#my two options of answering things and I alway choose the long one :)

[predestinatos]

too cold | MV1 ⋆꙳❅ ‧*❆ ₊⋆

pairing: max verstappen x female!reader

summary: stormy weather leads to stormy thoughts about a years long friendship.

tags: best friends to lovers, soo cheesy, fluff, giddy max, super whipped for reader!!, wearing his sweater, just so much softness!

author's note: i dreamt about max for some reason and he's been living in my head rent free so... i had to let this out!! hope you like it. it's a short cute thing so..!

word count: 3.5k

warnings: -

It was cold and stormy that day. You had expected it, the forecasts all telling you the same thing, your hair completely tangled in itself as soon as you stepped out of the house into the car.

You planned it all, including getting there earlier, so you could spend as much time with Max as possible – you never skipped the pleasant silence of his presence at least once a week. What you hadn’t planned was for you two to get carried away with taking buzzfeed quizzes and personality tests to the point where it was dark outside, the storm more aggressive, more threatening, and more dangerous.

“Shit,” you muttered when the wind outside made the windows tremble with extreme force, their sound almost like a warning voice in the night. “How am I going home like this?” you asked yourself out loud, desperate and scared, as Max completed yet another ‘What’s Your Mental Age Based on Your Choice of Cutlery’ quiz. He glanced outside nonchalantly, almost carelessly, as if the question was ridiculously easy to answer, close to ironic.

Before going back to the seriousness of the questions at hand, he shrugged, shoulders going up and down in explicit tranquility. “You can stay over” he stated, his finger hovering over a weirdly shaped spoon that said ‘shit stirrer’ on its surface. You let out a breath that indicated his joke was funny yet not useful in the slightest given your current dilemma, to which he looked at you and laughed back, assuming you were amused at the choice of teaspoon he had just made.  “Max, I’m serious” you voiced your urgency and fear with those words. “Me too” he continued, eyes glued on the screen, yet slightly confused at your own comment.

At your audible sigh and attempt to get up from his bed, where you comfortably laid scrolling through your phone for options, he turned around from his chair which was facing the screen. “You’re not leaving” he said, in a concerned tone of a friend who refused to let you be consumed by the rapidly increasing rain. “I don’t understand what the matter is” he continued as he saw you searching through his room for your things, messily scattered on the floor, reminiscent of childhood times spent together.

You merely looked at him in response, the answer obvious to you but seemingly not to him, only hitting him hard in the face as a joke he couldn’t help but laugh at seconds later. “You always slept here” he said, astonished at your reluctance and apparent timidness. “Yeah, Max. When we were 11” you protested, tucking some hair behind your ear as you looked for your charger. “Plus, I don’t have a pajama, or spare underwear” your arms now crossed across your chest, mimicking his own, a baffled smile on his lips.

“You can wear one of my sweaters. And like, my boxers, or something” this made your mouth drop in ridiculous surprise, a fear in your eyes which he didn’t understand. “I’m serious! It’s better than you going out with this storm!” his arm pointed towards the window, the view outside a paid actor because a lightning appeared violently before both of you. With a winning grin, he finished his argument with a “C’mon I’ll let you choose the outfit.”

Opening the drawers, you let yourself take a look at the collection of multicolored sweaters organized neatly. Your eyes landed on a grey one, which looked a bit worn out but comfortable at the same time, its marks of usage being a testament to its quality. You grabbed it and noticed that it smelled like Max, like the years of friendship you two shared. “The boxers are in the other drawer” Max interrupted your thoughts, yet his indifferent air made you less awkward about this situation, almost like it was normal that this was happening, like you were both 10 again, popcorn being prepared in the small kitchen next door.

You let yourself randomly choose some of his underwear, trying your best not to look too much at it, knowing little to nothing about how to even begin choosing such a thing for yourself. The strong wind whistled outside, and Max’s fingers hit the keyboard, creating a soothing lullaby.

“I’m- uh-… going then” you said, making your way towards the bathroom as he happily nodded, the familiarity of the house being a known fact for both of you.

The truth was, Max missed you. A lot. He missed hanging out with you all night, watching really bad films and playing silly videogames, drinking some beers and enjoying yourselves. Lately, he hadn’t had the time to do all these things, let alone doing them with you, and even though he did not plan this storm in the slightest, he was glad for it. The rain came as a reminder that you two had a year long friendship you could still enjoy, the sound blending with the one coming from the bathroom as you turned on the shower.

Sleeping over only got weird given the fact that Max was a boy and you were a girl, but it shouldn’t have been like that. In his mind, nothing changed, and nothing should have to change – he still wanted you as close as he did when you two watched scary video compilations on youtube and spent all night hiding under the covers and whispering in an attempt to not ‘awake the big monster’.

He still wanted to spend time with you when you were 16 and started talking about how cute his friends were, asking him if they were single or not as you put a lollipop in your mouth and painted your nails in colorful amusement.

He still wanted you to sleep over even when his girlfriends told him they didn’t quite like the fact that he was so close with you, that he seemed to want to be with you more than with them, that he dropped everything as soon as you texted him a slightly unusual text.

And it was normal, and alright, because you were best friends, because you knew each other better than your own selves, because you’d recognize his laugh in the middle of a crowd even with noise cancelling headphones, and he would recognize the smile you made when you were flustered even if he was blindfolded.

It was also normal for him to smile to himself and feel the happiest he has felt in a while, because he missed you, and you were staying over and nothing would have felt better than knowing he had a night full of your presence.

Meanwhile, you stood in his all-too familiar shower, accepting the fact that he had no conditioner, and a shampoo would have to do for the night. Simultaneously, this made you reflect on the clear fact that he had probably had no stable, consistent, female presence in his life in a while. As the liquid dropped in your hand and you brought your hands to your hair, thoughts about previous relationships of his flooded your mind.

They never ended well, and the guilt you felt because of it was ever present. Max was the best friend you could’ve asked for, because he always picked you, no matter what. In fact, he gave it no thought nor justification, not to you or his previous relationships. He accepted the fact that you were his priority as a given, something so natural as breathing, as blood pumping through his veins. You couldn’t deny you did the same. Previous partners of yours weren’t too fond of his constant need to assess and approve of them, of how he was your emergency contact whenever anything happened, how you made sure you spent time with him at least once a week.

Feeling the foam forming on your scalp, you remembered the times where you two bathed together, the innocence of gone times flying through your head with fondness. Of course, you two grew, and while you never broke the bond that formed between you, it was also harder to continue certain traditions you maintained.

Your teenage years were filled with angst and some bickering over how uncomfortable he made your dates, or how all he did was talk about girls when you two were together. You used each other as diaries and confidantes, keeping secrets in a closed vault made of memories. Nothing really had changed besides your ages, and none of you were dating, or at least it did not seem like it.

As you washed your body with lavender scented soap, you realized this is what you were missing – the comfortability of being the most like yourself you could possibly be, alongside him.

Max stared at the “You Are 14 Years Old!” result on his computer, reading the in depth description on how that one fork gave his age away, when he heard your shout for his name coming from the now foggy bathroom, the place now looking more like Silent Hill or a liminal space. Removing one side of his headphones off, his voice echoed throughout the apartment “Yes?”, filled with softness and worry, a completely unknown care for you which wasn’t displayed by anyone else but him. Smiling to yourself, you replied, “do you seriously only own one bath towel?”

Removing both of his headphones off now, with realization hitting him and he jumped from his seat, he ran towards the drawer that possessed all the other towels he stored in organized fashion. “Shit! No! Sorry! I’m on my way!” he said urgently, grabbing one as he ran towards the bathroom, opening its door and popping only one arm in, his eyes facing the wall but also closed with affirming need to reassure you that he wasn’t looking, refused to look, would never even consider to do such a thing.

You pulled the fabric off his hand as you thanked him with a soft giggle, his previous nonchalant attitude vanishing upon the thought of seeing you naked – which you weren’t, and he would’ve realized this had he considered the fact that the bathroom possessed ONE towel, currently wrapped around your now wet body. Shivering with cold, you got yourself dry as fast as you could, while Max sat back down in his chair, cursing to himself at his clumsiness and lack of thought.

Examining yourself in the mirror as dried your hair off (after several minutes of looking for the hairdryer, not wanting to put Max through the whole ordeal of performing the biggest demonstration of respect towards one’s privacy ever witnessed) you noticed something you hadn’t before. This simple, yet incriminating item put into question your previous thoughts about Max’s lack of companionship in his home, your eyebrows furrowed and your mouth turning downwards at the thought that he was hiding something from you.

On the tiny little cup sitting on the sink, there were two toothbrushes. They were carefully put together in a magical arrangement of colors that indicated that one had to be able to tell them apart, like each had its own owner. Suddenly, the whole idea of sleeping over – hell, of wearing Max’s clothes – seemed ridiculously selfish. You had done it before, but you were adults now, and with adulthood came a sense of responsibility and respect that hit you in the face like a slap, the simple idea of an innocent sleepover with your best friend sounding absolutely childish and ridiculous.

“Max?” you called out again, a deep breath escaping your lungs as you sat down on the toilet seat, hair still slightly damp, towel still wrapped around your body upon your refusal to put his clothes on. “Yes?” he replied once again, a feeling of déjà vu invading your thoughts, a repetition of mere seconds before yet with rose tinted glasses off.

 “I think it’s best if I just go home,” you muttered, even though you hadn’t moved. Realistically, the idea of going out there terrified you, but perhaps not as much as staying over, given the current situation. Putting your underwear back on after showering felt dirty, but perhaps wearing his clean one after noticing another one’s presence in his room, his life, his thoughts, made you feel even dirtier.

“Come on, I bet your outfit looks amazing” he said jokingly, assuming you were embarrassed about your current look, trying to lighten up the mood with teasing reassurance. Getting up once again, he stood near the bathroom door, head close to it as if trying to listen to the fabric against your skin, some hint of your own amused presence. All he heard was silence, one so unbelievably loud he felt something off, something wrong. “Can I come in?” he asked, his voice now more careful, more tender, and more concerned.

You only murmured in allowance, and noticed the doorknob turn as he stepped inside. “What’s up?” he asked, his eyes revealing deep concern with slight embarrassment over the painting you two were probably creating. Him, pajama pants and hoodie on, glasses now slightly foggy; you, with droplets falling down your hair as you looked down, hugging the towel tightly against your body. “I don’t want to cause any trouble” you said as you unconsciously looked back at the toothbrushes which now seemed to stare at you both accusingly, judgingly.

“Why would you- Oh,” he interrupted himself, his gaze following yours towards the same spot, his look going from confused to serious to utterly humored. “This?” he asked again, grabbing the small toothbrush from the cup, its cable a pretty yellow shade. “What’s your favorite color again?” he continued, waving the object in front of your face as you stared at it in confusion.

Looking up, you replied simply “yellow- oh,” it was your turn to interrupt yourself, now realizing how you had almost forgotten your childhood promise, yet surprised as well at the fact that he had kept it after all these years, the innocence of the act causing your heart to hurt slightly.

“It’s always been here. I mean, not the same one, obviously, but… a spare toothbrush” he explained, even though he did not have to, his hand playfully messing your hair before he headed bac towards the door. “Get dressed, silly. We have films to watch” his warm voice instructed you with tenderness before he closed the door behind him.

Stepping out of the bathroom, finally dry and dressed, you forced Max to close his eyes before looking at you. “Don’t make fun of me or I’ll leave” you threatened jokingly, as his eyes remained tightly shut with his hands in front of them dramatically. “I won’t I promise!” he claimed, yet he was already laughing, the sound of it reminding you of the years of togetherness you both shared.

“Okay, you can look” you finally gave your permission, as he took his hands off his face and blinked fast, the lights suddenly blinding him. At first, he just stared at you, expression absolutely unreadable. Then, he burst into laughter, apologizing as his giggles filled the bedroom. “I look ridiculous” you complained, the long sleeves covering your hands and flopping lazily as you did so. “No you look adorable!” he tried to protest, laughter insistent on making its way through his lips, his eyes shining with happy tears. “Adorably ridiculous” you continued, rolling your eyes and throwing yourself on the bed defeatedly, your head buried in his pillow, filled with the scent of him.

Knowing your mood would change soon, Max merely smiled to himself as he started putting a film on, the choice being the Twilight saga – easy to watch, entertaining, fun, and he could tease you about it constantly, pretending he didn’t enjoy it himself. Bags of jellybeans hit your head as he threw them towards you, in an attempt to wake you from your moody attitude. “C’mon grumpy I have beer” he poked you as he sat on the bed as well, pressing play and opening a bag which he waved in front of your face as you got up lazily.

“’I know what you are’ ‘Say it. Out loud. Say it!’ ‘Vampire’” you said the lines along with the film, echoing each and every intonation and expression. Popping a bear shaped jellybean in his mouth as he took another sip of his beer, Max interrupted your acting session by saying “can you imagine how awkward it would be if it was something else entirely and he would just be like… ‘uh no’” and laughing to himself. Your arm flew to his as you punched it angrily, despite the fact that you were giggling to yourself.

Something about getting you slightly on your nerves while also making you smile made Max feel almost at home, in a safe space without comparison, only available to him when you were around. He felt himself in a constant state of meditation whenever he was around you, his breathing naturally adjusting itself to match yours.

Instinctively, and not out of the ordinary for any of you, he grabbed your hand and played with it softly, his fingers feeling the soft texture of your skin and pinching it with playful tenderness. You never questioned it, and neither did he, this need you two had to display affection more than most friends did, the need to always be in some sort of contact with each other, to feel each other’s warmth and presence closely. Without taking his eyes off of the film, seemingly very intensely focused on Edward’s skin of a killer, he spoke up. “You don’t look ridiculous,” he said, as you held your gaze on the film, yet laughing at his comment, expecting a joke to be made about how what’s on the screen is way more embarrassing than you in his underwear. Yet he said something completely different. “You always look pretty. Very pretty” his voice was soft as he now looked at you, and you felt his gaze on your skin, your cheeks, your eyelashes, yet refused to look at him and face whatever was happening in that night.

The windows rattled once again, breaking the momentary spell that hovered in the room, hypnotizing both of you with the haze of uncertain feelings. You heard his breathing as well, heavy and nervous now, his heart racing and yours matching his, maybe because you were so deeply connected or maybe because your feelings and his were now the same shade of complexity.

 You wondered if this is why you had stopped sleep overs together. Perhaps it was the fear of facing the fact that things were not as simple and easy to brush off when the clock hit 3am and his hand was on his and your head on his shoulder and you had no intention of moving. And he shared these same thoughts, realizing how that letting go of you right now would probably be the worst thing that could happen, the scariest thought that could possibly cross his mind.

All this happened in fractions of second, too short for any of you to truly acknowledge what was happening, his voice interrupting both of your thoughts as he spoke once again, “obviously not as pretty as Edward Cullen but-“ to which you rolled your eyes and laughed. “I bet he’d look better in your sweatshirt” you said, another sip of beer falling on your lips.

“Impossible” he replied, a smile on his lips, his eyes finally meeting yours and then taking your whole appearance in, your cheeks blushing shyly at how attentively he looked at you, at how his gaze seemed so tender and soft. A sudden urgency to feel his lips on yours filled your thoughts with sheer intensity that terrified you. You hadn’t seen Max that way, hadn’t considered it nor question it before, not even when your dates and boyfriends accused you of things, not when your friends commented on how you looked at him. Yet in that exact moment, something shifted completely, perhaps stirred by the storm outside, perhaps because it simply felt right in that moment to feel wrong.

“Can I kiss you?” he suddenly asked. The innocence of the question made you giggle, the contrast between his soft and careful voice and his adult look with a week old stubble making you giddy and timid as you nodded.

His lips touched yours with caution, yet with undeniable fondness that made you question why this hadn’t happened before. You felt his smile in between the kiss, the satisfaction of finally breaking this unknown wall that had existed between you for so long, and which you remained so unaware about.

Pulling away, Max’s eyes stared into yours before moving to the screen, a satisfied smile on his now slightly redder than usual lips, your own face mimicking his. “Edward Cullen could never kiss as well as you” he whispered, earning himself another soft punch, followed by 3 more films worth of kissing.

#max verstappen #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen x you #max verstappen fluff #max verstappen fanfic #formula 1 #f1 fic #f1 fluff #f1 fandom #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fanfic #f1 #formula one #f1blr

[ginevrapng]

𝐈'𝐌 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃

pairing: fwb!james x reader

word count: 1.5k words

warnings and contents: for my friends with benefits james there is no smut asdfghjkl, hurt, jealousy, FLUFF

you're sitting in the great hall eating breakfast and you spot james across the hall with all the other gryffindors. you're unable to stop your lip quirk upwards as you hear his boisterous laugh, which you guess is due to some joke or prank he's retelling.

your small smile drops as you see lily evans walk up the marauders. you've never had a problem with her, she is a popular gryffindor that is friendly and works well to get top marks but the way she's walking up to the marauders, looking at james determined and with a mission, fills you with slight dread. if you were completely honest you felt she spent more time with james then necessary, especially considering how they've got their own friends and how many times she turned him down in the past.

the hall is already pretty quiet due to everyone already have eaten and a lot of people stop their conversations or lower their voices as they see lily go up to james. everyone in every house knows that's irregular. for the previous years of hogwarts james followed lily everywhere like a lost puppy always asking her out and coming up to her but he had stopped. no one knew why. it was because of you.

because the hall became so silent you heard what evans asked james and you wished the hall was louder, you wished you didn't hear, you wish you were somewhere else, anywhere else, you started to become sick as she asked james if he's free this weekend to go to hogsmeade. "i don't know, i think remus has to study but i know sirius and peter are free too. are all the other girls going?" at that moment it's hard to tell if he's actually oblivious or if he knows exactly what she's asking him but he's choosing not to answer. he has a smile on his face but even from a distance it looks a bit forced to you.

if you were anyone else you would lean to the fact he's being oblivious but you're not anyone, people always underestimate james and you have a feeling james knows exactly what she's actually asking but for some reason he's pretending that he has no clue what she means but you don't know why he'd do that. james is kind and wouldn't want to embarrass someone so publicly but at the same time you're unsure of why he'd be so sure of turning her down but the fact that he is does makes you incredibly happy, you won't tell him that though.

