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doobea · 7 months

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DAYTIME SHOOTING STAR - REO MIKAGE

synopsis: Being a college student sucks. Having a crush on your best friend also sucks. Your best friend having a crush on your other best friend is . . . kinda the worst. In which, Reo is hopelessly in love with you but you’re hard crushing on Nagi.

-> MASTERLIST. -> PLAYLIST.

contents: second lead syndrome feat. fem!reader & reo, heavy narration in the beginning as per usual whoops, also in an au where bluelock never happened LOL, summer festival arc, unnamed love interest for nagi, a little wink wink at the end, no more angst i promise!! word count: 4K a/n: omg im slowly getting back into the writing groove but man life has been something else ;-; sorry for the long wait friends but here is the second to last part hehe

ALTAIR -> prev. -> next.

“You should’ve tied it first before putting it up,” Reo says before handing you a brush.

Reo’s hair always looks well-kept, unlike the disheveled mess of Nagi’s, and definitely not like the nest of your current hair. There are maybe at least eight bobby pins in your hair right now that are struggling to keep themselves in place as you manage to tangle your locks into a twisted bun. And, now looking closer into the vanity, your makeup looks almost too gaudy, and cheap.

“No shit,” You cringe at how defensive you sound as you take the brush from him. Reo flinches just slightly as your fingers make quick contact but levels himself out again soon as they disappear.

There’s hardly ever tension between you and Reo. You two have always been the closest and the only time where you did have an argument was over something stupidly mundane.

It’s been almost two weeks since his ‘proposition’ and you haven’t said or done anything in that regard. Nagi had suggested going to the summer festival to lighten the mood. He even added later on that he might invite the girl he’s been interested in. You still don’t know how to exactly feel about that. Needless to say, a group activity might lessen some of the tension if you weren’t fussing over your outfit for tonight.

Summer festivals weren’t a thing for you growing up, but you’d gotten accustomed to the lifetime exposure via social media and live streams. You’ve only attended one back in middle school but it was a small local festival, maybe the size of three blocks. The one tonight is apparently the biggest one around the area, students around campus have been raving about it since last month and have already flaunted their traditional outfits online.

You’re starting to second-guess yourself. Your hair, makeup, the color of the yukata—all of it is starting to clash together.

You start removing the bobby pins and grab a brush, tugging at your stands in frustration.

“Hey, you’re going to give yourself split ends if you do that,” Reo chastises, his tone gentle. Then a sudden realization that he has always been gentle when it comes to you. He holds out his hand again, as if he’s expecting you to return the brush.

So you do.

“Sorry,” You watch as Reo pulls up a chair behind you.

Silently, he begins to work on your hair, combing from the bottom up. He takes the time to brush out each knot without tugging at your scalp. You take this time to distract yourself by going on your phone and eyeing everyone’s outfits for tonight.

Bachira posted his yukata about an hour ago with Isagi, Chigiri, and Kunigami mingling in the background. The caption read: #readyforparisfashionweek #groupgoals. It’s his usual selfie pose, a cheeky tongue out accompanied by a peace sign, while the rest of the group seemed to be walking towards the festival grounds with popsicles in hand. It’s a cute photo and it makes you wonder if you’re able to post something similar later tonight, maybe without all the weird feelings fluttering around in your mind.

Suddenly, you feel a sharp pinch.

“Ow!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Reo pauses and sets the brush down on the vanity. Yeah, your hair is super tangled.

You look up from your phone, only to meet his eyes in the mirror and, for some reason, this makes you want to hide.

“No, it’s okay,” You reply lamely and snap your head back to your lap. To be fair, if you had done this yourself most of your hair would’ve left your scalp.

Reo picks up the brush again and, by the time you’re done scrolling through your front page, he’s combed through most of the the tangles, now producing long strokes through your locks. At some point, he abandons the brush and replaces it with his own fingers. You can feel his blunt nails and digits rake against your skin and something about how he drags from the crown of your head to the nape of your neck makes you uncomfortably warm and drowsy. Warm like when your mother would used to scold you for missing a mark on an exam and drowsy like how your body would decompress in bed after a long day out.

“You tired?” Reo gives your shoulder a few squeezes and you jolt in response.

“No,” You’re quick to deny and rub your eyes to shake away any hint of evidence. There’s no way you plan to sleep the night away. “I still need to plan the rest of my outfit.” You ball your fists into the fabric of your yukata and hear Reo breathe out from behind.

“Hey.”

Reo rolls his chair back enough to view your outfit from the vanity and puts both of his hands up in front of him, his fingers making a makeshift photo frame with you in the center of it. His lips finally crack a smile, probably a genuine one throughout this whole weird side-stepping period that you two created, and pretends to take a picture.

“I know you probably don’t care but,” and this time he actually pulls out his phone to snap a photo, ignoring the small sound of protest from you. “I think you look good the way you currently are.”

Your eyes are downcast again, and you feel the need to avoid his gaze because… because what? He’s making you nervous? Or that you feel weirdly guilty about something? You still haven’t brought up the bracelet to Reo but why would you? Maybe there’s a small part of you that’s afraid of something being there. And is that something supposed to be there to begin with?

“Thanks…” You say eventually.

The summer festival is infinitely larger in the city than the one you experienced back home, and the pictures on social media doesn’t capture its full widescale vibrancy. The main road to their university is closed off for the festival, and the usual vehicle-packed two-lane road is now flipped into a row of street food vendors and local artisans. There’s a constant drumming sound and chanting echoing in the background, growing louder and louder the further you go in since the main road leads to an old shrine up the side of a small mountain. Even with all of the traffic of couples, families, and students alike, it feels intimately smaller here compared to the countryside.

“Should we head to the taiyaki vendor? I’ve heard that the guy who makes them is a top private chef,” Nagi’s date—you think her name is Nanako—is clinging onto Nagi’s arm and pointing in the direction where you vaguely see a line slowly wrapping around the block. Guess the taiyaki man is popular.

Nagi shrugs, not in an uncaring manner, but in a way where it can be read as ‘I’m happy with whatever you decide’ type of way. It’s weird seeing him like this, especially since you’ve been by his side for the past four years.

And the girl, Nanako, she’s everything that a guy could possibly ask for. Aside from her flawless skin and cute voice, she’s been nothing but kind and generous towards you and Reo throughout the evening. The Hermes gift baskets were one thing (seriously, how did Nagi manage to find an heiress of all people?) but the fact she said she wanted to get to know you better and suggested a one-on-one brunch next weekend is another story. She’s nice, helpful, and recently found out that she’s even trilingual with the way she helped out three separate tourists on the way here.

You feel silly for thinking you could possibly be better. You can’t even bring yourself to hate her.

“Actually,” Reo speaks up, there’s a tinge of playfulness in his voice as he starts to guide you by the shoulders towards the opposite direction. “I think we’re gonna check out the steamed buns at a different stall, but we’ll meet up later for the fireworks, yeah?”

Nanako blinks while Nagi simply nods.

“Sure, let us know,” Nagi waves you two off and you fight off the urge to pinch Reo in the arm.

“What was that about?” You loudly whisper to him once out of earshot from the couple.

Reo pinches the bridge of his nose and scoffs. “I’m doing you a favor.”

“I would’ve been fine,” Your elbow makes an impact on his ribcage. “Now she’s going to think I’m weird.”

“Since when did you care so much about his date?” The word date makes your stomach physically flip on its side.

“I don’t care about his date,” You turn away from Reo, now refocusing your attention back on the festival and inhaling the savory scents from the bun vendor in front of you. There’s no line so that’s good, you’ve been saving your stomach all day for this. “I only care about making a good first impression, that’s all.”

“Then don’t force yourself to do things you’re uncomfortable with,” and you hate the face that you make in response to that because he’s looking at you with an ‘I told you so’ smirk. You wonder if Reo knows how stupid he looks with that expression, along with his stupid perfectly fitted yukata, with his dumb shiny sandals, his well-tied back hair, and—

“Two steamed buns?” The vendor calls out beside you.

“Yes, please,” Reo slips past you and hands over the man more change than needed. He’s always been generous, especially when it comes to local businesses. “One red bean and one custard.”

