#of course its raining here :( but we did have a nice sunrise

[eileenslibrary]

can I request a modern time zhongli x reader age gap trope where in the reader is 22 and zhongli is 31, it's like a CEO x secretary scenerio almost like a sugar daddy kind of relationship but a wholesome one, it could be suggestive but not smut

Rainy Day Curry

A/N: This is a long one, and you can tell where I got hungry and very invested and lonely, I also struggled with the sugar daddy part but I did add a little bit to introduce the dynamic because I don't work with it a lot but I hope this answers your ask Iand that this fills you with warmth reading it the way it did writing it.

Modern! CEO Zhongli x Modern Assistant F! Reader

(Facial features, body shape, and skin color are not mentioned and any readers who may align with her/her or she/they are welcome to this work of Fanfiction)

Warnings: Rain a lot of rain, OOC Zhongli (For like two seconds), Cats, Cheesy movies (The Princess Bride), spoilers (The Princess Bride), falling in love, Tumblr being toxic and gaslighting me about character limits, Good food that will make you hungry, Pure fluff, Sharing a bed.

Song recs: (It's been a) Long Long Time by Kitty Kallen, Come Away With Me by Norah Jones, Sunrise by Norah Jones, La Foule by Edith Piaf, Bygone Days by Joe Hisaishi, The Time Of Cherries by Tokiko Kato 

What kind of chocolate would Zhongli be? Dark chocolate with caramel filling and sea salt on top of course.

Cold fall rain pours on the tall buildings. Cars driving down the wet streets, you type out a document on your monitor the light illuminating the barely lit room, only a few lamps that cast a warm orange glow across the room keeping the atmosphere from being uncanny, you sip hot tea from the mug its calming aroma wafting through your senses providing warmth through your bones. Your boss works on the other side of a big burnt umber door with gold embellishments. He is currently meeting with Ningguang CEO of Jade Chamber Bank or JCB for short, you put the mug down and stretch your arms above your head looking over at the time 2:57 PM, eighteen minutes until the meeting is over then you can go home.

You sigh and finish your tea, standing from your chair letting your legs stretch and wake up for a moment, then walking towards the kitchen to wash your cup placing it on the drying rack. You hear Zhongli’s voice as he opens the door for Ningguang “When should we meet again for the finalizing?” She inquires “I would discuss that with my secretary she knows when I have a free day.” He hums peeking his head out the door to see if you’re there “Very well then, It was pleasant seeing you again Mr. Zhongli” You walk back into the room as Ningguang goes to leave “It was nice meeting you Ma’am have a good afternoon” you say nodding your head towards her, she sends you a smile “Nice meeting you as well secretary” she waves her hand back at you her gold heels clicking on the marble floors towards the door and walking into the hallway. You smile at the woman her confidence radiating wherever she goes, you go to head back to your desk but Zhongli’s silky voice stops you “Can you come in here for a moment?” “Yes sir” You Respond walking towards his office he holds the door open for you, and you walk over only for you to plop down in one of the comfy seats in front of his desk. He sits in his office chair his amber eyes focusing on you as he laces his fingers together and his elbows on his desk “I have a proposal for you” he hums “Oh? And that is?” You ask genuinely curious. “I need a companion of sorts” he looks away from you ‘Is he embarrassed?’ you wonder “What kind of companion?” tilting your head to the side and slightly raising a brow he takes in a deep breath “I need you to be my girlfriend” he admits his eyes meeting yours, you feel your face heat “Mr. Zhongli t-that's widely unprofessional” you look down at your palms “Wait before you assume” he puts a hand up “I simply need you to help me out for a few weeks, I need to stop relieve some stress” his voice remains steady “It’ll come with pay” his eyes making you nervous as you look at him “Can I have time to mull it over?” you ask looking at the clock on the wall 3:15 PM “Yes, please give me your answer as soon as possible so I can have time to prepare” he sighs. You agree and quickly slip out of his office pressing against the cold wood of the door. 

You sit back down at your desk, the rain pattering the only thing making noise. You try to get as much work done as possible but your mind is swimming, but you come up with your answer. You stand up and walk to his office door knocking on the wood “Come in” his smooth voice resonates, you step in and your ears perk up at the soft jazz he plays from his small speaker “I have made my decision.” “Oh?” He looks up his eyes gaze curiously at you “I have agreed.”

He grabs your hand his wide gloved palm and slender fingers warming your cold hand, he shifts the umbrella so it covers you more “Mr- I mean dear there is no reason to do that” his shoulder getting the blunt of water “It is quite fine love” His warm eyes stare at you “I- we can just go to my apartment it’s only two blocks away” You invite as Zhongli tightens his hold “Fine if you think that is best” you were originally going to dinner for publicity but it began pouring and you refuse to get sick any less Zhongli. You bring him to your apartment building, close the red umbrella, and walk into the elevator clicking your floor. The tan walls and black rails give Zhongli nostalgia like staying in a nice hotel out in Fontaine, he watches as you dig into your purse for your keys pulling them out of some hidden pocket “I wish they would just give us some damn pockets on our pants” he hears you groan making him chuckle under his breath, you send a playful glare his way zipping your purse back up. You stand in silence as the elevator finally approaches your floor opening the doors, “Ladies first” he hums placing his hand on your lower back noticing the reddening of your cheeks.

You stride into the hallway and find your door unlocking the door, and stepping in. Zhongli closes the door behind him taking off his shoes and placing his wallet and keys in the basket where you put yours “I’ll go find you a sweater, feel free to make yourself at home” you call as you walk further into your apartment, He looks around at the pictures hung on the wall, the nice but cluttered kitchen, the small dining table pushed up against the big window next to the balcony door, the living room with a few plants in the windows. You come back holding a black and beige sweater and a pair of black pants, you also now wear a fluffy hoodie with white pet hair on it and a pair of shorts also covered in pet hair  “Here this should fit you, oh let me hang that up to dry for you” You trade off the clothes and you disappear into your bathroom hanging it up in the closet where you dried your clothes and kept your towels “Alright bathroom is yours” you hum walking into the living room “Thank you” Zhongli walks past you as you pick up the clutter from the coffee table, he closes the door and undoes his tie and his undershirt hanging it up on a hanger next to his coat as well, he unfolds the sweater and pulls it on doing the same with the pants. He takes off his gloves and his hair tie and puts it in his coat pocket combing through his hair, he hears you turn off the weather channel to see when it’ll stop. He walks out “How is the weather looking?” he asks stepping up beside you and noticing a small white cat on your lap “It won’t stop raining until later tonight, I can drive you home if you’d like” you offer looking up at him, blushing slightly as you admire his long hair now free from that tight ponytail “Do you want me to go home?” he questions “No of course not, it’s just well, I- to be honest I hate being alone on rainy nights” you pet your cat as she purrs louder, Zhongli tilts your chin to look at him “Then I’ll stay” you nod “Well I don’t have much in my fridge, and we haven’t eaten yet. How about we order something?” You offer, and pick up your phone much to your cat's dislike “Sure, since our plans have been foiled, what do you suggest?” He hums “Pfft, you make this sound like we are plotting villains or something” You chuckle “But I do know this good Sumeru curry place that does take out” You pat the seat next to you for him to come sit. He smiles and does so, your cat surprising him by stretching and finding a place in his lap “What’s her name?” he asks scratching under her chin “Lettie it’s a character from Howl’s Moving Castle” you sigh stroking her long soft fur, he feels you lean against his arm “Here are the options you can get” Zhongli feels a warmth spread through his chest at the simple act he watches as you scroll through the menu recommending your favorites “How about this one?” He points to one that looks very good “I was thinking of that one too” you hum leaning your head on his shoulder, you call the restaurant and place your order with some butter and garlic naan on the side. 

You grab the remote “What should we watch?” you inquire “You pick, dear” he looks at your expression watching as your face pinkens at the nickname “Are you all right with Princess Bride?” Zhongli surprises himself as he lets out a laugh “I never thought you’d be into that kind of movie” he exhales in contentment Lettie’s tail moving in disruption you chuckle with him “I am gonna go grab a blanket I’ll be back” you stand up and go into your bedroom coming back with a fluffy weighted blanket you turn down the lights and turn on a lamp that casts a comfy orange light setting a warm and romantic atmosphere, Zhongli lifts the cat so you can slip some of the blanket on his lap you switch on the movie.

There's a knock on the door “Let me get it” Zhongli whispers “Okay, let me pause the movie” You sit up from his chest and grab the remote pushing pause. Zhongli slips off of the couch and to the door grabbing his wallet and handing the man a ten-dollar tip “Thanks man, stay warm” the guy says “You as well” Zhongli hums closing the door, bag of food in his hands he walks into the kitchen and sees your already there with two bowls, a plate, and silverware all waiting “Would you like some water or anything?” you question grabbing two mugss from a cupboard “Do you have tea?” “Mhmm, I have Green, Jasmine, or Earl Grey” You look through your lazy susan “Green, please” You put the bag on the counter, filling up your kettle with water and putting it on its stand so it can heat. Zhongli washes his hands the aroma of lemon and mint resting on his hands, he walks over and puts the curry into the bowls and the naan and rice on the plate, he hears the kettle beep, and as you start steeping the tea. He looks back over his shoulder letting the gentleness of it all fill his heart with warmth, he walks over to you “Can I hold you?” he whispers into your ear “If you want to” he quickly wraps his arms around you and nuzzles his face into your neck your hair ticking his ears “Are you alright?” you inquire “I realized it’s been so long since I’ve held someone like this” even if it was for pretend he can pretend with you. His hot breath warms the cold spot on your neck your heart swells at the sweetness of the moment, like sitting by the heater on a snowy day reading with hot chocolate and cookies. You lean into him “I could get used to this” you mumble focusing on the tea, you hear your cat run down the hallway the little jingling bell on her collar announcing when she is nearby, and her little “Mrow?” and trills when she can’t find you or feels left out. You snort as she runs into the kitchen weaving between both of your kegs “Is it dinner time Lettie?” you tease your wide smile making your speech slur a little, Zhongli presses a kiss behind your ear unwrapping himself from you “Thanks I needed that” he clears his throat “Any time” you hum “Do you want me to feed her?” he asks picking up her food bowl “If you would that would be great, it’s in the fridge second shelf purple can.”

You both sit back down on the couch and resume your movie, shoveling the hot food in your mouths scratching that persistent itch as the curry fulfills your cravings.

In the end, Westly gets Buttercup, Inigo, and Fezzik are close friends, everyone lives happily, and the boy has a wonderful memory with his grandpa.

"Let's head to bed" you yawn "Where am I sleeping?" he yawns himself "Don't be silly, there's enough room in my bed for the both of us." "That woul-" he tries to interject "It's my job" He sighs but smiles and follows you.

And now two people and a cat cuddling under soft blankets as cold fall rain patters against the glass.

#x reader #zhongli #genshin zhongli #zhongli x you #zhongli x reader #genshin liyue #modern au #fluff #CEO Zhongli

[lured-into-wonderland]

“…It's quite nice, isn't it?” he says in reference to the kingdom's “sunrise”, watching as the stones that littered the ceiling shift from nighttime purples and blues toward toward vibrant, brighter sunrise colors.

There wasn't an actual “sunrise” but… it served it's purpose of rousing the kingdom from slumber all the same.

“I know that, for some visitors, it takes a bit getting used to. I do hope your sleep was undisturbed by it.” ( Roderick + Nunnally )

She didn’t hear him coming, what was rather unusual for her. She was too focused on observing the changes of colours; an extraordinary performance in front of her eyes. Though it was of course incorrect (and she was aware of that), Nunnally had that overwhelming feeling that nature performed this show especially for her. For her entertainment. For her enjoyment. For her delight.

And she was also tired. No matter how the princess enjoyed all the wonders of the unknown world, of the kingdom she had just been visiting, the lack of night and day, the sun and the moon, she was so used to was tiring. And Nunnally was aware of the expectations (and possible consequences) of her visit here, what was putting additional weight on her slender shoulders, now wrapped around with the richly decorated shawl.

“Your Majesty…” – she turned around upon hearing Roderick's voice and bowed. Her curtsy was deep and long enough to properly honour the king. But Nunnally was not scared; rather intrigued by the man in front of her. Then, after a while, she again gave all her attention to that odd phenomena she was enjoying before King Roderick had arrived.

“I beg to differ, Sir.” – she allowed herself to disagree – “Nice is not a proper word for what we are observing. Magnificent is what I would call it. Or perhaps breathtaking…” – she smiled, wondering what had brought the king here.

“I am quite all right. I am getting more than enough sleep.” – a polite white lie, but it didn't hurt anyone, right? Although truth to be told, Nunnally was having some issues to adjust – “I am simply trying to use my time here as intensive as I can.” – she turned around to face him again. A small pink creeping on her cheeks – “But I hope, Sir, I have not disturbed your morning routine. Accidently occupying your favourire spot.” – she wouldn’t be much embarrassed if she had; perhaps she was more anxious that she was found here alone, without her ladies in waiting. But Nunnally was good at sneaking out to spend some time unchaperoned. As long as King Roderick was not going to point it out, she wasn’t to tackle the subject either.

“Do you have something that resembles of rain…or snow here?” – she was really curious; Nunnally was yearning for some freedom and…adventure: --

“Sir, would you object if I wish to explore the land outside the castle and its gardens?” – then a question hit her. Did they ride horses here?    

@sansloii

#roderick #king roderick #nunnally #verse: royal #sansloii #she's like... #okay! you have caught me #but we're gonna pretend #you didn't...

[boba-beom]

Smiles!!! I have been thinking of you! How are you?

Ahh!! That sounds like fun!! I adore seeing sunrises and sunsets!! I hope you enjoy yourself! I really wanna learn to play the Violin again!! There is something so lovely about it!! I hope the weather warms up for you! It's been sort crazy here! We will get days in the 70s then next thing you know its 47° or something cold like that! We did get some rain/snow one day in march but it didn't last long. Oh my goodness Interior Design seems so cool and intresting too! How are you liking it so far? I don't know if I have a certain summer aesthetic if I am begin honest, my style is a mixture of a bunch of aesthetics! Do you have a summer aesthetic when it comes to your clothes?

Hii feyre!! I'm so sorry I only just answered your questions :') I've been doing really good, thank you! all my deadlines are done so now I'm just applying to a lot of barista part-times for the summer! I hope I can get accepted asap so I can be busy this summer hehe but how have you been?

Ah an update about the island! It was so pretty, we managed to watch the sunrise on the first two days and then we watch the sunset at different locations since we kept visiting different beaches and reservoirs! I think I've fallen in love with the island again because I genuinely think sometimes I'm not made to be a city girl lmao

I was talking about new and old hobbies to my friends and I've come to the conclusion that I'll get back into singing and playing the guitar! so I definitely think you should learn to play the violin again!! hopefully the muscle memory would help too, but honestly have fun with it! it's been getting a lot sunnier here but highest of around 19ºC but at least it's getting warmer to go out without a jacket!

my course is going alright, sometimes I feel like it's becoming more of a chore than something I'm interested in, but I do try and find ways to make it enjoyable! I think having a bunch of aesthetics is so good since you'll be able to pull anything off which I wish I could do!

I think the past few months I've actually found aesthetics that fit me very well, for example certain elements of streetwear suits me quite nicely, and I can also go all out and elegant/sophisticated. I don't really see myself wearing skinny jeans anymore 😅 and I haven't really tried the soft girl aesthetic but I know my sister suits it more than I do!!

do you have any plans for the summer?

#[ 🧸 ] — mutuals. #ᥫ᭡ : asks. #feyregels ♡

[thegrazingblacksheep]

Road Trip to Isle of Skye - Day 1 of 6

Finally on holiday! This time we decided to return to Scotland, to Isle of Skye mainly. We have been in Scotland before 1.5 times - first we had a 10 days trip, a proper nice holiday in and around Edinburgh and Skye. Second: when the first ever lockdown started, we heard the news about the start of lockdown in Skye, so basically we had to drive back as soon as possible, so that counts as 0.5... But here comes a nice week's journey, all photographed with a DJI Osmo Pocket, my newest addition to the family, as my old beloved and appreciated Nikon is broken.

I went with my other half, who is a landscape photographer, and that makes journeys a bit more interesting, because going on holiday with him always involves at least two of the following:

Hurry - because we have to reach the golden hours for sunset or sunrise, moonrise, etc.

Waking up early. Or late. Or in the middle of the night. - because we have to reach moonrise, sunrise, golden hours, low tide, high tide, etc.

Walking a lot - to find a particular view, rock formation, building, trees, reflection, etc.

Waiting - meanwhile your photographer does the shot. Can vary from 30 minutes to eternity. In cold, mostly.

Darkness - because even the lit up bum of a firefly can ruin the photo with its light pollution. So no phones, no tablets, nothing. Just sit / stand, don't move, preferably don't even breath if possible.

But! In the end, seeing our most beautiful times documented by those stunning pictures, it is very rewarding :) In this blog I will rather use my photos though, to not to interfere with his scheduled posts on social media. So let's see.

From Cardiff to Kendal

We stopped half way to Skye again, this time in Kendal. We didn't know much about the place, and we didn't really plan spending time here; but could fit 1-2 sights into the schedule to do a bit of outing around Windermere and Buttermere.

Sheep enthusiast?

If you love sheep, definitely visit the Lake District in March, because there are shedloads of herdwicks around, which I find particularly a very sweet and funny looking breed. They were even roaming free around some lanes, and didn't really care about much other than their tasty grass.

Moss Force Waterfall

Our weather was not the best, but actually perfect for visiting Moss Force Waterfall. The clouds made the background mysterious, and the rain fed the waterfall very nicely. This waterfall is very close to a free car park, and easily accessible with a few minutes walk. And if you are lucky enough, some herdwicks might roam and photobomb your pictures.