"oh, i don't actually know what the girls are doing. i meant just us two. like on a date?" lily asks him, not wavering at all even with what james has previously said.

james sighs under his breath. "i've got things to do, you should go with someone else."

"what about another weekend?" lily asks, hopeful and you don't blame her for that, anyone would be hopeful asking out someone who in the past asked them out every other day.

"lily, i'm sorry if i'm hurting your feelings but i don't want to go on a date with you," he tells her and you can see that he's trying to be as nice as he can be in a situation like this. no one caught on to the fact that james said that he's only sorry that he's hurt her feelings, he's not sorry for not wanting to date her though, like it's not even an option on my mind, he's not entertaining the thought about going on a date with her, you don't catch on, lily doesn't, the marauders don't, no one does.

everyone is stunned, they thought for sure he'd say yes, he has been pining after her for so long and most people just thought he started playing hard to get, giving her some distance until she recognises how much she misses him but that wasn't true at all. lily never crosses his mind anymore, why would she? he has you. you're all he thinks about. yeah at one point he fancied lily but he loves you.

after a couple beats lily replies with an, "oh, alright then. i guess i'll see you in the common room." this time it's lily that forces a smile. james doesn't respond. she has just been rejected and it's making her feel dejected, not only does james not want to go on a date with her but he doesn't want to hang out with her either. the whole time she thought this was some ploy from james to get her attention but she realised she was wrong. he has no interest in her at all.

as soon as lily's out of earshot and going out of the great hall you hear the loud voices of james' friends. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT PRONGS? DON'T YOU WANT LILY ANYMORE?"

"that was mean james, you didn't have to reject her in front of everyone."

"YOU DON'T WANT EVANS? I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME. CAN I GO FOR HER?"

"i've got to say i'm surprised to prongs, i never thought you'd shut lily down like that. she really does like you and if this is some trick to get her to like you more, don't do it. she talks about you a lot."

james interrupts his friends knowing this could go on all morning and knowing that you're definitely hearing all this, worried you might be getting the wrong idea. "you can go for her pads, it's none of my business." they all look even more shocked as they hear this but he carries on, "i have no interest in lily whatsoever, yes i used to but i moved on from that. i didn't try to be mean peter but she wasn't taking a hint, i kept trying to tell her no and to let her down gently and moony honestly you shouldn't be surprised if anything it's more surprising that this hasn't happened sooner, me and lily have absolutely nothing in common and we can barely hold a conversation together that last more than ten minutes."

they're all rendered speechless at james as they realise he is 100 percent serious about this. no matter if lily chases james just like he chased her his answer will always be the same, no.

in james' eyes lily doesn't hold a candle to you.

he flicks his eye to where you're sitting and you briefly make eye contact. james was feeling in a bit of a negative mood after what happened but that immediately changed when he glances at you to see that you're already looking at him. you see a stupid grin appear on his face, uncontrolled and automatic, you quickly look down knowing that you've been caught watching him. as you're looking down you smile at the whole situation. james told lily no, and he said it so certain like nothing could change his mind. that absolutely stopped the sicky feeling you had. no one would notice you smiling as you're looking away from everyone but james knew that's what you'd be doing.

james wants to grab your face and lift it up so you're looking at each other again, he already misses your face and the colours of your eyes and it's only been a second since you've looked away from him. he wants to see your bashful smile as you try to look away from him again but he'll just place hundreds of kisses all over your face instead. he wants to desperately tell you that lily doesn't mean anything to him, you have gotten jealous on occasion due to lily even if you deny it, hopefully this might help. he wants to tell you that there's nothing to be jealous about. although you both know that he'll likely tease you about how you was "staring" at him the whole time when he turned down lily.

"what the fuck are you grinning about james?" remus asks, he seems the most annoyed with james about how he handled the situation, remus and lily are study buddies so they are actually good friends and he's known for awhile how lily has felt about james he's just always thought james still feels the same way, he thought it was mutual.

james snaps out off his thoughts of you, not wanting the marauders to question him about you. "nothing important," james replies, not looking back at you.

he hopes that he'll have the chance to talk to you today, even if it's for five minutes. maybe you'll talk about your plans for the weekend and you can try and find time to get together, maybe you'll tease him and say lily invited you to hogsmeade while you were at dinner.

#james potter x reader #james potter x reader fluff #james potter smut #fwb!james #james potter x reader smut #james potter #james potter fluff #james potter hc #james potter fic #marauders fic #♡ james #♡ mine / writing #marauders headcanon #marauders x reader fluff #marauders x reader smut #marauders x you #marauders x reader #hp x reader #harry potter x reader #hp x reader fluff #harry potter x reader fluff #marauders fluff #hp #hp marauders #harry potter #hp fic

[mojogojocasahouse]

Just in Time Part I

Satoru Gojo x f!reader (Principal Gakuganji's daughter)

On the eve of a wedding of your father's arrangement, you call upon your reliable yet agitating old flame Satoru Gojo in an act of desperation and defiance

words: 4.7k content: infidelity (in an arranged marriage so does that even count?), smut, unprotected p in v, oral m-receiving, face fucking, rough sex, minor choking, spit kink, creampie, jealous!Gojo, protective!Gojo (moreso in part ii), minor degradation 18+ only

[9:37 pm] Are you busy?

[9:38 pm] Aw. Kamo family party not as lively as you’d hoped?

[9:38 pm] Just answer the question, Gojo.

[9:38 pm] Gojo is busy. Satoru on the other hand can be persuaded. 

“Asshole,” you mutter under your breath, scanning the room again for anyone who might be taking an interest. Of course, no one seems to even remember you’re here at all.. 

[9:45 pm] Yes or no

[9:45 pm] What’s in it for me?

[9:45 pm] You’re joking

[9:46 pm] With all my options, why do I choose the Kamo bride tonight? Hmm? 

[9:50 pm] You’re a piece of shit. 

[9:51 pm] HARSH!! You’ve convinced me. Send me the address. 

[9:52 pm] Oh and tell daddy hi for me!

“Fuck you!” you hiss under your breath, sighing as you toss your phone back into the small bag you were carrying. 

Your history with Satoru Gojo has always been…tumultuous. It started in high school, as the daughter of the principal of the Kyoto branch, you sought him to get back at your father, Principal Gakuganji, and he’d been more than happy to oblige for the same exact reason. Exchange events had been less about competition and more about the time stolen in dorm rooms and behind buildings, far more than goodwill being spread. 

It had all come crashing down the day you turned 18. 

Not that there had been an air of commitment between either of you, but whatever physically beneficial relationship that had sprung up and the hopes that it would be more frequent after graduation were wiped away with one sentence. 

“You’re getting married,” your father had said, the Kamo boy from a year ahead of you smiling at his side. 

That was the day you’d realized you’d been nothing but a pawn from the day you’d been born. Despite being a Jujutsu sorcerer, you’d begged to go to university, prolonging the inevitable for as long as you could. Gojo had frequented your dorm room there, too, arriving at your door with his cock already stiff, you barely made it inside before you were on your knees, pulling him into your throat. 

Those years were as close as you got to happy. 

The Kamo clan had taken possession of you two years ago, and while meetings with Gojo became less frequent, they also grew more hostile. Satoru Gojo wasn’t known for his kind, warm nature, and his frustration in losing his favorite toy was on full display whenever you’d been able to get away from lackluster events and days of learning customs you couldn’t care less about; you were too weak to end it entirely with him. He made you feel too good, it was a reprieve from the life you faced day in and day out. But maybe it was just a different breed of nightmare. 

As things continued, you realized it wasn’t actually you that got his cock throbbing. It had always been the satisfaction of how much your father would hate Gojo being in your presence, never mind your bed. You felt the same, being with a man your father loathed above all else was just as thrilling to you. And now, on the evening of your arranged wedding, you’re standing outside a small sushi cafe in a misting rain waiting for a ride to the lavish Tokyo apartment Gojo uses for one thing only. You can’t help but wonder how many others have seen those barren walls. 

Typically, he sends a taxi service, letting you know the details of the car to look out for, but it’s been twenty minutes and you’ve received no information. 

[10:19 pm] You better not have fucking bailed on me. 

You hate how the thought makes your cheeks burn and your chest hollow in what you try to convince yourself is anger, but you know the truth. 

“Why would I bail on you!?” The sound of his voice yelling from his downed window has the muscles in your shoulders loosening. “You look ridiculous. What is that makeup?”

“Fuck you,” you spit at him, rounding the car to slide into the passenger seat, “Just go.”

“Well, aren’t you tense? What’s a‘matter? Already hating marital bliss?”

The disregard he displays about your impending doom digs under your skin. Your bladed gaze shoots over to him, you’d just noticed he was wearing his white bandages over his eyes still, the high collar of his uniform unzipped just enough to reveal the stretch of his throat you’d be decorating soon. 

“Were you working?” you ask, the hour a little strange for a teacher to still be on the clock. 

“Uh-huh,” he practically purrs, flicking through the songs quietly humming from the radio.

Well, that explains why he was the one that rolled up to get you. However, more dangerously you consider that he’d dropped what he was doing for you. 

“Seriously, what are you wearing?” he asks again with a chuckle.

“Shut the fuck—“ your retort was cut short by a long, slender thumb pressing down on your tongue, your lips locking around the digit and sucking instinctively. 

“I’m gonna tear it to shreds.” The whisper is almost menacing, and your core throbs at the husky tone and malicious intent. 

When you’d texted him, you knew tonight would be different. Tomorrow you’ll be signed away. Not that it will change your arrangement, at least you had no intention for it to, but it won’t be the same. It couldn’t be. You’ll be princess to the Kamo clan, officially, and while you find pockets to escape now, soon there will be hurdles even Satoru Gojo can’t leap over. 

“Did you have any trouble?” he asks as the car comes to a smooth halt at a red light, your lips pressing a kiss to the pad of his thumb before he can pull it away completely and check whatever alert had just pinged his phone. 

“No,” you answer, turning your attention out the window.

In fact, the lack of resistance had given you pause. When you’d told your father you wanted to head home, he hadn’t even asked why. You’d already prepped the excuse of a headache and buzzing nerves, but he’d waved you off and returned to his conversation with one of the many Jujutsu society higher-ups in attendance. You hadn’t even bothered to check in with the man you were set to marry in just over twelve hours. Instead, you took the easy way out and ran.

The apartment is pitch black when you arrive, Gojo forgetting to turn the lights on as he throws his things onto the kitchen counter and heads straight to his fridge, grabbing a glass bottle of soda and sending the metal top skipping across the floor. Your eyes can’t help but try and follow it, even in the dark, the thud of Gojo’s hands slamming against the door behind you echoing in each of your ears. He’s centimeters away, his sweet strawberry breath huffing out against your lips, and your lungs seize up, your chest shaking with traitorous little gasps. It’s been almost ten years of this, and still, he leaves you quivering.

“I know what you wanna do.” His voice is smoother than melted chocolate, sweet and rich.

“You don’t know shit.” Maintaining this ruse is futile when your voice is trembling, but you try anyway.

“Oh? I think I know you best of all.”

He’s right, and the fact that he knows that has your stomach knotting. As he flashes that cocky, toothy grin there’s no helping the relief that floods through your body. The night had been tense, you’d been nothing but a stranger in a strange land, sat down and expected to abide by customs and etiquette that made you sick. It was a hierarchy, and you were the very bottom rung of the ladder, only there to push the others around you up higher towards their goals.

“You called me, remember?” he croons, backing away enough to have your body following his on pure instinct, “So come and take what you want. I’m all yours.”

For one last night. The leather of his belt is smooth as you grip it with one hand, yanking him back into you. He has a significant height advantage, but when you seek his lips he’s already curled himself down, the kiss you find solace in waiting for you. It’s sugary and warm, the soft cloth of his eye-covering pressing against your forehead as his palms swallow your sides whole, he’s learned the intricacies of your preferences in ways no one else ever would. He knows to tease you until your fingers thread through his hair, a gentle tug the welcome invitation to swipe his tongue along your swelling lower lip, but he’s also well aware you won’t take that step, but it’s one he’s always happy to leap into.

Snowy, white strands fall over the back of your hand as the bandages around his eyes loosen and drape over your noses, your nails still raking through the buzzed hair of his undercut and you know if you dared open your eyes, the infinite blue that the sky itself envied would greet you. Both your fingers and his work to pull the troublesome fabric free, his succeeding before threading with yours and pinning your hand above your head, the fraying edges of the cloth dancing against your hair as his pace picks up. 

Every inch of your body burns, the tight material of your assigned outfit suffocating and the room growing seemingly smaller around the broad shoulders in front of you. All you can smell is him as you search for the zipper of his jacket with your free hand, pulling it open and making quick work of the buttons of his overpriced shirt. His skin is smooth and cool to the touch, the peaks and valleys of his defined torso solid beneath your brushing fingertips. It takes all your concentration to keep up with him, he’s almost frantic, pushing you further and further into the wood behind you as his chest heaves until suddenly he pulls away. 

You’re left cold and buzzing in anticipation, his predatory gaze burning through you from where he stands just out of reach. 

“I want that off,” he mutters, low and menacing, his teeth gnashed together, and you know he isn’t talking about your clothes.

He’s faster than you are, his pointer finger and thumb gripping the gold ring on your left hand and tugging, the ping of the metal skittering across the floor after his haphazard toss in sync with the speed at which he claims your mouth once again. You knew he could feel it catching in his hair and grazing over his chest. Typically, you remembered to take it off prior to even stepping foot in his building, but today the surprise of Gojo himself pulling up to get you had sent everything out of whack. 

“Satoru,” you sigh, his appreciative groan from hearing his given name falling from your lips hitting where he was currently mouthing at your throat, “Satoru…”

You sound pathetic and you can't care less, he’s eating your blatant need for him out of the palm of your hand. He always does, and you wonder if he’s like this with everyone else who gets to see these walls. 

When your hand shoots to his belt, undoing the buckle and finding the button and zipper that’s keeping him contained you can feel the stretch of his smile against your neck.

“I win,” he croons, tugging his arms free of his sleeves as you push his pants and boxers down to his ankles. 

“I volunteer,” you correct as you sink to your knees, his finger keeping your chin in place and eyes on him as you drop down. 

Satoru usually won this little tradition, his hand diving between your legs first and claiming himself the “loser” as he spread your thighs wide and worked you on his tongue until he’d had his fill. Tonight, however, belonged to you, his cock thick and long as you ran your tongue along the underside, greedily collecting the small pearls that had already begun to leak from the tip. 

“Lookit me,” he slurs, mouth already hanging open as you keep his flushed head sitting on your tongue, “Good girl.”

His thumb rubs reverent circles on your jaw as he spits along his ridge, your mouth immediately locking around him and sucking him clean. With each bob of your head you take him a little deeper, your lips loudly suctioning around him as his head falls back in bliss and his shoulders drop from their tensed state. He sighs in relief, his thighs flexing beneath your hands when your throat constricts around the intrusion, your hair quickly knotting in his grip as he takes two steps forward, pinning you against the door. 

“Come on, princess,” he urges, pinching your chin, “don’t be a tease. Gag it down. All of it.”

It’s times like these when you remember the man towering above you is just a few criteria short of being a monster. Spoiled rotten and all-powerful—there is nothing the world could offer that was out of his reach. His confidence is otherworldly and earned, there is no task he isn’t proficient in, and in turn, you’ve always worked hard to stand toe-to-toe with him in all things. Even this. 

A wicked grin stretches across his face as he watches your expression morph into one of ire and determination, he knows how to push every button and pluck every string and he’s well aware of it. With your head firmly in his grasp, his hips start to move, his cock sliding over your tongue like silk as you try to force back the urge to wretch it out. Your eyes burn, tears sliding down your cheeks and mingling with the drool coating the lower half of your face, and he doesn’t relent, nor do you ask him to. 

“There we go,” he praises, yet your nose still hasn’t touched the thin patch of white curls that’s still an inch away, “Fixed that hideous makeup.”

He can tell that you need air, and he pulls himself free while still keeping you pinned by the hair, a string of spit connecting your gasping, swollen lips to the shining tip of his dick. He’s chuckling to himself at your haggard state, your lungs burning as they pull in the air that tastes like him. He bends, forcing himself to your eye level, his free hand thumbing at your gaping mouth.

“You’re such a whore,” he whispers, and it sounds like a compliment in his tooth-rotting, sweet tone, and he spits once again straight onto your tongue. 

“Prick…” you cough after swallowing down what he’d left, his high-pitched giggle echoing in the room as he stands back to his full height. 