The two of you don’t speak again until you manage to find an empty bench by a long staircase at the base of a hill. Your hands are both stuffed with boba, giant fried squid on a stick (Reo claims it’s the best in town), a takeout container filled to the brim with takoyaki, and steamed buns. One thing you will say about the festival is that city prices are nearly triple the prices you would see back home. Seriously, it should be a crime to charge 1500 ¥ for a dozen takoyaki balls. But who are you complaining? Reo’s been paying for everything tonight anyway.

“So, how is it?” Reo watches you closely as you take a bite out of the fried squid. It’s annoying, seeing how his eyes widen with every chew and movement you make, and you could’ve sworn he held onto his damn breath as you swallowed.

But he’s right. It’s really, really good. Though, you can’t let him have all the satisfaction tonight, right?

“The ones back home might be better,” You say with a fake pout and you almost break character from the way his eyebrows contort in confusion. You take another bite, and another, before saying, “Maybe I should bring you guys there sometime. Doubt you’ll survive on farmland, though.”

“I did boy scouts when I was younger, I think I’ll be fine.” He replies, simple and overly confident in tone.

Reo? Out in the wild? Willingly as a child? Yeah, sure.

“Don’t give me that look.”

You take another bite from the squid. “What look?”

He stares blankly. “You think I’m incapable out in the woods? That I depend on civilization too much?”

“Oh,” You roll your eyes, didn’t expect him to get so touchy on the subject. Maybe Reo secretly wants to prove to you and everyone else that he can do everything without feeling the need to rely on his privileged background.

You nudge your shoulders towards the shrine on top of the wooded hill, its stone stairs dimly lit by warm lighting from the paper lanterns on each side of the steps. You don’t need to say anything to let Reo know that you’re challenging him. The ‘hide and seek’ part is implied. One thing about Reo is that he’s stubborn, so of course he’s going to say yes in order to prove a point that he might fail. But isn’t that what makes him fun to be around?

“Race you?”

He finishes his drink before standing up, clutching the rest of the leftovers in one hand as he extends out the other to you. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you race against me, dummy.”

“I can be athletic like you, too,” but you take his hand anyway. Somehow, it fits nicely against yours.

“You can say that if you win.” Reo laughs.

“Which I will, by the way.” You shoot back.

Reo gently tugs you close to his side, weaving through the crowds and towards the steep steps leading up to the shrine. He throws you a smile, one that you can’t tell if it’s filled with some truth or dramatic for the sake of being dramatic. “Little do you know, I always win.”

You hate how he’s always right.

How many times has he been right today? Probably one too many for your liking.

“Still having trouble finding me?” You hear his teasing voice in the shadows behind the trees…no—wait, maybe he’s behind the shrine instead? Ugh, it sucks how his purple yukata also blends perfectly in the night too.

“No, my eyes are just adjusting to the dark.” You reply back.

“Pfft, you said that like five minutes ago.” His voice is clear, he’s definitely near you.

You tiptoe around a few tree roots, searching behind the large bush in front of you, only to be disappointed when it’s empty. “Yeah, well, they take a while to adjust.”

God, he can be so annoying when he wants to be.

A distant roar of thunder interrupts your and Reo's banter as you continue your unsuccessful hunt. The sky darkens, and raindrops begin to fall, increasing in severity gradually before completely blurring the already dark surroundings.

“Well, this is just great,” you mumble.

Reo finally emerges from the shadows, that being a tree a few feet away, hands over his head in a last-minute attempt to keep himself dry. “Looks like we'll have to take shelter,” he says, motioning his head toward the shrine.

You both start running towards its small wooden flight of stairs, evading developing puddles and screaming as the rain soaks you to the bone.

The wooden frames and panels from the building provide some needed shelter, but the storm is relentless. The air inside is warm, humid, and damp, the scent of ancient wood fills the space. You and Reo catch your breaths, both of you overlooking the hazy festival grounds from the entrance. Unlike your situation, at least the people below have actual tents and umbrellas.

“Well, at least we're not wet anymore,” Reo says, glancing around the room.

The sound of rain hitting the roof echoes through the empty space. The dim light from the lanterns cast shadows on Reo's face, giving his features a softened appearance. You slowly find yourself eyeing the way his wet hair clings to his forehead and the way his yukata sticks to his frame.

Weird, everything today has been so fucking weird. Why are you sending your best friend goggling eyes right now when you should be feeling distraught that your crush is probably sucking his date’s face off. Actually… maybe don’t think about that.

“So, what now?” you ask, mainly rhetorically. The storm isn’t showing any signs of letting up anytime soon and you briefly spot the leftovers from earlier just outside of the shrine’s steps. You quickly rush out to grab them.

“Well,” Reo’s voice cuts through the rhythmic pounding from the rain and finds a dry corner to settle down. He pats at the empty spot next to him and closes his eyes. “Wanna talk about it?”

And this is the main thing you wanted to avoid all month.

You want to say no but, since you're such an expert in 'Reo-speak' and 'Reo-body language’ for today, you can tell with one look in his eyes that he's not taking 'no' as an answer.

"It's been difficult," You admit, allowing yourself to plop down next to him, shoulders briefly touching. “I’m sorry if things have been tense between us, I honestly didn’t know what to say or make of it.”

"I know," Reo replies, slowly as if he's hesitating to continue the conversation that he brought up.

Reo shuffles closer and eyes the large bell in front of him. “I should be the one saying sorry. That was dumb for me to even suggest that.” His teeth clenches around the sentence and he can’t keep up his usual sarcastic tone and his voice drops, sounding gentle and almost self-loathing.

He’s done an expert job at keeping a distance within the past two weeks. Only really reaching out if Nagi felt too lazy to contact you himself, but even that was at a bare minimum. There’s a part of you that wants to understand and question the imaginary meaning of your friendship, whether he meant anything by it. The idea of him actually having feelings and shifting the dynamic even further is a thought you’ve been entertaining since the start of the day.

“It wasn’t that dumb,” You attempt to eat some of the leftover takoyaki, only to realize that most of them have already fallen apart from being soaked. “Ugh—I mean I appreciate the sentiment and I guess it did work…”

“Don’t eat that,” he places a hand over yours as you attempt to go in for another bite. His hand feels oddly warm and comforting. “You’re going to get sick.”

“And you’re not always in charge of me,” though you eventually do follow his suggestion. There’s absolutely no chance for you to feel remotely satisfied from a soggy, cold meal in this predicament.

“You should at least take care of yourself.”

“Ok, I take it back, maybe you suck at distracting me.”

You end up pushing the rest of the food to the side and resting your chin on top of your tucked knees. There’s a long moment of silence you both allow to pass before your internal monologue shifts into overdrive.

“I’m—I’m an idiot too, Reo. I feel gross with myself.”

Reo remains quiet, waiting for you to continue, and you find solace in the silence. You're not sure where this conversation is heading, but it feels like a long-overdue reckoning.

"I mean, I don't even know why I feel weird about it. Nagi's a good guy, and Nanako seems great. They're happy, and that should be enough, right?" You release a heavy sigh, trying to articulate the tangled mess of emotions.

Reo shifts beside you, his gaze focused on the raindrops sliding down the shrine's entrance. "Jealousy?"

The word hangs in the air, and you hesitate before nodding. "Yeah, maybe. I shouldn't be, and I hate admitting it, but I am. It's just so stupid."

"Feelings aren't stupid," Reo says softly. "They're just... complicated. And it's okay to feel jealous. Happens to me all the time." The last bit is barely audible but you manage to pick it up.

Your eyes lazily drift to his wet frame again. Anyone who’s soaked head to toe in this muggy weather with shoes covered in a gritty mixture of dirt and tiny pebbles should look gross. His small ponytail had come undone some time ago, and the black tank top underneath him is now slightly peeking through from the faint dim lighting provided by the remaining lanterns. You’re positive that you look like a mess, and that any regular person would also look like a mess, and yet here is he looking like some kind of pulse-quickening, smoke show of a train wreck you couldn’t look away.

The sound of the next thunder rumbling fills the silence between you two.

Then, Reo calls out your name. The way he says it is completely different. His voice is deeper, your name falls through his lips rapidly and sharply. It sounds nothing like the way Nagi would say it, dragged out and elongated. You’re usually no good with picking up symbolism all too well but you’re not that dense. It doesn’t take an idiot to figure out that there’s something in Reo’s tone that makes the purposiveness of your name painfully obvious.