Buttermere Lake - and the stick... 

So this time we were looking for a particular tree what lots of photographers like to visit in the Lake District. Parking behind a lovely looking B&B, we had a short walk between fields of herdwicks to Lake Buttermere. The view is really brilliant, the lake is surrounded by colourful hills, and of course: the tree is there, waiting. We were not sure where this particular one is, or if it is still there, because the current storms might broke it into half as it did with many other trees, but we found it.

It was a bit disappointing, because I have expected the usual view of a tree, and what we actually got was rather a good looking stick. Unfortunately it lost a few branches, but at least still standing, making a nice subject for a photo. But it is a stick, lol.

Food

I always forget how finding something to eat can be so tricky sometimes in the UK. Coming from Europe, it is a complete mystery for me why there are only a few places which:

Are open in winter - But why?...

Have vegan options - ...really? Still?

State their opening times or availability online. Facebook says they are open. Their website says different opening times. Their Instagram says they are closed. And Google says something different... Or! You go there, and an A4 sheet is waiting on the door that "bookings only", and they are fully booked for the night.

Anyway, after checking some vegan apps and investigating with empty stomach, we fortunately found a gem in Ableside called Zeffirellis. Ah man, they are really, ultimately smashing. Not just open, not just vegan options, but a place which is completely "vegeterranean". Apparently has its own cinema and jazz club as well.

Lovely interior, cosy and atmospheric surrounding, clean, and the staff is really friendly. There are lots of options to choose from, and the food is delicious and good quality. Their prices are completely reasonable, actually I can't bring up anything against the place. I know I promised photos when I am in a restaurant next time, but apologies - I was too hungry.

Accomodation

When we were looking for an accomodation, we didn't really have many places available other than a barn which was converted to a little annex. First time I thought it was fine as it had everything we need, and we were only going to spend a single night there; but having 12 degrees inside in wintertime, with using a heating panel - was way out of my comfort zone. I usually don't want much from a place, like e.g. DVDs, high speed internet, carefully selected free toiletries, etc. however proper heating and cleanliness would be enough for me to give a 5 star review. Because our hosts were lovely people, I wouldn't mention the name of the place, but apologies, never again ever. 

We couldn't wait to set off in the following morning for another long drive, from Kendal to Portree, Isle of Skye.

#lake district #uk #united kingdom #scotland #herdwick #sheep #herdies #airbnb #isle of skye #buttermere #dji #kendal #scottish #ableside #vegan #vegetarian #moss force #waterfall

[nathandulce]

Pulau Tioman

Spent a few days on the island of Tioman; here are a couple of pics from my trip.

Sammy and I missed the 8am ferry at Mersing Jetty, so we had to drive another 38km+ to Tanjung Gemok Jetty to catch the 11am ferry. We had to pay the conservation fee to enter the island (RM30 for foreigners, RM5 for locals). I found the design of the ticket quite nice, so I decided to save it to use as a bookmark. (Note: Ferry timings change frequently so it would be a good idea to call ahead to check.)

One of the islands along you'll see along the way.

Glimpse of Tioman as we neared the island. Absolutely beautiful.

Gorgeous!

I was a little sunburnt because Sammy had the brilliant idea of renting a bike to ride over the hill (from Tekek where the ferry dropped us, over to Kampung Juara where our accommodation was located) and on the way up, the stupid bike couldn't carry our weight and started stalling. The slopes were incredibly steep as well, so every time the stupid bike started stalling, I had to get down and walk up the slope (with my backpack nonetheless). I only had to do this like 7 or 8 times until we finally reached the top and the slope started going downwards from there. The entire ordeal took about, perhaps, 30 mins, but that was enough for me to get sunburn on my arms and neck. -_-

BUT WHO HAS TIME TO WHINE ABOUT SUNBURN WHEN YOU'RE IN PARADISE!

Day 2 at Kampung Juara. Lunch view.

Pictures do not do justice to this beautiful view!

Sammy and I came across this spot near our accommodation where a freshwater river met the sea, essentially making it a brackish water type of habitat. I hated being here because the water was deep and the bridge was kind of shaky. I basically have a phobia of deep water where you can't see the bottom. God knows what creepy shit lurks beneath.

Another gorgeous day, albeit after a bit of rain. Did some snorkeling and kayaking. Kayaking was harder than I thought and I got a bit seasick after a while. Still, I quite enjoyed it.

Final morning of my trip! There was a 40-minute blackout where we were staying and our room had gotten quite stuffy, so I got up and decided to go for a stroll instead. It was a little cloudy, but I was happy to be treated to this view! Sammy was still asleep so he totally missed the sunrise.

***

Overall, it was a fun and relaxing trip. Slept like a log for the most part, drank lots of beer and of course, ate like a pig. Food however, was a little pricey, which is hardly surprising considering that Tioman is tiny (compared to its larger sisters) so logistics and transportation drives up the prices of just about everything on the island except for alcohol which is duty free.

Would I visit again?

YES. 10/10 will recommend, just for its pristine, unspoiled beauty.

#tioman #pulau tioman #tioman island #things to do in tioman #mersing jetty #tanjung gemok jetty #tekek #kampung juara #barat tioman #tioman sunrise #nature photography #sea photography #photography #nature #beach photography #tioman photography #diving #scuba diving #oceanlife #water photography

[yukisraven]

aight i didn't reread most of this but this almost everything in one long incomprehensible mess. have fun ^-^

ok, so picture this: a six hour drive and i'm banging out the tunes on the car's main speakers and trying to convince my dad that stray kids are good. And then, then, a certain song comes on. a certain horrible song. it's thirty seconds long and the entire time the car is just filled with the tension of both of us being too aware of how cringe the song is. this is your fault. like why. there's a cat licking your birthday cake is not the ideal car tune. yeah. oh and i may have had to skip a few emotional songs because. well. because. :). ok bye <3 ily /p teehee. shut up i'm not a softie (maybe a tiny bit but like. shut up.) i can hear you laughing at me from here you little stinky

bitch. bitch. i. hate. you. /j. i did not need to get rickrolled mid-revision. i mean, i wasn't actually revising, but i was supposed to be. no-one needs to know i was writing fanfic instead like a loser. but bitch. bitch. yeah. that's it. ly ciao

ALSO also skz are apparently gonna have a world tour this year. if we lived in the same country and like knew each other irl etc etc i would so take you to it. and yeah. also dancing to secret secret with you in a rainy twilight when no-one's watching. yeah. ok i'm gonna try and revise again.

soft. soft. why is this stupid cat song like this. it's literally called meow. i'm hugging you so much rn. maybe fighting you a little bit too. but hugging you sosososososo much. i wish you were real so i could like. physically hug you. well, you are probably real but yk what i mean. ok. i'm actually gonna revise now. bye.

soft. i am trying so hard to resist the urge to redownload the app and just leave an ask saying some dumb shit or smth and then run away again. why did you have to be so cool and likeable? /nm . lol let's see if i ever get the guts to send you all this bullshit. i'm a wuss so i'm guessing rn i won't. or at least i'll delete this bit bc it's stupid. but yeah. if you're actually seeing this. hi. (°//-//°) (⨀//-//⨀) ⨀-⨀ (⨀⨀) <- haha boobas

there is approximately 12.09 kg of human flesh for every 1 kg of ant flesh. i don't know why i went to the effort of researching and calculating that. maths. pain. suffering. not psychology revision. :| lmao. anyways. hana dul set CHEESE

you did watch bakuten? yeah i'm pretty sure you did. ok. cool. of course you did misato kinnie. yeah.

haha i feel like i should regret sending you this but oh well.

I am so many emotional very much cackling tears rage oh my god

AHAHAHAHA cryign thats ur fault for playing that playlist instead of just skz music <3<3 IN FRONT OF UR DAD ??@?@?@ IAOEBEJSOSJ theres a cat licking ur birthday cake is very u vibes okay shut upzjsheb oh. Well i just got rickrilled by ur playlist. Are u happy now. Is this what u wanted. Asshat. <3 Softie the most softie although ur probably going tk have enough reason to call me that after a few hours ahah ahaa. Hah thats ur punishment for not revising ig ^-^ cryign red face in hands yeah that would have been nice. Red face in hands tears many tears branch u absolute softie so true. secret secrwt n shes in the rain n then we inievitably slip in the rain<3 or me anyway because i cant dance for shit anymore n i pull you down w me oh my god i want to go to concerts w u and sit in the sunrise arguing n OH YMY GOD BEFORE I KET YOU CODY FRY OH MY HOD ITS SO PRETTY AND GENTLE TREE I WILK SOB shut up dont insult the cat song ur insulting urself. Basically. Dont i will literally ruin u n then hug u. Sobing actually so true i wish you were an irl so i coukd hug u too dying crying. So true i am very cool n likeable/hj but also but also i could literally say the same about u. Intriguing information thank u olive <3. SO TEUE . i . No sadly. Unfortunately i kin coach shida instead

#ily/p ohmygdowbegdi #sobbing n then many tears #one of these day i will aftually start crying/pos in a public olace bc of u n then what #worstie <3 #long post #tw caps #cryign please i was debatibg wherer to answer this or keep this in the inbox n answer in messages because owpqjdv3iabdje

[queen-eevee]

tigers captain of your choice + 44

44 — Handle

(Willians Swain + Dagmar Ocean are both from the Hades Tigers' Short Circuits Gamma 2 Team. In this, Dagmar is the Captain and has always been a pirate, but once lived a more violent life of greed and corruption before she pulled herself out of that cycle and began trying to earn redemption for herself. Willians is her first mate and his lore is courtesy of @leonstamatis. He drowned at sea several years ago but was fished out and brought back to life by Dagmar + her crew and now feel "all indebted about it.")

(Willians uses he/they pronouns and Dagmar uses she/her)

It’s a miracle the Theseus is in good enough shape to hold one body, let alone two, Willians thinks as they make themself comfortable in the crow’s nest. They still remember the crash in all its gory details: the storm in the Atlantic that had blown them off course; the blinding pelts of rain and whipping wind; the sudden realization that the sky had turned a bright crimson, the color of blood, sometime between when they went in and out of consciousness; until Dagmar called out that she had regained control and could attempt to steer the boat straight. She swore over and over that she had it handled.

And she did. Until, at the same time Willians noticed their “ocean” suddenly had visible shorelines on both sides, their ship slammed itself into solid ground with a sickening crunch and an explosion of wooden splinters.

Then the crew started yelling for help.

Once the wreckage had been dislodged from the bank of the “Styx” (the name they were given by a very amused man who introduced himself as “Hades,” which had then been confirmed by a very concerned Doom), what was left of the vessel was anchored in a harbor less than a mile from The Amphitheater, where it currently bobs and dips in the inky waves. It would be a kindness to call what the ship is doing “floating,” as half of the ship remains submerged beneath the water. Though she’s stubborn enough to still support Willians’ weight.

Dagmar’s too, as he had discovered when she went missing after the Mills game and Amelia pointed a knowing finger towards the docks.

She hasn’t said anything since Willians boarded the ship—“boarded” being a nice way to say, “swung one leg over the hull and prayed he didn’t tip into the water.” He found her in the crow’s nest, now only elevated about 15 feet from the ground, arms crossed and eyes unfocused, staring into the fog across the river.

“Penny for your thoughts, Cap?”

Willians’ easy drawl cuts through the silence, half-smile pulling at the corner of his lips. Dagmar pushes at his arm half-heartedly as her mouth curls in amusement, but her eyes don’t stray from their vigilance on the horizon. She doesn’t answer, which he had expected. Willians didn’t come here without their own suspicions.

“Knew we shoulda taken the phone away from you after the game.”

That gets Dagmar to snap to attention, eyes going sharp as a cutlass. “Lay off,” she gripes, pushing herself away from the railing with a grimace. “Like you could have known what happened.”

“Had a hunch, didn’t we?” Willians leans the small of his back against the banister and gestures at the sky. “Sunrise red as a snapper this morning.”

Dagmar remains unfazed. “Every sunrise is red in Hades, Swain.”

“Naw, even you said somethin’ about it. Orlando said the wind smelt like blood and you agreed.”

“I didn’t—" Her knee-jerk denial hangs itself on a high note and she trails off, quiet, finishing her thought by picking at the flaking wood of the mainmast. The wind whips up and ruffles Dagmar’s clothes, coaxing the smell of the brine that always seems to cling to her into the heavy air. Limp strands of hair that had managed to escape her low bun sway in the breeze, and she brushes them away before clenching a fist at her side.

“I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t know—”

“’s okay, Dag.”

“No.” She smacks her fist weakly against the mast, mouth twisted with stewing fury. “I should have read that contract more carefully. I didn’t know our lives would be on the line for this deal.”

“Our lives were on the line every time we sailed on Theseus,” Willians counters, matter-of-fact, “And they woulda been forfeit if we’d decided to drown in this ghost river instead.”

He doesn’t say it as an accusation, but Dagmar’s expression still shifts from one of controlled anger to bitter pain. Willians notes the twitching muscle in her jaw and gives a rattling sigh, clapping a withered hand on her shoulder.

“Lay the guilt down, Cap. You did what you thought was best.”

“I sold our souls—”

“To save us.” Willians leaves behind a wet outline of green algae when he moves his hand to gently knock her shoulder with their fist. She doesn’t flinch. “It’s two years, Dag. We’ve spent damn-near months battlin’ tempests before. We can weather a couple fortnights here.”

But Dagmar isn’t listening. She’s sneering at the setting sun, angry hands at work flexing and unflexing at her sides, reaching up to tighten her belts, straighten her blouse. “You’re acting like this is nothing, like a little fire is nothing.” The pistols in her holsters rock with her movement.

Willians sucks his teeth, giving a small shake of his head. “Come on, we’ve both been burned worse by cannon fire before. You just got frightened, tha’s all.”

“I am frightened by this!” Dagmar shouts as she finally whips around to face him. Her hands clench around the banister as her eyes go dark, hardened. “Look what happened to Jam Robbie. I’m not going to let some game be what robs my crew of their lives.”

“No one’s gonna go jumpin’ in front of any fireballs, Dag,” Willians insists, before they exhale and say, voice softer but firm, “I’m not gonna let some rogue umpire take me from this team.”

It must sound as much like the promise he means it to be because he watches as her brows slowly unfurrow, the tension starting to drain from her shoulders. She begins to look like herself again, expression steeled, mouth pursed, hands already fumbling to undo her hair tie.

“You better not,” she mumbles, loosened hair falling to coat her shoulders like an oil spill. She doesn’t make a move to say anything else, so Willians closes his eyes, resting against the mast. He’s more than willing to test how long their slowly-sinking ship will tolerate their presence.

#oh captain my captain etc etc #I'm gonna miss these guys so much #I started writing this at the beginning of gamma and now we're here. wack. #if anyone wants me to formally type out my interp of willians' and dagmar's lore I would be MORE than happy to do so #short circuits makes writing for these teams very hard to share lmao #hades tigers #short circuits #dagmar ocean #willians swain #I have a soft spot for sad tigers captains. is this obvious about me yet. #dagmar and hiroto would be such good friends #my writing

[isolaradiale]

The dark hues of the evening blended to lighter, softer blues of dawn. With every minute, the creatures of the museum began to slow until they stopped altogether, all at once. Whatever they were doing, they dropped it, and began to move their way to the places they had been before the museum took a turn for the lethal.

The artwork climbed back into their frames, stepped onto their pedestals, and walked back into their display cases. A light rain outside washed all the street paint away, color emptying into the drains in the city. Landscapes let their prisoners out, shutting the windows to their world.

Those unlucky enough to earn a spot on the Wall of Shame reappeared in the lobby, their wounds appearing as colorful splashes of paint, and nothing more.

As the oranges and golds of the sun trickled in through the ornate windows of the museum, a blaring voice interrupted the stillness as the intercom museum sparked to life.

"Goooood moooorning, my lovely little visitors! The door to the museum will be opening shortly. Please make your way back to the lobby in an orderly fashion, and be sure to grab all your belongings!"

As Capella promised, the large wooden doors opened once again, releasing all the prisoners of the museum.

"Thanks for visiting the Tempus Museum! Janus, did you want to say any parting words?" "I'm mortified enough as it is, thank you." Came a muffled voice from behind, sounding much less enthused.

"Aww, somebody's cranky... Well, suit yourself!"

As if to add *Extra Enthusiasm*, as everyone exit the doors, they passed by Capella's invulnerable form as she personally waved everyone goodbye, stickers glittering in the morning sunrise. Janus was still sitting at the reception booth, head in his hands and rubbing his temples.

"Bye bye! Goodbye now! Goodbye! Buh-bye! Bye now!" was the chorus that trailed off as she spoke, bidding farewell to the museum's visitors...

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Thank you, everyone, for participating in our recent event: Canvas! As a reminder, you will receive event participation IF:

You've written a starter, thread, mini, or interacted with someone else using the event setting for parts 1, 2, or both.

You've written a 500 word drabble using the setting of the event for parts 1, 2, or both.

You did not have to participate in both parts to receive event credit (so if you only wanted to participate in part 1, it still counts!)

Remember that for participating in the event, you can give yourself 100 stars to use in the marketplace!

A few things have changed as a result of this event, also:

The Tempus Museum has decided to make its home in the Archimedes ward, for now, not far from the Theater of Calliope. Its structure and function is largely the same, but the Optimized Tools won't be there. The artwork won't come to life and attack you, either... during the daytime, that is. You can check out its full description on Archimedes' page!

Janus still takes his place as the museum's curator, and does his best to accommodate guests of the museum. It's not uncommon to see him taking and teaching courses and workshops in the museum, either! He's still polite and eager to help with anything involving the museum and its activities, but if asked questions about the Stars or Spirale, he'll politely explain that he doesn't want to get anyone into trouble. As in the event, on the odd chance that someone is hostile and violent toward him, they'll instantly be killed, and will respawn back in their room.

