he loves to tease her, has outright told her he loves to make her flustered. Flirts only to see her fumbling reaction, just as Margaery does (even now, that she has proclaimed Brienne to be ‘tragically straight’). 

So, Brienne grasps at something safe instead. “You fell asleep on my shoulder last time you were over,” she reminds him, smiling a little at the memory. One of the reasons why they don’t R.aven movies together when they’re separated like this is because nodding off at end of second or third movie individually just isn’t the same, compared to the way they slowly gravitate toward each other when sharing a couch until someone (usually Jaime) is falling asleep on the other. The other is that reading his typo riddled, rushed commentary and responding to it is incredibly distracting and makes Brienne miss half the movie. 

“Speaking of which, we both should go to sleep.” It’s past midnight and he might not have an early morning (which Brienne doesn’t entirely believe), she actually does.

“Five more minutes,” he asks, not unlike a petulant child, but she doesn’t have the heart to deny this mutual indulgence.

Brienne doesn’t know when the five minutes turn into maybe twenty or thirty and when they dissolve into dreamless sleep, but she wakes up trying to nuzzle her face into the phone which definitely does not compare to the comfort of her pillow. The clock informs her it is almost 4am and upon unlock, the videocall goes fullscreen once more.

She can’t tell if Jaime propped his phone up quite so right before she fell asleep or after, which would mean he didn’t end the call when she nodded off. The thought should be uncomfortable, and there are definitely twinges of embarrassment as she had had to wipe drool away from the screen, instead she feels detached from anything but a tender longing that cocoons her thoughts, tangles them up and drags them away from any logic. 

Perhaps this sleepy, slow warmth is poison that will kill her, but Brienne is willing to risk it, just to stay in this kind of liminal, magical space in which their lives cross with the impossible reality where their pillowtalks adhere to her wistful definition. 

He has twisted away from the phone some, she can mostly only see the pillow, stump and his profile at an angle. For a while, she feels content just to watch him, taking in his relaxed features and the calm rise and fall of his chest. Sometimes, she has indulged in looking when he falls asleep next to or on her, but the urge to touch becomes too much quickly. (Work is where the best of both worlds cross paths and she has cover easily available, but at the same time her mind is occupied with the task at hand.)

Here, she doesn’t have to cover the reason her touch lingers, is safe from waking the man with a finger tracing his lips or skirting down his neck to rest on his exposed chest. The thought of pressing kiss below his ear, to his collarbone, scraping teeth across the hollow of his throat doesn’t pull her closer to him like the world's most powerful magnet drags a huge, crude iron rod. (Merely because he isn’t tangibly there.) She can risk-freely think of the little noise he would probably make before opening eyes, pupils blown wide for more than the low light. “I thought we were supposed to sleep,” Jaime would say, voice husky like it sometimes dips when they’re alone in the makeup trailer, even lower still, but he would already be reaching for her. “Well, there is more than one meaning to the word,” she would say and -- 

Brienne pushes the end call button with speed that outraces her heart. 

There are things that can be squinted at until they grow blurry enough to be seen as ‘we are friends and he is a very attractive man, a stray thought or two is bound to happen’. (Though she has been with a friend, and it wasn’t even starlight during the day compared to the scorching sun that is Jaime.) And then there are moments that cross any and all borders of appropriate, of what she can afford. This is definitely of the second sort. Worse, not only it is the indulgence of the highest degree, it also skirts too close to being a creep. Shame washes away last threads of desire. 

Jaime deserves better than to be ogled while asleep and groped at in her fantasies. He is her friend, with his confusing comments and heated gazes and face she cannot get tired of in or outside work, and a smile that can fill her with dread just as much as bone melting gladness. And she can’t, can’t erase it from her life just because he is so lovable and so beautiful there is ache behind her breastbone, trickling all the way into her fingertips. 

She double checks if her alarm is on and then puts the phone on the bedside table. Tosses and turns in the dark, as if heaviness in her has somehow slipped into the mattress and made it all lumpy. But eventually, sleep reclaims her and when she wakes, a text from Jaime already waits for her (so much for not having an early morning): What happened to call

I guess it timed out or something. Maybe WiFi got temporarily disconnected. she responds after a respectable amount of time, right before she drives to the studio. It’s only a white lie, far more innocent than the real reason. But that doesn't help her rapidly growing guilt, at all. 