It comes slowly but you find yourself relishing in it when his hand reaches forward, brushing away some of the wet strands sticking around your face. “You shouldn’t have to compare yourself to anyone,” Reo tucks a few locks behind your ear before pulling away.

“Sometimes it’s difficult not to,” you swallow the growing knot down your throat and sink further against the ground.

“Hey, look at me for a second,” Reo calls out.

He caresses your face once more, this time with a different intention. His palm rests heavily on your cheek and Reo tilts your chin upwards. His eyes pierce directly into yours and… you can’t tear yourself away. The scarce lighting is able to make out the soft redness on his face and you find yourself pressing your face against his touch again.

Your arms hesitantly entangle themselves around his neck, watching closely as his Adam’s apple bobs at your slightest movements. You also take this moment to realize that he smells really good. Leather, cardamom, and hints of vanilla. It’s some expensive brand by Tom Ford, a cologne you remembered him receiving from his parents during his high school graduation party. The rain and muggy summer air only amplified the scent but you didn’t mind it.

Reo tangles his fingers into your hair and leans in, pressing his lips to the temple of your head. He breathes out of your name and you can feel his body shift, almost rocking side to side. You note that Reo always does that when he’s extremely nervous.

At some point, his lips move down and hover over yours, barely millimeters apart. You try not to think too much of your own painfully disheveled state, or the fact that you’re still fucking confused about what’s happening right now. Is anything of this supposed to be okay?

Fuck it.

Your arms tug Reo’s head forward enough to close the gap and your lips meet in the same kind of fast-forward, slow-motion feeling that you always see in those cheesy romance movies growing up. Reo’s lips feel far smoother and fuller than it has any right to be and you’re fairly certain that the faint citrus taste is from the chapstick he always carries. You’re becoming hyperaware of everything going on — from the heavy breathing from both ends of the party, to his silky, damp hair tickling your hands, down to the rapid pulse hammering against your chest and neck.

A quiet noise of approval spills from you and Reo pulls you closer, his hands now find residency around your waist and back to prevent you from stumbling over, almost to remind you that he’s your anchor.

Eventually, you finally break for some air.

As you gasp for breath, Reo leans his forehead against yours, both of you breathing heavily in the humid air of the shrine. You can see the reflection of his eyes, dark and intense, studying your face as if searching for answers.

Reo pulls back slightly, his hand still resting around. "I like you. I like you for the past few years now and I don’t want to hide that anymore.”

The fact that your body is still halfway pulled into his lap melts away every ounce of apprehension from your bones. This is not a dream. This is very much real.

For a brief moment, you wonder if it’s worth bringing up questions of when and why. Your background doesn’t exactly fit into the Mikage’s standards of high luxury and... again, is this even okay?

Just when you’re starting to process the weight of Reo’s words, the sliding doors fly open and an all too familiar voice cuts through the air.

Nagi appears at the entrance, his eyes widening as he takes in the scene. “Am I interrupting something?”

TAGLIST - OPEN

@celestair @kitorin @popponn @yoisami @anurst @katsukiiishoe @yuzurins @vitaniangel-blog @kunikame @miwafei @astruoise @faeroow @wooasecret @limerence-lu @jaynawayna @iloveblogging2 @futuristicxie @rinlvr @au-ghosttype @wavetokio @yuusami @phtogravi @funnibunneh @idontevenknow129

#blue lock #bllk #blue lock imagines #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #doobea writing #reo mikage x reader #reo mikage #DAYTIME SHOOTING STAR - REO MIKAGE #bllk reo #reo x reader #mikage reo x reader #blue lock x you #blue lock x female reader #why did this take me weeks hmm #reo *shakes head*

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amarriageoftrueminds · 1 year

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something i love is how Steve Rogers canonically takes after his mother. both appearance wise and in terms of his ideals

too bad the mcu's powers that be didn't care to explore steve or bucky's backstories beyond catws, or else we could've gotten an actual appearance from Sarah, but that's ok future projects can fix this /copium

but anyways Steve is canonical Momma's Boy, I wish marvel would remember lol

now if only marvel could also remember that Bucky Barnes is a protector and steve's guardian angel with a shotgun (or i guess sniper rifle, during the war)

cuz if marvel did then they could be genius and retroactively give us flashbacks/scenes in the past that put Bucky back there with little Steve and show interactions between Bucky and Sarah and have Steve's mom thank him for looking out for her fighter of a son, and also retroactively include scenes of Bucky's family reacting to their kid choosing to pick up the disabled little bullied Irish kid and decide he must protect hehe

there's too much good shit there that sets up the true nature of Bucky and Steve's friendship, which i feel like marvel writers kinda forgot over the years and replaced it with caricature-ish flat understanding of both Bucky and Steve, so such scenes would be good to remind writers and the audience of why they've been caring about each other and give insight into their parents

Am I the only one who gets the vibe that, quite apart from wanting to unravel any plot-threads which undermine the specialness to Steve of the Token Female they bothered to put in the Cap movies... they don't want Steve to be a Mammy's Boy, cuz they see that as less acceptably manly and cool?

Like: Tony is allowed to obsess over what his dad thought of him, across multiple movies (and ditto what the Odinson boys thought of Odin's opinion of them) but mothers only matter if, and only while, they're being fridged?

Ditto with Bucky's mother too, now I think about it (at least his dad also gets zero mention or exposure). And it would be so sweet and easy to have flashbacks of kid Steve and Bucky -- it would even save them the hassle of having to pay for the adult stars, to film!

Also can you imagine kid-Bucky, already a worrier, asking Sarah what Steve's dad died of and finding out he died from having bad lungs and this just unlocking a whole new level of nightmares for him about Steve and his 'fuck you imma fight everyone in this dirty dank alleyway with bad air' attitude. 😩

I absolutely 100% headcanon Bucky and Sarah as having a whole unspoken language between them, as the only two people on earth who get Steve. I always imagined there would be a whole series of private memories -- moments of non-verbal communication between him and her -- which even Steve himself wasn't privy to.

#historically accurate stucky tag #toAyourQ #dat's me #hey nonny #stucky meta #kid steve and bucky #WE SHOULD'VE SEEN THEM #sarah especially we should've seen it's actually criminal we had screentime wasted on others over her #they really just blatantly did not give a shit about doing comics-Steve justice #he's not the guy they want they want Soldier Boy #remember folks: REBLOG 🔁 / DON'T JUST LIKE 🤍

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shawnflowers · 1 year

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shawn michaels headcannons <3

gonna get my writing game up 😤 so this is how you and shawn meet (this was an idea i had for a long one shot but i turned it into this instead (if you want a full story i always can do that hehe))

: ̗̀➛ warnings: fluff! hint of smut!

*ahem* so, i’d say this starts with you being a new photographer for the wwf

yknow you’re around the ring, capturing all of the exciting shots but you also dabble in backstage activities and snapping candids of the wrestlers

welllllll shawn spots you in your second week there. you’re walking around backstage with your camera, readjusting the shutter speed and the exposure levels you would need once you head out to the ring. you hardly notice anyone blatantly staring at you as you’re stuck in your own little world.

he’s perhaps a little starstruck

he wonders why he hasn’t seen you around before. because fuck fuck fuck that body of yours is absurd (and you’re also gorgeous)

he happens to spot you with hunter right next to him so he asks him, “who’s she?”

hunter turns to see who he’s talking about, spotting you in the distance as you’re making your way to gorilla. “oh that’s y/n i believe, she’s new. a photographer.”

and that’s all it took before he went sailing over to you, one thing set on his mind. i gotta make her mine

the rest was history as they say

you were completely smitten by him

you saw through his heartbreaker persona almost immediately, instead falling for the man that would hug you from behind and place his chin on top of your head

shawn most certainly would open every door for you, and makes sure to open your car door every time as well

you were really timid when you first started working there — feeling completely out of place with all of these incredible athletes that were also incredibly intimidating. but he was your gateway into a great experience at the company.

once he took you under his wing and introduced you to the rest of his little goon squad, everyone wanted to get to know you better and wanted you to get great pictures of them.

but of course shawn wanted you to get the best photos of him while he was wrestling which wasn’t hard to do because he’s incredibly photogenic

“when I jump off the top rope, can you make sure you’re on my right? I think that’s my good side.”

“every side is your good side, shawn.”