Thanks again for participating in Canvas! We hope you had a great time!

Frequently Asked Questions:

"Do the things we made turn back to normal?"

Yup! If you didn't destroy it in Part 2 of the event, whatever you made will turn back to normal.

"Will our artwork try to kill us at night?"

Nope! If you took it with you, it's of no danger to you. If you kept it on display at the museum, it's also no danger to you (or anyone else for that matter.) Only the original stock monsters of the museum come to life at night. But unless your muse breaks into the museum, you have nothing to worry about.

The monsters still have their damage invulnerabilities, so unless your muse has a death wish, maybe don't break into the museum without some serious planning. Shady art theft rings will buy your stolen artwork for a hefty price, though, so whether it's worth the risk or not is up to you.

The more often your muse breaks into the museum, the more the monsters will recognize their patterns. Breaking into the museum more than two times is almost impossible, and should be reserved only for the most cunning of thieves.

"What if we made weapons or jewelry? Can we take those back home too?"

Sure! Just know that the weapons will go back to being fragile, and will shatter if used in combat. Any jewelry will look very convincing, but if you try to sell them to anyone, they'll identify it as a fake. Not that they won't buy what you have anyway, but it certainly won't be worth the price of actual precious stones and minerals.

"Can we go back to the museum?"

Yes! It's open to the public from sunrise to sundown, unless there's a nighttime gathering at the museum (which you're free to come up with on your own if you'd like to use it in a setting for a thread.) You could also theoretically break in or sneak in, or hide until the place closes, but you run the risk of running into the guard patrols... or worse.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ (Epilogue)

As the visitors left the building, Capella skipped over to the front desk. Caelum emerged from the darkened corner of the lobby to join her, with the rubber stopper on his cane making soft thumps on the elaborate stone tile.

"Well, that was fun! Thanks for letting us use your museum, Janus." "You're... welcome, I suppose." "Good good! I'll come back here when I make more pieces to show off to the lovely people of our Spirale."

Punctuating this, her hands went up to playfully pat his cheeks.

"Ooookay! Well, until next time! And as for you, Dr. Caelum, I'll see you at this afternoon's meeting or whatever, right?" "Aha, yes I'll be there."

Saluting the both of them, her form vanished into a series of pixels, leaving the other two at the desk. Now that she was gone, the AI turned to give a pointed look at his father.

"...Mmm. Still angry, eh?" Came a chuckle, but the other didn't look so amused.

"You know, at one point, I would have congratulated you for feeling slighted. And I would have celebrated you experiencing such a thing. But you've been around for so long that these things come naturally to you now, don't they? Feelings like being angry... Now I just feel bad when you're upset like any other human."

Another more cheery laugh, and he walked himself over to the doors, motioning the other to follow. With the crowd gone, he could finally step outside and stand on the steps.

"...I am sorry for causing you trouble." "I know." "Good, I'm glad that came across." "I'm still irritated, don't get me wrong." "Yes, yes. I don't doubt it." "And I'm not sure if anyone will come back after such a thing. I wouldn't blame them. I just wanted a place to contribute to this whole thing, and now it's all..."

Sighing, he sat on the first step, watching the rest of the street illuminate in the warm glow of the sunrise. He only realized the old man beside him was trying to sit down when he gave a little huff of effort, and immediately helped his father down beside him.

"Ahh. Much better, thank you." "I could have gotten you a chair..." "Haha, that's alright. If you can sit on the steps, so can I."

For a while, the two sat in silence, watching the streets of Archimedes begin to wake up. Cars stirring, cafes opening, people walking their dogs.

"...Are you doing alright over there?" Janus asked, not turning his head.

"About as well as I can, mmhm." "You still have your migraine medicines down there, right?" "Mmhm. Dr. Lyra has been taking good care of my health, don't worry." "She's the nice one, isn't she? That's a welcome change from the other facility..."

A hand went to the Ai's shoulder, patting it reassuringly.

"Instead of worrying about my health, you should direct that concern inward, Mortimer. You have a place where you can walk around, do all sorts of things humans do. Talk to people, make friends. Play games, read books, paint your lovely canvases. You're not confined to the life we lived three years ago."

Silence followed for a little until the young man leaned against the older one. He must be pushing 70 at this point, right?

"...Are you in a place where you can refer to me by my name? And not that Star code that they made?" "Well, no. Not really. But I don't think anyone's listening. So I don't care~" "Ha! Rebellion got you into this mess, didn't it?" The AI replied with a laugh, earning another from his father.

"Well. Messes that they were, I can still sit with you without you being stuck behind a screen. So even after all the hells we've been through, I'd call that a success. Wouldn't you?"

A smile cracked on his face. They have gone through a lot.

"A success... it's nice to finally call something a success again, father. It's very nice."

#Isola Event: Canvas

[feral-pansexual]

🌳 My Hero - Kamui Woods x Reader 🌳

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ : Hostage situation

You're trying to have a nice morning and watch the sunrise. This is interrupted by a no good thug putting a knife to your throat.

Word count: 1.1k

Requests | Masterlist

-----

You sat on a bench in the park, eyelashes fluttering with the breeze. Mornings had always been nice around Musutafu, and today's was obviously no different. Even as a soft shower began, you continued observing the rising sun; gentle reds and yellows mixing with the blue-grey sky hanging above the ground.

You inhaled, reaching up momentarily to wipe rain out of your eyes. A few larger drops rolled down your face, falling into your already damp jacket.

You could hear footsteps approaching the bench, but you paid them no mind as you watched rainbows dance in the water droplets collecting on your eyelashes. It wasn't too early for joggers or couples to be up and about.

A second pair joined, this one faster than the first. Still, you watched the sun rising, the sky's palette shifting with the incoming rainstorm.

A louder noise from behind startled you out of your trance. You turned, trying to find the source, only to be grabbed around the throat. Gasping, you had no choice but to move to a standing position, held harshly against the chest of your captor.

"Stand down, or they get it!"

Something cold and hard was placed against your throat, just above your assailant's arm. You shifted ever so slightly, feeling the metal press into your skin.

Looking up your fearful eyes met an angry pair beneath a wooden mask. You may have gasped in awe, being so close to a pro, but not now.

Not when you were the one in need of a Hero.

Kamui's eyes narrowed beneath his helmet, and you could feel the intensity of his gaze.

"I didn't think an escaping robber had much need for hostages."

Still, both parties held their ground. The apparent robber growled in annoyance, pressing the knife closer to your throat.

"Yeah? You so-called heroes don't attack when there are human shields at play." He chuckled.

Kamui Woods shook his head, standing from his previous fighting stance.

"Fine. If I allowed you to go free, would you leave your hostage?"

You could feel movement behind you. Was he nodding? Laughing? Shaking his head?

"Ridiculous. We both know that's not how this game works."

"Mhhm." Kamui took a single step towards you and your captor, and you felt the robber's grip on your throat tighten. Looking up, your eyes met with those of the Hero. He seemed concerned, but you offered a smile. At this point, there wasn't much you could do beyond trusting him.

"Of course that's not how this works. It never has been. But how often does a hostage situation like this one work in the captor's favor?"

"Just what are you on-"

Kamui's arm shot up, a branch reaching out and slamming into your captor. A second reached behind you, and a third came up to secure the robber's blade, snaking between his other arm and your throat as well.

The robber flew back with the first, the third branch loosening his grip on you. The second kept you from falling to the ground as well. His knife clattered to the ground in front of you, resting just in front of your foot.

Your assailant groaned from behind you, but you were preoccupied with the approaching Hero. He reached out wordlessly, tilting your head up with his free hand. The branches from the other arm retracted, pulling you a smidge closer as Kamui gently thumbed over what you imagined to be a forming bruise.

"Are you alright?"

You hummed quietly, smiling softly.

"I am now. Thank you."

He nodded. Neither of you made a move to leave, or even pull away from one another.

The both of you stayed like that for maybe five minutes, raindrops running gentle paths down Kamui's armor. His hand finally moved from your throat, resting against your cheek.

"You are?"

"(Y/N)."

"Mhm. Fitting, for someone such as yourself."

"Really?" You chuckled. "And here I thought signing pictures after a fight was going above the call of duty. Flirtation may just be next-level." You leaned into his touch, chuckling as his eyes widened.

"I'm sorry- I didn't-"

The man behind you groaned again, and you practically jumped with the unprovoked noise. Well- not unprovoked, you thought, watching your half-conscious assailant clutching his chest.

"Er, I should probably-"

Kamui had let go of you, one hand resting on the back of his neck. He looked anywhere but your face as he reached to his belt, pulling out a communication device of some form.

"I need to get him in to the station. My apologies that you were pulled into such a situation. It would never be my intention to-"

"Kamui?"

You cut off his rant, reaching for his free hand.

"Thank you for saving me. Words can't truly express how grateful I am. Really."

You reached into your pocket, fumbling slightly before pulling out a gum wrapper and tiny pencil. You jotted something down, handing it to the dumbstruck Hero.

"If there's any other way I can thank you, please call me. Or to just talk, or-"

You stopped yourself, waving your hand.

"Nevermind. You get the gist. I'd love to talk to you again, really!"

You couldn't see most of his face, but swore there was a smile beneath his helmet.

"Of course. I must admit, I'd like to speak to you as well. Speak more, I mean. After this."

You chuckled, and he was quick to follow suit. His laughter quieted quickly, and he held the communicator once more.

"I do need to take this man in. I'll text you later, after my patrol."

You grinned, nodding. Unable to think of any parting words, you waved before retreating towards the city center.

-----

Unknown number - 3:32 pm

Hello. Is this the phone of (Y/N)?

You - 3:34 pm

Yeah, why?

Unknown number - 3:35 pm

This is Kamui Woods. I merely wished to confirm I had the correct number

You - 3:37 pm

I'd hope so! Rather not go giving wrong numbers to friends, y'know?

🌳 Kamui Woods 🌳 - 3:38 pm

Lol. That could end in a catastrophe of its own

You - 3:41 pm

Yeah XD

So, did you *only* text to make sure it was me?

🌳 Kamui Woods 🌳 - 3:42 pm

I'd rather not text a wrong number to ask for a second meeting with you

You - 3:44 pm

I'm touched! I'm free all of tomorrow, if sometime then works for you

🌳 Kamui Woods 🌳 - 3:47 pm

Afternoon? Just some time at the park would be nice.

You - 3:49

It's a date! If it needs to be any more specific, just let me know.

🌳 Kamui Woods 🌳 - 3:50

K.

-----

You chuckled, legs swinging against the bottom of your chair. Humming to yourself, you set the phone down to focus on your homework.

'It's a date!'

At least he hadn't questioned it.

#kamui #kamui woods #shinji nishiya #nishiya shinji #kamui woods x reader #kamui x reader #bnha kamui woods #bnha shinji #bnha kamui #bnha shinji nishiya #mha shinji #mha shinji nishiya #mha kamui #mha kamui woods

[flashbackharry]

Quarantine

Prompt 51 and 52:

51. “Are you still awake…?”

52. “I’m not going to stop poking you until you give me some attention.”

Thank you @woopboopboop for requesting, I’m sorry its so late :(

You can request a prompt from this list:

Masterlist:

As much as you didn’t want to admit it, you didn’t take quarantine as seriously in the beginning as you should have. You begged Harry to take you to museums and the beach and he obliged of course, only wanting to make you happy. It wasn't until the death tolls started climbing day by day, and in England where you were currently staying with Harry and his family, it was even worse. Now you turned somewhat into a hypochondriac, making Harry wash his hands after he’d come back from a run, to which Harry responded,

“I didn’t touch anything love.” Still, he washed his hands after seeing you start to bite your lower lip in anxiety.

Staying with Anne, Gemma, and her fiance in Harry's childhood home was nice. It was in a secluded area surrounded by trees but not so far making a walk to the nearest cafe only about 20 minutes. Not that that mattered, everything was closed up due to concerns surrounding the virus.

You tried giving yourself somewhat of a routine. You tried not sleeping past 8am, although when you woke up, Harry was just coming back from his run. He suggested you run with him in the mornings to which you smiled and simply said,

“I don’t run”.

You did however take up cooking and cooked breakfast for everyone most mornings, usually before Anne beat you to it. This particular morning when Harry came back from his run, his headphones hanging from his neck, his shirt was lightly covered in sweat, his hair a roused mess atop his head. He walked over to where you were cutting up onions and bell peppers at the kitchen counter for the scrambled eggs you were making. He kissed your temple and asked

“So, what's on the agenda for today?”

“Mhmm, maybe some poetry at two? Gardening at 5, maybe a stroll around the neighborhood at dusk?” You said teasingly although all sounded very appeasing.

Harry leaned against the counter and chuckled, eating some of the fruit you had cut up earlier.

“Sounds lovely, did you just come up with that yourself?” He asked, getting up from against the counter and hugging you from behind, peppering kisses to your neck as you giggled.

“Very cute guys, but please, I just woke up.” Gemma said from the doorway, walking over and taking a seat on a stool where the island was.

“Oh shush, you and Michal were very PDA-ey when you first got together.”Harry retaliated.

“Yes we were, then we had the sense to stop.”Gemma said, blowing a kiss over to you and winking.

“Yeah well, I will never hide my love for this one.” Harry said, kissing your shoulder. You pushed him away, your cheeks reddening a little.

“I love you, but please go shower bub.” You said pinching his cheek.

Harry removed his hand from your lower back and with a little protesting, he walked out of the kitchen, not of course without ruffling Gemma's hair on his way out.

Michal came down shortly after Harry disappeared and took a seat next to Gemma.

“Morning sleepy head.” She said as he planted a kiss to her head.

You loved watching them interact, as much as she teased you and Harry, she was the same as you guys. Unabashedly in love with their significant other.

“Something smells good.” Michal said smiling over to you.

“Breakfast is served.” You said, handing them their plates of scrambled eggs with a side of toast.

“Where would we be without you?” Gemma asked with such conviction you couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. Then she smiled and you returned it.

“Not as good as your mums but at least it's edible right?” You said right when Anne walked in, and you started blushing again.

“None of that darling, there was a period they hated my cooking if you can believe it.” She said giving you a kiss on the cheek before also sitting down. You smiled again. Pouring her a cup of coffee. You couldn’t help being nervous around your boyfriend's mom, even after all these years, but just like Harry, she always proved you had nothing to be nervous about.

“Yeah cause you started experimenting with that vegan shit mum.” Gemma said and Anne laughed out loud.

“Language Gem.” Was all she said, before sneaking you a wink.

Harry came down moments later, sporting his attire for the day, his hair damp from the water. He actually did dress up everyday, unlike you who sported a new one of his jumpers every few days or so.

“It makes a difference, really.” He told you one day while he was getting dressed, he glanced at you on the bed through the mirror he was facing.

“You just wanna show everyone your impeccable taste in fashion.” You said, teasing him. You watched as he laughed and poked his tongue out at you.

“Morning mum.” He said, walking over to Anne wrapping his arms around her while she sat holding her cup of hot coffee.

Harry walked over to you and sat on your lap while he grabbed some of your food from your plate. Smiling with his mouth full.

“Going grocery shopping today, any last requests?” Anne said. You peered over from Harry's lanky torso, towards Anne.

“Some more greek yoghurt please, someone keeps eating it despite saying how gross it is everytime.” You said, pinching Harry's side lightly.

“Ow!” Harry yelped.

“Can Michal and I just go with you mum? I never know what I want until I’m actually there.” She said, getting up from her seat and grabbing her and Michals plate and bringing it over to the sink.

“Yeah sure, I’m leaving in about 10 so hurry up.” She said, also getting up and walking out of the kitchen.

Gemma walked over to you and lifted your chin with one of her hands,

“Thanks for breakfast darling.” before walking out with Michal.

“I think that means we have the house to ourselves for about an hour.” Harry said, getting up from your lap. You let out a breath of air you didn't know you were holding in.

You took the remaining plates off the island and brought them over to the sink. Harry rinsed them after you went over them with a soapy sponge.

“Can I give you a haircut?” You asked.

“Absolutely not.” Harry said almost instantly.

“Why not?” You whined, frowning a bit.

“Because I dont wanna have to go bald trying to cover up the inevitable mistake you're going to make, besides, I think I might grow it out again, God knows how long we're gonna be stuck here for.” Harry said.

“Rude.” You responded, taking your hands out of the soapy water and instead running them through his unruly curls. Harry yelped again and splashed warm water from the sink at you. The fight ended with both of you slightly soaked and giggling.

When the rest of them got back from the grocery store, you helped put away all the groceries and the rest of your day was spent doing relatively nothing. You sat in the living room and watched way too many episodes of Seinfeld, you and Harry tried cooking some new recipe from a cookbook you had laying around and when that didn't end up going very well, you had to order a pizza. Harry had a few meetings later in the night over facetime so he was upstairs in the study doing that.

It was around 1am when you started feeling tired, so you headed into the bathroom and started getting ready for bed. The hot water felt nice against your skin.

When you finally got out of the bathroom and walked into the bedroom, everyone else's doors were closed, no doubt already asleep by now. You hadn't noticed how long you were in the shower until you glanced at the clock. It was nearly 2:30.

Yet Harry was nowhere to be found. You figured he was still on facetime with Jeff so you decided to go to sleep anyway.

***

It was nearly 4 when you felt a finger poking your side.

“Are you still awake?” Harry's deep voice filled your ears.

You opened your eyes and looked at his head looming over you above the covers. You closed your eyes again hoping he’d get the hint that you wanted to go back to sleep.

“I'm not gonna stop poking you until you give me attention.” He said, laying his head on the pillow and staring at the ceiling. You sighed and faced him.

“Whats up Harry?” You said, grabbing his hand under the covers.

“I can’t sleep.” He said, meeting your eyes.

“Wanna have sex?” You said smiling, half joking half not.