“Well, you don’t come here cause I’m nice to you. Do you? Open up.”

Your response is a swift obeying of his command. 

“You like this kind of attention,” his tone is lower now.

Once again, you have to resign to the fact that he’s right. There’s no warning now, no preparation, just his cock slamming into your throat, and your eyes snap shut as you breathe through your nose. He reaches down to feel the bulging of his thrusts, being careful to not pinch off whatever airflow you may have just yet, his hum of approval shooting straight to your throbbing core. 

“And only I give it to you,” he finishes, your tongue laving out against his sack drawing out a whine, “Stay still.”

He knows exactly what you can take, moving his hips at a speed he knows won’t be too much and stopping when your mewling turns frantic, kissing your lips as you suck in air before returning to fucking your throat hard enough the door rattles on its hinges. You want to reach between your legs to relieve the ache that’s becoming unbearable, but you know he’ll scold you, prolonging any relief indefinitely. 

“And what would daddy think of you now?” he snarls, pulling out and smacking the side of your face with his cock, “When are you gonna stop letting that old man run your life?”

The question comes out of nowhere, shocking you enough to give you pause. His nostrils are flared again, and his chest heaving; he looks furious. He takes full advantage, a firm grip around your upper arm pulling you to your feet before he does exactly as he’d threatened, tearing your outfit off in one effortless tug. The question of what you’ll be going home in flits across your mind, but it’s background noise, drowned out by the confusion at his sudden uncharacteristic question and the oceans swirling in his eyes staring down at you.

“I hate what you do to me.” Words you weren’t sure you were meant to hear push the air from your lungs as he tugs you towards the bedroom, your feet following until your back hits the soft down comforter stretched across his bed. 

You want to contemplate what he means by that, but he doesn’t give you time. He’s nudging your legs apart with his knees, his cock flushed practically purple in his grip as he finds you dripping wet and ready for him. There’s nothing slow or gentle about the way he fills you in one hard thrust, his arms immediately pulling you upright and flush to his chest, your thighs trembling from the burning stretch between your legs as he lifts you slightly and lets you sink down onto him.

“You know, out of everyone,” he purrs, all signs of his previous anger neatly tucked away, “your pussy is still my favorite.”

Whatever of his anger had quelled now coiled in your belly at his words, and you shove at his shoulders, his unsuspecting body toppling over with a clumsy “oof!” as your knees straddle his thin waist. 

“Ohoo, ha! That makes you mad doesn’t it?” he taunts as you do your best to pin his wrists above his head with two hands, “That you have to share.”

It’s a thought that shouldn’t irk you in the slightest, but it makes your eyes flash green with envy. He doesn’t even flinch as you hold him in place despite how easily he could overpower you in less than a second. Tufts of white hair fan out around his head like a halo for a man anything but angelic, his hands wriggling free just enough to entwine his fingers with yours. You go from feeling in control to once again at his mercy as he cradles your palms in his, the gentle press of his lips to the point of your chin waking the butterflies in your stomach. There’s no reason for him to be this reverent, this intimate, he was spitting in your mouth just minutes ago, but he continues his soft path, your head turning to allow him to trace your jaw and find the sensitive hollow behind your ear.

“Now you know how I feel,” he breathes, and you clench around him as a shiver shoots down your spine.

The sharp point of his nose grazes along your skin and you’re twitching on him now, but you’re too content like this to move. He’s so close, you feel hypnotized, almost serene as you breathe him in and just feel him. The worst part is that he gives in, letting you have this tease of a moment, a flickering and fleeting ruse of something that will be ripped away. You like holding his hand, as it turns out, his grip is strong and delicate all the same, his fingers practically at the bend of your wrist. You’re just breathing each other’s air now, noses bumping as your eyes flutter closed, and part of you just wants to collapse and fall asleep.

“Am I still a prick?” he asks with a devious lilt.

“Yeah,” you confirm, but for reasons that aren’t entirely his fault.

“Hmm. Want me to be nice to you?”

Life will be easier moving forward if you refuse his offer, but before your train of thought catches up with the autopilot currently in control, you’d already nodded. 

The pillow is soft under your head as he flips you onto your back, your bodies still connected while he situates himself comfortably between your legs. With the first slow roll of his hips, a kiss to your forehead sends your knees into his ribs, his smile stretching across your dewy skin before he repeats it all over again. It’s cruel, and immediately you loathe the woman who has seen this side of him before you have. 

“You need to relax,” he commands, flicking his tongue out against your pursed lips, “Before you drive me insane. How long d’you think I can make it with you clamped around me like this, huh?”

“Aren’t you the strongest?” you sass in reply, trying to distract yourself, and he laughs.

“Most of the time.”

He’s found the angle that drives you mad, every drive of his cock hitting that spot deep inside you that inches you towards ecstasy. Your vision goes white around the edges, his lips still close enough to kiss but neither of you can focus enough to close the distance. At some point, your fingers had wound into his hair and his in yours, the muffled whines and gasping breaths escaping into the room more obscene than the guttural cries of his name of times past. This was raw, honest, desperate. He’s muttering obscenities as he tugs hard enough to have your scalp twinging, the sudden pressure of a hand clasping your throat dragging you up to the surface.

“I need you to…” He’s wrecked, sweat dripping down his temples, his hair stuck to his face, “I need you to come. I can’t…”

A reassurance that he can cut the act and do what he needs to is cut short by a blinding, white-hot wave surging from your middle outwards. Your nails seek to permanently indent their half-moon shapes into the marbled perfection of his back while your face buries in his neck. You can’t hear what he’s saying, but you can feel the vibration of his voice against your cheek until your senses begin to regulate, and it’s then you realize it’s a pleading whine of your name he’s been chanting like a prayer. 

Panic sets in, he looks like he’s in agony, his face twisting and eyes clamped shut but when your hands cup his jaw it melts away. A lazy kiss allows you both to settle, lips tugging and pulling, tongues brushing softly, and you can feel him softening inside of you as his cum and yours soaks your inner thighs and drips onto the bed. You want to know what he’s thinking, but his face is unreadable now, it’s almost as if he’s half asleep, opting to rest down on your chest for just a moment, his ear directly over your still-hammering heart.

There’s no time to decipher exactly what had just transpired. It’s better that way. He lifts you with ease and carries you to the shower, his fingers scrubbing your hair before he drops to his knees in front of you–a silent plea to return the favor. You take it slow, scraping over his scalp and combing through his thick locks until his head falls to your stomach. You stay until the water runs cold, not a word is said, and there’s no use in translating the silence. It doesn’t matter anyway. 

“Guess I didn’t think that through,” he chuckles as he passes you a t-shirt from his drawer, watching intently as you pull it over your head before focusing on the way the hem hits the middle of your thighs, “Maybe you’ll have to climb in through a window like the old days.”

The memory makes you smile. 

He’s in nothing but sweatpants when he walks out with a wink, leaving you sitting on the edge of the bed with a towel in your hair. Once you leave this room he’ll call you a taxi, and then it’ll be tomorrow. So you sit there surrounded by everything that makes Satoru him. Empty soda bottles on the nightstand, mochi wrappers surrounding a half-empty trash can, his uniform for tomorrow folded and set neatly on a chair in the corner of the room beside the moonlit window, expensive watches he rarely wore, an array of sunglasses, and a single photo of him, Shoko, and Suguru Geto from their second year at Jujutsu High tucked back on the dresser like a relic he dares not move.

When you finally shake the lead from your feet and trudge into the kitchen, Satoru’s at the stove, music playing lightly from his phone on the counter, the symphony of the orchestral tune mixing with the sound of metal scraping on a pan. As you approach the table, he slides a plate across to you, your stomach rumbling at the sight.

“What’s this?” you squeak out, staring down at his offering.

“An omelet,” he states bluntly, flipping the one he’d started for himself.

It’s like an anvil has been dropped on your chest, the control on the tears that had been threatening to break free since he’d pressed worshipful kisses to your stomach in the shower waning. It’s insane that for a moment you consider he actually cares, the lack of common decency you’re shown in your daily life making every gesture grand, even something as simple as this.

“Do you…not like omelets anymore?” he asks, you hadn’t realized how long you’d been in a staring contest with your late-night snack.

“I do.” Your throat is closing in on itself and it’s becoming impossible to mask.

“Okay…”

Etiquette takes over, and you sit to take a bite of what he’s prepared for you, but the small piece you’ve cut off only makes it halfway to your trembling lips before it goes clattering down to the table. 

“What is–” he starts, but you cut him off.

“Why?” The question is much more harsh than you intend.

“Why what?”

“This.”

“Because your stomach has been gurgling since I picked you up. It’s annoying. And you said you wanted me to be nice to you.”

You can’t help the knowing laugh that snaps you both out of whatever daze you’d been trapped in. Your appetite ducks and runs once again and you bite your lip hard enough to draw blood. It’s all part of the act; he could be whatever it was you wanted, all you had to do was ask as long as the request wasn’t honesty. If he won’t call you a cab, you can get one yourself, and you find your discarded bag on the counter on the other side of him, but of course, he blocks your path.

“What is your problem?” The concerned furrow of his brow almost makes this all believable, like he can feel remorse.

Footsteps coming up the sidewalk catch not only your attention but his, and although he slips around you to separate you from whatever lies on the other side, his arm held out to keep you safely pressed behind him, your anger has already taken over.

“Have I overstayed my welcome?” you snap, shoving at the barrier of infinity he’s activated.

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

“Is your next visitor here? It is a Friday, I’m sure you’re busy.”

“Tch. I was working before I dropped everything to come rescue you. Left poor Megumi to finish the job on his own.”

“As if you couldn’t have just done it yourself.” You mimic the way he unleashes that destructive purple technique, flicking against his invisible wall right behind his ear with your middle finger, “Just let me leave–”

“With no pants? Good luck.”

The color drains from your face when it isn’t a woman’s voice heard on the other side of the door, but a very familiar one. Three raps of a wooden cane echo through the palpable silence, your body going rigid in terror as the sound of your pulse turns deafening.

“What did you do…” you mutter under your breath, backing away from Satoru who’s playing the part of shocked exceptionally well, “What the fuck did you do?”

“What did I do?!” he responds in a hushed, frantic whisper.

“You called him.”

“Of all the stupid conclusions you’ve had in your life!”

“Gojo!” your father’s voice echoes through the room, “GOJO!”

Part II is almost done! Thank you for reading! Comments and reblogs=love

{{Masterlist}}

#satoru gojo x reader #satoru gojo x you #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru smut #satoru gojo smut #satoru gojo fanfic #gojo satoru fanfic #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #jjk fanfic #jjk smut

[wosoluver]

Don't get sad, get even

Part 3/3 - previous

Patri x reader. Claudia x reader

-> At your guy's request there is two alternative endings.

Ending I: Let me take care of you

You tried to catch up to Patri when she was leaving.

"Can we talk?" - You said following her out to the parking lot.

"About what?" - She answered with an attitude.

"Seriously?! You got the two of you suspended from next game!"

"Oh of course this was my doing!"

"Grow up! It was, your fault! You should be punishing me. Not Claudia. She's been nothing but a good friend, always."

"Yeah, you two look real good friends."

"Stop that. It was just a kiss! You and I did a lot more than that, and we were still just friends. I don't think a kiss has anything on fucking your best friend for months."

"You were with me. Why did you kiss her?"

"Excuse me? You were with someone else! You barely noticed my presence."

"Why are we even discussing this? We aren't a thing! You have no right to be jealous!"

"Your right! I read the situation wrong and that was on me. But you, you only cared about the attention I was giving out, once my attention had went to someone else. And that's on you."

"Don't say that. It's unfair."

"Is it? Admit to yourself, that was what you were after. No offense, but that's who you are! And you know that. I've watched you do this to too many girls.

I was stupid! I mixed my emotions with my pleasures."

"Maybe this should have stayed in Ibiza."

"Finally something we agree on.

I didn't mean to hurt you-"

"Yes you did." - she said interrupting you.

"Fine. That night I did, only because I was hurting.

But this, was never meant to destroy our friendship.

And now look at us! You basically attacked Clau today."

"I'll apologize tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Can I go now?"

You only nodded your head. And watched her pull out of the parking lot and leave.

One thing about Clau, is that she'd rather only have you as a friend forever, than not having you at all.

That's what always stoped her from confessing how she felt.

That morning was rough. She was angry at Patri for treating you badly. But felt extremely guilty. She knew what she was doing when she kissed you.

And it felt so shitty to hurt a friend, even if they deserve it.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she answered your call.

"Hey." - but she soon heard you sniff on the other side. You were crying.

"Hey, uhm I just wanted to let you know I talked to Patri, and she said she'll apologize to you tomorrow."

"Fuck that. Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing. I have to go." - and you hung up immediately.

Claudia was dead silent. She was fighting herself hard. But she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep after that, so she decided to go to your apartment.

She knocked loudly three times. When you opened the door, Clau was standing there anxiously. She had kept it in for far too long, and she simply couldn't anymore.

"Choose me."

"What?"

"Choose me! Choose someone that actually cares. Someone who's ready to settle down with you.

I like you! And it has been a pain to watch and not be able to do anything. But if you choose me, you can finally be happy."

I didn't quite like this ending, simply because I couldn't find a way for her to be deserving of it. It felt like no matter what/how I wrote it always seemed like Clau was the reader's second option. Since I couldn't come up with anything, I preferred to keep it this way.

#woso #woso x reader #claudia pina x reader #claudia pina #fc barcelona femeni

[violette-hue]

Amortentia

Summary: Pansy forces a secret out of you, and you’re strongly debating which curse/jinx to use on her.

Trigger Warning(s): Pansy (mentions of her), one (?) curse word, mentions of pure bloods (purebloods?), mentions of the future, love/strongly like

Word Count: 749

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

“It’s a nice out tonight.”

You sat down on the edge of the astronomy tower next to Draco. The summer breeze danced across your heated cheeks, cooling you down. The events from twenty minutes ago still boiled your blood and you wanted nothing more than to go back to the Slytherin common room and give Pansy a good wack. Maybe even a curse or jinx.

“What do you want, Draco?” you asked, not daring to look over at him.

“What’s Pansy talking about?”

You took a deep breath. Apparently Draco wasn’t going to beat around the bush with this. You could see him looking at you from your peripherals, his blue eyes haunting in the moonlight. You debated your options. Tell Draco what started this mess, or pretend like you didn’t know. Instinctively, you wanted to choose the latter, but Draco knew you too well, and he’d know you were lying. Even without looking at him. You pursed your lips.

“Remember the Amortentia potion?” you started. You didn’t give him the opportunity to answer as you continued. “I didn’t smell my boyfriend – ex-boyfriend. I smelled you.” You kept your eyes on the moon, ignoring your peripherals. Ignoring your body tingling as Draco scooted closer to you. “Pansy asked me who I smelled. She found out, somehow. I didn’t even tell her, didn’t want to.”

“You always were a bad liar,” Draco said softly. You noted the way his fingers twitched where it rested on his leg, almost as if he wanted to touch you, but decided against it.

“Yeah,” you responded. “I am.” Your heart beat in your chest wildly. Of all the things he could have said, he decided to point out your inability to lie? Had you not just dropped a bomb of information on him? Did he not even care? Your stomach flipped at the thought, legs tingling. What if he didn’t care? What would you do? Would your friendship be over?

You dared a peak at Draco. He was looking at the moon now, admiring her glow. Her haunted rays of light made Draco almost glow, the light bouncing off his light blonde hair. He looked almost like an angel. A haunted, fallen angel. You looked away from him and focused your gaze on the ground hundreds of feet below you. You’re not even sure if you could see the ground properly, or if that was just a thick layer of mist.

“It’s a good thing for me, though,” Draco said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence. Or maybe the silence was only awkward for you?

“Why?”

Draco looked at you, a small smile playing on his lips. “Because I like bad liars. I like you.”

Your eyes met Draco’s and you searched for any deceit. The only thing you saw was sincerity and…longing. Had he always looked at you like that?

You shifted under his gaze and returned your eyes to the floor—or the mist—whatever that was.

“You don’t have to pity me, Draco.”

You heard him scoff. “I was never taught to pity anyone. I’m telling the truth, Y/N, I like you. More than a friend. And I think you like me more than a friend, too.”

It was your turn to scoff now, only when you did it, it sounded more like a weak laugh. “What gave it away — the amortentia?”

Draco smiled and moved closer to you. “Something like that.”

You returned the smile and rested your head on his shoulder. You took a deep breath of relief and contentment. Apples. Leather. Galleons. Just as you had smelt in the potion days ago.

Perhaps a part of you had always known your feelings for Draco were beyond that of friendship. He was the closest person in your life, had been there the longest, too. Whatever shit was going on with your parents, you had always found each other. It seemed fitting you would find your way to be together, and you were sure your parents would have arranged it anyways. Purebloods, they would have said, are meant to be together. That didn’t matter to you. You were with Draco because you wanted to.

You looked up at him through your lashes to find that he was already looking at you. Without missing a beat, you leaned forward and kissed him. His lips were soft and a bit dehydrated, but it felt right. This felt right. You both were still children in society’s eyes, but you knew, somehow, that this would last.