“even my backside?” *smirk*

“especially.”

and i mean, do we even have to talk about the sex? yes

he loves loves loves when you praise him. “no one touches me like you, baby.” “god, shawn, you’re stretching me so good.” “you looked so hot tonight. it took everything in me not to jump you in the ring.”

and in turn, you love love love a little degradation. “you’re my slutty baby girl. isn’t that right?” “look at you, crying those pathetic little tears. i know you can take more.” “does my baby want her release? gonna have to try a little harder than that.”

also. yeah. the camera is definitely involved. sometimes you get pictures of him, but shawn is adamant on taking your photo too. both in cute ways and in incredibly intimate ways. there was almost a mixup of those photos and work photos once

and so on and so forth 😮‍💨

but love is in the air nonetheless. you’re the best thing to happen to each other.

that kinda scared shawn at first ngl. he wanted to make you his yet he wasn’t exactly ready for full commitment. but once he got to know you he realized he never wanted to separate from you again. he couldn’t possibly think of you spending time with another man without getting all sorts of jealous. so, he decided he was yours as much as you were his and that was the best decision he ever made

he broke you out of your shell while you managed to keep him under control. it was the perfect balance

: ̗̀➛ nose boops to you

#hope y’all enjoyed #for some reason this was harder to write than a 20k fic lol #shawn michaels x reader #wwe x reader #wwe fanfiction #shawn michaels #wwe

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stevenose · 2 years

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Feeling feral so let’s talk getting Steve turned on in public. I really think it does it for him, he’s so big there’s no way he can hide how hard his cock is for you (for fucks sake he shows through his jeans when he’s soft!!!) Going to a nightclub or a big party where he doesn’t really know very many people so theres a level of anonymity and purposefully teasing him as much as possible without risking indecent exposure charges. Letting him grind on you as much as he wants, mocking how needy he is. Personally I kinda wanna make him cum his pants and watch him desperately try to keep quiet and hide the stain 💝💝💝💝💝

contains: gender unspecified reader; pda hehe; public humiliation/exhibitionism; grinding; penetration (reader receiving)

YOURE REAL FOR THIS!!! jerking him off at a bar counter, letting the dim light in the club and the counter itself conceal his swollen achy cock. he’s leaning into your side and huffing and moaning but everyone around just thinks he’s really drunk. doing this all after basically letting him fuck your ass on the dance floor. whispering things about how his cock would split you right in half in front of all of these people if he’d just pull himself out. that you know his poor cock hurts. that everyone’s been staring at him all night - all of these people buying him drinks and trying to flirt with him - no one would even mind if he fucked his hand right here in front of them! it’s what they want to see!

also like 🫶🏻 making him cum in his pants after he whines for you to stop because he can’t ruin another pair of levi’s. but you don’t care - you’ll buy replacements, you know his hips enough to figure out his size. and he’s so mad - not mad, just like. frustrated. and he walks you to his car, which is parked at the far, dark end of the lot. bends you over the hood and presses his hard, still wet cock into you. asking if this is what you wanted - for people to come out and watch him fuck you. because you sure were making a scene in there. making him cum in his pants and humiliating him - who’s humiliated now?

#stevenose posts #ns/fw #steve x reader #steve harrington smut

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languajix · 12 days

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Regarding Hold every memory au!

Since Ghost in this au is shown to have mystic powers and can actively harness it (ie: the geometric shapes on his arms in the first fic and the threads of his bros) what else can he do aside from threads? Can he do smth similar to Donnie’s Ninpo if he pushed himself ? And how did he get that mystic stuff? Did he always have it but never manifested as strongly due to the nature of the 2003 verse (like the dragon thing ) or is this current mystic power a result of his long term exposure in the 2018 verse? Also how do you think his bros will react to their bro’s Mystic powers that he definitely didn’t have before?

Ps: I love your AU so much. Your fics are so well written and characterisation is so good. Ghost in the shell is such a well written story but it’s so, so very sad 😭 its makes me so happy to see a world where is Ghost happier out there. Also sorry for the long ask I’m just extra curious, Ghost being actively aware and sorta using the mystic energy inside him is so interesting and has so much potential hehe. Like imagine a scenario where Ghost/Don in a fit of protective rage either cuz of the tots or his bros or both does a boom of mystic and everyone goes HUH??

Hello!!

I want to start by saying the usual disclaimer that anything I'm about to say applies solely to Hold Every Memory, because the more this AU grows, the more of my own ideas and wishes and things get fed into it.

Also, very little is set into absolute stone until it appears in a HEM story for sure - a lot of the time, as I'm writing, things will spin a little differently than I expect because they need to for character or plot reasons, or words will randomly appear on the screen and I'll learn how things work directly from my subconscious, which is exciting. But still! I have been thinking about this stuff, so I'm really happy to have the opportunity to ramble :D

And don't apologize for the long ask! I loved it! I just hope you don't mind a looooong reply. Lots of stuff in here that some might consider spoilery, as a heads up!

I think Don had a groundwork of some different type of mystic potential from his own universe, but environmental exposure to empyrean/mystics over the years, maybe more direct exposure courtesy of Big Mama?, brought it from a latent capability to something much closer to the surface, significantly strengthened it, and shaped it a little to fit his new universe. Connecting to his brothers in the Battle Nexus, that rush of soul energy and powerful love, unlocked it! Battle Nexus went boom.

I think at a base level, he's capable of doing standard mystic stuff - activating and using mystic weapons and devices, like how Splinter could use the ōdachi in "Battle Nexus New York," for example. Casting some spells, too, and using common mystic techniques. If he were to practice or be trained specifically in the use of mystics in battle, he could use it to boost his speed and strength. He'll never be as powerful as a Hamato, though, with that well of ninpō power at their disposal.

Creating the threads wasn't any sort of innate, specialized ability at the time. It was an act of desperation. Don's burst of incredible willpower in that moment shaped his soul and his suddenly active mystic powers in ways they weren't originally made to be used. Over time, though, like stretching a muscle, the threads become central to his mystic 'specialization,' as it were. So if Leo = portals, Raph = energy projections of himself, Don =… connection? Possibly?

(In SAINW, there's a moment where Michelangelo mentions that "without you, it just didn't work," framing Donny as the lynchpin keeping his family together. (I do think it could have happened if any of them had disappeared, but let's focus on Donny for the angst and the parallels here.) And in HEM, Don is the one tying together his old family and his new family. Always at the center.)

If he wasn't constantly stretched between realities and everyone was in the same universe, he'd always know where they were, instinctively. They could be across town or half a world away, but if Don thought about them, his head would turn unerringly in that precise direction. It might include some amount of empathy/telepathy too.

One thing I'm solid on is that he has to come into contact, spiritually or physically, to someone to develop a connection, a thread. It might happen quite quickly and almost thoughtlessly with the counterparts of all his old family and friends upon meeting them, and for any new friends he meets it might happen once he truly considers them family.

(Which makes me think of how funny it would be if he met Foot Recruit and found himself with a spontaneous thread to her, too - who the heck is she supposed to be??? Too late now, though, she's family, whether anybody including her wants her to be or not. Assigned Splinterson-Hamato At First Contact.)

Can he use powers similar to Donnie? He might be a teeny tiny bit of a technopath! I'd like to think that was one of the potential directions his mystic powers could have headed before the threads threw them out of wack. Infusing portals with mystic energy, a little boost when hacking the EPF's bank accounts, etc. Very little things, but enough that he and Donnie can have a little similarity to bond over as a treat.

As for surprising his brothers with his mystic powers, finding out that he had landed in a universe with witches and yokai and superpowers blew their minds, but it was all wrapped up in the overwhelming difficulty of processing that he was alive at all. They know he's been using mystics in the development of his more recent portal attempts, vaguely, but they for sure don't realize/understand the extent of what he can do. There's really no reason for him to use mystic powers in the astral plane, nothing for him to do with them and the real risk of unbalancing the delicate threads, so he just doesn't. I think seeing him use mystic powers for real would delight Mike to no end, all surface-level envy and deep excitement, Raph would think them awesome and possibly want to spar while Don is mystic boosted to see what he can do, and Leo might be proud and fascinated and maybe a little quietly jealous. If - and this is really just something I'm tossing around for fun - if Don could actually pool and distribute mystic energy through his threads, those soul-to-soul connections, then they could all benefit and get a level-up, so no jealousy for long. Honestly I think all the brothers would be super cool with Rise style mystic powers but Mike would make me a little nervous, haha

---

When I was originally starting to bounce this whole thing around in my head, I ended up with a little example snippet of what his powers could look like in practice. The telepathy/empathy bits, at least.