Harry chuckled softly, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and he spoke again,

“Wanna come watch the sunrise with me?” He said, lifting his hand to move a piece of hair from your face. You glanced at the clock, you did have about an hour and a half until the sun would be up again.

You smiled at him and nodded your head.

You both got ready quietly. You put one of his jumpers on again and a pair of joggers before heading downstairs to find your slippers. Harry met you at the bottom of the stairs, he already had his shoes on. Once you found your slippers Harry opened the front door quietly, locking it behind you. He took your hand in his as you both walked down the driveway.

The ground was damp as it had rained a little earlier yesterday afternoon. A thin layer of dew covered the grass and you instantly regretted wearing slippers because you knew they were going to be soaked. It was eerily quiet and peaceful, that period of time in the morning where you could hear the birds beginning to chirp but if you listened hard enough, you could hear a few lingering crickets.

You walked the quiet rural streets, the houses here were far apart from each other, seeing nothing but rolling green hills for what felt like forever before seeing another house.  You found a bench after walking for 30 minutes or so. Harry sat down, pulling you into his lap. You rested your head against his. The sun barely peeking over the horizon.

“How was your call with Jeff and the others?”

Harry sighed, wrapping his arms tighter around your torso.

“It was okay. He asked if I wanted to fly back to L.A before this stuff gets worse, quarantine there.”

You tired not feeling a little sad before asking,

“And are you?”

“Politely told him no. It's not often I get an opportunity to spend long periods of time doing nothing with my family and you. Told him if he really needed me in person I’d come but if I can do my job here, at home, that I would appreciate that.” Harry finished.

You didn't say anything back right away, instead started peppering kisses into his neck, you whispered “I love you” into his ear and Harry's lips met yours. He kissed you slowly, the sun now illuminating the entire sky. He whispered “I love you more” into your mouth.

You stayed sat on the bench well after the sun had already risen. Not saying anything, playing with the many rings on his fingers. Harry pulled you up off his lap and took your hands guiding you back to the house.

Once your feet hit the ground you whispered a little “Oh.”, wincing a little.

“What's wrong?” Harry asked, worry lacing his features.

“My slippers are wet and it feels like when you have socks on and step in something wet.”

Harrys turned his nose up, cringing. He took your hand and lifted you up until your feet touched the bench and you stood there, towering over him. He turned around and hoisted you on his back. You smiled as he carried you back to his mum's house.

“And they say chivalry is dead” You said jokingly and Harry breathed a laugh.

#Harry Styles #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #one direction #writing #solo harry

[penisman420-69]

A gentle glow from the computer screen washes over the dark desk, colors flickering in rapid motion. The monitor whirs in self defense of the growing heat. The ceiling fan lays mockingly silent in the stifling air. Reclined in his seat, Dream's head is tilted back to watch the wooden slats for the slightest tremor.

Betrayal.

Beads of sweat collect near his hairline. He tugs absently on the sticky plastic of his headphones, where they rest around his neck. The small light on the exterior blinks green.

"Dream?" He hears George say faintly.

"Wait, did he leave?" Sapnap asks.

"It says he's on the call, still." George's voice slowly grows closer. Dream begins to detach his eyes from the fan. "Dream?"

The concern in his voice makes Dream sit up. He pushes his headphones back on and wipes his face. "Yes, yes, hello, sorry. I zoned out for a sec." He blinks to register what's on his screen, seeing green grass blocks and Sapnap's avatar crouching in front of him. "Shoot, did you end the stream?" He quickly tabs out just in time to see George laugh.

"No, but I'm about to. Couldn't end it without you saying bye," George says. The small considerate act is enough to bloom a warmth in Dream's chest.

He smiles. "Oh, alright. Bye stream!"

"Bye!" Sapnap yells.

George waves to the camera. "Bye you guys, thank you so much. Also, pray for Dream's air conditioning."

"And my broken fan," Dream adds.

"Bye bye," George repeats, then disappears from Dream's view. This stream has ended. A familiar feeling creeps into Dream's chest whenever that message appears post-stream; disappointment clouded with confusion. Today, it is accompanied by trickles of regret.

He frowns. "Sorry I spent so much of your stream complaining about the weather," he says, clicking back to the server. Sapnap has placed an oak sign before him that reads: wee waa dream can't take the heat. He rolls his eyes and breaks it.

"It's fine, really. I just feel bad for you," George says. His avatar bounds over and starts placing doors on the ground. "Any idea when it'll be fixed?"

"Soon, I hope," Dream answers with a huff, opening and closing the doors to appease George. "I don't think I can take much more of this." They'd been playing for the past three hours, meaning Dream had been accumulating enough sweat in his boxers to stick to his chair for much longer than any man should. Physical comfort was a key component for him to stay mellow, and not much could distract him from itchy tags and blistering heat. Not much, that is, besides gaming. "Seeing you was nice, though, something about your cheerful face distracts me from my agony," he confesses, words leaving his mouth before he can attempt to filter. He cringes. What was that?

"Oh my god, shut up," George says. He sounds embarrassed.

Sapnap coos. "Maybe I should stream with my camera on too."

Dream laughs, running away from the two of them to ease his sudden spike in nervousness. "That would keep my attention."

"Oh yeah, are my streams not interesting enough for you Dream?" George says, flying after him.

"What?" Dream says, feeling a pang of guilt. "What makes you think that? I love your streams."

George continues to act offended. "If you loved them you wouldn't zone out randomly."

"I didn't mean to," Dream whines, which only makes the other two laugh. "I just got distracted by my misery, and tried to airbend a breeze in here."

"Yeah right," Sapnap says, "you couldn't have been doing just that for ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Dream repeats, bewildered. He didn't feel it had been that long; he was exploring the map and then clicked onto George's stream to see where he was, and of course George was smiling and yelling, but somehow so full of energy and spirit, and the hot air started to seep into Dream's soul—

"You were AFK for a while," George says, "we were still talking to you though and thought you'd muted yourself or something. Chat thought it was embarrassing."

"Oh," Dream says.

"Hold on, did you mean to mute yourself?" Sapnap asks, laughing as his own words leave his mouth. "Lil too excited watching George?"

Both Dream and George explode in disgusted yells. Good lord, Sapnap.

"Sapnap!" George sends a series of hits raining down onto his avatar. "You are so inappropriate off-stream."

"You're gross," Dream says with a laugh, but it's feeble and half-hearted. His pulse is rapidly drumming inside his skull. He is not lost to the strange dilemma of why he faded from their call for so long to stare at his George-less ceiling. Why did George have anything to do with it? Envy, perhaps, of his friend's ability to be wearing a hoodie in the middle of summer. He brushes it off. "It's true, though. George's face does get me excited."

George groans, making Sapnap and Dream laugh. "Now you're just trying to make me uncomfortable."

"Flustered, you mean," Dream inputs quickly.

"Okay, no, I'm sick of you two," George says, immediately exiting their server. "Consider this a rage quit."

GeorgeNotFound has left the game. Dream sends a :( into the chat.

"Noo, Georgie," Sapnap pleads.

"You did a great job today," Dream says, wholeheartedly. "I'm going to re-watch what I missed of it later." George laughs.

"I seriously have to go. I'll talk to you soon," he says, a small sound emitting from Discord signifying he's left the call.

The feeling returns to Dream's chest—it's akin to the cold rush that follows when he removes his hands from a steaming coffee mug. Some nights after their friends have logged off for good, he'll do anything to avoid giving in and going to bed. Twitter, mini-games, coding, creating playlists. His favorite nights, though, are when George wakes up early enough to keep him company. Their conversations radiate with the warmth of both the Florida night and the English sunrise.

So whenever George jokingly becomes angry with him, Dream can't dispel the tiny tremor of worry that maybe he's gone too far. He doesn't like to mull over the thought of them really fighting; it would terrify him like nothing else. He knows George will call again tomorrow, and that he isn't nearly as upset as he lets on. Yet he still finds himself carefully watching the dot next to George's name switch from green to a pale grey.

"I think I'm gonna hop off too," Dream says to Sapnap.

"Alright, seeya."

After disconnecting, he swivels around in his chair to face his bed. The dark comforter has been kicked to the floor, sheets askew. The window above his bed is shut tight to keep out the humid air and insects, but he can see the soft orange streetlights in the distance.

He sighs and wishes for rain.

He remembers running barefoot on his neighborhood streets as a child when storms would roll in from the sea, splashing in gravelly puddles and letting the cool raindrops dampen his hair. That space was always euphoric—a brief temperance from the smoldering air, green palm trees swaying in the wind, the hint of thunder and lightning—but it feels so far from him now. Especially in this dreadful weather.

He turns off his computer and begrudgingly gets in bed. He's nearly grown accustomed to the dark when his phone vibrates, the notification lighting up the room. He squints.

A text from George.

I feel like this song is a good way for me to get back at you, it reads. Dream clicks on the link, opening his Spotify to a new 'Glass Animals' song.

"Heat Waves," he responds, smiling. Very funny.

He'll listen to that in the morning. As he sets his phone back on the nightstand, Dream finds himself warmed by the gesture, even though it was an insult on his behalf. George is a thoughtful guy. Nothing wrong with appreciating that. Not that Dream finds it unnerving that interacting with George has a direct correlation with his general contentment and moods; in fact, it isn't worth the overthinking.

Settled by his own logic, he allows his body to focus on sleep. He slips in and out of shadows, occasionally tossing and turning in irritation at the cotton sheets. The fabric clings to his dampened skin up to the moment he sluggishly kicks it away. Something clatters to the floor, but Dream rolls onto his side.

Eventually, the night cools enough for him to sink deeper, and deeper, until he turns his head from his soft, warm pillow to a cold pile of sand.

Confused, he grasps at the foundation beneath him only for the rocky grains to slip through his fingers.

He sits up rapidly, glancing at the beach now surrounding him. Although the image is narrow, he can tell there is a murky-purple lagoon lapping a few feet before him. The moon ripples across its ominous surface. The night is quiet; a taunting breeze brushing the back of his neck and bringing chills down his spine.

He looks down at his hands, seeing his bright sleeves pushed halfway up his forearms. Bright green.

A sinking feeling begins to rot in his stomach as the familiarity sets in. He's been here before. He shifts his head cautiously, realizing where the shadows at the edge of his vision are coming from, and raises a hand to gently graze the ceramic covering his face. He doesn't need a mirror to know what the mask looks like.

He pulls up his hood, tensing as he anticipates the next subject he'll recognize. At any moment, behind his right shoulder, a voice will call from the edge of the trees that'll say—

"Dream?"

He freezes. That's—that's not right, it isn't supposed to be—

"George?" He asks quietly, turning around with caution. George stands a few feet behind him, goggles perched atop his head and an axe in his hand. He's looking around their location, dazed. The starry sky reflects itself on his lenses.

He walks across the sand towards Dream slowly. "Where...are we?"

"Um." Dream considers curling in on himself, but can't help fighting the comfort of honesty. "My head, I guess." He knows from experience that this place values integrity more than anything. Facing it head on, so to speak. He just doesn't know why he'd let George in here—it isn't safe.

"It's pretty," George says, sitting on the sand next to him.

Dream's heart aches faintly at his remark. Once, he'd thought it was pretty, too. He can't find the words to tell George that after so many years of frantically slipping on the sand, coughing up lung-fulls of the dark water, and running from the woods—it has become a thing of nightmares.

He stares at George. Can he feel the memories here?

"So this is..." George gestures around with his axe vaguely. "Florida?"

Dream cracks a smile. "Yeah, you finally made it," he teases softly. George's grin is bright enough to make him look away. "It's a lagoon I used to come to as a kid."

"You make it sound like that was lifetimes ago."

Something foreign and lost weighs on the tension in Dream's features, forgotten behind the ceramic. "Maybe," he says, "I've had multiple lives here."

George says nothing. He lifts a moon-soaked hand to point at the water. "Do you see those?"

Dream turns his head, and small glowing blobs appear near the shore. Their light blue color is stark against the darkness as they float idly.

"They're moon jellies," Dream says in disbelief. He's never seen them here before. The curling darkness steals all hint of life besides him, his beating heart, and occasional whispers in the wind.

George hums in approval. Dream looks at him again, grateful for the mask covering his own features. Pale moonlight makes George's skin glow a soft porcelain, pink lips pressed together in a delicate brush stroke.

The word bubbles up from deep in Dream's chest, winding into his bloodstream and landing gracefully in his head.

Beautiful.

He wants to back away from it, to shove it deep down. But for once, it feels safe here, safe to admit it to himself without needing an air of humor to skate by on. Here, it isn't a joke.

"Why are we here?" George asks in a murmur, gaze lifting to face Dream. The word here hangs with a heavy lilt, as if he'd meant to say, what brought me? Who pulled me?

Was it you?

In his large brown eyes Dream can see the faded reflection of his sloppy black and white smile.

"I know why I'm here," Dream says carefully, "but I don't know why you are." A brief rustling of leaves and twigs behind them causes him to tense again. "It's dangerous here, George. We should go."

"Why? Don't you want to stay in this memory?"

Dream ignores the comment, and lightly wraps an arm around his shoulders to help him up. George doesn't try to stand. He keeps them rooted to the white shore with a confused frown.

"Nothing is going to hurt us when I'm here," he says.

Dream feels his face grow hot. "Knock it off. This is serious."

George looks at him earnestly. "I'm being serious."

Now that his arm is draped protectively over George's small frame, Dream becomes extremely aware of how close they are. He can sense George's body heat, watch his chest rise and fall, see the goosebumps on his neck. Dream's heart begins to pound. For how long has he wanted to meet him? To hear his voice in person? The fear inside him slowly begins to ebb away into fondness.

The moon jellies rapidly multiply until the lagoon is dappled blue, and gleaming.

George grins. "I told you it's pretty."

"Because of you," Dream says warmly. Even though George rolls his eyes, he means it. They laugh lightly at each other, glowing water and gentle sparks blooming as the moment passes.

George's gaze lingers on Dream for a few heartbeats, before letting go of his axe. He raises his hand to reach for the ceramic mask.

Dream freezes as his eyes follow the motion. His hood falls when George runs his fingers gently through his wavy hair—he can't remember the last time he let someone do this. It feels intimate. It feels terrifying. His eyes shut when George finds the metal clasp on the back of his head, he exhales when he feels the weight of the mask drop from his face.

The breeze is cold on his cheeks. He can smell the nearby saltwater. He opens his eyes, and sees twice as many stars as usual.

"How did you do that? I've never..." He looks at George, who is smiling softly.

"I know honesty is important to you," George says. His hand moves to gently touch Dream's cheekbone.

Dream reaches and delicately takes George's hand in his, slender knuckles and fingers sliding together with timid grace. He feels alive. He leans closer, studying George's eyes until he slips down, further, to his soft lips. His breath is trembling.

"And what if I kissed you right now?" He murmurs, heart racing. "How honest would that be?"

George's eyes grow wide. "I—well, Dream—you—" he stammers, giving Dream exactly what he needs to let go.

Their movements happen nearly all at once—the inclining of George's jaw, the slide of Dream's hand into his hair, the connection of their lips. The kiss is raw with emotion, and gentle. Hot embers rise from Dream's chest to heat his face. The soft presence of George's mouth against his own is surreal, as their senses collectively slip away into the dreamland. His hand rises to softly cup George's jaw. He pulls his face closer, breath hot, heart stuttering. Nervous energy quickly ebbs into a strong hearth of longing, as he kisses George again, and again, and again. George emits a soft noise that makes Dream melt. He can feel George's hands in his hair, then on his neck, then on his chest.

Dream pulls away to capture brief puffs of air. His chest rises and falls rapidly, as he looks at George's flushed cheeks and mouth kissed red. Because of him. A low feeling stirs in the space just below his ribcage, the first flickering of a dangerously hot flame. All of it, all of George, just for him.

Dream parts his lips to say something, anything—and promptly wakes up.

I have heatwaves saved on my computer it doesn't phase me anymore I've read this several times you can't hurt me with this

[alyssaallyrion]

Truth. (Iruka x Kakashi)

Rating: T

Summary: In which an accident on a mission forces Kakashi to admit his true feelings to Iruka.

A/N: Written for KakaIru Month ( @kakairu-fest ) Day 6 & Day 12 Prompts: Flowers & Hospitals.

ao3 link

When the village finally emerges on the horizon, Kakashi lets out a quiet sigh of relief. Pulsating pain from the injury to his right side makes it hard to breathe, but Kakashi tries to ignore it – he doesn’t want to worry Tenzo more than he already has.

“Is your wound feeling worse, senpai?” Tenzo asks, making Kakashi wonder if he has gotten worse at pretending over the years or if Tenzo grew more attentive.

I’m feeling much better, Kakashi wants to lie.

“I think it’s gotten worse,” he says instead, barely able to suppress a frustrated sigh.

Of course, his rotten luck would have him encounter Truth Flowers while on the mission. 

Their assignment in Hyougagakure was supposed to be a simple elimination mission, and all was going well until one of the targets tried to get away. Kakashi pursued the man deep into the village, following him into a strange greenhouse-like building. Inside, there was a myriad of flowers with crystal-clear petals, filling the air with sweet scent and low humming melody.

Kakashi knew that something was wrong – the moment he breathed in the scent of the flowers and heard the low hum emanating from the petals, his mind went hazy. There was no time to dwell upon it, however – the other shinobi attacked, and Kakashi had to fight. He prevailed – but not before sustaining a nasty kunai injury just below the ribs on his right side.

“Senpai, are you ok?” Tenzo asked him, worried, once Kakashi emerged from the greenhouse.

Kakashi was never the one to complain about injuries – and he didn’t want Tenzo to be concerned.

I’m fine,he was prepared to say.

“This stab wound hurts really bad and makes it hard to breathe,” fell from his lips instead.