#⚡️: queue #Draco #Harry Potter #Draco Malfoy #Draco imagine #Draco Drabble #Draco fluff #Draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy imagines #draco malfoy drabble #Draco imagines #Draco x reader #Draco x you #draco x y/n #Draco malfoy x reader #Draco malfoy x you #draco malfoy x y/n #draco x slytherin!reader #draco malfoy x slytherin!reader #violette hue

[inmyminditsreal]

I'll protect you

Fem!reader x spencer reid

Word count: 661

Summary: The BAU goes to a bar to unwind after a hard case. You get some unwanted attention to which Spencer immediately comes to your defense.

Everyone arrives at the bar, we pick a table close to the back so we can talk.

“I can’t believe it took us that long.” Emily states.

“Yeah, I mean- the husband. He was right under our noses the entire time.” Derek responds.

“At least we caught the guy.” you say, trying to lighten the mood “wanna go dance?” you ask.

Both JJ and Emily agree, so you walk up to the dancefloor and start swaying. You laugh at each others stupid dance moves and funny faces until,

“I have to go to the bathroom- I’ll be right back.” JJ says. Emily had already gone to buy us drinks, so it was just you. It’s fine, pretty crowded anyway. A man approaches you and asks,

“Oh come on- one drink ain’t gonna hurt you.” He starts and you reluctantly respond with,

“Hey there little lady, why don’t I buy you a drink?” You quickly reply with, “No, thanks though.”

“No, thank you.”

“I didn’t say that was an option.” He growls, moving closer. Suddenly, he grabs your ass. You're about to push him off when someone already does that for you. It's Spencer.

“Get your hands off her and leave her alone.” He blazes at the man.

“Woah woah woah, calm down- I was just having a little fun!” The man responds while winking at you.

“She said no, you didn’t listen so get the fuck out of here. Now.” He snarls at the man.

“Fuck you man! FUCK YOU!” The man shouts before barely walking to the bar in a straight line. JJ and Emily walk up after hearing the commotion and quickly run up to comfort you. Spencer was still following the man, I saw him show his badge, then the guy hurried off. You start to tear up. Spencer walks over to you and asks,

“I’m so sorry, are you okay?”

“Yea- it’s fine.” you reply while wrapping him into a big hug. He returns the favor, and you stay like this for a minute or two.

The three of them sit you down and explain the situation to the rest of the team. Everybody is pissed. Spencer offers to take you home, to which you agree.

In his car we start the drive, and he asks, “Are you really okay? You didn’t deserve any of that.” He continued, “I told the bartender about the guy. He said he’d make sure he never goes in the bar again.”

“Thank you, spence.” you reply.

“Answer my question, are you okay?” He asks.

“Not really- I just feel gross.” You answer.

“I’m so sorry- is there anything I can do?” He questions you carefully.

“This may be a bit much, but- would you mind staying the night with me?” You mutter back.

The last thing you want is to be alone.

“Of course.” He smiles back.

Back at my place, you walk up to your room and get ready for bed. Once you're ready, you grab Spencer and take him to the room.

“Do you have spare blankets and pillows?” He asks.

“For what?” you respond, confused.

“Well, you only have one bed so I’m assuming that I’m sleeping on the floor.” He murmurs back.

“Oh- it’s up to you. I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable. Thank you again for staying the night.” You tell him.

“Oh um, okay. No problem, I’d do this for you anytime.” He replies while smiling.

You smile back and thank him for standing up for you in the bar as well. He smiles and waves it off as nothing but a necessity.

He chooses to sleep in bed with you. He ends up laying on his back, arm stretched out. You're laying on that arm until he wraps it around you.

“Goodnight.” You whisper.

“Goodnight, just know I will always be here to protect you, no matter what. I love you.” He whispers back.

You couldn't be more grateful for him.

#criminal minds #spencer reid #spencerreid #spencer read fic #spencer reid one shot #spencer reid imagine #protective spencer reid #bau #bau!reader #fem!reader x spencer reid

[wosowrites]

Leah Williamson x Reader (Stop the Teasing but Don’t Stop)

warnings: flirting, slight s3xu@l teasing

prompt: in which Leah is completely head over heels for the reader, and the reader knows but chooses not to say anything to keep teasing Leah.

a/n: based off this brilliant request here and then another one that suggested writing it from Leah’s POV

I had loved y/n y/l/n since I was 24. But she had always been perfect, and beautiful… and it took me a couple years to grow into my own skin. From the second we joined the Arsenal academy, we were best friends. Then we made our debut for the first team on the same day, together, and then england… and then I realized I was in love with her.

But it felt like it was too late. She had dated a couple footballers before. A couple being Ona Batlle and then briefly Jill Roord. I felt as though she still saw me as being the same, weird haired, crooked smiled girl I was when we first met.

And that’s all I could think about while sitting in Alexs kitchen.

"I mean- I like the way she talks. And I like the way she ties her shoes super slowly to make sure the bows are centered and perfect. And when she’s tired she gets so mad but all you have to do to replace the anger with softness if feed her. I like everything about her, Alex and she just doesn’t care," I said to Alex Scott, my head resting on my elbow as I drank a gin and tonic in her apartment.

"I don’t know why you don’t tell her directly. It’s kind of a her problem she doesn’t know because you make it obvious," Alex said, taking a sip of her own drink. "I clearly don’t. She would say something if she did know," I sighed. "Leah, maybe she’s just scared. Y/n is… loving yes but closed off. She always looks kind of scared when it comes to any kind of confrontation. She’s soft and maybe she just wants you to make the first move," Alex said, resting her hand on my shoulder.

I wasn’t so sure.

Your POV

You sat on the couch of your own apartment alone. The rain was coming down heavy and all the lights in your apparement were off, making the room gray and dull. Depressing.

You were thinking about Leah. Thinking about how you liked to tease her, and how you knew she liked you but just couldn’t bring yourself to act on it. Your brain was full of what ifs. What if she was just teasing you as well? What if she didn’t actually like you? What if you said something and the whole team dynamic was off?

Leah’s POV

The next morning I got up, got dressed, ate a little bit and then left for training. I had crashed at Alex’s apartment but that happened so often i had spare everything over there. Pulling into the Arsenal training facility, I noticed y/n’s car parked. And then I saw her walk out. Her long hair we’re in two loose braids as she always tied her hair later on. She wore Arsenal sweatpants and an Arsenal tee shirt as well as white running shoes. She looked perfect.

I got out of my car and locked it before jogging towards her. "You look good y/l/n," I said, winking at her slightly. She didn’t blush. She never blushed. Instead she smiled and looked up at me a little. "Thank you. You don’t look bad yourself," she answered.

And then she checked me out. I knew it was teasing, but could it possibly be something else? Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe she actually-

But my thoughts were cut off when her eyes wandered up my arms and then back to my lips before looking forward again.

I thought I might pass out. She was so, so beautiful.

Weeks went on. Weeks where loving her started to become less fun and more painful. But that pain only surfaced when I was alone. When I was with her, things felt right and good.

She pushed me over the edge during a team dinner at a fancy restaurant. I hated every option on the menu but I ended up ordering some weird sun fried tomato pasta, knowing y/n would probably eat it.

I saved a spot for her beside me, but she was running late. She came in ten minutes after the original meeting time. That was the first time she made me dizzy that night.

Her natural hair was loose and fell down her back, looking amazing and she was wearing black dress pants with a black vest type of top. She had pearls on her neck and ears and when she sat down I noticed she had a purse which matched. "Thank you for your arrival Miss y/n," Kim joked, making her roll your eyes. "Sorry sorry I had to pick something up at the store. You guys clearly didn’t check the menu before coming here. Leah isn’t going to eat any of this," she said before rummaging in your purse and pulling out a ham sandwich from Tesco. "I’ll give it to you when the rest of the food arrives?" y/n said, looking into my eyes.

I wanted to kiss her then and there. And for whatever reason I told her that. "I could kiss you right now," I told her, and I saw some of the girls roll their eyes in the corner of mine. "Well not here Williamson," she winked.

She then struck up conversation with Beth and Viv, and I was left staring into space.

She ordered some fancy thing I couldn’t pronounce and when it came she went to grab the sandwich for me from her bag. But she couldn’t do it without teasing me. She laid her hand on my thigh, almost under my dress and then leaned down to get the food from her bag, grabbing it with her right hand. She sat back up, her hand still very much there, and maybe even a little under the hem of my dress. "Here," she smiled, sending me a wink.

My breathing was heavy and I know she knew that. My thighs were closer together than ever but right when I thought her hand would be there the whole supper, she moved it.

I think I might have seen stars.

Your POV

What was I doing?

I loved teasing her. I loved the feeling of victory I got when she so clearly was affected by the smallest touch, the little glance and the most insignificant action. It made my heart full, it made me feel like a winner. The only problem was that maybe I hadn’t stopped to think what it did to her.

But she told me herself later that night.

I said goodnight to the girls and then got into my car, purposely avoiding Leah. Driving a little over the speed limit, I rushed to my apartment and then into my bedroom. I let myself fall down onto the bed, sinking into the foam mattress.

My brain wandered with thoughts of Leah, images of my hand on her legs. But I snapped myself out of it to change into sweatpants and a sports bra. I needed to get her out of my head.

And then a knock echoed through my apartment and I knew who it was instantly.

Leah’s POV

I knew I had to say something to her when she left the restaurant without saying good bye to me.

"What the fuck is her problem?" I breathed out, complaining to Katie. "I mean she basically had her hand under my dress and now she leaves without saying anything to me?" I said. "Ew. Wait at the dinner table? Really? Gross," Katie groaned. "Not the point! It’s weird right?" I sighed, walking in the direction of our parked cars. "Yeah. I'd say," Katie answered.

"I’m gonna talk to her," I decided.

And that was that.

Suddenly I was standing at the door of the apartment of the girl I was head over heels for. My fist hovered over the surface before finally knocking rhythmically. It took a second for her to answer, but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew I was going to be the one at her door. "Lee..." she said, using the nickname my teammates called me but she never used. "You need to stop," I started saying, pushing my way past her and into the middle of her apartment. "You need to stop leading me on. Stop checking me out and the ignoring me, stop... touching me and then not saying goodbye. It's confusing and it hurts," I said, tears falling down my cheeks.

I was still wearing my short black cocktail dress, looking extremely fancy next to her. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she hadn't thought that her actions could have hurt me like this. "I'm sorry-" she said, her eyes filling with hurt. "I dont want to hurt you. I've never ever wanted to hurt you. I just- I feel like my brain cant comprehend that someone could actually like me for me. I dont need to try with you and... I mean I knew you liked me but I didn't know know." she said, clearly hoping her words made sense.

"But I do. I do like you and If you don't like me back please let me go and stop putting your hand under my dress at restaurants," I said, my chest heaving and my body shaking from the fear, pain, excitement and stress I was feeling. "Okay. But... say I did like you. Then I could keep doing it..."

There it was again. The flirting, the teasing, the words that made me turn red. But this time she looked genuine, and her body was getting closer to mine.

Before I knew it, she had grabbed a hold of my right hand in her left and her right hand was on my waist, slowly rubbing my side. "Yes. Well- not at restaurants because Katie thought it was gross but... other places," I told her, my breath catching in my throat as she came closer to me, lips only centimetres apart. "Here?" she suggested, her nose touching mine. "Yeah. Here."

And then our lips were tangled, our hands were roaming and our minds were at peace. What better world than the one where I got the confirmation that the girl I've loved for what felt like forever, loved me back.

#woso fic #woso imagine #woso x reader #woso #leah williamson #arsenal fcw #katie mccabe

[rillils]

how do explain stucky from the moment they met to where they are now (together in each others arms) to my friend who knows nothing about marvel

ohh this is a tough one, honey! i think i've got two options for you:

the short answer:

stucky is a compendium of all the best tropes out there, and i'm sure i'm gonna miss a few:

soulmates? check! star-crossed lovers? check! battle husbands? super check! mutual pining? check! 'and they were roommates'? check! best friends to lovers? check check check! long-lost lover comes back from the dead? fuck yeah, check! temporary amnesia? check! dude in distress trope? check! 'they will always find each other and choose each other in every lifetime'? also check! identity porn? extra check! saved by the power of love? you guessed it: check! slow burn or childhood sweethearts? you decide!!! did they share their first kiss when steve was 16, as per a popular fanon theory? did they only confess their feelings during the war? did they only get together much later, when bucky was healing in wakanda? you can pick literally ANY point in their timeline, and it will still make sense! they're all equally valid! you can even have multiple different headcanons at once, i mean who's gonna stop you??? all you have to do is join in the fun! 💕

the long AF answer, aka:

STEVE & BUCKY'S LOVE STORY, UNABRIDGED SOMEWHAT ABRIDGED, part 1/3

all right, let's set the scene:

imagine two young kids, let's call them steve and bucky. they meet, they immediately take to each other, they become instant besties! and as they grow up together, facing many hardships, their bond deepens. not only are they best friends; they are also each other's family. they take care of each other, and they both know they can always rely on one another in times of need.

when steve's mom (and only remaining relative) passes away, bucky reminds him that he's not as alone in this world as he thinks he is: bucky will always be by his side. bucky will always love him unconditionally, will always be there for him, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, and he wants steve to know that.

in fact, he asks steve to move in with him, thus offering steve both a literal and a metaphorical home.

and steve says yes!

SO. they are each other's home, they're living together, they're getting by all right. but then war breaks out, and eventually it reaches their little home as well: bucky is drafted, and steve, due to his many health issues, and despite his best intentions, can't follow the boy he loves onto the battlefield.

it's a very difficult time for them both - so much so that they can't even bring themselves to talk about it.

they have no choice but to say goodbye for now, knowing that they might never see each other again. but here's something you might not know yet about steve: he's the most reckless, most stubborn fucker america's ever seen. he's not gonna let this stop him!!! instead, he goes and gets a very sweet, kindly scientist to fucking experiment on him, because screw it, he's going to fight in this war if it's the last thing he does. and that's how he goes from Smol Steeb to Lorge Premium Steeb.

of course, things don't go exactly as he predicted, and steve is made to be the star of a war propaganda-fuelled musical kinda thingie, which he resents (but he looks fucking precious in his costume)

BUT! he does get closer to the actual battlefield. which is where he discovers that bucky has been captured by the enemy (!!!!!!!) and is most likely dead by now. but steve isn't willing to give up so easily! he'll believe bucky's dead when he sees it with his own eyes. so, he embarks on this suicide solo mission in the attempt to get bucky back, even if it means wandering on his own. into enemy territory. where he would be shot. on. sight. with no protection for his dumb ass except for a bunch of theater props!!! but such is the power of love, y'all.

against all odds, steve finds bucky very much still alive! and as soon as bucky recognizes him, even as confused as he is, he pulls out this beautiful, ecstatic, angelic-ass smile, like he's just seen god or he got high on some real good edibles or maybe both idk, like my man here was having a serious Religious Experience™ you guys

and i just wanna say, they could have totally kissed here and it would have made plenty of sense. but that's true of like 90% of their scenes in this franchise, so *shrugs*

ANYWAY steve takes bucky in his arms (well technically yes he does) and brings him to safety, and on their way there, bucky proves once more just how hard he meant that "with you til the end of the line" from before

afterwards, steve is finally given the chance to fight, just like he wanted.

bucky, on the other hand, could very well leave the war behind and go home; but when he learns that steve is staying, he chooses to stay too, and fight by his side. and he tells steve so in this very intimate, softspoken, delightfully suggestive conversation, which can be summed up like this:

and so they walk right back into the heart of the fight, only this time together, as they were always meant to be!

but. during an especially tricky mission, they're surprised by the enemy, and as a result, bucky falls to his death into a deep ravine.

steve is devastated. overwhelmed with guilt, grief and rage, he vows to bring down the people responsible for his loss, even if it costs him his own life.

and um, it kind of does? cost him his own life?

victorious after his last vis-a-vis with The Antagonist™, steve still chooses to sacrifice himself to prevent the catastrophe set into motion by the aforementioned Antagonist™. he's flying a jet over the frosty expanse of the atlantic, and you know, from the outside, you could easily argue that he could try to save himself. if he really wanted to. but with bucky dead, and the people responsible for all this pain, either dead or captured, it seems like all the will to fight is gone from steve; and so he plunges the jet straight into the ocean, and himself with it.

is this the end of their story?, you might ask.

the answer is: of course not!!!! the best is yet to come, babes!!!

EDIT: here is part 2

#stucky just stucky #personal #stucky #yes this is very dumb but dumb is my middle name lmao #i hope the read more works?????????? #are all the pictures even there???? #i'm too tired to check agsdjahkasdjk #sorry it took me a while to reply honey!!!! #i hope you're having a fantastic day!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 #the silly stucky recap you didn't ask for #rillers scribbles

[look-at-the-soul]

Cia!!! Thank you so much for always providing inspiration via your gifs!! I hope you like this 🤭 it’s been on my mind for a while hile…

He should’ve paid attention

Tommy Shelby x reader (and Alfie Solomons)

Opening the door of his office, Tommy sighed loudly, it had been a long meeting and he had been worried his wife would storm in any minute, demanding him to stop whatever business he was planning to do.

Speaking of which, his wife was nowhere to be seen.

And that was the perfect reason to worry, because she was the one who knew these fucking people, he recognized a face or two, but to be honest he would never understand what was the purpose to throw a party like this for their daughter’s christening. In his opinion it should be something small but he had nothing to do with the planning of such event, so he really didn’t have a thing to say.

A maid almost spilled the drinks on a guest.