P.S. Thank you so much!!! It sends me over the moon, like full on walking on air for days, to hear when people like my writing style and characterization. I'm still new to putting myself out there in this way, so I stress out over it all way more than I should, and getting this kind of message makes it all worth it :D

I love GitS to death and this AU is born out of the most incredible affection for it. I wouldn't change a single thing about any of it even if I could, all those aching bruises and all, but writing an alternate universe branch where Everything's Beautiful and Very Little Hurts is just cathartic as heck. I'm just glad reading this AU is scratching the same itch for some people that writing it has been!! Because it really is a joy to write.

#hold every memory au #hold every memory unpublished #<-for anyone new here that's the tag I'm using for anything discussing future/unpublished HEM stuff.#(I don't call it 'spoilers' because there is basically no plan or plot to spoil but I do want to give people that option to filter it out)#jix stuff #asks

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thehollowwriter · 2 months

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📚🔺🐉💚🍔🤒

All for Silas!

(Still not done sending these 😈)

I'm excited to see more!

📚 BOOKS — What level of education has your oc most recently completed/is currently in (GED, undergraduate, grad school, phd, etc)?

Absolutely none. At all. Ever. At least not "formally" or "officially." He grew up in the Abyss, and there certainly aren't school down there.

Lady Rhoda taught him how to read, write and do math as well history and biology (sex ed at 20 something is better late than never,right?), but he already had steady income, so there was no need for trying "formal" education. He does research things on his own since he doesn't like not knowing things and having that used against him, though.

🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — Does your oc know how to use any weapons?

Silas most certainly does! While he mainly uses magic as his weapon, he knows how to use spears, harpoons, knives, and probably swords if you give him one. I feel if guns could actually work under the sea, he'll be able to use one. Also, a fun fact from Silas: seaweed can, in fact, be used to strangle if you use it right.

🐉 DRAGON — What is your oc's favourite mythical creature?

I'd say Sirens from Greek Mythos. He finds them fascinating. It does annoy him that so many think these half bird half women creatures look like merpeople, including the mer people. It's probably the first thing he'll infodump about. Finn has heard his rants about the many misconceptions about Sirens hundreds of times.

🍔 HAMBURGER — Is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer?

Silas is good at cooking! Though he technically can't "cook" anything since they're underwater? But I like to imagine there are heated air vents on his property he can go to cook something, though usually it's just not worth the trip when there are many raw dishes like stuffed crab, seaweed wraps, etc that he can make.

Baking involves cooking in dry heat without exposure to flame, usually in an oven (hah! I learned that in Hospitality), so I guess he could do it in those air pockets and mini volcanoes? But it's far from house and not worth the trip, though maybe he will "bake" on special occasions. He likes it and is good it at it. He prefers cooking, though.

🤒 FACE WITH THERMOMETER — Does your oc get sick easily?

Okie angst time

Hah! Nope! He used to get sick a lot as a child, then (and kinda now too, actually...) he was just sickly because of how malnourished he was. His immune system is something else, truly, as he's been exposed to so many sicknesses and infections it'll leave doctors confounded. It's difficult for him to get sick. Well... though it wasn't necessarily an illness, he gave himself "refeeding syndrome" by trying to make up for what he was lacking when he finally had steady access to food.

Refeeding syndrome is when someone malnourished or starved suddenly begins eating again, and the quick introduction of foods can cause problems and even be fatal. This is why it's best to have the process of healing from starvation overseen by a qualified medical professionals.

Now Silas didn't trust doctors at the time, so he never went to one, but what he did do was simply go back to eating the same amount of food he used to so he didn't keep throwing up and getting sick. Morrigan eventually forced him to go to a hospital. (Silas was horrified when he learned what a feeding tube was)

Tagging: @distant-velleity @kitwasnothere @the-banana-0verlord @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @jovieinramshackle @skrimpyskimpy for Silas lore hehe

#quinn quips #quinn answers #quinn's friends #leechy #silas clearcove #twisted wonderland #twst oc #oc ask game #ask game #starvation tw

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gemsstudy · 4 months

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So I am learning Korean as well, I am able to read and write...I understand the Hangul chart fully I mean and I have studied most of the grammar as well...and I am a bit confused on how I should move forward...Do you have any Ideas? Since you are a b1 in Korean...hehe

first i wanna say my b1 level is self-assessed. i mean, i feel pretty confident about this assesment, but i havent taken an official test or the topik yet.

i feel like moving between levels is the hardest part tbh...i felt like i hit a wall when transitioning to intermediate..but what i found helped me the most was really figuring out where i was lacking and working on that. just doing random lessons isn't helpful and i think you really need to structure your learning in a way that's super personal to you.

-for me, i know listening and speaking are my hardest areas..so i put a lot of focus on listening by listening to podcasts and watching youtube videos about things i like (makeup, skincare, kpop content with my fav groups) and use active listening..i usually watch these videos more than once too, one time without eng subs and then with to gage my initial understanding. i also take note of new vocab or grammar points. make sure with content like this though that it's just above your level. listening to things where you don't understand literally anything is not helpful. you need to be able to get the jist of what is going on even if you don't understand every single word/grammar.

-i also do tutoring once a week (sometimes twice if i have the time. i use the website preply) and we focus on my speaking and comphrension. she gives me sentence building and dictation hw too. i also ask her for regular assessments and what she thinks i can improve on. i just joined my korean language club at school so that's another way ive been exposing myself to korean and working on my speaking. i alsoooo speak out loud..anything i'd think or say to myself in english, i try to say in korean. not only does it help me get comfortable forming sentences, but it's a good way to pinpoint vocab/grammar i may not know.

-i try to make time each week to write in a diary (i used to post on here but not as often recently lol) and i also read in korean on different news sources. im slowly working my way thru 죽고 싶지만 떡볶이는 먹고 싶어 as well.

i guess tdlr; assess via a tutor, teacher, or just yourself and figure out what areas you're lacking in and build a plan around that. if you feel like you've progressed outside of just relying on textbooks, find other ways to supplement your learning like tutoring, language club, youtube/netflix, etc. exposure/immersion is key.

this was so long im so sorry but i hope this helped!!! you can message me too if you'd like!

#langblr #studyblr #korean #anon #ask

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brainpal-gachapon · 27 days

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I saw the other mods doing this, so here's my (hopefully fully done) "media mod-madoka knows" list!! (disclaimer i genuinely forget what i like. a lot. its the cisaudhd im so sorry gang.) REGARDLESS HERE IT IS !!!!! -🍓

ALTER EGO (v good game)

Cookie Run

General Lunime Titles (gacha world, gacha life 1&2, gacha club, etc.)

Genshin Impact

Pokemon

Muse Dash

Project Sekai

Monster Prom/Camp/Roadtrip

Blush Blush (im so sorry)

Crush Crush (im so sorry again)

Doki Doki Literature Club

OMORI (very vaguely. i still have yet to actually get further than meeting sweetheart)

Slime Rancher (1 & 2)

The Stanley Parable

Changed

FNaF (literally any character not exclusive to the books; ive never read any of the books)

Fran Bow

Little Misfortune

Shelter / Shelter 2 / Meadow

Our Life; Beginning And Always

The Sims

BNHA / MHA

Little Witch Academia

Ouran High School Host Club

Aggretsuko (never finished season 1)

Bojack Horseman (never finished season 1)

Vocal Synths (mostly VOCALOID and UTAU though also a TEENY smidgen of Synth V through Teto and A Friend)

Obey Me! (Nightbringer & One Master To Rule Them all)

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Yandere Sim (unfortunately)

Creepypasta

Hazbin Hotel & Helluva Boss

(The start of) Twisted Wonderland

Splatoon (played 2&3 though never did story mode)

UNDERTALE and DELTARUNE

Lucky Star (haven't finished season 1)

Kakegurui (& Kakegurui twin!!)

K-On!