Kakashi paused, confused. Why did he say that?

“We should get out of here quickly before the patrol returns,” Tenzo frowned, eyes full of concern, “And tend to your wounds.”

Kakashi nodded, pushing the question out of his mind and blaming his sudden bout of candidness upon the adrenaline from the battle and the pain from the injury.

By nightfall, he’d almost forgotten about the incident when his tongue betrayed him again – this time by letting Tenzo know that the soup he had cooked for dinner was unbearably salty. A cold, sinking feeling in the pit of Kakashi’s stomach told him that it wasn’t a coincidence, and still, he tried pushing the thoughts away.

I’m just tired, Kakashi told himself, I should be all better by the morning.

Tenzo took the first watch, letting Kakashi rest. When he finally managed to fall asleep, he was haunted by dreams of darkness, disturbing and strange, filling him with the sense of frazzled terror. Kakashi woke up long before the sunrise, panting and sweating and utterly overwhelmed by suffocating anxiety. Putting his vest on made the pain under his ribs radiate towards his right shoulder, but Kakashi didn’t care. He couldn’t be in this dark tent anymore – he needed to be outside.

“You don’t look so good, senpai,” Tenzo glanced up at Kakashi from his place by the campfire, “Is the wound preventing you from sleeping?”

“I was having nightmares,” the moment the words left Kakashi’s mouth, he knew for certain that something was wrong – he’d never admitted to having nightmares to anyone, and that fact wasn’t lost on Tenzo.

“Is…is everything ok?” Tenzo started carefully, looking Kakashi in the face, “You have been much more…candid with your insights today.”

Kakashi wanted to lie, to say that he was just tired and in pain, but he knew before he opened his mouth that his tongue would betray him. This time, he didn’t try to fight it.

“I think there was something wrong with the flowers in that greenhouse,” he said, “Ever since I walked in there, I can’t stop myself from saying what I’m thinking. Even when I want to lie, only truth comes out.”

The look on Tenzo’s face was equal parts concerned and amused.

“I think I’ve heard of flowers like that,” he replied after a brief pause, “It’s called Truth Flower, if I’m not mistaken, and works a lot like truth serum.”

A shiver ran down Kakashi’s spine at Tenzo’s words. Wonderful.

“And is there any antidote?” Kakashi asked.

“Not that I remember,” Tenzo shrugged, “I’m pretty sure its effects last only a few days, so you should be able to wait it out.”

Kakashi could barely suppress a sigh. Just what he needed.

Tenzo was a better man than most – on their way back to Konoha, he had barely spoken to Kakashi, lest an accidental question makes Kakashi reveal something he didn’t want to tell. Kakashi knew he owed him one for the consideration he had shown.

“If the wound’s gotten worse, you should go to the hospital,” Tenzo’s voice drags Kakashi out of his thoughts, “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No,” Kakashi replies, “You must go to the Hokage with the report right away.”

Tenzo gives Kakashi a hesitant look.

“Go,” Kakashi repeats, “I can take care of myself.”

He has no plans of going to the hospital, but what he says isn’t exactly a lie, and Tenzo seems satisfied with the response.

“Very well,” Tenzo nods, “I’ll come to see you at the hospital as soon as I’m done with the report.”

With that, Tenzo flickers away, leaving Kakashi to walk the remaining short distance to the village gates by himself. Pain under Kakashi’s ribs radiates through his right side, and all he can think of is the moment he will fall into his bed and sleep for hours on end. Or at least, for as long as is necessary for the effects of this flower to wear off. Distantly, Kakashi remembers that he didn’t close the window in his bedroom and hopes that it hasn’t rained – if it has, his entire bed is likely wet, and changing the bedding is far beyond his strength at the moment.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Kakashi doesn’t notice how he reaches the gate – until his eyes catch the sight of a familiar silhouette. Kakashi’s heart skips a beat – he sees Iruka sitting on one of the benches just by the gate. Warmth rises in his chest, and his heart flutters, as he almost believes for a single moment that Iruka’s waiting for him.

Bitter smile blooms on Kakashi’s lips. Of course he isn’t.

Kakashi would be utterly delusional to think otherwise – after all, Iruka had no idea about his feelings, about Kakashi’s desperate dream that they could grow old together. And even if he did, what good would it do? Kakashi is damaged and broken way beyond measure, and Iruka deserves much better.

He realizes that he should walk away – given the impact of the flower, it’s dangerous for him to be around Iruka, lest the truth slip out - but it’s too late.

“Kakashi-san,” Iruka calls out, standing up from his seat.  

“Iruka-sensei,” Kakashi says softly as he approaches Iruka.  

The bright smile on Iruka’s face makes Kakashi almost forget about the pain in his side.

“You are back already?” there’s a slight surprise in Iruka’s voice, making Kakashi wonder if he knew what kind of mission he and Tenzo were sent on, “I hope your mission went well.”

“It did,” Kakashi nods before adding, “Are you waiting for someone?”

“Yes,” Iruka smiles, “Naruto should be back soon, and I was hoping to take him out for ramen.”

The words hurt more than they should – Kakashi knows, of course, that Iruka wasn’t waiting for him, but for a moment, it was nice to pretend.

“I see,” he says, simply. A sudden jolt of pain shoots through Kakashi’s right side, making him double over.

“Kakashi-san,” Iruka’s next to him immediately, hands-on Kakashi’s shoulders, steadying him, “Are you hurt?”

Kakashi doesn’t want to answer – the last thing he needs right now is to make Iruka worried, but he cannot stop the words escaping his lips.

“I got stabbed on a mission,” Kakashi explains, wincing as another wave of pain spreads through his body, “And the wound won’t stop bleeding.”

“You need to get to the hospital,” Iruka frowns, “Here, let me help you.”

“I can walk,” Kakashi replies, more curtly than he intends, “And I wasn’t planning on going to the hospital. I’ll deal with this myself.”

An angry, incredulous look crosses Iruka’s features.

“You can’t be serious,” Iruka exclaims, “You’ve been bleeding for days. You need to see a doctor.”

“I can take care of myself,” Kakashi protests, feeling lightheaded. He doesn’t want to argue with Iruka, but there is no getting away, it seems – he doesn’t have the chakra to flicker away, and he’s pretty sure that Iruka’s hands on his shoulders are the only thing stopping him from falling over.

“Can you?” Iruka asks, his voice suddenly almost dripping with venom, “Because Naruto tells me you end up in the hospital after half your missions precisely because you don’t take care of yourself.”

“And why does that matter to you?” Kakashi almost spits out, feeling hot anger rise in his chest, “We aren’t even friends.”

Iruka has always been politely distant with Kakashi – what gave him the idea that he could scold Kakashi like he was one of his students?

Iruka looks at him, speechless, and, for a moment, Kakashi almost believes that he will drop the issue so they could both move on with their day. And then Iruka shakes his head, and a strange, unfamiliar expression crosses his features.

“Why does it matter to me?” Iruka repeats slowly, looking Kakashi straight in the eye, “You know, I ask myself the same question all the time, and the only answer that I’ve come up with thus far is that I must be an absolute fool for falling in love with Konoha’s most reckless jonin. You are all reckless, of course, but you, specifically, I swear…I wish I was less of an idiot and could simply not care about you, but I can’t.”

Kakashi’s head spins, and the sound of his own heartbeat threatens to drown him. He can hardly believe his ears - Iruka is in love with him?It feels too much like a fantasy, but Iruka’s hands on his shoulders are steady and warm, and Kakashi knows that it’s not a dream. Iruka’s staring him straight in the face – still incensed and flushed with anger – and there’s nothing Kakashi wants more at that moment than to kiss him.

His mind’s racing as he tries to stop the inevitable, tries to prevent the fateful words from escaping his lips - after all, Iruka deserves so much more than he could ever offer - but the Truth Flower is merciless.

“I’ve been in love with you for years,” Kakashi breathes out.

Anger and color both drain from Iruka’s face, and he’s staring at Kakashi wide-eyed. There is a pit at the bottom of Kakashi’s stomach, and his heart drops, but there is no taking back his words. Whoever said that sharing a secret makes one feel better was a liar, he thinks, a wave of suffocating anxiety washing over him as silence stretches.

“What did you say?” Iruka finally asks, voice no louder than a whisper.

“I said I’m in love with you,” Kakashi repeats, “And have been for years.”

“What…what brought about this sudden bout of honesty?” Iruka narrows his eyes, looking at him suspiciously.  

Kakashi hardly wants to recount what happened on the mission, but his tongue betrays him yet again.

“I’ve run into a greenhouse full of Truth Flowers,” he explains, “And now I cannot lie, at least for a while.”

Iruka looks at him for a long moment – and then something shifts in his face, and a small smile appears on his lips.

“Oh,” is all Iruka can manage.

Another jolt of sharp pain through Kakashi’s side makes him almost fall, but Iruka holds him up.

“Well,” Iruka laughs awkwardly, “Now that we’ve gotten the confessions out of the way, we need to take you to the hospital.”

Kakashi doesn’t want to go – now that he knows Iruka loves him back, there’s nothing he wants more than to stay by his side, so he tries to argue.

“Naruto told me you’ve had some medical training,” Kakashi says, leaning against Iruka’s side for support, “So maybe you could help me, and there would be no need to go to the hospital.”

“Trying to use my feelings against me already?” Iruka chuckles, “But it won’t work – we are going to the hospital so that your wound can get treated properly.”

Kakashi hardly has the energy to argue, so he lets Iruka lead him away from the village gates towards the hospital. Feeling Iruka’s warm, steady presence against his side almost makes Kakashi forget about the burning pain under his ribs. The moment they enter the hospital, however, Kakashi feels completely lightheaded, and all his remaining strength is gone as the room spins around him. He wants to ask Iruka to stay by his side, but no words leave his lips before he sinks into the darkness.

When Kakashi opens his eyes, he’s lying in the hospital bed. Bright light streams into the room through the half-open window, and he knows that he must have been unconscious for at least a day. As he glances around, warmth rises in Kakashi’s chest – Iruka’s sitting on a chair next to his bed, looking exhausted yet relieved.

“How long was I out?” Kakashi asks, his voice hoarse from sleep.

“Two days,” Iruka tells him, “Your wound has gotten infected, and you needed emergency surgery – but the doctor said you should be all better now.”

Kakashi takes a deep breath and nods.

“Also,” Iruka continues, leaning slightly closer, “The effects of the Truth Flower should have worn off by now.”

Kakashi raises an eyebrow, confused. Iruka’s right, he can feel it, but how would he know that?

It seems Iruka understands him without words.

“I’ve done my research,” Iruka shrugs, lifting up the book that’s resting in his lap.

“I see,” Kakashi murmurs.

Silence falls upon. Kakashi wonders if he should pretend that their conversation at that gate has never happened – after all, Iruka deserved much better than the likes of him. But he’s always been weak and selfish, and he’s yearned for this for so long that he cannot stop himself.

“So…” Kakashi starts carefully, his heart racing in his chest, “What does that mean for us?”

By the look on Iruka’s face, it’s clear that he knows precisely what Kakashi’s referring to – their love confessions.

“I don’t know, Kakashi,” Iruka says after a brief pause, and Kakashi’s heart drops – until Iruka reaches out and takes his hand, “But I think we could figure it out – together if that’s what you want.”

Kakashi can hardly stop himself from smiling as he gently squeezes Iruka’s fingers – there is nothing he wants more than what Iruka’s offering. It still feels so surreal that the object of his secret, desperate pining, returns his feeling, but Kakashi knows he’d be a fool to complain. And, though a man like him has no right to be as happy as he is at the moment, now that he has felt this happiness, he’ll never let go of it. Not if he can help it.

“Yes, I’d like that,” Kakashi says softly.

Perhaps they will grow old together, after all.

#kakashi hakate #iruka umino #kakairu #kkir #kakairu month 2021

[secondhand-trash]

A/N: words cannot described how entertained I was when I was writing this...

Warning: suggestive themes

Word count: 1888

(click here to see more of Osamu’s bento)

(taglist in the notes, please go to the link in my bio or send me an ask to be added to the bento taglist uwu)

-

Previously...

You were so determined to tell him everything as it was, but you immediately didn’t have the heart to do it when you were met with his round eyes fixed on you.

You had it coming…

“Yeah,” you said, “we are going through this real big project right now and everyone is on edge.”

He took your hand and pressed it against his cheek. You smiled as he leaned into your touch, caressing his jaw with your thumb. He was lucky that he’s cute, you thought to yourself, silently deciding that maybe you would try to be a little bit more openminded the next time he turned your lunch into a meme canvas.

“Then I should try to bring you some excitement with your bento then! Something that both taste good and can motivate you visually!”

-

You might have deliberately left out that the true reason to your exasperation was the fact that your brain was squeezed dry after playing a game of edible pictionary under Osamu’s drive, but you didn’t exactly lied about anything either. There was really a big project your department was undergoing and it was pushing everyone’s mental well-being to the edge. Your friend, the one who sat at the cubicle opposite to yours, nearly had a meltdown in the office the other day because the drafts of a powerpoint was printed in greyscale instead of in colour. The head of the department, a middle aged man who looked like a round department store mascot and never raises his voice, was heard sobbing in his office after getting off a conference call with the management board. Needless to say, you had been walking on eggshells in every waking minute and you felt like you had aged by years just from theses few days.

The only bit of joy you had in the office was the short 30 minutes you were mercifully given each day to fuel your body with food so you could continue to be tortured by work. Osamu kept his promise with changing up what was in your bento every single day with no repeats. Making count of what you had seen in your bento had become part of your daily routine. You had gotten several different pepes, a few cat memes and some very ambiguous looking faces (most of which you assumed to be him). You were hesitant to accept his new hobby of using your lunch as a creative outlet but now you appreciate it to no end.

Slamming the door shut, you placed your palm flat on the wall and sighed as the soreness in all the muscles you did not know was in your body started getting worse and worse.

God could give you 48 hours in a day and it still wouldn’t be enough.

“I’m home...” you muttered, kicking your shoes to the side as you limped into the living room.

Osamu appeared from the doorway and took your bag from your hand. You groaned at the weight that was finally off of your shoulder, rolling your neck to feel each joint cracking. He caught you in his arms swiftly when you latched onto him, putting all your weight on him as you allow your tired legs the rest they needed.

“Urgh...” your voice came out as an inaudible noise as you groaned into his chest, rubbing your face against the fabric of his shirt. He let your bag fell onto the ground with a chuckle, wrapping his arms around you as he felt you sinking deeper into his embrace, “if it goes on like this I’m not going to live to see tomorrow’s sunrise..."

You whined as he rubbed soothing circles on your back, the warmth reaching from his palm to your body. You felt your limbs slowly reviving under his touch, his hand trailing from your back to your shoulder blades then down your spine again. You could feel the rumbling from his chest as he spoke, his voice low by your ear and his breath ticking your neck, “Do you need me to give you some motivation?”

A sound that resembled a choked moan slipped from your lips when his hand pressed down at a particularly stiff spot on your back, “Please do.”

The corner of his lips curled up at your breathy reply. Brushing your hair away with his finger, he dipped down to the sensitive skin of your exposed neck.

“Can you make nanban chicken for tomorrow’s bento?”

He froze in place at your request. Ah, you had taken his suggestion towards a completely different direction. He thought that he sounded pretty sexy when he was whispering in your ear but perhaps the suggestive tone lacing his words went lost in your tired brain.

He bite back the sigh that was threatening to leak out, “Of course.”

-

Osamu didn’t try to initiate anything again the next couple of days, mostly because you came back looking like your soul had flown away from your body every single night that he felt bad for even thinking about doing anything that might tire you out even more. Was it bad that the thought of not being able to do anything actually made him even needier? Perhaps. But it had been a while and quite a while since you had done anything intimate and being a normal young man with normal needs, he felt like the even the slightest bit of skinship he could get from you was setting off something indescribable in him. 

Like right now, on the long weekend that he had been looking forward to every day for the past week, he swore he would combust if you shifted around next to him for just one more time on your couch that felt particularly crowded today.

You smelt so nice, he silently thought to himself as he buried his nose in your hair, and your skin was so warm. Your body fit against his perfectly, each sharp corner and soft bump molded together like the world created you two to fit with each other like this.

This was good, and all he needed was a slight push...

His arm around your waist tightened and his hand started wandering to the side of your thigh, "You know, it’s been a while since we... you know...”

He tried his hardest to not press against you when you pushed your hips back as you turned around to face him, “Hm?”

“And I miss you...” his voice was dripping with honey as his lips ghosted over where your ear connected to your neck.

You grinned, feeling the way he got more and more handsy all over you, “Is that so?”

Osamu felt his chest swelling when you didn’t push him away, “Uhm.”

Your hand was on his toned chest as you slowly sat up and he couldn’t help but let out a heavy breath in anticipation when you inched towards him.

He nearly lost balance and fell off the couch when the doorbell rang.

He wanted to scream when you perked up, snapping towards the door in excitement, “Oh it must be my parcel!”

A million different curses in all the languages he didn’t know he knew ran through his head as you leaped out of his arms, leaving his hand hanging in the air as you hopped over to the door.

His eyes followed your frame like a puppy who got kicked to the side as you, not sparing him a glance, happily walked into your room with the card box in your hand.

Running his hand down his face, he let out a muffled groan as his plan was spoiled. Throwing his head back in frustration, he felt the dread building up inside of him when he felt the familiar stuffiness in his pants.

Oh. Oh hello.

Not that you were aware, but he had gotten rather familiar with the shower and its temperature settings the past week and as he once again shivered under the cold water that rained on his head like a waterfall, he contemplated the possibility of being drowned in a cold shower.

-

Your hand was shaking as you moved the mouse so that the arrow on the screen hovered over the send button.

Was this all? Was there anything you needed to add? You paused, your mind in a state of blank before your finger bounced against the key. You stared while the page buffered, before it returned to your mailbox.