He texts back almost immediately: Shame wanted u to be the first thing I see when I wake up

And if she replies only hours later, with a random update of her day, it’s definitely not because me too rang so loudly in her chest that she forgot all other words. 

#Braime #Jaime x Brienne #braime ff #got #my fic #makeup artist verse #rainy writes stuff

[vickypoochoices]

Scrabble Heart.

Author's Note: I don't write James fics ever, but this idea came to me and he was the only person I could imagine pulling this off! I also need you to excuse any mistakes regarding the rules for Scrabble. I played once, over ten years ago, and cried because I was so awful at it! I've had a quick Google of the rules, and I know I've forgotten about the double points on the first go, but we can forget all about that when we see the outcome of this game right? I hope!

Tagging: I don't really have a tag list for James, so i'm sorry if I've tagged you and you aren't interested. @zigortega4life @emerald-bijou @littlegreenmoo @krsnlove

"I miss Zack. He would never pick on me like you have. Relentlessly. All day long.”

“Oh boo hoo. Cry me a river. Who do you think planted this little idea in my head in the first place?” Kaitlyn retorts, not even glancing up from where she's picking at her worn down, stubby nails.

A sharp hiss of breath, grinding teeth and a tight ball of scrunched up fingers under the table was her only response initially, a half hearted threat eventually following. "When he gets back I’m gonna...”

“Shower me with kisses? Squeeze me so tight I literally explode?” A giddy squeal from the entrance to the coffee shop interrupted her.

“ZACK?! What are you doing here?”

“Did you really think I’d miss one of the biggest nights of my best friend’s life?”

A sharp slap sounded out as the palms of Zack and Kaitlyn met in unison for a high five. Both wearing matching smug smiles. Both watching on as their friend sagged against a corner seat.

“Good job Liao. She’s a tough one to crack but with a little perseverance we’ll have her coming round to our way of thinking in no time.”

Zack slid into the seat next to her, bringing an arm up to hang loosely around her shoulders. Her nostrils flared at the overwhelming and intensely overpowering scent that followed. Not what she had grown accustomed to. Zack smelt fresh, fruity, exotic. Shrinking back slightly, she eyed him cautiously, taking note of his face. Flecked with a smattering of fresh freckles, and the tone of his skin; a shade pinker than what was probably deemed desirable. She flinched at the sudden thud of Zack's backpack tumbling to the floor.

Whilst one eyebrow remained in place, higher than the other, her hands betrayed her, instinctively grabbing at thin air greedily, eager to snap up the thick slab of chocolate she could see poking out the top of the bag.

“Present!” He exclaimed, still not making a move, eerily still and watching her closely. She swallowed hard, suddenly on edge.

“Did you get abducted by aliens whilst you were away or something? One, you are being really weird right now. Like, really weird. Two, the Zack I know would buy chocolate as a gift for me, but find it too irresistible and end up eating it himself then palm me off with a fridge magnet. And three, am I really supposed to believe that you got a tan if that’s what you want to call it, from a last minute trip around Europe?”

“Okay well one, if I really was abducted by aliens I’d be selling my story and making my millions right now instead of wasting my time here with you. Two, that was one time that I ate your chocolate and i’ve spent the last five years apologising for my mistake, how much longer are you going to hold it against me? And finally, Europe does get hot. Sometimes. I’ll have you know.” Zack puffed out the breath he’d been holding, cheeks reddening with each word. He looked her over, a smirk tugging at his lips, a glimmer in his eye.

“And I thought it could serve as your first engagement present too, I was going to get James a nice bottle of wine for tonight, but I ran out of money.”

She rolled her eyes, tutting loudly. “That’s it, I take it all back. From this moment on I am best friend less.” She stared pointedly at Zack, Kaitlyn giggling in the background as she stealthily swiped the chocolate bar, taking advantage of Zack's momentary lapse of concentration.

“Love you too babe! I’d better be the first person you call once James pops the question or I’ll seriously have to reconsider my answer when you ask me to be your man of honour.”

A sweet smile ghosted her lips as she flipped him the bird before flouncing out of the coffee shop. An unsettling feeling began to rise in the pit of her stomach, a bitter taste still apparent after the conversation she'd just had.