As he moved across the people, he gave Johnny Dogs a disapproving eye side look, catching him and a maid coming out from the coat closet, Arthur was rolling up his sleeves already, he just hoped his brother wouldn’t start a fight in that moment. Polly and Ada were chatting in a corner, sipping his expensive champagne.

And if Y/N wasn’t with them, then he didn’t know where else to look for her.

The group of people before him suddenly moved backwards, like making a human wall, revealing Y/N standing over there facing him, but looking directly at another man he first didn’t recognize because he had his back at him.

Time stopped when his wife placed her hand on the man’s arm and laughed freely, then he saw his baby girl squirming in that man’s arms and he felt his blood boiling, in a few long strides he reached his wife, finally seeing that man’s face… finding Alfie holding his daughter.

It took him a couple of seconds to process what was happening.

“Alfie what are you doing here?”

“Oh, hello mate, I was just telling your lovely wife she has a great taste, she added a home-like touch to this place, didn’t she?” Alfie looked up at the eye-catching chandelier above them, the place exuded luxury.

“That doesn’t answer my question.” This was a family gathering and Alfie certainly attracted a lot of attention.

“Well, darling… you know how I just couldn’t stay away from eating those biscuits while I was pregnant, so I asked Frances to track down the bakery that made them, and it turned out to be Alfie’s.” She wrapped her hand around his arm and gave him that look he knew so damn well, the one that said she was about to get things done her way. “So I thought how Mr. Solomons has been so helpful to your business and I decided to ask him and his wife Edna to be our Sophie’s Godfather and Godmother.”

Tommy stopped listening in that moment, he felt like he was underwater, words were said in slow motion and he wasn’t able to keep up.

He looked at his wife, waiting for the moment she would say she was only joking. But that didn’t happen.

The collar of his tuxedo seemed tighter suddenly.

From all of the people…

“Look at that face, I told you he wouldn’t agree.” Alfie shook his head while hitting him slightly on the shoulder with his cane.

“Well he told me to take care of everything.” Y/N defended her choice. “I asked him who did he want and he said…”

“Whoever you choose is right, but you forgot to mention your options love.” Tommy tried to remain calm, having Alfie as part of his closest circle wasn’t his cup of tea.

“He never listens to me.” Y/N explained to Alfie, brushing Tommy off.

“I know, I keep saying him the same thing.” Alfie agreed.

“Why are you two talking like I’m not here?” He took his sleepy daughter from Alfie’s arms. “You probably should have mention this earlier, don’t you think?”

Y/N shuddered. “You barely pay any attention to anything I say anyways.”

Tommy tilted his head, feeling the veins in his temple pulsing.

“Why don’t you calm down mate?” Alfie proposed. “Have some air.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“What’s the big deal? You’re friends, Alfie is a great baker, he’s funny….” Y/N had a long list of tributes but she decided to keep it short judging by the look Tommy gave her.

Alfie took the child from his arms and gave the bundle to her mother, to then pat Tommy on the shoulder, keeping his voice down.

“Look mate, if anything happens to you, I’ll look after your child, hmm? Uncle Alfie to the rescue.”

Tommy groaned. The only worse thing that could happen to him apart from doing business with Alfie Solomons was having him as the Godfather of his daughter.

But it was too fucking late to try to do something now.

Next time his wife asked his opinion, he would pay attention…

****

Blurbs

Master list

Tag list: @lyarr24 @runnning-outof-time @cillmequick @datewithgianni @cloudofdisney @gretelshelby @gypsy-girl-08 @lespendy @onlydeadcells @fastfan @stevie75 @prettylittlehoneyeyesxoxo @esposadomd @forbidden-forest-witch @ange-thoughts @moral-terpitude @elenavampire21 @forgottenpeakywriter @thenattitude @winchestergirl22 @imichelle-l-rigby @allie131313 @already-broken144 @peakyscillian @babaohhhriley @mrkdvidal1989 @shelbydelrey @shaddixlife @sloanexx @adaydreamaway08 @pono-pura-vida @thomashelbyswife @darleneslane

@raincoffeeandfandoms I tagged you Flor for Alfie 🤭

#That’s what Cill said #tommy shelby #tommy shelby blurb #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x you #alfie solomons #alfie solomons imagine #modern tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders blurb

[honeybeefae]

Mornin’! For the bingo card, could I request Second Chances with either Eris or Azriel? And you can choose nsfw or sfw. Your writing is great either way and you don’t have to do this at all…

thank you

Can We Start Again? (Eris Vanserra x Reader)

BINGO: Second Chances

(This has HEAVY Taylor Swift vibes so if you needed a mood playlist, put on Illicit Affairs. Also, I had the option between NSFW and SFW and I did SFW just cause I’ve been writing so much smut lately! I wanted to write some hurt/comfort. Idk if anyone is still reading these bingos but I want to finish them so thank you if you are still keeping up and I love you guys!! <3)

WARNINGS: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

You weaved through the crowd of bodies as they spun and dipped, offering pleasant smiles whenever your eyes would connect with someone. It was getting late and you were yearning to go back home and rest, your body aching for the soft mattress and warm sheets that awaited you.

It took you a few more strides before you were able to break free from everyone and get out to the balcony for fresh air. Luckily for you, no one else was out here, your body leaning against the cool stone as you took a deep breath to enjoy the silence.

The party was the same as all the others you attended this year. The same people, the same atmosphere, the same music, it felt as if you were stuck in a never-ending loop. 

For once you just wished something new and exciting would happen. Hell, you would even settle for a new dessert at this point. 

“I thought I saw you escape.” A low, warm voice said behind you. It made you jump and you turned with a frown, wondering what this person could possibly want until your eyes met his very familiar amber ones. 

“Eris?” You ask, your tone full of disbelief. 

“In the flesh.” He smirked, giving you a little bow. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes as you relaxed and rested your elbow on the railing. 

He looked the same as the last time you saw him, with long red hair and eyes full of secrets. You had heard the rumors that he might be here tonight but you had also heard the same at every other party this summer. 

“What are you doing here tonight?” You question, your nerves fizzing from how long it had been since you last talked. “And don’t tell me it’s for the tantalizing conversation. Unless, of course, you have a secret love for court gossip and talks of the harvest.”

Eris shook his head and watched you, his head slightly cocked as he studied you and searched for something. It made you anxious and you suddenly felt very self-conscious, your hands immediately tugging at your outfit. He noticed.

“Stop fidgeting.” He chastised, walking closer to you to take your hand and give it a gentle kiss. “You look beautiful as always.”

“Thank you.” You hum, your hand buzzing as you immediately placed it back at your side. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Would you believe me if I told you it was because I wanted to see you again?” Eris spoke softly, watching the flicker of emotions that went through your eyes at his confession. You frowned, your aura immediately turning cold as you took a step back from him.

It had been years, years, since you had seen Eris. The last time you had he had left you in the middle of the night, a love confession having just sprouted from your lips after he had made you feel like no one else before. You had been a casual thing for years, the two of you gravitating toward one another for a while until it all came to a head that night.

Some nameless fae male who your parents had chosen for you had asked for your hand in marriage that night, his voice arrogant and head high. He was assured that you would say yes but when you looked at Eris, his face fallen, you realized just how deeply you felt for him. So, you refused the propsal.

Chaos had erupted and Eris was quick to step in and remove you from the situation, taking you to that small cabin in the woods that you two escaped to on nights where you just wanted to be alone. He had wiped your tears, held you close, and then made your toes curl and your body feel electrified.

And afterwards, when you were both lazy with sleep, you told him you loved him. You realized your mistake as soon as you saw his eyes, that look forever haunting you. He had then stood, gave you the key to the house, and left. Never contacting you again.

Yet here he stood, smiling at you as if none of that had happened, and you couldn’t stop the anger from rising.

“No. I don’t.” You respond coldly, your jaw clenching as he frowned. 

“Come on, Y/N, don’t be like this.” He sighed, standing straight to run a hand through his hair. It was something he did when he was frustrated. “I want to make amends.”

“Amends?” You scoff, that anger now turning to rage. It felt as if you were about to spit fire at him. “After all these years? After you left me alone? I am fine to be cordial with you but if you think I would ever want to make amends with you, to be friends, you are denser than I thought you were.”

“What I did was wrong, I know. I live with that guilt every day but I want to explain myself, to let you know that I was wrong and stupid and that I’m sorry.”

You had always wanted to hear him say those words to you, to come in like a white knight in a fairytale and profess his love to you. It had been your dream for years…until you realized you didn’t need it. You were fine without him. If he wanted to leave you, to pretend as if you didn’t exist, then you could do the same.

But what you told yourself and what you actually felt were two completely different stories. You could pretend all you want but at night, or in hazy mornings, your heart yearned for his arms wrapping around you.

“I don’t want your sorry, Eris.” You said with a shaky breath, willing your emotions to stay hidden. “I wanted you. I wanted a life with you. I refused proposals, opprotunites, everything for you. You were it for me. And you left.”

“Oh, Y/N,” He murmured, his voice tight as he reached out for you. “My little fox-”

“Don’t call me that,” You snapped, tears now welling up in your eyes. “Don’t act like you have a right to that anymore. You lost it when you walked out that door, Eris. You ruined everything, left our castle crumbling, and the saddest part is that I still try to rebuild it.”

“I loved you. I wanted a life with you, to run away from the courts and just pretend we were the only ones that existed. I had dreams for us. I still do and it’s the most pathetic thing. I hate it.” The tears were now freely falling down your cheeks as you turned away from him, blearily looking out over the dark forest as you tried to control your breathing. 

You hadn’t meant to reveal all of that to him, to let him know just how much he still affected you, but it was like you couldn’t stop. It was as if someone had taken over your mouth. And maybe that’s what you needed. Maybe now that you got all of it, you could finally move on. You could try to find happiness again.

His footsteps came closer as he stood behind you, careful to not touch you. You tensed, waiting for laughter or anger, just wanting him to finally reject you to be done with it. 

“I’m not expecting your forgiveness nor your understanding.” Eris began, his voice barely above a whisper. “The pain I caused you, after all you sacrificed for me, it is truly unexcusable. Something a monster would do…and maybe that’s what I am.”

Your heart clenched as he struggled with the last part. The two of you had talked about how he saw himself, about the things he was going through with his father, and you knew how much it tormented him. It was a dark stain on his soul and you had tried your best to heal it, to show him how love could heal anything. 

“You always saw the best in me, little fox. Even on my worst days, even now, I’m sure, you’re wanting to soothe me. It’s who you are.” He smiled, his hand raising to graze your back before stalling. “I’ve never met someone like you, Y/N. Someone who cares, truly cares, about others and who loves without conspiracy or greed. You simply love to love and that is such a rare, precious trait.”

The knuckles of your hand were white as you gripped the stone of the balcony. 

“Our past was always full of ill-defined lines between lovers and friends. It was what I thought I wanted, no strings attached, because I had convinced myself in my mind that once it was gone I wouldn’t have anything to grieve.” Eris continued, lowering his hand and sighing. “And when you told me you loved me you made me feel alive. It was the first time in my life I thought life was truly worth living, that I had finally be granted true happiness after the hell that I had been through.”

“I remember looking at you, shock, awe, love, and devotion taking hold of me…until reality washed it all away. You have no idea how badly I wanted to say it back, Y/N.” He suddenly cupped your face, the chilly night air causing your breaths to puff out as he trained his eyes on you. “But I could not give you the life you deserved.”

“The only life I wanted was with you, Eris. I only needed you.” You whispered, placing your hands over his. 

“I couldn’t promise you protection, Y/N. Do you think all those years I wanted us to stay secret? To hide you away like I was ashamed of us?” His voice was desperate now. “I would get on my very knees before you in front of the Court, proclaim you as you mine in front of the Gods, but for all I could do the only thing I couldn’t was keep you safe from my family.”

“What they did to my brother’s lover still haunts me. She was an innocent soul but they deemed her ‘unworthy’ and ripped her limb from limb. I couldn’t, wouldn’t, subject you to that.” Eris shook his head, his thumb running slowly over your cheek as a tear rolled down it. “It was easier to leave you to hate me, to wish me dead. I would gladly ruin myself if it meant I was keeping you safe.”

“Why now? Why after all these years have you come to find me?” You asked, your lips quivering. “I don’t understand. That danger is still there, your family is still alive. What difference does it make?”

Eris gave you a soft smile and pulled your hand to his lips, kissing it tenderly. You felt yourself warm in his arms. He was looking at you the same way he had that night only this time, this time it didn’t fade into horror and pain. This time all you saw was adoration.

“I realized I couldn’t live without you.” He murmured, pressing his forehead against yours. “I was a coward and a fool to throw away someone like you, Y/N. I’ve loved you since the moment we met and I haven’t stopped.”

Your lips turned up in a shaky smile at finally hearing those words. All of the anger and sadness you had been holding onto with him vanished, replaced with that love and devotion that had been buried underneath it all. You closed your eyes and allowed yourself to simply be in the moment, his magic warming the two of you up as the party continued inside. 

He started swaying you gently, the music barely loud enough as you let out a small giggle as you twirled away and back into his arms. Eris pressed his lips against your ear, smiling from ear to ear as turned you and took a step back.

“Can we start again, please?” He asked, his signature smirk on his lips as he gave you a deep bow and a wink. 

You rolled your eyes but gave him an exaggerated curtsy, returning his wink and holding your hand out for him to take. “A pleasure to meet you, my Lord.”

Eris yanked you into his arms and you let out a small shriek, hitting his shoulder playfully as he dipped his head until your lips were near touching. You looked up at him through your lashes, your cheeks flushed, waiting in anticipation.

“I think we’ve both done enough waiting, little fox. Let’s just skip to the good part.” He flirted, sealing your lips against his as you both savored finding each other again. 

#acotar #acotar reader #acotar reader fic #acotar bingo #eris x reader #eris x reader acotar #eris vanserra #eris acotar #eris #eris vanserra acotar #eris vanserra x reader #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf #eris fic #eris imagine #eris acotar fic #acotar imagine #acotar imagine reader #acotar fic #acotar fic reader

[darckxlady]

could you please do a tutorial of your game of thrones 'so much for stardust' gifs where it has the ripped paper textures? it's so pretty, and i'd like to learn how to do one with just the texture in the middle and two gifs on either side, like half and half and just having a rip in the middle. it's so cool how you did a gif in the middle though so i wanted to ask as well! all of them are so cool looking. you are extremely talented. if you don't want to though i understand :) thank you

TORN PAPER EFFECT + BLENDING TUTORIAL

thank you so much for your sweet words, dearest anon and i'm sorry it took so long to answer but it's here now so i'll try my best to explain <3 disclamer: this is the first tutorial i ever made, it's very screenshot heavy and it assumes the basic knowledge of ps and gifmaking. if there's something you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask <3 so, let's get to it!

1. PREPARING THE BASE As you can see in this shot there's a lot of space between Rhaenyra and Alicent and that makes it perfect for the ripped paper overlay without hiding much of the base gif. So the first thing i did was to crop it like this:

Also you want to make sure that the highlighted box (delete cropped pixels) is unchecked! After taking the usual steps for the animation (creating frames from layers, reversing the frames, setting frame delay) you continue with the video timeline and convert your frames into a smart object. psa: if you don't have the motivation or the time to play around with coloring here are some psds i recommend: 1, 2; as for the sharpening i think this one is the best.

now that you have your smart object sharpened and colored what you want to do next is drag it to the end of the canvas and duplicate it. after that you move the copy on the other end like the original and make sure it's under the coloring layers, like this:

After that you have to create layer masks (the highlighted icon above) for both smart object and the copy and change the blending option of the copy to screen or lighten (whatever looks best!). So this is how it looks now:

pls ignore that there are no layer masks on the smart objects i just added them after changing the blending rip </3 Now, as you see both gifs are like fighting eachother for their rightful place on the canvas. (fgfgfdf) To fix that you have to use a soft round brush to delete the parts you don't want. (feel free to play around with the brush however you want to get the result you want!) Here's my result:

2. THE OVERLAY

Now for the both gifs you want to use for the ripped paper effect you pretty much apply the same steps as the ones you did with the gifs for the base. Here are the two gifs i chose:

Before blending both gifs however you want to create a clipping mask for each of the smart objects coloring layers, like this:

And now you're ready to blend both gifs together! You choose the group with one of the gifs and change the blending again to screen or lighten and place the said group on top of the other. So this is how it looks now:

optional: if you feel like the base gif doesn't pop out enough you can always add a gradient map on one of both gifs and play around with the opacity and the color you think fits best.

Then you add a layer mask on the overlay gif group and again play around with the brush to delete what you don't want. So this is the final result:

ps - don't repeat my mistake by placing the group with the layer mask under the other group. it should be on top and the blending option should be lighten or screen.

After blending both gifs together, you're ready to place them on the base. So first thing you want to do first is place both groups of each gif in one single group together. Then you duplicate the said group in the psd of the base gif and create a layer mask. This is how it should looks:

Now, in order to create the ripped paper effect, you'll have to download a ripped paper brush pack. This is the one i use. After loading the brushes in ps (if you don't know how here is explained) you're ready to begin! Change the size and angle however you'd like to make it look how you want. And if you want you can move the overlay gif by choosing both groups in case you aren't happy with the adjustment. This is how it looks like so far:

We're almost done! Now you have to find a paper texture, (i got mine from google) place it between both groups of your gifs and create a layer mask, like so:

What you have to do here is pretty much the same thing you did with the overlay gifs. Still, make sure there's enough space for the text you want to write in. However, if you think that the space isn't enough you can just delete a bit more of the overlay gifs. Here's mine:

3. THE TEXT

You're finally ready to type out the text you want! If you're having troubles with choosing the right font and size, here are my text settings:

You can always play around with the angle and if your text is too small, zoom in so you can place it just how you like it. And since i'm a bit lazy to deal with it later, i choose to add the highlight color while it's still zoomed. You just have to add an layer above the text and use a soft round brush with opacity from 70-75% and flow from 15-18%.