The Amazing Digital Circus

Murder Drones (not seen the whole series yet)

My Little Pony (only FiM; I refuse to watch the new gen in any form)

H*rry P*tter (unfortunately. Also FUCK JK R*wling)

DSMP (and very surface-level exposure to QSMP)

The Coffin of Andy and LeyLey

Rain World

Oneshot

Warrior Cats

Survivors (erin hunter; have NOT finished the full first arc.)

Wings of Fire (have not finished Sunny's book; already spoiled on a lot of things)

Honkai; Star Rail (have not finished Xianzhou Luofu quests, already spoiled on so much late-game content)

Honkai; Impact (i only very vaguely know ANYTHING about it)

Hamilton (the musical)

Mean Girls

Heathers (not actually watched it; ive absorbed so much information that i simply know most of the plot and characters)

KinitoPet

Class of 09

Date with Death (highly reccommend; love interest is adorable)

Buggy Dates (SEVERELY UNDERRATED AND FREE ON ITCH.IO)

Blooming Panic

Slay the Princess

Not my Neighbor

Among Us

Papers, Please

there's definitely stuff ive accidentally left out, but im tired and forgetful. hope i can steal some more requests soon hehe >:3c

#btw thank you all for getting us INSANELY close to 100 followers!!

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artistfingers · 2 years

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Have you ever heard the concept of Danny having a glowing Lichtenberg scar that only appears on his human for under certain circumstances. (During lightning storms, maybe to static electricity, exposure to high amounts of foreign ectoplasm, etc) maybe even the intensity of the glow is dependent on the trigger.

hmm, not sure i've heard this concept specifically? though i've definitely seen artwork of danny with luminescent Lichtenberg scars/glowing scars in general... probably in both forsm? i wish i could think of a specific artist, because seeing that kind of thing around definitely influenced my decision to give him glowy Lichtenberg scars in Undercover AU hehe.

just like how i indulge in a very Give Him Fangs When His Emotions Are Heightened for my AU, I think lots of those other little situational tells are really fun to play around with, especially when danny's in human form! it's like the traditional "eyes glow when mad" thing but taken to the Next Level

#danny phantom #undercover asks #anon

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skvaderarts · 9 months

Text

Petrichor Chapter 51: Exposure

Chapter 51: Exposure

Notes: Hehehehe. Hehehe. Hehe. This was so much fun to work on. Sorry that I’m a few days late. I hope you enjoy it! It’s good to see you all again! See you in the comments!

(-~-)

The light to the guest bedroom flashed on automatically as he entered, perfectly dimmed and comfortable, their almost greyish brown hue a comfort to the eyes that took next to no adjustment on his part to become used to. As V stepped further into the room, he was greeted by plush accommodations. Four thick, fluffy pillows leaned against the grey terry cloth upholstered headboard, practically beckoning him to them. The silvery brown blankets on the bed covered matching silky grey sheats, the blankets fluffy, soft, and most importantly to him, cool to the touch, something he discovered quickly as he ran his fingertips across the linen. A high thread count and a price tag to match, no doubt. A pleasant surprise. V didn’t like to sleep hot... No, he actually couldn’t sleep at all when he was hot. It was a bit worse than that. So this was certainly a bonus that he sorely appreciated. And the comforter looked like it would be very good at helping to regulate his temperature. He got the impression that he was going to enjoy utilizing this bed.

Turning around to take in the room, he noticed the same exposed brick and ductwork that the rest of the residence shared, the entire back wall consisting of more of the same beautiful industrial windows that he’d seen. The widows were equipped with pull-down grey shear curtains that would make easy work of the light that shone in from outside. And there was a large, luscious plant in the corner of the room by the foot of the bed in a beautifully glazed pot, the cracked window more than likely supplying it with fresh air as it wafted in the breeze delicately. The soil looked freshly watered, something Sirrus had probably done sometime that day when he wasn’t paying attention unless he’d hired a plant sitter. Perhaps he had, considering his overall collection. But V especially liked this one. A Monstera of some type, if he was going to guess. That’s what the leaves looked like to him, at least. But half of some of them were white while others were pink, sometimes in full sections, and in some cases, in the form of spots and patches. Even the green on the plant came in a dark and a light variation, its colors crisp and eye-catching. A stunning plant overall, perhaps too pretty for a guest room. Perhaps it needed very specific lighting so it had been put in here for its own protection? He imagined this room received plenty of filtered, indirect light during the day. That was probably ideal for it.

Overall, the room was cozy and inviting with a cozy atmosphere, something his tired body and mind were eager to take advantage of in short order. But first, he needed to go to the bathroom. He had matters to attend to in there.

He had been correct in assuming that the doors he’d seen off to the side of Sirrus’s living space and kitchen were bedrooms, but he hadn’t realized that they were both bedrooms, each with their own private bathroom. His room and Sirrus’s shared a wall. And there was still a half bath elsewhere in the residence, something that made practical sense as you wouldn’t want people to have to walk through your bedroom to use the toilet now, would you? Well, at least if you had a choice.

Sirrus was a gracious host; the sort who bought the same expensive tolitres and personal care products that he personally used and stocked them in the guest bathroom. No surprise there. V recognized the scent of the soap he found in the shower, realizing for the first time that Sirrus was actually wearing cologne atop it when they were around one another. V liked to imagine that Sirrus likely derived some level of self-satisfaction from coming into the bathroom and seeing it so neat and tidy. He’d even admitted that he very rarely used this particular bathroom due in large part to the fact that he had his own ensuite and had very little reason to come in here aside from a need to dust. And every inch of this bathroom was utterly sparking, glittering under the overhead light in a manner he’d never seen before. Grey glass tile on every surface, a skylight over the detached standing tub and shower, and underlighting along the bottom of the wall-mounted double sink that pointed down towards the floor. And that was saying something considering the fact that the counters were made of concrete. Polished black concrete, but still concrete nonetheless. And were these floors terrazzo?!

Frankly, V felt too ordinary to even undress in this bathroom, let alone use it. Even the soap and toothpaste were in motion-activated dispensers. And the toilet was automatic…

How much money did they pay Sirrus to do his job?

Seriously, V wasn’t the sort to spend hours reading or watching media to keep up with the latest in home and garden trends, but he knew enough to know when something was very expensive. This was fascinating.

Opting to submerge every inch of his body in nearly scalding water, V was pleased to find not only that the plumbing in this place was excellent, but that Sirrus had left a bottle of bubble bath under the counter. And in the deep window sill nearest to the tub were scented candles, ones that had been partially burned as they sat in their little glass and ceramic containers on a tray, but ones that he would ask before lighting all the same.

He needed to go find Sirrus while he waited for the tub to finish. He would only be a moment.

(-~-)

She let out a long sigh as she rubbed her hands together to chase away the cold that had settled in her extremities as she stood in front of the payphone, the door closed tight behind. It was a bitterly cold night tonight, and the thin layer of snow that covered the ground was evidence of that notion. But that was no matter. She would be back in the van with her companion momentarily. She just needed to make a phone call. She’d practically felt compelled to as they passed it by, suddenly becoming a woman possessed the moment she’d seen it. And it was a number she would never forget as long as she lived.

Reaching her cold hands up to the number pad she nearly typed in the numbers before paying, shaking her head to herself and cursing under her breath as she reached into her pocket and pulled a handful of frozen change out of her pocket, counting out the correct amount before inserting it into the machine. Her mind was elsewhere, rooted so firmly in her objective that she couldn’t properly complete the tasks required to see it come to fruition. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last, but she was still quietly miffed.

The phone rang in her hand as she held it. Waiting. Hoping that it wasn’t too late in the day. And then the phone picked up on the very last ring.

“Goldstine Gunsmithing and Repairs Shop. What can I do ya for?” The man’s voice on the other end was a song for sore ears. She hadn’t heard it in far too long. She needed to call home more often. She really did.

A smile spread across her face as she shook her head. Yep, this was the right number all right. She knew that voice anywhere. “Oh, nah. Nothing special. Just, ya know, checkin’ in. It’s been a while, and I know you’ve seen the news by now, so I thought I’d get in contact before you blew a gasket or showed up to find me or sumthen’.”

There was a momentary pause as the person on the other side of the phone audibly shifted before speaking, seemingly silenced from surprise. They clearly recognized her, but they certainly hadn’t been expecting to hear from her today, especially at this hour. “Nico?