You blinked, processing this sudden overwhelming feeling that was the fact that there was nothing you needed to do anymore.

It’s over. The earlier hollowness caught up to you in the form of thundering joy and trumpets going off in your head. You finished up everything.

You could not help the little squeal that you let out as you stretched your arms wide, rolling your shoulders bac to reward them for carrying you through. Clasping your hand together, you almost felt like humming when you saw that it was just in time for lunch.

You could not be in a better mood. Your work was done and you managed to get it cleared out before lunch. How long had it been since you last had the leisure to really savour your food instead of gulping it down to squeeze out more time? 

You paused when you opened the lid of the bento, tilting your head to the side as you took in the very oddly shaped onigiri that was sitting in the center.

Hm- oh? Oh.

You scrambled to shut the box up with flailing hands when you realised what it actually was, looking around in panic to check if anyone had seen what was inside just then. 

What the fuck? What the actual fuck? 

What was he thinking? Your chest was pounding and your face was steaming with embarrassment at the very visual representation of the last thing that was safe for being shown in the office. How the hell would he think that this was a good idea?

Sliding your lower body off your chair, you carefully lifted up the corner of the lid so that you could peak inside to confirm your suspicion.

For fuck sake.

You attracted the bewildered gaze of a few concerned colleagues when you flopped down onto your desk, hiding your burning face on the cold surface to calm down your mind that was going haywire from what you have noticed in addition to the what you had figured out earlier.

That dummy did not model it after his own...

-

You were not sure if you wanted to be angry or amused when Osamu gingerly, but also a bit anticipatingly poked his head out from the doorway to observe you from afar when you came home that night.

All that was left was for him to have a tall to wag behind him when he stared at you with his round eyes like he wanted to say something but was also too scared to bring it up.

“Samu.”

He immediately stood up straight, “Yes?”

“I’ll give you 10 seconds to explain yourself.”

He blinked, his eyes skittering around the room before focusing back on you, “Was it not obvious enough?”

You found yourself unable to question his logic. Palming yourself, you did not know if laughing was the right reaction when he snuck up next to you and very awkwardly pulled you closer to him before resting his chin on your shoulder, looking up at you with a look that he deemed to be extremely irresistable.

Fine, he looked kind of cute.

You wanted to smack him when he very eagerly latched onto you when you turned to face him, his hands being everything but well-behaved as he leaned over to kiss you square on the lips.

His eyes widened when you put your hand on his face right when he was almost touching you.

“Should I worry about you doing that again?”

He shook his head frantically, looking at you from behind his bangs with a pleading look.

You laughed, before moving your hand away and let him close the distance between your lips.

#haikyuu imagines #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu x reader #miya osamu x reader #miya osamu imagine #miya osamu imagines

[azulirawrites]

Favors of A. Blight ch. 2

Rating: T Word Count: 2689 Contains: Mentions of Child Neglect

The leather of Alador’s boots sizzled as they sunk into the muddied ground, rivers of boiling rain pooling alongside them with every step. The rain had persisted for the last several hours, pittering uselessly against the thin purple bubble that protected him as he journeyed away from Bonesborough, and it would likely last another several. His boot prints would be gone by the time anybody knew to look for him. He could afford a moment, as he came to a clearing along the cliffside. 

He let himself slump against the tree, exhausted from the trek he had made so far. His shoulders sank as a heavy breath escaped him, and he couldn’t help but notice his hands were still shaking. Despite the situation, he let out a little laugh. Here was Alador Blight, a true master of abominations, and his hands were shaking. He sank down the tree further, resting on the large exposed root. The richest man on the Isles, next to the Emperor himself, and he was using some old, gnarled tree’s root as a chair.

He looked up, and was almost surprised to see the blue barrier that protected the Owl House.Almost. He supposed a part of him must have known where he was going. A part of him feared that it was Odalia’s magic, guiding him to their children, trying to get him to reclaim them. Alador shook his head, clearing the thought. Odalia wouldn’t have had the power for such a spell, even if she were alive, and it would have flirted with the line of legality… not that that really mattered, to a Blight. If he’d wanted to, he could probably have shifted off any legal ramifications from Odalia’s death. Accidents with abominations weren’t uncommon, and you can’t expect even the most powerful of oracles to be watching their own future constantly. But that’s not why he’s running, is it?

He looked to the barrier again. No, he had a number of different reasons to run. He wasn’t a parent. He only barely qualified as a father. They’d never know why, and they’d never trust him again. Not that they had in the first place. And that was ok, he told himself, it’s alright. 

Alador’s heart ached, staring at the barrier. It wouldn’t prevent his entry, and neither would that “infernal house demon” that Lily had told him about, in some of their shared moments. He could march in there, and say he’d changed his mind, that his children would stay with him in their home, and Lily could as well. He could be a better father; he could be one in the first place. His children could have parents that actually cared about them as people, not as pawns. 

For a treacherous moment, Alador’s mind showed him such a future. Waking up next to Lily just before the sunrise. Waking the children up with breakfast as the dawn filtered through the window, and sending them to school, everyone happy. Spending the whole day with Lily, and welcoming the children home with tight hugs, listening as they told him about their days. They’d laugh together, they’d cry together. They’d be a family. And then, at the end of the day, he’d go to bed beside the woman he loved… In the same bed he’d shared with Odalia. In the same house he’d shared with Odalia; the same house he’d known since he was a boy. The same house that was undoubtedly breaking down in the boiling rain. Of course that’s something he could never have.

“Hello!” a voice called from below him, and Alador turned to see a… bird-tube thing burrowing out of one of the dry spots near the base of the trees, “My name’s Hooty! It’s awfully late to have a visitor, but I’m super glad to have a new friend come by to hang out!” Oh Titan no…

“No,” Alador responded quickly, perhaps harshly, “I mean, I was just leaving.”

“Boy that sounds awfully suspicious,” Hooty commented, “If I didn’t know you were actually here to be my friend, I’d think you were here because of Luz’s mean friend and her siblings arriving here under an abomination! But you don’t look like them, so I doubt you’re related, which means you’re here as my friend!”

“They didn’t know the forcefield spell?” Alador commented out loud, shocked. He’d sent his children out in this with no reliable protection.

“Nope,” the house demon popped the p, “unless that’s what they’re calling really big and goopy abominations these days, but I wouldn’t know that. I don’t get out much!” After a moment of staring each other down, Hooty added, “Oh I know, I can ask Lulu! She’s smart so she’ll know!”

“Lulu?” Alador hadn’t been aware of anyone by that name at the Owl House, unless that was the human’s name? Amity had mentioned it, it was something close to that, wasn’t it?

“Yep, she’s Eda’s sister,” oh no…, “And MY best friend!”

“You’re friends with Lily?”

The owl gasped, “You call her that? She HATES when Eda calls her Lily. I’m gonna go tell her!”

“No! There’s no need for that!” Alador shouted after the bird tube as it disappeared into its hole. He cursed to himself before standing up and rushing towards the staircase along the path that headed further into the woods.

(Line Break)

Lilith’s letter sat on the coffee table in front of the sisters, Lilith blushing furiously, while Eda looked mostly amused. “So…” Eda said, after a long moment of awkward silence.

“We don’t need to talk about it,” Lilith said curtly.

“Oh yes we do,” Eda responded, “You were shacking up with Alador!”

“We weren’t ‘shacking up,’” Lilith defended, “And do we have to talk about this now?”

“Well when would you like to talk about? When we’re telling the kids you’ve got custody of them?”

“No!” Lilith exclaimed, “Ideally, they’ll never have to know. It’s not like it matters anymore.” She crossed her arms and looked away from Eda.

“Right, this is probably… a lot,” Eda placed her hand on her sister’s shoulder, “Are you ok?”

"I'm fine, Edalyn," Lilith shut down the question, "Let's get back to the actual topic at hand."

"Fine," Eda grumbled, "but next time you get drunk I'm gonna find out everything."

"Then I'm never drinking again," Lilith asserted.

"You go ahead and believe that."

"I will," she agreed. It was silent for a few moments before Lilith asked, "Do we have any thornberries?"

"No," Eda answered,"Why?"

"It's the only breakfast food I know the children agree on," with a questioning look from Eda, she answered, "Amity mentioned it while I was training her."

"Ah look at you,"Eda teased, "Remembering details about your children. It took me two weeks to remember Luz's name, and you're already worrying about them having food they like. You're a regular mother hen."

"Eda!" Lilith groaned, mostly in embarrassment, "I just thought it might help the situation."

"Right," Eda shot the idea down, "A nice, tense breakfast, until someone finally breaks it and says something about what's going on. My money's on King."

"My money's on the weird guy that's been sitting outside the house!" Hooty interrupted, "He was crying! Or it might have been the rain."

"Who'd come out here in weather like this?" Eda questioned.

"A scruffy nerd who knows Lulu! But he called her Lily!"

"Alador..." Lilith jumped up off the couch, running to the door. She slammed it open, and caught the shine of the purple bubble. The rain began to pick up, a loud rumble of thunder rolling across the sky as she called out for him, "Alador!"

He froze, and Lilith took a few steps towards him, to the edge of the barrier, before stepping outside of it, a small bubble forming over her. The rivulets of rain sizzled and threatened to burn her feet as she approached him. She had too many questions to ask, as she stopped a few feet from him. But she knew the most pressing one, "Why?"

He turned around, looking towards Lilith, and she could see the tears streaming down his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but if he did, the roll of thunder drowned it out. She could see the weight of his regrets on his shoulders as he took a step backwards. As Lilith brought her foot up to take a step forward, lightning came down between the two, and she stumbled back. When she managed to regain her sight, she saw Alador running away, his purple bubble fading away behind the tree line. 

(Line break)

"You want to get it nice and tight," Luz instructed as Emira and Edric handled the blanket wrapped around Amity. They pulled it as tight as possible, with Amity giving a small groan of disapproval, before Emira tucked the corner of the blanket into the inside of the roll by Amity's feet. "Yeah, that will do!"

"It's like swaddling a warg pup!” Edric said. Emira glanced at him curiously, so he responded, “Remember? I wanted to go to the Beast Keeping track stables because I heard from Viney about the new pups!”

“I wasn’t paying attention to the lesson,” Emira replied.

“Right, you were too busy paying attention to-” Edric began.

“Wait, you guys know Viney?” Luz asked, cutting Edric off.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Emira said, looking away.

“Oh?” Edric looked at Emira, grinning, “Maybe you don’t because you’re scared to talk to her, but I’ll have you know I’m like, in her top ten friends.” Emira’s face flushed, and stared intently at Edric

“She doesn’t talk about you,” Luz said.

Edric, dramatically, grasped his side, letting out a gasp of, “My pride!” before falling over. Emira rolled her eyes, before grabbing a nearby pillow and smacking Edric with it. “Hey!: he cried, “What ever happened to respecting the dead?”

Luz laughed at the twins’ antics before managing to ask, “Why would Emira be afraid of Viney anyway? She’s super cool and really easy to get along with!”

“Oh, Emira’s aware, she just refuses to finally go up and say Hi Viney, I-” Edric began, once more being cut off.

“Anyway!” Emira forcefully redirected the conversation, “You still haven't explained what a burrito is.” She gestured to the blanket-encased Amity.

“Oh, right!” Luz said, quickly moving on, “A burrito! So, in the Human Realm, there’s this place called Mexico.”

“Mexico,” Edric said slowly, like he was testing the word out.

“Right, Mexico,” Luz said, “and they have a type of bread called tortillas.”

“Tortilla,” Edric repeated, nodding.

“Yeah! So you take the tortilla, and put a whole bunch of food on top of it, and then you roll it up like we did with Amity, and that’s a burrito!”

“You’re going to eat Mittens?”Emira gasped, “I thought humans eating witches was a myth!” Amity grumbled something in response to Emira’s raised voice, before starting to roll back and forth slightly.

Luz, to Emira’s evident surprise, laughed at the charges, “No, I’m not gonna eat Amity!” She placed her hand on Amity through the blankets, causing her to stop rolling, “Amity’s awesome. She’s great! I love that I get to hang out with her and,” Luz suddenly blushed, removing her hand from Amity, “be her friend. I’ve never had a friend quite like her before.”

“Luz, do you have a crush on Mittens?” Edric asked gleefully, both twins now staring at her with an almost predatory look.

“What, no! Of course not! We’re just really good friends! Totally platonic! Nothing romantic whatsoever. Definitely didn’t spend all night awake thinking after your mom nearly killed me haha. And I mean, if I did it would totally just be about how great friends we are and how it totally didn’t give me butterflies when Amity called me ‘her Luz.’ Because that’s totally a normal reaction to your friend acknowledging your close friendship-”

“Hey,” Emira gently interrupted, “It’s alright. We’re not gonna make fun of you for having a crush on Mittens.” Edric looked at Emira and raised an eyebrow. “Alright, we’ll probably make fun of you for having a crush on Mittens. At least a little. But we won’t judge you for it.”

“I absolutely judge you for having poor taste,” Edric teased, grinning, “Besides, if we go too far, you can always tease Em for her crush on Viney.”

“EDRIC!” Emira grabbed the pillow, bringing it into a hard swing against Edric’s head, with Edric blocking in time with his arms.

“I mean, I kind of already put it together,” Luz tried to defend Edric, “That’s the only reason I can think of for you to be nervous to talk to her if you know she’s cool.” 

Emira’s face flushed, and after a moment she spoke, “Well, since mine and yours are out in the open…” She smirked at Edric

“No,” he responded, watching her

“I guess it’s only fair that I tell you about…”

“Em, please don’t” Edric bowed to her, begging

“That Ed here has his own little crush.”

“Em!” Edric whined, mortified.

“It’s kind of weird to believe that you guys all have crushes that you’re scared to talk to. Like, you guys are super great. I don’t think it’s possible for you guys to be turned down.”

Edric sighed, “You’d think that…”

“But we both got stood up at Grom,” Emira finished, sulking.

“Viney turned you down? She didn’t even mention that she got asked to Grom!” Luz exclaimed.

“I didn’t ask Viney,” Emira said, “I asked a Construction track girl out. I think her little sister was one of Amity’s friends? Someone I thought Mom would approve of if she did any digging. We were at a Hex Girls concert, and she was so happy when I asked. I nearly thought she was going to crush me with that hug.” Emira smiled at the memory, before her face fell to a frown, “But she stopped answering my messages about two days befor Grom, and she showed up with some stupid guy.”

“I’m sorry,” Luz said, giving Emira a side hug, “But if it makes you feel better, I don’t think Viney would ever do that. She hates people being fake like that.”

“I’m not gonna ask out Viney,” Emira said, “If I did, Mom would find out. It would probably end with Viney in the Conformatorium.” Emira sulked further.

“I’m sorry,” Luz murmured as she squeezed the hug just a bit tighter. “What about you?” She asked Edric.

“Roughly the same story. I asked out some girl from a good family so Mom wouldn’t get on my case, but she messaged me saying she wouldn’t be going with me,” he sighed, “But I didn’t even like her so it’s alright.”

“It still sounds like you’re hurt by it,” Luz noted, before opening her arm to invite Edric into the hug.

“Maybe a little,” he said, joining the hug, “Rejection always hurts, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Luz agreed, “That’s what Grometheus showed Amity. Her crush rejecting her.” Luz was silent for a moment, before asking, “If you didn’t like her, then why did you ask her?”

“I didn’t want Mom and Dad to hurt the guy I like,” he answered, “He’s got great prospects with Abominations, so if it ended up Mom and Dad didn’t like him, well…. Dad pulls a lot of weight in the Abominations coven. Add in the fact he does Plants too and…”

“Jerbo?” Luz asked excitedly.

“Yeah,” Edric admitted quietly, and Luz began to giggle. “What?”

“Nothing,” Luz answered, “It’s just kind of funny that both of you are into your own gender and crushing on dual-track witches. It’s a pretty big coincidence.”

“Yeah,” Emira agreed, “Or it’s genetic.” She chuckled, and was joined by Edric, and then Luz. After a moment, she said, “Thanks, Luz. It feels good to be able to talk about this stuff with someone other than Ed.”\

“Hey,” Ed muttered, mildly indignant, “but yeah. It helps.”

“No problem,” Luz said, before standing up, “You guys stay here while I go get some more blankets and pillows.”

#the owl house #toh #Favors of A. Blight #alador blight #lilith clawthorne #eda clawthorne #hooty #alador x lilith #edalyn the owl lady #edric blight #emira blight #blight siblings #luz noceda #cw: child neglect #tw: child neglect

[kelseaaa]

It’s Tradition

Pairing: Tyril Starfury x f!Elf!MC (Raine) | Blades of Light & Shadow

Word Count: 5k+ (oops)

Warnings: T rating - probably one of the fluffiest things I’ve ever written with the absolute mildest hints of suggestiveness (like not even, really)

A/N: Happy holiday’s! This little fic is a special gift for @missameliep​ for the Choices Potluck hosted by the wonderful @homeformyheart. I truly hope you enjoy it!

~~~~~

The holidays in Undermount were very different from what Raine had experienced at home in Riverbend. To be fair, she really hadn’t experienced much growing up in the small village. The farmer that Kade and she lived with couldn’t offer much as gifts, some years there being none at all. But they always brought in a tree from the great forest just beyond the town. And every year they would hang their handmade clay ornaments upon the branches and rejoice with one another and celebrate the year.

When the farmer passed away and it was just Kade and Raine left, they still tried to carry on the tradition. Usually by helping set up the tree in the main lobby of the Dancing Pig Tavern for all of the town and patrons to enjoy. And then, of course, the two would scrimp and save just enough to purchase each other a little token.

So this year, as Raine spent her first holiday season away from Riverbend and away from Kade, she was feeling a little down. The first reason being the latter of the two issues. Kade had decided to stay in White Tower to work and study in the archives. Raine decided to spend the past few weeks in Undermount with Tyril. It had been a tearful goodbye - considering that they had just reunited.

But it wasn’t all bad. Tyril, Valir, and Adrina had been most accommodating. With their home newly renovated, the Starfury’s were more than happy to host her for the holidays. But again, the holidays in Undermount were different.

“So you don’t have a tree?” Raine had asked Tyril and Adrina as they were out for their morning stroll through the market. 

Adrina picked up a few rolls of blue, silver, and white fabric, pinching the material between her fingers, before placing them in her basket and leaving a few coins for the shop owner. “Why would we have a tree?” she asked, her brows pulling together.

Raine looked between the younger Starfury sibling to the other, her own brows shooting up in surprise. “If you don’t have a tree then where do you hang your ornaments? Or place your gifts?”

Tyril and Adrina gave each other a sideways glance before Tyril nodded and cleared his throat. “Raine, that’s… we don’t do things like that here.”

Raine frowned as she followed behind the pair. This was going to be a very different holiday, indeed.