For the repeated text you want to make sure you create a big space for writing so it can contain the whole space of the torn paper. Also, write where the text will be seen only and use the tab button to skip the space where the gif is. This is how it looks:

Once you're done with writing the repeated text, you want to select all the character layers and the highlight layer and move them under the overlay gif and on top of the paper, like this:

With the layers still selected and in order to contain the text within the paper the last thing you want to do is create a clipping mask. And that's It. You're done! This is the final result:

#allresources #dailyresources #usergif #chaoticresources #gifmakerresource #hisources #onlyresources #alielook #usermaguire #userrobin #usernik #userpat #userbells #gif tutorial #ps help

[auncyen]

and another little scene THIS IS THE LAST ONE I'M POSTING UNTIL I UPDATE ON AO3 JUST BECAUSE I REALLY SHOULDN'T SPOIL MY OWN FIC THIS MUCH but like. I'm also just excited that I'm writing. And the mental image of this scene has been in my head for way too long lol

-

"You're…real this time, right?"

Siffrin has always been on the quiet side, but this question could have been whispered by a mouse. You nearly miss it; Isabeau reacts first while you're still parsing it. "Sif? Of, of course we're real! Can't you tell??"

Siffrin flinches away, shrinking into their cloak with a faint "sorry", and you know.

They can't. They can't tell. Not well enough to be sure.

Have they been hallucinating? How long, that they're doubting their own sight right now? "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry," they whisper. "I'm sorry, I lost you. I'm sorry, I have to make sure you're fine, I have to be sure, I have to loop back--"

"Siffrin," you say loudly, just as their hand lights on their dagger. Why is he reaching for his dagger if he's going to loop back? No, no, that's not the issue right now. The issue is that they cannot loop back. You'll forget everything. He won't tell you again, not if this is how things end. You cannot have him looping. "If--If you can't trust that you're seeing us," you say, thinking quickly. "What if I touched you?"

Your question works in that it distracts Siffrin. His eye widens as they stare at you, the surprise clear as crystal on his face. "Huh?"

His hand falls away from the dagger.

You don't like that it was there to begin with, but you need to convince them while you have their attention. "If you're doubting sight and sound, touch would be the next logical option. It may be distasteful to you, but…" You raise your left hand with a deliberate slowness so that it's clearly in their vision. "If I touched you, would that be enough reassurance?"

He stares at you for a moment. The 'no' is already ringing in your mind. If he goes for the dagger again you'll need to use your Craft to slow him down and grab him--or hope Isabeau grabs him--but why would he reach for the dagger? He said he was going to loop, he said he was going to loop last night, how does he choose when to loop when he's made it clear he can't control the looping itself? The only answer coming readily to mind is abhorrent--

His hand moves up, further away from the dagger. Both of his hands reach up to the top of his head, snatching his hat off to hold by the brim as he stares at you, light eye unblinking.

"You want me to put my hand on your head?" you guess, trying to make sense of the silent response. The question elicits a nod, and it seems…logical enough--their cloak and gloves would mute any touch on his body, and the face and neck would likely feel too vulnerable--so you move your hand toward the bird's nest of hair, still slowly, not wanting to alarm them. He's so tense. "Breathe, Siffrin." You don't want them panicking, and you certainly don't want them fainting, either.

He breathes deeply in a familiar way. In and out. He still stares at your hand as it approaches, but at least he knows it's coming. Both his hands are occupied with the hat and won't make a Craft sign by accident. He has time to object, either with words or a gesture, if he realizes it will be too much.

You lower your hand into his hair in a waltz count, one-two-three. Immediately you encounter tangles and take care of where your fingers go in his unkempt hair. He tenses up even more, his breath hitching, but otherwise doesn't move. You hope that means they trust you.

"I'm real, Siffrin," you tell him, putting all the self-assurance you can muster into your voice. "As are Isabeau, Mirabelle, and Boniface. We're fine. We were only separated for a few moments."

"…Anything could have happened," they whisper.

"Nothing did. And even if it had, we're a bit hardier than that."

He winces. "I'm sorry I lost you."

You can't help the dry exasperation that creeps back into your voice. "Then don't storm off again. Straightforward enough, don't you think?"

He quickly nods several times, the motion frantic under your hand.

"We're here, and we're okay. You're…" They're not fine. You can't bring yourself to say that they're fine when it's plainly untrue, especially after how often they've misused that word in the past day, but you need to reassure them somehow. "You aren't alone. We're here with you. Do you trust me?"

The nods are less frantic this time. He seems to be calming down. He's still rigid, though. Touch has done its job and now it's only making them uncomfortable, so you start to take your hand away--

And then they bunt your hand with their forehead. Their eye darts up to look you in the face before it widens in horror. Siffrin takes two quick steps back, his gaze dropping back to the floor as he jams his hat back on. "Sorry! Sorry!" With his shoulders hunching up, his cloak and hat eclipse his entire expression.

"Siffrin?" Mirabelle asks. Isabeau and Boniface are both looking at you, likely trying to gauge what Siffrin did that they're apologizing. You're trying to figure that out yourself. The way he moved…certainly, you're not harmed. They tapped against your hand with only a little bit of force; if anything, it reminded you of how one of Ka Bue or Poteria's many friendly stray cats, comfortable around people, would sometimes ease up to you as you were reading in the open and bunt your hand to signal they wanted to be pet.

You doubt that was anywhere near Siffrin's intention. They hate being touched. Still… you wonder what that expression meant. Before he'd gotten scared, the expression he'd given you had been almost…

The only way you'll figure it out is if you ask. And if, hopefully, you get a straight answer. "What are you apologizing for this time?"

#siffrin #odile #in stars and time #in stars and time spoilers #act 5 au

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

a brief retrospective on Louis and Violet as love interests, Clementine's bisexuality, and the fandom's continued insistence on fighting over this

In December of 2019, I made a series of posts called "An Explanation of Why Louis and Violet are Both Excellent Love Interests" that explored my feelings on the topic after seeing a lot of fighting in the fandom over who's better; who is the "right" choice for Clementine?

The answer is simple: there isn't an objectively correct choice.

I compared Louis and Violet to the romantic options in other games, including Life is Strange, Persona 4, King's Quest 2015, and Catherine, as well as TWDG: A New Frontier. I wanted to show how much better TFS handled the romance versus those games, why we should be grateful for what we got since it could've been a lot worse, and how the fighting over who's "right" was a waste of time.

I suppose it's only fitting that I'd be driven to revisit this topic after seeing fans continue to argue amongst themselves over this years later in the trenches of a weakening fandom.

Just when I think I'm done writing pieces for TWDG, some random redditor writes an essay about how violentine only exists for "woke points" that grabs me by the throat and throws me down. Then another will insist that clouis is abusive since Louis voted against them in ep2 in their own essay and I'm dragged back here, kicking and screaming.

While I think my previous Excellent Love Interests posts about this are on the juvenile side, I do still agree with my main point: Louis and Violet are excellent characters who make for compelling love interests. The fact that we got them both, that we were given the choice, and that they're as well done as they are, is something I don't think we appreciate enough. Hell, I don't think we even appreciate that Clementine's a canonically bisexual protagonist as much as we should.

We're too busy trying to one up each other with, "Well, actually, clouis is superior because of this and this," and "no, you're wrong, violentine is actually better because of this and this," and sometimes a wild non-shipper will appear out of nowhere to slap down an, "actually, you both suck, singletine is better."

It's sad that this is what fandom inevitably defaults to, always. It stops being about the game we love, the thing that brought us here, and it becomes a pissing match.

Doesn't matter what fandom it is; we end up projecting too much of ourselves onto fictional characters, investing too much of our time into ship culture, hyper-fixating until it becomes part of us... and let's be real, sometimes it's in unhealthy ways.

So, when someone else attacks the things we're attached to, it becomes a personal attack... and when we feel threatened, we become defensive and retaliate... and sometimes, we take it too far and target others out of insecurity, to feel validated, even if it means going after someone who is just minding their own business.

Also, I think some people are just assholes who want to piss on everyone.

Because of this, I would like to discuss Louis and Violet as romanceable characters, why they're both important to TFS no matter who you choose, why Clementine being a bisexual protagonist matters, and the fandom's continued insistence on fighting over this.

For many personal reasons, I've always been trepid about being open with my sexuality as a bi woman. I've done a lot of reflection this year on why that is; internalized misogyny, the biphobia that lingers in the queer community, insecurities, regrets, how I tend to be harsher on female characters over male characters, why it took me so long to not feel afraid of engaging with queer media, admitting I was wrong about so many things I've said in the past, how it's all affected my writing, etc.

When TFS released and I made this blog, I had already accepted my bisexuality but was in no way public about it, not online or in my personal life. But playing the first two episode of TFS, being presented with both Louis and Violet as potential romantic partners struck something inside of me.

Yes, I picked Louis; we all know I'm a major clouis shipper at this point, and if you're new here, then now you know, too.

But it's the fact that Violet's also an option, that with just a few different button presses, Clementine could've fallen for her just as she did with Louis; that there's evidence in game that she shows interested in both of them no matter your choices; that no one in-game judges Clementine for who she chooses to be with... that meant something to me in a way that it hadn't before.

TFS wasn't the first game I played with a bi protagonist; in Excellent Love Interests, I compared Louis and Violet to Life is Strange's Chloe and Warren. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the first LiS game overall, but I've been quite open about my dislike of Chloe and indifference to Warren.

Chloe, to me, is everything I dislike in a love interest, predominately in wlw. 2023 was the year of "CJ dives into sapphic literature and it's a 50/50 chance of striking gold or gettin' hella eaten by disappointment, shaka brah." Meaning I've read a lot of wlw novels, and all the ones I hated featured a Chloe clone, sometimes done even worse.

And Warren? I'll be real honest with you- I couldn't even remember what his name was when I started writing this. I had to go back and check. That tells you what I think of him, no?

So, LiS didn't strike me the same way. Sure, I knew Max was a bi protagonist and that's great, but the choices weren't appealing to me. This was when I was a teenager still somewhat in denial of my sexuality, which most definitely contributed to me being uncomfortable when faced with a wlw relationship portrayed in-game, especially when I found myself wishing Kate was an option for Max... but y'know, "shhhhhhh if I don't acknowledge it, it doesn't exist."

When the first episode of TFS released, I was older, I was no longer in a not-so-great relationship, and had better accepted who I am. The first episode does a great job of introducing you to Louis and Violet, and giving you the opportunity to spend more time with the one you're interested in.

I actually really liked them both when ep1 dropped, but I've always had a preference for a character who is kind, deflects with humor, and tends to be picked on by the rest of the cast... so it was inevitable that I'd stick with Louis. Though I won't discredit Violet in ep1, or the rest of the game, just because I didn't choose her in the end.

That's one of the best things about Louis and Violet as options; they're opposites, yet alike in many ways. They have their appeals and charms. They're flawed. It never feels like a "love triangle" situation where they're fighting over Clementine. Louis and Violet are friends who have known each other from before the walkers came. It's refreshing to have two characters who are interested in the same person but don't go for each other's throats over it. When they do argue over her, it's more to do with AJ shooting Marlon and whether it's safe for the group to let them stay.

I can't fault anyone who struggled to pick between them. When someone talks about who they picked and why, it's all about the player's preferences.

It's your choice to make, and no matter what, you're not wrong for it.

This season concludes Clementine's story, regardless of what some comics will say. It's the last fight. It's her happy ending. She and AJ finally found a home, a family.

I've played these games since S1 came out in 2012, over ten years ago. Clementine holds a special place in my heart. Not only did this important character have a great final season [despite Telltale shutting down and TFS nearly being left incomplete, remember] but she's also revealed to be canonically bisexual.

They didn't release the whole season and then as an afterthought be like, "oh yeah btw she's bi, she has oneline of flirty dialogue with this character so see? we did good rep."

Yeah, I'm side eyeing you, ANF.

They didn't try to hide it. They presented it to the player unapologetically and made a conscious decision to exclude anything biphobic from other characters... which meant a lot to me.

Biphobia is real and it's not that I don't want it explored well in media, but there's something appealing and safe about a game with a bisexual main character who isn't questioned about it negatively; "You're bi? Doesn't that mean you cheat on all your partners?"

To give a compliment to Life is Strange: True Colors, I had a similar feeling in that game, too. Alex is openly bi, she can date either Steph or Ryan and no one questions the "legitimacy" of her bisexuality.

Because that's always a thing on top of everything else, y'know? "You're a bad bi unless you're with the 'gayer option.'" "Bisexuality isn't real, you're just confused." "I don't date girls who've been tainted by a man." "Oh, you're into girls? How about a threesome?"

Violet never turns her nose up at Clementine for admitting she had a crush on Gabe. Louis isn't ever gross about Clementine and Violet getting close. It speaks volumes for their characters and how accepting they, and everyone else at Ericson, are of Clementine no matter who she chooses, if anyone.

That acceptance, even if it's just in a game, means more than words can express to queer players who don't feel that acceptance in their daily lives.

Which means it hurts all the more when it comes to the fandom's own display of biphobia; "You're bi but ship clouis? Why ship something hetero when violentine is right there?" "Well, MY Clementine's straight because she picked Louis! Stop forcing the gay onto MY Clementine!"

Clementine's important to all of us. Why do you think so many people are pissed about the comics to the point of spewing disgusting bile toward Tillie Walden? I've said my piece on that plenty times before, so allow me to say it on this; the representation of bisexuality in Clementine is beautifully woven through TFS in ways that are subtle yet impactful, and I thank TFS for giving that to us.

One argument I've come across recently against Clementine's bisexuality, and violentine in general: "blegh they only included violentine/made Clem bi for lgbt points." y'know... as if that's a bad thing.

It bothers me because A. saying "I'm not homophobic *but*-" and then making a homophobic argument against violentine while insisting that Clementine's bisexuality came out of nowhere and was forced is icky, and B. I know I've said similar things about violentine in the past. I know I used to argue that violentine's underdeveloped, yet the devs pushed it to the forefront over clouis to pat themselves on the back for doing representation, etc.

I don't believe that anymore; remember when I brought up people making arguments out of insecurity? Yeah, that and being lowkey bitter that violentine got more dev attention than clouis sometimes even though like... that doesn't matter? It literally doesn't matter. That's what I meant when I said you get so invested that certain things feel like a personal attack when they're not.

Some of the developers of TFS are queer people. They probably wanted a bi protagonist with a wlw option because that representation is important to them and they had the opportunity to express it, not because they were trying to get "points" with anyone. Go listen to the commentaries for TFS; they talk about violentine with nothing but positivity, and they didn't do that to shade Louis or clouis shippers. And if you do think they did it shade fans, then maybe stop and consider why; do you actually believe that or are you annoyed that your fave wasn't the center of attention?

On the flip side, I also want to say that gloating and insisting that violentine is the better/right choice because of these things is also unpleasant and untrue. It sucks when it feels like things are biased against you and it sucks even more when that bias is weaponized by other fans to beat you down.

But honestly? If you need this much validation on your opinions about fictional characters, maybe you should stop to think about why that is and what it says about you, yeah?

Truly, this whole clouis versus violentine thing is irritating at best, vile at worse. Thankfully it doesn't happen as much on tumblr given the state of the fandom, and everyone's at least agreed that no matter their feelings toward each other, clemricca is worse. So, that's something, I guess.

I think the best way I can put this is you don't get to dictate what other people think and feel. Being passionate is great until it becomes an excuse to be an asshole. Not everyone is going to agree with you and you need to put your big kid pants on and accept that.

I'm under no impression that the fighting will ever stop, even when this fandom is dried up with only bones and memories haunting its desert... but at the very least, I can point some of it out and ask that we do better than this.

The focus gets lost in the fighting, and that focus is Louis and Violet themselves. Y'know, the two this retrospective's about.

Remember when I talked about Persona 4 in Excellent Love Interests and how much it sucks when the person you want to romance isn't actually an option--?

Hmm? What's that? Ah, yes, right- @pi-creates insists I add that TFS and Persona 4 actually are the same because Aasim wasn't an option and they're still bitter about that... but this isn't about Aasim, that's a topic for another day. Sorry Pi, but thanks for the screenshots used in this retrospective👍

Anyway, TFS gave us two excellent choices, and it would've been worse off had it only given us one of them, or none at all.

Louis wears charisma as a mask and uses humor as a shield to deflect. Violet, for as quiet and standoffish as she first appears, has a heart she's both eager and reluctant to share.

Louis is warm curtains of sunlight seeping through the murmuring woods of green leaves and little song birds. A heart carved into the rustic wood of an out-of-tune piano. Music echoing in the early morning hallways.

Violet is the glow of a full moon that illuminates still waters so the stars can dance in its reflection. Paint smeared over finger tips to offer a piece of herself meant to be worn. Constellations of stars named in secret.

They're both lonely people, often misunderstood by the others at Ericson, and sometimes by each other. They want to be known. They want to be seen.

But fear is a powerful wall to overcome.