“The one and only!” She retorted with exaggerated gleefulness just to throw him off kilter a little. She fiddled with a cigarette in her fingers, staring down at it for a moment before suddenly feeling all desire to light it and smoke it vacate her body. Call it a moment of self-reflection; call it a reminder of her conversation with Sirrus back in Lucia’s homeland that day, but she just couldn’t all of a sudden. Not right now, at least. So she put it back into her pocket and continued her conversation. That could wait for another time. She was talking to someone important to her.

“Well hell, watcha been up to? Everything alright around there? Heard things got pretty supernatural in those parts for a little while. Ya safe and sound?” The excitement and worry in his voice were unmistakable, and so was the pang of guilt she felt in her heart for not calling home sooner. She hoped he hadn’t been glued to the radio or the TV for the last while watching everything go down where she was, worrying himself sick over her. They were all each other had left in the world, at least in terms of blood. She had to do better than that. It wasn’t like she didn’t like talking to him or something. She loved him!

“Phf, that’s a long story. Same old same old for the most part, but a lot’s gone down since I talked to you last time, Rock. You have no idea.” Nico shook her head. And she wasn’t going to fill him on on most of it, either. It wasn’t like he could make her come back or anything like that, but she just didn’t need him worrying about her. Knowing that he was sitting at home worrying about her made Nico worry about him. That couldn’t be good for anyone. Not at all.

“Well then, fill me in! I’ve got nothing but time, girl!” She heard a chair scoot across the floor, metal on wood. That couldn’t be good for the property value. Oh, who was she kidding? That floor had seen everything and then some. It wasn’t going anywhere.

Nico chucked to herself under her breath. Of course he did! Even if he was clearly tired. But this was the man who’d raised her. She didn’t expect any less from him. If there was one thing that Rock would always do for her it was make time. Even when he didn’t have a second to spare. “And I’ve got a whole roll of quarters. Pull up a seat. We're gonna be here a while. Nero’s just gonna have to wait in the van a little longer. It won’t kill him!”

“Sure won’t. Now get talkin’. I need some details.” Rock said with a hearty chuckle, the sound of a creaking chair filling her ears. He’d quite literally settled in for the long haul, and he clearly wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

(-~-)

It had taken close to a lifetime, but V had finally come to the conclusion that he’d been in the tub long enough. And although it was physically, emotionally, and mentally agonizing for him to part from the warm waters, he finally confronted his immobile frame and demanded that it part with the soothing liquid. If he stayed in here any long he would arise with no skin and become so thoroughly relaxed that he’d never function again.

But as he reached over to blow out the candles Sirrus had lit and grab a towel so that he could depart from the tub, his blood ran ice cold. To his horror, he’d just realized that he’d left the towel that Sirrus had left him on the counter in the living room. He’d taken it in there to ask him a question, and now he was stranded in unfamiliar waters, marooned and left adrift in a sea of dread because there was simply no way in the 9 circles of hell that he was going to call Sirrus and ask him to bring one in here. There were hardly any bubbles left, and even if there had been, he knew he didn’t have it in him. He might as well just settle in, get comfortable, and die.

After several minutes of agonizing over his options, none of which he liked by any measure or standard, the young white-haired summoner swallowed like someone had just informed him that he’d contracted a debilitating illness and slowly got out of the tub. He would ask Sirrus to bring it to him. He’d considered putting his clothing back on while he was still wet and he’d briefly thought about just dashing into the room and grabbing it himself, but the first option caused him visceral physical discomfort at the very idea of it in the same way that the concept of stepping in a puddle of cold water wearing thick socks did, and the second option was something he imagined Sirrus would have a great laugh about when he inevitably discovered him in the act while V himself dropped dead from pure horror. No, he would just swallow his pride and go to the door and ask Sirrus politely to bring him the towel. It would still be embarrassing, but at least it was sensible.

V hadn’t noticed the comfortable modern armchair, thick, fuzzy rug, or the beautiful contemporary nightstands that matched the bedframe until he’d attempted to avoid getting them wet. He was going to clean this up when he was finished if it was the last thing he did. He also noticed that Sirrus had been nice enough to bring his bags over and sit them just inside of his door, probably just after he’d gotten into the tub. After all, they did share a wall. He was probably able to tell to some degree when he was moving around in the room or not. Regardless, it was kind of him, and he appreciated it. Too bad V hadn’t thought to bring a robe or a towel on this trip himself so that he could avoid this entire situation altogether. Perhaps if he just stayed very far back behind the door…

Opening the door wider than he’d probably needed to in order to see the living room from where he currently was in order to spot the towel, V actually gasped with fright as he came face to face with Sirrus, the man with the mostly red hair walking past his door en route to his own bedroom. The man stopped in his tracks and stared at him blankly and without thinking out of fear that he’d unintentionally revealed more than he wanted to in front of his friend, he closed the door as quickly as he could, only thinking about how rude slamming the door in Sirrus’s face in his own house probably was.

Chastizing himself internally as he cursed his current state of existence, he slowly cracked the door again only to find that Sirrus had come much closer to the door, so much so that they practically bumped heads when he stuck his head around the corner to confront him. Sirrus looked deeply confused, but somehow there was still a tinge of amusement in his cool grey eyes. It seemed that V had unintentionally sparked his curiosity. He looked almost concerned…

“Hello, V,” Sirrus said in a mischievously low tone, his voice almost too quiet for the young summoner’s liking. He looked like a wolf eyeing his next meal. His face was practically unreadable, his version of a poker face clearly something to behold. “Is something amiss?”

The way he said those words so knowingly… V couldn’t help but blush slightly. He’d seen something, he just knew it. And although the world wasn’t going to come to an end as a result, he certainly felt like it would. It wasn’t the first time, but it most certainly was the first time that V had done so in such a manner. And he couldn’t pinpoint why, but he just felt so embarrassed. Perhaps it was because he knew Sirrus so well as opposed to the other times when he was barely lucid and too afraid and confused for it to matter?

“Sorry. Please forgive me,” he said softly, looking down just after speaking. He didn’t have it in him to maintain eye contact at the moment. There was just something about doing so while he had that look on his face while V was undressed that didn’t feel right. In fact, it felt deeply… well, not wrong, but still. He wasn’t creeped out or anything, but he just felt unsettled, as if many eyes lingered upon him and he couldn’t shake them. He hadn’t quite experienced whatever this was before. And he wasn’t keen to do so again anytime soon.

Sirrus maintained the same expression but it softened some, his pupils widening a bit as he took on an expression ever so slightly less wolfish. “Did you need something? You look… disheveled. Are you in need of assistance?”

V nodded slower than he’d meant to, sparing a moment to wonder if that should’ve earned him a funny look or if he was just overthinking. He settled on neither and brushed it aside. It was best to get this over and done with. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he’d forgotten the towel. That wasn’t the problem. It was the entire prospect of speaking to someone and holding a casual conversation while completely nude that unnerved him.

“I forgot the towel you gifted me,” He said as he actively avoided eye contact, grateful that Sirrus understood his body language and tendencies enough to not pursue and pressure him any further on his refusal to do so. Few things made him more uncomfortable than when someone tried to force and maintain eye contact. “... And didn’t realize it until I got out of the shower. Do you mind… ”

“Ah,” Sirrus said with a small nod, his expression unchanged by this revelation. He didn’t seem as though he’d been expecting to hear that, but he certainly had been expecting to be asked something.“I had just noticed that a moment before you surprised me. I was going to leave it on your bed, but you beat me to the door.”

He stepped away for a moment before returning with it, setting down the empty glass he’d been carrying in the sink on the way. He appeared to fluff the brand new emerald green towel for a moment before reaching out to hand it to him, a little further back from the door than either of them initially realized. V stepped forward ever so slightly, still behind the door as he leaned over to snag it only to slip backward and nearly hit the floor face first as his legs gave out underneath him due to the wetness of the floor beneath him. V managed to grab the door just as Sirrus snagged him under the left shoulder, pulling it in a manner that wasn’t very comfortable, but sparing him a much worse fall as the door pivoted and nearly threw him onto his face. That was certainly a plus. That fact that to do so Sirrus was now standing almost fully in front of him was certainly a minus.

Excellent.