The fresh air hit her face on, hair whipping around wildly as a gust of autumnal wind swept past her. But she barely even noticed, subconsciously winding her pashmina a little tighter around herself, her nose burying into it. As her feet carried her off down the path littered with crunchy, crisp golden leaves, her mind was stuck in St. Mark's Basilica. The large round domes and marble multi coloured pillars. With her feet now rounding a corner, her mind wandered further, now walking along the Bridge of Sighs at the Doge's Palace. She paused for a second, surprising herself as a rumble of laughter escaped her mouth unexpectedly.

"It's fascinating here. And beautiful. We could get lost in Venice and roam the streets for months and I'd still never tire of this place." James talked animatedly, his pace of speech hurried as his excitement grew, all the while his thumb brushed over her knuckles soothingly, despite his apparent excitement overtaking his mouth.

The glistening water that passed them, as they both stole glances of each other. James looking at her wistfully and lingering. Nope. If he was going to propose it would have been then. In Italy. One of the most beautiful and romantic countries in the world. Or any one of the other amazing places they'd visited together. Not a random Thursday night in their apartment of all places. She shook her head, unsure why she even entertained the idea. This was Zack and Kaitlyn anyway. Why did she ever take them seriously in the first place?

A long, drawn out breath escaped as she made her way into her shared apartment with James, silently cursing the loud jangle of keys that seemed to slice through the silence. At least Zack didn't bring her another keyring back. Her set contained two keys but dozens of mismatched keyrings, mainly little momentos as a memory of the places her and James had visited. They'd taken a year off together. They were both busy and successful in their own rights, but some days it had seemed as though they were slipping into the old ships in the night routine, which so many long term relationships always seemed to suffer. James had often talked about showing her the world one day, until the words 'Why not today' tumbled out of her mouth in a rush, little to no thought actually going into the logistics of it all.

Twirling around on the spot, her eyes narrowed, skepticism pooling within her as she took note of her dimly lit surroundings. James sat hunched over their dining table, flicking his wrist a few times, a flickering flame from his matchstick disapating cleanly, her nostrils flaring slightly at the heavy smokey scent drifting towards her. The room would have been pitch black, were it not for the dozens and dozens of candles strategically dotted around the living room. Shit. He's not...?

Catching sight of her, James's demeanor changed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, mustering up a lopsided grin, neither confirming nor denying her suspicions.

"Hey." His voice was normal. Not squeaky or strained, no hint of nerves in the slightest. Her voice however betrayed her, the notes wavering shakily as she choked out a terse 'hey' of her own in response.

Something in the way she remained rooted to the spot, anxiously eyeing every candle painfully slowly must have prompted James as to the inner turmoil she was currently battling.

Striding the short distance between them, her fingers greedily snatched up the half full wine glass she found pressed between them, a trace amount dribbling out of the corner of her mouth as she struggled to knock it back cleanly in one.

He eyed her curiously, warmth jolting her to her senses as his hand covered hers, steadying, as he seamlessly removed the glass from her grasp and sat it down on a nearby coffee table. The warmth radiated through her, her whole body fighting off a chill she wasn't even aware of until now. Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his warmth spread to her face, a rosy glow heating her cheeks as he cupped her face in his hand, watching her with an unreadable expression.

"The electricity's out."

She tried to reign in the breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding, a short puff of air the only thing to pass her lips somehow. Idiot! There's a perfectly good explanation after all!

"That...makes sense."

A rich chuckle rumbled, James cocking his head to the side as he looked her over from top to bottom, perplexed. "Are you okay?"

She stared, deadpan for a moment, mouth slightly agape before pulling herself together. She wasn't about to let Zack and Kaitlyn ruin this night. Game night was one of her favourite nights of the week!

Nodding her head once, setting her shoulders back and fixing her face with an award winning smile she hoped wasn't too over the top, she took a step towards the 'game table'. "I'm fine Ashton. Just eager to beat your ass, as usual!"

Breaking out into a grin, he paced over to the table, both now hovering by their designated seats. "Is that so?"

"Have you been getting a little extra practice in tonight?" She jerked her head towards the Scrabble board set out in the middle of the table, a few words scattered around.

"The pressure is on me tonight."

She swallowed hard, mind going into overdrive for all of thirty seconds before James pressed on.

"If I remember correctly, you've won two weeks in a row."

Bringing a hand up to cup around her ear, her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Say it a little louder."