And that's the beauty of choice. You get the impression of knowing them in the beginning, but it rarely breaks surface tension; Louis is nice and funny but undependable, Violet's rude and reserved and a little awkward. Neither are outspoken about any issues around Ericson, content to keep their heads down.

Clementine has to make the effort to know them, and the game establishes this by asking you an unassuming question: do you want to go hunting with Louis or fishing with Violet?

Clementine either makes an effort to understand Violet's feelings toward Brody and why she's so mean to her, and try to help her through it... or she doesn't listen to what Violet's saying, is dismissive, and ends up making things worse.

When Clementine goes hunting with Louis, she has to make the decision to spend time with him or ignore him in favor of hunting, and should she choose him, he opens up to her just a bit.

Then comes the confrontation with Marlon at the end of the episode where Clementine has to make the choice of who to appeal to. The gravity of this choice is often glossed over, I think.

Marlon has a gun pointed at her head, and she pleas for Louis or Violet to step in and save her. Both are hesitant because of course they are! They've known Marlon longer, he has a gun, and he's using manipulation to scare them into submission; he uses his friendship against Louis, and Minerva against Violet.

But when Clementine gets through to them? They stand between her and Marlon in rather in-character ways; Louis eases in with his hands up, attempting to deescalate the situation while Violet pulls out a weapon and demands he back off.

They risked getting shot. They risked death. They knew what was happening was wrong. They didn't want Clementine to die, they didn't fully believe Marlon's bullshit but were too scared to step forward until Clementine asked them, too. In that moment she basically told them, "I trust you. Instinct tells me you are the one who can stop this. My life is in your hands."

This choice changes them, and this moment ripples through the rest of the season. It makes perfect sense that Louis would be upset over Marlon's death and feel unsafe with Clementine and AJ there whereas Violet sees the death as justified and Clementine and AJ shouldn't be kicked out over it. It's an overwhelming situation for everyone.

I've talked about ep2 and the vote until my lungs nearly collapsed and I saw the gates of Hell over the horizon... but that's fine, I can talk a little more about it and maybe this time the flames with cleanse me of my sins or something.

This is where the fighting really began, and I shouldn't have to say it again, but I will anyway: There isn't an objectively correct answer here, there's only personal preference.

Louis and Violet take very clear, opposite stances on this situation. I think they're both a little wrong and a little right; they shouldn't ignore that AJ killed Marlon, but kicking them out isn't the best solution either.

As a clouis shipper, I happen to like the way these events play out with Louis' vote. But not everyone feels that way. For some, Louis' vote is a deal breaker, making Violet the more appealing option given she voted for Clementine and AJ to stay.

Do you want a girl that's been by Clementine's side from the beginning and was vocal about keeping her and AJ here?

Great, Violet's the choice for you. Enjoy the lovely moonlight and constellation mini-game.

Do you want the extra angst of a boy who made a vote he comes to regret and then does everything he can to apologize and make it up to Clementine?

Wonderful, here's Louis. He'll play you a song he wrote and then name it after Clementine, it's very cute.

While on the topic of ep2, I also want to discuss the episode's final choice of saving either Louis or Violet and the consequences.

You know how in other games, say like massive RPG's with "good" and "evil" choices you can make that end up defining your character? You know how sometimes people question why developers even bothered putting those evil routes in since a majority of people will choose to be good? This isn't a new topic of discussion, but it's relevant to my point- they do it because the option to be evil makes the choice to be good more impactful. If you do choose to be evil, you did it knowing you could've been good and yet you decided chaos was the way to go, and now everyone and everything around your character suffers.

I don't think it only applies to binary "good" versus "evil" choices, either.

TWDG is great with its "You can only save one of them" choices, even if they usually fumble with the consequences in later episodes.

When I'm faced with this choice to save either Louis or Violet, I don't save Louis just because I like him more. Sure, initially that's why I saved him on my first run... but then the rest of the season came out and I learned the consequences of the choices I did and didn't make.

Knowing that he'll get his tongue cut out if I don't save him makes me all the more anxious to choose him. And I know violentine shippers are gutted knowing that if they don't save her, she'll feel so betrayed that she turns on Clementine and in the end is blinded in the boat explosion, so they're just as eager to save her.

But all of us have to live with the consequences of what happens to the one we didn't save, too. We made the decision to save the one we love at the cost of hurting the other we didn't love enough. You can't save them both. You're forced to hurt one of them in order to protect the other.

And it doesn't even stop there. TFS isn't done twisting the knife.

Mere moments before you have to make the choice to save one of them, Lilly's standing over Clementine with her finger on the trigger... only to then be tackled by the person you didn't choose to spend time with.

They just saved Clementine's life only to be dragged away by their neck, and the game asks you what that's worth: They got captured saving you, so do you save them in return or do you remain loyal to the one you chose before?

And when you know the consequences of both routes, when you know Louis will have his tongue cut out and Violet will have her eyes burned?

Louis and Violet are good people at their cores who only wanted to be understood and loved, and no matter what, you have to abandon one of them for the other... and they are left physically and mentally traumatized because of it.

But wait, there's more. The one you didn't save will always survive to the end and act as a constant reminder of what you chose... but the one you saved? If you don't trust AJ, then you'll be forced to watch them get torn apart and eaten alive by a herd of walkers. The only way to save them is to trust AJ so that he shoots Tenn.

A child has to die in order for you to save the one you love again, a choice you indirectly made.

The ending shows you the one you didn't save, and it shows you Tenn's grave... and it presents a quiet question: was it worth it?

Would you make those choices again?

That's the power Louis and Violet bring to TFS.

That's why the choice matters.

We justify trusting AJ because we'd rather see Louis and Violet live over Tenn, knowing we're taking away the best friend AJ's ever had and allowing Minerva to get her way. We save Louis knowing that it breaks something inside of Violet and results in her permanently losing most of her eyesight. We save Violet knowing that we'll find Louis bloody and sobbing in the cell after having his tongue cut out of his mouth.

And we argue about it amongst ourselves even though it's all fucked. There isn't a true happy ending here, not for everyone.

Louis and Violet stand on their own as great characters, but you only get the true depth depending on how you play. They're excellent love interests because they care for Clementine. Through their relationship with her, they grow as people and find the acceptance and love they're starved for.

It's not perfect, but it honestly doesn't need to be. There was care woven into these characters. Both routes have a wide appeal. That means something to so many people.

I know we as fans often will say we wanted more, we wanted this and that, we wish this was different. It's not a dating sim where the main objective is to woo them. It's not a massive RPG with hundreds of hours to explore every nook and cranny of their characters. This is a Telltale game. It's a narrative with Clementine and AJ at the forefront, and it's up to you whether you want Louis or Violet to share that spotlight.

It's a story about Clementine finding a home, about molding what kind of survivor AJ comes. It's about Clementine meeting two broken people with glass shards at their feet, about her glass mixing with theirs. It's a game about choice; which glass pieces do you pick up, and which do you step on?

We should take more time to appreciate Louis and Violet. We should share our appreciation for the development team for giving us a bisexual lead with two great love interests, especially since we almost didn't get TFS in its entirety; we can hate Skybound as much as we want for the Clementine comics, but without them, this team wouldn't have been able to finish the game they were clearly passionate about.

We should have more self-awareness and try to understand why we like and dislike things without targeting others.

In conclusion?

I think they're both neat 👍

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg violet #twdg clouis #twdg violentine #clouis #violentine #long post #i didn't plan on writing this for new years but here we are #might as well end 2023 with some clouis and violentine talk mixed in with some self-reflection and shade toward reddit #i have many thoughts so thanks for reading them

[lucianalight]

A Glorious Culmination

Let's talk about that perfect ending with its beautiful scenes and epic soundtrack, shall we? Here's all the reasons why I loved it:

The ending answered the question "what makes a Loki, Loki?"

"Authority, independence, style". Sure, but that's not all of it. And it's not the real answer.

So who is Loki? A villain? A loser? What defines Loki?

There are many characteristics that define Loki but one of the main ones that truly sets him apart imo is that he is a catalyst for change. Loki when faced with options he doesn't like, or a problem that looks like doesn't have a solution, makes a new way, creates a new solution, chooses an option that didn't exist before.

He has the power to destroy, like the mythological tale of Ragnarok.

And to give life. Like how the Ragnarok he brings, means the beginning of a new cycle in Norse mythology.

-"Yeah it was the best character development. Loki went from wanting a throne to..."

Let me stop you there.

Loki went from not wanting a throne but thinking he must have it to be considered worthy and an equal to Thor, to taking a throne despite not wanting it, because it was the right thing to do.

The fact that Loki sacrificed himself once again for the people he loved and cared about, wasn't a new character development. In the movies Loki risks and sacrifices himself every time when it matters. For Thor, for Asgard, for the world. The only development here was that this time he sacrificed himself for every universe there is.

And his sacrifice wasn't treated as sth he deserved by the narrative because of every terrible things he'd done. On the contrary the narrative acknowledges that this is the last thing Loki deserves. That he is paying for others' mistakes and wrongs. He spends centuries to save the timelines. He spends a long time trying to stop Sylvie without harming her. And when everything seems lost, he makes a decision to save everyone but himself, he creates a different path. He faces his deepest fear, to not hurt the people he loves.

If there is any character development, it's for the narrative and the audience that finally recognized who Loki actually is.

The Symbolism

I have to say my first reaction to the new Loki costume was:" This is the worst Loki costume ever :))))" also me two days later: "I'm gonna set it as my wallpaper." But I loved the symbolism. The biggest horns Loki's ever worn to show the weight of the crown. His cape that was connected to timelines, to show the burden of a throne. The simplicity in his clothes in contrast with his other outfits. Because this wasn't about the recognition Loki always wanted and deserved. This was about the responsibility Loki decided to literally put on his shoulders and feeling the gravity of it.

His shoes though :)))) I mean

Either let him be bare footed or give him boots you cowards :D

The Parallels

The fact that how the ending parallels the first Thor movie and everything came back full circle.

How Thor and Loki destroyed sth at the cost of themselves losing the people they cared about.

Loki doing sth not because of a desperation for acceptance, not because he thought it was sth someone else wanted.

Knowing if he chose the easier way, no one could have fault him for it because it seemed there was no other way.

He did it because he knew it was the right thing to do, because he knew who he wanted to be.

Loki not giving up, not letting go, not falling down from a broken bridge, but ascending, holding on as he fixes what's broken.

He holds and carries the whole universe on his back. It's not only a beautiful Atlassian tragedy, but also parallels Norse mythology in more than one way. Yggdrasil, the tree of life in Norse mythology, the one that Loki holds in his hands in the finale, wasn't the only parallel in the ending.

There's a subtle and beautiful nod to Norse mythology. The tale of Loki being bound till Ragnarok. The myth that says when Loki gets freed, the end of the world begins.

What a marvelous tragedy. And what a glorious culmination.

It's not all tragic though

Loki now is literally the most powerful and heroic character in MCU. He's holding the universe in his hands and keeping it alive. You can't top that.

And it makes his portrayal in the recent movies in which he was unfairly underpowered, even more ridiculous than before and that makes me happy :D

There is also a possibility to see Loki again and I'm not talking about the other variants. Marvel now has the best dues ex machina through Loki. He might be able to appear in any universe as an illusion to warn about dangers or help the characters. He might figure out a way to keep the tree alive without being there himself. That way he can find Thor in the sacred timeline. Or maybe the Loki who survived Thanos and is still in the sacred timeline finds Thor. Maybe there's still hope for a good reconciliation and a good story for Asgardian siblings.

So to sump up this was an epic, symbolic, beautiful and tragic ending. And yet hopeful. I loved it💚

#anyone else was reminded of Elsa when Loki created those stairs? :D #loki never wanted a throne #had to include it because everyone's going with this take and it starts to get on my nerves #just look through the tag if you disagree with me #a lot of people has written metas about it #loki 2x06 #loki s02e06 #loki #loki series #loki tv show #loki s2 positivity #loki gif #thor #thor1 #norse mythology #yggdrasil

[dualityvn]

Hello again! It's the same anon that asked about the situation where they would kidnap you from before.

How are you today?

(Feel free to ignore or just answer only a few of the questions!)

1.) Is this a heat of the moment choice or something they would plan in advance?

2.) Would this option be something they both agree with, or would one of them be against it?

3.) What method would they choose to kidnap you, and how would they restrain you?

4.) How would they react with us behaving hostile, acting indifferent as if it's a normal situation, reacting scared, or giving them the silent treatment when captive?

5.) How would they react if our will just breaks while captive?

6.) If we escaped, how fast would they find us, and how would both react if we return as if nothing happened?

7.) Can we gain their trust to get freedom again? And how would they react if we tried to escape from them again after gaining their trust if so?

(Can I be "✨🐇" anon, in case I ask anymore questions in the future?)

(Also, sorry for bombarding you with so many questions. I didn't want to spam you with so many, so I put them in one ask.)

Thank you for responding before! I enjoy yandere trope characters for the horror element because of how scary I find them the obsessive and possessive traits (especially the last one). I really like how your character gave me the spooks, but still, how sweet both can be at times! They make me want to learn everything I can about them.

Also, I had no idea about the spider plant at the time when playing, so I got extremely spooked by it/them!

I hope you have a great day/night!

Hi! I'm doing well. And oh boy, this is gonna be fun.

1.) This is something a crazed Keith would do spontaneously. He feels like there's no other way to keep you beside him, so he must use force. If he felt like he had time to plan it, he would. But when he's in this state, he's even more anxious than usual, so he might not wanna wait.

2.) Tenebris would be against it. He's not the type to force people to love him. If he ever managed to force his way out, he'd try to stop Keith or help you escape.

3.) He'd put a sedative in your drink, borrow a car from his parents and take you out to their vacation home, out in the mountains.

4.) If you were hostile, he'd act act sad and keep repeating that all he wants is for you to love him. If you were indifferent or silent, he'd act guilty and anxious. If you were scared, he'd be very doting and sweet to make you feel at ease.

5.) He'd be happy while he's in his crazed state, but once he snapped out of it, he'd hate himself.

6.) He would find you very fast, because as long as you're in the game, he can always know where you are. But if you managed to make it difficult and then simply returned, he'd snap out of his crazy state and start crying and begging for your forgiveness.

7.) If you acted nice enough, he'd eventually return to normal and let you go. If you tried to leave him again, the whole thing would repeat.

I'm glad you've been enjoying the horror aspects of my game! These two do tend to be sweeter than your average yandere, but they still have their messed up episodes.

#duality game #yandere #visual novel #dating sim

[teaberrii]

Chapter 27: Final Goodbyes

You've been Cupid for as long as you can remember. You've brought countless soulmates together, yet you've never found love.

When you're assigned to bring two childhood friends back together, it should be simple until you unexpectedly catch feelings for the mysterious and cold Ph.D. student, Dan Heng, the man with a soulmate… the man with answers to your past.

Dan Heng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to leave them alone?”

Pom pops open a beer just as Gepard sits on the couch with his own can on the opposite side. While you and Young are upstairs, talking things out, Pom joins Gepard for a couple of drinks in Dan Heng’s apartment. Pom has just finished telling Gepard almost everything that’s been going on, including Young’s revelation that there’s a chance to save you… and get rid of the curse.

“Well, don’t keep us in the dark!” Nanook said as if he was the one who was going to die. “Are you saying there’s a way to get rid of the curse and keep her alive?”

“You aren’t human,” Young said to you, “which means you can still wield magic. If you’re human, any magic associated with you wouldn’t exist because you wouldn’t have the power to wield it.”

Lan looked at Young. “But, are you sure that will work?”

“Has that ever happened before?” Pom asked. “A God… changing to a human?”

Sampo curiously looked at you. “You’re awfully quiet, dearie.” He grinned. “Or… has it finally hit you?” You slowly looked up without moving your head. “The day you officially became who you are today.”

Pom puts his can of beer on the table after taking a long chug. “If what Young says is true, she can’t live as a god anymore. It’s either she becomes human or… she dies.”

“That doesn’t seem like a hard choice to make,” Gepard says quietly. “Or, maybe it’s just me. I can’t see why anyone would choose to die when they have other options.”

Pom leans back. “I guess. But, you’ve always been human. Gods… or magical beings, we’re, well, magic. It’d be like taking away one of our means of survival.”

Gepard puts his beer on the table. “Young is in Dan Heng’s body… He’s not going to stay, is he?”

“He and Dan Heng can’t coexist in the same period since, well, they’re kinda the same person. It’ll get increasingly painful as time goes on, even worse if Dan Heng fights back.”

“Dan Heng can fight back?”

Pom nods. “It’s his body to begin with. The fact that Young doesn’t look like he’s suffering or anything… My guess is that Dan Heng is letting him take control of his body. For now, at least.” Pom crunches the empty can and tosses it into the recycle. “Which is why I think it’s a good idea to have them talk it out.”

“...Hey. Were you with her when she became a god?" Gepard asks. "What happened to you?"

When Pom found you, you were still holding the knife that took Jing Yuan’s life. His lifeless body was hunched over, his forehead touching your shoulder.

Pom stepped closer and quietly said your name.“...He’s gone.” Pom gently touched your shoulder, and he felt you shaking. “It’s over.”

“No…”

Suddenly, you grabbed Jing Yuan by the shoulders and forced him to look at you. Pom wasn’t sure what was going on when you started screaming at him to tell you what he meant by him and Young protecting you. Eventually, Pom put his arms underneath your arms and forced you away from Jing Yuan’s dead body.