Thoroughly flustered but attempting to not acknowledge how utterly horrified and embarrassed he felt at the moment as he looked down at the floor and caught his breath, V nodded in appreciation, attempting to simply pretend that this very embarrassing situation wasn’t currently occurring. That was the best he could do to cope with it. Between his banged-up knees and his crippling embarrassment, he was having a rough night.

But as he caught his breath, he felt the comforting warmth of soft fabric drape over his freezing shoulders. He glanced up just in time for Sirrus to drape the towel over his shoulder, noticing immediately that this was a nonstandard-sized towel closer to the size of a beach towel. It came to just below his knees as Sirrus stood fully in front of him and gently wrapped him in it, obviously sensing his mounting sense of anxiety toward being completely nude and attempting to alleviate it. He didn’t say as much, but he understood the feeling. V had practically frozen in place as he waited for his knees to stop throbbing and Sirrus had clearly decided to simply not look and assist him. His arms still worked, but V was just genuinely too mortified to think clearly and ask for the towel, and simply taking it from him might have been perceived as rude. He didn’t want to come off that way.

“Are you alright, V?” Sirrus asked quietly as V quietly turned and tilted in any manner that Sirrus indicated so that he could better wrap him in the towel. His breathing had picked up slightly, but aside from the color of his face and a small porton of hit upper section of his neck, V’s face didn’t betray the dread he felt. “I’ll take a nod in place of a response if you can’t speak. I understand. You look cold.”

He wanted to reassure his friend that he was alright, but that wasn’t totally the cause. The brief impact both of his knees had made with the concrete floor had actually hurt pretty badly, but the discomfort in his joints from the force of impact and the suddenness of it all was starting to fade. V was good at catching himself when he fell, but he was much less good when he fell without expecting it. And he’d certainly had much worse falls. This was nothing but a momentary inconvenience and maybe a few small bruises come morning. He would be just fine. He nodded as asked, earning him a small pat on the shoulder. At least almost falling had taken his mind off of the situation a little bit.

“You didn’t… see anything… did you?” V asked bashfully as he finally felt his nerves ease and he regained the ability to speak, his vibrant blush betraying his embarrassment. He no longer felt exposed, but he was still embarrassed, even if only half as badly as he had been. He dared to look up at his friend as he released his supportive grip on him, seemingly satisfied with his ability to stand on two feet again. At least for now. Sirrus gave him a gentle look as he exhaled in relief that slowly gave way to the clearest expression of amusement he’d probably seen all day. V felt a chill run up his spine before his friend even spoke. He knew what that look meant. And Sirrus was too poor of a liar to be faking it. Oh. Oh no.

“Of course I did,” Sirrus said, a wolfish grin spreading across his entire face as he gently ruffled his friend’s hair. He chuckled deeply, shaking his head as he blinked, his eyes slightly wide and a small bit of red in his face as well. V wondered for all of an instant whether he was saying that just to mess with him, but he knew the answer. He just knew. As much as he wished he was, Sirrus wasn’t lying he’d seen everything. And he clearly had some opinions though he was too polite - or perhaps too embarrassed by the whole situation or on his behalf- to verbalize them. And he was utterly and eternally grateful for that because he didn’t think he could take it. “Goodnight. If you need me, simply knock.”

And with that, Sirrus nodded politely before backing away, avoiding further eye contact, and heading to his own door. V gave him a sheepish wave from his own doorway which he returned almost too playfully despite not fully looking at him before ducking inside of his door and closing the door softly. V then closed his own door, leaning against the back of it with a sigh. That could have gone better. So much better. But it also could’ve been worse, so he was glad that it hadn’t been. At least Sirrus wouldn’t tell anyone. He hoped.

“Goodnight… “ V managed to croke out sheepishly after much persistence. He knew Sirrus probably couldn’t hear him through the wall. His friend’s response had stolen all the air from his body and his head was suddenly pounding. He hadn’t realized he possessed such a strong aversion to being seen undressed until now. This almost felt like it had to be more than that. He needed to lay down. He suddenly felt unwell.

Once the door had slid closed and V had managed to stand up and dry himself off along with the trail of water that he’d made from the door to the bathtub, he sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the wall and reveled in the feeling of the cold brick against this skin. He suddenly felt hot. Unbelievably hot. Almost as though he was coming down with something. He quietly hoped that he hadn’t as he gripped the towel Sirrus had wrapped around him and held it tightly, his heart still pounding in his ears. How awkward.

After a minute or two he sighed and bent over to unzip his luggage bag, opting to start by putting something on himself. Probably not underwear, of course. He’d proven that he apparently didn’t need those to sleep in during his time in Redgrave City, but perhaps something longer, softer, and lighter around the bottom would do. Something warm that would sweat him out from under the covers in his sleep in the middle of the night and ruin his badly needed restful sleep. He had options there. He’d packed accordingly.

But just as he finished searching for his shirt, Griffon materialized in the room, cackling to himself in a tone somewhere smack dab in the middle of concern and amusement, practically nonverbally inquiring as to if he was alright in the head by tone alone; challenging the very notion of his sanity and if it truly still existed, frayed as it must be.

“Um V… Don’t mean to, ahem, interrupt you or anything but um… why didn’t you just ask me or the kitty to get it? Wouldn't that have been way easier?”

V stopped rifling through the bag about ten seconds later as his head suddenly snapped up and he stared at Griffon as though his avian summon had just open-palm slapped him in the mouth, stopping halfway through putting on the loose button-up shirt he was in the middle of buttoning up. He suddenly looked absolutely mortified. “What did you say?”

“I said… “ The iridescent blue bird suddenly stopped speaking, noticing the way that his master suddenly looked. V’s entire face was flushed with shades of bright pink, his body structure indescribably limp and his eyes totally dilated and unblinking. Some part of him had clearly just given up, but on what, he didn’t have the slightest idea. Perhaps existing? It was something essential like that for certain. He looked as though he’d just lost the will to live and wanted to peel off all of his skin, lay on the floor, curl up into it, and simply die.

His entire body slumped like a depressed sack of potatoes as his wet hair clung to his face and his shoulders, his head pivoting towards the floor as his shoulder dropped. He needed a haircut but couldn’t muster the energy to care about something like that right now despite noticing as he shook his head in disappointment. Maybe it looked better this way. At least it hid his shame-filled eyes from the gaze of others. Yes. Why hadn’t he just done that?! He’d been so worried that Sirrus would see him undressed that he’d forgotten how to think! It was the simplest, most straightforward answer, and somehow he’d totally overlooked it and gone with perhaps its total and complete antithesis, embarrassing himself for his trouble.

He’d nearly died of embarrassment, and now he was dying of shame.

That was it. This was his cue to go the hell to bed. He said nothing as he walked calmly across the room, pulled the covers back, and fell face down on the mattress, no longer able to conjure meaningful thoughts. He was well and truly ready for the burdenless joy of sleep. The void of nothingness that his mind clearly needed to retire to for a few solid hours while he regained the capacity for critical thinking. He’d had enough for one night.

With that he scooted up until his face was on one of the pillows as Griffon grabbed the soft comforter, pulling it up to his shoulders and dropping it on him with a soft flop before landing on the bedside table and preening himself. Clearly, V needed some help. He was obviously struggling, immobilized, and stupefied. Shadow simply manifested, looked at her master, and laid down next to him against the side of the bedframe on the floor. It was best not to disturb him further. Clearly, he needed a minute. Or maybe a few hours.

(-~-)

For the plant nerds out there, yes. Sirrus did spend the money to buy an Albino Variegated Monstera Deliciosa with pink undertones just to put in the room in his house that he spends the least amount of time in. He’s insane and his love language is plants and cuddling. The more rare, pretty, and unique, the better. Let’s just hope Shadow doesn’t nibble on them like every other kitty in existence. Can you imagine…

As for the shower situation and everything that happened between Sirrus and V in this chapter… THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO ME IN HIGH SCHOOL AT MY BEST FRIEND’S HOUSE AND THEN WE HAD TO SLEEP IN THE SAME BED. AT MY FIRST EVER SLUMBER PARTY. The shame.

I’ve already written half of the next chapter, so I’ll see you on Friday the 1st of September. Take care! Don’t overheat out there and be careful of hurricanes, tropical storms, fires, earthquakes, heatwaves, and… oh forget it. FFS. There is too much going on. Just be safe, okay? I care about you all. Don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Stay safe! Bye bye!

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