He chuckled distractedly, his gaze dropping to her lips. As James took a step towards her, she took one backwards, the heel of her foot knocking into contact with her chair. Her eyes widened, a brief moment of panic washing over her. Fingers curling tightly around the fabric of James's shirt reflexively, she braced herself for the fall, expecting James to come tumbling down with her. Instead, strong arms encircled her waist, gently placing her harmlessly into position on her chair.

A momentary loss of balance forced James down with her. Their foreheads coming to rest together, her chest rising and falling exaggeratedly as she caught her breath. Grateful for the strong arms wrapped protectively around her and the feather light strokes of his fingertips along one of her hip bones that followed.

Her eyes found their way to his and found them seeking out an answer to his unanswered question. A slight angle of her head was all it took, her lips latching onto his once, then twice, hoping that would be enough to reassure him that she was fine.

"Someone's eager to play." James whispered into her covered neck, before dipping lower to place a single kiss against her collar bone.

Her cheeks flushed, slowly unravelling the long pashmina she'd long since forgotten about.

"How about we play later?" Her lips tugged upwards into a coy smile, as she beckoned him closer still with a crook of her finger.

A startling crackle from one of the candles distantly in the room pulled them apart.

A small patch of skin on the back of her hand glistened under the candlelight as James left a lingering kiss there. "As tempting as that offer is..."

The formation of a sharp crease between his brows had her unintentionally mirroring him, a furrow of confusion flitting across her features at the obvious deflection. His words were at odds with his facial features, and she couldn't understand why.

Swallowing down an influx of unwelcome emotions, a breezy smile slipped into place as she turned her attention to the table, eager for a distraction. Settling back in the chair and sucking in a healthy amount of air, she welcomed the space as James eased himself off of her, and into position opposite.

Hands steepled together, her wandering eyes latched onto the opposite side of the table. A collection of tiles with a mismatch of complete and half strung together words caught her attention, the most striking being Eternity. Chin jutting, eyes narrowed, voice croaking, she managed just one word.

"Cheat!"

"This is one game I very much hope I can win tonight." His eyes sparkled in the darkness.

"Ready when you are."

Dipping his head, James alternated between an awkward squint and a cocky flit between his letters. After what felt like an eternity, he finally placed down his first word. Love.

Really? All of that build up for four letters and seven fucking points?

"Losing never looked so sexy before." She smirked teasingly.

"I just need a little more time to warm up."

A thin sheen of sweat shone off his forehead, but before she could voice any concern a sharp buzz at the door interrupted. Raising an eyebrow questioningly, James shrugged casually, using the back of his hand to swiftly swipe at his clammy forehead.

"Well I couldn't make us dinner with the electricity out, so I went ahead and ordered us some pizza. Could you go? I'm pondering over my next move and I'll probably just start spurting out random words to the delivery guy if I go."

"Don't get ahead of yourself Ashton. I think you'll find it's my turn next. We didn't up the stakes last week without my knowledge did we? Because you are acting strange all of a sudden. Unless you just can't take the humiliation of being beaten by me three weeks in a row..."

"Sounds like someone is worried about that winning streak coming to an end."

With a stern face and narrowed eyes, she outstretched two fingers in front of her, before moving them back and forth between the pair, signalling that she's watching him.

"I promise you." James smiled, raising his hand and placing it over his heart, sincerity flushing his features. "I'm not cheating, and we didn't up the stakes. This game is an important one. There's no coming back from this for me if you beat me three weeks in a row."

She nodded her head once in acceptance before bounding over to the door, eager to get back to the game.

"Good evening ma'am." A muffled voice greeted her, buried behind a stack of pizza boxes.

"Seems everyone in the building had the same idea tonight, we're rushed off our feet. Now then, which one of these is yours?"

A middle aged, kind faced man suddenly appeared as he carefully manoeuvred the tower of boxes onto the floor.

"Huh, looks like there's been a mix up. Nothing is labelled, makes my job a hell of a lot harder let me tell you kid! There's no other way to do it than opening the boxes and looking through."

A slight huff and an irritated glance back at James followed, not that he noticed. He was hunched over, scrutinising each tile whilst stroking his chin absentmindedly.

"Alright let's do this. James is awkward and orders extra toppings, so I guess his should be easy to spot."

Time seemed to stand still as the delivery guy sifted through the mountain of boxes painstakingly slowly.