Then, Pom spun you around. “We need to leave. Now.”

It took you a brief moment, but you stashed away all of your burning, unanswered questions, and left with Pom.

Death was all around you. You smelt it in the air, heard the feasting of flesh, and saw the lifeless, bloody bodies on the ground.

You were crossing through an open area, the same place where Young’s execution took place. That was when you saw it.

The red tape around its handle shone in the night, and the gold around the floating sphere looked as if it was sparkling, deliberately trying to get your attention in the chaos. You recognized it immediately. It was Young’s favourite weapon: The Cloud-Piercer. But what was it doing stuck in the ground? Where did it come from? You walked over, and you saw that it was pierced in a small puddle of dry blood. The very place where Young was executed.

“...How odd.” When Pom tried reaching out, he was instantly shocked. A short scream, and he quickly pulled back his hand. “What was that?”

You reached over and successfully grabbed it by the shaft. As you pulled it out of the ground, the gold around the sphere slowly began to fade. “This belonged to Young,” you said quietly.

“Young? Don’t tell me this was here the whole time.”

You knew it wasn't. You had forced yourself to walk by this courtyard a hundred times during your time back at the palace, and you had never seen the Cloud-Piercer until today. When you heard the monstrous snarls getting closer, you and Pom fled the scene with the spear in your hand.

“Eventually, we had to split up,” Pom says.

Gepard is silent for a moment until he frowns. “I’m still surprised at why you stuck by her side this entire time. This was her revenge, wasn’t it?”

“Truth be told, I didn’t think the curse would be from the Grimoire,” Pom says quietly. “It wasn’t until after I found out, and, well… I didn’t want to go against her. I didn’t need to make an enemy out of her.” A sigh. “But even after it was all over, I couldn’t find it in me to just go separate ways.”

“Even after she tricked you?”

“...I would’ve stopped her if I knew had to die for this curse to stop. She tricked me because she knew. It might be twisted to say this, but she never put me in deliberate danger. She was the first human I really befriended. And, well… I’ll support whatever choice she makes, but I really hope she chooses to stay.”

◆◆◆

You heard a building collapse behind you.

Yet, you kept walking.

An innocent man ran toward you. He stopped and collapsed just as an arrow pierced his heart.

Yet, you kept walking.

You could smell the rotting, burning flesh around you.

Yet, you kept walking.

Suddenly, you felt something stop you; it was the first time you looked down. A young girl was bleeding from the head, her eyes wide and her lips dry.

“...Please,” she whimpered. “...Please help me.”

You lifted your foot, shrugging her hand off your blood-stained boot. Then, you raised the spear in your hand. And, as soon as you stared into her eyes, you aimed the spear directly toward her heart.

As you took out the Cloud-Piercer from the dead girl’s body, you saw her eyes had clouded over. She was infected, and you’d spared her from turning into a monster. You and Pom had to split up, but you had a good idea of where he might be.

By the time you reached the sandy outskirts of the palace, you heard footsteps behind you. With the Cloud-Piercer raised, you swiftly spun around and saw a tall man with teal-coloured eyes.

“Hello, dearie,” he said with a smile. “We finally meet.”

You’ve been quiet ever since leaving the hospital. Young puts a hot cup of tea in front of you and sits on the opposite side.

“...Drink something,” he says softly.

“You said you wanted me to go with you,” you say quietly. “But, you told us of a choice for me to stay human.”

“It’s like you said,” Young says with a kind look in his eyes. “I made a mistake centuries ago, and now… I want to make it up to you. If you come with me, we will finally be together. If you choose to stay human, you’ll be here...” A small pause. “...With Dan Heng.”

You suck in a small breath. “But like Lan said… Has that ever happened before? How does that work?”

Young puts his tea on the table. “As a god, you walk with those who have perished to the other side. That strips away your powers. Then, you must make your way back to the living. But…”

“But?”

“It’s a painful process.”

“...And how do you know this?”

Young puts his hand on yours. “It was something I was researching. To tie my soul to the locket, I had to learn everything there was about the afterlife. This was something I learned about.”

“Well, it’s better than what I was imagining… At least I don’t have to beg anybody,” you say after a short silence. Then, you hold his hand. “You said I was supposed to forget about you when you died. Yet, you still tied your soul to this locket. Why? What if… What if I did move on? Were you going to witness that?”

“...I wanted to stay by your side… protecting you.” Young’s eyes land on the pendant still around your neck. “As long as you wore the locket, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know you said you can’t stay, but if I choose to live… your soul won’t be tied to this locket anymore?”

“The magic in that locket was made for you. If you choose to live, all of the magic associated with you will be gone. The good and the bad.”

You look down and sigh. “It’s… a little late to ask this now, but what would’ve happened if I died back then?”

“When it was your time, I wanted to be the one to walk with you to the other side. You wouldn’t remember me, but it would be a new beginning.”

“But that beginning never came, did it?”

You and Young don’t have to look to know that it’s Sampo. Frowning, you say, “This is a private conversation. You aren’t invited.”

Sampo, leaning against the counter, says, “You can always pretend I’m not here. Continue on with your post-love trauma.”

Young suddenly appears in front of the mercenary. “Why are you here?”

“I’m waiting for my answer.” Sampo looks at you and smiles. “It’s rare that the gods took pity on a human like you when you tried. You really were someone special, Cupid."

“Pom said you mentioned it before,” you say, glaring at Sampo. “No one knows what you’re talking about.”

“You and Pom were put on trial for your crimes. You fell prey to the Grimoire and used it without permission. This got their attention.”

“Who?”

“The Stellaron Hunters, of course.”

“...Who are you?” you asked cautiously.

“I’m here on a job, but you can call me Sampo.” He smiled. “That’s what I like the pretty girls to call me.” The tip of the Cloud-Piercer was at his throat. Your hard gaze was fixed on him, but he still maintained his calm, leisurely composure. “Jokes aside… I’m here because you’ve been summoned.”

Your brows furrowed just as Sampo snapped his fingers. The sand around you began to swirl upwards until you couldn’t keep your eyes open. It became so violent that it began cutting into your skin, snapping off the locket around your neck. The scorching heat melted away, and the sand beneath your feet hardened. You no longer smelled blood, and a single hit of a gavel replaced the snarls and groans of the undead.

When you slowly opened your eyes, you were in a cathedral, standing on a round podium with gold bars caging you in. A stone wall encircled you, and sitting on top were five people on large, gold thrones. At first, the top half of their faces were hidden in shadow until the ceiling above crumbled just enough to allow a faint glimmer of light to shine on them.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, making you turn around once more. But this time, you saw Pom… surrounded by the same gold bars as you.

You opened your mouth, but it wasn’t your voice you heard.

“Welcome, dearie.” You spun around and saw Sampo with a hand in his pocket. “To the Hunter's Court of Law.”

“...Wow. It’s hard to believe they’re the ones who started this whole thing. They look harmless!” You turned and saw a teenager with her elbow on an armrest of the throne.

“Quiet, Silver.” You turned again and saw a man—at least you thought it was a man—adorned in metal plating from head to toe. "Did you forget she's the one who used the Grimoire?"

"A classic example of how appearances can be deceiving."

Then, your eyes landed on a man with fair skin and red eyes. His cold stare was one of slight intrigue but also disgust.

A woman whose hair was tied in a loose ponytail stood. “Shall the trial begin?”

“You destroyed countless lives and tore apart happy families,” Sampo continues. “The Stellaron Hunters ruled for you to take responsibility.” You close your eyes and hear the single thunder of the gravel. “You were sentenced to rule as the God of Love and bring together the families you destroyed across all three kingdoms until you met the reincarnation.”

“...Yet, I was supposed to bring him and Stelle together."

Sampo glances at Young. “If you hadn’t existed, he and Stelle would’ve gotten their happily ever after.” Sampo sighs. “But, I guess they underestimated him.”

“Underestimate? What are you—”

“Dan Heng wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you,” Young says.

“But the man did, anyway.” Sampo rolls his eyes. “He screwed up the order of things and now we’re here.”

“...And our memories?” you ask. “Why couldn’t Pom and I remember anything?”

Sampo smiles. “That was also part of your ruling. By starting on a clean slate and bringing the love you destroyed back together… maybe that would erase the darkness in your heart.”

“...Didn’t think they would be so kind,” you mutter.

Sampo clicks his tongue. “So, what’s it going to be, Cupid?”

You shoot him a look. “You said I only have two options. To live or to die. What about choosing to become human?”

“Well"—Sampo smiles at Young—"he didn’t lie to you. It’s an option, but a painful one. Many people gave up and just turned their butts around and stayed in the afterlife where they belonged.” Sampo sits next to you but you instantly move away. “Young has to go back. So, you can happily go back with him and let fate play out what it’s supposed to be. Or, you can make Dan Heng wait for you on a promise that you might not be able to keep. It’s your choice, dearie.”

◆◆◆

That night, Young is asleep on Dan Heng’s bed when he suddenly hears a faint voice.

“...Get up.”

Young opens his eyes, but he doesn’t see the familiar white ceiling of Dan Heng’s room. Instead, he’s staring at a bright hole in the sky surrounded by dark clouds. Young gets to his feet and notices he’s standing on a large, round flat rock with broken pillars all around. He’s also in his old form. Upon hearing footsteps approaching him, Young turns around, and his eyes widen when he sees Dan Heng.

“What are you—”

“...I’m done just sitting around,” Dan Heng interrupts. “I heard everything. I know… about everything.”

Young narrows his eyes. “Are you going to try to convince me to get her to stay? Her best option is to leave this world.”

“And go with you?” Dan Heng scoffs.

“I might’ve made a mistake,” Young admits, “but her revenge was not in vain. She destroyed the order of things. There were no laws… only chaos and destruction. The world became a blank canvas, and through that, everyone could start over. People learned to share information and cooperate to prevent the same thing from happening again. And since then, there hasn’t been another war, unlike in the past.” Young walks toward Dan Heng until he’s in front of him. “She deserves to rest after all she’s done and been through.”

Dan Heng’s gaze hardens. “She deserves a life of her own, to pursue what she wants.”

“...And are you saying you can make her happy? After running away from what happened to your mother?"

"I'm sorry," Dan Heng says flatly. "Do you mean our mother?" A small sigh, and he says your name. "You really don't understand her."

Young scoffs. “I grew up with her. You’ve known her for less than a year, and you’re saying I don’t understand the woman I love?”

“If you understood her, you wouldn’t have done what you did. You had your chance and failed because you thought her happiness was with you. But it wasn’t.” Young’s eyes darken. “You took away her choices. The war… the curse… that was her decision. Was it wise? Was it the best choice? It’s hard to say, but you left her with no choice.”

Young is silent for a moment. Then, he says, “...I can’t believe I’m arguing with myself."

“We’re different,” Dan Heng says flatly. “Besides, you wanted me to help her move on.” A short pause. “I think she already has.”

Upstairs, you’ve just closed the fridge and turned around when you nearly dropped the small carton of milk you’re holding. Pom stands behind you, his eyes half-open.

“Geezus,” you say. “How long have you been standing there?”

Pom rubs his eyes and yawns. “Just now… I couldn’t sleep.” You turn on the light just as he points to the carton. “Can we share?”

And that’s how you and Pom end up sitting on the couch with two glasses of milk.

“...Have you decided?” Pom asks quietly. You glance at him. “Are you really just going to leave?”

“What makes you think that?”

Pom looks down. “I would imagine Young would be trying to convince you to go with him.”

“Hm… Why does it sound like you don’t want me to leave?” you ask teasingly.

“I remember the day we were tried in front of the Stellaron Hunters. You were sentenced to becoming the God of Love while I was cursed. I couldn’t change my form out of my own free will. I wasn’t human back then. I was a magical being. And, if you go back to being human, you won’t be able to use… or see magic.”

You lean forward and put a hand on top of his. “Pom… What are you getting at?”

Pom gives you a sad smile. “No matter what you choose, we won’t be able to see each other again.”

“N-No. That’s ridiculous!”

“Pom’s right.”

You look past Pom and see Lan.

“Pom was never a god,” Lan says. “But, it’s not like he’s going to disappear. Just, you won’t be able to see him anymore.”

“Well? What are we going to do about the shapeshifter?” Silver asked.

“...Losing his memories and his ability to freely change his form… That’s enough punishment for him.”

Silver raised a brow. “Seriously? That’s it? It’s not like you to be so understanding, Blade. What happens after he gets his memories back? Nothing? How lame.”

“You can see they care for each other.” Everyone turned to the woman who spoke. “Did you not hear her asking for us to spare him?” Silver put her hands on the stone ledge and peeked down at you and Pom. “When their memories return, she must make a decision. That will be their ultimate punishment.”

Silver sighed. “The day they separate, huh?”

When you and Pom look at each other, he takes your hand. “Do you know why I stayed with you until the end?” Then, a little smile. “I’ve never met someone as interesting as you. You fascinated me in a lot of ways.”

You look away with a sad, little smile. “Are you sure it wasn’t because you were scared I’d kill you?”

“Weeelll, there's that too. But, I mean… I would have nowhere to go.” You slowly look back at Pom. “Don’t know when it started or how it happened, but you were like my second home.”

“Gosh, I guess that old shack in the woods is still more important than me.”

Pom smiles wistfully, but you can’t return it. Instead, you look down. You’ve never imagined your life without Pom. The two of you go together like bread and butter. As if knowing what you’re thinking, Pom shimmies closer to you.

“Good things can’t last forever.”

You glance at him and chuckle. “You’re right, Pom. You’re too good for this world.”

Pom looks at Lan. “You can count on Uncle Lan to take good care of me.”

“Uncle Lan?” The god raises a brow.

“Why is Uncle Lan here, anyway?” you ask. “Or… Were you eavesdropping?”

Lan rolls his eyes. “On the contrary.” He looks at you with a grim expression. “I just came from Luocha’s place. You really don’t have much time left.”

◆◆◆

You haven’t got a wink of sleep as your mind is restless from everything that’s happening. Living a life with Young was what you always wanted, so shouldn’t you be jumping at the opportunity to go with him? Sure, you might not be alive, but your souls will finally be together in peace. You flip to the other side. So, why are you so unsure?

When you close your eyes, you see Dan Heng, and your memories with him start playing like a movie inside your mind. His drunken hug when he took you out for drinks. The festival. The aquarium date. His warmth and comfort. Before you know it, you’re smiling and your consciousness starts to drift until you hear your phone buzz. You reach for it on the nightstand, and upon seeing the name on the screen, you quickly sit up.

“...It’s me.”

It takes you a moment, but then you say, “...Dan Heng?”

“Can we talk?”

It doesn’t take you long to meet Dan Heng outside of the apartment in a small park. As soon as you see him, you walk up to him just as he turns around and gives you that little smile you love so much.

“...How are you here?” you ask. “What about Young?”

“We talked.”

Your eyes widen slightly. “You… You talked to him?”

“It was an interesting experience, to say the least.” Then, he looks you in the eyes. “I know everything that happened, and… I wanted a chance to talk to you.” Dan Heng puts a hand on your cheek. “I want you to come back.” You put your hand on top of his. “...If you tell me you’re going to come back, I’ll wait for you.” A small pause. “But, whatever decision you make, I want it to be yours. Not mine. Not Young’s.”

In a fraction of a second, your lips find his. Dan Heng’s hand burrows into your hair. Your hand finds his chest as the hot and demanding heat pulls you two closer together. Then, when it ends, and you look into his eyes, you’re left wanting more. You don’t want to let him go. You can’t let him go. And that’s when you’re absolutely sure.

“...I’ll come back.” He puts his forehead to yours. Then, with tears in your eyes, you say, “...I promise I’ll come back.”

Little do you know, Young is standing a little ways away from you and Dan Heng.

“You don’t look angry.”

Young doesn’t turn but glances at Pom who’s suddenly beside him. “Should I be?”

“She chose Dan Heng, didn’t she?” Pom nudges Young. “Or, are you convincing yourself that it’s just you in the present?”

Young closes his eyes for a moment. “As long as she gets the happiness she deserves.” Then, he turns to Pom. “And so do you, Pom.”

Pom puts his hands around his head. “Honestly… It’s hard to imagine my life without her.” Then, he slightly smiles. “But, hey, I survived without you, didn’t I?”

“We’ll meet again.”

Pom grins. “Just try to give me a heads-up next time, ‘kay? No more appearing in other people's bodies. You'll scare me to death."

Young scoffs with a little smile. “Right. I’ll try.”

“...Were you two just going to keep standing there?” Pom and Young turn and see you and Dan Heng.

“Oh, well, we couldn’t interrupt your little moment, could we?” Pom says.

Young walks up to you. “...You’ve decided.”

You look him in the eyes and give a firm nod. “...I’ve decided.”

Young leans in and gives your head a quick kiss. “Then, I have nothing else to say.”

“Well, I do.” You frown when you hear the voice. When you turn around, you see Sampo casually tossing a coin in the air. “It’s time to say your final goodbyes.”

Chapter 28

End notes:

If everything goes according to plan, the next chapter will be the last.

A reader asked me if the spear Cupid used at the beginning of the chapter was The Cloud-Piercer, and I was mindblown by the idea lolol so I got permission to use it :3

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#honkai dan heng #dan heng x you #dan heng x reader #dan heng #danheng x you #danheng x reader #danheng x y/n #danheng