~~~~~

“So, Raine,” Tyril began from where they sat on the settee in the Starfury manor. The large fireplace encased the room in warmth and a burning orange glow. “Tell me more about this holiday tree.”

Raine shifted in her seat next to the blue elf. She curled her legs up under her body and turned to face him. She couldn’t get over how surprisingly relaxed he looked, his armor long removed with only a thin, white tunic covering his chest and brown trousers on his legs.

“Well, it’s a tradition we had back home in Riverbend,” she began, adjusting the blanket that covered her lap. “Everyone in town did it. We would all go to the forest and chop down a tree we thought was the best then set it up in our home. Then we would decorate it with little ornaments we had made throughout the years.”

Tyril nodded silently, a reserved smile playing on his lips.

“And then Kade and I usually sang songs while the farmer listened,” she continued, not even noticing the other elf’s expression. “And he would make the best cider and Kade and I would try to stay up as late as we could just to enjoy the tree. We usually fell asleep right on the floor.”

Tyril let out a soft chuckle at that and Raine could feel the heat on her cheeks. It wasn’t from the fire.

“And tell me about these gifts you mentioned,” Tyril said as he shifted his body towards Raine, his arm resting on the back of the settee.

Raine smiled, Tyril’s interest encouraging her to talk more. “Well, we didn’t have much growing up. But the farmer almost always got us some little item or trinket. He would wrap them up with parchment and place them under the tree. Then in the morning after we set up the tree, Kade and I would get to unwrap the gift.”

Raine let out a wistful sigh at the many memories she shared. All the little items she had received over the years and just the thought of being together. It made her chest ache with nostalgia.

“When the farmer passed away, Kade and I continued the tradition in our own way,” she added, her fingers worrying a thread on the blanket. “We never missed a year. Well, except for, you know…”

She fell silent as everything came back. The thought of not having her brother around this year really seemed to put a damper on her mood. Combined with the fact that she was in a mostly foreign place without the usual holiday traditions, it made Raine very somber.

“I’m sorry Kade isn’t here,” Tyril said, his voice breaking through the quietness of the room. “And I’m sorry we don’t have the same traditions as you had back home. But I truly hope that this year is just as special for you.”

Raine couldn’t help the genuine smile that formed on her lips. Without hesitation, she leaned over on the settee placed a gentle kiss on Tyril’s cheek. “Thank you,” she said before sitting back on her side. She reveled in the violet flush that fanned across his cheeks.

“You’re, um, very welcome,” Tyril stuttered before quickly turning his face away from her stare.

“Maybe this year won’t be so bad,” Raine thought to herself, a sly smirk crossing her lips.

~~~~~

“So what traditions do you have?” Raine asked Adrina as the two elven girls sat in the Starfury heir’s room. They had gone through just about every gown Adrina had owned, searching for something perfect for Raine to wear to the holiday dinner, which would be happening in just a few days.

“There aren’t many,” Adrina stated, before pulling out a purple and green ensemble that quickly had Raine’s nose scrunching in distaste. “Generally each house hosts their families large meal on The Night of Eve then afterward everyone gathers in the square for the lighting of the fountain.”

Raine toyed with a red ribbon attached to the back of one of the more extravagant gowns. “That sounds... nice.”

Adrina hummed in response, her attention focusing on the blue, silver, and white fabric that was partially patched together on a mannequin in the corner of the room. “Yes, then the following day we enjoy a plentiful brunch.”

“And that’s all?” Raine asked, to which Adrina just nodded her head in response. “Well, that sounds…”

“Simple?” Adrina offered, making the two girls laugh. “It truly is, in fact, I rather like the idea of gifts and trees.”

Raine sighed. “Yes, me too.”

Adrina looked back to her new friend before her gaze shifted out through the open window of her room. The gears were already turning as the two continued through their afternoon activities.

~~~~~

The sunrises in Undermount were unlike any that Raine had seen growing up. And on this particular morning - having been unable to get a full night’s rest - Raine was awake and alone out on the terrace just off the side of the manor. She pulled the silken robe tighter around her body, the chill from the frosty air whipping slightly through her hair sent shivers through her spine.

But she would brave the cold to witness the beautiful hues of purple, orange, and pink that filtered through the deep blue sky as the sun made its way over the horizon.

“Good morning,” a calm voice sounded from behind her. Raine smiled, glancing just over her shoulder as Tyril made his way to her side. “You’re up early.”

He was dressed in a more formal outfit, still divested of his usual armor. He wore a tight-fitted black tunic, emblazoned with silver trim. His trousers were dark blue and flattered his skin perfectly.

Raine turned back to face the morning sky. “Couldn’t sleep,” she provided.

Tyril only hummed a response.

“It’s beautiful,” Raine said, the sun catching against her purple eyes, making them sparkle in the morning sky. 

“It truly is,” Tyril replied.

Raine slowly turned her head to face her companion, her breath hitching when she realized he was already staring back at her. She couldn’t help the quiet laugh that bubbled from her lips.

“I think Mal has been a bad influence on you,” she said with a smirk, bumping her shoulder into his. Before she could pull away he reached out quickly, wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her close, his fingers resting gently on her hip.

“I take offense to that,” he replied, though there was no true animosity to the words.

The two stood in companionable silence, allowing the cold morning air to wash over them as they continued to watch the sunrise from over the mountain. Raine let her head rest on his shoulder until the sun was almost fully visible. And when she felt the tender press of his lips on the top of her head, she let out a contented sigh.

“Are you ready for dinner tonight?”

“Yeah, I think so,” she replied before a slight frown tugged at her lips. “But I wasn’t able to find anything nice to wear.”

Tyril shifted his arms around, wrapping his other arm around her waist and pulling her against him so he could look directly at her face. “Do not worry about that,” he said before leaning down and giving her a sweet kiss.

Raine sighed against his lips, her hands coming up to rest on his chest. She enjoyed the kiss for several minutes, relishing in the feel of his warm lips against her cold one. Reveling in the way his hands hugged her frame just right. Just simply enjoying the feel of being with him.

But as the ache in her lungs indicated, they soon had to break for air

“If you say so,” she finally replied, though the thought still nagged at the back of her mind.

Tyril just smiled before leaning in and leaving a chaste kiss on her lips again. “Good, now then, I think maybe you should try to get a little bit more rest before dinner tonight.”

At that moment it finally hit her how absolutely tired she was. “I think you’re right,” she agreed before the two untangled themselves from each other.

As Tyril and Raine left the terrace, she felt warm fingers brush against hers. She instantly intertwined her own with his as they walked through the grand hallway. A few minutes later they stood just outside Raine’s room. The pair said their goodbyes - though there were fewer words shared and more kissing - and soon Raine was easing the door closed behind her.

The moment the door clicked into place, Tyril turned on his heels and headed down the hall. He had much to do and so little time.

~~~~~

When Raine finally woke, the sun was high in the sky. She let out a loud yawn and turned in the bed, burying her face deeper into the pillow. It wasn’t until a small gust of wind filtered in through her open window did she remember what today was.

The Night of Eve.

With a huff, Raine withdrew from her bed and quickly got to work on making herself presentable. She shuffled through her wardrobe, searching for something not too boring or torn or old that she could wear for the night. She was just about to decide between her turquoise dress or the brown dress when there was a knock on the door.

“Adrina!” Raine greeted as she opened the door to see the blonde elf standing there, arms tucked behind her back. “What do you have there?”

As Adrina entered the room the smile on her face only grew wider. Instead of answering, she simply thrusted the item out from behind her and into Raine’s grasp. Raine looked down at the garment that was now draped in her arms. A beautiful and delicately detailed blue, silver, and white gown.

“Surprise!” The Starfury heir exclaimed as her arms shot into the air.

Raine parted her lips but couldn’t speak. Her eyes grew wide, brows shooting to her hairline as she stared agape at the dress then back up to Adrina. It was several long seconds before she could conjure up any words.

“You… you made this?” Raine asked the question though she knew the answer. When Adrina excitedly nodded her head Raine only shook hers in disbelief. “Did you make this for me? For tonight?”

“Of course! Well, at first I wasn’t sure what I was doing with it but when we spoke a few days ago in my room I suddenly knew exactly what I was to do with it.” Raine could only let out a disbelieving laugh as her fingers ran across the smooth fabric. “Now go on,” Adrina continued. “Put it on! We have a dinner to enjoy!”

Several minutes later, Raine stepped out from behind the changing partition. She ran her hands down the front of the dress, flattening out the nonexistent wrinkles. As Raine stepped up to the mirror, she couldn’t help but smile at the reflection.

“It’s perfect,” Adrina said, her own smile beaming brightly. “Now come here, sit,” she said, motioning to the empty seat in front of her. Raine complied, taking a seat as Adrina stood behind her. “I’m thinking braids…”

~~~~~

A couple hours later, Raine stared again at her reflection. It was unbelievable. Her usually long, blonde hair was wound up into an intricate braid that wrapped around her head. Several loose strands framed her delicate face which now bore hints of kohl and rouge.

“Now then,” Adrina began, making her way to the door. “I think it’s time I finish getting ready myself. See you in an hour?”

Raine nodded her head, unable to keep her gaze from the reflection looking back at her. When the door clicked behind her, signaling Adrina’s departure, she let out the massive breath she had been holding.

Raine was not one to dress fancy or parade around in flashy garments like high society. She was used to sleeping in bedrolls spread upon the earth and scrounging for scraps just to make it by. So at this moment, with silk wrapping her and her lavender skin purposefully tinted pink, she felt different - a good different.

Knock knock knock.

The sudden sound of fingers rapping against her bedroom door broke her from her daze. She honestly wasn’t even sure how long she has been sitting there alone in the room.

“Come in,” she called out, her heart pounding at the thought of another person seeing her dressed so out of character.

Seconds later the door crept open and a very familiar figure strode through the door.

“Raine, it’s time for-”

Tyril quickly stopped his announcement once his eyes landed on her. Raine had never seen him like this. He was frozen in the doorway. His long, raven hair was pulled back from his face in an elaborate braid and half-bun style, the other half flowing down past his shoulders and back. His outfit from earlier - with the silver detailing - all made sense now after seeing her own dress. But perhaps the most surprising of all was the shocked expression he wore. His lips slightly parted and eyes wide - pupils were nearly blown black entirely. 

Raine smiled shyly before tucking one of her loose, blonde strands behind her pointed ear. “Hi.”

Her voice must have broken Tyril from the spell and he quickly schooled himself, lips closing together again, though there was a distinct curve at the corners. “Good evening, Raine,” he greeted, body bowing before her, causing a small giggle to escape her mouth.

“And evening to you,” she replied with an exaggerated curtsy that only made him roll his eyes fondly.

Tyril stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him. Ever so slowly he glided to her until his body was mere inches from hers. He reached out for her hand - which she gave willingly - and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

“You look so lovely,” he stated casually.

His eyes never left hers as his lips slowly mapped a path from the back of her hand, over her palm, and across her wrist. Raine didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until he pulled away, allowing the hands to drop back down but never breaking apart. The smile he gave her made the tops of her cheeks and tips of her ears flush to a delightful lilac and Raine had to look away for a moment. She surely expected that if they were outside the heat radiating from this exchange would melt all the snow around them.

“Thank you, as do you,” she replied, her voice coming out as a murmur.

She felt the tender squeeze of his hand, making her look back up. “We should go, dinner’s almost ready,” he said before gently tugging at her hand. Raine simply nodded and followed him out the door.

The long walk to the dining hall had been… fine. Though Raine was nervous - even though she had no reason to be, she had been around Tyril’s family for several weeks now and it was only going to be them at the dinner - something deep inside her still felt out of place. The only thing keeping her tethered to the world was the feel of his warm, nimble fingers intertwined with her own.

“Ready?” he asked just before they stepped inside the hall.

She glanced up, locking eyes with the taller elf, and smiled. “Ready.”

A moment later the servants opened the grand doors before them, revealing the lavish dining hall. The smell hit her first, a variety of cooked meats and vegetables that filled her senses causing her to smile warmly.

The second thing to hit her was a familiar voice - several familiar voices, actually - greeting her. “Raine!” the voices called out in unison.

Raine blinked once, twice before settling on her traveling companions that we seated around the table next to Adrina and Valir. Mal, Imtua, Threep, and Loola were all smiles as Tyril gently led her into the room. She hadn’t even noticed they were moving until Tyril pulled out a chair for her and guided her into the seat.

“You.. you’re here,” she couldn’t believe her eyes. It had been months since the entirety of her adventuring group had been in the same town, let alone the same room.

“Well don’t be so surprised to see us, Kit,” Mal snarked, though the quick twitch of his lip let her know it was all for show.

“We couldn’t say no!” Nia began from where she sat next to Mal. She reached across the table, gently enveloping Raine’s hand in hers. “When Tyril reached out to us there was only one answer.”

“Yeah, Landrat. Even I was starting to miss dry land,” Imtura said with a laugh, her hand clapping against Raine’s back.

Raine’s eyes grew wide as she stared around the table at her friends. It was then she realized that there were tears in her eyes and a gigantic smile on her face. She turned abruptly to Tyril who sat just on her other side.

“You did this?” she asked incredulously.

Tyril didn’t answer, instead he grabbed his goblet from the table. He raised it above his head, waiting for the others to follow suit. Raine nearly fumbled with her own but was quick to clutch it in her shaky hands.

“I would like to propose a toast,” the tall, blue elf started once everyone had their drink ready. Even Loola and Threep sat with their goblets at the ready in front of them. “A toast to togetherness. A toast to friendship. A toast to The Night of Eve. And a toast to Raine, for without her, none of this - us - would be possible.”

A round of cheers and “huzzahs” rattled off from the table and moments later the first course was served.

As the dinner went on, the group opted to catch up. Imtura boasted about her time at sea with her crew while Nia and Mal spoke of their time together in White Tower. Even Threep joined in, sharing reviews of all the delectable snacks and treats the castle provided him and Loola.

Raine couldn’t keep the smile from her face, not even for a moment. Even though Kade wasn’t there, she was still with her family - her chosen family.

After dinner, the group made their way into the town center and found a good spot to watch the lighting of the fountain. Raine’s eyes dance in the starlight, taking in the large number of elves that were now flooding the Undermount streets. She smiled at the sight of young and old gathered around. She looked up, barely catching the stare of icy, blue eyes. 

“This has been wonderful,” Raine stated, her arm winding around Tyril’s torso. “Thank you for this.”

Tyril placed his arm over her shoulder, pulling Raine closer to him. “You are welcome, my dear. I hope this has been enjoyable for you.”

Raine tilted her head to rest against him. “Of course.”

Their friends quickly gathered around them and a few minutes later - with a little magical help - the large fountain in the center of town burst with millions of dazzling lights. They trailed in the air and danced over the fountain, cascading down the rippling waterfall until landing with an elegant swirl in the pool below. The air around the plaza and fountain crackled with energy and Raine’s breath stilled at the spectacle.

It was a long time before the glittering light show started to die down and most of the other elves made their way back home. Imtura - who had grown impatient - turned to the group. “So, we done here or what?”

“Imtura!” Nia admonished, her eloquent face scrunching into a scowl which had Mal, Imtura, and Raine all laughing.

“Imtura’s right,” Tyril said, his sympathetic gaze turning to Nia. “It’s about time we head back to the Starfury manor.”

Without much protest, the group made their way back along the city streets and before long they were walking back into the Starfury’s home. The group walked along the expansive entryway, chatting amongst themselves.

“That was fun,” Raine said, though her usual jovialness wasn’t quite there. “Are you all staying long? What else do you guys want to do?” She watched as Adrina, Tyril and the rest of the group all glanced around one another. Raine pursed her lips and raised a brow. “What?

“Let’s go to the foyer,” Adrina said, a small grin playing on her lips. Raine noted how everyone quickly agreed and pointedly ignored her questions but she simply shrugged and followed the others.

Raine was the last to enter the room, too busy chatting with Loola and Threep at the back of the group. But once she entered the room their conversation was quickly brought to a stop. She could feel the familiar prick of tears at the back of her eyes which were blown wide at the sight in front of her.

There, in the center of the foyer, stood a tall, lonesome yet full tree. A tree that had not been there the day before. Raine’s eyes traveled the length of the tree before she turned to face Tyril and Adrina.

“What is this?” she said, not bothering to hide the tremble in her throat.

“Surprise!”

Raine whirled around, her attention quickly stopping on Mal, Nia, and Imtura who were holding up an assortment of colorful clay objects. She quickly realized they were all ornaments - all of different shapes and sizes.

She was in awe at the scene in front of her. Her brain was feeling dizzy and for a moment all words escaped her until she was finally able to muster up enough brainpower to ask one question.

“How?”

Tyril stepped up and rested his hand on her lower back, guiding her closer to the tree. “Well, when I reached out to everyone to invite them, I may have mentioned the traditions you were accustomed to.”