"Well what do you know, the bottom two eh? What are the chances?"

She found her eyebrows raising and her foot tapping, her patience well and truly tested now.

"Okay great. Thanks so much. Have a great night!" She strained out, struggling with all her might to refrain from slamming the door in his face.

"Can you believe that James? Next time I think I'd rather just starve!"

Winding her way back to the table, she frowned at the now vacant seat, James no where to be seen. Setting down the pizza boxes in the middle of the table, she let out a long sigh. Same thing every Thursday. Wine goes straight through him! Her lips curled up into a cunning smile, as she risked a peek behind her, ensuring James wasn't about to walk in and catch her stealing a glance at his rack and tiles. With the coast clear, she loomed over the empty seat on his side, her throat constricting instantly.

There were no spare tiles, on either James's side or her own. Just the Scrabble board, positioned perfectly straight, and completed. Her legs buckled, the safety of James's chair acting as a net and catching her, her elbows coming to rest on the table as she leaned forward, eyes erratically scanning over the words in place.

Love. Eternity. Italy.

Stomach clenching as realisation set in, she allowed her eyes to drop a little further down. An unmistakablely large diamond ring sat in the centre of the board, the accompanying tiles set out directly underneath it spelt out just four more words. Will. You. Marry. Me.

"I hope Zack and Kaitlyn didn't ruin the surprise."

Mouth agape, her head slowly turned to her right, gaze falling to the floor and landing on James, knelt down on one knee looking at her earnestly.

"James what...?"

"Is it hot in here all of a sudden or is it just me?"

"That might have something to do with the hundreds of candles you've got heating up the room."

"Right, yeah. I didn't think that one through properly did I?"

Her arms folded across her chest, the penny finally dropping.

"The power isn't out?"

"Nope."

"And the pizza delivery guy?"

A sheepish look flits across his face. "He might have been paid handsomely to help me out." He paused, clearing his throat loudly. "But babe, we've sort of strayed a little here."

Her stomach twisted into knots, her heart pounding harshly. "Right err..."

"No wait. This isn't right. I've spent the best part of a year planning all of this and I've messed it all up."

"A year?" She repeated quitely.

"It would have been too obvious to do it whilst we were jetsetting around the world. We'd talked about doing that together for so many years, I didn't want to take anything away from that experience for you."

Her face softened at his words. My James. Always so thoughtful.

"I didn't think it was possible, but every day I fell more and more in love with you. I nearly caved in a few times, even went as far as to check out a jewelers whilst we were in Malta. Then you text me saying you'd woken from your nap and you were starving so I came home with food instead of a ring."

She couldn't help but giggle, cursing herself mentally. Damn you stomach!

"And then we came home and we settled back into our old routine and I thought I'd missed my chance. Then I realised, none of that even matters. I could wine you and dine you in an extravagant restaurant. Or we could stay in, surrounded by all of our firsts."

She chewed on the inside of her lip nervously, but her expression must have faltered, as she felt James stroke her hand timidly, taking a moment to find the right way to answer her confusion.

"The first time we kissed. The first time together properly, how could I ever forget? The first confession of love I'd ever muttered to anyone before. The first experience of living with a partner, my beautiful partner." His eyes softened.

"The first proposal. Hopefully the last! The first moments afterwards, when you've given me your answer..."

Diving downwards and pressing against him forcibly, they fell backwards, tumbling together into the floor. For the second time that night, James found himself instinctively curling his arms around her protectively, their lips melding together in a sudden fierce frenzy.

Panting as he pulled away, James cradled her face in his hands, thumb gently stroking either side in adoration. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'm glad I could soften the fall for you."

"That yes was an answer to your original question James."

"Right right." He nodded his head slowly, taking a moment for the words to sink in properly. "Yes, as in yes yes?"

"Okay, that word is officially banned from now on!" She quipped, face widening in a broad smile.

Raising her hands to his lips and brushing a kiss to each finger individually, he kept his eyes locked on her's, the threat of happy tears brimming in his eyes as he slowly slipped the ring onto her finger.

"There's just one thing left to do now." He murmured against her mouth, tugging at her bottom lip.

"Which is?"

"Finish the game, of course. What else?"

#choices #play choices #pixelberry #choices: stories you play #choices fanfic archive #choices fandom #choices fanfiction #james ashton #choices: the senior