“And they sounded so lovely,” Nia added in, her face lighting up.

“And so I asked them to bring some of these clay ornaments you spoke of,” Tyril continued.

Mal stepped forward, showing the little bird and jewel-shaped ornaments in his hand. “Yeah, Kit, even I know of this tradition.”

“So we all wanted to help,” Imtura said, placing a brown colored ornament in Raine’s hand. It looked almost like a pirate ship, or maybe a half-moon, she wasn’t sure.

Raine looked down at the ornament in her hand. She could feel the tightness in her chest and the dampness that threatened to spill from her eyes. She looked up from her hand to the smiling faces of her friends - family - that surround her.

“Thank you,” she croaked, the sound coming out more of a hoarse whisper. “This… it’s so much and I… thank you all so much.”

Without warning, Raine slung her arms around the group, pulling them all into a tight embrace. There were some quiet protests - mainly from Mal and Imtura - but no one pulled away. Once Raine was satisfied with the hug, she released the group then quickly turned to the tree.

“Now then,” she began, stepping forward to the towering tree. “Let’s get to decorating.”

~~~~~

It was several hours later when the group started to drop like flies. They had spent their time decorating the tree and drinking many goblets of honey wine. Raine had even sung several of her favorite holiday songs, teaching them to her companions. But once Adrina and Nia let out several large yawns, Raine knew the night was almost done.

By the end, however, it was just Tyril and Raine left, sitting side-by-side on the settee. Adrina and her father had long retired to their sleeping chambers. Mal and Nia laid curled up together next to the fire and Imtura laid sprawled out on one of the many accent chairs in the room. Loola and Threep were purring softly on one of the cushioned window seats.

“Thank you, again,” Raine whispered, her head resting on Tyril’s shoulder.

She could feel his smile against the top of her head when his lips pressed against her hair. “You are more than welcome, my love.”

She couldn’t help but smile at that.

“So,” she began, her hand winding its way into his. “What do you say we sneak off and start our own holiday tradition?”

She could feel heat instantly radiate off the body next to hers. In the next moment, she was being pulled up from her spot on the settee and dragged down the hall to their sleeping quarters. She had to cover her mouth with her free hand to stop the giggle from bursting through her lips and giving them away.

It was a very, merry Night of Eve indeed.

~~~~~

When morning came, Raine was pleasantly surprised to see her friends gathered at the breakfast table for the large brunch Adrina had mentioned. She was even more surprised to see the assortment of neatly wrapped parcels under the large holiday tree in the foyer.

“When did you have time to do all this?” she asked Tyril as her companions and the Starfury’s made their way to the room.

“A man never reveals his secrets,” he said with a smirk, causing both Raine and Adrina to roll their eyes.

“He had the staff help early this morning,” Adrina admitted, causing the taller blue elf to pout and Raine to laugh.

As the group settled in around the tree, Raine looked around the group with a frown. “But, I didn’t get any of you anything.”

Tyril placed his hand on hers. “Don’t you worry about that. You being here has been a gift enough.”

Raine smiled before leaning in and placing a chaste kiss on his lips. “Okay but that was really cheesy,” she said, unable to contain the laugh that bubbled out.

Tyril merely huffed and moments later the group was passing around the many gifts from under the tree. Once all gifts were handed out and opened, the group began to laugh and chat amongst themselves.

“I have something else for you,” Tyril whispered against her ear, causing a shudder down her spine. “Wait here.”

Tyril hopped up from his spot and quickly walked outside the foyer space. The group grew silent as they watched the doors he had just walked out of. Moments later the sound of two sets of footsteps could be heard and when the doors opened back up Raine nearly toppled out of her seat and on the floor.

“Kade!” she yelled, her legs moving on her own as she ran across the room and pulled her brother into a tight embrace. “Gods, Kade, you’re here! How? What?” 

“Happy Holiday!” Kade said, his arms winding around his sister’s back and pulling her close. “Tyril sent for me. I rode on a Drake all morning from White Tower. It was amazing!”

It was several long minutes before the siblings split apart. Raine ruffled her brother’s hair, the two laughing as they made their way back to the rest of the group.

“Glad you could make it!” Nia said, scooting over on the bench to make room for Kade. The rest of the group gave their own greetings to the younger sibling. Soon everyone was catching up and Raine was all smiles again.

“I hope this holiday was everything you remember,” Tyril said, his lips close to her ear.

Raine smiled and leaned back into the other elf, his arms wrapping instinctively around her waist. With a sigh, she tilted her head and placed a long, loving kiss on his lips.

“Actually,” she began once she broke away from the kiss, causing him to arch a brow. Raine merely smiled before snuggling back further into his embrace. “It’s better.”

~~~~~

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[skyemak]

Hi Skye!! 👁️✨ May I request a first kiss scenario with Jade? I'm so soft and you said you want fluffy ideas so maybe a little hand h*lding too...? Haha jk... unless..??

Take a Hike

Yuu sat at her desk, absentmindedly poking the eraser head of her pencil on her cheek. Laid before her was her homework for the night, which was almost finished. She sat on her stiff chair with one leg crossed over the other. Her foot did not quite touch the ground, and she kicked it around as a means to fidget. The girl stared out the window, not because there was anything quite worth seeing outside, but due to the rain outside. Droplets of water hit her bedroom window, and occasional bursts of lightning would light up grounds through this dusk. From the other side of the room, she heard grumbling from her roommate. Most likely he was frustrated with the homework assigned to him. Yuu knew how to pace her homework over a period of time, but Grim was one to put off things until last minute.

Heaving a sigh, Yuu set down her pencil and grabbed for her phone. She lightly tapped the power button to turn the screen on. No new messages. No notifications. Nothing. Dejectedly, she set the phone back down on her desk, and leaned back in her chair. Of course Yuu wasn’t expecting any messages, but she felt disappointed, nonetheless. A few weeks ago, she had approached Jade, and confessed her feelings to him. The girl was doubtful he would reciprocate, but figured it’d be no skin off her nose. She’d just get it off her chest and move on with life. Unexpectedly, after a time to ponder to himself, Jade said it sounded interesting, and agreed to be in a romantic relationship with Yuu. At the time, the girl’s heart had leapt out of her chest, and she was all smiles for a week. Afterward, however, no matter what Yuu would try, he’d never be available to make time for her.

Go for a walk after class? He’d have plans.

Meet up before class started for the day? He’d have plans.

Eat together at lunch? He, too, rejected that idea, mentioning something about not wanting to make their relationship public.

“It doesn’t even exist in private…” Yuu muttered to herself. Did he not know what it means to humans to be in a relationship? Is it different underseas? She grabbed her pencil again and flipped threw a few pages of her textbook. After finding the page she searched for, Yuu looked toward the window again, contemplating the thought that, perhaps Jade was just trying to be nice. Perhaps he didn’t want to date but didn’t want to outright reject her. Maybe he was just avoiding her until she called it off?

“Maybe I’ll just call it off tomorrow,” Yuu mumbled, returning her focus to her notebook. “One more question, then bed… Then I’ll ask if he wants to cut it off tomorrow…”

The girl couldn’t deny the squeezing feeling in her chest upon that thought, but found she had no other means to approach the situation.

-----

“Hey—Grim! Wait up!” Yuu called.

“You’re the one being slow!” Grim called back, about five meters ahead of her.

“There’s mud puddles everywhere!” she complained.

The night before brought more rainfall than anticipated. Throughout the path to school were a series of puddles. Not wanting to slip and fall into a puddle, the girl was being very careful to watch her steps.

“You’re gonna be late at that rate!”

“Well some of us can’t fly!”

Grim only responded with a laugh and continued to get farther away. With luck on her side, Yuu found herself with a few minutes to spare before class. As she powerwalked through the hallway, she was surprised to see a certain figure standing by her classroom door.

“Jade?”

“Oh, there you are,” he smiled toward her, walking a few steps in her direction.

“What’re you doing here?” A bit embarrassingly, Yuu was panting due to the hurry she was in. She tried to hide it but—

“In a bit of a rush this morning?”

“Uh, well—kinda,” Yuu averted Jade’s gaze, and timidly tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Oya, there must have been quite a lot of rain last night,” he chuckled to himself. “Speaking of rain, this weekend I was considering going mushroom hunting. The next few days will be a bit cool as well, so I expect to find quite a few. Would you care to join me?”

Yuu shot a look of surprise toward Jade, “Wha—?”

“That is if you’re interested,” he grabbed his chin and looked a bit bashful. “We’d leave early morning and expect not to return until evening. It’s similar to that of an all-day hike. Oh—of course we’d have food and water to nourish ourselves throughout the day.” He glanced toward Yuu expectantly.

Was…Was he asking her out on a date!? Yuu was astonished. Until now, she thought he wasn’t that interested in dating and was ready to break things off. Now she found her heart beating loudly in her chest and her cheeks flush a light shade of pink. The girl’s hair bounced as he vigorously nodded towards Jade. “Yeah! I’ll go! I’d love to!”

The eel smiled elatedly, “I’m glad to hear it. I’ll send you some advice and resources later in preparation. Now then, class is about to start, and I must be on my way. Until then.” Jade turned to leave and strolled in the direction of his classroom. Yuu could hear her heartbeat ring through her eardrums as she watched him leave.

-----

True to his word, Jade had messaged Yuu some advice and helpful tips for the upcoming Saturday. Yuu was all smiles when she opened her phone to find new messages from him. The message did not stray from the plans they had made, but she was happy to finally have something to talk about with Jade. Before and after school, she’d ask him a few questions here and there related to what she should bring or wear. His face would always light up with a smile when Yuu’d ask. Seeing him so excited about his hobbies made him seem so precious. On top of that, Yuu felt special to be invited along his adventures.

“Tomorrow is the day~” the girl hummed to herself. She laid on her bed on her stomach, reading through a few sources on her phone relevant to the next day. Yuu eagerly kicked her feet in the air as she read her screen. Eventually, she called it a night and double checked her alarm for the next morning before putting her phone away.

-----

“Oya, you look more prepared than I was expecting,” Jade commented at the sight of Yuu. He wore long black pants, a lightweight jacket, and a set of hiking boots. Hung over his shoulders was a hiking bag, presumingly stored with their food and water for the day. Yuu’s outfit was similar, also with a lightweight jacket, dark gray pants, along with her own set of durable hiking boots. She made a grin and posed. “Yup! I listened to all your advice!”

Jade chuckled pleasingly. “I see. Then, shall we be off?” He turned toward the mountainous landscape before them. “Yeah!” Yuu scampered toward him.

With the sunrise being only a few hours prior, the air felt chill as it brushed over Yuu’s face. The wind was not too strong that morning, but the girl was grateful she wore a windbreaker jacket to keep the cold air from penetrating her deeper. The ground was vast with evergreen trees, moss-covered rocks, and what sounded to be a small stream nearby. As they stepped through the grass, tips of the blades of grass still held some morning dew, causing the tops of their hiking boots became damp. The ground underneath was still cold and moist too. Yuu had to be cautious while she walked, since the terrain was rougher than she least expected. The girl was careful to follow Jade’s lead; he seemed to be very experienced with the area, or at least was good at adapting to changes of the topography.

Jade was quite thrilled when they found their first batch of mushrooms at the trunk of a nearby tree. He sweetly hummed to himself as he pinched the cap from its stem and placed it into a mesh bag. Yuu noted in her research the reason for the mesh bag was to help spread spores from the mushrooms to encourage more growth.

The morning was spent 90% walking and 10% actually finding and picking mushrooms. Jade found a number of different fungi growing about, but Yuu only managed to spot one before he did. Unfortunately for Yuu, the mushrooms she did find, Jade had said they were inedible. Her heart sank when she found out, and her mood began to spiral downward. Hours had passed since they began the day and her feet began to feel sore. He had mentioned bringing along food but had only given her a water bottle. Yuu’s stomach felt like it was about to concave from hunger, and she was hoping he’d propose a break soon.

However, a break never came. About twenty minutes after her thought of taking a break, he only offered her two granola bars from his backpack and kept trudging along. Jade seemed to be excited about the plentiful findings of the day, but more and more Yuu began to feel ignored. He’d run away without warning when he saw a bundle of mushrooms growing from the ground. When Yuu caught up to him, Jade would already be done picking them and continue on his way. Her legs grew sorer and more exhausted. She already had to quicken her pace to keep up with his longer stride, but eventually she let herself fall behind, doubting he’d even notice.

At some point, in the middle of a small forest, Yuu found a dead log to sit on. The log felt hard against her bottom, but it was a great relief for her legs. She could feel what she could presume would develop into blisters ache around her feet. The sun was overhead at this time, and rays of sunlight lit up spots of the forest floor. The girl held her head in her hands and leaned her elbows on her knees. Her eyes traced Jade’s movements as he waved through the trees, north to south, south to west, west to east, etc. Occasionally she’d see him pause at a certain spot ten meters away to crouch down and pick from another finding.

Yuu sighed, dejectedly scraping the heels of her boots into the forest ground. She felt forgotten about and questioned if he’d even remembered inviting her out here. It’d be unfortunate for her, but she wouldn’t be shocked if he left her in that forest alone. She laid her palms down behind her and leaned back on top of the log. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come…” she mumbled. Yuu absently stared at her surroundings, admiring the forest and its beauty. At least it was a nice day out and she was getting fresh air…

Abruptly, Yuu felt a bug crawl over one of her hands on the log and yelped in surprise. She shook her hand furiously and turned around to see what the culprit may have been, but what actually caught her eyes was—

“Oh, a fairy ring,” Yuu said. From behind, she heard a set of footsteps approach. When she turned around, she saw Jade walking toward her.

“You shrieked earlier, Yuu. Are you okay?” he asked.

“Jade!” she excitedly called out to him, “Look at this! I’m surprised you didn’t see this!”

Yuu hopped off the log and walked a few meters. She approached a cluster of mushrooms in a circle formation. “There’s a fairy ring over here!” she smiled gleefully, crouching down beside it.

“A fairy ring?” he asked quizzically. Jade climbed over the log and walked toward her. “I only see a collection of mushrooms though?” The eel crouched down beside her. “Though I’m unfamiliar with this species…” He reached down to pick one, but Yuu pushed his hand away. “No, you’re not supposed to disturb the ring!”

Jade blinked toward her, astonished she had made that sudden movement. “Why?”

Yuu grinned ecstatically. “Heehee~ You don’t know?” she teased. “I just read about them last night. There’s a bunch of different beliefs surrounding them. Some say fairies will dance around the ring, or sit on the mushrooms to use for tables, or for umbrellas. The ring might also be a portal between the fairy world and this world—though we have fairies here so that may not be the case?”

“Ohhhh?” Jade smiled as he balanced his cheek on his fist. He was smiling toward her, but she did not notice.

“But don’t step into the ring!” Yuu continued. “You might die young, become invisible to the mortal world, or be unable to escape the ring. I don’t remember the details, but you’re also not supposed to disturb the ring.”

“I see. It’s a good thing I brought you here, otherwise I may have taken all these mushrooms and endangered myself to an early death,” Jade said.

Yuu giggled, “Well, I’m not sure how much of that is true though.” She stared down toward the mushrooms, absently holding out her finger as if too poke one. Jade smoothly grabbed her hand and used it as leverage to pull Yuu closer to him. Suddenly, she felt his warm lips over hers. He placed a hand on the side over her head to cradle and pull her in closer. Yuu’s eyes were wide in shock at first, and her chest felt like it was going to burst. Eventually, however, she found herself leaning into the kiss, and shut her eyes. His lips felt soft on hers, but as the kiss continued, he almost seemed…hungry.

After a few moments, Jade withdrew his lips, but Yuu found herself leaning closer toward him in a futile attempt to continue. Her eyes fluttered open as he lightly traced his fingertip down her jaw and to her chin. With a teasing smirk on his face, he whispered, “Don’t you disturb the ring either. I can’t let you be whisked away or see an early death.”

The girl’s face flushed red as she stared into Jade’s affectionate eyes. Yuu was so happy she decided to tag along.

“Now then, my dear,” Jade stood up and grabbed Yuu’s hand to help her up as well. “I must apologize for my behavior today. I was so entrapped by the numerous findings, I neglected you. You don’t have much experience with hiking around all day, so I’m sure your feet are sore.”

Yuu shook her head, “N-No! It’s fine! I’m fine!”

Jade made a bitter smile and shook his head this time. “Either way, thank you for coming with me today. I’ve already filled two bags in half a day, which must be a record. Yuu, you must be a good luck charm.” He beamed, and Yuu could feel her heart skip a beat. “Let’s call it a day here. I’ll cook you something with the mushrooms I found today as thanks.”

“Okay…” she mumbled, coyly twirling her hair.

Jade led Yuu on a path for the way back to Night Raven College. This time around, when Jade walked in front of her, he’d occasionally look back to make sure she was not too far behind him. When he saw she was a few meters away, he’d wait in his tracks for her to catch up before continuing on. Part of the path included a steep hill that made it difficult to descend. He had warned her to watch her step, but along the way, she lost her footing and fell on her behind.

“Ow ow ow…” Yuu groaned.

“Are you okay? You must have lost your footing,” Jade walked up to her and offered his hand. Yuu nodded and reached for his hand. The eel helped her to her feet and kept a hold of her hand. He guided her the rest of the way down the hill until a flatter area.

However, he did not let go of her hand. Jade’s finger’s were entwined with hers. Yuu glanced toward their hands then up toward him. He just smiled back at her, “This way you don’t fall again, or at least, I’ll use that as an excuse.” Yuu felt her heart pound and her face grow hot. She squeezed his hand a bit and felt a smile grow on her face.

The two continued to hold hands for the rest of the trip home.

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There you are taku! 🥰

#twst imagines #twisted wonderland #twst #jade leech #twst jade